Tears of the Broken (56 page)

It
will never be uncomfortable—it will never be awkward.

“
David?”

“
Yes, my love.”

“
No
matter what I choose, you know I’ll love you for as long as I live,
right?”

David held his breath and became still, leaving the only
sound to the chirping bird in the canopy above us. “Then, I guess—”
he said softly, “I must hope that you will not choose life,
because
I
,
sweetheart, am destined to love
you
for eternity.”

A
darkened summer glow trilled across the southern sky and lit the
dusk with a brilliant red. The treetops turned orange first, and
then, as the shadow of the night descended into the forest, I could
no longer see the lake beside us, but marvelled at the
heavens—littered with thousands of brightly twinkling
stars.

In
this moment, there is no death, no immortality, and farewells are
for the unlucky. There is only David and I, and the
night—forever.

For
my
forever.

Chapter
Twenty

Leaning my shoulder against the window frame, I watched the
sun rise over the hills to the east—the very same hills David ran
to when he stole the blue rose. It’s been only four days since I
was thrust into the world of the supernatural, but I still feel
just as confused. No clarity has come with time passing.

The
morning breeze brushed over the trees outside, forcing those below
to hold onto their hats and papers a little tighter as they headed
into the school. I see them all in a different kind of light, now.
Any one of them could be like David. There’s no way of knowing.
They all look so normal, so human.

I
looked down at my pale white hands and the little blue veins that
run under the skin, rising slightly over the bones. My fingers are
cold and thin, but long, and soft like a rose petal.
These
are the hands of a
mythological vampire, not David’s; his are warmer than mine, and
pink and strong, and they shake a little when he holds them out in
front of him for too long. I wonder how much of that is
well-rehearsed human behaviour, or really just the way his hands
are.

“
Morning, beautiful.” David sprung up on my windowsill. I
stumbled back, clutching my hand over my chest—trying to stop my
heart from leaping out like an alien singing a cabaret
song.

“
David. You have a habit of popping up when I’m thinking about
you.”

“
Do
I?”

“
Mm,
but I think you already know that.”

He
grinned and kissed my cheek as he stepped into my room and placed a
brown paper-bag in my hand. “For the ogre.”

When
I opened the bag, the warm scent of vanilla and cinnamon wafted out
in a moist puff. “Afraid I’ll bite you if the ogre gets
tempestuous
again?”

“
Don’t joke—” He pointed at me as he flopped down on my bed.
“It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve fallen victim to the wrath of
the beast.”

“
If
you weren’t so irritating, I wouldn’t get so moody with you.”
Wearing a grin, I walked over to sit next to him. “You want
some?”

He
shook his head. “I’ve eaten already.”

“
Food or…”

“
I
missed you last night,” he said softly, stroking my hair away from
my face, totally ignoring my question.

“
Oh,
what? You mean you didn’t sneak into my room?”

“
I
only do that when I know you’re upset. I would never intrude when
you rest peacefully.”

“
How
would you know I’m peaceful?”

“
Well, I always come by to check on you before I go to bed.”
He grinned and laid back on my pillow. “I can see where your
thoughts are leading you when you dream. Last night, you were
dreaming about Mike.” His voice dropped when he said
Mike.

“
Oh,
come on, David! Not you, too?” I walked away from him and flopped
onto my desk chair across the room.

“
What?” He sat up and looked at me, defensive, but with a
half-smile.

“
You think I love Mike, too, don’t you?”
Now
I’m
being
defensive, but this is getting old. Why doesn’t anyone think I know
my own heart—especially my boyfriend?

David’s lips turned up slightly, showing his teeth as he
grinned. “So, you remember your dream, then?”

I
rolled my eyes and slumped against the backrest. “It wasn’t like
that. I wasn’t dreaming about
Mike
, specifically, just the
friendship I had with him, that I now have with you—only that
with
you
, I have
so much more.” I tried my hand at dream analysis. “His face was a
representation of
our
relationship, but the body,” I scoffed, motioning to David’s
fine chest, “was clearly you.”

David nodded, still smiling, with an edge of mockery in his
eyes. “Should I be worried?”

“
No,” I said with a mouthful of pastry. “I love you.” I sighed
and jumped up to sit in his lap when he responded with a raised
brow. “I do love Mike, but it’s a different kind of love. Here?” I
took his hand and placed it against my face. “You told me you can
see the past if I let you—see for yourself? Read my
mind.”

His
emerald-green eyes darted over my face. “Really? You’ll let me read
your mind?”

“
Mm-hm.” I nodded.

With
a long breath out, David closed his eyes, and his lips turned up on
the corners. “Thank you, Ara,” he whispered, his hand still on my
face. “But if you say you don’t love him that way, then I believe
you. I don’t need to see it in your memories. Just don’t break my
heart, okay?”

“
Okay. I promise. Now, can you stop hassling me, and let me
get ready for school. We’re gonna be late.” I popped the last bite
of pastry into my mouth and kissed David on the lips. “Thanks for
breaky, by the way. It was delicious.”

“
I
imagine it must’ve tasted the way you would,” he said
thoughtfully.

“
Well,
you’ll
never know.” I winked at him,
then practically skipped into my wardrobe. After I pulled my shirt
off and snapped the clasp of my bra behind me, a warm, honest
chuckle filled my room. I peeked around the corner. What is he
laughing at?

“
How
old were you in this photo?” David asked, without looking up from
the small square sheet in his fingertips.

“
Two
or three, I think.”

“
I’m
going to go out on a limb here and guess the boy next to you is
Mike.”

“
Yup, and the reason I’m crying is ‘cause he just tipped a
bucket of bathwater over my head.”

David nodded, smiling tenderly at the picture. “Yeah, I kinda
gathered that.”

“
He
used to pick on me all the time, you know.” Not much has changed,
really.

“
You
were a very cute baby.” David slipped the photo back into my
bedside drawer where he’d been snooping.

“
Yeah, I know. So, what about you?” I headed back to my
wardrobe and shimmied into my jeans. “Do you have any baby
pictures?” His pause of consideration turned into a long silence,
so I stepped back into my room. “David?”

“
There were a few.” He nodded, his gaze distant. “My Father
was never one for portraits. As Jason and I grew older and would
sit for long enough, my uncle had a few done. There may still be
one in existence.”

Dad
would be fascinated by David—history, firsthand. But David hardly
shares anything about his past. I doubt today will be the day for
it. I waited, standing in my jeans and bra, in front of
David—hoping he’d tell me more. “What happened to your mother?” I
asked, and David’s eyes darkened instantly. I covered my mouth with
both hands. “I’m sorry—that just slipped out. I shouldn’t have said
that.”

“
No,
no, Ara, it’s fine. Please,” he took my hand, “come sit with me.”
He forced a smile and looked at me, almost as if readying himself
for bad news. “I guess I should’ve told you more about myself by
now. I mentioned once that my mother died when I was a
baby?”

“
Yes. Was it childbirth?”

“
Yes.”

I
clicked my tongue. “Aw, David.”

He
shook his head. “It was common for those times, especially with
Jason and I being a multiple birth. She simply gave birth, then
fell asleep—never woke up again.”

“
Did
she ever get to see you?”

“
She
named me before she died—since I was first born. Jason came shortly
after, but, on her last push, she simply had nothing left to fight
with. Before the doctor even cut the cord—she was gone.”

“
So,
you never knew her?”

He
shook his head. “I’m told she was beautiful, and loved by many.
But, my aunt was the only woman I ever considered my
mother.”

“
Well…what happened to her?”

David looked up and his smile tightened. “Another time, my
love.”

“
Okay.” I nodded. “Another time, then.”

His
eyes narrowed, but the corners of his lips indented his cheek with
a slight dimple.

“
What?” I said. “Do I have breakfast on my face?”

“
Thank you.” He took my hand.

“
What for?”

“
For
dropping the subject—without the usual fight.”

“
Well, thank you for letting me into your past.”

“
Anytime.” He nodded, but his eyes and the stiffness in his
hands suggested this might be the last.

School could not have been more boring this week. I lived for
the classes that David and I were in together, but pouted my way
through the rest. In home economics, Mrs. Tacony scolded me for
laughing, even though it wasn’t my fault; David told me that
vampires rarely fall in love with humans—much the same as we don’t
fall in love with cows—since we eat them. Then I saw Josh Granger
ogling Mrs. Tacony—but she’s the biggest cow ever. It completely
disproved David’s theory…and then I laughed.

Humiliation followed when the whole class looked at me, and
the teacher asked me to share the comedy. I said I was sure I heard
a fart.

Suffice to say, the punch David wore after barely indented
his flesh and totally did not defuse my mood. But he takes my moods
well—laughs them off, mostly—which is good, I guess, because, like
David’s murderous streak, my moods aren’t something I can change.
But, all my moralistic beliefs have been discarded for love. Though
I’m in no way ready to start taking lives myself, I no longer deny
the fact that he does—or that I love him. It stays in the back of
my mind, though, the fact that he wanders off every few days to
kill someone. Especially when we kiss. I always want to ask him if
he’s brushed twice
and
flossed.

There is one good thing about him being a vampire, though—he
was right when he said it would mean we could spend more time
together. We’re inseparable at school, and he spends every night in
my room until he kisses me sweetly and says, “Goodnight, my love,”
then leaves before I can convince him to go further than just
kissing. The downside to all this extra time together is that when
he can’t be with me, I feel empty and lost, and kind of
devastated.

But,
after spending Monday and Tuesday in misery land, I got tired of my
own moping. To entertain myself, I started answering every question
the teachers asked, even when I didn’t know the answer. At least it
was good for a laugh—everyone else’s.

In
History class, Emily kept me distracted from my gloom. Well, when
she wasn’t turning around to giggle at her new crush, that
is.

“
So,
you and David seem to be okay now?” Emily whispered when she stole
her eyes away from Spence.

I
nodded. “Yeah. We’re happy.” He’s a vampire, but we’re
happy.

“
Oh,
and, hey, I never got to thank you for hooking me up with Spence.”
She smiled, tilting her head into her shoulder.

“
Yeah, no worries. Did he ask you out on a real date
yet?”

“
Yep. And guess what?”

Oh
boy, she’s just brimming with excitement. I have to humour her by
asking
What?
,
even though she’s going to tell me anyway. “What?” I said, then
grinned in exaggeration of her expression.

“
He
asked me to the Masquerade Ball.”

And
there’s the squeak. One of the things I love about Emily is the way
she can display excitement so easily. She’s just so…normal.
“Awesome. Got a dress yet?” My enthusiasm needs some practice,
though.

“
I’m
going shopping with my mum, tonight.”

“
Cool. Yeah, I’m not looking forward to being dragged from
shop to shop with Vicki, and forced to try on everything with
fluff.” I laughed, but Emily frowned at me.