Unrequited (8 page)

“Come inside for a second. There's something I want to give you.” He walked ahead without waiting to see if she followed. Ashton stood on the sidewalk for a few seconds before giving in and following Will into his house.

Ashton had never been inside his house. In the weeks since Will had first entered her life, she'd had fairly little interaction with him. Her mother would visit him, but Ashton always refused to accompany her.

Will had walked into another room while Ashton stood just across the threshold of the door. She looked around the living room at the fine old furniture. It suited him perfectly. As well as he fit in with the people in this town, there was still something gentlemanly and refined about him. This room felt like Will. She stepped further into the room and ran her hand along the top of several furniture pieces. She could imagine him sitting in the large upholstered chair with a book while a fire crackled in the hearth. For a fleeting moment, she imagined herself sitting here with him.

That thought brought her back to reality, and she stepped away from the chair and the image of her and Will spending a cozy evening together.

“Here, I want you to have this.” Will appeared from another room. Ashton felt her face, sure she was blushing from the warm thoughts she’d experienced a moment before. Will didn’t seem to notice, and handed her a book. The cover was leather, but it had been ravaged by time. She opened it, and the pages were filled with handwritten words.

“What is this?” She didn’t understand.

“It's my old journal. I haven't kept one in years. That one was started when I first moved to Georgia. For a while it was my only friend, the only thing I could tell my thoughts to. I believe you may relate to some of it, and maybe it will help you understand me better.”

Ashton held the book, unsure of how she felt. She didn’t know if she was ready to read it. She tried to break the tension she was feeling by asking him the personal questions she usually shied away from. If she let herself get to know him, she would have to quit ignoring him, and if she quit ignoring him, she was afraid of where that might lead.

“How did you end up teaching here?”

Will's face changed, and Ashton couldn't mistake his pleasure at her initiative in asking him something personal. He walked a few steps and stared out the window.

“I'm from the East. Did I ever tell you that? I made my way south for the warmer climates and the anonymity. My education traveled with me, and I began working as a tutor for wealthy families in Atlanta. As time passed, and I discovered I truly didn’t age, I decided to take advantage of eternal youth and became educated in almost every subject available. The pursuit of knowledge never gets old.” Will moved toward Ashton, and she suddenly felt very aware of the fact that she was alone with him, and in that moment felt another pang of attraction. In spite of her mind's wishes, her body and emotions betrayed her every time Will was near.

He continued to move closer until he was standing directly in front of her. The journal in her hands seemed to grow heavy with the weight of what it symbolized. She was holding Will in the pages of this book. If she opened it, she was opening herself to him.

“This is very personal, I really shouldn't…” Ashton tried to push the book toward Will.

He placed his hand over her hand which held the journal. “Yes, you should. It's my past, and I try not to go back there, but maybe my past can help you move into your future.”

Ashton nodded her head and thanked him, and turned to hurry for home. She tried to tell herself the setting sun and cold weather made her rush, and not the spark she felt when Will touched her hand.

***

When Ashton left his house, Will felt a little devious about giving her his journal. He had been earnest when he told her he hoped she could learn from his experience. What he hadn't told her was that the story of how he came to be a vampire was written on those pages. Perhaps if he let her know his story, she might finally divulge hers. There was a soft and vulnerable place inside Will that hoped Ashton would start to see him and know him for who he was. More and more, his thoughts were resting with the lovely and stubborn girl. For now, he would save those thoughts for his quiet moments at home.

Along with his burgeoning romantic interest was the curiosity of how her change compared to his. There was also a need to know who had attacked her, so he could try and stop others from being harmed.

Will wondered what had become of his own attacker. Almost two-hundred years had passed, but he remembered it as though it were yesterday.

“Really, Will, you know your horse is no match for mine. You’re entering into a fool's wager,” Samuel Beckett warned his friend, all the while readying his own horse for the race.

“I will beat you, and when I do, you will give me your saddle.” Will was a great horseman, and he had an advantage: he knew the roads and trails better than almost anyone in town.

“All right then, on your sound, we race. The first one to reach the Willow Creek Bridge wins. Tom is there to witness for the victor.” Samuel had his horse ready.

Will called “go,” and both men were off at a demon's pace.

The bridge was five miles from the starting point, and there were several paths to get there. Samuel had taken the straight path through the woods, but there was water to cross and which would surely slow his horse down. Will chose to cut across a field. It wasn't as smooth, but it led to an abandoned farm that provided an excellent shortcut.

Will's horse was running as he rarely had. If he could keep this pace, the victory would certainly belong to him. He made the turn from the field to the drive of the old farm. Normally he would slow down to avoid the old nails and boards that had fallen away from the dilapidated house and barn, but Will was focused on the race and continued his breakneck speed.

He had rounded the house and almost passed the barn when something hit him and everything became blurred. Will hit the ground with a force he'd never experienced. The breath was completely knocked from him, and it seemed as though all the sound had gone out of the world. He tried to look up and caught a glimpse of his horse struggling back to its feet. They must have run upon an obstacle that caused him to be thrown and his horse to fall.

Will struggled to take a deep breath and still couldn’t find the air. At that moment, he realized pain was shooting through his back. Something had stabbed him, and if his current condition was an indicator, it had pierced his lung.

There was no way to call out and nobody around to hear him cry if he could. Will struggled to sit up and couldn’t, making him wonder if his injuries were more extensive than he thought. There was
nothing he could do. He grew weaker and more tired, and he knew he was about to die. It was the loneliest feeling he had ever known. There was no one to comfort him or hold his hand. It could be days before anyone even discovered his body. Will closed his eyes and prayed that, if it must end this way, it end quickly.

As his mind began to go foggy, he thought he heard the crackle of grass as someone approached. His ability to focus was gone and replaced by the red haze of pain. Someone rolled him onto his side, and the offending object was pulled from his back. He was placed flat again, and his shirt collar was loosened.

“So beautiful,” he thought he heard someone whisper. He could smell flowers and spice and the stroke of a hand against his cheek.

Will tried to open his eyes, but he grew weaker with every passing moment. Finally he succumbed to the darkness and drifted away.

The next thing he remembered was waking up in a bed. It was dark, except for the light from a few candles. The pain from the fall was gone, and his ability to breathe had returned. He looked around. The room was weathered and bare except for the large bed. His clothing was draped across the end of the bed. Standing, he quickly dressed and found his shoes.

He walked to the window and looked out to see he was still at the old farm, but had been brought into the house.

“Someone lives here?” he whispered to himself. It was impossible to think that anyone could live in this shell of a building.

Will wasn't sure if he should be worried. This situation was far from typical. On the one hand, whoever brought him here had helped him. On the other, he was in a bedroom of a house he knew had been empty for years. Carefully, he made his way out of the room and found the stairs leading to the first floor.

The house around him was silent except for the slight wind coming through the old walls. All was dark, and he decided against calling out to whoever had been there. He finally reached the front door and gently opened it. As he made his way into the yard, he saw his horse tethered to a piece of fence. He ran to the horse, mounted, and rode away as fast as he could.

Relieved to be alive and at a distance from the old farm, he slowed down to assess his condition. The pain in his back had dulled, and he could effortlessly fill his lungs with air. He felt his head and his arms, and all seemed to be well…until he felt his neck.

Will had never seen his attacker, but he was convinced it had been a woman. The smell of her and the sound of her voice were things he would never forget. She never sought him out again in the time he remained in town, and the old farmhouse burned to the ground within days of Will being there. He always assumed that, whoever she was, she had perished in the fire, but perhaps that assumption had been wrong.

He wondered if Ashton's attacker was the same as his, or if there were truly more vampires out there. There was a part of Will that sensed he would find the answer sooner than he might wish.

Chapter Eleven

“Come on, ladies, pick up the speed,” Will was yelling from the sidelines as the basketball team ran drills up and down the court. The season was well underway, and he had settled into the routines of daily practice and weekly games. The girls were feeling a January post-holiday slump, but Will was determined to whip them into shape before the next game.

Ashton ran by with the others, her focus completely on the task at hand. Will had become used to her single-minded determination, and he really admired it. Once she had gotten past the first couple weeks at Belle Ridge High, she had thrown herself into student life and excelled at everything she attempted. Ashton was a force to be reckoned with. Her work ethic was impressive and showed Will that she had a great strength of character, which he found very appealing. She had become fairly popular with her classmates, and for a girl who would only spend one year there, he sensed she would leave a lasting legacy at the school.

“Good job, Ashton,” Will called as she practiced free throws. As usual, she didn’t acknowledge him.

Over the past few months she had continued to treat him with a polite indifference. She was never outright rude, but she continued to keep him at a distance whenever possible. Her family, on the other hand, had welcomed him as one of their own. He had become a fixture at the Wallace dinner table at least three nights a week. They had even insisted he stay with them during Christmas. For Will, it was the first time he had shared the holidays with a family since his change.

As he watched her set up shot after shot, he thought back to a conversation they’d had after dinner several weeks ago.

“Nice shot.” Will had followed Ashton out into the dark driveway where she was shooting baskets at the hoop over the garage.

“Thanks,” she said without looking at him.

“Ya know, I hope you go out for the team. Your dad said you were pretty good back at your old school.” Will watched as she sunk another basket.

“Under the circumstances, I don't think I should. We spend too much time together as it is.” She sounded angry as she caught the ball and turned to face Will. “Look ,Will, I don't know what you want from me. I just want to get through this year like a normal girl. I don't want to take part in vampire training, or whatever it is you're trying to do.”

“Trying to do? All I'm trying to do is help you. I want to spare you some of the worry and confusion I had to go through. Don't you get that we have something here that's unique?” Will walked toward Ashton and grasped her arms to try and force her attention. “Ashton, you're a vampire. I'm a vampire. And as far as I know, we're the only ones. Pretend as much as you want, but the facts aren't going to change. All these people we know are going to die, and we are the ones that will be left behind. I've been alone for a long time, and I don't want to be alone anymore, and trust me, you won't want to be alone, either.”

In the moonlight, Will could see the look in Ashton's eyes. She looked sad and scared, the way she had looked the night of the dance. He released her arms and took a few steps back. Perhaps he'd been harsh with his choice of words.

“Ashton, I…” He didn’t get to finish. Her eyes narrowed, the sadness washed away, and she looked ready to spit fire.

“Look, Will, I just want to go to dances and do my homework and worry about what outfit to wear. I'm not stupid. I know the reality of the situation, and I'm not trying to pretend the future isn't going to happen. But right now, today, I just want to live and go about my life like any other person. There will come a time, probably sooner than I would like, where I know I'll have to face all those things.” Her voice grew louder with every word. “Just, for a little while, can't we let things go? Can't you just be a teacher and let me be a student?”

Will couldn’t ignore Ashton's plea. He understood he’d let his own plans and desires override Ashton's best interests. She was right. The time for facing harsh realities was not now, and he needed to take a step back and let her have time for herself.