What i Found In You (15 page)

Alyon Alik

Chapter 20.0

              How do you make a girl you love, love you back with so much going against you. You can’t...

              “Hello,” I was expecting Sam’s call.

              “Hey Alik, so I have good news and bad new,” she told me. I didn’t think this would be good either way.

              “Okay, how about the bad first?”

              “I couldn’t get into her room to get at her drawings,” I gave a sigh. “However,” she said loudly in response to my sigh, “I do have something she made for me. They are quickly sketched copies, but I still have enough for you to work with.”

              “What does it look like?”

              “It was designed for a car lover so the garage is the largest room in the whole thing, but you have to see it to really get a good sense. I will bring it to Masteria in an hour.”

              “Perfect, thank you.”

Samantha Marie Castillo

Chapter 21.0

              Vanessa might be lying to herself about how she felt about Alik, but I could tell she really loved him. She is just one of those girls who likes to torture herself where love is concerned. I, on the other hand, thought Alik was good for Vanessa, but that was only if my feeling that he was hiding something was wrong. In part that is why I picked to go to him at Masteria in the day. I wanted to get to know Alik a little better with Vanessa not around.

              The beautiful black Aston Martin was parked outside, but there were also a few other cars I wasn’t expecting; I began to get nervous. In the daytime, the tent looked not less impressive, but it didn’t hold the same vibe that made you feel like dancing just walking up to the opening.

              “Hello?” I called out as I walked in.

              “Hi,” came a female voice behind me, causing me to jump. “You must be Sam, Alik is waiting for you follow me.”

              “Oh,” was all I could think of as we walked.

              “I’m Alison by the way. Nice to meet you,” she spun, holding out a hand for me to shake while still walking backwards. I shook, her grip was light but very cold. “Are those the plans?” she asked. I was worried she was going to trip when we hit the stairs, but she just kept walking backwards.

              “Yeah, they were the only ones I could get. Vanessa is very protective of her work,” I said, still unsure about this girl.

              “I wish I had a guy to build a house for me,” she said dreamily.

              “This is for her? He didn’t tell me that.”

              “Well, it is and it isn’t. That’s why it’s so sweet.”

              “Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah.”

              “Yeah, I haven’t seen Alik this sweet in a long time.”

              “Have you known him long?

              “Since I was a little girl. His mom took me in.”

              “He has only ever said that he has one sister,” I was confused.

              “Oh, he does. I’m not his sister. My parents weren’t the best and Lilith helped me get emancipated and gave me a place to live. I think I impressed her when I lied about my age to get a job at one of her hotels.”

              “But you said you knew Alik since you were a little girl.” We reached Alik’s office.

              “I have, he used to make me laugh when I was crying because I didn’t want to go home after school. He would get me an ice cream and make me feel better,” she reminisced.

              Wow, was Alik like he is now as a kid too. I guess I could see that. “You never tried...”

              “To get in his pants? Of course, all the time when I got older. I kind of lost touch with him in middle school and it was a stroke of fate that I was able to find him during that interview. He came out of the elevator and it was a little shocking for both of us. I think he talked to his mom and got her to call me back, but she won’t admit to it.”             

              “Is all of his family so giving?” This girl might be my way into Alik’s head.

              “No, giving wouldn’t be a word I’d use. You have to be useful to invoke this sort of kindness out of Lilith.”

              “Lilith?”

              “Alik’s mother. She can be a ruthless person, but very sweet underneath. The hardest thing is to know which is the act and which is the truth with her.”

              “Is Alik the same way?”

              “He is his mother’s son.”

              “Alison,” Alik said as she walked into the office, she was still walking backwards.

              “Hey you!” she shouted, bouncing over to give Alik a kiss on the cheek.

              “Why are you here?” he asked. I had to hide my shock.

              “Just talking about you with my new friend here,” she teased. “I was just leaving however.” She came over and gave me a kiss on both cheeks. “Maybe I will see you later,” she smiled and made her way out the door.

              “I’m sorry for her, the new liberties my mother has given her has made her bold lately. She’s my mother’s spy on how my new business is going, she also has a big mouth,” he shouted the last part after her. “But anyway you said you found some plans for me?”

              “Yes.”

              I was sort of in a daze by Alison’s kisses, I snapped out of it when he brought up the plans I was still holding. “She did these about a year ago, I asked her to design me a house.” I laid the plans out over his desk. “My favorite part is the four car garage with a glass wall leading to the bedroom so I can always see my cars. The loft’s are just to break up the space in each room with the ceiling hitting almost 18 feet in places. Other than that, it’s very open to natural light with all the glass and double skylights,” I explained as I walked him through the floor plan.”

              “With all these open spaces and glass how is it held up?”

              “Exposed I beams that add to the modern feel while keeping the walls up. Also this glass is double pane with a steel skeleton and insulating vacuum pockets to keep it warm or cool.”

              “It’s... just perfect,” he said, still looking over the plans.

              “I know you like your cars and that’s what made me think of this.”

              “Can I borrow these?”

              “Of course.”

              “Thank you.” He gave me a tight hug that caught me off guard. Alik then rolled up the plans and put them back into the tube I brought them in.

              “Do you seriously intend to build this?” I just had to know.

              “I’ve been looking for someone to design my new house, who better than Vanessa?”

              “You really love her, don’t you?”

              “I do.” It was sweet how he said it, but with what Alison had just told me, was this the true Alik or the act?

Vanessa Stanton

Chapter 22.01

I wouldn't say I was sad, more disappointed at the wasted day as I did nothing but sit around the house. It was late the night before we moved, I was getting ready to get into bed when I heard a tap at my window. I went to find out what it was and found Alik outside in my backyard, waving for me to come down. I tiptoed past my parent’s room, down the stairs, into the kitchen, and out into the back.

              "To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked, confused. “Wouldn’t a call work?”

              "I wanted to talk to you, in person."

              "It couldn’t wait until the ride to Cornell tomorrow?" My emotions were all over the place but I didn’t want him to know that.

              "Sam will be with us. It’s really important, actually," he said, moving over to the hammock that sat in a corner of the yard between two orange trees. He motioned for me to join him. I lay next to his cool body and he placed his arms around me and was silent for a while. It should have felt awkward, considering what I had just been thinking, but as always, when I’m in his grasp, I just can’t help myself. I felt safe, like nothing could harm me no matter the situation. "Have you given anymore thought about becoming vampire at all?" he finally asked.

              "I have..."

              "What were you thinking?"

              "Maybe after college… I’m not really sure,”

              “Just remember it has to be me, who changes you that is.”

              "I thought you didn’t want me to be associated with death the way you are."

              "That’s why it has to be me, if my mother is too deeply involved with your new life, she will force you down that path. You aren’t just anyone to me now. A lot has happened since Sam brought you to Masteria that night."

              "Alik, you know I…" I started awkwardly, trying to get free from his arms, which were like steel bars now.

              "I know you are confused right now and don’t feel for me the way I have come to feel for you.”

              “It’s not like that, but I can’t guarantee my feelings for you.”

              “Can you tell me why?”

              “Can you tell me there are no reasons for my doubts?” He was silent and didn’t move and I took that as a confirmation. “I don’t want to start this if it’s just…”

              “Your attraction to a predator bred and raised to attract women?” Self-hatred filled his voice when he said that.

              “No, if it’s just going to hurt us in the end.”

              “Is there no hope?”

              “I don’t know; I don’t want to give you an answer to that. So please don’t make me.”

              “For all my years of my existence, I’ve been alone..." he started.

              "You’ve had Lilith and June, haven’t you?"

              "My mother and June have been around, but they have never stuck with me. We are a ‘family’ apart. I’ve never been able to just talk with either of them. You saw how I get around my mother; we disagree on so much, but it doesn’t mean I love her as a mother any less. It’s just that we can’t help but be mean to each other. I couldn’t tell her what I’ve told you without feeling like I will be getting a smart remark back or a cold calculated response that I didn’t need in a moment of weakness. June is so serious at most times around me that I can’t really relax around her; I’m her brother and she looks up to me. With you, I’m alive again, no longer a monster. I’ve told you what a life around my mother is like and I want to keep any obligation you feel to serve her to a minimum. It will keep you safe.” I lay there against him silent for a while and he didn’t seem like he was in a hurry to break the silence. “Can I just stay close to you if nothing else? You keep me grounded.”

              “I do like you close. Your touch is comforting, your voice soothing, but I can’t do anything but hurt you this way.”

              “What if I didn’t care?”

              “I’d care.”

              “I can’t leave you of my own free will, Vanessa. You will have to tell me to go before I will.”

              “Please don’t say that, I couldn’t do it even if I wanted to.”

              “I’m sorry, but it’s the truth.”

              “Stay with me like this for however long you can.”

              We sat there as the wind blew and I snuggled closer to him.

              “It’s cold, you should go inside.”

              "Vampire blood, remember? It feels rather warm. This is probably the last chance I will have to fall asleep in your arms for a while."

              "Isn’t this the only time?" he asked.

              "No, the second time I saw you, I might have been dying but your touch and your face were the last things I saw before I drifted off that night. It made everything easier."

              We just lay there until I fell asleep somehow. I didn’t know if keeping Alik like this was the right choice, but I didn’t have to hurt him this way, at least I told myself that.

              I woke up in my room with my mom calling my name from down the stairs to ‘Hurry up’. After all, Alik was supposed to be here soon to take me to pick up Sam. I got dressed quickly and went down to the waffles my mom had made stacked high on a plate. I grabbed a fork from the drawer and rewashed it; stupid enhanced taste buds had made eating horrible at times. I had gotten through two waffles and a little bacon before I heard a car stopping outside, but it wasn’t the normal sound of his car that I had grown accustomed to. Had he bought a new one? I put my food down and went to the door and opened it; Alik was sitting in a shiny white convertible car, then he was next to me.

              "Do you like it?" he asked behind me, taking my hand and slipping the key into it.

              "You’re not giving me that, are you?"

              "No, of course not. I’ve spent a while tuning that car; no other like it exists in the world. You can drive to Sam's, although if you want a car, we can talk. Maybe something British?"

              "No, I don’t need some expensive car. Is that a vampire thing: wanting expensive and fast cars?"

              "You know, now that you mention it, maybe because my mother has a collection of classic super cars."

              "Am I supposed to know what those are?" I asked like he had just spoken another language.

              "You’re right, I forgot who I was talking to, sorry." he said mockingly.

              "Oh, shut up," I said as I hit his arm.

              I walked back into the kitchen with the key dangling from my finger as Alik followed behind me . My mom’s face always lit up when she saw me with him, and today was no different.

              "Good morning, Mrs. Stanton."

              "Good morning, Alik dear; would you like some breakfast?" she offered with a warm smile. She was always trying to feed him, although she didn’t know that he didn’t consider waffles breakfast.

              "No thank you; I ate just before I came." I wondered if that was a lie.

              "Mom, I’m going to go pick Sam up now."

              "Okay, do you need my keys?" she asked, reaching for a set of keys on the wall.

              "No, I’m going to take Alik's car." She gave him a worried look.

              "I hope your insurance premium is paid up, dear."

              "I double-checked it this morning," he replied with a smirk and they both laughed.

              "Okay, enough humor at my expense," I said, pushing Alik out of the kitchen. He walked me to the car and opened the door for me. "Behave yourself, and don’t find yourself alone with my mom for too long; it’s for your own good."

              "I think I can handle two humans."

              "Behave," I said as I glared at him.

              "I promise. Like I said, I’ve eaten already," he said, flashing his teeth in a wider smile. I started the car and it roared to life. "Oh, a quick word of warning, this car is a bit powerful so it requires a light touch," he informed me as he stood back. I placed my foot on the gas pedal and the car leapt forward, spinning its tires as I flew down the street. I could hear him laughing a block away. Amazingly, I made it to Sam's house in this monster car without crashing it and when she came out, she screamed.             

              "Hey!" I shouted, waving from the driver’s seat.

              "This is Alik's, isn’t it?" she asked, nearly jumping up and down.

              "What are you so excited about? Your brother has a convertible and you’ve been in one before."

              "He has an ugly old Celica, but this is a Aston Martin DB9 Convertible!"

              "Seriously?!" I was shocked, all I knew about cars came from Sam's constant babbling about them, and she mentioned this one once or twice.

              "He didn’t tell you?"

              "No wonder it took me ten minutes to stop the tires from spinning." She laughed. "Are your parents ready?"

              "Yeah, they are in the garage now; everything is packed away," she told me as she hopped over the door and into the passenger seat. We sat there for about ten minutes as Sam ranted about the figures and numbers on the car until the garage door opened. Her parents followed us back to my house where Alik and my dad were pulling a rope tight on the back hatch to my dad’s car.

              "You let her drive that?" he asked Alik while I was still half a block away.

              "Yeah, I thought she would look good in it."

              "Brave man," he said, clapping Alik on the shoulder with a grin as he went to get mom.

              Alik walked over as we pulled up to the curb and Sam got out and hugged him. Her parents pulled in behind me, getting out of the car.

              "So you’re the elusive Alik," Sam's father Hector started, walking over to shake his hand.

              He was a short, but strong man. He had given Sam her bright brown eyes. His shirt sleeves were rolled up around his thick arms covered in what he called “manly hair”. Sam was glad she didn’t get that as well. Sam’s mother was basically an older Sam; she was beautiful and walked with elegance that nearly rivaled Lilith.

              "You must be Mr. Castillo; nice to meet you."

              "Call me Hector, It’s good to finally meet you as well. This yours?" he asked, pointing at the car.

              "Yeah."

              "Nice choice; you must do well."

              “Dear, you shouldn’t ask that,” Sam’s mother rebuked.

              "It’s okay, Mrs. Castillo,” Alik said, lightly shaking the hand she held out. “You could say that I do fairly well."

              "Oh dear, please call me Elen," said Sam's mother.

              “Little Ness over there got lucky finding you,” laughed Hector.

              “Oh, we aren’t…” Alik started.