Starting New

Freshman year of college was finally here. New town, new people, and new everything for me to explore. I felt excited, bursting with energy and enthusiasm for my new school; I was proud to be a Hawk. However, it was odd feeling on the bottom of the pecking order. Being a freshman at a huge university was completely different than being a senior at a small high school. Although nervous, I couldn’t wait to explore this new part of my life.
My life was a mess back home in Evera, a small town in North Carolina. It’s not like I ever did anything bad, but people still seemed to steer clear of me. Granted, I had my small group of good friends, but even they weren’t enough to keep me close to that little town. Sometimes, I felt like my family had a curse on it; like everyone else saw something on us that was invisible to my eyes. We would barely get invited to socials and parties, and no one would come to ours. Being an only child, I always wondered what it would be like to share my misery with someone who would understand, but I couldn’t. None of that mattered now, though. I was starting anew.
Everything went great for the first few weeks. I got in the swing of things faster than everyone else and even passed my first exam. I met a few new friends whom I spent most of my time with, and found activities that were good for me. My roommate, Gina, was a doll. She made friends wherever she went, and wanted to help me make as many friends as possible. She was from the area and knew a ton of people. However, everything changed the day I met her boyfriend.
Frank seemed like a nice guy at first; I mean, for the first few minutes of our introduction. As soon as I shook his hand, something happened to him. I felt nothing, but he tensed, his eyes turned cold, and I could almost see hatred pouring out of him. Gina did not notice, because she began to describe me, telling him where I was from and all. “Nora is from Evera, in North Carolina. She’s a Tallon… isn’t that a cool last name? It reminds me of… like… hawks have talons ha ha.” Frank gave a thin smile to humor Gina and nodded, “That is very interesting. We’ll talk more a little later, Gina. I have to run and meet a friend for a favor.” With that, he was gone. I smiled slightly at Gina, “I don’t think he liked me very much…” Gina laughed, “He’s totally shy, Nora. Don’t worry… actually… worry! We need to get ready for the party tonight. I lost track of time. We have an hour to make us both hot.” I smiled and let Gina work her magic. She picked out my clothes, makeup, and did my hair before attending to herself. “You look perfect, Nora. So, so cute!” I thanked her and did what I could to help her get ready. Within an hour, we were ready to go.
The location of the party was in a field outside the campus. There would be a lot of people there, and I was excited to see familiar faces and new ones as well. We drove out and parked the car farther from all the others. With the partying that would be going on tonight, Gina did not want to risk getting her car ruined by some ignorant drunk. We started to walk towards the bon fire when I remembered something important that I wanted to tell her. “Gina, in case we get separated and cant find each other, lets meet back here at 12:30 just to check up on each other, alright?” She agreed and we went off to join the others. Within an hour, it was packed. People were everywhere, ten different songs were playing, and the fire grew higher. I had stopped to talk to a girl from class, discussing how much we disliked the teacher when I heard someone yell my name. I turned, but could not see anyone looking for me. I then realized Gina was out of sight, and it was almost time to meet back at the car. I excused myself from the girl whom I had been talking to and started back towards the car. It was a good distance of a walk… Gina was very cautious. I arrived about ten minutes early, which gave me time to get used to the quiet and get my head together. Suddenly, I heard a noise behind me. I turned, but nothing was there. I shook my head, thinking to myself that I probably drank a little too much too fast. I slowly turned back around, but only made it halfway before my vision turned black.

Awake in Chains

I awoke in a cold place. The air was stale, as if no breeze had ever touched the walls of the room. There was little light, except for a thin stream coming through the bars of the door. A door. It looked heavy, an antique. My eyes traveled down the length of the door, along the bare, unpaved ground, tracing the small perimeter of the stonewalls surrounding me, but stopped when I saw the tips of my toes. I was barefoot, sore, aching for water and to put my arms down. I then realized I could not move my arms for they were bound by cuffs, above me head, attached to the wall behind me. The panic set into my core when I realized that I could not help myself. I moved, trying desperately to break free. My heart raced with fear as I helplessly attempted to gain control of myself. I did not know where I was; how I got here; who did this, when I would go home. I did not even realize that I had started to cry until my chilled tears fell onto my already cold, bare legs. My sobs were quiet, but they echoed through the room. They quickly turned to gasps as my throat was so parched.
I heard footsteps. They were coming slowly in my direction. They were soft, but loud enough to hear, as if whoever was coming wanted to let me know I would not be alone for long. The footsteps temporarily stopped before the door creaked open. My gasps continued, as did my tears. I was so overcome with fear that I did not even notice the person who had entered the room. I let out cries for help, thrashing my arms at attempts to break the cuffs. Suddenly, hands cupped my face, holding it still. I desperately tried to turn my neck, back away, but the hands were too strong. A voice was talking to me, a deep, smooth voice. “Don’t hurt yourself, darling. Look at me… hey, look at me,” he said, as his grip tightened. I slowly lifted my tear brimmed eyes towards him. “You’re alright, just don’t hurt yourself. It’s okay. Breathe.” I couldn’t help but listen. My heart slowed as I breathed deeply, but I was still shivering, shaking with fear. This man, he terrified me. He was tall, strong, and not much older than me. His jet-black hair was only a shade darker than his eyes. His skin was light, like ivory, but his hands felt warm against my chilled face.
He moved my hair away from my face and brought something to my dry lips. Water. I tilted my head slightly and let the water run into my desert of a mouth, some trickling its way down my chin. “Easy…” he said, pulling the water away, “just a little at a time.” My mouth followed the bottle until I couldn’t stretch my neck any farther. I hung my head, surprised at how exhausted I had become. My tears returned as I took in more of my situation, and my lack of knowledge about it. Again, he lifted my face and moved the hair away from my eyes. “You’ll be okay, just stay still. Stay still.” With those words, he gently released my arms from the cuffs, one at a time. He held my arm at the elbow and wrist as they were released. Although gentle, I still whimpered with pain as he laid my arms at my sides. I did not know how long they had been in the cuffs, but it had been long enough to make my whole shoulder and neck sore. Without the uncomfortable support of the cuffs, I slumped over, barely catching myself with my weak palms. I unexpectedly felt hands touch my sides, which made me jump and gasp with fear. “Easy…” he said, “I’m just helping you up.” I again refused his help, turning away from him as he reached out his arms. He knelt close to me, again, offering his help. I shifted away from him, hitting the wall behind me. I brought my bare legs close to me, widening the gap between us. I was afraid of him, terrified, and he knew it.
He took a step closer to me and I pushed myself back, but I didn’t move as I was already against the wall. For a few minutes we remained like that. He was silent. I was frozen, stuck, trembling. “You need to come with me, just upstairs. It’s cold down here… there is food upstairs too.” I was too scared to even think about eating, or remember the last time I did eat. All I could do was try not to look at him, not let our eyes meet. “Come on, we’re going… I’ll help you,” he said, coming towards me again. I tried to move back again, to the side, anywhere to keep a gap between us, but there was nowhere to retreat to. He put one hand on my arm and wrapped the other around my waste, pulling me up to him. I tried to fight but was too weak to do so. I began to cry, more like gasp, again as he moved me. Once I was up, he tried to let me stand, but my knees failed me. I slumped down, but he caught me, pulling me back up closer to him. I again tried to fight, pushing away with what little force I could exert from my hands, but it was useless. “Shhh… don’t cry, hon; you need to focus, look at me. Look at me… try to stand,” he said, but I could not. Once again, the tears returned. This time, because I knew he knew how helpless I really was. Anything he wanted to do to me, he could do it. “You’ll be okay once you eat,” he whispered. “I can carry you up the stairs, but you need to let me help you, okay? Don’t hurt yourself by trying to be strong, because right now you aren’t.” I slowly nodded my head, closing my eyes to clear the tears that had gathered. I reluctantly put my arm around his neck and he picked me up effortlessly. “That a girl; just relax.”
He walked through the door, exiting the room I woke up in. I did not see much of where we went because my head was tucked into his chest. My neck ached so much, and the only position that was comfortable was the one putting my head closest to his. I could feel us ascending a staircase and enter another room because of the new streams of light that poured through. A few moments passed and I felt myself being set down gently on a soft surface, a couch. He knelt next to me, and I could feel his gaze on my face, on all of me. I then remembered what clothes I had on: shorts almost too short for modesty, and a shirt that hung low in the front. I turned away from him, trying to hide myself from this stranger. “Oh… wow, I didn’t notice that earlier,” he said. He moved my hair away from the side of my neck, and I winced as a pulse of pain shot through me. “Sorry darling, I didn’t mean for that to hurt. You have a cut here that needs some attention. Don’t go anywhere,” he said as he stood up and went towards a cabinet. He returned moments later with a damp cloth and ointment. As he kneeled down beside the couch, he lifted my head, turning the cut to face him. I flinched at his touch. “I’m just going to clean it with some water, okay? Try not to pull away, I know it hurts.” He gently touched my neck, stroking the skin around the cut. I flinched again as he got closer to the wound, but his hand on the other side of my face held me still. Water from the cloth trickled down the rest of my neck, onto my shoulder and found its way to my collarbone. He gently wiped those places where the water had spread before removing his hands from my face. “This may hurt just a little. I need to apply some ointment to keep it clean, okay? It will only take a second.” I nodded, expecting the sting that came when I felt the ointment touch my neck. “See, that wasn’t too bad,” he said with a smile. With that, he rose and went into the next room, the kitchen, and brought back some food. It was nothing fancy, some crackers, fruit, and water. “Eat this, you need it.”
I just looked at it. I was hungry, but I couldn’t show that weakness too. Who was this person that carried me out of a cell and tended my wound? Did he do this to me in the first place? I did not know much, but I did know that I did not trust him. “I’m not hungry,” I said, my voice cracking a little. Those were the first words I had spoken since I woke up. He looked up at me with a surprised look, a smirk on his face. “And she speaks,” he said softly. “Darling, you have to eat. Just a little, to get something inside of you.” I nodded my head no, not looking at him or the food. “All right, then,” he said with a hint of irritation. “Just tell me when you want to.” He stayed there, kneeling next to the couch. I felt his gaze on me again, which made me uncomfortable but unable to keep myself from looking back at him. Our eyes met. I could not tell what kind of eyes I was looking into. Whether they were caring or destructive, safe or dangerous… I had no idea. I knew exactly what eyes he was looking into, though: scared, confused, tired, hurt. He shifted positions, leaning towards me. “It’s okay to be afraid of me. I know that you’re really scared right now, but I promise that I won’t hurt you.” He took my hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. “I won’t,” he repeated.
I kept his gaze. Something about it was irresistible. The dark eyes were such a contrast to his light skin... a very attractive contrast. My heart beat slowed to a normal rate as we sat there. He must have noticed because he gave my hand another light squeeze as he stood up and walked away. I remained on the couch, too weak to move. I still did not want to eat the food he had left me. My mind started to wonder... what was his name? why was there a jail-like cell in the basement of this mansion? would he really not hurt me? Part of me wanted to thank him for helping me, and the other part wanted to escape as soon as possible. As my mind wandered, a door opened close by and I heard a somewhat familiar voice calling for someone named Ben. The voice got closer until its owner stood in the doorway to the room I was in. It was Frank. My eyes widened with surprise and hope. "Frank? Please help me; i need your help, i'm too weak to get up. Is Gina okay..." I pleaded. Frank just stood there with a frustrated look on his face. "She's fine," he said before walking away. I called his name to come back, but he did not return.
Then, I heard voices arguing:
"How could you let her out, Ben? Are you an idiot? We don't know how dangerous she is until..."
"She's fine," Ben replied. "There's nothing she can do to us, and besides... she doesn't even know."
"What do you mean 'she doesn't know'? She's a Tallon. They all know. I'm putting her back downstairs... I still can't believe you let her out."
"I didn't just 'let her out', Frank. She tried to fight when I touched her, but not like the other Tallons. She fought like any normal person would... no tricks. And I never found any hidden weapons on her after you chained her up either."
"I'm still not convinced," complained Frank.
"Then leave. I think I have things under control. If something happens, I know how to kill her. I've done it before."
"Fine, Ben. Just stay focused, please."
With that, the conversation ended. I stayed frozen on the couch. Did "Ben" say he was going to kill me? I tried to put together the parts of the conversation that I heard. What didn't I know?... and why was me being a Tallon important to these men? My thoughts were interrupted as he came into the room. He walked towards the couch where I sat. He must have noticed the new grown fear and tears in my eyes because he stopped a few feet in front of me, eyeing me.
"Are you okay, hon?" he asked
"Ben?" I said, my voice quivering.
"Yes, Nora?"
"Why did... are you going to kill me?" My voice broke out into a soft sob at the last words of my sentence. I buried my face in my hands. I couldn't look at him.
"You could hear," he said sighing. "Nora, I need you to pay very close attention to me. I know you're scared, but you don't need to cry. Just calm down a bit and let me talk to you." As he said these words, he got closer and closer to me. By the end, he was practically whispering in my ear. A shiver traveled through me, partly because I did not know if he was dangerous and partly because of his warm breath on my skin. After a few minutes, I was able to gain control of my emotions and sit quietly.
"Nora, I am not going to hurt you. I said so earlier and I mean it. I'm sorry you had to overhear me and Frank. He's someone who is just looking out for himself and his family. The truth is, when Frank found you and told me there was a Tallon in town, our original plan was to kill you. That's why you were brought here. The Tallon's and my...relatives... haven't had an easy past together. But I was here watching you and realized that you weren't a threat to us, so I didn't see a point in keeping you down there. Damn, none of this probably makes sense to you, does it?"
I took a deep breath. Confusion boiled inside me. "Why would I be a threat to you? If I'm not, then why am I still here? Can I please go?... please," I begged.
"You have to stay here for a bit, it's not safe for us to let you go right now. I know you don't understand, but you have to trust me."
"Trust you?" I whispered. The words sounded strange coming out of my mouth. "I have no idea who you are, other than someone holding me hostage. I just found out you wanted to kill me. I woke up in chains. I..." As I recalled everything that had happened, tears returned to my eyes.
"Nora, Nora, shhhh," Ben whispered, cupping my face in his palms. I tried to pull away but his grip was strong. "Nora, you don't have to trust me, but it would be easier on both of us if you did, okay?" I shook my head, no.
"Please, just let me go. Let me be alone, at least." With that, Ben released my face and took a step back from me.
"You'll be alright, Nora. I promise." He walked away from me into another room.
I sat on the couch by myself for a few hours. I could barely move because I was so weak. My stomach growled ferociously but I had no interest in eating, even if Ben couldn't see me. I felt my head getting heavy, my vision getting groggy. I had chills running through me. My eyes would close for a minute, but my head would fill with flashbacks of being in chains. I had different dreams about Frank and Ben coming at me with knives, trying to kill me. I would wake up every time, right before they got to me. This went on for a few hours until I wasn't sure what was reality. I was delusional. I lay on the couch, one hand hanging off the side. I softly asked for help, even though no one was there. Out of no where, a figure appeared, made blurry by my weakened vision. The figure reached its hands out for me, wrapping them around me waist and pulling me up. I had no control over my body, I couldn't hold up any part of me, not even my head.
"Nora! Hold on, darling. I'm going to help you," a voice said. All I could do was breathe and try to stay awake. Something cold touched my lips. Water. I tried to get more, but I didn't know how.
"Sip slowly, if you can," the voice said. I listened; there was nothing else I could do. I felt the cold water run through my mouth, down my throat and into my core. After a few minutes, I was able to chew a dry piece of food... a cracker? My mind was still spinning. I then was lifted into someone's arms, being carried to another room. I was gently rested on a soft surface, It felt like a bed. I continued to sip water and chew the crackers. Slowly, very slowly, my senses came back to me. I saw Ben near me, cradling me so I could sit upright.
"Ben... what happened? Why..."
"Shhh... you got too weak because you hadn't eaten or drank. You're okay now, just try to get some rest. I'll leave you so you can sleep..."
"No," I said quietly, gathering his shirt sleeve weakly in my hand. "Can you stay, please?" I asked, barely in whisper. I didn't want to be alone again.
"Of course, darling," he replied quietly, with a hint of relief in his voice.

Who and Why

I lay there in his harms, not sure what to do. I was still too weak to move or say anything substantial, so I decided to close my eyes. Not seeing anything was calming. It allowed me to put my mind in a different place: my bedroom, my house, somewhere familiar, anywhere but there. My desire for company surprised me when I asked Ben to stay. How could I do that? Was I truly that weak... both physically and mentally? It seemed like I was having conversations with myself in my head. I was mad at myself, but also defending myself for wanting Ben to stay; for letting him hold me like this. My inner turmoil transfered back and forth to different subjects and caused a striking pain in my head. I stirred suddenly as I felt the pressure build. I brought one hand up to my forehead, gently pressing on the sensitive spots.

"I thought you were asleep." My eyes shot open. I had forgotten he was here with me.
"I was trying to but i'm too tired..." I said
"If you're too tired to sleep... are you too tired to talk?" he said with a hint of sincerity in his voice. "I just need to get some things across before anything gets out of hand."
"Things were out of hand when I woke up the first time in that dungeon. I'm not going to have a heart-to-heart with you, if that's what you're asking," I said quietly. If I had the strength to say it louder, it could have sounded a lot meaner.
"No, not a heart-to-heart, just me explaining some things. Things like, why I have a holding cell in my basement."
"Do I want to know why?"
"You probably won't after I tell you, but you need to know... things. Are you up for going downstairs so we can talk in a more appropriate place?" We were still lying down, his arms around my shoulder. I suddenly became very aware of the position we were in.
"Please, I can't lay down anymore." I slowly swung my legs over the edge of the bed and felt Ben gently push my back up for more support. Gripping the sheets, I lowered myself down and steadied my feet. Ben was already in front of me, ready to catch me if I stumbled.
"You alright?" he asked gently gripping my swaying shoulders. His hands gently glided down my arms, stopping just above my elbow. A tingle ran down my spine, and I looked him in the eyes. They were already looking in mine. "Are you okay to stand by yourself?" he repeated, not breaking eye contact.
"Ummmm... i'm really not sure. Just help me down the stairs please." He loosened his grip on my arms and let me walk forward. I could feel his gaze on me. I was not sure if he was watching me, or making sure I would not fall. I made it to the top of the stairs before I felt his hands again, this time on my waist. We walked down the stairs side by side, me holding the rail and him holding me.
"Just go slow, darling. There's no hurry..."
We made it down the stairs and into the living room where I sat upright on the couch. Ben got me some warm tea, which helped my head and filled my stomach enough to where I did not feel like falling over. He pulled up a chair across from me and sat down and took a deep breath.
"Do you want anything else before I get started?" I shook my head no. "Alright then, before I start, just do me one favor. Stay where you are and let me explain everything." This request made me nervous inside, extremely nervous. What was he going to say that would make me want to run more than I already did?
"Nora, you are here because you are a Tallon. My family, and many of my... friends... have had extremely bad run ins with the Tallons in the past. You may not know this, but your hometown, Evera, is home to hundreds of Tallons who have either left or passed away. Your family dates back pretty far in American history."
"Why doesn't your family like mine? That seems like a pretty caddy reason to kidnap me," I said shortly.
"Nora, the Tallons all posses a some sort of "gift" that is dangerous to the well being of myself, and people like myself. The Tallons were violent towards my "family", and some of your relatives still are. When Frank and I heard there was a Tallon near, our first thought was that you were sent, or on your own mission, to kill us. That is why we acted first. You see, Frank and I are different. We're not actually related, but some certain circumstances have led us to look out for each other."
"I'm lost, Ben. I'm not a violent person. You saw, I can barely defend myself..."
"I figured that out soon enough, and that's why I didn't kill you. That's why I persuaded Frank not to kill you either..."
"Who are you, Ben?"
"Wrong question," he said, looking deep into my eyes. I stared back. For the first time, I noticed something different. Everything looked the same, but I felt something had changed. It was a feeling similar to when I shook Frank's hand. It was a cold, dead feeling. Suddenly, I felt a hint of fear rising in my core. I shifted positions nervously on the couch.
"What are you, Ben?"
"I'm a vampire." That was all he said. Just that short sentence. My gut told me to believe him, as crazy as it sounded.
"I'm already afraid of you, Ben," I said, leaning away from him. "Now you're just scaring me more."
"I know you believe me, Nora. I can feel it radiating off of you," he said, standing up slowly. He took a step toward me and a wave of panic swept through me.
"Ben, stop. Please don't come any closer! I believe you and I'm really scared.. please." I covered my mouth as I began to cry. My tears fell slowly but my breathing and gasping grew fast.
"Nora, remember, I said I wasn't going to hurt you. I'm not a killer and neither are you so everything will be okay." I shook my head "no". Things were not okay at all.

Impressum

Texte: This book is copywrited. 2012.
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 23.08.2012

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