Blissful Ignorance: In a Vampire's World

I'd made my way out into the courtyard, and had just been sitting high up in the biggest tree in the yard, staring at the sky. I watched as it went from blue, to pinky-orange, and finally made its way to dark with spots of white. I could just sit here for days, listening to the wind rustle the leaves, and hear the nocturnal birds chirping, but I was getting hungry now, and I assumed it was almost dinner. I had completely calmed myself now, and carefully tried climbing down the tree.

"Hey Kris!" I heard Jake's voice loud and clear, and it surprised me, making me jump slightly and squeak a scream before losing my grip, falling out of the tree and straight into his arms. He caught me with ease...he was stronger than I thought.

"God Jake!" I said breathlessly as he held me. "Don't do that again!" I wiggled my way out of his arms, and planted my feet on the ground. I couldn't hold myself up though, my body still shaking from fear, and sat down with my back against the tree.

Jake just chuckled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright?" He bent down in front of me, and put a hand on either side of my head on the tree, his face a little too close as his eyes bore into mine.

I felt like he was putting me in a trance. I couldn't look away from him, or push him away, or even speak. His lips got closer to my own, but then were stopped when he got a rough hand on his shoulder that pushed him back away from me five feet.

"Jake. What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Damien asked angrily, yet with authority. Like he was witnessing him purposely breaking some rule.

Jake growled (yes growled) and stood up, glaring at Damien. "None of your business, Damien."

What the hell? Were they fighting? Why wasn't I stopping them?...Why do I still feel like I'm in a trance?

"You should know better than to mess with this girl. Go try seducing some other girl and leave this one alone." Why was Damien acting like he was protecting me? If anything, I should be protected from him. He's the asshole here, not Jake!

But Jake just looked from Damien angrily, to me, then walked away.

"What the hell Jake?" I finally found my voice, and the strength to stand. I tried to follow Jake, but Damien held out his arm out in front of me.

"Leave him alone. You shouldn't be hanging around someone like him anyway." Damien looked down at me like he was my guardian, or a parent. Of which, he was neither.

"Someone like him? At least he's nice to me. You, on the other hand, haven't been so hospitable. First impressions last a lifetime," I said before walking off towards the dorms.

I entered the elevator, and rode it up to the seventh floor, then found my room. I pulled out my key, unlocked the door, and walked in. To my dismay, I did have roommates. Two of them.

One of my roommates, a tall black-haired boy with deep brown eyes, just walked over to the other one, a tall brown-haired blue-eyed boy (resembling Michael), smiling, holding his hand out. "Twenty bucks, Marcus. I told you we'd get the new girl."

Marcus just rolled his eyes and forked over a twenty dollar bill. "Shut up, Kyle."

"Sorry guys. Umm...I'll go get this problem fixed." I said nervously, taking a step back to back out of the doorway.

"You're not going to have any luck. If they put you in here it means everything in the girl's dormitory is filled. Trust me, they have a strict policy about girls being in guys' rooms. They'd only put you in here if it was their last option." Marcus said calmly, as he sat on the couch in the living room area.

"Crap." I sighed and walked in, closing the door behind me.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Kyle smiled.

"No no. I'm not dissatisfied with you guys or anything. I just think it's gonna be...awkward." I smiled slightly.

"I know. I was just messin' with ya." Kyle plopped himself down into a bean bag chair. "My name's Kyle. That's Marcus." He pointed to himself, then Marcus.

"I believe you've already met my brother, Michael." Marcus said, watching me from the couch.

"I thought you two looked similar." I smiled a bit bigger, feeling more comfortable. "But you seem a lot more...laid back."

"I am. A lot more mature, too." Marcus smirked. He wasn't being boastful, just honest.

I laughed softly, then looked around from where I stood.

"You can look around, you know. You don't have to stand by the door. We don't bite." Marcus smiled sweetly, and I smiled back before walking around the dorm.

It was a huge dorm! Nothing like I expected! The living room area had two couches, three bean bag chairs, a flat screen TV mounted on the wall, DirecTv, and a Wii and PS3 hooked up to it! When you walked in, and to the right and head straight back, there was a small kitchen, and if you walked straight after walking in, and a little to the right, you'll get into the hall that splits into a T. Go right, and you run into a big room with three beds, three dressers, three nightstands, one next to each bed, three desks at the end of each bed, and a small closet. Go left, and you hit the master-bedroom-sized bathroom that had two sinks, a bath tub, and a shower, with a cabinet behind the door for towels.

I sighed as I came back to the bedroom area and sat down on the naked mattress. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of depression. This was where I was going to live for the rest of this school year. I couldn't go over to Ryan's house and beat his ass at Guitar Hero, I couldn't sit in the park in a tree at night with Kevin and talk to him about my problems. I couldn't randomly wake up in the middle of the night after having a nightmare and make a cake with Mom when she would try to comfort me. I was alone. So incredibly alone it was ridiculous. I've never felt so depressed in all of my life. This emotional pain turned physical. It felt like I had needles stabbing my lungs, tears stinging my eyes, and a lump blocking the air from getting through to my lungs yet I somehow found a way to stay alive. I could hear nothing but the shallow breaths moving in and out of my lungs, pain coming with each movement. I could see that I was moving to lay down on the bed, yet it was as if I wasn't really noticing it at all. I was staring into my memories with my loved ones.

"Kristiana?" A familiar male voice broke through my shell of thoughts, and I uncurled slightly from my fetal position to look at the worried eyes of Jake, with two worried roommates behind him. He swiftly walked over to me with the other guys behind him.

"Should we take her to the nurses office?" Kyle asked frantically.

Marcus subtly pushed Jake aside and looked into my eyes, then pressed his fingers against my jugular. "She has a good pulse." I looked up into his eyes. "Kristiana, you need to breathe honey."

I took in a jagged breath, and then exhaled, letting my body relax, and watched as the boys did the same. I sat up and wiped the salty trails of tears from my cheeks. "Sorry."

"Don't scare us like that." Jake made his way back to me and hugged me. The glares my roommates gave him could've burned a hole into his head, but they let up once he released me.

"What has you so upset?" Kyle asked, arms folded over his chest trying to assess the situation.

I looked down at the area rug my bed sat on. "It's nothing." I stood up, and walked past them to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me. I looked at myself in the mirror, wishing I hadn't cried like that when there were people around. My eyes were puffy and just as red as my nose, and a few strands of hair stuck to whatever moisture was left on the side of my face that I moved behind my ear. I stared into my own dead eyes, wondering what I was becoming. I felt like my life was empty without my boys and mother. There was nothing familiar here. Just a giant group of people who didn't even want me here.

My thoughts were once again tossed aside when I heard Jake's angry voice. He was arguing with Marcus and Kyle. I opened my door and walked out into the living room where I saw three heads snap my way, all of them angry...no...furious. I stood frozen in my tracks, feeling like I had committed the ultimate sin against them and they hated me. I was afraid.

Kyle must've noticed my fear because his face softened and he walked over to me. "You ok now?" He tenderly grabbed my upper arm and looked into my eyes.

"Of course she's not ok. You guys scared her." Jake spoke for me as he narrowed his eyes evilly at Kyle.

"Shut up Jacob. You're glaring just as viciously as we are." Marcus balled his hands into fists.

"I'm fine." I said weakly, hoping that would stop the argument, and it did. They both softened their expressions and just looked towards me.

"What was that back there?" Kyle asked, letting go of my arm, concern evident in his voice and eyes. It surprised me. He's only known me for like...ten, maybe fifteen minutes and he already cares about me? That's awesome.

But I didn't want to tell them. I mean, they might think I'm a total drama queen for having the panic attack or whatever the hell it was just because I'm going to a boarding school now. "Nothing serious. Don't worry about it. What were you guys fighting about?" I ran the sentences together quickly, hoping they just drop the subject of my freak out. I stuck my hands in my back pockets and looked from face to face.

Jacob looked at Marcus, lifting his chin in defiance to something. "Why don't you tell her, Marky Mark? You're the one who started the argument."

Marcus glared at him. "The name is Marcus. Not Mark, Not Marky, and definitely Not Marky Mark. Marcus. And what are you talking about? You're the one who came here looking for the confrontation."

"I came looking here for Kris! Not an argument. And if you-" Jacob took a threatening step towards Marcus, getting in his face, and I could see that beneath Marcus's seemingly calm, yet serious exterior that he was bubbling up and preparing to punch him.

I looked to Kyle, hoping he'd break it up, but he had his body turned toward Jake like he was ready to jump into it with fists swinging. "Ok ok. Calm down you guys. Please." I wiggled my way between the boys and pushed Jake away with my back against Marcus's chest for support.

Jake grabbed my hand and jerked me forward a bit to get me away from Marcus, then smiled down at me, the fire in his eyes merely turning from fury to lust. "So sorry Kris. I just came up here to see if you'd like to go get dinner since I was so rudely chased off by Damien."

"For good reasons." I heard Kyle murmur under his breath, but it was loud enough that Jake glanced at him with evil eyes, then back at me.

"Umm...actually I was getting hungry. So dinner would be great. Thanks." I smiled back softly, hoping that getting him away from Marcus and Kyle would make the heat die down.

"We're going with you." Marcus said quickly after I accepted Jake's invitation.

I turned to look at him, my curiosity picking at my brain. "What the hell is with all you boys? Why is it that you, Kyle, and Damien all hate Jake so much?" I folded my arms over my chest and looked seriously at Marcus.

Marcus just scoffed. "Whatever. If you wanna go have dinner with him, then go do so. It's none of our business what you do, or who you do it with." He walked away from us and towards the bedroom area, with Kyle following him.

I could hear the smirk on Jake's face as he watched them leave, pouting. "Let's go." I walked towards the door, running a hand through my silky smooth hair, and opened the door, walking out into the hallway.

Jake followed, then walked side-by-side with me once we hit the hall. "They're just pissy 'cause I dated this girl last year that committed suicide after I broke up with her. They blame it on me."