Broken Glass and Bleeding Hearts

The next morning I got into Zacky’s car half asleep and still unhappy about the fact that he had made me get up so early for this. I buckled my seatbelt as he pulled away from the curb in front of my house, neither of us saying a word. He drove as we sat in silence for a while until I realized that I didn’t know where we were going. “Aren’t you going to tell me where we are going Zacky?” I asked finally breaking the silence.

“She speaks! Morning Ellie.” Zacky grinned as he kept his eyes on the road and didn’t answer my question. I rolled my eyes and glared at him.

“Where are we going Zackary?”

“Full name huh? I’m shaking Ellie, I’m shaking.” He grinned again as he realized that he was succeeding in pissing me off.

“Zacky where the hell are we going!?”

“There is somewhere you need to see before we go back to my house. We are almost there so calm down.” I settled back into the seat and just watched as Zacky drove us to whatever destination he had in mind. The suspense was killing me but I knew that he wasn’t going to tell me anything so I would just have to wait.

Finally we arrived in front of a house and Zacky put the car in park and pointed to the house. “Ellie this is where your arch enemy lives.” I glance at the huge house and back at Zacky with my mouth hanging open.

“Angelica lives here? Wait, she is rich?” I glance at the house and the sports car in the driveway before looking back at my friend who was apparently acting like my P.I. for the time being.

“Yes she is, now lets get back to my place and I’ll explain everything okay?” Zacky pulled off the street and go back on PCH, heading towards his house. Because apparently my head hadn’t been spinning enough before now it was a mess of thoughts and curiosity. What had Zacky already found out about her?

After what seemed like an eternity to me Zacky parked in the driveway of his house and killed the engine. He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, laughing at the fact that I beat him out of the car. “What did you find out Zack?”
“Just come inside Ellie.” He walked away without another word, slowly making his way to the front door before he unlocked it. The house was empty because his parents were at work, I wasn’t sure where his brother and sister where but they obviously weren’t here.

Without a word I followed him up to his bedroom, where he took a seat at his desk before grinning at me. I rolled my eyes knowing that something was coming. What in the world had ever made me think that I’d get away with getting the information without some sort of catch?

“Hey you know those old movies and T.V. shows about the private investigators? Where the girl comes in for help and sits on the desk before kissing him as she leaves, so thankful for his help. The ones that are in black and white?”

“Yeah I know what you mean. But why does that matter right now?” I eyed him suspiciously as he spun around in his chair, that grin still on his face. And then I caught exactly where he was going with this.

“Well of course minus the kiss, mostly because your boyfriend would probably kill me and I happen to enjoy life-”

“No. I’m not sitting on your desk and talking like we live in the fifties. I’ll do you one better than that; you hurry up and tell me or I’ll plant things in your room to embarrass you when the guys are over.” I smiled sweetly at him and his grin fell.

“Fine,” he turned on his computer and reached for a book of some sort while his computer came to life. “Ellie why do you always have to pop my bubble?” He turned to look at me, that look gleaming in his eyes. He was going to annoy me before he shared anything that he’d found.

“Because you ask stupid things! Now stop it and tell me what you found, or I’ll make sure you pay dearly.” He rolled his eyes and opened the book to the first page.

“The council used to work a lot differently, there used to be two main families who where the main fixtures. Those two families were known as the “Coven leaders”, under the coven leaders the rest of the members ranked in an order of power. Back when our council, then known as the Coven of Roses, formed the two most powerful and respected vampire families were elected as the leaders. Matt’s family and your’s .” I gasped as Zacky explained the past history, realizing that my mother’s side had once been extremely powerful in the council.

“Is there more?”

“Of course.”

“Angelica’s family was next in line for power, but as time passed the order of things fell apart. The Coven dropped the name and adapted the name of “council” and dropped the order of power to where every coven member voted to make a choice. This worked until this year when Angelica’s and her father began trying to reestablish the former order of things. When they brought it up the council ruled that the old families would resume their spots, except with the newest generations. Naturally your arch enemy and her dad brought up a technicality; your mom is single which would have never been allowed in the beginning. That is when the ruling came out, if they wanted to restore the order of things then she would have to get Matt to marry her because by blood he would is next in line after his parents.”

“So that is why she wants him. Only because she wants power.” I watched Zacky as he opened a file of pictures on his computer. Clicking on the first one. It was of her.

“This was from yesterday Ellie, do you recognize the house?” He looked at me as my eyes narrowed at the screen.

“It is kind of hard not to Zacky. She was outside my house!”

“It was because Matt was there and you two fell asleep on the couch. She got so mad that when she got home she walked in the house screaming. She is getting desperate Ellie. Her plans are getting more extreme.”

“Why is she getting so desperate now and what are her plans?” I closed my eyes, not sure if I actually wanted to hear his answer.

“It’s a little hard to miss from the outside. She sees how you and Matt are just growing closer to each other, you are falling further in love with each other. She is going to try and get his attention in anyway possible.”

“Wonderful, that is just wonderful. Then let me guess, if there is no other way then she’ll kill Matt and I?” I opened my eyes again and stared directly at Zacky, who just nodded his head yes. The sorrow was there in his eyes as the silence took over.

***

I sat in the living room with the Christmas wrapping paper all around me and boxes in front of me, with tape stuck to my fingers and the dispenser on my knee. I had been at this for half an hour and so far I only had the gifts for my mom and aunt wrapped. “I suck at this.” I mumbled to myself as I grabbed a red bow out of the bag, peeling the back off and sticking it on the box for my mom.

“Having trouble there?” I looked up when I heard my aunt’s voice and nodded. She was standing in the kitchen doorway with a soft smile on her lips and her arms crossed.

“I suck at this. 30 minutes later and this is all I have done. Two stinking boxes.” I stuck the silver bow on the box for my aunt and pushed both boxes aside.

“Do you need some help?”

“Thanks Aunt Angie, but I’ve got it. It may take me all damn afternoon but I’ll get it. One way or another.” I grabbed the largest box as I continued to grumble. I’d decided that Jimmy would be the perfect target for a prank this year. His gift was my share of the money we’d all chipped in to get him so that he could go buy the new drum kit that he wanted so badly. We had agreed to all give him the money because it would just be too hard to wrap it and he’d already saved up part of it himself.

“What is in that big box?” My aunt sat down on the sofa as my mom walked into the room with a curious look.

“The guys and I decided to chip in and give Jimmy the rest of the cash that he needs to buy the new drum kit that he wants. But I thought it would be fun to put it in a bunch of boxes inside this large one and wrap it. It should keep him busy for a while.” I reached for another roll of wrapping paper for the box.

“Are you sure that you don’t need any help?” They both questioned as I struggled to get the large box the right amount of wrapping paper.

“Yeah I got it.”

***

When I woke up on the next morning I woke up from a nightmare. As soon as I sat up I heard the voices from downstairs. I knew it was my mom and aunt talking but I was still too tired to go down to see what they, so instead I relied on my vampire hearing. “So is Ellie really going to bring Matt to the wedding?”

“Yes I think that she is.” My mom had been saying that I would crack before I even knew. I hated that I planned on bringing him but I hated the fact that if I didn’t have a date I would have to listen to my distant cousins, and aunt’s friends, discuss the poor girl who was alone. Matt always went with me to family functions, we’d made that agreement years ago.

“Good, I hate the idea of her having to be all alone at the reception.” It was at that point when I tuned everything else out. I just didn’t want or need to hear anything else that they were talking about.

Since my meeting with Zacky yesterday one thing had been bothering me. Why didn’t she want the power? What was she planning with her family? And why now after all this time?
I was pondering that thought my cell phone went off. I knew that it was either a text or phone call from Matt. It ended up being a text message with a single question Did you have another nightmare too?

I hit reply and typed in my answer Of course. It never ends

It hit me as soon as my text was sent, it would end. Except it probably would in the death of either us or her.