Morning Light

I woke up feeling refreshed and warm. I stretched out on the bed and smiled to myself. I got out of bed and walked into the front. I looked at the TV and though of Luke oddly. I looked at the clock. It was eleven! I slept so late. I heard banging at the door. I opened it, hoping for Luke. Instead, it was Harmony, looking annoyed.

“What?” I asked, still sleepy.

“I’ve tried calling you for the past hour. What have you been doing?” She turned around and started tamping her foot furiously. She looked at me, annoyed, obviously expecting a juicy answer.

“I was sleeping. You’re acting like I committed a felony. Is no one allowed to sleep late?” I retorted. I yawned again and walked into the kitchen to fix coffee. I sat down on one of the chairs. Harmony was still looking at me. “What?”

“Nothing,” she answer, obviously perturbed for no good reason.

“Okay, did you need to get the rest of you bags?”

“Huh? Oh my gosh, I thought something was missing,” she yelled as headed for my room.

“They’re in front of the closet,” I yelled as I poured some coffee into a mug. I sighed as I walked into the front room and turned on the television. I sat on the couch waiting for Harmony to come up with something to do today. I looked up at her as she entered the room, bags in hand.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing. So what we doing today?” I shrugged, turning my attention back to the TV.

“I don’t know. It looks like it’s going to rain,” she commented.

I looked out the window. It was going to rain. I sighed. Then I thought hit me. I ran to the phone in the bedroom. I picked it up and dialed the front desk’s number. It must have ranged at least seven times before someone picked up.

“Hello, front desk. How can I help you?”

“Hi, yes. This is Miss Ackart, and I was wondering if Luke was still working. I wanted to thank him for last night. I fell asleep on him. Could you possibly get him if he’s still in?”

“I will try, Miss Ackart. If I get a hold of him, I’ll send him right up,” she answered.

“Thank you so much.” I hung up the phone and smiled at Harmony, who looked utterly confused. My smile just broadened. I brushed my hair, something I rarely do, and looked through my closet. I threw clothes left and right.

“What’s going on?” she asked just as someone knocked at the door.

I smiled, “Go answer it.”

She raised her eyebrow and shrugged. She muttered something about me being insane as she walked towards the door. I hurriedly got dressed and ran into the front room to find Harmony drooling. Luke and I shared a small laugh over Harmony, which got her attention. She straightened herself up and scowled at me. I laughed.

“Harmony, this is Luke; Luke, this is Harmony,” I introduced. Luke extended his hand. Harm took it nervously and kept shaking until I tore them apart. “I wanted to thank you, Luke. I also wanted to know if you wanted to do something with us today. I was thinking of going to one of the many museums.”

He smiled. “I would love to,” he finally answered.

“Harmony is that fine with you?” I asked.

She answered by grabbing Luke by the arm and marching out of the room. I laughed as I closed the door and chased after them. I caught the door to the elevator just as it was closing on Harmony and Luke. Her smile faltered for a second. She was a sly one, damn Italians. I walked in and smiled at her.

“Chantelle, the lady at the front desk, just caught me when I was about to leave,” he commented.

“Oh, well, lucky us,” I said. I smiled up at him.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked me.

“Oh, great. Thanks. I really am sorry that I fell asleep. You didn’t have to put me in bed. That was really nice of you.” I looked over at Harmony. Her face showed jealousy, anger, sadness, and lost of hope. I felt bad.

“Oh, no problem, just doing my job,” he retorted, noting the disappointed look on Harmony’s face. He smiled teasingly at her, which brightened her spirits.

Her mind went wild with fantasies, all which excluded me. She imagined them roaming the halls of the museums by themselves, lying bed intertwined, going out to eat, and other things a seventeen year old girl should not be imagining. I blushed for her, earning me a questioning look from both of them. I shook my head as we exited to elevator.

I looked up at the graying sky as we walked through the rotating doors. I sighed. I loved the rain. It wasn’t coming soon enough. I looked up at him and wandered if there was something extra special about him, other than being a vampire. He might be one with extra abilities, like Alice and --. I didn’t want to think of him[/]. Usually when I did, I felt something tear inside of me. It was too late. I grabbed my chest and bent over. I hurriedly covered it up as if I was retying shoe. I straightened myself quickly and smiled. I took initiative and led the two, even though Harmony was the one that lived here and Luke and I were the tourists.

I took us through a neighboring park. I couldn’t recall its name. It started to rain on our to the museum. We decided to play in the rain instead. Imagine a hundred and fifty year old vampire, a half vampire, and a human playing the rain. It was absolutely immature. It was awesome! We played on the playground. No one was out. We played hand and seek. Harmony always lost.

“How are you two so fast?” she panted.

“Genes,” I answered.

“Ha! Lucky. I’m pooped.” She fell onto the muddy ground comfortably. I followed her. It was nice to be off my feet, even if I was in mud. Luke finally dropped with us.

“I hope you two know that ya’ll are not coming into my hotel room like that,” I laughed. I sat up and felt the mud slide off of me. “What time is it?”

Harmony looked at her watch and cursed. “I gotta go. Mama is going to kill me.” She got up and started to run.

“Hey, let us come with you!” I yelled after her.

“No need!” she yelled over her shoulder. “My place is right behind those buildings.” She was already halfway there. I sighed.

“The hotel is going to kill you if you walk in there like that,” Luke chuckled.

“Really? Well, maybe they could tell me the time as they throw me out.” I laid back, falling once more into the mud.

I heard his soft laughter. “It’s six thirty-seven.”

“Oh gees, Harmony is going to get in so much trouble. She’s supposed to be home for five-thirty.”

“Why?” Luke asked.

“Her family is very superstitious,” I answered. “They believe in witches, vampires, and all that stuff. Poor people.”

Luke was very still at my side. “What if I told you I was a vampire?” He was being very serious.

“I would have to say I am too.” I winked at him, causing him to laugh. All tension broken.

“Come on let’s get cleaned off and something to eat.” He helped me up.

“Great, as long am not it,” I laughed, and so did he.

We walked in silence until I broke off to head towards the hotel. He grabbed the back of my shirt and started dragging me in the other direction.

“What are you doing?” I said angrily. They weren’t going to throw me out.

“They really throw you out if you go in like that, even if you’re the best attendant they ever had,” he argued.

“So where are you bringing me?”

“My place, obviously,” he said simply.

“Are you insane? No way. I don’t know you that well.”

“If I was going to do anything, I would have last night,” he countered. That was reasonable. The fact that I could read his mind helped.

“Fine. But there is a flaw in your bright idea.” He looked at me questioning, as if nothing could be wrong with his logic right? He seemed genuinely confused. “I have no clothes,” I said bluntly, throwing my arms up. I started following behind him as he thought about that.

“I’ll give you some of my clothes. Some sweats or something that should fit you while I wash and dry your clothes.”

“Okay, but no funny business, mister.” I wagged my finger at him. He threw his hands up as if he agreed. We finished walking to his place like a bunch of alien mud monsters.