This Still Belongs to You and Always Will

Chapter 5

*Two months later*

Elena’s P.O.V:

“But seriously,” I exclaimed, waving my hands through the air like a pair of demented pigeons “What is the point in math? We know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide so why do we need to learn how to work out circumferences and crap?”

Katie shrugged. I laughed and hoisted my messenger bag further up my shoulder. It’s a Friday afternoon; and I’ve just faced an hour of math! Torture of the twenty-first century.

“Just ‘cause you’re good at math.” She replied dimwittedly.

“Oh look,” I exclaimed, pointing “A drain! I must figure out its circumference! It might help save the whales!”

Katie’s laugh floated through the air as I got down on all fours, pretending to work out the drains circumference. A second laugh joined hers. A rough but peculiarly piercing laugh that sounded strangely familiar. I scrambled to my feet and found myself face-to-face with about the last person I’d expect to see.

“I see you’ve inherited your Dad’s sense of humour.” He said, looking me up and down.

I didn’t say anything. I just stared at him stonily. How dare he show his face around here. How dare he show up at my school and assume that I’d converse with him. Last time I’d seen him, he was tall, dark and towering over me, pointing a gun at my head.

“Hey Elena.” Bert McCracken smirked.

“Elena,” Katie questioned, looking at him in a disgusted manner “Do you know this guy?”

“You’re not as tall as I remember.” I said icily.

I’d always seen him as a towering giant but now he was probably around the same height as my Dad. His long dark hair was now a disgusting shade of dirty blond. He saw my staring and ran a hand through it.

“Like it?”

“Burn in hell,” I growled, grabbing Katie’s arm “C’mon; let’s go! It can’t stand the smell around here.”

His cold laugh stabbed through my skin, echoing through the air. Seven years behind bars and he hadn’t changed a bit. I sped up my pace, wanting to break into a run. My legs carried me further away from him with every step they made. I needed to get as far away from him as possible. I needed to get home; where I’m safe…

…Dad wasn’t home when I got back. It was only Frank, sitting in the living room with a DVD on. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. Bert doesn’t scare me but seeing him again was a bit of a shock. I thought he was gone forever; locked behind bars for the rest of his miserable and pathetic life.

“Elena?” Frankie called from the living room “Elena? That you?”

“Yeah it’s me.” I replied in little more than a whisper.

He was sprawled out on the couch with a bowl of micro-wave popcorn and a DVD playing. I drifted into the room, paying little attention to anything. When he saw me, Frankie shook the bowl in my direction.

“It’s Blade,” He smiled, gesturing to the TV “Your favourite; Wanna’ watch the rest with me and help me finish up this? We don’t have to tell your Dad; it’ll be our little secret, eh?”

Despite my terrible mood, I allowed a smile to crease my face and flopped down on the sofa beside him. Frank and I used to have these little movie sessions together all the time when Dad was working late. We haven’t done one for ages. I’ve kinda’ missed them! They were fun. I kicked my feet up on the couch and lolled against him while he slipped an arm round my shoulders and handed me the popcorn bowl. With a smile, I reached into the bowl and grabbed a handful, allowing Blade and his massacring of vampires to infect my mind like some kind of virus.