Stay With Me, Forever and Always

Weeks flew by me, each day in them feeling as if it were only a passing moment. I reveled in the days when Vincent stood beside me, and at nights, I lived vicariously through this strange girl named Peridot. In the beginning, I felt like an observer on her life, but I soon realized that there was an undeniably strong connection between the two of us. I felt very close to this person that I had never seen nor known prior to these dreams, and I could almost convince myself that she and all of her companions were real. When I mentioned this to Vincent, however, he chided me for dwelling too much on dreams, yet I noticed that every time I brought her name up, his body would stiffen in response. Between this strange, unnatural reaction and my recurring nightly visions, I could piece together that this person must be real.

Meanwhile, the bond between Vincent and I was growing rapidly. I gave him everything -- and I do mean everything. Soon, we became inseparable. Mom even came home and "met" him. Just as quickly as she came, she left. I was already used to these comings and goings, but something about this last one seemed more... final. She was acting like I'd never see her again, which was absolutely ridiculous. She would come back home in a couple weeks, she told me, and everything would be the same: Vincent and I would still be together, I would still be going to school, have virtually no friends, and the relationship between the two of us would still be as rocky as ever.

I grew to overlook the incident where he drank from me without asking, but he never mentioned it nor drank from me again. The fact that he purchased me was a thing of the past; our relationship was so strong that I grew to overlook the haunting incident.

The two of us were becoming one. I could finish his sentences with ease, guess what he was thinking, and know if something was bothering him or not. The one thing that did bother me was the fact that he seemed to be hiding something from me. I would wake up on the couch and hear him talking in the kitchen. Or I would go do something, come back, and he was nowhere to be found. Every time I brought these things up, he would simply state it as "work" and move onto another topic. This didn't really bother me; he worked a lot, and as long as these spontaneous outings didn't last too long andhe came back to me in the end, I had no problem with it.

Everything was perfect.

And then reality came crashing down on my shoulders.

Charlotte: November 7, 2:48 p.m.

I came home from school alone, having missed the bus again. Usually, these times were spent with Vincent meeting up with me in the forest and the two of us would talk about whatever was on our minds. Or we'd, y'know, get to the physical stuff.

This time was different. Vincent was not in the forest. Clouds full of moisture rolled ominously across the horizon, the wind came in short, impetuous bursts, and maybe it was just my nerves, but it felt like the air was so heavy with tension that it was almost sitting on my shoulders.

He was waiting for me in the kitchen. Before I could scold him for not meeting me in the forest, he spoke. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Something about the look on his face and his tone of voice made me uneasy.

I raised an eyebrow. "Uh... okay. When?"

"Now." He walked out of the kitchen and out the front door.

Curious and slightly uncomfortable, I followed with hesitant steps. I stepped on the threshold of the front door, and my eyes met a sight that was extremely unexpected.

The wind blowed, caressing my face. Confusion flickered across my mind.

What were these people doing in my front yard?

"Vincent...what's going on?" I shot him a look summarized all of my emotions.

He looked at me, his face devoid of any emotion. It came as a shock after seeing him smile at me for so long.

After several moments of silence, I had no choice but to tear my gaze from him and chose to look at the others, surveying them. There were three guys other than Vincent, each one just as handsome as the next. In the center of them was a petite girl with auburn hair. She seemed familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen her before.

Vincent left my question open, opting to look at the others instead, particularly the girl. Jealousy reared its head, threatening to take control of my body and smack the answer out of him for looking at her that way. After all, he is my boyfriend.

"Vincent, would you care to explain to the girl before she chokes you?" She seemed to be stifling laughter, pressing her hand against her delicate mouth.

"Of course, my lady." He bowed, (yes, bowed! I couldn't even get a nod or smile out of him, and here he was, treating me like I had both AIDS and the plague, and making eyes at some other woman!) and in my peripheral vision, it almost seemed like the girl smirked.

It was almost like she could read my mind with its furious (yet confused) thoughts about Vincent.

Before my mind could analyze anything else and short-circuit, Vincent cleared his throat.

"They're here to take you away."

And as soon as the words left his mouth, something hard met my head, knocking me unconscious.

Ember: November 7, 5:22 p.m.

A door opened. "Get up."

The two words were spoken with such force that she had no choice in the matter. She must obey. Ember stirred in response to the command, stretching against the headboard of her bed. Swinging her legs over the edge, her toes barely skimming the floor, she blinked sleepily at her employer.

She was given a sinister smile. "Your visionary puppet has arrived."