Forced Affection

The night appeared pointless, especially considering I didn’t sleep a wink. As soon as the sun rose at 5:23am, I knew that I could leave this hell and travel down to the kitchen where the burning inferno was waiting. Leo and I may have had to share the same bed but it was safe to say there was no desire of lust anymore. Leo made himself comfortable at the head of the bed and used my pillow, I guess me sleeping at the other end of the bed with my feet near his head and another set of bedding gave Leo the hint I wanted nothing to do with him either.
I know he didn’t sleep a wink either and I didn’t give it one ounce of thought I sure wasn’t going to feel sorry for someone who wanted to destroy the world, ruin my life and insult my friends. After the Jake Saga, my only sane friends left, leaving me with the bloodsuckers and the ones they call my family. You may be able to choose your friends but you certainly can’t choose family, if I could I so wouldn’t be in this situation in fact I would be so far away it wouldn’t be funny.
Quietly opening my door to leave I knew it was pointless as Leo was awake and we were both ignoring each other. I slammed the door shut when I saw him get out of bed; there was no point with fake politeness either. I made my way down the stairs quicker than ever taking three at a time, there was no way I wanted to have to deal with Leo especially not this early in the morning without food.
I was surprised to enter the kitchen and see that already sitting at the counter was Alex and my father.
‘Why are you up so early? Who died?’ I mocked knowing that my humour wouldn’t be appreciated considering the circumstances.
‘I couldn’t sleep. You?’ Alex question as he pulled the stool out next to him for me.
‘Where is Leo?’ my father asked me.
‘I didn’t sleep at all’ I replied still ignoring dad. I hadn’t spoken to him or mother since I found out the engagement was still a go ahead about 3 weeks ago.
‘Really the whole night?’ Alex seemed surprised; yes, it was true I’m generally the one who sleeps the longest but last night didn’t really work for me.
‘Really, she was awake the whole night and her heart rate stayed above 150 beats per minute the entire time’ Leo answered walking into the kitchen.
‘Oh Leo there you are. Breakfast will be served in the dining room at 5:30am if you’re interested, so not long now’ my father tried knowing there would be no response from me.
‘Try stay out of our conversations’ I snapped at Leo hopping he would just disappear and never return.
‘Such charming people early in the morning aren’t you’ Leo snapped back before he could control himself.
‘Oh that’s just me-full of charm at all times’ I replied standing up to go head to head with Leo. I couldn’t believe how angry he got me; every time we spoke, it ends in us fighting.
‘Charm, yeah well I could think of another word...’ Leo responded muttering to himself as my father sent him a death glare.
‘Breakfast is served’ a servant said out the swinging door that lead into the dining room-honestly we’re not that bad! We don’t have servants all the time only when we had guests like the Parkers and mum was trying to impress them. I though couldn’t see the point of even bothering to impress them. To me they were worthless even the ones I liked; mainly because my hatred towards Leo over powered any tolerance of friendship gained with the others.
Breakfast as expected was also pointless; we sat in silence until mother came down all chirpy bringing most of the others the only one that was absent was Ashlea. Apparently she had a migraine and couldn’t handle breakfast, I do believe there was something else as Arianna gave Craig the whole ‘you know what I mean look’ so they must be hiding something- and believe me I would find it out just for kicks. Yep that’s what sort of person I am.
It wasn’t long after breakfast that it was time to face the music. By early afternoon, I had finished packing my necessities and was in the process of saying goodbye to my friends. As much as I loved them all dearly I knew for a fact that many I would lose contact with, there was only 3 that I knew I would maintain contact with; Billie, Rae and Avery even though she hadn’t made it to last night’s big event. Of course, I would keep in touch when I was home with my cousins; Calvin and Luka and when I saw the rest I would be polite, pretend nothing had changed between us, and that we were still great friends even though I had lost any kind of contact with them. I hated to admit it but that was just the way it was-unless it was hunting or had an ulterior motive if something wasn’t easy for slayers, we become lazy and ignore it. Keeping in contact with a friend who was being bargained off to the Prince of Darkness himself was one of those things you could claim laziness on and get away with, I sure as hell know if circumstances were reversed and it was someone else I would claim laziness. Unless of course it was Rae, Billie or Avery or I had an ulterior motive, but well I knew what was happening and all along I should have came to expect it.

I’m not entirely sure where the Parkers live. I know there is my biggest mistake right there. I knew that they lived a few hours away towards the west but I hadn’t ever really cared, if there was going to be an attack on them we would never have ambushed them in their house so that knowledge was useless. Now I guess though I wish I knew it. I wanted to deny everything even as I think about it, the last thing I want to admit is that when I left home there were tears; yep they ran silently down my face just like a stream. I pretended they weren’t there and everyone else ignored them.
We left soon after the hardest goodbye of my life. I still wanted to ignore my parents but Alex made it clear if I did that he would never speak to me again. Therefore, it was easier to say goodbye and falsify the expected sadness, when I had to say goodbye to my brothers though the tears came naturally. I was being forced into this and the people that were suppose to love me the most couldn’t care less. Saying goodbye to the girls again got even harder. I wish they had already left so they didn’t see me cry like a baby. Avery cried, more than I had ever seen her cry before, Billie tried to hide the tears and my strong girl Rae laughed the entire time holding the tears back but as soon as I got in Leo’s black Porsche in the passenger’s seat, I saw her tears fall. I’d only ever seen her cry once like that and that was the day her dad left. She was only seven and never had she heard from him again or had she cried again like that for that matter not even one time in training when we were trying to learn balance and she fell from a 10ft platform onto rocks. Admitingly the point of the challenge wasn’t to fall, she had learnt the reason why not to fall, we had all learnt that laughing made balancing much harder, even when our friend was in pain. After all, she had been being an idiot and that was why she fell-she was fine by the way just in case you were concerned.
Alex held Rae and I knew she’d be ok as we drove away. I didn’t wave and I didn’t once glance back to look at everyone. It hurt too much to see them still together, when I was being sent away as if I was being punished from something I hadn’t done. We followed Arianna and Craig who was in Craig’s most prized possession his red mustang in front of us. I didn’t pretend to enjoy the silence and I ignored that Thomas was driving the silver hummer behind us with Ashlea and Nick. I knew they were loaded and I mean they had to travel some way, so why not in style?
I didn’t even once give a thought to the fact that when we said goodbye to my family and stood outside in the sunlight they didn’t at all burn. Now that I think about it, I know that isn’t a myth no matter what ‘Twilight’ claims. I’ve seen a vampire killed as they were too focused on the hunt and were caught in the sunrise only to be burnt away to nothing. I also knew that holy water burnt like a bitch, God’s name hurt and when said in Latin, Deus it could hurt them greatly even when it was coming out of my mouth. I had also learnt that garlic repelled them but didn’t kill, fire killed them and the safest way was to destroy one was to behead a vamp, put holy water on the wound and then burn them with a cross and a set of rosemary beads that had been soaked in holy water. Of course, if you couldn’t do this a stake through the heart was just as effective, especially if it has the word Deus engraved on it. And well if you wanted to be nasty if that stake had dead man’s blood on it, well it is very painful and slightly enjoyable to watch if you are as twisted as most slayers are; after all it was our job.
I took everything into account, the countryside we were driving through, the stream we pasted by with a little bridge, I mustn’t have been too observant though.
‘Where did Thomas and that go?’ I questioned finally breaking the silence and turning around to look out the back window to see no silver hummer at all.
‘They turned back at the stream’ Leo answered but didn’t care as he continue to drive 20 miles above the speed limit, after all his reflexes were impeccable.
‘Why?’ I questioned again knowing I was getting to my very limit of questions I can ask Leo a day.
‘Why do you ask so many questions?’ Leo snapped as he put on his indicator and still turned going at 60 miles even though the recommended speed was only 40miles. I assume I had reached my maximum limit already.
‘Where are we going? You do know you can’t kill me without killing yourself!’ I quickly responded as I grabbed the door handle and held on tight.
It was the first time I had ever seen Leo actually smile, a true not forced smile accompanied with a small chuckle that as soon as it came out of his mouth my heart couldn’t help but melt slightly.
‘Maybe I’m doing the honourable thing and making the ultimate sacrifice’ he replied taking his eyes off the road and look directly at me. I couldn’t help but glance around to where we were which turned out to be some small road in the middle of nowhere with nothing significant at all. Only trees along the road that were all dying and fields that no doubt were once green but now just dry dirt.
‘Relax. We split up. It is safer to travel this way rather than running the risk of being hijacked and ambushed together. We wouldn’t want the whole Parker Dynasty killed together would we?’ Leo said still looking at me.
‘No we couldn’t have that now can we’ I muttered sarcastically.
‘I have great hearing, so if you don’t want your sarcastic remarks heard don’t say them at all’ Leo responded going back to his ever all boring tone.
‘Maybe I should just say them in my head. At least that way you couldn’t hear them and they wouldn’t go to waste’ I responded in a sweet tone to throw Leo off.
‘Smart arse aren’t you?’ Leo responded still with a smirk as he glanced back at the road and increased his speed again.
‘Beats being a dumb arse’ I responded and glance out the window hoping the conversation would end. After all, I was going need a few weeks to get use of this drastic change in my life. I knew we had well and truly left my city of Costa Estralia, as the ocean was nowhere in sight and the smell of salt had ceased. I also knew we were getting closer to leaving my state of Terralucis, which is Latin for ‘Land of Light.’
We fell into a comfortable silence, but not knowing where we were going was going to eat me up inside! I hated not being aware or even in control of what was happening.
‘Are you hungry?’ Leo asked an hour after our brief word exchange. I wasn’t sure what the correct answer to this question was a believe me when it comes to Leo Parker there is always a right and wrong answer, and I seem to be a lot better at getting the wrong answer. Realising I thought it was a trick Leo took pity on me and answered his own question ‘We are near Fort Razuk. Do you want food or shall we continue?’
‘Do you think it is wise we stop there? I mean it might just be a fishing city, but it isn’t short of Slayers and Shadow Hunters’ I answered honestly, let’s face it I don’t want to risk my life because he is hungry. Wait that statement applies on so many levels it isn’t even funny.
‘I know a place that is safe and ran by some friends. We can stop there. After all we are in Aurelia and it does have the best fresh food.’ Leo practically sold.
‘You might be safe there. But will I?’ I couldn’t help but question. At least now, I was getting my bearings. We were heading west as I knew, but not quite as due west as I thought, more south west to be exact. We were still towards the coast as Fort Razuk was famous for fresh sea food. I suppose though Aurelia as an entire state was best known for their hospitality.