Infatuated

I woke up alone, or so I thought. After my harsh reality check last night, Mikey kindly showed me to the room they had prepared for me. It was nice, I’d even admit that. It was small, only a queen sized bed and a small desk fit inside it, and surprise, there were no windows. I quickly glanced over to the small clock that hung on the wall next to my bed, seeing that it was only four o’clock in the afternoon. Being a hunter, my days and nights were totally reversed. I worked a strictly night job.

I let my eyes slide shut, and I tried to pretend that I was back in my own bed in my own apartment. It didn’t work. The bed was too big, the silk sheets way to smooth, and instead of smelling like old Chinese food and lemon scented Febreze, this new room smelt of dryer sheets and smoke. It was a pleasant smell, sure, but it was alien to my nostrils, and frankly, it made me miss my home even more.

I groaned and sat up in bed, pushing my hair out of my face. Every year since I was ten I promised myself I would get it cut soon, but I never had the heart too. Suddenly my spine started to tingle, and the hairs on the back of my neck started to stand up.

I was being watched. I tensed my shoulders, prepared for an attack.

“Tesoro.” A voice sounded from the corner and I whipped around, only to find Mikey standing hesitantly by the door. I relaxed and flopped back into the mass of pillows with a heavy sigh.

“You scared me Mikey.” I exhaled loudly and dragged my hands over my face, scraping the sleep out of my eyes.

“We found a name for you.” Mikey grinned, coming and sitting on the edge of my bed.

“Yeah?” I groaned groggily, sliding my eyes over to his smiling form. “I hope it’s nothing like ‘self-centered bitch’ or anything.”

Mikey chuckled softly, “No, it’s nothing like that. Actually, Frank came up with it.”

“Did he now?”

“Yes he did. We’re gonna call you Tesoro.”

“What?” I questioned, “That makes me sound like Zorro or something.”

“Actually, it’s Italian.” Mikey smiled. “It means ‘darling.’”

“You speak Italian?”

“Yup.” Mikey smiled proudly. “Anyways, we’ll probally just call you Tess. That works, right?”

“Whatever you want Mikey.” I grumbled; sleep starting to claim my consciousness again. “Not meaning to be rude, but is there anything you need? Cause I still got maybe 2 hours of sleep left.”

“Actually, I was sent to get you up. Ray got bored, and decided to make you some breakfast. He made toast and eggs.” Mikey said, taking the warm covers off me.

“Nooo.” I groaned, grabbing for them. “I’m sleepy!”

“We bought you clothes.” Mikey ignored me, thrusting open some closet doors, “And you have your own washroom down the hall. You better be downstairs in ten minutes or else I’m sending Frank up, and he’ll get you up in a less pleasant way.”

“Fine.” I grunted, “Just get out so I can change.”

Mikey agreed and I reluctantly got up and made my way to the closet Mikey had so kindly pointed out. God bless him, he had put several pairs of cargo pants and black t-shirts in the closet, along with a pair of black Doc’s. I finally decided on some black jeans, a studded belt, and one of the identical black t-shirts. I left my hair down and knotted, not caring if it looked like shit. I mean, come on, who was I trying to impress?

I stumbled down the giant carpeted staircase at the end of the long hallway, hoping it lead to the kitchen. The staircase led down into a rather large hall, several large, sparkling crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. I walked down the hall, hoping it lead to the kitchen. With some difficulty I pushed open the large, carved doors at the end. I was right, it was the kitchen, and a very professional looking one at that. The entire thing was stainless steel, with a large stove and fridge bordering the far wall. I also noticed about seven coffee makers littering the counters.

“Morning Tess!” Frank said chirpily from the big island running down the center. “Hope you slept well.”

“Morning guys.” I nodded sleepily and sat down on the counter clumsily.

“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.” The big blonde one with the lip ring said to me, “I’m Bob, and the other is Ray.”

“Nice to meet you.” I said.

“We, uh, we made you breakfast.” Ray added hopefully, brining over a plate of scrambled eggs and toast. “I haven’t cooked for a human in a while, so you have to forgive me if it’s not great.”

“Thanks so much Ray.” I said, sincere, picking up the fork and shovelling the food greedily into my mouth.

“Mmm.” I mumbled a minute later, all the food nearly gone. I took one last bite of the toast and hopped up and put the dish in the dishwasher. “That was the best breakfast I’ve had in years.”

“Really?” Ray asked, his eyes sparkling as he started the dishes.

“Yup.” I grinned, “My breakfast is usually some cold green tea that I made the day before and was too lazy to warm it up.”

“Nice, healthy lifestyle then.” Bob chuckled lowly.

“Hey.” Frank said, “Where’s Gee?”

“Miss me Frankie?” A dishevelled looking Gerard stepped into the bright kitchen and walked over to one of the many coffee maker, pouring himself a large cup.

“No.” Frank snorted.

“That hurts Sir, it really does.” Gerard took a large sip of his coffee, his eyes narrowing into a playful glare.

I quietly stood up from my seat at the island and started walk out of the room, only to have my arms grabbed by a cold hand.

And what happened next you really can’t blame me for. I mean, I was a hunter, and it was hard wired into my brain to attack when grabbed by a vampire. So I did what I had been trained to do. I grabbed the arm and flipped the person over my head in one large movement. They landed in a large thump on the hard tiled floor, making it buckle a small bit in the process.

Gerard lay with his eyes wide open in shock, his mouth slightly agape from what I had just done to him.

“Don’t touch me.” I growled at him, stalking over to the fridge and pulling out a carton of orange juice. Gerard slowly clamoured to his feet, his eyes never leaving my form.

“I am sorry.” He murmured, brushing a stray piece of hair out of his face. “Sometimes I forget you are a hunter.”

I just glared and poured myself a large glass of orange juice, my mouth set in a hard line. Suddenly an awkward silence cast itself over the room.

“Well then.” Gerard said quietly, and a little sadly, “It is about that time where we meet and discuss our plans for the future. Tess, will you be okay on own for about an hour?”

“Yeah. Fine.” I said curtly, my eyes never leaving the kitchen counter.

Gerard just nodded and walked out of the kitchen, the others followed him slowly, shooting me shy smiles as they left.

As soon as they left I waltzed over to the large window over the sink and looked out longingly. The sun was due to rise in about an hour, so the sky was still as black as pitch, with only a few tiny stars glimmering along the horizon. The moon was covered by several large, dark clouds, blocking it out completely.

The house seemed to be surrounded by dense forest, a wall of tree’s rising up from the lawn about 100 metres away. I wanted nothing more than to be outside, under the open sky, but I remembered what Mikey said, they had locked all the doors and windows. I glumly examined the small black lock attached to the windows frame. I had these locks in my apartment, because they were some of the strongest locks money could buy. I ran my fingers softly over the smooth, black metal, liking the familiar texture. I was surprised when I pulled my fingers away that they came away coated in rust.

Upon closer examination, I discovered that the lock was indeed rusting, probably from little upkeep over the years. If it was rusty, that meant... it meant that is was weaker. My heart jolted with the sudden hope that was coursing through my body. I frantically searched around the kitchen drawers, looking for something sturdy that I could smash the lock open with. I finally settled on a stainless steel rolling pin that was tucked away in a cabinet near the fridge.

As quietly as I could I slammed the rolling pin against the weak lock three times, only satisfied when it fell off the window, crumpled. I spotted a note pad and pen laying carelessly by one of the many coffee makers and picked it up, scrawling a quick note to Frank, Mikey, Bob and Ray.

Guys,

Thanks for the hospitality. I hope I never see you guys on the streets, and if I do, remember you get three chances. That’s it, no exceptions.

Nice meeting you,

Xx

Tess.

Short, sweet, and to the point. I left it on the counter, sure they would find it. I then pushed the window open, sighing in contentment as the cool breeze hit my face. I probably had about 45 minutes until the sun rose, so I had to hurry. I had to get far enough away from the house so that they couldn’t get me.

I hopped nimbly up onto the counter, and then swung myself out the window, landing on the ground softly. I straightened up and broke out into a run, trying to keep my mind clear and calm so that Gerard wouldn’t suspect a thing. His whole ‘mind-reading ability’ was kinda a pain in my ass.

I had stupidly forgot shoes, so the prickly underbrush of the forest almost scraped my feet raw. I ran for about fifteen minutes straight, never breaking my pace, only stopping when I tripped over a large log and fell down, my ankle twisting under me painfully.

I cried out in pain, my fingers probing it softly, noticing a large purplish bruise starting to form.

I had to keep going. I needed to run, get far enough away from the house as I can before sunrise. I pulled myself up using a nearby tree and starting limping off, not having a destination in mind. Now that I thought of it, I had no idea where I was. I mean, where was their house actually? The middle of fucking nowhere by the looks of it. I bet we were nowhere near New York City anymore. A wave of despair washed over me; how the hell was I going to get home? I just needed to keep moving. Keep moving and I’ll eventually find a highway or something, right?

Suddenly hundreds of tiny birds shot past my heads, ruffling my hair and causing me to fall over again. They flew away from me, frantically dodging trees, some hitting the large oaks and pines that made up the forest, dropping dead at their bases.

What were they fleeing from? I doubted that there were any large predators around here that could whip that many birds into that big of a frenzy, which meant...

They knew I was gone. And they were coming to bring me back. I broke out in a cold sweat and started to run again, my ankle screaming out in protest. I suddenly burst into a small clearing, littered with long grasses that swayed gently in the breeze. I had about twenty minutes until sunrise, only twenty minutes until freedom.

“You ran away.” A sad voice sounded from behind me. I whipped around, my heart thundering in my chest. Gerard stood near the edges of the trees, the dim light from the moon lighting up his features, which were twisted into an ugly grimace.

“No shit.” I spat, and scrambled backwards a couple feet, eager to put as much space as I could between me and Gerard.

“What exactly were you planning to do if you actually did successfully escape?” He chuckled sadly, taking a calculated step towards me. “Do you realize that we are not even in the state of New York anymore? There is no civilization for about 100 miles in every direction. I cannot even begin to imagine the trouble you could have gotten into if I had not found you! You could have died Tess! Do you realize that? You would have been eaten by something bigger than you or starved to death!”

I said nothing, just narrowed my eyes and glared at him. I knew I stood no chance, that I could not outrun a fucking vampire, but it would be very unlike me if I didn’t at least try. Without any warning, I dashed off, trying to make it to the woods again. Maybe I could lose him in the deep undergrowth, maybe the sun would come up early and burn him alive-

Suddenly I crashed into what felt like a cold brick wall. Gerard’s arms wrapped around me tightly, and I tried to wiggle free.

“Let... go.... of.... me!” I panted, my energy draining rapidly. This might have been a fair fight if I had some form of weapon.

“Sorry Tess.” Gerard said, “I cannot let you go. Now, we must get back to the house before sunrise.”

“LIKE HELL I’M GOING WITH YOU!” I shrieked, thrashing wildly against his chest.

“Calm down.” He sighed, and I’m pretty sure he muttered something along the lines of; such a fucking drama queen.

Suddenly the world went fuzzy; the trees faded, and was soon replaced with the clean interior of the kitchen. Gerard let me go as soon as a wave of nausea hit me, and I promptly rushed over to the sink and emptied the contents of my stomach. When I was finished, I sunk down to my knees, resting my head in my hands, feeling like I was dying.

“Tess, Tess, are you okay?” Gerard panicked, crouching down to my level, his hands frantically patting my cheeks. The cold felt nice, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.

“Don’t touch me.” I rasped, my voice still raw from throwing up.

“You’re fine.” He laughed, and passed me a glass of water.

“What the fuck was that asshole?” I questioned, the nausea fading lightly.

“Why do you hate me so much?” Gerard questioned, his eyebrows rising.

“Why do you think?” I shot back sarcastically, drinking greedily from the water.

“Fair enough.” Gerard smiled, but then frowned again. “But I’m afraid that I am not going to permit you to run away again.”

I scoffed. “What you gonna do about it? Locks obviously can’t stop me. What’s the next step Mr. Kidnapper, throw me in your dungeons?”

“I know.” His voice sounded conflicted, “That the problem. You are extremely hard to keep hold off.” Suddenly his entire face lit up, “Ah ha!” He cried in victory, “I know what to do.”

He suddenly scooped me up so I was standing again, swaying slightly from the vertigo.

“What did I say about touching me?” I growled.

“Sorry, but right now, it can’t be helped.” He smiled apologetically, his hands clamping down on my wrists tightly. “I learnt this awhile ago from an old friend, now I finally get to try it out.”

“Try what out?” I asked, my voice shrill and panicky. I tried to break free of his ice cold grasp, but it only made his hands grip my wrists tighter.

“This should only take a second.” He muttered, his eyes fluttering shut.

“What should only take a second? What are you doing?!” I pulled away as hard as I could. “MIKEY!” I shrieked, desperate for help. He appeared in the doorway a second later, looking confused.

“Tess, what’s wrong?” He asked, pushing his glasses up his nose.

“Nothing Mikey.” Gerard said calmly, his eyes still shut. “I’m just making sure she doesn’t run away again.”

He started to mumble things under his breath, in a language that was defiantly not English.

“Mikey, what’s he doing?” I enquired desperately.

“I- I don’t know.” Mikey muttered, stepping closer. “He’s speaking the ancient language. I don’t know what he’s saying.”

Suddenly both my wrists started to burn, like someone was holding a hot poker to them. Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes.

“Sorry.” Gerard murmured, “It’s almost done.”

He suddenly released my wrists and slumped back against the counter, exhausted. I stared down at my wrists in shock. Two black marks, in the shape of a keyhole about the size of a dime decorated each of my wrists.

“So you gave me some fucked up tattoos.” I growled, “Now what?”

“Try and get outside now.” He smirked, his eyes still closed. “I dare you.”

“Fine.” I said, my tone clipped and rude. I climbed up onto the counter by the window again, prepared to leap out again. I went to swing my legs out the window, only to find that I couldn’t. It was like someone had welded an invisible piece of steel to the window, not to mention the tattoos on my wrists were burning like hell.

My mouth fell open in disbelief, and I pounded on the window in frustration. My hands seemed to bang up against some invisible force in midair.

“What the hell?”I hissed, turning to Gerard. “What the fuck did you do?!”

“Let’s see you escape now Tess.” He smirked and quickly left the room.

“Wow.” Mikey said, his eyes wide. “I had no idea he could do something like that.” He strode over to the window and stuck his hand through with ease. “I can still get through.... but you...” He trailed off, and I stuck my hand towards the window, trying to copy his actions. Again my hand was stopped by some unseen force, and the marks on my wrist burned like a bitch.

“I hate your brother.” I growled to Mikey. “Officially.”