Trapped in a Vile World

I rolled over on the bed, half awake. I reached out for Jimmy, but all I felt were empty sheets. I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room. It was absolutely deserted. I pouted a little, wishing Jimmy was here to wish me a good morning. I sat up and stretched, then walked across the hall. I walked through the door into my personal bathroom to freshen up. I walked back into my room wrapped in a plush towel. I began to leaf through my wardrobe for a fresh outfit.

“Good morning, Tera,” came a voice from behind me. I jumped out of my skin and nearly dropped my towel. I whipped around.

“Brian!” I yelled in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just waiting for you,” he said with an undertone of annoyance. “You never came back after you slammed the door in my face last night.”

“Brian, leave. I’m changing.” He rolled his eyes.

“I’ll be back in ten minutes.” I heard the door click shut, and I sighed. I knew he meant well, but he could still be less of a dick about it.

I grabbed a black dress that was fitted in the bodice, but flowed around my legs. I looked in the mirror. This is really girly. I dug around in the huge wardrobe until I found what I was looking for. I slipped on the leather combat boots and smiled as I laced them up. Sure, they were a little big, but I didn’t care. They were perfect.

I slipped out into the hallway and started to tiptoe down without making any noise.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Brian’s annoyed voice rung out. I sighed and turned to face him. He was starting to look kind of pissed off that I was avoiding him so much. I opened my mouth to answer, but someone else answered for me.

“She’s going to meet me for breakfast, like we arranged yesterday,” Zacky’s calm voice replied. His hand softly touched my shoulder, making my skin tingle. Brian’s face contorted a little bit. I raised my hand to comfort him, but Zacky tugged me gently in the opposite direction. I let him drag me back, smiling apologetically at a fuming Brian. After we rounded the corner, I looked over at him.

“Uhm, thank you,” I said softly. “I didn’t know what to say.” He smiled over at me, and gently took my hand, leading me around a maze of hallways until we reached a kitchen. “Uhm, where are we?” He laughed.

“I told you I was making you breakfast,” he said sweetly.

“Oh no, no, no. Zacky, you don’t have to – “

“I want to,” he smiled, leading me over to a small table in the next room. “I’ll be right back,” he promised, kissing my hand before walking back into the kitchen. I looked down at the handsome table. It was polished and shining in the light. I waited patiently for him to come back. “Here we are,” he said, swooping in with two glass plates. I gasped as he set them down in front of me.

“Zack,” I stuttered, shocked. I looked at the plates in front of me with wide eyes. They were piled high with perfectly folded omelets, strips of luscious bacon, thick stacks of fluffy pancakes, and steaming hash browns. And on top of that, he’d made two crystal glasses filled with ice water. “I don’t know what to say.” He smiled proudly. He started to dig in, but I hesitated as I picked up my fork. His green eyes filled with worry.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No, everything looks amazing,” I reassured him. “It’s just… You’re a vampire. How are you eating real food?” He immediately calmed down and chuckled.

“Tera, just because I’m a vampire doesn’t mean I only drink blood. I still have a functioning stomach. I just need to drink blood to survive. I don’t really know how to explain it. Food doesn’t give us energy or anything. It just fills our stomachs. We can live without food, but it’s a miserable existence. The blood is the key that makes our bodies function, but when we mix it with food, it’s really healthy.” I nodded, not completely understanding. I stopped thinking and started eating. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten something so good.

After I’d finished about half of my food, I pushed my plate away from me. He stared at me over his empty plate, eyes glowing.

“I’m so full,” I groaned, patting my stomach.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said, smiling. He stood and collected the dishes from the table, planting a small kiss on my cheek before walking into the kitchen. I tried not to let him see me blush, and watched him walk into the other room. I sighed. I shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as I was. There was just something about him that made me happy.

I looked down, trying to distract myself by playing with the hem of my dress. I heard soft footsteps enter the room. I looked up smiling, expecting Zacky to have some event planned for me next. My smile faltered when I realized it wasn’t Zacky who was watching me.

Johnny’s light brown eyes were glued to me from across the room.