Sequel: Morning Light ›
The Cullen
Hardening
Early that I morning I woke up with a new resolve. I stretched out on my bed and let the sun shine over my body. I wiped away the dried tears on my cheek and felt fine. I didn’t have a feeling of dread overwhelming me. Oddly, I felt perfect. I trotted downstairs and found Katie and Edward flipping through channels a mile a minute. Neither moved or said anything when I walked in. I sat in-between them on the couch. Edward got up and moved to the recliner. I felt a little spurned. I turned to Katie. She was smiling.
“What’re you so happy about?” I asked. She just shrugged. I didn’t press the subject. I got off the couch and headed into the kitchen.
I was in the middle of pouring Captain Crunch Berries in the bowl when the phone rang. To be honest, I forgot that we had a phone in this place. I picked up, of course.
“Hello?”
“Amber?” I heard the other voice answer. I froze.
“How the hell did you get this number?” I hissed.
“Phone book honey, how else?” he answered.
“What do you want?” I snarled.
“Don’t you remember my dinner invitation.?”
“Yes, I do, Gregory.” Edward and Katie looked at me in alarm.
“What is your answer?”
I immediately wanted to say no, but I thought about it. “Fine.”
“What?” he gasped, expecting a no. He recovered quickly. “I’ll send my limo over there for six.”
“Okay, see you then.” I turned around to see two very angry vampires staring at me. I walked passed them to finish pouring my cereal.
“Are you insane?” Katie yelled.
“No.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asked, pissed.
Edward came to sit across from me. He stared intently at me and motioned for Katie to sit down. Katie almost flung the chair halfway across the room trying to pull the chair out. She has to get used to her strength. She grabbed it before it went through the window.
“Lynn,” Edward said very calmly, “ are you sure you want to have dinner with that worm?”
“Yes, I know what I’m doing.”
Katie snorted at my reply. “No she doesn’t. He could hurt you again.”
“Katie, you are forgetting something. I am not human.”
“Then how did he before since you were never human, technically?”
“Katie, did I have any bruises or anything like that before?”
“No.”
“Wasn’t he the one with bruises and a broken hand from attacking me?”
“Yes.”
“He’s never hurt me even though he intended to. I know what I’m doing.”
“What are you doing, then?” Edward added.
“You’ll just have to see.”
I spent most of the day getting ready for tonight. Every time I passed Katie, she gave me an aggravated stare. I would just ignore it. I spent most of the time in my room if I could.
The limo was there for six. I didn’t even bother saying good-bye because as I left I got grim stares. I arrived to Greg’s at almost seven. I guess I fell asleep because next thing I knew I felt a nudge. I smiled weakly from embarrassment as I stepped out the limo. Before me laid an exquisite sight. In the front there were cherub bushes, with trees leading all the way to the house. The front yard had a few small hills. On each side of the house in front of the house stood to glorious fountains. One was with Aphrodite surrounded by water; the other was a bonsai tree with a lake in front of it that led into the bottom of the fountain.
The chauffer escorted me to the door, the way decorated with lights hanging from trees. He opened the door and motioned for me to go in first, but he closed the door behind me. Another man took his place and showed me the way to the dining room. He pulled the chair out on the far end for me to sit in.
“He will be with you momentarily,” he said in a deep, drone-like voice.
“Thank you,” I nodded. He walked off without another word. I sat there in utter silence for ten minutes. Not fun. I was about to ego insane right before Gregory walked in. He nodded curtly at me and took his place on the other side of the elongated table. I smiled weakly, not thrilled at all to be here. He was smiling to himself in triumph. He thought he had gotten me. He, of course, thought wrong. I was not here out of pleasure, actually quite the opposite of pleasure is why I am here. I felt another hardening in myself. Another layer added to my collection.
“I didn’t think you would agree, but they always come around,” Gregory first said.
“They?”
“Every girl I ask will say no, but after a while, they agree,” he added happily.
“Oh,” I simply said, resisting to comment on his pig-headedness. I bit my tongue, literally.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you change your mind?” He was doubting himself. Good. He should.
“Well…Honestly I don’t know why.”
“Hmph. You and your boyfriend had a fight?” he sneered.
I was tempted to get up from the table, walk over to him, and send him flying into the wall. Somehow, though, I managed not to. I was tensing up, trying to control myself. “He is not my boyfriend,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Katie’s?”
I laughed, “No.”
“What? Don’t think Katie could get someone like him?” he mainly commented but hinted to a question.
“I just know his type.” Living.
“Are you his type?” he pointed with a knife.
“No,” I said reluctantly.
“Good.” He was making it very hard for me to sit still and not want to hurt him. He smirking, as if guessing his comments were bothering me. What he was thinking was not helping either. I might just have to give him what he wants but with a twist. I changed my outward mood.
I smiled and leaned more over the table towards him. “You know, I do have a reason for being here.”
He perked up, interested. “And what is that?”
I smiled seductively, “I’ll have to show you.”
He gulped and dropped his eating utensils. What a way to ruin the mood. Ha! I would be the real mood killer, perhaps literally. I smiled to myself, but he took it as me smiling to him. He was shaking. I stood up and walked over to him. I stopped behind. I bent over placing my hands on his chest and rubbing it. He was frozen. Poor fool.
“How about you show me your room,” I whispered in his ear, then nipped it.
The only response I got was a gulp. He got grabbed my hand and ran towards his room. We were there in less than thirty seconds. He locked the door behind him. Let the fun begin.
“Remember that night at the park,” I asked. He froze, fear streaking across his face. “Don’t worry about it.” Relief replaced the fear. I got up and pushed him on the bed. Then I whispered, “ ‘Cause you won’t be alive much longer.” The scream that wanted to erupt from his lungs didn’t get the chance to.
“What’re you so happy about?” I asked. She just shrugged. I didn’t press the subject. I got off the couch and headed into the kitchen.
I was in the middle of pouring Captain Crunch Berries in the bowl when the phone rang. To be honest, I forgot that we had a phone in this place. I picked up, of course.
“Hello?”
“Amber?” I heard the other voice answer. I froze.
“How the hell did you get this number?” I hissed.
“Phone book honey, how else?” he answered.
“What do you want?” I snarled.
“Don’t you remember my dinner invitation.?”
“Yes, I do, Gregory.” Edward and Katie looked at me in alarm.
“What is your answer?”
I immediately wanted to say no, but I thought about it. “Fine.”
“What?” he gasped, expecting a no. He recovered quickly. “I’ll send my limo over there for six.”
“Okay, see you then.” I turned around to see two very angry vampires staring at me. I walked passed them to finish pouring my cereal.
“Are you insane?” Katie yelled.
“No.”
“Are you sure about that?” she asked, pissed.
Edward came to sit across from me. He stared intently at me and motioned for Katie to sit down. Katie almost flung the chair halfway across the room trying to pull the chair out. She has to get used to her strength. She grabbed it before it went through the window.
“Lynn,” Edward said very calmly, “ are you sure you want to have dinner with that worm?”
“Yes, I know what I’m doing.”
Katie snorted at my reply. “No she doesn’t. He could hurt you again.”
“Katie, you are forgetting something. I am not human.”
“Then how did he before since you were never human, technically?”
“Katie, did I have any bruises or anything like that before?”
“No.”
“Wasn’t he the one with bruises and a broken hand from attacking me?”
“Yes.”
“He’s never hurt me even though he intended to. I know what I’m doing.”
“What are you doing, then?” Edward added.
“You’ll just have to see.”
I spent most of the day getting ready for tonight. Every time I passed Katie, she gave me an aggravated stare. I would just ignore it. I spent most of the time in my room if I could.
The limo was there for six. I didn’t even bother saying good-bye because as I left I got grim stares. I arrived to Greg’s at almost seven. I guess I fell asleep because next thing I knew I felt a nudge. I smiled weakly from embarrassment as I stepped out the limo. Before me laid an exquisite sight. In the front there were cherub bushes, with trees leading all the way to the house. The front yard had a few small hills. On each side of the house in front of the house stood to glorious fountains. One was with Aphrodite surrounded by water; the other was a bonsai tree with a lake in front of it that led into the bottom of the fountain.
The chauffer escorted me to the door, the way decorated with lights hanging from trees. He opened the door and motioned for me to go in first, but he closed the door behind me. Another man took his place and showed me the way to the dining room. He pulled the chair out on the far end for me to sit in.
“He will be with you momentarily,” he said in a deep, drone-like voice.
“Thank you,” I nodded. He walked off without another word. I sat there in utter silence for ten minutes. Not fun. I was about to ego insane right before Gregory walked in. He nodded curtly at me and took his place on the other side of the elongated table. I smiled weakly, not thrilled at all to be here. He was smiling to himself in triumph. He thought he had gotten me. He, of course, thought wrong. I was not here out of pleasure, actually quite the opposite of pleasure is why I am here. I felt another hardening in myself. Another layer added to my collection.
“I didn’t think you would agree, but they always come around,” Gregory first said.
“They?”
“Every girl I ask will say no, but after a while, they agree,” he added happily.
“Oh,” I simply said, resisting to comment on his pig-headedness. I bit my tongue, literally.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you change your mind?” He was doubting himself. Good. He should.
“Well…Honestly I don’t know why.”
“Hmph. You and your boyfriend had a fight?” he sneered.
I was tempted to get up from the table, walk over to him, and send him flying into the wall. Somehow, though, I managed not to. I was tensing up, trying to control myself. “He is not my boyfriend,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Katie’s?”
I laughed, “No.”
“What? Don’t think Katie could get someone like him?” he mainly commented but hinted to a question.
“I just know his type.” Living.
“Are you his type?” he pointed with a knife.
“No,” I said reluctantly.
“Good.” He was making it very hard for me to sit still and not want to hurt him. He smirking, as if guessing his comments were bothering me. What he was thinking was not helping either. I might just have to give him what he wants but with a twist. I changed my outward mood.
I smiled and leaned more over the table towards him. “You know, I do have a reason for being here.”
He perked up, interested. “And what is that?”
I smiled seductively, “I’ll have to show you.”
He gulped and dropped his eating utensils. What a way to ruin the mood. Ha! I would be the real mood killer, perhaps literally. I smiled to myself, but he took it as me smiling to him. He was shaking. I stood up and walked over to him. I stopped behind. I bent over placing my hands on his chest and rubbing it. He was frozen. Poor fool.
“How about you show me your room,” I whispered in his ear, then nipped it.
The only response I got was a gulp. He got grabbed my hand and ran towards his room. We were there in less than thirty seconds. He locked the door behind him. Let the fun begin.
“Remember that night at the park,” I asked. He froze, fear streaking across his face. “Don’t worry about it.” Relief replaced the fear. I got up and pushed him on the bed. Then I whispered, “ ‘Cause you won’t be alive much longer.” The scream that wanted to erupt from his lungs didn’t get the chance to.