Forever 17

Chapter 6: Dakota

The fire was everywhere, it burned in my stomach, in my chest, in the back of throat. I no longer layed on the concrete and broken glass, I no longer smelled the aroma of the earth that lingered. I was no longer cold... the fire burns everywhere. Am I dying? Or am I already dead? I was laying on something softer now, maybe a couch? I force my eyes open and saw only darkness, I was lying on my back so I assumed the ceiling was above me. I turned my head to see a familiar layout of furniture, a small black love seat directly across from the black couch that I layed on. A recliner sat off to the side, and the tv was on the wall. The kitchen a short distance away.

It was the most intense pain I had ever felt in my entire life, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but I wasn't for sure if it would hurt or not. I wanted it to stop, I wanted to be able to take medicine like I had a cold and sleep it off. I wanted Destree to make it go away like he made every other bad thing that's ever come my way. I wanted... I wanted my mom. I wanted her to hold me the way she did when I would get sick when I was little. I wanted her to tell me everything was going to be okay and that I was strong enough to get through it.

But that wouldn't happen, my mom died in a drive by shooting when I was only six. I have no father (well I do, everyone does, but he left when he found out my mom was pregnant with me. Mom always told me it's not because he didn't love me or because he didn't want me, but because he wasn't ready to father a child yet.) I've only ever seen pictures of him, and he's handsome. So I live with my grandparents, well my grandma, my grandfather passed a while back. So it's just me and my grandma, but I'm moving into an apartment not too far from Destree's right now.

I closed my eyes and opened them so they would readjust to the light, but my eyes were already, for some reason, adjusting really well. Not complaining about that, it's just weird. I looked around, just the same as the last time I was here. I tried to think back to last night, but it was fuzzy. Okay, I knew we went to Hills of Eternity... but, why? I couldn't remember why we went to the cemetey in the pouring rain. Let's see, then when we got there there were those... what the hell were those things? They were human, well had a human body, and they were beating the life out of some guy who wasn't fighting back. Did they... did they kill him? Then Destree told me to leave, and I told him I wasn't leaving him, right? Then they attacked us, and then Des said something about changing me? And he said something about him being...

I let my thought stop there and laughed quietly to myself. Destree was not and absolutely could not be a... a vampire. That's just silly, but what else would explain the strength of those guys, the way he just put his hand out and Des and I went flying? What the hell could explain that? Do vampires actually exist? And if they do than what else? The Tooth Fairy? Santa Claus? Werewolves? Unicorns? There's no better explanation. It's gotta be that Destree is an actual vampire, but Destree can go in the sun, he doesn't turn to ash, he doesn't ignite like on True Blood, and he sure as hell doesn't sparkle. That's stupid. He goes to school just like any other normal kid. Just than I realized something, Destree wasn't so normal after all. He was really strong, kids were practically terrified of him if they ever got on his bad side.

And he said he had to change me? So now I'm a- I'm a vampire? This was all too much, I decided to stop thinking about it, it almost burned to think. It burned to breathe. I gripped the blanket that was draped over me. I gave up on thinking for now and I just stared up at the ceiling. I started to feel a bit sleepy, so I closed my eyes, but I knew I was in too much pain to sleep. And since there was nothing else to do I just decided to think more.

Okay. Destree. Vampire, if vampires exist I have no doubt that's what he is. Okay. Me, Destree said he had to 'change' me in order for me to live. So that means now I'm a vampire. Aha!! I got it, that's what all the burning and pain is... no Dakota, snap out of it. There's no such thing as vampires, I just had a really, really fucked up dream. Destree is not a vampire and nor did he change me into one. But... it this was all a dream than why the hell do I hurt and burn so badly? What the hell is happening to me? I need an explanation or I'm going to go insane. I needed Destree. I needed my best friend. I wanted my best friend Destree, whether or not he was a vampire or not.

~~~

Apparently I dozed off for a bit but now I'm awake, the burning was even worse, and it made me not want to me, made me not want to blink, made me not want to breathe. But it's what I hear when I wake up that startles me.

"Yes, she's doing okay, Mrs. Mason, she's just sleeping right now," he was in the kitchen, on the phone with my grandma, pacing back and forth. I know one thing I am not okay, I hurt like fuckin' hell.

"Yes, she won't be back in school for one maybe two weeks, but I'll be able to take care of her and still go to school," why the hell is he on the phone with my grandma? Surely he isn't telling her everything. And no school for TWO WEEKS?? I'll be soo behind!!

"Well, you could come see her, but it's not pretty, she's not handling it as well as I thought she would," Does my grandma know about Destree?

"Okay, well I'll update you on her later," He's getting ready to hangup and come check on me.

"Kay, thanks, bye." He hangs up the phone and puts it back in his pocket. "So you're finally awake?" He looks towards me, as I'm looking up toward the ceiling.

"Yeah," I said, my voice was hoarse. I have no idea why. "What do you mean by finally?" I asked hoarsely.

"By that I mean you've been out for a few days,"

"What?" I gape.

"We have much to discuss, but first let's get some pain meds into you,"

"Sounds like a plan," I croaked.

After he got me some medicine, he sat down on the couch. "Dakota, we need to talk,"

I looked at him, those words are never good.