Never make a deal with a vampire

Chapter 4: Deal?

Best thing about tonight's that we're not fighting

Could it be that we have been this way before

I know you don't think-

The sound of Secondhand Serenade was abruptly cut off as I threw my hand blindly at the bedside table in a futile attempt at hitting the stop button, resulting in my alarm clock and water bottle falling to the floor, dragging the plug out of the socket on the way down.

Every nerve in my body shrank away from the unnecessarily loud commotion, hating the disruption of the peace. And as I started drifting into an uneasy sleep, I felt a strange prickling sensation in the back of my neck, as if I was being watched. My body tensed up, then there was a loud bang as my bedroom door hit the wall.

"Gabby! Get your lazy ass out of bed now!"

I groaned and let my body flop back into bed.

"Gabby come on!" the voice whined.

Peeking through one half opened eye, I could see my brother Steven standing in the doorway of my room, giving me a stern look, his tanned skin, sandy blonde curly hair and baby blue innocent eyes gave him that surfer look that made the girls at our school drool and follow him everywhere.

"Meh, go away..." I mumbled into my pillow, and, looking back, I saw him lean back against the door frame and fold his arms across his chest. But suddenly an image crashed into my head of the same scene, only my black and silver walls were naked, dead trees and Steven's short, curly blonde hair straightened out, getting darker as it grew and flopped over his equally black eyes. His face becoming more beautiful in a cold way. A wrong way.

I gasped and flew up, realization dawning on me.

Not an image. But a memory.

Bizarre scenes flashed past my eyes like a cruel slideshow.

Blizzard. Crowbar. Glass. Blood. Superman.

"Gabby?"

The worried tone in Steven's voice dragged me from my reverie.

"Gabby are you-" he frowned, "Hung over?"

I shook my head mutely.

"Then get a move on, I need a lift to work. Oh, and you look a bloody mess."

He turned on his heel to walk away when I called out,

"I can't."

He came storming back in,

"Why the hell not?"

"I don't have a car."

"Then use mam and dads," he rolled his eyes, "As usual."

I felt myself well up, my tears blurring my vision.

"I don't have their car anymore, it broke down last-"

"What in the name of pants are you talking about you freak? It's in the driveway."

"No! That- that's impossible!" I cried, jumping out of bed and running up to the bedroom window. I gaped at the driveway then glanced down at the pale blue pyjamas I was wearing and felt warm tears run down my face.

It was all a dream. Everything. Outside, my adopted parents red Nissan sat in a snow covered drive, windshield intact.

"Gabs? You alright?"

I nodded and hastily brushed the tears from my cheeks,

"Just a bad dream, that's all."

"Okay then," I saw his reflection in the window hesitate before he continued on his way, "Oh, and John needs a lift too."

I smiled and nodded as he left, then I went into the bathroom.

Geez, I really do look a tip...

My thick, curly black hair was knotted and sticking out in all directions, my face was deathly pale and I had red rings around my eyes and black circles under them, as if I'd spent more time crying than sleeping the previous night.

I shrugged it off and pulled my tank top over my head before turning on the shower.

"Aaaaah!" a hand clamped over my mouth as the scream left it.

Running from my navel up to my ribcage was a long, shiny pink scar, and on closer inspection, my hand had a similar scar running from the thumb to the middle knuckle.

But that wasn't what scared me most. No. What scared me most was the dark haired figure standing behind me.

"Gabby? Are you okay?"

"Make something up, get rid of him." the man hissed in my ear, then he slowly removed his hand from its place over my mouth.

"Y-yeah! I'm fine! It was just a- urm- a really, really big- spider. Yeah, a huge spider! But it's down the drain now!"

"Alright, well get a move on."

"A spider? You would seriously scream like that for a spider?"

I spun round to face him,

"Dorian."

"Gabrielle." he mocked my angry expression before smirking, "Or do you prefer Gabby? Or Gab? Or maybe Gab-Gabs?"

"Dorian!" I whisper shouted, frustration building up inside of me.

"Darling!"

I growled but it only made him grin wider.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

He shrugged and wrapped his arms around my bare waist, which I quickly shoved away before dragging my top on over my head.

"I have a proposal which I think you will, gladly, accept."

I raised an eyebrow and frowned,

"What kind of proposal?"

He grinned and grabbed each of my hands in one of his.

"Seeing as you so selfishly robbed me of a rather delicious meal last night by acting all 'brave'," he made air quotes with his hands whilst still holding mine, "I think you owe me-"

"I don't owe you anything!" I scoffed.

"Actually, you owe me your life."

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't hunt me down and try to eat me!"

"Are you going to let me finish?"

I opened my mouth to protest but closed it and nodded grimly.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," he winked, "You owe me and, well, me being the important vampire I am, I need a... business partner, of such. Got it?"

I shook my head and he sighed.

"I decided you are sort of, on the high side on the attractiveness scale, for a human-"

"Geez Dorian I'm blushing." I gushed sarcastically, but he just gave me a look before continuing.

"And I need someone to... help me, around my home and dealing with awkward situations and people I don't want to deal with. Someone to be seen with at parties and big events, but vampire women," he shook his head and scowled, "Are too much of a handful, and they don't know their place... but a human will have no choice but to do what they are told when they are told." he flashed a grin at me, "Deal?"