Where You Are

Chapter 4

"Mom!" I sit up in bed with a gasp. I look around my heart ready to pound out of my chest. I'm just at Theo's. I cover my face with my hands and try to calm down. When will these nightmares end? I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this. I'm so tired. I flop onto my back trying to ignore how my clammy skin is sticking to the sheets. I don't dare close my eyes again. I know I'll just see their dead faces.

I can't stand my clammy skin anymore so I head for the bathroom in my room after gathering some clothes. It's been nothing but white t shirts and sweatpants since I got here. I can't complain too much since it's comfortable. I turn the water on hot enough to turn my skin pink and try to relax under the warm water. What would I even do if I got out of here? I won't have anywhere to go. No family and thanks to my hiatus from my friends after my grandma died I'm not super close to my friends anymore. I doubt their parents would want me staying there all the time anyway. So what do I do? Maybe I could live on my own, but I'd be starting from nothing.

Then there's my parents. There must be an investigation to look into their murders. Where do they think I am? Oh gosh what if they think I did it? No, I just need to do some more digging. Maybe if I had a computer it would be easier. I wonder if I could get Theo to take me to the library or something. With that in mind I hope out of the shower and get dressed. I head out of the bathroom and nearly jump out of my skin. Theo sits on my bed staring at the wall.

"Don't do that!" I can't be sure but I'm pretty sure I saw a hint of a smile. Who does that? Just sits on someone's bed when they don't know they're there. What is he doing here anyway?

"Good you're ready...you're afraid?" He glances around the room before his eyes settle on mine. Ready for what? I turn back into the bathroom to brush out my hair.

"Ready for what? And of course I was afraid, you scared the crap out of me." I brush out the last tangle and turn to leave the bathroom, but Theo's there standing in the doorway. "Jesus!" I put my hand over my wildly beating heart. "Stop doing that."

"Arabella." My eyes shoot up to look at him. Did he just call me by my name? When did I tell him that? Was it last night? I try to remember getting into bed last night but the last thing I remember is playing UNO. I must have blacked out or something. "Your whole room smells of fear. What are you so afraid of?" Colette mentioned something about smelling my fear as well. Is that some kind of creepy vampire thing?

"It's nothing." He hasn't been around so why does he think I even want to talk to him about any of this?

"It's not nothing. Are you afraid of me?" Am I? I look him over. He's once again dressing in all black. You'd think with how pale he is it'd look bad but it just makes him look better. I have to admit he's good looking, I'd go as far as saying hot. But nothing about him makes me afraid of him, not even his red eyes.

"No..." I say slowly. He takes a step towards me. For a second he looks like he's going to reach for me but his hands fall back to his sides.

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"I've been having nightmares, okay. You wouldn't know because you're never here." I felt like a child but I don't understand why he's acting like he cares now after weeks of practically ignoring me.

"Alright...let's just get this over with then." 

"What are you talking about?" He was being so weird I forgot he mentioned something about being ready.

"We're going out? Do you not remember?" I push past him and walk into my room.

"I don't remember much about last night." I can't look at him. I'm too embarrassed that the the first time I ever drank I blacked out. I clearly talked to him last night and I can't remember anything I said to him. Is that why he's being nice and knows my name?