Guardian Ravenfolk

Chapter Five-Cold Feelings

Chapter Five

Cold feelings

"It's too cold for you here, and now; so let me hold both your hands in the holes of my sweater."-The Neighbourhood

"Faye!" I screeched, and I ran to her without thinking. There was this rush of energy inside of me-this burst of complete joy and happiness. She smiled warmly, holding her arms out to welcome me. Leaping at her we embraced tightly. I sucked in a breath, the smell of her strawberry-scented hair enflaming my nostrils. She was still a bubble of energy. I almost forgot Raphael was standing right behind me.

"I missed you so much!"

"Me too! You never called...or messaged me or anything...."

"I wish I could've...but so much has gone down since we last saw you..." I nodded in understanding as she wiped tears of joy from her eyes. The wind whipped around us coldly. Faye looked so gorgeous, even though she was wearing an oversized black sweater. Her bright brown eyes sparkled in delight and her mocha-colored skin-tone was flawless.

Someone cleared their throat behind us. I flinched without thinking, and stared into Raphael's now darkened eyes. I couldn't stand to be around him without feeling some electric current running through me. Quickly, I looked away.

"Sorry to break up your little party, but we've got to hit the road." He told us seriously, strolling over to the driver's seat. We followed quickly behind him, and Faye made a funny face.

"Yeah, yeah Mr. Grumpy-pants." She teased.

"Mr. grumpy-pants?" he shot back with a snicker, as we entered the car. She nodded, smacking the back of his pants. I guess it was a friendly gesture but for some reason my cheeks reddened. Faye glanced at me and winked.

"We heard about what had happened Peyton; with the vampires and everything. We're so sorry...if we had known..." Faye was saying, turning back to look at me in the backseat. I gave her a small smile.

"And your parents..." she continued sadly. I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat.

"No...you guys had your own worries; it's okay." I assured her. Raphael gripped the steering wheel tightly as we flew by houses in the neighborhood. The car hummed steadily but he was going at a killer speed.

"No. It was not." He said between gritted teeth. I wish I could've lied again, but the note of finality in his voice made me realize that he was right. No; it was not alright.

We drove for a long time; my cheek was pressed against the dense window-pane. Beads of raindrops rolled down and before I knew it the rain was thundering through the sky. The sky had grown darker, making the already thick atmosphere thicker. I wondered if I was making the right decision; to leave my friends...in order to protect them. For some reason I couldn't help but to feel guilty. I didn't feel like I was protecting them like Ayora made me believe...I felt like I was protecting myself. I felt like without me...they were sitting ducks; but we were all sitting ducks even when I was there.

My mind blanked out for a bit as we drove and I simply listened to the thundering of the rain. The whole sky had become a patchwork quilt of grey. A heavy, thick emotion like nostalgia and melancholy became intertwined in my heart, and I just sat there amidst the silence staring into the rain, numbing myself to the pain of everything around me. Before I knew it, my eyelids had grown heavy....and I drifted off to sleep.

I wasn't sure what time it was when I awoke; but I knew the sky was dark. With foggy eyes and a foggy mind, I realized someone was carrying me. Goose-bumps rose on my skin as I nestled against the warmth of someone's black t-shirt and leather jacket. The cool wind blew against my arms as I felt the swift motion of someone moving. Feeling disoriented I thought to move, but then decided against it. Whoever was carrying me smelt so good...like woodsy and warm.