Shades of Scarlet

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

I am alive--that is the first thing that occurs to me when I wake up. The vampire didn’t kill me, even though I was sure that the stairwell would be the place of my death.

I lie in the same bed Darien showed me earlier, and I can hear him talking to the others outside.

“They know where we are now.” I recognize Linda’s voice. “We can’t stay here for long.”

“I know,” he says, “I’ll have to arrange someplace else. It’ll take a few days to get the tickets and everything.”

“I still can’t believe you left her alone like that.”

“I know.” I hear the guilt in his voice, but I wasn’t going to forgive him just because of that. “It was only supposed to be for a while, to clear my head.”

“Apparently, ‘a while’ is too long, you should have known better.”

I get up and make my way to the door, surprised that I feel completely fine. I touch my neck. The wounds are already gone and I’m in a new dress. Somebody must have washed me.

I stand up and make my way to the washroom outside, not caring much for their conversation. I’m going to be shifted around like some kind of rare artifact again, by people who seem much less competent than antique handlers. The washroom in my room gives me nightmares and I avoid it. If I look into the mirror, I’m paranoid that I’ll see that monster again.

The room falls silent when I walk out. I ignore their stares.

The first thing I take notice of in the living room’s washroom is the trashcan. An empty blood bag is in it. Somebody has had their fill.

Before I can close the door, Linda is leaning against it. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I reply.

The permanent frown has been wiped off her face. Perhaps it was the bloodlust that had gotten to her. “How are you feeling?” she asks, genuinely concerned.

I’m half taken aback by her sudden switch in demeanor. It’s like she’s a completely different person. “Okay, I guess.”

“Are you sure? You’ve been knocked out cold for two days, and that’s not normal for someone who has drank vampire blood.”

I had vampire blood? The thought makes me want to gag, but I maintain a calm front with Linda around. “What happened?”

“That’s what I should be asking you. We found you lying in front of the window. For a minute we thought you were dead. Darien was close to tears. He even got burned in the sun just to carry you out. And then he fed you some of his blood, I cleaned you, and you’ve been asleep ever since.” She turns her head to the couch where the guys are sitting. “You really should talk to him, he’s still worried sick.”

I bowed my head. “I’m not in the mood to talk to him right now…”

She looks at me, perplexed.

“I’m just… a little mad that he wasn’t there like he promised.” I’m surprising myself by sharing so much with Linda. She was the only other female around, and her sudden concern makes it easy to share things with her.

“You can’t blame him for that,” she says, a little in disbelief, “well I suppose you could because he was on duty to take care of you. Yeah, yes I can see why you’re mad.”

I am amused by her voicing out her thought process.

“I’ll leave you some time to cool down then. If you’re feeling light-headed you can go to the balcony. The view of the city is amazing.”