The Window to the Soul

Chapter 6: Truth

~

Colton and I sat on the couch, waiting for Dante and Gabriel to finish their argument and join us. Riley poured soup into cobalt blue bowls, and then handed Colton and I one. I cupped my hands around the bowl, letting its warmth seep into me. 

"Thanks.." I muttered.

Riley nodded in response. He sat in a chair across from us, drinking from his own bowl. The muffled bickering in the background died down, and Dante and Gabriel strode in, taking seats further away from each other. Colton looked up from his soup, meeting the gold eyed stare of Gabriel, who obviously had acknowledged the fact that he was sitting really close to me. He gave Colton a cold stare, his lips almost curled into a snarl. His amber eyes were deeper, more ominous. I looked away from them, not wanting to get involved with whatever just happened between the two of them.

Deciding to break the awkward silence I spoke up. "So, are you guys going to tell me why I'm here....or am I going to have to try to escape again?"

I could feel Colton shift closer to me. His arm rested uncomfortably close to mine, his hand inches from mine. Was he preparing to comfort me? This made me really uneasy. Why were they so secretive about everything? How could they possibly ruin my life anym-

"I'm just going to tell you how it is, Zoella. This isn't the time to sugarcoat things. Your parents were hunters, and they were in a constant war with our kind." Dante stated plainly.

Hunters? Our kind? What kind of shit was this lunatic spewing from his mouth? He must have seriously fried his brain with drugs or something. Could someone be this beautiful even with rehab? Man, the wonders of modern science...

Gabriel burst out into laughter from across the room, breaking the silence. I shot him a look, and he tried to muffle his laughter with his thick flannel. Dante didn't seem to pay any attention to him.

"Your dad, hid an important book from us for years, afraid that if we had it, we would ruin mankind. So, he hid it for years in that old farmhouse you guys had. He drew anti-demonic symbols on the doors, lined the windowsills with salt, and burned giant pentagrams in your backyard. You never suspected a thing because, being the smart man he was, he wiped your memory after he did everything."

Dante leaned closer, folding his hands in his lap.

"As for your mother, she knew all about it the whole time. She helped cover up Daniel's messes, and even aided in the destruction of our kind. Together, they killed thousands of supernatural creatures, specifically vampires. Do you remember that ridiculously large shed in the backyard? It was full to the brim with supernatural weaponry and black magic. Daniel kept it locked at all times. One time, he was stupid enough to only put a padlock on it. He didn't ever suspect my mother and I as having power, but boy was he wrong. I was in the shed within minutes, and realized what your parents and you really were--traitors. Outcasts. Rouges. I told my mother, and she took me away from you, so that I could never be harmed by your family's sadistic ways."

I didn't move. I might have been in shock, and the room seemed to be spinning. Ugh, im going to throw up. I grabbed whatever was close to me to steady the spinning room, which happened to be Colton's arm. He rested his hand on mine, clearly trying to calm me. Dante sighed, leaning back into the thick cushions of the leather chair he sat in.

"We had to do it. Daniel-your dad, would have killed us if we didn't have some sort of an advantage. I didn't have enough power over him to have killed him then, as much as I would have liked to. Now, I have that power, and I will use it against him. 

His blue eyes stared directly into mine, and everything faded into dark fuzziness.

~

Dante clung to his mother's hip, watching as the two woman screamed at each other. Next to me, Cap'n pricked his ears towards the opening screen door. Out strode my father, a double barrel sawed-off shotgun in his hands. I looked back to where my mother was standing, only to find that Edith and Dante had already left. My father, infuriated, ran down the white oak steps, loading shotgun shells into the gun. He disappeared around the corner, and a single gunshot rang through the warm summer air, piercing the tranquility. I closed my eyes, afraid to see more.

~

"I'll be fine, it will only take a couple of minutes," I told my mom, who was waiting for me in the car. I made my way to the football field, where I was supposed to meet Anna. Uneasiness came about me, and I started to walk towards the stairs until I felt the all-to-familiar feeling chill up my spine. I ran, just as a shadow emerged from the darkness. I turned to run the opposite way, only to be greeted by the haunting eyes of Dante himself. He muttered something, I don't remember exactly what it was he said, but a strong pair of arms pinned me against the goalposts. Within seconds, all four of them were on me, digging their sharp canines into my skin...and I screamed....and yelled...but no one heard me, and I was all alone, staring death in the eyes.

~

I was so terrified from the memory that I shot up and off the couch, out of Colton's warm embrace. Equally startled as me, the boys flinched at my reaction. I looked at all of them in the eyes. The cold-hearted eyes of  soulless killers. These people were not my friends. They tried to kill me. Gabriel slowly rose up from his chair, obviously reading my thoughts again. He moved slowly towards me, as if he was trying to calm or corral a feral animal. My eyes, widened with fear, and I waited for the pounding of my heart in my chest. There was nothing. I couldn't feel my own heartbeat. What did they do to me? Dante rose, followed by Colton and Riley. Feeling threatened, I tensed my body to run, judging my distances. If I ran behind him, I might be able to reach the front door and escape....or maybe I could push through Dante-No, that would be stupid. I was thinking so fast, my legs seemed to take flight without me even knowing. I turned, hurdling over the couch with my long inseam, and running to the front door. I flung it open, and ran barefoot into the woods outside. I was so stupid. Had I already forgot what Dante told me? Blurs of light swarmed in front of me, before materializing into Dante and Riley. They closed in on me, pressing me closer to where I came from. I ran left, only to be welcomed by Colton's death glare. Amazing how such a gorgeous, funny boy could turn so cold so quick. No- he wasn't a boy, I told myself. He was a murderer...and he did this to me. I turned and ran right, only to find Gabriel's long frame standing in front of me. No time to think out the possibilities. No time to think, period. I ran headlong at Gabriel, sliding through his long legs. I scrambled up on the other side, pushing myself to run a 6-minute mile. Just as I was picking up speed, strong arms snaked around my waist and brought me down, my face making contact with the packed dirt. I heard Cap'n whinny, and wind chimes whistled in my ears. The weight on top of me kept me plastered to the ground, and I was hoisted up into someone's arms. Whoever lifted me must have been strong, because I was no lightweight.