New Start (Morganville Vampires)

Chapter 3

My phone buzzed at the side of my bed, and I panicked as I opened my eyes, forgetting where I was.

I looked over to the clock. 7 am. Great. Who would want me at this time?

I picked up my phone, pressing the home button, and quickly swiping up to turn the brightness down as the pure white light dazzled my eyes.

Meet me at my office. A.

A. Amelie. She really wasn't used to the fact that people do sleep, and that not everyone was a vampire, who could not sleep at all, and at the same time not need endless supplies of coffee.

I got out of bed, and slowly pushed my door open, making sure that it didn't wake anyone up, then tiptoed across the landing to the bathroom.

I had a shower, and got ready, and I was downstairs by 7:30.

I walked into the kitchen to make myself a coffee, and I jumped when I saw Michael.

'Hey.' He said. 'I'll get that for you.' He stood up and made me a coffee.

I leant against the cupboards. 'Did you talk to Eve?' I asked, grabbing the cup of coffee off of him. 

'Yeah.' He sighed. 'Went down like I thought it would. It'll take some time for her to come to terms with this.'

I nodded, taking a gulp of my coffee.

'Why are you ready so early?' He asked, drinking some of his own coffee.

'I'm going out.' I said quietly, knowing that Michael wouldn't like the idea.

'Where?' He said strictly, like the over protective brother that he was.

'Just to see Amelie.' I replied, annoyed that he was so strict over what I was doing.

'Why?' All he ever said was questions, wasn't it?

'I don't know. She asked me to.'

I stood up and checked my phone in my pocket.

'You're not walking.' He said, putting his coffee down.

'Nope. I'm just going to put one foot ahead of another and see what happens.' I replied. He was really getting on my nerves now. I knew that there were vamps in Morganville, but in the Texas sun?

'Liz, I'm driving you if you must go.' He said, and stood up and grabbed the car keys.

'No fair.' I said, stepping outside the house. It was already getting warm outside.

I got into the car, not used to having to sit as a passenger on the right. Michael hopped in next to me and started the engine.

The ride was mainly in silence, with occasional comments about Morganville's drivers coming from Michael.

We pulled up near Founder's Square.

'I'll come with you.' Michael said breaking the silence.

'I'll be fine.' I said back. I hated it how he saw me as a little child all of the time.

'Have you forgotten that we're in Morganville?' He asked, raising his voice.

'Michael.' I said, opening the car door. 'I need to go on my own.' I shouted, and got out of the car, slamming the door behind me.

I expected for him to get out of the car, to try to follow me, but he didn't.

I walked to the building Amelie's office was in, and walked up to a guard, who was waiting at the door.

He looked at me, and then walked ahead of me, letting me into the building.

Walking in felt so strange. I hadn't been here for years. I didn't think I would be here again.

I waited on the chairs outside Amelie's office. My hands were shaking. I took my phone out of my pocket and checked it, distracting myself. I turned it over in my hand, and over again. I kept messing around  with it, so I wouldn't feel as nervous.

All of a sudden, Amelie's door opened, and she appeared, stepping lightly into the room.

'Elizabeth.' Amelie said, walking towards me.

'Amelie.' I said back, standing up.

No matter how nervous she made me, I still missed her.

Amelie came up to me, and wrapped her arms around me, and I hugged her cold body back.

'I've missed you, child.' She said, coming away from the hug, and holding me at arms length. 'You've changed. Your hair.' She said, putting a hand through it.

'It went more red.' I said.

'It's... Like Sam's was.'

Sam was my grandfather. He was a vampire. And he was killed in Morganville. I had never met him, but I know he was close to Amelie. And he had red hair like me.

She walked into her office, if you could call it that. I followed her, and she motioned for me to sit down.

'Child, I needed to talk to you about something.' Amelie said, suddenly sounding serious.

'What?' I asked, maybe it was a bit indignant.

'I need a successor.'