Hide and Seek in the Dark (Being Rewritten)

Chapter 8

8

"How long?" I shrieked.

Mr. lance and I were sitting out in the courtyard long after school had ended, talking about what would be going on since Gabriel so plainly refused to do so with me.

"Calm down," Mr. Lance smiled awkwardly, hands raised in the air defensively. "I wasn't the one who decided this. If you're training for a war this type of thing is necessary.

"Yes, but an entire year?" i stood, raking my hands through my hair as I paced back and forth, frantic. "How am I going to explain this to my mom? What am I gonna tell Daren? I can't just disappear for a year without a word to anyone. What about school? I just made some friends and now I have to leave? by the time I get back they'll be like 'Christine who?'" With a depressed sigh/groan I leaned back against the nearest tree and sunk down to the ground, ignoring the pain in my back as the bark scraped against my spine.

"Christine, you're preparing for a war. It's going to take months, years even. It takes years to fight the wars, imagine how long it takes to train the soldiers. You had to have known this."

"No!" I cried. "I didn't know this. That's why I'm failing Geography!" I buried my face in my hands.

"When do we leave? Do you know?"

Mr. Lance hesitated, as if unsure whether or not to tell me.

My stomach became cold and empty as my anxiety to know grew slowly. "When do we leave?" I asked again.

"Next Friday evening we set out for Ireland."

"Friday! As in next week?"

He nodded solemnly. "Next week," he agreed.

"You have to be kidding me..."

I heard as Mr. Lance stepped closer and knelt down next to me. He placed a warm, comforting hand on my shoulder. "It's a lot to take in, I know. But, Christine, what did you think you were getting yourself into?"

"I knew what I was getting into but I had no idea we were going to go to Ireland. And for a year? I had no idea all this would be so soon."

What was I going to do? I couldn't leave my mom alone. Not after dad. I couldn't bare leaving Daren for so long but... what would happen if I didn't leave? Especially if the beast decided to come back? I couldn't last a year, a hungry vampire among humans. I wouldn't make it.

"I don't want to leave them, but..."

"But if you don't you'll be endangering them, right?" he finished for me and I nodded. "I'd like to help you, Christine, but this is something only you can decide."

"Yeah, I know. That's what sucks."

I leaned my head back against the rough bark and sighed, completely miserable. If I left I'd be leaving mom alone for over a year. Daren would go ballistic if he thought I was going away, across seas with Gabriel Steele- the one man he utterly hated. And Chelsea. With me out of the picture she'd definitely try and move in on him.

Ugh! I hated this!

If I left I could lose Daren to that skank, mom would no doubt go into depression. I would end up alone again, wondering how the hell I can get out of all this crap God (or whoever else was watching) buried me underneath. Of course this time I didn't even have Brooklyn to run to. What was waiting for me there? A wanna be pimp for my daddy? A cheating ex-boyfriend and a whore ex-bestfriend who had been sleeping with said ex for who the hell knows how long?! But if I stayed here with my stupid, selfish butt Daren, mom, dad, Chelsea and her skank crew, stupid ex-bf and whore ex-bff could all end up as evil vamp food!