Fire & Pain - A Vampire's Tragedy

Sophia

After the funeral, the week went by quickly with my busy schedule of magic and sword fighting training. Compared to Carlos, my sword-fighting trainer, Ottfried, was nice and patient. He didn’t say a lot, and most of our sessions went by in silence, except for a few words to correct my stance or to teach me new moves. If Carlos would only be a tiny bit more like Ottfried, maybe the magic training would also be a lot smoother than it was. But I didn’t complain, even if it was hard for me to hold in all those snappy remarks that build up in me after every session. At least he was helping me, and I needed to take all the help I could get, even if it meant I had to be around someone who didn’t like me and also didn’t bother to hide it.

The next meeting with Adam was supposed to be this morning, and I had been thinking about a good excuse to leave the house. Pascal had a strict eye on me. It almost felt as if he had eyes everywhere I went. I was sure he was only waiting for me to step out of line, but I was on my best behavior, still trying to not give him a single reason to doubt me. Especially after the incident in the kitchen where I threatened to burn him alive. Now it was at least a little understandable that he was a little wary of me.

The scent of freshly baked cake filled the house, and I walked to the kitchen to find Pascal there, baking cakes for whatever reason. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard me entering, but stayed silent as he returned to stirring the batter in the pink bowl Mary used all the time. My heart stung remembering her. I wish she could have taken over the household instead of Mr. Grumpy, at least then I would feel welcomed in my own home.

“I’m going on a hike,” I said.

He whirled around, the cake batter dripping off the spatula and onto the floor. “A hike?”

I nodded. “I haven’t left the property for days now, except for the funeral, and I would like to see something else for a chance and stretch my legs.”

He pressed his lips together in a thin line and crossed his arms, suspicion clear in his eyes. I must be a horrible liar if he didn’t even believe this small white lie. It’s not even completely untrue, either.

“But you’re back at six on the dot!”

It was as if a weight lifted off my shoulders, and giddiness took hold of me, but I stopped the grin that was fighting to spread over my lips and nodded. “I can do that.”

Before he could change his mind, I hurried out of the kitchen and put my shoes on, grabbed my keys and purse, and opened the door at lightning speed. I was fast, but not fast enough.

“Don’t get in any trouble, or I will lock you inside until the situation with your family is sorted. Did you hear me?”

My heart jumped in my chest as I turned to him. “Message received.”

I smiled at him and stepped outside, my feet urging me to run, but my brain telling me to bide my time.

He leaned against the door frame, watching me like a hawk. “Where are you going exactly?”

My mouth went dry as I tried to come up with a place to go, but I didn’t even know about any hiking spots around here, except the one I was going to meet at with Adam. My thoughts jumped over each other, trying to come up with a believable place. Only one other place jumped into mind- a popular tourist attraction.

“I wanted to visit the Deep Root Forest, south-east of downtown. You know, the one with the waterfalls.”

His brows shot up as his eyes widened. “You’re not driving anywhere.”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. “Why not? If I can’t drive anywhere, where should I go for a hike then?”

He pointed behind me. “There is a large forest surrounding this property. I’m sure you can get plenty of air there.”

“I know this forest by heart. There is nothing more to see. I have seen everything. This won’t be a change of scenery at all.”

He shrugged. “Forests are always changing. I’m sure you can find new spots.”

My shoulders dropped. “Pascal, I have been doing everything you asked me to. Isn’t it time I get a little more freedom again?”

He laughed dryly. “The little freedom is the only thing that keeps you in check, and I won’t risk any antics. Besides, I don’t think I have to remind you about your behavior on the day of the funeral. You should be thankful I let you leave the house after you attacked me. Now, hand me your keys, or you’re not going to leave at all, and you can stare at the forest from your bedroom window. Counting leaves or something.”

He stretched out his hand, throwing me a pointed look. Everything in me wanted to scream and rebel against him, but I stopped myself and silently dropped the keys into his hand. I knew my threats from yesterday would have consequences, but I didn’t expect to face them so soon.

“Don’t forget to be back at six.”

I bit my tongue and nodded, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my cardigan, and marched into the forest until the house was out of view.

“That grumpy old man ruins everything,” I muttered under my breath as I climbed over fallen trees and pushed through thick bushes, making my way deeper into the forest. Pascal’s guard might follow me, and I didn’t need a shadow on my heels, not when I still tried to find a way to get to Adam.

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing nothing but trees, but there was still a heaviness on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I climbed over a few more trees until I finally found the hiking trail that led through the forest, giving me a chance to remove the small branches and leaves from my clothes and out of my hair.

For a moment, I stood still and listened for anyone following me, but the forest remained quiet, almost too quiet. A shiver ran down my spine as I picked up my pace again. The road must be around here somewhere, and if I were lucky, I would catch a bus driving by.

I sprinted down the path, a rush of relief running through me when I spotted the road through the thick bushes. I pushed through them and took a deep breath. Sweat covered my forehead, and I felt yucky. Slowly, I made my way to the bus stop when roaring engines echoed through the air. My heart sank as I turned around and saw the bus pushing up the hill.

“Dammit!” I raced forward, but it still passed me, tuckering towards the bus stop. It stopped, besides no one waiting, and I pushed forward, realizing the driver was waiting for me.

“Thank you,” I wheezed after I entered the bus.

A middle-aged man smiled at me. “No worries!”

I collapsed onto the next free seat and tried to relax. My heart was pounding in my chest, and my lungs were screaming for air. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been running this long and far. If ever.

I looked out of the window, my quick breaths fogging the glass, as all the trees were passing by quickly. The bus was a lot faster than I remembered it to be because I reached the closest bus station to my meeting spot with Adam in only ten minutes.

Already too late, I jumped out of the bus and ran through the forest towards the cabin, hoping Adam hadn’t left already. But to my relief, he was still there, walking up and down in front of the door.

When he heard me coming closer, his head whipped up and a smile spread over his face.

“Sorry, I’m late,” I said, catching my breath.

“That’s okay. Did something happen?”

I shook my head. “Don’t even ask. I’m just glad I made it here.”

He nodded and opened the door to the cabin, and yet again I collapsed on the chair, my legs hurting.

“I think I did enough running for the rest of the year,” I said.

Adam laughed. “Believe me, I know what you mean. I got tortured in a parkour the other day. I thought I was going to die.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Do you have something to drink with you?”

“Actually, I do. My mother handed me homemade fruit juice when I visited my parents earlier. But I can’t promise it will taste good. My mother can be very experimental.”

I waved him off. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll take everything at this point.”

He grabbed his backpack and rummaged in it, before pulling out a glass bottle with a dark liquid in it, which shimmered slightly purple. “It doesn’t look too great.”

I took the bottle out of his hand and opened the lid, the scent of grapes and lemon hitting my nose. “It doesn’t smell bad.”

He tilted his head to the side and scratched his jar. “If you say so. Well, drink as much as you like.”

I took a small sip of the juice, and the sourness of the lemon made my face scrunch up.

Adam laughed. “Glad I didn’t taste it.”

Shaking my head, I took another cautious sip. This time, the grape flavor was a little more dominant, making it taste quite good. I took a few huge gulps until my thirst was clenched, and my throat wasn’t dry anymore.

I placed the bottle on the table. “It’s not bad. The first initial taste is very sour, but afterward, it’s very refreshing.”

He eyed the bottle with a big mixture of doubt and curiosity, but didn’t touch it. “As long as you feel better now.”

I nodded, actually feeling a lot better now, and ready to hear any news about my sister. Hopefully. “So, did you figure something out?”

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