Chapter 16
I turned my upper body toward my window; my heart trembled with excitement at the sight of William. He was outside my window staring at me with that crooked smile of his. Even though dark clouds hung overhead, he still wore his sunglasses.
“I asked if you were ready?” His voice sounded muffled through the closed window.
I jumped up, crawling on my knees to the window. “The window is nailed shut.” I replied sadly.
“This window?” He pointed, then just lifted it like it was nothing.
My jaw gaped open and I stared in shock at the nail tips hanging down from the window bottom.
“Thanks for putting that ladder there. It made sneaking you out for our picnic that much easier.” He held out his hand, palm up. “Madam, your chariot awaits.”
I jumped off the bed, scooped up my jacket and phone, locked my door, and climbed out my window. He took my things and glided effortlessly down the ladder. I watched in awe, and he had to get my attention before I remembered he was waiting.
“Oh… sorry.” I promptly smiled feeling positive my face was totally red. The look I saw on his face afterward, made me was sure of it.
When I landed on the ground, he was waiting with his hand out. My eyes shifted from his hand to his face, and I smiled broadly. He smiled, too and his eyes sparkled. That was all William had to do and I would follow him anywhere.
“Shh…we have to be quiet,” he whispered. Your aunt is in her bedroom.”
“How can you tell with all the curtains closed?” I asked in a hushed voice, but he didn’t answer. We ducked down and crawled until we were passed Aunt Bev’s bedroom window and around the end of the house.
William gently pulled me to my feet, and we bolted. Holding hands and running, we both laughed the entire way to his car, which he’d hidden down the street from my aunt’s house. I called it her house, because I didn’t feel like I belonged there, and couldn’t wait to get away.
“So… where are we going?” I asked, knowing I should put on my seatbelt when I realized William only knew two speeds… dead stop, or speed demon.
“You’ll see,” he peered at me and grinned devilishly, raising and lowering his eyebrows rapidly. William turned up the stereo and we listened to smashing pumpkins at near full volume. “I love these guys, don’t you?”
I could hardly hear him. I think I read his lips more than heard his voice. I pointed to my ear and shrugged. Talking over the music proved an impossible task, so I settled deeper into my seat and enjoyed the ride.
It was much shorter than the last, which was good, but since he wouldn’t tell me where we were going, I was still a little anxious.
We drove away from the mountains and into the woods. The road grew dark, but beautiful with the tall redwoods lining both sides of the road. Small yellow and purple flowers dotted the sparse grassy areas. William finally took off his sunglasses, and I stared at his eyes. Not because they were so magnificent —which they absolutely were—but because their color kept changing. I remembered them being a bright sea-green color, but now they were a much deeper emerald color.
I was so happy to be with William I didn’t let the fact I had snuck out again take over my thoughts. My cheeks were starting to hurt, I’d been smiling for so long. “This is all so beautiful,” I looked over at him and yelled. He didn’t scream back a comment, although he did smile. He reached across the seat, taking my hand in his and interlaced our fingers. His hand was super cold at first, but quickly warmed, which I found quite strange. Every few minutes he’d gently squeeze my hand, and I would squeeze back.
He suddenly whipped the car off the road onto a dirt drive surrounded by tall trees and scrub bushes partially growing over the path. My heart raced and fell at the same time, and I grabbed my chest. When I looked over at him, he had that crooked grin going on, and I felt a hot sensation go through me.
It wasn’t all bumpy and filled with ruts like a four-wheel drive path at all. Obviously, this one had been traveled much less.
William turned down the stereo. “We’re almost there,” He said optimistically.
“You think?” I teased. “Now will you tell me why we are having a picnic in the middle of the dark woods?”
“We’re not…exactly.” He smiled mischievously, and drove around a large boulder. Behind it the woods opened into a small clearing. He stopped, and turned the ignition off. I was in awe as I looked through the windshield. We were in the middle of a small clearing next to a creek bed. The grass was a light green, like newly planted grass when it first starts to grow. Except it was taller, six or more inches maybe. Scattered around were patches of the same flowers I’d seen along the road. When we opened our doors, I heard rushing water close by. I stood up and stretched my arms over my head while standing on my tiptoes, and that’s when I spotted a small waterfall.
I looked at William and smiled brightly. “This is the most perfect place I’ve ever seen.” I sighed happily.
“I thought you might like it,” he said, smiling proudly.
I strolled over to the creek to look around. When I turned back to see were William was, he had spread a large blue and green quilt on the ground and at one corner had placed a large dark brown wicker basket. He stood beside it with his arms spread out to the sides.
“Madam,” he said, smiling, and bowing. “Lunch is served.”
“Why, thank you kind sir,” I replied in my best southern accent, which I’m sure sounded nothing like a southerner. My curtsy skills also left a lot to be desired.
“What did you bring us? I’m starving.” I sat on my knees and lifted the top on the basket.
William had thought of everything. He had packed: gouda cheese and crackers, roast beef sandwiches, potato chips, and of course, a bowl of cut up fresh fruit. While I was setting out everything, he went back to the car and brought two soda pops.
I was so hungry I’d eaten half of my sandwich and a huge handful of chips before realizing William wasn’t eating. He was lying on his side with his head propped up on his hand. Even though he had pushed his food around his plate a little bit, he hadn’t taken a single bite.
My smile faded. “Why aren’t you eating?” I asked earnestly.
“I had a really big breakfast this morning.” He patted his perfectly formed six-pack abs. “I’m not hungry yet. But go ahead. Eat all you want.”
William’s eyes were on me and I suddenly felt self conscious. I took a few sips of my drink, then pushed it to the side so I could lie back. Storm clouds were gathering overhead causing it to grow darker. It was like twilight but at two o’clock in the afternoon.
I rolled onto my side facing William, mirroring his position, and matching his smile.“So…you never did tell me how you knew what room my aunt was in.”
“I didn’t.” He laughed.
“No, you didn’t tell me.” I tilted my head, unable to figure out what was so funny.
“I mean, I didn’t know what room she was in. I made it up just to pacify you.” He laughed loudly, his wonderful laugh echoed through the trees, sending waves of warmth over me.
“You,” I shouted, laughing too. I rolled over on him pinning his arms to the ground.
Our laughter gradually eased off, and we were left staring intently into each other’s eyes.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, and again, I found myself slowly lowering my lips toward his, when a splashing sound broke our concentration. We both quickly looked toward the water, then I promptly rolled onto my back. William sat up to see if he could spot where the noise was coming from. When he didn’t lie back down right away, I also sat up.
“What is it? Is someone out there?” My eyes shifted between William and the woods.
“Nah. I think a rock turned loose from that cliff over there and hit the water at the bottom of the falls.” He tried to keep his tone light, but he struggled.
We sat facing each other, my feet crossed under my legs, and William was scooted close to me with his l
egs in, like, a horseshoe around me. He reached out, wrapping a few strands of my long hair in his fingers. “You have the prettiest fire red hair, but what happened to all the curls? He pushed the strands of hair behind my ear. It’s not as curly as when I first saw you, is it?”
I shot him a puzzled look. “Really?” I pulled some of my hair forward. Although it still had soft waves, the kinkiness was gone. I laughed nervously and shrugged. “I guess it has something to do with the fact there is no humidity up here.”
William gazed at me, taking my hand in his. Again his hand was colder than the air outside, but quickly warmed to match the temperature of mine. His expression said he wanted to ask me something.
“Go ahead… ask me whatever it is you’re dying to know.” I smiled slightly.
“Okay, I will.” He paused before continuing. “ Um… so…what do you think about everything that happened the other night in the cave?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I started fidgeting with my hands when I noticed my nails were a good bit longer that they had been the previous day when I’d filed them. I tucked my hands under my legs.“Ask me something else.”
“Okay…” William’s eyes narrowed a bit, not unkindly, and rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger.
“Why did you come here?”
“You asked me to, silly.” I laughed hollowly.
“Clever, but I think you know what I meant.” He pulled me a little closer, looking deep into my eyes. His smile faded into something more serious. “Do you believe in vampires?”
I cocked my head, furrowing my brow. Why did he ask me about vampires? I thought this whole thing was about werewolves. I bit my lip a little harder than I intended to and immediately tasted blood. I felt it and wiped my finger across my lip and smeared the blood. William’s features stiffened to a painful mask, and I could have sworn his eyes turned black, but only for a second.
He turned his head away, and reached inside the basket, handing me a napkin, but still not looking at me. I thought maybe the sight of blood made him sick or something, but then he frightened me when his voice changed.
“Get in the car,” he said in a low throaty tone. He was already on his feet. I had not seen anyone move so fast before. With lightning fast reflexes, he jerked me by the wrist and pulled me to my feet. “Now! And lock the doors!” He had spotted someone or something through the trees, and without looking at me, he shoved me behind him in the direction of the car.
The wind shifted and I smelled them coming. I don’t know how I knew what it was, but I did. It smelled like rotting blood and wet fur. Then suddenly, I felt a strange sensation throughout my body. When I tried to lift the door handle, something kept getting in the way. When I took my eyes off of the woods and looked down at my hands, I screamed. “William, what’s happening?”
William’s eyes were black as night when he turned to face me. His features had turned hard, making his mouth appear wider. He only glanced at me briefly before shifting his gaze from my face to my hands. In a flash, he had moved the twenty or so feet from the creek bank to the car and threw open my door.