Chapter
5
Whenever I saw Sebastian after that day he'd catch my eye, wearing
that same smile he'd had at the party. I started avoiding
going places I knew he'd be, and Conner was more than happy to keep
as much distance from him as possible.
My
dislike for Sebastian seemed to grow each day, until it was an ugly
mass that kept me awake at night. I'd lie in bed, imagining
all the sharp and witty things I would say to him in the morning, but
whenever I actually ran in to him at school all the fight seemed to
flow out of me. This only made me angrier.
Sometimes
when Conner and I sat down for lunch I would see him scanning the
canteen and I knew he was looking for Sebastian. I would have
commented on it to him but I found myself doing the same
embarrassingly often. Worst of all was that each time I found
myself staring at him, he would unfailingly look up to meet my gaze,
and my cheeks would color at his considering stare and slight
smile.
I'd
come to school the Monday after the party, expecting to see him
attached to Brooke's hip, but he seemed to prefer to sit alone.
Even this irritated me; in my mind they would have made the perfect
couple. I couldn't think of anyone more deserving to sit
through Brooke's mindless chatter, or to put up with his sarcastic
drawl. Brooke seemed to have the same idea, and her attempts to drag
him into her social group were persistent, and a wonderful source of
entertainment.
It
occurred to me that she probably would have given up long before if
he'd just acted like all the other boys in our year level; tripping
over themselves to be noticed by her, but I was sure he knew that
from the wide grin he wore each time he watched her stalk off after
being turned down. I stopped watching these altercations the
day that I realized I was grinning along with him.
On
a Monday as I was getting ready for school a few weeks later, waiting
for Conner to knock on my door so we could walk to school together,
the shrill ring of the phone cut through my lunch preparation.
I answered, expecting Conner, ready to give me some excuse for why he
was late. I was right, but didn't guess what he was going to
tell me. Apparently his big brother Matthew was dragging him
across the country again for another week long field trip.
I
hung up the phone, silently fuming as I threw my half-made lunch into
my schoolbag and strode out the door to walk to school alone. I
hated being at school without Conner, it was only just bearable when
he was there. I sullenly contemplated sitting alone at lunch
and recess for five days and knew that I was pouting. I dragged
my feet as I walked to the end of my street, already dreading first
period math without Conner to pull me through it.
I stopped as I saw what
looked like a pure white rabbit, no not a rabbit; it was far too big
to be a rabbit.
Waiting
for a car to pass so I could cross the street and get closer to see
what the white animal was, I heard footsteps behind me and spun
around grinning, for some reason expecting to see Conner, ready to
tell me that he'd decided not to leave me after all. The grin
fell from my face as I saw Sebastian a couple of meters behind me,
that small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth again. I
scowled, realizing that Conner wasn't coming to my rescue, and
turned back to cross the road.
I
heard musical laughter behind me and repressed a shiver, quickening
my pace as I turned into the next street on my way to school.
The weeks since the party had done nothing positive for my opinion of
him.
Suddenly
he was striding along next to me, hands casually stuffed into his
pockets and eyes on the path ahead, as if I didn't exist. I
crossed my arms over my chest, staring at my feet as I plodded along;
if he was going to ignore me then I'd just ignore him right back.
I deliberately walked slower than I would have if I was alone,
forcing him to shorten his long strides in order to keep pace with
me.
We
walked in silence for two blocks before I cracked suddenly, already
angry because of Conner leaving me alone again.
"What
do you want?" I snapped, stopping to face him.
He
stopped in time with me, his smile stretching to fill his face as he
turned his gray eyes to stare into mine, and irritatingly, I felt my
pulse quicken as I was once again struck forcibly by his perfectly
angular features.
"Just
to talk to you, Stella," he replied, his voice liquid velvet.
My voice stuck in my throat as I searched for a suitably sarcastic
retort, but ended up settling on turning away from him and continuing
up the street towards school.
He
kept his stride in time with mine and we walked along in
uncomfortable silence. I tilted my head to look at him and was
aggravated to see that he was grinning. We walked another block
to the end of the street in silence before I found my voice.
"Why?"
I asked, stopping again. He turned towards me, his eyes
thoughtful.
"I'm
not sure," he replied, holding my gaze. "There's
something about you..." he trailed off, considering me, and,
infuriatingly, I found myself wishing he'd keep talking, just so I
could listen to the melody of voice. He smiled down at me and I
couldn't help returning it with one of my own, the laughter in his
eyes catching.
I
pulled my eyes from his and looked down at my feet, embarrassed by
his searching gaze. I heard his musical chuckle and my head
snapped back up to see his grin splitting his face in two.
"I'm
nothing special," I growled through my teeth, my cheeks
flushing.
"Forgive
me if I don't take your word on that one," he replied, his voice
tinkling with repressed laughter, and I felt him place his hand on my
arm.
I
jerked away from the unexpected contact; his hand felt strange on my
skin; somehow the same temperature as the cool morning air
surrounding us. I saw his smile falter and suddenly I was sorry
for pulling away from him, and I was overcome with a strange urge to
comfort him.
I
smiled reluctantly at him, and when his face lifted in response I
felt my heart pound. We stood grinning at each other for what
seemed like hours before the sound of the school bell rang in the
distance, and suddenly I was pulled back to reality.
We
both looked towards the school, and I could feel my disappointment,
echoed by his own. I started hurrying down the street, feeling
aggravatingly sad at my time with this boy being cut short.
As
we walked I wondered at my change of heart; only half an hour earlier
I'd felt a deep dislike for this boy, and now, after a few words
from him I wanted to comfort him when I had accidentally hurt his
feelings. I still didn't like him, but the fire fuelling my
dislike seemed to have gone out. I was annoyed at myself for
being so easily swayed, and I tried to focus on the reasons I'd
disliked him in the first place: his infuriating rudeness, and his
seemingly reasonless dislike of my best friend.
When
we got to school I lingered on the steps into the building,
shamefully reluctant to leave Sebastian. I turned to him and
saw him staring down towards the side of the school, his expression
anxious. I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong, but I didn't
get the chance.
"Stella,
you need to get away from here," he said in a low voice, his tone
urgent. I stared at him in shock, my mouth still hanging
open.
"What?"
I asked, slowly, carefully. I disliked Sebastian less than I
had yesterday, but I certainly wasn't sure yet if I trusted him.
There was a strange, persistent feeling in the back of my mind, as if
I should be terrified by him.
I
watched him as he paced back and forth in front of me; he seemed to
be trying to look in every direction at once now, his eyes wide as he
surveyed the school around us. I followed his gaze, but
couldn't see anything at all.
"Sebastian,
what's going on?" I stepped towards him, stretching my arm out to
grab his, but he moved out of my reach.
"You
have to leave," he hissed. "Get away from here, Stella."
He stopped looking around for a moment to stare at me. Suddenly
his face collapsed, and I took another step towards him, shocked by
the pain in his expression.
"What's
wrong?" I whispered, standing in front of him now, trying to hold
his gaze with my own. He dropped to his knees, clutching his
head between his palms.
"He's
coming..." he trailed off, a thin groan escaping his lips.
"It's too late." I stared down at him, a knot of worry forming
in my stomach.
I
knelt down, taking Sebastian's shoulders between my hands.
His head whipped up and my hands instinctively flew away from his
shoulders. I pushed myself to my feet, fear gripping my middle
as I stared, transfixed, at Sebastian's face. His eyes were
wild and unseeing behind a milky white film, the pupils so large they
completely obscured his irises. His lips pulled slowly back
over his teeth, his jaw clenched, and a low moan escaped his
throat.
"I
can't stop it" he groaned, falling forward onto his hands.
I
stood over him, my mind blank, feeling entirely out of my depth.
I wondered desperately if I should call an ambulance, if he was
having some sort of fit.
I
paced back and forth in front of Sebastian, still on his hands and
knees. Suddenly in a single swift movement he was standing,
facing away from me. For a fleeting second I wondered if I'd
imagined his fit.
The
strain in his voice was obvious though, and I knew I hadn't
imagined his pain. "Run, Stella. Run as fast as you
can."
He
rested his weight onto his back foot and stood waiting, but for what,
I had no idea. I wondered helplessly if he was going insane,
surely this wasn't the behavior of a sane person. I stood
behind him, watching as he stood waiting, his muscles
locked.
"Sebastian..."
I started, but stopped abruptly as a low growling sound filled the
air, pushing everything else from my mind. I'd never heard a
sound more terrifying, and something instinctual froze my muscles in
place.
Suddenly
I realized that the sound was coming from in front of me, from
Sebastian, and I forced my legs to carry me a step backwards, away
from him. He was clearly insane. Slowly he turned his
head to look at me, and I choked back a scream.
His
eyes were entirely black now, absent of any color or tone, as if the
light didn't hit them at all. His lips were parted over his
teeth, and his two canines extended down past his bottom lip, a
trickle of blood glistening where they cut into his skin. I
stumbled backwards, trying to tear my eyes from his face, terror
gripping my body.
"RUN!" he roared, his features almost
unrecognizable in his rage. My legs obeyed him now, and I
sprinted across the gravel and onto the sidewalk, the ground flying
below my feet as I tried to put as much distance between myself and
Sebastian.
When
I couldn't run anymore, I fell to my knees on the footpath and
wrapped my arms around my torso in an attempt to control the shaking
that rocked my frame.
The
image of Sebastian's face filled my mind, and I shuddered, forcing
down the sobs that threatened to incapacitate me.
I
don't know how long I stayed there, locked in that position, but my
iPhone buzzed as it vibrated in my pocket, and I was pulled forcibly
back to reality. I fumbled it out of my jeans and saw Conner's
name on the caller ID. I answered quickly, fighting to control
my voice.
"Conner,"
I choked, biting back tears.
"Stella!"
he shouted, and relief at hearing his voice flooded through me; I
suddenly felt safe. "Where the hell are you?" He asked
urgently, anxiousness heavy in his tone. My heart began to
speed up again at edge to his voice, and I fought back a fresh wave
of hysteria.
"I
don't know," I whispered, unable to make myself speak any
louder. A part of me was waiting for Sebastian to jump out at
me, teeth bared and ready to attack.
"You
have to get out of town, Stella," Conner said, his voice
uncertain. I could hear other voices speaking urgently in the
background.
"What?"
I asked, the echo of Sebastian's words constricting my breathing
again. The sobs I'd been holding back forced themselves to
the surface, shaking my body.
"Stella?"
I could hear a second edge to his voice now, sharper than the first.
He was afraid. "Where are you?" he asked again,
forcefully. "What's happened?"
"Sebastian,"
I managed between my sobs. I heard a sharp intake of breath
over the phone, and the low sound of Conner speaking to someone in
the background.
"Did
he hurt you?" he asked his voice hard.
"No,"
I whispered, dragging air into my lungs, pushing the sobs back down.
"There's something wrong with him, Conner." The image of
his face flashed across my vision, and a shudder shook my body, the
memory of the rage on his face clear in my mind. "I got away
from him; I ran, and I ran, until I couldn't anymore. I was
so scared, Conner." My voice cracked and I could feel the panic
rising in my chest, gripping at my throat.
Conner
was silent on the other end of the phone, but I could still hear
people speaking in the background. I sat on the ground with my
knees pulled into my chest, waiting for him to say something.
"I'm
coming to get you," he said eventually, worry clear in his tone.
"Don't move. Everything's going to be fine, I promise."
I continued pressing the phone to my ear, but he'd hung up. I
didn't bother wondering how he would find me; I just knew that he
would.
My
breathing slowed almost back to normal and my heart rate steadied,
Conner's promise ringing in my ears. I shut my eyes tight and
stayed where I was, obeying Conner's instructions.
After
only a few minutes, I heard running footsteps from behind me. For a
short moment I couldn't breathe again, imagining Sebastian coming
for me, his eyes black as night. Then I heard Conner's
soothing voice and I felt completely safe; I knew he would never let
anyone hurt me.
I
felt arms wrap securely around my frame, and then Conner was carrying
me, whispering reassurances in my ear. I buried my head into
his shoulder, trying to control my shaking, but it didn't seem that
important, now that Conner was with me.
I
didn't ask where he was taking me, but after a while when my sobs
had subsided I looked up. Two unfamiliar figures walked in front of
us, a man and a woman, heads together as they spoke in low, urgent
voices. I wondered who these strangers were, but the thought
disappeared as I looked around and saw that we were walking down my
street, towards my house.
I
struggled slightly in Conner's arms, indicating to him that I
wanted to walk on my own. I wasn't sure if I could manage
speaking yet, but I felt certain that I could handle walking.
Conner looked into my eyes before he set me on my feet, concern
creasing his brow.
He
wrapped his fingers through mine as we walked, seeming reluctant to
let me go. I squeezed his hand, glad for his touch, now more
than ever before. We walked in silence to my house, the only
sound the low whispering coming from the two figures in front of us.
Standing on my doorstep, Conner spoke in a hushed voice, as if he was
afraid of being overheard.
"Go
inside and pack some clothes," he murmured, holding both my hands
in his own, gripping them tightly.
"What?"
I stammered, shock constricting my chest at the thought of being
anywhere but curled up my in bed, hidden from the world. When
he'd said before that I'd have to leave, I hadn't realized he'd
meant so soon.
"It's
not safe for you here," he said, his voice soothing. "You
need to leave for a while." I felt my knees buckle underneath
me and was dimly aware of Conner supporting my weight, his face
stricken. My mind raced at the implications of his words, but I
didn't think to argue with him; I knew in my heart that he would
never ask me to do something like this unless it was the only option,
and that was all the reason I needed.
"Will
you stay with me?" I whimpered staring up at him, suddenly fearful
of his answer; the thought of going away on my own was
suffocating.
"Of
course," he replied, cupping my cheek in his hand, holding my
gaze. "I'm always going to take care of you."
Relief flooded through me; the knowledge that Conner would be with me
made leaving my home and my family, suddenly seem possible. I
knew that as long as I had Conner with me I could do anything.
I
smiled weakly up at him, my lip trembling as I thought about what I'd
say to my mother and my big brother; an image of mom's face
pushing itself unwontedly into my head, making my eyes sting and my
throat burn. Conner wrapped his arms around my frame, pulling
me into his chest.
"It
won't be for long," he whispered, stroking my hair.
I
sighed heavily, forcing thoughts of my mother to the back of my
mind. Pulling myself from Conner's arms I turned away from
him, walking alone into my house.
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