The Diary of a Writer
by fortheloveofwords

Amelia's POV Ch. 4

07/11/2010

Okay, to those of you who have kept up with both versions of my story, this adds a little extra on that you didn't get to read in the other part. I have one more chapter to post and then I will be back to writing! I would really appreciate if you guys told me which version you like best; I'm trying to figure out which one I want to continue on with. Thanks
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Ch. 4

I walked at a steady pace through the darkened woods. The sun had almost set and I felt at home. When I found the break in the trees that opened up to my new home, I saw Cheyenne laying in the grass on the side of the house. She was watching the sky and humming a soft tune. I walked quietly up to her and sat down.

“Boo!” I whispered in her ear.

Cheyenne automatically jumped onto all fours and was ready to attack until she realized who was sitting beside her.

“Amelia! What the hell are you trying to do to me?” Cheyenne yelled, sitting cautiously back down on the grass.

“Wow, nice way to show your true instincts! Sorry, girl, I just got back and saw you laying here. Thought you might want some company.” I bumped my shoulder with Cheyenne's.

“You really scared me, you know? I didn't know what to think when you ran off.”

I looked at her, she looked so hurt. I hated knowing I had made her feel bad. “I know. I heard you.
I just had to get away. Malacai's little sly remarks and dirty looks drive me crazy! Why does he think we have to be some saint like he supposedly is?”

“I don't know. But you are your own person, Amelia, and you can't let him get to you. It's not worth the stress it puts you through. Come on, let's go inside. You guys should talk.”

“Not tonight. I just want to think.” I stood and began walking towards the front porch.

“Well, at least talk to our guest.” Cheyenne mumbled.

“Guest? What guest? Please tell me it's not...” I put my hand to my forehead and closed my eyes.
This couldn't be happening. He follows us everywhere we go! When will he get it through his thick skull that nobody here wants his company?

“Just say hi. That's all I'm asking. You know Malacai wants us to be respectful to the others.”

I stomped up the steps and swung the screen door wide open. Cheyenne followed closely behind me. I could feel anticipation flooding from her. She thought I might start an argument with him.

“Brian.” I stated flatly.

“Millie! It's so good to see you! How are you?” The short, skinny man ran up to me. He was dressed in a tuxedo and I thought he looked like he had just left a wedding.

Brian was an elder vampire. He saw to it that no one walked out of the narrow circle that the High Knight had put us in. Anytime any vampire moved to a new area, they were to report to Brian with the exact location where they could be found. I couldn't stand him because he showed up monthly, at the least, just to snoop around. I couldn't figure out how he got to all the vampires in that short of a time, but decided they must have a Brian for every country.

“It's Amelia. I'm fine. Just heading to bed, actually.” I said, sourly.

“Oh, please join us for a moment! I would love to catch up. How are you liking the new town?” He had a wide smile on his face and his eyes were lit up like a child's on Christmas morning.

“It's great. I love the forest. You guys have a good night now, and I will see you in the morning.”

Cheyenne waved a hello before we both took off up the stairs. We shot quickly into my room and took a seat together on her bed.

“What happened to being respectful to our elders?” I joked. “You didn't say anything!”

“Hey, I waved at the man. That's as respectful as I get.”

“Yeah. But listen, I need to talk to you about something. Bond.” I held out my hand and touched Cheyenne's outstretched hand. We locked our fingers together as a sign of trust and friendship. Somehow, through this bond, it made it almost impossible to tell someone's secret. I thought it was some sort of magic that we didn't know we had, but it had never been scientifically explained.

“Bond.” Cheyenne repeated.

“I saw Damian tonight. I heard men arguing in the forest so I went to check it out. He told me that he had had a disagreement with his grandfather. What do I do, Chey? There's like a burst of energy and butterflies inside of me every time I see him! But I can't do this, not to him. I've never had this much feeling for a human before. What's wrong with me?” I looked at Cheyenne, my eyes pleading and slowly erupting with tears.

“Don't panic. It's natural to have feelings for other people. I know you're scared because of Malacai, but he can not tell you what to do. We'll get our own place if he's got a problem. You know I got your back!”

“Thanks. I mean, I don't even know how he feels yet, but with the feeling I get, he must feel something, too. I would be a lot more comfortable with this if I had actually gotten to know him.”

“You'll have time to get to know him. You've heard the stories; the tales of soul mates. I personally never believed them because it has never happened to me, but maybe I just haven't found the right person yet.” Cheyenne gazed at me, referring to the stories of people having one and and only one soul mate.

“So, what, are we gonna be outsiders now?” I laughed. “You know no one in our lives will accept us.”

“I hear of outsiders all the time! They're everywhere. We could find a nice group to join!”

Cheyenne giggled. “You think Brian is still downstairs? I don't want him to hear me in the hallway when I go to my room.”

“You're leaving already? Just run quick and lock your door.”

Cheyenne wrapped her arms around my neck, then stood up to leave.

“Good night, love.”

“Good night.”

I laid back on my bed, a million thoughts running through my head as usual. I wanted to know why I felt that way about a man I barely knew, and why he had such a strong hold on me. I planned on finding out.

I couldn't sleep that night, so I decided to take another stroll. I sneaked by the living-room where Malacai was still chatting softly with Brian and ran out the front door. I trotted through the forest for a while, but eventually found my walking towards my new favorite spot. I sat by the lake until the sun came up. I absorbed the beautiful rays and used all of my energy to keep a positive outlook for the day.

When I finally returned home, I walked into the large house only to find Brian resting soundly on the oversized couch. Malacai was in the kitchen and I saw Joel walk into the study as I came in. I waved a small hello to Malacai and proceeded to follow Joel into the study.

“Good morning. How you doing today?” I asked Joel before I saw how upset and tired he looked. He was completely drained from the looks of it. He could barely keep his eyes open and he was getting a dryness around his lips.

“I'm okay.”

“What's wrong? You look like you haven't eaten in days.” I noticed he had dark circles around his eyes and his hands were shaking.

“Don't worry about it. I'm okay. I'll feed later.” He wouldn't look me directly in the eye.

“Hey. Look at me. Something is wrong with you. Please don't make me get Malacai. We're not on the best of terms right now, but I will ask for his help if I have to.”

Joel looked around us nervously. “Anna told me that I need to fast. She said it would show how much I appreciate being a vampire. She's been acting crazy, Amelia. She keeps disappearing and popping up out of nowhere. You know she usually won't let me go anywhere without her, but for the past few days we've only spent a couple of hours together. I have no idea what she's doing.”

“Okay, come with me. Now. We're going to get you fed. I won't let you sit around here looking this miserable.” I grabbed Joel's hand and dragged him through the dining-room and out the front door. I couldn't believe that Malacai hadn't noticed before me. He was usually the first to make sure we were all healthy and happy.

Once we had cleared the edge of the forest, I slowed down. I wasn't sure what he was insinuating about Anna, but I did know that Anna had been acting very strange. I stalked a small deer and pounced on it. After I got it subdued, I waved Joel over. I knew he needed more blood than normal, but I figured the fawn should have enough.

I watched Joel as he fed and almost completely drained the animal before he could stop himself. He made sure that the fawn still had it's heartbeat and stood up. He already had color returning to his face, and that made me feel a lot better. I planned on finding out what exactly Anna was up to, but first I needed to get every detail from Joel that I could.

“So, besides running out all the time, has Anna done anything else strange?” I looked at him, drilling into his head. I was a master at sensing emotions I could tell he was upset, but I was also sure he was hiding something. I could feel the wall he was trying to build to keep me out.

“Tell me, Joel. I noticed that she's been acting really weird lately and I need to know everything
that you know if I'm going to try to find out why.”

“She hasn't done anything strange, exactly. It's almost like she's become part of another group.
She's on the phone almost all day. I know one day, she got a phone call and before she walked out of the room, I heard her say something about hunting. She told whoever was on the phone that she would meet them soon. I don't know, Amelia. It's probably nothing.”

“You know as well as I do that it's more than nothing.” I knew better. “Well, I want you to go relax and get some strength back. I'm going out for a while.” I started walking in the direction of the lake.

“Amelia, don't do anything crazy. Like I said, it's probably nothing. I just worry too much!” Joel tried to fake a smile as he yelled to me. I was already disappearing into the trees.

“I'll see you later, Joel. If you run into Cheyenne, tell her to call okay?”

Why would Anna say something about hunting? She had made the vow to not drink from humans, so either she was trying to get rid of hunters on the side or going behind our backs and becoming one.

I walked through the trees, trying to think of why Anna would be acting that way and why in the world she would make Joel stop feeding. It didn't make sense to me, but I was determined to figure it out. I knew something was going on with Anna when her attitude started going so downhill but now I was certain it was something that she didn't want anyone else to know.

When I arrived at my lake, I decided to walk around it and explore the forest on the other side. I walked a long way through the trees, giving me time to think everything over. I was leaning towards the idea that Anna was hunting humans just because of her sudden irritable mood swings. Vampires that fed off of humans were much more conceited and were sure that they were better than all the 'pantheists'. They assumed on their own that all of the animal feeders must worship nature and they used it as a reason to form against us. The other vampires were simply called Hunters because that was all that they were. They were vile and horrific and I couldn't figure out why anyone would want to be one of them. I might have been half dead already but I knew I would never sink to that level.

I decided I was going to call Cheyenne. I didn't plan on using my phone though. It had been a long time since I had used my powers to call to anyone. For one thing, it usually scared them to death, and another, it left me weak and unsteady. I had to let Cheyenne know how important the situation was, though, so I decided to do it to the best of my ability.

I closed my eyes, cleared my mind, and envisioned the most beautiful thing I could think of. I produced waves, dolphins, and an extravagant sunrise in my mind. I felt the rays on my skin, and watched as crystals on my arms glistened. I sat on the beach, feeling the waves crash down on my legs.

Cheyenne! I need you. I'm in the forest. Come as soon as you can. I called. I imagined I was yelling it to Cheyenne, who was also sitting on the beach with me, only a few yards away.

I opened my eyes to see the forest again in all of it's glory. I still couldn't get over how happy it made me to be there. I couldn't think of any place I'd rather be, unless I considered the lake. I heard a light rustling in the trees, and knew it was a good opportunity to feed. I found a small, familiar fox and caught it in seconds.

The feeling of feeding was very important to me. Feeding wasn't just a satisfaction of hunger and the ability to survive. When I fed, I could see the last few days of the life of the animal I was feeding on. When I drank from the fox, I could see him running through the forest, finding other foxes, and going to drink from the lake. In one instance, I could see Damian sitting across from the lake, a man by his side. I decided it must have been the day when he had told me of he and his grandfather's argument. i continued to drink and could see myself, as the fox ran quickly past me, eying me cautiously.

“Hey, Chey.” I said. I had heard Cheyenne coming through the trees just moments after I had freed the fox.

Cheyenne walked up behind me slowly. “I don't like when you use that power, Amelia. For one thing, I almost fell down the stairs, and for another, it really worried me. I thought something had happened to you.”

“I knew you would be upset, but I had to. This is important. It's about Anna.” I turned to face Cheyenne, gesturing for her to sit beside me on the leaves.

“I just saw her at the house. She was on another rampage, and seemed to be taking it out on Joel. I don't know what's going on with her.”

“Chey. I just had to make Joel drink. He looked terrible this morning and I had to drag him out of the house. He said Anna had told him to fast....” I continued telling her of the conversation I had had with Joel.

When I finished, Cheyenne looked as if she could kill. She stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of me. It was very rare that I ever saw Cheyenne even the slightest bit angry, so it was quite unnerving to see her like that.

“Cheyenne, don't jump to conclusions. Isn't it possible that she's trying to fight the Hunters? Maybe it's just taking a toll on her energy and mood.”

“You know as well as I do that she wouldn't make Joel fast from animal blood unless she was planning on starving him so long that he couldn't stand not to feed from a human!” She was boiling.
I knew by that time that Cheyenne was right. There was no other rational reason as to why Anna would go to that extreme. Especially when it was someone she was supposedly in love with. She was moving to the dark side, and she was trying to drag Joel with her.

“We can't let her do this. How do we stop her? I can tell how upset Joel is, no matter how hard he tries to hide it from me. I'm not stupid.” I said, thinking back to earlier when Joel tried to assure me that the whole situation was nothing of importance.

“I don't know how to stop her yet, but we are going to Malacai. Now.” Cheyenne was so angry, I could almost see the steam exploding from her ears.

“Didn't you say Anna was home? We'll have to call him out here. I don't want to take the chance of her over-hearing us. We don't know how strong those walls are yet.”

Cheyenne immediately closed her eyes and concentrated. She opened her eyes a moment later and began walking.

“Where are you going?” I asked, confused.

“I told him to meet us by the lake.” Cheyenne said flatly, seemingly more concerned on getting there as quickly as possible.

I never imagined how upset this information would make Cheyenne. I was mad, but not nearly as infuriated as my best friend. Cheyenne was always one to despise anyone who went against their morals. I still had a kind heart. I hadn't lived as long as the others and I still gave people a chance to explain. That wasn't true for the other members of my coven. They would kill first and ask questions after any threat was removed. I began to worry about Anna, but I was determined to not get in the way. It was time for me to grow up, whether I liked it or not.

When we reached the lake, we were surprised to find Malacai already standing on the bank, facing the open water. He was dressed up in dark jeans and a button-down, dark green shirt. I automatically assumed he would rush us, because he seemed to always have places to be.

“What's going on? You know I don't like to come into direct sunlight. What if someone saw us?” He said, sounding particularly irritated. He was always worrying that someone might be led to the glistening effect that the sun gave our skin.

“That's why there is shade, Cai.” Cheyenne said, her sarcasm leaving as soon as it arrived, “There is something wrong with Anna.”

After hearing the story again, I waited to see how Malacai was going to react. He was the only one in our coven that I could never quite predict his actions.

“That is interesting. Thank you for informing me. I will let you know if I am in need of your assistance any further.”

With that, he turned on his heel and became a blur in the trees. I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

“Are you kidding me? That's it? He'll let us know?” Cheyenne was furious. “No, I won't stand for that. I want to follow her. Will you come with me?”

“Of course I will come with you, if it's what you really want to do. It is, isn't it? Are you sure you aren't jumping into something before you are ready? I don't want you to regret this.” Me, little Amelia, always the safe one.

“Trust me. I will not regret this. This is something I can not stand for and you know it. You know me better than anyone. I will get to the bottom of this.”

I saw a deathly look in Cheyenne's eyes that I had never seen before. It scared me to some extent, but Cheyenne was right when she said that I know her. I knew she wouldn't do anything irrational.
She had a good reason to be mad, and I decided I would help her in any way I possibly could.

“Okay. We'll follow her when she leaves tonight.”

“It's a date.” Cheyenne showed the first hint of a smile since she had arrived at my side.

I hope you know what you're doing, Chey. I worried to myself. But I knew I could never leave my best friend to conquer something like this alone. I only hoped that we would return in one piece.

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If you read this, please leave a comment to let me know so! Nothing huge, just a hello! Thanks!