Chapter 5: The Distance That Failed
1257 Words
Avoiding Elena carter had been my plan from the very beginning.
It was the safest decision.
For her.
For me.
For everyone.
But every day that passed made one thing painfully clear.
Avoiding her was becoming harder.
Much harder.
I stood on the rooftop of Ravenwood High, watching the students move through the courtyard below.
The wind pushed gently against my jacket as voices drifted upward from the campus.
Students laughed.
Friends talked.
Lockers slammed.
Human life was loud.
Short.
Fragile.
And somewhere in that crowd…
Was her.
My eyes found Elena almost instantly.
She stood near the courtyard fountain, talking to Maya and holding a notebook in her hands.
The sunlight touched her hair as she laughed softly at something Maya said.
Even from this distance, I could hear her heartbeat.
Steady.
Warm.
Alive.
I closed my eyes briefly.
“This is exactly why I need to stay away,” I muttered to myself.
A voice I recognize way too well answered me from behind.
“Then why are you staring at her like that?” Marcus ask, I frown.
I sighed
.
“Marcus, don’t start.” I warned.
Marcus stepped onto the rooftop and leaned casually against the wall beside me.
“Oh, I’m definitely starting,” he said with a grin. “Because this is interesting.”he added.
I crossed my arms.
“What do you want?”i asked him.
Marcus looked down toward the courtyard.
“Well, first I want to know why my little brother suddenly spends every afternoon watching a human girl.” he said a little too excited.
“ well, I’m not watching her.”i lied
Marcus laughed.
“Adrian, you’ve been standing here for twenty minutes.”he said
“That doesn’t prove anything.”i argue
Marcus pointed down.
“The proof is literally right there.”he said
I stayed silent.
Marcus studied my face carefully.
“You’re worried about her.”he said
I finally spoke quietly.
“Yes.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“Why?” he asked
“You know why.”i said annoyed.
“Say it.”he said smirking.
I turned toward him.
“Because she’s human.” I said
Marcus shrugged.
“And?”he asked
“And if anyone realizes she matters to me,” I said slowly, “she becomes a target.”
Marcus’s playful expression disappeared.
“That’s true,” he admitted.
We both looked down again.
Elena and Maya were now walking toward the school entrance.
Marcus spoke again.
“You know there are other vampires around this region.”he said
“I know.”i said
“Travelers pass through Ravenwood sometimes.”he added
“Yes.”i replied
“And not all of them follow the rules our family follows.”he said.
I nodded slightly.
“I’m aware of that too.”
Marcus folded his arms.
“So you’re staying away from her to protect her.”he asked
“Yes I guess so.” I told him.
“And you think that will work?”he said
“It has to.”
Marcus shook his head.
“Adrian, you underestimate curiosity.”
“What do you mean?”i asked
“If someone sees you constantly avoiding a specific human,” Marcus explained, “they’ll start wondering why.”
I frowned.
“And once they start wondering…”he continue
“They’ll start watching her too,” Marcus finished.
Silence filled the rooftop.
He wasn’t wrong.
I hated that he wasn’t wrong.
Marcus suddenly leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at the courtyard.
“Well,” he said slowly, “this just got interesting.”
“What?”i asked confused.
“Your girl isn’t alone.”he said
My eyes immediately followed his gaze.
Elena had stopped near the school entrance.
And standing beside her…
Was Andre.
He leaned casually against the railing while speaking to her, smiling confidently.
Elena laughed at something he said.
A strange feeling twisted in my chest.
Marcus noticed instantly.
“Oh wow,” he said with a smirk. “That bothered you.”
“It didn’t.” I replied.
“Adrian.”marcus said, knowing I lied to him.
“I’m serious.”i said
Marcus looked amused.
“You’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.”i argue.
“Then why are you staring at him like you want to throw him across the courtyard?”marcus asked
“I’m analyzing the situation.”i answer
Marcus burst out laughing.
“That is the worst excuse I’ve ever heard.”he said
I ignored him and kept watching Andre.
Something about him had always felt strange.
“Do you trust him?” I asked suddenly.
Marcus blinked.
“Trust who?”marcus asked
“That boy.”i said
Marcus studied Andre for a moment.
“I don’t know him.”he said
“Exactly.”i pointed out.
“So?”he asked
“So he’s not from around here.”i said
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“That sounds very much like jealousy.” Marcus said
“It’s caution.”i answered.
“Sure.”he said.
Andre leaned closer to Elina as he spoke.
She looked curious, listening carefully.
Marcus nudged my shoulder.
“You should relax.”marcus said
“I am relaxed.”i told him
“You look like you’re about to jump off this roof.”he said.
I didn’t answer,I know I wanted to do just that, but I control my self.
Marcus tilted his head.
“Wait,” he said slowly. “You don’t think he’s—”
“I don’t know what he is,” I interrupted.
“But something feels wrong.”
Marcus looked thoughtful.
“Now that you mention it… he does move strangely.”he said
My eyes narrowed.
“You noticed it too?”i said
“Yes.”
Marcus looked back at me.
“You think he’s not human?”he said
“I’m not sure.”i said
Marcus sighed.
“Great. Just what this town needs.”he said
“What?”i asked.
“Another supernatural problem.”marcus said looking frustrated.
We watched the courtyard in silence again.
Elena was smiling now.
Andre said something that made her laugh again.
Marcus smirked slightly.
“She seems to like him.”he suddenly spoke up.
I clenched my jaw.
“That doesn’t matter.”i said
Marcus chuckled.
“It clearly matters to you.”
“No.”
“Adrian.”
“What?”
“You care about her.”
I looked away.
“Yes.”
Marcus softened his voice.
“And that’s exactly why you’re afraid.”he said
I didn’t answer.
Because he was right.
If other vampires came to Ravenwood…
If they discovered that Elena mattered to me…
They wouldn’t hesitate to use her against me.
Marcus finally spoke again.
“So what’s the plan?”
“The plan is simple,” I said quietly.
“I stay away from her.”
Marcus looked down at the courtyard again.
“But what if she comes closer to you?”
I hesitated.
Because that possibility frightened me more than anything.
“If that happens,” I said slowly,
“I will protect her.”
“From vampires?”
“From everyone.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“Even from yourself?”he asked.
I didn’t respond.
Because that was the one enemy I could never fully trust.
Myself.
- Writer
