31. Finding The Note of Fate
1140 Words
Bree
"Jamie?" I whispered into the darkness. This was his room, or at least that's what Chayton had said. I had a few questions for him, plus maybe a bit of ranting if I got the chance.
I stepped inside and something crinkled beneath my feet. I leaned down and picked up a piece of paper with something scribbled on it. I couldn’t tell what it was, it was too dark in here, so I stuffed it into my pocket.
Right as I was turning to leave something moved. "Bree? Do you need anything?" Mumbled Jamie's groggy voice. From the floor. What was he doing on the floor?
"Sorry if I'm bothering you... I just have a few questions." I said.
He sat up and flicked the light on. "Yes?" His hair was extremely messy, his eyes were drooping and had dark bags under them. He didn’t look healthy, he looked sick. Was he okay?
“You okay? You look -”
“Awful? Yeah. I’m good. What do you want to know?” His voice was oddly flat, as sick sounding as he looked.
"What's being a werewolf like? Is there a secret werewolf kingdom like the vampires?" I asked, even though I suspected he needed a lot of sleep.
"No, there's no kingdom... Every werewolf is just trusted not to share the secret because when people know we get hunted. You can live a normal life, mostly, though changing can be... tough."
"Okay..." I thought for a minute. "How would you keep me safe?"
"I have a secret house too... It isn't as cool as this one, but it's just as safe. Not the first one we were in, a different one that’s protected. And I’d die for you."
“Have you ever hurt anyone when you get mad?” I asked, taking him by surprise.
“Wha- I- I didn’t mean to?” He said awkwardly, eyes wide.
“Who? How bad?” I asked, knowing that I was pushing my luck.
“Bree, no.” His voice came out as a growl, giving a warning.
“Jamie if you want me you’ll be honest.”
He took a deep breath and seemed to calm down a little. “I’m not talking about this right now Sabrina.” He said stiffly.
“Why?”
That simple question seemed to push him over the edge. “Stop! I am not talking about this!” He yelled and a bedpost crunched under his fist as he stood up and moved towards me.
“What? You gonna hurt me for asking?” I snapped without thinking. He stopped short, looking as though I’d smacked him and extremely hurt. After hurt, his eyes got a kind of vacant, pained look and he swayed a little. His breathing didn’t seem to be normal either. Oh, what did I do?
"Jamie, I-" I started to apologize but was cut off by the house shaking. I rushed to the window and looked out, a huge mass of vampires was somehow getting through the force field... No, under it.
Chayton ran in, panicking. "Bree come with me, I have a secret hideout nobody can enter!" He grabbed my hand and drug me away. Jamie followed, stumbling as though only just now processing things.
We went up and up and up until my legs hurt, then finally reached the roof. Chayton was struggling with a lock when the house shook again. It caught me off guard and I fell and started rolling towards the edge. I tried to stop myself but didn't have any luck.
Right as I went off the edge I was able to grab something, I didn't know or care what. Then I felt someone grab me and try to pull me up. It was Jamie.
For some reason, he couldn't pull me up. Then I felt the reason, the vampires had roped my feet. Jamie saw too.
He looked at me with a hard, determined look mixed with sadness and that pain again. "I love you, Sabrina. Be safe." He said, then leaned down and kissed my forehead. Then he gave my hand to Chayton, who'd just appeared at his side, then Jamie climbed partway down the wall, changed into a wolf, and cut the ropes with his teeth. Then he pushed my feet up high enough that Chayton could pull me onto the roof again.
I looked down at Jamie, realizing now that he couldn't get back up. And that the vampires were trying to take him down... "NO!" I screamed. I had to help him! I didn’t deserve this, I’d just been so mean to him…
But Chayton was pulling me back from the edge, into the secret hide-out...
I heard a cracking noise and something, or someone, fell...
Chayton closed the hideout door and blocked out the rest of the world. And closed the door on Jamie. The last I'd ever see of Jamie.
I just stared into the darkness, ignoring Chayton when he offered to turn on a light. That last image of Jamie and the cracking sound were burned into my head, blocking out everything else.
Vaguely, as though on a TV with the sound turned down, I could hear Chayton trying to talk to me and asking if I was ok. Suddenly, I snapped back out of my head at something Chayton said. "At least you have me."
"Who was it that got me out of Sanguis? Who was it that killed himself so I wouldn't have to do what I didn't want to? And then who stood to the side and let everything happen and didn't jump off the roof to save me?" I screamed.
Chayton didn't respond. I felt him try to hold my hand but I smacked his away. "Bree..." He whispered, sounding hurt. "Who broke a wall down when they thought you were in trouble, and fought my... That red-haired vampire was my sister Bree."
Now I felt sorry. But I wasn't ready to admit that yet. "I'm unreasonable when I'm upset talk to me later Chayton," I said quietly. He sighed but backed off.
I tried to go to sleep, to forget everything, but I couldn't... So I held my breath until I passed out.
⇎
"Bree!" I turned around and saw Jamie behind me.
"Jamie! But you, how?" I said, gazing at him in awe.
He wrapped me in a big hug. "I can visit your dreams now." He started to fade away, and for a split second in the background, I saw familiar concrete walls.
"No Jamie I'm sorry! I'm sorry..." I started crying.
"You're worth it..." He said, his voice fading with him.
- Writer
