A Heretic and Some Vampires

Chapter 11

We arrived at the restaurant by 7, and the hostess immediately took us to our table, where Brent was already waiting.

“Good to see you again, Andrew. How are you, Kat?” Brent says warmly as they all hug.

“Good to see you too, Brent,” Andrew says happily.

“I’m good today. Not as tired as I normally would be after a party. I suppose I have Clementine to thank for that.” Kat smiles.

“How was your day, Clementine?” Brent asks sweetly as he kisses the back of my hand.

“It was good, restful. And yours?” I ask politely as he pulls a chair out for me, and I sit down.

“Full of calls.” He chuckles. “And how are you, boys?” Brent asks, shaking hands with the boys.

“Good, Thanks.” They all reply.

After we’ve all sat down and the waiter takes our orders, Andrew starts up the conversation.

“So why were you on the phone all day?” Andrew asks curiously.

“I had been informing everyone in the business about Clementine’s performance last night. These people trust my word, and they are all excited to meet you and hear you sing.” Brent tells us as he looks at me.

“Seriously?” I ask, shocked.

“Yes.” He smiles. “I have brought a contract for a record deal. Now, you don’t have to sign it right here and now. Instead, I would like you to take it home and read it through until you understand it entirely before you sign it. If you have questions, my number is at the top, just there.” He says, handing me a contract before pointing to his contact information at the top of the first page.

“Thank you,” I say quietly as I read the first page unknowingly.

“Clem?” Kat calls my name.

“Hmm? Sorry, what’s up?” I ask as I put the contract to the side.

“Your food, sweetie.” She smiles at me.

“Oh! I didn’t even realise. How strange.” I whisper before I start eating my meal.

The dinner was actually quite charming. Brent explained a few things to me, like the fact that he’s already found someone who can write songs but not sing them. He said that if I sat with her and explained something I was feeling, she would write a song about it. I was happy to hear that since I can’t write for s**t.

Isaac had kept his eyes on me all night long. It made me a little nervous but also giddy.

As soon as we got home, I went to my room and changed into my red booty shorts and black singlet. Then, I went into my bathroom and removed my make-up before brushing my teeth and going to bed. It didn’t take me long to fall asleep.

It’s been a week since dinner with Brent. I’ve been reading the contract he gave me over and over again. I made the mistake of taking it to school on Monday, and a few students saw it and asked me about it. I just told them I didn’t want to talk about it and that it wasn’t that big of a deal. The principal had heard about it and asked me if I could sing for him and the teachers. I told him I was still shy about it, and he understood. He mentioned the school talent show in a couple of months time and asked if I could enter. I told him I would think about it. However, since I was still getting used to being here, I might not be comfortable enough, and thankfully he was very understanding.

Brent is coming over for dinner tonight to discuss the contract, and I think I’m gonna do it. I’m still a little scared that Tash is somehow going to show up out of nowhere and hit me for singing even though I know she’s dead. I mean, I buried her body. Kat was doing my hair and makeup while I was thinking about all this.

“Sweetie? Is everything ok?” She asks me worriedly.

“I wanna sign this contract,” I tell her, deciding to confide in her.

“But?”

“But for some reason, I’m still scared that Tash is going to pop in out of nowhere and hit me,” I whisper as I stand up and walk into my closet. “I know she’s dead. I was the one who buried her.” I continue.

“It’s ok to be scared, Clem. But you’re safe now. I won’t let anything happen to you. This family won’t. We all love you being here. And I know Dante adores you as his best friend, and the boys all love you being here. Isaac especially.” She smiles from my closet doorway.

“What’s different about Isaac?” I ask curiously.

Since I’ve been here, when Isaac is around, I feel safer than I do with everyone else. When he looks at me, my stomach flips, and I get nervous. But, when he smiles at me, I get butterflies, and my heart flutters with happiness. It’s strange, but I feel an odd connection to him. Like he’s the one person I could learn to trust and love, and he would never do anything to hurt me. Like he would never leave me alone, never die on me like everyone else I’ve loved.

“It’s kind of obvious, hun. He cares for you, intimately. I can feel it. He loves you. Please don’t let this drive you away from him, though. It would crush him. And don’t tell him I told you either.” She smiles as I pull out a pair of black skinny jeans.

I pull on my skinny jeans and go through my tops.

“It’s weird, you know.” I start.

“What is?”

“I feel the same thing from him when he’s around. I feel like I could learn to trust him, even to love him. After Tash, I promised myself I wouldn’t ever love another person. But, for some reason I can’t grasp, I feel like he would never leave me alone. Or even die, like Tash, like my mum and my dad. They are the only people I have ever loved, Kat. And they all died on me. They died because of me.” I whisper as a tear rolls down my cheek.

“Oh, sweetie!” Kat rushes to me and envelopes me in a warm motherly hug.

“They did not die because of you. Tash died in a crash, and your parents-“

“Died in a crash too. Tash died in that crash because my singing caused us to crash. And my parents-“ my voice breaks, and a sob escapes my throat. “My parents died in a crash because they were hurrying to get me from an accident at school. I had gotten into a fight, and my arm was dislocated. So they were trying to get to the school as fast as possible to take me to the hospital. It was my fault they were even driving, Kat. It was all my fault.” I sob in her arms.

KNOCK KNOCK.

“You get dressed. I’ll see who it is. Please believe me, sweetie, when I tell you those accidents were not your fault.” She whispers as she wipes my tears away.

I nod to her as she leaves to answer my door.

I turn to my shirt's and pick out a light blue lacy singlet. Finally, I top the outfit with a black leather jacket and pull out my black heels.

“Isaac? Is everything ok?” Kat says from my door.

“Is she ok? I was walking past when I heard her crying. What happened?” Isaac asks frantically.

“I’m fine, Isaac,” I say quietly as I walk into my room.

Kat turns to face me with a sad expression.

Isaac walks towards me a little fast and hugs me tightly.

The sincerity of his hug makes my heart burst, and I cry into his chest.

“Clem.” He whispers sadly.

“I’m sorry for crying on you,” I say as I pull back.

“Nonsense. I will always be here to comfort you whenever you need it. I promise.” He says, making me look him in the eye.

I hear Kat leave as Isaac leans down and kisses my cheek, close to my lips.

“Thank you,” I whisper as I blush.

We stand there, looking into each other’s eyes for what seemed like hours. The loving look in his eyes calmed me down almost instantly.

“Clem?” He says softly as he studies my face.

“Yeah,” I say sweetly.

“What would you do if I kissed you?” He asks.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you find out?” I blush and bite my lip.

Isaac groans quietly as he runs his thumb over my bottom lip. He slowly leans down, and I close my eyes in anticipation. Finally, I feel his lips on mine, and my body explodes in pleasure. He grips my waist, and I wrap my arms around his neck as he deepens the kiss.

He pulls away and rests his forehead on mine. Both of us breathing heavily.

“That was amazing,” I whisper as I lean my head on his chest.

“Clementine Phoenix? Would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?” He asks in a whisper of hope.