Surviving a Vampire Love Story, page 3
Zhuri relaxes in her chair. "I just wanted to see one thing."
She cocks her head. "What did you want to see?"
Her name, but she can't tell her that. Trying to change the topic, Zhuri scans the room. The strange boy is still staring at her. "Who is that?" she asks.
"He's new." Esha squints at him. "I think he's into you."
Zhuri faces her. "So, he's not Cara's friend?"
"What?" Esha's forehead wrinkles.
For a moment, Zhuri has forgotten she's Cara. No one here knows the truth and she must keep it that way. Her heart races. "I asked, did you hear a bell, friend," she stutters.
"No." Esha moves back in her seat. "Maybe Miss Sana is on vaca." She raises her hands in the air. "No class today."
As though everyone has been waiting for her to say that, students jump off their seats and rush out in the corridor. In the real world, it can't happen. But Zhuri is glad she's in the story at this moment. Schools are punishments both in reality and stories.
Chapter 6
DESPITE ALL THE HATRED for the school, Zhuri has to sit through all the classes. As the final bell rings, she rushes out of the classroom.
Talking to Esha has not helped her. There's no way she's Aditi. If Aditi is here, she will contact Zhuri as well. With no known person in the city, she'll have to figure a way out by herself.
Zhuri walks out of the gate, thinking whom she should approach next. A honk busts in her ear. Her eyes open wide as a truck rides towards her. Before she acts, her legs freeze. She feels a tightness in her waist as she moves out of the way with a loud thud.
Everything stands still. Zhuri's heart pounds as she tries to compose herself. Someone in the black sweater is grabbing her by the waist. She lifts her chin to see the weird boy from the school is holding her with one hand and his other hand is resting on the side of the truck.
White puffs of air escape her lips as she stares at his hazel eyes.
"Cara, are you alright?" Dave shouts from behind.
Zhuri gets to her feet. The boy steps back and moves his hand away from the truck. Though he moved, the print of his palm is still on the vehicle. No human can leave a dent on a metal just by their touch.
A whirring sound echoes, pulling her out of thoughts as the truck rides ahead.
She faces the boy, registering his features. He's extremely pale, looks somewhat anaemic. The truck, the accident, and a boy saving the girl. She has read it before. Her jaw drops as steps away from her saviour. "You..."
Before she finishes, the boy twists and starts walking.
Dave holds her from behind. "Cara, are you alright?" he asks, checking her head.
Brushing his hands away, Zhuri moves back and searches for the boy—but he's gone, and everyone is staring at her.
"Sweety, what's the matter?" Dave steps close to her. "Are you hurt?"
"No," Zhuri mutters, and faces him. She points at the road. "The dent."
"Dent?" Dave raises his brows.
"There was a dent on the truck." She turns the other way, looking for the truck with no luck. It's gone.
"Don't worry about it." Dave wraps his hand around her shoulder. "People these days are becoming increasingly reckless. We'll report it to the authorities."
Wordless, Zhuri stares at him as he drags her into the car. Muttering something, he starts driving. His faded words click in her ears every once in a while as they drive through a valley.
Zhuri's gaze stays fixed on the trees. Something is odd about that boy, not something, everything. He's weird. In the story, a similar incident happened to Cavery. Here Zhuri is in Cara's body, so that means... Her eyes open wide. "He's Eisa," she says out loud.
"What?" Dave glances at her.
She faces him. "The boy who saved me. His name is Eisa."
"Is he your friend?" he asks.
"No." She shakes her head. Maybe he's Cara's friend, not hers, but he can be the key to getting out of this story. She stares at Dave. Unlike him, Eisa is the main character. He might know something more than these filler characters.
After a while of driving, they reach their destination. Sara rushes outside of the house and grabs the car door. "Are you hurt?" she asks, squeezing Zhuri's shoulder.
"No." Zhuri cocks her head, wondering how Sara knows about the accident. As she opens her mouth to ask, Esha walks out of the house.
"Esha told me you were in an accident," Sara says.
"I'm perfectly fine." Zhuri jumps on the lawn and slams the door shut. She doesn't remember Esha being nearby after school. "How do you know?"
"Know what?" Esha shrugs.
Zhuri strides towards her, leaving Sara and Dave behind. "About the accident."
"I was there."
"You were?" Zhuri raises her brows.
"Yes." She nods. "Didn't you see me?"
"No."
Grinning, she nudges her. "You were too busy staring at that hottie."
As far as she can remember, no one was hot in the school. "What are you talking about?"
"The boy who saved you."
"Oh." She shakes her head. Esha is Cara's best friend. If she has been nearby at the time of the accident, then it's odd for her to not check on Cara right after the incident. "Why didn't you ask about my wellbeing at the school then?"
"I didn't want to disturb you when you were with him." She grins. "How did it go between you two?"
Zhuri can't believe her ears. Instead of asking about her bones, Esha wants to know about the boy. She can't expect anything more from a side character in the story. "What could happen in five seconds?"
"Love at first sight." Esha clasps her palms and stares at the dull sky with a twinkle in her eyes.
After a life-threatening experience, that's her first thought. Zhuri's cheeks turn warm as she keeps staring at her. Despite the urge to smack that look off her face, she holds back.
Sara walks next to them. "Why don't you two get inside, and I'll get something to eat?"
Food seems like a nice idea to relieve stress. Maybe it will help Esha to grow some brain cells as well. Zhuri presses the centre of her forehead and waves at Esha. "Let's go inside."
Both of them enter Cara's room. Zhuri shuts the door and takes a seat next to Esha on the bed. She doesn't know if Esha visits Cara regularly, or today is something special.
Esha moves back and rests her head against the wall. "I guess it's a bad time for shopping."
"Shopping?" Zhuri's brows furrows.
"Did you forget?" she asks, raising her brows.
Puzzled by her question, Zhuri keeps looking at her blankly.
"I can't blame you. It's probably due to that accident."
Not knowing what to say, she nods. "Yes."
"We can go tomorrow." Esha shrugs. "If you are okay with that."
Going out might give Zhuri more opportunities to explore this town, and maybe she'll find a way out of this hell hole. "Sounds good."
"Have you decided what you want to buy?" Esha asks.
She has no idea what's the occasion or what Cara would purchase. "No."
"Come on, Cara." Esha gapes. "The wedding is next week."
"Wedding?" she asks.
Esha moves close to her and stares into her eyes. "Did you hit your head?"
Touching her hair, Zhuri crawls back. She knows what Esha means by it. Maybe Cara knows what the fuss is about, but she has been in the story for just one day. "No."
"Then how can you forget?" She spreads her arms. "My sister is getting married to her mafia boyfriend next week."
Oh, it's her sister's wedding. Zhuri waves her hand and chuckles, pretending to know everything. Wait...? Did she say mafia? She scratches her head. "What does her boyfriend do for living?"
"He's a mafia," Esha says as if it's no big deal.
Not sure her ears haven't deceived her, she cocks her head and asks again, "A mafia?"
"Yes." Esha purses. "I think that accident affected your memory. Didn't I tell you how he kidnapped her two months ago, and now they are getting married?"
"He kidnapped her!" Zhuri's lips part.
"Why are you acting this way?" Esha's eyes widens. "I told you he loved her, but she wasn't into him, so he kidnapped her till she fell in love with him." She knits her fingers, and grinning, looks at the ceiling. "So romantic."
Horror struck, Zhuri keeps looking at her, her mouth still open. This is one of those Stockholm syndrome stories that are famous these days. They are creepy in the book as well, but in reality they seem extremely insane.
"Who wants some almond cookies?" Sara's voice breaks Zhuri's trance.
Without waiting for a reply, Sara places the tray of cookies on the side table. "Enjoy," she says, and walks away.
As Esha picks up a cookie, Zhuri faces her. "Have you lost your mind?"
Esha stops midway and glances back and forth between the cookie and Zhuri. Putting the cookie back in the plate, she brushes off her hands. "You are right. The wedding is in a week. I shouldn't eat that."
That's not what Zhuri is mad about. Her forehead wrinkles. "No. I'm talking about your sister marrying a mafia."
Esha shrugs. "What about it?"
Unable to believe her ears, Zhuri raises her hands. "Are you okay with that?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" She frowns. "They both love each other?"
Blood rises up Zhuri's neck. "He kidnapped her! That's Stockholm syndrome, not love!"
"What's that?" Esha tilts her head.
"Falling in love with your kidnapper."
"Isn't it romantic?" Esha blushes.
"No." Zhuri moves back. "That's crazy. You should've filed a police complaint."
Esha springs off the bed. "You know what, you are acting really weird today. Maybe because you are hit in the head. Go see a doctor. I'm going to leave and see you at school tomorrow. Bye"
With that, Esha walks out of the room.
In the real world when someone is kidnapped, family members are worried, but here it seems as though it's a way of finding your forever.
Zhuri keeps staring at the door with a dropped jaw. This is not normal, nothing here is normal. She has to leave this place before it drives her crazy.
Chapter 7
AFTER SCHOOL THE NEXT day, Zhuri and Esha go to a mall. They enter one of the dress shops.
Esha picks up a baby-pink dress from the rack. "What do you think about it?"
The ruffles under the knee-length dress makes it look juvenile. Under no circumstances Zhuri will wear that, but Esha is seventeen, a minor. It's a perfect garment for her.
Zhuri gives a thumbs up. "It's beautiful."
"Why don't you pick up something you like, then we can try the clothes," she says.
There's nothing in here that Zhuri wants to buy. She's here to find someone who can help her leave this place, but with Esha around, she can't do it. "You go ahead, I'll join you in a second."
"Don't be silly." She waves her hand dismissively. "I can wait till you find something."
If she stays here, Zhuri won't be able to talk to regular people. "I don't really like anything here. You go ahead, I'll just take another round and see if something catches my eyes."
"Are you sure?" Esha raises her brows. "I'm not in a rush."
Zhuri shrugs. "We should hurry. It's getting late. At least one of us should walk out with a dress."
"Okay." Esha takes a step and turns back. "But be quick. I need your advice on this one."
Forcing a grin, Zhuri nods. "I'll be there in a minute."
As Esha strolls towards the changing room, Zhuri spins around searching for a hint. She spots the skinny boy, Eisa outside the glass door of the shop, staring at her. Being the main character of the story, maybe he can help her. She weaves her way through the racks and reaches the entrance. As she is about to walk out, she notices he is not standing there anymore.
This is odd. Zhuri is sure she saw him here moments ago.
"You smell good," a cold male voice says from behind.
She jumps to her feet and pivots. Eisa is behind her, standing uncomfortably close. As she takes a step back, her leg hits something. She tumbles back, but Eisa grabs her hand.
Pulling her close, he holds her shoulder. "Careful," he whispers.
His touch is cold, too cold for a human. Both of his canines are long, longer than an average person, and his lips dry, cracked, and pale as though he has multiple deficiencies. It's the confirmation she needed. This boy is indeed a vampire. She shivers and moves back, carefully this time. "What are you doing here?"
Without a word, he keeps staring at her.
Despite all the noises around them, this close silence is too awkward to withstand. She cocks her head. "Are you going to answer?"
Wordlessly, he spins around and trudges out of the shop.
"Wait." She runs after him.
Eisa rides down the escalator to the ground floor and out of the mall. Following him, Zhuri races outside.
Winds tickle her hair, sending chills throughout her body. The sun has set behind the horizon and roaming around won't be safe. She spins around, searching for Eisa. He is striding down a path.
Going behind him is foolish, but no one else in this town has helped her. This boy might change that.
She paces on the road. "Listen," she shouts as Eisa turns into one of the lanes.
Increasing her pace, Zhuri reaches the lane. Buildings on both sides block the little moonlight on the path. Unlike the road near the mall, there's no streetlight lighting the way.
Eisa has to be nearby; it's been just a second or two. She will find him in a few steps. Gulping the fear in her throat, she enters the lane. "Eisa," she says in almost a whisper, looking straight at the dark.
No one answers. She moves a bit further and calls again, a little louder this time, "Eisa."
The increase in the intensity of her voice fails to generate a different result. Her eyes widen and hands shiver as she trudges inside. Pulling the sides of her black jacket close, she moves ahead. He can be on the other side of the lane.
She races forward, hoping to see him. After some time, her breaths turn heavy, but this dark path seems never ending. She stops and spins around. Everywhere she looks, only darkness surrounds her. "Eisa," she calls again, with no success.
Maybe following someone at night is foolish. Not maybe, it's definitely foolish. Zhuri tries to trace her steps back. She has walked in straight, and she can go back the same path. Twisting, she strolls back.
The unforgiving winds keep attacking her from ahead. She lights the torch of her mobile and moves forward. A creaking sound from the left startles her. Moving the light in the direction of the noise, she stops.
Air fogs around her mouth as she takes a step closer. Apart from a few garbage cans, there's nothing on the road. Thinking it's a rat, she takes a step.
A growl enters her ear, giving her gooseflesh. Her hands tremble as she slowly turns in the direction of the sound, hoping it's just a stray dog. There's nothing on the path. Pivoting back, she checks behind. Nobody. She lets out the breath she has been holding and moves towards the road.
A pair of glowing, red eyes stare at her from the end of the lane. Its brown fur gleams under the white light of her mobile. The slimy drool hangs at the corner of its mouth as it growls again.
Zhuri has seen many dogs but never a dog taller than her. Her heart punches against her chest as the thing raises its head up and howls.
She releases the scream in lungs. Her legs shiver as she turns around and sprints away from it.
Though she hasn't looked back, the way that werewolf howled made it seem as though it would attack her. Her breaths deepens as she keeps running, praying the werewolf doesn't get close.
Something jumps over her head and lands in front of her. She screams and stops as the werewolf stands ahead. Her mobile slips out of her hands. This can be her end. She stumbles and spins around. "Help," she shouts, running.
Walking out alone in the dark has to be the dumbest thing she has ever done. She's not so fast, that thing will catch up to her soon. If it kills her, will she die for real? This is a story. None of it is real, yet she is feeling all these emotions. Chances are she can die here.
Thousands of thoughts rush through her mind as she races for her life. She feels a hand on her waist. As she turns, her body lifts off the ground. Shutting her eyes, she wraps her hands around whoever is holding her.
One jump after another, Zhuri keeps moving up and down. She doesn't know who it is, but it looks like a person. Anything is better than a werewolf.
After some time, the hops stop, but she keeps clutching the person. Her feet touch the ground.
"You are safe now," a cold voice says, and moves her hands away.
She opens her eyes. She's standing in Cara's lawn, alone. The crystals of ice break under her feet as she spins in all directions, searching for her saviour, but no one is around.
Chapter 8
Despite not seeing the face of her saviour, Zhuri knows who it can be. She has read this story before. There's only one person who can jump like that. Okay not one, two. Even after knowing the plot, she has run away from the werewolf.
It's not entirely her fault. That werewolf has to meet her in humanoid form first. Thinking about its teeth gives her chills even today, but she's glad it happened. At least she has a reason to abandon Esha.
In the morning while talking to Esha on the phone she told her someone grabbed her from the mall and took her in the lane and everything else that really happened.
A little lie is not going to hurt anyone. It will protect one real friend Cara has. Though this is a story, and it's least of Zhuri's concern, she doesn't want to spoil even a fictional relationship.
Unlike Esha, she has not talked to Cara's parents about it. Maybe it's foolish to hide things from them, but they assumed Zhuri has returned from the mall, and she just rolled with it.
Sitting in the corner of the classroom, she stares at Eisa ahead. Oddly, he hasn't looked at her today. He probably realises she knows his real identity, that's why he's trying to avoid her. It's futile now. She has been successful in finding one lead character, but she hasn't found the werewolf yet.
