Surviving a Vampire Love Story, page 4
If Eisa doesn't help, then Jay might. The question is, who is Jay? She looks around in the class. With so many dark boys, it's impossible to guess who it can be. Not having attendance in school everyday is odd. Why does it always only in the introductory chapter, and why does it always stop at the lead character?
She faces Esha next to her. Asking her about Jay will be too direct, and Cara is supposed to know Jay. Zhuri sighs and focuses ahead, catching Eisa staring at her. As her eyes meet his, he shifts his gaze towards the teacher.
Eisa is a vampire. His family is old and knows some magic. They might be able to help Zhuri return to her own world. She'll have to catch him alone after the class. Now that she thinks about following him, it sounds predatory, but she doesn't have much choice.
As the bell rings, Zhuri tells Esha she has to return home early. This will avoid her getting in between Zhuri and Eisa.
As he strolls out of the class, she starts following him. Eisa keeps walking through the crowd without turning back. After a while, he leaves the school premises. With students spreading around in every direction, the crowd around him lessens.
This is the best time to talk to him about his magical family. Zhuri stops and checks behind, just to ensure they are alone. There's no one on the path, only the rustling leaves on both sides of the road can listen to their conversation. She turns ahead to call Eisa—but he's gone.
It's been only two seconds since she saw him. She sprints forward, scanning both the sides of the path. There's no turn nearby. It's a straight road.
Being a vampire it's not that hard for him to disappear, but she didn't even hear a sound. "Dammit," she curses under her breath.
Maybe she'll try tomorrow. Rubbing her forehead, she pivots and almost bumps into someone. Stepping back, she gazes at the black-haired boy in white shirt. "Sorry," she mumbles, and crosses him.
"Can I help you?" he asks.
Zhuri stops and faces him. Though he's muscular, he looks harmless. There's nothing scary about him. At least not from the outside. He can't be a predator. "No." She shakes her head and starts walking again.
"You look lost," he says again.
Suddenly, Zhuri realises she's alone on this road with a stranger. What happened last night can happen again. Her chest tightens as she faces him this time. "No, I'm not."
"What are you doing here?" he asks with a smile.
She studies him. His eyes are brown, skin slightly tan, and he's about an inch taller than her.
In the story, he fits the description of Jay. Cara is supposed to be Jay's friend, but Zhuri doesn't know him. Almost all the boys here look the same, it's hard to tell. If he's Cara's friend, then he'll try to spark a conversation. "Nothing." She shrugs and looks around, unable to find a good reason to justify her presence in this part of the town.
"Are you mad at me?" he asks, stepping close to her.
Zhuri's lips part. He must be Jay, but she needs solid evidence before calling him by that name. "No," she says.
"Then why are you acting this way?" He stands in front of her and raises his bushy brows. "You won't even say hello?"
Sweat beads on her forehead as she struggles to form words. He's Jay; she's ninety-nine percent sure about it but still needs that one percent of confirmation.
Maybe acting mad will earn her his name. She rolls her eyes and twists, walking away from him. "I don't know you."
"What?" He chuckles and follows her.
She stops and glares at him, or at least tries her best to glare at him. Being mad at a stranger for no reason is tough. "You heard me."
"What did I do?" he asks.
There's no doubt. Cara knows him. Zhuri shrugs and keeps striding, thinking of ways to get his name. "Nothing. I just don't know you."
"Cara." He jumps in front of her, blocking her way. "Why are you mad at me?"
If he's Jay, then Cara and him go to the same school. Zhuri doesn't remember seeing him there. "Where were you?"
"What do you mean?"
She faces the black road. Maybe he has been following her from school. "I didn't see you for the past two days."
"Are you mad about it?" he asks.
Her face flushes. Just tell me your name. "Where have you been?"
"Well, I was a little sick," he says, scratching his neck. "Just taking a couple of days off, but I'll be at school by tomorrow."
Bingo! He's in Cara's class.
"Why are you sweating?" he says, staring at her forehead. "Are you sick?"
"No." She shakes her head and steps back. If this boy is Jay, then he's a werewolf. And if that's the case, he'll react after hearing about last night. She takes a deep breath and points at the dark trees. "Yesterday I was attacked this time around," she says, and stares at him.
The smile on his face fades away. He stiffens. "What do you mean?"
"It was a werewolf," she says, her eyes searching his face for a hint.
For a second he pauses, then grins or rather forces it. "There's no such thing," he stutters.
That's it. He's the werewolf who attacked her last night. He's Jay. "Are you calling me a liar, Jay?" She finally musters the courage to take his name.
"No, no. I'm just saying maybe it was something else."
Despite his denial, he has not reacted to the name in a negative way. It's his name. Zhuri sighs and drops her head. Finally, she has managed to interact with one main character. "I know what I saw," she says, and looks back at him.
"Cara, you are being silly." He grins, doing a better job at lying this time. "Werewolves exist only in stories."
"This is a story," Zhuri says, stressing on each word. She walks ahead on the road. "It's just not mine."
"What?" Jay moves next to her.
It's too early to tell the truth to these characters. She can talk to him tomorrow after getting to know him a bit more. "Can you walk me home?" she asks. "I'm scared."
"Sure," he says, and keeps walking by her side. "You didn't tell me what you were doing here."
If she tells him now, he might be furious. After all, he has a crush on Cara. He is not going to like Cara following some other guy. Facing him, she smirks. Out of Eisa and Jay, he's the least weird one. Unlike Eisa, he hasn't disappeared after one or two words. "That's a story for another day," she says, and strides ahead, hoping he can digest the truth.
Chapter 9
Reaching home Zhuri lay in her bed, staring outside the window. The clouds have adopted a silver hue under the moonlight.
It looks similar to the night Aditi made a wish. Zhuri jumps out of her bed and trudges towards the window. She pulls the glass frame up, letting the air brush through her hair. Her nose burns as she inhales the cold of the night.
Three days have passed, and she still doesn't have a clue of what to do. "What do you want from me?" she asks, hoping the moon will reply. It didn't answer.
Everyone back home must be worried about her, that is if Cara hasn't taken her place, but Cara isn't real and Zhuri is.
She squints at the moon. "Is this what you are trying to tell me? These are not stories. Every book is reality somewhere."
Nothing happens in the sky. She moves her head out of the window, trying to get closer to it. "Tell me what you want."
Nobody replies. It's foolish to expect words from an object, but she doesn't know what to believe anymore. In a few days, she has to go back home and spend some time with her family before exams. Her mother always makes her favourite food. She has to eat it and complain about gaining weight. She has to blame her weight-gain on her mother. She has to annoy her father. Though her father acts irritated about it, she knows he likes being annoyed by her.
She can't do it if she's stuck here. "Please, give me a hint," she pleads. The sky doesn't change. "Something. Anything," she mutters.
Tears gleam in her eyes as she keeps staring at the moon, but the moon doesn't seem to be affected by her pleas. Her breaths turn shallow as she spins around and moves towards her bed.
Plopping on the mattress, she buries her face between her palms. Tears warm her skin as she sobs, regretting ever thinking magic isn't real.
"Are you alright?" a cold voice asks.
Startled, Zhuri turns around with a jerk.
Eisa is standing in the corner of the room.
She hops up and stumbles back against the wall. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought you wanted to meet me," he says, and takes a step towards her. "You were following me after school."
It's true; she wants to talk to him but not at this hour, not in these conditions. Her breaths turn heavy as she raises her hand, trying to keep him away. "Stop."
She looks at the locked door and back at him. Only a seconds have passed since she has been standing near the window, he can't come in through there. He hasn't been in the room from the time she entered, else she would have seen him.
"What happened?" he asks, so casually as if breaking into someone's house is a normal thing.
"How did you get in here?" she asks. Her eyes dwindles between him and the door. Maybe she must call for help.
A smile creeps on his thin lips. "Does it matter? I'm here."
"Why are you here?" Zhuri asks, thinking she should rush towards the door.
"I like to watch you sleep," he says.
"What?" Her jaw drops. This has to be the creepiest thing anyone has ever said to her. "Have you been here before?"
"Last night."
Zhuri's legs shake as she darts towards the door. "Dave," she shouts, sprinting out of the room.
She runs down the stairs and bangs the door of Cara's parents' room. "Dave," she calls again.
A splash of light scatters across the marble tiles as the door opens and Dave steps out. "What happened?" he asks.
Sara follows him.
Pointing up, Zhuri stutters, "There's someone in my room."
"Stay here," Dave says, and strides up the stairs. Sara stands next to Zhuri.
Both Zhuri and Sara keep their eyes fixed on Cara's room.
After about a minute, Dave walks out. "No one's here."
"What?" Zhuri squints and rides up to him; Sara follows her. Zhuri pokes her head through the door and checks the corners of the room. A light breeze brushes the curtain of the open window. She points at it. "Maybe he jumped out."
Dave rushes towards the window. "No one's here." He shuts it.
"Sweety, you must be dreaming." Sara holds her hand.
Scanning the room, Zhuri steps in. "No," she mutters.
Eisa is a vampire, but she can't tell them the truth. They already think something is wrong with her. If she talks about supernatural creatures, they will think she has gone crazy.
"Why were you sleeping with an open window?" Dave places his hands on his waist.
"I..." She can't tell him she has been talking to the moon. It will sound crazier than a visit from the vampire. "I forgot."
"Who was it?" Sara asks.
"A boy." Zhuri doesn't tell them Eisa is her classmate. If she says that, they might end up at school. Any sane parent will do that.
"Do you know him?" Dave asks, moving close to her.
She drops her gaze and walks towards the bed. "No."
"Are you sure it was a real boy, not your imagination?" Sara asks. "Things can look different at night. Especially when you are half asleep."
"I wasn't sleeping." Zhuri faces her. If she tells them about her conversation with Eisa, it will reveal that he is from her school.
"Why were you awake at this hour?" Dave asks.
She waves her hand dismissively and drops on the mattress. "I... I couldn't sleep."
"Is everything alright?" Sara steps closer.
Speechless, Zhuri keeps staring at her.
Sara looks back at Dave. "Should we call the police?" she asks.
Police means more questions, and questions is something Zhuri wants to avoid. "No," she says.
"If there was an intruder, we must inform the authority," Dave insists.
Agreeing with parents always works the best in shutting them up. Zhuri looks at Sara. "Like you said, I must be dreaming."
"Are you sure?" Sara's face softens as she cocks her head.
"Yes." Zhuri nods.
Moving next to her, Dave gestures towards the door. "It's getting late. We should go to bed."
"But, Dave." Sara points at the window. "What about the intruder?"
"There was no one," Zhuri says. The quicker these people leave the room, the better. If they stay longer, they might end up calling the police.
Dave grabs Sara's shoulder. "Come."
"Keep the window closed," Sara says, and trudges out of the door.
At the stairs, Dave turns back and stares at Zhuri but doesn't say anything. His gaze is intent but his expressions are unreadable.
Nearly three days have passed since Zhuri first appeared in this house. Cara's parents think there's something wrong with their daughter, but they have never acted weird around her. But the way Dave is looking at her is bothersome. Zhuri hops up and strolls towards the door. Sara has reached the bottom step, but Dave's eyes are fixed on her. She tilts her head. "Is something wrong?"
"I love you," he says.
Faking a smile, she grabs the doorframe. Saying I love you to an unknown man is weird. "Good night," she says, and shuts the door.
Chapter 10
After last night's incident, school today is going to be awkward. At least Zhuri has found Jay. Being a werewolf he must know something about magic as well, but she can't ask him directly. He hasn't revealed his true identity to her. If she says something, he might freak out.
She chuckles at the thought of scaring a werewolf and relaxes in the car seat. Dave has offered her the ride today. Ever since she has been here, he hasn't dropped her off everyday. Only on her first day, he has been generous enough to give her a ride. Maybe he's concerned because of what happened yesterday.
Zhuri faces him. His eyes are glued to the road and lips sealed. It's odd. Whenever she has been in his company, he has never kept quiet. She leans towards him. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes," he says, without looking at her.
Following his gaze, Zhuri stares at the road splitting in two halves. The right side goes to the school and the left... Well, she doesn't know where it leads. She has never been there.
As they approach the partition, Dave turns the vehicle to the left. Zhuri's lips open. She faces him and points to the right. "You took the wrong turn."
Wordless, he keeps driving ahead.
"The school is that way," she tells him again, and moves her hand out of the window.
Dave doesn't reply. He keeps his eyes focused on the road as if he can't hear her.
Though she has been living here for only a few days, she hasn't seen him act this way. She touches his arm. "Dave?"
The car stops suddenly, jerking Zhuri forward. She braces herself and looks at Dave. "What are you..."
Words dissolve in her mouth as he glares at her. His face reddens and lips curl down.
"Who are you?" he asks.
"What?" Zhuri mutters.
Pulling a pistol out of the glove compartment, he points at her. "Where is Cara?"
Zhuri raises her hands up. Not that he has asked for it, but it happens by reflex. She has never had anyone threatening her in this manner. A knot forms in her throat as Dave opens the door and circles in front of the car to get on her side, all this while his gun pointing at her.
He drags her out of her seat and steps back. Drenched in sweat, Zhuri doesn't resist.
Placing a finger on the trigger, he asks, "Who are you, and what have you done with my Cara?"
Zhuri stares at the pistol and again at him. If she tells him the truth, he won't believe it, and she is too scared to make up a good lie.
"Where is Cara?" he shouts.
Shivering, she shouts back, "I don't know." Her hands tremble as she moves back. "It was Aditi's birthday. She wished for me to enter the book, and I got here."
In fear, she doesn't even realise she has spoken the truth. She lifts her chin.
Dave's nostrils flare. "What are you babbling about?"
It's too late to lie. He knows half the story anyway. Telling the truth has somehow lessened her anxiety. She lowers her hands. "I'm not from your world."
"What do you mean?"
Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she takes a deep breath. "I don't belong here. I live in the real world."
"Real world?" Dave squints.
Being inside this story for so long, everything feels real here. She can feel the pain, the fear, the hunger. This place can be real as well. She spreads her arms. "Human world. The Earth."
"This is the Earth." Dave tightens his grip around the pistol. "Stop lying."
"I'm not." She cups her face and grunts. She doesn't know how to make him believe the story. Looking at him, she shakes her head. "I know it sounds fake, but the first day I got here I told you I wasn't your daughter. It was the night you said I was sleepwalking." She cocks her head. "Do you remember that?"
Dave's face softens, but he keeps pointing the weapon at her. "I don't understand."
Raising her hands, she drops them again, slapping her thighs. "I don't understand it either." She stares at the dusky sky. It looks the same as the sky back home, but it isn't the same. "Aditi, my roommate, and I were arguing over a story."
She shifts her gaze towards Dave. "I was making fun of her for reading lame romance novels. Then suddenly a moon appeared in our window."
Her eyes move up, searching for the same moon, but it isn't there. "It was Aditi's birthday. She made a wish that she wants me," Zhuri says, and points at herself, "in one of her favourite stories."
"After listening to her wish the moon disappeared." She looks back at Dave. "I thought it was just a coincidence, but that night I went to my bed and woke up in your house. You know what happened next."
For a while, he doesn't utter a word. His brows knit as if he is pondering about it. "I don't believe you."
Ever since she has been here, she has spoken the truth for the first time and he doesn't believe it. She points at his pistol. "Then go ahead, and shoot me. Maybe this will send me back to my world."
