We followed a narrow road down a long drive. Within minutes, we pulled in front of a two-story Victorian home, constructed with stones in earth tones in variations of tan, brown, beige, with a bit of teal and burnished copper thrown in sporadically. Even though it was dark, I could see each detail and hue with divine clarity. In the front was a wide front porch that wrapped gingerly around the house. The house was located on the outskirts of town on the lake, looking as if it had been there all along; as if it had grown up from the ground along with the surrounding vegetation. Also, the acres of land the house rested upon were secluded, surrounded by trees, providing shelter from prying eyes.
"So, what do you think?" Rick asked, speaking of the house. "I picked it out a few days ago."
Actually, I loved the house. It was perfect, but I wouldn't admit it to Rick. "Eh, it'll do," I said, smiling.
Rick smiled, too, and shook his head. Being with Rick was so easy. I could easily be myself with him, something I haven't been able to do with anyone for a long time. It really was good to be home again. I walked around the car to the hatchback to help Rick with the bags, and saw familiar, very large black cases containing our own arsenal.
"What?" I asked Rick, eyeing all the black cases. "Are you expecting us to be attacked by terrorists? Or perhaps an army?"
Rick shrugged, reaching for a case. He lifted it with ease even though it was quite heavy, at least, to a human. "Well, you never know."
"But where are our clothes?" I asked, casually lifting a huge black case, looking around.
Rick pointed to two small duffle bags in the corner, and lifted another case with his other hand.
"That's it?" I asked. That wouldn't be enough to get me through a day. "You call that clothes?"
Rick shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Since when did you become a fashion geek?" he asked casually. I rolled my eyes and lifted another very large black case from the trunk.
Together, we took all the cases into the house in one trip. The foyer contained only an ornately decorated mirror within a metal gold leafed frame. The foyer spilled into a spacious living room with broad plate-glass windows overlooking the lake. The view was spectacular, encompassing the lake and the surrounding forest on the other side. Even in the moonlight, the deep hues of the green forest were in sharp contrast to the muted blue water. The room contained beige furnishings, so as not to detract from the spectacular view, the showcase of the room. The furnishings only included a couch and love seat, along with a rocker resting by an antique end table and a lamp, and another high-backed armchair, another side table and lamp.
To the right was a deep fireplace, unfettered by a screen, with fire irons hanging to the right. It was housed in the same stone as the rest of the house and had an old-fashioned pot hanger inside on the right. This quaint fireplace reminded me of the old days, cooking on the open fire every night in my father's home. To the left was a wooden stairwell leading to a loft where the bedrooms obviously were. It was rustic, but fit within the beautiful home.
"You like?" Rick asked. The case he set down was so out of place in this room, like a vampire just landed in Wonderland.
"I like," I admitted with a smile, not trying to hide my obvious approval. Immediately, I set down my case and ran up the stairs at vampire speed. "I get to pick out my bedroom first!" I shouted, sounding very much like a teenager.
"Oh, no you don't!" Rick shouted, zooming up the stairs behind, clearly amused.
In the end, I claimed the bedroom on the left. It was actually a suite, with an opulent bathroom to the left and a small sitting room on the right. Luckily, the house contained two master suites. Rick's was a mirror image of mine on the other side of the wrap around loft. There were five bedrooms in all.
Once all the bags were stowed, the sun was beginning to make an appearance, indicating a new day, and the familiar burn in my throat could not be ignored. "You want to go hunting?" I asked Rick, who was in the kitchen already organizing utensils and pots and pans.
"Naw," he replied. "I brought some human with me." Actually, that's what we called blood bags.
"You aren't seriously doing human, are you?" I asked, accusingly.
Rick feigned innocence. "Not from the tap."
"Who was it that told me that drinking human blood was unacceptable?"
"Hey," Rick countered. "That was before blood banks."
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.
"Now, don't look at me like that," Rick continued. "I haven't killed anyone in years."
I lifted an eyebrow, silently placing my hands on my hips.
"For dinner, anyway," Rick amended, reaching into a chest freezer in the closet. He pulled out a blood bag and threw it at me. "I have a supplier in D.C. who can get me whatever I want."
I caught it with one hand expertly-not so much as looking at it-then threw it right back. "No, thank you. I'm going hunting."
"Hey," Rick tried to sound convincing. "At least this way we don't have to kill."
I ignored the jab. "As I said, I'm going hunting ... animal blood," I said with a smile. My throat was burning. I had to eat soon.
"Wait a minute," Rick replied as he punched a straw in the side of the blood bag as if it were a children's juice pouch, then raised it to his lips. "Don't forget! You need to register for school in the morning! Don't be late!"
"That's your job ... Dad," I said, laughing, heading toward the back of the house.
"I'll go with you in the morning!" Rick called after me, then added, "When you get back on time!"
"By the way, pick me up some Mountain Dew when you're at the store," I said, changing the subject.
"You and that Mountain Dew!"
"Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it," I said as I started toward the door.
Rick laughed and shook his head as I waved over my shoulder and raced out the back sliding glass door next to the floor-length plate glass windows. Outside, bright rays of orange and red shot across the sky, mixing with the brilliant blue sky. I breathed deeply, feeling the air rush into my lungs, inhaling the sweet scents of the forest: evergreen, moss, freesia, and baby's breath were among them, along with various animal scents: bear, raccoon, and elk. A squirrel scurried by near my feet. I looked around to make sure no one was looking, and with reckless abandon, I darted at lightning speed into the forest. As the wind rushed past, blowing my brown hair behind me, I felt free. There was nothing more freeing than running.
But as I ran, piercing blue eyes peering through blonde streaked hair crept repeatedly into my thoughts, along with those strong shoulders ... but I quickly brushed the picture from my mind. As of tomorrow, he would be in my charge. I couldn't help but wonder who was after this kid. He seemed to live quietly with his mother, unlinked to his father. Who was coming for him? I quickly averted my attention back to the hunt. Even though I had no answers, one thing was certain: this was just the quiet before the storm and the worst was yet to come. The corners of my mouth curled into a menacing smile. Bring it on.
Aksara