67: Stuck Right Where I Should And Shouldn't Be

A whole month goes by. A month of me wearing slightly bigger clothes and constantly looking behind my back. Every time Monty or Gretchen or Caleb look at me, I feel they can sense it. I know they question it. Why isn’t she getting better? It’s been over a month and she’s still sickly. She can’t possibly still want him?

Is it bad if I do?

I can sense Caleb behind me before he says anything. “I just have to finish up this batch and bottle it before we go.” I say with my back still to him.

“We’re not going back to your house.”

I whip around to face him. “What? Why?” Or more like where am I staying? Caleb is a sweetie, but his nervous gaze and his unsaid thoughts of my brokenness is starting to weigh on me. Does he think it’s a good idea to bring me to Scarlet River because it’s not.

“Gretchen didn’t tell you? Monty? Avery?” I shake my head as he rattles off names. “You didn’t overhear it?”

“Overhear what? I zone out.” I’m not going to tell him why. I’m not going to tell him everytime I overhear the word vampire I tense up to the point of forgetting to breathe. That if I start to listen to voices I’ll hear Gabriel’s.

“There’s something you need to see.” He says before dashing out of the room. What the hell is going on? I want to scream at him to just stop and spit it out, but then we reach Monty’s room where the TV is on, I can see it for myself.

Philip is back as headlining news. It flashes from in studio to outside Phillip’s manor where groupies and rioters and reporters linger. “He’s been making demands, threatening war.” Caleb says summing it all up for me. “It isn’t safe out there anymore. Avery and Avalos are on they’re way here, Gretchen is getting Icky and Monty is fixing up the basement.”

Even though I knew it was going to happen, I’m still speechless. It all seems to be going so fast, happening all so fast. I thought I would be more prepared, not more fearful. I force the thought back, but it comes anyways. I thought that I would be with Gabriel...safe. My fingers rub and twist each other making them red and sore. “I can fight.”

“If what you said happens, there is no fighting...at least not for you. One vamp spots you and you’ll be dragged back.”

Does he believe that? Do I not believe that?

I meet him in the middle. “Fine, but I help us prepare.” Preparing isn’t exactly fighting. I skim over the fact that I’ll be stuck in this little shop with six sets of eyes on me.
“Prepare for what?” Caleb asks.

Wasn’t it obvious. He’s getting all of us together, locked up in Mystic Moon to stay safe. I reply with one single word. “War.” In my head though I say something different, ya hear that kid, we’re going to war with Daddy.

Out of nowhere a dizziness sends the room spinning and my knees give out. My head cracks against the floor and can feel the warm burn of the hit before everything goes black.

*I crawl on the floor of Mystic Moon to come to my knees right in front of Gabriel. I struggle to stand. His hand gently grips my arm helping me to my feet and I quickly rip out of his grasp and turn my back to him. This is all too familiar, except this time he got me in a room that’s soon to be packed with people.

“You’re doing it again. Aren’t you?” I say into the empty echo of a room.

“I stopped for awhile.” He replies. “Phillip has us all running around, preparing.”

My heart clenches so tightly in my chest that I gasp for breath. I don’t get hung up on the fact that Phillip has his army of vampires preparing for war. There’s something else more important than that, something unsaid. “Stopped? From before right...right!” Silence. Nononononono. I can see the answer on his face. “My blood induced dreams were really…” No.

“You would’ve died if I didn’t. You were bound so tightly to me that you would’ve died.” The words sound genuine, but I push them back, push them far away no matter how badly it hurts. I was bound so tightly because of him. “I can’t lose you.”

“You made that very clear, but do you think what you did doesn’t affect the outcome? You lied to me, kept things, very important things from me. Not to mention kept me drugged up to the point of unconscious intoxication.” As if things could get worse, a searing pain shoots through my stomach hitching my breath as it takes me by surprise. I twist away from him to wrap my arms around my belly and breath through the pain.

Not now, not here. I didn’t want him to find out. I wanted to keep a secret just like he kept his intentions a secret.

“Hazel.” Gabriel’s thunderous footsteps fill the room as he approaches me. “What’s wrong. You shouldn’t be-” He spins me around to face him, I don’t resist. His eyes go wide as he stares down at me.

My baggy clothes are useless as I grip my stomach. The silence kills me. “Are we done here?” I snap as I shake his hands off me. “I hit my head pretty hard and it obviously doesn’t like it here, wherever here is.” And yes, I called my half witch, half vampire baby an it.

“You’re pregnant?” He blurts out. “Why...why didn’t you tell me?” His hand slides through his hair as he comes to terms with it. As he realises he succeeded in Phillip’s wishes. He should be proud and he is. His lips twitch into a smile as he reaches out, his palm inches from stomach, but I slap him away before he can reach me.

“Really? You kinda just got done being a complete psycho, so...yeah.” I turn away from him. I need to leave, I need to wake up, but I’m trapped. “I need to wake up, I need to wake up.” I chant out loud.

He doesn’t let me get far before his arms wrap around from behind pinning me against him. I struggle for only a second before he lets me go. “I’m sorry,” he hollers as I continue my retreat, his hands never far away. His fingertips graze me every step or two. “What do I have to do?”

I can hear the desperation in his voice and it burns through me. Shit. His hand grabs my swinging arm bringing me to a stop.

By the time he turns me around to face him, tears are uncontrollably streaming down my face. “Damn it Hazel.” He mutters as he pulls me in for a hug.

It feels so good to be in his arms, but I fight as much as I can. It isn’t much though and I lose the fight. My face in his chest, stuck right where I should and shouldn’t be.
The silence between us is broken as disembodied voices fill the room. Only bits of pieces of the conversation with my actual body come through. Gretchen, “What happened?” Caleb, “She collapsed.” Monty, “Umm, guys.” Avery, “Gabriel’s.” Caleb, “Fucking vampire.”

Gabriel must sense my wakefulness, because he hurriedly says, “I’m coming for you. Both of you.”*

I wake up on Mystic Moon’s floor, six pairs of eyes staring down at me. Great.
...

Hello everyone! We have come to a great stopping point for a small intermission. The story isn't over yet, war is coming and little baby Gazel?...Hazriel?...but I'm putting it on hold while I work on my other story Vampire Bride. I just want to thank each and every one of you that took the time to read this far and spend those hard earned coins on it. You insipre me to write and I can only hope I insipire you to read or even write your own stories one day. Thank you!