CHAPTER FOUR

I accidently ended up staying out all night, learning all I could from Darien about Thomas.  A part of me felt guilty for treating him that way, for snapping on him.  But a bigger part of me felt relieved, that a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders.  I wondered how tonight would go, if Thomas would show up at all.

My sister didn’t go to work until noon, and she was asleep when I left, so I thought that she would still be sleeping.  That was a big mistake.

When I walked in through the door, she grabbed my arm.

“Where the hell have you been?  I called the cops and, as far as I’m still concerned, they’re still looking for you!  Where were you exactly?”  I didn’t tell her, I wanted to tell her, but I couldn’t.  I tried prying her away from me, but her manicured nails sunk into my arms.

“Where were you?  I want an answer NOW, young lady.  Were you at a party?  Were you drinking?  What were you doing?”

“I was out drinking blood,” I replied coldly.  There, she had her answer.  What she chose to do with it, I didn’t care.

My sister, Annabeth, rubbed her forehead.  “You and your damn Vampire obsessions!  I thought I told you I wanted an answer?  Truthfully, this time if you don’t mind.”

“I just told you my truthful answer.  I was out drinking blood.”

“That’s it, I’m done.  You’re grounded for two months.  I have put up with this bullshit way too much, and entirely way too long,” said Annabeth. I looked at her as she looked at me.  And in her eyes, I could almost sense that she knew what I was going through, which is weird because I don’t get the feeling that Annabeth was a Vampire, or half.  She then rubbed her eyes the same time I went to prod deeper into her mind.  I got angry again at her.

“You tell me that you want a straight answer, and so I give you one, but then you say that it’s bullshit.  Well, you know what?  You’re bullshit, you bitch.  I wish you were in the car with mom and dad as well!”  I yelled at her.  I ran up the steps to my room and slammed the door shut.

I wiped away my tears and got ready for school.  My sister knocked softly at the door.  “Tammy?  I’m sorry; I was just so worried about you.”  I continued to ignore her as I put on my dark denim jeans, my ring I found a while back that had a black Vampire bat with red eyes and slipped it on my finger, and looked in the mirror.  My face was twisted with anger…and hate.  I put on my Marilyn Manson t-shirt, and looked in the mirror closely.

There were bags underneath my hazel eyes, and my auburn hair was a wild mess.  My eyes looked sad, and seemed to say, If you weren’t in the woods that July day… if only…   I sighed and ran a brush though my hair, making it look like it always did.  Soft, but with a few kinks in it to show that I didn’t have enough time to make it straight like it always is.

I put down my brush, and started to apply my mascara, and then some heavy black eye-liner.  Then I put on some red lipstick, and smacked my lips together.  And then I just stared at my reflections, while my sister was still trying to comfort me, trying to coax me out of my room.  I didn’t want to come out, my eyes were just hypnotizing me, compelling me to stay and hear the stories that they wanted to tell me.  They just looked so sad, and tired of all this crap that was going on.

All I had ever wanted was a normal teenage life, to hang out with my friends at the mall, to have sleepovers and to giggle when our crushes came over to talk to us.  But I couldn’t have had that life, I wasn’t made for it.  So I developed an attitude and a bad-ass reputation.  Nobody ever bothered to talk to me; hell, even the Goths and freaks at my school were afraid to approach me, for fear of striking up my temper that I have.

I sighed, and opened up my door.  I looked at Annabeth, her hair was all over the place, and she looked like she really was worried about me, almost having a look that said, I know how it feels.  Who knows, maybe she had stayed up all night worrying about me.  Maybe I can tell her the truth, maybe she won’t reject me.  Then I shook myself mentally at the thought, people have always thought Vampires are evil.

“Tam, please, let me help you. I know…” she stopped herself.

“What were you going to say?”

She sighed, “Nothing.  It doesn’t matter.  Just please, let me help you, don’t you love me enough for me to help you?”

 I curled my lip, “I don’t give a shit.  You can apologize all you want, but I’m thinking I should leave this house for good.  Maybe I’ll move in with Thomas!”  I yelled at her, and then clamped my hands over my mouth.  She didn’t know who Thomas was.  So much for not telling her, I guess.

A flash of recognition flashed in her eyes for a moment, but then passed as Annabeth’s face went red with anger.  “Is that the person you were out with last night?  Doing your weird, sick, twisted Vampire nonsense?  Does he drink blood too?”

I brushed past her, but then turned around with a sick smirk on my lips.  Why not let her have it now?  “Yes.  He does drink blood.  Real human blood too, and the best part is, we’re immortal lovers.  Oh, and get this, he’s over four-hundred years old!”  I watched as my sister's face went from anger to sickness.  And she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

“That’s just sick and wrong Tammy.  What would mom say about you now?  What happened to the Snow White princess mom and dad rose,” she said to herself.

I sighed as my sister just rubbed her eyes.  Being a nurse with long hours was hard on Ann.  I shook my head and said, “Now, if you excuse me, I need to pick up Paul for school.”

“Isn’t that the nice boy across the street from us?  Did you seduce him?”

“No, he just wants to hang out with me.  Plus, he’s really nice too…” I then turned my back on my sister and headed down the stairs to go out the door…