Ever After

Chapter 18



Missing



I looked at William, he was still not moving at all. I tried to see if he was breathing but I couldn’t. I found a shirt, and a pink hooded zip up sweatshirt to throw on. I pulled the closet door open and stepped behind it so Todd and his friend couldn’t see me. I found a white knit hat to throw on and my jean jacket, hardly warm enough for January, but it was all I had on hand in my closet.

I tried to move fast. Todd kept telling me to hurry up. They knew the Followers would be here to look in on Will soon, so they wanted to get out of there. I got my shoes on and stood at the edge of the bed, and doubled over in pain again. My stomach seemed to hurt more than my lungs. I wasn’t sure if I could even walk, but Todd wasn’t waiting for me anymore.

“Hurry it up Corrine, suck it up!” Todd yelled.

“I… can’t.” I gasped in pain I closed my eyes, as the room seemed to be spinning.

“You can and you will, you have no choice here! We are going now even if I have to drag you! You’re wasting my time. Doc and his stupid coven are going to be here any second now, they will sense something’s wrong.”

Todd kicked William aside, grabbed my arm, and pulled me out of my room into the dark hallway. The house seemed very dark. I figured they cut the power or something. Dad was in Chicago on business, and Sara was with him, as they had a benefit dinner tomorrow night. Gran was asleep. I was thankful none of them would get hurt.

I knew if Gran or dad had been here and tried to stop Todd, he would have killed them. Libby was in the house but she must have been asleep. She wasn’t due in to check on me for another hour or more. She didn’t come in as much, when William was here. She knew he would watch over me.

I stumbled along the hall nearly falling, until Kyle, annoyed with my slow pace threw me over his shoulder and carried me out of the house. When Todd opened the door, a blast of frigid winter air cut through my flimsy jacket. I remembered Doc saying I had to be kept warm. I knew now I was in massive trouble.

I tried to bury my head down in my coat, away from the wind but it cut through me like a knife. I was instantly freezing and felt so strange, and numb. Todd had a Jeep waiting, parked just outside the view of the security cameras. Todd opened the door and Kyle put me in the backseat face down. They then pulled my arms behind my back and tied them with a rope.

“Don’t want you trying to get away.” Todd hissed as he yanked the rope tight around my wrists.

I put my head down on the seat; it was much warmer in the vehicle, as Todd turned up the heat. If they only knew that in a matter of hours I would be dead, they would not have bothered with the stupid ropes. I guess I could have tried to get my arms free, but I knew even if I did I could not run faster than they run or fight them. I was no match for them.

Two full-blooded vamps against one not even fully changed half blood, was not even fair. I sighed closing my eyes, my ribs hurt and my stomach felt all twisted. I could breath, now with very little pain. I knew that in a matter of hours without the serum from Pratt, the pain would be back 100 times worse than before.

I couldn’t get the picture of Will lying on my bedroom floor out of my mind. I couldn’t let myself think he was dead; my heart ached not knowing and not being able to help him. The fight between he and Todd was horrible, he tossed Will around as if he was nothing. I feared his injuries might kill him.

I had no idea how long we drove, I drifted in and out of sleep. I tried to pretend this was a nightmare and I could wake up and be back at home with William. It was still dark, possibly in the very early hours of the morning, when they finally stopped driving. I could see trees, lots of them when I looked up. We had to be in some kind of thick woods. It couldn’t have been very far from Cambridge. We just were not on the road long enough to be out of the area.

I slowly pulled myself up to see better. An old stone two-story house tucked back into a massive grove of oak trees was in front of me. It looked ancient and abandon, like something out of a horror movie. I started coughing and my lungs felt like they were burning. Todd and Kyle got out, and opened the doors to where I was.

“What in the hell is wrong with you anyway?” Todd snapped at me. “Leo said you were in some kind of mid phase thing, or dying?” He got in my face and looked at me.

I tried to back up, but I was pinned against the seat. I glared at him, wishing I could scratch his eyes out. If only I was a full blood I could have done just that and worse to him. He put his hand on my cheek, and pulled it back quickly.

“You’re like ice!” He grabbed my wrist next, feeling my pulse. “He did really bite you didn’t he? I thought it was made up to scare us off from you, but he really did try to change you! What happened Corrine? He couldn’t do it right or what? Why are you still over half human?” He shook his head in disgust.

"I can smell it. You don’t even give off any kind of vampire vibes; you’re not even half way changed.” He and Kyle looked at each other. I didn’t even try to think of what they were talking about in their minds to one another.

“Shut up Todd you don’t know anything!” I slammed my fist into his arm hard. “Damn it!” He grabbed his arm in shock. “You’re stronger than I thought.”

I was shocked too, I had no idea I could hurt him. I liked the idea though. I hoped that maybe I was changing into a half blood finally. If I was, I could escape when I was strong enough, and the coven wouldn’t have to rescue me.

“Come on now enough of that, we have to get inside.” I stumbled behind him as he held my arms. Kyle was right behind me watching every move I made.