A Castle of Sand (A Shade of Vampire 3)

CHAPTER 42: SOFIA

Pulse quickening, heart thumping, I kept on running through pitch-black darkness with no idea where I came from, where I was or where I was going. All I knew was that I had to run, because this overwhelming feeling of dread told me that if I stopped at any point, it would be the end of me. Thus, I kept running. When I saw light shining from a distance, slowly lighting my blackened surroundings, hope surged within me. I was just about to reach the light when a small voice called out to me.

“Sofia…” the voice said—small and frail, “you’re back.”

I turned around and saw a little girl standing a few feet away from me. Her green eyes and knotted red hair eerily reminded me of myself. “Hello,” I greeted her. “What are you doing here?”

She walked toward the light and I gasped when I realized that she was me.

“I’m scared,” she told me.

“Why?” I asked. “Why are you scared?”

Her lips began to quiver and her hand moved toward her neck before letting her fingers fiddle with a pendant hanging under a golden chain around her neck. I walked closer to this smaller version of myself, wondering what was bothering her.

“You don’t have to be scared…” I told her.

She shook her head. “No. I should be afraid. Very afraid.” She let go of the pendant and I realized that it was mine—the diamond one that Derek had given me for my birthday.

“Who gave you that necklace?” I asked her.

“It’s mine.” She pouted.

“Yes, but who gave it to you?”

“It doesn’t matter now.” Tears began streaming down her face as she shook her head. Suddenly, the diamond pendant changed into a large heart-shaped ruby red pendant.

I could feel the blood drain from my face as I heard a piercing scream fill the air, followed by the sound of glass shattering. I then saw a glimpse of Vivienne running from light to darkness, screaming, “How dare he! How dare he!”

I sat up in bed. I was breaking into a cold sweat and trembling uncontrollably. The alarming sense of fear was taking over all of me. The little girl in my dream—the little girl whom I was sure was a younger version of me—was still etched in my mind.

I could remember clearly the significance of the ruby red pendant based on one of the memories Vivienne shared to me—one of Xavier handing her a velvet pouch, telling her that it was a gift from Borys Maslen. When Vivienne retrieved the heart-shaped pendant from the pouch, she was livid. I’d always known Vivienne as this calm, collected person who sometimes seemed cold and heartless, so to see her so hot with fury was hard to forget.

“Sofia?” A voice came from the other side of the door after a timid knock. “Are you alright?” The door creaked open and someone peeked in. I was hoping that it would be Derek, but it was Ben.

I must’ve looked frightened out of my senses because he immediately stepped into the guest room and climbed on the bed next to me.

“What happened?” he asked, gently brushing his hand over my hair.

“It’s nothing. I just had an awful nightmare…” I pulled my knees up, embracing them against my chest. I gingerly looked at him. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to visit you… I kept on knocking, but no one was answering, so I just let myself in. Rosa told me that you spent the night here. I could hear you screaming from outside…”

I hated how much I doubted him, wondering if what he had told me was true. I wondered if Claudia even knew that he was around. I hadn’t seen the crazy, blonde vampire since the last council meeting.

It then dawned on me. Where’s Derek? If Ben was knocking, Derek would’ve heard it. He was a very light sleeper. If I’d been screaming because of my nightmare, he would’ve heard.

“I need to go find Derek…” I motioned to get off the bed.

“Wait.” Ben grabbed my wrist and held on tight.

“Ben?” I actually felt nervous. Suddenly, being alone in the same bedroom with my best friend didn’t feel safe. “Let go of my wrist.”

He looked surprised, and even hurt, by my reaction. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rough. You’re obviously shaken.” He got off the bed and stepped away from me. “I just wanted to tell you that just as I crossed the walkway leading to your bedroom, I saw Derek’s father enter the penthouse. He’s in the living room, and I don’t know...something’s not right. I don’t trust him, Sofia.”

I laughed wryly. “Yeah? That makes two of us.” I had no idea what was going on, but I was sure about one thing: Ben was right. Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.