Bella Vita (9 page)

“
Thank you, Dom, but you
have to promise me that you won't do anything without talking to me
first, now promise?” I demanded.

“
I promise,
mia bella
.” His hand was
firm in mine as he escorted me back to my room. “Sleep sweet, my
love.” His lips gently brushed my cheek.

I went inside feeling every ounce of my
tired body filled with dread of what I had just started. I wasn't
sure what he would do without consulting me, or how far this would
go, but I knew that it was right to tell him. A small part of my
mind was worried over how he allowed the Mike and Bernie issues to
pass without any acknowledgment. But it was all something that I
would have to worry about tomorrow- because the moment my head
touched my pillow the world was gone.

When I woke up I wanted to
go back to sleep. The memories from my talk with Dominic washed
through my thoughts right away. I cringed as the images I had shown
to him played back through my mind like a slide show.
This is going to be a long day.
I told myself as I got up and headed for the
bathroom. I took extra time brushing my teeth and my hair- stalling
for time that I didn't have.

By the time I got downstairs, the house was
filled with people. I sighed, knowing that this was caused by what
I had revealed to Dominic. I went to the kitchen to get a hot
cocoa- if I was going to deal with all of this right away then I
need some chocolate to get through it- and maybe some blood.

The kitchen was clearly a
command central. The moment I stepped inside, some part of my brain
started screaming at me to run the other direction. Dom's parents
were at a table with my grandparents. I couldn't see Dom, but I
knew he was near. I threw blocks around my thoughts, and ones to
ensure that I couldn't hear anything that was coming from others.
In truth, I was just not ready for this. I walked to the stove and
made my spiked cocoa. The sweet taste and strong aroma made my
sense more attuned to the chaos around me. There was so much fear
in the air that you could taste it. My mouth was sour the moment
the feelings reached me.
Yuck!
I took another sip of my cocoa. I sighed. I
didn't want to get involved in this right away, but it appeared I
had no choice.

“
Emma Mary Hutchinson!” My
grandmother's voice pierced my thoughts.

I turned to her and took down my mental
blocks.

Yes, Grandmother? Good
morning Grandpa, and Mr. and Mrs. DeDominico.
I walked to the table they were sitting at.

Why did you not
respond?
Her words were cold and crisp
like cracking ice cubes out of the tray.

I didn't hear you. I've
learned the art of mental blocking. I'm sorry, Grandmother, I
didn't mean to offend anyone.
I hated
bowing to her harshness, but it was her way.

You what? Why on Earth
would you want to do that?
I tried not to
roll my eyes as she asked.

I think it's an amazing
gift. I'm very proud of you, Emma.
Grandpa's words were soft and comforting.

Thank you, Grandpa. Could
you tell me why everyone is here and all of this is going
on?
I gestured to the rush of people
behind me.

Unfortunately, Emma, we
were hoping you could explain more to us. You see, Dominic informed
us about the vision you had. The madness you see is a collection of
people- both human and vampire- that want to try to stop this event
from happening.
Grandpa sounded
tired.

Here let me show you the
dream. Please, everyone join hands.
I
asked of them.

They looked at each other- apparently this
wasn't a common thing in the vampire world- like I cared at this
point.

As you say, Child.
Grandpa took my grandmother's hand, she
tentatively took Dominic's mother's hand, she her husband's. They
looked at me expectantly.

Grandpa, I need your
hand.
I held out my hand for his. His cool
fingers slipped into mine without effort.
Please stay calm.
I warned them as I
followed the connection between each of them. Once I was certain I
could get the images through to all of them at one time, I took a
deep breath.
Here is what I've
seen.
My face blanked as I played the
vision for them.

Each vampire at the table gave an audible
gasp from the connection. I felt their tension, and unease. But I
knew they would hold this position as long as I fed them the
information they wanted. I tried to push the images from my mind
into theirs, but I watched the scene unfold just as they did. By
the end, tears were running down my cheeks.

That's all of it.
I said once the images stopped.

Thank you, Emma.
Dominic's mom took my hand and squeezed
it.
I know how hard it must be for you to
intentionally watch that.

Thank you, dear, for
sharing that with us.
Dominic's dad patted
my arm.
The information should prove to be
most useful.

I'm very impressed with
your skill, Emma. It seems that your trip has opened new doors for
your natural gifts.
Grandpa reached up and
wiped away the tears.

My grandmother was staring at me. Her eyes
were calculating in a way I had never seen before. I think she was
seeing me for who I was for the first time. I didn't try to pry
into her mind- which I could've done easily. Instead, I pulled a
chair up to the table and sipped on my cocoa.

Words buzzed around the
table, but I knew that they wouldn't change the future. The entire
time I sat there, I was tuning on to this future- looking for the
change to come from all of this action and excitement. Nothing
changed. I didn't know if I should say something, but I figured
that the actions would help Dom's family deal with this possible
future. All I wanted to do was find the solution and get all this
nonsense out of the house, but it wasn't there. No matter which way
I tried to turn this future, I couldn't see the other options or
other futures.
Nothing is set in
stone.
I knew I was missing
something.

I sensed Dominic before anyone noticed him
in the room. I didn't move to join him. I felt my temper close to
the surface because he hadn't listened to me. I mean I totally
understood why he told his family, but still- I felt betrayed a
little.

Em?
I knew that he sent the message just to me. I could feel his
uncertainty- but it didn't make me feel better.

Yes, Dom?
I tried to keep my emotions out of my
thoughts.

I'm sorry. Can you, please,
join me?
He was almost pleading in my
head.

Dominic!
His parents cried out together.

Yes, Mother, Father.
He nodded to each one. I had never seen him so
formal with his parents before.

I'll come.
I said rising from my seat.

Thank you.
His eyes caught mine.

I'm sorry that I have to
leave you so soon, but I have to start getting ready for tomorrow.
First day, you know.
I shrugged at
them.

Of course.
Dom's mom smiled at me.

Grandpa just waved me on and Grandmother
seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

I walked out of the room and out to the
veranda. The outdoors seemed to call to me, especially after going
through that kitchen scene with so many people trying to fix
something they didn't understand or could do anything about. I
sighed into the cool early evening air.

Emma?
His voice was concerned.

“
Dom, I'm going to forgive
you. I'm just annoyed.” I hated to play those games where you dance
around what you mean.

“
Thank you. I'm sorry you
feel betrayed. I had to tell them.” He looked down at his
boots.

“
You know... what they're
doing... it won't help. You know that, right?” I looked at
him.

“
What do you mean? You can
see this?” He knelt in front of me.

“
Yes. No one asks me
though. This path leads to that future as well. I can't see a
different path to take. But maybe something will change soon. I
didn't want to say anything because I wanted them to feel like they
were doing something.” I looked out into the purple hued sea, the
sound of waves crashing was comforting.

“
Thank you for telling me.
I truly appreciate it, my love.” He sighed and sat next to
me.

“
What's the point of lying
to you, I doubt it'll make you feel better. You are going to have
to trust me. I'm watching this, looking for options, but right
now... it seems like nothing is going to change it.” I had to be
honest with him.

“
I understand.” He huffed
out a breath. “So I asked the outfitters to come out in about an
hour for your fitting.” He smiled at me.

“
My what?” I raised my
eyebrow at him.

“
For your uniform.” I
watched as he was holding back a snicker.

“
Uniform? Excuse me, no one
mentioned a uniform!” My temper was set to come out, I stood and
walked to the rail.

“
I promise it isn't a
terrible one. In fact it's all black. And every student has the
ability to add to theirs. But the school needed something that
helped to keep people from nosing about too much- thus the private
school look, and uniforms.” He was holding his smile
back.

“
UGH!” I exhaled as much as
I could.

Apparently, Dominic felt that that was the
straw that broke the camel's back because he burst out in
laughter.

“
What the hell do you think
is so damn funny, Dominic?” I snarled at him.

“
You, my dear.” He giggled
at me.

“
Grr!” I went and sat
noisily down.

“
It really isn't so bad.
You'll see soon. As for your books, they will have to wait until we
get your schedule tomorrow. I've arranged for us to be there a
little early so we could get you settled.” He beamed at me, as
though it replaced his laughter from earlier.

I remained silent.

“
Oh, come on, Emma, you
can't truly be mad at me for laughing at your silliness.” He nudged
me with his arm.

“
Yes, I can!” I
protested.

“
Okay, fine, sit there and
pout. I guess I'll have to eat these tasty calzones all by myself.”
He said as he pulled two silver covered plates from behind the
outdoor bar.

“
That is so not fair! Using
food when you know I've not eaten yet.” I sighed in mock
despair.

“
You know I would give you
the world,
mia bella
.” He handed me a plate that felt the perfect
temperature.

I pulled the lid off and
bit into the doughy turnover. My mouth watered as the salty
tartness from the green olives and the artichoke hearts blended in
my mouth.
My favorite! Yummy!
I could no longer pretend to be upset.

“
Thank you!” I smacked a
loud wet kiss on his cheek.

“
You're welcome and that is
only slightly gross- less calzone next time.” He smiled as he slid
his hand across his cheek.

We ate in silence- just watching the waves
roll on the sea as it darkened to a midnight black.

Once the outfitters arrived I was rushed
upstairs into an actual fitting room- apparently I had not been in
every room. It had mirrors everywhere and a pedestal that I had to
stand on. There were drawers on every surface that didn't have a
mirror reflecting a different angle of me. There were two women and
a man. I didn't understand why I needed three people to dress me
until I learned that they each did something different as the
others worked on alterations. After two hours of them turning,
poking, sticking, stitching, cutting, and hmming around me- they
finally finished. In the end, I walked away with two plain black
pleaded skirts, a pair of black slacks- much like Dickies, a pair
of black capris, two long and two short sleeve button ups, a black
knit vest with an emblem of a moon with a bat, and several pairs of
knee high stockings. I love black and all, but I seriously thought
that someone should've thought the apparel out a little better-
this stuff stood out more than street clothes.

“
How are we supposed to lay
low if we're dressed like some sort of gothic reject school?” I
asked once the outfitters were gone.

Dom chuckled. “Em, I told you this is the
basic, bare minimum. No one wears only black. They mix it up. I've
ordered more vests for you, that is one of the things that you do
have to wear, but everything else is subjective.” He smiled at
me.

“
I think you have an evil
bone in your body- like the monster that Igor makes in that cartoon
movie.” I stared at the reflection of myself, clad all in
black.
This would've been my dream back in
my normal life.
I hated to have to remind
myself that my 'normal' life was long gone.