Captivated (An Affliction Novel) (18 page)

“What’s up?” Markus asked casually.

“I forgot to tell you…I’m not going to school today.” I said as I knelt down to the opened window.

“Why?” Markus asked.

“I’m just-”

“Hi Markus!” My mom was waving from the open door.

Markus stuck his arm out and waved back. In that moment, I acted like I was already headed for the passenger seat as if my mom’s appearance had nothing to do with it. I opened the door and slid casually in the seat. Markus put the car in reverse to get out of the driveway and we drove off.

“Did you notice anything when you got in?” Markus asked with a proud smile.

“What? Another accidental haircut?” I teased.

“You should really pay more attention to details Mindy. You might figure things out on your own.” Markus said.

“What are you talking about?” I asked unsure of where this was headed.

“Take me for instance; I knew you were ditching before you told me because of the bookless bag with a bikini string hanging out that you’re carrying.” Markus pointed out. “And you ditched sixth hour yesterday.”

I felt my bag without looking down at it. It was empty and I didn’t even realize it before. The only thing in it was a pink flowered bikini that didn’t even add to the weight of the bag.

“You missed it yesterday.” He said with excitement. It was the kind of excitement that came with gossip.

“What?” I asked, hoping he would forget about me ditching.

“After school, I was in the hallway with Tanya right. Shane was looking for you and out of nowhere-”

“Wait a minute…Shane? Shane was looking for me?” I asked.

“Yeah. And then Ashley comes out and-”

“What did he say?” I interrupted yet again. I still couldn’t believe that Shane was looking for me again, even after I laughed in his face and turned him down. He was still interested? In what? It didn’t seem like he liked me. None of this made sense.

“Are you serious? That’s not even the juicy part.” Markus huffed out.

“A hot guy goes looking for me and you don’t think that’s juicy?” I asked.

“Fine. He asked if you were around. I told him you weren’t and then he walked away.” Markus turned and made sure I looked at him. He imitated a girly giggle and waved his hands close to his chest, like a girl that just got asked to prom by a popular guy. Then, with a girly scream, he said, “Oh my God!”

“Whatever!” I giggled while lightly shoving his shoulder.

“Can I finish now?” Markus paused and after I nodded in agreement, he continued with the gossip. “So, he’s walking away right. And out of nowhere Ashley jumps in front of him and smacks him across the face!”

“What! You’re kidding me!” I screeched out.

“Yeah and then she started yelling stuff at him. Some crazy stuff.” Markus said.

“Like what?” I asked.

“All I could make out was…
’I know what you did to Jennifer’.”
Markus paused and he looked like he was trying to search a meaning in that. “Then he silenced her. He raised his hand up and she stopped yelling. He said…‘
I did nothing to her. You were mistaken-’ ”

“Then what?” I interrupted…again!

“Would you let me finish!” Markus snapped.

“Sorry! Geesh!” I said.

“She repeated it back to him. She said…‘
You did nothing to her’. I was mistaken.
’
”
Markus said. “It was weird. The way she said it was zombie like. Like she was-”

“Hypnotized.” I finished what Markus was saying. Hypnotized by Shane, that’s how I usually felt around him. I remembered the first time I met him, how I felt I couldn’t function. I felt way too drawn to him for being the first time I met him.

“Yeah. Then she turned around and walked away.”

“Vampires use that kind of stuff don’t they?” I asked without really thinking about what I was saying.

Markus took a deep breath. “So, where are you going?” He asked, disregarding my question.

“Don’t you know?” I challenged. “A good detective should have some idea.” Maybe he just didn’t feel like talking about the whole vampire theory right now. I’d leave it alone…for now.

“I’m not a psychic.” Markus shot back. Then he smirked followed by a long pause, “You’re meeting Dean aren’t you?” he asked.

“What makes you think that?” I asked defensively.

“Okay. Okay…you’re not.” Markus rolled his eyes like he was just saying that to calm me down.

We were approaching the entrance I always used to get to the waterfall. Something looked different about it. Something odd that I couldn’t put my finger on.

“Pull up here.” I pointed.

“Why?” Markus asked.

“Just do it.” I said.

He slowly parked the car out of the road and turned to me. I went for the door handle and he called my attention.

“Mindy.” Markus said as he shifted nervously in his seat.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“I-I’ve been meaning to tell you something.” Markus huffed out. “I don’t think I should. I know I shouldn’t.” he blurted.

He re-adjusted himself in his seat and gazed at me. He looked away and tried to alleviate the situation by making beep bop noises with his mouth and drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel. I’d never seen him like this. Oh no. Did he-?

“Uh oh. Don’t tell me you’ve had a secret crush on me!” I shrieked.

“What! God no!” Markus made a face of disgust. “I’m not into red heads. And you smell like coconuts.” He stuck out his tongue and pretended to gag himself with his index finger.

“Well forget you then!” I exclaimed and folded my arms across my chest in an attempt to cover up my humiliation. “What do you need to tell me?” I asked harshly.

“Nothing.” Markus chuckled. “Let’s just forget this. I have to go before you make me late.” He nodded his head to shake the incident off and put the car in drive. I opened the door and as I stepped out, I noticed that I didn’t need his help with it. I popped my head inside the car.

“You fixed your door!” I exclaimed.

“Now you’re paying attention to things.” Markus said proudly. “Mindy-” He paused. “Be careful when you’re with Dean.” his tone got serious.

“You know about him? And me?” I asked.

“It’s obvious.” He paused. “Well…to me it is. Tanya doesn’t suspect a thing.”

“Are you mad? I know you think he’s a murderous vampire-”

“Forget about all that.” Markus interrupted me.

“Ummm…I kind of don’t want people knowing about this.” I said. “It’s just that, I don’t even know if we’re dating or not. I don’t want anyone to know until its official.”

“That sucks. I was dying to tell everyone about your secret rendezvous.” Markus turned to me. “I won’t say a word.”

“I take it, you don’t want to talk about the whole vampire thing either huh?” I asked.

Markus stared at me and from the look on his face, he was thinking about what the right thing to say would have been. Why he was acting this way was beyond me. Before, he was obsessed with finding out what Dean was up to. His theories and anything that involved Dean, was something he would always wanted to talk about with me.

From the stare of contemplation that was directed at me Markus said, “Just be careful when you’re with him.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Things aren’t always what they seem.” Markus took a deep breath and faced straight ahead. “You have to be careful with him.” he added.

“What are you trying to say?” I asked.

“Nothing-it’s just.” Markus let out a loud sigh. “Never mind.”

Without saying another word, he slowly crept the car forward, careful not to run over my foot. When he was in the clear, he sped off.

he words Markus said, ‘be careful when you’re with him,’ played in my head. I couldn’t comprehend why he would say something like that or why he wouldn’t explain himself.

I decided to ask Dean about himself. There were too many questions. I wasn’t sure if I would even get any answers, but that wasn’t going to stop me from trying.

As I got closer to the waterfall, I heard the crisp splashing of the pouring water. That sound was enough to ease my discomfort by one notch. Just one. But what I saw next had me on edge. Dean was standing next to his motorcycle. He had a purple helmet in one hand and it didn’t look like it was for him. I had never ridden on a motorcycle. I had never known a person with one. I also didn’t like the idea of being so close to the pavement at high speeds. Dean didn’t look like he brought any protection for himself. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt that hugged his round pecks and roped stomach. His navy blue shorts had splashes of black flowers all over them. His face was radiating with pleasure. I got goose bumps because he looked so happy to see me. He wasn’t scary anymore.

“What’s the motorcycle for?” I asked as I strolled up to him.

Dean pulled me up to him and kissed my lips. “We’re going for a ride.” He brought the helmet up and carefully adjusted it on my head. I gazed at his eyes, they were like two sparkling emeralds looking down at me.

As he released me, it seemed like he was tearing himself away from me unwillingly. In one swift movement, he hopped on the bike and kicked the kickstand into its socket. Dean steadied the bike. I couldn’t stand still as he gazed at me. I was fidgeting uncomfortably hoping he wouldn’t regret telling me he liked me without makeup. A smile formed on his face.

“You’re beautiful.” Dean said while stretching his hand out to me.

Every time those words danced out of his mouth, I felt like the most beautiful girl in the world. I floated to him, even though the thought of being on a motorcycle for the first time scared me. He held me steady with his arm as I climbed up behind him. And when I said steady, I meant it. It didn’t move as I put my weight on it to hop up, not even a centimeter. I adjusted myself on the seat and stuffed my book bag in the small bike compartment. 

Dean turned his head to the side. “Hold onto me tightly.” he commanded.

Hold on to him. Got it.
So, I lifted my shaky arms and set my hands on his sides. The urge to wrap my arms completely around him was strong. Was it okay to do it? Would I be too forward? I hesitated and finally just kept my hands in the safe zone at his sides.

“Tighter.” Dean said softly as if he were hoping I would do it.

I gladly did. I didn’t set my hand on top of the other when my arms wrapped all around his waist. I made sure to touch as much of him as possible. I pressed my hands against a big section of his stomach muscles and melted into his back. Talk about paradise.

We took off at a low speed through the forest. Dean seemed to know how to navigate to different areas of town that way. Not even a mile away from leaving the water fall, I saw an animal lying on the grassy floor in the distance. It was a dear. We came closer to it and Dean started picking up speed.

     “What’s wrong with that deer?” I thought out loud.

“Nature.” Dean said firmly.

“Stop! Maybe it’s still alive!” I exclaimed.

Dean ignored me and passed it. I let go and pounded his solid back. He slowed down to a stop.

“You can’t just let go like that! You can fall-” Dean yelled.

Before he could finish, I was already jumping off the motorcycle and hurrying towards the deer. My stomach
queezed
as I approached the peaceful animal. It was motionless and there was a patch of blood around its neck. It came from four small openings. This was the strangest bite mark I’d ever seen. Dean was calling me back to the bike, but I ignored him. His heavy steps came quickly.

“What could have done this?” I covered my mouth to keep from vomiting. The facial expression of the deer was frozen in place. Its eyes were wide open, like it saw something unbelievable before it died. It was terrified at whatever attacked it. And that’s when I looked around the forest. I realized why it seemed so different today. No birds singing and jumping from branch to branch. I didn’t see the squirrels darting across the grassy floors and up the trees. Everything was still and silent. Whatever killed this poor deer must have scared the whole forest away.

“Get away from it Lina. Let’s go.” Dean ordered quickly. He reached down and helped me to my feet.

“What could have done that?” I wondered again out loud.

“Forget about the deer. Let’s get going. Okay?” Dean insisted.

I shook his hold on me and stepped away. “Don’t you care?”

“No, I don’t. Let’s go.” Dean said sternly.

“I don’t understand why you don’t care Dean!” I yelled.

“Big deal. It’s a deer. They die.” Dean said through his clenched teeth.

“We used to bury dead birds together. You remember that? Where’s your compassion?” I snapped back.

“I’m not a kid anymore Lina. Deer die all the time. Everything dies. It’s best to just get over it.” Dean said. But the way he said it was so sad. It was like he had convinced himself that death was a sure thing. That it was inevitable. I knew that was what death was. But, he sounded like he thought about death all the time. Then I thought of his parents and felt sorry for snapping at him.

Again, he stepped up to me and gently grabbed me by the shoulders, leading me to the bike. I stood next to it, waiting for him to get on, when I felt his hands on the sides of my stomach. Dean was standing so close behind me that I felt as if his body was up against mine. I anticipated him to press against me so I could feel the full effect of what I was already experiencing. My breathing quickened as the nano-seconds ticked by. Then his hands maneuvered their way down my sides. His long fingers explored me. They were spread out and feeling every inch as they slowly made their way down to my hips. I silently gasped as he grabbed my hips tightly and lifted me off the ground. He softly set me down on the back seat and grazed his hand up my back as he moved away. When he sat himself down in front of me, he turned his head. “Please don’t let go when I’m driving.” He asked. I nodded my head, with my jaw dropped, and we were off again.

At first, Dean eased on the gas at a low and comfortable speed. I was relieved about that, since it was my first time on a bike. After a short while, Dean picked up the pace. He didn’t ease into a faster speed either. He more liked jumped to another level! I gripped him tighter and pressed myself against him more. I kept my eyes open because I didn’t want to miss a thing. The trees passed by us quickly one after another. My hair trailed behind me, playing tango with the wind. I slightly loosened my grip on Dean. Immediately after, he jumped the speed again. I reflexively gripped him tightly again. That’s when I felt his stomach shake. It wasn’t from the ride, because it was a smooth one. It was coming from within him. He was laughing at me. Dean jumped the speed again and I automatically gripped him even tighter. And I felt the shaking underneath my fingers again. He laughed when I would grip tighter. He was teasing me. I shook my head to what I just realized and I tried pinching a part of his skin to let him know I was on to him.

It didn’t take us long to get to the entrance of The Blue Hole. I thought back to the deer, never had I seen such marks. Regular animals didn’t make puncture wounds like that. It just wasn’t normal. Dean didn’t seem like he cared too much…or he didn’t want to talk about it. Something had sucked the blood right out of the deer. And why didn’t Dean want me to see it? He was eager for me to get away from it.

We drove down the winding street trail, past the neighborhood houses. The pet cemetery was to our right. It had to have been here before the houses. Why would they even have one where kids played? Passing it gave me a creepy feeling that made my skin crawl. It reminded me about a movie I saw about a pet cemetery, which left an impression on me when I was a child. I never watched it again out of fear.

We slowly drove by the river. It was a natural spring with a man made barrier across the center. On one side the water was deep. The water cascaded over the other side of the barrier. It looked like a calm waterfall landing in a creek. A child was playing in the shallow side. He looked a little over five years old. He splashed his feet in the water as he walked in it with a long stick at hand. The stick had string hanging off the tip of it, a child-made fishing pole. I searched for a parent, but there wasn’t anyone else around. Although the shallow water didn’t cause a threat to him, he still shouldn’t have been around it alone.

We drove past the barrier and headed up the hill to the seating area. There were many benches with grills beside them scattered along the waterside. Some were shaded with enormous trees and others were in the direct sunlight. Dean chose one in the sunlight.

“Can we go to one of the shaded ones?” I asked while blocking my eyes from the sun.

“You want to be in the shade.” Dean stated and scanned the ones that were in the shade. After he paused and thought about it, he agreed and took me and the bike to one.

I liked the one he picked. It was just one bench seat, a trash can, and a grill. As soon as he stopped the bike, I jumped off, just missing his extended arm to help me down.
Ooops. I needed to get used to that whole gentlemen stuff coming from him.
He nodded his head and reached into one of his cubbies. I took in the scenery. Green, green, and some more green. Everywhere you looked, there were enormous green trees. Some had ivy crawling up the trunks. There was luscious grass blanketing the ground everywhere. I loved Texas!

Dean set down a paper bag on the bench top then walked over to the grill. He picked up a stick from the floor and poked at the charcoal at the bottom of the grill. There were a few pieces that were still intact. He pulled a small matchbox from his shorts and threw a lit match in. The small flame ignited the coal. Dean came back to the bench and opened the bag. I observed him quietly. He pulled out a tiny tin the size of my fist and set it down on the table. The next thing he pulled out was a bag of Hershey’s kisses. Dean began peeling off the foil wrappings of my temptation. His hands were quick, I would have asked him if he needed help, but I would’ve just fumbled on the wrapping and made a fool of myself and possibly slow down the process.

Every kiss he unwrapped, he threw in the tin. When he filled it up with chocolate, he took it over to the grill. The flame had died down a little by this time. Dean set the tin on the grill and walked back to me and sat down.

     I took this opportunity to ask him some questions about himself. I felt so left behind from the years that had passed by us. I needed to catch up.

“You live with your aunt right?” I asked.

Dean set his elbows on the table top and cupped one fist in the other palm. His gaze was boring into me. “I live with my aunt.” he stated.

“How come I’ve never seen her around? This is a small town, I usually bump into everyone from time to time.” I said.

“She’s out of town most of the time, on business. She only stays a couple of days out of the week if she has a chance. I do all the shopping. There’s no need for her to leave the house.” Dean said quickly. Then he waited.

I heard a woman yell out a name. Daniel I think it was? I turned to find a woman stomping across the creek to where the little boy was playing. She was telling him, he wasn’t supposed to be out there by himself. She yelled out a few more things to the boy that I couldn’t make out. Then she pointed to the trees and what I heard put me on alert. She shouted very clearly, as if it were an announcement that Dean and I were supposed to hear. She said,
‘there are monsters in the shadows.’
Then she dragged the boy away.