Nevermore, the Complete Series (51 page)

“I should have turned her when we visited.”

“You cannot blame yourself; you had nothing to do with Karen’s death. Turning her there in that hospital would have been a mistake. Imagine all that could have gone wrong.”

“Everything has gone wrong!”

“You don’t mean that, Alex.”

“Maybe I do. I’ve lost Janet, my mother, Karen…my friends.”

“All of that would have happened regardless of the paths you have chosen, Alex. None of it is your fault. Jason is just in a really bad place right now due to the situation. Please do not blame yourself for anything.”

“Let’s just find the fountain, Salem, okay? I just want a normal life again. I want to go back. I want my friends back…”

Salem nodded sincerely. “For now we need to drink. I don’t want you crammed in that car with two humans while hungry and in a bad mood – you have to be careful with emotions as a vampire, they can consume you.”

Although I didn’t much feel like doing anything, let alone hunting and killing a bear, he was right. We were still a ways from Willowshire and the smell of their blood would get extremely tempting if I did not feed now.

I silently followed Salem as he crept swiftly through the forestry and descended onto one of the bears. I stayed slightly behind; keeping a lookout for the second but it was nowhere to be seen. This suited me perfectly as I was very much not in the mood to fight anything else right now. One bear would be plenty of nourishment even for two vampires.

After sating our thirsts we headed back to the car as quickly as possible. I half expected it to already be gone after what Jason had said to me, but thankfully I was wrong. Jason sat in the driver’s seat with both hands already on the steering wheel and Mitch was lying back in the passenger’s side. Jason did not even look in our direction as we got in. Before I had time to speak the engine came to life and we were off.

I happily admired the scenery as Willowshire unfolded before us. The further we went, the more excited I grew. I could spot Howard’s convenient store right off, and noticed Kate leaning against the side of the building taking a draw off of a cigarette. Her bright pink hair had faded somewhat from the last time I had seen her but otherwise she looked no different. Next we came across the high school we had attended and I felt somewhat nostalgic. The building was filling up with students that looked reluctant and tired.

“School’s starting already?” I asked in awe as I thought over how much time had passed.

“Yep, school just started last week,” Mitch answered. “I got time off, though, for bereavement.”

We were nearing the elementary school and the trailer park that I had hoped to avoid seeing. Paul was in there somewhere, probably plotting a way to kill Salem and me. I sighed and relaxed some as we finally passed it and came close to the house I had given to Jason and Mitchell to live in. The four of us climbed out of the car and I stared at the familiar red door that I had walked in and out of so many times throughout my life. I wished Janet could have been waiting behind it to welcome me home, but that would never happen again. So many things would never happen again.

“I can barely believe we’re here,” I whispered.

“We have to be cautious while we are here. If Paul hears word of our presence, he will be after us in a heartbeat,” Salem warned. “Do not tell anyone that we are here.”

“We won’t,” Mitch vowed. “Are you going back to your house?”

“You didn’t hear?” I asked. “I guess you wouldn’t have…it burnt down.”

“Oh, wow…” he said in shock. “I’m so sorry, Salem. What are you going to do?”

“We will find someplace else,” Salem said with a surprising smile, “somewhere new and completely our own.”

I felt myself smile as I imagined what our house might look like. It would be a whole new journey for the both of us. After we returned from Florida, we would have a house of our own, a new life, and new beginnings to look forward to.

The happy moment was cut short when I noticed a look of disgust from Jason at the mention of Salem and my life together. He tried to quickly cover his expression but it was too late.

“Jace would probably lend you guys his car for a while if you need. I think I’ll be out of commission for a little while and he can just use mine. Mine’s better anyway, right, bro?” Mitch said nudging his brother in the side jokingly.

“Yeah…sure.
Whatever. That works.”

“Thank you so much Jason!” I said with as much excitement as I could muster and gave him a hug. He had hurt me deeply but I knew it was just in the heat of the moment. I would do my best to turn things back around.

“Just bring it back in one piece, okay?”

“Don’t worry, we will,” I laughed and took the keys. “Thanks, Jace…and I’m so sorry, Mitch. I know you might think it was exciting, but you were very lucky to have survived that.”

I exchanged embraces with the boys and kissed them both on the cheek, despite Jason’s reluctance. “We’ll have the car back safe and sound before you know it. I promise!”

Salem and I sat parked in Jason’s car for almost twenty minutes while I browsed for vacant houses for rent or sale on my laptop. I came across several that looked and sounded appealing, but none of them could ever compare to the old Victorian. We would have to make do with something else and turn it into a new perfect home. As I clicked open another page, my phone went off. I pulled it from my pocket and saw that it was a call from Salem’s cell phone.

“Hannah?” I said as I answered the phone.

“Hey! Guess what? I think I found it!” she said excitedly. “You wouldn’t believe how many people I had to ask before someone took me seriously. Most of them thought I was full of crap! Then one guy actually approached me and said he overheard what I was looking for and told me he would take me to it.”

“Wow, that’s surprising…way faster than I thought.”

“Yeah, I know, right? I thought he was a creeper at first but then I thought what do I have to lose? If he is he’s messing with the wrong girl!”

I laughed lightly. “That is very true.”

“Yep.
One thing though…I told him that I had some friends coming to check it out too and he sort of clammed up. He says he doesn’t want to show me until you guys are here and can show us all at the same time.”

“Uh-huh…that is weird.”

“Yeah, but whatever. I have this feeling he is the real deal though, you know? I don’t know how to describe it but he definitely seems like the type that would know about this sort of stuff. Oh,” she said with obvious remorse. “Is Karen…is she okay?”

I paused for a moment. “No. She’s not okay.”

“She’s gone, isn’t she?” I could hear her voice crack.

“Yeah,” I confirmed her suspicions and sighed. My lips moved to say more but I couldn’t continue.

“I’m so sorry, Alex. I…”

“Me, too…” I mumbled. “Did you want to talk to Salem?”

“Not really, you guys are probably busy anyway. Just find a new place then get down here as soon as you can. I mean…that is if you both are still wanting this.”

“Salem is definitely still looking forward to it.”

“And you?”

“I’ve got to go, okay?” I said, ignoring the question.

“Okay. Bye, Alex,” she said and hung up.

I sat my phone down against the side of my seat and looked at Salem. “She found someone that knows where the fountain is!” I exclaimed, holding back the sadness I felt at the mentioning of Karen.

“That was quicker than expected.”

“Yeah…does it seem a little suspicious to you?”

“If Hannah says she has found something then I am sure it is true.” He grinned happily and his eyes twinkled, reflecting the joy he felt. Then his eyes flickered violet and a radiating golden necklace with rubies on it appeared in his hands.

“What’s that for?” I asked as I ogled at the jewelry.

“This is what we are going to sell in order to find a new place,” he explained.

We spent less than twenty minutes at the only pawn store in town, which was relatively small but always had customers. The owner was a bit suspicious at first but I didn’t blame him. Although I knew Salem hated doing so, he quickly came up with a very believable story about how the necklace had been left to him as part of his parent’s will. In fact, after another brief purple flash from his eyes, he also had a sheet of paperwork to back it up.

After retreating from the pawn shop with money in hand, I started looking at houses again. There was a picture of a one story house with a wide, open kitchen and a dining room attached to it. The next pictures I saw made me want the house more than anything: the master bedroom was huge with a walk-in closet and a bathroom inside the room with a Jacuzzi and standing shower. There were two guest bedrooms, another bathroom and a basement. If this wasn’t enough, I also came across a picture of a pool. This was the house I wanted. I hoped the money we had gotten from the jewelry would be enough for a down payment. If not, maybe Salem could summon some more things.

“I think I found one that I like,” I said and showed him the images.

“It is a good choice,” he agreed and smiled. “And anything you dislike about it can easily be fixed over time.”

I quickly called the owners and arranged for a meeting as soon as possible. Fortunately they were already at the house taking care of some last minute touches. Before we left to check out the house, we stopped by the Willowshire Bank and created an account in my name and deposited the money from the pawn shop. Salem continued with the story of his parents who had ‘tragically passed away recently’.

We drove to the house which was off from the rest of the town by a little ways, away from the streets and nestled behind a canopy of trees. The paint was a light welcoming blue that reminded me of Salem’s eyes. There was a small, round fish pond a few feet from the wrap around porch and a garage attached to the side of the house. After admiring the exterior for a moment longer, I finally got out and took Salem’s hand as he led me up the stairs leading to our potential new home.

He rapped his fingers against the dark wood door and soon an elder couple stared us in the face. The woman was roughly my height with thick curly white hair atop her wrinkled head and her husband was a few inches taller with a comb-over that would have been better off just being cut off to save the man from embarrassment. I felt somewhat uncomfortable as I looked over these two strangers, knowing that after our trip to Florida, we would eventually become like them…

“Good afternoon, Alexis, was it?” the old woman said in a pleasant voice. She smelled like lavender and roses which led me to wonder if she spent her time gardening.

“Yep, that’s me,” I replied with a smile. “And this is my fiancé Salem.”

“How wonderful,” she said. “I’m Dianna, and this is my husband Carl.”

“It is very lovely to meet you both,” Salem said with a friendly smile.

Carl didn’t say much, but he acknowledged our greeting and friendly-nature and they welcomed us into the house. The front door led us into the living room which was covered with beige carpeting and the walls were a simple off-white. There were two windows in the room and I could see the surrounding trees outside. It wouldn’t be as magnificent a view as the lake behind the Victorian, but I would learn to love it. Against the back wall was a small fireplace with a light brown mantle over it.

The kitchen was just as I had seen in the pictures. I was relieved to see there was a dishwasher, knowing that I would soon become mortal and there would be dishes to wash again. The countertops were a sandy marble color that reminded me of the beach. I ran my hand across the surface of the counters and they felt cool and smooth. Next I noticed the fridge which was black and silver with an ice maker and plenty of room inside. I had never been so excited to see a kitchen before, but knowing that this could be our kitchen was almost overwhelming.

Carl led us into the dining room which shared the same colored walls as the living room and had beige tiling that spread throughout the kitchen and into the adjoining room. Then we went down the hall where there was a door that led to a small bathroom with a standing shower and brown cabinetry, a wide mirror over the sink and identical countertops to the kitchen.

The spare bedroom was relatively small with a closet and ceiling fan and one wide window. We entered the master bedroom moments later and I was already in love. The flooring may not have been as spectacular as that of the Victorian, but I could make do with beige carpeting. There was a sliding glass door that led directly out to the pool which finally came into view. The master bathroom looked just as it had in the pictures and I couldn’t help but get excited over the idea of having my own hot tub.

Once the indoor tour was over, Carl and Dianna took us out to the pool and we looked it over as we discussed what we thought of the place.

“I love it, personally,” I said as I dipped my hand into the pool water.

“Do you have a stable income?” Carl grunted, “You two seem awfully young to be thinking about buying a house.”

“My parents left me some inheritance after they passed away last month,” Salem explained. “I believe we should have enough for a payment now and by the next time it is due, more than enough.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss, dear,” Dianna said and patted him comfortingly on the arm, and then turned to her husband

The old man shrugged. “I’m not risking our future on something like that. This isn’t a rental, boy, this is for sale. Do you know the difference?”

“Yes, but I thought that you would perhaps consider an arrange-”

“I won’t be making any arrangements until I have a check deposited in our account for the whole amount. I’m too old to deal with this nonsense and too smart to trust every sob story that comes along.”

“Sir, I know it is odd but I promise…I vouch for him,” I replied.

He huffed again, “Right, a voucher for someone I don’t know from someone else I don’t know. Come back when or if you get enough money. Until then the house is still on the market.”

Despite his wife’s quiet protesting, Carl ushered us to the front door. If I could, I would’ve cried. I didn’t know why getting this house meant so much to me, but it did.

Barely believing what was happening, I walked by Salem to the car. He seemed less affected by not getting the house than I was. Maybe I was being a little too impulsive. It was only the first we had looked at. Perhaps there was one similar or even better that was rentable or rent-to-own. The chances were slim though, and I knew it.

Salem wrapped an arm around me as we walked and gave me a half-hug. “Don’t worry, Alex, we will find something. I promise. Besides…we should most likely get going. I had not expected Hannah to find information so quickly and I am more than a little eager to be rid of this curse once and for all…to no longer be a monster.”

“You’re not a monster,” I said yet again. So this was why he seemed unaffected, he was just wanting to rush back to mortality as fast as possible. I was unsure still if I felt the same, my feelings on the matter seesawing from one side of the matter to the next as I thought over the different possibilities.