Captivated (12 page)

He tilted his head a little staring right at me.

“Tsk tsk…now we can’t play the game.” he said with mock sadness through his perfect lips.

“We could play another!” I blurted out. I just wanted to do whatever he wanted.

“I don’t think you’ll want to play the other game.” he warned. Even his warning sounded inviting. I felt as if I didn’t care what it was that he had in mind.

“Sure I will. What is it?” I asked.

“It’s a game that is only played in the dark.” He looked down at my arms. I sucked my stomach in and tried to look my best as he examined me. “You’re bleeding.” he mentioned.

“Yeah. My dog forgot I was at the other end of the leash.” I said. I knew I looked terrible. There was nothing attractive about a girl with grass stains and blood on her arms. I had to get home and wash up already! But I couldn’t pry myself away from Shane.

“You’re bleeding…” he whispered out. His eyes were still on my arms, locked on them as if they were a target.

“You mentioned that already,” I said. The dog was still growling. Actually, he never stopped. “I have to go. I don’t want my dog to bite you or anything.” I warned.

“He won’t come near me.” Shane assured me. “Besides…there are worse things that bite.” He stood up, away from the tree, and inched towards me. The dog got louder as Shane got closer. He stopped in front of me. Practically up against me. I was at ease and my body felt relaxed, almost as if I was floating. Shane gently reached out and grabbed my hand. Slowly, he raised it up to his nose and smelled my arm, gliding his hand over all of the cuts. It made my arm feel cool and the coolness calmed the stinging sensation. Then, Shane released my hand in a quick motion.

“I should go now.” He stepped back and tilted his head. “Too bad, cuz I had special plans for you.” he quickly said and darted away.

“What?”

I snapped out of…something. Was it a trance? I felt like I had woken up from a dream. A really nice dream. As Shane disappeared, the dog got closer to me and barked in the direction Shane had gone.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” said a demanding voice. Dean’s voice.

“You can actually talk?” I asked rudely. Somewhat dazed, I whirled around to face him. The dog had calmed down and he wagged his tail at Dean. “What do you care if I’m out here anyway?” I asked.

“It isn’t safe.” Dean sharply said. He stood there. Still, like a statue. His darkness towered over me but there was still enough light out for me to make him out. The moonlight shone on his handsome face and outlined the muscles of his body. A tingling sensation tip-toed all over my skin.
Fight it!

“I have mace!” I blurted out. Regret filled me. What a stupid thing to say! Out of all the airhead moments I’d had, this had to be one of the worst.

“You should go home, Mindy.” he suggested. He didn’t laugh at me. In fact, he showed no emotion.

“What is your problem?” I demanded. I felt like shoving him so I could get an immediate answer-one that I‘d deserved for years.

“You should go home before that weirdo comes back,” he suggested.

Flashes of the last day we were friends sparked through my mind. He said the same thing to me when we saw his parents’ killer walk by us that evening.

Sadness waved through me.

“Why did you stop talking to me?” I demanded, trying to swallow the lump forming in my throat. “Why did you shut me out?”

There was silence. He simply stared at me. Pain overtook his eyes. Just his eyes.

“I miss them, too.” I said softly. His parents were the nicest people I knew. They always treated me with love. But it might have been the wrong thing to say because his eyes started narrowing into slits. The rage filling inside them was ready to spew out.

He looked up at the sky and gulped. Even his neck looked powerful as it forced the lump to stay down. Dean dropped his head back down and looked me in the eyes. His features were softer as he stared deep into my eyes, trying to read my soul. I felt for him. I wanted to reach up and hug him. To tell him I would always be there for him. I wasn’t staring at the emotionless Dean I had been attending the same school with-I was staring at the Dean I knew years ago. His green eyes softened little by little and the stars shined off of them. It was almost as if I was looking at the sky in his eyes. Stars? It was dark out. Too dark. I looked down at my dog sitting beside me.

“You’re right. I should get going...” I told him when he didn’t speak. He arched his eye brows up with sadness. His eyes widened and pleaded with me.

“Don’t.” He looked down and away from me. “Please.” He said softly. There was pain in his voice. Mixed emotions tumbled out of his mouth with every spoken word and it was difficult for me to figure out if he was angry or if it was something else entirely.

“What? I thought you said I should go.” I walked a few steps to where he was looking so that his gaze met mine. The worry in his eyes begged me to stay. “What’s going on Dean? What’s wrong?” I sincerely asked him.

He still didn’t answer. He just stared into my eyes as if it was the only thing in the forest to look at. It wasn’t the first time he looked at me that way, but it was usually from a greater distance like at school or the lounge. I wanted to ask him what that was about.

“Dean. Why do you stare at me? And I’m not talking about just tonight. It’s all the time.” I asked.

Dean’s eyes gazed into mine. I felt like I was about to collapse from his penetrating gaze it was so deep. It made me feel somewhat connected to him. His lips twitched a little, holding back, as if he wanted to tell me something but was hesitating.

“Dean? Why? Why do you look at me?” I gently asked. My face softened, inviting him to feel comfortable.

“Like what?” he broke out. It sounded like he was out of breath.

“You know.” I replied.

“You’re mistaken.” he gulped.

“Why do you do it?” I asked again. I felt I knew what the answer was. My heart was pounding insanely in my chest I had never felt so nervous and eager for an answer.

“Every time I look at you...” He paused and took in a deep breath. Butterflies fluttered all around my insides. My breathing got deeper and I had to focus on controlling it.

“What?” I desperately asked.

“Every time…there’s nothing. It’s just a glance.” Pain and worry filled his eyes. He looked like he was burning himself and was trying not to react to it.

Disappointment settled inside me. And I wasn’t sure if it was because I didn’t hear what I wanted to. Which was what exactly? That he was into me? Or if it was because I didn’t believe him; that he was lying and trying to hurt me.

“MINDY!” Markus called out, surprising me. “Is that you?” His flashlight shone on me, then to Dean, who was back to looking irritated.

“Markus? What are you doing here?” I asked.

Without saying anything, Dean walked away, leaving me alone with Markus, the dog, and my thoughts.

“
D
ude! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all day.” Markus said while trying to catch his breath. He bent slightly and placed his hands on his thighs.

“What’s going on?” I regrettably asked. I was afraid he was going to bring up the disappearing people that he thought Dean was responsible for.

“You shouldn’t be out in the dark.” he said. He straightened himself and breathed normally again.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?” I huffed out then smiled at him. “Let’s go home. I’ve had a crazy night.” I reached down and grabbed the dog’s leash and headed back towards my house. Markus rushed to my side.

“Not crazier than mine,” he competitively said.

“Uh oh. What did you do?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

“You know the disappearing people?” he mentioned.

“What about them?” I slowly let out, preparing myself for something out of this world to come out of
his
mouth.

“Well. They weren’t really… people.” He blurted with an animated smile. Whatever he was trying to tell me was sure juicing him up.

I stopped walking and cocked my head to the side. “What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Vampires…” he slowly whispered with a charge of excitement.

I threw out a big huff and proceeded to walk again. “Whatever, Markus” I spat behind me.

He caught up to me and grabbed my shoulders to steal my attention. “No. No. It’s true! I can prove it. Wait, no I can’t. But I might be-” he stuttered.

“What are you rambling about? There are no vampires. It’s just a fictional monster created by someone who had nothing better to do.” I calmly said.

“Do you believe that about dinosaurs? That they too are just fictional?” Markus asked.

“No. There’s proof of their existence. There isn’t any for vampires.” I responded.

“That’s because they disappear when they die. And when they’re alive, they look just like the rest of us!” Markus replied.

“And how exactly did you come up with this conclusion?” I snickered in disbelief. Were we really having this conversation? I never thought I would have to convince Markus that vampires didn’t exist. He had yet to prove to me that there was a ghost that messed with him when he did his chores.

“I saw one attacking a human.” He pointed at his eyes with his long index finger.

“A human? You mean you saw a person attacking another person.” I corrected him.

“No. A living, breathing vampire.” he stated.

“I thought they weren’t alive and they didn’t breath.” I tested him.

“You know what I mean!” he spat out, annoyed.

“Ok. Why don’t you explain to me what exactly you saw?” I suggested.

“I was driving around, right?” He stretched his arms out in front of him as if he were gripping onto a steering wheel. “So I decided to check out the crime scene. And there they were. This chick was biting some guy’s neck and blood was everywhere. And she was way stronger than him…” he paused dramatically and continued on, “…are you ready for this?”

I nodded my head.

“Out comes Dean and kicks her off of him sending her flying into the brick wall! The guy didn’t even know what was going on. He just fumbled all over the place crying about his neck. Dean and the girl…I mean vampire, were throwing swings at each other. She was so fast. But then he took out a sword from a strap on his back and sliced her head clean off! Then poof… she and the head disappeared!” he declared.

“Whoa whoa whoa…Dean was there?
My
Dean?” I asked.

“
Your
Dean? What are you talking about?” he asked with confusion on his face.

“I mean…the Dean I know. Knew. That one?” I stuttered, trying not to blow my cover.

“Yeah. That one.” His face turned serious.

“Did he see you there?” I asked.

“I don’t think so. I was parked a good distance. And I quietly drove off when it was over.” Markus admitted. “What were you two talking about anyway? I thought he was a mute.” he questioned.

“No. He just chooses not to talk to people.” I corrected him.

“So?” he invited, trying to get me to spill the beans.

“Oh. We were talking about...” I paused. I wasn’t sure what to tell him at this point. Was it a good idea to tell him that Dean wanted to say something to me but didn’t, and I was hoping he would, but he decided not to? He was confused enough as it was by things. “He was telling me the same thing as you. That I shouldn’t be out late.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Hold on…how far were you parked? Isn’t your car a clunker? He should have heard you.” I stated.

“Well, I was parked too far for him to hear.” he said defensively.

“In a quiet alley... Late at night…” I paused for a moment, “…you would have to park almost a football field away for him not to hear you.” I finished with a smirk.

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

“Well, you said that you parked far enough for him not to hear your noisy car. Wouldn’t that make it too far for you to clearly see what happened too? Did you have your binoculars?” I asked hesitantly.

“No, I didn’t have them. I know what I saw, Mindy.” he said firmly.

“This all can’t be real, Markus. I’d have to see it for myself: the fangs, the
poofing
you keep talking about.” I said.