19. No Pain, No Gain

Chapter nineteen

No Pain, No Gain

A s I open my eyes, I sit up immediately, glancing outside the window. Kane isn’t out in the pool today. For some reason that’s a relief. I’d hate a repeat of what happened yesterday. As I walk around my bedroom, I stop in front of the mirror as I can see myself from head to toe. I do have a lot of issues with what's going on with me today. Around my forearms and my legs there are bruises covering me and some are much darker than others. I look back out the window and I can see how hot it's going to be today. I guess I won't be wearing shorts. There's a knock on the door and I scramble to try and find something to cover up my legs with, but fail to see anything immediately. So instead, I jump back under the covers.

“Come in.” I say. I'm relieved when Oliver pops his head through the door and closes it behind him.

“Hey, sorry if I woke you.” He smiles at me. I flip the sheets off of me and walk over to him.

“No, I was already up. I was kind of worried that Kane was out having another swim this morning.” The faint smile that Oliver was wearing disappears immediately upon looking at me. I look down at myself and I can see that he must feel I would have been ashamed by what's happened.

“You should have told me.”

“Told you what?”

“That was hurting you.”

“But you weren’t, at least not that I felt at the time.”

“You seriously didn't feel that?” He questions pointing down at my thighs which have the biggest bruises on them. I can certainly feel them now, but I definitely didn't yesterday, so I shake my head and shrug my shoulders, trying to reassure him.

“I'm seriously fine. I don't feel anything. It looks a lot worse than it is.” He rubs the back of his neck and contemplates his next words.

“I just can't believe that with this little power as I had yesterday, I did that to you.”

“But I heard bruises were kind of normal. Has it happened with any of your previous girlfriends?”

“I haven't had previous girlfriends. In case you didn't notice, I am a vampire. The fact that I'm as close to you as I am is a miracle unto itself.”

“Wait so yesterday was a first for you as well?” He seems a bit sheepish, but he nods anyway. “You seemed way too experienced for that to have been your first time.”

“Well, technically vampires do have souls from previous lives, so maybe I picked it up from there.”

“Seriously?”

“It's just an old wives’ tale. But apparently when vampires die, their souls go into the universe and come back once more later. I don't think that it's true, of course.”

“I live in a house full of demons. There's not a lot you can tell me that I wouldn't believe right now.” He chuckles. “Is there something you wanted to see me about this morning?” His expression changes as if he just remembered why he was here.

“Oh, yes.” Without warning, he grabs my shoulders and pulls me in to plant a kiss on my lips. It's only moments after I grant his tongue entry, that he pulls back away from me. “Fuck.” He mutters.

“Feeling more like your old self?”

“Unfortunately.”

“That's okay, it's like you said it takes time. Practice, right?” Despite my optimism, he seems absolutely shattered. “I'm gonna get ready for class. I can come back for a early dinner though?”

A grin comes back to his face, “Is there anything special you like for dinner?”

“You know, since I came here, I've been dying for pancakes.”

“Ah, the one thing I can't make.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, they're either completely burnt or not cooked enough when I try to flip them. Guess I have terrible timing.” His eyes are spaced out between the green and the brown once more. Slowly, the figure from my nightmares and memories is starting to disappear as it’s being replaced by Oliver’s eyes.

“Well, surprise me for dinner and maybe I'll show you how to cook a pancake this evening.”

“Deal.” He says turning around, but then he stops and turns back to me, planting a very quick chaste kiss on my lips. “Hey, gotta take it where I can.” He disappears out of my room, and I take a look around. I must find something to wear that can help me cover these bruises and not look so out of place.

I'm lucky to find a pair of nice skinny jeans and a top with the shoulders cut out. Even though it's warm and the top is technically long sleeved, it does look a bit more summery. As I come down the stairs, I can see that Nolan and Hugh are talking with somebody in the front door. There are two men standing there in police uniforms. My stomach instantly feels sick. I'd almost forgotten what had happened last weekend. But we have a story and I'm sticking to it. Startled by hand on my shoulder, I turned to see Seth standing there behind me a step above me. He gives me a quick nod before joining Nolan and Hugh down next to the police officers. I follow suit as he has finishes introducing himself.

“And your name, ma'am?” The one with the curlicue moustache asks me. He must be starting early for Movember.

“Amelia Weaver.” I say without any hesitation. “What's going on?” Nolan turns to Seth and I, and states matter-of-factly as if he was only just told;

“Some guys were injured at the frat party that was on the other street. They are going around to all the complexes houses trying to check who was there and who wasn't. I just let them know that aside from you and Oliver, I don't think anyone else went.”

“No, it was just us. The rest of you all seemed quite busy. I didn't wanna go on my own and it's my first time in the city, I wanted to have some fun.”

“There were some witnesses that said they saw you with a Tyson Grant, is that correct?” The officer continues.

“We chatted for a bit but as soon as Oliver arrived, I left him. I think he must have been drunk or something because he ended up chatting with another girl who kinda looked like me. He must have got confused.” I giggle a little trying to play dumb, but I'm a little bit shocked at myself for coming up with a lie on the spot like that. I wonder if it was believable.

“Unfortunately, Tyson found himself in an altercation over the weekend, and ended up in hospital, due to a brain aneurysm he passed away.” My mouth drops in shock at least that part I didn't actually know.

“Wait, Tyson really? I mean, I heard something bad happened, but I didn't think it was to do with him.”

“Either way, we're just making sure that everyone who may or may not have seen something has a chance to come forward. Now the other two that were involved in the altercation do not recall who it was that hit them. Do you remember seeing anyone that was hostile towards Tyson or his friends?”

“As soon as he left me to go talk to some other chick, I didn't really pay much attention.”

“Understood, out of interest, why is it that you are staying here in a frat house?”

Before I have a chance to answer, Seth comes to my rescue, “She's my cousin. She got a little bit caught out when she went to the sorority nearby. I couldn't let her stay with those bitches.” I'm a little shocked to hear his language, but I'm also particularly pleased. I can totally see Seth and I being real-life cousins.

“No worries, was just curious. Now you mentioned your roommate Oliver wasn't here right now, that's not a problem. But please let him know that we are interested in talking to anyone that may or may not have seen something that happened that night. Anyway, please take our card and if you do recall anything, give us a call. Otherwise, have a great day everyone.” They turn around and leave without another word. Hugh, as casually as possible, closes the door. Both him and Nolan end up looking towards Seth, waiting for a response.

“Don't worry, we're fine.” He states. Nolan exhales completely relieved. I imagine he must have been quite worried about this whole situation. It’s scary to think that Seth knows the outcome of so many situations.

“How does that work?” I ask, crossing my arms and looking him over.

“Hm?”

“Your psychic powers. Like do you know everything? Some things?”

“I know a lot of things. They happen in visions usually while I’m sleeping or when I’m concentrating on a particular person.”

“So, you like, see it in your head?”

“It’s more like being told the plot of a movie, which is why I’m still thoroughly entertained when I see things unfold.”

“Who is telling you the plot?”

“Just the voices in my head.” He smirks, turning away and heading towards the kitchen. I hear a few of the others in there as well, but before I can head in to join them, my phone vibrates. Mom sent me a text message. ‘ Hey baby girl. I got an advance on my new signing, so I wanted to splurge on you a little bit. I put some money in your account dedicated towards a new wardrobe to show off to your friends. Make sure to send me pictures of your new outfits as well. Xox. ’ Whenever my mother says she wants to splurge on something, it usually means a lot of money. I go to my bank app and I can see that a large sum has in fact been deposited. I'm not sure if it's even possible to spend this much money on clothes, but I suppose it would be fun to try. I walk into the dining room where some of the guys chatting, my goofy grin catching their attention. Byron and Hunter are here, and they seem to be playing a card game, but I don't think they'd be interested in what I'm about to offer.

“Seth, Kane, Hendrik, are you guys busy today? I'm blowing classes.” Seth pulls his keys out of his pockets.

“Nope, ready when you are.” Of course, the psychic would know exactly what I was going to say. Hendrik and Kane look at each other with a bit of confusion, but I think it's Hendrik’s brothers that are a little bit more confused. Regardless, they both stand up and come towards me. We all follow Seth outside towards his car.

“Wait, where are we going?” Kane questions.

“Mom put some money in my account to get new clothes. I assume she expects me to go with some friends and I'd like to go with you guys.”

“Really-not like Nolan or something? I thought you guys were friends.”

“We are, but I have a funny feeling that you three might be a little bit more interested in clothes shopping then he would be.”

Hendrik tilts his head, probably a little bit concerned that I'm about to spill his secret, but I guess he can't see what I can see. “Why would you assume that?” He asks. Seth pats them both on the back as he gestures towards his car.

“Come on guys, what secret might we all be hiding that nobody in the house would know, but we would still have in common?” Both Hendrik and Kane’s faces start to glow a bright red. “Let's go.” Seth Chuckles getting into the car.

“Shotgun!” I exclaim, jumping into the front seat.

I haven't been to the mall yet, but I'm excited to be here. With Seth at the wheel, we were able to find a car park almost immediately, despite how full it was. It must be nice knowing exactly where to stop and how long to wait for. I'm not much of a shopping type girl, but I do enjoy the occasional time spent out with friends. At least I'm sure I would if I had any friends before now. With the air around the guys that they no longer had a secret they had to hide, they were much more open to hanging out and even starting to address each other differently. I could totally see Kane and Seth as a cute couple.

“So what kind of clothes are you looking for today?” Kane questions.

“I'm not sure, I didn't pack too much for summer since we're supposed to be going into winter, but it's been strangely warm recently. So perhaps just some nice dresses? And lunch is totally on me.”

“That's all I needed to hear.” He offers me an arm to grab onto as we navigate our way around the mall. Even while I'm trying on the clothes, the guys break away to get me some ice cream. When I first moved here, I assumed I'd be joining a sorority where I would make some friends that would go shopping with me like this. I'm so happy and I'm so pleased that I didn't stay there. If I had, I never would have met these guys and I think I would have been much sadder. I'm much better for knowing them.

“Hey.” Seth whispers to me as Kane and Hendrik argue over a particular color. “Don't try on the blue dress. Otherwise Hendrik will notice the bruises.” From the quantity of mirrors around me, I can tell that my face is glowing a bright crimson.

“I thought you didn't give away the future that you just sat back and watched as it unfolded?”

“Hey, I gotta look out for my cousin, right?” I give him a sideways smirk and he chuckles. My phone buzzes again and it's my mom sending me a message reminding me to send her photos when I have purchased my clothes. It's as if she had a radar in her brain that told her when I was going shopping. Seth leans over my shoulder, as does Hendrik.

“You and your mom don't look much alike.” Hendrik comments. It's absolutely true. Mom is a gorgeous blonde with bright blue eyes and immaculate chiselled cheekbones. I don't question how he's able to tell that from such a tiny photo, given that he is part cat. “Guess you take after your dad?”

“Maybe my personality, but not my looks.”

“Oh?” It's not something I like to repeat often, but I suppose I'm going to have to eventually.

“They are my parents, but my mother didn't give birth to me. Neither of them ended up being able to have kids.”

“Oh, I'm sorry I didn't know.”

“Don't be, I had the best upbringing I could have had. They were always very protective of me, and they made sure that I had everything I needed. I don't have to be their blood for me to be their family.”

“That's really nice. I'm happy for you guys.” I nod my gratitude and put my phone away.

“Does anyone want to go watch a movie?”