1. CATALINA

ONE

catalina

There were only a few more boxes to bring in and I would be done. I just needed to push a tiny bit more. Crouching, I set the box down in my new bedroom. It thumped on the floor.

I pressed my palms to my chest, catching my breath from the nerves already nipping at my heels. The sun had already set, much sooner than I expected since it was still early. All I wanted to do was hunker down inside the house.

I rolled my neck; I didn’t have time for that. Once I brought in the rest of the boxes, I needed to head into town to pick up my cell phone, brand new screen and all. With it being the first day and me being new to the city, I needed to get going before it became even later. Being out at night went against everything I believed in, but the shop wouldn’t be open on the weekend, and I couldn’t go that long without it.

I trudged down the hall, toward the front door where a nice breeze drifted inside. I clocked all the spiderwebs gracing the corners of the high ceilings and narrowed my eyes at them. You won’t stay there for long, you little creeps.

An itch started at my arms like it did every time I saw spiders, or anything related to them. Those multi-eyed, voyeuristic fuckers were done for . As soon as I got my ass to a store, I’d spray them into oblivion.

Wood creaked loudly under my foot, and I froze in the hallway leading to the front door. I slowly slid my eyes shut and dragged my fingers through my hair before crouching.

I tipped my head back and groaned. It hadn’t simply creaked, the dang thing had cracked. I poked my nail into the surface and squinted. I could see the cement beneath it. Of course this happened. It was my luck swooping in again like a little bitch. I didn’t know what I’d done to offend lady luck, but she had a hard-on for me.

I pursed my lips as I frowned at the crack in my new-to-me flooring. Snapping my fingers, I smiled.

I knew exactly how to fix it.

I’d laid the slab of carpet over in the hallway leading to the living room. Gripping the edge, I dragged it over the floorboard. As I brushed the dust off my hands, I studied the plush, swirl patterned carpet now covering the worn cracked wood.

That worked.

Okay, back to getting my boxes from the car. I had to wiggle the door to get it open and the hinge squealed a little too loudly.

Another thing added to my fix list. I rubbed my forehead with my thumb and forefinger. So many small things I had to do.

But, on the bright side, if I didn’t want to fix it, it could be like a little security system too. It wasn’t like I ever had visitors...

Wow, that seethed with self-pity.

Being alone was a hundred percent intentional. One, I didn’t have time for friends, because I was writing as much as I could. And two, I didn’t want to put anyone in danger.

Even if I wanted to get close to someone, I had to move within a few months, so the effort wasn’t worth it.

At my van, I bent in to get a grip on a box. I’d pulled out the back seats so I could lug everything with each move and although it was beat-down, I thanked it every day for its service. Maybe with my next advance check, I could splurge on a nicer car, it should be enough for me to have money left over after covering my costs.

The box dug into my palm and I heaved it into my arms.

The hair on the back of my neck stood, sending a shiver down my spine. A crow’s caw ripped through my ear drums, much too close. I shot up so fast I thumped my head on the roof of my car, dropping the box.

A dull pain spread through the back of my head. I whimpered and carefully backed up. Lifting my palm to my head, I rubbed as I swept my gaze across the front of my rental.

The one-story town house structure was solid, but a bit run-down. The beams were all intact and the roof was good. So what if it was tilted to the side and the mansion next door made my little rental look like an abused Barbie house? It was a roof over my head, and more importantly, it was cheap.

In comparison, the sprawling Gothic structure perched on an incline ostentatiously looming over my place made my situation seem worse. It was the only other home on the barren street right outside of Seattle, yet it was still too close to my place—to the point that it made my house seem like some servant quarter extension of it, even outside of the wrought iron barrier.

I was unsure if I saw the outline of someone at the window, since it was too high to make out clearly. Was someone watching? My brows furrowed as I stared up, squinting to try to make out the details. No way, that was impossible. The place was abandoned, according to my landlord.

It must be nice to have such a place, but it was nowhere in my future, even if I lived long enough, which was a big question mark. If I lived to see Peter graduate and I no longer had to pay his tuition, maybe . . .

I shook the nonsense thoughts away and refocused on that odd sensation of being watched. There was no one around. Everything was clear and that was all that mattered... it wasn’t him .

My throat tightened thinking about the deranged vampire.

Before my memories got me twisted up in knots, I plucked the box up, and I refocused on my opportunities, as basic as they may be. I couldn’t be too picky about any of it, since the owner had given me a huge discount if I fixed up the rental. It worked for me, after all, I may not be here long enough to finish, and it gave me somewhere to stay for a few months.

Plus, this was a lot better than some places I’d stayed at before, especially that seedy apartment in Los Angeles I’d barely afforded.

But sometimes the depression got to me, and I just wanted to be taken care of—babied—something. I wanted to dress in the nice clothing I saw at the stores I couldn’t afford to splurge on. Buy the nice bags—the whole, spoiled nine yards. But that would never be my future for many reasons—at least for now. It wasn’t that I didn’t have nice things, but the guilt that accompanied each purchase weighed on my shoulders. Fortunately, I may be able to treat myself with my next royalty check. Based on the contract I signed, it was larger than I’d ever received before.

A little wiggle of excitement burst in my chest at the accomplishment. Things were starting to turn around and I had my fingers crossed I could stay here a little longer than my usual couple months.

This was a fresh start—another one. The vampire that had attacked me so many years ago hadn’t found me after four years, so I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I’d been hopping from place to place, getting farther and farther from Maryland, and now I was in Washington.

I dropped the box at the threshold and returned to my van. A crow rested on the hood, its head twisting side to side. It looked freaky perched there with the moon framing it. Once I was a few feet away, it beat its wings and took off to perch on one of the windowsills of the mansion next door. No lights shone through the shadowed structure other than whatever light the moon reflected off the pane. I rubbed my arms. If I were being honest, that was the type of place I could see vampires living in, but I was the only person on this street.

This was my first opportunity at attempting to rest in one place for longer than usual, but eventually, I would have to move again. As nonsensical as it may seem, fear kept me bouncing from state to state. After extensive research, I’d found the low crime rate here pointed to a possibility of normalcy, but as soon as I caught a hint of vampires, I would be long gone.