Samantha Knight
Baker Island, somewhere above the equator, Oceania.
I vaguely remember going to Loren's house to get something for my sister, then someone twisted my neck, and I also remember being carried by muscular arms.
I slept for what seemed like an eternity.
I'm deep in a dream when I hear the sound of low music.
I remain lying on my stomach, pressing the pillow over my head, trying not to hear anything, but I give up and open my eyes.
I'm almost blinded by the strong light coming from the window, I close my eyes and reopen them trying to somehow see something.
I place my hand over my face, and stand up, I can feel the intense smell of the sea air, and the warm wind that blows my hair.
I go to the window and what I see scares me.
The sky is light blue all the way to the horizon, I can see the sand on the beach, and an immense turquoise sea, with the sun that had just appeared, warm and inviting. Where's the city?
I'm confused. Where am I?
I walk around the room, looking from top to bottom, it's beautiful, with light colored wood floors, white walls and doors (I find it strange, everything in the room is white, except the bed sheets which are blue, my favorite color) it has a huge wardrobe, a nightstand near the bed and a TV.
I see a bathroom and walk over to it. It's tiled, has a huge mirror, a shelving unit with several drawers, and a shower stall.
I turn on the tap and wet my face with my hands.
I look in the mirror, I look terrible.
I brush my teeth with the disposable brush I found in the drawer.
My clothes are fine, so I don't even change.
I go downstairs and see Loren sitting on a couch listening to music with a cup of coffee in his hands.
He's as always, a hottie, he's wearing jeans and a white tank top, he's finally wearing something other than shorts, not that I don't like to see those muscles.
I think I like him, but I don't want him to know, I think he likes Alex.
I continue down the stairs.
He sees me, and gives me one of those charming smiles.
"Finally Cinderella woke up." He says.
"I couldn't sleep with that noise." I mumble.
For a moment we remain in silence, I can't contain myself, I need to know everything.
"Can you tell me what I'm doing here with you?"
He looks at me quietly, a shadow passes in his eyes but then he makes a hand signal, inviting me to sit next to him.
I walk over to him and sit down, an impatient look on my face.
"Your sister felt that something bad was going to happen, as she didn't want to lose you, she asked me to take you to a safe place where I could protect you until the bad feeling passed."
"A hunch? Just a hunch, so she's not sure."
I'm furious.
"Yes. But that hunch came true. She sent me a message confirming it."
"And my sister? I don't want her to die, she's all I have."
I can feel the fear clawing at my neck again, it's always like this, I think it's all okay then the ground shifts beneath my feet and I'm falling over and over. When will all of this stop?
I think I'm going to cry.
Tears threaten to blur my vision, hot and stinging.
"She is strong, and I trained her, she will get out of this."
His face says something else.
He's not absolutely sure.
I remain silent, thinking, I swallow my tears and think on the bright side, I'm with Loren, and, by the way, my sister is a little menace, of course she'll get away with it.
"So it will just be the two of us in this mansion?"
"What's the problem? We're going to have a lot of fun, trust me." He smiles.
I feel my cheeks warm, then I get up and go to the kitchen and take a look in the fridge, there's a lot of stuff. It appears we'll be here for some time.
I try to push away the anxiety gnawing at my heart. She will be okay, she is always okay.
Later Loren shows me around his mansion.
Every day we talk, pretending we aren't both constantly checking our phones for an update, I know Loren calls people multiple times a day asking for favors but with no response.
He also trained me and taught me all his skills like he did with Alex. We pretend to have a lot of fun, bathing in the sea, playing on the Xbox, on the pool table, on the Play Station, eating together.
We both pretend until the lines of pretense and reality starts to blur.
***
Three months pass.
Friendship between me and Loren grows stronger and stronger.
I love him.
But he doesn't know.
I'm getting suspicious of his nighttime outings from the island. One night, I saw him fly off the island and disappear over the horizon (he didn't see me). But he never tells me where he's going. I guess it's about Alex, but there's no news. The worry keeps me up but no news is better than bad news.
The game room tt's my favorite part of the mansion.
The walls are maroon and full of videogame DVD's, of all types and collections, and there are some sofas with all the setups and latest VR and high value computers just for gaming. I spend most of the time here. Playing makes me ignore the worry for some time.
There's a sofa by the window, where there's a beautiful view of the beach, I always sit there and appreciate the view.
Loren always watches me play.
I pick up a Nintendo switch and lean back on the couch, Loren arrives and stands in the doorway staring at me.
Then he walks over to me and sits down next to me.
"Sammy, why do you like playing so much?" He asks.
"Playing is so intense it helps me forget the bad things, my parents, my bo...
"I understand, I do that too, but differently I resolve it with fighting. Training relieves me more, it relaxes my mind."
"I get that."
I feel a little awkward for some reason.
"Continue what you were saying. Your bo…"
I blush.
"My boyfriend is dead. Everyone close to me dies, maybe even Alex. Anyway, everyone dies," I blurt out.
Instantly I regret it. We both have been skimming around it. I know deep down she's alive, she has to be alive, but this tension is fraying my nerves. Not a single news about her in three months.
I get up and try to leave the room. I don't want to see the look on his face right now.
"Wait."
His hand grips my arm tightly.
"Don't go." He says.
"She is not dead." He says quietly a moment later.
I turn sharply.
"Do you know something?" I ask anxiously.
"Yes, a friend of mine sent a message saying he saw her and she's safe. He's trying to get more information about her circumstances, it's just a question of time now."
I feel my body relaxing, my heart full of joy, my little sister is safe. Without thinking I grasp his shirt and kiss his lips. When I realize what I have done I try to back away but his hands hold my head in place.
The kiss is intense, I feel the soft, silky pressure of our lips as they meet.
I feel my heart fluttering, my stomach warm. It's everything I expected and more.
We separate and the contrast of the sunlight bathing his hair makes it look like molten gold.
He's so beautiful.
He looks at me with a smile, our breaths mingling.
"Samantha, I know you want to be transformed, I know you want to be like your sister, although it doesn't matter what you are, so this could be your chance, bite me, now."
He holds his pulse near my mouth.
I bite without thinking about it.
I can feel his blood coursing through my veins, all the way to my heart.
I feel his blood transforming me, taking away my human part.
I will no longer have the life I had before, I'll finally be stronger now.
I wipe my mouth.
There's no turning back now.
***
I wake up lying next to Loren.
My legs rest over his thigh.
I feel warm and comfortable all over.
I take a moment to appreciate his beauty, sleeping he looks like a sculpture, ethereal.
I get up quickly and run to the bathroom.
I look at myself in front of the mirror and I am as beautiful as I hoped I'd be when I first saw Alex.
My hair is lighter and wavier, my lips are a bright red, my eyes are brighter and more vibrant, my skin is more delicate, and my physique has changed a lot too. Although I don't have the changes Alex had, my colors are still the same and my features too. Why the difference?
I quickly get dressed and look at my face again, I start screaming and jumping for joy on top of the bed where Loren is sleeping, making him wake up with a smile on his face.
"I suppose you liked the transformation, huh?" He smiles.
"I love it!" I shout.
I jump on top of him and start kissing him on the cheek, on the forehead, on his lips. It gets heated very fast, then he's on top of me again taking control.
Alex is safe, I'm with the guy I like and everything is going to be good again.
I don't care about revenge anymore.
I just want to have the people I love around me, safe and sound.
I just want this moment to never end, to never be in that dark place again. When Alex is back we will go through this together, we are going to be a family, I won't run from talking about feelings with her again.
She has Lucca and I have Loren. Everyone will be happy and the past will stay in the past.
This is all I wish for.