literature

Story A Chapter 3

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After dinner, Unc retired to his office to file some papers for work and Clara took her box of yard sale goodies home (but not before she gave me an old iPod Classic and some fishnet gloves). I pulled out my laptop and went to join Dante in the living room. He was watching television and not wanting to distract him, I went to my room and set up the computer on my bed instead. I checked my e-mails first. I had several from my teachers containing the homework and notes I'd missed for the day. The last one was from stephenmarcos7@yahoo.com. My stomach dropped through the floor.

Sophia-
I heard about what you did to Michael today. While I agree his behavior was senseless, what you did was extremely uncalled for. Michael has a broken nose and a dislocated jaw. He will have to have his jaw wired shut for a month and be fed through a straw. He will also have to explain why he is unable to participate in his extracurricular sports for 6 weeks. Since I had already planned on visiting you and your Uncle, I will be there very soon to discuss your punishment and other matters that will concern only you. My specific time shall be unannounced.
Do not reply.
Do not run.
Be waiting and ready for my arrival.  
               -Stephen

  My palms were sweating, my stomach was in knots and my heart felt like it would burst through my chest. I didn't think what I’d done was so serious that Stephen would drive 4 hours from Nashville to "punish" me! What would Unc think? What will Stephen say? What will Stephen do? My first instinct was to run but I knew he would find me. He always does. I decided to remain calm and see what he wanted to do with me. It couldn't be that bad. I didn't, technically, turn on my own kind. You couldn’t even count Mike as one of us! The gene had skipped him and his parents. Not that pointing that out to Stephan would make a difference. I attempted to compose myself and think clearly. A knock came at my door. I slammed my laptop shut and turned around, heart still pounding and adrenaline rushing.
Dante was in my doorway looking at me curiously, "What's up?"
"Umm, nothing. J-just checking my e-mail. My teachers sent the homework and notes for today. If you want I can forward the Math and English assignments to you."
"I don't have an e-mail. I'll just get it in person tomorrow." He shrugged.
"Oh. Well...do you want to make one?"
"Umm...sure, why not?" He walked over to my bed and sat on the edge. "How do you do it?"
I opened the laptop, quickly deleted Stephen's warning and logged out. I turned the screen to him and helped him sign up. He chose the name dm1991@yahoo.com. I laughed after he typed it in.
"What?" He asked.
I composed giggling long enough to explain, "My e-mail is sm1991@yahoo.com."
He only smiled and continued creating his new profile. After he was all signed up, he went to bed and I finished my homework and did the same. I prayed that Stephen wouldn't be here as soon as he said.

*                       *                       *
I woke up the next morning and followed the usual ritual, fight Unc, lose, get dressed. I yanked a pink tank top over my head and a black flannel. I pulled on bleach-spotted skinny jeans with pink corduroy back pockets (I had sewn the pockets on myself). I had woken up a bit early than usual so I decided to straighten my hair on put on some light make-up. I admired myself in the mirror, I looked kind of hot. I quickly slipped on my black Vans and grabbed my things. I swung open my bedroom door and ran into Dante. I hadn't realized he was so much taller than me until now, when I was facing his chest. He was wearing the same black, cotton shirt as yesterday.
"Oh! Shoot. I forgot you might need clothes for today. I'm sorry!"
"It's all good, Soph! Your Uncle actually gave me this shirt, I just prefer black ones." He smiled, "And now we have to get to school, so we can 'improve' our minds with useless government information...and I can get my car."
I laughed, "Useless government information? Seriously?"
He stopped and stared at me for a second, "Hey."
"What?" I froze in place and tried not to make eye contact, suddenly self-conscious.
He smiled at me, "You're wearing make-up."
I blushed and pushed my hair out of my face, "Yeah, well, um, I figured why not? Ya know?"
"It looks good." he complimented and I blushed even more.
"Well, we should get to school." I walked down the stairs and he followed, quickly, behind me.

I pull into the parking lot from across the school and stray away from the pothole that Dante saved me from yesterday. I made a mental note to tell the principal about it later.
He points out his car, a sleek black Lexus, and I park next to it.
"Wait," We get out of my Camaro that suddenly didn't look so vintage and "cool" as I once thought, "This is your car?"
"Yeah, it’s nothin'." he shrugged.
I scoffed, "Nothing?"
He laughed and took me by the hand, pulling me toward the building.
We walk through the school doors just to be welcomed by the single most disturbing sight anyone in my family would love to run away from. If only I hadn't frozen in my tracks as soon as his dark yellowed eyes bore into my own. I could only very faintly feel Dante's palm against my sweaty one. He was talking but the words went in one ear and out the other. I could tell by his tone he was worried but I couldn’t' tell him I was okay. Because I most cetaintly was not okay. I was the opposite of "okay". I was going to fall to pieces any second.
"Sophia!" Dante yanked me by my arm down the hall, wrenching my eyes away from my visitor whom was now standing a few feet away in the main office, chatting up the reference lady.
"Um...yeah? Sorry i just umm..."
"Just what? You were like a freaking statue over there! What happened?" I could clearly see the worry in his eyes. He was still holding my hand. "Do you have those, like, mini-seizures where you zone out for awhile?"
I looked at him, my eyes wide, "What? No! I just saw a, umm, a spider. Yeah, I'm scared to death of them." He opened his mouth to say something but I interrupted him, "I have to go. I'll see you in class, maybe." Then I pulled my hand from his and walked back to the main office. I turned the corner and he was standing in front of the office door. He was waiting for me. He was wearing a black suit with maroon pinstripes and dressy black shoes. He looked like a business man.
"Bun dimineaa [Good morning], Miss Marks." He spoke Romanian, our native tongue. The English twinge in his surly voice sent tremors up my spine.
"Alo [Hello], Stephen." I pulled my hair to the right side, revealing my neck; the sign of respect.
He nodded slightly, acknowledging my welcome. "I apologize if I have come sooner than you probably expected. I'm afraid this meeting couldn't wait." He looked down and took slow steps toward me, I stayed rooted to the spot, anticipating his every move, ready to strike if I had to. Suddenly he was in front of me, looking down in my eyes.
He smiled, "How have you been, Sophia?" The use of my first name almost made my heart stop. That was rare. There was a reason I could use his first name but he addressed me so formally. He always said he wanted us to know that he respected us, but that we were also his friend and we shouldn't fear him (yeah...right).
"I've been very well, sir." I composed myself.
"Well, that is just marvelous." He smirked, "Why don't we take a drive?"
Something told me I should get in the car, but something else tugged at the back of my mind, telling me to run and never look back.
I followed him across the street to his car. He opened the passenger door for me and I slid in, suspicious of his kindness. For anyone who knew Stephen, this wasn't normal. He was silent most of the ride but I definitely recognized the route. We were going to the hospital, to pick up Unc. My palms developed a new layer of sweat.

We picked up Unc and got to my house. No one was saying a word. The silence was starting to get annoying, but the one well known yet unspoken rule for our family: Don't speak to Stephen unless he speaks to you, especially in a situation where he could be leading you to the slaughter. We walked up to the porch. Unc unlocked the door and Stephen walked in first with Unc and I following.
"Miss Marks, be a dear and fetch your Uncle and I some tea." I could tell something was up. He clearly wanted me out of the room to talk to Unc about something.
"Cream and sugar?" I asked in a sour tone.
He didn't pick up on it. "Oh! Yes, darling. Thank you." He smiled and for the first time ever, the smile seemed to reach his eyes. I shivered and walked to the kitchen. Something told me this wasn't just about what happened with Mikey.
I gathered the tea bags and put water through our decrepit coffee pot. When that was done (after a good fifteen minutes) I grabbed the bowls of sugar cubes and creamer, poured the tea into our best cups and brought them on a tray to the living room.
"She's only a child! I will not allow this to happen!" Unc whispered harshly in Stephen's face. He suddenly straightened up when he saw me standing there. I couldn't take the silence and secrecy anymore.
I carefully placed the tray on the coffee table and looked at Stephen, our unwelcomed guest, and did something that I'm lucky I didn't get murdered for.
"Stephen, what the hell do you want?"
Unc looked at me with shock and fear in his deep brown eyes, his furry eyebrows pushing together and worry lines wrinkling his forehead. I kept my eyes locked on Stephen's, not budging an inch.
"Lukas, give us a minute." Stephen said to Unc and I don't think he could've gotten away fast enough. "Sit down, Sophia."
"I'm good standing, thanks."
His eyes suddenly felt like they were drilling into my skull. I was forced to sit despite my pride. I rubbed my temple, a headache forming.
"Is everything all right?" a smile flickered across his face but disappeared just as quickly.
"I'm fine. What do you want, Stephen?" I looked at him, the headache was quickly becoming a migraine. I dealt with the pain anyway.
"First, we shall discuss your punishment about the harm done to your poor cousin. You are aware of how extensive his injuries are?"
"Yes." I replied, "First, though, I would like to express my sincere apologies to him, and would like to defend my actions by saying he was attacking a friend of mine, I stopped the fight and he advanced me. I was merely using self-defense."
He raised a hand to stop me, "The punishment will be you will have to work as a water girl for your schools football team for two weeks."
"What?!" I screamed. Wanting to spend time around a sweating football team was not how I imagined wasting two weeks.
"Without pay." he added, "Now, on to more pressing matters. Sophia," he looked me in the eyes and the headache began to fade, I suddenly felt calm, and I had never noticed what beautiful eyes Stephen had before.
"Sophia, there is an obligation I must fulfill as a pack leader and I want you to be the one to help me fulfill it." His voice was soft and held no trace of the Stephan I had been raised to fear.
Suddenly, he got down on one knee, I sat there shocked, the calm feeling was gone, the headache was gone, his beautiful eyes were the ugly yellow of rotting squash they’d always been. He was the only one in our family history who had eyes like that. Everything was replaced by fear and utter horror.
He took my hand in his own and looked deep into my eyes, smiling, "Sophia, va veti casatori cu mine?" [Will you marry me?]
I lightly pulled my hands from his and just stared. "You’re kidding, right?"
He looked confused, "No, I am completely serious, Sophia. You have grown into a very fine young woman. Not to mention you are very powerful when you--"
I held up my hand and stopped him before he could go any further, "I'm sorry, Stephen. I can't marry you." I stood up and walked to the front door, opening it wide, "I trust you can find your own way out."
He stared for a moment, rose from the floor, dusted off and straightened his suit and headed to the door, "Sophia," he stopped just outside the door and turned to me, "You will be my bride. Mark my words." And he left me shivering from fear in the door.
Still no name. Working on that. :/

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