“I figured we can stop and get something to eat before we head back,” Turner suggested. “Your choice.”
Arianna grabbed his arm to turn him back the way they just walked. She stopped before a store window and smiled. “This is what I want,” she said, pointing at the large ice cream cones displayed in the candy store window. “I’d always had ice cream on a mid-summer’s day when the sun was the hottest. That was my old life. Since I’m getting used to a new life, how about ice cream at,” she glanced at her watch, “11:37?”
“I was thinking more like real food,” Turner replied, and she pulled him into the candy store.
“Last time I checked, this is all real,” she said. “Besides, I can find all the food groups here. See, here are your fruits and vegetables.” Arianna pointed to the wide assortment of jelly beans lining the wall in clear canisters. “Grape, strawberry, banana, orange, carrot,” she read the labels. “Carrot?” she repeated while scrunching up her forehead. “Eww.”
“What about grains and meat?” Turner asked.
“Well obviously this is meat,” she said, picking up a hotdog-shaped bubble gum. “Looks like a hot dog to me.” She laughed, and Turner reluctantly nodded. “And grain along with dairy is over here in the ice cream cone.” Arianna posed in front of the row of cones that came in multiple shapes and sizes.
“Fine, you win,” Turner said, giving up his protest. “Just as long as I get to pick out your jewelry from these for tomorrow night.” Turner pointed to the candy rings, bracelets and necklaces.
“Mmmm, looks good,” Arianna joked.
“That way, when you get bored, you can just eat some candy and get a good sugar high. I’ll be able to tell how bored you are from how many pieces are missing,” Turner laughed.
After hours shopping and walking around, Arianna was actually ready to go back to Turner’s home and rest. As she entered her room to put her bags away, Arianna found Devin sitting with his laptop, typing away.
“Do you want to see what we bought shopping?” she asked, and he didn’t reply. “Your scent is different,” she commented, as she moved closer and looked at the computer screen. “Your blood doesn’t smell as strong as normal.”
Devin nodded without meeting her eyes as he continued to type. Arianna sat down and stared at him. He was back to being the same as he was the first time she met him, almost like he didn’t even notice she was in the same room as him.
“Are you not interested at all in what we did today?” she asked, wanting to grab his computer and demand his attention like a child.
Devin stopped typing and finally looked up from the computer screen. “No,” he replied, and then continued to type. “I can read Molina’s report tonight.”
“You’re no fun,” she complained. Devin continued to ignore her. Arianna leaned closer and stared at him as he typed. Arianna tried to read his emotions like she had accidentally done before.
“Do you need something?” Devin asked, and she shook her head no. Arianna continued to stare at him. His cool exterior seemed to extend to his core. He was not sad or happy; he was completely indifferent to Arianna sitting beside him.
“Why do you get this way?” she asked. Devin continued to type and ignore her. Arianna waited, but he didn’t reply. Arianna could feel herself beginning to get angry. He was the one who told her he liked her, and now he was completely uninterested. She knew he was keeping secrets from her, like everyone else, but she was trying her best to forgive him. His apathetic attitude wasn’t helping her at all.
Devin closed his computer and stood up. “We should head to bed,” he suggested. “Do you need to feed?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she lied. Arianna stood and glared at him. He’s treating me like a child again, she thought. She could feel the hunger in the pit of her stomach, but ignored it. Devin shrugged and walked over to the bed. “I need to get some fresh air.” Arianna turned and left the room. She closed the door hard and stood outside the room. Boys are too confusing, she thought, as she slid to the floor outside her room door.
He says he likes me, and then acts like he doesn’t, she thought. How am I to know if he is lying or not? Am I just another assignment? Arianna sat on the floor as tears began to trickle down her face. Her new life wasn’t anything she wanted: a strange new home, strange people, strange customs, and blood. Arianna ignored the strange scent of Devin’s blood inside the room. She heard him as he lay down on the bed. He really was going to go to sleep. He didn’t even seem to mind that she was just left alone. Gabriel had warned her not to go out by herself, but Devin didn’t seem to care. Does he really care less for me than Gabriel?
“Do you want to go for a walk?” Turner asked, kneeling beside Arianna. Startled, Arianna looked up at Turner expecting to see Devin.
“Sure,” Arianna replied, as he offered her his hand to help her stand.
Dashing to his room, Turner returned and placed his coat around Arianna. Taking his arm, Turner led Arianna down the hallway, stopping at the last room.
“We’re going out,” Turner said, peeking his head into the room.
“Who are you telling?” Arianna asked as her question was quickly answered by Jackson and Nelson exiting the room. Silently, they followed behind Turner and Arianna as they walked through the house. As they reached the garage, Turner threw keys to both Jackson and Nelson.
“I thought we were going for a walk?” Arianna asked.
“I know a great place to go for a walk, but we have to get there first,” Turner explained, smiling slyly like he was up to something.
“Why do I always get the feeling you are always two steps ahead of me?” Arianna asked, and Turner winked.
“The two red ones over there are mine,” he called back to Jackson and Nelson as he hopped on the nearest bike. “Are you coming?” Turner asked, extending his hand to Arianna. Arianna listened inside the house. Devin was still in bed, probably asleep by now. He wasn’t coming to apologize to her like she expected. Taking Turner’s extended hand, Arianna hopped on behind him and grasped him around his waist.
FIFTEEN
“I was only twelve, when my mother died,” Turner explained, as Arianna snuggled into the coat Turner had given her. Arianna stared at the bright sky filled with stars. Turner was right; it was the perfect place to take a walk. When they stopped outside a forest with just a small dirt path entering it, Arianna was as hesitant as her two guards, but Turner reassured her that they were still safe. Climbing the last hill, to the large stone she was now lying on, she understood why Turner would choose such a place. Below them was the city, with lights twinkling, and around them were the tall, snow-capped mountains.
“I’m sorry,” Arianna replied.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. She struggled to live for three years after her diagnosis. Death was the kindest thing for her,” Turner stared into the sky. “It’s taken me a long time to realize that much. She was always in so much pain.”
“What was she like?” Arianna asked, often wondering the same thing about her own mother.
Turner pondered the question. “It’s been five years now. I feel like my memory of her is fading somewhat. Most of my memories are from after she was diagnosed. Dad has always said she became a much different person after that, trying to fit a lifetime into as much time as she had left. She would often talk about what sort of men she wanted my brother and me to grow into. Her expectations were high, and hopefully, someday, I can achieve them.”
“Was she human?” Arianna asked, knowing it was a strange question.
“Yep,” Turner replied. “She grew up here in town and knew about everything. Dad always said his in-laws were more than happy to have her marry a night human, but I guess they expected her to have at least one child like her. Since both my brother and I were not what they expected, they drifted away from us after she died.”
“But you still have your dad and brother,” Arianna added.
“My dad is great, Eric, not so much,” Turn
er replied. “Don’t get me wrong. He’s my brother, and I’ll always love him. I just don’t plan to stay around here forever and have to deal with him. The greatest thing about moving to go to school was getting away from him. My dad says Eric treats me the way he does because of jealously, but I think it’s because he’s an immature brat.”
“He wasn’t that bad,” Arianna added, thinking back to the only meeting she had with his father and brother after they arrived in town.
“Why does everyone call you Turner?” she asked, changing the subject. “I saw Devin’s files on all the students in our class, and it had your real name on it.”
“Well, technically, Turner is my real name,” he corrected. “It’s just my middle name. I stopped going by Brenton after my mother died. She was really the only one who called me that anyways.”
“Do you miss her?” Arianna asked, turning to watch his expression as he responded, expecting him to try to lie and cover up.
“No,” he replied honestly. “I wish she were here with me, but I don’t miss her. One morning two weeks before she died, we talked for such long period of time that it was almost morning before we realized how much time had passed. Together we watched the sunrise. She told me that that was where she was going to be. If I ever missed her or needed to talk, she would be waiting in the sunrise.”
“Is that why you always go for a run before you go to bed in the morning?”
“Yep. I know she’s somewhere out there, listening to me,” he replied. “How can you miss someone who isn’t completely gone?” Arianna smiled.
“She sounds like she was a good mom,” Arianna replied.
“The best.” Arianna and Turner sat in silence for a while as they both gazed at the night sky. “Arianna,” Turner began, turning to face her as he talked. Shocked by his serious tone, Arianna faced him as well. “What do you think of me?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” she asked back. Arianna blushed as she thought of how he had kissed her.
“That’s exactly what I mean,” he replied watching her blush more. “This probably isn’t the best time to ask, with you fighting with Devin and all, but I want to know what you think of me.”
Arianna blushed more. She’d never met anyone as direct and carefree as Turner. He lived life to the fullest, and on his own terms. Arianna didn’t know how to respond. She tried to turn onto her back, and continue looking at the stars, but he was even quicker as he caught her and made her face him.
“At a loss for words?” he asked, waiting. Arianna nodded. “Then how about this. Do you hate me?” he asked, and she shook her head no. “Do you find me attractive?” Arianna closed her eyes, and, embarrassed, nodded her head yes. Turner chuckled. “Do you enjoy being with me?” Keeping her eyes shut, Arianna nodded yes again. “Would you object if I leaned over and kissed you right now?”
“Wait a second,” she said, opening her eyes to find him laughing. “You’re teasing me again.”
“Correct,” he said, continuing to hold her face. “But I’m serious about knowing what you think of me.”
“How am I supposed to answer that?” she asked. “It’s such a complicated question. Let’s turn it around first. Turner, what do you think of me?” she asked.
“You’re more than I ever imagined you would be,” he replied honestly.
“But you just met me,” she questioned his answer.
“No, I met you a long time ago. Devin had always talked about this beautiful angel he was going to marry. She lived very far away, but he had met her briefly when he came to live with Lord Randolph. I begged and begged to be able to see this girl he was talking about, and one time he took me with him and Lord Randolph on a visit. He was right. The girl he was in love with was a beautiful angel, just as he had described,” Turner explained.
“Me?” Arianna questioned.
“You. I knew at that moment, you were the only girl I could ever love. You were so beautiful and focused, playing with your friends. You didn’t even notice the strangers at the park watching you,” Turner continued.
“You were that boy,” Arianna said, suddenly remembering Turner’s face.
“I couldn’t help it,” Turner blushed. “We were told we couldn’t speak to you, just watch. As soon as Lord Randolph stepped away for a moment, I hurried to the swings. I just had to tell you.” Arianna remembered the red headed boy that told her, when she was younger, that he loved her. She had never met the boy before, and yet as she played with her friends, there he was, confessing. At an age where boys had cooties, Arianna spent weeks being teased by Mary Ellen and Tish for the boy who told her he loved her. He wasn’t from their school, and they never saw him again.
“Arianna, please let me…” He hesitated, and Arianna closed her eyes again. She knew what he was going to ask, and she didn’t have an answer for him. “Be your keeper.”
Arianna’s eyes jerked open, and she stared at him. It wasn’t the question she was expecting. “I don’t understand. You just told me you liked me. Shouldn’t the question be about being my boyfriend?”
“That’s not something I would ever ask of you,” Turner replied.
Arianna sat up. “I hate boys. They are so confusing. You sound just like Devin, now,” she complained as she moved to get out of the coat she was wrapped in.
“Wait,” he begged, taking her hands in his own. “I can explain.” Arianna stopped moving and turned to him. He had just said exactly what she had been waiting to hear from Devin. “I’d love to ask you to be my girlfriend, but I wouldn’t want to put you through that.”
“Through what?” she asked.
“The stares and snickering,” he said. “You’ve not lived in this world long enough to see. If you said yes, to be my girlfriend, everything said about you, and behind your back, would amplify. You already have to deal with enough.”
“Deal with?” Arianna questioned. “My parents were outcasts because one was a dearg-dul and the other a baku, but I thought we were allies.”
“They are, and there are no problems between our kinds dating. The problem people would see isn’t that you are a dearg-dul but that you are a purebred dearg-dul. Purebreds only marry other purebreds, or people with purebred ancestry. Needless to say, my family line is only lycan and human, so people wouldn’t accept me being with you. I want to be beside you forever. I’ve been in love with you since the day we first met. By asking to be your keeper, it would be acceptable to society for me to be at your side constantly just like a boyfriend would,” he explained.
“So, I can only marry someone of pureblood ancestry?” she asked. “The only difference I see between purebreds and other dearg-duls is power. But then I don’t understand. Gabriel just said you were more powerful than half the purebreds out there.”
Turner laughed. “When did you see Gabriel?” Turner had tried endlessly to sense the baku.
“At the last store we shopped in,” Arianna replied.
“I thought something was strange when I smelled your blood,” Turner smiled. “He sure is good. I didn’t sense a baku around any time I was with you today, and yet, there he was.” He sighed and then shrugged his shoulders. “In reality, you can marry anyone you like,” Turner replied, answering her original question. “I don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to tell you no, but you would have to deal with the ridicule that goes along with not following tradition. There are few purebred dearg-duls. Of the thirty-seven clans, only twenty-two have a purebred leading them. The purebred gene is passed from generation to generation. If you were to marry someone not of pureblood descent, such as me, even though they may be powerful, your pureblood gene could be lost in the next generation. Most wouldn’t be happy with that possibility.”
“Oh,” Arianna couldn’t think of another reply. The situation was so new to her. She could understand the problems her parents caused marrying between feuding clans, but she didn’t know there were more traditions to follow. “This is all so strange. Don’t people around here marry for lov
e?”
Turner smiled. “Yes, most of the people marry for love, but they only look for love within the bounds of tradition. I personally don’t care for all of the traditions, but I don’t want to make things worse for you. You'll have a hard enough time when people find out that you’re both baku and dearg-dul,” Turner explained. “I’m not expecting an answer from you right now. It’s a big decision, to choose a keeper. But since you are a purebred, just think of it this way, you can always say yes, and when you get sick of me, just get a new one.”
“That’s what I said, but everyone tells me to make good decisions the first time, and then not have to worry about it in the future,” Arianna agreed.
Arianna lay down in silence as Turner continued to hold her hand. She watched the stars above, and unconsciously began to listen as the blood within Turner pumped through his body. The slight swish of blood as it flowed through him sounded different than Devin. Everything about the two was different. How could she choose between them? She knew already that she liked Devin, and in a way he was already acting as her keeper, but when she had asked if he would become her keeper, he had said no. What does it all mean, she pondered. Arianna moved Turner’s hand to her face and listened as the sound of his heartbeat grew louder. Arianna felt her eyes become heavy as she listened to the rhythmic beat. Arianna didn’t say anything as she felt herself drifting off to sleep. She was so confused; her head hurt from thinking so much about the situation. Sleep was welcome.
Turner put his other hand gently on her face. Arianna instantly drifted off to sleep. Turner gently brushed her hair from her eyes. She was so small and delicate. He thought back to his first meeting with her. She hadn’t changed much over the last few years. She still was smiley and bubbly, but he could see the strain behind her smile. This whole situation that she had been flung into was hard on her. Turner looked down the pathway where Nelson and Jackson were sitting quietly. There was no way he could take her away from everything as much as he wanted to. Turner silently held onto Arianna and watched her sleep as the sun began to rise in the east.