Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Pool Party

 

The sun was shining through the window when I woke up.  My head was resting on Alex’s chest and I listened to the soothing sound of his heart beat.  His heart rate was faster than a full human, but it was so relaxing that I started to drift back to sleep as Alex started to stroke my hair humming quietly. 

“I guess that’s a hint that I should try to wake up or are you going to let me sleep in?” I asked softly.

“Well the others would like you to be by the pool before noon.  The guests will be arriving around two o’clock, but we do a family thing first.  This party usually goes pretty late,” he replied.  I stretched luxuriously and snuggled in closer to him.  He laughed quietly.

“Well, I guess you’re not moving anytime soon.”

“Hmmmm, since I have you as a pillow I might as well take advantage of it. I hardly saw you yesterday so I’m stocking up.  I’ll probably hardly see you today as well with so many people being here,” I complained.

“I promise I will try to be with you more today but I thought you were sick of having us around all the time?” he chided.

“Having you around is not the issue.  Not being able to go anywhere without a chaperone now, that’s an issue.  A girl likes a bit of freedom you know,” I clarified.

“You can have all the freedom you want later.  Right now consider yourself under house arrest!” He winked.

“Only if you’re the jailer,” I teased.  He tightened his arms around me and I couldn’t imagine any other place I would rather be.

“You better get up, Lizzy is getting impatient.  She wants to make sure you’re ready for the party and she wants me to help George with something in the front yard,” His eyes had that far away look when he and his sister communicated.  Apparently I had slept long enough and I wouldn’t get to lounge the way I wanted to.  I sighed and got out of bed, threw on my robe and headed for the kitchen with Alex following.  I found Lizzy and Cassy sitting at the kitchen table discussing music sets for the party.

“It’s about time you got up we have a lot to do before the party,” Lizzy said exasperated.

“You’re such a kill joy.  You know that I was rather comfortable when you invaded his head,” I sapped playfully.

“You can sleep in tomorrow and why aren’t you dressed?” she demanded.

“Oh please. You got me out of bed.  I’m going to eat before I have a shower and get dressed so back off.” she wasn’t pleased but she conceded.

I ate breakfast slowly on purpose.  Alex was quite amused by the silent battle his sister and I were having.  Every time she sighed in frustration about my slowness I slowed down even more eating my cereal one piece at a time.

“The two of you are being ridiculous,” Cassy complained.

“Well, next time she’ll remember not to rush me.  Maybe I’ll take a really long shower too,” I teased.

“I’ll flush the toilet if you do,” Lizzy glowered.

“That doesn’t work in this house, Lizzy, as you know,” Alex said coming to my defence.  Lizzy glared at him.

“You’re not supposed to tell her that.  How am I going to get her ready for the party if she dawdles all morning?  I mean really can you move any slower?  Wait, don’t answer that.” she said looking at me and shaking her head in frustration.

“I’ll be ready in half an hour.  I don’t know what your rush is it’s only eleven thirty and I’m sure everything is ready.” I looked at her as I crossed my arms over my chest and started tapping my foot.  Lizzy laughed.

“Okay okay, you’re right.  I want to go open my presents.  So please go get ready.”

“But you told me you guys don’t get presents,” I exclaimed haughtily.

“No, we said you couldn’t get us anything because there was no time for you to get anything and it wasn’t safe for you.  However, the rest of the family did and we want you there, so hurry up,” she was bouncing on her chair.

“You’re such a child.  For someone who is turning 126 today you’re acting ridiculous.  Besides, I bet you already know what you’re getting anyway.” I smiled at her.

“Oh hurry up and get ready,” she pushed me down the hall all the way to Alex’s room. 

“And make sure you take what we picked out yesterday with you into the washroom so Alex can’t peek,” she whispered.  I nodded and then went to get ready. 

Once at the pool we sat down at one of the tables.   There was a small stack of presents on one of the tables beside us.  Alex got Lizzy a new car and Lizzy got Alex a motorcycle.  The rest of their presents were related to those first two gifts.  Alex got a helmet, riding jacket and riding boots.  Lizzy got a satellite stereo and a new leather jacket.  We sang happy birthday to them and brought out the cake.  While everyone was eating I got up and slipped into the change room by the pool to retrieve my presents for the twins.  I returned handing them the gifts that I had for them.

“But when did you get this?” Lizzy asked perplexed.

“I have my ways,” I answered, “Happy birthday Lizzy, I hope you like it.”

“Happy birthday Alex,” I smiled as I handed him his gift.

“Anna, this is fantastic.  When did you get this done?” Lizzy showed everyone the portrait.

“I had it done a few months ago.  I had to get James to help me since neither one of you would let me out of your sight,” I teased. She hugged me tightly.

“This is the best. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, I’m glad you like it,” I beamed at her.

“Anna, where did you get this?” Alex asked holding up the coat of arms pin.

“It’s your family crest from your mother’s side.  It’s a clan hat pin.” I explained.

“Thank you, you shouldn’t have and the note book?” he questioned.

“You’re always writing things on scrap pieces of paper and losing them, so now you’ll have a place to record all your ideas.” I said quietly looking at my feet.  I was feeling a bit confused by his reaction to the gifts I had given him. I couldn’t tell whether he liked them or not.  He hugged me quickly. 

“Thank you Anna.” he whispered in my ear.  The emotion in his voice was hard for me to understand.  Did he like the gifts I had given him or not?

“Um, you’re welcome,” I said quietly as I quickly sat down more confused than ever.  What had I done wrong?  I spent the rest of our family lunch mulling over what had happened and trying to figure out what was wrong with the gifts that I had given him. 

“What’s wrong Anna?” James whispered pulling me from my thoughts.

“Nothing, I just need to stretch my legs for a minute.  Excuse me.” I smiled at him and rose from the table.  Alex and Lizzy looked at me questioningly as I walked away.  I went to my favourite place on the grounds; the garden.  It was a place I always felt at peace in, somewhere I could think.

“Anna, what’s wrong?” Lizzy asked quietly from behind me.

“Alex didn’t like his gift.  I hurt him, I didn’t mean to do that,” I replied sadly.

“You didn’t hurt him, you surprised him.  It caught him off guard that you knew him so well and he hadn’t realized that you watch him as much as he watches you.  He cherishes family above everything and you should know that he thinks of you as family, Anna, and that scares him because he doesn’t want you to leave.  He’s terrified that he might lose you.  Please don’t be upset by his reaction, he cherishes your gift.  I would know.”  She pointed to her head knowingly and smiled so warmly that I had to smile back.

“As long as you’re sure I didn’t upset him,” I said worriedly.

“He loves you Anna, even if he won’t say it out loud.  I know how he feels.  But he doesn’t want to force you to be claimed by him,” she said quietly.

“Is that what he thinks?” My eyes widened in shock.  I had to see a copy of that legend.  I had a feeling that there was more to this than any of us knew.

“Lizzy, I think the claiming is something more than what we understand.  That’s why I want to see the legend so badly.  It could have been misinterpreted.” I looked at her with wide pleading eyes.

“Don’t worry, you’ll see it soon enough.  Now put a smile on your face and get ready.  People have started to arrive.”  She grabbed my hand and led me back to the pool area. 

“Anna, there you are,” Alex stated as he moved to my side and put his arm around my waist.

“Where did you go?” I knew he was aware of where I was, he was just being polite. He pulled me tightly into an embrace and rested his chin on my head.

“I needed to think a bit is all.  Lizzy helped to clear things up.  Sometimes girls need some quiet time to mull things over,” I said quietly.

“Well the party has started and you’re late.  Not a very good hostess, I would say,” he teased.

“Well then I suggest we join the guests unless you would rather do something else?” I questioned innocently.  He smiled and kissed me quickly.

“Anna, would you stop fooling around with your boyfriend.  It’s so..” Christine chided us with a broad smile.  I turned to her and gave her a hug.

“I’m so happy you came, is Tisha and Sally here too?”

“They’re lounging by the pool already. Come on, let’s join them” she said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me with her.

The music was blasting, people were in the pool, playing volley ball, and lounging in chairs.  Tisha was wearing a really cute pink tankini and Sally was wearing a simple yet elegant, purple two piece suit.

“Anna, Christine, finally! Why aren’t you in swim wear? You’re setting a bad example,” Tisha groused smiling at us.  Christine promptly removed her shorts and t-shirt to reveal a light blue one piece suit that beautifully accentuated her figure.  I glanced at Lizzy and she nodded.  I slowly removed my shirt to reveal the forest green string bikini top I was wearing.  Alex was three feet away standing next to Will.  Alex stopped talking mid sentence, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as he watched me remove my shorts and sit down with Christine and Tisha.  Alex was still gawking at me in stunned silence as Will chuckled.  Lizzy and Cassy joined us smiling. 

“Way to go Anna, I’ve never seen him speechless like this,” Cassy said winking conspiratorially at me.  Lizzy giggled.

“Oh, are we in for it later, Anna.  He’s pretty much going crazy right now, his thoughts are.. Oh my,” Lizzy said her mouth dropping open in surprise.

“What is it, Lizzy?” I asked perplexed.

“I can’t say, I’m trying to block out those images.” She was blushing, shocked at what her brother was thinking.

“I didn’t realize you could do that. Should I go change?” I whispered.

“Don’t you dare.  It’s hilarious how he’s reacting to you, and I must say he’s not the only one.  He doesn’t like that too much either,” she giggled.  I laughed with her.  It was nice to know that I could get a reaction like that out of Alex.  It really boosted my confidence.

“Can I get you ladies a drink?” Will asked sidling up to us and grinning charmingly.

“Yes, I’ll have a coke,” Lizzy said politely.

“Me to” Cassy replied.           

“I’ll have one too,” I added.

“Could we have bottles of water please?” Christine asked.

“Not a problem ladies.  I’ll be right back,” Will smiled, took a quick glance at me and nodded appreciatively.  He winked at me as he moved off to fetch the drinks chuckling quietly to himself.

Alex walked silently over to Christine and handed her a bottle of water; she blushed crimson. He smiled sweetly at her and then passed a bottle to each of the other girls before he went back to sit at a table with a few of the guys from school.

Will returned and gave the first coke to Cassy and then slipped in between Lizzy’s and my chair handing us each our drinks.

“Well played ladies.  I just hope you’ll be able to handle the consequences.  He’s pretty much speechless. That’s twice in one day, Anna.  I love having you around, it’s never boring,” Will said grinning at me with respectful admiration.

“Shall we go for a swim?” I looked at Lizzy with a grin.  She smiled rising elegantly from her lounge chair and walked to the pool stairs.  I followed her, not as elegantly of course, but I did my best.  Alex watched my every move intently as we entered the pool.  He pulled off his shirt revealing his perfectly sculpted chest and abs and I was in awe watching him walk towards the pool.  He was wearing khaki shorts that sat low on his hips and just accentuated his perfect physique.  I lowered myself into the water and began swimming to the other end of pool.  When suddenly a hand grabbed my ankle and dragged me backwards.  I started to kick my legs harder to get away but the next thing I knew there were two very strong arms around my waist pulling me under water.  I turned to see Alex looking at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.  I smiled and put my arms around his neck, watching his beautiful hair flowing serenely in the water.  He tightened his arms crushing me to his chest, allowing me to lean forward and brush my lips against his, to which he responded eagerly.  It was almost two minutes before we surfaced for air.  Lizzy and Will were laughing playfully splashing water at everyone in the lounge chairs.  I smiled happily.

“If I had known you were going to wear that I would never have let you out of the house,” Alex whispered into my ear, his lips brushing seductively against my neck.

“Well, that’s why I didn’t model it for you earlier.  Besides, I figured this would be a pretty good birthday present since I wasn’t sure you’d like the others.” I smiled contentedly leaning my head back against his muscular chest.

“I have to say my presents have been getting better as the day goes on,” he breathed slowly into my ear.

“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” I replied.

“Let’s just say that I’m not sure my sister will forgive me for the thoughts I had about you.  I forgot to shut her out.” he admitted, chuckling.

“And what exactly were you thinking?” I turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

He tightened his grip around my waist slightly, his eyes becoming more seductive if that was even possible!

“Perhaps I’ll get to show you one day,” he said kissing the nape of my neck softly.  Chills went up and down my spine as my imagination went wild with the possibilities.

“Hey Alex, want to play a game of water polo?” Will asked as he bounded up to us grinning.

“That sounds like fun,” I said.

“Christine, Tisha, Sally - water polo, you in?” I asked looking around at the other girls.

“Sure,” Christine replied eagerly jumping into the water, followed by Tisha.

“Come on Sally!” Christine called.

“I’ll come in later,” Sally said distractedly, as she watched one of the boys from the basketball team.  Stephan took his shirt off and joined us to play the game.  The sun was setting so it was safe for him to be in public.

We broke up into two groups of five.  I had Alex, George, Christine and Tisha on my team and Lizzy had Will, Stephan, Joel and Cassy on her team.  We played best two out of three.  Every time Christine got the ball Stephan was there to stop her; it was his excuse to be close to her.  I had known that he liked her for quite some time and I also knew that she had a crush on him, but she was dating Joel.  Joel didn’t seem bothered by the attention Stephan was giving her.  Every time I got the ball Will dragged me under and took it from me.  Alex would retaliate by doing the same to his sister.  We played back and forth until finally Lizzy’s team won by one point.

“You let her win,” I teased Alex.

“Old habits die hard,” Lizzy replied, smiling smugly.

“Hey, I plead the fifth,” Alex said innocently.

“Lets get something to eat I’m starving.”  I looked at Christine and she nodded.  We all happily exited the pool, Alex guiding me with his hand on my back as we ascended the stairs out of the water, he handed me a towel and my wrap once we were near our lounge chairs. I smiled as I covertly watched Stephan hand Christine a towel.

“What is it?” Alex asked.

“Stephan really likes her, doesn’t he?”

“Yes he does, but he’s not sure what to do.”

“Well he could ask her out on a date, you know.  I’m not sure things are still on with Joel.  I’ve been watching them all day and they haven’t really spoken at all.” As if to punctuate my point Joel moved to speak with Tisha.

“Maybe if Stephan actually spoke to her, he might find that she likes him too.  I know she’s had a crush on him for quite some time.” I looked up into Alex’s gorgeous eyes.

“He’s the shyest of all of us.  I don’t know if he will talk to her or not, she might have talk to him first to break the ice,” he laughed shaking his head and looking at me fondly.  I couldn’t help it, I wanted my friends to be happy.  I glanced over at Christine who was thanking Stephan for the towel.

“I’ll see what I can do.  Now, I’m starving can we get something to eat?”

“Put your wrap on,” he said as he looked appreciatively at my body.  I tied the wrap around my waist and grabbed his hand pulling him toward the tent with all the food.

“Alex” George called, I looked at the worried expression on George’s face, but Alex ignored him as we walked into the tent.

Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Preparations

 

The next two weeks passed by without any problems.  Alex ran me to school as usual and classes were the same.  I even made plans with Christine and some of the other girls to go to a movie after finals.  Jeff stayed away from me and ignored Alex and the others completely except that he glared at them when he didn’t realize I was watching.  I was still worried about his safety, but I now realized I could do nothing to help him.

 

Exam week was terrible; I hated exams.  I was stressed to the max, and I had to write four this time, one each day.  I spent each morning wring the exam of the day, and the afternoon was spent cramming with Alex and Lizzy for the next one.  It was hard studying with people who had photographic memories, which was a wonderful trait of being half vampire.  It was so annoying.  They were both great tutors, but they were slave drivers in my opinion.  There was never a moment’s peace until exams were finally over on Thursday.

“Thank goodness that’s over.  I only need one more semester of school and then I can graduate,” I said cheerily.

“How do you figure that?” Christine and Lizzy asked.

“I took a few classes during the summers when I was in New York so I could graduate early,” I smiled.

“No fair,” they whined in unison as I laughed.

            Alex, Will and Joel joined us when they saw we were walking towards the cafeteria to grab something to eat and just talk.  I realized that summer was here and we wouldn’t see as much of each other.  I wanted to see my friends as much as possible.  I really enjoyed spending time with these people.  I was stirred from my thinking by Christine.

“I can hardly wait until Saturday.  I saw the news and it’s going to be the perfect day!” she squeaked with excitement.  She was talking about the annual pool party; the twin’s birthday.

I smiled widely; I already had a gift for Alex that I’ve had since before Christmas.  Lizzy was a different story.  I was trying to think what I could do for her but I was coming up blank.  I figured I would try the direct approach and ask her.

“So Lizzy, what can I do for your birthday?  I want to do something.”

She shook her head at me. “I don’t want anything, Anna.  We can do something later, I promise.”

“But it’s not the same,” I protested.

“You heard me, we’ll do something later in August,” she said firmly. “Then we can have a big party, or go on a trip.” She smiled at me and I knew she was being sincere.  They all just wanted to keep me safe.  I then realized what I could get her, but I would need James’ help since I know none of them would let me go anywhere. 

Friday was a blur of preparations for the pool party; we all spent most of the day by the pool cleaning and setting up tables and lounge chairs.  The cool thing about working with vampires was that everyone moved so fast, set up was complete in about four hours; the finishing touches would be done in the morning.  We also set up a couple of volley ball nets in the back yard so our guests could enjoy a few games tomorrow afternoon.  I found out that there was a rivalry between a couple of students and every year they would work it out by playing volley ball.

 

There would be a DJ for the music and food would be catered by a local company in town.  The entire school and even students from the other schools in the area came to this party.  Good thing the pool was Olympic sized.  Some of the students from neighbouring schools were lifeguards and they would sign up for two hour shifts so that they could attend.  I was starting to get really excited.  Lizzy and I were in the back yard while Alex, Will and Stephan were in the front yard setting up lights along the pathway to the backyard.

“Lizzy, we need to figure out which suit I’m going to wear tomorrow,” I whispered I had learned that their hearing was impeccable and I didn’t want to let anything slip.

She winked at me and grinned, “We better go inside and pick out the right thing, I’ll get Cassy too.  She won’t want to miss this.” Lizzy whisked away. 

I walked slowly into the house and into the room I shared with Alex.  Cassy and Lizzy were already there going through my bikinis. 

“Well, what do you think Cassy? Did you guys pick one yet?” I asked.  She looked at me appraisingly, trying to decide which one would be best. 

“Go with the green one.  It’ll make your eyes pop and so will Alex’s,” she grinned, winking at me.

“I agree,” Lizzy said assuredly. “Now we need to get the accessories sorted out and everything hidden before the boys come looking for us and start asking questions.”

Lizzy promptly went to my dresser and examined my collection of shorts and t-shirts.  She picked a low rise mid thigh khaki coloured short with a black form fitting t-shirt.  Cassy was looking though my wraps and picked the black one with a tasselled fringe.  They put everything in a neat pile in the top drawer of my dresser.

“Now make sure you get dressed when he’s not in the room and whatever you do make sure he doesn’t see this until it’s too late,” Cassy said pointing to the dark green string bikini in the drawer.

“I just hope it doesn’t fall off.  I’ve never worn one that skimpy before,” I confessed looking down at my feet.

“It’ll be fine.  Just don’t dive into the pool and you should be good.”Lizzy smiled.

“Don’t forget to keep a leash on Will, George and Stephan,” I laughed.

They nodded giggling.  It was going to be a fun day and I couldn’t wait. 

 

James arrived around five o’clock to see me.  We walked to the garden so that we could talk privately.

“I got what you asked for.  This is a great idea for a gift, Anna, I’m sure she’ll love it,” James smiled as he handed me the framed portrait drawing of Lizzy, Alex, Will and I.  I had given James a picture of the four of us from the Christmas party and he taken it to a friend to sketch a few months back.  I had originally planned on keeping the portrait but then decided it would make an awesome birthday gift for Lizzy.  However, I needed to get it framed which was where James came in.  This was a gift that she wouldn’t expect.  I liked that idea.

“What did you get Alex?” he inquired.

“I got him an eclectic note book with matching pen.  He’s always writing stuff on pieces of paper and losing them,” I replied.

“That’s a good idea.  Here I got this as well.” He handed me a small box.

“What is it?” I questioned curiously.

“It’s a hat pin with his family crest.  I found it a while back but I haven’t had time to give it to him or you.  I did some research on his mother’s background and found she was from Ireland, originally.  I thought this should come from you since I know how much you care about him,” he smiled knowingly at me and put an arm around my shoulders.

“Thank you James, you didn’t have to do this. I know he’ll love it,” I said beaming up at him.  We sat in the garden and talked about the past few months.  I was glad he was here; James and Max were definitely father figures to me and I trusted them both implicitly.  I was lucky to have them in my life. 

“Anna, I need to get going.  I have a few contacts who’ve found out some information that I need to pass on to George about that prophesy, or legend, whatever you want to call it.  I found out that the original document is currently at the Smithsonian Institute for verification of authenticity and translation.  We may be able to see the original document.  I still have to make a few calls, but this could make things much easier for us,” James said quietly.  “However, if your father realizes that we know this, we’ll never get near it.”

“Why is it there though? I don’t understand.  It seems like a lot of trouble for one legend.” I looked at him questioningly.

“The document is quite extensive and it’s more like a history of the family line.  It apparently traces back to early Roman times.  It was written in Latin and Egyptian which is interesting considering the family is Spanish.  The Reyes family name can be easily traced back to the early 1700's but before that I’m not sure what they went by.  The name could have changed depending on the time period.  It means ‘king’ and was a name given to those who were considered regal or powerful.” I was getting a history lesson from James on my father’s family name.

“Well let’s get back to the house and let George know.  Maybe we could all take a trip to the States together,” I remarked knowing that it was wishful thinking.

“Anna!” Cassy called. 

“We’re in the garden,” I answered without yelling. Kowing that she could hear me. 

“Could you help me with a few things for the party tomorrow?” she asked as she entered the garden.

“Sure,” I picked up the bag with Lizzy’s and Alex’s presents and started to walk towards her. I turned quickly.

“Thank you for all your help James.” I threw my arms around his neck and gave him a quick hug and kissed his cheek.

“No problem kid,” he replied, hugging me back.

I jogged to Cassy’s side as she started walking towards the pool while James made his way to the house to speak with George.

“So what are we doing?”

“We need to make sure that the lights work and I’m also keeping you away from the twins.  If they figure out you have gifts for them they’ll bug you until you spill your guts, and with their talents it’s impossible not to cave.  Even after years of trying to surprise them they usually figure it out,” she said shaking her head.

“So in other words we need to hide these were they won’t look for them, just in case right?” I asked.

`“You got it,” she replied smiling.

“Where did you have in mind?”

“In plain sight; the twins know that this area is now off limits.  Will and George are keeping a close eye on them so we’re safe to add a few finishing touches.  This will really surprise them, it’s a first you know.  So please don’t let on that you got them something.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll just whine to Lizzy about not letting me go shopping for her present.  That’ll work I’m sure.”  We laughed. 

The lights looked magnificent in the twilight.  Blue and white twinkle lights lined the path to the pool and all the decorations matched.  I saw a few bags of streamers that still needed to be hung.  We would be busy in the morning.  It was weird I had hardly seen Alex all day, just in passing.  I wasn’t used to not seeing him at home I mussed. 

“Anna, are you in there?” Lizzy called.

“Yes.”

“Alex, Will and I are going hunting, we’ll be back later tonight, Alex told me to let you know that he’ll come down in a few minutes to say good night.”

“Thanks.  Are you trying to see the extra stuff we’re doing, Lizzy?”

“Would I do such a thing?” she asked innocently.

“Yes!” Cassy and I replied in unison.  We all laughed.  I walked to where Lizzy was standing to the left of the path to the pool.  I shook my head at her.

“What? You can’t blame a birthday girl for trying,” she grinned, rocking on her heels trying to play innocent.

“I’m still ticked at you for not telling me what you want for your birthday or letting me go shopping to try and find something.  You two are being very difficult about this you know” I pouted.

“Well it’s too late now,” Alex said out of nowhere.

I jumped. “Where did you come from?” I whirled around meeting his eyes and promptly bumped against his chest and almost fell over.  He caught me in his arms, chuckling softly.

“You did that on purpose,” I glared up at him.  His smile widened and I could do nothing but smile in return.  I slid my arms around his neck and stretched up on my tip toes to kiss his cheek. He moved quickly enough so that our lips met instead.  I inhaled sharply, and sighed melting into his embrace.

“Would you two give it a rest?  We have things to do and you won’t be gone that long Alex,” Will complained.

Alex tightened his embrace for a few seconds then gently set me down.

“I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” he promised.

“Have fun.” I smiled up at him.

“I’ve hardly seen you all day, that’s hardly fair you know.” he complained.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get to see me lots tomorrow.” I smiled at him.  Lizzy and Cassy stifled their laughter quickly by coughing and Alex looked at them questioningly with a raised eyebrow.

“Get going, that way you’ll be home sooner,” I reach up and kissed him quickly.

“Try to get some sleep.”  He smiled softly as he tenderly brushed my cheek with the back of his hand.

“I will,” I said as he and the others left for their hunting excursion.  I walked back to the house with Cassy and we made a light dinner, and settled down in front of the TV for the rest of the evening.

Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Enrique Reyes

 

In the morning things got a bit more interesting.  Max knocked on the door before he entered Alex’s room.

“Anna we need to talk.” Max said quietly motioning me to follow him down the hallway.  I nodded and followed him, Alex was right behind us.  When we entered the kitchen, everyone else was there waiting for us.  Max motioned us to sit down.

“Anna, you need to know that there is a problem,” Max said quietly.

I watched him and the others intently as he started to explain.

“This is going to be a harder fight than any of us had suspected as your father has some unexpected connections that we did not know about.  Apparently, your father has connections with an old Vampire clan.  They’re sending a few reinforcements to help him, which will complicate things.  Our sources told us they are mainly coming to witness, but if he needs help they will not hesitate to intervene,” Max stated.

“What do we do?” I whispered feeling dread settle into my belly.

“We will set a time to meet with your father and we will try to stop this,” Katie stated simply.  I looked at all of them seriously.

“He won’t stop.  He made that clear with my mother’s death.  The only thing to do is face him on my birthday.  We can only try to keep him at bay until then.  Have you found a place that we can meet him where no one else might be hurt?” I asked.  I was coming up with a plan.  I could see it forming in my head.  Alex put a hand on my shoulder looking at me questioningly.

“Yes, we have. Why Anna?  What are you thinking?” George asked.  He always seemed to know when I was hatching a plan; it was rather strange.                         

“I’m going to call him,” I stated, knowing it was the right thing to do.

“Are you out of your mind?” Alex spun me to face him, his eyes frantic.

“No, I’m not out of my mind.  If wants me then he’ll have me but on my terms, and my terms only,” I said smiling reassuringly at him.

“You can’t mean that!” Alex and Lizzy exclaimed, confusion in their eyes.

“Yes, I can.  I will tell him where and when we will meet so that everyone at school or elsewhere will be safe.  That way he can make all the plans he wants while we’re listening.  All I have to do is tell him when and where,” I looked at everyone confidently.  “Don’t worry, we’ll be ready, my birthday is only two and a half months away.  It’s June now, I think he can wait a bit longer,” I stated, trying to hide my fear, but also, strangely certain this would work.

“She’s crazy” Cassy said quietly.

I smiled at her, “Not crazy Cassy, realistic.  He’ll find me one way or another, but if I give him a specific time and place he’ll wait, he’ll plan, and he’ll get cocky.” I was sure of this.  I didn’t know why, but I was.

“Wow! She’s amazingly clever, she’s figured more out in a few minutes than we did in months,” Stephan said admiringly.

“Well, I’ve been running most of my life, so I kinda know how he thinks,” I replied grinning.

“When do you want to make the call?” asked Katie.

“Do you have an untraceable phone?” I looked at Max.

“Yes,” He pulled a phone from his pocket and tossed it to me.

“Well then, let’s get this over with,” I said confidently.

“Anna, you don’t have to do this right now,” Alex said, concerned.

“There’s no point in procrastinating Alex.  This is the only way I can protect everyone.” I looked at him squarely.  He had not seen this side of me before and I could see the turmoil in his eyes.

“Anna, please be reasonable,” Alex’s eyes were pleading.

“No, this is the way it’s going to be.  It’s got to by my way Alex.  I want to face this head on and give us some time to prepare.”

“You won’t be able to stop her Alex, her mind is made up.  She’s right though, things will work out.  I’m not exactly sure how, but they will,” Cassy said confidently, she had a sense that what I was doing was right.

I looked into Alex’s eyes asking him to trust me, and he finally gave in.

George handed me a piece of paper with the phone number I needed.  I dialled the number quickly not wanting to prolong this any longer than necessary.

“Hello?” a deep voice with a Spanish accent answered.

“Hello Enrique, this is Anastasia.”

“How did you get my number?” he asked, surprised.

“I have my ways, now listen up.  You want me. Correct?” I stated confidently.

“Yes, I want you to come home.  I want you to be with your family,” he cajoled trying to make me believe that was all he wanted.  He was extremely manipulative and shrewd .

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear.  YOU killed the only family I had.  I have no family. I have no home. YOU took that away from me. You have nothing that I want,” I said flatly.

“Then why the phone call, my daughter?” he asked sarcastically, any hint of niceness gone.

“Because I don’t want anyone to get hurt.  I will meet you, but only on my terms.  You will do what I say or I will disappear and you will never find me; not even with your vampire friends,” I stated matter of factly.

“You’re very well informed for a seventeen year old girl,” he seethed, his anger palpable through the phone.

“You have no idea.  We will meet on August eighteenth at a place of my choosing.  I know I don’t care who you bring with you, I don’t care how many weapons you bring, but if you go near the town or the school again you will never find me.  Am I Clear?”

“Quite. Where is this place you want to meet?”

“It’s a clearing about the size of the sky dome.  I’ll text you the coordinates exactly one month from now.”

“Why not give me the coordinates now?” he asked curiously.

“You need to earn that trust.  One wrong move and I’ll know about it.  By the way, I can tell you’re trying to trace this call.  Bad boy, now you won’t get the coordinates until August.  Cross me again and you’ll be sorry.” I laughed without humour.

“I will have you Anastasia, you belong to ME!” he yelled , trying to claim me.  I laughed into the phone.

“I belong to NO ONE!  You’ll find that out soon enough though.  By the way, the only time a claiming can happen is on the eighteenth of August.  If you knew anything about the legend at all you would have known that.  But I guess you don’t know your history that well after all.  Bye, Enrique,” I said sweetly, snapping the phone shut.

Only then did I take a deep breath and slide to the floor shaking.  Lizzy and Alex were immediately at my side comforting me with their presence. 

“You’ve got guts.  I’ll give you that,” Alex said shaking his head admiringly.

“She’s as stubborn as hell.  She’s worse than us at Christmas,” Lizzy laughed.

My brain was still going like a roller coaster so I got to my feet slowly and walked out to the deck.  Suddenly it dawned on me: I needed to see that prediction, I needed a copy to study.  The answer to my problem could be in the prediction itself.

“Max,” I spun around running back into the kitchen.

He looked at me bewildered.

“Is it possible to get a copy of the prediction?” I asked, breathless.

“Your father might have a copy with him. Why do you ask?” He took in my eagerness.

“I need to see it in its original form so that we can translate it literally and figuratively.  I’m not sure, but I think the answer is in the prediction itself,” I was so excited that I was almost bouncing. 

“Well, we could see what we can find.  The original version as far as I know, is still in Spain.  George, do you want to take a little vacation?” Max grinned.  George grinned back.

“Hmm, that is indeed an interesting thought.  Cassy and I haven’t been there in a while.  This could be a graduation present perhaps.”   George enjoyed a challenge that was obvious.

Cassy and George walked out of the room to start planning their trip.  Stephan watched me for a moment, his expression unreadable.

“I’ll go to your father’s room at the hotel and see what I can find.  Anna, I hope you’re right about this,” Stephan was hopeful but still cautious.

“Thank you, Stephan.” I looked at him warmly.

“Well, all we can do is get back to normal for the next little bit,” Lizzy said as she walked to the window. 

“You cause an awful lot of excitement Anna, I’m not sure I’ll make it to our birthday let alone yours.” She shook her head as she gazed across the back yard.

“You didn’t tell me your birthday was coming up,” I looked at her and then to Alex.

“It’s the day of the pool party silly.  That’s how we celebrate.” Lizzy grinned.

“Well now I need to go shopping again.” I mockingly complained.

“Oh no, you don’t!” they all said in unison.

“What do you mean?  I have to get you both a birthday present.” I looked at them in astonishment.

“No. You’re not going anywhere. You’ll just have to make do with whatever is here,” Alex said sternly, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared down at me.

“Oh really?  And you’re going to stop me?” I stated defiantly crossing my arms across my chest and glaring back at him.

“Yes I will.  You’ve done enough for one day to almost drive me over the edge,” he growled, something I had never heard before.  It made my heart race; I wasn’t scared, but I couldn’t explain the reaction I was having to his commanding tone.  But I was still angry at being told what I could and could not do.

“OOoo! Scary Alex, you can growl,” I snipped sarcastically, rolling my eyes at him.  I turned and walked out onto the deck. 

I heard the growling sound intensify, Alex was clearly annoyed.  I half smiled to myself with the revelation that I could provoke him.  Whatever, I thought. I do what I want. I shook my head and headed down the stairs to the lawn.  Just as I stepped onto the grass I found myself in the air with Alex wrapped around me.  He had come out of nowhere.  We tumbled to the ground as he crushed me to his chest for a few seconds before pinning me to the ground beneath him.  My eyes were wide with wonder and astonishment, but there was no fear.

“You were saying?” he growled menacingly into my ear.  He almost did scare me when he sounded like that.  But, although his face was stern with anger, his eyes were full of love.  I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me, ever.

“You still aren’t that scary.  You put on a good show but your eyes gave you away,” I smirked.

He leaned forward until he was just an inch from my face, his eyes taking on a cruel edge and he smirked knowingly.  Then he was tickling my side and I burst into laughter as I squirmed trying to get away from him.

“Please stop!  I give in,” I begged giggling.

“NO.”

“Please, please I’ll do whatever you want, just stop.  Please.” I was almost breathless with laughter, tears trickling from my eyes.  He looked at me and could not hide his feeling for me.

“No presents and no shopping until after this mess is over with in August,” Alex demanded seriously.

“No fair,” I complained.  With that he flipped me onto my stomach in such a swift movement I was helpless to defend myself as he got my shoes and socks off and began tickling my feet.  That sent me over the edge.  I could hardly contain myself. 

“OKAY, I PROMISE!  NOW STOP IT OR I”LL THROW YOU OFF!” I yelled squirming.

Alex flipped me back over and sat on my hips, grabbing my wrists and pinning them over my head.  He leaned in and brushed his cheek against mine as he whispered, smiling seductively, “I win.”  His lips lightly traced under my jaw and down my neck where he kissed the base of my throat and then placed his ear to my chest so that he could listen to my pounding heart.  He chuckled quietly.

“What’s so funny?” I asked breathlessly.

“It was so easy to get you to cave,” he purred.  “I guess I now have a weapon against you and now I can get you to do whatever I want, within reason of course,” he grinned.

“Hey now! Tickling is unfair.  That’s clearly taking advantage,” I pouted.

“Anna, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you stay right here.” He looked into my eyes and smiled softly, then brushed his lips to mine.

I was amazed that he had successfully distracted me out of my bad mood.  Of course I found his kisses intoxicating, my heart was pounding and I had butterflies in my stomach.

“I hope you really mean that,” I said in an almost inaudible whisper.

Max and Katie had been watching us play fight from the patio and wisely broke out intensifying romantic spell, bringing us back to reality.

“Anna, I thought you could fight?  Are you going to just let him win?” Katie chided.

I looked over Alex’s shoulder at her and winked.   She had distracted Alex perfectly allowing me to hook my foot around his ankle, then I bent my other knee and pushed as I jerked my arms to the side.  I had unbalanced Alex enough to roll him onto his back where I then pinned him to the ground.  He looked at me startled and I giggled.  I heard Lizzy and Will snickering from the kitchen.

“Do you want to play now?” I asked in a teasing tone.

He tried to dislodge me so I shifted my weight slightly pinning him more tightly to the ground.  I couldn’t win a strength contest, they ALL had me beat there but I could use what I knew to my advantage.  He got an evil glint in his eyes as the corner of his mouth twitched upward and I knew I was in trouble.  In one fluid movement he was on his feet and I was over his shoulder as he trotted towards the trees at the back of the yard.  Will was bellowing with laughter as I realized that we were headed for the pool.

“Don’t you dare!” I said worried.

“Don’t do what?” he asked mischievously.

I locked my arms around his waist; I wasn’t going in unless he was.  He rounded the corner and in two strides we were in the air and over the deep end of the massive pool.  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath just in time as we plunged into the sparkly blue cold water.

Lizzy, Will and the others came around the corner as we surfaced.

“I will get you back for this.  You just wait.  I’ll bide my time,” I seethed at him.  He looked at me crinkling those beautiful emerald eyes and laughed heartily.  Everyone else was laughing too, and I had to join in; I could help it.  It really was funny.  The next thing I saw was Will tossing in Lizzy, who landed within inches of Alex. Then Will jumped in before he got thrown in.  Max got tossed in by Katie, and as she reached to help him out he pulled her in.  That was when the water fight started and lasted for a good hour.  Everyone was soaked and laughing.  We all needed a release from the stress of what had already happened today and what we all know was coming.