Five

A month had gone by and I saw Tristan here and there and it was becoming more apparent that he was hiding something from me. Just last night he asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes but at the same time I was sad because I'm leaving tomorrow and he's not moving there with me but he promised after we were settled in at school he'd come as soon as I called I still don't understand the moving great distances instantaneously thing but I will call after I'm all settled in. He won't be able to see me off but we are leaving at an ungodly time of the morning. We're leaving at 4 am to beat rush hour traffic in Chicago, Alex's idea and even though he hasn't met Tristan he seems to be warming up to the idea that he's my boyfriend. Boyfriend! I like it. I like him. I decided I wasn't going to sleep tonight I'm too excited to see the house and Tristan had a present sent there for me, I wonder what it is. I wonder when we're going to have a conversation about the vampire feeding thing. I know my thoughts are totally bouncing around I can't help it I'm missing him I can't wait to see him again and I can't wait to see my new house, it is brother free after all. Man four in the morning came quickly, Jade's parents Mr. and Mrs. Jenson who insisted I call them Patrick and Amethyst were the leading the pack, Mrs. Jenson—Amethyst was driving Jade's car so Jade could ride with me who was pulling up the rear. It was going to be a long ride because it was so early so I put on the tunes and we set out on our way to school. Still, the longest drive I've ever made. I'd like to be able to move a vast distance instantaneously, vampires are lucky.

"Okay ladies, let's get your stuff unloaded and unpacked, I can't wait to see the paint colors you chose for the rooms and the furniture you picked out! So let's let these men carry everything in" Amethyst was saying, so Jade and I gladly followed her mother while looking back at Alex chuckling at all the heavy lifting he had to do. I'm sure however that there will be pay back since he's staying the night here to make sure we have everything we need. And probably making sure that Tristan isn't actually already here just hiding someplace.

The Living room was a khaki color just like all the main rooms of the house, except the bathroom we have a really pretty green in the bathroom. All the furniture was black, and our accent color for each room was different. Purple accent is for the living room, Jade in the dining room, silver in the basement, white in the bathroom. Luckily Jade's dad convinced the person redoing the house that we were living in to give us all stainless steel appliances so we wouldn't have to buy any, not that we didn't buy a couple mini-fridges, they just weren't in the budget they are going to be just for the booze we intend to drink.

Jade's room was of course red, she for some reason loves red and her accent color is white all of her furniture is white, even her iPod and computer are white with the exception of her flat-screen television her parents insisted they buy us four of.

Now my room on the other hand is a deep turquoise almost teal, with black as my accent so everything matches even my television. The guys finished bringing everything in and they set up all the things in the main rooms while Jade's mom did the bathroom and Jade and I put all of our clothes away, thank goodness for walk in closets and having the sense not to bring my books with me.

After everything was put in place, we went out to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings because Jade and I wanted to have a Pink Buffalo, delicious, so much fun being 21. After everything was said and done Alex decided he didn't want to stay so he left us for our first night in the house and he said something he hasn't said to me since I started college "Sis, if you need anything I'm only a call away I'll do what I can, love ya" and gave me a hug, that's the brother I know and love I told him if I had any problems I would call him after all that's what big brothers are for.

We called our boyfriends and separated to our own rooms. I know Jade is making sure that Dominic is still coming tomorrow we have a whole week before school starts again and she wants me to see if Tristan will come, so I said I'd ask. "Hey! How are you tonight?"

"I'm okay, I'd be better if you were here."

"So would I, I'm settled in at school and have a week to kill, would you like to come down?"

"As a matter of fact I happen to be in the area, may I come in?"

"Well, of course you may" he appeared in my room instantaneously of course with clothes for a week, maybe it was time to have the 'what are you going to eat, while you're here' conversation. He must have read my mind, which I don't find as intrusive as I used to. I've actually come to like it, but when I really want him to read my thoughts, he seems to be ignoring them completely.

"So this food thing, I mean regular food, I can eat, but it's not going to really do anything for me."

"Figured as much, I want you to—"

"I know what you're about to say, and I don't know if that's the right thing. I mean, I don't want you to have my life or, rather, my lack of life."

"Don't you worry about the life thing I know what I want so don't worry about it. What is important is you need food, and so here we are, just let me know." Then I realized he was letting me know. I quickly changed into my signature bedtime look, and he just had boxers on. He looked really good. I wish I could see him like that more often, he has a buff body. We got into bed and of course Jade knocked on my door. "Come in."

"Hey Dom is coming—when did you get here Tristan?"

"I just got here a few minutes ago, I took the train and walked here and surprised Autumn"

"Well, isn't that sweet of you! Well, I was just coming in to say Dominic will be here tomorrow, so yeah, good night."

"Good night," Tristan and I said in tandem as Jade shut the door.

"Now, where were we? Oh I remember" He started kissing me, perhaps trying to take my mind off of the fact he was about to stick his fangs into me "I'm not going to bite your neck I'm going to hide it so no one sees the mark it will leave." And with that he started moving down my body but he decidedly settled on my wrist to get blood from. I wondered if it would be the way it was in the books, like an unparalleled ecstasy. I felt his teeth pierce my wrist and it was an unparalleled feeling I could feel our minds melting together becoming one sharing every thought which opened a door to how I felt about him something I hadn't even realized until he whispered in my mind 'you love me?' I didn't really know that was how I felt my mind started to fight me then I noticed he was trying to hide something from me and my mind started to pull away when he stopped me 'I know you know I'm hiding something, don't fight it it will begin an unbearable pain if you do I will explain, and I love you too' in that instant I didn't care what he was hiding from me I knew it would be okay if we were together and I could feel that he was the same way. He stopped drinking and I could feel his mind become distant as he was no longer part of me thankfully part of me could feel a silver cord that connected our minds and from the look on my face I must have been confused he was looking at me with the sincerest eyes. "So I have some explaining to do. Let's start with the positive part. The cord you sense between our minds will connect our minds forever, kind of like a meant to be type of thing, it will never break, but it can stretch so thin that it can no longer be seen. Next, that means we don't actually have to communicate by talking, we communicate just by sending thoughts to each other. The not so positive part is that my brother, yes I know you didn't know that I had a brother I do, is back and he knows about you and wants to meet you and I know that may sound like a positive but he's one of those vampires I've warned you about, he's trying to become leader of those vampires. Sometimes, I regret making him a vampire."

"You made him a vampire? Why? For that matter, how did you become a vampire?"

"Well that's an even longer explanation, but with our mind link I can show you rather than tell you. Just close your eyes."

I was born in Italy in 1600's and in 1629 the German and the French brought the plague into Milan after the Italian Renaissance had ended some 29 years before. I was propositioned by a man that was just passing through Milan, a site seer and he offered me a way out of the plague. I didn't know what this way out was, but I was glad to take it at any cost. Any cost it was, it took a day of him drinking my blood and feeding me his. He had to drain me to nearly to death and give me his blood to start the change all this of course took place in private, in the underground of a church. The second day I was weak and pale he told me I was dying, and when I died I would awaken hungry but he would not be around for it I was to fend for myself and I did after I woke up alone I fed on people that we're willing for years I did everything on my own until one day I decided to return home and my parents had died from the plague leaving my younger brother Jaiden in charge of everything, he was never one to take responsibility and he wasn't faring well, he had no job 'brother you've been gone we feared you were long dead of plague'

'No brother I did not die of plague but of something else would you like to have the same fate as mother and father or as mine, as you notice I have not aged'. As in the same manner I was changed and in the same manner I changed him however the outcome was different. He took a path I did not; he forced himself on people taking their choice and their lives and I've regretted turning him ever since.

"Now I'm afraid he has come here to take over the ranks of evil in the vampire world, and he somehow knows about you and takes a great deal of interest in you because I am."

"How did he find you? Have you been around each other for all these years?"

"No, we parted ways after he wouldn't heed any of my suggestions and was terrorizing people for fun. I suppose he found me through our blood, I mean we are related, sadly. Now he's on to you, and I would like to keep you safe."

"You have no problem but in case what does your brother look like, do the good looks run in the family?"

"Jaiden isn't as tall he's about 5foot 9inches he has brown hair and eyes and a soul as black as a black hole."

"I'm hearing that you look nothing alike, your green eyes, 6foot 3inches, jet black hair. Definitely the sexier of the two! Worry about him if he gets near me, until then worry about us."

"I forgot to ask did you find the gift I had sent here for you, it should be in your night stand?" He handed me a black and silver box. He held it open for me, it contained a heart shaped onyx pendant surrounded by quartz. It was beautiful! I gave him a kiss put it on.

We went to sleep I loved being in his arms and I loved him… even more so he loved me and in my mind we were soul mates. I drifted away to that thought with a smile on my face.