DURABLE (completed)

A New Life

"Wake up little one. If you sleep any longer, you will miss the breakfast cart."

With a groan, I rolled onto my side and ignored Keith. The last two days had been filled with him hovering over me like a mother hen and questioning me about my parents at every turn. The latter I was able to avoid, but with the former, I had been less successful. Just as I was sinking back into unconsciousness, I felt a hard poke to my side that had me sitting up immediately in protest.

"Come on! I thought we discussed this; no poking at all it's too painful. Damn it, Keith! I'm probably going to be sore all day."

Popping an eye open, I glared at the mischievous grin he was sending my way. For a moment a murderous rage enveloped me, and in my mind's eye, I saw myself putting my fist through his chest. A giddy feeling spread through me at the prospect of his blood spilling and with it an urge to drink it.

Horrified at the thoughts and urges running through me I quickly stood up and shook my head but not before I caught the satisfied smile that flashed across Keith's face. It was gone in the next instance replaced by concern at the perplexed look on my face. "Are you okay, little one?" I nodded my head and headed to the corner we had designated as our changing area. With a rustle and slight murmur, of "see you at breakfast" Keith left me to myself.

It wasn't long before I joined Keith at breakfast and shortly after the conductor announced that we would be arriving in Chicago soon.

A bout of anxiety flooded my system as I thought about my next move. It was weird, but after the first night with Keith, I felt as though he had been coaching me on how to live off the grid.

He had talked about when he was younger and fleeing from his responsibilities. He had gotten a lot of fake papers so that his parents wouldn't be able to find him. He even told me the name of the guy he used and how much a fair price would be.

When he first spoke about it, I had been terrified, thinking that he had caught on to what I was doing. After a few minutes, I was thankful to see that he was just reminiscing. Getting to know each other, he had said. After the initial fear had worn off, I had become annoyed at his constant yammering, but I listened to every word.

Before I knew it, I was packing, and the train was coming to a stop. I had decided on my way to Chicago that I couldn't stay there. It really was not that far from Boston, and because I used my ID to purchase my ticket, I would be easily tracked.

The moment I got off the train, my instincts kicked in and something whispered that I should hide behind Keith.

Without hesitation, I stepped behind him as we exited and narrowly missed the gaze of my parents who I spotted just as I left the last step.

Fear ran through me as I realized how right Keith had been. My parents had tracked me her and if I hadn't moved quickly, I would have gotten caught and dragged back to hell. Instinctively I grabbed Keith's coat and tugged.

Keith turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. He must have seen the terror in my wide eyes because he immediately shrugged out of his jacket. "Put this on." He whispered quietly and draped his coat over my head and pulled me under his arm; blocking me from sight. We walked a few feet before I heard Keith murmur something to someone and I was tossed inside of a car.

The car door clicked closed and I dragged the coat off. I glanced around and was bewildered to see that I was sitting in a limousine with a woman and a man who looked just as startled to see me.

A few awkward beats of silence passed before Keith cleared his throat, "Now, Ms. Nicolette Winspere, would you like to explain to me why you are running away from your parents?"

Shock blinded me for a second before by I dove for the door handle; ready to jump out at the sound of my full name. I barely moved before I was roughly tugged back down into my seat. It happened so quickly that for a second, I doubted that I just tried to leave.

Tears began streaming down my face. I looked at Keith, hesitantly. He looked slightly annoyed and hurt by my actions. "I have known who you are since the first night, Nicolette. If I wanted to do you harm or turn you over to your parents I would have already; don't you think?"

I became more anxious as I realized just how deep in shit hole I was. My mind spun at a million miles a minute, he was probably the one that called them. I had to get the hell out of their and quickly before he brought me back to those people. I was so busy coming up with plans to get out of the car that I failed to hear what Keith had been saying.

"ARE YOU LISTENING!!" a hideous roar sound through the limo shaking me to the bones in effectively shutting down all thoughts. Terror stricken I raised my eyes to look at Keith, just who was this man...

"Good, now that I have your attention, I'll ask you again why are you running from your parents?" Too afraid to open my mouth I could only gaze at Keith until the red headed female across from me spoke. "I think you may have shorted out her brain your Highness."

Keith's brown wrinkled and he sighed heavily shaking his head and staring at the women in consideration, "damn that wasn't what I meant to do and what did I tell you about addressing me like that!" I watched all of this in part shock and fear as my eyes centered in on her face more specifically her mouth where two very sharp fangs hung. Hysteria built in me and my mouth fell open ready to scream when Keith turned to look at me.

My scream catch in my throat when my eyes his and they were no longer human. His irises were big red balls of death paired with the same fangs that the blonde had.

"Oh God, Oh God, I'm going to die circled through my mind. I was becoming hysterical tears streamed down face my mouth gaping and closing.

He watched me reaction with a curiosity a child gives an ant it has encountered for the first time. "well this is disappointing, I thought for sure you would at least have seen a vampire before. The soft elegant voice that I had gotten used to hearing over the last four days had transformed into a domineering respect demanding roar. My words failed me as stared at the face that I had read about in fantasy books and myths.

"So you aren't a vampire huh? Are you a werewolf? No, even though you have the vague smell of one you would have recognized my scent immediately. Julian make sure to get her blood wipe her memory and present her with new ID's.

The scream that had been building in my throat was ripped loose as soon as the man sitting by woman lunged for me. In that instant three things happened the smell of urine flooded my senses, the sensation of being wet, and I blocked out.

"Here is everything you need to start a new life. A birth certificate, driver's license, passport, and other papers that will back up the story that you are Nikki Hall. A 20-year-old graduate from Amherst with an English degree."

"Huh?" was my intelligible response as Keith handed me a large envelope. Concerned furrowed his brows, "you okay little one? This is what you wanted to get away from your parents right?" Shock and then acceptance flowed through me and I nodded.

Julian here will take you to the airport where there is a ticket to Phoenix, Arizona waiting for you. I nodded in understanding and I subconsciously murmured a thank you to Julian there was something nagging at the back of my mind. When did I tell Keith about my parents.

Unable to understand my thoughts, I opened the envelope and saw the documents Keith had mentioned. "I ahm thank you?? Should I pay you for them?" my mind felt like it struggling to escape a fog and there was something I needed to remember, but it was just our of reach.

A gentle smile grace Keith's lips, "of course not little one I just want make sure you escape the clutches of your parents, just like what we talked about, right."

"I-I yes, just like what we talked about." My mind rebelled I would never talk about that with him I was too scared...wasn't I?

Nothing was making sense but I was grateful with the papers that I had I could go anywhere. "Do I have to go to Phoenix? Of course not little one, you can go wherever you would like. Just drop me a text from time okay? "I-I of course." My head throbbed in pain as my instincts told me that it was a terrible idea stay in contact with him but my mind disagreed.

For a flash red soulless eyes flashed through my mind but it was gone just as quickly and I looked up into the smiling honey mint eyes of Keith.