The next day, we were all getting ready for the camping trip the boys planned last night. It turns out that nobody wanted to wait another week for the trip so everyone’s decided to go today, including me. As weird as this may sound, I was pretty excited for it. After all, this was the first time I was going to step out of this mansion without the intention of running away.
“Let me carry that for you.” Edward said, bolting up to me and grabbing my bag. His light platinum hair shone brightly in the sunlight and I peered into his blue eyes before shaking my head.
“Edward, I’m fine. It’s just a handbag.” I mumbled, snatching it away from him and I heard Vincent chuckle before waving his hand at Edward.
“You’re being extra nice to her today. Trying to make up for last night?” Vincent mocked, running a hand through his jet black hair. I didn’t pay attention to it before, but Vincent’s hair was rather unique compared to the rest of them. It was long and wavy, reaching all the way down to his shoulders and normally, I preferred guys with short hair but he looked exceptionally good-looking with long hair. Edward scratched the back of his hair nervously and I went silent as the events of last night flashed through my mind.
“The jeep is here, get in!” I heard Raymond shout before the girls and half of the guys entered the jeep, ready for our little “adventure”. I took a seat and Vincent sat next to me, which made me feel very uncomfortable and slightly annoyed.
“Why do you keep following me around?” I asked softly, turning to meet his icy blue eyes and he raised a brow in what I assume was fake confusion.
“I’m not.” He said bluntly and I gave him a look but then decided not to bother him with my questions. I glanced out of the window and noticed another Jeep driving next to us, side by side. It wasn’t long before we arrived near a huge forest, the trees surrounding the entire area and everyone hopped out of the Jeep, the girls squealing excitedly. I was about to step out but stopped when Vincent started to get up as well.
“Sorry, you can go first.” He said quickly and I forced a smile before getting up and stepping out. As I stepped out, I smiled a little and breathed in the fresh air. Now this, was more relaxing. The guys guided us inside through the forest, constantly warning us not to go far in case we got lost and I mentally rolled my eyes at their warnings. I’m pretty sure that the only threat here, was them. After walking for another 15 minutes through the forest, we stopped at a clearing, surrounded by trees and the boys decided that this was the perfect place for us to set up the tent.
“Draven’s bringing the blood bags, until then, we can feed on them.” I heard Kevin say, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
“Don’t worry,” Vincent’s voice caused me to jump up and turn around to face him. “They’re not going to hurt you.” He assured and I took a step back.
“Yeah.” I said shortly, walking away and trying to help the girls set up the tent.
“What was up with the guys last night?” Irene questioned and I stopped to look at her. “I heard your blood was special.” She whisper-shouted and I gave her a look.
“No, it’s nothing. They’re exaggerating.” I confirmed and I could feel Ferra burning holes through my face as she slumped our bags inside the huge tent.
“We’ll take care of this, go around and explore a bit with Alaric.” I heard Kevin’s voice as he appeared in front of us and five of us gasped then sighed in relief.
“Stop doing that!” Julie whined, playfully shoving him and he chuckled before meeting my eyes, his green eyes fixating into my brown ones and I smiled weakly.
“I’ll be going.” I said softly and followed the girls, walking up to Alaric, who opened up his arms in a friendly manner.
“Girls,” he cooed, tilting his head to a side with a grin. “And Adriana, welcome.” He teased and the girls giggled while I remained silent, kinda getting used to their constant jokes and teasing.
“I’ll show you around and after that, we can come back and you guys can eat. And tonight, we’ll hold a small party!” he shouted out the last word and everyone cheered in excitement.
“Stay close and don’t go wondering about. There could be others here as well,” he warned, his tone suddenly turning all serious and I stared at him confusion. “So be careful. We wouldn’t want our precious angels to get lost now, do we?” he grinned, his voice returning back to the normal, cheerful one and the girls giggled before shaking their head and Irene rushed to grab his arm.
“Tyrell, are the others not coming back?” I heard Finn ask and I turned to look at the guys.
“Yeah, we’re the only ones for now. I don’t know about Draven though, he’s late.” Tyrell said, glancing at his watch before looking at us and smiling.
“Let’s go!” Alaric exclaimed, as if he was a scout teacher, ready to take the kids out for a walk. Oh, please. Just as I was about to start walking, a hand grabbed my wrist and I turned to look up at Vincent, who was now giving me a serious look.
“Adriana’s not allowed to go.” He raised his voice and my jaws dropped open in disbelief and confusion.
“Well, that’s too bad then. Guess it’s just me and the four pretty ladies.” Alaric said, not even questioning Vincent and I frowned at him.
“Wait, why-” before I could say anything more, Alaric started walking and the girls followed him, leaving me behind.
“Why can’t I go?” I snapped out of the blue, ripping away my hand and frowning at him. I didn’t mean to sound so rude but come on, I’ve been looking forward to this. This was the only way for me to get my mind off about last night and plus, now that Draven’s not here, maybe there was a chance for me to escape.
“Draven’s orders. He said to keep you safe and to make sure that you don’t get hurt,” Vincent responded with a sigh and I scoffed in frustration. “At any cost.” He added with a mumble.
“Now he’s worried? I can take care of myself Vincent. Why am I the only one who has to stay and do nothing?” I whined, not really meaning to sound like such a baby.
“Adriana-”
“Just, please? I really want to go. I promise I’ll be extra careful.” I begged, hoping he would let it go but Vincent stood his ground.
“It’s not safe out here for you, there might be others too which means that if you do get hurt-”
“Other vampires?” I interrupted him and he nodded. I’ve always known that they were many vampire families out there, besides the Ardelean’s but I didn’t know they lived so close by.
“Those bastards are the ones who crossed the line by coming into our territory. Why should we fear those weaklings when we have Draven?” Finn questioned, brushing his brown wavy hair to a side and I looked at Vincent for an answer but he remained quiet.
“Can I just go?” I asked softly, breaking the ice and Vincent shook his head before Tyrell appeared in front of him, slumping a hand around his shoulders and giving me a fake apologetic look.
“Too bad, sweetheart.” He said in a fake sweet tone and I narrowed my eyes at them. Why were they always picking on me?
“Whatever.” I muttered, turning around and stomping inside the tent.
“Adriana, come on,” I heard Vincent groan but I ignored him as I zipped up the tent in annoyance. It wasn’t fair, I was the only one who was forced to stay behind and rot in here.
‘I should've worn a sweater.” I mumbled to myself, staring at my plain, black crop top and blue shorts, feeling a little cold.
“It’s already half past noon, the hell am I supposed to do here anyways?” I muttered to myself before grabbing the bag of food and drinks. I opened it and stared at the bottle of wine before sighing. How long has it been since I had a drink?
“One drink won’t hurt, don’t be such a baby Adriana!” I hissed at myself before opening the bottle and bringing it closer to my lips. The stench of alcohol burned through my nose and I held back the urge to gag before taking a sip, and then another, and another.
“Much better.” I muttered to myself, feeling a little light headed as I tried to focus on the drink I was now holding.
“I’ve got to come up with a better plan!” I groaned, keeping the bottle away in case I got drunk, although I’m pretty sure I was a little even right now. I sat there for at least 2 more hours, doing absolutely nothing before the boys started calling my name from outside the tent.
“Adriana, we’re going swimming, you want to join us or are you going to keep sulking and ruin your entire day?” I heard Raymond’s voice and I rolled my eyes before lying down.
“I’m good, you guys go head. I’m not “allowed” to have fun remember.” I shouted out and I heard the guys chuckle as the girls muttered something to me but I shut them out. I just wanted this time to think and maybe spend some time alone.
“Fuck this, if I can’t have fun then I might as well raid the drinks.” I said out loud, grabbing the bottle of wine before gulping it down. I don’t even know how many hours just passed by while I was rotting in here and nobody seemed to even care. No, apparently, as long as I was “safe”, it was all good. I grabbed another bottle and stared at the label, trying to focus on it but it all looked so blurry which frustrated me a bit. I let out a groan before opening it and taking a sip, not even bothering to think straight for even a second. The sour liquid ran down my throat and I made a face before taking a few more sips and stopping to think, my mind going completely hazy.
“Adriana, come out to eat. We’ve set up the camp fire.” I heard Vincent’s voice and I groaned before staring at my bottle, my head becoming even dizzier than before.
“Leave me alone!” I groaned, crossing my legs and muttering some curse words to myself.
“Geez Adriana, get out of there. Just because you can’t go exploring doesn’t mean you have to sulk the rest of the day.” Vincent muttered but my thoughts were drifting into my own little world as I let out a giggle.
“Come out, you’ve been in there long enough,” I heard Vincent say before he started zipping down the tent and I looked up to glare at him. “Adriana, what are you…” he trailed away, his eyes suddenly catching sight of the bottle I was holding and I let out a giggle.
“Have you been drinking?!” he asked, raising his voice in disbelief and I let out a fake-gasp before Edward and Raymond joined next to him.
“I’m not drunk!” I shot back, putting a hand over my chest and staring at him in shock. He had the audacity to accuse me of getting drunk?
“You were supposed to look after her.” I heard Finn’s voice and as soon as I stood up in my position, my feet started to wobble like jelly and I forced myself to walk up to them.
“Excuse yooou,” I slurred, pointing my finger at Vincent and glaring at him, ready to spill out everything I wanted to say to him, earlier today. “Ah, it’s dark.” I sang, giggling and staring up at the sky and I heard Edward call my name in his sweet tone before an arm slipped around my waist.
“Music! Where is the music?!” I asked out loud and I heard some of them chuckle before I looked at Ferra who was now looking at me in disgust. “You, what’s up with you anyways? Always glaring at me 24/7, you got a problem with me?” I questioned, glaring at her and watched her eyes widen in surprise before she turned away in embarrassment.
“Go back in and rest, you need to-”
A burst of music rose up above the silence and I looked to my right to notice Raymond, standing next to two huge speakers with a grin on his face.
“Now, there,” I said, pointing my finger towards the camp fire, where Raymond was supposedly standing. “Right there, is a gentleman.” I barely pronounced my words right before everyone started cheering and dancing.
“Come on, let her have some fun for the night.” I heard Edward say with a chuckle as I stumbled towards where the girls and guys were dancing. It wasn’t long before I was dancing along with them and I motioned Vincent to come join us but being the spoilt sport he was, he refused.
I found my arms wrapped around Edward’s neck as I moved my hips and danced alongside him, busting up some moves I never even knew I had.
“What the hell is going on?!” I heard a familiar voice snap before everyone grew quiet and we all turned to look at Draven, his eyes only burning holes through me as if I started all this.
“A party, obviously.” I heard Edward say and I rolled my eyes before marching up to him.
“You,” I slurred, poking Draven’s chest and he stared down at me. “What’s wrong with you? Why do you always have to ruin the fun?” I questioned, putting my hands on my hips and his eyes widened in surprise.
“Are-are you drunk?” he questioned, stumbling on his words and I rolled my eyes so hard, I started to feel a little dizzy. “What the hell, I thought I asked everyone to keep an eye on her!” he snapped and I grabbed his shirt, yanking him closer to my face and frowning up at him.
“I am not drunk! Why does everyone keep saying that? I feel fine!” I whined then squealed when one of my favorite songs blasted from the speaker.
“She got drunk inside the tent. We didn’t know.” I heard Raymonde explain before telling the girls to continue dancing.
“Don’t be such a spoil sport, Draven Cruz.” I cooed, clutching on his black shirt tightly and leaning closer to his face. His eyes never left mine as I traced my fingers along his arms before grabbing them and dragging him towards everyone.
“We’re going back now.” He raised his voice and I let out a groan before cupping his cheeks and turning his face to meet mine.
“Come ooon, I wanna dance with you.” I whined, wrapping an arm around his neck and continuing my dance moves. Draven didn’t move from his position and instead, slipped his hands inside his pockets, his expressions remaining unamused.
“Don’t you give up now, now, now, I won’t give up now, now, now,” I started singing along, cupping the side of his cheeks and he stopped to stare down at me, his eyes slightly widening. “Let me love you.” I sang, fixating my eyes into his ones that were now filling up with so many emotions, I couldn’t differentiate which was which.
“Adriana, stop-”
“Let me love you, don’t you give up now, now, now,” I ignored him and kept singing as I moved my hips, inching even closer to his body, my chest slightly pressed against his as I started to sing louder. “I won’t give up now, now, now, let me love you,” I sang along the music and I felt a hand tangle around my waist as he pulled me closer, lust and another emotion I couldn’t put my finger onto suddenly filling in his icy blue eyes as I laughed and turned around, dancing to the music.
*Next day*
I peeled my eyes open, staring up at the ceiling and groaned when the pain hit the side of my head.
“What the hell…” I groaned, sitting up from a bed and glancing around my surrounding. My eyes widened when I realized I was back in my room and I closed my eyes in confusion.
“Awake, I see.” Draven’s voice caused me to gasp and I turned to my right to look at him. He was now sitting in a chair, next to my bed, the word “annoyed” written all over his face in bold letters and I smiled weakly.
“What happened? When did we get back?” I asked and Draven gave me a long look, suddenly going all silent and I looked at him in concern.
“You don’t remember anything?” he questioned, standing up and slipping his hands inside his pockets before walking towards the other side of the bed. “You don’t remember all the trouble you caused last night?” he corrected, his tone returning back to his cold one and I was about to say something when pieces of memories from last night came crashing through my mind, causing my jaws to drop open. I-I got drunk?!
“About that-”
“Do you remember throwing up all over my shirt?” he asked and my eyes widened the size of saucers before I shook my head, climbing out of the bed and rushing over to apologize when he poked my forehead sharply, sending me stumbling back with a hiss.
“Keep your distance.” He muttered, his face knotting up in annoyance and I bit my bottom lip in silence. “What do you remember?” he asked and I closed my eyes in total humiliation as another dancing scene with Draven flashed through my mind.
“I-I remember dancing and that’s about it…” I trailed away and he raised a brow, before turning around and rolling up his sleeves to reveal his tattoos.
“So you don’t remember all the rude remarks you spat at me?” he asked, slipping his hands back into his pockets and I cringed a little.
“I-I do…” I mumbled, lowering my eyelashes on the ground and I heard him mutter something to himself before speaking again.
“What else do you remember?” he asked softly and I shook my head.
“That’s about it…I don’t remember throwing up or any of that.” I murmured and Draven went silent for a few minutes before walking up to me. I looked up at him as he grasped my right hand before holding them up and I was about to say something when I noticed the bracelet that was now wrapped around my wrist.
“This,” Draven started, his voice turning all deep and serious. “Who gave this to you?” he asked and my mind went completely blank at his words as I stared at the bracelet in confusion. It was a silver bracelet with a blue topaz stone embedded in the middle of it and I stared at it in awe. Where did I get it?
“Adriana, answer me,” Draven spoke up in a monotonic voice and I snapped my head up to look at him. “Who gave that to you last night?” he demanded this time and I shrugged in confusion.
“I don’t remember…”
