A/N:
Date 6-24-17

Hey everyone! Here's a long chapter. It seems that all of these chapters are long...

And I know I haven't updated TSoC yet, but I had to update this story first because I want my ranking to stay in the 100's range. Plus I'm still not done with the chapter for TSoC XD

Word Count: 4117

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Chapter 33: Trying To Adjust

"Yep, that's me." Ash said. Then he pulled me to my feet. "You're awake!" I said, instantly feeling dumb for stating the obvious. "I woke up a second ago on top of you, which as you might imagine, surprised me a little." Ash paused for a second, looking concerned. "You're not dead? You got stabbed with silver!" I had no idea what he was talking about, until I finally remembered after a moment. The last time I'd seen Ash, Storm had Zane stab me with a fake silver knife.

I quickly explained to Ash what had happened, then reassured him that Zane was on our side. I laughed along with Ash until I heard someone clear their throat. Zane was getting up off of the ground. "Hey, you're bleeding." I told Zane, walking over to him. Before he could stop me, I grabbed Zane's hands and studied them. They had blood on them. "It already healed, I'm fine." He sounded unconcerned.

I looked up from Zane's hands when I realized that he was right. He'd already healed. Then I dropped Zane's hands when I saw he was staring at me. I took a step back and looked over to Ash. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" I asked him with concern. Ash smiled at me and said, "I'm okay, really." Ash sounded like he meant it. His smile was contagious, making me smile back. When Ash's grin dropped away, I didn't have to ask what was wrong because he spoke quickly. "I can smell blood. Did you get hurt?"

"No, I..." I stopped in the middle of the sentence. I had gotten hurt. I reached up and touched the back of my head. It didn't hurt like I was expecting. "I just hit my head, but it already healed." I told Ash. "Well then let's get out of here. We could be followed." Zane said. I realized he'd moved over and leaned against a tree with his arms crossed, looking annoyed. "Okay, let's go." My voice was too controlled, and I knew by the look that Ash gave me that he knew I was annoyed too. Zane's mood was contagious, and soon all three of us were walking silently, not looking at each other.

After only a minute of walking, Zane spoke up. "Okay, we need to establish something real quick." I realized after a couple of steps that he had stopped moving. I grabbed Ash's sleeve to stop him too. We both turned to Zane to listen to what he had to say. "Where in the world are we going?" Zane asked, not bothering to hide his frustration. I looked to Ash because I'd already been asked this question, and I had no answer. Ash's eyes widened slightly, letting me know that he didn't like being put on the spot. But he quickly took control.

"We should go to my cabin, they don't know where it is." It seemed like no one needed to ask who "they" were. Zane nodded and gestured in front of him. "Lead the way." Ash turned to what I presumed was the direction of his cabin and started running. We all knew we had to get there as quickly as possible. I didn't particularly like that place, but we didn't have many other options. I doubted any of us had money. I followed Ash alongside Zane so we could talk. But I didn't really want Ash hearing. So I spoke into Zane's mind. "What's wrong?" I asked.

Zane flinched but didn't stop running along. He obviously wasn't used to having people in his head, even though he claims to once have been able to get in other peoples' minds. "Nothing." He thought in his head. But he hadn't covered up his emotions so I knew he was lying. "Don't lie, Zane." Right then I wished I could read his mind. I actually tried again, but I couldn't. I could only hear the thoughts he projects to me. Zane didn't say anything for a minute and I almost nudged his arm to see if he remembered that we're talking.

"I just wish we were safe already." Zane thought to me. "Me too." I answered, knowing he still wasn't telling me something but not yet willing to push him farther. I didn't feel like then was the time to anger Zane. So I let it go, and we all ran in silence once again. I could tell we weren't going full speed ahead, but we were running pretty fast. If we didn't get to the cabin in less than a couple of hours, than I would have a problem. I'd had something to drink before the escape, and by that I mean blood. But it didn't give me all of my strength back, so I couldn't run forever.

It took us almost two hours to get to the cabin. I was very startled that it was so close, but I already knew that it was. I remember the walk to the vampire building where I was taken. They had made no attempt to blindfold me. When Ash got to the door, he paused. I only waited a moment before saying, "What are you waiting for? Open the door!" Ash sighed and said, "I have to go get the spare key." "Can't you just break the lock? Or the doorknob?" Zane suggested, sounding as exhausted as I felt. "No! I'm not going to hurt my house." Ash said with what I assumed was house pride.

Zane rolled his eyes at Ash, probably thinking Ash was dramatic. Ash stepped off the front step and went around to the left side of the house. A moment later he came back triumphant with a bronze key. "Here it is! I had to pull out a brick from the wall to get this." When this provoked more eye rolling from Zane, I realized that Zane really didn't like Ash. Earlier I thought Zane just didn't want to waste time during the escape to find Ash. But now I can see that it's different. Maybe even something personal, even though I know that Zane didn't know Ash before we got kidnapped.

All thoughts about Zane disappeared when Ash opened the door and we all stepped inside. Everything was the same as last time I'd seen it, which I was expecting. What I wasn't expecting was the flood of memories that hit me when I walked past the basement door and into the living room. It was kind of like when I would suddenly remember the attack with Storm, and I'd be sucked into the memory. But with this I wasn't sucked in. Instead, I got flashes of everything that had gone on. It started with the bus crash, then I saw parts of my stay in this cabin.

I'd woken up as a vampire in a bedroom, then I'd been locked in the basement alone. A hand on my arm pulled me back to reality. "Hey, I have some blood in the fridge for you. Zane's already in there." I blinked and looked into Ash's dark blue eyes. They were filled with sympathy, making it obvious that he knew this was hard for me. The anger that surged through me kept me from shuddering at the thought of drinking blood again. I absolutely hated when anyone felt bad for me. It's a weakness that I didn't want.

I took a step away from Ash so he dropped his arm. "Thanks." I said with forced calm. I didn't want to ask where the kitchen was in case that made me look stupid. So I checked Ash's mind really quickly. I found my answer immediately, since Ash was just about to give me directions. I turned my back to Ash and entered the hallway that connected the living room to the kitchen. I turned right and almost ran into Zane, who was looking in the fridge. "Here." He said without warning and threw me something.

On reflex I caught it. It took all of my willpower not to drop it, since he'd just tossed me a blood bag. It looked like the ones I saw in a hospital, the one and only time I'd ever broken a bone. It was during a school field trip to a national park. I decided to join a group of kids that had climbed onto a large boulder that was several feet too high above the ground. It was for show, and had a sign that said do not climb. It hadn't been my fault that I had fallen, because another kid had bumped into me. But I know I shouldn't have been up there in the first place.

Hunger replaced the memory and I grabbed a pair of scissors from Zane's hand. I immediately cut the bag open and drained the blood into my much too eager mouth. The blood had the opposite effect that I imagined it would. Instead of satisfying me, it made me even more hungry than before. I didn't have room in my head for disgust anymore. I guess Zane saw from the look in my eyes that I wanted more. I took a deep breath to try and get myself under control before I demanded Zane get me more.

He'd already turned and grabbed another bag from the fridge. I cut that one open and drank more slowly, trying to make it last longer. When I looked back at Zane, he had an empty bag in his hand too. I looked at the fridge and wondered if I should take another blood bag. I certainly wanted it, but I'd already had two. Zane took the empty bag from my hand and threw it away along with his. "Did you want another one?" Zane asked me, returning to his post by the fridge. I shook my head no, not trusting my voice.

But I could feel my eyes were burning a bright red, so Zane already knew the answer to his question. Zane leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. "Really? I thought you'd want one. You must be hungry still after being starved, and since you're still a new vampire..." I looked at Zane and saw he was being serious for once. He didn't look amused or smug. His eyes were dark blue instead of red, which didn't surprise me since he's older and more experienced. Zane could handle drinking blood without his eyes turning red, unlike me. And I hated when my eyes were red. But I didn't see any mirrors or windows around so I could change my eye color.

I blinked when I realized I'd been staring at Zane for a moment. And I was supposed to answer Zane. Then I caught my reflection in Zane's eyes and changed mine to light blue once again. Zane must've noticed but didn't react or say anything about it. "I shouldn't. It's not my supply." Zane gave me a knowing look and said, "Ash should understand. And if he doesn't, I'll take care of him for you." Zane was smiling smugly at me, like he would take on anyone for me. And thinking about that, I realized he had taken on people for me. First Storm, then Dalton, and now Ash. I stared at Zane in awe at the fact that he actually cared about something.

"What? Is that so surprising?" Zane asked me curiously. Did he really not know how uncaring he came across as? "Well, you're usually joking or pretending to be evil. So yeah, it's surprising." I replied with a shrug. "I thought you would know that everyone's more complex than they seem." Zane said, making me feel guilty instantly. "I didn't mean-" "Forget it, Alicia. I'm fine. And you will be too if you have another blood bag." Zane said with an easy smile. I was still hungry enough that I let Zane hand me another bag.

He even cut it open for me. I'm just glad I didn't have to rip it open with my teeth. I'm glad not all stereotypes about vampires were true. Zane stayed silent while I drank. I was throwing away the bag when Ash walked in. "Hey, did you guys get enough?" Ash asked when he stopped in front of the fridge. Zane's smile had dropped away and he only nodded in response. "Yeah, thanks." I told Ash, knowing it was appropriate to thank him for feeding me. I still hated owing people though, and this certainly felt like I'd owe Ash in some way.

Ash had fed me and let me stay at his house, which was nice of him. He could've kicked me and Zane out. "How do you know they won't find us here?" I directed my question to Ash, guessing he'd probably know who I was talking about. But Zane was the one who spoke up. "I know they don't know, because Storm would've told me." I couldn't be sure, but his tone sort of implied that I had disrespected his manliness by asking that question. I smiled instead of apologizing and decided to tease Zane. "If you say so."

"I do say so!" Zane replied indignantly, taking the bait. He pushed off of the counter with his fists at his side defensively, but didn't move forward. I didn't believe Zane would hit me, so when Ash laughed under his breath I joined him. "Why are you laughing?" Zane demanded to know. I kept laughing with Ash. I hadn't really laughed in so long, and it felt great. I didn't want to stop making fun of Zane. But I did wish he'd join in our laughter. Instead, Zane got angrier. Zane took a step towards Ash, and I felt a fight coming on.

"Zane!" I instinctually shot the thought from my mind to his. Zane gave me a look that said he wasn't happy with me for stopping him. Then Zane walked out of the kitchen. I had stopped laughing and I didn't hear Ash either. In fact, I didn't even hear him breathing. And yes, he usually breathed, even though he doesn't need to. I stared at Ash and saw he was angrily glaring at Zane's retreating back. "Ash." I said aloud, hoping to get that nasty look off of his face. At the sound of my voice, Ash shook his head and turned to me, no longer unhappy.

Ash smiled and said, "Sorry." I shrugged along with my answer. "It's okay. So what are we going to do now?" "I'm going to run to the store real quick. You can stay here with Zane, which I don't recommend." Ash said with an eye roll. "Or you can come with me. But you'd have to change into something else." It hadn't escaped my notice that I was in dirty clothes that I'd been wearing for a long time. My jeans were covered in holes, mud, and blood. My hoodie was covered in my blood on the sleeves and hood, but the shirt underneath was probably fine.

And my once colorful tennis shoes were no longer cute. But I could wash them and they'd be okay. "Yeah, I'll go with you." I followed Ash into the living room and saw Zane sitting in one of the armchairs. He was staring off and hadn't noticed us yet. At least he didn't look angry anymore. Ash stopped and turned to me. "I'll go grab you something. I might have some sweatpants that will fit you." "Okay, and I'll just take off my hoodie." Ash nodded and walked out of the room. I sat in the armchair that was next to the one Zane was sitting in.

"So, what are you thinking about?" I asked Zane, because I was honestly curious about what he was thinking. Zane laughed and said, "You're not used to not being able to get into peoples' heads, are you?" I laughed and said, "No, I guess not." I paused for a moment but Zane didn't answer my question. He'd gone back to staring off. "Zane." I said, reminding him that I'd been talking to him. "I was thinking about earlier when we were escaping." Zane said, not caring to elaborate. "Oh?" I said, hoping to get him talking more specifically. Zane sighed and turned to look at me.

His dark blue eyes sucked me in, making me feel like I'd been swallowed by the night sky. I had always loved to lay on the grass and stare up at the sky at night. It was one of the reasons I used to sneak off late at night. Astrology had always intrigued me, but I never studied it intensely. I just liked to look up at the sky and imagine what went on in space. It might be stupid, but it helped me relax after a stressful day, and believe me, my days were stressful. Of course, they were much more stressful after I became a vampire.

"This might sound stupid," Zane started to say, echoing my thoughts. "But I think the prophetic dream really was prophetic." It took me a moment to catch on. But I remembered, Zane had told me a dream he'd had about a fight. "Why would that be stupid? You said they've come true before." I told Zane, trying to sound supportive. He shrugged and replied, "I didn't think you believed me." I looked at my hands in my lap, unable to meet Zane's eyes and lie to him. I hadn't truly believed him.

"Well, vampires are real, so why can't prophetic dreams be real too?" I said, as trustful as I could be. "Think about it though, about what I told you. Do you remember what I said? That there'd be guys in grey suits at the fight?" Realization suddenly dawned on me. "And the picture frame that shattered on the ground." I focused on Zane and saw his face was lit up with excitement. I'm sure I looked more startled than excited. "Yes, exactly! And as soon as I sat in this chair, I had a sense of déjà vu."

I was confused at first to why Zane would recognize this cabin if he'd never been here before, but then I figured it out. Zane had told me that after the fight, he'd dreamed he'd sat in an armchair in an unfamiliar living room next to a girl, the girl from the fight. "So I was the girl in the prophecy." I said, probably sounding dumbfounded. "Yeah, you were in the dreams." Zane said, in one of his usually rare serious moments. Then the Zane I knew showed up again.

Zane smiled his flirty half smile and said, "The Alicia Marie Prophecies. I like the sound of that." I jerked my head up and gave him a look sharper than any knife. "Don't call me that." "Call you what?" Zane asked, sounding seriously confused. I'm surprised he only shifted back in the seat, and not put his hands up in surrender. I looked back down at my own hands and felt guilty. Why did I have to be so mean to him? "Storm always called me that. And my brother did when he was angry at me. And my parents when they were angry at me."

Zane's look had softened when I finally looked into his eyes again. I felt vulnerable, and not like myself at all. What happened to the girl that didn't let anything get to her? The girl that hated vampires and didn't have any friends? Storm had changed me forever, and I hated that. I hated that I had to try to adjust to everything about being a vampire. But was it for the better? I didn't like the vulnerability, but I did like talking to people and having friends. And I actually can protect myself better. "Alicia, I know you hate Storm, but you shouldn't let him take your name."

"Just because he calls you by that name, it doesn't mean no one else should call you that. It's all about who says it." I sighed and rubbed at my probably dirty face. "Yeah, you're right. I'm being stupid." "Nah, you're just being yourself." Zane said with his trademark grin. I shot him a mock glare and we both laughed. Ash walked in and handed me a pair of sweatpants. "I'll go get ready in the bathroom." I told them, standing up. "Down the hall to the left." I nodded a thanks to Ash and walked out, happy to finally clean up a little bit. I could shower later, after we went to the store.

I followed Ash's directions into the bathroom. It was small but nice. A look in the mirror told me that my hair wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was messed up, but not filled with mud and leaves and blood like I'd suspected. I quickly washed my face and ran my fingers through my brunette hair. It made my hair wet and slightly cleaner than it had been. At least my hair wasn't super greasy. It's only been two day at most since I'd showered last. I had kind of lost track of time lately. I then changed into a black pair of sweatpants which did fit, and they weren't too manly either. I took off my ruined hoodie and found my shirt was in good condition, all things considered.

Then I tried to scrape the mud off of my tennis shoes. I was only partially successful. I gave up and left the bathroom, going back into the living room. I found Ash came back in, and him and Zane were both staring off, not talking to each other. I noticed that Ash had changed also. He's wearing a snug black shirt, dark blue jeans that were so dark they looked black, and black tennis shoes. Ash's black hair and dark blue eyes should've looked weird matched with an all black outfit, but I think he looked good.

Ash's hair hung loose around his face, slightly past the top of his ears. I couldn't tell if he needed a haircut or if he just kept his hair that long. Ash had a backpack on and another in his hand. They were both a neutral black. "Hey." I said to get their attention. Ash and Zane both looked up at me, but Ash was the one who spoke. "Hey. Are you ready to go?" Ash asked me. I nodded and took a step forward, but I hesitated. "Zane, I keep forgetting to ask you something. What did you mean when you said the sun bothers us sometimes?"

"Well, some days the sun's brighter and it bothers us, then some days it's not." I rolled my eyes and said, "I know that, but it bothered me more than it usually does." Zane smiled nonchalantly and replied, "Yeah, it affects us more. Some days we're fine, other days we're blinded until we get inside or in some shade. It's just a weird vampire thing." "Oh." I said, not knowing what else I could've said to that. "If we're done with the lessons, can we go now?" Ash said impatiently. I wondered what made him so impatient... Even though I knew it was wrong, I peeked into Ash's thoughts.

And unsurprisingly, Ash was impatient to leave because he doesn't like Zane. Right then, Ash was wondering if he should tell me to stay with Zane. And even though I didn't have a problem with Zane, I didn't want to stay. I wanted to see what Ash was buying, and where the store is even at. "Let's go." I said, grabbing the second backpack from Ash and slinging it over my shoulder. Then I sped out the front door. I'm glad it wasn't locked because that would've been much harder for me. As it was, I still had to pause a moment to open the door.

But I think I did pretty good for one of my first real attempts at using my vamp speed in a short distance. I could've easily smashed into the door but I didn't, and I was pretty proud of that. Ash met me outside and I asked, "Where to exactly?" I had no idea which direction to go or for how long to run before we made it to the store. Ash smiled and said, "Just follow me." Then Ash took off at a crazy vampire speed with me close behind.