Chapter 14

ELEANOR

I didn’t like spinning. It made me dizzy. But I did like jumping. I would usually jump on my bed because Mother always got angry when I jumped on hers.

But hers was bigger and bouncier. So, when she wasn’t around, I’d go and jump on her bed. I liked jumping up and down and landing on my knees, then jumping up again.

Sometimes I would land on my back or my stomach, but it wasn’t so easy to jump back up again. After a while, I got too tired to do more.

So I lay on my back and look up at the ceiling. It was made of dirt but covered in thin sheets of black stone, just like in my room.

There were some carvings on the stones, but I couldn’t see them clearly from the bed. The ceiling was pretty high.

I got bored staring at the ceiling, and I decided to do some more jumping. I did a straddle jump, then a pike which was very nice, if I do say so myself.

I landed back on my butt, ready to pounce again when I caught Mother standing in the doorway. She was clutching a book.

Mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. She had long shiny blonde hair just like a princess, icy pale skin, and wide shiny blue eyes.

She was wearing a long dress with floaty sleeves, and she looked angry.

“Eleanor, I’ve told you before not to jump on the bed,” she told me.

I decided not to hear. I jumped up. While I was in the air, I clutched my knees to my chest. I bent my knees when I hit the bed, and yay, suddenly I was back in the air twice as high as before. Yahoo!

“Eleanor! I know I’m speaking English!” Mother scolded, moving around the bed to set her book down on her dressing table. She looked irritated but not annoyed.

I decided I had a few more bounces before she got too mad. Up and down, up and down. I lifted my arms and spun around like a windmill.

I did a seated drop and bounced back up again, screaming in joy.

“Eleanor!” Mother whipped her head toward me, skewering me with her eyes.

“But Mother! It’s just so much fun!” I gushed, twirling around again.

Mother stared at me, pursing her lips. I did a few more twirls when Mother’s face turned quickly toward the doorway, and she smiled slightly.

At the same moment, Demetrius appeared with a slight frown. He stared at me then smiled. I grinned back at him because he’s a lot of fun.

“Rose, we going to have to make another trip to the blood bank pretty soon. Eloise and the twins went partying last night and brought a big stock with them. We’re going to need more.

“I’m getting thirsty,” he paused, glancing at me. I didn’t understand what he was saying, so I did a backflip and a straddle jump.

“I see,” Mother mused.

“Did you see me, Demetrius? Did you see my jump?” I asked excitedly.

“Eleanor, this is the fourth time! Stop jumping on my bed!” Mother’s brows pulled together, and she started to look angry.

I had one more bounce left before she’d start yelling. It was going to be the highest, so high I’d touch the ceiling. I bent my knees and sprung up into the air, crying out because it was so much fun.

I aimed my landing carefully, ready to hit the ground running before Mother could catch me. I bounced forward, but then everything went wrong.

My foot caught in the sheets I’d overturned, and my other foot slipped forward. I fell to the ground way too fast.

The sharp corner of the bed caught the back of my shirt and scraped up to my shoulders as I landed smack on my butt.

I howled. My back was on fire, my butt was aching, and my ankle was throbbing. I’d never felt something so hot, painful, and scary. I screamed, reaching out for Mother.

I barely noticed how she and Demetrius had moved quickly against the wall, covering their noses with their hands.

“Mother! It hurts! It hurts!” I cried, I felt like my body was on fire, and my face was melting, covered in tears and snot.

When I met Mother’s eyes, they were bright red, scary red. She was biting down on her bottom lip heavily, her hands clenched by her side. Her whole body was shaking. Had she gotten hurt too?

Suddenly she dashed forward, moving past me.

“No!” She screamed just as Auntie Aleesha raced around the corner. She rammed right into Mother.

Through my hazy pain, I saw her face. It was twisted into a mask of horror.

Her full lips were dragged back over her sharp, white teeth, her large eyes were red, bright bloody red, and staring straight at me.

I’d known Auntie Aleesha for about a year and a half. I’d been warned to stay away from her. She always frightened me, but I’d never seen her face so scary before.

My pain seemed to get worse suddenly. My cut burned. I kept crying, huddling against the side of the bed. My heart was racing so fast.

Mother seemed to be struggling with Aleesha, and they were shouting and screaming at each other. I saw Phoenix and Venus appear behind Aleesha, and they immediately moved to shake her off Mother.

I felt a cold hand on my back and screamed. Demetrius was touching my cut. I heard his voice, but I couldn’t understand it. I turned toward him, my whole frame shaking so hard.

He had blood on his hands. He was staring at it with wide, red eyes. I screamed. My heart was racing, and I backed away from him. He was so scary. He was licking his lips.

I screamed, reaching behind my back, trying to stop the pain. It only made it worse. My hands appeared with blood on them.

Then suddenly, everything went loud and dark, and I couldn’t hear anything anymore. I just made out Demetrius’s red eyes moving toward me.

I felt his freezing touch, and then he was lifting my bloody shirt.

I could see Mother and Aleesha fighting, my body shuddered when Demetrius touched my cut, but suddenly it stopped hurting. Then everything went black and quiet.