“That’ll be 17.50,” the cabby said.
Rachel reached into her bag and pulled out her wallet. She searched for the twenty dollar bill that her parents had giver her last week for her allowance, handed the cab driver the money and said, “Keep the change.”
As she reached for the doorknob she could feel her body responding to the fear she felt inside. She was clammy and sweaty even though it was only about 50 degrees outside. Her heart was beating so loud she could practically hear it.
“Be careful, Miss,” the cabby said. “Here’s my card if you need a ride back.”
Rachel took the business card and tucked it away in her back pocket as she shut the door. She stood there as the cabby sped away back down the gravel road. All she could see were his tail lights glimmering as he turned the corner through the dust and dirt that was hovering around in the air.
She quickly pulled out her cell phone from her bag and clasped it tightly in her hands. Whenever she felt scared, she would do this, just in case she needed to make an emergency call. Then, she opened the phone and saw the screen.
No Service.
Crap! She thought to herself, as she put the phone back in her bag.
She stood there, staring at the large iron gate that stood in between her and the driveway to Lyndvia. To the right of the gate was a gatehouse with boarded up windows and doors. The roof was sunken in and the paint was peeling. She saw an opening to the left of the gate, which looked big enough for her to squeeze through.
She walked over and peeked her head through the gate and saw a long winding gravel driveway. She slipped through the opening, wiped off the dirt and leaves on her clothes, and began walking down the long driveway.
All she could hear on her walk down were her feet scuffing along the gravel driveway and the sounds of crows flying above her. She had an eerie feeling she had in her gut. She looked up and saw the braches of the tall pine trees that lined the driveway. The wind had picked up, causing the branches to sway back and forth, and to make cracking noises. The leaves were falling at her feet and crunching as she stepped on them.
The driveway seemed to go on forever. She couldn’t see the castle yet she could feel herself getting closer to it. The driveway made a sharp left turn, and as she neared the bend, she saw it. It was huge.
The castle sat on the side of a cliff overlooking the Hudson River. It spread out on grounds with nothing around it. It was a soaring three-story limestone castle, with multiple pointed steeples and chimneys. It was sprawling, with parapets and turrets on several levels, its rooftop covered in sharp triangular peaks. Its widows were high and narrow, made of stained glass. It looked like a place from fairytales, and she couldn’t believe a place like this could exist in America.
She stood there admiring the castle, and couldn’t help but feel that someone was watching her. She peeked up at the windows, but didn’t see anyone looking down at her. She was scared standing there all-alone, so she decided to walk up to the door. She climbed up the three stone steps that led onto the wrap around front porch and faced the door.
The metal door was huge in comparison to her 5 foot 2 inch stature. The door had an enormous knocker on it, and she reached out to grab it. The cold touch of the metal sent chills down her spine as she lifted it away from the door and then gently tapped it on the door. The noise made a loud echo sound as it rang through the walls of the castle. She pulled her hand away from the knocker and put them in her pocket. She waited, but nobody came to the door.
She reached back up to the heavy knocker and tapped it on the door again, except a little louder this time. She stood there waiting, listening to the sounds of the crows and the leaves rustling on their branches around her. She waited a few more minutes, but nobody came.
She walked up to the window and peeked in. She could have sworn she saw something moving, but then it disappeared. She heard a noise coming from inside the castle, and figured the door was about to open, but it didn’t. She stood there, alone and in the cold.
She reached up one more time for the knocker when she suddenly heard a voice behind her.
“Hello Rachel,” the voice said.
Rachel jumped and let out a scream. “What are you doing here?” Benji whispered.
Rachel reached into her backpack and pulled out the kaleidoscope and handed it slowly back to Benji.
Benji put the kaleidoscope back into his pocket and smiled back.
“I would never lie to you.”
“I had this dream, Benji,” Rachel said. “It was so real. You and I were walking in Paris but it must have been hundreds of years ago, because we were in old-fashioned clothing and everything. It was so weird, yet so real.”
“Yes,” Benji said, as though he already knew exactly what she was talking about.
“Do you know what I’m talking about?” Rachel asked.
“Rachel, we’ve been together before,” Benji began. “This is not the first lifetime we’ve been together.”
Rachel’s body went still and she just stood there staring at Benji. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She felt it, too. She could feel they’d been together before, but couldn’t understand how or why they kept coming back to each other.
“I’m so glad you came, Rachel,” Benji said, looking up at the castle.
“I couldn’t stay away. I had to see you. I had to tell you I believe,” Rachel said as she grabbed Benji’s hand.
Benji looked deep into Rachel’s eyes. “Are you ready to know who I am?”
Chapter Fifteen
The bell rang, and Hunter gathered up his books and headed into the dining hall. He was relieved his Saturday classes were over for the day and that he could finally relax and get ready for the big night. He was excited because it was the day of the Fall Social at Mount Pines. The Fall Social was one of the most popular events at Hunter’s school and everybody attended. Hunter hadn’t chosen his date yet, but knew his crush; Michelle was going to have the same dining hall schedule as he did, so he would ask her then. He knew she still hadn’t been asked, and since it was only a few more hours until the dance, his chances of her saying yes were high.
Michelle and Hunter had been friends forever, going back hundreds of years. She, too, was a vampire and they’d been at school together for centuries. Michelle was beautiful, with long blonde hair and big green eyes. She was perfect to Hunter, yet he’d never made a move on her before. He was nervous around Michelle and always became shy and introverted when he was around her. She was a very nice girl, and popular among the female vampires at Mount Pines. She had many friends, except Violet, who was her biggest enemy.