A long day

Brad trudged into his apartment, not even aknowledging the overly-happy Stan at the front counter. He made his way up the stairs and immediately heard a flurry of footsteps, followed by barking coming from inside his apartment. Fumbling for the right key, he stuck it in the lock and turned it, hearing a small click. As soon as he opened the door Tracer jumped up on him, and if her were a human he would have easily been knocked over by the german shepherd. The sight of his dog made Brad happy, and he smiled, kneeling for a moment in the doorway to ruffle his dog's ears. He made his way to his huge black couch and flipped on the stereo's on button from his remote, and was rewarded with nothing other than some rock song. He groaned and pressed the "next" button. Matt more than likely changed it when he wasn't here. He settled with the song "Blow me Away" by Breaking Benjamin, not wanting to change CDs. He would have preferred another genre, but oh well.

The bright orb of light, that the worl called the sun, was just setting when Grace shot down the already dark street. The side walk lights flicked on as she drove past, parking right in front of the brightly it apartment building.
Looking up at the towering mass of windows, Grace thought back to the last time she had been there. Had it only been that last night? Things had changed immensly since then. Nothing was that simple anymore.
Knowing that her sister was probably freaking out, Grace took her phone out from where she had quickly thrown her tote in the front seat. Fingers flashing across the lit-up screen, she hit send and this message was sent to her sister.

Jen, I know your probably freaking out about where I've been, but stop. Mrs. Daniels finally caught up to me today and wouldn't let me go until I convincivly feined interest in some stupid play.
Hope the lesson went well. Im at Brad's now. Hope your having a good time with Matt. See you later tonight.

Stowing her phone back in its pocket, Grace put one angular leg out the door and stepped out onto the wet, hard concrete. She had already gone over in her head how she was going to keep Brad safe from her thoughts that would only cause trouble. Converting the whole bible into Manderin Chinese would keep her mind occupied when there was silence. If she got finished with that, Pride and Predjuice translated into Latin might work.

A normal person might have slipped on the slick stairs that led to the welcoming lobby, but Grace's sure footing made it quite impossible for that to occur. The door opened easily under her push, and the lobbyist gave her a nice smile when she walked across to the stairs. The elvator might actually have been slower compared to how fast Grace ran up the stairs. Thankfully she had passed no humans on her way up, and entered Brad's hall free of obstacles. Walking up to his door, she took a deep breath before she tried the knob, doubting he would care much if she walked in without knocking. The door was open, and Grace quietly let herself in, closeing the door softly behind her.
The rain hadn't hurt her appearance at all; she was still wearing the same clothes she had gone to school in, dried from the warm ride in the car. Her flaming hair was actually improved by making it a little shineir, water still gleaming in her wavy locks.
" Brad," she said, already seeing him on the sofa. Here goes Genisis, she thought.

Brad could hear the thoughts before he heard the footsteps, and with the music being on it made it a little more difficult to hear. It was definately Grace, but... How strange. Why was she converting the entire Bible into Manderin Chinese? That seemed odd. But he shrugged it off and pulled himself into a sitting position on the couch, waiting for her arrival. Stan remembered her as Brad's girlfriend from the night before. It appeared that she was in a hurry, though... Brad sighed. They hadn't had the chance to speak about what he had told Loren at lunch; that was probably what it was about. His questions would soon be answered. While he was staring at the door, waiting, Tacer stared at him with his head cocked to ths side slightly. Then once the dog picked up the sound of footsteps outside his master's door, he began his barking. "Easy, Tracer," Brad commanded, and Tracer gave a dissapointed huff, then returned to his corner where his giant pillow was stuffed, obediantly lying down. Grace entered. Brad said nothing, but he held his arms out as a welcome. It looked like something was bothering her and he was glad that she had turned to him for comfort. He was more than happy to see her.


(lol editing this on my PS3 so its a bit hard ^^')

The sound of barking greeted her entry as Grace stepped farther into the apartment. The soft, deep voice that she had been paining to hear came in the form of a warning. Like the obediant dog he was Tracer stopped barking, especially when he smelled who it was.
Now that the dog had stopped barking, Grace was able to detect the faint noise of a band, played on the stereo. Breaking Benjamin wasn't one of her favorites, but it had a good enough sound to it. Her steps were silent on the semi-carpeted floor, as she walked to where Brad sat, focused on nothing but what she was going to say to him next. Giving Brad a smile, she looked towards the stereo.
" I think I need to educate you in area of good music," Grace said winking at him. Focusing hard on the plastic remote held firm in Brad's hand, she used her power to levitate the remote where it flew into her hand.
Clicking the search button, Grace soon found a nice classical peace, violin of course. The steady lulls of the instrument eased her nerves. Throwing the remote on the table, she turned to where Brad sat, arms slightly opened in a welcoming gesture. She walked slowly, measuring everystep, taking in his whole form. It felt like a lifetime since she had last felt his touch, and it felt like the first time all over again when she gently sat in his lap. Turned to him, she didn't smile, the moment was to peaceful for that. Taking her hand she ran her hand across his smooth cheek, bringing it to his neck. Pulling slightly, she brought his head up to her own level. Hovering just for a moment, she touched her lips to his.
The kiss was sweet and loving, somthing that he would expect from her. There was just a touch of saddness on her part, but she was hoping that Brad would think that she had just missed him.
" Can you tell I missed you," Grace said, parting from his lips.

Brad laughed when she made the remote fly from his hand. "You should talk to Matt. He's the one who changed it," he countered, and happily wrapped his arms around her when she took his offer of a warm security. Her touch made the worry and strangeness his mood had turned to dissolve almost instantly, and her gentle kiss was more than welcome. There was something different... Her scent. It wasn't like he remembered it from before. He knew it was there, but it was a very small fragment, and it was too hard to tell. Her avoiding mind had him questioning, but he decided not to ask. He figured it must be a secret she and Jenna had shared or something; he shook it off, knowing that if it was important she'd either tell him now or eventually come out with it. So right now he allowed himself to enjoy this moment. "I can tell, actually," he murmured when she pulled away. "Seems Mrs. Daniels is more persuasive than I thought," he chuckled, remembering the teacher hurrying her off, fretting about some play. "Sorry you had to go through that," he joked.

Grace laid her head on his strong, muscular chest, not hearing anything, but the steady intake of his sweet breath. It was weird but she felt like if she had been able to, there would be already lines of wet tears rolling down her soft cheek. Taking her arm, she brought it across her chest to his other side, drawing herself closer to his scent. Here, in his arms, it was hard to think of any troubles, which thankfully she wasn't. Grace vaguely heard the words that Brad murmured, to absorbed in his very being.
" I probably shouldn't have encouraged her about the play," Grace said softly. She couldn't even beleive that that small annoyance had even been on the same day, it seemed so far away.
" It wasn't too bad," Grace said. She ran her hand across his long arms, that had circled around hers. He held her like she was so fragile. ' Loren holds me like a equal,' Grace thought lost up in the lulling music. Too late she relized her potintailly dangerous blunder. Maybe she could fix it so that Brad wouldn't notice.
" So, that Loren guy. He seemed to know you. And it didn't seem like you guys were the best of buddies," Grace said quickly. She then intentionally thought of a Loren dripping in human blood. She didn't have to pretend to shudder, it did repulse her.

Brad hesitated; he knew she was going to ask this. He answered, knowing that she'd make him say it soomer or later anyway. "Loren and I have known each other as enemies for years now. Every time we meet it ends up in a fight. I always win because somehow Matt is always beside me every time. We're pretty evenly matched." He sighed, continuing. "He's dangerous, Grace. Not only is he a human drinker, but he has some kind of power... Something dangerous. Though he's always kept it a secret from me every time we've met. I don't know what it is, but I don't want to know." He tightened his arms around her for a short minute. "If it does turn out to be another fight this time, I don't want you in it. I know you're strong, I know that you can fend for yourself... I just don't want you to get hurt." He gave a half-hearted smirk and added, "We're the farthest thing from "best buddies" that you can imagine."

Grace stared up at Brad as he told her of his relationship with Loren. It seemed, to Grace at least, that this whole thing would have been a heck of a lot easier. She could hear the hate soaked in the words that he described Loren as. Normally anyone that Brad hated or despised had a black mark in Graces book, but how could she when she had already tasted Loren. He was like a addictive drug to her; once you tried it it was impossible to kick.
Focusing her attention back on what her love was saying, it practically killed her to hear that if it came to a fight between him and Loren then he wanted her to stay out of it, to be safe. She wondered if he would still feel like that if he knew all. Right then it seemed like the easiest and best thing to do was to just tell him everything. The thought of getting it all off her chest was almost too tempting. Thankfully she restrained the urge and everything stayed as it was.
Fortunately this whole time, Grace had covered up her sinful thoughts with her continued translation of the bible, having by now passed into Paul. Giving a dry laugh when Brad said the thing about him and Loren being the farthest from best buddies as possible, it reminded her that it had been a long time since she had had a good laugh. Deciding to turn the mood into something differnt, Grace played on what Brad had said about her being strong, but not strong enough for a fight between him and Loren.
" Hey you have no idea how strong I am, little boy," Grace teased, with a true smile. Continuing the play, she gave him playful shove that made him fall on his back on top of the sofa. With a playful snarl, she dove in mimicking how she would dive to the neck for the blood when hunting prey. But instead of sinking in her razor sharp teeth, she kissed him feircly on the neck.

The question of what Grace was hiding from him burned into Brad's head like a searing needle. What was so secretive that she couldn't tell him?He wanted to ask, but the decision he'd made to himself earlier was still there and holding firm. If she wanted to tell him, she would. And if it was that important, she'd eventually get it out. Before he could think about anything else, he heard Grace's voice again and he was knocked back on the huge couch with her following quickly after to take a hold of his neck. He laughed at her playfulness, a true laugh, but something about her seemed just a little off. A little more wild. He didn't know what had caused it or what it meant, but he didn't mind it. She was still Grace. his Grace. And he loved her for it. Brad wiped off his smile for only a minute, his face shadowing with seriousness. "But serisously, Grace... Promise me that you won't get into it, no matter how much you want to." He had pulled her back from her embrace, but it wasn't forceful. He just wanted to know that she'd be safe. "I don't know what I'd do if you ever got hurt while I was watching. You mean the world to me, you know." With that his face brightened a little more with a nearly forced smile. The words he'd spoken were the truth, ones that came from deep inside him.

Ready to keep on playing, Grace was suprised and a little hurt when Brad pulled away from her embrace. Had she changed the mood too fast? Or, worse, had he seen through her charade. Thank God his face wasn't angry when she looked down for a reason to his non-playfullnes.
Brad's face was serious, making his features no less attractive just different.
"But serisously, Grace... Promise me that you won't get into it, no matter how much you want to," He was saying, all serious. He had no idea how hard it would be for her if he and Loren ever got in a fight. Thats why she had made Loren swear to stay away from Brad. How could she promise something that she had no chance of keeping?
"I don't know what I'd do if you ever got hurt while I was watching. You mean the world to me, you know," Brad said, bringing the true words out from his heart. The guilt of before now conbined with this finally had hit her breaking point. How could he say that? He needed to know what she had done. She didn't deserve him.
" Don't say that," She practically screamed. Jumping up, she headed to the door. She could tell this was going to hurt him, but if she stayed any longer, she wouldn't be able to keep up the secret anymore. And Grace knew that if she told Brad it would kill him.
Halfway to the door, she looked back at the being that still made her wish she had a heart beat to quicken. The startings of the dry sobs already raking her throat.

Brad was ready for her voice to tell him something the Grace he knew would say. "Yeah, whatever," or something along those lines. But he didn't expect her true reaction. His eyes widened as she practically screamed the words at him, and the sudden rise in volume made Tracer jump and bark. He's been sleeping and her tone had woken him up, making him gro straight to the defencive. Brad was utterly confused and was just about to ask what he'd said when Grace ran for the door. Instead of following, he stayed where he was, looking at the empty, open doorway in shock. What had he done? Had he said something to bother her? He ran through the lines he'd just said in his head, but couldn't find anything wrong with them. Finally getting a hold of himself, he followed Grace quickly out the door, worry written all over his face. He caught up with her in the lobby and put his hands on her shoulders. He spun her around so that she was facing him. "Grace, what is it?" he asked, questions running a frenzy through his head. "What did I say?"

(Kinda power played << I can edit it if you want me to, there are three ways I could make Brad do this, two of 'em involving him not even talkin' to her =P)

Running into the lobby, the freedom that she had wished for in leaving didn't come. The pain still seared as hot as a peice of metal left too long on the fire. Why couldn't everything just go away? She wanted to be numb, to not feel anything. No idea where to go now, she just stood there looking dumb in the open lobby. The lobbyist was looking at her like he wanted to help, but was too afraid she might punch him.
Grace decided that home wasn't an option, Jenna couldn't see her like this. She had no where to go, and that feeling, of aloness, stung deep down.
Suddenly there was pressure on her shoulders. Someone had a hold on her, they were turning her around. The strong grip should ahve been a tip off, so why was she so susprised to see Brad standing in front of her? Did she truly beleive that he was just going to let her go without demanding a reason? She didn't want to look at him, knowing that the guilt would be overwhelming.
"Grace, what is it?" Brad asked in a frantic voice. Oh, God she wished she could tell him. When he asked her like that she almost belevied that he wouldn't be angry at her. But of course no one could be that forgiving. "What did I say?" he questioned her. Why did he have to say that, she thought. She wanted him to know that it wasn't him at all. Why were lies so horrible, so tricky, so heartbreaking? If it was a perfect world there wouldn't be a need to lie, but of course there was no such place.
She had to bring herself to look into the eyes that held so mcuh sadness and questions. Questions that could easily be answered by her.
" I'm sorry," Grace whispered. His hands were still on her shoulders, his head bent over hers. Still sobbing, she pushed up on her feet, bringing her face up to his. Her soft lips gently kissed his oft cheek, like the touch of the sun on a soft cloud.
Stepping down, Grace looked back down. It was time to leave. So, with a saddness that filled her whole being, she took his hands off her shoulders. Turning she walked slowly towards the door, each step felt like walking through cement and as painful as it too. Her hand was on the cool door knob, is so little time, it seemed. Turning her head she took a glance back at her love, her heart, her reason for living.
" Don't follow me," Grace said locking eyes with his beautiful ones. And with that she pulled the door open and went out into the darkness.

Brad stared, dumbfounded, as Grace took his hands off her shoulders. He hardly even felt the gentle touch of her lips on his cheek. He didn't understand. What made her like this? What had he done to make her this upset? One second she was in his arms like always, then the next she was nearly in tears, running for the door. All he'd wanted was her safety; was that so bad? He watched after her as she left, her whisper only just carrying over to him and registering in his mind. The words seemed to him through his being. "Don't follow me," she had whispered, then disappeared into the darkness outside. With his pride and his heart torn in two, Brad could only stand in place and stare blankly at where she had just left. Of where his love had just stood. "Are you, uhm, okay?" He nearly jumped when Stan voiced a question, but Brad was too confused and hurt to hear anything or react. He meerely turned to meet the gaze of the man behind the counter, then headed slowly up to his room, questions still buzzing inside his head like an angry horde of bees.

What had he done?

Rain poured down on the decrpit looking figure, stuck to the sidewalk. People stared at the sad looking girl, who was letting her sobs come freely. Somew made halfhearted attempts to reach out to her, but when they got close enough the flaming hair and beautiful face and body sent up the red flag.
How stupid could Grace have been to think that not seeing Brad's heartbraking face would make the pain go away? It still came in waves, each one more painful than the last. After a while, the whispers finally made her look up and see the passerby watching her. There was still enough logic left in her to know that sobbing and making a scene in public wasn't the best thing to be doing. Better to go and cry it out somewhere else.
Clenching and unclenching her hands, Grace made her way to her red car, sitting idly at the curb. Walking around to the drivers side, the rushing traffic tempted her to just try ending her life in its chaotic depths. Of course she would still be alive, even if she tried, but it would defintly cause more of a trouble than needed.
Jerking the slick door open, Grace slipped into her stylish car. The insdide smelled of fresh flowers and new leather, smells that might have been able to calm her before. Bringing her hands and her foreheah to rest on the steering wheel, Grace remembered a small fragment from being a human. Whenever she had been stressed with the lack of food, she would always take a deep breath, and she'd cary on.
Mimicking her old human life, Grace brought in a lung full of useless air, exhaling slowly. Suprisingly, the act had helped alittle, at least enough for her to be able to drive without killing someone. The car slid with a splash of rain water out of the parking spot and continued down the dark street.

(I'm bored out of my mind so I'm gonna post again xD There is ONE bad word in here... Sorry. ^^' I can edit it out if anyone is offended by it, no harm done. ^^)

Brad stood in his doorway; his golden eyes distant. Everything had happened so fast, he wasn't sure what just took place only a few seconds ago. For a moment he thought about following her again, but her words that she'd spoken before she left kept him rooted in place. Her voice had seemed filled with saddness, anger, and guilt. He could feel those emotions coming off of her in waves right before she just left; body and mind. He looked up quickly as if something had spooked him. The window... he thought, and crossed the room in a matter of not even half a second. Pushing past the black and white drapes, he could only see the tail lights of Grace's red porche fading into the distance. The darkness outside was swallowing her, and too soon it seemed she was completely gone from his sight. He sighed and dropped the blinds, taking a step backward. He eventually felt the couch behind him and sat down, his elbows resting on his legs and he thought. Tracer whined and crossed the room tentavely. The german shepherd pushed it's muzzle into Brad's hand, forcing the vampire to pat him. Brad absentmindedly let one hand stroke the dog's scruff and nape, though he wasn't aware of it at the moment. What just happened? he whispered to himself mentally. Somewhere in his mind he could hear Stan's questioning thoughts, but Brad didn't pay any mind to them. What happened to her? That question dwindled longer in his mind than any other one. What had she done to change like this? She was fine this morning, and during school. What the fact that his enemy showed up possibly upsetting her that much? Was she possibly upset at him because he somehow insulted her? Brad's head pounded as even more questions formed, pushing against his mind, nagging him for answeres that he didn't have.

Slowly letting himself fall on his couch, he caught the scent he'd come to love linger around him. It wrapped itself around his body and mind like a comforting veil... Yet it somehow wasn't all that welcome anymore. It still made him feel that same loving, protective emotion, yet it was different now. It wasn't just because of what had just happened; it really was somehow different. But he didn't know how. Tracer gave a worried whine and lay down beside his couch on the wooden floor instead of going to the much warmer and comfier carpet not but two steps away. The dog must know that something was wrong, but the poor creature didn't know what to do. Brad and his dog had a very strong bond, even though the dog was only a few years old and still in his puppy years.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow at school. Grace would be there; so would Jenna and Matt. And Loren. His mind seethed at the thought of that human drinker's name, nearly making the creator of the thought snarl. Grace was fine before he showed up. Everything was perfect, just the right timing for that damn creature to show up and send everything spiraling to hell. That's what he was good for. Brad's hands clenched and unclenched into fists as he found himself getting angrier and angrier at his enemy, somehow tying everything together with him, blaming it all on his head. Everything screwed up when Loren, "the perfect god," showed up. Somehow this was effecting Grace. He didn't copletely know why, but it was. She was upset because he showed up. Brad's seemingly peaceful golden eyes hardened into something that would make a full grown human male shrink back in terror at the sight of it.

Loren will pay.

(Woo, cliff hanger... :B)

(Sorry... xD Wanted to do a quick post with Matt ^^')

Matt's silver Lamborghini came to a stop in front of his apartment building. He could see Brad's mustang in the corner, so he knew his friend was here. But he could also smell the last, fading trace of Grace here also, which meant that she had been here before he and Jenna had found her in the woods. What did Brad do? that thought was still in his mind, practically screaming at him for an answer. He quickly exited his exotic sports car and carried his keys in his hand on his way through the door, his hand for some reason forming into a fist. Stan seemed to get the memmo and didn't even try to greet the fuming vampire as he entered. Why was he so mad? He wasn't completely sure himself. The state that Grace had been in had worried him, and the fact that she came here before she was like that only pointed to Brad. He stormed up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, and unfortunately there was a human in the hallway so he couldn't speed through it like he'd wanted to. Once he reached his friend's door, he didn't even need to knock. In fact the door was already cracked, so he simply let himself in. Brad was lying on the couch, his hands cupping his forehead, and his eyes were closed. He looked like something was bothering him. That didn't matter to Matt at the moment, he wanted answeres. "Dude... What did you do to her?" he asked immediately. He motioned to the doorway as if Grace was standing right there, though Brad's eyes remained closed. "She's in hysterics!"

----

Brad could hear the thoughts before he heard the car pull up. Matt. What did Brad do? was the main thing he could hear from his friend. He sighed and drew his hands up on his forehead, then closed his eyes. Through Stan's mind he saw his friend walk up the stairs. It looked like he wasn't in a good mood at the moment. Tracer remained at the foot of his master's couch, his head down on his forepaws as he whined pitifully. When Matt entered, his friend could hardly believe what Brad was doing. Lying on his couch while Grace was out in the woods crying her eyes out and screaming to the heavens. Brad jumped up from his couch, nearly stepping on Tracer as he did so, and faced his friend, his golden eyes still full of rage. Not for Grace, but for Loren. But Matt didn't know that. "She told me not to follow her," he said, then sighed and turned to make his way over to his window. He leaned on the wall and gazed outside, down at the wet parkinglot bathed in moonlight. "I didn't do anything to her. I don't know what happened. I don't know anything about what just happened." He sighed and his gaze found the floor in front of him. The image Matt showed him of Grace in the woods, reduced to nothing but a frail and broken body made something in him snap. Loren was the one who was making her feel this way; he was the one that gave her all this saddness. He didn't know how, but he was the reason for it all. He shook his head and headed for his kitchen which was piled high with dog food bags. Tracer seemed to know what that meant and immediately followed agter Brad with his tail wagging happily. He absentmindedly poured the dogfood into Tracer's huge food dish, replaying the image of Grace over and over again in his head. No, he didn't have any answeres, but he was determined to get some tomorrow.

----

Matt sighed and shook his head, lowering it slightly. "Look bro, I don't know what you did, but you've gotta fix it. Guess I'll see ya tomorrow." He gave a sort of wave, then turned and exited his friend's room. There he traveled to the very end of the hallway and turned right around a corner to another hallway with doors branching off into other rooms. He found his own and unlocked his door easily. He was welcome to a room that was focused primarily on the colors brown and black, but there were many shades of them and different colors also. He had a balcony, though he never used it much. His room wasn't as inviting as his friend's, but it was home. There were two arm chairs in the main room, situated around a huge flat screen TV. A large coffee table sat between the two, sitting quietly in silent dignity of it's old oak origins. The floor was carpeted in the main room, but the rest of it was wooden. A kitchen was attached to the main room, but was separrated by a half-tall wall which served as a counter. There were two other rooms in his apartment; a bedroom, which was situated with a huge bed with black comforters, and a small bathroom. He sighed and threw himself down on one of the armchairs in his living room.

----

Brad nodded to his friend as he left, and silence once again consumed him. though Tracer's noisy eating made it sound more welcome to him. He closed his eyes and leaned on one of the small counters in his kitchen; his elbows resting on their cool surfaces while his hands were on his face. For just a second he wished that he didn't have this gift. This obnoxious, irritating gift of mindreading Right now it seemed more like a punishment. All that MAtt was thinking about was the crumpled Grace in the woods next to a huge tree, her beautiful red hair being mutilated by the damp ground, as Jenna slowly approached her torn sister. One of his hands flashed out seemingly on it's own, and struck the wall beside him. He flinched as he realized what he'd done and slowly looked up to see a large hold in his white wall. He let out a short frustrated sigh and made his way quickly to the tiny bathroom he never used. Peeling off his clothes, he stepped into the new shower and let the hot water run down his body. It soothed him, but there was that thought again, and the strange feeling and emotions came flooding back. He couldn't get away from it.