“Fair and pink and soft? You make me sound like a pig…”
“No… You’re pretty, Sofia. It’s just weird how you never seem to get sunburn.”
“That also means I never get that perfect tan you have.”
I didn’t realize how much I missed the arrogant grin on his face until I saw it again. “Yes, yes… The sun does love me. How did you describe me that one time?” He squinted an eye at me. “I believe you called me a Greek god…”
I rolled my eyes. “You never do get tired of bringing that up, do you? I was being sarcastic.”
“Riiight… You keep telling yourself that.” A self-satisfied smile formed on his lips as he lay flat on his back over the bed.
It was a glimpse of the Ben that I missed. Fun-loving, easygoing, never one to get all hung up over problems, issues or emotions. I smiled as I watched him fall asleep, and giggled when he once again began to snore. The tension between us having disappeared, I rolled to my side, trying to force myself to fall asleep.
By the stroke of midnight, I gave up trying and silently got up, pulled a robe over my body and quietly took the sealed envelope from the backpack given by the vampires. I didn’t want Ben to know that it contained an envelope addressed to me, because I was hoping that it came from Derek. After everything Ben told me about his experience at The Shade, I didn’t want him finding out about how much I missed Derek. I didn’t want to deal with having to feel guilty that I didn’t have as bad an experience as Ben did back at the island.
Clutching the envelope, I walked out onto the terrace, relishing the cool, evening breeze, carrying with it the distinct taste of salt from the ocean. I opened the brown envelope and found myself fighting back the tears when I saw what was inside.
The package wasn’t from Derek. It was from Corrine, the witch. She’d become a kind of older sister to me during the time we spent together. The package contained the cell phone I used to teach Derek how to use mobile phones, my favorite Polaroid snapshot of us together after I showed him how to use a camera, a silver ring studded with what looked like rubies, and a note that said: The phone and the photo is for you to never forget. The ring is a gift from me. May it help you find your way home. The island is several shades darker without you. We’ll miss your light. Love, Corrine.
I clutched the envelope to my chest. Hardly any time had passed since we left The Shade and I already found the ache within me overwhelming. I wasn’t supposed to feel that way. I was supposed to be thankful that I was one of the few humans who actually made it out of The Shade, but no… all I could think about was how much I wanted to go back.
“Sofia?”
Ben’s voice from behind me caused me to jump back, startled. I quickly wiped the tears away from my face.
“What’s that?”
“It’s… just… it’s… nothing…”
“How could it be nothing? Let me see.” He stepped beside me and gestured for me to hand him over the envelope.
“Don’t get mad.” I handed it over to him, afraid of what his reaction would be – especially over the photo, with me smiling and looking straight at the camera, while Derek’s eyes were set on me.
I could sense Ben tense when he saw what was inside. He handed it right back to me, almost as if he was disgusted by it. “Where did you get that?”
“It came with the backpack.”
“I don’t understand how you can trust him.”
“He saved me so many times… I…”
“Don’t you get it, Sofia? You wouldn’t need saving if it weren’t for him!” The outburst was a first in a long time. I couldn’t remember seeing Ben direct that much anger at anyone before. Calming down after breathing in and out for a couple of seconds, he eventually said, “It was Derek. He was the vampire who killed Eliza.”
His words came like a punch in the gut, knocking the wind right out of me. It wasn’t like I wasn’t aware that it was possible, but placing a name to the victim made the thought come to life. I remembered the night Derek came to the penthouse, blood dripping from his lips, how menacing he looked…
“You don’t seem surprised.”
“Some of the other vampires offer up their slaves to him… for him to feed on…”
“Did he ever feed on you?”
“No… never…”
“So what exactly are you saying, Sofia? As long as you’re safe and taken care of, it’s fine that he’s a murderer who feeds off of other people?”
“No, Ben. It’s not like that. You don’t know him like I do… You haven’t seen him struggle to take control…” My reasoning seemed hollow in the light of Ben’s accusations.#p#分页标题#e#