Elizabeth and the Vampire's Cabin(7)

“I love that song,” Elizabeth sighed. “I wish I had been alive in the 80s. Austin used to play Tears for Fears all the time when I was young. Great band. And he has probably the best voice you've ever heard, period. I want to know how someone as brutish as my brother could sing so beautifully.”

Arthur was confused, and not just about Austin's personality not matching his voice. The usually cold Elizabeth was suddenly melting because of her brother's singing voice.

“I guess this is proof that your feelings for your brother are warmer than you let on,” he remarked.

“It’s not warmth for Austin,” she declared. “He just has an awesome voice. I’m into his voice in the same way that I’m into camping. I love anything beautiful. Nature is beautiful and so is his voice.”

“You’re such a girl,” he retorted.

"How was that girly? Guys love beautiful things too. Austin listens to nature cds and collects paintings. He listens to the sounds of waterfalls while he decorates the house. That’s more girly that I have ever been in my life. You will never catch me decorating my home and coordinating color schemes all day. Austin is the one with the woman’s touch.”

“Elizabeth, you always know exactly what you think on any given issue. But, I really believe that you need to rethink this trip.”

“You don’t understand,” Elizabeth began. “This is my dream. To rough it by myself, completely alone, has always seemed like it would be the ultimate test of survival. I’ve never been totally alone before, because I’ve always had Austin with me. And I love the wild. I want to commune with nature. I can see this becoming one of the best things I have done in my whole life.”

Arthur nodded his head. This was goodbye. Elizabeth was going to head off into this big wide world and leave him behind. Arthur decided he wanted to make the most of what time they had left. That meant no more talking.

"Let’s go in and dance some more," he said.

"No, I want to get out of here."

Oh my God! Like a date, he thought. "Elizabeth," he said, "that sounds like a great idea, where would you like to go?"

Elizabeth smiled wickedly and said, "Aaron Ayro's party is tonight. Just let me grab my purse and we can be on our way."



Chapter 5: Masquerade

Elizabeth led Arthur to Aaron's house. It was a winding, discordant route. She led him down the driveway, straight down the street, down a short cut that included a large dirt slope, made a left onto a paved road, a right, and then another right up a small hill. There they reached the cul-de-sac with Aaron's "almost mansion" on it.

Elizabeth and Arthur had never been invited to one of Aaron's parties. Elizabeth wanted to see one before she left, because she found Aaron to be one of the most intensely interesting men in wine country. Elizabeth loved long walks at night, and so did Aaron. Aaron had been living in the area for the last year and a half, and every time they passed each other they could not keep their eyes off each other. Elizabeth could not explain why Aaron stared at her, but she could tell anyone at any time exactly why she stared at him. He was the biggest, most powerful man she had ever seen. They were the same height (5'7), but his broad shoulders and huge chest astounded her. His brow ridges were very clearly defined, and his deep set eyes created the illusion of his brows being more pronounced than they actually were. He was an ugly, barbaric looking man. But so long as he was comfortable staring at her, she didn't mind staring at him. She doubted he even knew who she was. She only spent about twenty five percent of the year in wine country. She was Miss Nobody, whereas Aaron was the enigmatic rich guy no one knew anything about, who had one of the largest homes in wine country, and held giant parties. She thought of him as the Great Gatsby of Temecula.

Arthur just wanted to be with Elizabeth, and if that meant crashing a party then so be it. Besides, Elizabeth told him she wanted to go to Aaron's for a reason that he considered sensible: her own party hadn't been that great. This was a sentiment Arthur shared, and he was fine leaving in favor of something possibly more exciting. Though he wasn't sure how they were going to be able to enter. He could see the bouncer at the door and it was common knowledge that Aaron's parties were invitation only. No one in the neighborhood had ever been invited or, so far as Arthur knew, been inside the house to see one. That's going to change tonight, he thought.

Aaron had an open gate leading up to his driveway, and they saw a man and woman in masks leaving. Must be a masquerade, Elizabeth observed.

"These people are wild!" the woman exclaimed.

"Never been to a party like that," the man said.