The Queen Of Darkness

15.One for sorrow

I cringed at the TV, laughing at the cheesiness. The romcom played loudly through the flat-screen on the wall. I lay in the middle of my bed, a bowl of popcorn on my stomach; Maddy to my left, Anna on my right.

"I just want someone to do this for me, you know?" Maddy sighed, eyes wide as she watched the grossly cute scene. I shook my head, poking my tongue out in disgust.

"If a guy did that to me, I'd punch him in the face." The girls laughed, each grabbing some popcorn.

"Honestly I don't care what the boy does as long as he's interested. I'm so desperate and lonely." Anna groaned, her mouth full. I patted her leg affectionately.

"Screw the sleepover club, we're the Virgin Club." Maddy said, in the way that only a wittily innocent person could. Anna and I laughed, sitting up.

"Well maybe you and Mathias could do the hanky panky huh?" Anna chimed to the blushing red head, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, who ducked under the covers as we laughed.

I paused as my blood sung. I looked at the door, knowing that Finian was standing outside. My breath rushed out of me, and my heart begged to go to him, to connect with him. After a few seconds his footsteps retreated, taking my heart with him.

I sighed and fell back into the pillows. My view of the ceiling was obstructed as Anna and Maddy's heads popped into view. They stared down at me, frowning.

"Let's go shopping tomorrow." I announced, wanting to get out of the estate.

¤¤¤

I stared around the cobblestone streets as we walked through the town. It was an overcast day, and I relished in the fresh air. It was the first time I'd been out since coming to Romania.

I pointed out a little cafe on a corner, the sign reading Delicacy. The three of us sat at a table at the from, looking at the menu. A waiter came out, good looking and tall.

"What can I get for you beautiful ladies today?" I choked out a laugh, looking to who he was really talking to. Anna had a flirty smile on her face as she stared at him, her cheeks lightly pink. We each ordered, a cappuccino and a chocolate scroll for me.

After the waiter retreated with a quick wink at the pretty blond next to me, Maddy and I turned to her. She grinned gleefully, standing up.

"I'm just going to the bathroom." I quipped after her, reminding her not to get lost on the way. Maddy laughed, snorting slightly as we watched Anna stumble into the cafe.

I looked around silently, taking in the little shops and hole in the wall businesses. The architecture was beautiful, kept from previous centuries. I was reminded of the ancient vampires all around the world, some of them up the hill, hiden away in a castle.

The things they must have seen, cities built, empires fall, wars and murders, moments in history that changed and shaped the modern world.
I noticed another waiter heading toward our table with a tray. She smiled and placed our food and coffees in front of us, Anna's chair still vacant. Maddy and I shared a knowing look, grinning at each other.

We ate silently, trying each others pastries until Anna returned, looking flushed. I raised my brows at her over the rim of my coffee cup.

"Okay, his name is Milo, he's twenty and he's studying to become a vet. He's so nice, and his eyes! Argh, he's perfect, and he gave me his number."

I smiled and shook my head lightly in amusement as she gushed. I turned to stare at Anna, her gaze far away. I twisted to see what she was looking at; A single crow atop a roof, gawking down at us. I raised an eyebrow at the red head across from me.

"My mom used to tell me the crow counting rhyme. One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a wedding, and four for a birth. Five for silver, six for gold, and seven for a secret never to be told. Isn't it weird that there are no other birds around? And isn't it a little quiet?" She asked, looking around the street. I shrugged and picked up my cup, not think too much of it.

¤¤¤

The grass glowed brightly around us. We had found a little park, filled with trees and flowers, a fountain and a pond. The clouds had opened up, allowing a brief moment of sunshine. We all lay on the ground, eyes closed as the sun warmed our bodies.

It was still remarkably cold, but the rays felt nice, even as the cold breeze ruffled our hair and chilled our skin.

I paused as I heard something, my hearing far more advanced than the witch and human beside me. Wings, flapping lightly against the breeze. I twisted my head, listening for more but the sound had stopped. After a few more minutes the clouds closed back over and the wind picked up, whistling violently in my ears.

I groaned and rubbed a hand down my face before sitting up, opening my eyes. I blinked, looking around as my mouth dropped open.

"Holy shit! Guys, I think we should leave, like right now!" The girls sat up, each exclaiming as well.

The trees that surrounded us that had been lively and green were now browned and cracked, their leaves on the ground and blowing in the wind. Hundreds, thousands of black crows perching on the dying branches, beady eyes staring at us. I twisted, more and more of the birds taking up the park. That was when the noise started.

Screeching and squawking echoed and reverberated around the open space like an amphitheatre, magnified by the sheer amount of birds. The sound was excruciating for my overly sensitive hearing. My hands covered my ears as I screamed, curled into a ball. My body began to cramp, every muscle tightening painfully. My eyes were clenched shut, the sound piercing through my head.

I felt Maddy and Anna pulling me, heard their own screams. They were dragging me, my legs barely working as my entire body vibrated in pain.

They shoved me into an awaiting car, but the sound seemed to follow me. I was crying, Anna and Maddy staring at me in horror. My mouth was filling with liquid, spilling over my lips. My nose was running as well, and my neck felt wet. I pulled my hands away from my ears, the sound still echoing.

Blood painted my palms. I pressed my fingertips to my cheeks and pulled them away. I wasn't crying, I was bleeding. From my eyes, my nose, mouth and ears. My vision began to blur and tunnel. I could see Anna and Maddy's mouths moving, but still the only sound I heard was cawing. As my vision turned black I felt my body pitch to the side, then nothing.

¤¤¤

I awoke, the squawking still ringing in my ears, but I could hear Anna now, calling out to the driver. I sat up dizzily, taking in the estate as it dashed passed the windows. We screeched to a halt, the doors flying open. I was dragged out by the girls, an entourage of people rushing toward us. I could hear people, demanding to know what had happened. Alexeron stepped forward and took me from my two friends, his strength outweighing theirs.

I dizzily looked around, choking and gurgling on the blood that flowed freely from my mouth.

I felt my body being yanked again, the world spinning as everything halted. The sounds, the pain, the blood. I was being carried, heat seeping into my bones. My head flopped against a muscled chest, a heart pounding irregularly. Words being whispered, soothing the pain away. I opened my heavy eyes, meeting the golden gaze of Finian before everything turned black.