Cadaverous - Rewritten, P A Webster [best thriller novels of all time .TXT] 📗

angry at anybody before. I could handle him messing with me, but the thought of him messing with my family too lit a fire under me. I wasn't going to let him walk all over me anymore, even if it meant getting hurt.

"I think what you mean to say is that you stole it," I corrected him.

"Label it however you'd like, it doesn't matter to me. For now, I can't guarantee the safety of everybody in this house if you have a phone," he replied. I took a mental note as he slid my phone into the front left pocket of his black jeans. I had no plans to steal it back just yet, but it was reassuring to know where it was just in case it seemed worth risking my life for eventually. "Besides, if you didn't want it to be stolen, you should've done a better job of hiding it. You just left it lying there next to your bed."

"Safety? This isn't about safety at all!" I exclaimed, taking a step closer to him. Odie gently placed her hand on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.

"Please try to understand Holly. They're placing a lot of trust in you to keep their secret already, and we're not just concerned about humans finding out. If any nearby clans find out about you, it could complicate things even more. Most clans don't approve of humans hanging around people like us unless they're a walking blood bag," she explained. 

The thought of somebody choosing to be a blood bag for vampires upset my stomach. My gaze drifted down to the bite wound on my wrist and I began to recall the soothing sensation I'd felt as Chase drank from it. Perhaps that feeling was what those people sought, perhaps they'd become addicted to it. I wondered, if anybody saw my bite wound, would they assume I was like that too? It was a repulsive thought, I was going to have to find a way to hide the wound, I'd decided.

"We'll take Holly home tomorrow," Chase announced, startling me. "And since she's so concerned about our standards of safety, we'll have somebody keep an eye on her at all times. That person will also be responsible for collecting any information that she may have for us. Does that sound fair to you, princess?" His last few words were dripping with poison, and whilst his expression might've seemed blank at first glance, there was a certain darkness about his eyes. He was willing me to agree to his plan, daring me to challenge him once again. A shiver ran down my spine, I took a deep breath and tried to maintain my brave face.

"It sounds fair," I agreed, my voice weak. "I only have one condition."

"Of course you do," he responded in a monotonous voice, folding his arms across his chest.

"I'd like Aiden to be the one to keep an eye on me, I feel I can trust him the most," my words acted as a catalyst for surprise throughout the room yet again. I glanced at Aiden behind me, even he seemed caught off guard. Was I asking for too much?

"Fine," Chase replied curtly, his gaze avoiding mine. He wasn't angry, I'd seen him angry often enough to know what it looked like, but he seemed off. He seemed rattled, uncomfortable, maybe even upset. I wasn't sure why choosing Aiden had affected him as it had, and at that moment, I really didn't care. I just felt relieved knowing that Chase or Levi weren't going to be the ones lurking around me in the shadows. "Now we have more important things to talk about. Things that you aren't welcome to hear. Go and keep yourself occupied for a while," he added, his condescending tone mimicking that of a parent telling their child to go play whilst the adults talk about adult things. Despite this, I wasn't going to argue with him this time. I left the room without another word, I needed some time alone to process everything.

I retreated to the library. After plucking a random leather-bound book from the shelves on my way inside, I threw myself into the armchair and began to read. The world around me seemed to dissolve as I became completely immersed in a book all about different species of birds with fascinating abilities. It wasn't a topic I'd usually be interested in, but I found myself becoming quite intrigued. Who knew that there were small innocent looking birds that were capable of killing and eating small bats!

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but I closed the bird book after my stomach began to rumble. Throughout my stay at the mansion I'd always had food brought to me without me even having to ask. Whilst I was completely capable of preparing my own meals, I had no idea where to start. After carefully sliding the bird book back into its spot on the bookshelf, I left the room in search of somebody who could help me out with some food. To my surprise, it was already 4pm according to the clock in the foyer. I found it hard to believe that I'd managed to preoccupy myself with a bird book for several hours. Surely the clan meeting would be over by now, I noted.

I tip toed towards the lounge room, just in case by some coincidence I was wrong and consequently still unwelcome there. I peered around the edge of the archway leading into the room to see Chase and Odie sitting side-by-side on the red velvet couch. Chase was leaning forward and staring down at his intertwined hands that were resting on his knees. Odie was facing at him, staring at him with an expression that radiated sympathy. I recoiled from archway, retreating further away to ensure that I wouldn't be seen. I felt as if I'd witnessed something too personal. Maybe I was right that Odie was more than just his friend.

"I know it must be hard and confusing," Odie spoke in a gentle voice. "But her world just got turned upside down too, the poor thing has no idea what she's gotten herself into."

"I know, but I can't help but feel irritated by her," Chase responded.

"She didn't exactly choose to bear a resemblance to Lana," Odie pointed out. My hand flew to my mouth to muffle a gasp.

"I thought that I might be able to let go, but now I just feel like I'm being haunted with her around," his voice drifted off.

I slowly made my way upstairs, careful to not make a sound with every step that I took. There was something that I had to do, and I needed to ensure that I wasn't caught. Getting caught could quite literally mean death, but I had to do it. I had to know. At the top of the stairs I checked down the hallways to the left and the right, nobody was around. My heart began to race as I made my way down the hallway ahead of me. My mind was screaming at me to turn around and go back to hiding in my room. I stopped when I reached the two doors at the end of the hallway. I turned my back on the door to Chase's room, it wasn't Chase that I wanted to learn more about but rather the owner of the room opposite his. The room I was warned never to enter. The room belonging to Lana.

I placed my hand on the door handle. I knew that what I was doing was wrong. I was invading Chase's privacy, there was no denying that. The only way explanation I could give to justify my actions was that he'd invaded my privacy first. Yes, it was petty, but after overhearing the conversation between Odie and Chase I felt that I had the right to know about Lana. I wanted to know more about the girl that I supposedly looked like.

The door open with a slight squeal, startling me. I took a deep breath and stepped into the room. I was surprised to find that the room was actually full of light. The curtains had been left open, allowing light to flood in through the two large windows to the left side of the room. The room looked as if somebody was still living there, the bed sheets were in disarray, sleeves of clothes were hanging from half-opened drawers, and there was a faint floral scent lingering. The only way that you could tell the room had been abandoned was the light layer of dust that covered the furniture.

Despite all the sunlight, the room felt quite cold and almost eerie. I made my way around the room making sure to not touch anything, I didn't want to leave any evidence behind. As I passed the vanity table covered in a colourful assortment of perfume and makeup bottles, a photo frame across the room caught my eye. An ornate black photo frame sat on the bedside table, I approached it cautiously and crouched before it so that I could take a closer look. The photo inside was of a person I didn't recognise with their arm around who I assumed to be Lana.

I could now see the resemblance between the two of us, and it was a lot stronger that I could've imagined. Her hair was the same shade of blonde, but her hair fell down in ringlet curls to her lower back whereas I kept mine trimmed just past my shoulders. Her facial features were very similar, the only differences being her arched eyebrows and her lips that were slightly more heart-shaped than my own. The thing that struck me the most were her eyes. They were identical to my own, so much so that it sent chills down my spine.

 I had no idea what kind of relationship Chase had with Lana, but it no longer surprised me that he found me difficult to be around. I knew the feeling, it was the same feeling I experienced whenever I was with Cruz after Ollie passed away. Maybe Chase and I had more in common than I thought.

I reached out to wipe the layer of dust from the glass of the photo frame when I felt a hand grab my shoulder.

I'd been caught.

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Text: P A Webster
Images: P A Webster
Publication Date: 07-09-2016

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