All For you, R.S. Vargas [my reading book txt] 📗

my hands into fists. I walked across the little space between me and Ashley's attacker. I lifted my hand into the air and punch the figure in the jaw. The figure hadn't noticed me, until it was too late. I looked at Ashley. Her head was bleeding. I growled at the dark figure.
The hood fell of the cloak fell to the persons back. Dark brown hair flowed out around her as the wind blew around us. I recognized her face straight away but my throated closed before I could say anything. She pulled her hands out of the cloak to reveal her dark purple finger nail painted to be that color but that's not what caught my attention she had Ashley's blood on her hands!
In my dream it had been Renee with the blood on her hands. This time it wasn't Renee. I looked at the girls hands. She licked the blood off, and looked at me in the shimmering light, the canopy had let come into the forest. She looked perfect except for the blood smeared on her lips. She licked it off. I almost vomited as she cross the area in between us.
"Josh, It's nice to see you again." She said as pushed a few strand of hair out of her face.
"Like wise, Ivy." The words came tumbling out of my mouth. I walked over toward Ashley she was still breathing. She would live. "What are you doing here?" I growled.
"She shouldn't be alive." A voice said from behind me. I spun around. It was Stephanie.
"I thought you were on our side!" I growled.
"I was...but then I got a close look at Ashley. She's not right. Talking to animals, Josh... She's not right in the head. She thinks animals are food! She's as bad as Renee." Stephanie spit out.
"So what!? Leave her be." I hissed as Stephanie took a step towards Ashley. I growled at Ivy who looked at Ashley as if she was a snack.
I ran to where Ashley was. I scooped her up in my arms and begin to run. I'm about ten feet from where I had picked up Ashley when Stephanie appears in front of me. I veer to the left to get away. Suddenly Ivy appears to my left, she moves her foot in front of me. I trip, and Ashley goes flying out of my arms as I stumble to the floor.
I rammed into dirt. I sat up, and see Stephanie fighting with Ivy over Ashley. I walked to where Ashley was sitting, almost in tears. "It's okay." I whisper to her. She shook her head, and started to cry. I grabbed her, and ran past the two fighting girls. I didn't know what they were arguing about, and I wasn't staying to find out. I ran with Ashley in my arms for what seemed like hours. Finally I just couldn't run anymore I was running fine the few minutes before but suddenly my legs just shut down. I stumbled as I laid Ashley on the ground.
I fell to the floor. I couldn't move a muscle even if I wanted to. I looked at Ashley. She was standing up now. She nudged me with her foot.
"Get in the tree." She whispered. I shook my head. She kicked me hard. I slowly got to my knees. Then to my feet. when I leaned against a tree. I caught a glimpse of her. She looked annoyed. I smiled to myself, and climbed into the tree
I needed to rest, to dream...I just need to sleep. I slumped on the tree branch. The Fatigue filled my thoughts. I tired to close my eyes. The world around me seemed so dark but when I closed my eyes everything was different.. I knew it.
I heard Ashley get into the tree. I could smell her. She sat a few feet away. She'd give me my space to sleep like I had. The fatigue slipped back into my mind. Sleep, It commanded,sleep. My eye lids drooped. I fell asleep. My mind whirled. I wasn't quite asleep yet. I could hear Ashley's even breathing beside me. She must have fallen asleep. I sighed, and drifted into the blackness that encased my dreams.
But this time I didn't dream. I just saw blackness. I felt my heart beat, heard my breathing as if I was watching myself from the outside world. I was asleep at last.
I woke up to a voice ringing in my ear. It wasn't like Ashley. It was too sweet to mature. I looked up to see Stephanie standing above me! I panicked. I twisted my body to cover up any weak points. I lost my balance forgetting I was in a tree.
I slipped off the branch. The leaves, and air whirled around me as I fell. I waited for the pain, the misery but I had fallen once before out of a tree, and It hadn't hurt that bad. Why would it hurt more now? I hit the ground hard. My bones would have broken if I had been full human. I could feel the earth poking me. The rocks jabbed in my lower back.
My body screamed pain. I laid there for a few moments. Suddenly Stephanie appeared in my view.
"Get away." I moaned. I tried to get up but I couldn't. My body wouldn't let me. She stood over me shaking her head. I wanted to get up, and run. I don't know where I'd go, but I had to get away. Then she reached out her hand. I couldn't take it. How could I? She grabbed my hand, and helped me to my feet. She leaned me against a tree.
"Josh, I have no reason to hurt you or your sister." She said.
"Get away!" I hissed as tried to take a step. I couldn't. I had to listen to her.
"I wasn't going to hurt her, Josh." She said.
"Shut up, I'm tired of lies." I said as I sat on the floor. I wasn't going anywhere not in this state. She began to pace in front of me. I watched her as she passed me, and circled back.
"She's not in danger because of me." Stephanie said as she turned around. "I could never hurt such a fine, young vampire. I was just trying to keep Ivy away." I nodded even though I wasn't paying attention. "Renee would want to be able to see Ashley. She has much potential." She stopped pacing.
"Where's Ashley?" I asked not looking at stephanie. She didn't answer me. "Where's Ashley?" I repeated myself. She didn't answer. I looked at her. She wasn't looking at me. She was looking at her hands. Somehow I gathered the strength to get up, and shake her by her shoulders.
"Where is Ashley!?" I asked shaking her shoulders. She pushed me away. She smiled at me, and dusted herself of.
"She's with the human branch of cut." She said as if she was proud of herself.
"The what!?" I growled.
"The cut. The human branch. Can't have her running around annoying vampires. What if they figured out what she was!?" She said as if she never everything was going to be fine. I nodded.
"What do we do now?" I asked. I realized I said we. It was too late to take it back. A huge smile appeared on her face.
"You said 'we'! That means we're in this together." She squealed. I covered my ears with my palms. The erie pitch hurt my ears.
"What do we do now?" I repeated myself. She looked at me oddly.
"First, we change this thing you have going on with your hair." she said as she reached out to grab my hair. I jerked away. She was not touching my hair!
"Why!?" I argued. She looked at me angrily.
"You think I'm going to travel with someone that looks like that?" She laughed as she pointed at me. I looked at myself. "Besides I thought you'd want to impress Renee, not drive her away." Stephanie played with a piece of her hair. She sliced off a strand with her fingernail. I gulped loudly.
"She'll find you acceptable because you know how to fight, but you should still change a few other things." She said.
"I never said I wanted to impress her." I said stubbornly. I'd never cut my hair.
"But you want to." She said as she walked away from me.
"No." I said nonchalantly.
"Fine you'll have to go out of state to find a partner." She said then shrugged. suddenly I felt aroused.
"Partner?" I said suspiciously. She nodded, and started to pace around me. "So if I pass your tests she's mine?" I asked.
"No, there's others in town, and besides she only works with the best. You're far from it." She laughed.
"Who else is there?" I asked. My curiosity was getting the better of me. I wanted to know. Not because I thought of this as a game because I wanted to make sense of my dreams.
"Rumors say Tye's in town. So's Caleb; got a special permission from Kayla. Nick isn't going down with out a fight."
Nick, Caleb, and Tye were in my dreams. So was stephanie and Renee. Would my future deal with them? I still had lots of questions, and no answers. Why had Renee told them to leave? Why didn't she notice me at first? Why do I need to know her? I'm just a city boy, not some vampire hoping for a quest.
"She'd never fall for me." I sighed. Stephanie reached out and slapped me. I was stunned.
"Don't say that!" She said jokingly.
"You really think so." I said hopefully.
"Oh heaven no, but if it makes you let me cut your hair-" She she laughed before I cut her off.
"So I don't stand a chance?" I asked her. She shrugged, and she stopped behind me. She gripped hard on my hair. I squeezed my eyes shut. I felt her grip loosen, and then opened my eyes to see my hair on the floor. Stephanie handed me her knife. So I could see my reflection, and look at my hair. I looked like some kid off the streets. My hair was jagged. So layers thick and longer than others.
"What did you do!?" I hissed. She didn't notice the annoyance in my voice.
"My best work ever!" She said happily.
"Thanks." I said still a little hostile about the earlier attack, toward Ashley. Her best work? I thought as I touched my hair. I bent over to pick up a lock of my hair that had fallen to the floor. It was as black as the night. I moved it around in my hands. It was smooth, and soft. My hair felt like fur from a dog. It let the wind blow it away. It was a cool breeze. The winter was reseeding. Soon it would be warm again. Memories of the warm summer I had spent with mother in her garden appeared in my head.

"Mother!" I had cried happily. She was busy cutting up carrots in the kitchen to put in her soup that would be dinner. She put down her knife as a eight year old version of myself jumped happily beside her. She wiped the knife on her apron. I grabbed her hand.
"Mommy! Mommy!" I squealed excitedly. She looked happy to see me even though she was