Chapter 3

Writer Notes: I’ve had this compiled for awhile.  I know I was suppose to post the new chapter for The Gang, but they’re still being difficult…soooo Alternate Universe gets its chance.

Warnings: I suppose it’s more wordy than usual…hmm…switch in view, sarcasm, the use of the word woozy, a misunderstood situation, awkwardness, and a mostly [echo: mostly] speechless female.

I believe the more I think about it, the worse it’s going to get.  I have to babysit this human until she is safe.  Joy for me.  It shouldn’t be anything new for me.  After all, I use to babysit the Elvin royalty.  The boring-est job in the world.  My efforts were rewarded with this semi-retirement, but I got even more bored, if you think it is possible.  That’s when I decided to become an assassin.  After all, my skills had proven worthy.  Somehow I changed into this rescuer, oh boy.  Wouldn’t my comrades laugh at me now?  Well, if I had any.  I don’t know what to do now.  This is halfway new to me.  The protecting part isn’t, but the running part is.  I don’t like running.  That’s the coward’s way.  At least she’s quite, but then again she hasn’t woken up yet.

***

Tatiana bolted up from her nightmare and shouted one thing into the stillness of the night.  “Gary!”

Though she was woozy, she knew she didn’t recognize her surroundings.  That’s when she looked to her bedside.  She was hoping that it was Gary lying there on the couch, but as her eyes focused, the horrible truth was apparent.  Someone had abducted her.

Her legs weren’t strong enough yet and she fell to the ground with a horrendous thump.  She peered around the edge of the bed to see if the madman had woken from his slumber.  He had not.  Moments passed as she calmed her breathe.

What are you doing, Tatiana?! She thought to herself. Move it! Someway she managed to crawl towards the doorway.

Her freedom was becoming closer with each heavy numb drop of her hands and knees.

But then as she reached for the door handle, her body collapsed onto the rough cold carpet.  It was soothing for a moment as she tried to slow her heart, but her relaxation was interrupted by the soft squish of footsteps.

The perpetrator sighed heavily, rather not in aggravation, but some way as if he was readying himself for a long speech.  Tatiana was frightened.  As a legal assistant she had dealt with strange, fearsome men.  She knew how they were.  Most acted with violence, ready to harm those people who did not cooperate the way they wanted them to collaborate.  Others wanted to hurt, but not by physical contact alone.  They wanted to bend and melt the mind of their victims.  And that was exactly what Tatiana was going to become, a victim.

“What are you doing?” he finally asked.  It was about the same question she had thought he might ask.  “You are far too drugged to try and make it out there.”

Tatiana slowly lifted up with the help of her elbows.  She was going to fight and be as difficult as she possibly could in her state even if it was quite pathetic.

“Look, this isn’t going to be easy to explain, but I was hired to…protect you.” Tatiana froze for a moment.  She wasn’t expecting that.  “The Vampires were hot on our trail so I had to transport us somewhere a little safer.”

Before she even knew it, a sob had formed in her throat.  If this man meant to protect her, she had been completely upside down about her predicament.  Evidently, he wasn’t the bad guy.  Then who was?  And what did they want with her?  But more importantly what had happened.  She found herself only able to form one word.

“Gary?”

He slowly squatted down in front of her.  “He was the man with you?”  She nodded.  When he answered he could not look her in the eyes; therefore, Tatiana knew it was bad news.  “I’m sorry. He didn’t make it.”

Tatiana found herself too numb to do anything, panic, sob, not a thing, so the tears just rolled down her cheeks like dew falling off a silky petal.  It was too unreal.  The other day Gary had asked her to marry him and now he was dead.  It wasn’t real, she told her.  It couldn’t be.  This was just a nightmare.  She was going to wake up any time soon.  Any time now.  Any time.

“I’m sorry for your loss, but I’m afraid we don’t have time to dwell on mourning. In the morning we’ll be leaving for the coast.”  He waited for her to respond, when it didn’t happen he decided to continue.  “My name is Vaiden. I’m your protector; listen to me well, follow anything I tell you and you’ll make it through this. I promise.”