Морган Райс - Loved

She looked over at Caleb, expecting to see him also happy, and was surprised to see him looking so nervous. She had never seen him like this.

He looked more pale than usual. She wondered if he didn’t like boats, or if maybe he didn’t know how to swim.

She reached over and lay a reassuring hand on his. “You okay?”

He nodded, and swallowed. He clutched the railing, and looked down at the water as if it were his enemy.

“What is it?” she asked.

He swallowed.

“Water,” he said simply. He gripped the railing harder. “Our kind does not like water. Especially crossing it. Most won’t even try.”

Caitlin checked in with herself, and noticed that she felt fine. She wondered if it was because she were not a true vampire.

“Why?” she asked.

“Water acts as a form of psychic protection,” he said. “When you cross a major body of water, you are crossing an energy field. It also strips our senses. It weakens them. It’s harder for us to tell what others are thinking, harder to influence them, harder to sense things. It is like a fresh start. You lose the power and protection you had on the mainland.”

Rose suddenly retreated further inside Caitlin’s jacket. Caitlin could feel her trembling, and it seemed that she, too, was afraid. She reached in and rubbed her head.

She looked away and saw that there were only a few others on the large ferry. There were hardly any people on deck either; it was practically empty. They were lucky it was running at all, given the time of year. The cold March air, along with the mist off the waves, hardly made for the warmest ride.

“Want to go inside?” she asked.

He gripped the railing more tightly, looking out at the water.

“If you wouldn’t mind,” he said finally.

“Of course,” she said, “I’m cold anyway.”

As they walked between the rows of empty seats, they found two adjacent seats by a window.

As Caleb sat, Rose stuck her head out of Caitlin’s jacket and made a soft whining noise.

“I think she’s hungry,” Caitlin said. “What does a baby wolf eat?”

Caleb smiled. “I don’t know. Twizzlers?”

Caitlin smiled back. “I’m going to check out the concession stand. Want anything?”

Caleb shook his head, still looking a bit seasick.

Caitlin headed back, and scanned the rows of chips and candy. She ordered a hot dog for Rose, a Snickers bar for herself, then one for Caleb, too, in case he changed his mind.

As she finished paying, ready to head back, she suddenly stopped. A flyer, pinned to the wall, caught her eye. As she read it, she froze. She could hardly believe what it said.

She tore it off the wall and hurried back down the aisle.

She reached out and held the flyer before Caleb.

He looked at it, then did a double take. His jaw dropped open as he held it up.

It was an advertisement to come see Martha’s Vineyard. And it listed the Vincent House.

Sam sat in the passenger seat of the BMW as they raced down the interstate. He couldn’t believe it. It all felt like a dream. Here he was, in the passenger seat of a new BMW, racing down the highway, leaning back, with a hot girl by his side. And it was her car, and she was driving—stick. She was hot to begin with, but this made her really hot. He felt like he was in some kind of James Bond movie. Things like this just didn’t happen to him. Girls never even talked to him, and the few times he’d tried to pick them up, it hadn’t gone so well.

And things just kept getting better. Not only did she have an awesome house, and a hot pair of wheels, but she, like him, just wanted to take off and go. They both had their windows down, and it was turning out to be a warm, March day. Coldplay came on the radio, and Sam reached over and turned it up. He wondered if she’d turn it back down, or change the station. Instead, she reached over and turned it louder. He couldn’t believe it.

Sam looked out the window, watching the trees raced by, and wondered what it would be like to meet his Dad. He couldn’t believe it was really happening. After all those years of looking for him, he would be seeing him in just a few hours. He could hardly believe that all these years, his Dad had been so close by. Connecticut. Just a drive away.

Sam wondered what he looked like. He was probably a cool dude, tall, unshaven, with longish hair and a motorcycle. Maybe he had tattoos. Maybe even some piercings. He wondered where he lived, what kind of a house it was, what kind of property. He probably lived in an awesome house, like some kind of huge mansion, maybe something right on the water. Maybe he was a retired rock star.

He pictured them driving down a long driveway, lined with trees, and pulling up in front of the door. He could see his Dad opening the door, hurrying out, lighting up when he saw Sam. He saw his Dad embracing him, giving him a huge hug. And apologizing.

I’m so sorry, son. I tried to track you down for all these years. I just could never find you. It’s going to be different now. You’re going to live here.

Sam smiled at the thought of it. He could barely contain his excitement. He wondered if today would be a new beginning. Yes, the more he thought about it, maybe it would. Maybe he just wouldn’t bother going back to Oakville. Maybe he’d just stay, move right in. Finally, he’d have some stability. Someone who actually cared about him, day in and day out. It was going to be awesome.

This would be the first day of his new life.

He looked over and watched Samantha as she drove, her window down, her long, red hair whipped in the wind. She was so hot, so cool. He wondered why she cared about him, about his Dad, about taking him here. He guessed she was just the adventurous type, just like him. Always down for something new.

He wondered if it would be awkward to meet his Dad with her by side. But as he thought about it, he realized it could actually be really cool. It would make him look a lot cooler than he was. Here he was, showing up with a hot chick. His Dad would be impressed. Maybe nod at him in respect.

He wondered where Samantha would go after all this, after he moved in with his Dad. Would she stick around? Would she take off? Of course she would. She’d just bought that house in Oakville. She’d have to go back. Where would that leave the two of them?

Sam bit his lip, suddenly nervous, wondering how it would all play out, what he would do. If his Dad wanted him to move in, he would. But then again, he really wouldn’t want to leave Samantha.

He’d deal with it when the time came. It was all just too much to think about right now. He just really wanted to enjoy the ride, enjoy the moment.

He felt the car growl, and watched Samantha shift to sixth gear, and saw the speedometer hit 110. He was thrilled. He wondered if she’d let him drive, too. He still didn’t have his license, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t care.

He finally summoned the courage to ask.

“Think I can drive?”

Samantha looked over, and broke into a smile. Her teeth were perfect, gleaming.

“Think you can handle it?”

The ferry let Caleb and Caleb off at the dock in Edgartown, a small village in the southeast corner of Martha’s Vineyard. As they walked down the ramp, Caitlin noticed that both Caleb and Rose seemed relieved to be on dry land. Rose peeked her head out, and kept it out, sniffing the air, and taking in the view with great curiosity.

Caitlin held the flyer up once again and stared. She couldn’t believe their luck. It was an advertisement to explore “Historic Martha’s Vineyard,” and there, towards the end of the list of sites, it read: “The Vincent House. Built 1672.”