Bitten. V1. C5 X

-CHAPTER FIVE-

Are You Okay? CANDY

GROGGILY OPENED HER EYES AND ROLLED over, trying to persuade her legs to swing over the edge of her bed, though she was failing miserably. Distinctly she could hear two people talking in low voices in the room directly below her, but she ignored them She could smell fresh pancakes being burnt - which meant Oliver was cooking breakfast. ‘I’d better go help Ollie, before there’s no roof on the house - gah,’ she whispered to herself, throwing herself out of her bed, swaying as the sudden burst of movement made her feel slightly light headed. That’s when she noticed it. There was a piece of pale blue, heavy parchment, folded into two halves, that was pinned to the middle of her wardrobe by a long wooden arrow. She walked forwards suspiciously, and lethally ripped the note off the sharp end of the arrow, and read it slowly. It was all in different fonts… how bizarre, she thought.

‘TWAS Nice WATCHING YOU, WHILE SLEEP… EVENTFUL Almost. Don’t woRry – I will sEe YoU SOOn. Candice stared at the note for a few seconds and tried to

make some sense out of it - the only logical explanation she could come to was that it was the Elders, checking up on her because neither her, nor her family attended the annual ball. She folded the thick parchment and buried it into the back of her pocket. Suddenly Jasper burst into her room, full of glee - Candice idly wondered about what’d put him in such a good mood clearly he noticed Candy’s worried expression, and began to get worried himself. ‘What’s the matter?’ ‘Me? I... er... nothing Jasper - nothing,’ she began to get nervous and when she opened her mouth to tell Jasper - she felt a sharp blow to her stomach, it wasn’t strong enough, to make her double over in pain - just enough to cut off her air supply and shut her up. ‘Want to go for a run Jasper? Evelyn too - and Ollie if he wants? Oh - and er is Drew still here?’ Candice asked him rashly, and really hopefully. Drew could read it off her mind. ‘Why?’ he asked curiously. ‘And yes. He is.’ ‘Er because I feel like having a run around,’ Candice said evasively. ‘And good.’ she added. He rolled his eyes sceptically, ‘You never feel like going for a run - well unless there is something in it for you.’ Candice tried to look deeply insulted, but Jasper knew her well enough to see the fear and unsettlement in her eyes, so instead of pressing on with wanting to know the reasons, he just said, ‘Evelyn, Oliver - up for a race?’ he didn’t talk any louder, but both Evelyn and Oliver flew up the stairs in less than a second. ‘And Drew?’ Candy asked quickly. ‘He’s on his phone to Belle.’ ‘Oh,’ she said, calmly. ‘Ready to lose your race children?’ Oliver asked playfully. They ran downstairs, and Candy rushed into the living room, Drew was staring outside.

‘Hey - you wanna get some air?’ she asked, not trying to get into the whole note thing too quickly. ‘Why not?’ he said, with a little glumness. She took one resounding bound out of her window, and running full tilt in the direction of the surrounding trees, she called for the others. ‘Come on Jasper, you always said you were faster than me and I had a, what two second head start? Come along, take your time,’ she slowed down slightly, then came to a sudden stop. Drew, who was full ahead of them all, stopped realising something was wrong, and began to walk back. Skidding along the dirt and digging up about two meters down, Candice pulled herself up the nearest mossy tree. She was about ten ft off the ground, then she jumped from tree to tree, slowly soaring higher and higher, till she noticed Jasper and then Evelyn, they were just behind her and they were both racing each other. ‘Don't bother even trying to get away Jasper, I am so going to win anyway,’ Evelyn squealed, jumping over the huge grey bolder, which’d made Jasper stumble as he hadn’t noticed it. He was too busy watching Evelyn gain speed on him. She held her breath, calling Drew back. Praying that they wouldn’t notice her, however as soon as they were out of her line of sight, she sighed. She hated keeping secrets from them, especially Jasper but she relaxed anyway and allowed her legs to dangle over the edge of the branch and she let her hands droop by her sides as she pulled the strange note out of her pocket. ‘Hey Dee!’ Oliver popped up from no where, and Candy jumped, unexpected by Oliver’s presence; she fell off the high, branch. She landed on Drew, who complained. ‘Candy!’ ‘Sorry - did I hurt you?’ ‘No - what’s wrong.’

‘Not now!’ ‘Nothing. Why?’ she asked nonchalantly. Oliver flew down easily. Candice managed to make out from Oliver’s distant thoughts that he was worried about her. ‘Yeah - what’s the matter Candice. Did you see something from the letter?’ Oliver’s voice was concerned, serious - yet again as he hovered patiently beside her. ‘What letter?’ Candy asked innocently, ‘I don't know what you mean?’ ‘Don't insult my smarticles Candy.’ ‘What smarticles? Ollie - that isn’t even a word.’ He didn’t laugh. And nor did Drew. He stood still, trying to fight his way into her thoughts. She sighed, rolling her eyes, but then she told him the truth, ‘I haven’t seen anything from the letter yet Ollie. But I just have a really bad feeling something is wrong. I just need to concentrate.’ Hint hint: Fuck off! ‘Is that it?’ he asked. ‘Yes Oliver.’ ‘You wanna do it here. Now?’ he asked, sceptically. ‘Please Oliver. I promise I won’t fall - again.’ She listened to his thoughts then sighed, ‘I know, it’s just a feeling - I need to do something -’ ‘I will stay here, behind you okay,’ he said stubbornly. ‘If you don’t want me here - at least have Drew, while I go and outrun the others.’ ‘Mmmkay,’ she mumbled. Her fingers began to press onto the words, it looked as if she was blind and trying to read the words. As soon as Oliver left, Drew stared at her for a while… ‘Candice - let me in.’ He stumbled forwards, when she let go, and climbed up the tree. He listened to her thoughts, and took the note. Concentration was basically radiating out of Candice… as he read through in a second.

She took the letter back, and began. The concentration was killing her, Drew sat silent and still. She dug into the words and frowned harder… Suddenly Candy screamed a bloodcurdling scream, which echoed throughout the empty forest. Candy’s mind went blank, and she nearly fell off the tree, Drew had only just managed to catch her before she hit the cold, hard, moist earth beneath her. He held her still and leapt off the tree, and placed her on the floor and pulled her into his lap. ‘Candice!’ She was now thrashing around as if she was trying to escape from burning hot ropes which had wrapped around her, compressing her more tightly. She was scattering the fallen leaves on the floor where he laid her down. Oliver flew back the first… ‘Jada, Carlisle, Jasper - OLIVER! Anyone please. Candice just…’ Drew started to yell. ‘HOLY SHIT!’ yelled Oliver. A small silver dagger with a red ruby etched to the end, appeared out of nowhere and stabbed Candy in the stomach her blood was spurting everywhere. Giving her one last chance to scream, her (now blood-red) eyes widened out of pure pain, she made a gagging sound as blood began to block out her lungs, making it impossible for her to breathe. She paled and went silent and still - that’s when Jasper arrived followed by Carlyle. ‘Candice? Oh my god! Candice, what happened?’ Carlyle asked, with a shocked expression on his face mixed with repulsed horror as he knelt on the dewy ground right next Drew, noticing Candy’s arms were already covered with half moon scars from previous battles - however they were now purple with newly formed bruises and drops of blood were smeared across her arms, making it impossible to tell where the actual cuts were. ‘What happened?’ Jasper gasped, rooted to the spot with

queasiness and abhorrence. It was as if he was made out of stone, his body rooted to the spot. Drew got up, blood all over his hands from where he had tried to help Candice. ‘She was trying to read this weird letter. Wanting to know who wrote it, and to see if the person was anticipating any danger, because she had a bad feeling… then she screamed and…’ Drew stopped. Candice was laying there on the ground, her face mixed with interest and pain - an odd expression for someone who had just been stabbed. Carlyle stepped away from Candy allowing the wound in her stomach to continue bleeding all over her. Drew looked at him, ‘Carlyle! Help her she’s in pain -’ ‘No she isn’t. Well… she’s in a great amount of pain but it’s all an illusion. She’s in no life or death danger right now and the pain definitely isn’t real. It is to her; to her it would seem too real. But I can promise you it will wear off,’ Carlyle looked at Candice who was twitching on the forest floor, his face was a mixture of sadness and worry about his youngest daughter. He seemed to be contemplating the best way to stop her hurting. He thought for a short period of time, in which the only sounds that could be heard, was the breeze running through the leaves of the trees and the sound of Candice’s uneven breathing. Carlyle thought then said sadly. Not taking is eyes off of Candice, ‘Oliver please will you fly Candy to the house and me, Drew and Jasper will follow, but I fear running with her in our arms will not help the sensation to her,’ his voice sounded strained. Jasper looked at his father and realised that there was an emotion that was bubbling under the surface of his worried expression, something that looked extremely out of place, on such a normally kind face, it looked like anger. Carlyle certainly tasted of it.

Cinnamon was evading the air around them like a thick poisonous gas, and they all felt anger for the same reason. A few minutes later Oliver burst in through the door with Candice in his arms. He rushed over to the living room, and as soon as Jada noticed, she left everything she was doing and followed them to the sitting room. Drew had already threw a spare blanket over the couch, from upstairs. Oliver laid her down. She was still whimpering. ‘Oliver where is Carlyle and Jasper they went to see what you wanted - is she ok? Drew? Oh please for gods sake! Tell me she’s okay!’ Drew rushed back outside, as Oliver explained. ‘Mum, please listen to me, please - she’s okay. Carlyle will explain - can I take her somewhere else?’ Jada was horrified like Jasper was, but she managed to say ‘Yes - take her to - me and your dads bed. Take her up just give me a sec please and I’ll be up there.’ Oliver didn’t say anything. He just took her upstairs and put her on the bed, brushing her tangled hair out of the path of her eyes and whispered, ‘Candy it’s ok. It isn’t real. You’re ok. I promise you’re ok well technically you’re not ok - oh you know what the fuck I mean - gah!’ That seemed to calm her down slightly, Oliver was aware that Jada was standing in the doorway after having the quickest conversation with Carlyle in the world. She dashed to Candice’s side and patted her head with a wet cloth that she held tightly and looked as if she was in danger of crying every time Candice whimpered, or had a silent screaming fit. Candice felt a slight tingling feeling as if she had been lying down for ages. She tried to move her fingers slightly - to check if they still work - she tried opening her eyes - nope that didn’t work.

She tried to move her legs - nope they didn’t work either toes - yeah they moved slightly - eyes - nope still nothing. All of a sudden, pain burnt her as if every part of her body was on fire and covered in ice at the same time. She sat up, her spine felt as if it was breaking, she could see now… and she saw members of her family. But there was the same smiling face… which now haunted her dream’s… he was hurting her. The Elders had nothing to do with it! Why wouldn’t her family do anything to stop him from hurting her? Why did Drew, just look at her? He was meant to be her best friend! They all just sat there. She tried yelling at them to help her but she couldn’t get out the words. It just came as a incoherent high pitched scream. Then the pain left as suddenly as it came. Candice tried to stay upright to talk to her family, but she couldn’t persuade her body to do so. She sat up suddenly and noticed everyone looking at her with reserved expressions on their faces. ‘Candy are you awake or are you sitting up in pain again?’ asked Jada. ‘Pain? What pain?’ Candice noticed her voice was husky with so much sleep, after she swung her legs over the side of the bed she fell over. Jasper grabbed her, holding her more tightly than usual, ‘Are you ok? Are you in any pain at all?’ ‘No I’m okay - but I don’t understand. What are you all going on about I can’t remember... Did I do something while I was drunk - no wait don’t tell me!’ ‘That’s good I think,’ Jasper murmured more to Drew, than to her, ‘Are you hungry?’ he asked her so everyone in the room could hear him. ‘Think so,’ she clutched Jaspers shirt and laid her cheek on his chest, ‘And still really tired,’ she yawned. He frowned,

‘You shouldn’t be sleepy, you spent over three days asleep babes. You sure your okay?’ ‘Did I?’ she asked. ‘Maybe you’re just hungry,’ Drew said, he was as worried as Jasper was. ‘I’ll cook you some breakfast, then I will call Evelyn with news that you’re awake,’ Jada swooped down and kissed her gently on the forehead. Jada left the room and then Candice noticed that she was in her parent’s room. The only thing unpacked was the double bed which she was laying on before. Jasper guided her over to the bed and sat down next to her. Carlyle waited for Jasper to nod. Candice didn’t even listen; she heard them just paid no attention. She was now having a silent conversation with Drew… ‘They’re not gonna tell me anything - are you?’ He didn’t answer, but he shook his head. ‘Sorry Candice.’ Drew kissed her hand, and left the room. Carlisle crouched and bent over in front of her and asked what happened, ‘I dunno. The letter was a trap, Carlyle. They didn’t want me to go through the letter because their, their... thoughts would’ve given something away. And I know that they are planning something. Something bad, - but I can’t remember what it is, but it was something that they didn’t want the Elders to know. So it must have been bad, because I would have told them.’ Candy finished. Carlyle looked thoughtful, then asked her a

basic question, which she should have been able to answer, yet the question didn’t register until a few seconds later. ‘Candice, are you okay?’ Her mind reeled away from the memories with him in. She locked them in a tiny draw in the corner of her mind to never ever be opened. ‘Candy, it’s ok - I swear it’s fine,’ Jasper said with his hands around her shoulders, Candice realised that he must’ve been sensing her fear. ‘Jasper, please I’m ok, I swear. I really am Carlyle. Please leave it I just really want food.’ Neither of them argued with her. She knew what was best for her. They just had to keep a closer eye on her than usual. ‘Where’s Evelyn? Stephanie and Oliver?’ Jasper and Carlyle exchanged hesitant glances, wondering how much would be wise to tell her, they forgot one thing… ‘THEY DID WHAT?’ Candice’s voice echoed around the room, ‘And you let them? Oliver will pick a fight - Steph will too and Eve won’t shy away. You don’t have to be bloody physic to figure out what he would have been thinking. We need to go and get them… Now!” ‘Candy, please, you were in a tremendous amount of pain, it must have been what they were thinking while writing the letter. So you can’t come. No chance. I will go and get them to let them know you’re not dead.’ ‘They think I’m dead - but what happened?’ ‘Don’t worry; please you’re stressing me out. You really are. You need to chill. Breath remember. Are you okay?’ ‘Jasper breathing isn’t really necessary for us is it? Go, go and get them. And YES I am okay!’ ‘Look once I know you’re okay I’ll go,’ Jasper murmured softly in the voice that made her feel like agreeing to almost anything. Even if he asked her to go and jump off of a cliff while he was talking to her like that, she would off the cliff because she trusted him with her life.

‘Jasper,’ she sighed ‘Look; see I’m calm as I can possibly be right now. Please go and get them and I won’t kill them. Not … all of them anyway…’ ‘You sure you’re okay?’ ‘Sure - and if you’re still stressed - Drew will sit with me!’ ‘So you’re sure you’re ok?’ ‘No I’m lying,’ she said the sarcasm etched in her voice. ‘Look just go and get them and I will be a whole less anxious than I am now. Shoo.’ she said and gave him a gentle push towards the window. Look I will beg, get them before they start a fight with someone like Renée or Meredith, please,’ He took an abounding leap out of the window, and landed on the other side of the field by the woods, then disappeared from sight. ‘Candy,’ Drew came into the room, ‘You have a guy on the phone,’ Candy followed him down, and with a quick mumble of “Ham sandwich” to Drew, who asked her what she wanted in her head, she took the phone. ‘Hello,’ Candice said into the receiver. ‘Hi Candy, its Owen.’ ‘Oh hi, how are you?’ ‘Yeah I’m okay, you?’ without pausing he said, ‘Are you really suspended?’ ‘Yeah I am. For about a month.’ ‘What? Because you gave Sophie what was coming for her?’ ‘If only Mr. James thought so. Was I missed at school?’ ‘Well you could say that, there’s a lot of gossip. None of your family was in either, people will gossip in a town so

puny.’ She giggled, when he said puny. ‘And er… that Drew guy at the party -’ ‘What’d she say?’ Candice almost growled. ‘That he was going out with you…’ ‘Just coz he wasn’t interested in her, she goes off and… gr No ugh… hmm - nah… not Drew - he’s like best friend bro he has a girlfriend he loves to pieces - so…’ ‘Oh…’ Owen sighed. ‘Yeah we were all at home just sorting out our stuff. Jada gets tetchy when he live out of boxes for too long.’ ‘Lucky escape. Jada’s your mum isn’t she?’ ‘Yep she is.’ Candice didn’t even have to wait for the call from Carlyle upstairs to know that Jasper called and that he and Evelyn, Stephanie and Oliver are on their way home. ‘Candice - I was just wondering -’ Owen started but then Candice cut over him, ‘Look Owen, I really need to go, can I call you back.’ ‘Well, I was just wondering if you would wanna meet up at Bridgestone Park at about eleven.’ ‘What? Yeah okay sure see you tomorrow bye.’ ‘Bye,’ came Owens reply, he began.

As soon as the phone clicked onto the handset she had a bacon sandwich in her mouth and grinned slightly as she ate the entire sandwich in three bites. ‘I take it you were very hungry.’ Jada grinned and took the licked-clean plate to the sink. ‘Yes. I was. Can I go to the park tomorrow, mum?’ ‘With who?’ ‘Mates from school, Owen and maybe some others,’ was Candice’s evasive reply. ‘Right, you know you have a curfew now.’ Jada mentioned the word curfew very casually as if she was worried about how Candy would react. And she did. The first word that’d come to Candy’s mind, when the word curfew was said was; little child… ‘What? Why?’ ‘And you need someone with you at all times.’ ‘Drew can -’ ‘Drew needs to go back - he was insistent on staying - and even Belle wanted to come over for you - but I said no.’ ‘What? Why? That’s so unfair! I really wanted to meet her.’ ‘We’re just worried about you that’s all,’ Jada gave her a quick cuddle. ‘Okay,’ Candice said grinning, ‘But I get a new car.’ ‘But you can’t drive!’ ‘Well I should learn shouldn’t I, because if somebody is after me, I should be able to make a good get away,’ Candy said walking over to the fridge, pulling out a large carton of chocolate milkshake. Jada sighed, ‘What one?’ she asked in a resigned voice. ‘Um a purple Ferrari please. A nice fast car.’ ‘They don’t do Ferrari’s in purple.’ Drew walked in, and sat on the stools on the dais. She poked her tongue at him, and muttered; ‘Car geek.’ ‘Any car - as long as you promise to abide the rules,’ Jada said sternly.

‘I swear it on my new car,’ with that Candy was gone she was upstairs in her new room, pulling out a stereo and loads of other stuff and throwing it around her room, to make it look semi-neat and ordered mess.