BITE {Discontinued}

Her eyes swept over the room; over the remainder of her blood-relatives.

She could no longer consider them family. Family was too endearing of a term.

They wouldn’t look at her, but with a soft exhale, Guadalupe walked past them, her eyes taking them in. This moment is one that will never be forgotten; best to remember every minuscule detail.

She made it past the throng, and went up the stairs, already feeling her nose burning. She clenched her fists, digging her finger nails into her palms. “Not yet...”

She tugged on the string, pulling the stairs down; climbing them quickly as the first tear fell, she shut the hatch with a bang, but not before hearing her grandmother cry out: “How could you?!”

Guadalupe wasn’t sure how much time passed, nor how many calls, texts, and knocks on the hatch that she ignored. Her throat hurt too much to swallow, let alone cry; so she simply lay there, tears rushing out of her eyes and her chest heaving as she shook.

Taking her phone off the charger, she checked the time.

6:30 p.m. Twenty-six hours since her father tried to strangle her.

Guadalupe stared blankly at the wooden beams, tears still trickling out of her eyes.

Everything was shit. Her father tried to kill her, and her blood-relatives watched him. She had no where else to go.

Her mother moved away with her new husband, and practically shunned her because she decided to remain with her father instead of leaving with her.

Guadalupe didn’t have the heart to tell her mother that her new husband copped a feel when she wasn’t looking, and Guadalupe feels uneasy around him.

Tara and Lance were halfway across the world, and Jamie-

She shot up. Jamie.

Her heart leaped. Nox...

Maybe she did have somewhere to go.

Just as Guadalupe placed her feet on the floor, there was a knock on the hatch.

“Ada... it’s Yohan. I- I’m sorry. You shouldn’t forgive any of us; but we’re worried.” Yohan paused, seemingly waiting on a response from Guadalupe. After a few seconds passed, he sighed.

“We’re going out. To church; there’s a retreat. Mum and Pops wants us all to go; you don’t have to though. Just letting you know. Mum made you some food; it’s in the oven.” He paused for a few seconds more, then whispered a goodbye.

Guadalupe wasn’t sure if he heard her whisper back.

She waited until the house was completely silent before acting.

All her clothes already were in a duffel bag and small suitcase, it was just a matter of stuffing the rest of her belongings in there. It didn’t take her ten minutes to have all her stuff together.

The little suitcase was unusual in that it had straps like a backpack. Guadalupe slung it onto her shoulders and took a look at herself in the mirror.

She was in the same attire she came in yesterday, with the addition of hand prints around her neck. The reflection stared at her with dead, puffy eyes.

“I don’t think he would want me anymore... m-maybe I’ll just ask to stay the night, then figure something out in the morning.” She thought to herself, adjusting the straps on her shoulders.

Guadalupe exhaled dejectedly, turning away from the mirror.

Without taking a glance back at the attic, she descended the pull-out stairs then sent them up into place. She used the washroom quickly, making sure to erase any trace of her.

Even though the house was deadly silent, Guadalupe still descended the stairs quietly, avoiding the one stair that creaked under any sort of pressure. She paused, debating whether she should go into the kitchen or not.

The growling of her stomach made the decision for her.

The food was in the oven as Yohan said, wrapped up in tinfoil. Guadalupe packed it into her duffel bag, then made her way to the back door before she paused again.

She marched to the kitchen table, where there was stationary strewn all over, and grabbed a sticky note and a pen.

′I’m gone.′ was all the note said, and she stuck it on the refrigerator door, with her keys placed on the table.

She stood at the threshold of the back door, inhaling the cool air. Glancing back over her shoulder, apparitions of her family and the good memories she had of them played out on the kitchen backdrop. A soft, fond smile made it’s way on her face.

Inhaling deeply, Guadalupe turned away, then stepped out of the house, pulling the back door shut as she took a step forward.

Her mind was rushing with thoughts, too quick for her to focus on one. The streets were desolate, save for a car or two that drove past her.

Her feet were taking her wherever they desired, and she was low-key excited to see where they would take her before she decided to reach out to Jamie.

~_~_~

The excitement died the moment she stumbled over the thick root of a tree and nearly crashed to the ground.

Guadalupe looked around her, dread filling her veins as she couldn’t see anything but darkness and little strips of moonlight.

‘Guadalupe you fucking idiota. Call Jamie.’

Quickly retrieving the device, she punched in Jamie’s number with swift fingers. It didn’t even ring twice before he picked up.

“Where are you?” he fired immediately, and Guadalupe sniffled, slowly giving in to her tears. “I dunno, Jamie. I-”

“Shh, don’t worry. I’ll find you before it gets any darker.” After mumbling her thanks to him, she hung up, falling into darkness as the screen turned off.

The tears came faster and soon enough, she dissolved into sobs, crumpling to the ground. Her throat had eased up a bit, but not enough for there not to be any pain as she cried. She let herself weep before regaining her composure.

‘Okay. The safest thing to do is to stay where you are.’

She used her phone flashlight to locate the tree that the thick root was attached to, then seated herself against it, both bags at her side. Guadalupe turned the flashlight off, feeling oddly calm in the pitch blackness.

Minutes passed, the sounds of the bugs of the woods her companion; until she heard a voice.

“Oh? What’s this?”

Guadalupe was on her feet in an instant, pressing herself against the trunk of the tree, her breaths coming out in quick pants.

“Oh, don’t be frightened, Dragostea mea.” The voice said again, smoother than velvet. A dark-clothed figure stepped out of the shadows and into a strip of moonlight.

“I won’t bite.” He said, and with a wicked grin, fangs flashed in the light.