Ivy ( vampire love story)

I crawled into my bed and thought about what David had said to me about the evening class students. Confusion washed over me. What did he mean that not all the vampires here were safe? Of course they were safe, they came from law-respecting families. How did he know that anyway? Had there been attacks? I pulled the covers up to my neck and snuggled into them, scared. I fell asleep though, and didn't wake up in the middle of the night, surprsingly.

I walked into art on Monday, everyone had beaten me there. A few were standing around David's easel admiring his work. I walked over to see what the fuss was about, and my jaw dropped. It was a painting. Of me. Sleeping. He had finished his part of the project!! The painting was amazing I couldn't deny that. The picture only showed my head and neck, the neck fading out. I was painted in tans and golds, neutral colors. It was beautiful. Not only that, but it made me seem almost..beautiful. I'm not egotistical or anything, just the way he painted me made me see myself in a new light. I knew I looked totally different in the bathroom mirror. I was kid of pissed though. When had he seen me sleeping? He wasn't in any of other classes and I definitly didn't sleep in them anyway. He had to of snuck into my room and took a picture, or painted me from memory, or smething like that. Which was a bit weird, and also made me feel a little special. Mostly pissed though. I didn't want the whole class to see what I looked like sleeping even if he made me look like some sort of goddess. The teacher walked in, and David took the picture off the easel, and set it down, away from veiw. I sat down next to him angrily. When class started I strted painting furiously.

"Why did you do that?!" I whispered angrily.

"Do what?" He seemed comfused.

"Umm, Oh, I don't know, PAINT A PICTURE OF ME SLEEPING, WITHOUT ME KNOWING - BY THE WAY- AND THEN LETTING THE WHOLE CLASS SEE IT!!" I yelled in a whisper. "and," I continued," when did you decide to sneak into my room and then start the project without consulting me first? We're supposed to be partners. I didn't start a painting of you without your permission."

"I wasn't aware we had to ask our partners for permission." He said just as angriliy as me.

"Anyway, why didn't you start yours on your own, hmm? I wouldn't have mind."

"Because-" I stopped. I couldn't let him know I needed to have a photo resource or at least be looking at him to paint the picture right. I mean I didn't want him to think that he was a better artist than me. Which he was...but I didn't want him to think that.

He waited patiently with a smirk on his face.

"Because, becaue, I - I can't paint a person with out looking at them." I looked back at my painting embarrased. I meant for my voice to sound strong. To make it seem like I didn't care that he was better than me, but my voice faded to a whisper by the time i finished my sentance.

He raised an eyebrow. "Then I guess you'll have to stay after class with me sometime so that you can paint." The bell rang, and I hurried out of my seat. Unfortunatly, this time I didn't have a whole weekend to think about what David had said.

♠

Why was she angry? Most girls would think it was sweet that someone would paint them like that. Of course, I'm not her boyfriend, or friend, really. I shouldn't have shown it to the class. I let one person see it then everyone else just had to look and see my project. Now Rose hates me. It was kind of creepy that I painted her asleep, but I couldn't help it. She was so peaceful and beautiful, I had to do it. On Friday she had said that she wanted to start fresh, forget what had happned on my first day. I ruined that...again. What the hell is wrong with me? Well, if she wasn't so sensitive maybe it wouldn't so hard to be her friend. I groaned. How am I going to fix this mess?

I walked into the morning class's cafeteria the next morning looking for her. It looked like a normal high school cafeteria and seemed out of place at the almost castle like school. I looked over at a table near the far left corner of the room. There she was. Alone. Why didn't anyone sit with her? Oh yeah, her Uncle and Aunt were the Heads of the school. People probably thought she was a freak. It still made me angry that no one even acknowledged her prescence. That made me want to go and sit with her even more. Talk to her. Be her friend. But, first I had to get her to not hate me anymore. I looked at her one more time before heading over. She was reading and I smiled remembering when I found her and how she wanted a story. Rose. It was the perfect name for her. She was too beautiful for any other name. I walked over before someone caught me staring and walked up behind her. I tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"Can I sit here?"

"Why, so you can paint another picture of me and show it to the class?" She didn't turn around. I smiled at her sarcasm.

"Well, that was my plan, but I also wanted to talk to you." I said. She sighed.

"Fine, go ahead, sit wherever you want I don't care."

I sat down next to her. She slid away slightly. Damn.

"So, about yesterday.." I started, " I didn't mean for the whole class to see my project, I showed it to one person, then half the lcass came over. It was an accident."

"Just like it was an accident that you obviously snuck into my room and painted me?" She looked up at me and closed her book. She looked pissed. Fuck.

" I didn't sneak into to your room."

"Oh really? Then how did you know what I look like when I sleep? No one has that good of an imagination." She looked away, angry.

" Well, I looked through your window one night. I didn't plan on it. I was just following you-"

"FOLLOWING ME?" she almost yelled. Her eyes narrowed. I kept talking.

"I was following you to make sure you got to your dorm safe." I said, " I told you, not everyone at this school follows the rules, but you didn't listen to my warning so I followed you to make sure you were safe. And you were, but then I looked through your window, and decided to paint you."

She looked away again. A slight blush formed on her cheeks.

"So you were making sure I was safe?" She asked looking down.

"Yes"

"That still doesn't explain why you stayed to watch me sleep. I mean once I was in my room, you could have just left me alone."

"You know, most girls wouldn't make such a big deal out of someone painting a picture of them. some might even be flattered."

"Yeah, well in case you haven't noticed," she glared and at me and gestured around the cafeteria, "I'm not most girls." Then she got up and stormed off. To where, I had no idea. She was right though, she wasn't most girls. She was so much more.

♣

I walked to my first class, furious. It was kind of stupid to be so angry about a stupid painting, but I like my privacy. I'm a private person. Of course he had to go and ruin that. Classes went by fast, again, no matter how much I wished them to go by slowy to deay art. I didn't want to walk in there adn have to sit next to..David. Unfortunatly, the 6th period bell rang, and I reluctantly made my way over to the evening dorms. I walked into art. David was laready there. Great. I ignored him as I sat down at the table. Ten minutes into class he leaned over and whispered

"You know you can't ignore me forever."

"Watch me"

"No, what I mean is, you still have your side of the project to do, which means your going to have to at least look at me."

I sighed, frustrated.

"FIne, we'll stay after class. Tommorow. The sooner this is over with, the better. "

"Fine with me." He didn't seem the least bit fazed by my anger. In fact, he started whistling.

When the bell rang I practically ran out of the classroom and into my dorm. I had no one to talk to. Natalie was away in France on some vacation with her parents. I sighed and layed on my bed to read. Then, I realized I had homework, so I got up and went to my desk. Another boring paper on the French Revolution. What fun. I sighed and got to work.

I gasped as I woke up from my dream. What was that. It was strange, so much like the other dreams I'd been having. Except this one was longer...but it still ended in black. And the person holding me, who was he? I replayed what I remembered from the dream in my head. Waking up to see a face. Black hair. Black eyes. David! Why was I dreaming about him, though? He had wings..great black wings. He was carrying me somewhere. Protecting me? I groaned. Wht did my dreams always end at the worst times, leaving me confused? I had more important things to worry about. LIke my History paper I fell asleep writing, and my art project. What was I going to do for my art project? I closed my eyes rubbing my finers against my temples. The image of David from my dream came into my mind. That's what I would do! I would paint a picture of him with those wings.

The bell rang and I groaned, inwardly. Now I would have to spend an hour with him to work on the stupid project. I took out my supplies and told him to sit down in a chair.

"Yes ma'am." he said sarcastically. I sighed and sat down to paint. He looked at me. Not smiling, but gazing at me like he was trying to figure something out. Wondering. My brush stroked the heavy canvas with different shades of peach, tan and black. Those were my main colors, since he was wearing the black sweater of our school. I looked at his angular nose, the way his lips were a soft pink, and almost smiling, but not quite. Like they were just waiting for someone to kiss them....I snapped back to reality and looked back at the canvas. He chuckled, and then held still again so I could continue painting. The last part I painted were his eyes. Eyes were always my favorite thing to draw or paint, so I saved them for last. His were so dark. Like ink, and I tried to capture the way they looked so much like liquid, that they could melt at any moment. I put the brush down and sat back.

"You can move now," I said to him looking at the painting,"I'm done."

He got up and stretched. I looked back at my painting trying not to blush at the fact his shirt had gone up a little when he stretched. Suddenly, I fellt warmth against my back. I looked to my side and David was right there staring at the painting.

"Wow, that's really good," He said still staring at it, " why did you paint me with wings?" and pointed to the picture. he was still very close to me.

"I-I just, um , saw you with wings in a dream,so I painted it." I said, looking down into my lap.

"You dreamt about me?" He asked. I looked at him, his face was closer to mine than I thought. He wasn't smirking, like I thought he might, but he looked curious, his eyebrows furrowed together. he placed his finger under my chin, tilting my head up, closer to his face. I jumped up away from his touch. I took a step back.

"I-uh I go t-to g-go." I said looking down. Grabbing my stuff, I turned around without looking with him and quickly left the room. I didn't see his face when I walked out, but I didn't really care if I hurt his feelings at the moment.

I stormed into my room.

"Im so stupid!" I yelled at myself. Why hadn't I let him kiss me? He was gorgeous, artistic, probably smart, and I had blown it. What is so wrong with me that I just can't relate to people? Why am I always so shy? Damn it! Now things would be even more akward than they already were. I climbed into the shower hoping the hot water would calm me down. It didn't.

♠

I paced back and forth across my room. Why did I try to kiss her? Things were already weird between us, and I made it worse. Obviously, she doesn't like me. But, then why did she dream about me? Was it just a flashback? No, she would have said somehting if she reconized me. Im an idot. Fuck. I just couldnn't help it. She had just looked so amazing painting, like she was in a trance. When I was next to her it took all my strength not to jjust grab her and kiss her, something I'd waited to do since I saw her last week, all grown up. I barely knew her, but I was falling in love. And I had blown it. Fuck.