Shutting the driver’s door, I shoved the key into the ignition and slammed the Lancer into reverse, all the while trying to ignore the ache in my chest, and the pounding of my heart in my ears. That pang in my heart which reminded me that I was running away. Away from Logan, one of the few people I had left in my life and away from the things that I couldn’t alter. I couldn’t change what the hunters had done, both the allowing the covenant to die and the lying.
I struggled to force myself to keep my eyes forward and to not look back. However I didn’t succeed. As I hit the gas, racing down the driveway of the Lodge faster than I should have, my eyes trailed to my rear-view mirror and I swallowed. Logan stood on the porch, watching me go and it was all could do to keep driving. He looked so miserable and it was a feeling we both shared.
I reached the end of the driveway and turned left, driving farther away from the Lodge. I continued driving deeper inside the city, wiping at the tears that ran down my cheeks with the back of my hand every now and then. I sniffled. It felt as though I’d left a part of me behind. A 6 foot, tanned, blonde part. And all I wanted was to get it back, to go back for it. Yet, I knew that would be a disastrous thing to do, that it would be the wrong thing to do. But still my mind wandered and wished I could.
I’d been through so much in the last 2 years and this week in particular. Didn’t I deserve something in my life? Something that was mine, that no one could take and that nothing could tare away from me? Everything in life was so uncertain, and all I’d thought I’d known for sure was that Logan would be by my side.... and now? Who knew?
I shook my head as I drove. I couldn’t imagine what was going on inside Logan’s head. I felt horrible knowing what the hunters had done and I’d hardly known them, not to mention that up until recently I’d considered them my enemies. I guess they were my enemies once more. Logan had been working alongside them for almost 6 years. He’d trained with, and led them. They’d been in difficult, life threatening situations together where they relied on each other to survive. And yet, they’d all lied to him at Frank’s request. Frank and his superiors had given them orders and like good little hunters they’d followed them, no matter who their actions hurt.

I felt sick, I really did. Why couldn’t things ever be simple? I sighed, knowing it was time I tried to get in contact with other vampires. There was no one out there like the covenant, but maybe, just maybe, there were people out there I could trust. My own kind. I just didn’t know how to get in contact with them, or even if I could trust them once I found them. After all, Micah was working with living vampires; I’d seen proof of that. Who else was working alongside him, and how would I know?
For the rest of the drive I tried my best to calm myself and get myself under control. Whatever I was going to do, and I hadn’t decided exactly what that was at this point, I knew I had to be strong. I had to keep my chin up, and not crumble. There was no time for that anymore. I had to rise above it, and I would.
Despite the many things that had changed between Logan and I, there was one thing that had not. I’d always been the type of person who actions depended on what I felt best, not what other people did, and I still found it very difficult to follow through with what he’d told me to do. Although when the Death Walkers had been following his orders, I’d listened and done what he’d asked the majority of the time, there had still been times when I hadn’t. And this was one of them.
I understood the reasons behind his instructions, and although I knew how important it was that I follow them, I just couldn’t. I had to see Father Riley, just this one time. It could be the last time, for all I knew. If I had to disappear because of the hunters, he had to know why. He deserved an explanation after everything he’d done for me, and all the times he’d been there, during the past year and a half. Besides, I owed him an apology for earlier on in the week. I couldn’t let things stay how I’d left them. I’d be in there and gone, before the hunters even knew I’d fled the Lodge.
I pulled the Lancer up a few blocks from the church. Even if they noticed I was gone and they drove by, they weren’t likely to notice the Lancer parked this far back. I jumped from the car, and dashed across the street. My boots clicked on the cement as I walked down the pavement, scooting over at one point to let two boys pass with their little brown dog, before taking the church steps two at a time.
I took a breath before opening the church floor, peering inside. I didn’t bother knocking. Registering that the church was empty, I stepped inside, gripping my cross in between my fingers. I was grateful that Logan had been able to give it back to me before I’d had to run away. I ran my fingers upwards, along the chain slightly, feeling the metal in my fingers. It was thin and similar to my old one. Hmmm, I pondered. I wonder when he’d had the time to go out and buy it?

As I slowly walked down the aisle, I was looking for Father Riley. As I neared the middle of the church, I noticed him standing off to the side, near the confession box at the front of the church. He was standing in the shadows and he was deep in conversation with someone. They were around the corner of the smaller area so I couldn’t actually see who it was at first.
I slowed as I neared them, not wishing to interrupt them if they were discussing something important. However I reached a point when I could clearly see Father Riley and his companion, and I stopped. Literally. Everything stopped. I stopped walking, I stopped breathing, and I swear even my heart stopped beating for a second. It was as though time stood still and I stood jaw open, my chin practically touching the floor, staring. For a moment it was all I could do.
Then suddenly I was running. My brain somehow got a message to my feet, and they started moving, seemingly of their own accord. My legs pumped and I bolted the rest of the distance so fast that I didn’t even have a chance to slow down and stop before we collided. All I registered was a pair of brilliant green eyes, wide and shocked, staring at me like I was insane. And in that moment I was. We toppled to the floor and I buried my head in her hair, smelling her familiar fragrance.
“Claudia....oh, Claudia,” I shrieked, wrapping my arms around her. I felt her hold me back, and I clutched her tighter. I was sobbing, hysterically, feeling the tears pouring out. I couldn’t contain them, I just couldn’t. They were tears of joy, tears of shock and surprise. She was alive. Claudia was alive! It felt like a dream, but I knew it wasn’t. It wasn’t! And for the first time since the Manor fire, I was glad I wasn’t dreaming.
“It’s alright, it’s alright,” she cooed, stroking my arm as it continually tightened around her. I held on for dear life, afraid that if I let go for even a second, she’d disappear. “Okay, Rox,” she said, after some time. “You’re hurting me.... Roxi, ow, ow, ow....can’t....breathe....” she said, making a mock choking sound.
Reluctantly, I pulled back, and gazed at her. She stared back at me, her face lighting up my heart in a way I’d missed, and I pulled her to me again, softly this time. “I can’t believe you’re alive,” I whispered near her ear. “I thought you were dead.”
Claudia’s arms tightened around me, and I felt her rub the back of my head. “I’m sorry I had to let you think that. I really am,” she replied. “It just wasn’t safe to let you know I was alright, or to come see you.”
I drew back from our embrace, wiping the last of my tears from my eyes. They were slowly stopping, now that I was getting over the initial shock of finding out she was alive. “How?” I asked, completely numb. “How did you survive? How is it that you’re alive?”

She shook her head slowly, “I don’t know Roxi. You believe in fate and all that, you tell me?”
“Huh?” I whispered, unable to raise my voice any louder.
“A flat tyre,” she replied, indicating just over my shoulder above me. “We got a flat tyre on the interstate, can you believe it? It took us half an hour to change it.”
“We?” I squeaked, taring my eyes off Claudia for the first time, and looking upwards. I gasped and hopped to my feet. “Ben,” I said, throwing myself into his arms like I had Claudia’s. There was a semi-expectant smile on his face and he hugged me back. Ben and I weren’t the closest of friends, but in that moment it didn’t matter. He was alive like Claudia, and that’s all that mattered to me. I’d thought he was dead too. Guess the hunters had identified him falsely.
“Hi Roxi,” he mumbled, squeezing my shoulders. “How are you?”
I pulled back, and looked at both he and Claudia, who had risen to her feet and was wiping her jeans. “Better now,” I said, meaning it from the bottom of my heart.
Claudia moved so that she stood by my side, and I cannot even begin to describe the feeling that ran through me when she linked her arm through mine. It was so natural, just like before, as though no time had passed. I was so glad she was alive, that they both were. It was like a miracle. I’d never thought I’d see her again, I’d thought she was gone forever. And now, here she was... alive.
And she looked good, they both did. They were dressed in their usual type of clothes, and looked healthy and unhurt. I noticed Father Riley standing next to Ben and he was beaming at me. A massive grin sat on his face, and I didn’t need to exchange words with him to know he was happy for me that they were alright.
I turned my attention back to Claudia, sweeping Ben with my eyes as I did. “So what happened? Please tell me,” I asked.
“Seriously Roxi, we’ve never had a flat with the van since the moment we got it 4 years ago. We’ve gotten new tyres before they need changing, but we’ve never had to deal with a flat,” she answered. “We were on the free-way about 15 minuted from the Manor when it went. We pulled over to change it and then the damn jack jammed, of all things. I swear Roxi, I’ve never thought much of your faith or your fate, but I sure as hell do now. Someone up there,” she gazed upwards, pointing with her still manicure finger “didn’t want us at the Manor.”
“Claudia was quite angry until we got to the Manor,” Ben offered. “She was cursing and shrieking about wasting time the rest of the drive back. Then we got to the Manor and.....” he broke of and frowned sadly.

“It was already up in flames when we arrived,” Claudia took over. “There was nothing we could do at that point. Roxi, um...” she paused and took a breath. “Roxi, there were hunters there and they didn’t do anything. They just let the Manor burn.”
I stared back at her. “I know,” I told her sadly. “Logan just found out. Why do you think I’m here?” I shook my head. “Seriously Claudia, he had no idea. They lied to him about it, not to mention who knows what else. When he found out the first thing he did was make me leave.”
Claudia exchanged a look with Greg. “We figured he wasn’t aware of it,” she told me. “When we arrived at the Manor, there was a large amount of hunters there. I’m guessing they’d been there for a while. We realised that it wasn’t safe for us to stay there, for them to know we were alive. So we disappeared. Both of us were positive that Logan would protect, and take care of, you. That he’d keep you safe. Just until we figured out what we were going to do.”
“We’ve been staying in motels and hostels the past few days,” Ben chimed in. “They don’t ask for ID and it’s easy for us to keep moving around. We figured that was the best way no one would discover we were still alive.”
“Even me?” I whispered, stung. I was so glad they were alive that I couldn’t even begin to put it into words, but I was hurt that’d they’d hid it from me. I understood the reasons why, but I was upset that I had to go through the whole week thinking they were gone forever when they weren’t.
“We had to make it seem like we’d died in the fire Rox. Otherwise the hunters may have come looking for us, especially if they discovered that we’d witnessed them allowing the covenant to die,” Claudia told me, rubbing my arm. “We actually came to ask Father Riley here,” she turned and indicated him “if he could get a message to you that we were alright. However you showed up on your own.” She laughed. “Perfect timing by the way.”
I smiled dryly. “Logan told me I had to leave, to go somewhere I didn’t know, a place where I didn’t have connections I guess. I just couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to Father Riley,” I said, turning and smiling at him hesitantly. “Oh, and apologising,” I added.
Claudia raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to interrupt, but I brushed her off. “Don’t worry about it,” I told her, before turning back to the priest. “I’m so sorry Father Riley. I had no right to speak to you the way I did. I was out of line.”
“It’s alright, child. You were grieving.... you still are. I understand,” he told me kindly. “This is a difficult situation you’re in and you’re all going through a tough time. I’m just glad that you seem to have rediscovered your faith.” He pointed to the cross around my neck and smiled fondly. “I told Logan that there was no chance he’d get that around your neck again, after seeing the way you obviously felt the last time I saw you. I can see I was wrong,” he mused. “I’m glad he’s proved me wrong.”

Claudia was listening to our discussion and when Father Riley had finished speaking she turned towards me, pulling her arm away from mine and placing her hands on her hips. “What’s this about loosing your faith? That doesn’t sound like you.”
I shrugged. “It’s been a long week Claudia. It really has, and I think it’s about to get worse.” I shook my head. “Although I hadn’t thought it could.” I was finally starting to pick up the pieces and deal with things. I thought I knew where the future was heading, the direction. Now I wasn’t quite so sure.
Claudia frowned. “I’m sorry about Callie,” she said, kindly.
I swallowed and my heart gave a squeeze. For a moment grief danced around my heart and I couldn’t fight it. It was hard for me to imagine living my life without Callie. She’d been my shire, she’d saved my life. She’d been by my side from the moment I’d become a vampire. And unlike a lot of other shires, she’d stayed there. She hadn’t left; she’d kept a place within my life.
And now she’d always have a place within my heart. I wouldn’t forget her, and I never wanted to. I wanted to remember all the good times we’d had together and remember her for the person she had been, not the terrible way she died.
But that didn’t mean I could forget how she’d died completely. She deserved justice, the covenant too. And I couldn’t move on with my life, any part of it, until I made sure they had that.
I looked towards Claudia, finally answering. “Me too. It’s strange to think I’ll never see her again.”
“I know, but I’m sure she’s watching over you....us,” she smiled indicating above, before turning back to me, a serious look on her face. “Now please fill Ben and me in as to what happened while we were gone. We need to know how we’re gonna handle things now.”
I sighed. This was going to be a long explanation, I thought. Well, here goes....