Rachel and Gabe were having dinner when someone knocked their door. They looked up at each other with a hopeful expression. Could it be? Gabe got up out his chair and walked down the hall to open the door. It was true. God had heard their prayers and answered them. He looked at the girl standing on his porch. “My dear God” he sobbed. “I knew you’d come back” He hugged her. “Can I come in?” Amber asked careful. Gabe let go of her and looked at her with a strange face. What kind of question was that? “Of course you can come in, sweetie” he said. He pulled her into the house and as they walked back to the kitchen he shouted: “Look who’s back!”
Rachel gasped for air when she saw her daughter standing behind her father. She covered her mouth with her hands and started crying. She stuck out her hands and waved to let Amber come to her. Amber walked to her mother, who had stood up, and let her nearly suffocate her. “Amber” Gabe said soft. Amber freed her from her mother and turned around. Gabe was waving with a newspaper which he handed to her. The front page contained a large photograph of her and above the picture the word WANTED flaunted. Her eyes raced over the short description below the picture. ‘Amber Lindy, 16, ran away from home, prime suspect in a murder case’
Amber raised an eyebrow. “Who wrote this crap?” she asked and she dropped the newspaper on the floor.
Gabe ducked and picked up the paper. “This is serious, Amber” he said. “They believe you killed Derek. That’s not true, is it?”
“Of course not!” Amber exclaimed. “I found him, that’s all. I went to the shag and he was there, hanging on a rope. He was already dead”
“Something bit him, he was drained from blood” Gabe continued. “It was pretty nasty”
“Proves I didn’t do it” Amber said with big eyes. “Do I look like something that can drain people from blood?”
“You were acting strange that night” Rachel said. Amber averted her head to her. How…? “You came home, all dirty, and you strangled me. You threatened me and you threw me on the ground. You robbed the fridge and you punched me”
Amber’s mouth dropped open. “How do you know that?” she asked breathless.
“Wait, wait, wait, this is true?” Gabe hastily asked.
“What do you mean how do I know? I just know” Rachel said.
“You’re not supposed to know” Amber said shocked, ignoring her father who felt totally left out. “I compelled you to forget it. You’re supposed to remember you ran into a glass door doing grocery’s” If her mother remembered everything the way it was, it could mean two things. She was turned into a vampire herself, which Amber highly doubted, or another vampire had compelled her to remember the truth. Stefan, Amber thought , jerk.
“Compelled?” Gabe spit out. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I have to go” Amber said rushed. “I’m packing my things and then I’m out”
“What? You can’t just leave again” Gabe said uncomprehending. “You just got here”
But Amber walked passed him to the stairs. Gabe grabbed her arm to stop her, Amber turned at him. Her eyes were red, she had wrinkles around them and she growled. Gabe let go of her and heavily breathed. Amber ran upstairs.
“Call the police” Gabe ordered his wife.