Free The Immortal Design by Angel C. Ernst Page A

“Thanks.”
       Willa sat with her arms crossed in silence the rest of the way back to the Eckles house. I felt terrible. I was obviously out of my league here. The girls here would have screamed and cried if they had seen a giant black wolf coming at them in the middle of the night. There was much more to Willa then met the eye.
       “Look, I’m sorry Willa. It’s just that I’m not used to strong girls. Girls who can carry themselves in a fight and who don’t back down from a challenge. I was scared to death back there. I thought that thing was going to rip you to pieces right in front of me and there wouldn’t have been a thing I could do about it. I’m very sorry I under estimated you, and that I shouted, it won’t happen again I promise.” Willa sat quietly as I spoke. She still looked tense and had not relaxed her body.
       “Where did you get the silver tipped arrow Johnathan?” Willa hadn’t asked nicely, it was more of a suspicious accusation.
       “I found it in the back of the jeep. It was in a trunk with some others. My dad goes to a lot of auctions and buys antique stuff all the time. He must have forgot to unload it before he let me borrow the Jeep. Why?”
       “No reason. I just thought it was a strange choice in weapons. Do not most Americans use guns?” She was still being very snide with me.
      I shrugged my shoulders “I suppose they do. But like I said, my dad collects this stuff all the time. You should see his study. It’s decked out in all sorts of silver weapons and torture devices, he’s into some strange stuff. I hate going in there it’s creepy. Plus that’s where my dad typically is so I avoid it as much as possible.”
       Willa began to relax slightly. “You do not get along with your father I take it?”
       “I wouldn’t say that. It’s more like he has these expectations of me, and I have no idea what they are. He smothers me constantly. I’m not allowed to do this or do that, I can’t be friends with this person or that person. It’s like he’s keeping me on a leash at all times. I probably shouldn’t even mention this, but he flat out told me not to be your friend. He’s plain crazy. You know how parents can be.”
       Willa let her guard down. “No I do not. My parents died a long time ago when I was a baby.” This night just keeps getting worse. First I undermine her capabilities as a young woman, second I tell her my dad doesn’t want me around her, and now I brought up a subject that obviously hurt her deeply. If she never wants to see me again I wouldn’t blame her. “I’m so sorry Willa, I had no idea. This is not how I had planned this night to go. I just wanted to get to know you better. I mean I hardly know anything about you at all except that every time I look at you my heart feels like it could jump right out of my chest.”

   “Really?” She asked.
       I looked her in the eyes and said “Can you believe that I have never even had a girlfriend? There’s never been anyone like you. No one has ever made me feel anything that mattered.” I had managed to tell her all of this as we had arrived at the Eckles house and I parked the jeep.
       “I’m from Transylvania. I have an older brother that you unfortunately have met. He is very much like your father. He wants me to not be here or apart of your world. I was raised by Mihial in the Carpathian Mountains. I was home schooled for many years. When I became of age, I ran from home and enrolled as a foreign exchange student here. Your Mountains here remind me a bit of home so I thought it would not be as lonely if I came here. So far I have not been lonely, mostly thanks to you.” She smiled.
       “What happened to your parents? If you don’t mind me asking?” I was desperately hoping I wasn’t pushing her too far with my questions. Willa looked up to the night sky and was looking at the Dragon constellation as she began to speak.
       “My mother died after