by Ben Alderson
“What is it?” I grumble, expecting her to tell me she knows what I have done. Her son is a murderer. But would she care? She has me kill in secret. Is there a difference? I often feed into the darkness she promotes.
“I need you to get up.” She claps, excitement lacing her voice. “I have something I want you to see.”
Promptly, I climb from bed and follow Mother out of my room, across the carpeted landing, and into her own bedroom. It is simple, like her. Only a touch of white wood furniture and a hideous glass cabinet fill the empty space. A plush rug covers the scratched wooden floor beneath it. Like how Mother hides her marked personality behind her smile and bright eyes, the carpet covers the damaged floor.
The TV is playing on the wall. Mother picks up the remote from her bed and turns the volume up for us both to hear.
The newscaster stands beside Wolfsbane Forest. I can recognize those trees anywhere. My blood chills. He is interviewing Elder Jane, who—to the unknowing eye—is the police chief of Hillcrest. She speaks of a body that has turned up—a mundane girl. We both listen as she tells us of the details and memorial being held at the local cemetery in a few hours. She asks those watching to come forward with any information they might have relating to the death. A flash of a reward comes up on the screen, but I don’t focus on it. My mind is preoccupied with a rush of relief that it was not the mention of the wolf I killed.
I stand with my fingers to my mouth as I listen intently to what Elder Jane has to say. Mother quickly turns the TV down before I can finish taking in the information.
“Vampire kill. It must be. Explains the marks that were left on the body,” Mother says. “Which means they have broken the treaty again. This time publicly.”
Mother is smiling like a Cheshire cat, teeth white and perfect, adding to her normal façade. I know why she smiles. This means, if she finds the vampire first, she can kill it—or I can.
“It could be the wolves,” I say. “The body was found in Wolfsbane Forest. Why would a vampire feed there?”
She shrugs. “That is what you are going to find out for me. Join the council’s investigation. Find me information before anyone else.”
“How?” I ask, unable to hold her gaze for too long.
“I want you to go to the memorial and see if you can pick up any details. No matter how big or small. Anything could lead us to the beast that did this to the innocent.” Innocent is the word Mother used with humans. I used to think it sounded as if she truly cared for them, but then I realized the truth. It is her way of putting herself above them. She likes the idea of humans being weak and in need of help. It gives her purpose.
I shake my head. “We should leave this to Elder Jane and the council. I don’t think—”
“I don’t know why you are refusing me!”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. You are refusing what I ask of you. I am your mother, and I deserve your respect and cooperation. After everything I have done for you—brought you up alone, kept this roof over your head, shared my power with you—you dare refuse me?”
There it is. The cracks in Mother’s illusion of normality. Her hands shake as she clenches them into fists at her side, even though her eyes are glazed with real tears. Such a slight comment can send her into a meltdown.
She has enough power in her hands to make me do anything against my will. But she knows as well as I do that she would never need to use it on me. I could never say no to her.
“I’ll go,” I say quickly, trying to calm her shouting.
Instantly, Mother’s face relaxes its stressed lines, and she releases a long sigh. “Grand. Then go. The memorial starts shortly, and I want you to weed out any vibes that you can relating to the girl’s death. I want answers before Elder Jane forces her pointed nose into this mess. I must find the vampire first.”
“I’ll try,” I say.
“I am sure you will.” She rubs a hand down my cheek in a quick moment of caring. Then in a blink of an eye, she’s scowling. “What are you still doing standing around?”
I rush out of her room, straight back for my own. Her sporadic outbursts put me on edge, and I was already inches from teetering off and into the abyss after what I did yesterday.
With the urgent need to get out of the house, I dress quickly. I look for something to blend in with the memorial goers that wouldn’t also be uncomfortable, but this is all I have. I will need to get in and out undetected. I decide to pull on a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeved black t-shirt. For strength I loop my amethyst charm around my neck and put it beneath my t-shirt. It will grant me mental clarity. Going into the thoughts and minds of those around me takes a large toll on my ability and energy. The crystals help my control. I’ve only had to do it once before, and it almost broke me. I will not let it happen again.
I watch Savi from the tree line beyond the memorial. Her arms are crossed over her chest as she too watches on as the memorial goers hoover around within the grounds. I don’t have the chance to join the line of mourners, not when I spot her. Even from this distance, I see her concern. But I cannot get too close. Her enhanced senses would pick up on my presence the moment the wind changes direction. The farther I am, the better.
This is not how I would normally act around her, but the turning of my stomach proves that something is off. That only intensifies when I spot the boy. The same one she saved the night prior. It seems that I am not the only one who spots her as he proceeds to chase her down as she leaves in a hurry. I try and follow, sticking to the tree line, but out of earshot so I can’t hear what they are saying to each other.
Anger bubbles when the boy grips Savi’s arm to stop her. I want to rush over to her, but something is keeping me away. Instead, I pull out my phone and text her.
We need to talk, I type and hit send.
There is a long pause before she replies. I watch her pull out her own phone while the boy has his back to me. She reads the message and replies.
Can’t until later. Something’s come up.
I watch my screen to see if she says anything else, but when I look back up she is walking off, with the boy in tow.
Her message leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Instead of walking back for the memorial, I turn and leave. Why is Savi here anyway? There might be one person who has the answer to that: Chad.
“Chad,” I say as he opens the door. Naturally, I take a few steps back from him to still my discomfort at seeing him again, but it doesn’t help.
“What are you doing here?” he says, looking behind me for someone. “If she sees you—”
“Savi’s not with me, which is why I’m here to see you. Trust me, I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t see a need,” I bite back. He could at least act like he is not repulsed to see me.
Conjuring courage, I push past him and walk into his home.
“Please, come in,” he says, sarcasm clear in his tone. He slams the door and stalks me all the way into their kitchen. “I have nothing better to do than speak with you.”
“You’ve changed,” I say, keeping my eyes forward and not looking back at him.
“No, I haven’t. You just didn’t know me properly before.”
I laugh, pulling out a bar stool and taking a seat. “Trust me, Chad, I think we both know I knew you very, very well.”
“If you are here to rub my tainted past in my face, don’t bother wasting your time.” He folds his arms over his chest, which tightly pulls the buttons of his plaid shirt. “You know where the door is.”
I spit out what it is I came to say. “Why was Savi at the memorial for the human girl who turned up dead in Bane’s Forest?”
Surprise cuts Chad’s handsome face. “She’s your friend. Why don’t you ask her?”
“I was supposed to see her this morning, but she cancelled.”
“Then she has finally seen sense in being your friend,” Chad says.
“Wouldn’t you like that. In fact, I saw her walking off with human boy, who, from what I overheard at the m
emorial, was the dead girl’s boyfriend.”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Chad corrects, “I saw him on TV being interviewed. Savi is grown. She does what she wants to do. I don’t have claim over her actions. Only she is to blame for them.”
“To blame for them? And what is it she should be blamed for?” My stomach turns, the answer already creeping in the back of my mind.
“I want you to leave, George. You waltz into my home, demanding answers, which you know as well as I, that I don’t have.”
He is lying. I can sense it like a pungent smell. I reach out to touch his arm, knowing I can read him if I make contact, but he moves swiftly and is standing at the other side of the room in a single blink. “Go, George, before I’m forced to make you leave.”
“If you are hiding something, I will find out,” I say, turning to leave.
“Why are you so invested in this girl’s death?”
“Because by this afternoon, fellow witches and I will be sent to the forest, and the moment they pick up the scent of who or what killed this girl, it will be too late to help.”
“You’d be willing to help the girl’s killer?” he asks, gaze unable to hold my own.
“I think you and I both know what is going on here.” I turn to leave. “I trust you still have my number. Drop me a message if you come up with any answers.”
“Wait.” Chad moves close to me, body standing in the doorway, stopping me from leaving. He smells of strong lavender, a scent I used to admire. His eyes swirl with tones of ruby and blood as he looks deep into my very soul.
“What Chad? What can you say now?”
“Just… don’t do anything rash, okay?”
“And what does that mean?”
“Speak with Savi first. You owe it to her.”
I slip past him, my heart beating at full speed. “If she were not preoccupied with the human boy, maybe I would. But she canceled on me, so how am I supposed to speak with her.”
“George, please.”
“Thanks again, Chad. And don’t worry. I won’t be around again in a hurry.”
I clench my fists as I walk away from him, fighting the urge to turn back around. Never did I think we would get to this. But secrets do not hold people together; they only push them apart. And whatever secret Savi is keeping will have the same effects.
I pull my phone out to ping her a message when I see a text from Mother. She tells me Elder Jane is waiting. I know very well the wrath of Elder Jane when she is kept for too long. During such an important inquisition, I have no time to mess around.
I run straight for Bane’s Forest. Each footfall mirrors the beat of my own anxiety. By the time I reach Elder Jane, I am ready to burst.
Savi
The room falls silent as we enter together. Vampire and… human. Everyone at Crest Coffee is a supernatural. Tourists stop in for a quick pick-me-up, but this place, this town, was founded for supernaturals. If the human notices how the room fell silent the moment we entered, he doesn’t say anything.
I scratch my palms as we stand in line to order our drinks. I can feel his eyes on me. The predator in me wants to lash out. I fight the urge to show him how uncomfortable I am under his gaze.
“Savi, hey.” I meet Kim’s gaze and offer a polite smile. Her black hair is pulled back into a tight bun, but loose strands stick to her slick forehead. She’s short, like me.
Kim owns Crest Coffee, and our family ties span decades. Her mother was one of my mother’s best friends. They met when my mother was traveling in Asia, where Kim’s family once called home. Occasionally, when she’s desperate, she’ll ask me to cover a shift. I welcome the opportunity to leave the manor, even though I suck at making drinks.
“Kim, the usual,” I say. My usual drink, of course, is blood. After all, I’m a vampire.
“And for you?” Kim stares at the human, eyes wide, hands shaking, jaw clenched in a fake smile.
For goodness sake, Kim, can you look any more obvious? I fight the urge to roll my eyes.
“Small coffee. Black,” he replies. Again, either he’s completely oblivious to everyone’s discomfort, or he simply doesn’t care. I’m not sure which intrigues me more.
“Got it, and on the house,” she says, eyeing me. I send her a silent thank you, as I’ve only just now realized I left the house without grabbing my wallet. Having the human pay for my drink after I killed his girlfriend—and will probably have to kill him—just seems… wrong.
Kim quickly pours a small black coffee and hands it to the unwelcomed visitor before escaping to the backroom, where an industrial-sized refrigerator holds all the special order items, like blood. Though I can’t see her, I can hear her every movement, from the refrigerator door opening to the blood bag ripping open to the splash of the liquid hitting the bottom of the cup to her rumbling stomach. She presses a few buttons on the backroom microwave, and I’m fixated on the smell of warming blood. I lick my lips in anticipation. Before I know it, she’s in front of me, handing me my drink with a special straw made of bamboo. It hides the crimson residue left behind after each drink. I thank her and turn toward the human.
“Inside or—”
“Outside,” I interrupt as I adjust my sunglasses.
He nods, and I follow him to an empty table just outside the café’s front door. At first, we sit in silence. I wait for him to speak, to accuse me of something or explain why he came back here.
“So, Savi.” I flinch as he says my name, and I realize I don’t know his. It feels like an odd power trip. As if answering my silent question, he adds, “Will.”
“Will,” I whisper.
I blink, and I’m gone. No longer sitting outside Crest Coffee in downtown Hillcrest, I find myself in an unknown place. The space is small, and it digs into my sides as I lean against something hard yet yielding. I pull away, and I see him. Pupils dilated, chest heaving, lips full and wet, he pulls me onto his lap. I’m clumsy as I crawl my way onto him. Leaning back, the sound of a car horn startles me. I giggle, and he smiles. I lean forward to kiss him, and strands of blonde hair fall into my eyes. He brushes them back as our lips meet.
“Savi?”
I blink away the memory and swish my drink. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Are you okay?” he asks, a brow arched.
I nod and take a long slurp of my drink. He watches me, grimacing.
“Where did you go just now?” he presses on.
“Hm?” I say, pretending I have no idea what he’s talking about.
“One minute we were talking, and the next… It’s like you weren’t even here with me.”
I shrug. “Sorry. Just a lot on my mind today.”
He nods. “I’m sure.”
I stare into his eyes, wondering what he means. I could compel him, but that would require me to remove my sunglasses. Only born-vampires can use compulsion, so it’s considered taboo. The argument made long ago was that it’s not fair to those turned. That’s a ridiculous reason to deny this part of us, but still, I try to follow the rules. And compelling a human in the middle of town square wouldn’t exactly help my cause right now.
“What were you doing at the cemetery?” Will asks.
“Mourning,” I say quickly.
“Mourning…” he trails off, but it’s evident in his tone that he wants me to clarify my response. This angers me. Who is he to demand an alibi from me? He’s the unwelcomed one in this town.
“My dead family,” I say bluntly, hoping he’ll get the message. “Why were you there?”
“The memorial is today.”
My heart sinks. Of course it is. I thought the cemetery looked busier than usual today. I assumed the visitors were supernaturals, but obviously, the cemetery that borders the forest where her body was found would be the perfect memorial meeting point.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” I say, and for once, I mean my words. I’m sorry I killed her, I’m sorry I’m in this mess, and I’m sorry I put the distraught look on his face. Guilt washes over me l
ike a tidal wave sure to drown me.
“I don’t mourn only her,” he says.
“What do you mean?”
“You were there when it happened. I saw you.”
I swallow the knot that forms in my throat, and for the second time today, I choose not to misinterpret his meaning.
“Saw me do what?” I ask. All of my senses are alerted to his every movement, every breath. The monster in me speaks now, begging me to end his life before he can spill my secrets to the world.
“You were at the bonfire,” he says, pausing to take a drink of his coffee. “When… when they attacked.”
“The wolves,” I whisper.
He nods.
“Are there any others?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
“No one else survived?” I continue.
“No one else has been found. Their bodies… No one has reported their deaths. Don’t you find that a bit odd?” he asks.
No, I don’t. The wolves cleaned up that mess, I’m sure of it. They’ll be reported as missing, not dead. Not unless Will goes to the police and tells them what he knows. They’ll kill him, of course, but after he’s been dealt with, the council will look into his accusations. They’ll find proof of the murders. And somehow, they’ll discover what George did. I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.
“Why haven’t you gone to the police, Savi?”
I can sense his anger. His body temperature is rising, and as it does, his blood warms. I take a deep breath, letting the scent linger over my tongue. This boy, this human, is breathtaking. I’ve never felt so… enthralled before. I’ve never wanted to taste someone so badly. I wish he were my first. But if he were, I can only imagine the monster I’d be today. Already, I can tell his blood will be lifechanging.
“Don’t you find it a little suspicious?” he asks.
“I suppose I could ask you the same question,” I say as I suck up what remains of my drink. Will’s grip on his disposable coffee cup tightens, and I hear the slightest fracture in the paper.
Behind him, I watch other supernaturals cross the street, intentionally avoiding us. After the news report today, vampires are steering clear of humans. I understand their concern. Even the wrongly accused face the same fate: death. Just look at the witch trials. Many of the claimed souls were human. That was what prompted the treaty. Laws were enacted to ensure peace between the factions—and humans. One by one, small towns were developed to house supernaturals, and little by little, we lived our lives without daily interactions with them, with humans. But look where I am now. Sitting beside a human, while my supernatural comrades hunt me. I can only hope my mistakes won’t cost Chad—and George—their lives.