He couldn’t lift his eyes from the ground as he whispered, “How will it ever be okay, Bray? I kill people. I kill people to stay young. Even when I don’t try to kill people, I still do.”
“Then don’t do it anymore. Grow old with me.” She didn’t understand. There were times when the hunger was uncontrollable, and he had to give into it—he had wanted to give into it.
“Just leave me alone for a little while, and I will come by tomorrow. I have to think about things.” Brenik ran his hands through his hair, squeezing it fiercely.
Bray’s eyes narrowed at Brenik like she could read everything in his head. “Right, but I’ll come with you.”
He didn’t want her to come—he wanted to be alone. “I need to be alone.”
“Are you sure, Brenik? If you don’t stop by, I will have to come and find you.” He could tell she was worried and maybe a little frightened.
“Bray, go home. I will come by tomorrow. I promise.”
“You are going to need help, and I’m going to help you stop this.” Brenik knew she would try, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted anyone’s help. He would rather do it himself.
“I love you, Bray. I will be okay.” He had never told her that, no matter how many times she had spoken the words to him. There were times he had felt he should never say the words aloud because sometimes he hated her, too, but this time the love won out.
“I love you, too, little brother,” she said, wrapping her arms around him, her eyes filling with tears. He wanted to cry and scream like a little child for her to stop, but he slung his arms around her, holding her tight.
After she left the forest, Brenik fell to the ground where Rana had once lain and curled into himself. He had lied to Bray. He wasn’t going to be okay—he would never be okay.
20
Bray
Bray was shaken after she left Brenik, but she knew she had to leave him alone. Her hands quivered as she exited the forest and crossed the pavement. The same road where she had once almost been struck by a car—if it hadn’t been for Brenik who had pulled her back from the brink of death.
Her brother was no longer a bat, but he wasn’t human either. Brenik was something far worse, yet he was still him. Bray felt that maybe she shouldn’t have left him there. The things he had done... In this world he would be arrested for it, and in her world, there was no consequence for wrongdoing. Both aspects pulled at her conscience. Look at the Jovkins who had murdered her kind without repercussion.
Wes’s car was already parked in the driveway, and she didn’t know what to do or say to him. She rang the doorbell, unable to erase the image of Rana out of her mind, or the fact that the Stone said it could have saved her. Rana had just turned. If only Bray had gone straight there with Brenik, instead of making him tell her the whole story of his new life.
Luca swung open the door. “We were worried about you.”
“I know I promised I would leave you a note, Luca, but my brother showed up.” She hardened her gaze a little as she looked down at him—his eyes were ticking side to side.
“You know I saw him at school, then? With Miss Alvi?” Luca’s body wiggled and squirmed with nervousness. “He asked me not to tell you, and I told him I would give him two days. It hasn’t been that long yet.”
Bray swept Luca’s bangs away from his eyebrows and patted his head. “I know, little beast, I know.” She couldn’t be mad at him. “Where’s Wes? I need to talk to him for a few minutes.”
Luca’s head motioned at the back door. “He’s in the backyard again, doing something with the plants. I think he said something about outlining it with stone, so he’s trying to get an estimation of how many rocks he needs.”
“I’ll be back there, then.” Bray brushed past Luca, and then turned her head over her shoulder. “Maybe we can watch a movie later, or better yet, read me a story? Maybe Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland this time?” she asked, putting on the bravest act she could. But she could tell Luca knew something wasn’t right when he nodded, his fingers fidgeting.
Bray left and found Wes working on the garden—he lifted his head in her direction and gave her a smile. “Glad you’re back. You can come over here and help me real quick.”
“You seem to be handling the garden well all by yourself,” Bray said mischievously as she approached him.
Wes let the yellow measuring tape slide back into its container. “Maybe it’s just a reason to get you over here.”
The expression on her face faltered.
“What’s wrong?” Wes asked, setting down the measuring tape.
“I was with Brenik.” Bray knew she probably shouldn’t say anything because she loved her brother so much. But with everything he had done, it would be wrong to keep it from Wes. She didn’t want to break this special thing that was blossoming between them.
“Your brother?”
“Yes. Listen. I—uh—have something to tell you,” Bray stuttered.
Wes’s back straightened, and his face grew concerned. “Are you leaving?”
“No, it’s not that. He’s supposed to come by the house, possibly tomorrow.” Bray wasn’t sure if he would really show up, or if she would have to hunt him down.
“He does live in the tree, right?” Wes glanced up toward the tree hole.
“Well… So, he’s not small anymore,” Bray mumbled, tapping the ends of her fingers together.
His eyebrows both lowered, causing a crease to form in between. “Okay, so he’s like you now?” Close, but not quite.
“Not exactly. He, um … went to the Stone of Desire and it granted him his wish to become human. But it came with a price. Brenik had this fear of withering and growing old like Ruth, so his desire was to stay young, not just to become human. To stop him from progressing in age naturally, there is a terrible hunger he must live with if he wants to stay young. That’s how I understand it, anyway.”
Wes shook his head with his face scrunched up. “Wait, I’m completely confused here. So he’s going to live forever?”
“I don’t know! But you know the four people that had holes in their necks without blood?” Bray asked.
“No, I forgot about that,” he said sarcastically. “But you mean three people, right?”
“No, I mean four,” Bray started. “Brenik can only feed off human blood. He has this painting that he presses the blood onto, and it absorbs it in order for him to stay young.” She tried to make the sentence sound like an everyday occurrence.
Wes’s eyes widened, and he didn’t blink for a long while. The bout of silence between them seemed unnaturally long. “Your brother is a vampire.” Not a question, only a statement.
“No, he isn’t a vampire.” She wouldn’t say he was a vampire, per say.
He flung his hands up. “I’m sorry—he’s going around drinking people’s blood when he’s hungry? That sounds like a vampire to me. Not to mention the weird immortality thing.” His hands continued to hover in the air.
“Brenik’s not a vampire—he can go out in the sun. He isn’t immortal if he doesn’t drink the blood.” Bray grimaced.
“This is just like the whole bat argument. I let that one go, but I’m right this time. He’s some type of damn vampire. I don’t care what you say. Are you forgetting that his victims have been roaming around attacking people?” Wes was angry, and she was, too, but Brenik was still her brother.
“From what the Stone said earlier, Brenik could have saved his victims before they awoke again.” She didn’t mention that Brenik had carried the dead body of a woman he was involved with through the forest to find answers. That wasn’t going to solve anything right then.
“That doesn’t even begin to counter the fact of what he’s done. Look at Kyle’s dad! And what am I supposed to do? Do I call the cops and tell them that these victims have a case of vampiric rabies, because a bat turned vampire is going around murdering them because he’s hungry?” Wes’s eyes bulged, and the veins on the sides of his neck were throbbing.
“This situation isn’t as strange to me because of where I’m from. And I’m not saying it’s okay. It’s far from okay, but I think I can fix him. If I can’t, then I’ll think about what I can do after. Just give me a week.” Bray had to try, or she would never forgive herself.
Wes sighed. “A lot can happen in a week, Bray.”
“I know. Let me try talking to the Stone one more time—if it will listen.”
“Let me come with you, then.” He was already moving toward her, but it was her mistake to correct. She couldn’t help but blame herself.
“I don’t know if it will awaken if you’re there, but I’ll tell you everything when I come back.” Without another word, Bray left. She could have changed and flown, but she wanted to walk and absorb the situation. The pit in her stomach was growing, an endless bottom of a sea covered in a whirlwind of darkness.
She thought about all the choices she had made. Maybe she should have stayed in Laith. They had been hiding just as much here as they had been there. But no one could smell them out here.
Bray wandered the rest of the way with a blank mind as she approached the Stone. It sat there as if it had never been roused before.
Shakily, she reached forward and pressed her hand on top, begging the Stone to talk to her. Bray was willing to sacrifice herself for her brother if she had to. “Please talk to me. Take what you gave me. Take my gift and give it to Brenik.” The Stone didn’t budge.
She sobbed quietly against the rough surface when a soft rustle disrupted her crying. “Who’s there?” she shouted, wiping the tears away from her face. “Brenik?”
A small form stepped out from behind a tree. “Luca? What are you doing here?”
His shoulders slumped. “I heard your conversation with Wes.”
“How? Weren’t you inside?” Bray hadn’t heard or seen him out there.
“I went out the front and hid behind the gate,” he explained. She didn’t have enough energy to stir up any anger about his eavesdropping.
“Something happened to Miss Alvi, didn’t it?” Luca asked, his face falling into sadness.
“Why would you think that?” Bray didn’t want to break the news to Luca.
“Because I heard you say four people, and Brenik was with Miss Alvi yesterday.” Bray wasn’t sure whether to tell Luca the truth or not. He was a ten-year-old boy—a human boy. He was at an age where he was still innocent but approaching the level of growing up. But he had done a lot of growing up already, and Bray had to learn about life the hard way right after she was born. He could handle it.
“Yes, Luca. Miss Alvi is gone.”
With a heavy sigh, he nodded, and Bray wrapped her arms around him. She wouldn’t tell him not to worry because she was worried herself.
Luca pulled away from her, blinking away tears. Then he shrugged a shoulder and tilted his head at it. “You want a ride home?”
She didn’t have the strength to tell him no, and their house wasn’t far anyway. “You read my mind.” Bray transformed, and the long blades of grass rubbed at her. Luca bent down to scoop her up and plopped her onto his shoulder.
“Wes is going to be so mad that I didn’t tell him I left.” Luca had a look on his face that appeared sorry, even though he wasn’t.
“Luca!” Bray scolded.
“I’m just kidding. You know he’s still in the garden—he probably doesn’t even know I’m gone.” She highly doubted that.
Bray tapped the edge of his shoulder. “Don’t ever do that again without telling Wes, okay?”
“Okay.” Luca nodded in agreement.
When they got to their street, Luca pulled Bray from his shoulder and held her close to his chest as he ran the rest of the way home. She bobbled and felt queasy, but she enjoyed the wind brushing against her face.
Luca opened the front door and released her in the air. She changed forms, and they headed to the back door.
Wes looked up from the garden, his hands covered in specks of dirt. “You’re back. I was about to go on a search mission.”
Luca shut the door behind her to stay inside, while smiling deviously since he got away with his crime.
Wes grabbed three of the four lawn chairs, leaning against the back of the house. He propped the chairs open in the middle of the yard for them to sit. Bray sat down next to him, and the other one was open in case Luca wanted to venture back outside. Wes could be so thoughtful.
Without a word, he dropped his hand down in between them and wiggled his fingers. Fighting a smile, she took his hand and leaned back to think about anything except what was really going on. There were a lot of times when Bray had gotten her and Brenik in trouble. It was her fault.
“Look, Brenik, I found the biggest pear up here. If you help me get it down, I will share more than half with you,” Bray said, tugging on the fruit that wouldn’t budge.
“I do not know about this, Bray. We are supposed to be extra quiet when we venture out this far. Junah does not want us to come out here without her, remember?” Brenik replied, flapping his wings and soaring up beside Bray.
Bray had to beg Brenik to come with her—he wanted them to stay home. She was worried about what Junah would say, but she wanted to retrieve the pear for Brenik, and a little for herself. They had been craving the fruit for a long time and there were no pear trees anywhere near Junah’s part of the forest.
Reaching toward the thin stem, she tugged on the fruit again and hoped it would drop. Brenik shook his head and sighed, grasping the pear in his grip. “Okay, on the count of three we will both tug. One, two…” Bray had already begun to tug because she could not wait. “Three.”
The tree branch rustled loudly as Brenik pushed down. “What is in this pear?” he asked, his voice tight.
“Goodness!” Bray squealed, pushing with all her might. Finally, with a loud thunk, the pear dropped to the ground. The branch flapped powerfully back and forth after being bent so far downward.
She zoomed down toward the fruit, Brenik following right behind her. As she neared the pear, something snatched her mid-air.
“Bat,” the voice roared. Bray felt her body being crushed as she looked up into the eyes of a male Jovkin. The creature’s gold eyes were the same color as Junah’s, but only hostility penetrated from his. The horns attached to the side of his head were large and pointed, and of the two on the front of his forehead, one was broken and half missing.
Bray heard Brenik’s voice screeching for help. “Go home, Brenik!” she screamed, hoping he would leave.
He didn’t listen and flew up, sinking his teeth into the Jovkin’s gray hand.
The creature’s voice thundered from Brenik’s sharp bite, and Bray was slung against the tree. An intensity of pain pulsed through Bray’s back and wings from the collision before she fell to the ground.
Flying in the air, Brenik circled the Jovkin while the creature swiped his hands frantically to snatch him. Bray tried to stand from the ground but crashed back down.
The Jovkin watched Brenik closely and seemed to catch on to the routine. Like lightning speeding down from the sky, the creature moved his hand in the other direction to seize Brenik.
Right as the Jovkin’s hand was about to clasp him, Bray crawled closer and bit the thin, delicate skin of the creature’s foot, until blood rippled upward.
Bray glanced wearily up to see Brenik wasn’t captured. And just as the Jovkin’s foot lifted and was about to slam down on top of Bray, another creature dashed from the forest and smashed into their attacker, knocking him backward.
It was Junah. Bray sighed in relief as Brenik swooped down beside her, grasping her arms and dragging her backward. “Come on, Bray, help me.” His voice was strained.
Bray propped her bare feet flat on the ground, the grass threading between her toes as she shuffled them backward.
Junah was rammed back, but she didn’t falter. She lunged forward with incredible speed, her horns aimed at the Jovkin’s chest and pierced him through his heart.
> With all the strength she could muster, Bray stood up and watched the male Jovkin fall to the ground, clasping his chest with ragged breaths escaping his lips.
Junah ran toward them, her eyes filled with dread, and scooped Bray and Brenik up.
“The Pear.” Bray reached for the green fruit on the ground.
“Forget it,” Brenik said hurriedly.
“No,” she demanded. Junah swiped it up before Bray could utter another word and took off running.
“If I had not found you two in time, death would have been unavoidable,” Junah snapped.
Brenik did not speak up to say it was Bray’s idea to come out to that side of the forest, and she gave him a silent thank you.
“I will let you have the whole pear,” she whispered, overcome with guilt for dragging him into trouble.
Brenik shook his head. “No, Bray, I am fine. You are the one who is hurt—you can have it.”
Bray looked up at Junah who had saved them. “We will give it to Junah, then.”
Junah shook her head as she hurried the rest of the way through the forest, golden eyes still blazing with fear. “I do not like pears. You two split it.”
When Junah finally set them in a lush emerald field, along with the pear, Bray promised herself she would not let Brenik get into trouble again. Bray insisted on Brenik eating more than half the pear, and he did.
21
Brenik
Brenik sat up on the couch, rubbing at his eyes. When he came back from seeing Bray he had stayed on the couch for the remainder of the day and night.
After he finally got up, he went inside the bedroom and found the blood on the floor that he had vomited up. In anger, he slammed the door as hard as he could.
Clenching the sides of his head, he wasn’t sure what to do now, but there was his promise to see Bray. So that’s what he would do.
If he could have gotten himself drunk without vomiting it up, Brenik would have done that—he wanted to forget everything. There was no way he could get close to anyone ever again.
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