He looked at me, slightly confused, as if he could see right through to my soul. It was all too reminiscent of Dan’s looks during English. “Go on,” he prompted me, anxiety creeping into his normally controlled voice.
“Do you drink blood?” I asked.
He nodded. “I only drink animal blood now.”
I hesitated on the now. “But you at one time drank human blood?”
He nodded again.
I continued. “So . . . you’ve killed people?”
He looked at the ground, then answered me while focusing on the grass at our feet. “That was a long time ago. My bloodlust used to be much more difficult to control. I felt remorse for those I killed, but I could not stop.”
“So what changed?” I asked him.
Jason answered, very carefully avoiding my eyes, “One night, a child became my prey. He was alone, walking to his home at night. He must have only been seven or eight years old. I followed him, at war with myself . . . a war I always lost. It became too much, I approached him and knocked him to the ground. I was poised to go for his throat. Then I saw the look on his face. He seemed so shocked that someone would hurt him. He looked at me, not understanding what I intended, and I was somehow able to stop. That had never happened before. Until then, once I had spotted my prey, I would try to resist, but then my conscience would turn off, my mind would become entirely consumed by the hunt. After that night, I was able to stop it, I do not know why. Once I had a choice, I began to feed only on animals.” He paused, staring at the ground. “Does that change things for you?” At my puzzled look he added, “Does it cause you think less of me?”
Ooh, tricky. I thought for a moment, staring off into space while trying to ignore the sick feeling in my gut, then turned to find him staring at me intently, blue eyes unblinking. “I don’t know,” I answered. “I’ll need some time to think about it.”
He looked back down and nodded, resigned.
“Okay, next question, how are you out in the sun?” I asked.
He laughed a slightly bitter laugh. “It is a myth that we burn in the sun. The sun hurts my eyes, and my vision is slightly less during the day. I suppose it is because of my increased night-vision.”
I nodded. “How old are you?” I asked.
“I was born in 1883,” He smiled. “Anything else?”
I gulped. That made him . . . old. I took a deep breath and let it out. “I thought you talked kinda funny.”
He smiled and tentatively took my hand. He was being honest with me, so I let him. He gripped a little harder. “Your hand is trembling.”
Damn, and here I though I was acting all cool and collected. “So maybe I am a little shocked by the vampire thing,” I mumbled.
He said nothing, but kept his hand in mine.
I was reminded of a question I had meant to ask him last night. “Where are you staying while you’re here?”
“I’m currently residing at the Holiday Inn in town.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it.
“What?” he asked.
“The Holiday Inn, it just seems so . . . normal.”
“Would you rather I was staying at the local crypt perhaps? Or possibly you know of a cozy bat infested cave nearby?”
Grinning, I answered, “At the very least you could have chosen a creepy abandoned building or something.”
“I may be a creature of the night,” he wiggled the fingers of his free hand in the air in mock spookiness, “but I happen to enjoy running water and electricity.”
I snapped my fingers in an aw shucks gesture and said mournfully, “You’ve shattered all of my illusions.”
Jason laughed, but quickly took on a more somber tone. “I can track Dan on my own, leave you alone, but it would be safer if I stayed with you and Lucy.”
I took me a moment to realize that he expected an answer. “Oh, stay, of course you should stay with us.”
I sensed relief in his smile. I wasn’t sure why that surprised me.
“Lucy’s up!” a call came from the house.
I leapt up and went running inside with Jason following shortly behind me. Lucy was sitting up on the couch with her blanket wrapped tightly around her.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her.
She looked up to me. “Ok, I guess, my throat is killing me, from the screaming Max tells me. Other than that, I’m just tired.”
I sat beside her and put my arm around her shoulders. “Do you remember anything?” I asked.
“Not really.” Lucy replied. “I remember arriving at the warehouse, then I remember this morning, changing back. I didn’t hurt anyone, did I? Where’s Al?” She looked from me to Max.
“No, you didn’t hurt anyone,” I assured her. “Max took Allison home after you changed. She was a little shook up.” I didn’t feel the need to mention that I had been rather shaken myself.
“So, what now?” Lucy asked.
“We still have Dan to worry about,” Jason answered. “He’s going to come for you at some point, and we need to be ready when he does.”
Jason carefully avoided my eyes. Lucy looked back and forth between us, picking up on the awkwardness. Our banter seemed to have only temporarily softened the fact that I was unsure of what I thought of his past.
“My parents are coming home tonight. They won’t let us all stay here.” Lucy stated. She looked up at me expectantly.
“My mom will let you stay at my place, but we’ll have to sneak the boys in. Has anyone talked to Al yet?” I asked.
Everyone shook their heads.
“We’ll call her from my place. I gotta get there and delete the message I’m sure the school has left because of my absence before my mom gets home.”
Lucy’s eyes widened and Max added, “They already called here, message successfully erased.”
Lucy let out a relieved breath. “Thanks.” She unwrapped herself from her blanket and went upstairs to pack her stuff, walking a little unsteadily. As she left she said, “I’ll tell my parents we have to stay up late to finish a school project, so I need to stay at your place. It’ll work at least for tonight . . . I hope.”
“Fingers crossed,” I said.
Lucy paused on the stairs with a sour expression on her face. “Do you guys mind waiting while I take a quick shower?”
“No, I was going to recommend that,” I answered with a smile.
“Gee Xoe, you have such a way with words,” Lucy said as she turned to continue up the stairs.
While we waited for Lucy to shower, I worried over Lucy’s new affliction. I also worried about the vampire sitting next to me on the sofa and the werewolf lounging on the love seat. Not to mention that tonight I had to sneak said vampire and werewolf into my house while we waited to be attacked by another werewolf.
Since when was being a teenager so complicated?
Don’t answer that.
Chapter Twelve
AS SOON AS we arrived at my house, I got out of the car and unlocked the front door. Jason and Max went in first to make sure nothing was amiss around the house. I checked the messages and erased the one from the school. The other message was from Allison, saying to call her as soon as I got home. I picked up the phone and dialed her number.
Allison answered after the first ring. “What took you so long!” she exclaimed. “I have been waiting here for hours for you to tell me what’s going on!”
I laughed. “Calm down Al. Everyone’s okay. We’re back at my house now.”
“I’ll see you in ten,” she said, then hung up.
I placed the phone back in its cradle just as Max and Jason returned to the living room. Lucy was curled up on the couch staring at nothing.
“I’m in desperate need of a shower,” I announced to the room. I looked towards Max and Jason. “You guys are free to use the guest bathroom to shower. There should be plenty of hot water.”
Max shrugged, “I don’t have any extra clothes. I’ll probably just run home and shower.” He turned to Jason
. “Mind if I use your car?”
“It is all yours,” Jason answered. “I have clothes in the trunk that I must retrieve, then you can take it.”
“It’s settled then,” I concluded. I informed Jason where the guest bathroom was, then ran upstairs and hopped in the shower.
Finally alone, I took a moment to process the events of the previous night and this morning. It was a lot to take in: werewolves, vampires, and whatever I
was. That last part was by far the most troubling to me, not that the others were unimportant, far from it. My world was completely and utterly upside-down.
I thought about Jason being a vampire. I wasn’t even really sure about what a vampire was. I mean, I had the movies and legends to go on, but how many of them were actually based on reality? All I knew for sure was that he drank blood, and despite popular belief, could go out in the sun.
Vampires, as a general consensus, were reanimated corpses. Jason had said when he was born, but not when or if he died. Maybe you were just born a vampire, not changed into one.
Then there was Jason’s profession. Bounty hunter? I guess that was actually my choice of words, but still. His contract against Dan seemed valiant enough, but what if his other jobs weren’t quite as innocent? I wished I had thought of all of these questions earlier.
I finished showering and dried off. Then I went rummaging through my closet and pulled on a clean pair of jeans. I considered a turtleneck and vetoed the idea. I wasn’t sure if Jason would think it was because of him and be offended. I decided on a plain black, v-neck short-sleeved shirt then headed back to the group. As I neared the end of the stairs, Jason turned his head to watch me for the rest of my descent.
His observant blue eyes had a hint of some emotion that I didn’t understand, except that it made my heart hurt in a funny way. It seemed an admiring gaze, but there was some sadness underneath. He was freshly showered and wearing a blue cotton t-shirt that matched his eyes on top of jeans and his usual hiking boots.
Walking into the room I saw that Lucy was pretending to watch the soccer game with Max, who had apparently already gone home and showered, since he was now wearing a yellow button up shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, and some more khaki cargo pants. Noticing my presence, Max and Lucy both turned to add their gazes to Jason’s.
I cut the silence by asking, “Anyone hungry?”
The atmosphere eased as everyone admitted that they were starved. We all trooped to the kitchen. I searched my usually empty pantry as everyone else went to sit in the adjoining dining room. Like I said, we’re big on take-out in my house, so I was surprised to find we had all of the ingredients for pancakes. Mom must have gone shopping. I had retrieved a big blue ceramic mixing bowl and had begun mixing the batter when the doorbell rang.
“That’ll be Allison,” I called. “I’ll get it.” I went into the living room and opened the door. I was surprised to find not Allison, but Brian waiting outside. He was dressed in a red t-shirt and jeans, topped by his Letterman’s jacket.
“So you are alive!” he exclaimed. I stared blankly at him and he went on, “Well what was I supposed to think? There was that scene in English yesterday with that weirdo Dan. And you, him, and the other new guy that sat behind you obviously had some tension going on, then today none of you are there, and I didn’t see Allison in gym either.”
Jason chose that moment to walk up and stand behind me, almost touching. I could feel the line of his chest a hair’s-breadth away from my back. The look Brian gave him was not a friendly one. Ignoring Brian’s glare, Jason stepped closer. Now he actually was pressed against my back. I shivered, sensing the tension in Jason’s body.
Brian tried to stare down Jason, but then seemed to think better of it, and gave his usual grin, if not an entirely happy one. He turned his gaze back to me. “Do I smell pancakes?” he asked mischievously. He didn’t wait for an answer. I stood there dumbly as he pushed his way through the door with a very deliberate look at Jason. As Brian walked past us, I turned to Jason for help, but was only rewarded with a sarcastic ‘nice going’ look.
I crossed my arms with an angry pout, then headed back into the kitchen. Jason shut and locked the door, then followed me.
Max had started cooking the pancakes on my rarely used electric griddle. I made a mental note to start using it more. It really was a genius invention. No stove required and clean up consisted of wiping it down with a paper towel. Max was piling the pancakes onto a platter he had to have found shoved in the back of one of our barren cupboards. Lucy and Brian went to sit at the table in the adjoining dining room.
I started the coffee while Jason hovered over me. I ground the beans, fresh ground is the only way to go, and put them in the paper filter. Jason remained standing in the kitchen, watching me as I grabbed some paper plates, coffee mugs, and juice for the non-coffee drinkers. So it was well past lunchtime, I simply could not have pancakes without coffee.
Jason darted occasional glances at the table where Brian was sitting, while he continued to hover over me possessively. If I didn’t know any better I’d say Jason was jealous. Well, considering I’d only known him a few days, I really didn’t know any better. Not knowing whether to be flattered, or annoyed, I settled on a little bit of both, and tried to ignore Jason as much as possible.
I finished setting the table as Max set the heaping platter of pancakes in the center. I brought out the coffee pot and sat down. Jason and I were the only ones to fill our cups. Point for the vampire. I added cream, no sugar. Jason took his black.
Another knock on the door signaled Allison’s arrival. Max got up to let her in. We sat eating pancakes, Jason and I on one side of the table, Lucy and Brian on the other. Allison waltzed in ahead of Max, wearing a lavender tunic-style tank top over skinny jeans and black ballet flats. She tossed her black and silver overnight bag on the floor in a corner of the dining room, then sat down next to Brian as Max sat next to Jason.
Jason heaped more pancakes onto his plate. I didn’t think vampires could eat people food, or drink coffee for that matter. Another myth I guess, I’d have to ask later. He drizzled maple syrup over his pile of pancakes and dug in. Allison gave me a questioning look at the sight of Brian and I mouthed, “Later.”
“So this is quite a gathering,” Brian observed innocently, albeit a little sarcastically. “What have you all got planned this evening?”
We each darted nervous glances at our co-conspirators.
“School project,” Lucy answered.
Brian smiled. “School project? What class do you all have together?”
In an attempt to save our ruse Allison answered, “They’re helping me with a project for the yearbook committee.”
Brian’s look remained suspicious, but the questioning ended . . . for now.
Allison took the opportunity to change the subject. “Who made the pancakes?”
Max raised his hand with a grin.
Allison laughed and ran her hand through her loose blond hair. “Surprise, surprise, Xoe passes the cooking off on someone else.”
“Hey!” I shouted playfully. “I mixed, that’s cooking.”
Allison jested, “Oooooh, she uses a spoon.”
I pouted, glaring at Al, as everyone laughed. I wasn’t actually upset. My cooking skills were often mocked. Plus, I kinda had it coming. I gave Al a hard time about one thing or another most every day.
After we finished eating, I hustled Brian out of the house, saying we had to get started on our “project.” I walked him to the door, but before walking out he turned to me. “I don’t trust Jason. If you need anything, call.”
Ah, the testosterone was suffocating. I said goodbye and shut the door to find Jason watching me from across the room.
He walked up to me, hands in his pockets, acting perfectly at ease. “Boyfriend?” he questioned.
“No, not that it’s any of your business,” I sniffed, then walked to the dining room where everyone else was still sitting. I sat down as Jason came int
o the room, a small, satisfied smile on his face.
Jason took the chair beside me, rested his hand over mine casually, and started detailing the battle plan for tonight. What was with all of the hand holding? I decided to write it off as Jason just being a touchy-feely kind of person. So why did my heart speed every time such touching occurred? He caught my gaze with his midnight blue eyes. “If Dan shows Xoe, you, Lucy, and Allison need to get to Allison’s car, lock yourselves inside and start driving. Don’t stop until I call you on Allison’s cell to let you know it’s safe to come back.”
I felt an instant flush of anger at the fact that he wanted us to run. I managed to keep my cool, and even left my hand under his. Rather than voicing that I refused to run, I pointed out the other flaw in the plan. “What about my mom?”
Jason grimaced. “Sorry Xoe, forgot about that.” He paused to think for a moment. “Okay, you can tell your mom that Dan is a burglar, then you can all get out of the house together. We just can’t let your mom call the cops.”
I nodded. “That will probably work. My mom is so not good in emergency situations, so she’ll likely do whatever we tell her.” I blew out a sigh. We’d have to worry about her inevitable questions later. Okay, so it was a flawed plan . . . better than nothing.
Jason smiled and took his hand off of my hand, only to place it in the middle of my upper back. “It’s settled then.”
I’m sure that Jason meant that we should still run, but all he had said was to “get out of the house.” Now that, I could do. I nodded my final assent to the plan.
Shortly after we had settled what we would do, my mom came home, dressed in a navy business suit and heels. It must have been an office day. Taking in the group of us, she looked at me with a smile and hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation.
“School project,” I told her.
“Pizza!” she exclaimed, running to the living room to order.
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