by Jayme Morse
Christian got down on one knee in front of Lexi. “Jolie dame, it is a pleasure to meet you,” he said, taking her hand in his and lifting it to his lips.
Lexi blushed. She was a sucker for men with French accents. She hoped that Gabe didn’t notice how red her cheeks were turning. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Christian Fleur teaches Stakeology,” Anna explained.
Stakeology? As in, using stakes to kill vampires? Lexi wondered to herself. The expression on Anna’s face told Lexi that she was right; that was exactly what Stakeology meant. It was kind of creepy how all of the classes at Huntington were made to sound like biology classes, as though some sort of scientific method was needed to kill a vampire with a stake. And really, how hard could it be?
Glancing around the room for more teachers, Lexi realized that there were none. She looked over at Anna. “Are there any other professors who teach here?”
Anna laughed. “Yeah, we have more than two classes in this school, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m not sure why they’re not in here, though. I guess they must be teaching classes right now or getting ready to.” Anna glanced at her watch. “Come on, we’ll interrupt them.”
“I don’t want to interrupt anyone. That’s rude,” Lexi replied, shaking her head frantically. She was usually pretty confident with herself, but the thought of disrupting an ongoing class just to introduce herself felt really vain and she would hate to have all eyes on her in a situation like that.
“They won’t mind, Lexi. They want to meet you more than anything. Let’s go.”
Hesitantly, Lexi followed Anna out of the room. As they neared the end of the hallway, a guy turned the corner to the teacher’s lounge . . . a guy who Lexi knew.
Her heart caught in her chest.
His light eyes glimmered in the dimly lit hallway, and he was wearing the same shorts and polo t-shirt that he had been wearing the first time they had met, even though that had been in the middle of summer then and it was now the end of autumn in Pennsylvania. It was way too cold for him to be wearing shorts, but then again, he was a vampire. He was probably cold no matter what he wore. Ruffling his brown hair back, he looked up at her. “Lexi?”
“Mr., err . . . Professor Lindstrom,” Lexi mumbled weakly. She looked over at Gabe, who was studying her for a response. Lexi quickly, and awkwardly, darted her eyes away from him, afraid that her facial expression would reveal too much about what had happened between her and Craig, the cute guy who she had met at the local college and then made out with after she had found out that he was her teacher.
“I need to get ready for my class,” Craig mumbled, holding up a pile of books as if to prove it. “So, I really need to get going. But it’s nice to see you.” He quickly ducked into the teacher’s lounge, and they continued to walk down the hall.
Gabe squeezed her hand and nodded towards the direction where Craig had just left, as if asking her why he had acted so strangely. Lexi just shrugged, focusing her attention back on Anna in hopes that it would be enough of an answer for him.
“Professor Lindstrom is our Vampire Hunter Literature teacher,” Anna explained. Lexi knew that Anna hadn’t seen their silent exchange, but she was relieved that she had changed the subject.
“They have Vampire Hunter Lit?” Lexi asked, only pretending that she was interested. She wondered when her old high school gym teacher had suddenly adopted a newfound love for the arts. Weren’t guys who loved sports supposed to be uninterested in anything intellectual? She hated stereotypes, but her now deceased ex-boyfriend, Justin, had been a great hockey player – and a bit lacking in the academics department.
Lexi shook the thought away. If there was one thing she had learned since she had arrived in Briar Creek, it was that she shouldn’t make assumptions about people (or vampires and other species, for that matter). Craig seemed smart enough. And cute enough . . . and charming enough. At one point, Lexi had even began to think that Craig might have been able to replace Gabe, but that all came to an abrupt halt when she caught him sucking Mary-Kate’s neck in the hallway on the night of the dance.
She hadn’t realized at the time that Craig was actually a vampire and that he had only been drinking from Mary-Kate. At the time, they were so hot and heavy that it really seemed like they were romantically involved, but he was only doing what he needed to do to survive. That changed everything that Lexi had previously thought about him.
Or did it? Things had been great between Lexi and Gabe since Halloween night, but there was still something about Craig that attracted her to him. She wasn’t sure if it was the authority that he had over her because he was her teacher and would be again or if it was the way his light eyes popped in contrast to his olive-colored skin. Come to think of it, why was his skin so tan? Weren’t all vampires supposed to be pale? Craig wasn’t the only vampire she had met who wasn’t as pale as could be. Dan also had a sun-kissed glow.
Wait. If Craig was a vampire, what was he doing at Huntington, where there were vampire hunters? Did anyone here know that he was a teacher at Briar Creek High School? Or was there another reason he was here? Lexi made a mental note to talk to Anna about it later. She didn’t want to slip up and accidentally mention in front of Gabe that Craig had been anything more than just a teacher. Not that she really wanted Anna to know either, but if she did find out she would hopefully be cool enough to keep it from Gabe at least.
As if to reassure Gabe and possibly herself, Lexi reached for Gabe’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. He squeezed back. One of the things that she loved about having a vampire boyfriend was being able to hold his hand without having to worry about the nervous sweaty palms that teenage human boys sometimes got – and hers never got sweaty either, since Gabe’s hands were always colder than Lexi’s own warm hands.
They followed Anna into one of the classrooms. It looked just like the type of classroom that you would find at any high school; there were high school sized desks arranged in rows and world maps that hung from the walls. The classroom was free of students. “Professor Hart? I would like to introduce you to Lexi Hunter,” Anna said to the teacher, who was sitting in the back of the classroom at her desk, grading a stack of tests with a red marker.
Lexi noticed right away how beautiful the teacher was. Her auburn hair fell in long, loose waves over her narrow shoulders, and her porcelain skin looked flawless in the emerald green dress suit she was wearing. The one thing that caught Lexi off guard was the teacher’s age. It seemed kind of weird that she could be their teacher; she appeared to be around the same age as Lexi. She might have just looked really young for her age, but Lexi doubted it.
The woman looked up at them, her glossy lips twisting into a slight smile. Lexi smiled back. “Gabe Marshall,” Professor Hart said. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Veronica,” Gabe muttered. “Long time no see.”
“I’ll say.” Veronica Hart stood up from her desk and walked towards them, her high heels clacking against the tiled floor. She took a step closer to Gabe, placing both of her hands on his chest. “You’re a lot stronger than I remember. Not that your strength surprises me.”
“I suppose you take credit for that,” Lexi heard Gabe mutter under his breath. She felt her face twist into a confused expression. What was he talking about?
Lexi watched as their eyes met, as though they were somehow communicating with each other mentally. Veronica didn’t remove her hands from his chest. Feeling a sudden sense of possessiveness wash over her, Lexi gritted her teeth. Who was this Veronica woman, and why was she touching Gabe like this? Her Gabe.
More importantly, why was Gabe allowing Veronica Hart to touch him? Lexi wasn’t all over Craig when she had seen him a few minutes ago. If he had even tried to come close to her, she would have pushed him away in a heartbeat because she didn’t want to hurt Gabe. So, why was he hurting her by letting Veronica get that close to him?
“Let’s not go there right now, Veronica,” Gabe replied.
&nbs
p; The professor removed her hands from his chest and dropped them to her waist, a pouty expression on her face. “So, what is it that brings you here to Huntington?”
“Professor Hart, we wanted to introduce you to Lexi Hunter,” Anna said impatiently.
Professor Hart turned to Anna. “Yes, Anna, I am well aware of that. I was asking Gabe what brings him to Huntington. He is a vampire, after all.”
“He’s here to protect me,” Lexi spoke up. “I’m here to learn how to fight vampires, and since he’s my boyfriend, he came to make sure I stay safe.”
Veronica Hart turned her attention to Lexi, looking at her for the first time since Anna had attempted to introduce them. “Boyfriend?”
Lexi nodded. “Boyfriend,” she said again, putting extra emphasis on the word, hoping that she sounded at least a little bit sarcastic – and that it would actually sink into the woman’s head this time around.
Veronica took a step closer to Lexi, continuing to study her. “Hunter, you say? As in Benjamin Hunter’s daughter?”
Lexi nodded, trying not to show her annoyance. Why was it any of this woman’s business whose daughter she was? She promised herself that no matter what the woman said, she was going to stand her ground. It didn’t matter that Veronica was going to be her teacher soon; Lexi didn’t really have to be here if she didn’t want to be. At the same time, she was also going to try her hardest to be the bigger person. Lexi wasn’t going to stoop this woman’s maturity level and getting angry or annoyed would be the best way to let the woman know how much she was getting to her.
“That’s very interesting,” Veronica said, circling around her. “Your father and I have known each other for many, many years. I see that you’re still wearing the necklace,” she said calmly, her eyes locking on the pendant.
Lexi protectively reached for the bat necklace that she wore around her neck and nodded. “How is it that you know my father?”
“Let’s just say that I shared something very . . . special . . . with him,” Veronica replied, smiling mischievously. Um, eww, Lexi thought to herself. It was gross to think that this obnoxious woman could have been romantically involved with her father at some point.
“He showed me the necklace before you were born. You’ll want to wear it at all times while you’re at Huntington,” Veronica warned. “There are vampires on this campus. If they get even the slightest whiff of you, things could get really ugly.” She put an emphasis on ugly, which made Lexi feel as though Veronica was hinting that she was ugly. Lexi knew that she couldn’t compete with this woman’s beauty, but was she really ugly? And why was Gabe just standing next to her and not coming to her defense?
“I plan to wear it at all times,” Lexi replied matter-of-factly.
“I think we’re done here,” Austin said firmly. He had been quiet for so long that Lexi had nearly forgotten that he was in the room with them, but she was grateful that he had picked up on how uncomfortable she felt around Veronica.
“That’s a good idea,” Anna said, quickly catching on and coming to the rescue. “We still need to show Lexi around the rest of the school and introduce her to more professors.” Lexi shot the two of them thankful smiles.
“Are you going to be attending my class, Gabe?” Veronica asked as they all walked towards the door.
“So it seems,” Gabe replied.
“I look forward to it,” Veronica said before they all walked out of the classroom.
Lexi followed close behind Anna and Austin, plowing through the many questions that she had swirling through her mind. Just as she was about to ask Gabe one of them, Anna interrupted her thoughts. “Well, that was . . . interesting, to say the very least. I’m sorry Professor Hart was so rude to you, Lexi. I’ve never seen her act like that towards anyone before.”
Lexi shrugged, unsure of what to say. Somehow, it made it worse knowing that Veronica didn’t act like that towards all of her students – that Lexi was just an exception. It also didn’t help that she had no idea why Veronica seemed to hate her so much. Obviously, it had to do with Gabe, but how did they even know each other? And why did it almost feel like Veronica was holding something over him? Something about the whole entire situation made Lexi feel really uncomfortable, and she wanted to get the truth out of the situation before she had to sit in her class for a few hours.
“Anyway, Professor Hart teaches Vampire Geography and Tracking. She’ll teach about how to sense when a vampire is near, but remember that not everyone can do it.” Anna looked down at the ground. Her voice was dripping with disappointment. “It’s a talent that I haven’t quite caught on to yet.”
“I’m sure you will eventually,” Lexi said sympathetically. She felt genuinely bad for Anna. Unlike Lexi, she hadn’t been forced to come here. She came here by choice, because she really wanted to. It must be difficult to not be able to figure out the one thing that she had come here to do.
Lexi glanced over at Gabe, who was staring down at the ground, his body tense. “Umm, Anna, do we really have any more teachers who I need to meet?”
“Yeah, there’s Professor Shields and Professor Wiseman,” Anna replied.
“Do you think we can take a break right now?” Lexi asked. “I really need some alone time with Gabe so we can talk about some stuff.”
Anna nodded knowingly. “Come on,” she whispered to Austin, who followed her down the hallway.
“Let’s go outside,” Lexi suggested, opening the door that led to the courtyard in the center of the school.
Gabe followed her, not saying a word. They both sat down on a bench that sat beneath a huge maple tree in the middle of the courtyard.
“So, who is Veronica?” Lexi asked finally.
Gabe looked up at her. “She’s the vampire who changed me.”
****
Chapter 10
“What?” Lexi asked with wide eyes. “I thought you were, you know, born this way.”
Gabe laughed. “No, Lexi. I wasn’t born a vampire.”
“But you said your mom’s a vampire, too,” Lexi pointed out. “I figured that meant that it ran in your family.”
“Well, my mom is a vampire.”
“This is so confusing.” Lexi sighed.
“Do you remember what I told you about Dhampir children?”
Lexi shook her head. All she remembered was that, although she and Mary-Kate were supposed to be Dhampir, they weren’t because of the witch’s curse that said that no children in the Hunter family bloodline could ever become a vampire again. Lexi didn’t quite understand it because, to be technical, Dhampir were only half-vampires.
“A child can only be a Dhampir if their father is a vampire. Children who are born to vampire mothers will remain humans,” Gabe said. “My father wasn’t a vampire . . . only my mother was.”
“What about Caroline, though?” Lexi asked. “I thought you said that her father wouldn’t let her date you because you were a vampire when you were a teen.”
Gabe nodded. “That’s true. Right before I fell in love with Caroline, I met this girl. I used to play soccer, and she would always come to my games and sit on the grass and watch, always staring at me. One day, she just came up to me and told me that I needed to take her on a date.”
Gabe looked up at Lexi. “Things were different back then. People were sexist, and girls didn’t just ask guys out that way. It was considered rude and unacceptable, but something about the way she was so bold and daring made me attracted to her. I guess I was attracted to rebels or something. So, I did what she told me to do. I asked her to go on a date with me. I didn’t even know her name at that point, but she later informed me that it was Veronica Hart.”
“But things didn’t work out?” Lexi asked. She sort of hoped that Veronica had been the one to let Gabe go, but something told her that wasn’t the way it had happened. Judging from the way Veronica had acted in her classroom towards him a few minutes ago, it seemed like she still had feelings for Gabe, even after all these years.
&nbs
p; “We went out,” Gabe went on, not directly answering Lexi’s question. “And we had a really good time, so I asked her out again . . . and again. We ended up dating for about six months before I realized that she wasn’t the right girl for me.”
“How did you know that she wasn’t right for you?” Lexi twirled a piece of hair around her finger. Even though she was glad that Gabe hadn’t wanted to work things out with Veronica back then, it made her feel nervous to think that Gabe could wake up and realize at any time that she wasn’t the right girl for him either.
“Veronica is a really selfish person. She doesn’t care about anyone except for herself. Breaking up with her wasn’t easy, though, to be perfectly honest. She went a little psycho on me. Let me just say, I’m glad that cell phones weren’t around back then or she probably would have made my life a living hell by blowing up my cell phone with calls, voicemails, and text messages. Instead, she stalked me the old-fashioned way. She followed me everywhere I went, and she sent me a ton of love letters begging for me to give her another chance.”
“Okay, so, you knew she wasn’t right for you, and you were already broken up at this point,” Lexi said, trying to make sense of everything that she was learning about yet another one of Gabe’s former relationships. “Yet, she turned you into a vampire? How did that happen? I don’t get it.”
“Months had passed after I broke up with her, and she was still constantly pestering me,” Gabe began. “She promised me that if I agreed to give her one last chance, she would make things right and prove to me that we could be perfect together. Her parents were going out of town, and she asked me to spend the night at their house. That in itself was really risky. If I had gotten caught spending the night, the town probably would have wanted to give me a scarlet letter or something. Courting was highly frowned upon back then even with a chaperone and pre-marital intimacy just a bad idea altogether. I don’t know what I was thinking by going over there that night, honestly. I think I just wanted to be able to say, ‘Look, I tried to give you what you wanted, but it still didn’t work out. Now leave me alone.’ I would soon learn that one last chance wasn’t what Veronica wanted, and it wasn’t why she had convinced me to go there.