by Dale Mayer
The blood farm is gone. Those behind it have either died, been caught, or are on the run. Time to return to the real world.
Only normal life isn't quite what Tessa expected. Good thing, because there is no 'normal' anymore. She's different. Her family is different. Her friends are different. The world around her is different. Trying to find her place is not easy. She wants nothing more than to be a normal teenager and join Cody and his friends on a Friday night out.
Cody wants the trouble to be over so he can get back to living the life he used to with one major addition – Tessa.
Only Ian and Jewel aren't healing well, Rhia is acting out of character, and Jared keeps tripping over dead bodies. Then there's David, who'll do anything to help Jewel…even something he knows he shouldn't do.
Something is wrong, and once again it's up to Tessa to figure out what is happening under the surface of this 'normal' life.
Dale Mayer
Valley Publishing
Copyright © 2014
ISBN: 978-1-928122-22-7
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidences either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
License Note
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table Of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Author's Note
BOOK LIST
Chapter 1
And she thought she'd come home to a hero's welcome – why? Tessa stared at the clear pathway in front of her. She'd just entered the high school to find students lined up on either side watching, silent, solemn, as she walked down the long hallway to her school locker.
No one said a word. There wasn't a smile for her... oddly enough, neither was there a frown.
Tension permeated the air.
A sense of watchfulness. A sense of waiting.
Already, she wished today was over. Instead, she'd just walked inside the double doors ahead of the morning bell.
She hadn't really expected a warm welcome. After all, she'd been more or less ignored when she'd been in class before – except for her circle of friends. She knew most of the kids in her grade, but there were many grades attending the school. She was a stranger to most of them.
Unfortunately, they appeared to know who she was now.
Putting steel into her backbone, she tossed her hair back and walked to her locker. As she opened the lock, the silence was filled in with whispers. She'd walked the gauntlet and survived. Now they could talk about her in their little cliques.
She shrugged. After what she'd been through, what was a little gossip? Many had talked about her before this last week, so this wasn't new.
Just then a soft voice entered her mind. You don't need to be there. You have a choice.
Cody.
Miss me? The warmth of his voice had her dropping her head against the locker, a silly smile on her face. So much, she answered. I'd almost rather be fighting in the blood farm than struggling through this day.
And yet you are there by choice. His tone was puzzled, confused. None of her family and friends would understand her need to come back to her human school.
Maybe that was because she couldn't really explain it herself.
I know. She struggled to come up with an answer that would help. In the end, all she could say helplessly was, I had to come back – even if only to say goodbye.
Then do what you need to do. I'll talk to you later. His voice took on a humorous tone as he added, And if you need me, just call.
Thanks, she whispered, feeling her world righting itself yet again. So what if these people didn't want anything to do with her? She had Cody.
Damn right, he said, then he was gone. Like a warm wind blowing through her heart, he'd popped in when her discomfort reached him and now that she was fine, he was gone again. And she was fine. Now.
She pulled her books out and relocked her locker and headed to her first class. She wished she'd had more sleep. But she'd had horrible nightmares about that crazy jump off the mountain. Every time she woke up as she stepped into the abyss.
Sighing, she pulled out her new phone and checked for calls. Still none. Her phone had been suspiciously quiet since she'd returned home from Moltere's Mountain – or what was left of it.
She'd tried calling her friends several times since, but there'd been no answer. She hadn't seen Catherine or Jill at the end because once the rescue vehicles had arrived, everyone had disappeared into dozens of different directions. Her friends should be recuperating. Some, like Ian and Jewel, had been taken to the hospital. Of Jared, she had no idea. His testimony was going to be huge against the rogue vampires. Even her parents and brothers were all involved in treatments or heavy meetings. The Councils on both sides were gearing up for talks and if that didn't work, war.
The Vampire Council had a mess on their hands.
And she was caught in the middle and yet left out. That last part stung.
She was a mere teenager and needed to let the grownups deal with this. At least, that had been her aunt Gittoria's comment.
As if Tessa hadn't been through hell this last week and come out a different person. Yet it was like everyone was trying to slot her back into the old insecure meek teenager role. A role that no longer fit.
Once again she felt caught in-between the old Tessa and the new Tessa. It was weird – as if she didn't fit into her new skin. She needed to adjust to a new normal – whatever that was. Or rather she needed her life to adjust to the new 'normal' Tessa. She'd been on a roller coaster of danger and action for so long. A crazy ride where she'd acted and others had followed. Where she'd spoken and others had listened.
She had loved that.
She wanted that back.
Instead, in the aftermath, her parents, friends, and all the new people she'd come to know, like Motre, had specific jobs to do. They'd all headed off, leaving Tessa more or less alone. Even Cody had to deal with the fallout of his brother's involvement and his subsequent death. Sometime later today, he was supposed to see a specialist about his wing.
She'd have been better off alone actually, but Aunt Gittoria had arrived to look after her. Talk about insulting. Then to make matters worse, that witch of an aunt had been very free in her opinion of Tessa being nothing but a mutant teenager. That had been fun. Not. Gittoria had kept up the jabbering until she'd walked back out the front door leaving Tessa alone.
Taz had arrived soon after and put her through a mess of tests. Then he'd left, too.
She'd been lost. Her family had so much to deal with, they'd been gone all weekend. Leaving her to heal – to recuperate.
How could she do that? She'd been exhausted, true. And sore. And at odds. She'd tried to sleep, had the longest bath possible, and had eat
en several times. Then she'd woken up early and realized her family had come and gone while she'd slept and she was once again alone.
That had sent her bad mood to an all-new low.
She'd immediately had a shower, shampooed her hair then with a pair of scissors cut her hair. She'd given herself bangs and lost the tiny streak that was left of her old dye job. Personally she thought it did a lot to shake off the old Tessa look. Dressed in new black jeans, new short boots and a deep blood red t-shirt she felt almost normal.
Seconds later, she'd also realized it was a school day after having missed a full week. Catching up on her homework was going to be nasty. Still, there was no easy way to rejoin the normal world but to show up.
She'd dressed, feeling odd to do such a simple task, and walked the few blocks to the human school. With every step she took, she felt like she was doing the wrong thing. By the time she'd passed the mall, she was wondering about the brilliance of this incredibly stupid idea. But it was late in the school year. How could she switch now without failing her classes and losing the entire term? Besides, she was desperate to reconnect with Catherine and Jill.
She could have gone to the vampire school. At least she thought she could have, but until she tried to change she didn't know how that would work. Besides, would switching have been better or worse? And that brought her back to her human friends. She knew the girls weren't likely to be here today as they were still recovering from the drugs. And neither were answering their cell phones. She didn't know if they no longer had their phones, weren't conscious, or were ignoring her.
That the last was a definite possibility hurt. Big time.
And Jared? She had no idea. She had no cell number for him and he didn't have hers. She could only hope he'd be here at school.
Tessa hitched up her jeans for the umpteenth time that morning, realizing she'd dropped so much weight last week that her clothes barely fit. She needed to go shopping.
Or she could just eat more. She patted her pockets, which held several granola bars, and entered the lively classroom. Conversations bustled on around her until slowly people noticed her presence. Conversations died.
Leaving an awkward silence.
Great.
Looks like it was going to be a long day.
Just as she resigned herself to being on the outside and shunned – again – there was a commotion at the door.
She turned to see Jared at the doorway, surrounded by friends slapping him on the shoulder and high-fiving him. She chuckled as he was sent from side to side by his friends’ good-natured jostling. He looked good. Damned good.
I heard that.
And that made her brighten that much more.
Cody, she said, What are you doing here again? I thought you'd be busy doing important Council stuff all day? Not checking in on me all the time.
I should be. He laughed. And I definitely shouldn't be talking to you during class.
Class hasn't started, and I'm already wondering what I'm doing here.
Admiring Jared apparently. His voice took on a disgruntled tone, making him sound like an upset two year old. She sighed with happiness.
At that, her world righted itself for the second time that morning. She was here to see if she should continue to go to this school. To find out if this place matched the Tessa who'd returned from Moltere's Mountain. She would give herself some time to make that determination. She had friends here but if she went to a vampire school, she knew that she would lose them eventually. Maybe not at the beginning, but over time…she would. That made her sad to think about.
Yeah well, I'm pretty sure that Wendy and Jewel are missing you badly, too.
Tessa sat up straighter, then slumped. Nah, they might like me…now, but they have a whole mess of vampire friends. Besides, they are David's friends, not mine.
Why can't they be both? Cody questioned. Ian would be insulted to not be considered your friend. Honey, we went through hell this last week. We're all different. Our values have been shaken, our ideals and ethics questioned. Our sense of right and wrong, what we thought of as our history and what we want for our future…everything has been torn apart. I'm different, you're different, and so are they. David can be your friend and your brother. Jewel and Wendy can be your friends and introduce you to more. You don't have to feel as if you don't belong in the vampire world anymore.
It might be different for me in that world, she said, but I don't know how different.
Time to find out. We're all doing a get together in a couple of days. I want you to come.
Now she grinned. Really?
Hell yeah. So book it in – no excuses. And he disappeared.
She turned to glance behind her to see that Jared was finally making his way further into the classroom. Now he'd gotten a hero's welcome. He deserved it. She was happy for him.
He was one of the good guys. And there were few left of them in this world.
She watched as Jared's gaze swept the classroom, whipped past her, hit the brakes, and ripped back toward her. His face lit up. "Tessa!"
She jumped to her feet and ran toward him.
Instantly she was engulfed in his arms.
***
Jared hugged Tessa tight. He couldn't stop laughing as he rocked her from side to side. "I can't believe we made it out alive. All of us. Like freaking all of us. And the way you got off the mountain…after we thought you'd been blown up inside it." He shook his head in wonder.
There had been cries of horror as rock flew in all directions and part of the mountain toppled sideways. Worse had been the realization that there'd been people standing at the top. He'd died a half dozen times, petrified that Tessa had been one of those people. When he realized she had been – everything had been so much worse. He, like all the rest, had watched in horror as the mountain had blown up after Gloria pushed that damn detonator.
Time had passed in slow motion as everyone waited for news.
When she'd come crashing down at that speed, they'd all figured she was gone. Then she'd done that weird ballet-jumping thing and somehow pulled off the landing of the century. Jared remembered how her parents had cried out in horror then shock and then roared with laughter as she'd made her way toward them in classic Tessa style. But that damn grin of hers had beamed so bright…he knew he hadn't been the only one affected by her presence.
God, he'd been so proud of her.
He squeezed her again before backing off slightly so he could look her in the eye. "I never got a chance to see you afterwards." He gave her a lopsided grin. "At least not for long."
In truth, there'd been a hell of a party of all of about ten minutes before all the ambulances had arrived to pick up the injured and the drugged. He'd been neither, and he and a few other humans had been carted away in separate vehicles. The Councilmen had banded together – drugged and injured vamp and human members alike – and had taken off in a different convoy.
And he hadn't had a chance to tell her how much he'd admired what she'd done. Or anyone. Well, he could fix that now. He looked around to see everyone who'd cheered his arrival at school today standing and staring at them. Some had doubt on their faces, others cringed at the thought of him touching her, and even more were intrigued that he had her in his arms.
Speaking of which, it was a damn good thing Cody wasn't here. He'd break Jared's arms for touching her. And damn if the hairs on the back of his neck didn't rise. He had to cast a quick glance around to make sure he wasn't about to get his face punched in.
Well, they were as alone as they could be in a roomful of teenage humans. Just to be sure, he whispered, "Cody isn't here, is he?"
She shook her head, her eyes sparkling with laughter.
He grinned and turned to the students surrounding them at a distance. "Everyone, I want you to know that Tessa has been going to our school for years. I've been lucky enough to be her friend this last year, and I have to tell you, she has saved my life…more than once this week."
He p
aused, his voice serious, and added. "I owe her everything. We owe her so much. She rescued the humans that were recently kidnapped. She brought in a large group of vamps to help rescue the others, and she fought so many of her own kind, and…" he winced, "Some of our kind, to bring an end to that blood farm."
He grinned. "Tessa is gorgeous inside and out. And if you get any ideas about her, Cody, one of the most vicious vamps I've ever met, will rip your arms off."
The guys all stepped back. He laughed. "Just kidding!"
Tessa upped and slugged him gently in the stomach. She smiled at everyone, still that shy lilt of her lips that had caught his attention in the first place. She'd been quiet, studious, and slightly on the outside of everything at school. He'd barely noticed her at the beginning, but once he'd noticed, he'd been unable to stop staring. He'd lost that battle to Cody but he counted himself blessed to call her a friend.
He smiled at everyone. "Seriously, she's the best friend any one could have, and she stepped forward to save our way of life." He stepped back slightly and started clapping. There were a few seconds of hesitation, then several others joined in and within minutes the room exploded with applause.
Jared smiled at Tessa as color washed over her face. Good. She deserved this…and so much more.
But this was a start. She could find acceptance here – now. And that meant he could see her on a regular basis. He'd been worried that she'd no longer go to his school and he'd never see her again. That would have been difficult. He knew of no other friend or family that would have done what she'd done for him.
***
Cody sat back and glared at the doctor. "The wing is just fine."
The doctor, an old friend of his father's, said, "It isn't fine. It will be, but it's not there yet. You did too much too fast."
Cody rolled his eyes as he turned away. And damn if Goran didn't cuff him. Cody sighed and settled back. "I didn't have much choice. People, good people would have died if I hadn't gone back to help."