by Kasi Blake
Bay-Lee went for a walk, needing to clear her head before going to her first class. Students were warned not to explore the rain forest by themselves. There could be monsters lurking, hoping to catch a hunter unaware, but she was no ordinary girl. She crossed over to the Realm by herself whenever she felt like it and she’d been trained by Van Helsing. The forest didn’t scare her.
She weaved between trees covered in lush green foliage until she found a dirt path. Pulling fresh air into her lungs, she ducked under moss-covered hanging branches and hopped over a fallen log. It was a nice, peaceful walk… until she heard voices.
Bay-Lee ducked behind the nearest tree. She peered around it to see Alec Gallos talking to someone she didn’t recognize. The other man was tall and lean with pale skin and long, tapered fingers. Vampire. They were graceful creatures, easy to spot. Now why was Alec sneaking around with a vampire?
Because vampires had acute hearing, she couldn’t creep closer to eavesdrop. All she could do was study their body language. The vampire placed a hand on Alec’s shoulder, a show of respect. Odd, they rarely touched anyone, thinking humans beneath them. Alec actually turned away from the vampire at one point, leaving his back unguarded, a sign of trust.
When they finished, the two gentlemen clasped hands, another show of mutual respect. It was a strange sight, a hunter and a monster sharing a brief conversation without anyone producing a weapon. She made a mental note to warn Van about Nick’s brother. The guy was obviously up to something.
She left the area as quietly as she could manage and continued on her walk. Now she had an additional problem, what to do about Alec Gallos. Van obviously trusted the man. She wondered if he would even listen to her if she ran to him with this new information.
The woods parted to reveal a small clearing. It was a magical moment, like stumbling onto the scene of a fairy tale in motion. There was a short waterfall in the distance and a coffin in the center of the clearing, but there wasn’t a mourner in sight. Although the coffin wasn’t made of glass, it reminded her of Snow White. But where were the dwarves? Where was Prince Charming?
It took a moment for her to notice him standing on the other side of the coffin, half empty bottle of Jack Daniels dangling from the end of his fingers.
Nick circled the coffin with a tight grimace on his face. He spoke to her without looking at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be babysitting?”
“Wha—?”
“The nutcase,” he said, obviously referring to Tessa. “Aren’t you afraid she’ll get another visit from her dear old dead mom while you’re traipsing all over the woods?”
“Keisha stopped by to talk to her before class, and I felt like taking a walk.” Feeling a sudden chill, she wrapped her arms around her own body. “What are you doing out here?”
The question seemed to puzzle him. His brows drew together over narrowed eyes, and he mumbled, “Saying goodbye to my life.”
“Drama queen.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re still alive, aren’t you?”
A fierce burst of anger ignited in his burning gaze.
When was she going to break herself of the habit? It pissed off people faster than anything. Connor had warned her several times to stop rolling her eyes. Nick rounded the coffin while shaking his finger at her. “You did this to me!”
Taken aback, she said the first thing that popped into her head. “How can you blame me for Van killing off Tyler Beck?”
He didn’t stop until he was within inches of her face. “It all started with you.”
The alcohol-soaked breath hit her in the face. It was strong enough to make her dizzy, the terrible smell, and her nose wrinkled. “What did?”
“The prophecy. What my parents did. Everything. It all started with you.”
“How?”
“I have to learn to be someone else now.” His gaze drifted to the coffin. “Or I have to learn to be me again. Scary thought. I haven’t been me in years, and I’m not sure where to start.”
Bay-Lee considered the problem. It was something they shared. She opened her mouth to point out the similarities between them, but the direction of her mind changed when Nick did something totally unexpected. He lifted the coffin’s lid and climbed inside. Closing his eyes, he folded arms over his chest and took in a deep breath.
“What in the world are you doing?”
“It’s my coffin,” he said, eyes still closed, “and it was empty. It shouldn’t be empty.”
“Wow. You’re wasted.”
“Close the lid.”
Faintly alarmed, her voice squeaked. “Why?”
“I want to see what it’s like to be dead.”
“That’s it.” Fear clogged her throat and being afraid made her sick to her stomach. She didn’t like being scared. It reminded her of the night her mother died. She shouted at him. “Get your sorry ass out of there!”
His eyes popped open.
When he didn’t immediately jump out, she yelled, “Now!”
He sat up and blinked hooded eyes. “Huh?”
Pacing in front of the coffin, she let him have it. “I am done listening to you cry over losing a fake identity. Get over yourself, moron! You were living a lie. It’s over. Time to man up and deal with it. Everyone has a sob story, including me. That doesn’t mean we get to bitch and whine and bury ourselves in the first coffin we see.”
“Oh.” He swung a leg over the side and tried to climb out, not an easy feat considering his inebriation. “So your mom tried to kill you too?”
Before she got the chance to enlighten him, another voice intruded. “What’s going on here?” It was Alec. His glaring gaze landed on her, accusing. “And how long have you been out here?”
She froze. Did he know she’d been spying on him and the vampire? “A while,” she said. Using his drunk brother as a cover, she added, “Nick wanted to check out his grave, and I was worried about him.”
Alec’s gaze went to Nick who was still struggling for freedom. Gravity tried to pull him back inside the coffin. He grunted and kicked both legs against the sides, unable to lift his butt high enough to clear the edge. The alcohol had made him klutzy. “So I see.” Alec scowled at her. “You can go.”
“But…”
“I will take care of my brother, child. Go.”
Because he was a teacher at the school and she was only Bait she had to obey, but she took as much time as possible, lingering for a moment at the tree line. She overheard Alec’s softening tone when he spoke to Nick. She glanced over her shoulder. Alec walked over to the coffin and helped Nick out.
“What are you doing to yourself?” Alec asked.
Nick growled. “Don’t… need… help.”
“Let’s get you to the castle before someone sees you.”
Alec pulled Nick’s arm over his shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. They walked in the direction of Van Helsing’s home. Nick stumbled, muttering, “You’re a good brother.”
“I’ll remind you of that later when you’re sober.”
Bay-Lee walked away, grateful Nick had someone to lean on, literally.