Protected (Book 1 in the Ariya Adams trilogy)

by Anna Applegate

  “Well, um…” Think of an excuse, Ariya! Emma was beaming.

  “Ariya, don’t be rude! Of course we’d love to play doubles,” Emma chimed in, in that disgustingly fake singsong voice she had.

  Riley started at her for a moment longer, and then averted his gaze to me, making sure I knew exactly what he thought about this situation. He was pissed at me. He was being my best friend again. If it had been under different circumstances, I would have been thrilled, but it was under the circumstance of him having to see me with Emma. This was bad for Riley’s safety.

  We walked up to the shoe rack and paid for our rental shoes and one game. Hopefully that’s all we’d stay for. Emma took Helen by the arm and led her to a lane while Riley and I were still waiting to get our shoes. The guy behind the counter looked young, maybe high school. This had to be his first day because he was running around trying to find everything and fill out his paperwork. This meant it was taking much longer than it should have and Riley was staring me down. Deciding I couldn’t avoid the lasers being drilled into my head anymore, I turned to face him.

  “Yes?” I asked. It came our rude, and that made me feel guilty. I was nervous and quite honestly, didn’t know how to act.

  “What are you doing, Ariya?” he asked, angrily.

  I obviously knew what he was referring to, but I tried to play it off. “With what?”

  “You know with what. You and James’ girlfriend are buddy, buddy now? What is wrong with you?”

  “Riley, I’m just trying to be nice. She’s a relative and new to town. She doesn’t know anyone.” Good job, Ariya. That’s believable enough.

  “Ariya, that’s messed up. Even for you. You do this to yourself all the time. You can’t enjoy knowing she’s with James. I know how much you like him.” The boy behind the counter handed us our shoes.

  “Riley, it’s fine. I’m fine. You don’t need to look out for me any more.” He looked surprised by the remark.

  Angry, I grabbed the shoes and headed over to where Emma and Helen were sitting. I shouldn’t be so mean to him when he was only watching out for me. The hole that the lack of his friendship had left inside of me had been pushed aside with everything else going on, and it wasn’t until this moment that I was forced to think about it again. There was no reason to be so nasty to him. He was just trying to force me into sticking up for myself. He also had every right to be mad at me. If I had just accepted him, we wouldn’t be in this situation. Or would we? Emma was probably coming after me no matter whom I was dating.

  When I got back to Emma, Helen was smiling, so at least I could rest assured Emma hadn’t been creeping her out too much. Riley plopped down across from me, still glaring at me. Not only did I need to act friendly with Emma, but now I was going to have to ignore Riley’s cold stares. This was turning out to be a really great afternoon.

  After about five turns each, Riley interrupted my current mindless babble, striking up a conversation with Emma. My chatting had kept up most of the game thus far, and my mouth was going a mile a minute. No one else could get a word in. I didn’t care if I sounded crazy or not – hopefully they all thought I was just in a chatty mood. Helen seemed to be enjoying herself. Riley though? Not so much.

  “So Emma, how did you and James meet?” Uh oh, I thought as Riley asked the question, cutting off my incessant noise-making about how football and hockey were different.

  Emma beamed. “Well, we met awhile back. It was love at first sight, you know how it goes.”

  She sighed, and my skin crawled at how superficial this vampire was.

  “We went our separate ways for awhile, but then when I came to visit Ariya here, we reunited. It’s like nothing has changed and we’re back together. Of course, Ariya and I had to work out some things, but we’re family, so all’s well that ends well.” She used the best fake smile I’d seen her use yet as she spoke.

  I grabbed the bowling ball and momentarily thought about bashing it over her head, but instead walked away. It was my turn. Saved by the ball.

  “Huh,” Riley snorted behind me. “James and I got pretty close earlier when he started school here. I’m surprised he didn’t mention you.”

  Emma’s features hardened for a moment. Helen looked a bit confused, and then looked at Riley in shock, no doubt wondering why he was being so rude. She stood up and grabbed the bowling ball to take her turn as I returned to my seat. No one was really paying attention to the game any longer.

  “Yes, well, sometimes people keep their feelings to themselves Riley, especially painful ones. James and I both thought that our relationship was something neither of us would have again. Have you ever kept something to yourself, thinking it would never happen? Crushes perhaps? Unrequited love? Anything like that?”

  She looked up at me and now it was my turn to harden up. My jaw opened a bit and I stared at her. How dare she! Riley shot his gaze over at me for a minute and frowned. His look turned quickly to one of hurt. I shook my head. I was trying to impossibly telepathically communicate to him that I hadn’t told her anything. He wouldn’t believe me.

  That comment had been a jab and Emma knew it and had done it on purpose. She had been watching me for a while now if she knew that tid-bit of information. I hated that she knew something so intimate about Riley and me. No one else should know about our private conversations, especially Emma.

  Helen sat down and Riley took his turn.

  “So, Helen, what else are you all up to today?” I had to change the subject before Emma hurt Riley anymore.

  She couldn’t get away with being so horrible the whole afternoon. If she couldn’t get a word in anymore, I could protect Riley and Helen and try to salvage their day at least.

  “Riley is cooking for me tonight. He won’t tell me what though, the sneak.” Riley turned and smiled at her.

  She was glowing back at him. They seemed like they were really getting along well. Jealousy reared its ugly green head for a moment, but I forced a smile onto my face. It made me feel horrible, that I was surprised by the fact that Riley was happy with someone besides me. What kind of a friend was I? If he hadn’t made his feelings known, I’d be happy for him, so what was wrong with me now?

  “Oh, lucky girl! You know, Caroline and I would have starved our sophomore year if it weren’t for Riley. You’re in good hands.”

  Helen smiled brighter. We could be friends. She seemed like such easy company to keep. Was it a good idea being nice to her with Emma sitting right here? That would just add another person to her ever-growing list of people Ariya cared about.

  “Good to know!” she said.

  We kept bowling, and I noticed that we were only one frame away from finally ending the game. I started gabbing again, trying to pick apart who was going to win. Helen jumped in, joking along, and I thought if we could keep this up for just a bit longer, we’d be able to finish and leave in peace. Riley ended up bowling a strike to solidify his lead.

  Emma was the last to go and threw a gutter ball.

  “Whoops! Aw, Riley it looks like you win.” She grabbed his arm gently and laughed.

  Helen was either very good at hiding jealousy or she was not in any way worried about her status with Riley, because she didn’t seem fazed by Emma’s obvious flirting. Me, on the other hand? I wanted to stomp on her hand so that she never touched him again.

  “Yeah, we should get going since we have to go to the store first before dinner tonight. Good seeing you, Ariya.”

  He made a point not to say anything to Emma.

  They walked up to the bench by the shoe stand and were alone again. Helen smiled up at him and looped her arm through his. I was glad they were gone, leaving me alone with my monster relative. Turning back to face Emma, it was clear she was staring after him in a way that looked an awful lot like lust.

  “Isn’t he just yummy?” she commented, licking her lips.

  “Back off, Emma,” I said through grinding teeth. I was getting tired of her and wished I were strong enou
gh to get rid of her myself.

  “No? There seemed to be something there between you two. Does James know?”

  I knew she was trying to get under my skin again, and it was difficult to act as if it wasn’t working. Everything she had said today was getting under my skin.

  “There is nothing there, and if you even think about speaking to him again, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

  Her features darkened, instantaneously.

  “I said don’t forget who you’re speaking to, Ariya. I could beat you to a pulp and feed you my blood to cover it up so no one would know. If you don’t watch your mouth, I’ll just threaten him, too. He would fit in nicely on my list of people to get back at you with.” She stopped talking, put on her fake smile, and took my arm. “Let’s go. I’m sure you’re hungry. Where would you like to eat?”

  “I don’t care, Emma. Just pick something.” All I wanted to do was go home.

  “Oh, you wouldn’t want me to pick, Ariya. You know what I eat.”

  I looked over at her and her teeth were gleaming white. As normal as all these vampires acted around me, I kept forgetting they relied on blood. How often did they have to eat? James had said in the story he told me that the bloodlust is painful, but he could control it. That didn’t mean Emma could or wanted to. No point in letting some innocent bystander be her next Happy Meal.

  After returning our shoes to the rental counter, I decided on a place that was off the beaten path and led in the direction away from the center of town. The pub I’d picked wasn’t usually too crowded. A place with limited food supply for her was probably best. She was definitely unstable, and I shouldn’t risk anything with her.

  We ordered my food and sat down. “So, how are you enjoying our time together? It’s quite wonderful to get to know me, isn’t it?” She flicked her long blonde hair back over her shoulder as she spoke.

  “Oh yes, quite wonderful. Emma, there is something I’ve been wondering. Since I’m in on the game now, am I allowed to ask questions?”

  “That depends. Go ahead and ask and I’ll decide whether or not to answer.”

  “How did you find me? Us, I mean? James didn’t seem to know where you had been, and then you just show up ready to help.”

  “Yes, well I have always been around, you all just haven’t known it. That’s a scary thought, right? The Protectors not knowing the influence I’ve had.” She was grinning an evil, wide smile. She reminded me of a predator before a hunt.

  “What influence?” I kept going, and I would until she stopped me. I needed to get information out of her.

  “Well, for starters, what was that guidance counselor’s name of yours … Larrys … Lazirous...”

  “Miss Lazaro?” I looked at her surprised.

  “That’s it! Do you really think she knew about Mineral Point before I told her to tell you about it? Of course, I made her forget it was my idea and she thought it was all hers. I knew what you liked and didn’t like, which worked out perfectly for this college. A remote location where plenty of werewolves are known to gather. It couldn’t be more perfect for us or more dangerous for you. We thought we’d bring you to us instead of us having to come to you.”

  Impossible. Emma had been around? She was right; it did worry me that the Protectors hadn’t known that. The thought was unsettling.

  “So this has been in the works for some time?”

  “Oh yes, quite some time. We’d tried before to go after the bloodline, but the Protectors can come together so quickly that we didn’t get what we really wanted. Your grandmother was killed, of course, but your mother had already escaped. They knew we were coming. For now, they don’t know everything like they did for that attack. Being here has been so much easier.”

  “You killed my grandmother? Your own family!”

  “Well, not me personally, but I was part of the plan. Just like your plan. Oh, don’t look so shocked! I’m a bad guy, remember? And you chose the wrong side.” She laughed at that, which upset me more.

  That last thing she said. “Wrong side.” I had heard it before.

  “You’ve been watching me here. You were outside my room when I started this semester. You said that to me! ‘Be careful what side you choose.’ You’re messing with me, Emma. I don’t like it.” She just laughed again.

  “It really has been fun getting to actually play with you. It’s an exciting time for me. And you think I care what you like? Stupid little Ariya. I have enjoyed watching you, James, and Riley. That one was fun. You were so upset when he poured his heart out to you. I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing out loud at how pathetic you turned out to be after that incident. Moping around for two weeks. You are such a child. I can’t understand why they all love you so much.” She really wasn’t happy with the fact that I had Riley’s attention, and James’.

  “You truly are a monster, Emma. You wouldn’t understand anything good.” I knew the words wouldn’t faze her, but I was too angry to waste any more of my breath on her.

  She was despicable.

  “Thank you, Ariya, now finish up. I’m tired of pretending to be nice and I wouldn’t want to hurt you before it’s time to. I haven’t had lunch yet, and I’m starving.”

  My face blanched at the comment. I didn’t care where she was or what she did, as long as I could be away from her and the people I cared about were safe. Her statement gave me the sign that finally this outing could be over and I could head back to the apartment. The rest of my vampires would be there waiting to make sure I got back safely.

  Unfortunately, I couldn’t slam the door, squirm, and hide away from Emma, even though that’s the only thing I wanted to do. I had to play it cool and pretend I got to do what I’d wanted that day. After seeing how she treated her own family, I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to stake my vampire friends or kill Riley. My performance had to be good enough to protect them.

  We walked home in silence, which was fine by me. It gave me time to build up my confidence. Emma had decided to stay once we got to the apartment, making the need for me to act happy and normal even more crucial since she would be watching my every move. She walked straight over to where James was sitting and wiggled in next to him. She had plenty of room on the couch to sit normally, but instead she was basically on top of him. This time, he didn’t make a move to push her away. Ignore it, Ariya. She’s watching you.

  I made sure that I was adding to the conversation, even sharing a couple drinks after dinner with everyone. It was another quiet evening in the apartment, like most evenings, now that Devon was a threat again. We didn’t go to many parties and when we did, I was always watched like a hawk. Many times, we just invited friends to our place. Tonight, it was just the vampires and me. Watching movies, playing drinking games, trying to pretend everything was okay. It was obvious none of them liked this sitting around, but they all sucked it up for me.

  After a couple hours, I was finally free to retreat to my own thoughts at the end of the night. I headed into my room for some peace. Would Emma really add Riley to the list of people she’d hurt? I kept thinking how if she did add him, I couldn’t save him. He wasn’t a vampire. Please let him stay safe, I prayed. Caroline barged in moments later.

  “All right, spit it out. You are miserable and you can’t lie to me anymore, Ariya. You’re my best friend and I know when something is wrong. What is going on with Emma? What are you hiding?”

  How could I lie to her and have her believe me? I couldn’t. She did know me too well. Think, Ariya, this is her life.

  “Caroline, if I’m acting weird it’s because a lot has happened in a short amount of time. There is a lot going on that I’m trying to process. I swear that’s all it is. I am trying to find a balance between what I thought to be just stories and reality, and figuring out how I fit into all of this. If something was wrong, I would tell you.”

  She was angry. I don’t know if that convinced her I was okay, but I could tell she still wasn’t happy with me.

  “That�
��s a lie.” She crossed her arms, expecting more.

  Fumbling around in my mind, I pulled out the only other thing that might not come across as a total lie.

  “Emma is always all over James. He lets her do it, too. Nick has told me there is nothing there, but I don’t really believe…” Caroline cut me off.

  “Lying again. James is tired of all things Emma-related, and so he ignores it. You know as well as I do there is nothing there.”

  I wasn’t as 100% convinced as she made it seem, but now that she said it, I hadn’t truly been jealous of anything between them recently. I noticed the touches, but it was always Emma. My jealousy stemmed from the past, but I had nothing else to go on as a reason for being off.

  “That’s the truth, Caroline.” I swallowed hard.

  “Fine,” she said, and walked out, clearly not believing me.

  Lying to her was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was necessary to keep her safe. She would understand that eventually, since that’s exactly what she had been doing to me for the past three years.

  The worry and fear of the day had caught up with me, and my bravery had started to fade as I kept thinking about the horrible things Emma could do to me and to the people I loved. I escaped into my dreams that night, preparing for the nightmares to come yet again.

  Chapter 13

  It was almost winter break. Emma hadn’t tried anything with me again, and I was glad I didn’t have to fake another one-on-one outing with her.

  James was around more and we would talk about things. We were trying to be friends, but there was no denying that we both wanted more. At first, I didn’t want to let my mind think that way. I wanted to keep believing he didn’t care, but it was impossible.

  While I was always the hopeful encouraging one to friends, the one who still believed in fairytales, when it came to me, I was usually doubtful once the situation was upon me. Even I, the pessimist in my own relationships and when it came to guys in general, could tell he was struggling.

  The other night, I woke up from a nightmare about Emma killing everyone, leaving me the only one alive to live alone. I gasped and shot straight up into a sitting position. Realizing it was a dream, I brought my hand to my heart, thinking it was possible to slow it down that way. My bedroom door opened and I saw James walk in, concerned.