"It's so good to have you back, Alexis!"
"Cliff, where were you?"
"Are two back together?"
"What happened to Tanner?"
"You look like you haven't been through any ordeal at all! You look fabulous!"
I took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Everything's fine. I need to get to class."
The crowd parted and we were just able to squeeze through and get to the stairs. Once we were upstairs, everyone there crowded around us asking the same questions. I barely got to my class just as the final bell rang.
"Alexis, it's wonderful to see you back in class," my teacher said in front of the whole class.
"Thanks, I'm glad to be back in school…I think."
The class laughed.
"Everyone was very worried about you and Tanner," the teacher continued. "It's such a relief that you both made it back. As you are undoubtedly aware, kids who are abducted don't often have that experience. Each passing day brings the odds down."
"Yes, I know. We're both very grateful to be back with our families and friends," I replied, hoping that he would start talking about the topic of the day. I didn't want to be the center of attention.
"It was hard on a lot of people in your classes to see the empty seat where you should have been. You had a lot of people praying for you and sending good thoughts. In our class, we had an idea that we hope you will be excited about."
"Oh?" So much for not being the center of attention. I had hoped to continue being invisible in my classes, where I was the constant curve-killer, lowering everyone's grades in the honors classes.
"We were talking about creating a bully awareness campaign or a club for the school or community. There's a need for more awareness and the problem did get some attention while you were gone, but we think that more needs to be done."
"That's true," I said. "People were being pretty cruel to me before I was abducted."
"Would you be up for something like that? Starting a campaign or club?"
"You want me to start it?"
"Not by yourself; it would be a group effort by the class. We would set aside our normal studies and make this a special project. Some things are more important than sticking to the curriculum. If you would be willing, we'd like you to be the spokesperson, the face for the cause."
"Oh wow. I didn't see that coming," I admitted. "Sure, I could do that. I would love to speak out on the topic and I'd love to be able to help others who are getting bullied."
Turning away from me, he asked the class, "What do you say? Should we start a campaign or a club?"
"I think that we should start with a campaign, and then offer a club or some kind of mentoring to anyone who's interested," I said. "It would spread the word first and that would draw in anyone who needs help. We could even set up an email for anyone not wanting to show their face. It would give them a way to talk to someone."
"That's a very good idea," he said. As a class we discussed how to make that happen. I was excited about it and was glad that some good could come out of what I went through. I could see how being bullied could really burden kids without any kind of support or self-esteem, it had been hard enough on me and I was pretty tough.
I was hurrying to my next class after being bombarded with questions when I stopped in my tracks. Someone bumped into me.
"Sorry," I mumbled, focusing on the voices that I had begun to hear behind a nearby closed door. I recognized Francine's voice right away. She was talking to some guy who definitely sounded like a student. What was a very powerful vampire leader doing here, at my school, talking to a kid? I could feel her strong presence through the wall.
I tip-toed to the door and stood next to it, listening to the conversation.
"You're working with the others, Wes?" Francine asked.
Who was Wes? I didn't know anyone named Wes.
"Yes. I have most everyone on board, although there is one thing holding me back."
I heard her huff. "What is it?" she demanded.
"It's my local leader, Toby," Wes said, his voice cracking. "He doesn't want the war."
"What? Doesn't he understand what we're up against? Your kind needs this war every bit as much as I do."
"You don't have to tell me! He thinks he can create a bond of peace with the enemies to avoid a war."
Francine laughed a creepy laugh that sent chills through me. "Peace is not possible. This is going to be the biggest war anyone has ever seen. I need to know that we can count on you. I can't approach Toby until he's on board, you understand that."
"I'm going to keep working on him, Francine, but we have so much support on our side that even if he refuses to go along with us, it won't matter."
"I don't want to take any chances!" she hissed. "I know where your family is. I won't hesitate to hurt someone if that's what it takes to motivate you. No excuses!"
I heard Wes gasp. "Don't go near my family! They don't have anything to do with this."
"Get Toby to agree to this war and you have nothing to worry about."
The bell rang and Wes said, "I have to go. I can't be late for my next class."
"We'll talk soon," Francine said. "You'd better have him in agreement by then."
I heard footsteps coming towards the door. I ran to the other end of the hall and into my next class before Wes and Francine came out. I couldn't focus in class because my mind was busy trying to make sense of their conversation.
Who was Wes and Toby? Why was Francine still planning a war when it was clear that I was with Cliff? Was she really afraid that they would lose their place on the throne?
Most importantly, what was I up against? Were Wes and Toby of another species? Francine had mentioned that "their kind" needed a war as much as she did. It was beginning to look like the Moretti's were small time.
That's when it hit me that my fiance's mother was plotting a war against my family. This was much bigger than it had appeared before.
FOUR
At lunch, I saw Amanda at a table by herself, slouched in a chair, picking at her food. She had black circles under her eyes and looked too skinny.
Instead of getting in the food line, I sat down next to her. "Hi Amanda."
She looked up at me in surprise but didn't smile. "Oh, hi Alexis."
"Are you okay?" I asked. "You don't seem like yourself."
She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine."
I suddenly understood why people got frustrated when I said that! It was more than obvious that she wasn't fine. "What have you been doing lately?"
"Not much."
"Okay, no more beating around the bush. What's going on?"
She looked me square in the eye. "I'm fine."
"Amanda, I can see that you're not fine!" I exclaimed. "No offense, but you look horrible."
"What do you want from me?"
"You're my friend and I want to know what's wrong. It's obvious that you're not doing well. Usually you're happy and talkative, but now you're sitting here by yourself, looking like you haven't been eating or sleeping."
She sighed. "I have no friends left, Alexis. Don't try to pretend to be one."
"What are you talking about? I am your friend!"
"Really? Before you left, you wouldn't give me the time of day."
"That's because you didn't come to me first when you heard that stupid rumor started by my enemies. I was hurt that you thought so little of me when everyone else was against me. I felt all alone and didn't think that I could trust anyone."
"Except Tanner," she snapped. "You moved to him awful quick after the supposed love of your life disappeared."
"Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed. "Tanner was the only person who actually believed me despite those ridiculous rumors. He was a friend to me. He walked me to my classes when people in the halls were calling me names and throwing things at me. He told them that the rumors were untrue, and he even threatened to hit some of the guys who were being rude to me."
"Look, I said that I was s
orry for not believing you when I first heard the rumors. That wasn't good enough for you. Whatever. I don't care anymore."
"Were you even concerned about me when I was gone? In case you didn't notice, I didn't just leave, like you said. I was abducted by thugs who locked me in cellar!"
"Wasn't Tanner there to protect you?" she retorted.
I stared at her. "No! They took him somewhere else and nearly killed him. In fact, when I found him, I thought he was dead!"
"He seems to be doing pretty well now."
"Have you seen him?" I asked.
"I saw the news when you two got back, Alexis," she said, rolling her eyes. "They keep replaying it—it's impossible to miss."
"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen any news at all. Come to think of it, my parents have purposefully kept me from watching any."
"At least now they're giving you the attention that you've always wanted," she muttered.
"What's going on with you? Won't you just tell me?"
"What do you care?"
"If I didn't care, I wouldn't be sitting here having this frustrating conversation with you!" I exclaimed. I was especially irritated because I couldn't read her mind. That was one gift I still couldn't get down.
She shook her head and went back to playing with her food.
"Would you be willing to open up if I took you out for coffee or dessert? Or if we had a sleepover?"
Her face lit up for a second before she regained control and regained her gloomy expression. At least I could get away from my parents' fighting for one night.
So that was it! I remembered her mentioning that she thought they might get divorced. "You could come over to my house and we could do whatever you want. Movies, nails, junk food: you name it," I said.
She bit her lower lip to stop a smile that was forming. "Yeah, I guess."
"Do you want me to invite Brooke? You two are still friends, right?" I asked.
"I haven't really talked with her, either. She's been focused on your disappearance and she was worried about Cliff too because he had been gone even longer. Invite her if you want, I have nothing against her."
"Do you have anything against me?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing that I can really blame you for. You have your new life now and it's all very exciting. You have the new car and the two best looking guys in school are in love with you."
"Since when did Tanner hit best looking status?" I asked.
She cracked a smile. "Even with your new found popularity, you still don't have a clue. Ever since you guys got back, nobody has stopped talking about how suddenly Tanner is so much hotter than before you guys were kidnapped. There's something different about him, maybe it's that he's less arrogant now."
I smiled. "The arrogance was more of a show than anything. Below the surface, he's a surprisingly wonderful guy." Not to mention the fact that turning into a vampire makes people much more attractive. Nobody would have known that more than me!
"Why would he want to put on that kind of a front?" she asked.
"To keep people from bullying him, ironically enough. He began that facade after some rumors went around about him, and he was happy with results, so he stuck with it. He prefers that people leave him alone rather than have them pick on him."
"I guess you changed that."
"I don't know if I changed that," I told her. "He just let me see his kind side when I was tormented by rumors about me. It was something we had in common. I didn't want anything to do with him before that."
"What about Cliff? Now that he's back, what are you going to do?"
"He's my boyfriend," I replied.
"So Tanner's going to be okay with just being a friend now? The news kept saying that you and Tanner were boyfriend and girlfriend."
"He knew from the beginning that Cliff was my boyfriend. So, do you want to spend the night tomorrow?" I asked her, changing the subject. "Tomorrow's Friday, right?"
"Yeah, tomorrow's Friday. Sure, I can come to your house."
***
After school, I went to the football field to see if Tanner was playing. I hadn't seen him all day and wasn't even sure if he had gone to school. I wanted to make sure he was doing okay as a new vampire at school. The sound of heartbeats and the smell of blood at school could be overpowering at times, especially for such a new vampire.
Standing at the edge of the field, I couldn't tell one player from another, but when I saw number 74 walking toward me, I figured that must be him. He took his helmet off and smiled at me from halfway across the field. I'm so glad you came to see me.
He gave me a big hug when he reached me. "How was your first day? I didn't see you anywhere."
"I was laying low. I can't stand everyone crowding around me wanting to know about the abduction. They just want the dirt, it's not because they care."
"Don't I know it," he said
I lowered my voice. "What have you been doing about blood?"
"I went out with Brad and those guys last night."
"Oh good, so you haven't had any cravings for students?"
He laughed. "Nope."
"How are they doing?"
"They're so excited to be able to go in the sun. She got a job at some clothing store and is so happy. It was really nice of you to get their jewelry blessed for them." He gave me a look of total adoration.
I looked away. "They were kind to you and I wanted to take care of them. Besides, I was getting my own blessing and I got yours too. It was easy to get the sun blessing for them since I was already there."
I heard a whistle blow.
"I better get back to the game. I've never played better!" said Tanner proudly.
"Of course! Just take it easy out there. You don't want anyone to get suspicious."
"No worries," he said with a smile and jogged back to the coach.
I heard a voice behind me. "What are you doing? Playing with fire?"
I turned around. "Hi Clara. I hadn't seen Tanner all day and I wanted to find out if he had come to school today."
She shrugged her shoulders. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. Do you want to go hunt some humans tonight? I really need some fresh blood. That bagged junk at the Flemings' doesn't cut it."
I got the shivers. "No, it doesn't. Yeah, let's go tonight. I can feel the beginning of the burning and if I'm going to make it through school tomorrow, I'm going to need some soon."
***
That night, Clara and I were in my room preparing to hunt and my mouth was watering in anticipation.
"Are we going to feed off some sleeping people?" I asked.
"That's not hunting. We're going to take some people out and then have a feast. Let's go."
"We're going to kill people?"
She sighed. "Newbie. I thought you were up for this. If you want to go out and hunt Bambi or sleepers, you're going to have to find another partner in crime."
My mind raced with all of the options and consequences. I was tired of always doing the right thing. "Let's go."
She smiled. "That's better."
Five minutes later, we were standing in the town courtyard which was actually busier than I had thought it would be for that time of night.
"Are we going to hunt here?" I whispered. "There are so many people."
"We're going to pick out our victims here and then convince them to go somewhere more secluded. I love that there's always a forest nearby in this region."
I looked around. "Who will it be?"
"You choose."
I gulped. Someone's fate was in my hands. I was going to choose who would live and who would die. Maybe I should turn around and go home while I still had the chance. Did I really want to go through with this? If I killed someone, there would be no turning back. I would have to keep killing people to fill my need for fresh blood.
The smell of fresh blood swirled around my nose, making my mouth water. I closed my eyes and breathed it in deeply, feeling my fangs begin to grow. I licked my teeth and ope
ned my eyes. I was a vampire, not a mouse, and I was made for this.
There was a reason that I couldn't stand the bagged blood, and there was a reason that I'd been exposed to blood in such a dramatic way. It wasn't an accident, it was my destiny. I was not meant to live out my days sipping on bags of blood, getting acclimated one drop at a time. I was the Sonnast, I didn't fully understand yet what that meant, but I did know that it meant that I was different from the other royals. I'd been different from the day I was born and I wasn't going to fit into the little mold everyone else was so happy to sit in.
I looked around, hoping to be able to find someone who deserved it. I doubted that I'd be lucky enough to find someone so obviously deserving as the farmer I'd killed after my first exposure to blood.
"Did you pick someone yet?" Clara asked, tapping her foot. "You're taking forever."
"I'm still deciding. This is my first time."
"Did you forget about the farmer?"
"I wasn't hunting for him. It was kill or be killed! It was also right after my massive initial exposure."
"You know, there is no such thing as an innocent human," she said as if reading my mind. "They've all done horrible things, every last one of them. Even the young ones; just look at how you were treated at school when I first arrived."
"Little kids are innocent," I told her.
"Not all of them. Start paying attention to their thoughts and you'll see what I mean. You can try being noble, but they're no better than we are. Pick someone or I will. You probably won't like my choice."
"Next time I want to hunt in a different town," I told her. "I don't want to hunt here again. This is the same place where people held vigils for me when I was gone."
"They're also the same people who threw stuff at you and called you names. Stop stalling."
I focused on the people walking around and saw some guys who looked like they were high. They were thinking about how they wanted to take advantage of some girls. One in particular had really disgusting ideas about what he wanted to do to an unsuspecting girl.
"The one in the black jacket and the spiky hair," I whispered to Clara, looking in the direction of the stoners.
The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5 Page 38