“The woods! Didn’t, Clark, warn you about going in there alone?” Una jumps off the desk and for a moment, I thought she might deck me one.
“I’m a hunter, Una,” I said each word slowly. I hadn’t shown her much of who I really was. Perhaps I was too busy exploring this new girlfriend relationship to let her know the real me. Maybe I didn’t want to be me.
“Not here, you’re not,” Una said, flapping her arms and narrowing her eyes at me to show her displeasure.
“What else do you know? About the boys.” I try to change the subject. If they were missing, I’d need as much information as possible to hunt them.
“They aren’t saying much.” Una jumps back up on the desk and looks at her nails, already bored with our conversation.
“Start from the beginning.”
“Clark was looking for you,” Una said, her eyes said more than her words, and I question if Clark had told her about us.
“I should have come back.” I blurt out, hoping that would get her off the topic of where I was last night.
“It’s funny they are missing, and so were you. But you showed up.” Una said, her eyes dark and unfriendly.
I half-laugh at her comment, annoyed at what she was suggesting. I let my bookbag fall off my back and hit the floor. I didn’t like how she could be hot one minute and then cold the next with me. I walk around to the teacher’s desk and remember their plan to search one of the Fae’s offices. Did they try to find me last night? Was that what Alexandra was talking to Hazen about?
“Did anyone come to our room last night?” I said, opening one of the drawers.
“No. What are you doing?” Una is by my side in three strides and pushes the drawer shut.
“Just looking. What’s the big deal?” I stare at Una who is only about a foot away from me. Her breath hits my cheek with every exhale. I keep my hand still on the drawer taunting to open it again just to see how she would react.
“Whatever.” Una rolls her eyes and retreats to her perch.
I pull out the teacher’s chair and sit on it, putting my feet on the desk. Una twitches but doesn’t say anything to me. There’s an off vibe between us, and I’m not sure why.
The door opens, and I stand up fast, not wanting to get caught in the teacher’s chair.
“Where were you?” Clark stamps his feet as he enters. “We searched for you all night.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and shoot Una a cold look and mouth “thanks,” she brushes me off and smiles at Clark – who ignores her.
“I needed to get away.” My voice was chill, and I could tell it surprises him given our last encounter.
“You can’t do that here, Penelope.” Clark’s tone softens, and his body relaxes. “I’m assuming Una told you about the Stanton’s?”
“Yes. She did.” I sit back down and put my feet back up. I stare at Una as she tries to get Clark’s attention, but he can’t see anyone but me.
“Thiers some new information. They found blood. It appears to be a vampire, but they are running tests.” Clark said.
I shoot up from my chair. For the first time, it’s hitting me that something could be wrong. I thought they would be invincible. They were full-blood vampires by the way. One of the most dangerous supernatural species. Who could they be afraid of? Who would dare hurt them?
“Well, what are we waiting for?” I head to the door, ready to put my skills to use but, Clark, steps out in front of me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Clark’s eyes are watery.
Regret is all that I feel. I shouldn’t have let myself get that close to him. My one-off with a wolf seems to mean more to him than me. I glance over to Una, who is all ears to our conversation. He’d never give her the time of day.
“We can’t do nothing, Clark,” I step to his side, so Una can’t hear what I say next, “You know why we are here. If they are missing, then it’s not the vampires.”
“We can all go.” Una grabs her bags, eager to be a part of whatever Clark is involved in.
“We can’t take her.” As annoyed with Una, as I was, she wasn’t part of our pack, and I couldn’t risk her ruining my chances at freedom. Having Clark come would be bad enough.
“I can help.” Una offers her best pout to Clark, who doesn’t even bother to look her way.
“You’re better off here. You’re good at getting people to open up and talk.” I need to get the hell out of here, so a little ego boost should help.
“Penelope, is right. You’re an asset to us on campus. Do you think you can do it? And keep us posted?” Clark said, not fully understanding how his question was furthering their relationship in Una’s mind.
“Yes. I can do that.” Una said, stretching on her tiptoes, “I’ll call when I hear any news.”
“Thank you, Una. I’d like to know when they get that blood sample back. Can you check in with, Samantha, in registration? Tell her you’re reporting to me.” Clark gave her one of his million-dollar smiles.
I roll my eyes at the wolf's game. I was wasting time. I need to make sure the boys were safe and sitting here watching them flirt was getting on my nerves.
“I’m going.” I brush past Clark. Before I can open the door, my phone vibrates and scares the heck out of me. Anyone that would text me, is in this room. I reach in my pocket to see Alexandra’s name on the screen and a text message telling me she needs to see me now – alone.
Chapter 14
It was hard to ditch Clark, but I promised him I would be close behind. I clutch the pin that Una gave me in my hand as I approach the Stanton Vampire den. I need all the help I can get at this point. I shake my hands out as the door comes into view, and I see Alexandra pacing back and forth in front of it.
I stand in the darkness observing her, this is my last chance to change my mind. Her hands are rubbing her arms, and she’s mumbling something to herself as she paces. The house is mostly dark. However, the end closest to me is lit up. I can see several people as they walk past the window. It must be Principal Stanton and whoever is trying to help find his nephew’s.
I forge ahead to get this over with. I was safe with so many people in the house if she turns on me.
“I’m here.” I keep a steady and confident stride but keep my shaky hands in my jacket pockets. She doesn’t need to know how nervous I was to meet with her without the boys being there.
“What took you so long?” She whispers loudly and waves me to her as she opens the front door, “Wait.” She held her hand up and went inside.
I did what she said, my nerves mounting each second, she was gone. Was this a trap? Who the hell was she talking to? The door creaks open, and Alexandra again waves me to her.
I take two steps at a time to reach her quickly. She grabs my arm and pulls me in, closing the door behind her quietly. She puts her finger to her lips and points to the stairs.
“Alexandra?” A man calls her name from down the hall.
She pushes me toward the stairs, and I run as fast but quietly as I can. I keep going and don’t look back until I am at the very top.
“I’m going to bed, Uncle. I’m exhausted. Let me know if they come back.” Alexandra, yells back to him.
The hallway on the second level is almost as big as an apartment. It’s so long that I can’t tell where it ends in the darkness. There’s an old loveseat and chair along the walls and large oil paintings from the medieval times.
I can’t help but wonder where the boys' rooms were and how many girls had climbed these stairs with them over the years.
“This way.” Alexandra passes me and jogs down the hall into the darkness.
I reluctantly follow. The principal was downstairs. I had already made the decision to come to her when I answered her text. Most importantly, I’d do anything to find her brothers.
She stops in front of a large white oak door. I follow her in, and she closes it behind us.
It was a room fit for a princess - nothing was spared. It was undoubtedly the s
ize of two classrooms combined. There was a separate sleeping area to the left, in the center of the room was a gilded vanity and to the right, a deep green velvet couch and winged back chair. The windows ran from floor to ceiling, with lace and velvet curtains. The high ceilings are covered in tin.
“Have you heard from them?” Alexandra stands within arm's length of me, her hands together as she waits for my response.
“No, I haven’t.” As soon as I said no, she falls apart in front of me. Her shoulders slump back, and her head hangs low. She was on the verge of tears.
“I told them to stay away from you. You’re the reason this is happening.” She changes from desperation to anger within a blink.
“Calm down,” I grab her by the shoulders and look her square in the eye, the only way she will see that I’m on her side. “Where were they last seen?”
“Here. I saw them last night before I went out with friends.” Her eyes shift to the left to hide her fib.
My fingers dig into her arms unconsciously as an image of her and Hazen sucking face flashes through my mind. I loosen my grip and remember that the boys are missing. I must work with her, even though she’s probably fucking my very recent ex-boyfriend.
“What were they doing when you left?” I shook her, just a little, to bring her back to this room.
“Finley was gone. They didn’t know where he was. But, that’s not uncommon. He’s softer than the rest. Sometimes he needs his alone time. He’s different. Too sweet for his own good.” She stutters, then blinks away tears.
“They must have gone to look for him. He never came home?” I let go of her arms, now that we are on the same page.
“None of them came home last night. All their beds were made.” Alexandra, sits down on the couch wearily, as if her legs were about to give out under her.
“What about the blood? Was it theirs?” I sat down on the chair across from her.
“It’s vampire blood. They are testing it against mine and my uncle’s.” Her eyes drift off to the window. “If I had just stayed home, this wouldn’t have happened.”
I let out a silent sigh and instantly hate myself for feeling sorry for her. Maybe I was seeing the real Alexandra now. “You couldn’t have known what was going to happen last night. Have you checked for notes? What about their cell phones?”
“Uncle has someone looking into it. He’s meeting with the vampire den now.” She wipes her eyes with the back of her hands.
I sit up straight at the thought of all the full-blood vampires’ downstairs. What would they do if they knew a hunter was among them?
“Good. It’s only a matter of time before they find them.” I lean over and touch her leg with my hand to comfort her.
She tenses up and shoots up from her seat, as if I had just thrown a pot of boiling water at her, “Everything changed as soon as you came here.” Her eyes were wide, and crazy Alexandra was back. I need to keep her quiet so the others wouldn’t wonder what she was upset about.
“Why do you hate me so much? From day one.” I blurt out, not regretting how dumb it was to challenge her in her own home, filled with full-bloods.
Her head swung my way, and she opens her mouth to likely tell me off, but she stops and just shakes her head at me. She walks over to her bed and paces back and forth.
“I was going to help you.” I flap my hands in desperation. I wanted her brothers back as much as she did. “I want to help you find them before something happens.”
“What makes you think I need you?” Her body language changes, her fangs lengthen, and her eyes narrow at me.
I’ve officially pissed her off. Shit.
“Why did you come here, Penelope?” She takes two steps toward me. Her fingers spread as her nails expand.
“You asked me.” I shrug and look toward the door. She notices and smiles, taking a few more steps closer.
“You being here pushed them into something they shouldn’t have been a part of. To protect the mutt.” Alexandra said, emphasizing that last word.
“I didn’t ask them to do anything for me. And this all started before I got here.” I wasn’t comfortable being alone with her, but I’d take my chances here than running down those stairs. If she was going to do something to me, wouldn’t she have done it by now?
“Why did you come here? Uncle had no idea until you showed up with that wolf.” She hisses at me.
“I thought you and Clark were friendly.” At least that was the impression I had.
“He’s been useful in the past.” She smiles and winks at me.
My skin crawls at the thought of them together. There’s no way he’d hooked up with a vampire. Even Clark has standards. “What about Hazen?”
She cocks her head to the side, and I wonder if she knows about Hazen and me.
“He’s a dumb fae.” She licks her lips, seductively at me.
She definitely knew about him and I. “What’s it like to fuck my sloppy seconds?” Whoa! Who said that?
“Luckily, he’s trainable.” She smirks. Her phone vibrates on a table by her bed, and Hazen’s name pops up on the screen.
I wait to see if she will answer or not, but she just stares at me with a stupid grin on her face. Not long after her phone stops, mine vibrates. The smirk on her face fades away as she grabs my backpack and dumps the contents on her bed, searching for my phone. She throws it across the room, and the screen breaks as it hits the ground.
“Nothing like the comfort of what you already know.” My mouth just won’t shut up. I was in deep now. The truth was I didn’t really care about what was going on between them, my fear was finding the boys dead somewhere.
Alexandra is still facing the bed, and the contents of my backpack spewed across it. Most noticeable is her notebook.
“Is this mine?” She picks up the notebook and flips through it.
I didn’t need to answer her. Running into a room of full-bloods seems very inviting right now. “I found it.” Technically it was true. “I was bringing it back to you.”
Her back is to me, and she’s standing still, her head looking straight at the wall. The silence is deafening. Was she envisioning ripping me apart? Surely not in this princess room.
I try for the door, but she’s much quicker than me. She slams her body against it, and her fangs extend to full length. Her eyes pitch black.
I’d hunted full-blood vampires before. But I had herbs and potions to help me. Vampire mutts I could handle. This was out of my league. “Whoa! I thought I’d leave you alone to your thoughts.” I back up with my hands above my shoulders, hoping some humor would change the atmosphere.
“My brothers are missing because they trusted you.” She came at me, her feet barely touching the floor.
She backs me up against the wall. I had nowhere to run, even If I could get past her. “They didn’t tell me anything. They just wanted me to search the professor’s desk.”
“Ivor is weak around you.” She scoffs, and tilts her head, examining my face.
“Wondering what Hazen sees in me?” I smile, she’s trying to scare me, but she hadn’t done anything to me - yet. Ivor told her to back down. Maybe I was safe as long as... I couldn’t even think about it. The vampire grew on me.
“Shut up.” Her movement is quick, and her hand is on my neck, squeezing it.
I try my best to pretend I can still breathe, but I’m guessing she knows otherwise as her grip tightens. I hear a phone off in the distance, vibrating. I can’t tell if it’s my broken phone or hers, but I knew it was Hazen. Had she told him I was coming here?
My vision starts to go first, then my hearing. It’s like I’m underwater. I hear people talking, but it’s a blur, and I can’t make out what they are saying. I feel my body slump to the floor, her hand still on my neck. It’s pitch black except for the stars. Then I hear something. My name is called, and it’s not Alexandra’s voice...
Chapter 15
My head pounds with violent strikes of pain. I try to sit up, but I’m dizz
y. My eyes are blurry, and I can’t place where I am and what happened. My last memory was arriving at the vampire den.
“You have disobeyed your orders.” I hear in the background. It’s an unfamiliar voice, whoever it is, is very angry.
“She knows more than she’s letting on.” Alexandra’s angry voice grates on my nerves. “She was going to leave. I had to stop her.”
A hand gently touches my shoulder and shakes me. “Are you alright, Penelope?”
I take a deep breath and try to sit up. The man gently guides my back to help me sit up against the wall. I rub my eyes and let out a sigh at the pain that is taking over my body.
“Just take a minute.” His voice is kind and calm. He rubs my arm.
I smell the iron in blood nearby, it’s vampire blood.
“Here.” The man brings a cup to my lips, “This will speed your healing.”
Unable to move much, I don’t resist it as he tips the glass to my lips. The blood instantly warms my sore throat, and the swelling subsides. My vision clears even before I finish the glass.
“Part vampire,” The man looks back to the others in the room.
Something I knew but not how much vampire blood coursed through my veins. The blood confirms more than I thought. I’m still woozy, but with each moment that passes, I start to feel more like myself. The man stands back from me, and I’m able to see everyone in the room. The only people I recognize are Alexandra and Principal Stanton.
“She’s one of us then?” an elderly man in a wheelchair asks.
“She’s not one of us.” Alexandra, stands with her arms tightly crossed over her chest, and her eyes narrowed on me.
“She’s blood from one of the dens. We can find out which one.” The man that gave me the blood said.
“They won’t let us test her.” Principal Stanton said, “She’s just a distraction right now.”
“We can hold her or let her go.” The man in the wheelchair said, as he moves over to me. His eyes are curious at the spectacle of a mutt in their den.
Millwood Academy - First Term Page 9