by Light
“He’s not my—you know what? Just shut up,” Rome said, catching Christian’s reflection in the rearview.
“I really think you should pull over,” Ariahna repeated, hugging herself. Rome was weaving through traffic, whipping around corners and practically staring a hole through Christian at the same time.
If he didn’t calm down, they were going to crash.
Rome clenched his jaw, pulling onto a dark, private road that cut into the woods. He kept the engine running, allowing a thin cloud of exhaust to build around the back window.
Sitting still wasn’t doing him any favors.
“You should calm yourself down,” Kaleb warned coolly.
“Fuck you,” Rome bit out, pressing his back into the seat.
“What’s your problem?” Christian asked. “You’re acting like a damn psycho. Just calm your shit already and get us the hell out of here.”
This place was giving him the creeps.
“I was almost shot in the god-damn face trying to save you, you stupid, egotistical piece of shit.” Rome shoved his door open, stepping out of the car. He couldn’t stay locked in there for another second.
“What?” Christian breathed, pushing the seat forward. “What do you mean, you were almost shot?”
Rome stared back at him like he thought he was an idiot.
“A bullet, whirled at my face,” he clarified, pointing at the cut on his cheek. “Don’t pretend like you didn’t see that shit.”
“…The last thing I remember before running for your car was being tossed around like a rag doll.”
Rome knelt down near the door, staring at Christian.
“You blacked out?” he said.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Has that ever happened before?”
“What’s it to you?” Christian said.
“It’s important,” he replied, glancing over at Kaleb. The look he was giving the two of them was more than a little unsettling.
“There’s something off about him,” Kaleb muttered.
“There’s nothing off about me,” Christian said. “Can we just get out of here, before something else bad happens?”
Rome slipped back into the car. There was so much tension in the air it was a wonder that any of them could breathe.
“What was that?” Aria said slowly.
“There’s nothing out there,” Rome muttered, peering into the trees just beyond the dim glow of his headlights. A flash of movement had him slamming his door closed and high-tailing it out of there. Better safe than sorry. As if that wasn’t enough, Kaleb’s eyes were trained on him like a marksman. “Should I be worried?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Kaleb said. “I’m only confined to a small space with three bleeding people. What could possibly go wrong?”
Rome grimaced. “Just hold on, we’re almost there,” he said, rolling down the windows. That only blasted the scent around.
Kaleb leaned his elbow on the center console, resting his chin in his palm. He was staring at the fresh cut on Rome’s cheek when his fangs snapped down from the roof of his mouth.
“Just let me lick your face,” he said in a sultry whisper.
Christian snickered.
“Don’t,” Aria breathed, watching as Kaleb’s attention was pulled to the back of the car. This was officially the worst night of her life. After everything that had already transpired, she was now being stared at like prey. “Could you maybe not look at me like that?” she said.
“Why not?” Kaleb grinned. “You look like fun.”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Rome said. “Just shut up, buckle your seatbelts, and if I so much as hear another word from any of you, I’m driving this car off the cliff and into the river.”
Christian mouthed the word, Psycho.
“I saw that,” Rome said. He couldn’t get back fast enough. In fact, this was the worst car ride he’d ever had, topping even open container nights in his father’s truck. Rome had never been so happy to see a school building in his life. The lights in the student parking lot flickered as he pulled into an open space. He wasted no time getting out, holding his seat forward for Christian. He just wanted him away from his car and out of his damn hair. But as he clambered out, Rome could see him grinning at him. There was the hint of something evil playing at the edges of his eyes.
Rome closed the door, keeping a guarded stance.
“…I’m going to fuck her so hard she’s going to feel it for a week. Then you can have my sloppy seconds,” Christian whispered.
Rome grabbed him by the collar, slamming him against the back window. He didn’t even notice Ariahna scrambling out through the driver’s side door. “She’s mine,” he snarled. “If you touch her again I will break every single bone in your body.”
“Whoa,” Christian breathed. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Aria pulled Rome back, glaring at him as he let go of Christian.
“I’m not… yours,” she said angrily.
“Believe it or not, I’m not the bad guy.”
“That’s funny, coming from the person who keeps threatening my life,” Christian remarked. He took Ariahna’s hand, leading them towards the building and feeling the heat of Rome’s glare burning at his back the entire way.
It wasn’t until the door to his car slammed shut that Rome snapped out of it. He actually jumped at the sound, turning to look at Kaleb. He looked annoyed. “Great. Everyone’s mad at me for just trying to do the right fucking thing. This is such bullshit. If you’re so pissed about having to give them your blood, then why did you do it in the first place? You certainly didn’t owe me any favors.” Kaleb smirked as he passed, raking a hand across his chest.
“No,” he said, “but now you do.”
Chapter 12
The morning air smelt heavily of rain. Dark, thunderous clouds hung low in the sky, threatening to open up and pour down on the world below. The first drop hit Rome’s skin and he picked up his pace as he sped around the track. He’d lost count of how many miles he’d ran, and he didn’t care. After last night, after being face to face with his own mortality, all he wanted was to feel alive. He was focusing on nothing but the sound of his own footfall, the controlled beating of his heart.
Huge raindrops crashed against the covered bleachers and bounced off the track, washing away everything in their path. It felt symbolic, cleansing. He wondered for a moment if it would wash away the blood staining the cement across town. The chill of the water against his skin was soothing his heated muscles. Everything weighing on his mind was slipping away, leaving him sobered. The soft cotton of his shirt was now see-through, and much like his shorts, it was clinging wetly to his skin. Yet Rome couldn’t help but enjoy how freeing this moment felt, how wild and invigorating.
And in an instant, that feeling was gone.
A high-pitched cry had permeated the air, making the drops of rain clanging against the metal suddenly sound like rapid gunfire. He fell to his hands and knees, breathing heavily as water crashed against him.
He hated this feeling.
“Hey, you!” Eliza shrieked.
Rome looked out across the field, squinting through the water dripping down around his eyes. He barely spotted the outline of a girl lying on the far side of the track through the misty morning fog. He pushed off of the ground, dashing through the soft grass.
“Can you walk?” he asked, kneeling down beside her.
“No, I’m just lying on the ground for my health,” Eliza said snappily. She took a breath and tried again in a less aggressive tone. “No, I can’t walk. I think I sprained my ankle. Can you help me, please? I really don’t want to have to crawl back to the building.” She laughed, trying to shield her eyes from the rain.
“I could go get someone?” he said. “I’m not entirely sure if moving you is the best idea.”
“You’d seriously leave me out here to wait for help? No way. Come on, you look strong. I’m sure you could carry me. Please,” she sa
id sweetly. “Besides, you’re kind of cute. Attractive people should definitely look out for each other. It’s just common courtesy.” She smirked up at him at her own joke. This wasn’t how she’d intended to introduce herself, but she’d come back from worse with a guy.
“Yeah, I can carry you,” Rome said, trying not to smile.
Eliza heard him laugh and she beamed back at him. Laughter was always a good sign. Get someone laughing, and they were less likely to desert you, she thought. Stroke a guy’s ego and he’d pretty much give you anything you wanted.
“Wrap your arms around my neck,” he said, slipping his hands underneath her legs and around her back. He lifted her effortlessly, but with all the water they were sticking unpleasantly to each other.
Eliza held on tightly and he started walking them back. This guy was built, she thought. She looked down at his arms and chest admiringly, frowning when she noticed a few scars visible through his white shirt.
That was kind of hot, actually.
“Are you single?” Eliza asked abruptly.
“What?” Rome said. He was certain he hadn’t heard her right.
“I just want to know now, so I don’t waste my energy trying to woo you.” She winked at him playfully.
“Woo me? I think that’s what you’d call social suicide.”
Her clothes may have been disheveled, and her hair may have been soaked, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know exactly what kind of girl she was. She was practically wearing a glowing neon sign that read: Pretty and popular – and completely out of your league.
“Not at all. People practically worship me around here. It’s kind of sad, really. If you were seen with me, you’d become instantly cool by association. That’s just how it works,” she smiled. “I don’t make the rules, I just enjoy the benefits.”
They slipped in through the back of the cafeteria, Rome’s sneakers squeaking against the tile. It echoed in the otherwise empty room. He didn’t know what to say to her in response, let alone how to act. He wasn’t used to this kind of attention, and the way she was looking at him—it was all kind of hard to ignore.
He was flustered, and Eliza was enjoying every minute of it. She smoothed a hand over the blush creeping up his neck. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d be so shy, just looking at you. It’s really adorable.”
“…You wouldn’t know a lot of things by just looking at me.”
“Ooh, mysterious. I like it,” she laughed.
Rome’s expression hardened and she poked him in the cheek.
“Stop that. No pouting. You’re too pretty to look that sad.”
Rome smirked. “I think you mean handsome.”
Eliza knew that somewhere underneath that strong, silent exterior was a sense of humor. She’d just have to break through a few barriers to get to it. But she had to admit, it was nice to talk to a guy who wasn’t so self-assured and full of himself. She was used to guys like Dallas. Rome was a breath of fresh air by comparison, and he didn’t miss a beat.
“Alright then, Handsome, do you have a name? I’ll admit I don’t know it,” she lied. “Mine’s Eliza.”
“Rome.”
“Well, Rome, if you agreed to go on a date with me, I could get people to stop saying stuff about you. What do you say, deal?”
“Um—what? Why don’t we just get you to the nurse; you might have hit your head, too.” There was simply no way this girl was actually asking him out.
“What do you mean, I hit my head? Are you calling me dumb or something? I just twisted my ankle. What part of me flirting with you don’t you get? I think you’re the one who hit your head. Either that or you’re really oblivious. I can work with that though,” she shrugged.
“I’m not calling you dumb. I just meant—never mind.”
“I can guide you through how this works, if you want. I flirt with you, you flirt back, I ask you out and you agree excitedly. It’s really not that hard. Now, you try.”
Rome looked down at her skeptically.
“Okay, here, repeat after me,” she said. “You’re cute, I’m cute, why don’t we go somewhere and be cute together?” Eliza raised an eyebrow at him, grinning all the while.
He smiled, stepping into the elevator. “First of all, I would never use the word cute that many times in the same sentence. And I might actually say yes, if I didn’t think you were messing with me.”
“Why would I mess with you? I don’t joke about flirting.” Eliza looked at him curiously. “Wait, are you being serious? Dang boy, you need to go and get some confidence to go with that body,” she said, touching his wet chest. She blushed at her own words, drying them off before pulling her hand away.
Rome tensed at the sudden use of magic.
He wasn’t sure he was ever going to get used to that.
“I don’t know how someone can have a smile like that and be so humble,” Eliza complimented. “Are you for real?” She went quiet, smiling at his uncomfortable silence. “Well, my offer still stands, Gorgeous.”
Rome walked backwards into the swinging doors to the infirmary. The old nurse gave him a curious look as he stood there holding Eliza in his arms. “…She has a sprained ankle.”
“Oh,” she said. “Alright, take her to room three.”
Rome nodded, carrying her through the hall and into the room. He set her down gently on the bed, turning to leave before Eliza could protest. Unfortunately, the nurse, with her frail frame and short stature, was managing to block the entire doorway.
“Take a seat,” she instructed.
“Why?”
“Because I asked you to.”
Rome sighed, taking a seat in the corner. His eyes caught on her nametag as she examined Eliza’s ankle. Ruth. It sounded like the perfect name for a kind old woman in her sixties.
“How are your injuries, Mr. Navarro?”
“What injuries?”
She pointed out his knees with the movement of her eyes.
“I just slipped on the track. It’ll be fine,” he said, brushing away a few loose pieces of rubber. “Honestly, I didn’t even feel it.”
“Oh, well, it should be fine to let it fester then.”
Rome gave her a sour expression.
“You also have a nice scratch on your cheek, dear, and if I’m not mistaken, those are vampire bites.”
Rome slapped a hand over his neck. He’d completely forgotten those were there. “Right,” he said nervously. “…I’m just gonna go.”
“Sit,” she said, pushing him back into his seat.
Apparently magic didn’t dissipate with age.
“I’ll be right back and we’ll fix you both up in a jiffy.”
The nurse left and the room filled with an awkward silence.
“It sounds like you should be fine, at least,” Rome muttered.
Eliza smiled at him.
“I don’t know; it might still be sore. Besides, I was starting to get used to being carried around like a princess. Maybe you’ll just have to take me to all my classes like that,” she laughed.
“I’m sure the nurse will give you a set of crutches,” he grinned.
“Crutches?”
They stared at each other in confusion.
“You’re new to all of this, aren’t you?” she said.
“New as in, I just found out like yesterday? …Yeah.”
Eliza hooked her finger in the air, getting him to lean in close. “There’s this party being thrown at the beach on Saturday. You should come. It’s the only time we can actually let loose and use our magic, since they insist on segregating the school instead of converting it. It’s going to be a lot of fun, I promise. There will be a bonfire, alcohol, and of course I’ll be there. That’s pretty much everything you need,” she said.
Rome frowned at his shoes.
“What’s that face about?”
“…Alcohol isn’t really my thing.”
Eliza didn’t know a boy their age that wasn’t up for a little hard liquor and partyin
g. “Why is that?” she asked.
“Look, I just don’t think anyone would appreciate me being there. And I don’t like crowds. I’ve always been more comfortable by myself.”
“Maybe you just need to make some friends. You might be surprised how someone’s attitude towards you can change when you smile and laugh and have a drink with them. And life isn’t about being comfortable. It’s about putting yourself out there and having fun, even if you make a fool of yourself every once in a while. You learn to be comfortable outside of your limits, to laugh at yourself. It’s healthy. You should try it.”
Rome took a deep breath. “Maybe—”
Ruth walked back into the room, handing them both a glass of green liquid. It looked gross, and it smelt even worse.
“Drink it,” she instructed.
“Drink it? This looks like fucking sewer water.”
“Excuse me?” she said, creasing her already wrinkled forehead.
“Oh, right. It looks like freaking sewer water,” Rome corrected.
Eliza was trying not to bust up laughing.
“I’m not drinking this.”
“Are you really going to sass an old woman?” Ruth said.
“Just do it,” Eliza smiled, downing the beverage.
Rome grimaced at the murky substance as he brought the glass to his lips, forcing it down. “God, what the hell was that?”
“Apparently your first healing tonic,” the nurse replied. She quickly handed him a small mirror.
Rome watched the cut on his face and the small puncture marks on his neck disappear like they’d never even been there. By the time he looked down at his knees they were completely healed, and Eliza was standing on her own two feet again.
“Well, shit.”
“Do I really need to tell you to watch your language?”
“No,” he said, avoiding her eyes. “Sorry.”
Eliza walked out of the room, chatting with the old nurse. Rome hadn’t moved. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts. He hesitated for a moment before twisting and lifting up the edge of his shirt. He hadn’t actually expected his scars to be gone, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t disappointed when he saw the marred, ugly skin.
“Well, go on, get out of here,” Ruth said, startling him into ripping his shirt back down. “You need to get ready for class.”