by J. P.
“This is the prisoner. Ethan ordered that she sits in on school lessons.” Olivia rolls her eyes as if she was annoyed.
“What?” the woman runs her fingers through her pin-straight, brown hair. “Why would Ethan want that?”
“I don’t know, but my father is never overjoyed when I question his orders,” Olivia says, and the woman jumps.
“Yes, of course. I would never second guess him.” She lets out a nervous laugh. “Take a seat, Olivia.” The woman turns to me and looks me up and down with her brown eyes. “You too, half-breed.”
I keep my head down as Olivia takes my arm and leads me to two seats off to the side of the room. We sit, and the woman goes back to teaching.
“Don’t mind Chase,” Olivia says as she tilts her head toward the woman. “She’s all bark with no bite.”
I nod once before I try to pay attention to what Chase is saying. It sounds like she’s doing an English lesson right now. I look around the room and try to figure out how old the class is. It seems like there are kids as young as twelve in here, and I’m eighteen. It must be like a one-room schoolhouse situation.
I look further to my right, and I see a pair of dark eyes staring back at me.
“Will,” Chase snaps. “Pay attention.”
Will nods his head once before he ducks his head back down.
Olivia passes me a notebook and pen, and I try to write down what Chase is saying.
“Okay, that’s enough English for today. Let’s move on to vampire studies.” Chase looks around the room and her eyes land on me. “Half-breed.” She pauses as she runs her tongue over her teeth. “Come up here.”
I stand slowly and make my way over to the front of the room.
“Tell me, half-breed, what is the main difference between you and me?” Chase asks.
Is she being serious? I stay quiet as I stare at her, trying to figure out where this is going.
“Looks like our half-breed pet doesn’t know how to speak,” Chase says, and there are laughs around the room. “Who can tell me what the difference is between her and us?”
A boy in the front raises his hand. “One of her parents was human,” he sneers.
“Correct. She’s half of what we are. Half-human. Half weak.” Chase does a half-circle around me before she continues to pace around the room. “The only benefit is that if we drink her blood, we will be stronger than if we were to drink animal blood.”
“That’s the only use for her kind,” the boy in the front continues. “She’s a living blood bag.”
A few of the people around him nod in agreement, and I cringe. This is really how people think of me? This is insane.
“Looks like that’s all the time we have for today,” Chase says as she looks at her watch. “No homework.” The class cheers. “Except for our half-breed. Maybe if we make her smarter, when Ethan kills her, and we get to taste her blood, we will become smarter.” She leaves my side as she walks over to her desk.
Another round of laughter is heard around the room as the students stand and leave.
“This should do it.” Chase drops a three-inch binder into my arms. “Due tomorrow. Have a nice night.” She gestures for me to leave the room.
“C’mon prisoner,” Olivia says as she takes my arm and leads me away from the room. She pulls me out into the dark hallway and immediately drops my arm. “Sorry about that, are you alright?”
“Yeah.” I try to leave it at that, but I can’t hold my tongue. “I just can’t believe you guys really think all those things,” I admit.
“Don’t include me in that. I think they’re morons,” Olivia says with a sad laugh.
“They’re all just so brainwashed. It’s almost impressive.”
“You can say that again.” Olivia waits for two men to pass us before she speaks again. “We have to go to fight training, where you’re going to observe, and then I can take you back to your room so you can work on that binder.”
“Great,” I say, sarcastically.
“It won’t be that bad.”
“Maybe you can just do it for me then?” I tease, and she laughs.
“Nice try.” She pushes the door open to the training room I saw the other day. “Keep your head down.”
“I know.”
“Sit over there and observe.” Olivia pushes me towards the wall that I sat against the other day.
I do as she says before I hear Olivia clap her hands. “Everyone, gather around,” she instructs. I almost forgot that she’s the head of fight training here.
The group of kids makes a circle around her.
“Today we’re going to be working on sparring. We’ll go one pair at a time so we can observe what people are doing and what mistakes they make. Who wants to go first?”
“I will.” A tall girl steps forward.
“And who do you want to fight?” Olivia asks her.
The girl surveys the crowd. “Will.”
Will steps forward, his chest puffed up. “I accept.”
Will and the tall girl start fighting. She towers over him by a few inches, which is impressive considering Will must be six feet tall. The girl swings, and he ducks and knocks her in her side. She falls to the floor, and he kicks her in the ribs. I shiver, not used to seeing something so violent. He isn’t even hesitating. He’s just beating her up.
“Take it easy, Will,” Olivia snaps at him.
Will ignores her as he continues to wail on the poor girl. She gets angry and shoves him off of her. She tries to stand from the floor, but Will pushes her back down.
“Alright, enough. This is over. Will wins,” Olivia says, not sounding pleased.
The crowd claps as they stare at Will with wide eyes.
“Next. Who’s fighting?” Olivia asks the crowd.
I try to see who volunteers when I notice Will walking over to me.
“Hey,” he says as he sits on the ground next to me.
“Hi.” I inch away from him.
“You saw that fight?” He points with his thumb over his shoulder.
“Yes.” I nod once.
He lets out a low laugh. “I don’t like to lose.”
Interesting.
“How are you doing in here?” he asks. He looks up and his eyes meet mine. My heart softens again as he reminds me of Sean.
“I’m okay. It could be worse.”
Will nods. “I guess that’s true.” He looks around, trying to see if anyone is watching us. “You probably aren’t having any fun here, are you?”
“Not really, but I figured being a prisoner wouldn’t really be fun,” I say with a sad laugh.
“I guess so.” Will is about to say something else when someone interrupts.
“Hey guys,” Sarah says as she walks over to us. “Prisoner, I was sent to retrieve you and bring you back to your room,” Sarah says to me, but her eyes stay on Will. “Who are you?” she asks with a seductive grin.
“Will Adams. You’re her guard?” he asks as he nods his head towards me.
“Yes. Impressed?” Sarah runs her tongue along her teeth.
“Very,” Will says as he winks at her.
Gross. I feel my nose wrinkle in disgust but try to look neutral again when Sarah looks at me.
“Do you want to join the prisoner and me? I can show you where she’s being held,” Sarah offers.
“I have a better idea,” Will says as his eyes light up. “I was just telling the prisoner that she needs to have more fun.” He stands and offers me a hand to help me up. I ignore it and stand myself. “C’mon, this way,” he says as he motions for us to follow.
Sarah takes my arm and drags me along. “You didn’t tell me how handsome he is,” she says with a giggle.
I hate this. I hate that Sarah thinks we’re friends.
“Are you sure we should be going with him?” I ask her.
Sarah rolls her eyes as she snorts. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
12
We follow Will down the dark ma
rble hallway as we make our way around the first floor of the mansion.
“This way.” He waves for us to follow him as he practically runs down the hall. He stops in front of a door and pushes it open. We step inside first and look around. It’s just a bathroom.
“Where are you from, Will?” Sarah asks as she looks around.
“California,” he answers.
“Do people in California hang around in bathrooms for fun?” she asks with a snort.
Will laughs along with her, but his eyes stay on me. “It’s private in here.”
“Why do we need privacy?” Sarah asks, looking at Will with bedroom eyes.
Seriously, why am I even here?
“Because.” He reaches out for her hand and pulls her into him. “I have an idea.”
“What is it?” Sarah asks as she blushes.
Will grins at her as he pushes her crazy curls behind her ear. “Let’s have a taste of the prisoner,” he whispers to her.
Sarah laughs as she shakes her head. “I don’t know about that.”
Will’s face drops in frustration, but he quickly recovers as he plasters a smile on his face. “C’mon, just a drop. I bet she tastes amazing. I can smell her from here.”
Sarah looks from Will to me. Is she really that desperate for male attention that she would consider doing this?
“Just a drop,” she finally says.
“But—” I start to argue.
“Shut it, half-breed. It won’t hurt.” She rolls her eyes as if I’m her biggest inconvenience.
“I’ll go first,” Will says as he practically shoves Sarah aside and grabs me.
“Let go,” I tell him sternly.
Will leans closer to me and puts his mouth right by my ear. “I’m going to drain you so quickly, she won’t be able to stop me. Goodbye, Nina. It was nice to meet you.”
Before I have time to process his words, he clamps his jaw down on my neck.
I start to scream as I feel him drink from me. No, not drink, gulp. My knees buckle as my head gets fuzzy.
“Please,” I cry as my arms start to go numb.
“That’s enough,” I hear Sarah say, but her voice sounds far away.
I can feel him literally drain me. My heartbeat starts to weaken as my body goes limp in his arms.
“Hey!” I hear someone shout across the room. I’m ripped from Will’s arms, and someone holds me against their chest. “What the hell is wrong with you? What were you thinking?” Luke roars.
I slowly look up and see Luke scowling at Will like he might kill him.
“She needs to die,” Will says as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, my blood still on his lips.
“You will be punished for what you’ve done,” Luke snaps. “I’m going to kill you myself.”
“Luke,” Olivia’s voice interrupts. I look over and watch her enter the room. “Calm down.”
Luke frowns at his sister as he glances down at me so quickly, I might have imagined it. “I’m taking the prisoner to her room.”
“I’ll do it.” Olivia walks over and takes my arm.
“No.” Luke’s arms tighten around me.
“You need to calm down. She’ll be fine,” Olivia says through a clenched jaw.
I watch Luke’s face as he stares between Olivia and the floor. He gently releases me, and Olivia places one arm under my shoulders, the other under my knees. She holds me like a child as she carries me to the door.
“What do you want me to do?” Sarah asks him as we are exiting.
“You’re coming with me. I’m throwing you and Will in a cell for the attempted murder of a prisoner,” Luke says in a harsh voice.
“What!” Sarah shouts. “Attempted murder? I didn’t do anything!”
“Really? Then why were you in here watching her die?” he snaps. “You’re her guard, and you almost let her get drained right in front of you. You failed in your position. You’re a disgrace to Malum.”
The door shuts behind us as Olivia carries me into the hallway.
“I can probably stand if you want me to walk with you,” I say, my words all slurring together.
“No, you’re too weak.” Olivia looks down at me. “What happened?”
“Sarah came to get me, and Will invited us to go somewhere. He wanted to kill me.”
“And Sarah was okay with it?” Olivia asks, outraged. “She’s so stupid.”
We get back to the apartment, and Olivia lays me down on my bed. She rushes around the room and brings me a few blood bags.
“Here, you drink these. I’ll be right back.” She turns to exit the room.
“Thank you.”
She looks back and gives me a grin. “Of course. I told you. I don’t want you to die.” She gives me a nod before she leaves.
I lay on the bed and drink until my belly feels full. Slowly, I start to regain my strength. My head gets clearer, my body feels stronger, and all the aches and pains go away. I sit up and cross my legs on the bed.
Even though my body feels better, my heart still hurts. I miss my family. The thought of dying without seeing them one last time freaks me out. I don’t want to die here. I want to make it out alive. I need to figure out what’s going on with Luke and try to get him to help me get out of here. Maybe Olivia will even be able to help me. I don’t want to stay here for one more minute.
“I’m back!” Olivia bursts through the door. “And I brought company.” She carries my homework binder in her hands as she nods her head towards the door. The small, blonde girl walks through. She looks around, studying her surroundings. “There was an emergency meeting, and I got stuck on babysitting duty.” Olivia looks behind her and sighs. “Tate, c’mon, stop walking so slowly.”
Tate walks in the room, and once she sees me, she smiles.
“I thought I wasn’t supposed to be around her,” I say to Olivia, remembering what she told me at the party.
“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Olivia sits on my bed. “He thinks that you’re some cold-hearted monster that would kill his youngest daughter for revenge.”
I look over at the young child to see if Olivia’s harsh words affected her, but they don’t. Tate just stares at me.
“Tate, why don’t you sit on the couch and color?” Olivia suggests.
“I want to sit with you guys.” Tate pouts as she tries to climb up onto my bed.
“No,” Olivia says with a scoff.
“She can sit with us, I don’t mind,” I say with a shrug.
Olivia looks between me and Tate, who finally managed to climb onto the bed. “Fine.” She plops the binder down and opens the cover. “Crap, this is a lot,” she says as she flips through the three hundred pages of homework.
“You’re really going to make me do that?” I ask with a frown. “Haven’t I been tortured enough today?”
“Chase is going to flip. I know it’s annoying, but one less person on your back will be better. Trust me.”
“Can I?” I blurt out. She furrows her brow as she looks at me. “Can I trust you?”
“Duh,” Olivia says with a laugh. “Have I not proved that I’m on your side in here?”
I glance at Tate, who’s still looking around the room. “Can you help me get out?” I hold my breath as I wait for her answer.
Her eyes widen before she sighs. “I want to help you, I really do. I don’t know if it’s possible right now.”
Disappointment stabs my heart as I nod. “I get it. You need to protect yourself.”
“What they’re doing to you is awful and wrong. I’ll help you as much as I can while you’re here.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it,” I tell her. I sigh as I think about before. “I was thinking about what you said in training the other day, about dying. After almost dying today, I realized how much I still want to do. I don’t want to die without seeing my family again.”
Olivia nods as she frowns. “I’m sorry, Nina. I wish there was more that I can do.”
“It
’s okay,” I say as I brush away the tears that tried to escape my eyes. I glance around, trying to find something to distract myself so that I don’t completely break down in tears. “So, this homework. I’ll take half, and you take half?” I suggest.
“Okay, maybe it will only take us eight hours then instead of ten,” Olivia jokes, trying to get me to smile.
“Can I help?” Tate asks as she moves closer to us.
“No,” Olivia answers immediately.
It’s clear that they aren’t close.
“Why?” Tate asks.
“Can you read?” Olivia asks her.
“No.” Tate shakes her head, causing her blonde ponytail to swish back and forth.
“Then you can’t help.” Olivia takes half of the stack and hands it to me and then tosses me a pencil.
I start to work on the English section as I feel eyes burning into my head. I glance over at Tate, who’s just staring at me. “Do you want me to get something for you to color?” I ask her.
She nods her head once as I stand up.
“Nina, you don’t have to—” Olivia starts.
“It’s really fine.” I find some blank paper and colored pens. I place them on the bed in front of Tate, and we all get to work.
“Nina?” A soft voice squeaks after a few minutes of silence.
My hazel eyes meet her blue ones. “Yes?”
“How old are you?” Tate asks.
“Eighteen. How old are you?”
“Three.” She holds up three fingers.
“Tate, Nina and I are really busy,” Olivia tells her before she points down at the papers in front of Tate. “Color.”
Another few minutes go by, and I place the fifteenth completed page face down in my “done” pile.
“Olivia?” Tate asks.
“What?”
“I’m hungry,” Tate tells her.
Olivia sighs and throws her head back. I can tell she’s losing her patience. “In a few minutes, we can go see what they have in the kitchen for you to eat.”
“Can Nina come?” Tate asks.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“For heaven’s sake—” Olivia starts.
“I have to finish this work,” I tell Tate. “You can go without me and then come back when you’re done.”