No One Will Believe You

by Robert J. Crane

  “We moved into our house a few days after Christmas.”

  His brow furrowed. “Seems like an odd time of year to move a family, especially with someone your age. Mind if I ask why?”

  I felt my face flush, so I focused my eyes on the television. Apparently it was unseasonably warm for this time of year, and beachgoers could expect a clear, mild weekend.

  “My dad’s a doctor, and took a job transfer,” I answered. It was true, but I definitely did not feel like explaining to a complete stranger that he’d taken the transfer because of me.

  “I see,” Mr. Stewart replied. “But you and your family are enjoying living here?” He chortled. “The thing about Florida is that you either love it or you hate it.”

  I forced a smile. “I like it so far,” I answered. “Maybe ask me again once the summer arrives.”

  “You’re right about that.”

  Something about Xandra’s dad just exuded dork for me. I didn’t really mind, but he seemed awfully chummy with someone he had just met.

  Then again, I guessed that was just normal friendliness—something I wasn’t used to a great deal of—from my peers, or my parents.

  “How about school?” he asked, easing over on the couch to face me more fully now the weather channel had sated his curiosity. “How’s that going for you?”

  For a few seconds, I was taken aback. This was the first time what felt like a long time that someone had asked me about my life, a question that had nothing to do with vampires or why I was sneaking out and defying my parents. No, instead I got a completely normal question, one that any person would ask a seventeen-year-old girl—and that simple question had temporarily frozen me.

  “Great,” I lied, and oh, how I wanted that lie to be the truth. I wanted to leave all of this ridiculous vampire stuff behind and live a normal teenage girl’s life. “I’ve got tons of friends,” I continued, heaping on the lies, “my grades are awesome, and I think I’m finally starting to fit in.”

  Just saying it felt like I had taken a sharp knife and stabbed myself repeatedly in the chest—because that was what I really wanted.

  More than anything.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I wanted something so much that it hurt like that. A painful lump rose up in my throat. I could never have it. Even if Byron went away, and vampires were gone from my life forever—there was no denying how I’d changed; what I’d done.

  Theo’s putrefying body jumped sharply into my mind—flashes leading up to it, of him trying to bite me, holding me—then my thrusting out with the stake, the resistance as it sunk into his chest …

  I tried to swallow the lump away, knowing that it meant that tears were not very far behind.

  “Dinner will be ready in five minutes!” called Xandra’s mom.

  “Your parents must be really proud of you,” Mr. Stewart said with an easy smile. I stared at him blankly until he added, “That you’re adjusting so well.”

  “Yeah …” I murmured, my chipper façade wavering, bottom lip threatening to tremble—and the sheer weight of everything fell upon me all at once. Exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave, and the comfort of the chair seemed to pull me in.

  I leaned my head back, hoping to just clear my head for a second, not wanting Mr. Stewart or anyone else see just how close I was to the brink.

  But as soon as my eyes closed, my body betrayed me, and the last thing I heard was, “A cold front is headed …” and I sagged into blissful, easy sleep for what felt like the first time in ages.

  Chapter 31

  My neck ached. My back too.

  Faint light poured in through the windows, bathing everything in the room in a pale, cool blue light. Night—but dawn was approaching. Noise came to me that I struggled to place what I was hearing, then I caught a whiff of meat cooking, and my stomach gave an appreciative gurgle, and I realized it was the sound of something frying in oil. What, I wasn’t sure exactly—a blend of spices, ginger and garlic its highest notes, masked it—but I didn’t care. I’d eat squid right now, if that’s what was offered to me.

  It took me a minute to register where I was and what had happened. The last thing I could remember was that I had totally fallen asleep in a chair at Xandra’s house. From what I could see, that was where I still was.

  I must have slept for the entire night. That meant that it was Monday morning, and I had school. I groaned.

  It also meant I’d been out the whole night when I left early yesterday afternoon—and I had very low hopes that my sneaking out remained undetected at this point. I was just wondering where my cell phone was, and whether I really wanted to check it for a tirade from either or both of my parents, when Mai’s gentle face appeared over me.

  “Good morning,” she said, looking closely into my face. “You must have been exhausted.”

  I nodded, still trying to clear my head. Everything felt foggy, like I had slept for days, and not in a good way. And somehow I still felt sleep-deprived.

  “Are you feeling all right?” she asked. “Would you care for a cup of coffee? Or some tea?”

  “Tea sounds wonderful,” I said hoarsely. I cleared my throat. “Thank you. And thank you for letting me stay here last night. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

  “You are welcome,” she said. She smiled again, and then disappeared into the quiet darkness of the morning.

  I decided against getting my phone. There’d be an onslaught of calls and messages awaiting me, and I was so not ready to deal with that right now. Plus, what was a couple hours’ more radio silence? I’d text them when I left for school. I’d tell them that I honestly never meant to fall asleep there, I just wanted to get out of the house for a little bit. Or maybe tell them that Xandra was having some kind of existential crisis and needed my help.

  Neither of those excuses would fly, I knew, but I had to come up with something to soften the blow. Besides, I was doing it for my safety and sanity as well as theirs. Why couldn’t they see that?

  Oh, right. Because I’d buried the truth about vampire stalkers and parties under a mountain of lies to cover up my endless rule breaking.

  Xandra’s mother reappeared a few minutes later, with Xandra in tow. She plopped down onto the couch, the farthest end away from me.

  Her hair was all disheveled, part of it sticking up out of her messy bun that was lopsided. There were dark circles under her eyes where her makeup had smudged. She hung her head as if she were still asleep.

  And if I wasn’t mistaken, I was pretty certain that those were the same clothes she had been wearing last night.

  “So you totally just fell asleep before dinner,” Xandra said while trying to stifle a yawn. “Missed a good one, too. Mom makes a mean phở.”

  As if talking about her had summoned her, Xandra’s mother appeared with a bright green steaming mug, and handed it to me.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked. “I could make you some eggs, or bacon, or toast, or heat up some of the noodles from last night—”

  “The noodles sound amazing,” I replied, mouth watering.

  She smiled at me and returned to the kitchen.

  Xandra moved closer to me, to the other side of the couch. She glanced over her shoulder toward the kitchen, and leaned a little closer to talk to me.

  “Seriously, you slept for like sixteen hours. You weren’t kidding when you said stuff was insane.”

  “You literally have zero idea,” I whispered, stretching my legs. Everything ached. I made a mental note to myself to never sleep upright again.

  But at least I had slept.

  Xandra watched me closely. “What happened this weekend?”

  I watched Xandra’s mom, who was humming to herself in the kitchen. I leaned in a little closer too. “A lot.” It was a little overwhelming, how much I had to tell her. It didn’t make much sense to start here, in her living room. I probably would have been able to talk for an hour or two, easily. “Literally so much that
I’m having trouble keeping up.”

  I reached up, and felt the thin, long wooden stake that I had stashed in my hair before leaving the house. “Can we go talk in your room?”

  “Here we are,” Xandra’s mom said at the same time I spoke, appearing behind the couch, bringing a wonderful, heady aroma with her. “Eat. You both have at least an hour before you need to leave for school.”

  She passed me a large bowl with a pair of chopsticks that was totally full and warm. She handed Xandra a bowl as well. Then she reached over to a tall standing lamp behind the chair I sat in, and turned it on, filling the room with much needed light.

  “I hope you like shrimp,” Xandra said, as she pulled her chopsticks apart and dug in.

  The noodles smelled spicy and sweet. They were warm, and the shrimp were coated in a spicy, rich sauce. I mimicked Xandra, pulling the chopsticks apart, though a little less gracefully.

  Even less gracefully, I attempted to hold them properly between my thumb and fingers. They didn’t want to hold still and kept slipping. When I did manage to keep a shaky hold, I failed to pick anything up.

  “Do you want a fork?” Xandra asked, laughing.

  I shook my head, determined to get them to obey me. Failing that, I speared a shrimp instead, and quickly brought it to my mouth before it fell off.

  It was divine. The sauce was spicy, but not so much that it burned. The vegetables were crisp, and the noodles were springy and perfectly cooked.

  “This is the best breakfast I’ve ever had,” I said through another mouthful, mostly green onions and peanuts I scooped up. It didn’t hurt that my stomach felt like I hadn’t eaten in weeks.

  Xandra smirked.

  I swallowed another bite. “But I haven’t ever had noodles for breakfast before,” I added.

  “Not a common thing, I know,” she said. “But a lot of Asian cultures have noodles or rice for breakfast.”

  I had finished the bowl before I had even realized—and my stomach sunk sadly. Was it bad of me to hope for an offer of seconds?

  Xandra took my bowl from me and motioned with a nod of her head for me to follow her.

  “Thanks for breakfast, Mom,” she said. “We’re going to get ready for school.”

  Xandra’s room was not quite what I expected. A diffuser on a shelf breathed the subtle tang of vanilla and cedarwood into the air. Stacks of books cluttered the floor. Gauzy, bright pink drapes hung over the window, parted to reveal the first light of sunrise, a band of peach that caressed the horizon. Her dresser looked like it was hand-painted, with small square mirrors glues onto the front of the drawers. Her bed, unmade, was covered in throw pillows and the fluffiest-looking down comforter I had ever seen. Considering how much black she wore, her room was surprisingly girly.

  “Sorry it’s a mess,” she said, stepping over a laundry basket near her door and slumping down onto her bed.

  I sort of hovered near the door, unsure if I should join her.

  “So … this weekend?”

  I sighed heavily. “I really don’t even know where to start,” I said.

  “Did something happen with your parents?”

  “Sort of,” I answered. “I was grounded.”

  “Why?”

  “I got caught sneaking back in the other night.” I bit down on my lip. “At two in the morning.”

  “And you snuck out to come here last night?” Xandra asked. “My mom is going to freak if she finds that out. Don’t tell her, please.”

  “Definitely not.” I looked at her earnestly. “Look, thank you for letting me come over here. I desperately needed to sleep … I hadn’t had a full night of sleep since the night before Byron chased us.”

  “So … summation of events since then?” Xandra said. She picked up her phone. “That text you sent me last night was really weird.”

  I furrowed my brow, trying to think back. “I’m sorry. All my recent days and nights are kinda blurring into one …” I searched my memories until I remembered. “Oh, right. Iona.”

  “Iona?” Xandra asked.

  There was a knock at Xandra’s door. Xandra and I looked at each other. “Yeah?” she said.

  It was Xandra’s dad. “I’m leaving in a few. Do you girls want a ride to school?”

  Xandra gave me a searching look.

  “I need to get my school stuff,” I said, quietly. “You go ahead. I’ll just walk to school.” Not that I didn’t appreciate the offer. I just didn’t think it would be wise to show up at home with Xandra’s dad. My parents might have a heart attack on the spot.

  “No, Dad, but thanks,” Xandra answered, voice raised to carry through the door. “We have to go back to Cassie’s house to get her school stuff. She forgot her backpack.”

  “All right,” he replied. “Love you, sweetheart.”

  “Love you too,” she answered, and then lay back on her bed, her arms splayed out beside her.

  I looked at her curiously. “You don’t have to go with me.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m interested enough in what happened to you. And who this Iona is.”

  I smiled. “All right. Wait until I tell you about Theo.”

  Xandra’s face lit up. “Theo?”

  “Another vampire. He tried to kill me …” And she listened, spellbound, as I went on, laying out the tale of all the unbelievable stuff that had happened to me just since the last time we’d seen each other.

  Chapter 32

  “I just can’t believe you actually killed one of them …” Xandra said as we stepped into her garage.

  I had not truly realized the burden of the knowledge I was carrying around until I shared it with her. The relief was blissful. I felt almost happy. I had never imagined that keeping all of this inside hurt as much as it had.

  It was easy to see how some of the girls Iona talked about had gone completely insane.

  But I knew better than they had, and I was determined not to let Byron cut me off from everyone in my life. I would keep making connections, keep building bridges, even if it was purely for my own sanity. I would not let him do that to me.

  “It’s not like it was easy,” I said, for probably the seventh time. “It was terrifying. All of it has been terrifying.”

  “He really just jumped you? And you beat him?”

  I shuddered despite the warmth of the day. “It was weird. Everything just kind of … slowed down. Like in the movies? But it happened in, like, less than a minute. The entire fight. He was …” I gritted my teeth. “He was toying with me, and then when I cracked him in the eye, he got mad, and that was when I fell on the floor …”

  I touched the stake again. “If I hadn’t had this, I wouldn’t be here.”

  We turned onto the sidewalk in the direction of my house. Birds sang. Squirrels darted, racing each other up to the trees and up their trunks. The smell of the saltwater from the bay was strong on the breeze.

  Xandra asked, “So who was the guy who was with him? You said that he helped you?”

  “Mill,” I said, feeling a wave of the same uncertainty about him that I’d felt when I was with him. “He got me out of the club. I kinda expected him to turn on me every second he was with me. But he had a million and one chances, and he never took any of them. Even when we were in the elevator alone together.”

  “Maybe he’s just biding his time,” Xandra said hesitantly.

  “I thought about that too. But then … he gave me a gift, and it ended up being really useful at scaring Byron away. Or at least annoying him by hurting him.”

  Xandra looked at me questioningly.

  “Holy water, I think,” I answered. “It burned him when I threw it in his face.”

  She laughed. “You threw it in his face? Nice.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Iona told me that it just bought me a little time, but he was probably going to be angry.”

  “You’ve mentioned her name a couple of times,” Xandra said. “She’s the one who invited you to the party, and gave you
the stake?”

  I nodded as we crossed the street.

  “Who is she?”

  “One of Byron’s exes.”

  If Xandra’s eyes could have popped out of her head, they would have.

  “Is she a vamp, too?”

  “Yeah, but she’s different,” I replied. I told her about Iona texting me, and then appearing the night before I stayed over at her house—and what she had told me about her past, and Byron’s. By the time I’d recounted it all, we were meandering down my street, the last leg of our journey to my home.

  “That’s crazy …” Xandra said. “So why are these two helping you?”

  “I have no idea,” I said. “But they haven’t given me a reason to not trust them yet. If anything, they have kept me alive.”

  “You think they’re good vampires?”

  “I don’t know.” I was saying that a lot lately.

  “Because there is no such thing,” Xandra added, pouring on the heat. “There can’t be. Vampires need humans to survive, but we’re no more than cattle to them.”

  The words of Lord Draven’s toast pressed against my mind with unrelenting force. Cattle. She was right. That’s all humans were to the vampires. Even Mill and Iona might have felt that way. The worst part was that I had no way of knowing their true intentions. But there was no point in freaking Xandra out more than I probably already was.

  “I mean, even Byron wants you for your blood, regardless of what that Iona says,” Xandra went on. “All that talk of wanting romance and a soulmate?” She made a dismissive click with her tongue. “It’s ridiculous. Vampires have no hearts, no souls. They can’t possibly love like you and I can. Lust, maybe. But even that’s superficial and empty.”

  “I am not saying that I don’t agree with you,” I said slowly, “but Mill and Iona are different in some way. Why would they care about keeping me out of Byron’s grasp? Why would they risk keeping me alive at the expense of their own safety?”

  “As far as you know, only Iona cares about your fate with Byron, and I’m not entirely convinced it isn’t some form of revenge disguised as help.”