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CHAPTER 89
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Marked CHAPTER 90
{KYLE’S POV}“Hey buddy, move out!” came the gruff voice.Kyle felt himself being kicked, then nudged with a baton.He opened his eyes.He was lying on a cold, hard surface, but had no idea where. Sunlight was creeping over the horizon, and it burned his eyes and skin.“Hey buddy, did you hear me? I said move it!” the cop yelled.Kyle opened his eyes fully now, and realized he’d been lying on marble. On the cold, marble steps of City Hall. He was outside, at daybreak, lying sprawled out, like a bum. He looked up and saw two uniformed policemen standing over him, poking and prodding him with their batons, smiling at each other.Kyle tried to remember what happened, how he’d got here. He remembered reporting to Rexius. Then being grabbed, being tied down. Then, the acid. He reached up and felt one side of his face, and it felt normal. Then he reached up and felt the other—and the pain came flooding back. He could feel the contours, the horrible scars, the disfiguration. They had
Marked CHAPTER 91
My heart soared as Caleb and I flew over miles of dark woods as we crossed Martha’s Vineyard, heading into the late afternoon sun. I marveled at how big the island was. I had imagined it to be a small place, but as I looked down, I realized that it was massive. The Aquinnah cliffs, where we were heading, were on the far corner of the island, all the way on the other side. Even flying at Caleb’s speed, it would take a while.Caleb didn’t like to fly if other people were around, as he never wanted to draw undue attention to him or to the race. But the island was so deserted this time of year, that he had no qualms about flying us from one side to the other, especially over a patch of woods.My mind spun as I thought of the whaling church, and of the latest clue we’d found. It was not at all what I’d expected. I had guessed it might be another key. Instead, we’d found a scroll—a brittle, yellowing parchment, and torn in half, right down the middle. It had been obvious, from first glanc
Marked CHAPTER 92
Caleb and I set down softly. The beach was empty, entirely ours. Caleb gently landing on the sand, and I let Rose down. Rose ran in the sand, jumped into the water, then ran back to the shore as the water crashed on her.Caleb and I smiled.We walked slowly down the beach, taking it all in. We walked in silence, as Caleb reached out and took my hand.The beach was dominated by the sound of the crashing waves, and smell of the ocean air. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. It felt so refreshing.Caleb scanned the cliffs, the beach, the rocks. So did I.“This is definitely the place,” I said. “I feel like I was here with him.”Caleb nodded. “It would make sense. This is a very powerful place for our race.”I looked at him in surprise. “Have you been here before?” I asked.“Many times,” he answered. “The Aquinnah Cliffs are one of our sacred places, one of the oldest energy fields on earth. The red clay and sand store and discharge ancient energy, which restores us.“Humans, of
Marked CHAPTER 93
I found myself thinking of Caleb’s piano playing, of how beautiful the music had been. Its notes rang in my ears.“I didn’t know you could play the piano,” I said softly.He sighed. “It’s been many years. I’m afraid I didn’t do the piece justice. You should’ve heard Ludwig play it.”I looked at him, shocked. “Do you mean Ludwig…as in Beethoven?” I asked, dumbfounded.He nodded.“You heard Beethoven play that? Personally?”“Yes,” he said. “Towards the end of his life.”I was flabbergasted. It shocked me to consider what he must have seen.“So, then…you met him?” I asked.“Yes,” Caleb said. “He was a close friend. He was one of us.”“A vampire?” I asked, shocked.Caleb simply nodded.I wanted to know more—I wanted to know everything—but I could see that Caleb didn’t want to talk about it. Whatever had happened, it held deep feelings for him.“It must be so incredible to have met people like that. To remember things like that,” I said.“Sometimes,” he said. “More often, it’s
Marked CHAPTER 94
{SAM’S POV}As Sam stood there, facing his father, his heart sank. He couldn’t believe it. While he’d been disappointed by the trailer park, by the mobile home, by the unkempt surroundings, nothing had prepared him for his disappointment upon seeing his dad. All of his dreams came crashing down at once.His dad was a short, thin, frail man, maybe in his 50s, balding badly, with long stringy hair that draped down over one side of his head. He hadn’t shaved in days, and it looked like he’d slept in his clothes. His skin was covered in warts, and scarred by bad acne. He had small, beady black eyes, which darted about in his head. He stared back at Sam, looking not unlike a rat. In fact, his entire aura exuded sleaze. And he reeked. He probably hadn’t bathed in days.He looked nothing like Sam. And he looked nothing like the dad that Sam had imagined he’d come from.Sam couldn’t fathom how he possibly had come from such a human being. He felt worse about himself than he ever had.Ma
Marked CHAPTER 95
{SAM’S POV}The man was an internet predator. A pedophile. Luring people in on Facebook. Fishing for different kids. Waiting for someone to come along like Sam, someone desperate, just eager enough to be willing to believe this might be his dad.The man was quick. Before Samantha could react, he had grabbed a large kitchen knife, darted across the room, and grabbed Sam in a chokehold from behind. He held the huge knife tightly against Sam’s throat, pushing into it hard enough to almost draw blood.Sam’s eyes watered over in shock and pain.“Make a move, and he’s dead,” the man said to Samantha, in a fierce voice.This was an interesting situation for Samantha. Given that this man was not Sam’s father, she had no more business here, and was just wasting her time. She could just walk out and let Sam die. It wouldn’t make a difference. This was the only lead he’d had, and now Sam was useless to her.But there was something that made her hesitate. A spark of something she was start
Marked CHAPTER 96
When Caleb and I woke, it was night. We lay on the beach together, on the sand, on the warm night, and under the light of an enormous full moon.We still had the beach to ourselves, and the sound of the crashing waves was all around us. We both lay there, awake, undressed, in each other’s arms, using our coats as a makeshift blanket. Rose lay beside them.We were both changed people.We stared into each other’s eyes. We rolled over and kissed each other again, slowly.Our relationship had changed forever. I had changed forever. And nothing made me happier.We were no longer two random people, friends, kept together by the same mission. We were now lovers. A couple. Together.I only hoped that it would last forever.There were so many questions I was burning to ask. Like, what now? He had crossed a line, forbidden for his race. What if they found him? Would they kill him? Had he risked it all for me? Was I really worth it?And now that he had, would he leave me? Was there any w
Marked CHAPTER 97
There, in the far corner of the cave, high up, was an indent in the wall, almost in the shape of a cross. It looked surreal, unnatural. They had only seen it because of the full moon, and because the fire had burned so strongly. Otherwise, no one could have ever come across this. It was small. And if it hadn’t had been for his keen eye, it would have been easily missed.I reached up, and scraped away stone and dirt. As I did, the shape became clearer. It was indeed a tiny indent. In the shape of a key.I reached into my pocket, and extracted the key the small key to the Vincent house. I held it up and looked at Caleb. He nodded back.I slipped it inside, and it fit perfectly.We looked at each other, dumbfounded.I turned the key, and it clicked. A small compartment opened in the wall of the rock.I reached in and extracted it. It was a scroll. Torn in half.We both looked at each other, speechless. It was the second half of the scroll.I reached into my pocket and took out my
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