There was definitely no way I could endure seven hours of schooling while being so on edge as I presently am, I needed to go somewhere alone. I was an expert in sneaking away from school, and I took full advantage of the fact that invisibility was one of the most advantageous abilities you could have.
I angrily shut my locker door behind me and when I made to leave, I noticed Jake right there. I stepped around him and went to the entrance.
"Wait, Rhea!" he yelled.
I huffed and looked to him. "What do you want from me?" I asked irritably.
"No, I just...why are you so mad?" His voice was broken.
It was unbelievable that he couldn't comprehend why I was infuriated. Men could be so clueless. "You just had to inform my mom about what happened last night," I barked.
"I was worried about you. You were pretty close to death, I thought she had to be aware of that," he replied.
"Because of you, I have to have a guardian now when I hunt, like a small kid," I complained.
He made a face of understanding. "Perhaps if you don't create any problems, your mom will take it back soon," he proposed. "I'm sorry."
My anger was almost gone by this point. It was hard to stay mad at him when he was basically begging. I kept my mouth closed and spent a minute thinking over it. After a while, I murmured, "Okay, that is enough, I'm not mad any longer."
"Where are you going off to now," he looked from my empty bag pack, to the exit door which I was facing. "Are you going to skip class again?"
"Are you going to report me again?" I eyed.
"Jeez, no." He looked emotional.
I let out a deep breath.
"Okay, I will stay," I finally stated.
He looked obviously relieved and I moved back to my locker, gathering my books and supplies. Class would begin in around five minutes.
I got to class and proceeded to my regular seat in the back.
"Hi," my friend Anna said when she marched in.
"Hi," I answered and we talked until the teacher commenced the lecture.
The first three classes went by as ordinary as anyone could expect. The teachers lectured, the students slept, and the usual order of school life stayed in balance. Of course, this peaceful scene was disturbed when lunchtime arrived.
I was heading to meet Jake at our normal table and that was when I saw him.
Perfect looks, solid jaw, well-manicured but tousled light brown hair and the most impressive heavenly blue eyes I had ever seen. Vampire.
My senses were in overdrive, I could sense it; the intended safety measure in my head was screaming at me to pursue him while my logical side was encouraging me to overlook him. My heart pulsated speedily, something felt off key; his powers were way too mightier than average.
The vampire sensed me as well because he stiffened and raised his head from the food he had been playing with. His eyes did a fast scan of me and then he shifted back placid, most likely deciding I wasn't a menace to him, and he further made it obvious he found me dull when he looked into my eyes and smirked.
"Rhea," Jake called behind me. He instantly noticed the vampire and scowled. "Come on," he said.
"When have you ever heard of a vampire that goes to school?" I inquired, once we were a safe distance away.
"Never," he answered sternly. "I'm baffled too, there is no explanation for his presence."
"Actually," I contradicted him, "there's a clear answer. I think it would be convenient for an attractive vampire to spot teenage girls to suck on in a secondary school."
"Do you think he's good looking?" Jake sounded jealous.
I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean."
Jake and I stayed together for the remaining part of lunch and then we made our way to fourth period. We both stopped dead on our tracks when we entered the room, sitting in the seat right next to mine was none other than our new vampire acquaintance. The bell rang.
"Get to your seats," Mrs. Sally told us. She went to the chalkboard and started writing the day's assignments.
I gazed from Mrs. Sally to Jake then walked to my desk. I was uncomfortable, both with the vampire's presence and being aware of Jake's attention on me. The hairs on the back of my head stood on end and I would have much preferred for Jake to have been seated closer to me, instead his seat was at the far end of the class.
"Alright, we have a new student in this class," Mrs. Sally pointed out while turning to the vampire. "Travis, don't hesitate to come to me after school if you need assistance, or you can ask Rhea for help. She is exceptionally proficient at this subject." She pointed at me.
"Thank you," he uttered to the teacher and smiled at me. His smile wasn't menacing, or arrogant, or even dangerous. It was friendly.
I glared back at him, and noticed that he was attempting to hypnotise me. No way was I going to allow two vampires to hypnotize me within 48 hours. This time I firmly rooted my concentration, not allowing myself to be overpowered by his tactics. He looked away first and I also shifted my view to the chalkboard, satisfied that I was able to hold control of my mind.
During the first half of the class, I concentrated on Travis. I observed his behavior stealthily, not seeming to be too interested though, as hunters are well-versed in the art of subtlety.
After the first session of the lesson we had a few minutes to do whatever we liked, so as usual students started to converse, listen to their mp3 players, send text messages, and gossip.
Travis was the only one in the class who actually seemed to be doing his math. He raised his head up and noticed Jake's sharp gaze on him. Instead of retaliating, Travis lifted his arm.
Mrs. Sally peered up and replied, "Yes?"
"I am having difficulty with question six," he said.
Mrs. Sally, already assisting another student said, "Rhea, can you help Travis, please?"
"Alright," I answered, seething on the inside. Today was certainly not favoring me.
Jake's glare sharpened, and Travis returned the gesture with a smirk. He moved his chair nearer to mine and talked, "So do you understand question six? I have attempted to answer it correctly, but it does not quite tally with the answer in the book."
I glared at him and examined his work, then uttered grudgingly, "you have to subtract 'A squared' and 'B squared'." I explained.
He sent me a friendly smile mouthing a "Thanks."
He made no effort to move back to his desk so I stared questioningly at him.
"So your name is Rhea, right?" he tried to start a conversation.
I replied rudely, "Can you move your seat away?"
He chuckled lightly, and damn, I would have preferred to hear a rather insane laugh, something to make me dislike him the more.
Suddenly, the bell sounded and I hastily gathered my things and dashed out of the room.
Once outside, I spotted Jake.
"We must do something about him quickly," he spoke first.
"Agreed," I said, "we can tend to him after school."
When I entered for the next class, I almost found myself giggling whimsically over my harebrained belief that nothing bad could happen again today. Who do you think was seated directly behind my desk? The same smile that I had witnessed previously gazed directly up at me.
Travis didn't speak to me for the entire period, meaning the proposed conversation in maths class had been deliberately constructed to irritate Jake. It made sense actually; it was inconceivable for a vampire to have a friendly relationship with a hunter afterall.
"So what part of the country did you move from?" I heard Michelle ask him.
"I stayed in New York for the last couple of years, but I've been in different places before that, my family relocates regularly," he answered.
"How about Florida? Do you like it here?" she continued, fluttering her eyes foolishly.
"It is too early to say," he replied, hinting at a smile.
I could bet on the fact that Michelle was entranced by the attention. People were always astounded by vampires' captivating beauty; it was a little pitiful. I wondered how long it would take Travis before he attempted to suck her blood and if I would be the one to rescue her.
I listened cautiously to his words and thought about how much of it was truth. Any small fact regarding your enemy is always helpful to know.
"And where do you live now?" Lisa, another girl, posed her own question.
"I'm not far from school," Travis answered vaguely.
I wasn't surprised; of course he wouldn't divulge the real location of the crypt he calls a home, not in front of a hunter.
The bell brought me back from my trance and I hastened to put my belongings away and rush out of the room. I always felt uneasy in the presence of vampires and I was not used to being in close proximity to them without my weapons. The rest of the day went by and thankfully I didn't encounter Travis again.
When I got home, I held several thoughts in my head and then realized that the only way to get my restrictions taken away would be to prove myself worthy in some way. Killing Travis would surely be a good way to do that. I briefly imagined myself being a hero and quickly realised how unlikely it was. I was a very powerful hunter, no doubt, but I was notorious for making mistakes and getting in over my head. And like I had sensed earlier, Travis was powerful; he would not be an easy target. I would have to map out a strategy.
The next day happened to be a Saturday, thus I awoke later than usual and stayed at home. I occupied much of my time thinking out different techniques to get Travis. I had taken my mother's advice and gotten myself a nice that I had drenched in the strongest poison we had. I knew my school was quite tolerant; metal detectors were non existent, we never required identification cards, the amount of guards was quite scanty, the probability of anyone noticing my weapon was negligible. Later, in the evening I called Ethan and asked if he wanted to go with me hunting. He agreed which did not surprise me. We headed toward a new club, it was well known as a popular spot for vampires. Because of our ability to teleport, we can hunt any place on the planet we wish. I myself have taken single trips to Hollywood, Vegas, Paris, New York and some other great cities,xlthough I had only gone in search for these ungodly, blood-sipping vampires."Did you hear that?" Ethan asked me."Yes," I answered.
I walked down the street briskly as I listened for sounds that would confirm danger. The atmosphere felt too strange, it was as if something was about to jump out at me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on feeling.I shouldn't have been having so much trouble. I was a huntress and a powerful one at that. My family was renowned for having the fiercest vampire hunters in history, but I rarely ever lived up to those standards.I turned my head quickly as I heard the noise, footsteps to quiet for a human to even barely notice. He turned up behind me. Logan. I had been hunting him for two weeks now and he kept escaping me.Not this time, I thought as I looked at his eyes. Oops, bad move, I was entranced. Vampires had the luck of having eyes that could hypnotize anyone. Not that they really needed it, their looks were enough. They were gorgeous, there was something about the change from human to vampire that could make you look perfect, some always looked better than others of course, but
When I reached my locker I yanked it open, took the books out of my bag, and started shoving them in. I wouldn't need them today because I didn't plan on going to class. There was no way I could endure seven hours of school while I was so upset. I was the queen of skipping school, like I said invisibility was one of the most useful powers you could have.I slammed my locker shut and when I turned to leave I saw Ethan standing behind me. I stepped around him and headed for the door."Evy wait," he called.I kept walking, but then stopped when I realized that he was following me. Chances were he wouldn't stop until he caught me."What do you want?" I asked rudely."Why are you mad at me?" he asked in a hurt voice.I couldn't believe he didn't know. Men really were oblivious. "You told my mom about last night," I told him still rude."I was worried about you. Besides you were almost killed, I thought she should know," he said."Do you know what she did?" I asked. "She won't let me hunt b
I looked from Mrs. Firn to Ethan and then walked to my seat. I was instantly uncomfortable, and very aware of both Ethan and the vamp staring at me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, I would have felt better if Ethan was sitting closer, but he sat on the other side of the room. His last name was Bentley and mine was Sinclair, why teachers felt the need to seat us alphabetically I would never know."Okay we're continuing with conics today," Mrs. Firn said to the class. She waited as everyone groaned in unison and then announced, "But first, we have a new student in class today." She turned to the vamp and said, "Anthony if you need help with anything you can feel free to come after school when I do tutoring, or you can ask Evelyn, she's very good.""Okay thanks," he said to her and then he turned to me and smiled. The worst part about his smile was that it wasn't threatening, it wasn't arrogant, it wasn't even condescending. It was friendly?I glared at him. His smile grew wid
I knew I needed a plan, but my brain wasn't really cooperating. I decided to sleep on it and worry tomorrow. At least it would be Saturday, that was always guaranteed to brighten any teenager's outlook on life.I woke up the next morning and headed downstairs. My mom was home and she was staring at me curiously as I searched through the kitchen trying to find breakfast."You didn't go hunting last night?" she asked. I couldn't really blame her for being surprised, I always hunted on Fridays. I honestly couldn't remember the last time I had been home on a Friday night."I didn't feel like it," I answered.She frowned, "Evelyn, when I restricted your hunting privileges, it wasn't to stop you from hunting. And, I can't lift the restriction if you decide to boycott it.""I'm not boycotting anything, I just felt like staying home last night. I'm going hunting tonight. I'll call Ethan to see if he can go with me okay?" I reassured her.She pursed her lips and surveyed my face. I think she m
I ended up two blocks away from Ethan and the other vamp. Edmund, still holding me, was only disoriented for a second. But I made the most of that second. I managed to elbow him in the solar plexus and pull away from his grasp. He lunged at me and I dodged him. I grasped the handle of my knife and reached up to stab him. And then, blackness. I recalled something, someone, smash me onto the floor, hard. My head made contact with concrete and after that I have no idea what happened.I woke up groggy on a bed. I looked around, too out of it to register where I was, I couldn't even work up the energy to panic. I felt stiff and I had the worst migraine ever. My eyes were still heavy and it felt so good to collapse back onto the bed and relax, within seconds I fell back asleep.I woke up again, this time to voices, all of them male. I tried to listen to what they were saying, but my brain wouldn't let me focus, and sleep was inviting me to lie back down on the bed…"That was the rule, if yo
I watched as a male figure entered the room. He was shorter than Anthony and had that blond haired, blue eyed, pretty boy look about him. He was vampire, I could sense it. Great, I thought, another one.Like Eric, he spoke to Anthony first, "when did she wake up?""A little while ago, I think she wants to leave, but everyone keeps interrupting her dramatic exit," Anthony said while I glared at him. He then looked at me and said, "This is my other brother Mark.""Hi there," Mark said smiling at me. "Okay she looks pissed, I'm not messing with a hunter so I'm leaving now," he said to Anthony.He walked out of the room just like Eric. I stared at Anthony for a little while, unsure of what to say. Since we were natural enemies an apology seemed out of place, but he was right, he did save my life."Thanks," I said, "I owe you one."He seemed surprised at my apology. "No problem."I sighed. Well there went my plans to wow everyone with my awesome hunting skills by killing him. I wouldn't be
As I expected, my mother asked few questions about my being gone for an entire night. She wasn't exactly happy that I'd ditched Ethan, but she wasn't angry enough to punish me or anything like that. She left a few warnings about being safe and taking care of myself and then went about her business.I ended up spending the rest of Sunday in the house. Ethan didn't call, I was a little worried that he was angry with me for leaving like that last night, but I didn't dwell on it for very long. I was going to see him in school tomorrow, so I'd be able to give him a proper apology then. Besides, he couldn't really be that mad. If I'd stayed we'd have probably both ended up dead.I did the rarest activity that I ever did and hung out with my sisters. We don't bond like normal siblings. No watching TV together, we don't do each other's hair, or talk about boyfriends, or try to figure out how to forge our mother's signature. No, whenever we spend time with each other we practice our hunting sk