Chapter 8

Hailey's pov;

When I returned from college, Charlie handed me the keys and stated, "I'm staying at Jason's place tonight." And dashed out the door without waiting for my response. 

After he departed, I shut the door and walked straight to my room because I had just eaten dinner with Alex. 

I wondered why Alex was approaching me. Is it only because he found my jewellery and wants a tour in exchange? No, the way he's acting towards me plainly indicates that he's hitting on me. But why, of all the girls in his department, me?

Alex doesn't appear to be a red flag, but after learning that there are a lot of vampires on campus, I became wary of people I don't know. After getting to know Alex a little more, I doubt he'll fall into that category. If I question Austin about ways to separate vampires and humans, he'll start complaining about his laws. So, how am I going to discover Alex's true identity? Should I just ask him outright? 

While I was thinking about how to find out if Alex is a vampire or not, I heard a doorbell from downstairs. Is Charlie forgetting something? What's the deal with this guy's forgetfulness? Is it genetic in nature?

When I went downstairs and opened the door, it wasn't Charlie as I had expected, but rather someone unexpected. To be honest, I was taken aback when I saw the person standing in front of my house.

"What are you doing here?" I inquired about him.

Austin was dressed in a red three-piece suit, as if he were in a fantasy film where vampires wear something cool and dangerous to the masquerade ball. I gasped and closed my ears when I suddenly heard a storm. 

Austin walked into the house and shut the door behind him. 

I carefully removed my hands over my ears and asked him, "What are you doing here?" "How did you find out where I live?"

"Is there anyone in the house?" he said, looking around. 

"No. It's just me. You have yet to respond to my question. How did you do-" 

"I have something to tell you," he shushed me. "So don't talk while listening to me." 

"Why should I listen to you?" 

"When will your parents return?"

"They'll be back on Friday. Ugh! Why am I even responding to you? What exactly are you-"

"How about your brother?" he inquired. "Where has he gone?" 

"How did you know about my-" 

"Where has he gone?" 

"I'm not sure. He most likely went to see his friends. Why are you bothering me with these questions?"

"Today I met my father. He inquired about you." 

"Who is your father? He inquired about me. What exactly are you talking about? You're not making any sense."

"I don't mean specifically about you."

"What the hell does that even mean?" 

"I can't go into specifics, but can you miss a few days of school?" 

"Why?" 

He sighed and replied, firmly and with narrowed eyes, "If you don't want to die, then don't." 

"What!? Did you just threaten me-"

"This is why you don't last long in any of your relationships," he cut me off. "You speak a lot. So vexing." After saying that, I walked out of my house.

"Who could remain silent after hearing that?" I yelled at him as he walked out the door. 

Even though he had left, his words rang in my ears. He just threatened me? What happened to his father, and what was that he mentioned? Above all, how did he know where I was? Was he following me? 

I went to my room after locking the door. He had the audacity to call me obnoxious yet again. I hurled my pillow against the wall because I couldn't keep my rage inside. What authority does he have over me to discuss my relationships? I don't last long, do I? What does he know about what happened?

Is he thinking that because he's a vampire, I'll listen to whatever he says? Is he afraid I'll be scared of him? Never. Why should I pay attention to him? Furthermore, he's not someone I should be listening to in the first place. As usual, I'll go to college tomorrow, attend my classes, and have fun with my best friend, Riley. 

I strolled into the classroom the next morning and took my seat next to Riley. Austin was already staring at me with those hazel eyes when I turned to look at him. I smirked at him and continued to listen to the namecall to indicate my presence.

When I went to go to the cafeteria during the break, Austin approached me and asked, "What are you doing here?" When I ignored him, he took my hand in his and asked, "Didn't I warn you not to come?" 

"Don't think I'll listen to you because you're a vampire," I murmured, pulling my hand away. "Even if anything bad happens, I know how to take care of myself. I'm not a child." 

"You have no idea what you're doing-" 

Alex appeared out of nowhere and inquired, "Is everything okay here? I saw him take your hand..."

"No problem. He's a classmate of mine. We're only discussing-" I withdrew a $20 bill from my pocket and handed it to Austin, explaining, "He's just asking for the money he lent me." 

"Are you going to the cafeteria?" Alex inquired.  

"Yes."

"Then let's all go together."

"Okay."

I nodded, and as we were about to depart, Alex asked, pointing to Austin, "What about your friend?" "Are you not going to invite him?" 

"He said he has something to do. Let's go."

"Okay. Then let's get going." And then we all went to lunch together. Austin was still staring at me as I looked up. What's the deal with this stare?

"I'm cold," I said to Alex, who was strolling beside me. "May I take your hand?"

When I asked him, he was astonished, but he nodded and held my hands as we went. I grinned at Austin and kept walking with Alex to the cafeteria. The first thing that sprang to mind when I saw Alex was that he was far too tall for me. I'm not opposed to taller men, but I don't like having my head at their shoulder level. 

"Are you feeling a little better now?" 

"Huh?" 

"You mentioned earlier that you were cold." And examined the linked hands. 

In reflex, I pulled out and said, "Yes. Yes, I'm fine now."

As I was thinking about Austin's menacing statements from the night before, Why did he ask me to stay at home? Was he playing with me or was he serious? He didn't appear to be lying, though. Because he exhibited no indicators of deception, such as gazing to the left, lip biting, fidgeting, or changes in speaking patterns. Why did he warn me not to attend college? 

Alex waved his hand in front of me bringing me back to reality.

"What?" I asked him. 

"Didn't you hear what I was saying?" 

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Alex, "Because of an upcoming event, I have a practice with the music club today, so you can leave when your classes are done. We'll have our tour after the event is over."

Is there actually an event coming up, or is he purposefully postponing the tour? 

I nodded and went alongside him. While I was standing with Alex in front of the food counter in the cafeteria, someone tapped on my shoulder, and when I turned around, it was Riley.

"Didn't your tour end yet?" Riley inquires. And she looked at Alex, who was standing next to me. 

"No," Alex said instead of me. "Because of my hectic schedule, it was postponed for a time." "Let me introduce myself," he proceeded politely. "I'm Alex, a second-year architecture student. It's a pleasure to meet you." With a broad grin on his face. "I'll be more cautious about playing my guitar in public places from now on. I apologise for the difficulties I created previously."

Riley questioned me, "What's he doing?" when Alex went to get his meal tray. 

"I'm not sure. Perhaps he doesn't want you to harbour resentment against him." "Wasn't he nice, though?" I asked, shrugging my shoulders. And smiled when he saw Alex.

"You like him?" 

"I mean, who doesn't? Look at him; aside from his height, he's great in every way in my opinion. He swims, plays music, and speaks softly. You should hear him speaking Spanish. He sounds fantastic."

"Didn't you two just meet the day before? When did you find out all this information about him?"

"Yeah, wasn't it funny?" I exclaimed.

Riley jolted me by saying, "Girl, you just got out of a relationship. Get a grip on yourself."

"FYI," I murmured as I stared at her. "I didn't step down. I had been dumped. Why should I recall all that nonsense when he's already with another girl?" "Moreover, Alex is the one approaching me, I'm not." "What if he's the one for me? What If I underwent all those breakups just to meet him? It sounds like destiny, right?" I wondered as Riley glanced at me. 

"Dude?!" 

"I was just kidding," I said as I chuckled at her. "I simply get a feeling he's hitting on me. What if I'm wrong? What if all he wants is a tour from me since he didn't have a friend here? Let's wait and see what he does, then we'll think about it." 

Alex returned, carrying my lunch tray, and said, "Let's eat." With a grin.

I took the tray from him and asked, "Why did you bring mine too? I would have got it myself." 

"It's not a big deal. Come on, let's eat together." And turned to Riley and asked, "Shall we wait for you?" 

Riley said to him, "No need."

I asked Riley, "Hey, What's with the attitude? Didn't he apologise to you twice already?"

Riley, "Let's meet in Ms Jones class." And left after giving a side eye to Alex. 

I said to Alex, "Let's go find a seat."

Alex and I found a seat near the window and began eating. 

"I'm sorry for her behaviour. She's just worried about me."

"I can see that. You're lucky to get a friend like this." After a while he said, "This is the first time I'm having my lunch comfortably after joining here," Alex commented as he ate. "Because of these practices, I have to eat quickly or even skip lunch. In addition to that, since I carry a guitar with me, girls ask me to play it for them like I'm only here to entertain them."

"Why don't you just refuse them or say that you're tired?" 

"I don't want anyone to look down at me." He paused and said, "Hailey, I'm sorry for postponing our tour, I can't do it because of the event," he sighed. "I hope this is okay with you."

"It's alright," I answered, shaking my head. "I'm not bothered." 

He nodded and resumed eating his meal. I thought he was happy to be surrounded by those girls but I didn't know he was feeling uncomfortable. So popular guys do feel uncomfortable too. While I was taking glances at him, I saw him separating the garlic from his dish. 

"You don't like garlic?" I inquired.

"Yes, I don't like the pungent smell it leaves behind in the mouth," he added as he picked out the garlic on his plate.

"Oh." And I ate quietly. He despises garlic. Garlic has an unpleasant odour. Garlic. He also did not touch the meat. Red flag!

"Doesn't like meat, too?" 

"I need to maintain my weight for the swimming meet on Monday." 

Makes sense but still it's a red flag. When I looked at his hand, I noticed he wasn't wearing a watch. I saw his clothes were a solid blue shirt and beige pants. I've never seen him in white since I met him. No white clothes. 

"How do you balance music and sports?" Wasn't it tiring?" I enquired. 

"I don't get tired of them because I love them," he remarked, shaking his head. "But when it comes to academics, I'm a little fatigued." And let out a chuckle. 

"Do you only play guitar or do you know how to play other instruments as well?"

"I prefer to play the guitar." 

He only enjoys playing one musical instrument. Another red flag has been raised. 

Alex, "I thought you hated talking while eating."

"I still do it. But I couldn't keep my interest going either." 

How can I remain silent when you've almost completed everything on the list? Alex, are you a vampire?

We both spoke at the same time, so I stepped back and said, "Go on." 

Alex, "Would you mind if I asked you a personal question?"

"Go on."

"Do you believe in supernatural beings?"

That was my inquiry. 

"What?"

"When I got transferred here, I heard weird rumours about supernatural beings and other things on campus," he remarked, leaning closer to the table.

Rumour? What kind of rumours? I've never heard anything like it. What source did he get it from?

"Like what kind of rumours?" 

He looked around and approached me, saying, "The main building. It's where it all started. I heard that some have seen... Booo!" When he scared me, I was taken aback. "I was just kidding," he said, laughing like an idiot. "Did you really believe that? So amusing." "You looked like you were so into it. Do you believe in those things?" 

'Not since Austin hit me.'

"A little." 

He nodded and said, "Okay, okay. I won't disturb you from now on. Eat peacefully." And the entire lunch went silent without any conversation. 

While we're parting on our ways, "Let me know if any supernatural things really happen." He let out a chuckle and continued, "Let's catch up later then." 

"Okay." 

All I could think of as I walked down the corridor was Alex's behaviour. I was surprised for a second when he terrified me. And it didn't appear like he was joking with me. Why did he bring up the supernatural idea so abruptly? If he wanted to converse with me, there are plenty of topics to discuss, so why did he bring that one? I ran into someone while walking with a lot on my mind. 

"I'm sor-" 

Jason was standing just in front of me. Did I bump him? Shit!!

"You're Sophie's friend, right?" he asked when I tried to leave. 

I came to a halt and responded, "Yeah."

"Thank you again for cheering for her on that day," he nodded. "I really wanted to come, but I couldn't."

"It's alright."

"Why do you keep avoiding looking at my face while talking?" he said when I tried to leave. 

I gathered my confidence and turned to face him, saying, "It's not like that. I'm not-" 

Austin called out my name before I finished, saying, "Mr Grey is looking for you in the science lab." 

I excused myself from Jason's company and went to the science lab. The science lab was vacant when I arrived. Where did Mr Gray leave after asking me to come here? 

When I turned to go, Austin was standing in front of me, which startled me and caused me to move back. 

"What's the matter with you? You've just given me a heart attack!" I said I was petting my chest. 

"What exactly are you doing with him?" 

Is he referring to Alex? 

"What does this have to do with you?" 

"Aren't you afraid of him anymore?"

Afraid? Why should I be scared of... oh! Is he referring to Jason? Whatever the case may be, why is he questioning me?

"What's the big deal?"

"Stay away from him."

"Why do you keep ordering me around? You initially asked me to stay at home, claiming that I was in danger, but nothing has occurred to me till now. You're now telling me to keep away from him. I know he's a vampire, and I know how to avoid him. You're not need to constantly reminding me or-"

"You said you couldn't find my scars, right?" He cut me off. "Because your blood heals more quickly than any other. That is not something that many people's blood can perform. Because of your blood, my scars healed in an instant. That's why you couldn't spot it on the following day. You'll be in terrible danger if he finds out about you."

"Ah! I understand! You're worried he'll steal your prey. That's me, right? Hear me out, I'm not vulnerable to anyone!" 

"Just stay away from him if you don't want to be in trouble." And walked out of the science lab. 

I reflected on what he said after he departed. Is my blood capable of healing? It's understandable that his scars vanished. But how come I didn't realise that? If my blood has healing properties... sh*t! 

"If my blood has healing powers, does that make me a prey to every vampire?" I hurried out of the science lab and jumped in front of Austin. 

He nodded as if it wasn't a big deal.

"How should I then protect myself from them?" 

"Didn't you say you can take care of yourself?" he drew closer.

"Of course I can! However, I am not a vampire hunter. Tell me how to distinguish vampires from people so that I can avoid them." When he paused, I grabbed his arm and said, "Dude! You can only assist me in this. Alternatively, do you want other vampires to steal your prey?" 

He groaned and folded his sleeve up to his elbow, showing me his inner forearm and stating, "We have this encrypted into our skin."

I noticed a tattoo of a knife with a handle on his inner forearm. "What is this thing called?"

"Is this enough for you to recognise the vampires?" he questioned, unfolding his sleeve. 

And when he tried to depart, I asked, "You just revealed your kind's legacy to a human. Are you certain you won't get into trouble now?"

He just walked away, as if he didn't hear me. By the way, that does look cool. 

If I rush to the swimming pool now... no way. Alex stated that he has music class today. Why didn't I pay attention when I had the chance? And he said he'll be busy with the music club for a week. Let's just wait until his next swimming class or the next mee. I hope he's not a vampire.