by Shayla Hyde
"What is that?" I questioned her.
"It looks like an invitation to something." She shrugged, swooping it into her hand. She stepped back inside, and I swiftly locked the door before turning the living room light on. Iris had a smile plastered on her face as she examined the paper.
"It looks like you and I have plans tomorrow night." She chuckled, glancing up at me.
"Why? What is it?" I anxiously peeked at the paper.
"This here is an invitation to a party at Kaden's house tomorrow night." She explained. "We have to go!"
I felt my phone buzz in my hand once again. It was the same number.
So, what do you say? Are you coming?
I didn't take you for the partying type, I typed and sent.
Kaden quickly texted back. It's Elizabeth's party. I just thought you being there would make it more bearable.
I smiled and bit my bottom lip. I stared at my phone screen for a moment before typing back. Can Iris come?
Of course.
Can you promise me Sebastian and Elizabeth will be on their best behavior?
Kaden responded. They will be. Come. It'll be fun. 11 PM. "We are going, right?" Iris asked me.
"Uh," I grinned, "Yeah. Yeah, sure."
"Awesome! This is my second party ever." she admitted.
"I do need to tell you something first because it might change your mind," I explained.
Her smile quickly faded. "Okay, what?"
"So, remember the blonde girl from school that was walking with
Jake in the hallway?"
"Blondey-Bitch, yeah. Why?" Iris asked nonchalantly.
"She's actually Kaden's sister. Her name is Elizabeth, and yes, a complete bitch," I hesitantly agreed.
"She's going to be there?" Iris asked, sighing deeply.
"Yes," I frowned. "She's actually the one hosting the party, but we don't have to go if you're uncomfortable with that."
"You know what," she perked up. "Yes. I want to go, and I hope Jake is there with her. I want him to see that I'm better off without him." I nodded enthusiastically, the guilt eating me alive. Jake won't be there, I wanted to say. Jake is dead.
"Let's decide what we are going to wear," she smiled excitedly. "I'll help you if you help me."
I forced a smile and followed her to my bedroom.
The next night, Iris pulled her truck into the exceptionally long driveway of the Warren's. We were forty minutes early to the party, and there were already dozens of other vehicles there. This party is going to be massive, I thought. Iris parked on the grass next to the rest of the cars. She checked herself out in her rearview mirror one last time before switching off the ignition. I was so nervous that I felt like I was going to be sick.
Iris glanced over at me and chuckled. "Damn, we look good." I'd made the mistake of letting her dress me and do my makeup. I wasn't as confident as she was, and the tight clothes and dark eyeliner she'd put on me didn't make me feel more so. I tugged on my door handle and reluctantly climbed out of the vehicle. Together, we hiked across the gravel driveway toward the front door. I was thankful I hadn't let Iris talk me into wearing heels, and I'd settled for my usual sneakers instead. The closer we got to the house, the louder the music thumped from inside.
Iris rang the doorbell, and we were greeted by Sebastian seconds later.
"Hello ladies." he winked. "Get in here."
I rolled my eyes and quickly maneuvered Iris inside.
"Who was that?" Iris whispered to me as we passed by him.
"Kaden's brother, of course," Sebastian answered, slamming the door shut after us. He then held his hand next to his mouth and whispered,
"and I happen to have exceptionally good hearing." "Noted," Iris chuckled, chewing on her bottom lip.
Sebastian took Iris’s delicate hand in his, pressing his narrow lips to her knuckles. “And you are?”
Iris watched him in fascination, “Oh, um, I’m Iris.”
Sebastian gently let go of her hand, and his smile extended, “A beautiful name for a beautiful lady.”
Iris’s cheeks flushed, and I grabbed her wrist before any more advances could be made between the two of them.
"Where's Kaden?" I interrupted.
"I wasn't aware he would be here," Sebastian smirked, staring at my grip on Iris’s arm, "He never attends."
"He invited me," I informed him, "and he said he would be here." "Huh, well. I'm sure he is here somewhere, then," Sebastian stated, winking at Iris again.
Iris chuckled, examining Sebastian from head to toe with enchantment.
"Thanks for all the help," I sarcastically muttered before I tugged Iris away from him, intentionally keeping her close to my side.
We pushed through the crowd of people. Some were standing alone, some dancing, some making out, some playing cards, but they were all drinking. I recognized a few familiar faces from school, but still no Kaden. When we reached the dining room, I saw Elizabeth sitting at the table conversing with two strangers; a man and a woman. Aside from the three of them, the dining room was empty. I marched over to them. "And here she is now," Elizabeth said to them, nodding in my direction.
"What, you were talking about me?" I squinted at her.
"I was just telling Amelia and Victor here about your cool little birthmark," she winked.
I locked eyes with Victor and Amelia. Their pale skin and abnormally perfect features told me everything I needed to know about them. They were vampires.
"Have you seen Kaden?" I quickly changed the subject before Elizabeth could say too much.
"He's probably out back. I'm sure he's been looking for you," Elizabeth said with a hint of sarcasm and a chuckle. She stopped short when she noticed Iris standing behind me. "Oh, hi, Iris."
"Hi," Iris bleakly responded from behind me. “How do you know my name?”
"Oh, you know. I’ve heard it around,” she winked. “Cute shorts, by the way," Elizabeth complimented her.
I glanced back at Iris, but she had dropped her head. "Thanks," she uttered quietly.
"C'mon," I said, grabbing her arm again and leading her away from them.
"Did you hear that? She’s heard my name around? She must be talking about from Jake, right? Oh, and cute shorts? She was being sarcastic. She hates me," Iris loudly complained while we approached the back door.
"Not necessarily,” I shouted over the music and forced a smile.
“Don’t worry about her, Iris. I don’t think she hates you. I think she is jealous of you.”
Iris’s eyebrows lifted in distress, “Jealous? Of me? Have you seen her? I’m the one that should be jealous.”
The back door was just ahead, but I stopped in my tracks and gaped over at Iris. “Elizabeth has nothing on you, Iris. Nothing.”
Iris stared back at me for a moment, and I hardly heard her mutter the words, “I wish Jake felt the same way.”
It hurt my heart. She glanced over the crowd, presumably looking for her deceased ex-lover, and all I could do was watch her. The partygoers were dancing and grinding all over us at this point, so I took her hand in mine again.
“Come on,” I said softly, a frown on my face. We continued toward the back door.
We reached the sliding glass door, and I peeked outside. Thankfully, I
didn’t have to search long. I saw Kaden just outside the door. He was sitting alone in a lawn chair, and he was facing away from the door. "There he is.” I said over the music. I stepped toward the door, but Iris stood still.
“What are you doing?” I questioned her.
“Well, I thought I’d give you guys some alone time and go grab a drink,” she folded her arms and glanced across the room, her eyes landing on Sebastian. He was staring right at her, a glass pressed to his lips.
Oh, no. I accidentally winced. “Oh, um, alright. I will be right back, though. So, don’t leave, okay? Stay close by, please?”
She nodded in agreement. I hesitantly slid the back door open and stepped outside. I watched th
rough the glass as Iris slipped through the congregation of drunk high-schoolers, heading directly toward
Sebastian. My stomach churned. I’d have to make this quick.
I faced Kaden, but he hadn’t noticed me. He was staring ahead, a red solo cup clutched in his hand.
"Hi," I said, grabbing his attention.
His reaction surprised me. He quickly jumped to his feet and whirled around to face me, "Eve, what the hell are you doing here?" "What do you mean? You invited me," I folded my arms over my chest.
"I- I didn't invite you," he said, seeming confused.
"You texted me last night. You left an invitation on my doorstep," I tried to refresh his memory, "You told me to come."
"Eve, I didn't invite you. I wouldn't have invited you. You have vampire blood in your system, and it's hazardous for you to be here. You said you would stay home and stay safe for forty-eight hours," he scolded me, placing his chill hands on each of my forearms. “Listen, there are two very important vampires at this party tonight, and they don't need to know about your mark."
"Amelia and Victor, by any chance?" I asked him, remembering the two vampires that had been with Elizabeth.
"Yes, how did you..." he trailed off, tightly pursing his lip. "Because when I got here, Elizabeth was telling them about my mark," I explained, interlacing my fingers.
"Oh, God. Eve, you need to leave now. Come on, I'll take you home," he grabbed my hands.
"Iris is here with me," I told him, "I need to find her first. She was walking toward Sebastian."
"Hurry," he demanded, "Then you both need to come straight back to me."
I panicked and rushed inside the cabin. I didn’t see Iris or Sebastian anywhere. I couldn't even hear my own thoughts over the deafening beat of the music. A few minutes of me racing through the house passed by before I finally spotted Iris talking to a wasted brunette chick I didn't know.
"Iris," I shrieked over the music.
She faced me with a smile, "Eve! You're not going to believe this!" She pulled me over to a partially secluded corner.
"What?" I questioned her, "What is it?"
"Jake just texted me," she exclaimed. "He wants to meet me at
Hollow Point Park!"
I felt my eyes widen. I was at a loss for words.
"That was our spot while we were together! He says he wants to talk," she grinned. "So, I'm gonna go see what he has to say for himself."
"Iris, I really don't think that's a good idea," I shook my head, "we talked about this. You deserve better, remember?"
Her smile faded a bit, "I'm not going so I can get back with him. I just want to give him a chance to talk. I told him when we broke up that he could always talk to me about anything."
"Iris, please listen to me. Don't go see Jake." I repeated, softly taking her arm.
"I'm going, Eve. I'm sorry you don't like him, but I knew him before I knew you," she stated, backing away from me slowly. "And it's not your decision." She pushed through the partiers, heading toward the front door. I followed closely at her heels.
"Iris!" I eventually shouted, fire in my voice.
She reached the doorway and shouted, "What, Eve? What do you want?"
My chest started to blaze, and my neck and fingertips began to tingle. A strange, powerful feeling slowly took over my entire body. This overwhelming sense of rage erupted from someplace deep inside of me, and it only wanted one thing: to keep Iris from walking out that door. I glared at the door she had just opened and watched as it slammed shut in her face and locked on its own.
Iris glanced at the door, then back at me. She was bewildered. The
music continued to play, and no one else seemed to notice what I’d just done. Iris frantically unlocked the door and rushed outside.
As I chased after her, I connected eyes with Elizabeth and her two
vampire pals. They’d been standing close by and had witnessed everything. Elizabeth wore a smug grin, while Victor and Amelia wore looks of astonishment on their ashen faces. As soon as I stepped through the door, I was grabbed by Kaden. He dragged me by my hand toward a black Lincoln Continental.
"Get in!" he shouted, unlocking the doors.
"Did you hear that? Jake? I thought he was dead?" I whimpered. "I did, too," he said softly, stomping across the gravel, “I buried him for God’s sake!”
When we reached the Lincoln, I realized Iris's truck was already leaving the driveway. He popped the door open for me, but I stopped in my tracks.
"Wait. Couldn't you get us there faster than this can?" I asked him. He glanced over at me with a smirk.
In a matter of seconds, I was clinging to Kaden's back while he super-sped his way through the woodland to Hollow Point Park.
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
"Okay, where is he?" I whispered, glancing around the pitch-black playground. There was not a soul in sight.
"Not sure," he whispered back, carefully releasing me from his back and letting me drop to my feet. "But he could be anywhere. Stay close." I nodded, letting out a shaky breath.
"I can hear Iris's truck. She's close." He said, taking a few slow steps toward the playground.
I cautiously followed him, my eyes darting in every direction at the slightest sounds. That’s when I saw something. There was movement in the parking area about ten yards away. I quickly tapped on Kaden’s shoulder.
"Kaden," I whispered, pointing to the spot. He followed my finger and glared at the dusky lot, intently focusing on one spot in particular. I couldn't quite see what he was staring at, but I had an idea of what it was.
"What do you see?" I breathed.
He studied my face, placing each of his hands on my shoulders. "Listen. This is the plan," Kaden whispered to me, "You are going to go hide in the woods. I'll get Jake, and then you and Iris need to get out of here."
"What? No. I want to help," I argued quietly.
"It's too dangerous," he shook his head. "You know that. Your forty-eight hours aren't up."
"If he tries to hurt me, my mark will fry him again," I muttered.
"Just trust me on this one. Go hide," Kaden whispered, his face grim. I huffed and faced away from him, stealthily stepping toward the tree line just a few yards away. I crouched next to a towering oak tree, peeking around one side of the thick bark. Kaden was still standing in the same spot in the center of the playground. He wasn't moving. He wasn't taking action.
I heard a truck engine drawing near to the park, and my heart thrashed harder against my chest. I had no idea what was to come. Two bright headlights appeared from the misty trail, wheeling into the parking lot. I gawked at Kaden as he ducked into a children's crawl tunnel.
What the hell is he doing? I wondered.
Iris's white truck steered into a parking space and stopped. The truck's high beams were aimed directly into the forest, blinding me. I shielded my eyes behind the oak, hoping she hadn't spotted me. A moment later, I heard her engine stall, and her headlights dimmed. I sighed softly, peeking around the tree once more.
Her door squeaked opened, and I watched as my friend leaped onto the pavement below. She stepped toward the playground, leaving her truck door wide open. She examined the park, a puzzled expression on her face. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Jake?"
"Behind you," a recognizable voice growled from somewhere behind her.
She jerked her head around at the sound of Jake's voice. I squinted my eyes, trying to find him in the blackness. I could faintly see a dark shadow lurking just below a streetlamp in the parking lot. The shadowy silhouette started to creep toward her. I glanced over at the crawl tunnel fully expecting Kaden to react, but he was still hunched inside. He was intently watching the two of them. I wanted to scream at him for not interfering.
"Jake, where have you been?" Iris folded her arms over her chest, "I haven't heard from you in days."
"I've been in a very dark place," he said lowly, just barely audible. "A literal hole in the ground. I needed to see you
as soon as possible." Jake stepped closer and closer to Iris.
"Well, here I am," Iris shrugged. "So, tell me what's wrong."
“You once told me I could talk to you about anything," he said, his voice raspy. "At any time."
"You can," Iris agreed. “That’s why I’m here.”
He was only a few feet away from her now. "There's something I need to tell you," he admitted, staring intently into her soul.
"Something I want you to know."
Jake grabbed Iris's hand in a quick motion, making her and myself flinch.
"Okay," Iris said quietly. "What is it?"
"I'm going away for a while, Iris," he said, his voice cracking. "But before I go, I wanted to tell you that I appreciate everything you've done for me and I want you to know that I..." he trailed off.
"Why are you going away? Are you back on the stuff?" Iris asked, tugging her hand away from his.
"Of course not. You helped me turn my life around. I'll never go back to that," he shook his head, wiping at his eyes.
"Then, what? Why are you leaving?" Iris snapped, her emotions exploding from her lips.
I noticed another figure jogging in their direction. It was a woman in workout attire. She was running down the dimly lit pathway.
"I don't want to leave, Iris," he whimpered. "But I have to. I'm afraid of what I'll do."
"Jake, what are you talking about? What are you not telling me?" Iris interrogated, taking a step closer to him.
"I can't tell you," he shook his head. "I don't want you to be afraid of me."
"Afraid of you? Why would I..." Iris suddenly trailed off, taking a step away from him.
"What? Iris, why are you looking at me like that?" Jake questioned her, taking a step toward her.
"Did you hurt someone, Jake? Did you kill Bradley?" Iris backed away.
"No, it's not that! Bradley was my best friend," Jake dropped his eyes,
"I can't believe you'd think that."
The jogger suddenly sprinted by the two of them, tripping and tumbling to the ground. Iris noticed and rushed to her aid.
