Blood Awakening

by Jamie Manning

  “I hope you’re right.” Her voice was sad, and I immediately felt guilty for not noticing sooner how stressed she was over her dad’s disappearance.

  “I am.” I hoped. “We’ll find him, Kayla. I promise.” I felt confident we would find him; not so confident that we would find him alive.

  “So…you’re in?”

  “I said yes, didn’t I?” She took my hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “Besides, I think you may be on to something. Boston makes the most sense.”

  “Awesome!” Overexcited Kayla came roaring back.

  “So when are we going?” I asked, a bit happier—well, maybe not happy, but at least in a better mood.

  “How about now?” Kayla turned her computer off and stood.

  “Now? As in, right now?”

  “Why not? It’s less than an hour to Boston. And it’s the weekend, so no school.” She didn’t wait for my answer, pulling a suitcase from her closet and filling it with clothes. “And it’s not like you have other plans, right?”

  I winced. “Thanks for rubbing it in.” Since the night I woke up in that coffin, I had spent every second either with Chance or thinking of Chance. Now that he was gone, I didn’t know what to do with myself. Hello, Lame.

  “I’m sorry,” Kayla said. “But you can’t sit around waiting on him. We both need to get out of this house. This trip will be fun and productive. Can’t go wrong with that, right?”

  I fake-smiled. “Are you trying to sweet talk me?”

  “No way!” A sly grin crossed her lips as she finished tossing clothes into the suitcase before moving to the makeup and perfume bottles lining the top of her dresser. “I’m just trying to get you to see that there are other things to do than pine after a guy who doesn’t want you.”

  “Wow. That was mean.” I plopped down in the desk chair. “Wouldn’t it be faster to just kick me?”

  “But not as fun.” I cut my eyes at her. “I’m not being mean, Ava. Just honest.” She stopped flitting around the room like a hyperactive bee and sat down with me. “Chance is a jerk. You did what needed to be done, and he’s treating you like you’re the one who bit him. It’s unfair. But there’s nothing you can do about it. So don’t let him ruin every day of your life.”

  “I know you’re right,” I said, staring at my hands pooled in my lap instead of at the judgmental eyes I knew were trained on me. “But that doesn’t make it easy, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know.” She reached out and added her hand to mine. “But that’s why I’m here. To help you.” I looked up then, but the judgment I expected to see wasn’t there—only compassion. “And you’ll be helping me, too. Like I said, win-win.” Then she was up again, bouncing around the room, gathering things together for our trip. I sat watching her for a minute before finally giving in to her demand and hopping up to help her pack.

  “If Boston is so close,” I said, helping organize the chaos she was flinging into the open suitcase, “then why the packing?”

  “I never go anywhere without some extra clothes,” she said, pulling more tops from their hangers and throwing them my way. “Learned that one a long time ago.”

  “From your dad?” I regretted the question the moment I uttered it. “Sorry.” I took to folding and refolding clothes, praying she hadn’t heard me.

  “Yeah,” she finally said, her voice soft. Her back was to me, but I didn’t need to see her face to know she was crying—even if only on the inside.

  After Chance’s mom had been killed by Sebastian’s coven, there was no way I could stay in that house alone. And since Chance wasn’t speaking to me, I had nowhere to go. Luckily Kayla’s mom was nice enough to let me stay with them, so all my things were already here, tucked neatly into one of two closets in the bedroom, which made packing my portion of the suitcase much easier than Kayla’s. The day she and her mom and I went to get my clothes from the Caldon house, Kayla had spent the entire morning going through her clothes and shoes and accessories to make room for me. The gesture had been so touching.

  “What are you gonna tell your mom?” I asked as we headed downstairs with suitcase in tow. Kayla dropped it by the front door and headed to the kitchen.

  “Nothing, really. I mean, she knows I haven’t stopped looking for my dad, so she won’t be surprised to find me gone.”

  “She just lets you go off by yourself? You’re sixteen.”

  “And? You’re sixteen, too.” She filled a bag with some bananas, cookies, chips and hard candies. “You come and go as you please.”

  “But I don’t have a mom at home to tell me otherwise.”

  “Lucky you.”

  I actually flinched.

  “God, Ava, I’m so sorry,” she finally said, looking at me. “My brain isn’t working right today.”

  I took a deep breath and let it slide from my lungs. “It’s fine. You’re stressed. I’m stressed. It’s no biggie.”

  We stood there staring at each other for several silent seconds before Kayla finally spoke. “How about I leave her a note?” She snagged a pad of paper and pen from a drawer beneath the kitchen counter. “It’s not like I was just gonna walk out without telling her.” I had a hard time believing that one, but kept my mouth shut. She scribbled a quick note for her mom—that I read over her shoulder to make sure was accurate—plucked a few bottles of water from the fridge to go with the smorgasbord of food she had pilfered, and we were out the door and down the street in less than a minute. Kayla was nothing if not swift.

  THREE’S A CROWD

  Once we left Kayla’s house, my stomach began twirling with anxiety. Since waking up a half vampire, I had never left Wellesley. To me, Boston may as well have been across the globe. Had I ever been to a major city? Had I ever been around so many strangers at once (other than the school dance, and remember how that turned out)? I had no idea of the answers to those or countless other questions bombarding my brain.

  I was so wrapped up in myself and Chance and vampires that I didn’t even realize where Kayla was driving us until she pulled her car into the parking lot of a large, expensive-looking (and all too familiar) apartment complex. I turned sideways in my seat and glared at her as she killed the engine.

  “What?” she asked, a coy smile tugging at her lips.

  “Don’t play dumb with me, Kayla. What are we doing here?” The anxiety in my stomach only grew stronger, the butterflies flitting with madness.

  “I don’t know, I thought maybe you’d want to see him before we left. You never know what might happen.” She looked at me, the truth practically jumping off her face.

  “We’re driving an hour down the road. I doubt something’s gonna happen.”

  “Says the girl who was buried alive.”

  “Point taken.” Kayla was right; in my life, anything was possible. “But I don’t need to see him before we leave. Or ever, really.”

  “Sure,” she said with a smirk. “Other than Chance, he’s the only thing you’ve thought about since the fight.”

  “That is so not true.”

  “And since Chance has been like Fort Knox lately,” she continued like I hadn’t said a word, “stop fighting me on this and get out of the car.” Kayla climbed out and shut the door behind her, but not before a strong gust of frigid March wind swirled through the car. Even though temperature didn’t affect me as it would a normal person (like, a not half-dead one), I shuddered. For the briefest of moments, I considered hopping behind the wheel and taking off, going anywhere but here. I wanted to be as far away from the overwhelming and never-ending problems in my life as I could, as far from Chance and his cold shoulder as the open road and Kayla’s mom’s Volvo would take me. I wanted to grab the steering wheel and slam my foot on the gas and leave everything and everyone behind. But I didn’t. Instead, I got out of the car and followed Kayla up the walkway to the apartments, growing more anxious with each step. />
  “Now,” she said once we were standing outside his apartment door, “try to play it cool, okay? I don’t want him to know what we’re doing. I don’t think he’s ready for vampires just yet.” I had to agree with her—I doubted he’d ever be ready. So I made a mental note to speak only if spoken to, my best bet at assuring I didn’t open my mouth and swallow my foot. But I couldn’t ignore the nerves swirling in my stomach over seeing him. Though it had only been a month since that night in the woods, I had to admit that the two of us had grown closer; I suppose spending nearly every day together will do that. Kayla knocked softly, and my stomach lurched as Erik swung open the door and smiled.

  “Hey girls,” he said, flashing that beautiful smile. “What brings you two here?” If there was anyone who could answer a door with flair, it was Erik. He had obviously just gotten out of the shower, his black, curly hair still wet and dripping onto his chiseled face, the tiny drops of water making his sun-kissed skin glisten on their way down. He was wearing a towel around his waist…and nothing else. I was amazed that he wasn’t freezing in the bitterly cold New England weather, but found myself thankful that he wasn’t—I was enjoying the view. Those hypnotic blue eyes glared at me with an intensity I found both uncomfortable and appealing at the same time. Since I met Erik that day in the mall, I’d had a bit of trouble ignoring the fact that he’s gorgeous. Standing outside his apartment, staring at his half-naked, water-drenched, muscular torso, there was no way I could ignore it. “Wanna come in?” He stepped aside, and Kayla bounced into his apartment. I stood firm.

  Erik leaned out the door toward me, lowering his voice to its deep baritone hum. “I won’t mind if you do more than stare.” Crap. He saw me eyeing his bare chest. Or maybe his abs. Or it could’ve been the strip of skin just above his towel.

  Stop it, Ava. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.

  “You wish,” I threw back, praying my flushed face wasn’t too noticeable. Though something told me to turn and run, I ignored it and stepped into Erik’s apartment. The scent of his sweet blood mixed with the freshness of his newly washed skin and smacked me in the face as I passed him. I immediately felt a familiar tingling in my gums and had to swallow the lump in my throat and clench my fists to keep from throwing myself onto his half-naked body and having a taste.

  Erik’s apartment looked exactly like I imagined a bachelor’s place would. Furnished with only a sofa against one wall and a TV hanging on the other, the living room didn’t really do much for the “living” part. I hadn’t seen the bedroom (and had zero intentions to), but I could only imagine that it was just as sparse-looking. It appeared he was in the middle of moving in or out, though he had been in this new place since his twin sister Lila had died that night in the woods. It became unbearable for him to live in the house they had shared, so he put it on the market and moved here. My mind began playing scenes of that night like an awful horror movie, and I had to close my eyes to try and stave off the unwanted memories. Erik closed the door behind us, disappearing down the hall as Kayla and I got comfortable on the sofa. He was back a moment later, tugging a T-shirt over his head. I stared as his muscular stomach disappeared beneath the falling fabric, heat climbing my face yet again. Geez, Ava, control yourself. If I kept this up, I was gonna end up looking like a sunburned half-corpse.

  “Now, what can I do for you two?” He was now fully clothed except for bare feet (which was actually kinda hot—and made me feel like a skank for even thinking it), and a twinge of sadness tickled my throat at not being able to ogle his bare chest anymore. I seriously wanted to punch myself in the gut for focusing on Erik instead of Chance, the guy I loved. I mean, I didn’t think I could have been more inappropriate in my thoughts than at that moment.

  “Nothing,” Kayla said. “We just wanted to let you know we’re going on a little trip.” She was practically bouncing off the couch with excitement at finally doing something productive to find her dad, and I was genuinely happy for her. After focusing on just me for so long, it felt good to be helping someone else.

  “A trip? Where?” Erik walked into the kitchen and snagged a soda from the fridge. “Thirsty?” he asked us. I was, but no way could I risk putting anything in my stomach, as anxious as I felt. With my luck, I would’ve barfed it up right there on his beige carpet.

  “No thanks,” Kayla answered. I shook my head and watched as he popped the top and guzzled half the can’s contents before coming up for air. “And we’re just taking sort of a mini-getaway. You know, fresh air, new scenery. We just need a break from this place.” As soon as Kayla said those last words, I knew they were a mistake. I could practically see Erik’s face light up as he came back into the living room.

  “That sounds awesome,” he said, excitement trailing behind his words. “I could really use one of those right now.” Kayla cringed, realizing what she had said. What was she gonna do now?

  “Um, well, we were kind of thinking it would just be a girls’ trip,” she said. “Is that cool?”

  Erik’s eyes fell on me for a fraction of a second and I saw his sadness and disappointment before he smiled again, totally playing it off. “No problem,” he said. “Maybe we can all do something together later.” He tried to sound happy and unaffected by being told no, but his fluctuating heart rate betrayed his words and demeanor. I had made a promise to Erik after Lila’s death that I would be there to help him through, and now I was turning my back on him. I hated myself. And I hated that we had to lie to him. Well, it wasn’t really lying, I guess, if you just withheld the truth. At least, I kept telling myself that. But Kayla had been right: we had no idea if Erik was ready to discuss vampires or hunting…or Lila.

  “Are you sure?” Kayla asked. I could tell that she was uncomfortable, and I was actually a little mad that we weren’t just telling him what was going on.

  “Yeah, sure,” he answered. “It’s cool.” Suddenly, Kayla’s uncomfortable mood spread out across the entire room, and the tension became thick like a choking fog. I could feel Erik’s awkwardness curdling beneath his skin as the only two people he thought he could count on refused to help him when he needed it. The guilt was crushing me.

  “Okay then,” Kayla said quickly. “I guess we’re out of here.” She stood and crossed the room to the front door. “We’ll give you a call when we get to where we’re going.” She opened the door and made it one step across the threshold before my mouth suddenly flew open and words were spilling out.

  “She’s lying,” I blurted. “We’re not going on any vacation.” I caught Kayla’s dazed and shocked expression and had to look away before I lost my nerve.

  “What are you talking about?” Erik asked, now confused. He had finished off his soda and set the empty can on the bar next to him.

  “We’re going to Boston.” My word vomit was relentless. The anxiety I had been holding hostage in my stomach had now been replaced by a nauseating feeling that I was severely crossing a line. “We’re going to find her dad.”

  “Ava!” Kayla snapped, slamming the apartment door and coming over to no doubt smack me. “What are you doing?” She had her hands on her hips, like I imagined a mother would do if she were scolding her unruly child.

  “I can’t lie to him, Kayla. I just can’t.” I looked at Erik after I spoke, his forehead wrinkled with confusion. “You know her dad went missing a while back, right?” Erik didn’t speak, only nodded in affirmation. “Well, she’s been looking for him ever since.”

  “Yeah, I know,” he finally spoke. “I offered to help right after he disappeared, but she said she didn’t need any, so I let it go.” Kayla looked over at him then, and I saw a flash of remembrance between the two long-time friends. They shared a history I knew nothing about, and I felt a hint of jealousy over that.

  “We think we may have a lead now,” I went on. “A good one. In Boston. So that’s where we’re going.” Kayla’s hands fell from her hips as she visibly relaxed. “Sorry.�
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  She sucked air through her nose again. “It’s fine. Not like you can take it back now.” Kayla knew better than anyone that with all that had happened to me, I wasn’t comfortable with keeping people in the dark. Even if it might be for their own good.

  “Why didn’t you want me to know that?” Erik asked, his eyes focused on Kayla.

  “Because I didn’t want to upset you,” she said, crossing the room to stand directly in front of him. “After Lila, I didn’t think you’d even want to hear the word vampire.” I could see Lila’s name cross Erik’s face, painful and fresh. My heart broke for him. In a way, I had lost Chance—and that pain was overwhelming. But Chance was still alive. I couldn’t even imagine the torture Erik must have been living with every day over Lila’s death.

  “I miss her,” he finally said, his words soft and sad. “Every day I miss her. But that doesn’t mean I’m quitting hunting down vampires. I want them to pay for what they did to her.” The muscles lining his defined jaw flexed beneath the skin as he gritted his teeth. His sudden shift to anger increased his heartbeat, pumping blood through his veins so fast it made my head spin with its delicious scent.

  “So do I,” Kayla said. “So do we.” She looked over her shoulder at me and I smiled at him, hoping to offer some reassurance. “But I don’t think you’re ready to get back out there, Erik. It’s too soon.”

  “I’m fine. And that’s not your decision to make.” Kayla pulled back from him a bit. “I’m sorry,” he went on, “I know you only want me to be okay. I get that. But I have to do what works for me, you know? And right now, I want to hunt down some of those bloodsuckers who killed Lila.” This time, I was the one who flinched at his words. Though I knew that Erik was in no way lumping me in with the vicious monsters who took away his sister, it still hurt to hear him say it. No matter how much I wanted it to not be true, I was one of those bloodsuckers, too.