Blood Born

by Jamie Manning

  “What about?” he asked, doing his best to sound clueless. The sudden rise in the scent of his blood revealed the truth.

  “You know what,” I said with frustration. “About whatever it is you and Aldric are keeping from me.” I suddenly felt full, only picking at my half-eaten burger and few fries—which totally ticked me off because it tasted so good. “I want to know what’s going on between you two, Chance.”

  He took a large drink of his soda and stared out the window before speaking. “There’s nothing going on,” he stated flatly. I had to grip the edge of the table to keep from going berserk and doing something I would later regret.

  I kept silent for a moment, allowing my temper to ease before continuing. “I want to know why you’re helping him. How did you know I was out there? Why are you helping me? What’s in it for you?”

  “What’s in it for me? How can you ask me that? There’s nothing in it for me, Ava. I’m helping because it’s the right thing to do. Nothing else.” Chance’s eyes sparkled in the light hanging above us, shadows dancing across his features. I wanted desperately to trust him, to believe that he was being honest with me, but I just couldn’t. Not fully, anyway.

  “How did you know what Aldric had done to me? Did you help him in some way?”

  “No!” Chance’s voice caught the attention of the patrons closest to us. The elderly woman kept cutting her eyes at me, so I offered up my best polite smile and turned back to Chance.

  “Could you keep it down, please?” The vein in his neck danced wildly as he tried to control himself, and I had to look away. I hated that he was so mad at me, but I couldn’t back down. Not now, when he was finally talking. “So if you didn’t help him do this to me, then how did you know about it?” I half expected him to jump from the table and run, to tell me he changed his mind and I was on my own, but he didn’t.

  “Ava,” he began, “you have to drop this, okay? What good will knowing bring?”

  “I have no memory, Chance. Do you get that? I can’t remember my family, my friends, where I’m from. Nothing before I woke up out there.” I was fighting hard to keep my tears at bay, my entire body trembling beneath my words. “You have no idea what that’s like. I just want to know all I can about why this happened to me and what it all means. I just want my life back.” The tears were unstoppable then, rolling from my eyes like traitorous secrets I wanted desperately to keep hidden. I swiped them away and stared at Chance, unwilling to submit to his omission of the truth.

  “I’m sorry,” he finally said, his words coming out soft but void of sincerity. “I know what you’re going through.”

  “No you don’t.”

  “Fine, I don’t.” He glared at me. “But I can imagine. And I hate that you can’t remember. I hate this is happening to you, or to anyone. But you have to trust me, Ava. I can’t tell you some things. You’re just gonna have to believe me.”

  “I don’t have to do anything. Except leave.” Which I did. Quickly and unexpectedly, I walked away from the table and left the restaurant, mad as hell at Chance for keeping secrets from me, and grateful at the same time for him risking his life to save mine.

  1

  2. GIRLS’ DAY

  I woke the next morning still ticked off at Chance and the way he had refused to answer one simple question. I just couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t tell me everything. What was he hiding from me? I fully intended to ask him as soon as he woke up—until I remembered what day it was: Saturday. Shopping day. I had made plans to go clothes shopping with Chance’s mom during dinner a couple of nights ago, and now I was wishing I hadn’t. All I wanted to do was stay in bed and catch up on some much-needed sleep. Well, that and find a way to force Chance to come clean. But I could hear rumbling coming from Ms. Caldon’s room next door, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to get out of it. I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the bathroom to get ready. Ms. Caldon stopped me in the hall.

  “Morning, Avaline,” she whispered with a smile. I cringed at hearing my full name, hating how it sounded old and so not me, but I kept my gripes to myself. I hated the name Avaline. I wanted to punch people for using it when they knew I didn’t like it, but I thought that might have been a tad disrespectful to the woman who let me move in with her and her son—who I may or may not be falling for (I was definitely hoping not since at the moment I couldn’t stand him). So I kept my mouth shut and smiled back.

  “Morning, Ms. Caldon. I’ll be ready to go in a sec.” I bypassed her and moved down the hall to the bathroom.

  “No rush, hon. And call me Maggie.” She had already asked me to do that, but again I felt like it was disrespectful. I could tell by her tone she really meant it this time, so I made a mental note to at least try. I really did want the two of us to become friends. If I was going to be staying in her house (Chance actually talked me into not trying to find somewhere else to live) the least I could do was get her to like me. So I said “okay” and sprinted to the bathroom. I was out and ready to go in fifteen minutes, pulling my purse from the banister post as I descended the stairs.

  “I’m ready Ms.—Maggie,” I said, feeling super awkward, like I was talking to my girlfriend instead of an adult. I felt like I was being disrespectful enough just living in her house, so calling her Maggie really made me uncomfortable. I could handle being half-vampire—and I could even handle Chance and Aldric walking on eggshells around me—but for some reason, talking to Ms. Caldon like she was a school classmate really irked me. I tried to ignore the feeling as I slipped quietly into the kitchen, hoping to snatch a banana from the bowl of fruit on the counter. Unfortunately, Chance was already in there and my temper flared again upon seeing his somber face.

  “You’re up,” I stated, crossing the bright white kitchen and snagging that banana.

  “Yeah, I was just telling my mom that I should go with you guys today.” He was looking at me with those fiercely protective eyes, his lips pulled tightly together. I could tell by the flexing muscles along his jaw that he was grinding his teeth.

  “And I was just telling my son that us girls need some alone time.” Ms. Caldon smiled and patted her son’s cheek, stepping away from us to refill her coffee cup. I used the opportunity to talk to Chance about his seemingly “testy” mood.

  “Back off,” I snapped, my voice lower than a whisper.

  “I’m going.” He, too, was basically mouthing the words he was talking so softly.

  “No.”

  “Yes.” He was getting angry, though his voice remained unheard.

  “Why?” I mouthed back, getting angry myself at his demand. He glanced from me over to his mom, who had her back to us as she added cream and sugar to a steaming coffee mug.

  “Because,” he mouthed. He opened his mouth, careful to keep a watchful eye on her, and made fake fangs with his fingers. I knew what he meant. He wanted to be there in case I vamped out again, like I did at school. I understood his concern, but his mom and I really did need some time away from him. We needed to get to know each other more if I was planning on living in her house for a while. Plus, I was still really pissed at him.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said. “I have an idea.” Deep-set lines formed across his brow; he obviously had questions about my resourcefulness. Though I was mad at him, I half-smiled to hopefully reassure him before his mom appeared next to me.

  “So,” she said, looking at me while simultaneously popping a lid onto the coffee mug I hadn’t even noticed was portable. “You ready?” She snagged her purse from the end of the kitchen counter and pulled it onto her shoulder.

  “Um, do you mind if I bring a friend along?” Chance’s questioning look intensified. “She’s new in town, too, and doesn’t really have any friends.” He knew then that I was talking about Kayla. I’m sure he was wondering when I had planned to invite her along.

  “Not at all, hon, the more the merrier.”

  “Then why can’t I go?” Chance piped up from his seat across the bar. His arms were folded on th
e counter in front of him, making his biceps flex perfectly.

  “The more girls the merrier,” Ms. Caldon corrected, smiling at her son. Chance rolled his eyes and climbed from his seat, bumping my arm as he stepped past me and headed for the stairs.

  “I left something upstairs,” I said as I fell in behind Chance. “I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll just meet you in the car.” Ms. Caldon fished the keys from a hook next to the back door and headed out.

  “I don’t like this,” Chance said after his mom closed the door. He had stopped walking and was waiting for me in the hallway. I was thankful I didn’t have to go all the way back upstairs for nothing. “What if something bad happens?”

  “We’re shopping. What can happen?” Of course I knew that plenty could happen based on all that had gone wrong in only a few days, but I was trying to be comforting.

  “Are you kidding?”

  “We’ll be fine. If I start feeling funny or anything, I’ll just grab Kayla and find the nearest bathroom or something and she can calm me down.” I was having a hard time keeping my cool, the feelings from last night hot beneath my skin and eager to get resolved. I did my best to sound and look sincere, but inside I was admittedly a little freaked out about being somewhere without him around. He really could push my buttons, but he had been there in the woods when I needed him. Regardless of what he was hiding, he at least was being honest about helping me when I needed it. That had to count for something. At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

  “Yeah,” Chance mocked, “because Kayla’s so quick on her feet when it comes to you going all bloodsucker on her.” Even though he was trying to make a joke, the way he said bloodsucker made me cringe. Was that how he really saw me?

  “I have to go. Just relax, okay?” He stared at me with worry in his eyes. “You can use your free time to come up with more things to hide from me.”

  The tiny muscles in his neck flexed in anger. “Ava—”

  “Forget it, Chance.” I quickly left before we both said things we would later regret.

  I borrowed Ms. Caldon’s cell phone once I got in the car and called Kayla. I had to pretend that I had already invited her so Chance’s mom wouldn’t be suspicious; thankfully Kayla was oblivious. She was too ecstatic about the invite to notice my seedy intentions. In all honesty, having someone nearby who knew my secret would probably help keep me calm. I was already nervous enough without Chance beside me—though I hated to admit that and never would out loud. I couldn’t deal if it were just his mom and me. Kayla gave me simple directions to her house, and Ms. Caldon and I picked her up and were pulling into the mall in less than half an hour.

  What I imagined to be typical of malls in America—since I couldn’t remember actually seeing one—the super-large parking lot was over half full. I was actually surprised that so many people were out shopping until I remembered that Valentine’s Day was next month. Butterflies instantly filled my stomach at the thought of the most romantic holiday being weeks away—which totally confused my already overwhelmed mind. What was I so nervous about? It wasn’t like I had a reason to celebrate. I didn’t have a reason to celebrate any holiday anymore, not being half dead. Or undead, or whatever I was now. Holidays and birthdays and all other human milestones were now wasted on me. I suddenly wanted to be back in bed with the covers pulled over my head as we found an empty parking space fairly close to the front of the mall and the three of us bounded to the large stucco building with a shared energy.

  “Thanks for the invite,” Kayla whispered to me as Ms. Caldon pulled a couple of cute tops from a sales rack. The alternative rock music pumping out of the store’s sound system was so loud I had to really focus on hearing her.

  “No problem,” I answered, not very fearful of being overheard. Ms. Caldon could have been standing in the middle of us and wouldn’t have heard our conversation over the blasting music. It was actually giving me a headache. I wanted to get away from the noise and the crowds and the shopping. Having never really done the whole ‘girls’ day out’ thing, I was uncomfortable from the start.

  “And thanks for telling my mom you were my friend.” I heard sadness in Kayla’s voice, and as much as the idea of having someone around me now that I was dangerous scared me, I couldn’t help but be nice to her. I mean, technically she was my age, but she seemed more like a kid than I ever did. Probably because she had a semi-normal childhood—something I, apparently, didn’t. As we waited for Ms. Caldon to buy the clothes she and I had picked out (yeah, she was so nice she paid for my clothes) I found myself a bit envious of Kayla. Even though I couldn’t remember it, I actually missed not having a childhood with parents who showered me with love and adoration on a daily basis. Judging by the relationship she seemed to have with her mom, I was guessing that was pretty close to how it was for her.

  “Well,” I said, careful of my words. “You kind of are. A new friend, but still a friend.” I smiled at her and she was practically glowing as we left the women’s clothing store and stepped out into the mall.

  The next several seconds seemed to move in slow motion. The distinct, putrid smell of death hit me in the face like a hammer, stopping me dead in my tracks. I felt my fangs trying to slice through my gums and expose themselves, ready for a kill. I fought hard to keep both them and Ms. Caldon in the dark. I wasn’t too worried about Kayla discovering what was going on; she was part of our vampire hunting team, as she had called it. It was only natural for her to see what that entailed. But I still didn’t want her getting involved in the actual hunting down and killing. No way.

  “Excuse us, Ms. Caldon,” I blurted out, snatching Kayla by the arm and dragging her with me. “Bathroom run.” I did my best to smile and look normal, all the while trying not to vamp out and hunt down the vampire I knew was nearby and kill it. Ms. Caldon didn’t protest—neither did Kayla, though I hadn’t expected her to—but I did hear her yell “it’s Maggie!” as I ran in the opposite direction with Kayla in tow.

  “Where are we going?” Kayla asked, panic filling her voice. I was following the waning smell of the vampire, so I didn’t really have time to stop and explain anything to her.

  “You’ll see,” I snapped, still pulling hard on her arm. I’m sure to passers-by I looked like a crazed teen mad at having to babysit her sister. At least that’s all I hoped it looked like. Grunting and jumbled words were coming from Kayla as I dragged her behind me, but I refused to allow my mind to process her ranting. I had to find the vampire. Its scent was fading fast, and if I didn’t hurry, I would never make it—though I had no clue what I would do once I found it.

  We reached the large glass doors leading out of the mall before I finally let go of Kayla’s arm. She immediately began rubbing where my hand had been. I felt bad for the bruise I was sure would be there tomorrow, but I was too preoccupied at the moment to worry. I picked up a stronger wave of the vampire’s scent coming from a utility door marked Employees Only just to the left of the exit.

  “Wait here,” I ordered Kayla, giving her a stern look before charging through the metal door. A long corridor sprawled out before me, narrow and very industrial-looking with its plain white walls and concrete floor. Various mall paraphernalia littered the area: sale signs, naked, creepy-looking metal mannequins, clothing bins. I weaved in and out of the cluttered hallway, moving slowly and on high alert. With every step further into the back of the mall, the death smell grew stronger. I knew the vampire was somewhere in the corridor, I just hadn’t perfected my ability enough to determine where it was hiding.

  About a hundred yards away, the hall split into two different directions. I assumed that because I was basically running along the front of the mall, taking the one to the right would only lead me outside. So turning left was my only option, and I felt safe in my assumption as I approached the crossing. Without the benefit of precision tracking abilities, however, I was basically walking into the situation blind. I had trained with Aldric on this very thing, and I had been
good at it; in the woods, where I only had Aldric’s and Chance’s scents to deal with. Here in the mall, hundreds of smells were flooding my senses. And all too quickly I discovered that wasn’t a good thing.

  The vampire appeared out of nowhere, sprinting around the corner and hitting me hard with a large metal pole that had probably been designed for displaying clothes, not attacking a half-dead teenager. I went reeling into the pile of mannequins behind me, their pale, lifeless bodies clanging around like coins in a glass jar. Heightened hearing came in very handy, but it was also like knives piercing my brain when metal hit metal. I instinctively covered my ears and winced at the numbing pain. The high-pitched tones ringing throughout the corridor as the mannequins flew in all directions obviously had a harsh effect on the other vampire as well. He dropped his weapon and clasped his hands over his ears too, his face twisting in identical pain.

  I wanted so badly to jump up and attack, get the kill over with as quickly as possible, before Chance’s mom had the opportunity to notice me missing. But the throbbing in my chest from the impact, coupled with the hellish ringing in my ears, rendered me immobile. I was lying on my back on the dingy concrete floor, listening to the moans of pain coming from both myself and the other vampire, when I noticed a pair of legs charging toward us. They were coming at me upside down because of my position on the floor, but I could clearly see that they were female. A very small, very badly dressed female.

  Kayla.

  I opened my mouth to yell at her to stop and get away, but the vampire’s squirming caused more mannequins and clothing racks to fall and crash into one another. Shards of intense, burning pain pounded against my head again, leaving me speechless. Through hazy, almost non-existent vision, I was able to see Kayla throw something at the vampire, and I heard agonizing screams escape the vampire’s lips. As the ringing in my head finally began to subside, my eyes refocused just as Kayla drove the same metal rod used to knock me down into the heart of the vampire lying in terrible pain at her feet.