Blood and Beasts

by L. M. Miller

  “That was a one time thing, just for fun. Kenji knew it, and I knew it. Geez, Rodney! The way you go on, you make me sound like the school hooker or somethin’,” her cousin raised his brows skeptically, and she shoved him roughly. “Hey, I don’t sleep around, Rodney. I just like to browse my wares,” she stated, a smirk bedecking her full lips, identical to Rodney’s own smirk.

  “I know, prima. I was just messin’ with ya. If you really wanna know, I think Freddy’s gonna ask you unless Ray can beat ‘em to it,” he said, and she grinned anticipatorily.

  “Awesome. First come, first serve,” she announced before flouncing out the door.

  “And even with that comment, she isn’t the school hooker, or anything close to it,” Linda mused before following the girl out the door, followed by Abernathy, who gave Silo one last pat.

  “See ya later,” Seph called, waving good bye to Rodney and disappearing out the door too.

  As soon as the door shut, both guys rounded on Tristan. Dewdrop saw them turn and instantly flitted away. She knew when to abandon ship. Tristan slowly looked up to see both towering guys stalking towards him, arms folded over their chests aggressively.

  “What were you doin’ with Alistair last night, Tristan?” Stefan demanded, all play gone from his eyes now that the girls were absent.

  “What?” Tristan asked for the five hundredth time that night.

  “Alistair. You showed up with him last night to the party late. He said you and him had been pregamin’ in the woods by yourselves before you guys decided to go to the actual party. You were pretty far gone when he brought you. Alistair is not a good guy, Tristan. He may seem like your bro sometimes, if he really tries, but he’s not. Alistair is a vampire through and through, and he only looks out for himself. I don’t even think he’s really the age he claims to be. I think he’s just here… I dunno why he’s here…” Stefan said, mulling over that disconcerting thought sourly.

  “Masoko’s a nice girl too, Tristan,” now Rodney was rounding on him. “She’s a good friend of mine and alotta fun, and she doesn’t deserve to be dropped like that,” he really was overwhelmed now.

  “You guys, I don’t remember a thing. I talked to Dewdrop. I never went into the woods with Alistair. In fact, he’s one of the vampires she warned me about. I went into the woods looking for that cave again,” they gave him confused looks. “The one with the coven in it?” That refreshed their memories, and both of them instantly grimaced.

  Stefan walked away angrily, thudding his fist against the wall. Rodney just stared at him with disgust. Why did nobody believe him?! He was not afraid of Seph except when she was hungry. She was actually a good friend of his now. He and Dewdrop had been talking about the coven though a lot recently. She was getting more and more reports that it was real. People were disappearing from the neighboring towns and cities. Creatures were disappearing from the woods, magical or not. There was a lot of talk circulating in the fairy colony and the dwarven tribes too.

  He knew trying to talk to them anymore about it was fruitless. He just stayed there as Rodney eventually sauntered off. He went to help Stefan cool down before he got too hungry or decided to rip something up in the already wrecked Room. After about fifteen minutes of silence, Tristan broke it to say one last thing before he left the Room.

  “I didn’t go into those woods with Alistair. I remember that now. I didn’t meet up with him either. I don’t think I’ve ever even talked to him before. I didn’t mean to do anything with anyone, including Masoko. I dunno what happened, but something is not right. What I had tonight when I woke up… I’ve had hangovers before. That was worse than any hangover I’ve ever had. Maybe I drank some really strong stuff. I dunno. All I know is something isn’t right,” he finally emphasized before sauntering over to the entrance to Dewdrop’s and disappearing into its depths.

  Rodney and Stefan exchanged skeptical looks, shreds of doubt in them.

  “What do you think?” Rodney asked, absently pulling on his lower lip.

  “I dunno… What he says… I’ve never seen him with Alistair before. Alistair was acting all chummy with him. He never does that. Alistair is really… I don’t even know. Let’s keep this to ourselves, alright, bro?” Stefan asked, exchanging a glance with him, and Rodney nodded.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  The Halloween dance was upon them before they even knew it. Francesca and Seph had set up a sort of salon for themselves in their dorm room. Rodney had come by, and Francesca had briskly shooed him off, telling him that they would meet up with him at the dance. She had one eye done, the other with no make-up, and Seph was hiding somewhere in the bathroom, clothes strewn everywhere.

  “You guys are never gonna be able to clean this place up again,” he remarked gruffly, turning his back and leaving for the emptied Main Hall, where the dance was to be held.

  An hour later, Seph slowly stepped from the bathroom as Francesca waited to see her finished creation. She took in a breath, amazed. She was overwhelmed by how the vampire looked.

  She was draped in jet-black. It was a beautiful dress with sleeves that grew wider as they reached her hands. It had a V-neck and went back in a hood. It was fitted all the way down to her mid thighs where it loosened enough to reveal a slit. She could at least walk that way. It was made of nice material that also stretched, which was helpful. A light, golden chain hung loosely around her hips, studded with an assortment of charms including a witch’s hat, a jack ‘o’ lantern, a fang, a wolf, a cat, a sun, a star, and a crescent moon, charms alternating around her waist. Francesca had finally wrestled her into some heels, black pumps, although the girl wobbled a little unsteadily on them. She hated the wretched things.

  Sparkling, gold earrings dangled from her ears, one of the sun with rays coming out, the other of the crescent moon. They were glints of light near the tresses of her fire-red waves that Francesca had expertly curled and piled on top of her head. Her eyes were perfectly shadowed in fading blacks and whites, gold adding some sparkle to them. She also had perfect, blood-red lips, and her pale skin added that final touch.

  “You look fierce,” Francesca said with a grin, and then Seph surveyed her own friend.

  Francesca was draped in whites and golds, slightly sheer silks overlapping each other. Her hair had been straightened to a perfect sheet. She had black eyeliner on her, stretching her eyes out, cat-like. The silk fluttered with her every movement. She had also put on some gold heels, not that an Egyptian princess would ever wear heels. She perfected the look with her bronzed skin and full lips, properly glossed, a snake circlet on her head, and a matching snake armband on her arm. She had the same gold chain around her waist too. They liked to match some accessories.

  “Girl, we gonna drop ‘em dead!” Francesca exclaimed excitedly, sliding her hand on top of Seph’s, their little handshake for each other.

  “Let’s get this over with,” Seph said, hoping other people dressed up too because she did not want to be the center of attention.

  Walking towards the Main Hall, music blaring and lights dancing, Seph felt butterflies in her stomach. Others passed them. They were at least done up a lot too, but they received plenty of stares. The music she heard… There was a DJ but also a live band.

  “They got the wizard band, Witching Hour, to come,” Francesca said excitedly, and Seph gave her a strange look.

  “You like this music?” She asked, and her best friend shook her head, glossy hair catching every inch of light in the area.

  “No, but their lead singer, that’s somethin’ I like,” she said, pace quickening.

  They entered the Main Hall, and it took Seph a few moments to orient herself. The only light in the hall was made from flickering candlelight in floating jack ‘o’ lanterns that were few and far between. All their tables were gone, but large buffet tables were against the wall. They had dishes of pumpkin bread, roasted pumpkin seeds, some other human food. She wanted some blood. Where would they keep that?

  “You loo
k amazing,” she turned around to see Rodney there, a large cup of blood in his hand for her.

  She took the blood gratefully, waiting to respond to him until after her hunger was sated. Apparently, intense anxiety made her hungry as well. What didn’t make her hungry? Rodney was dressed nice, a lot like Stefan and Tristan. All the guys at the school dressed pretty similar for the dance. Tristan’s blue eyes were especially set off with the midnight-blue of his shirt, made of some material that shimmered with different blues in the candlelight. Rodney wore an orange shirt of the same material, and Stefan had on a black shirt that caught every little bit of light too. They must have gone shopping together, she mused as she finally set her cup down.

  “Thank you,” she finally answered, raising a brow to the three of them. “What are you guys supposed to be? A boy band?” She asked playfully, and he nudged her lightly.

  From that touch, she sensed that Rodney was a little nervous. It was nice that he was nervous too, being all dressed up. Maybe he was nervous around her? She didn’t pry.

  “Naw… We men don’t dress for silly Halloween parties,” Stefan said haughtily, eyes skimming the entering students.

  “I think Linda and Abernathy are gonna have a little fun before showing up,” Francesca explained, eyes scouring that same crowd for any prospects that night, arched eyebrows raising even more than usual.

  “Great…” Stefan slumped, bored already.

  You look beautiful, Seph. A vampire queen, Seph turned in time to see Phin send a little, silver-eyed glance her way before he continued his own conversation. He was leaning against the wall, talking with a pretty, blond witch that seemed to be around his age. She sent him a little smile before turning back to Rodney, who was clearly wondering what she was doing. She just nodded at everything in general, trying to cover the action. She hadn’t exactly told him about her and Phin’s mind connection.

  “It’s all just so amazing,” she said, and he nodded.

  “Do you wanna go for a walk?” He asked, and she smiled, taking his proffered arm before gliding off with him.

  Stefan and Francesca leaned towards each other.

  “I think I’m gonna throw up,” he muttered bitterly, missing his girlfriend.

  “Hate em…” Francesca agreed before they grinned at each other. “Ooh, but I love that,” she suddenly caught sight of the lead singer of the band.

  He was taking a break from his singing, and the girls were fawning all over him.

  “Watch this,” she said coyly, straightening up a little.

  Stefan watched as the werewolf girl sauntered past the band singer and his many admirers, tossing her hair at just the right moment. It caught all the candlelight, and Stefan noted how the singer continued to watch her as she continued to walk on by, following the trails of her many silks. The vampire found that he was doing the exact, same thing. He shook his head. All he needed was for his girlfriend to walk in while he was checking out one of her best friends. Not that he wanted to get with Francesca or anything. He just appreciated a good-looking girl. Nobody was as beautiful as his girl though. He missed her. It was frankly pathetic.

  “You don’t look happy,” Tristan stated as they leaned casually against the wall of the Main Hall.

  “Linda…” it was all he had to say.

  “Masoko,” Tristan said crisply, and they both stood up straighter.

  The little vampire stood directly in front of Tristan. Stefan observed her stance critically. Her legs were apart, centering her gravity, and her hands rested aggressively on her hips. It had taken her a lot of courage to face him like this, in front of everyone. She was flocked by two of her witch friends, the second years Blake and Laurel, fairly pretty girls dressed as classic witches in their pointed hats. Masoko, on the other hand, was dressed as some punk fairy in a tube top purple dress made of Chinese silk. It was not nearly close to knee length. She also had on some black boots that reached to her knees, topping it off. Her hair was up in bun pigtails, and some gossamer purple butterfly wings were strapped to her back. She looked cute.

  “I know you never meant anything by forgetting what happened,” she said loudly over the music, and Tristan nodded, attempting to sink into the wall behind him. “It doesn’t matter to me though. It was fun, and you’re a great guy, Tristan, even when you are a little gone,” she admitted, a smile playing about her heart-shaped lips. “Do you wanna dance?” She asked as a slow song began playing.

  He nodded, speechless, and she took his arm, guiding him into the thickening crowd. Now Stefan was all alone, leaning against the wall still. Perhaps this was the usual for a vampire, when graduated from here. They were loners a lot of the time. Linda wouldn’t always be there… Sighing, he left, heading back to his dorm room. Linda was going to be her little party self with Abernathy, drinking as much as they possibly could. He would just go to his room and sulk. Leaving, he streaked to his room faster than any being could follow. He lay down on his bed and stared up at the canopied ceiling. He could stay here and mope all night or…

  The huge oaken doors slowly creaked open, and everyone turned to look as a wild-eyed Linda stumbled into the grand hall, reeking of alcohol. Several students shook their heads with admonishment while a few more just started laughing. This was typical Linda, arriving drunk to everything. She usually didn’t arrive this far gone though. Tristan sent her a curious look, holding onto Masoko as they stilled mid-dance. Linda latched onto that look, staggering over to him desperately. She grasped his wrist firmly, so hard that it hurt.

  “Abernathy…” Linda just shook her head, tears streaming down her sweat-streaked face. “Abernathy’s gone,” she sniffed once and then met Tristan’s electric-blue eyes with her own wider, almond ones. “Please… I’m not that drunk. She really is gone, and something terrible is happening to her. I know it. I just keep seeing visions of her in a dark place, and there are candles in skulls, and she’s so afraid. She’s sending me the feelings, but I can actually see the place. It’s so familiar-looking…” she dropped Tristan’s wrist and shook her head despairingly.

  “I’m thinking we should take this somewhere else,” Masoko stated, silver eyes sweeping the room as several students stared at them.

  “Ya,” Tristan nodded. “Let’s take this outside,” they all walked out of the hall with as much dignity as could be mustered.

  “Where are the others?” Linda sniffed, still near hysterics.

  “We can find them. Masoko, if you wanna go back to the dance? I’ll see ya later,” he suggested, and the girl nodded at him, happy again.

  Together, the two searched for their friends, using their combined magics. In the maze, they could sense Rodney and Seph. Before rounding a particular bend, Tristan halted Linda with a strong arm. He cleared his throat loudly.

  “Um, you guys? We need you,” he called, and there was a slight flurry before the pair hurried around the corner, Rodney straightening his shirt as Seph fixed her hair.

  “Ya, we’re good,” she said, slightly embarrassed at being caught.

  Reaching forward, Linda helped the girl with her smeared lipstick. Catching on, Rodney turned a little to wipe his own mouth just in case. They both suddenly noticed the tear streaks on Linda’s face.

  “Linda-” Seph started, but the girl shook her head firmly.

  “Francesca too,” she said, and they nodded.

  Francesca was none too happy at being disturbed in a discreet corner of the dark hallways with the same band singer, on another one of his breaks. She came over, scowling. She waved good bye to the confused singer, straightening her dress and fixing her lip gloss.

  “This had better be good…” then she saw Linda’s face. “Let’s go out there,” she ushered towards the greenery in the middle of the school, and they all headed in that direction.

  Out in the courtyard, they plopped Linda down on a stone bench and circled around her. Francesca impatiently paced the ground as Rodney nonchalantly leaned against a tall hedge. Tristan settled himself dow
n on one knee in front of Linda and rested a comforting hand on her hand, knowing that she needed support right now. She was clearly shaken. Meanwhile, Seph sat herself down directly beside Linda and wrapped an arm about her shoulders.

  “Tell us what happened, Linda,” she said in a soft voice.

  Linda took a deep breath, air rattling through her lungs.

  “Abernathy and I were getting ready for the dance in our room. We were getting a little drunk,” she admitted, sniffling. “I had to go to the bathroom. When I was in there, I heard a knock, and Abernathy said she’d get it,” fresh sobs racked her short body. “Of course I wasn’t going to get it. I was going to the bathroom! Anyways, I heard her open the door and say ‘Can I help you?’, so she obviously didn’t know the people. Then there was a little squeak from her, and the door slammed. I hurried out of the bathroom as fast as I could! I knew something was wrong. I ran into the doorframe on the way out. I was pretty drunk then,” she showed them her already exposed shoulder that now had a nasty purple and blue bruise on it. “She was just gone. I hurried this way as fast as I could. I ran into so many things,” she shook her head pitifully. “I started having those visions of her being scared and in the dark room around the time that I reached the Main Hall,” she finished, biting her full bottom lip.

  “So, I’m guessing it took you about fifteen minutes to make it all the way here?” Tristan asked gently, and she nodded. “Then, it stands to reason, that wherever they took her, it took them about fifteen minutes to get her there and ready, because that’s when you started having these visions,” he nodded at her, and she nodded back.

  “Ya, and she was wearing something else too. It was some type of ceremonial dress. She was chained to some type of altar…” Linda shook her head confusedly.

  “So the place is less than fifteen minutes from here. Kind of dark. It has an altar and candles held in skulls. What place does that sound like to you, Tristan?” Seph caught the young wizard’s eyes, and he gave her a puzzled look.