Shelter

by Tara Shuler

  “No!” I said flatly. “You are not worthless, and I am not going anywhere!”

  “Everyone does,” he said. “My mother, my father, my grandparents. Everyone leaves me.”

  “Did your mother do this to you?” I asked gravely.

  His jaw clenched, but he said nothing. It was all the answer I needed.

  One thing I knew for certain was that I had no intention of leaving him. If you’d told me a month before that I would be falling in love with a human I’d just met who was an emotional wreck, I’d have called you crazy. I always imagined myself being with someone who was strong and protective. Now, I couldn’t see myself anywhere else. Besides, how could I leave him after seeing what his own mother had done to him?

  “I will not leave you,” I said firmly. “I promise.”

  “Swear it,” he said, looking into my eyes with complete seriousness.

  “I swear it with everything I am,” I vowed.

  He swept me into his arms and we held each other close. I laid my head against his strong shoulder, and I could feel the deep scar against my cheek. Again, I wished I could take away all of his pain.

  Looking back, I can see how unusual it was – that I felt myself falling in love with someone so quickly. I never even thought I’d fall in love at all, much less with a human. But the emotion was intense. It was so intense it was indescribable.

  Our tender moment was interrupted by Kai’s phone. His ringtone was “Moonlight Sonata.” I hadn’t heard it before, and it was startling.

  “That’s weird,” he said. “Who would be calling me at this hour?”

  He answered the phone, and then he looked at me. He pushed the phone toward me, looking a little befuddled. I took the phone and answered.

  “Hello?” I asked.

  “Alice, it’s Will,” said my brother. “It’s almost five in the morning. and you have school tomorrow. Should I come pick you up so you can get ready?”

  “Oh, shit,” I said. “I completely forgot about school. How’d you get this number?”

  “Caller ID,” Will replied. “You called me from this number.”

  “I’ll take you home,” offered Kai.

  “You don’t mind?” I asked.

  “Not at all,” he assured me.

  “Okay, thanks,” I said. “Will, my friend is going to bring me home.”

  “Oh, okay,” Will agreed.

  “See you soon,” I told my brother. “Bye.”

  I handed Kai his phone, and my heart sank. I didn’t want to leave him this way. I had no idea when his mother would be coming home or what would happen when she did. I was worried. I’d almost forgotten about his hand, and I took it in mine and looked at it.

  It was red, and the injury was obvious, but it didn’t look nearly as bad as it had a few hours earlier. It looked like it had happened weeks ago. I looked up at him.

  “Your hand,” I said. “It looks a lot better.”

  Kai quickly became self-conscious and pulled his hand away.

  “It wasn’t that bad in the first place.”

  “Yes, it was,” I said. “It looked horrible last night.”

  “It was dark,” he explained. “Maybe it just looked worse than it was.”

  That was a plausible explanation. Or, it would have been if I didn’t have such excellent night vision. I didn’t buy it. I’d seen how truly horrible it looked, and it was terrifying. It still looked bad, but I thought humans took a lot longer to heal than vampires.

  “I’d better get you home,” he said quickly.

  Chapter Five

  Max

  I was sitting in homeroom a few hours later when a new guy walked in. He had dark, brooding eyes, and dark, chin length, feathered hair that framed his chiseled face. His bulk rippled under his tight t-shirt. He was stunning. Too stunning for a random high school in Savannah, Georgia. He belonged on the cover of a magazine. My jaw went slack.

  For one fleeting moment, it seemed as though the world had slowed down. Maybe it did. Time almost stopped. In slow motion, just like in a movie, he strode across the classroom. His walk was jaunty and masculine.

  He placed a stack of books on an empty desk near the front of the room and shrugged off his backpack, hanging it over the back of his desk. For one magical moment, his dark eyes turned my way, and the corner of his mouth turned up in faint lopsided grin. I turned my eyes down toward my hands. He was too beautiful to look at. He wasn’t real.

  “Wow,” I heard Amanda whisper to another girl. “Who is that?”

  “He’s new,” the other girl said. “I heard he and his family just moved here from California or something. He just enrolled this morning.”

  “He’s hot!” Amanda said, and the two giggled.

  When roll was called, I heard his name – Maksim Augustine. I thought that was an unusual name.

  After homeroom, I was walking down the hallway and Amanda and Ashley were standing by the lockers whispering and giggling. They both eyed me as I walked by, and I felt distinctly uncomfortable.

  “Slut,” I thought I heard one of them say, but I kept walking.

  I heard them laughing uproariously behind me, their shrill voices echoing down the hall like witches cackling over a cauldron. My face burned with rage, but I clutched my books tightly in front of me and gritted my teeth.

  “What was that about?” I heard a deep voice behind me ask.

  I turned around to see Maksim Augustine standing there starting at me quizzically. His dark eyes searched mine, and he took my breath away.

  “What was what about?” I asked as coolly as I could manage.

  “Those girls,” he said, nodding his head back toward Amanda and Ashley.

  “How should I know?” I asked. “It doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

  “Seemed like it did,” he challenged me.

  “Well, it didn’t,” I countered, turning to walk away.

  “I’m Maksim – Max,” he said suddenly, following me.

  “Yes, I did hear your name during roll call,” I agreed.

  “Oh, right,” he uttered. “And you’re Alice?”

  “Yep,” I nodded.

  I kept walking, but he continued to follow me to my locker. I struggled to remember my combination with his body just inches from mine, and I had to steal a peek inside the cover of my notebook where I’d written it. I opened my locker and yanked out the books I needed for my first and second period classes, then I slammed the door a little harder than I should have.

  “Can I walk you to your class?” Max asked me.

  “I’d rather you not,” I told him honestly. “I’m really in the mood to be alone.”

  “Okay, no problem,” he said agreeably. “I’ll catch up with you later?”

  I nodded, hoping he wouldn’t. I really didn’t want to deal with anyone that day, and despite the instant physical attraction I’d felt for Max, all I could think about was whether Kai’s mother was home, and what was going to happen to him. That, and how desperately I needed to be away from all the delicious smelling humans.

  At lunchtime, I flew to the pay phone and rummaged through my backpack for Kai’s phone number. He’d given it to me when he dropped me off that morning. I was so worried about him I couldn’t stand it, so I called him.

  “Hello?” he answered.

  “Kai?” I replied. “It’s Alice.”

  “Oh, hi,” he said. “How’s school?”

  “It’s fine,” I lied, remembering Amanda and Ashley. “Are you okay?”

  “My mom hasn’t come home, if that’s what you’re asking,” he said.

  “Oh,” I returned, breathing a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

  “I’m worried about her,” Kai told me.

  “What?” I asked, shocked. “Why would you worry about her after what she…”

  “She’s my mother,” Kai interjected. “She left drunk and driving. So yeah, I’m worried about her.”

  I immediately felt terrible for questioning him. />
  “I’m sorry, Kai. You’re right. You should be worried about your mother. I hope she’s okay.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “I… I miss you.”

  My heart fluttered, and I gushed, “I miss you, too!”

  “Can I see you tonight?” he asked.

  “Can you come to my house?” I wanted to know. “I think I have homework tonight, and I have no idea how long it will take.”

  “Yeah, sure,” he said. “What time do you want me to come over?”

  “About four?” I asked.

  “I’ll be there,” he said.

  I smiled. He paused as if he wanted to say more, but he just said goodbye and we ended the call. I was so glad his mother hadn’t come home, but now I was also worried that something had happened to her. Kai really seemed to love her even with all her faults, and he was in enough pain without dealing with something happening to her.

  I got home late and my mother was nowhere to be found, so I didn’t have a chance to ask her more about what had happened with my father at Kai’s house. I was disappointed, because I was obviously dying to know. I thought it might help me understand Kai better, too.

  I was famished. Kai and I hadn’t been able to eat anything when his mother came home, and I got home so late I barely had time to shower and throw my clothes on before Will had to drive me to school. I hadn’t even eaten much at lunch the day before, and I hadn’t had blood in days. I was sleepy and hungry, and it was making me very grouchy.

  I grabbed a tray of food and scanned the room. I spotted Jamie and went to sit with her. As I had the day before, I asked if I could sit with her. She sighed. I got the feeling she wanted to sit alone, but she nodded.

  I sat down and began to scarf down everything on my tray in record time. Even Jamie looked horrified at how fast I shoveled everything down. I wolfed down a slice of pizza, a whole serving of tater tots, corn, and a brownie in about three minutes. I was shocked at myself, but I was too tired to care much.

  “Is it true?” Jamie asked shyly.

  “Is what true?” I asked.

  “What Amanda and Ashley are spreading around school about you.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What did they say?”

  “They’re saying that Van said you spent the night with his cousin last night.”

  “Oh, that.”

  “So it’s true?”

  “I did stay at his house, but nothing happened.”

  “That’s not what Van said.”

  “Van wasn’t even there,” I explained. “How would he know? Everyone left before we got back.”

  “Back? From where?”

  “We went for a drive,” I said. “When we got back sometime after eleven, everyone had left.”

  “Well, they’re calling you a slut and saying you did something with him. I thought you should know.”

  “I don’t really care what they say.”

  “I wish I didn’t care what people said about me,” Jamie said, staring at her food sadly.

  Like the day before, Jamie only picked at her food. She was obviously far too embarrassed to eat in front of people. I saw her look around before she stole a secretive bite of her brownie. Amanda and Ashley were all over it. They started in with their snorting noises, and they cackled with glee. Jamie’s face was turning bright red, and I could clearly see tears forming in her eyes.

  I wanted to say something, but I certainly didn’t need Amanda and Ashley on my case more than they already were. For some reason, they’d chosen to turn some of their attention to me. Attention was one thing I definitely did not need.

  Jamie stood up to run away, but this time they were ready for her. Two of their friends stood up and blocked her way. She tried to turn around and walk the other way, but they blocked her there, too.

  “What’s the matter, piggy?” Amanda mocked. “Why are you leaving your trough before you eat your slop?”

  One of the girls pushed Jamie down into her seat. Jamie looked at the floor. The girl grabbed a fistful of Jamie’s hair and shoved her face down into the food on her tray.

  “Eat, piggy!” shouted Amanda. “Eat!”

  I heard a booming voice yell, “Stop!”

  I jerked my head up and saw Max standing at the end of the table, and he slammed his fists on the table in a direct challenge to all of them. He easily towered over all of them, and he was built, too. His dark eyes flashed fire, and he dared any of them to start something with him.

  “What is your problem?” Amanda asked him with a scoff.

  “My problem is that I’m sick of bitches like you thinking you’re better than everyone else,” Max said icily, waggling his finger at her. “So back… the fuck… off!”

  Max glared at Amanda with a stare that could have frozen boiling water in an instant, and she backed down.

  She looked over at Ashley and said, “I think he’s insane. We’d better leave before he hacks us into pieces and carries us home in his backpack.”

  Ashley rolled her eyes and the two of them burst into laughter as they walked away. After they had left the lunchroom, Max turned to Jamie.

  “Are you alright?” he asked her sincerely.

  “I’m fine,” she said, looking at the floor.

  “Don’t let them bother you,” he urged her. “They’re not worth it.”

  She nodded, but still she stared at the floor.

  Max turned his attention to me. “Are you alright?”

  “Me?” I asked. “I’m fine, why?”

  “I was just wondering,” he said. “They’re not bothering you, are they?”

  “No,” I told him.

  “Good,” he said. “May I sit with you?”

  I nodded. He took a seat beside me and looked at Jamie as she tried to pick bits of brownie and corn out of her hair. He frowned sorrowfully. He handed Jamie a handful of napkins from the dispenser at the end of the table. She took them without making eye contact, but she managed to thank him.

  He shook his head, and said, “I’ll never understand why some people have to act like that.”

  “Me, either,” I agreed.

  “So what is there to do around here after school?” he asked me.

  “Don’t look at me,” I said. “I have no idea.”

  “Are you new here, too?” he asked.

  “Sort of,” I answered. “I was homeschooled until this year, but I’ve lived here all my life. Never really had any friends.”

  “I see,” he nodded. “Guess we’re out of luck, then.”

  “Bowling,” muttered Jamie.

  “Hmm?” I asked her. I hadn’t quite heard what she said.

  “She said bowling,” Max said.

  “Yeah,” Jamie verified, still not making eye contact.

  “I’ve never been bowling before,” I said.

  “Neither have I,” Max added.

  “It’s fun,” Jamie said. “My parents take us sometimes.”

  “Well, then it’s settled,” Max stated.

  “What’s settled?” I wanted to know.

  “We’ll all go bowling this weekend,” he said, as if the answer was completely obvious. “What’s the best day to go?”

  “Sunday,” Jamie answered. “Too crowded Friday and Saturday.”

  “Alright, then we’ll all go bowling on Sunday,” Max said. “What time?”

  “About two?” Jamie responded.

  “Okay, two o’clock on Sunday afternoon? Where’s the bowling alley?” Max asked Jamie.

  “On Main Street just across from the Kroger,” she said.

  “Got it,” he said. “You ladies aren’t going to stand me up, right?”

  Jamie shook her head. In all this time, she still hadn’t looked up. Max turned to look at me.

  “And what about you?” he asked.

  “Yeah, sure,” I said with an absent shrug. “I’ll go.”

  I don’t know why I’d agreed to go bowling. I wasn’t even remotely interested in it. I guess I kind of felt obli
gated to since Max had just been so nice to Jamie, and I got the feeling that Jamie didn’t get out much.

  The bell rang and lunchtime was over. Max grabbed my tray and Jamie’s and winked at me.

  “I got this,” he said.

  I smiled at him. I wasn’t used to people doing things for me like that without being paid to do so.

  “Are you really going?” Jamie asked me, turning her eyes up slightly and looking at me, but with her head still turned down toward the floor.

  “Yeah, I’m going,” I replied. “Are you?”

  She nodded. It was settled.

  Chapter Six

  Details

  On the way home after school, I asked Will if we could stop by the store where he got his cell phone. He wanted to know why, and I told him I wanted to get a phone of my own. Will actually looked amused. He raised one eyebrow and smirked at me.

  “I thought cell phones were stupid and useless,” he mocked me.

  “I never needed one before,” I said.

  “And you need one now?” he picked at me, lifting one eyebrow.

  “Yes, I do need one now, actually,” I conceded, thinking about Kai.

  “Okay, fine,” he agreed. “I’ll put you on my plan. Then you just need to pick out a phone. What kind do you want?”

  “I have no idea,” I responded with a shrug.

  “What do you want to do with it?” he asked me.

  “Call people?” I said. “What else do you do with a phone?”

  “No,” he sighed. “I mean, do you want to text with it?”

  “Maybe,” I said. “No. I mean yes, I do. I think.”

  He rolled his eyes at me. “How can we get you a phone if you don’t know what you want?”

  In an instant, I knew exactly what I wanted. “I want a phone that will play ‘Moonlight Sonata’ as my ringtone.”

  “Almost any phone will do that,” he said. The he sighed. “We’ll find you one, don’t worry.”

  We spent about an hour inside the store, and suddenly I realized it was getting alarmingly close to four o’clock.

  “Oh, my God, Kai!” I gasped. I snagged a phone and shoved it at my brother. “I’ll take this one! Let’s go!”