For the briefest moment I thought about returning home to my mom and dad, to Sabrina, and the land of Sharra. But I wasn’t ready to go back.
“I want to go back to my room in the human world.” I crossed my arms, forcing myself to take a deep breath.
“I see. You are the most extraordinary creature in the world yet instead of embracing what makes you special, you’ve chosen to bury it, wish it away, like it means nothing. You’ve chosen normal, or at least as normal as a vampire can be. I think you’ll find that normal is overrated.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I turned away, unwilling to listen.
“You don’t have to believe. Soon enough you’ll come to the realization on your own. I just hope it isn’t too late.”
“Oh, it won’t be. I know what I’m doing.”
“Fine, but before you go back to the human world, and your pseudo life, let me leave you with something. Arms suddenly encircled my waist and I was pulled against a taut chest. A delectable aroma came from him, like apples baked in cinnamon and nutmeg. I pushed, trying to get away, but my body went slack. His lips came down on mine, soft but firm.
Let me go, I screamed in my mind.
His laugh filled every crevice until I thought I would die at the sound.
My body began to spin and just before I closed my eyes, two red orbs appeared directly in front of me…
Chapter 18
A scream ripped from my throat and I shot upright. There was a thump, thump outside my bedroom door. I clawed at the covers, pulling them up around my chin.
The door burst opened and Laeddin appeared.
“What’s going on?” His eyes frantically searched the room for danger.
“I—” The worry on his face was replaced by irritation. “Sorry. I had a bad dream.”
Laeddin looked like he wanted to say something. He opened his mouth, but instead of words, he snorted and left.
“Man, graze a genie one time and all hell breaks loose.” I lay back down and stared at the ceiling. Shadows slithered and danced. I thought about the demura and the way it’d left the body of that man like a shadow. Had it come into my room and given me that dream? I jumped out of bed and closed the window and pulled the curtains shut. My stomach twisted itself in knots. Strange sounds seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere. I flipped on the light and glanced around the room.
What had my mom done when she’d had a bad dream? Did she ever get them?
I walked over to the pictures of my mom, my dad and his brothers, and Cindy still hanging over the dresser. At first I’d wanted to take them down, but when I actually started, I wasn’t able to go through with it. I liked seeing my mom so carefree. A teenager. That younger version of her knew living as a normal teenager was what I needed.
Seeing all the smiling faces of my Uncles, Cindy, my mom and dad gave me the courage to turn off the light and go to bed. The dream was just that, a dream. Nothing more.
***
When my alarm went off, I got ready for school. With each task I worked to block out the dream. I put on the outfit I’d chosen last night and did my hair in a loose braid. I decided on thicker eyeliner and a sparkling red lip-gloss. When I was done, I left my room and walked past Laeddin’s. The door was closed. I thought about knocking, but decided against it. I didn’t understand why he was acting this way. I knew I could’ve commanded him to come out, but that wasn’t the kind of person I was. So I went downstairs and opened the fridge. There was a glass of blood just as the day before. I took it and chugged it down. I also checked for peppermint. I knew it had to be in there. I could smell it. I found it in the crisper. I took a bright green sprig, pulled my braid over my shoulder, and tucked it into the ponytail holder at the end.
School started in twenty minutes but I didn’t know how I was going to get there. I could run, but there was a possibility I might be seen moving at faster speeds than were possible for a human.
I thought about going upstairs, but paused on the bottom step.
Luckily, Laeddin came out of his room just at that moment. He wore jeans that hung low on his hips and a white shirt that still needed to be buttoned, leaving his very well-muscled chest exposed.
My hunger for him, his blood rose up like a wave.
“Hi.” I smiled, hoping his anger would be forgotten.
“Hello, Mistress.” He pushed past me at the bottom of the stairs. At the fridge he grabbed an apple, took his car keys from the counter, and held the door open. “If you want to get to school on time, you’d better hustle.”
My body sagged with sadness. If he was going to be mad at me the whole time we were here, my fun would be over before it began. “Wow, you hold a serious grudge. Did they teach you that in genie school?”
“Ha. Ha.” Laeddin started the car, put it into gear, and roared out of the driveway.
We drove in silence until he stopped in front of the school. “I’ll be here after school.”
I got out. “Great. And by the way, I need a cell phone. It’s part of the normal teenage experience and having one should be part of my wish.”
“Very well.” He snapped his fingers and an orange rectangular box appeared on the passenger seat.
“Any idea how to work it?” I asked, suddenly feeling incapable of using the technology.
“There are instructions. Turn it on. It’ll work. Everything is ready to go and a valid phone number is listed inside.”
I picked up the box and tucked it into my backpack. “Alright, thanks.” I smiled, but Laeddin wasn’t looking at me. His focus was straight ahead, the way it’d been since we left the house. “Ugh.” I stomped away up the stairs and through the double doors.
I needed to check my schedule for class numbers. There was a concrete bench off to the side so I dropped my backpack, opened it and grabbed the paper with my classes.
Today was an A day, which meant I had chemistry, Homeroom, accounting, lunch, English, and finally Spanish. By this school’s standards I was what they called a sophomore. Most of the tenth grade classes were on the upper floors so I started climbing the steps.
Students laughed, joked, and chatted while making their way up and down the stairs. All around me was normal, yet I couldn’t grab hold. It was as though I had the word “different” on a sign around my neck, or that I was looking at life through glass. A few times people bumped into my backpack, knocking it off my shoulder. They didn’t bother to stop or apologize. It made me wonder if they knew I was really there. The coppery sweet scent of their blood was strong and enticing, but I kept my braid over my shoulder so I could smell the peppermint first.
“Hey, Jack.” Cam fell into step beside me. Not an easy feat considering the amount of students around. “Did you hear they found a bunch of bones on one of the trails leading into the forest?”
“Oh?” I gripped my backpack strap like I needed to strangle it.
“Yeah, the police don’t know what to make of it.”
“Odd,” I said and swallowed. Sweat formed on my upper lip. I was nervous and I didn’t know why.
“It really is.” He smiled, and I realized he wanted to reassure me. Cam was a good guy. Between him and Abby I felt lucky to have met two such nice humans in a short amount of time.
Cam knew how to dress too. Today he wore purple jeans and a tight short-sleeved white t-shirt. It stood out against his dark skin, but matched his teeth perfectly. “You look really nice.”
“Thanks.” He pulled at his shirt and sniffed. “Fashion is what I live for.”
“Well, it shows.” I laughed, enjoying the easy camaraderie between us.
“You look dayum good yourself. Where do you shop?”
I blushed at the compliment. “I got this outfit at Bloomingdales. In New York?” Surely he’d heard of the store. I was from a whole other land and I’d heard of the store.
“Yes, Jack. I know where Bloomingdales is.” He patted my arm. “So what’s your first class?”
“Chem
istry with Heiner.” I gave him a questioning glance, asking with my raised eyebrows if that was good or not.
He scrunched his nose and stuck out his tongue. I immediately understood it wasn’t.
“Great. Is it going to be awful?”
“At least you’re getting it out of the way first thing. Just hold your breath when he walks by. His stench is something kind of otherworldly.” He walked me to the door. “Have fun. I’ll see you at lunch.”
“See you.” I walked the classroom, peeking at the teacher as I went by. He was a bigger man with thinning brown hair. The bottom half of his round face was covered in a beard. He wore a brown jacket with stains in the armpits. And his stench? Cam was right. He smelled… strange. His blood didn’t have the same bouquet as the rest of the humans. What did that mean?
Mr. Heiner looked up from the book he held in his meaty fingers. I quickly walked past and down a row of desks. The room was large. Individual desks were lined up in rows near the front of the room. Behind them was almost a whole other room. It looked like a laboratory. I took a seat in an empty chair.
The bell rang. Mr. Heiner was about to close the door when Sydney and Drake walked in.
I sat up straighter, my eyes following their every move. When they sat in two seats next to each other, I kept watch.
Mr. Heiner started to talk, but I didn’t pay attention. I was too focused on burning a hole in Sydney and Drake’s backs.
Sydney had sent me into the forest in hopes that I’d what? Die? I mean how could she be such a jerk?
When the bell rang I moved a little more quickly than humans could, too upset to control myself. I was sitting on Sydney’s desk before she had a chance to stand. “Hey Sydney.”
Her blue eyes grew to the size of twin pools. “Jack?”
I crossed my legs and took on my most princess-like demeanor. “That’s right.”
“What are you doing?” Drake asked, grabbing my shoulder.
I took his hand and twisted, making him stand, and his upper body lean sideways. “Stop,” he shouted.
I turned so I could face him fully and glared. “Don’t ever touch me again.”
He nodded.
“Good.” I let go and turned my attention back to Sydney.
“So, great party last night.”
Her eyes got wide and she swallowed. I heard her heart begin to race, the blood pumping through her veins. Its aroma wasn’t as appealing as some of the others but it was most definitely human.
“I ran into—” I stopped midsentence. With everything that happened with Laeddin I’d forgotten to tell someone about the dead body. “Why did you send me out there alone?”
Her fear forgotten, she smirked. “Don’t be a baby, it was just a little prank. You weren’t hurt.” She stood, hooking her sparkly backpack on one shoulder. “No harm done.” She patted my arm.
A low growl rose up in my throat.
Chapter 19
When lunch finally rolled around I was beyond ready. I also had a better idea how to find my way to the cafeteria today. Zoe and Peter were kissing at the bottom of one set of stairs as I made my way down. They stopped when I passed.
I waved, embarrassed. “Hey guys.”
They stopped and smiled. “Jackie. It’s nice to see you. How’s your second day been treating you?”
“Uh.” I pulled at the end of my braid, twisting it around a finger.
“What’s this?” Zoe asked, touching the wilted leaf.
“It’s peppermint.” I touched it lightly.
Zoe and Peter gave each other a strange look. I had the feeling they were communicating.
Peter patted my shoulder. “What a great idea.” He leaned in to smell it.
“Yes, it is,” Zoe said. “I think I’ll wear some in my hair tomorrow, if that’s okay.”
I nodded. “Sure.”
They each took one of my arms. We went down the remaining steps and into the cafeteria like that. As soon as we entered, the cafeteria got quiet and everyone looked over.
“What?” Peter asked, stepping in front of Zoe and me. “Do I have something in my teeth? Or, something up my nose?” He wiped the tip of his nose with a finger.
Everyone laughed and went back to whatever they’d been doing. Zoe turned. “If you ever need a friend, I hope you’ll consider me. Other than Peter I don’t know anyone.”
“I’d like that,” I said and meant it.
Cam appeared at my side. “Hey ladies. We eating together?”
Zoe and I looked at each other and then said, “Sure,” at the same time.
“Good.” He clapped his hands happily. “Let’s get in line. I’m starving.”
Zoe and Cam moved toward the food, but I stayed behind. Zoe turned back. “You coming?”
I shook my head. “Not hungry.”
Cam spun around too. “You don’t have issues with food, do you?”
“Of course not,” I said, defensively. “I’m just not hungry.” I hoped that was an acceptable answer because there was no way I was eating human food.
“You want to find us a table then?”
“Sure.”
While Zoe, Peter, and Cam stood in line, I searched the room. In one of the corners, there was a round table with a lone person sitting at it. Her nose was in a book, while an untouched sandwich and water bottle sat in front. I knew instantly it was Abby and hurried over.
“Hey Abby.”
“Jack,” she said, closing her book without marking it.
“Mind if me and a few friends sit with you?”
She immediately closed herself off. “Who are these friends?”
I pointed toward the line. “Cam. Zoe. And, Peter.”
She visibly relaxed. “I know Cam, of course, but who are the other two?”
I slid into one of the empty chairs. “Zoe and Peter are new to the school as well. I don’t know much about them, but they seem nice.”
She shrugged. “As long as it isn’t Sydney and her nasty friends, I’m good with it.”
“Great.” I set my backpack on the ground and unzipped it. I wanted to get a handle on my new cell phone.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Abby asked, taking a bite of her food. It smelled like peanut butter.
“I’m not hungry. Probably nerves.” I set the orange box on the table in front of me.
Abby got out of her chair and came to sit next to me. “Is that the new O-Phone?
“I think so,” I said, her excitement fueling mine.
“Well, open it. Let’s have a look.”
I took the top off and placed it on the table. “Now what?” I asked, looking at her.
“Allow me.” She took out a thick, light orange booklet. “These are your instructions. Don’t lose this, you might need it.”
“Okay,” I said seriously.
Beneath that was a black screen. I guessed it was the actual phone. Abby took it out carefully. “Here it is. The best phone on the planet. It can do just about anything.”
“Really?” I took it from her outstretched hand. It was light. The sides and back were orange, the same color as the box, with an emblem etched into the metal. “It’s really pretty.”
“It’s more than pretty. It’s awesome. The processor is faster than most computers. If another person has an O-Phone, you can talk to each other as holograms. When you search for content, if you want you can ask it to read the information for you as it shows you holographic pictures.”
“Cool,” I said, pretending I understood what she was talking about.
“Mind if I turn it on?” Her face was animated.
“Go for it.”
She pressed a button on top and held it until an orange appeared on the screen. Then it flashed and a screen filled with different circles popped up.
Cam, Zoe, and Peter arrived at the table.
“An O-Phone. You’re so lucky.”
We spent the rest of lunch figuring out my phone. I noticed Abby, Cam, and Peter ate most of their food, but Zoe
only picked at hers. She seemed almost as disgusted by the food as I was.
When the first bell rang, we all stood up.
“Want to hang out after school?” Abby asked.
“I’d love to.” I picked up my backpack and shouldered it.
“We could go over to my house and watch TV. I have all the seasons of The Vampire Diaries.”
“The what?” My heart began racing.
She dropped her backpack on the table. “Please tell me you’ve heard of The Vampire Diaries.”
I got the feeling that saying no would be social suicide. “I mean I’ve heard of it. Of course. But I’ve never watched it.”
That seemed to appease her. She wrapped her arm around mine. “Well, we are going to rectify that terrible tragedy starting this afternoon.”
“Okay.”
“I’m off to chemistry. Wanna meet at the front doors right after school?” She walked backward in the opposite direction of me.
“Sure.” As I walked to class I remembered Laeddin would be waiting. I didn’t want to make him even angrier.
Oh, what do I do?
During Spanish I noticed a couple of students raise their hand and ask to go to the bathroom. I thought that was strange, but it gave me an idea.
I raised my hand.
“Si, Ms. Ryder.” Mrs. Sanchez rolled the R in Ryder.
“May I go to the bathroom?”
“Si.” She held up a colorful hat.
I lifted my backpack and walked to her desk. “Muchas gracias,” I said taking the hat.
Out in the hall I searched for a bathroom. It was weird walking the halls without the crush of the other students, but eventually I found one down a ways and on the left. I pushed the door opened and walked in.
My first experience with a public bathroom? Not great! There were three sinks and four stalls, a toilet in each stall. I chose the furthest stall in hopes that it would give me the most privacy, made my way past the mirror with a curse word scrawled on it in what I guessed was lipstick, and closed the door.
“Laeddin,” I whispered. I had no idea if it would work but I hoped so. I needed to talk with him. After ten seconds he still hadn’t shown, so I whisper-yelled his name again. “Laeddin.”
Vampire Lies (Blood and Snow Season Book 1) Page 9
