Take My Breath Away

by Lari Smythe

  Chapter 3

  After I ate, I slept on and off for the next few hours. It was a restless sleep, I couldn't get that guy out of my head—that, and the thought of my dad killing him. I'd never been afraid of Izzy—still wasn't—but there was this whole other side to vampires, the side that the legends and movies highlighted.

  Izzy glanced over, a hard expression cut creases into her beautiful face.

  I knew she couldn't read my mind, at least I didn't think so, but it was kind of weird, like she knew I was thinking monster. Her expression softened as I slipped my hand into hers. I tried to fight it, but drifted off to sleep again.

  I couldn't believe my eyes when the sky started to brighten. On the horizon, silhouetted against the purple morning sky, the Appalachian Mountains. I groaned as I flipped the back of the seat up. "Looks like we're almost there. I should call Mom."

  "Let her sleep, it's early and we still have a few hours to go."

  "Yeah, you're right. Boy, it's going to be great to be home again. I wonder how much trouble we're going to be in at school?"

  "Your mother's taken care of everything."

  "You talked to her?"

  "She called while you were sleeping."

  "Guess that was kind of awkward. She didn't—"

  "She was very gracious, but I don't blame her for being angry with me—not after what I put the two of you through."

  "I put us through," I corrected. "You want me to drive?"

  "We have to stop for gas again, you can take over then."

  "Okay, sounds like a plan. What did she say about school?"

  "She met with the principal and your teachers have agreed to put together a packet with the work you missed. Providing you complete the work satisfactorily, over winter break, you won't have to repeat the classes."

  "Cool, same for you I guess."

  "She didn't say."

  "Elizabeth would take care of it, right?"

  "I don't know, I suppose, but she wasn't a big fan of me going back to school in the first place."

  "Perfect, just like nothing ever happened." Like nothing ever happened, I thought, like that was going to happen.

  The anticipation was really starting to get to me. I couldn't wait to bring Izzy home, to show Mom that we did have a happily ever after. As I reveled at the thought of reuniting, the gruesome image of Izzy destroying my father crept into my thoughts. It wasn't her fault—I knew that, in fact she saved my life. I kept telling myself that they were nothing alike, and they weren't, but looks like a vampire, kills like a vampire—