Chandler tilted her head to the side, a slow smile crossing her face, “We are sisters. We stick together.”
“You’re really going to school here with me?” I asked, praying it was true. I did not want to go through those front doors alone. Some fierce vampire hunter I was turning out to be. I could not even conquer my fear of attending a new high school by myself.
“I’m not the only one,” Chandler said softly.
The front doors opened again, and my eyes misted over when I saw Asher, Eben, and Brielle walk through them, followed by my father. “All of you?” I whispered in shock.
Brielle grinned, “Why should we let you have all the fun?”
“I’m not sure this is my idea of fun,” Asher said with a laugh, “but I’m here for you.”
“Thank you,” I said softly, wiping at the tear that slipped free. “Thank you all so much.”
Eben opened the door for us, bowing as he motioned inside the school. “In the words of our fearless leader, let’s do this!”
Shaking my head at his antics, I began to climb the stairs, clutching the strap to my backpack tightly. Those were the exact words I had used just weeks before when they all pledged to follow me in our fight against evil, but I wasn’t sure how fearless I was feeling right now. Stopping beside my dad, I clutched the class schedule the school had mailed me in my fist and whispered, “I love you, Dad.”
“Love you, too, baby,” he said, leaning down to give me a hug. “Now, you are all late, so you better get going.”
There was a collective groan as we looked at each other, realizing we were about to walk into our classrooms alone. Classrooms that were already filled with students.
“You will be fine,” Dad said, squeezing my arm gently. “You all have a lot of the same classes together.”
Glancing down at my list, I raised an eyebrow, “Anyone else have English first period?”
“Me!” Brielle said with a small giggle. “Let’s go!”
As the others left to find their classrooms, I followed Brielle down the long hallway to ours. When we got to Room 101, I could hear the English teacher already starting the lesson. Brielle reached out and grasped the doorknob, then paused and looked back at me. That was when I saw how nervous she really was. “I’ve never gone to a real school before,” she admitted. “None of us have. It’s just not normally done in our world.”
“What do you mean?”
Brielle glanced up and down the hall, lowering her voice, “We are all homeschooled for the most part. That way our families know that we are safe.”
“But it’s daytime. We should be safe during the day,” I said, just now realizing what a sacrifice my friends were making for me. Brielle may be excited, trying to think of this as an adventure, but she was also terrified. I could see her hand shaking on the doorknob, and could feel her fear of the unknown, even though she was trying to hide it.
“Not always,” she murmured, glancing around once more. “You never know who they might have working for them.”
That was when it sank in that I had just put not only myself in danger, but also my friends. “I didn’t know,” I whispered. “We should go home. We don’t have to do this.”
“No,” Brielle said, shaking her head as she smiled at me. “We all want to do this, Blayke. We are tired of hiding at The Manor. We want to experience everything in life, because you never know how long we will be on this earth.”
I watched her closely for a moment before finally nodding in agreement. “Then we better get to class.”
Gently pulling her hand back, I grasped the doorknob tightly and pushed the door open. I felt every eye turn toward me when I walked into the room, and then to Brielle as she stepped in and stopped shyly beside me, letting the door close quietly behind us.
“Blayke and Brielle, I presume?” the teacher said, smiling gently at us from where she stood behind her desk.
“Yes, Ma’am,” I replied, returning her smile. “I’m Blayke Wynters, and this is Brielle Compton. I’m sorry we are late.”
“I will let it slide this time since it is your first day,” the teacher teased, “but don’t let it happen again.”
I liked her immediately, and a quick glance at the chalkboard showed me her name. “We won’t, Ms. Taylor. I promise.”
“Go ahead and take your seats,” Ms. Taylor told us, nodding to two empty chairs next to each other at the back of the classroom. “We do have assigned seating in this class, because it seems like most of the people in here would rather chat about football and boys than the actual subject they should be discussing. Are we going to have that problem with the two of you?”
I felt my cheeks heat up when there was soft laughter throughout the room, and several of the kids turned back to look at us as we slid into our seats. “No Ma’am.”
“And you, Brielle?” she asked, arching one perfect eyebrow.
Brielle giggled nervously, looking around the room as she mumbled, “I do tend to talk sometimes, Ms. Taylor, but I’m not a huge football fan.”
Once again laughter filled the room, and then the class got quiet when the teacher held up a hand for silence, and then continued with the lesson for the day. I tuned out most of it when I realized it was a lesson I had already learned at my old school. My thoughts strayed to my sister, Asher, and Eben. Hopefully their first class was going as well as ours.
Three hours later, I was walking down the hallway to the lunchroom when I felt someone fall into step beside me. Glancing over, I smiled when my eyes met Asher’s. “Hey.”
“Hungry?” he asked, taking my bag from me and slipping it over his shoulder.
I blushed, glancing down at my shoes and then back up at him. I’d never had anyone carry my books for me before. I knew he was probably just being nice, but it made me feel special. “Starving,” I admitted. “I forgot to eat breakfast this morning.”
“I think we all did.”
Before he could say anything else, a girl I had never seen before stepped in front of us. An obviously fake smile crossed her face, and her bright, blue eyes seemed a little too wide as she said, “Hello, Asher. It’s me, Summer. We met in first period.”
“I remember,” was Asher’s response, as he shifted closer to me.
“I was wondering if you have plans for Friday night?” Summer asked, twirling a long, blonde curl around her finger. “I thought maybe you would like to stop by the café in town and meet everyone.” And afterwards we can go up to Lookout Point and get to know each other a little better.
I stiffened as her thoughts filled my mind, and found myself moving even closer to Asher. He must have sensed my mood change, because he slid his arm around my waist and winked at Summer. “We already have plans for Friday, Summer, but maybe we can make it next time. Thanks for the invite.” Guiding me around the sputtering girl, he leaned down and whispered, “Feel free to save me anytime in situations like that.”
“She’s not happy,” I whispered back.
“Oh well. I am.”
I glanced up into his laughing eyes, and couldn’t help the giggle that slipped free. “What’s Lookout Point?” I asked, as we entered the lunchroom.
“It’s a place about five miles from here that overlooks the town,” Asher said, waggling his eyebrows at me. “From what I overheard in the locker room earlier, it should be called Make Out point instead.” Letting go of me, Asher walked over and grabbed two lunch trays, handing one to me. “Why do you ask?”
I shrugged, grinning mischievously, “No reason.” When he paused from picking up a carton of milk and looked at me, I said, “Summer wants to take you there so she can get to know you better.” The look of horror that crossed his face had me laughing so hard it brought tears to my eyes. Slipping past him, I grabbed a carton of milk and a piece of pizza, and left him standing there as I made my way across the room to where Chandler, Eben, and Brielle sat waiting for us. Sliding onto the bench seat next to Chandler, for the first time in a long time, I felt happy and
was enjoying life again.
It was Friday night, and Asher hadn’t been lying when he told Summer we had plans. Tonight was going to be the first time we went hunting, tracking down real vampires, and hopefully vanquishing them. I was excited, I was nervous, I was scared, but most of all, I was determined to keep my friends safe.
Glancing at the tapestry laid out on the twin bed next to mine, I walked over to it and slowly ran my fingers lightly over the dragon. It was amazing, and just the sight of it gave me courage. I knew it had something to do with the dragon, my spirit animal.
Turning my attention back to getting ready, I slid daggers into both of my boots, then hooked the dragon one my grandfather gave me to my belt. Next, I slid a sword with the body of a dragon for the handle into a scabbard at my back. Slipping my leather jacket over my shoulders, I double checked the pockets of it for my flying stars. I had been practicing with them for several days now, and really liked them. The tips were coated with a special kind of acid that would slow down a vampire, but not kill it. No one else seemed to care for them, but that just meant there were more for me.
“You ready?” Chandler asked from the doorway. A few days ago, my sister had decided to move into the bedroom next door so that we could have our privacy. Even though I understood, I still missed having her in the same room at night. I would never tell her because I wouldn’t want her to feel guilty, but when she was with me, she helped keep my nightmares at bay.
I nodded as I glanced over at her. She was dressed similarly to me, but I didn’t see any weapons visible. “Do you need to borrow a couple of daggers?” I asked, moving toward the chest at the foot of my bed where I kept all of the hunting gear my grandfather had given me since I started my training. There must have been at least a dozen daggers in it, along with four swords and several throwing stars. I remembered asking my grandfather one time why we didn’t use stakes to kill vampires like they did in the movies. He laughed at me, shaking his head as he said, “Blayke, there is a very important difference between metal and wood.” When I looked at him in confusion, he became very serious, “Metal doesn’t break or go up in flames.”
I worked daily with the daggers, sparring with Asher, and throwing them at targets. I was getting better each day, and my confidence was growing. I didn’t think I would have a problem with sinking the blade of the dagger into a vampire’s heart, cutting one’s head off with the sword was another matter. The thought of doing something like that to someone, even a demon, left a nasty taste in my mouth.
“No, I’m good.” Chandler grinned, her eyes lit with mischief, when I looked over at her in concern. Lifting a hand, she snapped her thumb and middle finger together and a small flame shot up. “I don’t need swords and knives, Blayke. I have magic.”
Shaking my head, I laughed as I strolled past her on my way out the door. Stopping in the hallway, I turned back, my eyes focusing on the still-glowing flame. Pursing my lips, I blew lightly, smiling in satisfaction when the flame flickered and then went out.
“Oh, wow!” I heard Dahlia exclaim from the top of the stairs. “How did you do that, Blayke? You aren’t even near Chandler.”
Chandler shook her head, a wry grin on her lips. “Seems I haven’t been the only one working on my magic.”
“Blayke, can you show me how to do that? I want to learn!”
I turned back to Dahlia, smiling gently, “I can try, but it will only work if you have magic in you. It seems that I get mine from my grandmother.”
“My mom was a sorceress,” Dahlia said quietly, the excitement leaving her face.
I stopped in front of her, laying a hand on her shoulder. “I bet she was a great one.” I’d had no idea her mother was a witch. I had just assumed her parents were hunters. I suddenly realized that I didn’t really know that much about any of my new friends. I had no idea how any of the others had ended up at The Manor, except for Brielle. Which I knew was my own fault. I never thought to ask, and they didn’t share. But Chandler knew, because she took the time to get to know them all, while I concentrated on learning to fight and kill. I knew it was my job as their leader to do everything I could to protect them, but I had completely failed in the friend department.
“She was,” Dahlia agreed solemnly, her blue eyes full of sorrow. “She was so beautiful. When she used her magic, her whole body would light up and she would shine so brightly.”
“That means she was very powerful,” Chandler said from behind me. “The energy radiated off of her.”
A tear slid down Dahlia’s cheek as she whispered, “She was killed by a bad witch. One who worked for a vampire.”
I ran a hand gently down her hair, pulling her into a hug. “What about your dad?” I asked quietly.
“The vampire killed Daddy when he tried to save my mom.” A sob shook Dahlia’s tiny body as she wrapped her arms around my waist. “I hid in the cellar until the sun came out, just like Daddy told me to. I was really, really quiet. Even when I watched what was happening from a small window, I didn’t scream. I wanted to. I was so scared. But I didn’t, because I promised my mommy and daddy I wouldn’t. The next day, when the sun came out, I undid the locks like Daddy showed me, and left the cellar. They were lying on the ground in front of the house. There was so much blood.”
“Shhh,” I whispered, holding her tightly. “It’s over now. You are safe.”
“Promise?” Dahlia whispered raggedly.
“I promise,” I said softly, and I vowed I would fulfill that promise, no matter what it took.
“What if they come here?”
“Then that will be their first mistake,” I told her, kissing her gently on the top of the head. When she raised her head to look at me, I smiled, “No one is going to get you here, Dahlia. You are safe.”
“But, you are all leaving tonight.” It was said so softly that I almost missed it. It will be dark, and there won’t be anyone here to protect me.
I heard the thought, and felt Dahlia’s fear. There was no way I was going to let her feel like she had no one to guard her all night. My dad and grandfather would be going with us this time because it was our first hunt, but my grandmother and Alyiah were staying behind. Even though Alyiah was considered a slayer, Dahlia would not think of her as one because she never went out hunting. Grandmother had her magic, but in Dahlia’s eyes, she would not be enough to keep her safe if demons showed up at our door. I had to do something to alleviate the fear in the little girl’s eyes.
“Hold on just a second,” I said, giving her one last hug before pulling away. Running back to my room, I opened up the trunk that held my weapons and pulled out two more daggers. Going back to Dahlia, I reached down to clasp her hand in mine. “Come on, princess.”
Dahlia giggled half-heartedly, “I’m not the princess, Blayke. You are.”
“I am?”
She nodded, looking up at me in wonder. “Your daddy is a vampire prince, so that makes you a princess,” she said as we entered the dining room. I froze, as did everyone else in the room.
My gaze slowly wandered around the area, seeing that everyone who lived in The Manor was now sitting at the large table, obviously waiting on me. “I’m not a princess,” I finally said, patting her on the head. “I’m just me.”
“Yes, you are,” Dahlia insisted stubbornly.
She was right. Technically I was, but in this case, it wasn’t a title that I wanted. “I’m not a vampire, Dahlia,” I said, taking the daggers I still held and handing them to Alyiah, who looked at me in surprise. “Only vampires can be vampire princesses.”
“What are these for?” Alyiah asked, trying to shove the daggers back into my hands.
“They are for you to use tonight if you need them,” I told her. “I know you have one already. I saw it the night we arrived here, but I am giving you these ones in case you need more.”
“I can’t…”
“You can and you will,” I insisted, narrowing my eyes on her. “Dahlia needs someone to protect her while we ar
e out. She needs a slayer to guard her and make sure she stays safe.” I stared hard at Alyiah, praying she would step up and tell the child she would be here for her. I couldn’t make her do something she refused to do, but I was going to try, for Dahlia’s sake.
Alyiah’s gaze went from me to the little girl who stood at my side, clinging tightly to my hand. Slowly she took the daggers and laid them on the table in front of her.
“You don’t need to be frightened, child,” my grandmother said, rising from her chair to cross the room and kneel beside Dahlia. “Alyiah and I will be here, and I promise, no harm will come to you.”
Dahlia glanced over at Alyiah, then back to my grandmother, her grip on my hand slowly loosening. “Alyiah doesn’t want to protect me,” she whispered. “She doesn’t fight vampires anymore.”
“My daughter will protect us, Dahlia,” my grandmother vowed, turning to glare at Alyiah. “She is a Jackson, and it is what Jacksons do.”
Alyiah slowly nodded, tracing a finger over one of the daggers in front of her. “You will be safe here, Dahlia.”
Dahlia let go of me, gave my grandmother a quick hug, and then walked over to Alyiah. Resting her small hand on Alyiah’s arm, she said, “Don’t be afraid, Alyiah. I will help protect you against the demons, too.”
A tear slipped free and slowly tracked down Alyiah’s cheek. “Not all of them are demons,” she said softly. “Some are just like you and me. They have never hurt a human in their life. Never drank another’s blood without their consent. They don’t murder. They just want peace.” Raising her head, she looked at me. “Your father was one of them. He never took a life that didn’t need to be taken. He never killed just for the sake of killing.”
“That you know of,” Grandfather said from his place at the head of the table. “He could have told you one thing, but been doing something else entirely.”
“No Father,” Alyiah whispered, “he wasn’t a killer. I can tell the difference.”
Blayke Page 10
