Half Blood

by Isabella De Horta

  She stayed silent. "I swear to god I'll kill you if you don't tell me!" I threatened.

  "No one, I swear!"

  "What about your family? Is your brother a vampire?"

  "No! I was turned last year by a complete stranger!"

  I didn't know if I should believe her but I knew what I had to do. "Goodbye Sandra."

  She screamed. I had my hands pinning her arms to the carpet floor as she struggled and when I had her in the right position I let go of one arm and put the stake through her heart. She struggled to breathe and her eyes turned back to its usual shade of blue just before they closed. She faded into ashes, the stake dropping with a little thud.

  I felt my arm sting and looked down to see a gash with blood oozing out. Thank god it wasn't a vampire bite, only a scratch. I got up from the floor and put my stake back in my drawer. I breathed out a frustrated sigh. How could this happen? I totally left my guard down and it wouldn't happen again.

  I walked back out and went into the bathroom when I heard Brendan's voice, "Hey you okay?" He saw my arm, looking at me in concern. "What happened? I saw you going upstairs with a gorgeous girl …"

  "Vampire," was all I said and he nodded, understanding. He helped me stitch up my wound. I felt the needle go through my skin each time and whenever the string went through I'd bite my lip. When he finished he wrapped a bandage around my wound then got up.

  "All done, see you downstairs."

  When I changed my shirt and went downstairs I saw Tatiana. She looked so hot in that pair of leather shorts and the blue blouse that she wore. Along with that she was wearing ankle boots that were so high I thought no one could walk in them. She had the best pair of tanned legs I had ever seen and she had straightened her hair so that it seemed even longer, turning me on.

  She was talking to Daniel and I felt a pang of jealousy listening to her laughter. When she looked around and saw me her face paled. I saw her place her hand on Daniel's arm, saying something, before she walked away. Confusion came over me. Why was she avoiding me? I followed her, but soon lost her in the big crowd. Cursing, I went back the way I came, bumping into Nate.

  "I don't know what they see in you, but you're a fucking legend!"

  I didn't understand what he meant, but then it clicked. Sandra. I quickly realised the implications of his words. If he saw us that probably meant Daniel and Tatiana did too. Oh crap, she thought I had sex with Sandra. I pushed him aside and walked outside. The cold breeze hit me and I shivered. I walked around the back seeing Tatiana sitting on the porch swing by herself. Everyone else was in the pool. It was dark where Tatiana was sitting. She looked up in surprise as I sat down next to her.

  "Why are you avoiding me?"

  "I'm not avoiding you," she said weakly, staring straight ahead.

  "Yes you are. Is it because of that girl?" I asked gently, not wanting to sound cocky.

  She didn't answer straight away. "So you enjoy getting into girls' panties?"

  "What, no!"

  "Then you just get on with your life like nothing happened? I thought you were better than that," she said, looking at me with sad eyes.

  I grasped her hands in mine and she gasped. "I didn't sleep with her! Last year we were drunk at this party and we started getting really physical, but her brother stepped in. Then, when she saw me tonight she literally dragged me upstairs. I told her over and over that I wasn't interested in her but she kept on going. I pushed her away from me and then she got so pissed that I came back downstairs."

  "Why wouldn't you be interested in her?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Her hands were shaking and I felt like kissing them.

  "Because I'm not. I'm not into that anymore."

  "Why not Ethan?" she asked sceptically.

  "Why am I explaining this to you?" I asked frustrated that she wouldn't believe me. I let go of her hands.

  "I don't know!" I could hear anger in her voice and I felt like kissing her until she forgot about everything. "I don't know," I heard her mumble more to herself than me.

  "I was waiting for you … Tatiana. I haven't wanted to be with anyone since I met you. I really like you," I whispered so only she could hear.

  I heard her breath catch and she looked up at me with wide eyes. My heart was racing and my hands were shaking with nerves. She stared at me for a few long moments before she placed her hand gently on top of mine, she was shaking too. "You were waiting for me?" I heard a trace of hope in her voice and when I nodded she scooted closer to me, laying her head on my shoulder. But I pulled back, and I saw her disappointment.

  I chuckled and asked her a question that I had been longing to ask her, "Will you go out with me?" I searched her wide hazel eyes.

  "Are you asking me out on a date?" she whispered.

  "Yeah, I am." I nodded, feeling a tight knot form in my stomach waiting for her to say yes … or no.

  "Yes, Ethan. I will," she whispered again, like she couldn't trust her own voice.

  I knew how she felt. I smiled down at her, hesitantly wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her onto my lap. She leaned her head against my shoulder and sighed when she wrapped her arms around my neck. I could feel Tatiana's heart racing faster and I knew she could hear mine too. I felt Tatiana shiver and I tightened my hold on her.

  "You cold?" I asked, feeling protective.

  "No, I'm fine," she said, giving me a shy smile.

  Suddenly I heard glass break in the kitchen. Tatiana looked up and told me to see what was going on. I didn't want to leave her alone dressed like that, but I had to see if they had broken anything expensive. So I rushed inside and found my brother holding a short guy against the wall by the shirt beating the shit out of him.

  Tatiana

  M

  y heart was hammering in my chest as I thought about Ethan and the words he had just asked me.

  I hadn't felt so complete in a long time. I'd never had a boyfriend, so this was all new to me, which was even harder.

  "Hey there," a tall boy with dark brown, curly hair and hazel eyes stared down at me. He was built too, I noticed, when he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can I sit down?"

  I didn't answer him straight away, making him laugh.

  "Don't worry, I know you're off limits. Ethan made that clear when he was sitting here with you earlier."

  I smiled at the mention of Ethan's name and I nodded. "I'm Tatiana," I said, looking at him with a smile.

  "Austin," he smiled back.

  "I haven't seen you around before," I said frowning.

  "That's because I'm twenty-two," he said, "I'm friends with Ethan's brother … I haven't seen you around either."

  "I'm new here," I said.

  "Got any sisters?" he asked jokingly.

  I laughed, shaking my head. "You an only child?" I asked, interested.

  "My parents … they had a daughter, but she was kidnapped. We haven't seen her since then," he said. His cocky smile was gone and he wasn't looking at me anymore.

  Kidnapped! That's horrible. "I'm so sorry," I breathed. "How old would she be?" I hoped I didn't sound mean for asking.

  "Seventeen, she would've turned seventeen two months ago."

  Wow, just like me. "I can't imagine how hard that must've been for you and your family," I said sincerely.

  He gave me a sad smile, "How about you?"

  "I have a younger brother, he's eight years old."

  "That must be fun," he said smiling.

  "It is."

  Suddenly, his phone vibrated and he looked at the screen.

  "Well it was really nice meeting you Tatiana," he said, waving as he walked inside.

  I went inside and found Ethan standing with his arms crossed tightly against his chest. I made my way through the crowd and stood next to him to see what was going on. What I didn't expect was for him to wrap his arms around my stomach from behind. People whispered and looked at us, but I didn't care anymore. I put my hands on top of his and I felt his chin lean against my shoulder
and my heart sped up again. I looked over to see what was going on and found Ethan's brother Brendan punching someone's face in.

  "What happened?" I whispered.

  "That guy hit Brendan for no reason and they started fighting," he whispered back to me.

  Brendan stopped hitting the short guy and I saw that he was bleeding. How stupid to start a fight with Brendan. I shook my head. Everyone headed outside, so I led Ethan into the living room and we cuddled together, not caring who stared or who whispered about us. I tuned all of the noises out and just thought about Ethan. Soon everything faded away and all I could see was him staring down at me with warmth, making me melt inside. I knew I didn't want to be anywhere else other than here with Ethan.

  The night had been magical. I felt like I could've stared into Ethan's eyes for a lifetime and not get tired of it. Nate and I had been the last people to leave the party, other than Brendan, since he was staying the night at Ethan's. Ethan had asked Austin to take me home after checking with me first, but I didn't mind.

  "Just for the record, I think he's lucky to have you," Austin had just parked in front of my house.

  "Thanks for the ride," I said smiling. I opened the car door, closing it behind me, and trying not to make a fool of myself in front of him by tripping over my heels, especially when I knew he would tell Ethan.

  He waved when he saw my mother open the door for me and I quickly went inside and into the kitchen with Jamie behind me. My mother went upstairs without another word, thank god. Jamie was wearing his winter pyjamas and slippers.

  "What're you doing up?" I asked suspiciously.

  "I wanted to wait until you came," he said, smiling up at me like he was all innocent.

  I sat down at one of the chairs and took off my boots. Then Jamie and I went up to my room and let our tiredness overwhelm us.

  Sunday was a dull day. There was no sun and dark clouds covered the blue sky and I knew it was going to rain. So much for straightening my hair. I left my brother sleeping since I felt bad that he stayed up for me. Trudging downstairs, I found that my mum wasn't there either. I was about to grab some milk from the fridge when I heard a light knock on the door. Walking sleepily to the door, I opened it before realising that I still had bed hair and was still wearing my pyjamas.

  "Hey … sorry. Did I wake you?" Ethan's amused voice woke me up fully. He was biting his lip, supressing a laugh as he looked at me.

  "What are you doing here?" I asked a little rudely.

  "I'll come back later then …" he said and turned away.

  "Wait, no, I didn't mean it like that," I said and grabbed his arm, spinning him to face me. "Sorry, I'm just really moody in the morning."

  "I see that … I just wanted to know if you wanted to get some breakfast, but maybe another time." he said, when he looked me up and down again with a smile.

  I laughed a little, "Just let me get dressed and I'll come with you." I motioned for him to come in and I leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek, making my stomach flutter. "Just stay here, my mum and Jamie are still sleeping."

  He nodded and I felt his stare on my back while I made my way upstairs. I quickly brushed my hair and teeth, dressing quietly so as not to wake my mum or Jamie. I wrote a note on my mum's door telling her what I was doing and I quickly went downstairs.

  Ethan looked me up and down again, checking out my tight jeans and jumper.

  "It's cold," I said, making up an excuse as to why I had dressed this way.

  "You look beautiful," he breathed and stepped closer to me. My stomach formed a knot and I smiled up at him.

  "Thanks," I said.

  Then he took my hand and it felt like his hand was made for mine as they fit so perfectly together. My palms were starting to sweat and I felt embarrassed knowing that he could feel it. I didn't feel so bad when I felt his hand shake a little. I had to let go when I locked the door, my hand feeling suddenly empty. But when we walked towards his car I gained the courage to reach out for his hand. To my relief, he squeezed my hand in response.

  We drove in silence but it wasn't awkward at all. We parked in front of a small café. Nothing fancy, they had old furniture but it suited the place. We walked inside and ordered a latte for him and a cappuccino for me. He was insistent on buying me pancakes, but I told him not to. He ignored my protests and ordered one banana split to share. I shook my head with a smile, but really I was happy that he wanted to share it with me. We sat down at one of the empty tables and he reached out to grasp my hand. His was warm and I wondered how it could be when it was freezing outside.

  "Do you come here a lot?" I asked wanting to know more about him.

  "Sometimes, but Nate and Daniel don't really hang here. They think this type of thing is for girls," he scoffed and I laughed.

  He smiled at my reaction.

  I said, "My mum is going to be furious when she finds out I'm going out with you."

  "She's protective?" he asked and I think he gulped.

  "Yeah, I've never … dated, so it's a first for her," I said and felt my cheeks get hot as I realised that I sounded like a freak.

  "Wait, you've never had a boyfriend?" he asked completely shocked at my statement. His eyes had widened and I felt my heart rate stop for a second. Did he think I was a freak?

  "Is that so bad?" I asked a little defensively, avoiding his gaze.

  "No … I'm glad," he said gently.

  "Glad?"

  The waiter came around with our breakfast, setting down our drinks and food in front of us. I looked up and mumbled, "Thank you." When the waiter left I looked at Ethan and raised my eyebrows.

  "That means I won't have to compete with anyone," he said and handed me a fork. I took it and gave him a confused look. "It's good because then no one will come after you wanting you back. Also I won't be jealous whenever I imagine you kissing your previous boyfriend."

  "Jealous? You sound like you think every boy would come running to me begging to go out with me, because trust me it wasn't like that," I said, cutting off an edge of the pancake, stabbing the fork into it along with a piece of banana, then shoving it in my mouth. "Why would you assume that anyway?" I asked, looking at him with confusion.

  "Because you're beautiful," he said looking me straight in the eye. I could've sworn I saw something vulnerable in his eyes that he didn't want me to see. "Hasn't anyone told you that?" he asked, frowning.

  "No."

  "Well, you are beautiful Tatiana."

  Butterflies were in my stomach, forming a tight knot. I felt my chest ache with a need so strong I would've grabbed his face in my hands right then and there and kissed him with so much passion, we might both pass out along with the audience. Luckily, my phone vibrated; a message from my mother.

  Where r u and with who?

  I sighed.

  I'm @ a café with friends.

  I knew she'd want details but I turned my phone off, not wanting to ruin the moment.

  "Everything okay?" Ethan asked as I put my phone in my pocket.

  I nodded and we kept on talking and laughing like we'd been best friends for years. I liked that easy feeling I had when I was around him. I felt like I could be myself … well most of myself anyway. I wanted to talk to him like that for the whole day. But all too soon, the waiter asked us to leave when a line started to form at the café.

  Ethan paid even when I insisted on paying half, but I gave up when he pulled out a twenty. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it with a smile on his face. "Come on, I'll take you home."

  The drive back home felt like it took a few seconds; it was over too soon. He held my hand this time and I loved the feel of his soft hand in mine. I told him not to walk me to my door just in case my mum came out and he agreed since we had only just started going out. I waved as I opened the door, then found myself face to face with my mum. She looked angry and a little scared. Her hands were on her hips and for once she had bothered to get dressed and brush her hair.

  "What were you doing with that
boy?" she asked furiously.

  "We just had breakfast with a couple of friends mum, that's all." I looked at her, lying to her face.

  "Why?"

  "To eat and chat … why else?" I asked, confused.

  "Tatiana, can you play with me?" Jamie asked as he walked down the stairs in his pyjamas with bed hair. He was completely oblivious as to what was going on.

  "Sure, let's play," I said and he guided me to the living room.

  Ethan

  I

  didn't know anyone could feel this way about any girl. But then again Tatiana wasn't just any girl; she was beautiful, smart, funny, easy going, and did I mention beautiful? I smiled up at the ceiling and heard my brother enter my bedroom.

  "What're you smiling about?" Brendan asked with a tired voice.

  "Nothing."

  "Is it a girl? Does the name Tatiana ring a bell?" he asked and I sat up so quickly my head spun.

  He smirked, "Thought so."

  "Shut up," I snapped. Ugh, he was ruining my mood.

  Brendan put his hands up with innocence and laughed a little. "Don't worry, I ain't gonna steal your girl."

  My girl? God she was my girl. She's the only girl I think about. She was so cautious that I felt if I made one wrong move she'd step back and never step forward again.

  "We're just seeing each other," I said and my hands griped the sheets tightly.

  "More like dating."

  "We just started seeing each other but I feel like she's scared," my hands loosened their hold on the sheets and I sighed.

  "Haven't you already done it?" Brendan asked with interest.

  I could detect the slight surprise in his voice. Anger rumbled through me and I growled slightly.

  "Have you even kissed her?"

  Brendan knew he was getting to me and I knew he was enjoying it. "I'm not like that anymore, okay? I don't have one night stands." I whispered the last words.

  Brendan snickered where he sat on the edge of my bed. "Right, so she's the one? I doubt she would stop a guy from trying to kiss her. I mean she's hot and she would get that from a lot of guys. What makes you think she won't be with other guys?"