Amarande grasped my shoulders. “Cheyenne Wilde, you are our first Vanator in over five hundred years."
"Huh? What's ... a ... Vanator?” My voice shook. I really didn't want to know, but I didn't figure I had a choice. I pulled the waistband of my pants back up.
Amarande smiled, showing amazingly well preserved teeth. “The most rare and coveted ability a female could ever hope to possess."
I looked at Mom and Dad. Based on the pained expression upon both their faces, they didn't share his opinion.
That didn't bode well for me.
"Great. But, what does it mean to me?” I took a deep breath and braced myself for the answer.
"You, my dear, are a hunter.” Amarande acted as if the news should please me.
"A hunter of what?” I really didn't want to know the answer to this one either, but the question flew out of my mouth before I could stop it. I took another deep breath and let it out slowly.
"All things evil.” His eyes brightened to a crystal blue, reminding me of the new guy who had my guts twisted in a knot.
I scrunched up my face, trying to process what he had just imparted. “What do you mean? Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” He had to be messing with me. This was seriously getting stupid. Way too gay for me.
"No, I wouldn't exactly say like Buffy because ... she's not real.” He pierced me with a penetrating stare. “You are."
Oh, my God! He was for real. I was supposed to be some kind of evil hunter? Or hunter of evil? Whatever. The whole thing sounded horrible. And was I qualified to do it? Seriously? Now, ask me to do a standing back on a four inch beam, and I'm your girl. Or fly through the air doing a double off the bars. But a hunter? Of evil what?
My mind spun in about a hundred different directions. I couldn't even begin to comprehend what this meant to my life. Would I have to go around carrying a stake and plunge it into the heart of some evil creature? The whole concept veered so far from reality that being a vampire now seemed normal. I shook my head to clear my mind. Maybe I'd wake from the dream and everything would be back the way it was before my birthday. I'd gladly give back my driver's license to have a do over.
"Cheyenne?” I heard Mom talking, but she appeared fuzzy. “Are you okay?"
I blinked several times to clear my vision. “No, I'm really not okay. I just want to go back to being me. The way I was before all this weirdness."
My throat burned with unshed tears. I desperately wanted to run to my room and hide away from the world. Away from these people who wanted me to be something I didn't want to be.
Had anyone bothered to ask what I wanted?
I clenched my fists and ground my teeth together. My stomach churned, and a dam threatened to burst, releasing the burning liquid in my eyes.
"I know, baby. It's hard to take all this in at one time, but it'll be all right.” Mom pulled me into her embrace and held me tight. “We'll make it right."
Instantly, I reverted back to my younger years when Mom would kiss the boo boo away and make everything okay. Only this time, a kiss couldn't fix my pain. Nothing could fix it. Hot tears poured from my eyes. I wanted to go to sleep and never wake up. Before long, I was hiccupping sobs. Mom stroked my hair as I let it all out.
After what seemed like hours, I calmed down enough to where the time between hiccups had significantly increased. That was when I noticed the silence within the room.
Mom released me and I lifted my head from her shoulder to look around. Empty. Only me, Mom, and Dad remained. That explained the eerie silence.
"Where did they go?” I hiccupped again and swiped at my runny nose.
"They decided you needed a little privacy and time to deal with the news. Your reaction wasn't what the ancients expected. I don't think they quite have a grasp on today's teens.” Dad smiled and handed me a tissue from his desk.
Leave it to Dad to try and lighten the situation. He hates to see me or Mom upset. The concern and sympathy shining from his eyes almost undid me yet again.
"Why don't you go to bed? You've had a stressful day. Everything will look different in the morning. We'll talk more when you're not so tired and upset.” Dad gave me a hug with an extra squeeze. “I love you, princess."
I choked back a sob. He hadn't called me that in ages.
Mom hugged me next. “Good night, sweetheart."
"Night,” I mumbled as I left the room.
Next thing I knew, I stood facing the side of my bed. I had no idea how I got there. I didn't remember climbing the stairs, turning the corner and walking down the hall, or opening my door. Not bothering to put on my pajamas or even remove my shoes, I plopped on the bed. I didn't care. I only cared about escaping into nothingness for at least a short time. I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep.
Visions of my blue-eyed hunk replaced the terror of the last hour, lulling me into a beautiful dream ... until the bats showed up.
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5
A Nightmare, a Note, and a Beam Burn
Hundreds of bats circled me, each taking a turn to dive-bomb my head. One after another attacked. I threw my arms up to protect my face—all the while they laughed and taunted me. A buzz filled my room and I covered my ears, but it kept getting louder ... louder ... louder, until I thought I'd lose what was left of my mind. I couldn't take it anymore. I started to scream and scream, but they kept coming, and the buzzing wouldn't stop. Something seized my arms and shook me. I lashed out at my nemesis, trying to break the grip it had on me and yelled as loud as I could, hoping someone would come to my rescue.
"Stop! Help me! Make them stop.” More shaking ... and the buzzing wouldn't stop.
"Cheyenne! Wake up. You're having a bad dream."
"Mom, is that you? Help me.” The thing holding me wouldn't let go. I kicked and tried to punch, but it did no good.
It shook me again—hard. “Cheyenne! It's me, Mom. Wake up, sweetheart. It's okay, I've got you. Everything's okay."
Mom? I relaxed and the grip on my shoulders eased. Slowly, I opened my eyes.
"Mom!” I threw my arms around her, hugging her tight to make sure she was real and not a figment of my imagination. “Mom, it was awful. All these bats kept attacking me ... flying around my head ... and laughing at me. It was all a game. They seemed to enjoy it."
I took a few breaths, trying to calm myself. My heart pounded against my ribs, my pulse throbbed in my veins. The buzzing sound still ripped through my room. Why wouldn't it stop?
Mom leaned over and slapped my alarm off. Oh, right, my alarm.
"It was just a dream. Nothing more,” she soothed.
I shook my head. “That's just it, Mom, it wasn't just a dream. I think they were warning me."
Her eyes widened. “Warning? What kind of warning?"
"I ... don't know. I sense it wasn't just a nightmare. Somehow it infiltrated my dreams and manipulated them."
"It? What's it?"
I sighed and threw up my hands, letting them fall back on the bed with a thud. “That's what I don't know. I think it was the same thing I felt in the house last night when the ancients were here. It just felt so creepy. I think even Roxie noticed. That's why she was barking."
"Cheyenne! Why didn't you tell us when it happened?"
I sighed. “I don't know, Mom. I wasn't even sure it was real. I thought maybe it was my imagination and I didn't want everyone to think I was crazy."
Mom's expression softened. “Don't ever think you can't tell us something. We're here to help you. We'll always believe you. You've never lied to us or made up things to get attention."
"I know. I'm just confused. It's just plain crazy."
"I can understand. I went through it, too. So did your dad. It's not easy, but we need to know these things."
She started to rise, but I stopped her. “Mom, you said you'd show me where the ... blood is."
"Ah, yes, I'm sorry. I completely forgot with everything happening so fast. It's in the medicine cabinet i
n the very back in a white box, but you shouldn't need it for a while yet."
"Oh.” I had seen the box before, but never thought to check and see what was in it.
"Anything else?"
"No, I guess not."
Mom patted me on the leg and stood. “You better get ready or you'll be late for school."
"School, right. And I have an Algebra II test today. Needless to say, I didn't exactly study last night."
"I'm sure you'll do just fine. You're a smart girl.” She smiled and then walked to the door. “You'd better hurry. The clock is ticking. Have a good day and good luck with the test, although you won't need it.” She winked, then closed the door behind her.
Groaning, I pulled myself out of bed. I'd give anything to stay home today. School was the last place I wanted to be. Maybe if I would've skipped school like Mom suggested yesterday, all of this crap wouldn't be happening right now.
Oh well, I guess I'll just have to suck it up.
Having no energy to worry about what I looked like, I pulled my hair back in a pony tail, not even bothering to run a brush through it. I threw on a pair of jeans and a glitter t-shirt from Papaya's, grabbed my purse and backpack, then trotted downstairs to get something for breakfast. My stomach growled and roiled, letting me know it wanted food and fast.
Mom and Dad had both left by the time I got downstairs. A freaky silence cloaked the house. Not a single sound could be heard—only the thud of my heart beating in my chest.
The kitchen felt hollow, lacking its usual warmth. I shivered and rubbed my bare arms. Creepy. I still hadn't gotten over my horrid nightmare. I just hoped today's reality ended up better than my dream world had. Was there any escape from the dark world I'd been thrust into? I couldn't even seem to get away from it while I slept.
As I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet, an icky sensation climbed up my spine. I whipped my head around to glance behind me. Nothing. I scanned the rest of the room, even glancing up toward the ceiling to check for any hanging bats. My hands trembled, causing me to drop the hard, plastic bowl on the granite counter. The loud bang shattered the silence and frayed my nerves. I braced my hands on the cold counter top and hung my head, trying to get a grip on myself. That warning of sorts really had me freaked out.
The weird feeling intensified. My blood chilled as it coursed through my veins. I straightened into a defensive stance. My muscles tensed—ready to run or kick butt if needed. I wasn't about to go down without a fight.
Something cold and wet pressed to the back of my fist. I screamed and flung my arms, knocking the bowl off the counter. I screamed again. The plastic dish clattered to the floor, bouncing twice before landing upside down.
Roxie yelped and skittered backward on the slick floor, her paws failing to gain tracking due to her long nails.
"Oh, girl. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.” I reached down and ran my hand along her back, then scratched between her ears. “You scared ten years off my life.” Oh well, I guess I had a few of those to spare.
Once my heartbeat returned to normal, the growling in my stomach also returned—with a vengeance. “Okay, okay. I'm getting something to eat right now."
After reaching toward the pantry with the cereal, I paused, glancing over to the cabinet where we keep the medicine. Curiosity overruled my better senses, and next thing I knew I was reaching for the handle. I opened it, staring toward the back. There it was—the white box. The one I never paid the least bit of attention to. Now it screamed for me to open it. But, I couldn't do it. I didn't want to be greeted with bags of blood, especially not this early in the morning. I closed the door and sighed. It could wait for another time ... or another day.
I turned back to the pantry and grabbed a box of cereal. I poured myself a big bowl of Cocoa Pebbles and sat at the table. Within minutes, I had scarfed down the whole bowl. The weird thing was that I was still starving. So, I put two pieces of bread into the toaster. When they popped up, I took them out and spread peanut butter on them, then wolfed those down, too. Still hungry, I gulped down two glasses of orange juice and grabbed a chocolate cookie dough Slim-Fast bar and shoved it in my purse.
Seriously out of time, I ran back upstairs to brush my teeth. Bread stuck in braces is not attractive, not to mention disgusting. Glancing at my reflection, I grimaced. I had bumps of hair where I hadn't taken the time to brush it back, and my shirt had wrinkles everywhere. And I appeared paler than normal. What was up with that? Not exactly my best look. I'd have to keep a low profile—not like it would be that hard. I'd just fade into the background as usual.
Pausing, I turned my back to the mirror and pulled the side of my jeans down on the right side. I gasped as I revealed the mark of my Vanator status. It was a brownish-pink color that appeared to look similar to the heart made out of vines—just like the symbol on the back of our clice robes and on the wall behind the altar looking thing in my dad's office. I pulled my jeans back up. Not much I could do about it.
I was indeed marked.
I hurried out of the house and jumped into my car. I had exactly fifteen minutes to get to school, park, and make it to my first class—Algebra II. This day had already started out crappy. If the rest of the day ended up being anything like the last two, I'd do better to stay at home and hide under the covers.
By the time I got to school, all the good parking places were taken. I had to sprint to my first class. I made it into the math room right as the bell rang. Letting out a deep sigh, I plopped into my seat. At least I wasn't tardy.
Once I received my test, it dawned on me I needed a calculator in order to do some of the problems. Crap. I'd taken it out of my purse to do my homework yesterday before the party and forgot to put it back.
I got out of my seat and walked to Mrs. Sampson's desk.
She looked up. “Yes? Can I help you?"
"I accidentally left my calculator at home."
She gave me a ‘do I really give a crap’ look. “And what am I supposed to do about it?"
I took a deep breath. “Well, I was hoping you had one I could borrow."
"Afraid not, Miss Wilde. It's your responsibility to bring the needed supplies to class.” She looked back down at whatever she'd been studying, dismissing me without another word.
Several snickers sounded behind me. Glad I could make someone's day.
I walked back to my desk and sank into my seat. This wasn't going to be good. Without a graphing calculator, I was screwed. I went through the problems and did the ones I could do easily without a calculator, saving the hardest ones for last. After glancing at the clock, I realized I had only ten minutes to do fifteen hard problems, so I worked as fast as I could.
Eleven more to go. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. The bell rang, sending out an unwelcomed shrill. I jumped half out of my seat.
"Pencils down. Please turn in your test as you leave,” Ms. Sampson instructed.
Well, there goes my ‘A.'
I handed my test to Ms. Sampson and walked into the hall dragging my feet. Biology was next. At least I'd get to see Mandy. She always cheered me up.
Since my locker happened to be on the way to biology, I decided to drop off a few books. As I spun the combination to my lock, I heard the laughter of the last person I wanted to see today—Val. God, this day sucked. I kept my back turned, hoping I'd be ignored.
"Well, well, if it isn't the freak of nature—the bat magnet herself. Did you bring along any of your little friends?” Val laughed out loud, attracting as much attention as possible. Her groupies joined in.
Not bothering to acknowledge her, I kept my back turned. I wasn't in the mood. Sooner or later, she'd move on. I didn't even care about being tardy to Biology. Although, I guess it really didn't matter since she'd be in the class, too. I was sure she had something grand planned for me.
"Bat Magnet, why don't you leave your little friends in your locker.” Val and her entourage busted out laughing. You'd think they had never heard anything so funny.
Not
worth my time or effort, I didn't reply. They were so gay. Their laughter faded, so I closed my locker and clicked the lock shut. I had about one minute left before the bell would ring, so I hurried to class.
When I entered the room, I didn't notice Mandy, so I grabbed the first available seat and slumped into it.
"Good morning, Sparkie,” a very familiar voice said.
Oh, God. The air in my lungs froze. I had forgotten the gorgeous new guy would be at school today. And I certainly never thought he'd be in one of my classes. I slowly turned to face him. The breath swooshed out of me. He was so ... I don't even know. Everything about him screamed perfection—his hair, his clothes, his beautiful blue eyes. No doubt my mouth hung open and drool dripped down my chin. What was wrong with me?
"Having a rough day?” he asked with a grin.
I can only imagine what he thought. I looked like total crap warmed over—a shit sandwich with fangs.
The bell rang, ending our almost conversation.
Since Mrs. Krammer always took a silent attendance roll, I hoped she would at least introduce the new guy, so I could call him something other than Dracula, new guy, or the hot guy. No such luck. And he didn't seem to be forthcoming in telling me his name on his own. Why the big mystery anyway?
I felt him watching me all through class and when I turned to check, he didn't even try to hide it. He probably wondered why I looked so much different than the night before—so much worse. I should've stayed home.
Mrs. Krammer stopped talking and walked over to where Val sat. She stuck out her hand and said, “Hand it over."
Val glanced back at me and smiled, a very smug look upon her make-up caked face. She placed a folded piece of paper in Mrs. Krammer's hand.
"Thank you. You know the rules. No notes unless you plan to share with the class.” She unfolded the paper.
Again, Val looked back at me. She didn't seem the least bit distressed over Mrs. Krammer reading her note. Shitznit! By the pleased look on her face, the note had something to do with me.
Cave of Terror Page 7
