by K. Weikel
Chapter 12
“What day?” I asked, catching on immediately, but not wanting to show it.
“Don’t get smart with me.” He joked. “The day I was in the forest. When I was...” He looked around. “Turned... You know that was me, correct?”
“Er, yeah...” I said guiltily, and started walking again.
“But, thanks for saving me,” He smiled.
“How did you know?” I asked.
“Holly and Burton told me. How else?” He said.
“Oh, yeah. I forgot about them.” I smiled.
“You know, you kind of remind me of her.”
“Who?”
“Holly,” He told me.
“How?” I asked, curious.
“Well, I don’t know. Your face, and your body shape... and the way you are. I don’t know, you just have a personality like her, and your eyes look just like hers.” He told me.
“You’re saying it like I’m her daughter or something.” I laughed. “And besides, I look like a lot of people. I guess I just have one of those faces. And as for the personality, there are plenty of weird people out there like this,” I laughed.
“Okay then,” He flashed a white grin at me.
We walked for a few minutes, and then it came across my mind that he hadn’t told me the other thing yet.
“So, what was that other thing you wanted to tell me?”
He looked around cautiously, and then he said, “I’ll tell you inside.”
I looked and saw we were at a house. It was a small house, and had trees and shrubs everywhere. It looked kind of eerie, if you asked me.
“Is this where you’re living?” I asked.
“For now, until we go back.”
“Go back?” I said, stunned. “When are you going back?”
He looked around and pulled me inside quickly, shutting the door.
“When the war’s over.”
“What war?” I said, scared. “Between who?”
“The Vampires and Werewolves. And whoever sides with whom. You see—you might want to take a seat—” I sat down at a wooden table and looked at Koby in the harsh lighting above it. “—the Vampires stole most of the woods, and half of the city. Werewolves need people—and animals—to survive off of. They took more land, and are changing whomever they can into them so they can’t be outnumbered. They have the Leprechauns and Unicorns and the Centaurs on their side, a long with all of the Scientists of the Mythological World and many others that would take way too long to name. And us Werewolves have Fairies, Kelpies, Bigfoot--”
“He’s real?” I asked.
“Yep. We also have firebirds, or Phoenixes, Elves, and very few of the Unicorn race that were siding with us. Then there are the neutral ones. Like Dragons, Nymphs, Mermaids, the Kraken, all of them. And, also, the Verepires, like you. They are all neutral because they are both parties. But they aren’t accepted into either because of the races they’re mixed with.”
“Wow... It’s like the real world...”
“Bingo!” He said to me. “But we were hoping—we were really hoping that you would side with us. Just this once.”
“But—”
“Don’t think twice! Please? Just do it,” He put his hands on my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. “For me?”
“I...” I felt like crying. I couldn’t betray Harvey, but I couldn’t betray Koby. I really liked them both... but...
“Catrina, who turned you into a blood-sucker?” He asked me.
“Harvey, but—”
“Oh that—! Wow,” He laughed in disbelief. “To one of my only friends too!”
“What? —Wait. How the heck do you even know Harvey?” I asked, getting up from the table.
“I met him so long ago... Here, when I was five, and I knew him until I moved to Europe. We lost touch. He’s in my second period class. He showed me around the campus, and he was like my best friend once again. I hung out with him that whole day, and I didn’t even know he was a Vampire until he told me. I really didn’t. And the war had just begun, and the two races hated each other.” He sat down in the chair I had been in. “How could he do that to me?” He rubbed his forehead with his hand. “Only a few Vampires and Werewolves are in the neutral party with the Verepires. I thought he was one. He said he was one. I thought he was one.” He slumped in his chair.
I shifted my weight. I can’t believe how hard this came down onto Koby. He looked like he gained five years sitting there under the dim light. I reached forward, and grabbed his arm.
“I’m sorry, Koby,” I told him as I looked deep into his eyes. “I didn’t know...”
“Of course you didn’t.” He sighed, and slipped his hand away from mine, and let his eyes wander to the table. “Some things just slip his mind!” He hit the table, and I jumped, startled.
There was silence for the longest time, or what seemed a long time.
“Catrina,” He said slowly and sadly. “Harvey can’t be trusted. He’s a liar. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I won’t get hurt, Koby.”
“You will if you don’t be careful around him.” He said and looked me in the eyes. Anger flashed in his bright green eyes, and I felt a rough edged tone come out in his voice.
“I’m in-de-struct-a-ble. I’ll be fine,” I told him.
“No, you aren’t. One silver bullet, or a steak to the heart, and you could be dead forever!” He said angrily, and stood up.
“Why are you so mad?” I said sharply.
“I... I don’t know Catrina. I get mad even more now.” He slumped as he stood there. “Go.”
“But, Koby—”
“Go! Before I lose my temper on you!” He said, getting mad again.
I saw his hair start to change and ripple into thick, coarse fur. I could hear his bones grinding, and his muscles shifting, and his organs moving. I could see every gruesome transformation his body made, and I saw... I saw... that very wolf that bit me. it was Koby.
“You—! You were the—! In the—! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO BIT ME!!” I shouted.
No. It couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t!
I’m sorry Catrina but I didn’t expect--
“Expect what?! For you to bite me?!” I yelled at the large wolf in the middle of the room.
Yes! I didn’t want to hurt you! I didn’t mean to! I--
“But you did.” I said through gritted teeth and slitted eyes. “Maybe Harvey’s not the dangerous one. Maybe it’s YOU!” I screamed as clicks erupted from my throat when he came too close. Tears fell from my eyes as I ran out the door of the tiny house. I ran down the road—and right into Harvey. I sighed and collapsed into him, sobbing.
“Whoa, what’s wrong, Catrina?” He asked, shocked.
“Koby... he... he...” I couldn’t breathe because I was crying so hard. I took a breath, stood straight, looked Harvey in the eye, and asked, “Why did you change me?”
“Because I love you, Catrin--”
“The real reason!” I said sternly.
He looked at me.
“Because... because...”
“I’ll finish that. Because you wanted me to help you win your stupid war.”
He looked at me, shocked.
“Well? It’s true, isn’t it?!” I pressed.
“...Yes.”
Catrina Billowson
Catch the next book…
Harvey Allen
Sample Chapter
Chapter 1
Her eyes stared into mine, anger rippling through her. Maybe I’d lied, but I do mean it now. I love her, I really do.
I think.
But it’s true. The werewolves are growing in numbers to fight, and we’ve come to a flat-line. They’re reaching our numbers and we need as many as we can get. They’re exhausting all of our resources and they’re a danger to us all.
We need to win this war if we want our species to survive.
“Catrina,” I say, pulling her into me.
; She shoves me off and wipes the tears from her eyes
“No.” She shakes her head. “No. I won’t be used as a… as a… I don’t know! I just won’t be used at all!”
“Catrina—”
“No!” She shouted. “This is all your fault. If you would have never turned me into a Vampire… I didn’t even want to be a Vampire—I don’t want to be what I am now!”
Clicking started to come from her throat. She’s seeing me as a threat, and her brain is sending off the warning signal.
“Catrina, calm down. It’s okay. It’s not that bad—”
“Not that bad, Harvey?” She hisses. “You’ve been a Vampire for… how long? —Not long, and you’re already trying to manipulate people into being in a war that you don’t understand yet?”
“I understand it perfectly fine—”
“Really?” She breaks into a laugh. “Do you really understand it, or do you know just what they told you, Harvey? Huh? Mister Vampire?” She shook her head and backs away, her hands in front of her. “I’m done.”
She’s gone in a flash, and I’m left alone.
How profoundly rude of her to even—to—to not be grateful of what I’ve done for her. I’ve given her an opportunity—something great to do with her life, and now she thinks that I’m against her? She thinks I’m using her?
Calm down, I tell myself. She’s not as smart as you are, Harvey.
It’s true, though it might sound a bit mean. I was—am the smartest in the class, and that’s the way it’s always been. She’s always gotten B’s and C’s though she loves school. I’ve only seen her get a few A’s in the time that I’ve known her in her school career.
Koby.
He did this to her, didn’t he? He made her think this way, he brainwashed her.
Verepire? Did she say Verepire?
She did.
This is personal now, Koby…
I can smell the scent of wet dog, with a tinge of something sweet. The mixture makes me angry, and the fact that he did what he did just added to it.
Before I know it, I’m in the trees and searching for him. I pick up on his trail and I see him in his putrid dog form, panting. He howls. The sound makes my ears ring and my head hurt.
He turns around and looks at me, sadness in his green eyes.
But I know no mercy.
I am a Vampire. Vampires don’t comprehend mercy.
Look for
Harvey Allen
the second book to Catrina Billowson
Other Books by this author:
The Haunted Mansion 2: The Haunted Band Room
The Haunted Mansion 3: Revenge
Catrina Billowson
Figures
Caged
COMING SOON:
Trapped
Wiped
Grounded
Face It
The Vampire’s Carnival
Harvey Allen
Thank you for reading
