Chapter two
Karen gripped Seth’s hand tightly and quickly dragged him out the empty hallway and out towards the front door. Seth twisted his wrist in her tight grasp and cringed.
“Are you alright? You look as if you’ve just seen a ghost! And what are you doing, it’s still school time, we’ll get in a hell of a lot of trouble if we skip!” he asked frantically. Karen stopped and turned around glaring at him.
“That won’t matter much if you have no home! We might be orphaned!” She screeched, continuing her task of pulling him outside. He stared at her oddly and frowned.
“What did you see Karen? It was probably just a bad dream or a hallucination or something.” He said casually. Karen instantly let go of his wrist and continued to walk faster.
“This may be a game to you but it’s not to me! This is my mother’s LIFE we’re talking about Seth! I know what I saw! And if we don’t get to the park soon she might die! If you don’t believe me then don’t help!” she shouted shrilly, Running away from him. Seth groaned to himself, taking a deep breath and chasing after her. He soon caught up to her and grabbed her arm, ducking a fist that she flung for his head.
“Hop on my back. We both know I’m much faster than you are.”
Rose nodded in disapproval and her scowl seemed to deepen and deepen as Carolyn revealed the news of her younger brother’s past. She growled lightly to herself, causing Carolyn to back up an inch and cringe.
“I shouldn’t have let mother send him off like that, it’s been nothing but human interaction with him. Scum who hunt us without second thought should not so willingly invite us into their homes. It just becomes more heartbreaking and traumatizing for us vampires to have to fight against those we’ve learned to love. Our motto is now to kill without thinking about who the person was: it’s the only way we can survive in this world.” Rose said grimly. Carolyn nodded in agreement.
“It’s a dog eat dog world, girl. Nobody said it would be easy.”
Rose felt a vein pulse in her head, tempted to slap the woman before her if she could.
“I’m twenty-three ma’am. I think I know that by now thank you.” She said, annoyed. Carolyn grinned cockily and laughed.
“Yet you are still just a girl, I can see it in your eyes: hope. You hope beyond hope that perhaps things will get better. You are still too naive to accept the real fate of the universe; it will destroy itself, planet after planet, until there’s nothing left but us. We’re lucky we’re still in our early ages or we would be long dead. Earth was the first to go and once that home was so polluted and vile from the Great War we moved on to the next planet and the next, passing our spawn on and cursing the universe.” She managed to cock a small, yet sad, grin.
“What do you think is going to happen? Junas just got out of war and that’s supposedly the most peaceful of the sub-planets! If they can get into war what hope is there for us on Hulion.” She didn’t expect an answer.
Rose growled in annoyance and crossed her arms across her chest but her scowl instantly disappeared, replaced by a look of malice. Xinri was sitting up, the color had returned to her face and her arm was completely healed, as if it hadn’t been injured at all; Rose’s menacing look grew even viler and a large grin spread across her face.
“You told us all we need to know about my brother and for that I thank you. Now you shall die.” She said, motioning to Xinri and Ryan. Carolyn froze and quivered, backing up an inch.
“You’re lying, I have holy water injected into my blood stream, you can not touch me.” Rose smiled, as did Ryan. They nodded towards Xinri who took a begrudging step forward. Carolyn raised her hands in prayer for a moment, a cross hanging on the end of a chain placed in her hands.
“Stay back you wicked vampire!” she shouted towards Xinri. Ryan and Rose laughed cruelly as the woman’s face grew ever more frightened.
“You are correct about vampires not being able to touch you; however, Xinri is not a vampire. She is a human sorceress and therefore-”
Xinri took a step towards Carolyn and poked her forehead. “-she can touch you.” He finished. Carolyn screamed in horror, spinning around and running.
“Dnib reh!” she whispered under her breath, waving her hands exaggeratedly in front of her. Carolyn was instantly bound by an invisible force although she still struggled and scraped her face against the sidewalk. Ryan froze, backing up for a minute in an attempt to quell his sudden thirst at the scent of blood that had suddenly been emitted into the air. Rose was more controlled, she had long since learned how to stop the thirst, at least for a little while, but Ryan was younger than her and he had not. Ryan licked his lips in anticipation and Xinri turned around, her hands locked in a rhombus like shape to hold Carolyn.
“Ryan are you okay? I don’t know if you can stand the blood so it’d be best for you to go back into the alley.” She said in concern. Ryan shuddered and backed up more; shrinking behind the sun hat he’d borrowed from Xinri. He felt a tingle go up his spine and he ran back into the darkness, breathing heavily the scent of shadows and trying to rid his nostrils of the lingering blood. Xinri frowned as she heard Ryan hit his head against the alley wall and desperately wanted to help. Her concentration broke. Carolyn felt the bonds loosen and stood up again to run. She made it to the flower bed when Xinri whipped around and repeated the spell, Carolyn landing face first in the dirt. Her hair flew loose from her braid and a spot of blood ran down her cheek from the previous fall. Ryan rushed out of the shadows grabbing Xinri’s shoulder roughly and his long nails digging into her flesh as little orbs of blood spotted it. She grimaced, barely able to hold her concentration.
“Hurry it up Xinri, you’re driving me mad! I won’t be able to help myself soon and I might attack you if you don’t make our guest disappear.” He growled into her ear. Carolyn screamed at the top of her lungs trying to draw someone’s attention to her. Ryan grinned at her, baring his fangs and panting in blood lust, his eyes glassy and crazed. She realized no one was coming and she prayed quietly, tears leaking from under her long lashes. Xinri waved a finger and the woman flew towards her and hung in mid-air. Rose retrieved several syringes from her satchel, handing them to Xinri who thrust them into Carolyn’s neck. She drew the blood happily and Rose placed the syringes back in her shoulder bag. Ryan’s grin grew and he let go of Xinri’s shoulder, ready to snap the woman’s neck when he heard a scream that hadn’t come from his partners or Carolyn.
Seth rushed into the park with Karen on his back. They immediately spotted her mother and Seth rushed forward. Karen saw the male vampire step forward in intent to kill and she screamed. The three of them whipped around and gaped in surprise at them. Carolyn’s eyes widened in fear and she flailed around in mid-air before Rose backhanded her into silence.
“Seth?” Rose’s voice shook in disbelief and fear. She took a step towards him and then another as everything grew silent. Xinri pulled her fingers apart, breaking the spell and Carolyn skittered behind a tree. Ryan growled in frustration, his hands regaining their place on Xinri’s shoulders. Karen stepped off of Seth’s back and ran towards her mother and Seth continued to just stare on in confusion. Rose drew closer to him and drew him into an embrace, little droplets of salt water dripping down her face in relief and happiness.
“Is it really you Seth?” she asked again. Xinri grinned and waved at Rose.
“HEY! I think you’re freaking him out Rose! BUT IT’S SOOOO TOUCHING!” she cackled. Rose let go of her brother instantly and turned around, her face a light shade of red. “You better watch it RITA!” she yelled. Xinri shrunk back at the use of her real name and Ryan growled.
“DON’T CALL HER THAT!” he shouted simply. Seth took a step away from Rose.
“Who the hell are you and why are you hugging me?” he asked in bewilderment. Rose ruffled his brown hair in amusement.
“Just like you to completely forget your ENTIRE family and adopt a new one so easily. Stupid little brother.” She said smiling. It was a small smile but be that as it may it was sincere and filled with joy. He gaped at her and took a step backwards.
“But you’re a vampire! I’m a regular human boy!” he protested in anger. Karen stared at her mother. “Is that true? It can’t be; right?” she asked desperately. Carolyn said nothing, causing Karen to run over to Seth.
“Leave him alone vampire! You are nothing but sin incarnate and you’re trying to turn him with your trickery!” she shouted, pulling a small vile from her pocket and splashing it onto Rose’s arm. Rose recoiled in pain and screeched loudly as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. The flesh on her arm began to melt away, blistering up and churning. Ryan’s eyes widened in anger and he grit his teeth roughly, tempted to attack her as he was still plagued by thirst. Xinri cringed and rushed forward, flinging her fist into Karen’s cheek. Karen staggered backwards, her face stinging from the abrupt punch.
“How dare you wretch! It’s people like you who are the reason good vampires like Rose are forced to kill innocents! You filthy horrible judgmental person!” she shrieked. Karen glared at her, pulling another vile from her pouch and splashing it on her. Xinri blinked in surprise as the cool liquid splashed onto her forearm.
“Why does everyone assume I’m a vampire just because I associate with them?” she growled angrily. Karen stared at her in shock and grabbed Seth’s hand, backing up.
“Leave Seth alone, he’s not who you’re looking for!” she said weakly. Xinri laughed harshly.
“Do you even believe that? He is who we’re looking for. You have to face the facts, Seth here is half vampire and Rose, who you’ve just disfigured, is his sister.” She remarked. Karen eyed her feet solemnly and cringed.
“I suppose I always knew… I just didn’t want to believe it.” She whispered. Seth backed behind Karen.
“You’re lying! You’ve got to be! I don’t want to be a monster! Vampires are supposed to be evil creatures that kill everything for fun!” he shouted in fear. Ryan appeared behind Xinri, his face still shaded by the sun hat. His face was paler than normal and he was panting uncontrollably. He licked his nails which had some on Xinri’s blood caked on it and he frowned.
“Xinri I can’t hold it any longer. The thrill of the hunt is over but the thirst remains.” He whispered. His lips were parched and dry. Xinri nodded in understanding and moved her wavy hair to her other shoulder as Ryan lowered his lips towards the crook of her neck. Seth eyed them in disgust and fear.
“I can’t be a vampire I just can’t!” he cried and frustration. But as he saw Ryan’s fangs pierce Xinri’s neck he knew he was wrong. His eyes were drawn to the golden brown flesh that occupied her neck and he deeply inhaled the slight scent of blood. He shuddered. Karen cringed and shut her eyes tightly.
“Look away Seth, look away.” Karen whispered under her breath. It was too late though, his mind was swirling and his heart was beating quickly and loudly. He felt it beating harder and harder in his throat and a feeling of lust filled him. He shook violently, his eyes seeming to flash like an animal’s. He swallowed and licked his parched lips, turning his face to the side and trying not to see anymore. His heart was still beating rapidly in his ears and he ran out of the park in utter disgust with himself.
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