❝❞

♕ ♕

The school day passed by very slowly. I hadn't seen Carson since we skipped the first class this morning.

My fingers clutched my blazer, bringing it closer to my body as I stood outside the school building, waiting for something. A cloud of breath exited my body, escaping my lips. Fall was beginning to end and winter would soon fall upon this town. November had come and it was obvious.

The sky had turned gray, the sun barely visible through the thick clouds. The air had an infamous winter chill to it, nipping at any exposed skin. Although my face was smothered by the thickest and warmest scarf I owned, my neck still burned with heat. It was better than being frozen, I suppose.

"Hey, Saige." An icy and smooth voice called from close behind me.

My head turned and I was surprised to see Reece instantly by my side. The first thing I noticed was his smile, which was wide and very bright. His short brown hair was a bit disheveled and I noticed that the length had grown out a bit since last week. The brown eyes that I once thought were warm when I first saw them had a hidden gleam of dark mischief behind them.

"Hey...Reece." I breathed out, unsure of why he had approached me.

If possible, his smile widened even more. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

The way the words sounded made the hairs on my body stand up instantly. My fingers tightly clutched my bag strap and I stood planted there even though my mind was screaming at my body to run as far away as possible. And I shocked myself by smiling back at him.

"I'm just waiting." I thought he would leave me alone after that, but he didn't.

The uncomfortableness of Reece standing close to me grew with every passing second, but he didn't walk away. He continued to watch me, his eyes trailing up and down my body. I wanted to scream at him to get away from me, but I felt so powerless and vulnerable.

"For Carson? That's a wasted effort. I saw him ditch school after lunch ended." Reece's smile turned into a chilling smirk and he began to inch closer to me, infiltrating my sacred bubble.

And then I realized why he had approached me. It was because Carson had left me unprotected. A sense of immense fear began running through my veins. What was I supposed to do? I had no way of protecting myself from him. Looking around, I noticed that he probably wasn't making a move to hurt me because of the after-school crowd.

But it was beginning to thin out. Cars were driving away and people were saying goodbye, abandoning the school and what felt like also me.

"No, I'm not waiting for Carson." I glanced around nervously, trying to find a way out of this threatening situation.

Reece leaned in down, his warm breath fanning the side of my face. "Then who are you waiting for?"

My heart pounded in my chest. The minutes turning into seconds as I stood there defensively. Time was running out, I needed to get away from him. It was in situations like this that I cursed my mother for not letting me drive my own car. I could have already sped away from this academy.

"She's waiting for us." An all too familiar heartwarming voice stated from behind me.

The spell of fear cast on me by Reece shattered into a million pieces of glass. I whipped around and nearly jumped at the brown-eyed girl with long hair. Rowan stood there, a grin on her face, with her sidekick and partner in crime Zaylee. Her hands were placed on her hips in triumph.

Reece clicked his tongue in annoyance as I sped walked toward my friends. Rowan grinned at Reece, obviously knowing that she had inadvertently saved me from his grasp. I reached my friends, planting myself next to Zaylee who was smiling at me with her arms folded across her chest.

"Oh? You better stick a little closer to her than that next time. Or someone else will swoop in and take her." Reece had an agitated frown on his face as if someone had taken his favorite toy away from him.

Zaylee smiled and waved at him very dramatically. "We'll stick a bit closer to her next time."

The next thing I knew, Zaylee had an arm slung around my shoulder, keeping me close to her. A hard lump formed in the back of my throat and it was very difficult to swallow. It had become a bit of a challenge for me to keep calm when I could see the tense air between the vampire groups.

"Come on, Saige. We better get going or else we won't make it by closing time." Rowan winked at me.

I looked at her a bit surprised and confused by her statement, but nodded my head nonetheless. Rowan smiled and motioned for Zaylee and me to follow her to her black jeep that was only parked a couple of yards away. Time slowed down as we passed by Reece who stood there with clenched fists. An almost inaudible hiss came from his lips.

"Thanks, guys," I whispered to them when I was sure we were out of earshot from Reece.

Zaylee beamed at me. "We got your back, Saige."

My lips curved upward into a smile. Rowan mimicked my smile, showing off her brilliantly white teeth. The three of us walked closely together until we reached Rowan's black jeep. It definitely needed a good wash, mud was evident above the tires and the windshield looked like it drove through a giant dust cloud.

"I call shotgun!" Zaylee yelled, bouncing away from us and toward the passenger side.

Rowan and I giggled at her childish behavior and for once I was feeling a bit normal again.

"Fine, fine. I guess that means you get the back seat." Rowan glanced over at me, pulling out her car keys.

The metal jingled as she pressed the unlock button. The jeep beeped back at her in response and Zaylee hurriedly opened the passenger door and hopped in the seat, beaming at us as we approached. My feet carried me to the backseat door and I opened it, but my eyes roamed back to the spot where Reece was standing.

Except he was no longer standing alone. Nolan, with his infamous scowl and hair dark as ink, stood by his left side as some sort of black knight. On Reece's right side stood his dark queen, with her slender hands resting on his chest. Her long blonde hair moved with the blowing wind and her piercing green eyes stared me down.

"Come on, Saige! Get in! You're letting all the cold air in the car." Zaylee's somewhat whiny voice pulled me out of my trance.

"Sorry," I mumbled and jumped into the jeep, slamming the door shut.

I hadn't realized how cold I actually was from being outside for so long until I felt the heat blasting in the jeep begin to thaw my frozen cheeks. My hands rubbed together momentarily to add a bit of warmth to my body before I buckled myself. Rowan put the jeep in reverse and began to drive away from the school.

My eyes caught one last glance at Reece and his gang and I noticed a fourth person to join his party. I could recognize those light brown curls and icy blue eyes from anywhere. Harley stood behind Reece and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. All four of them watched Rowan drive away until the school had become a small speck in the distance.

My heart was playing its famous drum solo in my chest and I couldn't seem to calm it. "Thanks for taking me home, Rowan."

"Oh, I'm not taking you home." She simply stated, moving her head side to side along to the radio music.

I gave her a bewildered look. "What?"

The scenery outside the car window was rapidly changing from familiar to unrecognizable. She was taking me to a part of Wintercrest that I hadn't dared to go venturing in. The small brick building came into view, lining the road. Groups of people were walking down sidewalks, talking and chatting normally. I gulped.

I was deep into vampire territory now. There was no going back now.

"I told you, we have to make it to there before they close." Rowan glanced back at me through the rearview mirror.

My body leaned closer to the front seats. "Before who closes?"

"Lune Café. It's one of Wintercrest's most popular restaurants and they always close early on weekdays." Zaylee turned her head to make eye contact with me.

I could only stare at her, absorbing the information. I thought they were using that as an excuse for Reece, not that they were seriously taking me into town. How do I get myself into these kinds of situations? This could not get any worse.

"They also have the best assortment of pastries. Personally, my favorite is the O-negative filled croissant." Zaylee began to ramble on and I felt my stomach drop. "It's delicious!"

I really need to stop questioning how bad my situations can get because this just went from bad to worse in a matter of moments. Rowan's driving began to slow down and she turned the jeep into a parking lot. The building had a faded wooden sign, but I could read clearly what it said. Lune Café.

A herd of students were mingling outside, sitting at brass tables with red umbrellas. It looked like a normal French-styled café, with a brick exterior and rectangle-shaped glass windows, but I knew better than to be deceived from appearances. It was one of the many lessons that I had learned from my two weeks in Wintercrest.

"It looks...lovely." The words barely came out of my mouth as the three of us stepped out of Rowan's parked jeep.

"Wait till you try the food! You'll be in heaven." Zaylee was obviously more excited about this little adventure than I was.

"I don't know if I'll be in heaven..." I mumbled to myself, thinking of a more hellish and inferno-type place.

I tried to make the pain-filled expression trying to form on my face disappear, replacing it with a forced smile. Rowan and Zaylee walked in front of me, leading the way to the café. The sky appeared darker than before, limiting my eyesight. Though I'm sure it didn't bother my friends one bit.

"It's been so long since I last came here." Rowan's voice pulled me back into their conversation.

We had reached the building. Zaylee's slender fingers wrapped around the silver bar as she pulled open the glass door. A genuine smile on her face as I physically forced myself to walk into the building behind Rowan. The lively atmosphere surprised me a bit and I took in every detail. Making note that the only exit was now behind me.

"Bonjour et bienvenue au Lune Café." Someone with a French accent called from behind the counter.

The only word I could understand was bonjour. Now I really wish I had taken French classes instead of Spanish classes. The unfamiliar language put a perplexing mien on my face, while Rowan and Zaylee smiled at a very beautiful girl wearing an apron. The girl waved us over to her and with less enthusiasm than my friends, we made our way toward her.

"Salut, Emilie," Rowan said with a perfect French accent and I stared at her with a bit of shock.

The girl, Emilie, had her dirty blonde hair pulled back into a bun. I recognized her facial features, they distinctly were very round shaped. Maybe she was in one of my classes and I just couldn't remember. Emilie's eyes flickered over to me and her smile widened a bit. She had such warm features that it made me blush a bit under her gaze.

"Comment tu t'appelle?" Emilie asked, her hazel eyes had a gentle gaze as she looked at me.

I was taken back a moment as I realized she was asking me that question. My mouth parted slightly but no words were coming out of my mouth. I could only return her question with a bit of shock and confusion. What was I supposed to say back when I didn't know what she was asking me? My eyes wandered over to Rowan for help.

"Elle s'appelle, Saige." Rowan jumped in and saved me, catching Emilie's attention.

She gave Rowan a bit of a confused look. "Elle ne parle pas français?"

"Non." Rowan shook her head.

Emilie's eyes widened a bit, but she covered it with a giant grin. She mouthed the word ah and she turned her head to make eye contact with me. My fingers fiddled together with nervousness because since my name was mentioned in their conversation I'm assuming they were talking about me.

"I'm sorry, I was under the assumption you spoke French." Emilie gave me an apologetic smile.

I laughed nervously. "It's alright."

Her work uniform was matching, an off-color blue cap with the same color apron. She wore a white undershirt and black slacks. A gold plated name tag was pinned on the left side of her apron, spelling out her name. Maybe I should get a job here if the pay is good. I needed to stop mooching off my mother so I could buy my own damn car.

But I quickly shook that human thought away. I couldn't work here, it was too close to the heart of the town. And I was getting stares from everyone in this room. There was no way in hell I would survive working here, I thought to remember all the blood they used in their pastries.

I guess I'll be broke for life.

"What can I get you guys today?" Emilie faced the three of us.

My eyes glanced up at the menu board above her head. "Uh..."

"I'll take my usual." Zaylee cheerfully called out, beaming with happiness.

There was a copious amount of choices as I read over the different names. Each one came with a different blood type and that made my own blood run cold every time I read the word B-positive. The pressure was forming tight knots in my stomach. I didn't know what to pick that would make me seem less suspicious.

"I'll have an A-positive filled crêpe," Rowan stated as Emilie wrote down the order. "What would you like Saige?"

"Do you have any bloodless pastries?" My question was blurted out. All three of them gave me puzzled expressions. "I had a late lunch."

The excuse must have been extremely terrible and unbelieving. For Rowan and Zaylee gave me suspicious glances while Emilie had a slight look of disbelief stuck on her features. But nonetheless, she wrote what I had requested down onto her small notepad. Sweat was forming at the base of my neck and a cold shiver ran down my spine.

My eyes roamed the small square-shaped café, some of the faces I recognized from my school and the fact they were still wearing their school uniforms like us. A few adult couples were sitting at booths, chatting away at their leisure. Unconsciously, my fingers wrapped around the small diamond that hung from my neck.

"Comment ça va?" Emilie suddenly asked while wrapping a traditional scone in a plastic wrapper.

Rowan smiled. "Très bien."

"Pas bien. Pas très bien!" Zaylee flailed herself over the top of the counter dramatically.

Both Rowan and Emilie laughed at her and whatever she said. A small smile made its way onto my face, even though I had no clue what they were saying, I couldn't help but laugh at my histrionic friend. Zaylee picked herself up, laughing along with them.

Emilie finished wrapping the three pastries, pointing out the total on the machine. I was about to pull out my wallet, but Rowan stopped me and paid using a ten-dollar bill. A bad feeling came over me, but it was already too late. I always felt bad when people paid for me, except when my mother offered.

"Merci, Emilie," Rowan said, taking the bags of pastries.

Emilie waved to the three of us. "Revenez bientôt!"

I followed behind Rowan and Zaylee who were leading me to the glass doors and I couldn't feel anymore happier to leave this vampire-filled place. The Lune Café was a very beautiful architecturally built place, but being around a crowd of vampires, especially adults, made me feel very uneasy and uncomfortable. Just an instinct that I couldn't help but feel.

Rowan and Zaylee were chatting about how stupid Mr. Jackson, our science teacher, was. The noises coming from their mouths didn't reach my ears, all I could think about was this town. A giant mystery engulfed it, shrouding it away from the rest of the world. Making it an unknown force to the outside world. If there were more towns growing like this, then who knows what the government would do if it were found.

A war would start. And the superior power would win.

"Here, Saige." A plastic bag was suddenly dropped into my hands and I looked up to see Zaylee grinning at me. "One super boring pastry for you."

A nervous chuckle escaped my lips. "Thank you."

I didn't miss the shine of suspicion that was inside Zaylee's eyes. We walked toward the jeep as it beeped back a response to Rowan unlocking it. My feet carried me to the backseat door and I hopped inside the car, knowing that Zaylee would want the passenger seat. Hopefully, now Rowan will take me home. I've had enough vampires for one day.

The crinkling of paper and plastic was very loud as both Zaylee and I unwrapped our delicious treats. Before I could even take a bite of my scone, Zaylee had already swallowed her croissant whole. My eyes widened a bit but I laughed at her crumb-infested face. Rowan giggled as well, setting aside her crêpe for what I'm assuming was later.

"You're the weirdest vampire I've ever met in this boring ass town, Saige," Rowan stated, putting the jeep into reverse and beginning to back out of her parking spot.

I guess that was a compliment, I wasn't sure. "Thank you?"

"Newly transformed vampires always go crazy over any blood foods in their first few months." Rowan continued with her little rant, but it was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable.

The necklace hanging from my neck was the only thing keeping my secret and my life safe. "Yeah? I guess I am weird."

The words coming out of my mouth sounded obviously nervous. I could tell that both my friends had picked up on that and they glanced at each other. I despised having to lie because I was no good at it after all. And I've found myself having to do it a lot lately. My hands brought the scone to my mouth and I began to nibble on one end. I glanced out the window, hoping Rowan would drop the topic.

And she did. She didn't bring up the fact I never drank blood at school or that I refused to eat any foods with blood because of the same old excuse that I had already eaten. I wasn't ready to completely trust them with my secret yet, and the fact that I was afraid to let even more people know that I was a vampire. It was unexpected that Sebastian and Theo would find out. Carson wasn't even supposed to know.

"Maybe she's a defective vampire!" Zaylee suddenly gasped. Rowan and I both started laughing. "What? I'm being serious!"

Rowan punched her shoulder. "You know the company is extremely picky and they never make mistakes."

The hard lump found its way back into my throat. "Yeah...they never make...mistakes."

My first thought was Hadlee. After all, she was human like me and the company managed to transform her brother, but I couldn't help but question whether or not they had made a mistake with her. She hadn't turned into a vampire, unlike her twin brother, and now she was sick with some illness. That's one question the twins didn't answer when I asked them.

I hated talking about the company though. Because I always thought of my mother, who I wasn't completely sure whether she worked for them or not.