Prologue


“Simone.”

Jumping at my name coming from thin air, I called out. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

“Simone. I need you. Help me.”

“Hello? Why do you need my help?” I asked the voice.

The voice was a whisper in my ear that made me tremble all the way down my body. I couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl. “You are the only one who will believe me.”

I whirled around to see the figure behind me. The teenage boy behind me looked like he should be on a runway instead of talking in front of me. “Who are you?” I asked wide-eyed. He was gorgeous! With bronze hair and eyes so blue they looked translucent. His skin was really pale, like he hadn’t seen sun in a long time. “Why do you need my help?” I asked again.

He smiled and said, “My name is Michael. Like I said, you’re the only one who will believe me besides my family. I need your help. You have to get me out of here.”

“Where are you?”
He waved his arm around him to show me that I wasn’t in my backyard anymore playing with my little brother. I now was in a cold, damp cell. There was no light except for a little candle on the desk in the corner. There was a little pillow and a torn blanket in the far corner and in the corner on my left was a smell so awful that I didn’t even want to begin to think about what was over there.
“Where exactly is here?” I asked.
Avoiding my question, he said, “Find my brother. He’ll bring you here. We all need you to help. Please. He’ll be coming to your school. He won’t be the only one there though. Kiyans will come and try to persuade you that they are my family. Work Quickly. You don’t have much time. I have to go. I’ll visit you again when you dream.” Smiling, he faded away. I heard a beeping sound just before a big hand clamped over my mouth from behind.
Screaming, I sat up in bed with sweat covering my face. What the hell just happened?
After a second, I figured what had woke me up. It was my alarm clock, and I was already running late for school.
Jumping up to go take a shower, I noticed a note on my pillow. Reaching to pick it up I had a flash back of my dream when the hand covered my mouth.
Shuddering, I picked up the note and read,
“Don’t forget about me.”
Staring in horror, my hands started shaking.
Don’t forget about me.
So my dream wasn’t a bunch a bull. I now had to find a guy, Michael, who didn’t even exist. Find his brother while being chased by Kiyans. God, I’m just the luckiest person in the world.
I heard my mom yelling at me. “Simone! Wake up! You don’t have all day!”
“Okay! I’m up!”
Running to go take a shower, I stuffed the note in my backpack.
 
Chapter 1


Bement, Illinois
2 days later

“Missy, you need to see this!”

Rolling her eyes, she came over and looked at the person I was pointing at. “Who is that?” Excitedly, she sat down at one of the lunch tables next to me to ogle the boy.

“His name is Kyle Alexander. He just moved here from Montana. Isn’t he gorgeous?” I said, “Ella etho, levendi!”

Glaring at me, she said, “You really need to lay off the Greek. I can’t understand a word you just said!”

Laughing I said, “I just said ‘come here, really good-looking guy!’ Maybe if somebody would pay attention in class they would at least understand a little of this.”

“Well, I’m not a Greek nerd like you. The only reason I’m passing that class is because of you. Thank god you have pity for me.” Laughing, she said, “Can you teach me how to say that?”

“Say what?”

Turning around, I saw my cousin/best friend coming over to our table. “Hi, Casey. Missy wants me to teach her some Greek because she can’t learn it during the class.”

“What does she want to learn now?” laughing, she sat down next to me. “Simone, you really need to get her to pay attention in class.”

“I know. She wants to learn how to say ‘come here, really good-looking guy.’”

Without a moments hesitation Casey answered, “Ella etho, levendi.”

Glaring at her, Missy said, “Could you at least help me try to say it right?”

Rolling my eyes at her, I wrote down on a piece of paper, El-la THO, le-VEN-di.

“Ella etho, levendi. I got it! Yes!” Throwing her arms up in the air, she started dancing.

Missy Mayes has been my best friend since the eighth grade. It hasn’t been long, but she feels like my sister. Her long blonde hair was getting messed up, other people started staring so I thought that I might spare her the embarrassment. “Missy, people are staring. Especially Kyle. Sit down! For god’s sake, sit down.”

“You guys already falling for another guy? Jesus, Sim, when are you going to learn?” Lowering her voice so other people couldn’t hear, Casey said, “You know that Cassie and her gang are going to get to him before you even get the chance to talk to him. I mean look at him. He’s gorgeous. God he looks like Dev! Just imagine Sim!” Smiling evilly, she said, “Oooo. Let’s do a little experiment!”

Laughing, I said, “Casey, you’re terrible! Funny, but terrible. No, he has the long blonde hair, but there’s something different about him.”

“I hate it when you guys talk about stuff none of the rest of us can understand!”

“Missy, shut up. You’re just jealous that I can actually read. Where’s Kylie or Whitney? They could be like you and have no idea of what we’re talking about if they were over here.” Smiling, I turned to look at Kyle. He was very handsome. He had big brown eyes and sandy blonde hair that he wore in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. It went really well with him. Very well built, he looked like he could be on a football team.

“Maybe if we go over there before Cassie gets him, we can show him around. I mean he just got here today, so he couldn’t know where everything is. I mean think about it. We have classrooms inside of classrooms. Plus, if we look at his schedule, we can see if we have any classes with him.”

Everyone turned to look at me with a smile on their faces. “Well, why didn’t you say that before?” asked Casey.

“Say what before?”

Jumping at the voice behind her, Missy turned to see Kylie coming up from behind me. “Holy crap, Kylie! You scared the *** outta me! Don’t do that!”

Kylie Myers was about the same height as Missy and me. Around five foot six, with brown hair and brown eyes, she looked innocent like me. Only thing is, we’re not innocent. “We’re getting ready to go make a move on the new guy. Cassie and her gang haven’t gotten to him yet, so we thought we could show him around.”

I started to get up to go over to Kyle, but before I could even take so much as a step, Cassie and her gang of followers walked up to him. Behind me I could hear Casey saying, “Speak of the Devil and she will come.” I turned around to glare at her.

“Wow, you’re new here right? You look like you need some help. Do you want me to show you around the school?”

He wasn’t even looking at her when he answered. “Yes. No. I think I can find my way without your help.” And with that he got up and left. On his way past our table, he looked over at me and winked.

Everyone turned to gawk at me. Why would he do that? Look at me when Cassie and Cassettes were way more attractive then me. Cassie was thin and beautiful; I’m chubby and average. Suddenly, Missy started laughing, breaking the silence, and I felt my face heat up.

Noticing my discomfort, Casey said, “Anyway, what’s up with all the new kids? Is it like national move to a small town day?”

Casey, bless her soul, always knew when I need to be left alone. It’s always been like that between us. Since we were in diapers. She was messing with a piece of her brown hair when I looked up at her. She noticed and smiled at me making her brown skin seem brighter. I smiled back.

Not sure if I was supposed to talk about my dream, I just shrugged. At the same time Kylie spoke up, “It must be my birthday because all these guys are gorgeous! It’s like a dream come true! If I’m dreaming, have a heart and leave me alone.”

Laughing, I sat down next to her. “Jesus, Ky, what are we going to do with you?”

“What do you mean, ‘What are we going to do with me’? Don’t you think we should ask what we’re supposed to do with you? I mean he didn’t even look at Cassie! Plus, right after that he winked at you in front of her! She is going to socially kill you, you know that right?”

“Yeah, I know. I just don’t know what to do about it. Maybe she’ll just go for another new guy.” Stopping to think, I said, “I think it’s kind of weird that all these new kids move here at the same time, and there are no girls with them. Not even sisters. What’s up with that?”

Missy, suddenly tuned out of our conversation, said with a sneer on her face, “Guys, look what the cat drug in.”

Looking up, we all saw what she was talking about. Cassie and the Cassettes were walking over to our table, and their leader was not the happiest person in the school.


 
Chapter 2

“What do you think you’re doing?” Cassie asked with a sneer on her face.

“What are you talking about, Cassie?” I asked, with a sneer on my face that returned hers tit for tat. “We were just over here at out table minding our own business when you came over here.”

Cutting a glance the way Kyle left, she sighed before she answered. “What are you doing with Kyle?”

Rolling my eyes so I wouldn’t make a smart remark, I talked real slow, “Me and Kyle haven’t even talked to each other. I bet you that he doesn’t even know my name. So why are you getting your panties in a bunch?”

If your friend starts laughing so hard you think she’s going to wet her pants in front of everyone while your trying to win a stare down, it’s hard. Just a word of advice: it doesn’t help, and you’ll lose because you’ll have to look at her to see if she’s ok.

Looking at Casey, Cassie asked her with annoyance in her voice, “What’s so funny, Casey. Don’t want you to wet your pants like you did in the third grade do you?”

That pushed my tolerance over the edge. I accidently spilled my milk on her pants at lunch. She forgave me, but Cassie just never got over that we were friends then. She even helped Casey and I clean up the mess. “What is your problem?!”

“Just stay away from Kyle. My turf. Not yours. So stay out of it.” And with that she left.

Arching a perfect brow, Missy said, “Well, that was interesting. Did she just tell the truth? I wasn’t here for third grade.”

Sighing, I said, “Do you really think Cassie would say something true? Don’t answer that. No, that’s not exactly what happened. Long story short, it was milk, not the other stuff. So don’t listen to her, Casey. We all love you even if milk is attracted to your pants.”

We all started laughing. Sobering, Casey said, “Thanks, Sim. I hate it that she uses that against me. We should tell Kyle about that one time when orange juice shot out her nose across the table onto your dad that one thanksgiving.” She said, smiling. “Now, what expression would show up on her face at that?”

Kylie made a face with a cross between shock and anger. We all started laughing again. Finally able to catch a breath, I said, “No guys. If you fight fire with fire, you just get burnt. And for the record we of all people should know how that feels. I have been burnt so many times that it should last me a lifetime. So no. Just ignore her, even if it means just walking away. Missy. Yes, I’m talking to you too.”

“Fine, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“I’m not asking you to like it. Just do it. No questions asked. Now¬¬ -- and this is against my better judgment -- let’s go find Kyle.”

Perking up, Casey said, “Hell, I’m all for it! Let’s go find him. I think I saw him going to that hallway. Oh, and Simone, he was so checking you out.” She said this with a devilish grin on her face like she was going to try something. Looking over at Missy and Kylie I saw that all three of my friends had that same grin.

Oh, no. Great, now they’re going to try to hook me up with him. Just what I needed. They did this last time we had new students at BHS.

“Great, not another one of those ‘let’s hook Simone up with the new kid’ things. God, shoot me now, and put me out of my misery! Guys don’t. I mean it. Let’s just try to be normal and not act like Cassie. Because that’s exactly what she tried earlier. And unless I was seeing stuff, he’s not interested in a girlfriend.”

Giving me a dull stare, Missy came over and put her arm on my shoulder. “Now that’s where you’re wrong. He might have acted like he didn’t want a girlfriend with Cassie, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get the same answer out of him. Go ask him if he needs shown around. I’ll walk with you to find his locker then stand a safe distance away so you can talk. Matter of fact, we will all go with you to find him. Right guys?”

After everyone nodded, I mumbled under my breath, “I really hate new kids!” Then taking my arm, Missy half dragged me to the hallway we saw him walking towards. “You know, I can walk on my own perfectly… most of the time. I’m not two years old. I’m fully capable of walking. Now let me go. I’m not going to run off.”

Another of the gang, Whitney Hendrickson, obviously hearing our conversation said, “You’re not going to run off like the last time, Sim? Wow, that’s a new one.” Smiling, she went to stand next to Casey.

Stopping, Missy seemed to be contemplating whether or not she should let go. Finally, she let go and said, “If you run Simone Renee Whinley, God so help me, I will hunt you down and kill you.”

Jumping in at this point of the conversation, Kylie said, “Just make sure you give me all of your shoes first!”

“Sorry, Kylie, I’m not going to be a child and run away. Now can we please go to my locker? It’s right there by Kyle.”

Pausing at what I just said, I looked over to Missy, and then back to Kyle standing at my locker. How the hell did he know where my locker was? He was looking at me with humor in his eyes while I stared at him with my mouth standing wide open.

I hadn’t noticed my friends went to their lockers until Kyle started talking to me.

“Hi, I’m Kyle Alexander. I’m new here, and I have no idea where anything is. Do you happen to know where room one-thirteen A is? It’s my first hour.”

He had the most alluring voice I had only heard once before. Michael. What if he was one of the bad guys in my dream? I mean, Michael said that there was going to be a lot of new kids in my school, including his brother. But what if this wasn’t his brother. Would he seriously try and take me away in front of all these people? What if my dream wasn’t real and I was just dreaming stuff and this was a really big coincidence? Well I guess I’m gonna have to find out sooner or later. I really prefer later but in this case it seemed like I didn’t have a choice. Could this be his brother? I don’t know, but before I noticed, I was talking to him.

“Umm. Yeah, that’s my first hour too. I’m Simone Whinley. Just let me get my notebook, and I’ll walk with you.” Smiling wanly, I nudged myself past him and went to put the combination in my locker. After my fifth try at my combination, I finally got my locker open, grabbed my notebook from my bag and checked my hair in my mirror. In the background, I noticed Kyle staring at me. Feeling self-conscious, I shut my locker and turned to leave.
Just remembering what he said earlier I said, “Why didn’t you take Cassie’s offer when she asked you if you wanted her to show you around? She knows all the classes here too.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t want her to. I wanted you to.”

“Why?”

“Can you keep a secret?” after I nodded, he went on, “My brother, Michael, sent me here to get you. Cassie wasn’t the person I needed to get to. You have to help me.”

“Again with the question. Why?”

Silence.
When we got to the cafeteria I noticed Missy, Casey, Whitney and Kylie at our table smiling like they just made a huge accomplishment. Feeling like someone was watching me, I turned to see that it was Kyle again. Quickly looking away, I hurried to my first class, which had to be the longest class in history.

By the end of the day, I found out that I had all my classes with Kyle and some of the other new kids. It was terrible because they all looked at me and paid no attention to class. I hated it. It felt like I was the center of attention. Twice I looked down to see if something was wrong with my clothes. But every time I looked, it was just how I wanted them to look. Cassie and the Cassettes came over to out table again during lunch, but this time she didn’t threaten anything because Kyle and another new kid, Nick, was sitting with us. It was kind of funny watching her trying to look like she liked us because she is such a bad actress.

“So you both moved here from Montana? Wow! Did you know each other?” asked Cassie.

Looking kind of annoyed, Nick answered, “Umm. Yeah, we’ve run into each other a few times.”

Laughing, Kyle added, “Yeah, we’ve run into each other a few times but not on good conditions.” Smiling slyly, he said, “Isn’t that right, Nick?”

Rolling his eyes, Nick just nodded.

Trying to break the awkward silence that went around our table, I asked, “Nick, what did you say your last name was again?”

“Hampton. What’s your last name again?”

“Umm, it’s Whinley. Simone Whinley. You can just call me Sim. And this is Missy Creagor, Kylie Williams, Whitney Hendrickson and Casey Whinley.” I said pointing to all my friends.

Looking interested, Kyle asked, “You and Casey are related? Like how?”

“She’s my cousin. More like a sister most of the time.” Smiling I looked over at Casey, and she was blushing.

Smiling like he just made a huge accomplishment, Nick said, “It’s very nice to meet all of you. And are all of you Juniors too?”

Missy, who couldn’t keep her eyes off either of the boys said, “Yeah. Sim skipped a grade though.”

“Really?”

Very agitated that everyone always got it wrong, I said, “No, I didn’t skip a grade. I started school a year early. I went to a private school till second grade. Then I moved to public schooling. Thank god for that.” Looking at Kyle, I said, “Be happy you didn’t have to. It was the worst thing ever. They had chorus everyday, even for people who didn’t want it and no band. Prayed before you ate and everything that goes along with it.”

Looking amused, Kyle asked, “Is that why you sit up straight or was that something that you learned at home?”

“That sadly was something I learned at school. They would stick a yard stick in the back of our pants and up the back of our shirts. If we slouched it would stick us. Let me tell you, it only took a little while for us little kids to learn to sit up straight. Old habits die hard. Especially painful ones.”

Reaching over the table, Whitney said, “Them nuns are evil SOB’s. Your not there anymore, let it go Sim.” Smiling, she let go and went back to talking to her boyfriend, Jesse.

I couldn’t help but smile. Whitney never liked to use cuss words. How she survived us, I had no idea. But we all loved her. “Whitney, thank you so much. But you can’t get rid of the scars from the past. It’s really hard for most of us that came out of the church. They might think that they did the right thing but they weren’t on the receiving end.”

Noticing my discomfort, Casey said, “So, Nick, Kyle. Do you know any of the new kids here? I saw you talking to some of them in the hallway, Nick.”

“Yeah, he was a friend of mine from back home. I knew he was moving to Illinois, but I didn’t know he would move to Bement.”

Perking up, I said, “So why did you move to Bement of all places? It barely has a grocery store, much less a Target. Hell the most visited place for dinner is either the Bowling Alley or the diner out on the south edge of town. The population is barely two thousand people here. We have one gas station and nothing else really.”

“My parents just wanted to move. That’s all.”

And with that he left us without another word.






























Chapter 3


After school Kyle said that he would walk me to my car and help with my books. On my way there, I was comparing him to the person in my dreams, Michael. They did look alike, but all the new kids had things in common with him. Like they all had light skin tones, and they were all handsome. Finding the courage to ask Kyle, I said, “Kyle, why did Nick get snappy when we were asking him why he moved here? I mean I could feel the tension between the two of you, but he was really strict when we asked him specifically.”

“I already told you, Simone. Nick is like the alpha in the Kiyans. He wants to keep you in the dark. He doesn’t want you to know of what you’re capable of. You’re not supposed to know why he’s here. ”

Getting very annoyed I asked, “Why do you need me? How can I be sure there really is a Michael? He could be part of a dream me and you had, and it was just a coincidence. If so, why the hell am I having these dreams with you?”

“Look, Michael is my brother, and he is real. The reason why we need you is because you’re the only one who can help us.”

“Ah, crap. Not you too. Again, why me? Last time I checked I wasn’t very special.”

Astonished, Kyle asked, “Not special? Simone, you’re very important to our kind-” Looking like he just said something really bad, he turned around and started to leave.

“Kyle, wait!” After he stopped and turned to face me I went on. “Kyle, I don’t know anything about you really, except that you don’t have a car and that you live pretty far out in the country. Let me give you a ride and you can tell me why I’m so ‘special’” I made little air quotes around special just to show him how much I doubted him.

Looking a little relieved that I wasn’t blowing things out of proportion, he went to the passenger side of my ‘82 corvette. “Simone, what I said back there…”
He wasn’t able to finish because Nick came around the corner on his black Honda. He stopped when he saw me and Kyle. Getting off his bike, he said, “Well, hello Simone. How are you?”
Smiling, I said, “Hi, Nick. I’m fine. How ’bout you? Today was your first day. How’d you like it?”
“It was alright. I already know most of the stuff they’re teaching so if you ever need help, just call me.”
“I will.” Smiling I looked at Kyle and saw that he was very tense and that he was ready to leave. Not wanting to be rude, but wanting to get out of here, I said, “Nick, I have to go. I promised Kyle that I would show him around. I’ll talk to you later. Ok?”
Looking at Kyle like he just now noticed him, Nick said, “Yea. Kyle needs all the help he can get anyway. I’ll talk to you later.”
After watching him get on his bike and leave campus, I got into my car and started the engine. As Kyle was getting into my car I noticed that he had a tattoo on his bicep. Forgetting my manners, I reached over and pulled up the sleeve and saw that it was a falcon with a torch in its claws. It had this fierce frown and a pattern on its beak. I hadn’t noticed until a minute later that Kyle had gone stiff in his seat and looked straight out the window until I was done and let go of his shirt. “I’m sorry. That was rude. But if you don’t mind me asking you, what is that?”
With his teeth clenched, he said, “It’s a mark that my whole family has. It shows which branch we belong to. As we progress, we get more markings as we go along. That’s part of what I wanted to talk to you about. Michael said that you were the only one who could help us, and it’s true. Myth says that three hundred years ago, a woman came here from Europe with the blood of a cure. This blood could cure those who have no souls, no hearts or heartbeats. It gives them back their souls, gives them back reason. It makes the living dead alive. You see, you’re not the only ones who walk this world. It was said that the 23rd woman of the priestess’s blood line would have the same blood as her.”
Not believing a word he said, I asked, “What else supposedly walks in this world? Vampires?” Smiling, I looked away from the road to him, and he didn’t look like he was joking. “So if there really are vampires, how would you know?”
“Like you said yourself, Simone. You don’t know everything about me.”
“So you’re telling me that you’re a vampire. That you suck blood and can fly and all that good stuff, or just one of those posers who drink blood just cause you think it’s cool.”
“You don’t believe me, and I can respect that, but how can I make you?”
“Prove it. Prove to me that you’re a vampire and that you can do inhuman things. Show me your fangs… Wait. Vampires can’t be in the sun, so how can you be one if you were at school today?”
“Anne Rice. I can easily be in the sun; my eye sight just isn’t as good as it is when it’s dark. As for fangs, I have a set of those, but you probably don’t want to see them. I can hold things up above my head effortlessly that a heavy weight champion would have trouble with. I do drink blood, but not like that. Me and my family go to blood banks and take the blood that isn’t good or that isn’t approved. You won’t find any holes in your neck from me. As for the Kiyans, I’m not sure. You see, you’re the girl in the myth. You hold the blood to cure everything for us soulless people.”
“Ok. So why does your brother need me? Is he gonna bite into my neck so he can become mortal again or what?”
“He was going to persuade you. He was going to see if you wanted to become one of us so you can help us forever. We won’t use you as a weapon or anything. He needs your help because your blood can not only turn us mortal but it can heal us too. My brother was captured by the Kiyans and was tortured by day and night. When he comes to me in my dreams, he’s covered in burns and gashes where he’s been stabbed and cut. We have no idea how he’s contacting you, but he’s led me to you. We don’t know exactly where he is. He thinks he’s somewhere in Italy. We thinks it Rome or somewhere near there. Come with me please and help my brother. I’ll do anything. I’ll prove to you that I am a vampire.”
Feeling sorry for the man in my dreams and his brother. He was looking at me with pleading eyes. How was I the girl from the myth? How do I have this special blood in me that can cure people, and give them back their souls? Most of all, do I want to be a vampire? Feeling a sharp pain coming on between my eyes, I told Kyle, “If I do decide to go with you, how would you prove to me that you’re a real vampire? Because on my side you just look like a normal guy who needs to be on a runway along with his brother. Prove to me that you’re a vampire, and I’ll think about it. I'm not making any promises though.”
Looking as if I just removed a huge weight from his chest, Kyle said, “Stop the car. I’ll show you how fast I am. We’re in the middle of nowhere, and you have a little speedy car let’s see who wins the race. You get a three second head start. I’ll race you to your house.”
“Right… Kyle, my house is about a mile from here. You're not that fast. Plus my car isn’t that fast, and what if we get caught?”
Smiling, Kyle got out of the car and went to stand on the other side of the road. “Remember, you get a head start. All the way to your house. I promise I’ll take the road too.”
“Kyle, this isn’t funny.”
“One.”
“Kyle!”
By this time he was smiling from ear to ear. “Two”
Oh, god. What have I gotten myself into? He’s not going to beat me. My car isn’t that fast but he can’t keep up with me. Watch, he’s going to have to go to the hospital for breathing problems, and what am I going to tell them when they ask what happened? ‘Sorry doctor. He was racing against me and my car to prove he was a vampire.’ Yeah that’ll go perfect.
“Three!”
Flooring the gas, I sped away like a bat out of hell. Looking out the rear view mirror, I counted to three out loud while watching Kyle stand like he wasn’t about to run a mile. I can’t believe I’m doing this! He's not going to beat me and I'm going to look like a fool when I have to go back and pick him up. Looking back at the mirror to watch him fade in the distance, I noticed that he wasn’t there anymore. He wasn’t anywhere behind me. He wasn’t even in front of me. Where the hell did he go?
Pulling up at my house, I saw Kyle leaning against my garage. When I got out of my car to go to him, I noticed that he wasn’t even breathing hard. Not believing what I was seeing, I asked, “I can’t believe this. You seriously need to join the track team. Ok, I no you can run. Now show me the strength.”
Rolling his eyes, Kyle went to where my dad’s tractor sat and looked at it. After a second he picked it up and set it down fifty feet away from where it was earlier. Smiling, he looked at me and saw that I had my jaw dropped to the ground. I couldn’t believe it. he wasn’t lying when he said that he was a vampire.
“You're not going to start sucking on my neck are you?”
Laughing, he came over to me and put his hands up in the air for surrender. “I won’t do anything to hurt you, unless it’s necessary. You're safe with me, Simone.”
“Ok. So I believe you now, but just one more thing. Can I see your fangs?” Opening his mouth, I saw two huge teeth longer than the others. They weren’t like anything I have ever seen. Huge, glistening white, they were nothing like the movies. “Cool. Freaky, but cool.”
Closing his mouth, Kyle looked at me astonished. “Wow. You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would. I bet you have a million questions for me. I don’t mind answering them, but we have to figure out how to get you to get you to my brother.”
Looking at him, I said, “I can’t leave. What would my mom and dad say? I can’t just tell them that I’m leaving to go to Rome, or just leave without telling them where I'm going. I don’t even have a passport. How do you expect to get me out of the country?”
“Don’t worry about that. Let me take that part of the job. You just have to stay away from Nick and the rest of them. You just figure out what you’re going to do about the ’rents.”
Great leave me with the hard part. What am I going to do? My mom and dad won’t let me do anything. “Do you have any idea when we’re leaving then? If I decide to go of course.”
“By the end of the week. Or just a few days after that. I have my sister and younger brother waiting for us in Monticello. We have to leave soon.”
“I thought you only had Michael? And why do we need to leave so fast?”
“Michael isn’t my only sibling. And we need to leave so Nick and his gang won’t get to you. We don’t want to take any chances. You no how in like the 1700’s the priests would kill the vamps? Well the Kiyans are like them but in present day. They will do anything to kill us, especially now that you have been found.”
“Alright. Let me meet your brother and sister and have them prove to me that they’re vampires too. If they convince me I will stay away from these Kiyans and go to Italy with you. But if I’m not totally convinced I will not go anywhere with you. No questions asked. Do you understand?”
Nodding, Kyle said, “When do you want to meet them?”
This is crazy. I’m bossing around a vampire and it’s listening to me. You don’t hear of that happening. You usually don’t hear of vampires being real. And you usually don’t read about vampires listening to humans. You usually read about the vampire that ate the person who thought they could boss around a vampire. “The sooner the better.”
“Get in the car. I’ll drive. It’s in an apartment complex, and you probably don’t know where it is.”
“Trust me. I used to live there, and my grandma lives there now. She’s lived in most of the apartment buildings at least once. Plus, everyone in Bement knows their way around Monticello. Tell me the address and I can take you there. Also, it will help me keep my cool.”