Vampire Shifter Academy, page 10
Eva felt like taking a step back, but she had already done that once today and it didn’t end very well. This time, she would stand her ground - no matter what.
“You are in more danger than he thought, than we all thought.”
“And who are you?” Eva wondered.
Now, she was looking around to see if anyone was passing by. Amelie was talking cryptically and she was beginning to sound increasingly crazy. What if she was dangerous? Was Eva even safe with her out here, with no one around?
“Me and my husband, Sorwyce,” she suddenly said. “And, Roman…”
Upon hearing that name, Eva felt like something hard had smacked her right in the face and she became numb. Completely and utterly numb. She couldn’t hear, she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t see, she couldn’t move. She was like a puppet in a theatre, where the ultimate puppet master was responsible for pulling all the strings.
“Your father is alive,” Amelie finished her sentence.
Eva wanted to shout for her dad. She wanted to shake the answers out of Amelie, in case she refused to give any. But, when she opened her mouth, only air came out. She was in shock, unable to say anything.
“I know this is a huge shock,” Amelie continued, “just breathe and try to calm down.”
Eva’s mind was screaming.
Calm down!!? You are telling me that my father is alive, after everyone else told me he died in that car crash! You can’t expect me to calm down!!
But, none of those words came out. Instead, there was silence and a piercing pain deep inside her head.
“Just breathe,” Amelie guided her gently.
Eva realized that this was the only thing she could do on her own. So, she took a deep breath, then exhaled. She repeated the motion. Her mind was washed over with images of her dad: teaching her how to ride her bike when she was four, their trip to Disneyland and how they allowed her to be dressed as Rapunzel the whole day, lazy afternoons at home playing cards and board games, her last birthday and the leather bound journal her dad had gifted her.
She opened her eyes and took another deep breath.
“My dad?” she spoke in a voice that wasn’t her own but at least she was talking again.
“Yes, Eva,” Amelie smiled, seeing that she was out of shock.
“He’s not dead?” Eva’s voice was reduced to tears about to burst out.
“No,” Amelie shook her head, “but, he is very weak. He is recovering. That is why he isn’t able to be here right now.”
“Oh my God…”
Eva covered her mouth with her fingers. She didn’t feel the pain of her cracked lip anymore. No physical pain could even come close to the relief she felt right now, finding out about something that would again, change her life.
“Here.”
Amelie reached into her pocket again, and extracted a small, neatly folded piece of paper. It had the letter E on it. She offered it to Eva, who grabbed it immediately, sensing what it was.
“Is this…?” she asked, softly.
“Yes. It’s from him. He told me to give it to you when the time was right. I thought we could wait a little longer, until he was feeling better to give it to you himself but I see we can’t wait anymore.”
“Why” Eva asked. “What is happening?”
“Things are escalating,” Amelie replied mysteriously. “You are not safe here, and ironically, this is the safest place you can be right now.”
“That makes no sense,” Eva frowned.
“I know but you have to believe me for now. I can’t say anything more.”
At that moment, the bell sounded and they knew that in seconds, the school grounds would be flooded with other students. Their time was up.
“You have to go now,” Amelie urged her.
Then, she grabbed her firmly by the elbow and pulled her close.
“Whatever you do, don’t let anyone bite you, you hear?”
“Uh-huh…”
Eva was so scared, that she only managed to nod, before Amelie let go of her hand and rushed back to tend to her flowerbed.
Chapter 14
Once in the comfort and safety of her own room, Eva sat on the bed, clutching at the message she had just received. She felt her entire body twitching, like a surge of electricity, shocking her to her very core. It was both unpleasant, but surprisingly felt like it fit the situation. Her fingers shook as she unfolded the little piece of paper.
She wished Bella was here. The silence felt oppressive, almost like an enemy. Bella’s chattering would make it all feel less frightening and her soothing voice would offer comfort in this difficult time.
Finally, she opened the piece of paper. Her heart ached at the sight of familiar handwriting. Gently, she went over the letters with the tips of her fingers.
He wrote this.
She had to breath deeply to calm herself down. She quickly folded the paper. Her eyes were filled with tears, making her unable to see anything. She pressed her eyelids together hard, hoping all the tears would flow out in one go. She wiped her eyes recklessly, with the sleeve of her shirt. Then, with her palm, too. She swallowed heavily again, then unfolded the paper.
Evie pie,
I know these past few weeks must have been hell for you and my heart breaks that I couldn’t be there. Please, believe me when I tell you that all this was done in order to keep you safe. Our car crash was no accident. I couldn’t save your mother. I woke up, and saw her pressed between the car seat and the door. Her life force was leaving her body, I could see it on her face. But, she was my savior. She always had been and, in her last, dying breath, she offered her blood to me. It saved me. It gave me strength to find Amelie and Sorwyce, who are taking care of me now.
I am becoming stronger with each passing day and, in the meantime, you must remain strong, too, my little pie. They are all around you. Watching you. Lurking. Waiting. You must stay strong and keep yourself safe. You are surrounded by protective magic but that will only hold them off for a little while longer. Then, it won’t protect you anymore. I hope to be by your side before that happens.
Until then, you must keep yourself safe. Don’t trust anyone. Don’t let anyone spill your blood. It is much too precious. And, no matter what, don’t let anyone bite you!
My mind tires and my fingers can barely keep the pen up. I need to regain strength.
Stay safe, pie. Daddy’s coming.
Eva hadn’t even noticed that she was crying throughout the entire time she was reading his letter. With one quick swipe of her arm, she wiped her tears, then read the letter again. She didn’t understand what he was referring to exactly. He sounded as mysterious as Amelie. However, she knew that her father wouldn’t be scared for no reason. He probably told her as much as it was safe for her to know, until he came.
The thought of him coming for her made her smile.
He’s coming back for me.
She put the letter down. Her father told her not to trust anyone. Did that include Bella? Or Dorian, Frey, or even Sebastian? She couldn’t tell. All she knew was that she didn’t want to be alone right now, even if that meant that she couldn’t share the best news of her life. That didn’t matter. She would just be around the people who made her happy and that would be enough.
Her first choice was, of course, Bella but Eva knew that on Tuesdays, Bella had band practice. She played the violin beautifully and was a much better musician than many others in the band, which was a fact she prided herself on, so Bella wouldn’t be returning for a while, even though official school hours had ended. She remembered Sebastian but she knew nothing about him. She didn’t know which dorm he was staying in, or anything about his classes or afterschool activities, apart from that one accusation by Bella, of course. But, Eva was too busy to contemplate any of that now. Her heart was so full of happiness that she felt she was about to burst and she needed to share it with someone.
Then, it hit her. Dorian had basketball practice, and Frey might be at the swimming pool. Those two were sure guesses, and either of them would do. She was surprised to realize that, if asked who she would prefer out of the three of them, she wouldn’t be able to make up her mind. All three guys had completely different personalities, creating a different feeling deep inside of her. Exactly because they were so different, she couldn’t choose just one. She wanted all three.
Suddenly, she giggled at the thought.
All three. How silly.
But, she still toyed with the idea of how wonderful it would be to rise up out of this small town mentality she had always been surrounded by and just be allowed to love whoever she wanted. Even if that meant several people at the same time.
She pocketed her dad’s message, then grabbed her backpack, and rushed back to the school. Not knowing whether or not there would be many people watching the basketball practice, Eva opted to try the swimming pool first. Plus, she supposed that Katrina would be watching and she was the last person Eva wanted to see right now. She could forgive her the cracked lip, no problem, only if Katrina never spoke to her or bothered her again. Somehow, Eva doubted that would happen, but in the goodness of her heart, she was ready to let bygones be bygones.
Eva barged in through the door which led to the swimming pool. There were a few students in the water. Another few were drying off on the benches. Eva glanced around quickly, trying to find a familiar face.
“First, you’re underdressed to be here,” she suddenly heard a voice directed at her, “and now, you’re overdressed.”
Eva grinned, turning around to meet Frey’s face.
“Whoa, girl what happened?” he asked, his finger flying to her lip to touch it.
It didn’t even hurt this time. She weighed whether to tell him the truth or lie.
“Had a nasty meeting with Katrina,” she opted for the truth.
“That fucking bitch!” Frey snapped so loudly, that everyone around them turned to see what was going on.
Frey and Eva laughed, as if only the two of them were in on a conspiracy, and no one else had any idea.
“It’s okay, just leave it be,” Eva waved her hand dismissively. “I didn’t come here to talk about her. I’m actually here to see you,” she told him, fully honest, which made her even more adorable.
“Seriously?” he asked. “Well, that’s nice. I’m actually done. Wanna wait for me to get ready? I’ll just be a minute.”
“Sure, take your time, I’ll wait,” she smiled back.
“Did something happen today?” he suddenly asked. “I mean, something good. You… you’re glowing.”
She could see it in his eyes how much he wanted to be with her. He took her by the hand, and she squeezed it back.
“I’m beaten up, but I’m glowing, yeah,” she replied, laughing.
“No, seriously.”
He cupped her chin with his other hand. For a second, Eva wondered if they should be doing this in public, for everyone to see. But then, she realized she had always been too busy fearing what others would say about her, what others would think about her. All that mattered was her own happiness, her own thoughts, her own satisfaction with her own actions and right now, she was happy to be here, his hand in hers.
“Well, something did happen. Something wonderful. But, it’s too early to talk about it. I just wanted to be with the people who make me happy. Like you and Dorian.”
The sound of his name made her blush. Frey noticed, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“Do you want him to come with us?” he asked.
“Only if you don’t mind,” she replied, shyly.
“Not at all,” he smiled.
“But, doesn’t he have practice?” she suddenly remembered.
“He does,” Frey nodded, “but we can save him from that torture.”
They both laughed.
“Just give me a minute and I’ll be back.”
He kissed her on the forehead, then rushed to change. As he’d promised, he was finished quickly and they walked out of there, hand in hand.
When they entered the court, they saw Dorian playing. He noticed them immediately and waved. They waved back. Eva wondered if they would wait until he was done but, at that moment, Frey gestured at the two of them, then at Dorian, then at the door. Dorian quickly nodded.
Eva saw him run over to the coach, and whisper something into his ear. The coach tapped him on the shoulder, and nodded. There was a wide grin on Dorian’s face. He turned over to them, and showed them his open palm.
“He’ll be ready in five,” Frey told Eva.
“Can he just leave his practice like that?” she wondered.
“Well, when you’re the team captain and also, the best player who rarely asks for special favors, yes.”
“Oh, I see,” she smiled at the thought. “So, this is a special favor then?”
“When you’re involved, it’s always special,” he whispered back, squeezing her hand.
As he did so, she could feel the small hairs on her back raise to their ends. Her hand was a little clammy, but she hoped Frey wouldn’t notice.
“I’m sure Dorian feels the same way, otherwise he wouldn’t be so quick to join us.”
The thought of these two guys liking her in the same way she liked them gave her the goosebumps. Those sweet little prickly feelings, which ran up and down her spine, making her feel all giddy. For a second, she remembered Katrina and her warning.
Stay away from Dorian, bitch.
Eva knew she could never promise that, simply because she would never do it. She was growing increasingly fond of them both and she was unwilling to give them up - even for a bully like Katrina. If it came to that, she would fight back. Her lip would not be cracked again, nor would any other body part be for that matter.
“You okay?” Frey asked, seeing she was lost in thought.
“Yes, just thinking about Katrina.”
“Do you want me to take care of it?” he suddenly asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Everyone is afraid of her. Well, I’m not,” she saw resolution and anger on his face, in his voice, “and she never bothered me, so I guess I was able to overlook what she’s been doing all this time. But, I can’t anymore. Not when she’s hurting the girl I… I mean, you.”
At the sound of those words, Eva felt her heart skip a beat. Was he just about to call her the girl he loved? Possibly. But, it was too soon to jump to any such conclusions. She decided not to make a big deal out of it, simply because she didn’t want to get her hopes up and then, have them horribly destroyed.
“I appreciate it, Frey,” she gave him a peck on the cheek, “I really do. But, I think this is the worst she can do. If I just lay low for a while, she’ll forget all about me and just leave me alone.”
“But, she’ll find someone else.”
“I know. But, I have bigger problems to take care of than a stupid bully.”
“I understand,” he nodded.
She wanted to tell him all about her letter and the real reason why she was so ecstatic. The words were on the tip of her tongue, begging to be released, but she knew she couldn’t do it. Her father said not to trust anyone and she had to believe him. She would wait.
“Ready to go?”
Dorian ran over to them. Eva could smell that he had just taken a shower and for some reason, she had an urge to jump into his arms, wrap her legs around his waist, then shower his face with butterfly kisses. Instead, she smiled back at him, never letting go of Frey’s hand and they walked out of there together.
Chapter 15
“How did you know I wanted to come here?” Eva asked, looking around.
It was the abandoned house that everyone steered clear of, unless they were looking to score some blood. Eva wondered whether Frey and Dorian were some of those students who needed it.
“We guessed,” Frey grinned.
“You seem like the type of person who’d like this place, if only to take a peek at what’s inside,” Dorian added.
They were right. She really was that kind of person and she loved that they had guessed it right. At this moment, it didn’t matter whether the two of them had ever come here for blood. None of that mattered. She was here, with the two of them, and she knew that she wanted to take it one step further. She hoped they felt the same.
“This way,” Frey led the way and Eva followed.
“Watch your step.”
Dorian was behind her and she could feel his hands on her hips, as she walked over loose floorboards and forgotten debris. They led her through a small, barely visible opening, into what seemed to be a secret room inside the house.
