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Chapter Eighteen: Cassidy

"Brandon," I almost whispered his name in the silence that Steven had left us in, "are you okay?" I could tell by the way his body had frozen at the mention of his father that he wasn't, but I made myself ask anyways.

He gave me a small nod. "Yeah, don't worry about it."

Right after he replied my cell phone rang. I was relieved to see that it was Rosie and picked right up. I was worried she'd been hurt or maybe even killed. With those crazy blood-thirsty hybrids lurking around and that disturbing note form 'Z' anything could happen and we had to make sure we were prepared for that.

I almost couldn't believe what she was telling me. First a bizarre incident in the nurse's office. A murder and David covered in blood, and then the body vanishing into thin air. What in all worlds was going on here? Had David killed the owner of the body that she'd found? It certainly made sense if he had but of course, I couldn't be sure. Like they said, innocent until proven guilty.

Brandon stood a little ways away from me the entire time I was on the phone with Rosie. The mention of his dad being in town had really put a toll on him. I could tell. Had he met him before and had a bad experience or had his father not been in his life?

"We have to meet Rosie and David at Ram's Kitchen at two, "I said to Brandon as I shoved my phone back into my pocket.

"Yeah, I heard everything," He answered. He was on floor slumped against the wall, eyes glued to a spot on the wall across from him. I walked over and sat down beside him.

"Are you alright," I asked him yet again.

He took a few seconds to answer. "Well, you heard what he said, right? My dad's in town."

I only nodded.

"I---I've never met him. Never even have seen a photo of him. My grandparents told me that he left my mom when he found out she was pregnant with me." He shook his head and for a short moment I thought he was going to cry but a tear never fell. "And now Steven said that he's come back for me. That he wants me to join his pack." Now he had a look of disgust and utter disappointment written on his face. "Can you believe that? He abandoned me before I was even born and now he's got the nerve to come pick me up and throw me into his stupid pack."

"I'm so sorry, Brandon," is all I said, all I knew to say.

He shook his head again. "Don't be," He turned to look at me. "I don't even know him. Don't even want to. And I definitely don't intend on becoming a member of his pack."

"Good." The word escaped my lips before I allowed my brain to think about it and I mentally slapped myself for not.

He half smiled. "Why good?"

"Because," I looked down and then back up at him. "I'd miss you too much if you left."

I watched the half-smile on his face turn into a full one. "Don't worry. That's impossible."

I smiled and then he started to lean in closer to me, his eyes dropping to my lips and mine to his. He was about to kiss me, wasn't he? But if he was it didn't happen because suddenly he diverted his eyes past me.

"We better get out of here," he whispered to me, and I turned around to see a faded black mist and we both watched as it disappeared out of our sight.

I stood up abruptly and Brandon followed. I stood frozen in place as if I'd seen it before. Maybe I had.

"Cass," he lightly touched my shoulder. "We should go." I merely nodded as we both turned and dashed down the hall, making it to the main exit of the school.

Although there were many thoughts on my mind on what that dark fog could have come from, there was only one that stood out and that made sense considering the situation we were in. It had to belong to a vampire. Not one like Rosie or I of course. A dark and dangerous one with miraculous but deadly powers that were made for nothing but to harm anyone that stood in its way.

"You know what that was, don't you?" Brandon said when we exited the school.

"I can't be sure but I think it was a vampire. One with dark and dangerous powers."

"Do you think it might have something to do with that note that you found in your locker the other day?" We walked along the street in front of the school.

It wasn't until he mentioned that did I realize how likely that could be. "Yeah..." I said, then looked up at him. "It probably does."

"I think David might have killed who's ever body Rosie found in the nurse's office," he said. "I mean, considering that she found him covered in blood, I think it's safe to say that."

"Wow," I said, "You really did hear every word."

"Yeah, I'm just starting to get used to this advanced hearing thing. It can be pretty helpful at times."

"I think he might have done it too," I told him. Though a part of me didn't want to believe that because of Rosie. I knew that she liked him. But the situation with his dad going on and him being part vampire definitely wasn't helping. I genuinely thought David was a nice person but I couldn't ignore the dangerous supernatural side of him. "But innocent until proven guilty, right."

"Right." he nodded.

Thirty seconds passed until Brandon spoke again.

"So how big do you think that stick will be," He jokingly asked, "because my "best behaviour" isn't looking to great right now."

I laughed. "I don't know but you better be prepared. Rosie can put up quite a fight."

He chuckled. "Yeah, her fangs definitely aren't invisible."

I laughed again. I could certainly count on Rosie if I was ever in trouble. She was always there for me, always would be and that's what made her the best friend I could ever ask for.

Just then I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I pulled it out to see that it was a text from Rosie. *hey where are you? Ram's Kitchen at 2 remember?*

I looked over at Brandon. "We better get to Ram's Kitchen. It's two."

"Right," he said, "I can drive us." He led me to a small faded blue pick-up truck.

We both got in but just before we did, a peculiar dark-shaded figure caught my eye. It stood in front of the school's main doors. I couldn't make out a face but I felt as if it was looking right at me. At us. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared before my eyes, leaving a black mist behind. It was the same black mist we'd seen in the hallway. When I looked across at Brandon, I knew he'd seen it too.