The Vampire Prince goes to High School (Book 1)

A Few Words

I laid awake for a good while that night. Come to think of it, I didn't really know how to contact Camellia. But that worry could until the morning. I was sure they were monitoring me and would know when Micah contacted me. 

Somehow I managed to sleep. When I woke, it was a quarter past 12. My eyelids felt heavy. It took a while before I was finally able to open my eyes. I crawled around the house to keep myself alive by eating and doing what I had to do. I might have slept in the bath but I wasn't sure. 

On top of that, the food didn't taste so great. I would take a few bites and that was all I could manage to keep down. I knew I was putting off calling Mr. Keys and asking if I could see Alexander. He'd probably ask me if my parents knew about it. I needed to wait until Camellia came back. I didn't want to wait. If I waited, Micah's words would torture me. Even if he wasn't here, he always found a way to make it hurt. 

It was what he wanted and he was being successful at it. Instead of trying to get my mind off of what I had to do, I didn't try. I knew myself well enough that no matter what I did, it didn't change the fact that I had to lie to Alexander. 

I stayed on the couch all day. The television was on for some background noise but I didn't pay attention to the program. Somehow, I ended up reciting what I was going to say to Alexander.

"There's no easy way to say this. I have thought about this for a long time. The only thing I've thought about is you."

If I said that, it didn't sound like what Micah wanted me to say. It was true.

"There's no easy way to say this but I have to tell you that -  It's hard to ignore all the evidence. I can't trust you."

No. I trusted Alexander. I couldn't say that to him. It would hurt more.

"The evidence says it all. You don't trust me enough to tell me where you were that night so, how can I trust you? You say it wasn't you but I can't tell anyone. I didn't want to believe it at first but I was just fooling myself."

Those were the words. Now, all I had to do was to recite them. Once I did that, it would be easy. Alexander wouldn't have a chance to say anything. I would say that and then leave. It wouldn't take long. It would be easy.

It had to be easy. 

When my parents came back from work, I pretended to be asleep. I couldn't look at them in the eyes. I was betraying them. A smart person would tell them what I had done. A good daughter would include them. I guess I wasn't a good daughter. How could they understand that I was doing this for Alexander? They didn't even know that I had feelings for him. 

During dinner, they didn't speak. If they did, I couldn't hear them. After some time, my dad carried up to my room. They both kissed me good-night. When the door closed behind them, I opened my eyes. I couldn't help it. I cried.

I quickly covered my  mouth. If they heard me, they would come back and I couldn't face them right now. 

It was almost half an hour later that Camellia appeared. She was a cat again. I didn't get up. She didn't seem to mind because she laid down beside me.

'Any news?' she asked.

"Yeah," I whispered hoarsely. "He call me today."

'Well?'

I shrugged. "I don't know," I admitted. "I told him to meet me at the place I met Pat and her little terrorist cell. In two days, we'll know if he shows up."

'What if he doesn't show up?'

Again, I shrugged. "Then I have no idea what I'm going to do."

I turned my head towards her. "Hey, I need to see Alexander. Can you arrange that for me?"

In the darkness, I couldn't see her. She might have turned her head or something. 

'Yes,' she finally answered. 'We'll arrange for your transportation for both events.'

"Sounds good to me."

'We won't be able to join you for the meeting,' she suddenly said. 'As a vampire, he would know.'

My heart lurched. I hadn't really thought about that. It made sense but I wish it didn't.

"He won't hurt me," I forced out. "If anything, he wants me to beg or something. I don't know. I'm too drain to even think."

'Let's hope you're right.'

"Yeah."

'Let me talk to some of my people.'

I didn't see her leave. I knew I should have been feeling something but there was nothing. Numbness had filled my chest. Perhaps it was a good thing. If I couldn't convince Alexander of my lies then, there would be no hope for him. I had to be convincing. The real issue was that I had to do it so soon. There was no time to practice.

Almost half an hour later, Camellia came back. To be frank, I didn't expect her to come back. I thought she was just going to leave a note or something. This time, I did sit up. My head spun. I probably should eat more than I had that day. Was it normal that I had no appetite? 

"What did they say?" I asked Camellia softly.

'A car will pick you up tomorrow morning,' she informed me. 'Once your parents leave for work, they'll arrive soon after. Mr. Keys won't be there, so you should have plenty of time.'

"I won't need a lot of time," I told her. "It has to be quick."

'Regardless of what you need to say, you'll have time."'

I nodded. "Thanks."

It was more than Mr. Keys was able to get me. That was so sure. And I couldn't change my mind now. I had to see this through to the end. I had to. Otherwise, what was the point of all of this? With those few words, I could save Alexander. I need to stay focus on that.