King Slayer {1} ✓

VII

While everyone was having fun at semi, I was reading a grueling passage about the hybridization of s and p orbitals from my monstrous chem textbook. It was a Friday night and I was stuck inside studying for a test I knew nothing about. This was probably the easiest unit too and I was already struggling.

"How's the studying going?" My mom walked into my room and brought some water and chopped fruit. My stomach was hollow and my throat was parched since I'd been neglecting my body for too long.

"Good. I think I got it all down."

"What happened on your last exam?"

"I just studied the wrong thing. It was just a little fluke, it happens." I'd told my parents that I didn't do too well but they didn't know I actually got an F.

"Yes, but does it happen to you?" She asked with concern. "Is there something going on at school that I should know about? Something that's distracting you?"

"No." I said a little too defensively.

"We're just concerned, Bri. We just want you to get into a good college." They may have been harsh about my grades yet I knew they just wanted the best for me. But they could never understand what was happening.

"I know. It was just hard, that's all. I'll do better."

She still seemed skeptical, "Okay. Well, I'll leave you to it. Now you're sure you don't want to eat out with us?"

"Yeah, I don't have time."

"Okay. We'll bring something home for you, then. We'll be back in a few hours." My parents left for dinner and I was the only one in the house.

I spent the next two hours memorizing useless facts and theories until my brain turned to mush. Failing wasn't an option but I had negative levels of motivation. I usually wasn't one to procrastinate but I organized all of my papers into neat stacks to pass the time.

Jenny, Dexter and Lily had been texting me nonstop, asking if I needed to be broken out of my house. I told them I was fine and that they should stop texting me so they could enjoy the dance. They were definitely having way more fun than I was.

Life was so unfair.

Knock. Knock.

My heart almost stopped when I heard a knock at the front door. They weren't supposed to be back until later and everyone was at the dance. . . I slid off my bed and quietly grabbed a steak knife from the kitchen. When I opened the door, I came face-to-face with one of the most deadly vampires on the planet.

"That kitchen knife you're holding in your left hand won't be necessary, darling." Isaiah greeted knowingly but I just squeezed the knife tighter.

"Why are you here, Isaiah?"

He stepped inside my house without warning and I panicked, moving the knife and pointing the tip at him. What was it and his need to invade my personal space?

"I'm only here to talk," I bet that's what he told all his victims right before killing them, "I'll try not to hold it against you that you and your little friends shot me in the heart, imprisoned me in a vervained cage and tried to kill me and my family."

"You're just going to let that go?"

"No but this is my favorite shirt and I don't want to get any blood on it tonight." He shrugged.

I lowered my knife but didn't let go. The only reason I wasn't scared before was because we were in public with a bunch of witnesses. But here, we were all alone. No one would hear me scream.

"I'm busy, actually, I'm doing something really boring. Nothing a thousand year-old vampire would be interested in."

"Humor me."

Humor yourself, jerk.

For a few seconds, we just stood there and stared at each other. I really didn't want to let him all the way in but eventually, I caved. Maybe if I let him in, he'd leave quicker.

I stepped aside and let him pass. I kept my eyes on his every move as he surveyed my house. When we got back to my room, he stared at all of the study papers I'd scattered across my room. They were all in neat piles. He tried to make sense of them while I settled down into my study spot in the middle of my bed.

"You study chemistry."

"Too boring for you?"

"On the contrary, I find chemistry quite stimulating."

I returned all of my focus onto my notes, hoping that he'd grow bored of me and leave. He was probably sent to spy on me.

"Why are you not with everybody else? Isn't there some soirée happening tonight?"

"I have a test next week."

He snorted, "No, really,"

More than anything I wanted to party and have fun with all of my friends but I couldn't fail this test or else my parents would be furious.

I shut my textbook and started to quiz myself with my flashcards. Every now and then I'd catch him staring at me with that same mischievous look on his face. It was completely distracting.

"You said you wanted to talk. So talk." My initial fear of him soon transformed into annoyance. Couldn't he bother someone else?

"You must have heard by now that Caius has fled."

"I did."

"My mother wants to know if you are aware of his whereabouts."

"No, I don't know where he is. . . Why did he leave anyway? I thought he made a deal with your mom."

"He told her the only terms of their deal was that he cease his schooling, not that he stay." He leaned against the wall and sneered, "Good riddance. I've been trying to ditch him for centuries now."

"Don't you care that your brother is missing?"

"He was never my brother."

"That's kind of harsh."

"We're all adopted anyway." Before I could ask any questions, he'd moved on. "He was our mother's favorite. She doesn't care about the rest of us, she'll do anything to get him back."

"How did you escape anyway?" As soon as they touched the bars, the vervain would've burned them. They must've had outside help.

"A vampire never reveals his secrets."

I was about to say something but his phone rang obnoxiously loud.

"Hold that thought." He reached into his pocket and produced a massively huge iphone that must have been the prototype. "Hello?" He asked but the ringing persisted and I grew more irritated as more time was wasted.

"You have to accept the call."

He hit a button and talked again, "Hello? Oh, darling sister, you finally figured out how to operate this wretched contraption. . . yes, as a matter of fact, I am. . . understood." He ended the call and turned to me. "Unfortunately, I have matters that need my attention but we will continue this conversation another night."

In the blink of an eye, he was gone and all of my papers were thrown into a mess on the floor. So much for organizing everything.

As soon as he left, the front door opened and my parents announced that they were home. Someone knocked on my door and Mom popped her head in.

"We brought home some soup in case you're hungry." When she looked at my room, she frowned, "You should clean you room, it's a mess."

Well, it was clean before Isaiah had messed it up.

"Good idea."