Half Vampire: Fights for love

Chapter 10

Cutting off my mom's distant protests, I stepped out onto the front porch. And stopped.

All the bad feelings of the morning rushed over me again. The anxiety, the fear. And the certainty that something terrible was about to happen.

Charles Street was deserted. The tall Elizabethan houses looked strange and silent as always, as if they might all be empty inside, like the houses on an abandoned movie set. They looked as if they were empty people, but full of strange-looking things. That was it; something was watching me. The air was stifling and I could feel that someone or something was watching me.

I caught sight of something dark in the branches of an old quince tree in front of the house.

It was a crow, sitting as still as the yellow-tinged leaves around it. And it was something that was watching me.

I tried to tell myself that this is ridiculous, but I have seen crows like this in the shadow world. It was big and sleek, with rainbows shining in its black feathers. I could see every detail of it clearly: the greedy dark claws, the sharp beak, and the single glittering black eye.

I dropped my backpack and picked up a stone from beside the driveway. "Get out of here," I said and heard the shaking anger in my voice. "Go on!"

"Getaway!" With the last word, I threw the stone.

There was an explosion of leaves, but the crow soared up unharmed. Its wings were huge, and they made enough racket for a whole flock of crows. I bend over, suddenly panicking as it flaps directly over my head, the wind of its wings ruffling my hair.

But it drove up again and again, circling a black silhouette against the paperwhite sky. Then, with a harsh croak, it wheeled away toward the woods.

I straightened up slowly and then glared around, self-conscious. I couldn't believe what I had just done. But now that the bird was gone, the sky felt ordinary again. A little wind made the leaves flutter, and I took a deep breath.

Without a backward glance at the quince tree, I began to walk as quickly as I could down the street.

***

A crow crashed through the top of a billboard, and a young man's head jerked up reflexively. When he saw that it was only a bird, he relaxed.

His eyes dropped to the limp white form in his hands, and he felt his face twist in regret. He didn't mean to kill it. He would have hunted for something larger than a rabbit if he'd known how hungry he was. But of course, that was the very thing that frightened him: never knowing how strong the hunger would be, or what he had to do to satisfy it.

He stood beneath the ancient oak trees, sunlight filtering down onto his curly hair. In jeans and a T-shirt, Corner Miller looked exactly like a normal high school student.

He wasn't.

He licked his gums and lips carefully, to make sure there was no stain on them. The pretence was going to be hard enough to pull off as it was.

For a moment, he wondered, again, if he should just give it all up. Perhaps he should go back to the shadow world, back to his life where he supervises bloodsuckers like him. Then he remembered why he came to the human world in the first place: to look for the chosen one and take her back home, to where she belongs. To her father... the ruler of all bloodsuckers.

Passing through the barrier was not easy for him and his brother, but thanks to the witches, they got through.

A bitter smile curved his lips.

Corner realised he was still holding the rabbit. He laid it down on the floor near the tree.

Moving almost silently among the dead leaves and dry brushwood, he made his way towards the edge of the woods. His car was parked there. He glanced back once and saw that the crow was on the rabbit.

He decided that if he encountered the bird again, he would look into its mind. Just now, he took his eyes from the sight of it and hurried on through the woods, jaw set. He didn't want to be late arriving at Eulogia Academy.

...

I saw Denise standing and waiting for me in front of the school. We did our normal greetings and started towards the building, but the roar of a finely tuned motor stopped us in our tracks.

"Well, now," I said, staring. "Quite a car."

"Quite a Porsche." Denise corrected me dryly.

The sleek black Ford Thunderbird purrs through the parking lot, searching for a space.

When the car came to a stop, the door opened and we glanced at the driver.

"Oh, my God," Denise whispered.

"You can say that again." I breathed. Immediately, I became uncomfortable, as if someone more powerful than I was also in the academy. The aura became stronger. It was not normal.

From where I stood, I could see he had a lean, flat-muscled body, faded jeans, a tight T-shirt, and a leather jacket. His hair was wavy and dark.

He wasn't tall, though, just average height.

I let out a breath.

"Who is that masked man?" Jada asked as she stood with us. And the remark was suitable: dark sunglasses completely covered the boy's eyes, shielding his face like a mask.

"That masked stranger." Someone else said, and a bubble of voices rose.

"Do you see that jacket?" Denise asked. "That's Italian, as in Roma."

"How would you know? You've never been to Rome, only New York in your life!" Jada commented rudely.

Denise ignored her. "Short-dark and handsome had better be careful."

"He's not short, he's perfect," Jada said.

Maddie's voice rang out. "Oh, come on, Jada. You already have Chase."

Jada looked at me. "What can I do with one that I can't do with two?"

"You are such a cunt." Denise said as she rolled her eyes at Jada.

The boy locked his car and was now walking toward the academy. Casually, Jada started after him, with Maddie right behind her in a close-knit pack.

We entered the hall, and the figure in jeans and a leather jacket was disappearing through the office doorway up ahead. I slowed my pace as I walked up to the office. Finally, I stopped to glance thoughtfully at the messages on the cork bulletin board by the door. There was a large window through which the entire office was visible.

Jada and Maddie were openly gazing through the window and giggling. "Nice rear view," Jada said.

"You think he's out of state?" Maddie replied.

I was straining my ears for the boy's name. I didn't know why, but I just wanted to know why so many auras were coming from him. He was not human; he was too perfect to be one. But if he was not human, then what was he doing here? Why did he come here? What was his purpose in the academy?

The boy's sunglasses were now in his hand. I wished I could see more than the back of his head. He handed the paper to the principal. He emerged from the office. He set his glasses in place again.

Disappointment coursed through me.

Still, I could see the rest of his face as he paused in the doorway. I thought for a few: high cheekbones, a classic straight nose... and a mouth to keep you awake at night. The upper lips were beautifully sculpted, a little sensitive, and a whole lot physical. The chatter of the girls in the hallway had stopped, as if someone had told them to shut up.

Most of them were turning away from the boy now, looking anywhere but at him. I held my place at the window and gave a little toss to my head, pulling the ribbon out of my hair so that it would fall loose around my shoulders.