A Life for a Price

Chapter One

Somehow in a blur of unfortunate events I found myself sitting on the curb out front of my school. I could smell the smoke coming from the pit, making me want to throw up into the sewer. Today my best friend, Anna, decided of all days that she would ditch me for some boy, thus leaving me on the side of the road awaiting my ride home. My parents just so happened to be out of town today, leaving me to fend for myself. Thank the lord for siblings. So I called my brother up and this is how it went:

Ben: What do you want?

Me: Anna ditched me for some boy.

Ben: And you're calling me because . . . ?

Me: Mom and dad are out of town.

Ben: Yes, I know, I don't live in a black hole.

Me: Really? Because I've seen your room.

Ben: Shut up.

Me: I need you to come pick me up.

Ben: Why don't you just walk?

Me: Ben, it's an hour walk!

Ben: And I care because . . . ?

Me: Here's the thing. Mom and dad left town and said no parties unless there will be consequences. Yet, you still threw a party. Do see what I'm getting at here?

Ben: . . .

Me: . . .

Ben: Fine.

Then he hung up and I sat down on the curb awaiting his arrival. Every time I here a car engine I get anxious, hoping and praying that it was my stupid brother and his stupid black truck would come rolling down the street and he would roll down the window and he would call me a brat and I would get in the truck and he would drive us home or maybe he would crash the truck - which wouldn't really surprise me - and I would die and he would die or maybe I would die and he would live or vise versa but at least I didn't have to walk.

And then five minutes later Ben came rolling down the street in his stupid black truck and he did, in fact, roll down the window and call me a brat and then I got in the truck and he drove us home and we didn't die. We lived and I got out of the truck and I ran inside after saying a quick and quiet "thank you" and I ran straight to my room and I threw my bag on the bed and I sighed and sneezed and then I fell on my bed and I just laid there for a moment. But then I decided that I couldn't just lay there, so I got up and walked down the stairs to the kitchen with my homework in my hand and I put a vine of grapes in a bowl and I sat down and worked on my book report for a solid hour before I decided enough was enough. Before the hour was even over I had run out of grapes and had to grab three more vines before I gave up on my book report and pushed my homework aside. Ben had retreated to his "hole" and that's when I knew that I wouldn't be seeing him again for quite some time.

I jumped as my phone vibrated in my pocket and I was surprised as I pulled it out to see Anna's name come across my screen. I pressed answer and the conversation went something like this:

Me: Hel-

Anna: Can you come over to my house?

Me: You couldn't have let me finish my one word?

Anna: Charlie, seriously? Can you?

Me: Not even a simple 'hello'?

Anna: Charlie! This is urgent!

Me: Yeah, fine. Jesus. Why do you need me to come over?

Anna (sighs): Just come over.

And then she hung up and I grabbed my brothers keys to his truck since I didn't have my own car and I drove to Anna's house. Anna's house wasn't necessarily a house. It was an apartment on the third floor of an apartment building downtown.

It's about a five minute drive. As soon as I got there I turned the truck off and walked into the apartment building. I called up to her with a simple hit of a button with her apartment number on it and she instantly let me in as if she had been waiting there the entire time I took to arrive. So I pushed open the final door and took myself to the elevator. The ding of the bell made me jump as I reached the third floor. I didn't even have to knock on her door because instantly it was pulled open as if Anna was looking through the peep hole.

"Finally!" She exclaimed, pulling me into the small apartment.

"Where's the fire?" I asked, shutting the door behind me with my foot before Anna could pull me into her living room.

"Dean brought a friend to our little get together and it got too awkward to function. But then I realized I had a friend and so I called you up and now you're here." Anna spoke in a rush.

As soon as I was brought into the living room I came face to face with a blonde boy with the bluest eyes I had ever seen in my life. He looked to be approximately six feet and extremely well built.

A smile instantly made it's way onto his face as he crossed over the small living room with his arm extended. "Hey. You must be Charlie. I'm Dean." I hesitantly shook his hand. I noticed on the skin that was shown on his upper chest where his muscle shirt didn't reach, that he had the tail of what looked to be a dragon wrapped around his collar bone.

"Hi, yes. I am Charlie." I smiled, retracting my hand from his.

"Who's Charlie?" A male voice asked from behind me.

I turned around only to come face to face with a male. Black hair, green eyes and possibly taller and more built than Dean is. I had never seen anything like him. I noticed the same dragon tail falling over his shoulder, disappearing under his black t-shirt.

"Well, hello." He said, his right eyebrow lifting as a smirk flew across his face.

"Hi." I mumbled.

I swear if Anna was trying to set me up with this guy I would have to end her life in an instant. This guy already seemed like a walking headache and I wasn't even sure if he was trainable.

"So you're Charlie?" He asked, walking closer to me and stopping almost a hairs width away from me. My breathing started up, and I felt my lungs struggling.

"Uh, yeah." I nodded.

I felt an arm snake around my waist causing me to jump. Instantly I tried to move away but I couldn't, he wouldn't let me. So I looked around and hoped that Anna and Dean could maybe put this mystery boy into order and maybe I could just leave because maybe Anna will feel bad for forcing me to be here and than this happening and maybe Dean will never be seen again and I will never have to see mystery boy again. But Anna was no longer in the room and Dean had left with her and mystery boy has a perfect chance to make a move on me if that's what he so wished to do.

"I'm Alec." He whispered, his breath hitting my ear and trailing down my neck and spine, causing a rush of fear to travel through my body.

I thought maybe he would do something rash and I could end up never having a life again, but then he stepped away and I no longer had fear running through my veins, as if he was the one letting it travel and once he was gone so was the fear and now I felt fine. But I was still going to end Anna's life.