Vamp Girl

chapter 7

The plane ride back to Florida wasn't too long. I actually wished it was longer. I didn't want to face my mother just yet. I had to come up with a lie that she would find believable. The whole drive to my house, I tried to think of some story to why Jayla wanted to stay in Texas. I was pretty good at coming up with stories but that was something that I learned from Derora and she would be able to see right through me if I didn't have every single detail down before I started.

I asked the taxi driver to drop me off three houses down from my house. I didn't want my mother knowing I was home until I was good and ready. I thought about maybe going to see Janelle first because she would be easier to convince than my mother but I always liked doing the hardest part of the job first and that meant that I would have to convince Mother D first.

Taking a deep breath, I took my key out and slide it into the lock. Slowly I twisted my hand hoping to delay what I knew was the inevitable. It had been four days since I last checked in with my mother. She would be waiting and quite angrily if the past was something to go by. I always had to check in. No matter what.

I was always being roped in to doing stupid things with Jayla. And while Jayla got a frown and a head shake from my mother, with some motherly advice such as, "You girls need to be more careful. The world is a dangerous place." I got hours and hours' worth of angry lectures on how I should be more responsible and take care of Jayla better. My mother tended to forget that I was a teenager too. Hell, I was even months younger than Jayla. Why did I have to be the responsible one?

I'm sure my mother heard the click of the lock. Her hearing wasn't as keen as her vampire father's but it was far better than human hearing. I push open the door and sure enough, there she stood. Her arms crossed over her chest, a scowl on her face. Her blonde hair looking as tidy as ever.

I wanted to sigh but I knew that would only get her going faster. I walked in, closing the door behind me. You would think I was used to her look of disappointment after eighteen years of living with her but nope. I don't think I would ever be able to handle it.

"I didn't hear your car pull up into the driveway." She greeted me.

I opened my mouth to respond but she spoke again before I could get anything out of my mouth.

"Seeing that you're here in one piece, I'm going to assume you did your duty as a watcher and Jayla is at her house safe and sound."

Again I opened my mouth to say something but she cut me off with a wave of her hand.

"Really, Samara, do you know how disappointed I am at you? Not only did you run off on a road trip to Texas with Jayla, not giving me or anyone else a heads up so we could follow but you stopped checking in four days ago." She ranted.

I knew I wouldn't get a word in until she was finished so I let her talk. It was weeks since I last heard the 'I'm disappointed in you speech' and I had actually started feeling good about myself. Like, I'd done things right for once. It was nice while it lasted. Now I had to listen to her tear me a new one. And anyway, I think I actually deserved it this time. Seeing how Jayla was now a Lykán because I hadn't protected her good enough.

"Armenta wanted to call Arvins and tell him that you and Jayla had gone off the map. I made him promise to wait a week. Do you know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up in a week?"

I knew it was a rhetorical question so I didn't bother answering but I guess now I had to talk to him too. He was crazier at keeping Jayla safe than Derora was. I just sighed, walking into the living room. If she was going to bitch at me for the next couple of hours, I might as well be comfortable. I sat in my favorite spot on the couch, from there I could see out of the glass sliding doors leading into our backyard. Sometimes, I would just stare out and watch butterflies and birds as they flew by. It got pretty boring listening to the same speech time and time again. I needed something to do.

As I got comfortable, she stood in front of me before she started pacing back and forth. When she paced I knew it was her trying to think of ways to express her utter disappointment in me. I looked around the living room, it was nice to see that things here hadn't changed so drastically in the last four days.

On the walls still hung the pictures of us pretending to be a happy family. My mother made us take a family portrait of just the two of us every year, she had to keep up appearances. Mostly for Jayla, but she had made friends with other humans, living here for almost nineteen years.

I looked at all the pictures on the mantle. Jayla was in almost all of them. They were of vacations we took together with Jayla and her mom. I learned long ago that Derora sent them to Arvins so he could see how Jayla was growing and changing throughout the years. I found Arvins love for Jayla kinda of sweet. She was lucky to have two parents that cared about her. I just wish that they all could have agreed when to tell Jayla the truth. Life would have been much simpler for me, if Jayla had known about everything. I wouldn't be in this predicament right now.

"Samara, are you listening to me!?" I heard Derora say.

I wanted to say no and just run away to my room but I knew I couldn't. If I acted out of character, she would know something was up and tricking her while she was being extra snoopy was not possible. I have tried it in the past and it never worked.