The Garden of What Once Was

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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About fifteen minutes ahead of them were Reed, Ember, and Jared. They were almost toward the Lunette High campus when they finally realized Casper and Landon had lagged very far behind them. Although Jared was relieved to have fewer people tagging along on what was supposed to be an outing with just him and Ember, he still took the time to stop and send the two of them a quick text. As he looked up from his phone to where Ember and Reed stood, a shadowy figure creeped out from a restaurant's alleyway. Jared lunged for Ember as the figure's hand clamped around her wrist, pulling her into the dark abyss of the alley before Reed or Jared could stop them. Her shriek of surprise was lost in the wind as the figure sped away from the advancing High-tiers. Reed and Jared came to a halt at a big brick wall that extended thirty feet high. The alleyway had no outlet, yet, somehow, Ember and that person were nowhere to be seen. Out of frustration, Reed kicked a nearby garbage can over. As he glared down at the trash strewn across the ground, he noticed that the hair on his arm was standing on end, almost like there was electricity coursing through the air. Electricity? Only one name came to mind.

    Jared had come to the same conclusion as Reed. Both of them turned to each other at the same time, calling out the name in unison, "Eric!"

All the noises around Ember blurred together as her kidnapper ran through the city. As they slowed down, a cigarette smell mixed with stale beer attacked her senses. Wherever they were wasn't a highschool friendly venue. When they let go of Ember, she fell onto a floor cluttered with red solo cups. The cups rolled across the floor while she struggled to get up. It felt like there were needles stabbing her limbs. She quickly recovered, getting prepared to attack the person in front of her. Right when she was about to land a perfect uppercut to their chin, she paused. They were wearing what looked to be a Lunette High uniform. It was tweaked a little to fit this person's tastes though. The sports coat was replaced with a leather jacket, and the button-up wasn't even buttoned, giving her a perfect view of his muscly chest.

    "Take me back to Reed and Jared," Ember ordered the intimidating white-haired vampire before her, "Or I'll call the cops on y-..."

    Her phone went from being in her hands to being in the vampire's hands within seconds. The sound of electricity crackling met her ears. A plume of black smoke burst from her phone as white sparks erupted from his hand. Her phone screen flickered red before going completely black. There was no doubt that her phone was now busted.

    "Hey!" She yelled at him, grabbing her warm phone from his hands, "Why the hell would you do that to my phone, you asshole?!"

    Forgetting about all the lessons she went through with Reed, she stomped toward the white-haired vampire. Her finger pressed to his bare chest as she continued screaming furiously, "Don't think I'll let you go after breaking my phone. I don't care if you're a vampire, human, or alien! You better fork up some money so I can buy a replacement!"

    He fiddled with a ring on his hand, ignoring Ember. This only pissed Ember off even further. So much so that she took a solo cup that was sitting on a scratched-up coffee table and threw the remaining beer inside of it on him. That was enough to get his attention.

    "I don't need to concern myself with you. All I want is to get Jared and Reed over here," He explained with a slight hint of boredom. "You were the only good bait I could get my hands on, so be quiet like a proper little human."

    Flashbacks of what happened with the Montclaire High-tiers bombarded Ember's mind. What if this vampire wanted to injure them as well? The worry on her face was quite obvious.

    "I'm not looking for a fight. Just trying to spend some time with my friends."

    "If you're friends, then why don't you just talk to them in school?" Ember asked.