Soulless • Raphael Santiago [S.U]

Six

Show your face,
And finish what you started.

L E T A

Furiously, I banged my hand against the wall. 'For God's sake, Raphael!' I yelled. 'You can't just go all creepy weirdo on my ass, start to change me into a vampire and then just leave me in here! Get back here, idiot!'

That's when I heard the screaming.

Horrible wailing sounds echoed all through the room, hitting the walls and vibrating through my entire body. It sounded unearthly, not like any sound a human could make- more like the screeching of a banshee or siren from the legends that my mum loved.

I pressed myself against the wall, feeling my heart beating right down to my toes, and tried to take deep breaths. Calm down, Leta. Just calm down.

The door flew open, and an unfamiliar vampire with blue hair marched inside. Her face was pointed, all sharp angles, with shining dark eyes that glinted with intelligence and a dark fury that was barely contained. 'You're coming with me,' she snarled. 'There's a situation. Follow me, or I'll drag you there myself.'

I blinked. 'What?'

'Why do they want you to be a vampire?' The blue haired girl snapped. 'Standards are slipping here, I tell you. Come with me, Letita, or I'll knock you out and drag you there. Understood?'

My mind raced. What was going on?

'Before you think of doing anything,' the vampire snarled, 'I may have orders not to kill you, but I am a vampire and you are not, so I will willingly drink your blood or knock you out if you don't do what I say.'

For a second, I didn't move.

'Now!' the vampire shouted, and I scrambled to the door, feeling my heart start to pound. 'What's going on?' I asked.

My palms were sweating. Knowing the vampire could probably smell them, I wiped them hastily on my trousers and repeated my question. 'What's going on?'

The vampire snarled at me. 'Raphael sent me,' she said. 'And you trust Raphael, don't you? So stop asking questions and shut up.'

I spluttered. 'What? He kidnapped me! Why on earth would I trust him?'

'Funny.' She bared her teeth at me, and I gulped at the long pale fangs. 'I can hear your heart. Did you know that your heartbeat is uneven when you lie?'

I licked my dry lips and held my hands behind my back to hide the fact they were shaking like mad. 'No, I didn't know that.'