inhale. ➳ h.s. au [DISCONTINUED]

23

"Mom?" I looked up, shocked at the person standing before me. "Gracie?" Her voice was like silk. "Mom!" I screamed and jumped to my feet, wrapping my arms around her and giving her a tight squeeze as tears ran down my cheeks. "I thought you were dead. . ." I murmured as her arms slid around me, "I've got something to tell you." She laughed and pulled away. "I do too, mom." I replied and she sat down on the ground, I joined her and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Who's first?" She asked and I smiled, "I guess, I can go first.

"Um, so my other half. . ." She nodded, "He's a vampire." My mom stared at me and then grinned. "Sweetheart, I knew that before you did. Lord Harry, correct? Yes, I've seen him on television with your pendant around his neck. I never thought twice about it until a week before those buff vampires came to take you away. It just clicked and I tried to protect you when those men came because I didn't want you to be stuck around vampires for the rest of your life." She placed her hand on my knee, "What's happened to you since I've been gone?" I stared at her.

Well, my vampire boyfriend killed someone in front of me, my best friend is a maid and a vampire, I found out he dated a witch who pretended to be his other half, and then he left me.

"Oh, nothing really." I lied and she shook her head, "Alright. Now, it's my turn." I nodded.

"I'm a witch."

"I know."

"What? How?"

"Vanity." My mom's jaw tightened, "Vanity?" She said and I nodded. "What else did she say?" I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed, "She said that she would be the only who could train me-" my mom snorted. "But I turned it down because if I'm going to learn any kind of magic, I want it to be legal."

"Dark magic is legal, no matter what anyone says. The problem is, is that if one of the lords finds out that people are using dark magic they'll shut down the whole system."

"What are you talking about?" I asked and she frowned, "We're planning to take over the vampire race. They've ruined our lives enough-"

"No." I said and stood up, "Do you understand what that means? That means you will either have to kill them or take over their minds and I don't want that! They were once humans, too." I crossed my arms over my chest as my mom stood up. "What actually happened, Grace Marie?" I tensed up and shook my head, "It doesn't matter what happened. Vampires aren't what everyone views them as."

"Then, tell me. What are they?"

"Humans trapped inside this cruel virus." My mom laughed, "Is that what they are? Grace Marie, you have it all wrong. What did they do to you to make you think such an absurd thing?"

"I fell in love, mom." She tensed up immediately and let out a harsh snort, "With who? That vampire, Harry? He's worthless, Grace! He's a soulless monster! He kills people for blood, what do you think that means? He doesn't love you, he just wants your blood."

"You're wrong, mom! You're wrong about all of this! Harry is nothing like that! None of them are, you're just convincing yourself that they're these cruel beings!"

"Grace, don't try to tell me something that isn't true. I'm right, you know it." I shook my head and turned away, I began to walk towards the safe house. "Where do you think you're going?" My mom shouted and I shouted back without turning around, "To look for the love of my life!"

-

I pushed open the door to the safe house and found it empty. "No. . ." I whispered as tears filled my eyes, I walked around the empty living room and stuffed my face into my hands as tears streamed down my cheeks. I let out loud sobs and collapsed to the floor, "Come back. . ." I whispered and laid down. I gripped my jacket closer to my body and stared into the empty fire place.

"I thought you were strong without him." I jumped and sat up, my eyes locked with Niall's blue ones and I smiled slightly. "It's not easy to be strong when you run into your mom who won't believe you." Niall sat down next to me and ran his thumb along my cheek to wipe a tear away, "Yeah, I heard. Harry came to the safe house without you and told everyone to go back to the castle, they did but we all asked where you were. He said that you stayed behind. He seems pretty pissed." Niall explained and I sighed. "I didn't stay behind. He left me behind."

"I assumed that and went looking for you, found you and your mum arguing. You really think we're stuck with a virus?" I nodded and he smiled. "You've always understood us, Grace."

"I know and it sucks that my own mother won't believe me." I leaned on him and he rested his arm on my shoulders, "It doesn't matter what she believes anymore. Now that I know that they're planning to fuck with my race." He closed his eyes and reopened them, they were blood red now. "I've got to tell the other lords, Grace." He looked at me, "I can take you with me."

"No, no. Harry would be furious."

"I don't care." I smiled slightly, "Okay then, I guess."

-

The castle didn't change much, there were vines growing up the sides now. I'm guessing the gardeners were killed when the castle was being taken over. Niall turned to me and raised an eyebrow, "Are you ready?" I hesitantly nodded and followed him as he walked towards the castle.

One of the large front doors slowly swung open, "Niall, is th- Grace!" Mags came running out of the castle and knocked the air out of me as she tightly hugged me. "M-Mags, I can't-" I gasped for air and she quickly pulled away, her cheeks flushed. "Sorry." I placed a hand on my chest and waved her apology off, "It's okay."

"Grace?" Louis stepped out of the castle with a grin and ran over to us, "Where the hell did you disappear to?" He ruffled my hair and I scrunched up my nose. "I went to get some porridge from Goldie Locks, I got lost in the process." He laughed.

"Grace?" I froze.