Blood Runs Red

Chapter 8 - Angelo

I ran. I knew something wasn't right, I could smell it in the air. So I ran faster.

When I reached the plaza, the whole pack was there. They slowly moved aside when they noticed me, they looked at me with pity... With fear... A bit of both... I pushed past them, clawing my way through the crowd. It couldn't be.

As I break through the last layer, I see it. The first and last time I saw my father weep.

"Clarissa... Clarissa, what happened?" he cupped her cheeks in his hands as she laid on his lap.

She was bleeding. I could almost taste it in my mouth and it tore a hole in my gut "They were..." she could barely even breathe "Vampires..."

Was the last thing my mother said before "Clarissa?"

"Mommy?" I called out making both my parents look at me. My mother smiled.

"Love?" she didn't even move, she just kept smiling at me. But she wasn't... Not anymore...

"Mommy...?" I clenched my fist around the clothes of whoever was beside me.

My father wept. The tears streaming down his face as he planted one last kiss on my mother's forehead "Sleep my love... You sleep now, my love... Sleep..."

"MOTHER!" I snapped awake, claws carving onto the wood of the frame of my bed as I feel the howl dying on my throat.

I force a deep breath in.

I closed my eyes.

I force it out.

They were vampires... That's what she said... They were vampires... "My mother's last words...They were vampires..."

"Why can't you just let someone care about you?"

I rubbed my face. Why was I thinking of her right now? I sighed... This was going to end terribly for both of us, most likely in death for the both of us... So why was I thinking about her?

A tap on my window actually made me jump "Angelo, are you ok?" Anastasia? "Angelo, it's Erika." Of course it's Erika, why would it be her? Why would she be here? Why would she be here right now? "Angelo?"

"Yeah, sorry." I shook my head before I unlocked my window, she stepped in "Sorry---"

"Nightmare again?" she calmly sat on my bed.

"Yup." I popped the P.

"Same again?" I looked out the window "Figured..." there was silence for a moment "It wasn't your fault, you know?"

"If you're going there, Erika. Leave." I growled, pushing myself off of bed and shoving a shirt over my head.

"Angelo..." she called out, touching my shoulder "Sorry. It's just, not even I know what to tell you in this situation... I'm not telling you that it was your fault."

I turned to her, feeling my canines carve themselves on the sides of my lips "Then let's change the subject." She stepped back, which means my eyes must've shifted, which made me step back and closed my eyes forcing a breath back in "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just need a run."

"It's the middle of the day... You should try to get some sleep." She looks at me as I grab some jeans and put them on "Or... Not? Angelo!"

I face her "Wanna come? Talk about something else."

"We could go check out the human village?" she shrugged and I looked over at my best friend.

"Thank you. Sorry that I'm an idiot."

"Well, I'm your best friend, it's my job to listen to you being an idiot and then---" I only felt the sting on the left side of my jaw "Punch you in the face."

I rubbed my jaw, getting my grip back "Oww! I thought you only punched me when I was about to blow up the pack or something."

She smirked going out the window "That's kicking."

"Uh... I wouldn't be standing, would I?" I got out the window with her.

Erika let's herself fall back as she gracefully flips to the floor, turning back to me with a smirk "No."

I landed beside her before we continued to run across the forest. Erika and I grew up together, so despite my unfair genetic advantage she could keep up with me in a run. It was probably mid day, so a lot of the animals weren't used to seeing something like us running around at that hour, still, they knew better than stand around.

It didn't take long for us to cross the border and reach the humans' village, it stank from miles away, they had cultivated wolfsbane all around the town and for the first time I found my eyes instantly landing on the perfectly white flower that blossomed beside the dreadfully purple one – Blackthorn. Why was I only now noticing I didn't know. Or maybe I did...

The village was surrounded by the purple and white flowers and little more than stone wall. Everything seemed peaceful as they were unaware of the predators that walked amongst them, on the surface, it seemed just like our pack, there were people selling and people buying and people walking and kids running and laughter and even music. Me and Erika looked at each other, almost reading each other's minds those creatures enjoyed music which was ridiculous if we thought of what would happen to us if the humans knew what we are.

"This seems nice." Erika called my attention from the people around us.

I glanced over at her "Nice huh...?"

She nodded "Yeah. Nice. Speaking of nice..."

"Oh. Here we go." I look back ahead.

"No no. You've been very cheery lately and asking about the vision and all that..." I knew she was looking up at me "I was wondering if there was anything you'd like to tell me."

"And you're asking now? Middle of the day, this particular village and all?" I look back at her. Should I tell her? She's my best friend, but should I tell her...?

"I don't see why not." She nudged my side with her elbow "C'mon, spill the beans."

I sighed. What could go wrong with this, right? If I kept the details to myself everything will be alright, right?

"Angelo!" she pressed and I chuckled.

"Ok ok." I concede "I'm pretty sure I had the vision."

"Ha! I knew it!" Erika celebrates as bubbly as ever "Tell me everything. Who's the girl?"

"I can't tell you." That I knew. Erika couldn't know.

"Do I know this girl?" but she wouldn't leave it alone, nothing that I wasn't expecting.

"Erika, she's..." I breathe in and look around, just thinking about her made me smile but then I saw a blacksmith sharpening his ax and my smile faded as I realized the consequences of what I was feeling "I can't tell her."

I knew Erika frowned "Why not? She could be feeling the same and you'll never know if you never take a chance."

"Erika, she's amazing. She has the stars in her eyes and I feel like nobody gets me just as much as she does. Have you ever met someone so perfect that there was no way in Hell they'd ever give you a second glance?" I looked at my best friend "That's what she is and I can't even tell her..."

"But why not?" I snickered, she couldn't possibly understand unless I told her, but I couldn't "Well, if you can't you can't, but maybe this amazingly perfect girl isn't so perfect. Maybe she thinks that you're the one that will never give her a second glance." I saw her cheeks turn bright pink as she avoided my eyes at all costs "Maybe, just maybe, she doesn't care why you can't and all she dreams about day and night is on how amazingly perfect it would be if her feelings were returned and if you two could just leave the world behind..."

"We both have responsibilities, that couldn't happen." I look back ahead and feel her look at me.

"All I hear is the reasons why you can't." for some reason that stroke a cord with me "What if you could?"