Sentenced to Death

Sentenced to Death (Chapter Twelve)

Chapter Twelve

I woke up at around seven in the morning.  Serenity and Austin had returned from their trip back to the square, and I was curious to know how many of my clothes had survived the fire.

I jumped out of bed and ran over to where they sat.  Serenity and penelope sat on the floor at the ends of the couch.  Austin, Connie, and Riley were all sitting on the couch.  I didn't see any of my clothes and asumed that they hadn't brought any back.  I wonder how much of my stuff did survive the fire.  My heart sank.  I had been looking foward to wearing something different.  Oh well.  I guess I had some shopping to do today.

"G'morning," Riley greeted me.

"Not really," I said back.  I hadn't had a good morning since before I was kidnapped.

"I guess you're right about that," Riley agreed.

Something wasn't right.  I was staring at Austin's left arm.  It was paler than usual.

"Er, did something happen?"

"Yep," was all Austin said.

"And that would be," I said, starting a sentence for him.

"Me and Serenity were attacked by your father.  My arm was cut by a stake, but it's okay."

I froze.  Attacked?  They were attacked...and by my father.  I suddenly felt responsible.  They had left to get my clothes and it had been my father that had attacked them.

WAIT, WHAT AM I DOING?  Hadn't I told myself that I didn't like these people?  Hadn't I been sure that I shouldn't worry about them because they deserved any harm?  Then why do I feel guilty?  Why do I feel like it is my fault that they might be hurt?

I kept trying to tell myselft that they deserved it, but I just couldn't.  For some reason, I felt like they were my friends and I shouldn't be mean to them.

I felt less like a prisoner now.  I don't know why, but for some reason I feel like I belong here.  I was just now fully coming to an understanding that I would have been attacked if I hadn't been taken away from the square.  I was just now realizing the situation I was in.  Even though I had known about it for almost two days now, for the first time I fully understood what had happened to me.  I was on the run with five other people from my own father.  I was hiding from death under the protection of five vampires.  Five vampires that only now did I realize were going through the same thing I was, only they had been going through it their whole vampire life.  They had been running away from people that wanted them dead for who knows how long.  I had been on the run for almost two days.

It was like I had been given a death sentence.

I am not the only one with that sentence though.  I looked around at the others.  They have one too.  So do all the other vampires.  They had been running away from countless enemies for a long time now.  One of them I was blood related to.  That same family member had attacked Austin and Serenity the other night.

"So, could you give me more detail on what happened?" I asked them casually.

"Well," Austin started.  "After about forty minutes of running we came across your father and two slayers.  The slayers were easy to get rid of.  I don't know if they died or not," he said after seeing my expression.  "I think they were only knocked out.

"But your father had picked me up by the neck and had tried to stab my heart with a stake but Serenity stabbed his shoulder with a stake and that distracted him.  He dropped me and as I fell I cut my arm on the stake in his hand.  Not on purpose of course."

"Well, were you injured at all?" I asked Serenity. 

She looked at me and replied "No.  I won the battle between me and Andrew.  I didn't kill him, he retreated."

It was silent as I walked back to the bed to make it.  After I had done that, I peaked behind the curtains and noticed it was sunny again.  That wasn't a good thing.  I had hoped that we could go shopping for new clothes today, but that idea went away as soon as I saw the sun.

The five vampires were headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked curiously.

"To feed," Riley answered without looking at me.  I guess I should have seen that coming.  I don't know how often they had to, well, drink.  I didn't like to think about that.

"When will you get back?"

"In less than an hour," Serenity responded.  After that they left.

I was alone.  There was only one thing that I wanted to do.

I sped to the phone and picked it up.  I was about to dial my home number when I realized the phone might not work because of the fire.  Instead I decided to call my mothers cell phone.  I was just about to dial that when a cold hand was over mine.

"Don't," Serenity ordered me.  "It will be easier on us if you don't."

I glared at her.  "I want to talk to her!" I had a feeling that she already knew who I was going to call.

She just looked at me.  Riley was behind her.

"Fine." I gave up.  "Don't kill anyone!" I nearly yelled at them as they left the room again.

It did take less than an hour for them to get back.  I felt better knowing that they were, um, full.

"I have more questions for you," I informed them when they got back.

"Ask away," Connie said.

"Is there any other difference between immortal and mortal vampires besides aging?"

"Yep.  Immortal vampires don't have to eat normal food or sleep at all.  And their hearts are completely dead."

"What do you mean?  I thought your heart was already dead?"

"No."  I was confused, so she explained.  "You see, when you become a vampire, your heart isn't the same.  It beats very slowly.  My last heart beat was a few hours ago.  It still beats because we are still aging.  But if you stop aging, then your heart stops too, forever."

"Well I have another question."  She waited.

"So, when will I become a full vampire?"

"Sometime before you become fourteen.  Any half vampire becomes a vampire in their thirteenth year of being a half vampire.  Since you have been a half vampire your whole life, then that is this year.  You will start becoming stronger and faster, and your senses will get better."

I was nearly paralyzed.  I had known that I would become a full vampire someday, but I didn't know that day was so soon.

I was going to become the world's greatest predator in less than a year.