I started concentrating on the things around me. I started hearing the faintest whispers of my mom’s mind. I concentrated harder and I could understand what she was thinking.
I tried communicating. It worked and I asked, Mom, can you hear me?
I knew she could because, with my vampire hearing I could hear her gasp. She came up to my room and knocked on the door. She asked, “Can I come in?”
Why? So you can nag me more about not trusting Mike.
“No, I want to talk to you about something.”
I walked to the door and unlocked it. I said, “Come in.”
“Thank you.”
“Whatever.”
“Don’t take that tone with me young lady.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Did Mike teach you telepathy?”
“No.”
“Okay. Like I said, I don’t trust him. I don’t want him teaching you things that your mind or body is not mature enough to handle. By the way, since you have telepathy now, you can use it as a mind control.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but I don’t want you taking advantage of it. If I find out you are, you’re going to be grounded for the rest of your life and you’re going to live a very long time. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Yes what?”
“Yes ma’am. Can I go over to Mike’s?”
“Yes, be very, very careful.”
“Thanks, bye.”
“Be back by eight.”
“’Kay.”
I ran down stairs and out the door. I searched for him with my mind. Mike, are you out here?
I’m here.
Where are you?
“Behind you.”
I gasped and said, “Don’t do that! You almost made my heart stop early.”
He had sneaky smile on his face. He was in front of me before I knew he had moved. He leaned forward and bit before I could do anything.
Mike’s P.O.V.-
I bit into her neck; the taste of blood during transformation is the best blood in the world aside from one’s La tua cantante. I’ve tasted many on the week of transformation, but never any like this. It must be her human side that makes it this good.
She pushed hard enough to knock me five feet away. I landed hard on the ground. It didn’t hurt, of course, but I was shocked. She was so strong for her young age.
Jade’s P.O.V.-
I pushed him off and he landed five feet away. There was no pain on his face, instead, there was shock. I walked over to him, took his hand, and helped him up. I asked, “What in the world was that for?!”
“Shhh, your mom will hear us,” Mike said as he pressed his lips to mine. I shoved him off, but not as hard.
I took him into the woods where I knew nobody could hear us. I yelled, “What was that for?!”
“I’m sorry. Your blood smells so good and you’re so beautiful.”
“You know I have a boyfriend.”
“So, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“MIKE!!!”
“What?”
“How could you say that?”
“I’m sorry! Just looking at you makes me lose any sense I have. I can’t think straight.”
“Let’s go to your house.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
“Why?”
“That’s where my family is.”
“As long as they don’t know who I am, I’ll be fine.”
“Telepathy. They’ll read our minds. Well, I guess we could try walls.”
“What?”
“Block someone from reading your mind. A stronger telepath, though, can get past your wall. Like Laylah, she may be a problem.”
“Who?”
“Laylah, my sister, is a pretty strong telepath and she’s only fifteen.”
“I’ll try to block you out,”
I visualized a wall and couldn’t sense anyone in my head. I could still read his. He was concentrating hard and coming up blank.
He said, “Very good, I couldn’t hear a thing.”
We ran to his house and made it there around six forty-five. We walked in to find six other vampires in the living room. We’d walled our minds before we were in hearing range.
A girl asked, “Who’s this?”
“This is Jade. Jade, this is my Aunt Clarice, Claudine, and Rose'. This is Uncle Matt, Felix, and Jackson. Where is Laylah?”
Rose' said, “Upstairs, in her room.”
Mike said, “Thanks. Come on Jade.”
Mike’s P.O.V.-
Jade had a very strong wall up. Rose' said Laylah was upstairs, in her room. I took Jade up to meet Laylah.
I said, Here we go.
Jade’s P.O.V.-
I double checked my walls, which, according to Mike, was almost useless. He led me down the hall and knocked on a door.
Someone said, “Come in.”
We walked in and Mike said, “Laylah, this is Jade. Jade, Laylah.”
There sat a thin, pale girl. She was paler than any of the vampires downstairs. Her hair was jet black and shined like silk. Her eyes were a shocking jade green.
She said, “I know. I heard you introducing her downstairs.”
Her voice was as sweet sounding as an angel’s would be. She asked, “Is she your ‘girlfriend’?”
I could hear the quotation marks around girlfriend. She meant, am I his dinner.
I answered for him, “No, I’m not.”
Her smell was strange. She still had a hint of human in her. It made my fangs come out involuntarily.
She gasped and said, “She’s a vampire, like us. The last vampires we met was two years ago. When we were still human-ish.”
“I know. Will you go for a walk with us?”
“Mike, you wouldn’t?” I asked.
Mike’s P.O.V.-
I asked Laylah to go for a walk with us. I could hear worry in Jade’s voice.
I said, “Don’t worry, Jade.” I said to Laylah, “Jade’s still nervous around other vampires. She’s only four days old.”
“That’s why I heard a heart beat.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.”
“Okay, I’m telling you, the longer it takes us to find Redfields, the grumpier you get.”
Jade had remained calmed and didn’t give anything away. Her wall didn’t even waver. She had excellent control.
Jade’s P.O.V.-
I had kept control when Laylah had mentioned Redfields. We walked back down stairs. Luckily I’d remembered to retract my fangs so nobody stared at us.
Mike said, “We’re going for a walk. ”
Jackson said, “Don’t kill her.”
“I won’t.”
Laylah said, “I won’t either.”
We walked into the woods behind his house. We walked far out of hearing range.
Laylah’s P.O.V.-
We’d walked out of hearing range, so I knew it was important.
Mike took my arm as if he was trying to hold me back. He said, “Laylah, DO NOT overreact. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I won’t overreact.” I said.
“Good, now listen very carefully, her name is Jade Redfield.”
I gave an involuntary hiss. I said, “You filthy Redfield scum.”
“Laylah be nice.”
“Why? It’s not like her uncle was nice when he killed out parents.”
“Well, it’s not like your mom was nice when she killed my dad! Why are you here anyway?”
“We want you, and any other family members we can get, dead!”
“Why? My dad’s dead and your parents are dead, we should be even.”
“Your mom’s not dead.”
“No, she’s not, and she can’t protect herself either.”
“Why not? She’s just as capable as any of us.”
“No , she’s not!”
“Mike, what’s it talking about?”
“Her mom can’t protect herself. Are you deaf?”
“Why not?”
“Her mom is human.”
I was shocked. That was something I wasn’t expecting. I actually felt pity for her.
I mean, she’s grown up without a dad and going through stages of vampirism alone. She had it worst than I did. She had the temptation of killing her own mother, she didn’t need us.
She said, “I hear what you’re thinking. I also have to live with wanting to kill my boyfriend. Mike put it as he’s my La tua cantante.”
Mike’s P.O.V.-
I couldn’t believe how well it was going. Laylah hadn’t even lunged at her.
I said, a little jokingly, “Are you two done fighting? Usually when chick’s fight, I find it amusing, but not with you guys.”
Jade asked, “Laylah, you won’t hurt me, will you? Or my mom?”
“No.”
I said, “Laylah, you know how everybody puts us down.”
“Yeah.”
“Jade didn’t, not after I told her who killed her dad or what we were going to do to her family.”
“Wow, nobody ever treats us like that.”
“Mom doesn’t trust you, though.”
“Its okay, Mom did kill her husband. She can remember him, you can’t.”
“I know. I wish I could have.”
“From the stories people have told us, he was a strong fighter and hard to kill.”
“Mom doesn’t like talking about him. She gets depressed.”
“It’s okay. I won’t tell anybody. Mike won’t either. Will you Mike?”
“No, I already told her I wouldn’t.”
“Good little boy.”
“Just because you’re two years older than me, does NOT make me little!”
“Yes it does.”
“What about Jade? She’s a month younger than me.”
“Yeah, but she’s a girl. We get along.”
“What’s her being a girl have to do with it?
“One, I’m a girl, too and two, you’re my little brother.”
“I still don’t get it.”
Jade and Laylah said at the same time, “Boys!”
“Great, now I have two girls to gang up on me.”
“Don’t worry; I won’t be as bad as Laylah. I promise.”
“Thanks.”
Jade’s P.O.V.-
We walked back to the house where the walls went back up. They weren’t interested in us. They thought we’d been out hunting.
Laylah could still get in my head. I wasn’t worried about her anymore. Mike wasn’t, either. I looked at the clock. It was seven o’ clock. I still had an hour. An hour with a boy that could only hope I would cheat on my boyfriend.
The thing was, I’d enjoyed that kiss. Ash had never kissed me like that, but I still loved him. My heart was torn. I had started loving Mike, too. As I realized this, my heart started aching and I was confused.
I said, “I need to go.”
Laylah could sense my confusion and heart ache. I could see it on her face.
Mike’s P.O.V.-
I knew Jade had an hour left. Laylah had confusion written across her face. That made me confused because Laylah always knew what someone is thinking.
Jade left and let her wall down too early. Nobody could’ve read anything if they wanted to because her head was full of pain and confusion. I knew Laylah had gotten a stronger blow because she actually flinched.
She asked, What is her problem?
Laylah, if you don’t know, I don’t know.
Jade’s P.O.V.-
I walked out of Mike’s house and made it to the end of the driveway before I lost control. I couldn’t hold up a wall any longer. I knew it was too soon because I could feel Mike and Laylah in my head. The rest of the family was too busy with evening activities to pay any attention.
I felt Laylah flinch as she got the full blow of my pain. I didn’t know what to do. I felt sorry for her; right now, I was an emotional wreck.
I got home around seven o’ five. Mom asked, “Back so early?” Then she looked at me. “Honey, what’s wrong? Did he hurt you?”
“No. It’s me.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No. I’m going to bed.”
“This early?”
“Yes!”
“Okay.”
I lay on my bed, crying into my pillow. Mom knocked on the door.
I said, “I’m not going to talk about it!”
I heard her walk away. I cried myself to sleep that night. I woke up around the normal time. My eyes were bloodshot. I got ready at a human pace. I ran to school to avoid Maggie and anybody else.
I made it there before most people arrived. I was still a little depressed.
Maggie’s P.O.V.-
I arrived at school and found Jade, alone, at the pick nick tables. I asked, “What’s wrong, Jade?” She seemed depressed.
“I don’t want to talk about it, Maggie.”
“Are you sure?”
“No.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you.”
“I like Mike.” She said, quietly.
“What?”
“Maggie, I like Mike.”
“What about Ash?”
“I love him, too.”
“You only met Mike yesterday.”
“I know, but he kissed me like Ash never had.”
“You kissed him?!”
“He kissed me. I shoved him off as soon as he did. I didn’t know he was going to.”
“He kissed you?!”
“Yes! It was so passionate.”
“Here comes Ash.”
“Hey Ash.”
“Hey. What were you guys talking about?”
“Nothing, homework, she needed help on her homework.”
“Okay.”
“Ash, get away,” she said slowly.
“Why?”
She seemed strange today.
Jade’s P.O.V.-
“Ash, get away.”
“Why?”
“Your smell, It’s wavering my control.”
“I’m sorry, Jade.”
He left. I thought, What have I done? I’ve done nothing wrong. Yes I have, I’ve let two guys start running my life in less than twenty-four hours.
I said, “Maggie, you go too. Your smell is too tempting. I’m losing control.”
“’Kay.”
She left, too. I looked for Mike or Laylah. When I couldn’t see them I asked, Mike, Laylah? Are you at school?
Yes.
Laylah, can you come here? Without Mike.
Yeah.
Sure, leave me out.
Mike, not now!
Okay.
Laylah was by my side in seconds. I said, “Laylah, I need guy help. I want Mike and I love Ash. I don’t know what to do.”
“Well, I think you should stay with Ash.”
“Laylah, I almost attacked him this morning. I had just enough control to tell him to leave.”
“It’ll be good control practice for you. If you two ever go anywhere, like a movie, I’ll be there to help you.” All you have to do is call with your mind.
“Thanks Laylah. And to think that yesterday, you didn’t even know I existed and you wanted me dead anyway. There’s the bell. Bye.””
“I know. Bye.”
All my classes weren’t going very well. I was focusing on not killing anybody. I had no time to pay attention to the teachers. Whenever a teacher asked me a question, I would read their minds to find the answer.
My English teacher announced the Friday essay. When she saw me not working, she said, “Miss Redfield! Tell me the topic for today’s essay.”
She was standing so close to me. I could hear her pulse beneath the thin, delicate layer of skin. I could feel, almost see, the heat radiating off of her.
I read her mind and said, “We’re creating stories of mythical creatures and putting ourselves in that position.”
“Good. Class, keep working, and you, Miss Redfield, get to work.”
I wrote my story in vampire speed. Mine wasn’t made up. I wrote about my life.
Lunch was next. We all sat outside, Maggie, Ash, Mike, Laylah, and I. I sat in between Ash and Laylah, Mike sat by Laylah, and Maggie sat by Ash.
Ash asked, “Are you okay with me here?”
I looked at Laylah and she shook her head yes.
I said, “Yes, I’m okay. Can I come over after school?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Then, n-n-n yes.”
“Thanks Ash. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I could feel jealousy in my head. I could tell he was trying to keep it back but wasn’t being very successful.
Mike, leave him alone!
Fine.
----------------------------------------------------------Read Me---------------------------------------------------------
The Pic is of Laylah.