That afternoon, in the safety of my room, I paced back and forth. I held my cell phone in my hands, my thumb hovering over the screen. Could I really do it? Infiltrate the Purists and get information out of them? I was no actor. Was the Prince's innocence really that important? A part of me already knew the answer. Yes, it was important because otherwise, he would continue to bug me. If I helped him, the contract would be gone and I would never have to see the Prince again. How could I say no to a reward like that?
"Alright," I told myself. "You can do this."
'Hey, Carlos,' I typed in the message. 'Can we talk? This whole thing got me thinking. I'm not exactly sold on the whole top of the food chain thing but -
"I can't let the Vampire Prince run rampant anymore," I muttered. "He needs to be stopped. Period and send."
I held my breath. Would he text back immediately? Nope. I plopped down on my bed. This was so stupid. Why did I have to agree on this? The better question was: why did I believe the Prince didn't commit that crime? I still hadn't found the answer to that.
Sighing, I tossed the phone on the mattress and reached for my bag pack at the foot of the bed. With the Prince's help, I was able to convince the front office at school that I needed time away from the school because of recent events. The Prince had said, "consider it a bonus." A bonus for being suckered into helping him out. It's not like I didn't appreciate what he did but I didn't like the thought of owing him. He was the type of . . . vampire that would lord it over you until you repaid him.
This will all be over soon, I reminded myself.
If, and that was a big if, Carlos took me back to the base, Pat and the others wouldn't be too trusting or they will. It could go both ways. However, they wouldn't leave me wandering around on my own. They'll have a surveillance system set up. Before, they didn't check me for any trackers. That didn't mean that they didn't have a communications scrambler with them or some EMP wave emitter. They were that confident in allowing a stranger in - the Purists had the technology to back them up.
If that was the case, they wouldn't suspect Carlos. He was one of them. If I could get a recording device on Carlos, he would do all the work for me. All I had to worry about was he and them discovering that he had one on him. However, that begged the question, where was I going to get a recording device small enough to be planted. The thought went further. I could plant other listening devices and pick them up when I returned. The risk remained. I didn't want to think about what would happen if I was found out. The Prince had promised to protect me. His word counted for something right?
Shaking my head, I pulled out my homework from my bag pack. Luckily, all my afternoon teachers had prepared a copy of the lesson for me, I didn't miss much. There was a couple of reading assignments I had to finish but that wouldn't take long.
A knock came from the window. He was learning manner rather quickly. I bit my lip. Should I let him in or not?
"You can come in," I told him.
Then he was there, sitting in my desk chair. I didn't say anything else to him. Instead, I focused on my reading. What did the government have to say about housing laws? I was half-way done with the first page when he spoke.
"What did they say?" he asked.
I glanced up from the packet. "Nothing," I told him. "I send the message. Haven't replied."
His neutral expression didn't reveal his thoughts. A strange buzz came from the mattress. I dropped the packet and lunged towards my cell phone. The Prince was suddenly beside me on the bed, hovering behind my shoulder. I looked at the screen. It was an email.
"Figures," the Prince muttered.
I laid on my stomach staring the dark screen. This was ridiculous. The mattress suddenly dipped beside me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the Prince sitting at the edge of my bed. His back was to me.
"How are you going to infiltrate the vampires?" I asked him, resting my head on the mattress. "Can you also control other vampires with your mind?"
"This is the figure I wish to show," he answered.
Surprised, I raised my head and glanced at him. As if sensing my gaze, he turned around. He raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't honestly think that I can't change my appearance, right?"
I sat up. "Well excuse me if I'm ignorant of how vampire's powers work," I retorted. "No one believes half the crap the government tells us but that's the only thing we have to go on. I mean, don't you think this is a little unfair? You expect me to know things but how can I when you don't say anything and the government is trying to keep everything a secret?"
"Ask."
My eye twitched. "Like it's that easy," I grumbled. "So, what? I can ask you anything and you'll answer just like that?" I snapped my fingers.
He didn't say anything. Instead, he went back to staring at my closet. He as oddly nice and cooperative.
"Why are you so violent?" I blurted out. "You've choked me twice, tried to bite me, and yanked my arm off. Seriously, you're a really abusive boyfriend." I sighed. I've been doing that a lot lately. "I need to dump you."
For the longest time, he didn't answer. Right. Ask, he said. I could ask all I want that didn't mean I was going to get answers.
"Is this ability just because you're you -"
"Force of ha -"
We stopped at the same time. I dropped my gaze. It was then that I could hear the blood pounding in my ears. He had started to answer me and I had ruined it.
"It must have been tough," I said hesitantly. "Waking up in a world where everything changed. Humans spread, empires rose and fell, and you're left with a pit under your feet. You had to change with the time."
I continued before he could speak. "A lot of vampires say you were a really good ruler once. The King had stepped down and you took charge. They said you were caring. That you wanted what was best for them. Some want to believe that this persona you embody is just that. Are they telling the truth? Is it for show?"
Before the Prince could speak, my phone buzzed again. I gave the device a glare before looking at the screen. This time, Carlos had replied.
"What did he say?" the Prince asked.
He had heard my increase heart rate. I looked at the message. "I can understand that," I read aloud. "And . . . that's all he sent."
Another message came through. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"What do you think genius?" I muttered. "Now he thinks on being subtle. Granted, I shouldn't be sending almost terrorist stuff through a phone."
'It's frustrating,' I typed. 'I wish I could do something. Maybe petition outside on the streets or go to the press or something. Anything.'
"There," I said, pressing send. "Now, those spying on our messages won't think I'm a terrorist."
The Prince shook his head. "Maybe you should also put that you're trying to go undercover into a terrorist cell so they know that you're one of the good guys."
I smacked the Prince on the arm. He looked like he'd been punched. In the face. And it actually hurt. My heart was ready to stop. Heat flushed over my face.
"Don't be a smart ass," I forced out. "I'm trying to help you. I know this sounds stupid but it's the best I got. Okay?"
I blew the imaginary hair from my face and looked down at my phone. Carlos sent another message.
I cleared my throat and read it. "Let's meet up. Our usual place."
'Sure,' I typed. 'How about in an hour?'
The replied happened almost instantly. 'Alright. See you then.'
I flashed the screen to the Prince. "The bait is set," I told him. "I just need to convince him to trust me and then I can infiltrate. Like a ninja."
The Prince made a noise at the back of his throat that may have sounded like laughter. I looked at him suspiciously. His face was expressionless.
"Maybe you can mind control him or something," I continued. "Would that work? Or is there a way to like stop it from taking effect? Does the person know that they were under the influence? I'm only asking because it could blow my cover."
"They feel groggy," the Prince explained hesitantly. "Like they woke from a dream. They won't remember exactly how they got from point A to point B."
I nodded waiting for him to continue but he didn't speak. "And?" I asked.
He rubbed his face. For a moment, I stared. Our eyes met. If I looked closely enough, the area around his eyes was darker. I leaned closer. Honestly, take away the lighter skin color and the predatory aura around them, vampires were just like everyone else. Except they had dangerous abilities that they (for the most part) used to get the advantage of humans.
"What?"
"Nothing," I said, looking away. I cleared my throat loudly. "You were saying?"
"The mind control as you call it works on different degrees depending on the person," he said. "It also depends on the vampire. You . . . are actually one of the few I've encountered that didn't fall under my influence."
I sat up straighter at that.
"Have you been under the influence before?" he suddenly asked. "The effects of the influence wanes over time."
I shivered. It was suddenly cold and breathing was difficult. "N-not really," I stammered out. "I'm just stubborn is all." I cleared my throat. "I need to get ready for meeting Carlos. You should go. Come by later and we can plan our next move."
I grabbed the reading packet from the floor and skimmed through it. The words blurred and no matter how many times I reread them, I still couldn't understand what they were saying. I snuck a look at the Prince but he was gone. I felt my chin trembled. It's alright, I told myself. Let's get ready. Focus on the now, not on the past. We have a terrorist cell to infiltrate.