Chapter Twenty-One (Nicholas)
"It's getting cold." Oscar muttered, rubbing his arms as he peered out the window before closing the curtains to turn and face me.
I just forced a smile, sitting at Oscar's crooked kitchen table with my hands on a mug of hot coffee that gave me goosebumps. Newt sat in the seat beside me, holding a cup of hot chocolate and quickly changing his disgusted expression to a sweet, innocent smile.
"What're you doin' so far out here anyhow, Nick? You can't drag kids out at night." Oscar scolded as he picked up his coffee, taking a deep gulp. I gave a nervous smile, rubbing the back of my neck as Newt kicked me under the table as a warning, but I kicked him back, making him yelp.
"Careful, that stuff is hot, kiddo." Oscar told him. Newt bit into his lip and smiled before hiding his face behind the mug, taking little sips and spitting it back into the cup quietly so Oscar wouldn't suspect. I looked away from him to study Oscar's face. He was impatiently waiting for a response that I honestly didn't have.
How could I tell him that I had joined some evil vampire clan just so I could get Alex back?
Oh shit, when I said it like that, I suddenly felt stupid. I shook it out of my head and just shrugged, taking a sip of hot chocolate, trying not to grimace at how heat sensitive my new fangs were. I set the mug down, looking up at Oscar, who was raising an eyebrow expectantly.
"Just takin' the kid for a walk and... hoping to see Alex." I added, feeling downhearted just by saying his name and grateful because the effect made Oscar believe me. He sighed, plopping down into a seat across from me, setting the mug down.
"Come on, man. You shouldn't get involved with that guy anyway. There's... something weird about him." He added. I frowned, looking at him confusion, ignoring the way Newt kept kicking my shin under the table.
"Weird?" I asked. Oscar nodded, taking a big gulp of hot coffee, and sighed.
"He's super smart. Did you know he's the one that got a perfect score on the SATs? Perfect score, man. That's inhuman. And I've never seen a zit on his face either. And you cannot tell me he used Proactive because that shit does not work, trust me." He added, waving his hand out for emphasis and shaking his head. I forced a smile.
"Because he's smart and hot makes him weird?" I asked, teasing him. Oscar blushed lightly, clearing his throat as he waved his hand at me.
"I ain't like you, Nick. I prefer a nice handful of breasts, maybe overflow," He added with a wink, making me roll my eyes and laugh, "I just think Alex is some kind of genetically altered human that the government lost." This time, I laughed even more as Oscar huffed in defense.
"Then explain how he looks just like his family?"
"Convenient placing."
"Oscar, that makes about as much sense as Red Field beating us at Homecoming."
"Okay, yea, that's true... But still, don't you think there's something different about him? He's not like Mark and those two usually end up together at some point or another. Whether Mark is taking his money or using him as a human shield." Oscar explained matter-of-factly. I knew full well what he meant.
I knew Alex was different.
He was different in more than one way. It wasn't just his perfect looks or his intelligence. He just stood out from everyone else and it was hard to pinpoint if it was just because he was a vampire or something even more special. Whatever it was, it attracted me to him even further.
I suddenly felt impatient.
I didn't want to sit here and catch up or run around hunting humans. I wanted to just hurry up and destroy Storm and get Alex back. The longer Alex and I were apart, the more my chest ached and my body burned. I wanted to hold Alex again, to kiss him and never let go.
"Listen," I said, getting up to my feet slowly, pretending to check the cat clock that hung over the stove, "I need to get this kid home, it's getting late. Don't tell my parents I'm here, though. They'll freak." Oscar got to his feet too, looking surprised. Newt sprang to his feet and tugged on my arm, looking up at me innocently, but I could see that his mind was working new ways to torment me.
Eye for an eye, brat.
"Already? Man, why're you so secretive all of a sudden? If you're doin' somethin' dangerous, ya'll better tell me." He warned, but I smiled reassuringly, dropping a hand on Newt's head to mess up his hair as best I could. I felt him tense under my hand.
"I'm fine, Oscar. Really. Since when did you become my mother?" I asked with a smirk. Oscar frowned.
"Since you keep disappearin' on me." He answered, sounding like a sulking child. I smiled and held my hand out to him.
"I'm fine, Oscar, really." I assured, waiting for him to shake my hand. Oscar hesitated, then sighed and reluctantly took my hand and pulled me against him for a half hug before he led Newt and I to the front door. To avoid suspicions, I went the other way down the sidewalk, holding Newt's hand tightly in mine as we went down the street. I waited until I heard Oscar's front door shut, which surprised me because we were a good block down the street before Newt hissed at me, jerking his hand out of my grip to fix his messed up hair.
"You're an idiot," Newt stated, his voice sharp and scolding, making me frown, "We came here to hunt, not for you to avoid it. You're going to have to drink sooner or later."
"I'm not drinking from my best friend." I snapped in irritation, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jacket. Newt frowned, lowering his arms and snorting in disgust.
"You no longer need friends. You have your clan and that's all that matters." He responded bitterly, spitting on the ground and smacking his lips together as if he could still taste the hot chocolate in his mouth. I frowned, glancing at him as we walked around the block back to the woods.
"Whoever said that is a liar. Oscar's still my friend and after this whole stupid war thing is over, I'm going back to the way things were and I'm taking Alex with me." I retorted. Newt barked out a laugh that made me scowl and look down, surprised to see him glaring at the path ahead of them in a way that told me he was hiding something.
"You're childish. That's what I hate about teenagers. You think if you do something right, for yourself, everything will turn out to be just fine. Well, allow me to let you in on a little secret... It's never okay. You're never going to have a happily ever after with your pureblood and you'll never see the end of this war. That's like saying the war between humans over religion will end. It will not. So long as religion continues to exist, there will never be peace or harmony. So long as Vladimir exists, there will be no happily ever after. Even after he is gone, it'll just be a moment's rest. After that, it's a battle against the human race." He explained, walking ahead of me. I blinked, rushing to catch up to him, the sound of my sneakers beating the sidewalk behind Newt's gentle little pitter-patters.
"What're you talking about? You act like--"
"I'm running the operation? I am." Newt responded harshly, making me stop. He also stopped, turning sideways to give me a dirty look as I stared at him in disbelief.
"You? But, Kristophe--"
"Is my subordinate. The one in charge of Zephyra is me. The one in charge of the rebellion is me. I am the next dictator and unlike Vladimir, I will see to it that vampires take their rightful place in the world." He informed, holding his head up high and proud. Just like some little king and all of a sudden, Newt didn't look like a child anymore.
He looked like a villain.
It reminded me of those scary movies with the children as the killers. Newt could easily put an innocent mask on, but underneath, something dark was brewing. Something that made Hitler and Osama look like a couple of toddlers and it sent an icy cold chill up my spine before Newt smiled.
"What's the matter? You're not scared of me now, are you? I was having so much fun bringing you done a few pegs." He said in an eerily calm tone, his smile melting and his eyes sharpening. I felt like I couldn't move. My whole body was frozen as I stared at Newt, who stared back at me, daring me to make a move.
"Quit teasing him." A voice ordered. I jerked my head up and Newt looked over boredly as Kristophe came from across the street, looking both ways as he crossed before he stood in front of us, frowning as he put a hand on his hip, glaring at me.
"What exactly did you think you were doing?" He demanded. I sputtered nonsense, unable to form a proper sentence as Newt shrugged his shoulders, glancing up at the night sky before looking at me.
"He's weak," Newt deadpanned, making me wince, "He is not to depend on anyone, but his clan. That is our rule. Vampires put their clans above anything else. Whether your members are in the right or wrong, you follow them because that is your instinct. Anything from your human life no longer exists."
"Except Alex." I insisted. Newt smirked.
"Then why did you not kill... what was his name? Oscar?" He asked, shrugging carelessly and making me twitch in irritation. Kristophe glared at me for a moment, then took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair before spreading his hands out as if to calm himelf down. He came up to me and I expected him to hit me, but I was stunned as Kristophe cupped my face in his hands, our eyes meeting.
"Nicholas, you need to listen to me. You made a deal with us. You can have Alexander all you'd like, but you must become part of our clan, before and after. You will fight with us. You'll be our soldier. You have no choice now, but to accept. The contract was made binding the moment you let me bite you. Everything else in your human life no longer exists. That man is no longer your best friend--"
"He is--"
"He is not," Kristophe barked, making me wince as he tightened his grip on my face, "You're not a child anymore. When you gave up your humanity, you gave up your innocence. Life isn't about getting the love of your life, a job, or having kids anymore. Your life is about fighting for what's right and what's right is for us to gain our rightful positions in this world. We're tired of hiding and being executed by nosy humans. We need to fight back and take back what the Goddess had originally given us, not them."
The air suddenly felt colder. A bitter wind nipped at my nose and cheeks and all I could do was nod stiffly as Kristophe slowly let go of my face. I blinked a few times, staring at him as he looked at Newt, who was coughing.
"I thought vampires couldn't get sick." I heard myself say stupidly. Newt scowled, then looked at Kristophe.
"We should get back. We'll try again tomorrow, but we're staying away from Wolf Creek. We should venture into Red Field and hunt there. We'll take things slower. Obviously he needs time to realize that his life is no longer is own." He explained sternly, then brushed past Kristophe and I toward one of the black trucks that was pulling up to pick us up. I glanced at Kristophe, whose frown deepened.
"Don't anger Newt," Kristophe stated, making me frown, "He may not look like much, but if he gets angry enough, he'll make you regret it. He's our leader for a reason."
"You should've told me he was psychotic." I muttered under my breath as we headed to a seperate vehicle. Kristophe laughed lightly as he got his car keys out, flipping through them as he approached the drivers' door.
"He's not psychotic," He promised, making me scrunch my nose up in distaste as we got in, "He's just angry. You'd be angry too if you family hated you. If your kind was looked down upon and if an evil dictator was ruining everything." I snorted as Kristophe turned the heat up, letting it blast through the vents and into my face, making me almost sigh in relief, but I was still too annoyed to care.
"How is Newt any different from Vladimir? They both sound sick and twisted." I insisted. Kristophe's eyes seemed to glow as he turned the headlights on, glancing at me before looking out the windshield.
"I asked myself that once... Then stabbed myself in the hand for it. Never question your leader. It'll only lead to more problems and the last thing our army needs is a revolt." He muttered, pulling out onto the street. I said nothing more.
I had a feeling if I did, I wouldn't enjoy the conversation. I was already feeling sick to my stomach and angry. Sick because I had almost killed my best friend. Angry because I didn't understand any of this and I really didn't want to.
I had a feeling that once Alexander found out what I was doing, he'd be so upset. I made a mental note to make it up to him.
At least, I hoped I could...