Chapter 4

Brent is looking at her. It was such an effort to move away after the kiss. He knew that she was no longer just the girl he had carried to safety two years ago. She was no longer only a friend. She meant a great deal more to him now. He wanted to be a lot more to her as well. 

Everyone starts moving around again, towards the dance floor, some towards the food and drinks. Brent notices Tasha and Emily walking toward them and snaps out of his reverie. He realizes that this cannot happen. It is not appropriate. He cannot get carried away by his feelings for Lilia. She doesn't even know who he is, and he is sure that if she ever learns the truth, she would not want to associate with him in any way. He takes a step back from her, "I need to make an important call. I'll be back in a couple of minutes." 

He walks through the crowd of people, all laughing, chatting, dancing, and drinking, out into the front lawn. It is much quieter here. He walks around to the left of the building, leans against the wall, and places his hand on his forehead, "Shit!" 

He takes a few deep breaths, "Lilia need never know what I feel for her. I'll go inside and act like this was all a game. Nothing has happened, and nothing will happen between us. That's it." 

It is when he starts to walk back that he hears it. Not from the building, but from outside the boundary of the school. From somewhere around the hill, the periphery of the forest. He closes his eyes and lets his vampire hearing explore the environment. He can distinguish a lot of sounds, but they are not important. He continues to explore until he hears it, quite clearly, low growling sounds, not one, but multiple. He focuses harder. He can now hear some panicked human voices as well. They are not very clear, and it is difficult for him to discern the words, but he is sure they are screaming, pleading, and crying. 

He opens his eyes and quickly takes out his mobile phone to make a call.

"Hello" Damion's voice comes from the other side

"The attack, I know where it is. Just beyond the hill that surrounds the school on the left." 

"Where are you?"

"I am in the school, but I can hear voices. I am sure it is an attack."

"Okay, I'll inform Ty, and we will be there in five minutes."

"I will join you guys."

"No, you will not!"

"What?"

"Yes, it is a full moon. It is not safe for you."

"I can't let you guys go alone."

"Yes, you will. It is unlikely that we would be able to stop their filthy party anyway, but we need to know what is going on and who these people are." 

"But-"

"You stay with Lilia and make sure she gets home safe. We will meet you there later."

"Okay, be careful."

"We will"

He cuts the call. 

Brent can hear voices from the party. He waits a little longer, staring intently at the hill. It has been over five minutes, D and Ty must have reached there. He stares harder, but it is impossible to see anything, even with his vampire vision. He sighs and finally decides to go back in. 

* 

"Where is Mr.Handsome going?" Tasha asks as she approaches Lilia.

"To make a call"

"You just can't say there is nothing between you two." says Emily, " It is so evident that there is something," she continues in a dreamy voice, "or more than something."

"No, it's nothing," Lilia states firmly. 

"Oh, God! Why are you being so adamant about this?" Tasha says, exasperated, "You guys have feelings for each other, and everyone can see it."

"I don't know." Lilia says in a small voice, "I mean, I like him, but I don't think he feels the same way. Why would he?"

"Are you crazy?" Emily says with an expression of shock, "Why would he? Oh, I don't know." She imitates an expression of being in deep thought, "Maybe because you are beautiful, smart,"

"Sometimes annoying," interjects Tasha, shaking her head. 

"Yes, that" continues Emily, "kind, helpful and you have been living around him for two years. It is obvious that he might develop feelings for you."

"Do you think I should talk to him about it?" Lilia asks.

"I think you should. It's been a fun night. You are outside, in an open and fun environment. It's a good time." Emily says as Tasha nods in agreement.

"Fine. I'll go and talk to him." 

Lilia takes a deep readying breath.

"That's the spirit!" exclaims Tasha, "Good luck!"

Lilia thinks that it would be a good idea to talk to him while he is outside, away from the crowd in a more secluded space. She walks out of the hall, through the wide porch, down the four stairs into the lawn outside. She looks around, but cannot see him anywhere. She turns to the right and starts walking, all the while looking around for any signs of him. At the end of the building, there is a long narrow alley to the right that leads to the back of the hall building and the main school campus. She takes a few steps into the alley, but all lights are switched off, so it is very dark, and she can't see anything. 

She doesn't think he is here and decides to turn back, but then she notices a silhouette in the dark. She tries to make out who it is. It looks like a man. She gets an odd feeling about whoever it is and takes a step back. 

Suddenly, there is a movement, and a second later, a hand is covering her mouth as she feels another one on her arm holding her in place. She finds herself staring into a pair of dark red eyes, and has no idea what is happening. How does this man who looks so human and so un-human at the same time manage to get to her in a second from twenty feet away? She tries to struggle, but it is impossible to move. He is too strong.  

He opens his mouth, and she sees that his incisors are longer, larger, and sharper than a normal human's. She is petrified. She doesn't know what is going to happen to her, but she knows it is nothing good. The man slowly lowers his face to her neck, and she feels the sharp teeth dig into her flesh. 

Before she has a chance to register anything more, someone from behind throws the man off her, and she sees someone flashing past her. She sees two people struggling against each other and they look like two blurs. Who are these people, and what is going on? She can't understand anything. A moment later she realizes that the second person is Brent. But how is he moving this way?

She sees Brent raise the other man with one hand and slam him to the ground, from where he gets up and vanishes in a flash. She moves to her right and notices Brent's face in the moonlight. He doesn't look like himself. But before she can see any more, he turns away.

When he turns back to her, he looks his usual self.

"Are you alright?" he asks as his eyes dart to the little droplets of blood on her neck. He hands her a handkerchief, and she places it on the wound.

"I am okay."

She keeps staring at him and then asks in a low voice.

"What are you?"

He averts his eyes and says, "You have been through a lot tonight. Let's go home."

"I am not going anywhere." she says, raising her voice, "until you answer my question."

"Lilia, this is not the time or place for it. Let's go home."

"No!" she says angrily, "What will you do? Force me? Or come up with another lie to add up to the bunch of lies you have been telling me for the past two years. I know you don't owe me the truth, but after the friendship, bond, and trust we have shared, I do think that I deserve the truth." 

Brent takes a deep breath with a pained expression, "I know you deserve to know. I will tell you everything you want to know, but let's go home first. Please." 

They look at each other for a few more seconds, then Lilia finally says, "Okay", turns around, and starts walking. 

They walk silently to the car and don't say a word to each other for the entire way back home. It was becoming harder for Lilia to control herself from asking a million questions revolving in her head with each passing second. But she managed it by telling herself that in a few minutes, she would know everything.

They park the car and walk inside. Lilia does not wait for even a second and immediately says, "Talk!".

Brent opens his mouth to say something when the door to the house opens again, and Damion enters supporting Tyrus on his shoulder. Both Lilia and Brent run over to them. There is a large blood stain on Tyrus' t-shirt near the stomach area.

"Oh My God! What happened?" Lilia asks, shocked.

Damion doesn't answer her and carries Tyrus to the couch, where he lays him down.

"Don't worry Lilia, I am okay. It's just a small injury." Tyrus says once he is comfortable on the couch.

"What do you mean by “it's a small injury”? You are soaked in blood Ty. That doesn't look like a small injury to me." Lilia exclaims in a high-pitched voice.

"Lilia, you should go to your room. We'll help Ty change so that he can rest, and we'll tell you everything in the morning." Damion says.

"You mean you will come up with a lie till morning?" she says pointedly. 

Damion is confused. He looks at Lilia and notices the mark on her neck. Then, he glances at Brent looking disheveled and disturbed. He pauses for a minute and then says, "What has happened with you guys?"