Chapter Two

There was definitely no way I could endure seven hours of schooling while being so on edge as I presently am, I needed to go somewhere alone. I was an expert in sneaking away from school, and I took full advantage of the fact that invisibility was one of the most advantageous abilities you could have.

I angrily shut my locker door behind me and when I made to leave, I noticed Jake right there. I stepped around him and went to the entrance.

"Wait, Rhea!" he yelled.

I huffed and looked to him. "What do you want from me?" I asked irritably.

"No, I just...why are you so mad?" His voice was broken.

It was unbelievable that he couldn't comprehend why I was infuriated. Men could be so clueless. "You just had to inform my mom about what happened last night," I barked.

"I was worried about you. You were pretty close to death, I thought she had to be aware of that," he replied.

"Because of you, I have to have a guardian now when I hunt, like a small kid," I complained.

He made a face of understanding. "Perhaps if you don't create any problems, your mom will take it back soon," he proposed. "I'm sorry."

My anger was almost gone by this point. It was hard to stay mad at him when he was basically begging. I kept my mouth closed and spent a minute thinking over it. After a while, I murmured, "Okay, that is enough, I'm not mad any longer."

"Where are you going off to now," he looked from my empty bag pack, to the exit door which I was facing. "Are you going to skip class again?"

"Are you going to report me again?" I eyed.

"Jeez, no." He looked emotional.

I let out a deep breath.

"Okay, I will stay," I finally stated.

He looked obviously relieved and I moved back to my locker, gathering my books and supplies. Class would begin in around five minutes.

I got to class and proceeded to my regular seat in the back.

"Hi," my friend Anna said when she marched in.

"Hi," I answered and we talked until the teacher commenced the lecture.

The first three classes went by as ordinary as anyone could expect. The teachers lectured, the students slept, and the usual order of school life stayed in balance. Of course, this peaceful scene was disturbed when lunchtime arrived.

I was heading to meet Jake at our normal table and that was when I saw him.

Perfect looks, solid jaw, well-manicured but tousled light brown hair and the most impressive heavenly blue eyes I had ever seen. Vampire.

My senses were in overdrive, I could sense it; the intended safety measure in my head was screaming at me to pursue him while my logical side was encouraging me to overlook him. My heart pulsated speedily, something felt off key; his powers were way too mightier than average.

The vampire sensed me as well because he stiffened and raised his head from the food he had been playing with. His eyes did a fast scan of me and then he shifted back placid, most likely deciding I wasn't a menace to him, and he further made it obvious he found me dull when he looked into my eyes and smirked.

"Rhea," Jake called behind me. He instantly noticed the vampire and scowled. "Come on," he said.

"When have you ever heard of a vampire that goes to school?" I inquired, once we were a safe distance away.

"Never," he answered sternly. "I'm baffled too, there is no explanation for his presence."

"Actually," I contradicted him, "there's a clear answer. I think it would be convenient for an attractive vampire to spot teenage girls to suck on in a secondary school."

"Do you think he's good looking?" Jake sounded jealous.

I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean."

Jake and I stayed together for the remaining part of lunch and then we made our way to fourth period. We both stopped dead on our tracks when we entered the room, sitting in the seat right next to mine was none other than our new vampire acquaintance. The bell rang.

"Get to your seats," Mrs. Sally told us. She went to the chalkboard and started writing the day's assignments.

I gazed from Mrs. Sally to Jake then walked to my desk. I was uncomfortable, both with the vampire's presence and being aware of Jake's attention on me. The hairs on the back of my head stood on end and I would have much preferred for Jake to have been seated closer to me, instead his seat was at the far end of the class.

"Alright, we have a new student in this class," Mrs. Sally pointed out while turning to the vampire. "Travis, don't hesitate to come to me after school if you need assistance, or you can ask Rhea for help. She is exceptionally proficient at this subject." She pointed at me.

"Thank you," he uttered to the teacher and smiled at me. His smile wasn't menacing, or arrogant, or even dangerous. It was friendly.

I glared back at him, and noticed that he was attempting to hypnotise me. No way was I going to allow two vampires to hypnotize me within 48 hours. This time I firmly rooted my concentration, not allowing myself to be overpowered by his tactics. He looked away first and I also shifted my view to the chalkboard, satisfied that I was able to hold control of my mind. 

During the first half of the class, I concentrated on Travis. I observed his behavior stealthily, not seeming to be too interested though, as hunters are well-versed in the art of subtlety.

After the first session of the lesson we had a few minutes to do whatever we liked, so as usual students started to converse, listen to their mp3 players, send text messages, and gossip.

Travis was the only one in the class who actually seemed to be doing his math. He raised his head up and noticed Jake's sharp gaze on him. Instead of retaliating, Travis lifted his arm.

Mrs. Sally peered up and replied, "Yes?"

"I am having difficulty with question six," he said.

Mrs. Sally, already assisting another student said, "Rhea, can you help Travis, please?"

"Alright," I answered, seething on the inside. Today was certainly not favoring me.

Jake's glare sharpened, and Travis returned the gesture with a smirk. He moved his chair nearer to mine and talked, "So do you understand question six? I have attempted to answer it correctly, but it does not quite tally with the answer in the book."

I glared at him and examined his work, then uttered grudgingly, "you have to subtract 'A squared' and 'B squared'." I explained.

He sent me a friendly smile mouthing a "Thanks."

He made no effort to move back to his desk so I stared questioningly at him.

"So your name is Rhea, right?" he tried to start a conversation.

I replied rudely, "Can you move your seat away?" 

He chuckled lightly, and damn, I would have preferred to hear a rather insane laugh, something to make me dislike him the more.

Suddenly, the bell sounded and I hastily gathered my things and dashed out of the room. 

Once outside, I spotted Jake.

"We must do something about him quickly," he spoke first.

"Agreed," I said, "we can tend to him after school."

When I entered for the next class, I almost found myself giggling whimsically over my harebrained belief that nothing bad could happen again today. Who do you think was seated directly behind my desk? The same smile that I had witnessed previously gazed directly up at me.

Travis didn't speak to me for the entire period, meaning the proposed conversation in maths class had been deliberately constructed to irritate Jake. It made sense actually; it was inconceivable for a vampire to have a friendly relationship with a hunter afterall.

"So what part of the country did you move from?" I heard Michelle ask him.

"I stayed in New York for the last couple of years, but I've been in different places before that, my family relocates regularly," he answered.

"How about Florida? Do you like it here?" she continued, fluttering her eyes foolishly.

"It is too early to say," he replied, hinting at a smile.

I could bet on the fact that Michelle was entranced by the attention. People were always astounded by vampires' captivating beauty; it was a little pitiful. I wondered how long it would take Travis before he attempted to suck her blood and if I would be the one to rescue her.

I listened cautiously to his words and thought about how much of it was truth. Any small fact regarding your enemy is always helpful to know.

"And where do you live now?" Lisa, another girl, posed her own question.

"I'm not far from school," Travis answered vaguely.

I wasn't surprised; of course he wouldn't divulge the real location of the crypt he calls a home, not in front of a hunter.

The bell brought me back from my trance and I hastened to put my belongings away and rush out of the room. I always felt uneasy in the presence of vampires and I was not used to being in close proximity to them without my weapons. The rest of the day went by and thankfully I didn't encounter Travis again.

When I got home, I held several thoughts in my head and then realized that the only way to get my restrictions taken away would be to prove myself worthy in some way. Killing Travis would surely be a good way to do that. I briefly imagined myself being a hero and quickly realised how unlikely it was. I was a very powerful hunter, no doubt, but I was notorious for making mistakes and getting in over my head. And like I had sensed earlier, Travis was powerful; he would not be an easy target. I would have to map out a strategy.