Chapter 10

It was another hour and a half before mom and I made our way home. We weren't alone. Logan's truck was right behind us. He was concerned for mom as much as I was. Mom's eyes were puffy and red and tired by the time the town hall meeting was over so I offered to drive but Logan was still worried about her. I wasn't opposed to it. Yes, I am protective over my mother but Logan was too and he offered a kind of comfort that I couldn't. 

The night was quieter than ever. The howls of dogs broke the silence. 

I nosed the van into the drive and Logan packed right behind me. Mom came out of the car and went inside immediately. Logan came up behind me and patted my back before following her. The laughing huge bear of a man wore a long grim face. I could tell that mom's mood affected him as much as it did me. 

Snow was beginning to fall again so I rolled the windows of mom's van up and threw the plastic cover over it. 

Inside, mom was putting away our half-eaten dinner. Logan was slumped on the couch in the sitting room with an arm over his eyes.

Mom looked up from the plate she was clearing and smiled weakly.

"Are you hungry?"

"No," I replied. The food had been delicious until the news of death made it sour. "I'll just head upstairs."

"Alright."

I started to climb the stairs when she called out, "Shawn?"

I turned to face her. "I'll be fine, okay. I know you're a little worried about me. I'll get over my grief."

I nodded. 

"Sleep well."

"Thanks, mom. You too."

I went to my room. Thanks to the heater it was less cold than I thought it would be. Pulling off my coat and socks I climbed into bed and leaned against my propped-up pillow. Honestly, this is my first death experience. People barely committed suicide in San Frease and when they did, it wasn't young people who did it, it was always some sucker who got duped by a con artist. 

Seeing mom and Logan, two cheerful people all shaken up was hard.

It wasn't long before the warmth of the heater enveloped me, causing my eyes to droop. Even though I had hoped to stay awake a bit longer for mom's sake, I found myself drifting in and out of sleep until I could barely keep my eyes open anymore.

Cocooned under the cover of my blanket, thoughts of Tessa's death drifted away. 

Until I found myself in the woods. 

Tall trees with dark brown barks covered with climbing ivy and moss surrounded me on every side, their branches, thick and heavy with moss from the rain, held huge green leaves. The air was clean, and the fragrance of pine scented the air. The atmosphere was serene and beautiful. But that beauty was deceiving. 

I looked around me appreciating the view but somewhere at the back of my mind, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something hideous was hiding under the covers of green leaves and white flowers blooming from the shrubs underneath. With all the beauty of this wood, not a single sound was heard. Not even the sound of a nesting bird broke the silence.

I looked down and saw in surprise that I was wearing a dark red cloak with a huge gold emblem resting heavily against my chest. Even more surprising was the fact that I was barefooted. My bare feet rested on a wet mossy rock. When I lifted my leg to clear some of the moss there was no sound. Nothing at all. It was quiet. 

Then a slight ruffling, silent as a whisper, broke the silence.

Like a rabbit digging a hole. 

The ruffle came again. This time it was louder. Something was moving. It was coming from the densely packed trees in front of me. 

Slowly the ruffling became louder and louder until the edge of a dark red cloak appeared in the dim light of the woods. A pale foot appeared beneath the cloak. 

Then another.

Then another. 2 pairs of feet under one cloak.

I watched, rooted to the mossy rock on which I stood. Whoever was walking hiding under the shadow of the cloak had not noticed me. The second pair of feet floated off the floor, more accurately it dragged against the wet leaves of the forest floor. 

The cloaked figure moved from behind the tree into full view. A hood covered what happened to be a female face. The exposed lower half of the face had lips as red as blood and skin as pale as snow. The dragging pair of feet was concealed in the huge cloak and from where I stood I could see the bulge and outline of whoever it was squirming for release.

A sense of alarm rose from within me. In a surge of curiosity, I stepped down from the rock and followed the cloaked figure. Whoever it was didn't seem to hear me trail them from behind. It helped that my steps were silent and my cloak made no sound as it scrapped the forest floor and its wet leaves. 

The figure came to a clearing, stopped, and spread its cloak wide. A body dropped with a whimper.

The cloaked figure moved to stand in front of it, giving me a full view of who it was on the ground.

Tessa.

I froze.

I have never met her but my subconscious mind knew without a doubt that it was her. And she was naked. Her body was slick and wet. Ebony black hair fell from her head to her waist. She rose on her knees as though to stand but made no effort to go beyond that. 

The cloaked figure lifted its head and looked right at me and raised its hand. My heart stopped for a second then began to beat wildly in my chest as fear consumed me. My feet would move no further still the hand remained stretched. 

Suddenly a small movement came from behind me. Something else was coming. I could feel the warmth of another presence behind me. Even though I couldn't hear my own heartbeat I could tell it was loud enough to shake the foundations of the very forest we were standing in.

It moved closer. 

A small cloaked figure appeared at my side. Its face was shielded by the dark red hood of its cloak. It moved past me without a glance and approached Tessa and the other figure.

"Starlight."

My blood ran cold. 

I recognize that voice!

It was the firm, airy voice of Kayla. I will recognize it anywhere.

Her lips tilted up in a smile, revealing glistening fangs. 

The one she called Starlight bent over Tessa, took hold of her head, and pulled it back. Tessa offered no resistance as Starlight sank fangs into the base of her neck. Dark red blood spurted out, dripping down the side of Tessa's neck to taint the pure green forest floor. 

She made no sound, not even an attempt to escape while her life was drained from her. Despair filled me as I watched helplessly.

SAVE HER, a voice screamed inside my head. SAVE HER. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THEM. 

As though encouraged by the persistent voice in my head, my feet moved, and my hand reached out to grab Starlight off Tessa. 

Just as that happened Starlight let go of Tessa and turned to face me. Small fingers reached up to pull her hood back from her face. Once again I froze.

She was no more than 12, way too young to be a monster. But the sparkling red eyes, the glistening fangs, and blood dripping from her lips confirmed it. 

A vampire. 

Her skin was pale, almost translucent. She was ethereally beautiful. She reached a tiny hand up and grabbed mine which was still stretched out to reach Tessa who had fallen to the ground with a muted thud. Her skin was ashy as her lifeblood was now drained.

Unable to move, I watched as Starlight lifted my hand to her mouth. Her bow-shaped mouth opened over the throbbing vein in my wrist. Her fangs dug into my skin painlessly and I watched, helpless, as she drank my blood.

Suddenly her look of pleasure turned to horror and she pulled away from my hand holding her throat. She gurgled, coughing up blood as she held her throat tighter. 

Kayla, her face still halfway covered with her cloak reached both hands out and caught Starlight to her chest. She gripped her tight to her body calling her name over and over again.

"Starlight!"

Her eyes were no longer vibrant red, instead, they turned pink, then gray. She looked up at me with accusations in those dying eyes. Her skin began to shrivel as she leaned against Kayla for support. 

"Starlight?!"

She was unresponsive. 

Kayla reared her head back and released a piercing scream that shook the trees of the forest. It pierced my eardrums painfully. I reached up to cover my ears releasing a scream of my own.

"DeShawn?"

Someone was waking me violently. 

"DeShawn!"

I opened my eyes to a cold room. The light was on and mom was leaning over me, fear written on her face.