Chapter 4

For the past week, I spent whatever extra time I had familiarizing myself with the surrounding forestry. The forest reminded me of home and every time I heard a branch break or the sound of crunching dry grass I expected to see a wolf. 

I mostly felt lonely. I had Gina. She was a good roommate but I felt that void in my chest grow bigger since I cut all contact with my family. But instead of being alone with my thoughts of them in a place that reminded me of them, I began whittling with my iron dagger. 

I learned how to make wooden stakes so that I had a proper weapon to defend myself. It took a few tries before I got the weight and the point of the edge right and I was certain in my craftmanship that this would pierce the flesh of a vampire and kill him. 

But my armory didn't stop there. I needed Holy water, a box of matches, and gasoline. They were smart at choosing to hide out in a place that had no sun but not only the sun could kill them, but nature also ensured there would always be a way to put the species down. 

The idea of all my plans coming together brought a smile to my face and light to my eyes, but that didn't hold long when I remembered I was outnumbered and the only student that probably knew their secret and lived to see another day. 

My phone rang and Gina glared at me as I stared blankly at it. Sapphire's name flashed across the screen. "Just answer it. What did dey do dat was so wrong?" She had asked this every time she caught me dodging a call from them. 

I didn't respond but continued running my brush through my blonde hair. She sighed heavily and dropped her mascara back into her makeup bag. "I'm not ready to talk to them," I said and she met my eye in the mirror. 

My family didn't stop calling, but I was stubborn. They all lied to me. They could've at least told me why Creed couldn't turn me but they chose to keep it to themselves. I was tired of feeling like an outcast in a place that was supposed to be my home.

Two knocks came on the door and Gina moved to open it. "It must be Robin and Alex." Robin and Alex had lunch with us every day and we sometimes hung out in the common room with them.

Gina pulled open the door and Robin barged right in dressed in a leopard print fur coat, looking like Cruella de Vil. I can't say I enjoyed Robin's company all too much. She reminded me of a typical mean girl. 

Alex was dressed in a simple black sweater and leggings. Her black long sleek hair was in a ponytail. She hovered by the door as she looked around the room. I didn't mind Alex's company. She didn't talk unless she had something relevant to say and the silence around her was surprisingly never awkward. 

"You girls ready?" Robin asked.

"Yeah let me just grab my bag," Gina said getting her bag out of her closet. We were going into the small town of Brookburgh to get some supplies. Gina and I both agreed that if we were to survive here we couldn't live on a food schedule and besides I needed warmer clothes.

We left the dormitories and made our way to the parking lot so that we could all pile onto Gina's Hyundai. "I call shotgun," Robin sang bumping me with her hip.

Dropping my hand off the front door handle I moved to get into the back seat of the car with Alex. "Ur do you girls mind wearing your seatbelts. I'm a fairly new driver. I got my license last month," Gina explained and we all moved to buckle our seatbelts.

"Would you feel better if I drove, darling?" Robin asked in her famous bittersweet condescending tone. 

Gina smiled sheepishly as her fingers fumbled with the keys to start the car. She drove the car out of the parking lot and I looked down the long road. Especially at the white old church with a bell housed in its roof. The town wasn't far and was within walking distance but due to fickle weather, we didn't want to chance it and walk.

As Gina drove into town and I felt like I was transported to a different time. Though the world turned modernized the town was frozen in time maintaining its old charm in its rustic buildings, simple roads, and secret pathways. 

"There's a lot of pubs here. No wonder," Robin scoffed as her top lip curled in distaste. 

"No wonder what?" Gina asked. 

She smiled."Why so many people want to attend the university." Gina shrugged and focused her attention back on the road.

"Oh, this boutique is big. I'm sure you'd find something decent in there May," Gina said and parked her car with the rest of the cars on the side of the road. 

"So what are you girls wearing for tonight's party?" Robin asked checking her make-up in the car's visor.

"The party down at the old farm?" Gina questioned. There had been talk about the party all over campus and Gina and I both said we weren't going to go due to the amount of coursework we were loaded with. "I think we'll pass." 

"Oh come on a party was canceled because of that boy's death." She rolled her eyes and I caught it in the review mirror. 

"I wonder who wanted to attend a party after the death of a student, Robin," I couldn't help the aggression in my tone. 

"Death is a part of life, sweetheart. Just because one stops breathing doesn't mean the party for the rest of us down here has to stop too." 

"That's harsh, Rob," Alex mumbled turning to look out the car window. 

"Anyway," she shrugged us both off. "This party is hosted by the Valentine's. Everybody is going to be there and it will be the start of an amazing year." 

"The Valentine's?" Gina repeated,  "isn't their father the Dean. How is he  okay with his kids having a party one week into the semester?" 

"Those kids can probably get away with whatever they want because daddy is the boss." Robin cackled. If only she knew what they were I wonder if she would be so eager and gullible for a pretty face then.

We moved to get out of the car and the rain came down hard causing us to run to the nearest shelter. "Oh look May they sell coats," Gina called and I turned to see coats in the boutique window. "Let's take a look." She pulled open the door and we followed after her.

The boutique was huge and fully stocked with winter apparel."Red suits you well," Gina said holding a red coat up to me. The coat was deep rich red with big black buttons.

"I'd say you would have to have a certain amount of confidence to rock a bold color like red," Robin ensured she added her penny's worth comment. 

I clenched my jaw and continued to check the price tag. It was fifty pounds. I deserved it and grabbed a brown one and two black ones in the same style. I also got four pairs of thick pajamas and a few sweaters. 

"May sweetheart where do you come from again?" Robin inquired looking at the number of clothes in my hands. 

I smiled. "Arizona," was my simple unsatisfying answer as I walked up to the counter to pay. The lady behind the counter rang up the items for me and I paid with Jordan, my brother's credit card. It's the least he could do for me considering he probably knew the reasons our elder brother wouldn't turn me into a wolf and kept it from me and I thought we were closer than that. 

After we were done getting clothes we loaded the car with our bags. "There should be a grocery store just around the corner according to G****e maps," Gina said. We piled into the car again and she drove a few blocks and turned right. There was no Walmart or Target but there was a Scottish grocer.

She parked in the parking lot next to the grocery store. "How charming, Robin said in a tone of disgust, again generously contributing her penny's worth. 

The grocery shop was standard and I found myself walking down the kiddie's aisle that was stacked with toys. I browsed the shelves and my eyes landed on a water gun that looked like a real gun. 

My mind immediately went to 'holy water dispenser' and I picked up the toy. "A toy gun?" Robin questioned and I didn't realize she was behind me. 

"I like to collect them." I threw the gun in the trolley and continued to browse the shelves ignoring her. 

Not all monsters had claws and fangs. They were human too. 

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Reluctantly I dressed for this party. I just wished these girls weren't so outgoing. I could foresee myself attending a lot of parties as a means to keep them safe. I knew Alex wanted no part of this. I could see the lack of enthusiasm on her face. "Can we stop at the church real quick?" I asked Gina as we got into her car to leave for the party. 

I had slipped a wooden dagger in the back of my pants. It was too big to fit in the coat pocket. But I needed a second weapon for extra precaution. There were three vampires and I needed all the help I could get if things went south."Okay, dat's de first I hear of someone repentin for their sins before they commit dem," Gina laughed. 

"I'll be committing no sins." Only ridding the planet of three. 

Gina parked her car on the sidewalk of the church. "Wait here," I told them and rushed up to the church. 

As I neared the door there was a small fountain of water outside. I filled the toy gun up with the water. This was just going to have to be enough for the night. 

I ran back to the car and they all turned to look at me. "What did you need from the church?" Robin inquired with narrowed eyes.

"Blessings. It's been a while," I smiled snidely. 

"Oh I'm an atheist," she sighed and turned around. 

Gina drove to the farmhouse and parked her car with the others on the grass. The house was not what I expected when they said farmhouse. It was a modern grey bricked house. 

We could hear music coming from inside. "Let's have the first night we will never forget," Robin pushed open the door to the house. 

We ducked into the house to see people dancing and having an overall good time. The music was loud and I already wanted to leave. I felt uneasy. "Oh, I see some people I know. Later girls," Robin said immersing herself within the crowd and I couldn't be happier to be rid of her presence. 

I caught a flash of blonde and saw Hannah look over at me. A bright smile overtook her face as she began walking over to us. I narrowed my eyes with each step she took towards us. "May so glad you came," she pulled me into a hug. My body froze, hair standing on edge as the cold from her hands seeped through my coat. Gina's eyes were wide and I could hear all the questions she wasn't asking. "Oh, I'm sorry where are my manners. I'm Hannah," she introduced herself. 

"We know," Gina glared in my direction. "May forgot to mention she was friends with you." 

"Did she now," Hannah smiled devilishly. "Well, that's our May. Very private yet it's part of her charm I would say." My mouth fell open when she referred to me as our. "Well, I'll catch up with you girls later. I'm going to see if the pizza guy is here. I'm starving," Hannah winked at me and smiled before turning to walk away. 

It was scary how they all fit in as seemingly normal to the eye. Alex and Gina got into the crowd and I started to feel like I couldn't breathe. The loud music and stench of alcohol were getting to me and I needed air. 

I spotted a door at the end of the room and broke away without Alex or Gina noticing. I ducked out the door to see a big bonfire with a long wooden log in front of it. The smell of the burning wood and the sound of the crackling fire got me to calm down. 

I walked over to the fire, stretching my cold palms out to it so that I could warm up. "You still here..." Came his voice and I froze, my anxiety returning with a vengeance. 

I didn't bother to turn around, instead, I stared at the fire and the prickling sparks that played in the wind. I didn't want to look at him. "At this party? Well, I didn't want to come but I couldn't let my friends come alone." 

"I was talking about the school. I would have thought you'd run back to your wolves by now. I guess I owe Joshua a thousand pounds." 

I turned to face him. My inner huntress crawled to the surface reminding me I didn't have to take his crap. "Maybe I'm just waiting to find out what you and your family's intentions are. If you harm-" 

He laughed placing a hand on his chest. "Easy, love. It sounds like you're about to make a threat." He moved to stand next to me. "You are brave. You think you have a fighting chance against me and my family but you don't. You wouldn't even be able to put me down on my worst day, sweetheart." 

"I'd take my chances." 

He took a sip from his red paper cup and sighed. "We have no ill intention, May. Anyway, why are you out here all alone?" 

I looked at him and his eyes were fixed on the fire. His face was troubled and he seemed off. "I can't have a conversation with you." I broke away from staring at his face. I couldn't allow myself to see him as anything more than he was.

I turned to leave.

"May," he called out in a distressed tone of voice getting me to turn around. "Duck." 

As he said those words I heard a shrilling sound as a creature with dilapidated flesh broke from the forest and ran straight at me. My eyes widened and my breathing picked up. "Wendigo." 

Within seconds Levi was in front of me. "Stay behind me." 

The wendigo moved to attack him and he punched it in the jaw causing it to stagger back and shriek. The thing howled as its jaw came unhinged. "It's making too much noise. Do something." 

"Fucking hell. Shut the bloody fuck up," Levi closed in on the creature grabbing it by the throat. The creature tried to claw at him and Levi ripped its head off its shoulders.  

The shrieking stopped and it suddenly felt quieter than usual. Levi turned around to face me. His hands were sleek with blood.  "Fucking disgusting zombie." 

"That was a wendigo, zombies don't exist." 

"Ah, I forgot once a huntress always a huntress." He picked up the dead wendigo and began moving to the forest. He threw the body parts into the woods and then removed his hoodie, wiping the blood off his hands.

He discarded the blood-stained hoodie as well and began walking over to me. The material of his white v neck shirt clung to his body showing the outline of his abs. "Are you okay?" He asked when I just stared at him. The flames of the fire reflected in his eyes making him appear mystical.

"What are wendigo's doing here?" I cleared my throat. 

"Your guess is as good as mine, Sherlock Holmes." 

"Wendigo's live in warm places. Scotland is cold and rainy. It doesn't make any sense."

"Why don't you resurrect our dead bugger and tell him that then," he pointed at the forest. "And by the way you are welcome. I saved your life." He turned to walk away from me. 

If he thought this made me trust him then he was wrong. I would never trust him or his siblings for as long as they thirst for blood. "Did you and your siblings kill Seth?" The words tumbled out of my mouth. But I just had to know.

He paused and turned around. "What did you just say?" He questioned with narrow eyes.

"Did you kill him? Yes or no?" I repeated. 

"You seem to be under the delusion I answer to you or anyone else for that matter. Tell me is it because I'm a vampire and you need a justifiable reason to drive that wooden stake in your back pocket into my heart?" 

My eyes widened. "You knew..." 

"That you were in the forest during your breaks. Making weapons to use against us. I've watched you. You want to kill me because of your hatred but something is holding you back." He took a step towards me. "Are you afraid to sacrifice your morals for a creature like me?" He stood in front of me this time faster than I could blink. He snaked his arm around my waist and pulled out the wooden stake from the back of my jeans. He grabbed my hand and enclosed it around the stake as he held it to his heart. "I'm not going to answer your questions. Let's see if the darkness in you will be at bay when what you've craved your entire life, revenge is right in your hands. Do it, May. Prove my siblings wrong that the darkness is greater than the light in you. Kill me in cold blood." He smirked. 

"I should do it," I pressed it against his heart and looked up at him. His jaw was hard and his eyes stern as he looked down at me. "Who knows how many people you've hurt. That should be reason enough." 

Everything in me was screaming at me to do it. But I knew he wasn't so desperate to prove a point to his siblings that he would die. So I had to be smart and do to him what he has done to me. Give him a false sense of security. 

I turned to wrench my hands out of his and I threw the wooden stake into the fire. "You are a monster, Levi, and one day I will have reasonable cause to kill you." 

He laughed. "You better be careful, love. You messing with forces beyond your comprehension. You have no idea what's going on here." 

"I don't trust you or your family to do the right thing." 

"You don't have a choice," he raised his voice. "If you don't like that this is the way things are you can get out and go back to your wolves. What are you torturing yourself for when we both know that the sight of me sickens you." 

I blinked hard and he took a small step towards me. "Is everything alright out here. I heard yelling," A guy walked out of the house. 

"Go back to the party if you know what's good for you," Levi warned while still keeping his eyes on me.

"No I don't think so," the boy walked over to us. "Is he bothering you?" The boy asked me.

"Oh look at you," Levi grinned. The white knight in glistening armor here to save a damsel." Levi looked at both of us and shook his head. "Your bravery will land you in unwanted trouble one day. Best walk the other direction next time," he said and I felt that his warning was more for me than the boy.

With those words, Levi stormed back into the house. "That guy is a real arse," the boy said turning to me. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" I shook my head. 

"He didn't." Today. 

I looked around at the trees and my eyes finally focused on the boy in front of me. Dark brown hair and brown eyes, a little stubble on his chin. It was not safe for us to be outside. "We should go inside," I suggested. 

"My name is Garret by the way," he said as we walked back to the house.

"Nice to meet you, Garret. I'm May." I smiled and he returned it with a grin of his own. 

"So tell me, May. Did I just interrupt a lover's spat?" 

I shook my head. "No-no-no. It's the farthest thing from that." 

"That means you're single then?" There was a hint of hope in his voice.

I smiled. He was boyishly handsome.   "Yeah, I am."