8: Busted

KATERINA

I sat in the bathtub, which was filled to the brim with warm, aromatic, water which emitted puffs of steam and fogged up the room. I was still unable to fully comprehend Haydon Veneziano and his outrageous threat. Who did he think he was? Who did he think I was? Clearly Haydon had been born into this world a privileged twit, believing he was the end all and be all. As if I actually wanted to hang around him like a little puppy. Of course I was not going to get involved with him.

This, however was not what bothered me. I had picked up on the words “I don’t want you getting close to me” almost immediately, but had chosen to ignore them, because acknowledging them would have been too awkward for us both.

Was Haydon afraid that I would develop feelings if I hung around him too often? Maybe such a thing had happened with other hunters or girls he had met in the past, but I knew I was certainly not one for developing a feelings for someone so pompous, especially when that someone was a vampire. Haydon was too full of himself for his own good. I was, however going to show him that he was wrong, that I would not stoop to liking him no matter what. Staying away from him and ignoring him would be a piece of cake.

However, as I thought of this, my mind could not help but go back to our conversation in the front yard. Even though I was absolutely outraged at his threats, I could not help but feel strange when I was near him. This was especially true when his face was mere inches away from mine as I attempted to strangle him. Even just thinking about it had me unable to breathe... It was probably just a hint of fear, I had decided. Although, somewhere at the back on my mind I knew my reason for feeling strange was untrue.

After a while I drained the water in the tub and dried myself off. I then got dressed into a pair of black shorts and a red sweatshirt I had stolen from my brother for my top secret “extracurricular activities”. Thereafter, I got to work on a few books on the history of vampire hunters, vampire and vampire hunter law and some English. My mother had me studying through my nose so I could be admitted to Venandi Academy, one of the most prestigious vampire hunter academies of the world, located in Transylvania.

I, however, was not looking forward to it at all, but I knew my parents would never ever approve of me becoming a professional vampire hunter, and I hated the look of disappointment they gave me everytime I tried to wiggle my way out of taking the exams to get into Venandi. That was why I had decided to just blindly follow everything they had asked me to. I was afraid of being an utter disappointment to them, and I was afraid to bring dishonour to our family.

I was however not alone in my struggle. Although Dylan was not given as high expectations as I was, he felt just as pressured by my parents. He was also expected to follow in their footsteps and take his place on the vampire hunter council.

The irony of the whole situation is that once upon a time my parents had been professional hunters as well. In fact, they were the top two most powerful hunters in the world. This was all back in the day when vampires and hunters were still at each other’s throats. Now, they were on the vampire hunter council, fighting for peace instead of bloodshed, all because they valued honour and reputation above all else. Giving up their career as professional hunters paved the way for them to become well-known council members. I always wondered whether they missed their careers as professional hunters.

After studying I made my way to the kitchen to grab something to eat. I was always hungry and because of this, always eating.

As I walked into the brightly lit room, I stopped dead in my tracks as I began witnessing one of the most traumatic events of my life.

Right in the centre of the room, atop the kitchen counter sat Jasmine who had her lips roughly pressed against my brother’s. Immediately I screamed and threw the closest item I could find- a wooden spoon hanging from a rack against the wall- at the couple.

Immediately they broke apart as the spoon landed right against the side of Dylan’s head. Both Jasmine and Dylan turned towards me.

“Ouch!” He yelled, rubbing his head.

‘Was that really necessary?” Jasmine asked.

I nodded vigorously and said, “I was so hungry before I got here. Honestly you guys make me lose my appetite everytime I see you.”

Dylan shook his head and helped Jasmine down from the counter. He then opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water and an apple and threw b.th items at me swiftly.

“There, now leave.”

I caught the bottle and the apple and huffed. “Gladly. I am going to go and remove my eyeballs in hopes that that disgusting image will vanish”

However, just as I was about to leave, I heard Jasmine calling out to me.

“It that Dylan’s sweatshirt?”

I froze. It wasn’t weird for sisters to wear their brother’s clothes. However, Jasmine asked it so suddenly, and the secrets it held were so potent, I couldn’t help but feel as though I had been caught red handed.

“I um—”

“-Use it for illegal underground fights.” She finished.

My eyes widened and I looked at her panicked, and then at my brother who scratched his head as a guilt-stricken look made its way onto his face.

“You idiot! You told her!” I yelled, throwing my hands up into the air in frustration.

Jasmine shook her head at me and said, “Honestly Katerina, did you really expect him to keep it a secret from me?”

I sighed as I realised, she was right. Of course, Dylan would tell Jasmine that I participated in underground illegal fights and used his clothes to do it. I’m sure he even complained about me having to use his clothes.

“Just-”

“-Don’t tell anyone, don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. You know I can keep my mouth shut, unlike your brother here.” She said motioning to Dylan.

Once again, she was right, she could keep secrets well and I trusted her wholeheartedly.

I was about to leave, again, when Jasmine stopped me.

“Why do you do it though?”