Vampire Queen

Chapter 9: Ava

        Going to school was getting more difficult each day. Luckily, my birthday was coming up in a few days, and then I wouldn’t have to go back. Although, now it was more concerning to figure out what Kyle was going to do. Since I started having lunch with Chase in the cafeteria, ‘Mr. Jones’ was trying to find reasons for me to stay behind to talk about anything and everything. He was being really persistent. Today, he snapped at Chase for helping me off the floor. I had tripped while getting out of my desk, and Chase put out his hand to help me up being a nice friend then ‘Mr. Jones’ snarled at him and snapped at him for touching me. He ran out of the room after that realising his mistake. That was the last class I ever had with him, even though it was only Thursday. We usually went to school on Friday’s, but Jade requested I take the day off to get some hands-on experience working in the castle, since I will be starting there on Monday.

        My birthday is on Sunday, so Saturday evening, I will be preparing for my transition. We decided to keep it small in case Kyle decided to show up. We had to come clean to Karter and Jessica about the whole situation last week in order to plan the party accordingly. Needless to say, he was not happy I kept this from him, but he eventually understood. He said Kyle was supposed to be in his classes at the college to become a warrior as well, but he’s been absent for a while, since the twin’s birthday actually. There had been no news on the real Mr. Jones yet, and Kevin hasn’t noticed anything at his house yet, and we were all getting really worried.

        I was in my room looking over the guidebook we found again. Every night I turn to the page about the rare and special supernatural’s with red eyes. I guess there are many different species who can have the red eyes, and those who do, usually have special powers. There are records of witches, warlocks, and werewolves with red eyes recently, and a vampire long ago who hasn’t been heard of for centuries and no one knows what happened to him. As far as these records show, there hasn’t been a human located, and it states that there might not ever be a human born with any powers. On the last page of the book there seems to be a prophecy of some sorts.

                        When five come together

                        One from each world

                        Shining as bright as the red star

                        Bringing peace forever

                        Goodness prevails over evil

        Nobody really takes these things seriously though, probably has something to do with a children’s story.

        The sun finally set, and I was getting ready for bed when Jade bursts through my bedroom door. “You ever hear of knocking? I could have been changing.”

        She shrugged her shoulders and laid down on my bed waiting for me to join her. “I could hear that you were finished changing before I came in.”

        “What brings you over tonight? You couldn’t wait until the morning to see me?”

        “I thought I would sleep here tonight, since you’ll be at my house tomorrow night.”

        “Or is it because both Karter and Jessica will be out of the house tonight?”

        “Oh, will they?” She was not a very good actress. They set this up so I wouldn’t be alone in case Kyle showed up. “Did the plan work today?”

        “Yes, Mr. Jones…or Kyle…thinks I will be here at home for my transformation. He has no idea that I will really be at the castle with you.” I was actually going to a cottage in the woods that the King and Queen have for when they want to have a little getaway. They offered it to me to use to be safe and to hide from Kyle for a little while at least. Karter, Jessica, Jade, James, and Chase will all be there with me. Joel and another warrior, Ben, will be stationed near by to keep an eye out in case our plans were figured out. We never spoke about the cottage outside of the castle walls, and even then, we wrote it down on paper and burned it afterwards. There was no telling who we could trust or if Kyle set up a spell to listen in on conversations. It was James’s idea to tell two different stories about my birthday night, but really have a third option just in case.

        “Perfect, come lay down. You need sleep.” I walked over and climbed into my bed.

        “When did you sleep last?”

        “Today actually. I woke up just before coming over, so I would be on alert tonight.”

        “Is James here too?

        She gave a little chuckle. “Why would he be here during our girl time?”

        I gave her a stern look letting her know I could see right through her plan. “Chase is here too, isn’t he?” She kept her eyes on the posters on my walls while humming a little tune that sounded like ‘twinkle twinkle little star’. “James, I know you can hear me, so please make yourself at home, and Chase can sleep in the guest room on the main floor.”

        “He says thank you. Now go to bed.” I rolled over with a smile on my face and closed my eyes. It’s nice to know that my friends are here for me.

*James*

            “Ava said you can sleep in the guest room down here.” I relayed the message to Chase, and he nodded his head while he yawned.

            “I can probably go a night without any sleep. I’ll stay up and keep you company.” He laid out on the couch and turned the TV on.

            “If you say so.”

            “Why don’t you change places with Jade? You can lay down next to Ava and keep a better eye on her.”

            “As much as I would love that, it might freak her out when she wakes up.”

            “Do you think Kyle would show up tonight?”

            “Probably not, but I didn’t want to take any chances with both Karter and Jess being out of the house tonight.”

            “We’ll get this guy James, don’t worry. Ava is going to be safe.”

            “Thanks buddy, now go get some sleep.”

            He got off the couch yawning again and went towards the guest room. I knew Chase was the right choice to be my second in command, he always had my back growing up and I’m glad he still does when it comes to the safety of my future Queen. I focused my hearing on Ava’s heartbeat; it’s slow and steady. She was having a peaceful sleep; I wish I could be next to her, holding her in my arms. After taking a few moments listening to one of my favorite sounds, I decided it was time to do perimeter check. I had a feeling Kyle is lurking near by, and once he sees me, it could set him off. After having a talk with my dad, we decided to try smoking Kyle out, try to force his hand. If Kyle was set on being with Ava, he will do anything to keep her away from someone else, specially me.

            We tried to get in touch with the magical family my parents know, to see if they could help us with understanding Kyle’s magical side, but no luck yet. I was hoping they could set up a protection spell on Ava whole she slept. There’s still hope that they will call us back and help with this situation. Any help would be great at this point.

            I was walking around to the back of the house when I sensed him. I couldn’t tell how far away he was, but he was there, watching me, and watching her. He isn’t stupid enough to make his move right now though, he’s waiting and planning, I was sure of it. I kept my pace and continued around the rest of the house, once I finished I went back inside and texted Jade right away.

            Me: Kyle is watching the house.

            Jade: Did you see him?

            Me: I sensed him when I did a perimeter check.

            Jade: How close?

            Me: Far enough to know he won’t try anything tonight. This is the first night I’ve sensed him since I started doing my checks.

            Jade: We have to get Ava to the cottage as soon as we can. How can we sneak her away without him knowing?

            Me: We’ll think of something. We can discuss it at home in the morning. How’s she doing?

            Jade: She’s in a dreamless sleep I think. Since her one physical dream, she hasn’t mentioned any other dreams since that night.

            Me: He knows he made a mistake.

            Jade: I wonder if mom and dad have a way to get to the cottage from the castle so Ava can get there safely. Kyle will most likely follow her scent.

            Me: Maybe there’s a way we can mask all of our scents to throw him off, send him on a wild goose chase.

            Jade: What do you have in mind?