Chapter 2.

Deadly Truth

I stood at the park waiting for Claude while sitting on one of the swings and trying to figure out how I'll get my English done by tomorrow.

"Skye!" I arched my head back and saw Raven running up to me with a figure walking slowly behind her. "Claude isn't here is he?"

"No …" I said with my eyebrow arched. "Why? I thought you didn't like him … at all."

"I don't, I came to get you out of here! Claude is dangerous!"

"Why do you keep saying that, from what I've seen he acts like a Dalmatian."

"Once you get to know the real Claude, Skye, you'll find that he is no puppy." Coming up behind Raven was Alexander who looked allot like Claude.

"And you do?" I asked.

"He's my cousin."

"Oh." I let out in a gasp.

"He's only using you to get to Raven and I."

"No I'm not." Claude said in sing-song, when I whirled my head around he was leaning on the railing on top of the jungle gym next to the slide.

"You people are fast walkers." I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Leave Skye alone Claude! You know you're just using her." Alexander said with a deep serious tone.

"Why would I use her, if I wanted any information I could just go straight to Raven and hold her against you, Alexander."

"Claude…" Alexander growled taking a deliberate step forward. I looked from Claude to Alexander not knowing exactly what to do. Claude gripped the railing of the jungle gym and flipped himself off the side landing in the rocks with a thump!

"What? I bet you want to tango right here don't you?" Claude smirked his lip ring shining brightly in the moonlight.

"Alexander could kick your butt any-day!" Raven shouted harshly. "And you know it!"

"Cloud he?" Claude grinned as Alexander walked right past me on the swing, what was I invisible or something!

"Claude, don't test me."

"I'm not grading you on anything Alexander."

"Claude!" Alexander raised his fist that's when I jolted up.

"Don't you touch him!" I shouted and pointed my finger at Alexander. Alexander froze as Claude's eyes widened and moved in a slow motion to mine.

"Skye! Stay out of this." Raven shouted, I looked back to her and clenched my fists eyebrows curving , pleading, as I stared right at her.

"I have no idea why you all hate each other but from all that I've seen of Claude he's nothing but a harmless prankster. And besides that you're his cousin! I thought that realatives were supposed to get along!"

"You have no idea." Alexander grumbled and lowered his fist, I shook my head. "Claude is no good Skye, please grasp that concept."

"I think it's Alexander who is no good I mean really, he's such a tight as-."

"Claude!" Alexander snarled swinging his fist around I raced between them only to get hit in the head by Alexander's deadly blow.

"Oh my god, Skye!" I heard Raven shout. I shook my head … what was I holding onto? It was fabnric but what was it?

"I've got you." The voice was sweet and smelled like Raspberry Vanilla. Everything went completley black till I opened my eyes once again to arguing.

"If you weren't being such a child this would have never happened!" Raven shouted ot Claude who rolled his eyes.

"I didn't want her to get knocked unconscious! Do you think that's the way I take care of women?"

"Do you want me to answer that?"

"Never mind." Claude huffed Alexander was right behind Raven just in case anything happened.

"Why don't you go back to Romania and stay there! No one wants you here anyway!" I thought of Claude leaving and for some reason it sent a pain in my heart.

"Raven, shut up." I grumbled and pulled myself off the ground while rubbing my head it really hurt. "How do you know that no one wants him here?" I sighed and stood up, once I was on two feet I wobbled a bit then steadied myself. "Now if you excuse me I've promised Claude that I would go shopping with him." Claude grinned to them both then snaked his arm in it's place around my waist.

"So does this mean that we're dating?"

"Nope."

"Why not?" He wined.

"Because I said so, I told you I'm not dating until I'm out of high school."

"Please?"

"No." He moved his head back to my shoulder and let his warm breath wash over my skin.

"Not even if I beg you?" I felt my body grown hot as my arms went limp again.

"Mm… um… N-no." I fought it trying hard not to give in this time.

"If I ask real nicely?" his other hand was moving seductively over my stomach then up to my face and with a single finger he turned my head to meet his eyes.

"N-no." I said in almost a whisper.

"Then what can I do to change your mind?" He asked his other hand taking it's place back on my waist while his forehead glued itself to mine.

"Nothing …"

"That's not the answer I was looking for." Claude smirked and started to lean the lower half of his face closer to mine to try and glue something else to my face.

"Um … um… I think we should really hit the stores now!" I blurted and pulled myself away from his holding my shaking elbows with my hands while walking in front of him.

"Fine." He sighed walking behind me with his hands in his pockets. I bit my lower lip feeling slightly guilty that I had done that and slightly guilty that I wanted that.

Once we got to the stores in town Claude took my wrist while also nearly scaring me out of my wits. "Here." He smiled at a store I never really went to then pulled me inside picking out clothes that really weren't half-bad. "You have to promise me that you'll wear these to school so I can see what you look like."

"That's fine with me, but the prices are -."

"I'll take care of that for you." Claude purred and placed a years worth of clothes over his shoulder then looked over and smirked evilly. "Do you have lingerie?"

"Why?" He pulled me over to a wall filled with panties and bras. "No, absolutely not! I am not letting you buy that!"

"Then would you like to buy that?"

"I can't have you seen the prices?"

"Then it settled, and you better wear them , believe me I'll know if you aren't." If that wasn't a scary thought. Claude threw more clothes on his shoulder then pulled me toward the cash register only to get caught by the make-up. "You'll get this … and this … and this …" He pulled out pink lip stick, red lip stick, and black lip stick then black and pink eyeshadow and cover –up.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm experimenting."

"Why don't you experiment on yourself then?"

"Please I wouldn't look good in that dress." He said with a grin. "Plus I want to know of you look any good in these clothes … pretty pwease?" Claude asked while batting his lashes.

"Fine but I don't know how to put on make-up just to let you know."

"Then I'll have to help you with that tomorrow before school, I'll pick you up, kay?"

"I don't think that Raven, my mom, and my dad will appreciate that."

"Okay so I'll pick you up tomorrow." I giggled and shook my head as Claude bought the clothes, the figures were staggering I almost thought they'd put us in jail, but Claude just whipped out his credit card ran it through and bagged the clothes himself.

"Are you sure that you're okay carrying those?" Claude was carrying fifteen bags of clothing from that stupid store while I was stuck carrying the tiny make-up bag which was crammed with who-knows-what!

"Yep, it's light as a feather."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive, and considering how you can't even take a blow from Alexander, you couldn't carry this." I grimaced at the ground.

"Oh shut up, I don't believe in violence." Once we got to my house Claude opened my door and just strutted inside with the bags of clothes as my little sister sat watching Vampire flicks –Raven got her into them-

"Mara, this is my friend Claude Sterling … Be nice to him 'kay?"

"Vampire!" She shouted and pointed to Claude who was walking up the stairs then pointed to the mirror that was right across from him. "He's a vampire!" Mara shouted again.

"Such an active imagination, huh?" Claude laughed then kept walking up the stairs.

"Mara, there's no such thing as vampires, it's alright."

"But Alexander is a vampire, and they have the same last name!"

"Where did you hear that?"

"Raven told me." I laughed.

"Raven is just as vampire-crazy as you are Mara."

"Exactly! If you don't believe me then watch the mirror!"

"Hey." Claude said with a grin, I looked back to him then in the mirror, he was standing on the sixth step which was right in the middle of the mirror, when I looked back to him he was still standing in that same spot.

"Claude." I whispered. He cocked his head to the side then caught the mirror next to him.

"Oh …" He laughed and walked the rest of the way down.

"Vampire! Vampire!" My sister shouted happily, she was the same age as Raven's brother Billy but acted younger, her hair was dark black, and eyes emerald green, she looked allot like my dad with my mom's eyes.

"Skye, I didn't want to tell you." Claude sighed with a smirk as he scratched the back of his head. "Because well … I thought you'd -."

"You thought that I'd scream or something?" I guess blinking to try and remove the shock from my face.

"Yeah, something like that … But there's just a tiny problem, if you ever wanted to become a vampire yourself … I – couldn't do it." He said softly and looked down to his feet. "I'm only half of what Alexander is."

"I'm so sorry Claude."

"But my grandmother had these vials that could make me a complete vampire and Alexander and Raven are keeping me from them, they think just like my grandmother that I can't control the power of a pure-blood."

"But Claude, you're fine just as you are now, why would you want to change that?"

"Because! Alexander is always better than me and growing up with him in my grandmother's mansion … it felt like I was invisible to her, that Alexander was the only one she ever saw."

"I bet that wasn't true, besides, everything has reversed now." I said with a smile. "Alexander is invisible and you're all I see." Claude met his gaze with mine then a large grin crawled over his face.

"You like me!"

"What?" I was again placed in a state of shock.

"So can we date now?"

"No! Get out of my house!"

"No matter how much you push me out and how mean you are I know you like me!" He sang, I shoved him out the door and scowled at him. "See you tomorrow, sweetie." He winked at me, I stuck my tongue out at him then slammed the door shut.

"You're dating a vampire!" Mara said with an evil grin.

"He's only half and we are not dating!"

"You want to though."

"No, I don't, we're just friends."

"Then you won't care if I want to date him?"

"Knock yourself out." I walked upstairs and got ready for bed. A half-vampire was in my life now … great.