Chapter 2- Leaving
The walk home seemed endless. The street lamps were all on, casting long shadows against the pavement on the road. When I rounded the corner I saw the off-white color of my house and the wrap-around porch with the swing that my dad and I always sat on while we drank lemonade.
I took the steps two at a time and opened the door. I could hear the sports announcer for hockey on the TV and automatically knew where my dad was. I kicked off my shoes and put my fall jacket on one of the hooks. I slowly walked into the living room. I could hear my dad cheering and laughing. When I stepped around the corner into the living room I saw my dad sitting in his chair, mom sitting on the couch with a novel in her hands and my little brother Alex sitting beside her cheering with dad.
Mom looked up at me from her novel to smile at me. "Hey Kiara. Come sit…" She stopped short and I saw her eyes grow wide. "What's on your forehead Kiara?" She asked in horror. I could tell she already knew. Dad and Alex pried their eyes away from the TV to look at me. Both of their eyes also got wider.
"Um. Yeah. About that." I started, feeling self-conscious with everyone's eyes on me. "I seemed to have gotten marked."
"Cool!" Alex said. He was only ten years old, only five years younger than me, but he was incredibly annoying. Dad hit his head with a rolled up newspaper.
"Are you okay?" Mom asked. She set her book aside on the coffee table, got off the couch and walked over to me. She hesitantly touched my forehead. It didn't hurt anymore but her hand felt really cold.
"Yeah I'm okay." I reassured her.
"Wait doesn't this mean you have to go to that place… what's it called? The uh…?" Dad said. Trying to remember the name.
"The House of Night?" I helped.
"Yeah that."
"Yes." I sighed.
"But you can't go there!" My mom yelled in horror.
"Why?" Dad and I asked at the same time.
"Because it's a school that teaches you how to become a vampyre! And who knows how civilized everyone there are!" Mom threw her arms up in exasperation.
"Honey. I think we all know that you are exaggerating. Everyone knows that vampyres aren't bad. Well at least not all of them. A lot of famous actors are vampyres." Dad added matter-of-factly. "Besides I think it will be a good learning experience for Kiara." Dad got up off the chair to put his arm around my shoulders.
"Whoa! My sister the vampyre!" Alex gasped in excitement.
"I still don't think it's a good idea to send her there…" Mom mumbled.
"Uh mom? I don't think we really have a choice." I cut in.
"Why?"
"Because if I don't go I'll get really sick and probably die. I learned that in school. If a fledgling is away from vampyres for a while they will start to get sick and start rejecting the change and die or something." I tried to sound calm and act like it was nothing but my voice quavered and gave me away when I said, "Die."
Mom's eyes got wide with panic. "When will you have to leave?" Mom asked.
"As soon as possible I guess…" I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. I tried to blink them away but one managed to escape. Dad wiped it away with the sleeve of his shirt.
"It's okay KiKi. Tomorrow morning I'll drive you to the House of Night and I'll come and visit you so much you'll forget to miss us." Dad said with a smile that didn't touch his eyes. I knew dad would miss me the most. Though he would never admit it around Alex I knew that I was his favorite.
I whispered "Okay. I guess I should go pack and go to bed." Then turned back into the hall and walked up the stairs to my room.
I threw the contents of my dresser on the floor; trying to figure out what clothes I should and shouldn't pack. After I decided that I looked around the room for other things that I couldn't live without. The picture of me, dad, mom and Alex at the beach two summers ago was definitely in. The small brown, worn-out teddy bear that my dad gave me when I was born was definitely in. And then of coarse make-up and hair accessories. When I made sure I had everything I would need, I turned off my light and went to bed.
That night my dream was pretty much made up of different snap-shots. I saw dad's face, mom's, Alex's and Nick's. The most disturbing part of my dream was when a flash of Nick's face, sad, depressed and tear-filled, played in my mind. Over and over like someone was throwing it in my face or like a skipping record.
When I woke up tears were falling down my cheeks and staining my pillow with salty wetness. When I was fully conscious a replay of yesterday filled my head. But the most prominent memory was when my dad told me that he was going to drive me to the House of Night tomorrow. Which now was today.
A wave of panic washed over me, leaving me gasping for air. I stumbled out of my room and into the kitchen. Mom was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of food sitting in front of her but untouched. She had her head in her hands and I could hear her sobs.
"Mom?" I whispered.
She quickly looked up. When she saw me she wiped her eyes with the back of her housecoat. "Kiara. I didn't hear you get up." I could hear the trembling in her voice.
"Yeah I just got up."
"Come sit. I made blueberry pancakes, your favorite." Mom said, forcing a smile unsuccessfully.
"Okay." I said with a little excitement. Even though I should be completely miserable what with having to move to the House of Night, but knowing that there were blueberry pancakes just made me that much happier.
I sat down beside mom and plopped two pancakes on my plate. After I was finished drowning them in maple syrup my dad and Alex walked in the room. Dad was already dressed but Alex was in a pair of Scooby-doo boxers. Ick. Seeing my little brother in boxers was not a site I ever looked forward to.
"Hey KiKi." Dad greeted me while looking at my pajamas. "Aren't you going to get dressed?"
"Later." I said simply as I devoured a fork-full of pancake.
"Okay."
I knew that the awesome pancakes couldn't last forever. I would have eaten more but my stomach said otherwise. With a sigh I got up from the chair and walked to my room to get dressed.
I searched through the clothes that hadn't already been packed. I was left with my boring plain brown V-neck shirt with my dark blue jeans. I quickly put my hair in a neat ponytail, put on some eyeliner and pulled on my awesome high-top converse.
It was tempting to leave my ugly puke-green (as I would call it) jacket at home but with a sigh I draped it over my arm, turned off the light and closed the door for what might be the last time.
