Chapter Two: Escape
I shoved the few pictures of my family into the pocket of the dog eared jacket my brother had left with me, five years ago. Checked my neck, to make sure the locket was still safely tucked under my shirt. I heaved a sigh, looking around the tiny attic room. The other girls were all asleep. Including Maria, whom I shared a bed with. I pulled down a poem I had written and taped to the wall, and shoved it in the jacket's pocket. Maria stirred gently in her sleep, and opened her eyes. "K-kiyomi? What are you doing?" I gave her a sad almost-smile.
"Didn't you hear the fabulous news? I've been traded." Maria sat straight up.
"Kiyomi, no! Tell me it's not true!" She begged, eyes filling with tears. She was so delicate...strawberry blonde hair falling to her waist. "You can't leave!" I sighed, and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Maria, can I tell you something?"
"Anything." She breathed.
"I have no intention of going to that rich pervert." Maria's eyes widened.
"But...where will you go? Where will you stay?" I shrugged my shoulders.
"Away from here. Doesn't matter. I don't know where I'll go...but, I'll bring help back. You'll be able to go back home, Maria." Maria laughed softly.
"I haven't seen them in six years. They're not my family...didn't you hear? They had another baby girl. They replaced me." I gave her a look of pure sympathy. "You're my real family, Kiyomi." I sighed, and she laid her head on my shoulder. "Take me with you."
"Okay. Grab your things. Let's get out of here, before Tobi wakes up." Maria jumped up to grab her few belongings.
"Wait! What about the others?" Maria gazed around the room, eyes torn between wanting to leave and wanting to stay.
"Maria, we can't take all of them with us." I told her patiently, cracking open the door to check for Tobi. Maria shut it with her hand.
"We can't just leave them! And Ai is still downstairs with Tobi-" I rubbed my temples with mild irritation.
"Tell me what you would like me to do for them." I asked her, calmly.
"Take them with us. We can get Ai away from Tobi-"
"Maria, that's freaking suicide!" I snapped. I heaved a heavy sigh. "I want to help them too...butt...okay. Look, seven young girls by themselves are going to draw some attention, don't you think? We can send back help-"
"Tobi will deny it." Maria said, sadly. "We're their only hope." We stared each other down for a minute. I heaved a sigh.
"Wake up the girls." I muttered, heading to the small door. "Explain, and tell them they have to do everything I say!"
"Wait! What about you?" Maria asked, as I opened the door.
"I'm going to rescue Ai." Her eyes widened, but I ignored that. "When I send Ai back up here, you all need to get the hell out of here. Go out the window, there's a bush in the back. I'll stall Tobi, and you all will run like you are on fire." Maria opened her mouth to argue, but I interrupted her. "It's your only choice! Go!"
"Be careful!" She called softly, as I ran down the winding staircase.
"'Be careful' she says." I mutter. "It's her idea...the things I do to help her out. Jeez..." I tap lightly on Tobi's door. No one replied, so I cracked it open.
Ai was sitting up in Tobi's bed, sheets pulled up to her chest. Her pretty blue eyes were wide with terror. I knew the feeling...she was only thirteen years old. "Ai?" I whispered, moving forward silent as a ghost. "My name is Kiyomi...I want to help you." I held out a hand, which Ai stared at without moving.
"What can you do?" whispered Ai, voice shaking.
"He's a monster." I muttered. "He's done the same to others." Ai's face paled. "We're getting the hell out of here...you have any clothes?" Ai nodded, and slid out of the bed. I opened Tobi's underwear drawer, and fished around for his cash. "Huh. He wasn't kidding...he is broke."
"What?" Ai breathed, pulling on her pants.
"Nevermind...it isn't much, but he owes us so much more. Take this upstairs to Maria. Blonde, skinny, sixteen...you can't miss her." Tobi stirred in his sleep. Ai's eyes widened in terror. I tossed her the pouch of money. "Go!" I whispered loudly.
Ai ran out like a startled deer. I found a handgun on the dresser, and pocketed it. "You ready for an encore?" Tobi grumbled, sitting up. "Huh, where'd she go?"
"Good morning, Tobi." I said. Tobi turned.
"Kiyomi! What are you doing here?" He grinned wickedly, and reached for me. "A last dose of Tobi lovin' before you leave me?" I slapped his hands away.
"You wish, you sick perv." I chuckled. Tobi scowled, and got to his feet. "I actually wanted to tell you the others are gone. I sent them away." Tobi's face turned a shade of dark red, and he shoved me into the mirror.
"You evil slut!" He roared, spit flying. He took a handful of my hair, and bashed my head against the window. Shattering rang in my ears, and a sharp pain exploded on my skull. Wow...he's stronger than I expected. Tobi picked me up, and threw me into the dresser. I screamed, and struggled to me feet. Tobi shoved, and my head cracked against the wall.
"What the-" Toby snarled, and I saw two pointed fangs. I swore loudly. "You're a vampire!"
"That's right, babe." He sneered. "Didn't notice your lover was a bloodsucker?"
"You're not my lover!" I yelled, and threw a chair at him. He staggered back and snarled, exposing fangs. "Who turned you!" I demanded, dodging his attack. He snarled, wiping the dust from the drywall off of his face.
"Same rich guy I was sending you to!" He spat, grinning wickedly. "I had nothing to pay him back...he took my blood in exchange."
"Oh, sweet." I whipped out the gun, and put three bullets in his chest. One after another. Tobi stumbled back a few steps, but I knew that wouldn't kill him. I pulled off the curtain rod. The end was sharp, and I rushed towards him, and stabbed it through his heart. He snarled, and tackled me through the window. Glass shattered, and we tumbled towards the ground, him aiming for my neck. I attempted to shove him off, and we hit the bush under his window. I brushed myself off, and attacked again. Tobi screamed in pain, and I used a big stick to cut him again.
"Kaname told me to only use this when I needed it..." I pulled out a Bloody Rose gun.
"What is that!" demanded Tobi. "Who's Kaname!"
"Go to hell, you sick pervert." I muttered, and shot three bullets into his chest. At a close range, and it probably hurt like hell. Tobi screamed in agony, and stumbled to the ground. Within seconds, he was dead. I heard the rushing of feet on grass behind me. There was a collective gasp.
"She killed him." I heard one of the girls breathe. Maria rushed to me.
"Kiyomi?" She whispered, gently touching the back of my head.
"He put up a fight." I muttered, throwing the stick onto Tobi's bloody corpse. "But I'm fine." The girls stared, appalled at Tobi's body. I sunk to the ground, head throbbing. Maria held me in her arms, whispering soothing words.
"He hurt you, bad." Ai noted, rushing to my side. I put a hand to the back of my head. I pulled it away, to see my hand covered in blood...red, and sticky. I shrugged.
"Whatever...it's not a big deal. Everyone else alright?" Everyone nodded tentatively. "Ai, please take a few girls into the house with you and grab the matches from the kitchen." I instructed. A few girls scampered after Ai, looking scared.
"Was it necessary to kill him?" Maria breathed, leaning down next to Tobi. I nodded, trying to suck as much cool air into my lungs as I could, to slow my galloping heart.
"I don't like killing things as much as the next gal, but he was...um...this was a special circumstance."
"A what?" Maria asked, confused. Then, she saw Tobi's mouth, hanging open. "He has-" I slapped a hand over her mouth. The others looked at us weirdly.
"Don't say a word. I'll explain later." I hissed into her ear. She nodded, and I pulled my hand away. Ai came rushing back with the matches. She helped me to my feet, and I dusted myself off. "Ah, thanks." I struck one, and lit my big stick on fire. It ignited into flames, and I threw it on Tobi's body. I brushed my hands off, as Tobi burst into flames. "Throw some sticks in there, girls." The girls rushed to throw some dry twigs in the fire, looking terrified. I felt bad for them...this whole thing scared the mess out of them.
"Do we have to burn the house, too?" Maria whispered, clinging to my arm.
"Nah." I straightened my hair. "But we can't stay here. That rich guy is coming at noon, and...we can't trust him."
"Where do we go?" whispered Ai. The other girls had the same question in their eyes. I just shrugged.
"Just follow me. You girls have to do everything I say...to stay alive. Got it?" The girls all nodded, scared. "First, let's grab some supplies and we'll get the hell out of here."
We reached a little clearing in the nearby woods by about midnight, and we set up camp. The girls had swiped some camping stuff before we left, and I kept the matches. We all shared one tent, and two blankets...but I was perfectly happy.
While the girls were asleep in the tent, me and Maria sat by the roaring fire. "Tobi was a vampire." Maria whispered. I nodded, taking a swig of some swiped whiskey. My prize. "How did you know how to kill him?"
"My older brother so happens to be a vampire." I muttered. "He's a nice kind, though. He gave me a vampire hunting gun...just in case." I pulled out the Bloody Rose. "Careful, now." I warned as she gently took it in her hands.
"Wow..." She breathed, handing it back. I tucked it in my pocket, safety on, with the other gun. (Also, safety on.)"I never knew." I shrugged. "Why was it...necessary to kill him?"
"In the vampire world..." I started slowly. "There are a bunch of different types of vampires. There are pure bloods, who were born that way and don't have a drop of human blood in their body. There's aristocrats, who were also born vampires, but...they have some human blood in them. They have some alliance with pure bloods, though. Then, there's the common vampires...who are just regular people, with no real power in the vampire world. They don't have much alliance with pure bloods, basically. And then...there's the made kind. Only the pure bloods can make vampires...and it really isn't recommended."
"Why?" Maria breathed.
"Er...the made vampires are sometimes a little unstable." I explained. "The former humans have to be watched constantly by aristocrats... if they escape from their aristocrat, its what they call a 'Level E'."
"A level E?" She moved closer to me, and I took another swig.
"Pure bloods are 'Level A'. Top of the pyramid. Aristocrats are a level B, of course...common vampires are a level C. Former humans are the lowest of said pyramid...and a level D. Level E vampires...they have no control over themselves. They are wild, and very dangerous. Level E vampires can't be allowed to live...Kaname always used to tell me that." I smiled sadly.
"Tell me about Kaname." Maria asked, gripping my hand.
"He used to sneak over to see me." I said, broodingly. "But, he stopped coming about five years ago." Maria gave me a hug.
"Do you miss him?" She whispered. I gave a chuckle.
"I do. All the time." I sighed, and took another swig.
"So...someone turned Kaname?" I didn't say a word, and took a swig of whiskey. "Kiyomi?"
"Kaname wasn't turned into a vampire." I muttered sourly. Maria blinked a few times.
"What?"
"He was born a vampire. A pure blood."
"But...you're a human...you are a human, right?"
"I'm considered to have a rare birth defect that rearranged my molecules..." I grit my teeth. "Both my parents and Kaname accepted me...even though life was difficult with a human baby...for vampires. The first year threw them all out of whack. They couldn't hunt on a regular basis, they were lacking sleep...they had no choice but to hire a human nanny to care for me, day and night...her name was Sophia. I remember her, her face, her songs. Her hugs and kisses. But I don't remember my parents. When I was five, my parents passed away." Maria stayed silent. "You know what happened then. Sold to Tobi."
"And...Kaname?"
"He worked himself to form a bond with me before our parents died. He told me about them...so I would know them." I looked at the stars. "Let's just drop it, okay?" Maria looked at the tent.
"What are we going to do with them?" She asked. "Who can we trust?" I shrugged my shoulders.
"I guess we drop them off at the orphanage. Ai can say their parents were in a tragic bus crash, and they don't know what to do...and cry a little. That should sell it." Maria laughed weakly, putting her arms around me.
"It feels good to be free. We all have you to thank for it, Kiyomi." I sighed.
"The adventure isn't over yet, Maria. Get some sleep...you must be exhausted." She nodded, rubbing her eyes.
"What about you?"
"I'm going to stay up a bit longer." I muttered. She gave me a quick hug, and then she went inside the tent reluctantly. I sat alone, under the stars finishing the whiskey bottle. I tried to pull up memories of my family, of life before all of this mess.
Kaname's face, his voice kept appearing my mind. And that was fine with me.
