"Oh yeah?" I smirked. "Watch me." With that said I dropped to the other side of the gate and ran off. It wasn't long before we reached the road and we found a car waiting for us. I walked over and gently tapped the window of the driver's seat. "Are you Mr O'Donald?"
"Are you Kylie Valentine?" he retorted and I held up my identification card. "I'll take you to the airport in time for your flight Miss Valentine," he nodded professionally and the four of us got into the car.
The drive there was quick and just as promised, Mr O'Donald got us there in time to meet my pilot on the run way. Just as we got out of the car, I saw another car swerve towards us and stop.
"You are insane!" Drew chastised as he stormed over.
"Hey, you're crazy enough to tag along though right so I guess I'm not the only insane one." I grinned.
"That was awesome! We actually got out so easily." Quinn marvelled.
"We better get going before I'm late." I ushered them towards the plane. "Thank you very much Mr O'Donald, I'll transfer the payment tonight."
"Have a safe journey Miss Valentine," he bowed before driving away.
"Kylie!" Mr Allen Ross smiled warmly as I poked my head into the captain's area.
"Hello Allen, sorry for calling you at such short notice." I smiled sweetly and kissed his cheek in greeting. Allen Ross was one of my pilots who were brilliant at making sure I got to places on time.
"No problem kid, I've gotten used to it by now. Are those your friends?" he chuckled.
"Yep, we're all present and accounted for." I nodded.
"Well then let's go," he smiled and prepared the plane for take-off. "So is anyone picking you up on the other end?"
"Yep, I've called Rosie and she said that she'll be there on time to pick me up."
"It never fails to amaze me how prepared you are," he shook his head.
"I'm actually a very disorganised person though." I grimaced.
"You may be disorganised, but when it actually matters, you make sure that you're prepared," he shrugged. "Anyway, I shan't keep you from your friends any longer."
"Thanks again Allen." I smiled and kissed his cheek before heading to the main part of the plane where all the seats were.
"How on earth did you manage to get a private plane at such short notice Kai?" Els asked in awe.
"I have a lot of connections…" I said vaguely. "Anyway, when we get there, we'll be heading straight for my flat where you guys are welcome to catch some sleep. Luckily for your guys I have a spare room which is quite big so you for guys are going to have to decide between yourselves who's going to sleep on the pull out bed and who's going to sleep in the guest room. As for you three girls, you can crash in my room."
"Will you be able to show us your car?" Ingrid screamed in excitement. "I really want to see it."
"Sure, if they haven't sold it already." I shrugged.
"You have a car?" the guys stared at me in surprise.
"Sure I do, how do you think I managed to get around places?" I arched my brows at them. "It's ridiculously inconvenient to get to school without a car."
"Can we please meet that soccer team of yours as well?" Roxy asked.
"You need to catch your sleep, but feel free to watch the evening practice. Besides, it's better if you guys wait till evening because of the sun and all that." I pointed out to the Moroi boys. "We'll be practicing till really late so you'll still be able to watch the back end of things."
"Soccer team?" Jackson and Quinn eyed me curiously.
"Yeah. I'm in a soccer team, that's the whole reason why I'm breaking the school rules like this." I smirked.
"Wow, a girl who's in a soccer team… are you any good?" Quinn asked.
"You'll be able to see tomorrow. If you guys are up for getting up in the morning and watching a match that is."
"We can manage that," the four boys nodded.
The rest of the journey fell to normal conversation and within hours we reached LA where Rosie was there on time as always to pick us all up. Unfortunately, her car couldn't take all of us so we had to get a taxi as well before the eight of us headed to my flat.
"You… Are you rich?" Roxy stared at me in wonder once they saw where I lived.
"I'm not poor." I told them simply. "Thanks a bunch Rosie, you're a life saver as always."
"Don't worry about it kid, see you around and don't go causing trouble."
"I'll try not to." I smirked and gave her a high five before she drove off. I stood up straight and saw my red convertible there. Without another thought I ran over to it and practically hugged it. "It's still here." I sniffed.
"That's your car?" the girls screamed at me.
"This is my baby." I nodded sheepishly. "Let's get upstairs before the sun starts shining brightly." I gestured towards the front door and they all followed me with wide gazes. I opened the front door and the guard smiled welcomingly at me. I gave a small wave and we took the lift to the top floor where my flat was. It was one of those flats that had two floors and I noticed with pride as their eyes marvelled at where I used to live.
"It must suck to have to move from a flat like this to the Academy…" Ingrid breathed.
"Welcome to my home." I laughed. "Do any of you want anything to drink?"
"No, we're fine," they all chorused.
"Feel free to look around then." I gestured and before any of them noticed anything, I took down any photographs of my parents that were scattered around. I hurried to my room and grabbed the photos that were in there and shoved them into a box that was under my bed. "You girls are staying in here and I'll show the boys to their room." I told them.
I proceeded to lead the guys through the flat to the guest room which was down the hall from mine and they had a joined bathroom as well. "There are some towels in the cupboard so feel free to use the shower or whatever you want. I'm going to freshen up and then head out to see how the team is doing. I'll come back at around four to pick you guys up."
"Thank you for letting us come with you." Drew told me.
"Don't sweat it, think of it as a gift. You'll probably be amazed by what you see." I winked before heading back to my own room and going straight for the shower. I took a quick one before changing into casual clothes that were still in my drawers. I then packed some tracksuits for training and I grabbed my car keys. "You guys have my number so call me if anything goes wrong. There's a spare key in the top drawer of the cabinet beside the door. Feel free to head out if you need food. Here's some money."
"Thanks Kai," the girls murmured as they rubbed their eyes in fatigue.
"Don't sweat it. Just be glad that you guys fit into my clothes. The guys aren't so lucky." I grinned.
"You have a point there," they giggled.
"I'll see you guys at four."
"See you Kai," they nodded and promptly fell asleep. I left my apartment and locked the door behind me before running down the stairs and getting into my car. Then I did something that I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to do again, I drove to school.
"Kai!" Ana and Louise screamed and hugged me before I even managed to fully get out of the car.
"Guys, dying over here." I choked out.
"Sorry, you worried us so much with that phone call of yours. I mean seriously, it was just so sudden."
"Sorry, but it's for definite I'm afraid. I'm only going to be here for the match and then I'll have to go again. I'll make sure that we have our match tomorrow. I'll call the bloody CEO of the company hosting this game if I have to."
"And that's why we have you as our captain, because you're the best!" Louise laughed and dragged me out of the car.
"Is everyone here yet?" I asked them.
"Yeah, they were too scared not to. They know how brutal you could be when it comes to threats." Ana smiled.
"Well then you guys wait at the stands while I go talk to that team of mine then." I smirked and rolled my sleeves up.
"Okay, see you in a bit."
I gave them both one more hug before heading to the boys changing rooms. I slammed the door open and stormed inside with a stern expression. I saw the entire team looking glum and none of the shouts that our coach was making was getting through to them at all.
"Oi you pussies, what the hell do you think you're doing? Man the fuck up already!" I bellowed and slammed my fist into the nearest locker. All their attention turned to me and I saw the expression on my coach's face brighten instantly at the sight of me.
"Kai!" he shouted.
"Hush for a moment please coach." I told him as politely as I could and stared at my team. "What are you guys doing? We've been training for this our entire season! You can't just crumble because of one little hurdle. What did I tell you about those?" I glared at them.
"To jump over them." Jake murmured.
"I can't hear you!" I shouted at them.
"To jump over them!" they all shouted back.
"Exactly, so get ready and head out to practice. We're winning this and we're going to trash 'em." I told them. "You can all start with three laps around the entire pitch at full sprint!" I commanded.
"Yes…"
"I can't hear you!"
"Yes captain!" they hollered back and ran out immediately.
I waited until they all left before giving a sigh and rolled my shoulders.
"It's good to see you back Kai."
"It's good to be back coach." I smiled at him. "I'll head off to get changed and be out there in two."
"Alright, see you on the pitches Kai," he nodded and smacked my back in a gesture of gratefulness before heading outside. I dashed into the girl's changing rooms, got changed and headed outside into the sun. It felt amazing to have the sun on my skin again and I couldn't help but smile at the feeling of it. I joined the rest of my team with the sprints and after that we began our warm ups with various skill based exercises. By the time lunch time came I was starving and thankfully, the girls bought and brought the food to us so that we could use as much time as possible to train. When it neared four o'clock, I excused myself and headed off to pick up the others. Because my car alone wouldn't be able to fit everyone, I asked Ana to come with me in her car.
"Kai… is that?" Ana stared in shock at the guys. I figured that she'd recognise them.
"Yeah, don't worry, they're actually alright. They just got a little too drunk that night and thought that you guys were giving consent as well. None of you were in the right frame of mind that night." I whispered to her. "Don't worry about it. I'll explain more about it later."
"Okay…" she nodded slowly.
"Um… Els, Roxy and Ingrid, meet Ana. Do you guys mind going in her car? I'll take the guys." I asked them.
"No problem, nice to meet you Ana. We go to the same school as Kai." Els smiled sweetly at her.
"Nice to meet you too. You'll be seeing a true pro tonight." Ana grinned.
"Ana!" I protested.
"It's true and you know it," she scoffed. "Let's head back before you miss out on any more training."
"See you back at school." I nodded and got into my car. Drew sat shotgun while the other three sat at the back. It was slightly amusing to see them somewhat squished in the back seats like that and I couldn't help but grin.
"So you're a pro?" Dan asked with a crooked smile.
"Not really, I just have an unfair advantage being a dhampir, that's all." I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Hey, I've just noticed something." Quinn grinned.
"What?" I frowned in confusion.
"You feel embarrassed whenever someone compliments you," he stated with a smirk and leaned forward to rest his head on my shoulder.
"Do not!" I protested instantly.
"You do, you're embarrassed now," he laughed and leaned back in the seat.
"Well maybe you should stop teasing me before I decide to chuck you out of my car." I huffed and glared at him through the rear view mirror.
"Aw Quinn, what've you done? You've made little miss prodigy mad." Dan punched him playfully.
"Enough with the embarrassing nickname already and don't call me that in front of my team. They'll never let me hear the end of it otherwise." I sighed. "By the way, do any of you know how to play soccer at all?"
"Sure we do, you kick a ball around and to win you have to get as many goals as possible right?" Jackson shrugged.
"If you guys ever consider playing a proper game, you would get thrashed with a mind-set like that." I smirked. "Oh, and welcome to Rokfurd High." I told them as I pulled up into a space in the school car park.
"This is your school?" Quinn frowned quizzically. "It's not very big."
"Considering it's only a day school and doesn't require intense guarding or training grounds, it's sufficient for the purpose of an ordinary high school." I scoffed. "If you compare it to a vampire school, of course it's going to seem small."
"You do have a point."
"Feel free to sit anywhere you want on the stands and try to refrain from flirting too much with the cheerleaders. Most of them will offer you anything you ask even without you using compulsion if you give them the wrong idea." I warned them.
"Oh? So the stereotypical idea of cheerleaders being sluts is true?"
"For a lot of them, yes." I nodded.
"So are they like Marissa then?"
"Nearly, but not as bitchy or daring in their attacks on girls that they don't particularly like." I shrugged.
"What about you? Do they attack you?"
"Nope, I get along with them alright even though I don't agree with their bitchiness. They listen to what I say most of the time, but that's probably because I'm the captain." I explained. "I'll see you guys in a bit." I told them after I showed them to the stands and I noticed that the team had split into two smaller ones in order to have a smaller sized game. I vaulted over the small barrier separating the stands and the pitch and stepped over to the coach.
"Aw coach, that's mean, you started the game without me."
"Sorry sweet heart but you took too long," he shrugged with a playful smile. "Now that you're here, get on pitch and get practicing."
"Got it coach." I winked and took my usual position as striker.
Four hours later we decided to call it a night and most people headed home for a needed rest for tomorrow's big game. Thankfully the coach managed to make sure that the game would go on tomorrow. I decided to stay behind to practice a little more and the coach hesitated for a moment before giving me permission.
"Don't stay for too late though, take some rest Kai. I know that this means more to you than anyone else but even you need your rest," he warned me.
"I know coach, I'll leave soon, I promise." I smiled.
"Thank you kid, for coming back at such short notice."
"I wouldn't want it any other way."
"See you at the stadium tomorrow then, don't be late. We all know you have a horrible habit of turning up at the last minute."
"I'll try not to." I laughed. "See you tomorrow morning."
"Goodnight Kai," he nodded and left. I let out a heavy sigh and stared up at the stars.
"So the others have been caught by the Guardians huh?" I asked Drew as he walked up behind me.
"They're making sure that the Guardians don't interrupt this for you. After your efforts of getting here and watching you today, we can all see how important this is."
"Thanks."
"Guardian Castile is the one doing most of the persuading to let you stay so you better thank him when you see him."
"Guardian Castile?" I stared at him in surprise. "So that's why they knew where to go so quickly." I sighed in realisation. It seemed that the tip that I gave Ali the other night helped after all. He managed to work out where I'd be and that was what mattered. I had no doubt that when I got back to the Academy, the others would give me a thorough shout and chastise but I would deal with that when the time came. For the moment, what was more important was the match tomorrow.
"How did you know that they'd already been caught?"
"I figured that the Academy would have a lot of connections so getting here wouldn't have been hard. That and the fact that I've been watching my back for a long time now so I know when I'm being watched." I explained. "I noticed them about ten minutes ago."
"You're observant."
"I had to be to survive in the world. Hey, I have an idea, why don't we have a few kicks?" I suggested.
"What?" he stared at me in surprise.
"Well you guys said that you'd kicked the ball a few times right? Or is there something else that you guys actually can't do."
"I have a good control with the direction of the ball but I can't do anything fancy like you guys could. I can see why you said that we'd get thrashed."
"Well, you guys can't help it if you suck since none of you had the proper training that we have." I teased and tossed the ball at him. "Why don't you try shooting a few shots and I'll play keeper."
"But aren't you a striker?"
"The best players are those who can play more than one role Ozera." I winked and rubbed my hands together as I walked to the goal. "I'll give you five shots, try and get one past me."
"You have to promise not to laugh Valentine."
"I promise." I nodded. "Now stop being such a wimp and take a shot already. We'll have a game of penalty shootout, surely you know how to play that?"
"It wouldn't take a genius to work it out even if I didn't," he scoffed and took his first shot. And so he spent the next ten minutes trying to get one shot past me only to fail each time.
"It's not easy is it?" I smirked.
"How have you anticipated where each shot is going to go?" he growled in frustration.
"Well for one thing, I've played this game for much longer than you have and I specialise in it. Secondly, it's similar to fighting someone, if you know what to watch out for, you can tell by the movement of the body. Why don't I teach you a few tricks while I'm at it?"
"This is just down right bizarre for a girl to be instructing a guy on how to play soccer."
"Just don't think of me as a girl and it'll be fine." I shrugged nonchalantly.
"That's not possible," he rolled his eyes and passed the ball to me.
"Really? I didn't think that I affected you." I arched my brows as I passed the ball back to him.
"I'd have to be gay to not be affected."
"Is that even classified as a compliment?"
"Who knows?" he smirked.
For the next hour I taught Drew various basic skills and I had to admit that he picked it up pretty quickly. If he had been raised in the human world, he definitely would've been great at soccer. I drove him back to my flat and I was surprised to see a lack of people.
"Ozera, where are the others?" I frowned.
"They're being held captive at the hotel and I blackmailed the Guardians to let me stay with you. They didn't want you being on your own so they allowed it."
"I've been living on my own for the past six years, I would've been fine."
"Well either way, you're stuck with me around. Or will that be a problem for you?" he teased as he stood closer to me than necessary.
"Problem? Nah." I dismissed with a wave of my hand and pushed him back a step. "Besides, there's no way you'd try anything on me with the Guardians watching us like hawks."
He seemed surprised for a moment before chuckling. "I should've guessed that you'd notice them."
"I've probably been watching my own back more than any of you guys have so don't even bother underestimating me." I scoffed. "You should probably try to get some form of sleep if you have any hopes of staying up tomorrow for the game and the after party."
"After party?"
"We'll definitely win tomorrow's game Ozera. We won't have it any other way, especially since we're up against those jerks."
"You all seem to hold a serious grudge against them, why is that?"
"Do you want a drink?" I offered as I rummaged through my fridge.
"Some coke would be good," he nodded. I walked out of the kitchen and tossed him the can of coke. I paused for a short moment when I saw him perched on the sofa like it was his own. Seeing him like that seemed to make my heart skip a beat for some reason and I blamed it on his damn good looks and his heritage as a vampire. It was late and I didn't have any sleep unlike the others did. My defences were definitely not as strong as they could be. Well, at least, that was my excuse. But I knew that there was something more than that. There was something about Drew Ozera that seemed to weaken my defences.
"Something wrong?" he tilted his head to the side and I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
I headed over to the opposite sofa chair and sat with my ankles crossed on the chair and one knees was brought up to my chest so that I could rest my arm on it. I took a few gulps of coke and noticed that he seemed to be watching me somewhat intensely. It was as though he was observing me and the surroundings around me. The moonlight bathed the room with a silvery sheen and I let out a sigh as I relaxed into the chair more. I hadn't bothered to turn the lights on and there was no need since the moonlight was sufficient enough.
"You know, you avoided my question again," he smiled wryly.
"I did?" I arched my brows in mock innocence.
9