Chapter 21

Betrayal Through Lies and Beauty

I felt like I was about to throw up.

Okay, so that was disturbing, but what else was I supposed to feel like as I snuck out of my window, wearing all black clothing as Brent distracted the others so they wouldn't hear me jump from the second story, and I was about to go see my nightwalker father who could kill me at any instant?

I landed on my ass on the grass, grimacing in pain and standing back up. The microphone attached to my bra was tiny and no bigger around by diameter than a bottle cap. How Brent had found it, I had no clue.

For vampires who had lived in the past, they sure knew a lot about the future.

In ten minutes, Brent would begin listening in on everything. I went around the back of the yard, where he told me the bikes would be. Driving a car would be too risky for the others to hear me. It was only ten-ish, so I still had plenty of time to meet my father before midnight.

I grabbed the first bike I saw and climbed onto it. It was a bit big for me, but it would be a lot faster than walking fifteen miles to Becca's house. I hoped that considering it was late, that not very many cars would be out.

I concentrated on riding on the road instead of the fact I was about to meet my father. After all, I didn't want to end up vomiting all over him.

When I neared the dead end down the street of my foster home, I slowed down and climbed off the bike, setting it gently against the sidewalk. All the house lights were off, thankfully. I took a deep breath and peered around me, where the streetlamps lit up the cul-de-sac.

"You're an hour early." My father stated from behind me. I spun, looking at the sidewalk where he stood next to my bike. I backed up a couple steps and slowly breathed so not to panic.

"I'm here, so let's hurry and catch up so I can go home." I said, looking him straight in the eye. He frowned and leisurely stepped over the bike and paced around me slowly, looking me over.

"You've grown quite a bit. You see, in the jail cell, I wasn't really quite myself. They locked me up for so long, I thought I was gonna go insane. Now that I'm free, I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm powerful too. You know, I can break someone's limbs without even applying much pressure?"

I shivered. Despite him slowly walking in circles around me like a hawk, his voice sounded like it was everywhere at once. It echoed through the houses and trees and night. I really hoped Brent was listening in. It made me feel not so alone.

"Yeah, I know that. I live with vampires, remember?"

He snorted. "Daywalkers aren't vampires. They're pussies. They're so mentally weak it's ridiculous. They can't hurt a human being without feeling terrible about it."

"Maybe humans, but they sure don't give a shit about hurting you freaks." I snapped, turning to glare at him.

He stopped pacing and smiled sadly at me. The emotion looked so fake with his malevolent face. Without warning, he reached out and ran a calloused hand down my cheek. I flinched, but remained still so he wouldn't freak out on me. The last thing I wanted to do was anger him. "You're on the wrong side, Avanni."

I didn't even blink as I told him what I really thought. "No, dad. You're on the wrong side. Your kind kills without remorse. None of you have a heart. You don't care about the consequences of anything. Daywalkers, the ones that I know, despite having bipolar issues, know how to care. They think before they act. They also don't kill humans for the fun and game of it." I couldn't believe my reasoning was so bold.

My father's hand tightened against my cheek, causing my to bite my tongue to keep from crying out. There was definitely going to be a bruise there later. "No. You don't know what daywalkers are like, Ava. They are ruthless. They play with peoples minds and hide things that should be spoken beforehand. They lie, they cheat and they get away with it. You're just blind."

I blinked at him. I couldn't tell if he was speaking the truth or not. Alec had played with Elly's mind before. Rylan messed with mine. But…they always told me the truth. Brent would never lie to me. I yanked back from my father and glared at him.

"No, you're blinded by the hate welled up inside of you from being a nightwalker. You've made the wrong choice. You'll never be able to see the sunlight again. Forever will you rot in darkness. You could have changed for the better, but now you're a monster. Quit trying to say shit about the daywalkers just to make yourself feel better!" I hissed loudly, my voice echoing through the area.

My father stopped in his tracks and stared at me for a long time. Within seconds, a look of grief and sadness passed his features. He grabbed both my wrists with lightning speed and held them in iron-like grasps. I gasped out in pain and tried to pull away. He kept me there in that place as he spoke.

"Join us and be with your true family."

I stopped struggling and stared at him in bewilderment. "My…true family?" Who was my true family? So many people passed through my mind at once. Who had I come here for, really? My father, or Becca and Joshua? What would happen if I became a nightwalker? Would I kill without fear? I let out a snort. "I'm not going to become a hateful thing like you."

My father let out a snarl. "Would you like to know what they lied about? Are you too idiotic to realize it, or are you too blinded by their beauty? They told you they couldn't change you, right? Then how the hell did Cassidy end up a vampire? Alec changed Claude, they changed them all! They lied about being able to change you! How could you not have realized it when they spoke it? Did you just assume it was because they were family and it had something to do with genetics? Because it doesn't! They were going to allow you to die after Rylan bit you because they didn't want another daywalker in the family!"

A lump caught in my throat. How could I have not realized that? Had I basically been brainwashed like Elly had, without even knowing it? It had to...no... it was true. The whole Darquecaster family had been converted. They had lied to me. But…how did my father know about all of this? As I opened my mouth to weakly ask that thought, my father blinked and then added,

"Would you like to know what else they lied about?"

I slowly shook my head, weakly. I didn't want to know anymore. The family I thought was different wasn't.

My father released me and stepped back. "They're here."

I stumbled back when his hands let go, and I looked around in astonishment. Sure enough, six figures stepped out of the shadows and into the streetlamp light. No… NO! This wasn't supposed to happen! Brent was supposed to keep the peace! I couldn't believe any of it. This had to be a bad dream… My eyes landed on Claude.

He shook his head apologetically at me and met my eyes. "I am so sorry, Ava. We have to kill all nightwalkers, even if it means sacrificing a few humans, here and there."

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I looked back to my father, only to see him raise a hand. "I didn't come alone. Jakobi!" He called. Out of nowhere, a dark figure leapt past us and towards Becca's house. I spun with a shout that I didn't even comprehend.

Claude pointed after him. "Somebody kill him! Try to save the Maddox's for Ava."

Try to save the Maddox's for Ava. Try? I watched in disbelief as Lukas, Cassy and Rylan split and followed after Jakobi. They wouldn't care about them. They just wanted the nightwalker dead, no matter who was killed in the process.

Oh my God.

I fell back onto the sidewalk behind me, and stared as my father silently attacked Claude. The nightwalker was strong. It took both Claude and Alec to finally bring him down to the ground. And even yet, he still struggled. Blood flew in the air, and by then, I wasn't even comprehending anything else except the fact that everything I had worked for and befriended was dying away. Not physically, but socially and mentally.

I heard a strained cry of pain and it ended with a gurgle. I blinked several times and realized I was crying. I watched as Brent stabbed a hand through my father's stomach and yanked it up through his head, splitting him in half much as how they had done in the past that had been in my dream. It was terrible watching them do such a thing.

Everything went silent, and I didn't even move as Claude approached me, blood splattered over his body. He kneeled down in front of my motionless self and wiped a lock of hair from my sweating, teary face. He looked troubled, but I was too busy feeling sick and confused. My father had just been brutally murdered.

"Ava?" Claude asked unsurely.

"She's in shock. Her mind is just a jumble of images and words that barely I can understand." Brent said softly behind him. I managed to look past Claude at the younger vampire. His was covered in guts and blood, I was sure.

"Jakobi got away, I'm so sorry!" Cassy's voice said out of no where. "The Maddox's are safe and asleep, as well."

I looked back at her, my body feeling like a bag of potatoes. Rylan and Lukas looked at me with pity in their eyes, but Cassy completely ignored me and stared at Claude behind me.

"That's fine. We'll just have to find him soon, before he goes on a killing rampage." Claude touched my shoulder, and as an instant reaction, I screamed and jumped up.

"Don't touch me!" I cried out, tears still flowing down my cheeks. All the vampires looked at me in shock.

Claude tried to remain calm, and gingerly reached out to me. "Shh, you'll wake up everyone around here. We aren't as bad as that nightwalker said we are, you have to believe us."

"T-that nightwalker? That nightwalker was my father!" I yelled, not caring who the hell I woke up. I shoved Claude away from me, surprised when he actually stepped back. "I hate you all! I can't believe you! You'd let me die, you didn't even care if Becca and Josh died! So much for loving Rebecca, you asshole!"

Claude looked hurt. His eyes went behind me, probably to Cassy, and then quickly averted to look down at the ground. Bullseye.

I turned to Brent. "And what about you? You fucking liar! You're the worst, by far! Acting like my friend and rubbing it in my face that I reminded you of the sister you never could have! You're such a fake."

Without hesitating to see his expression, I spun on Alec, ignoring Cassy's shocked expression.

"I hated the fact you played with my best friends mind! You ruined her! Not to mention you probably stole her virginity! She was saving that for someone she loved!"

I was definitely on a role. All these jumbled words in my mind began to make sense and it was flowing out of my mouth on impulse…but I meant every word of it. I felt gross and sick and confused and hurt and angry all at the same time.

I looked at Cassidy. "You do realize that the man you love is in love with someone else, right? You're a selfish, uncaring bitch. Your perfect family that you were talking about, remember that? Just to let you know, it isn't so perfect as you once thought."

I didn't have much more to say. I merely sent a disappointed look to Lukas and Rylan, and the both looked away. I turned slowly back to Claude.

"I want my normal life back. I want you to leave this place and go back to wherever you came from. Take the stupid nightwalker Jakobi with you as well! Take everything back with you that you brought here! I want to be normal again!" I finished off with a sob.

Claude watched me for a long time as I cried, wiping furiously at my tears as well. I cried way too much around them. I hated it. I hated them. He lowered his voice compared to mine, and said softly, "We will leave. However, the only thing we can't take back are the memories. I apologize, Ava Maddox." he stepped forward and kissed my forehead, much like a father would do if he were leaving for a long time.

I was too tired to push him away as he hugged me quickly. I heard the bike being picked up. As Claude turned away with the others, he said, "We will bring your clothes and items back to Becca and Joshua tonight before we leave. I'm so sorry for bringing this onto you, but please understand that we do care."

Those were the last words he spoke as the left, leaving me on the sidewalk.

It began raining then, a cold, bitter rain.

Before I could stop it, I leaned over and threw up whatever was in my stomach. I didn't stop until I was dry-heaving. Black spots danced before my eyes. I couldn't believe this had all just happened. I had grown too attached to the Darquecaster's without even realizing it. I had only known them for a couple of months, too.

The black spots multiplied and shrouded my vision. The rain was freezing cold. Why was everything suddenly getting so dark?

A/N: I was sure most of you realized the Darquecaster's had lied about the changing issue. Of course, Ava, without her knowing anything, was blinded by the vampires' trickeries and beauty much like Elly had been. Sorry this chapter was so emotional. Stay tuned for the next!