Chapter twelve: My blood runs
I stared at the two boys, glancing back and forth. No one spoke. We just stared at each other awkwardly. Mr. Bunny's eyes were fuming with all of its oceanic glory. Kain had a guilty look on his face and would sometimes stare at the ground, absolutely ashamed (for meddling, I guess).
"Uh...well..." I wasn't sure of what the hell I should do and continued to stare at the two of them before waving at them. "See ya!"
I quickly darted into the Sun dorm, giving neither of the boys the opportunity to speak. I closed the doors of the dorms with a thud and marched to my room with new, nervous energy. I reached my door and swung it open and closed it.
"You should be more careful, Fontana," Kaede's voice made me jump back in surprise. She was seated on the edge of the massive window. "And keep your windows closed."
"What are you doing in the Sun dorms? What are you doing in my room?" I snapped, a part of me hoping that Kiren wasn't in the room or she'd be in danger. She immediately grabbed me by the strands of my hair to pull me closer to her and we stood alarmingly close.
Yellow green eyes staring menacingly into my outraged eyes.
"What do you want?" I hissed, my hands clutching her shoulders firmly to balance myself.
"As rude as ever I see," she chuckled, playfully tugging my hair up and down. "Lets go outside."
Using my hair, she pulled me outside the window and I thought for sure those two idiots would still be out there but they weren't.
My fucking luck.
She exhaled, rolling her neck.
"You didn't answer my question," I growled, wondering how the hell did she manage to get me on the ground from my window.
Her eyes flickered and I could have sworn I saw red, but before I could respond a pink blur moved and all of the sudden I was on the ground with her hovering over me.
She had my arms pinned above me.
"What the hell Kaede! Do you want to rape me or something?" I shouted, squirming underneath her.
"No, I have a message for you," she stated coldly.
"And what? You couldn't tell me from where you were standing?"
"You're rude when you're in no position to be rude Fontana so listen closely," she snarled.
I stopped squirming, breathing loudly through my nose. "Well?"
"Your mother is Fontana Chiara, is it not?"
My body stiffened. "What about her?"
"She has been taken."
"Taken? What the fuck do you mean by 'taken'?" I yelled.
She grinned menacingly at me, fangs exposed. "Kidnapped, you idiot."
With those words the barrier that kept my violent temper in check cracked again. I viciously bucked her off of me, rolling her over and I brutally pounded my right fist against her throat, cutting off her air supply. She began to wheeze; both of her hands reaching to hold her throat but I whacked them away and tightly wrapped my right hand around her throat.
"Where is she?" I roared.
Kaede giggled in between her coughs and wheezes, and I shook her violently. "I ASKED WHERE IS-"
She kicked me, causing me to fly off of her and I crashed into a tree. I hit my head against a thick branch and when I slid to the ground, I noticed my vision had become blurry.
"You'll see her soon." I heard her cackle before everything went black.
I don't remember how I got here. I don't know where I am.
All I do know is that there are four people in this cell-like room, including myself.
There were chains wrapped around me, forcing me to kneel because of their weight. My wrists were sore from the metal clinging to my skin.
There was a man with maroon shaded hair standing in the corner of the room with his arms crossed, covered in shadows so I could only see his white grin and sharp fangs, and glowing red eyes. The second person, another male, had white hair. In fact, I've seen him before. He obviously went to my school because of the white uniform.
I was more afraid of the maroon haired man than the white one. He was sadistic and enjoyed psychological mind games. I think that's why my head is so screwed up right now. He somehow managed to convince me earlier that he had raped my mother when she was younger and I was his child. I don't remember much after that. I think I blacked out and took my rage out on the white haired male since he had been closer to me. When my vision returned, the white haired guy was on the floor with a lot of broken bones and bruises.
Shame, at least he had a sense of humor.
The third person in the room was Kaede. She had been the first to attack me, dragging me by my hair across the whole floor until she chained me.
A fist pounded into my left cheek and struck me again—this time hitting me hard enough for my vision to temporarily black out. I was lying on a polished, clean marble floor, or it was until my blood was spilled onto it. Someone strong behind me picked me up from my waist and brutally threw me against the wall, my head smashed against the wall behind me, causing me to yelp.
"YOU WILL TALK!" Kaede screamed, having been the one who threw me. The white haired student next to her had been the one who did most of the hitting. She had been interrogating me for answers. She wanted to know where I was born, what abilities I had if I had any and where I was currently residing.
I didn't tell her anything. I couldn't tell her anything even if I wanted to. I was practically choking on blood. My blood.
"Where is your fucking mother hiding, you wench!" she screeched, her voice becoming hoarse from all the screaming she did hours before. She kicked my stomach and the wind was knocked out of me. I lied on my side, curling into fetal position to keep her away from me. Inwardly I snorted, giving myself props for knowing from the beginning that the pink haired freak was going to be trouble.
"Hoshi! Make sure you get an answer from her!" Kaede shouted at the white haired student, who looked healed for the most part. How the fuck did he do that?
Kaede must have finally gotten tired of seeing my ugly, bruised face. Even though she had told him to get an answer from me, I knew he was going to beat me to death just because he wanted to and didn't care if he got an answer or not. Pay back is a bitch, ya know?
So when she had stormed out of the room and he had given me a maniacal grin, I prepared myself for the worst.
Wake up Serena.
It took me a while to have the strength to open my eyes because it hurt. It hurt to breathe and it hurt to move. My eyes were swollen but I could see. The earth under my hands was familiar, the reek of death was familiar, and the silent sound was familiar.
I was in my grave, but not in my dreams. I was lying on my back, looking up to see trees looming above me, on the edges of the grave.
I knew it was night. The crescent moon was hiding behind the trees and there were faint stars in the sky. I tried to sit up, taking ten minutes just to lift my head and deeply regretted it.
There were four bloodied and mud caked bodies slumped against the mud wall, their clothes were tattered and three were missing a head. I gulped as I quickly and sorely scrambled up and knocked into a mud wall behind me. I gawked at the four bodies before realizing that I knew them and slowly crawled on my knees and elbows to get a better look.
I vomited and cried at the same time. Trust me, it doesn't feel good when you vomit and cry at the same time because at some point of time vomit comes out of your nose.
The bodies belonged to the Erica and her family. Her parents were lying in pieces—arms and legs barely attached to their bodies, and I found their heads together a few inches away. Their eyes had rolled up to their forehead and their mouths were opened, making them look like they were screaming.
Anthony, on the other hand, had his head still attached and his neck supported various red fang marks. I assumed he was drained dry because he had sunken skin and countless deep wrinkles; he had the perfect appearance of a zombie. Erica's head was underneath her right arm, and she was holding it like a basketball. Her face was covered in deep scratches that were probably caused by long, sharp fingernails and the only thing I could see through all the blood on her face were her opened, dull and hopeless blue eyes.
The moment I saw her eyes I vomited.
Her body had a fist-sized hole in it where her murderers had removed her liver. I backed away and my hand brushed past something fleshy. I glanced down to see a patch of skin with a black, crouching panther tattoo.
Jade's... tattoo. Jade was here too?
I scanned the area, finding no other body but there was so much blood. The crimson liquid mingled with the earth on the ground and was splattered all over the walls of the grave.
"Bastards," I cried, whimpering and curling on the ground. "YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!"
And I realized why my body hurt so much. I had a twisted ankle and when I felt my neck I noticed four new holes. Someone had bitten me twice. I lost my vision then. Fear and panic seized me, tightly gripping my lungs and it made it even harder to breathe. My breaths came in raggedly, and my body trembled with both heat and cold, my head felt heavy and yet lighter.
Everything was becoming fuzzy and I was in the eye of a tornado, things were moving too quickly—whirling and spinning.
I wanted to vomit again. I wanted—needed—to get rid of the sick feeling in my stomach.
"Fontana." A demonic sounding voice said my name.
My head snapped up to see three tall blobs standing a few centimeters away from me. One was black, one was silver and one was white.
I was losing it.
I was instantly on my feet, moving backwards to get away from them but there was no exit. No way out unless I was going to climb and I didn't have the time to climb out.
"Fontana it's okay, we're here to get you out."
To fucking hell you are.
I was an animal pushed to their limits and death was threatening me, taunting me. I may be next or I might not be.
I was now running on only survival instincts and I had no intention of dying. Erica had always told me that if I was going to die one day, make sure I wasn't a coward in the end and that I had fought my damn hardest. Judging by the appearance of this hellhole, she had done just that. She fought her hardest to survive, but the person who killed her had been stronger than her.
Ignoring the agonizing pain in my body, I sprinted and tackled the black blob with the remaining strength I had left and heard the white blob yell. I yelped in pain, sliding down its body and felt around.
No, I wasn't being perverted but normally if someone comes to kill you, they would have a weapon and bingo! I found something cold and metal in the blob's clothing.
"Serena! Don't!" the white blob shouted in English. I winced from the volume and because it sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where I had heard the voice before. My mind was in a chaotic mess and I couldn't make sense of anything anymore.
The black blob advanced towards me and I removed the safety of the gun. It's funny how people underestimate me because they think I'm stupid. It's not that hard to figure out a gun.
I fired twice, not sure of whom I shot because I couldn't see and I couldn't aim. I groaned in pain, the force of the gun firing had caused my shoulder to go out of whack. The white blob slumped forward, clutching a part of his upper body I think. The silver blob was above me now but before it could hit me, the non-existing, invisible rug beneath me was yanked and I fell face first into the mud.
I was on a concrete floor of a playground, lying on my back so I could see the cloudy sky and I felt the sun's warmth on my skin, which felt good. It seemed like it had been decades since I felt something warm. I could tell I was at a playground because of the sound of children playing and giggling and their feet were stomping as they climbed on top of the slides.
He was sitting across from me on a wooden bench, swinging his legs playfully and he grinned at me when he noticed me watching.
"Am I dead?" I bluntly questioned the kid, slowly sitting up. "Is this my Heaven?"
It looked a lot like the playground back at home, where I had been first bitten.
Where I had been bitten.
My hands touched my neck and I felt the tender, swollen areas where the bite marks infected my skin. I winced, not remembering when or who bit me.
He shook his head, his flaming red hair swaying. "I led him."
"Led who…to where?" I inquired confusedly.
"Mr. Bunny. I made him have a memory. It led him to you," he grinned, swinging his legs more vigorously. "He saved you."
"You know Mr. Bunny?" My eyes opened wildly.
He shook his head. "No, but you do. So I watch him."
"You watch…?" I was a little freaked out that a kid stalked me. A dead kid to boot.
He nodded, staring at the other kids playing. I followed his gaze and wondered out loud. "Are they dead too?"
He nodded his head again.
"How did they die?" I asked, not bothering to hide my sadness. Death was already hard to accept as an adult, but for a child? And I've always felt more depressed when a child died since most adults that die have lived their lives, but children…they had so much more to do, to experience.
"I can't tell you," he said.
I stared at the kid this time, studying him. He freakishly reminded me of Mom. Only he was obviously a boy and a lot younger.
"Who are you? Why do you talk to me? Why do you help me?"
He giggled. "You'll see."
I woke up three times, lying on something warm and soft and comfortable. The first time I woke up I had rolled my head to my right, feeling something warm on that side and opened my eyes to find a window that was allowing sunlight to come in. I also noticed a person, the Japanese man I saw in the States, was diagnosing my wounds. I whacked his hands away, paranoid of what he had been doing while I was asleep and not trusting of what he might do while I was awake.
"You," I growled in an angry tone. "You mother fuc-"
"You're awake," he grunted, interrupting me before I could finish my cursing.
I sat up too quickly and groaned when all the blood rushed to my head. I puked in the iron gray bucket beside me.
"Feel better?"
I nodded and saw a pale hand put a glass of water in front of me. I looked up to see Zero also standing next to my bed.
"Zero?" My voice didn't even sound like it belonged to me. It was rough, dry and manly like. I wheezed and forced myself to lie back down. It still hurt to move.
"You have two broken fingers, four broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a twisted ankle. You're being bed ridden by the Headmaster for six weeks until further notice," the man informed me, his voice void of any emotion.
Shit that's a long time.
"I've been bitten," I rasped, my hand massaged the once again swollen area. "What happened to me?"
"You went missing for five days. Kiren went back to the Headmaster when she realized you weren't in the room and the window was broken," Zero sighed.
"Aidou is not exactly someone you would want to be around when he's pissed," the man suddenly told me. "I had a hard time keeping him from killing the student we captured."
"Student you captured?"
"Long story that I won't tell you about. You'll have to hear about it from someone else."
"Aidou knew where you were," Zero stated, changing the topic because he knew that I was going to ask him next.
"How?"
"He had a dream of where you were located. Then he remembered that there's an area where the Council of Ancients used to assemble in the past, and it had a lake and a dock. We found you there."
"Council of Ancients? And who's we?"
"My sensei and I, and along with Aidou, found you." Zero shifted in his seat. "It was only supposed to be me and my sensei, but he insisted on coming."
"I…shot someone," I said, not really sure that I did. My memory was blurry. "And…the Council of Ancients. What the hell is that?"
"It was Aidou that you shot."
"Oh shit," I wailed, burying my face into my hands. That turned out to be a bad idea. My hands hurt like hell and so did my face.
"He's fine. You got him in the shoulder."
"And…the bodies?" I whispered, now having a visual of the four bodies I had discovered.
"Have been given a proper burial."
"And…Jade?" I felt tears coming but I forced myself to fight them. I refuse to cry in front of two men. Nope. Not gonna happen. Not in a million years.
"Who's Jade?"
"Never mind." I wasn't sure if I should be happy or upset that his body wasn't found, so my stomach chose for me and I threw up again.
"For someone who hasn't eaten anything in the last ten days, you vomit a lot," Zero frowned in disgust and moved away to avoid the odor.
"It's just water now."
I laid my head on the pillow and closed my eyes.
When I reopened them it was late evening and I saw Kiren moving things around. I wanted to say something but I couldn't find my voice and I didn't have any energy left in me. I fell asleep again. The third time I woke up it was dark but I could see everything because of the moonlight. There were stuffed animals, purple and red oval balloons next to the window that said get well soon and happy birthday--hang on, happy birthday?
"Hey." Mr. Bunny was in my line of vision now.
He looked completely disheveled. His hair, well actually, that was normal. His hair was never tamed, but his eyes looked haunted and tired. He wasn't wearing his school uniform, which caused me to stare at him all the more because I have never seen him wear anything but a school uniform. He was wearing a red dress shirt with a few undone buttons at the top, exposing his neck and collarbone, and khaki jeans.
I had a urge to lick him.
"You need to eat something," he said softly and brought me a bowl of soup…or at least it looked like soup.
My stomach furiously growled at me and I felt myself blush. Okay, so maybe that's why I wanted to lick him. I was starving!
Yet when I looked at him and smiled, I couldn't help but say, "You look good in red."
I have no idea what possessed me to say that, but I did and it gave his cheeks some color. He was looking too pale for my tastes anyway. My tastes? Tastes? What the hell is going on here?
"You should wear it more often." I needed to shut up! Hmmm…well, maybe he shouldn't. His shirt made him look paler. Maybe he should wear green or blue instead. Why do I care?
Why do I feel so loopy?
I glanced at the table to my right and noticed all the pain medication I was given while I was asleep. Oh. Well, that could be why!
"I think…it's the medicine," he chuckled. "Now eat. The prefect said you like this when he made you try it."
I smiled bigger when I realized Zero had made me the beef and vegetable soup that he, indeed, made me try when we went out shopping, however, I had a hard time using the chopsticks.
Mr. Bunny sighed. "You're pathetic."
"You try eating with chopsticks with a dislocated shoulder and broken fingers, you fag," I snapped, suddenly becoming alarmed because he was sitting so close to me. He took the chopsticks from me and looked at them for a few seconds before he started to feed me.
It was the most awkward moment in my life.
The first time he tried to put the chopsticks to my mouth, I refused to open and shook my head to avoid the utensils, but then he gently probed my mouth and I let him feed me out of surprise.
He was treating me so gently, as if I was a broken, glass doll that would slip through his fingers.
"Kiren told me it was your birthday," he said to break the silence, avoiding my eyes.
"What day is it?" I asked curiously.
"It's September twentieth. You went missing September eleven and you were found September fifteenth," he told me, tensing when he said the word missing and he shifted in his seat.
"My birthday is September seventeenth," I said after swallowing.
"You were unconscious."
"So did she bring in all of these?" I questioned, gesturing to the balloons and flowers and stuffed animals.
"Some," he smiled gently.
"You did too?"
He nodded and a part of me melted.
"They told me you were the one that found me."
"I did," he confirmed.
"How?" I asked.
He sighed, pausing with the chopsticks in the bowl. "I had a dream that a red haired boy was leading me to a lake, and the area felt familiar. Then I realized I had been there before. My grandfather used to take me there when he had his meetings when I was younger."
"You followed the red head kid?" I asked, remembering my dream where the kid told me that he had found me because he led Mr. Bunny to me. And it dawned on me that no one had answered my previous question.
"What is the Council of Ancients?"
He visibly winced and avoided my eyes, dropping the chopsticks into the bowl.
"Aidou?" I said his name quietly.
"It's Hanabusa," he corrected me again.
"Answer the question…please?" I urged him gently.
He sighed, running his free hand through his hair. The ocean in his eyes became more watery than usual and I suspected shame was stirring in those hues.
"It's an old committee of the eldest vampires."
"Vampires? Vampires? Are you toying with me?" I growled lowly, not appreciating the fact that he would choose this time to play with my mind.
"No, I'm not. They've bitten you twice," he glared at me. Though I don't think he was angry with me, but at them.
My hands flew up to my sore neck and I felt two bite marks.
"Kaede kidnapped you with her party. She's missing now, but we've managed to capture one. You remember the white haired student? The one that shoved you in the hallway?"
"Who could forget?" I said, remembering how he had kicked and punched the living hell out of me.
"He's working with her. His name is Hoshi Nunki."
"I don't understand why Kaede would want me. In fact, why would vampires, if they really exist, want me of all people?"
Aidou placed the bowl on the table next to me and was suddenly inches from my face. "What more proof do you need?"
Heat rushed to my face and I shook my head and shrugged, not knowing how to respond. He sighed again; looking like he was contemplating on something, and slowly opened his mouth to reveal his white fangs. My body stiffened, my breath caught in my throat and I could hear my heart fluttering in my ears. I involuntarily and instantly scooted away from him. Part of me feared that he would bite and I was already sore. The other part of me wondered why hadn't I turned into a vampire already.
"You're afraid of me," he stated, but it sounded more like a question. He backed away from me and frowned as if he disgusted himself. "Tell me the truth."
"You're a vampire?" I whispered, shocked and ignored his inquiry.
He glared at me. "Well, duh."
"No wonder you laughed at all of my death threats!"
"SERENA! TAKE ME SERIOUSLY FOR ONCE!" he shouted, becoming furious and extremely red in the face.
I reached out to calm him, realizing that he wanted me to be serious because he didn't know if I accepted him, so I gently caressed his face and that caused an immediate awkward silence.
He had frozen when my fingers touched his cheek.
"Sorry, making jokes is… kinda how I deal with things…especially when I don't really know how to deal with it," I muttered, surprised at myself for revealing a part of me. "Err…go on though. You still haven't answered my question."
At first he didn't say anything. He just stared and I couldn't read his face because there were too many things flickering in his eyes, but then he cleared his throat and leaned back into his chair.
"The Council of Ancients have a lot of members who are from the Bokyo clan," he explained and he cut me off before I said that it still didn't make sense. "You're caught in the middle of a family feud."
"I…am still so lost…the only family that I know of is my mother. Who else is there? I can't really fight with Mom...though we have our moments."
"Not what I meant," he sighed, rubbing his temples as if he was annoyed with my ignorance, which he probably was. "Um…do you remember when you asked me why I didn't call you over the summer and I told you I had been busy? I have been studying your family since I discovered you were a vampire hunter."
"I'm a vampire hunter?" I asked him, perplexed.
"Yes."
"But I've never killed a vampire before..."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he sarcastically muttered under his breath.
"Huh?"
"I meant that you come from a family of vampire hunters and you have their scent."
"And how long have you known that I was a vampire hunter?" I questioned, feeling peeved that he had known something about me and didn't bother to share.
"When you cut yourself that one day and I lent you my handkerchief. Vampire hunters normally have sweet scented blood to allure vampires…easier to track and kill," he enlightened me. "But I wasn't sure so I discussed it with the prefect and he didn't know of a family of vampire hunters with the last name of Fontana. So I dug deeper during the summer."
"And why haven't you told me this?"
"I just did."
"I meant when you discovered it."
"I knew you wouldn't believe me."
"Yes I would have," I argued.
"No, you wouldn't have. You didn't even believe in vampires until I showed you my fangs."
"You're a vampire?" I asked and faked a gasp, purposely to piss him off.
I love teasing him. It makes me feel at home.
He shot me a very sinister, dark glare. "Don't push me, Serena."
"Okay, just tell me what else you found out," I sighed, suddenly feeling tired.
"Your mother's blood line traces back to three centuries ago, but the family name was Heolstor, an old vampire family consisting of nobles. They were, however, trying to spread their idea of pacifism and actually went as far as mating with humans to prove their point," he enlightened me, eyes brightening with knowledge. I wanted to poke him so he could stop sounding so fascinated with the whole thing. "Though that doesn't mean they weren't vicious when they needed to be."
"What do you mean?" I asked, envious that he managed to find so much information about my family when I was clueless. I should have a right to see these files!
"Bokyo Kaede has beef with you it seems," he said, "your family assassinated a lot of her relatives when her clan attacked the human companions in your clan centuries ago."
"Oh Jesus Christmas," I grumbled, rolling my eyes. Maybe it's best not to know my family.
"That's on your mother's side anyway. Your father is a former vampire hunter, which means he has loads of enemies," he interrupted my thoughts.
I blinked, momentarily forgetting that we were talking about my family and its history, and about vampires who either wanted me dead or out of their way, to admire his accent when he spoke to me in English. It sounded so...NOT GOING THERE! FUCKING MEDICINE! WHAT THE HELL DO THEY HAVE ME ON?
"Where are you getting all of this information? And don't you mean he was a former vampire hunter? And, curiously, is there a chance that I could be a vampire?" I cleared my throat, hoping it would get me back on track and I glared at the table beside me where the medicine containers were. I wanted to make sure everything I was given was legal. I sighed in relief when I didn't see a mysterious potion or something labeled 'Cupid's Cure for the Unwilling!'
"You're not a vampire. There's too much human blood in you for you to be a vampire."
"And my father?" I asked, annoyed. People seem to be avoiding my questions a lot today.
"He's not dead Serena."
My whole body twitched and I could feel my lips curl into a snarl. He was alive--the fucking bastard left us and he was still alive!
"Twice a noble vampire has bitten you and a bit of your vampire instincts have been awakened, which is why your senses are agitated right now," he said, changing topic before I could go off on a verbal killing spree.
"My senses?" I questioned stupidly.
"Your nose probably feels like it's been violated with all the smells, your taste buds will be going crazy later on, your vision and hearing will improve dramatically. I wouldn't touch anything unless it was soft for the next few hours until you get used to it."
"Hang on, you said I was too human to be a vampire, so what's with all these changes?" I questioned him confusedly. I wasn't about to grow fangs too, was I?
"You were bitten, and although only purebloods can turn a human into a vampire—you already have a little vampire blood in you. It's an extremely small portion, but…well, you didn't think it wouldn't affect you at all, did you?"
"Does that mean I'll be chasing after people for their blood anytime soon?" I asked, worried about Kiren.
"No. Your senses will just improve. That's all. Nothing else will change."
"Awww, I don't get any super powers?" I joked, but I was actually hoping I would. I mean wouldn't it be cool if I could set something on fire? Sure would be!
"Absolutely none."
"Damn. Take all the fun out of it," I pouted.
"Not my rules." He put up his hands apathetically.
"So…why are they after me again?"
He eyed me annoyingly. "You're very slow sometimes, you know?"
"You're saying this to the person who shot you, which by the way, how is your shoulder?"
"I healed perfectly. Even though you did shoot me with anti-vampire magic."
"What does that mean?"
"The gun you shot me with is called a Bloody Rose," he twitched, looking as if he didn't really want to tell me because I might try to use it on him. "It was created to shoot down vampires, specifically Level E. They're the only guns that work on vampires."
"Oh, then that must have hurt," I said, feeling guilty.
"No, I'm fine," he replied too quickly.
"Liar."
"I am not lying."
"You are too!" I argued, sounding childish.
"Prove it!" He smirked.
"You're favoring your stupid shoulder right now, you fag! It still hurts, doesn't it!"
He paused, opened his mouth and then quickly shut it. He shrugged it off with a small smile, and I knew he was doing that so he looked cool. The arrogant, macho asshole.
"And what do you mean by Level E? And a pureblood?" I changed topic since I knew he wasn't going to admit he was still in pain.
Pride is man's favorite sin.
"That's a longer, more complex explanation that I am not in position to tell you," Aidou replied, looking very serious. "You'll have to wait for someone else to do that for you."
I frowned, wondering if he was talking to me because he was my friend or because this was a chore and no one else wanted to do it.
"Okay, so back to why the council of old people are after me."
"The Council of Ancients," he corrected me, "wants you out of the way because you're an abomination. A child from a well-known vampire clan and of human blood. They don't approve of such abominations and don't approve of the idea of pacifism, which is something your parents stand for. They also don't want a potential vampire hunter on their hands."
"That's confusing. I thought this was just because of the bloody family feud?"
"Vampires have many motives and most, if not all, of them wouldn't collaborate with another vampire unless there's something in it for them. You should know, you act just like them."
"I do? How so?"
"You're annoying, you're sneaky, you're manipulative, you attack other people with no reason-"
"Are we talking about Mr. High-and-Mighty here? I thought we went over that. And how the hell am I manipulative?"
"I told you! You order Kiren around like she's your slave!"
"I do not!"
"Yes, you do!"
"You know what? Drop the subject. Or we'll be here for the rest of our lives."
"You wanted me to list off why you were like a vampire," he shrugged stubbornly.
"So, like I said, they think that I will try for world peace and yet kill them at the same time? Well, that's very hypocritical of me, isn't it?" I chuckled, changing the topic before he could start it up again.
"They don't know what you are capable of or what you want to do once you learn of your blood line," he replied, vexed but still trying to keep his temper in check.
"Well shit, none of it! I want nothing to do with vampires and the whole bit!" I snapped, forgetting he was a vampire and I immediately noticed his sour face.
"Well, since you made that clear, I'll take my leave then." He stood up with his eyes closed, slightly showing the tips of his fangs.
"Oh come off it, Hanabusa, you knew what I meant."
But he ignored me and turned around to leave.
"Well you know what! Fine! I hate you!" I shouted, furious. "What about Erica, huh? And her family? Why the hell were they killed? They were fucking innocent people and your kind killed them! Where's the justice in that?"
"They were killed after their interrogation. Apparently the Council wanted the whereabouts of your mother. Your mother's location has been a secret for years, Serena, but after they discovered you were attending this school…they figured they could follow you," he answered stiffly and when he reopened his eyes, he was glaring venomously at me.
A knock sounded on the door and Zero slowly opened the door. "Your mother is coming to Japan, Fontana."
"What?" I asked in shock.
Mr. Bunny, with one hand in his pocket, walked out of my room without saying another word to me. He didn't have to, I could feel his anger radiating off his body. He slammed the door shut behind him.
"She'll be here soon," Zero informed me, ignoring the vampire that just left. "Glad to see that your health condition has somewhat improved."
I smirked. "Probably the medicine, right? How much crap do you have me on?"
"Truthfully, it's not all medication. Aidou offered his blood to increase your chances of survival since he was already bleeding from the bullet wound. You nearly died from shock and the pain."
I stared at him and nearly shrieked, "You mean to say I drank vampire blood in my sleep?"
How ironic. I just pissed off my savior.
"No, we gave to you," he answered, holding up a needle.
"Isn't that unethical?" I squeaked.
Zero frowned. "It's taboo, actually, but he's a stubborn idiot. He wanted you to survive. Vampire blood speeds up the human healing process."
"And the Headmaster agreed? Does he even know he has a vampire student? Wait, how do you know about vampires? Aidou said he went to you to ask about my family," I questioned, glaring at him suspiciously.
"Yes he agreed, and there's a long story behind that, which we'll talk about another time," he responded calmly.
"And how do you know about vampires?" I repeated, becoming angry.
"I come from a family of vampire hunters. Leave it at that," he glared.
I don't know how long we glared at each other, but it was probably around ten to fifteen minutes. I glared because I hate it when people keep shit from me and he glared because...well I'm guessing because he didn't feel like talking about his past. Judging by the anger and turmoil in his eyes, it probably wasn't all rainbows and sunshine.
"Fine. But you'll probably end up telling me one day," I told him, crossing my arms and he gave me a stern glare that said 'Absolutely not'.
If there's one thing I know about people it's that we're never simple. We're all like spiders, weaving our lives and making things more complicated with our webs. And sometimes the rain beats us.
The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out...
Yup. We're all like drowning spiders.
Now if only some of us had the guts to climb again...life would be great.
Serena will never be a vampire. I prefer my OC as a human.
I thank everyone who answered my Shiki question! I've been trying to comprehend all the vampires in the manga but Shiki (that's his first name, right?) makes me think the most so far. This chapter took me forever to write because I have what I call a brain collision. It's like a brain fart, but instead of going blank, I think too much and then I can't decide on what to do because I have too many ideas...
Yup, so enjoy!