Chapter twenty-four: Brain Malfunction

Someone was standing right behind me, breathing their foul-scented breath into my ears. They had me by the shoulders, rubbing them in circular motions to keep me under their control. I was powerless. I was without the Blood Star. It was cold but at the same time it was warm. The wind blew against me so strongly that it sucked the air right out of me, leaving me gasping. The warmth came from a sticky, gooey substance that was moving down my arms like molasses.

It wasn't dark. I could see in front of me due to the light of the moon. I just wished I couldn't see.

In front of me laid the bodies of Zero, Yagari-sama, and Jade. Zero's head was tilted on its side but I could see the vacant glint in his eyes. Yagari-sama had been dismembered--his head was missing. Jade had been drained of his blood, his eyes removed from their sockets.

Kaede's corpse, missing her legs, had Hanabusa by his throat. He looked like he was in a trance. His blue eyes were cloudy and his body slinked before her. She winked at me before she sunk her teeth into his throat, licking the wound as his blood seeped out.

I struggled against my captor but I couldn't break their grip on me. I screamed yet no sound came out. And then my mother stepped out from the shadows of the trees. Her eyes were red and fangs dug into her bottom lip. She grinned, yanking someone by their black hair and she forced them to face me. I found myself staring at bewildered emerald eyes that belonged to Kiren. She stared at me in shock and then flashed me a pleading look.

"Serena-chan!" She shrieked, stretching her hands for me. "Serena-chan! SERENA! HELP! PLEASE HELP ME!"

I fought harder against the arms that restrained me but their fingers began to slice into me. I screamed helplessly, even though I couldn't make any sounds, and kicked my legs out. However, the more I fought, the more I was moved away from her.

At this point, with the distance between us, Kiren was about the size of a child. She was still reaching out for me.

And she was still shrieking uncontrollably, sounding akin to a dying animal.

I was too weak to save her.

Your prey has escaped, young huntressss....find him, kill him....

He's a threat to your existence....trap him in a hole....

I shivered at the ghoulish voice.

Torture his soul until he cannot take anymore....

"Serena! SERENA!" Yagari-sama hissed into my ears. "Wake up!"

I jumped, startled at the sudden skin contact and nearly slapped him in my defense. Yagari-sama's reflexes were quicker, grabbing my hands before I could strike. He shot me a concerned look before I dropped my frightened stare and inhaled deeply to calm down. My face lost its fearful expression, masking it with indifference.

"What's going on?" Hanabusa moaned. His head had been resting on my lap but he was jolted awake when Yagari-sama startled me. He blinked a couple of times, stared at Yagari-sama, and then stared at me. Not finding anything of interest, he dropped his head back onto my lap and began snoring softly.

I wish I could fall asleep that quickly.

"Miss, please buckle your seatbelt," a woman's gentle voice interrupted us.

I groaned, cracked my neck and sat up to buckle my seatbelt. I eyed the flight attendant. She was short with a small, fragile build. A bubbly brunette with tiny, asian eyes that were inviting. Pale in color but she was wearing red lipstick. I really wanted to wipe it off of her. It made her look...cheesy. I gave her an A for personality. She was nicer than my past flight attendants.

I smiled a fake smile. "Done."

"Could you wake your friend and tell him to put on his seatbelt too? The plane is about to land," she said.

"Yeah, no problem."

She thanked me politely and walked away. I sighed and peered down at Hanabusa. I couldn't help but stare at him. I gently caressed his cheek and pushed away his bangs to get a better view of his face. His face was softer in his sleep. The lines of his face smoothed out, making him appear childish.

He was safe. Kaede was dead. He was safe.

I shook the slumbering blonde by his shoulder, who only snuggled closer to my stomach.

"Hey you, the airplane is landing so you need to put your seatbelt on," I murmured.

Hanabusa snorted, whacking away my pestering hand.

I scowled and glanced at Zero. "Hey, wake up sleeping beauty. I don't have enough energy."

Zero wasn't as nice as I was. He grabbed Hanabusa by the collar and smacked his forehead against the seat in front of him.

Hanabusa yelped. "What the hell!"

Zero grumbled impatiently. "Plane is landing."

I frowned when I noticed a drool spot on my jeans. "Hanabusa, people are going to think I peed my pants because of you."

He blinked a couple of times, and then smirked when he noticed the wet circle. "Or, you know, they could think that I was performing-"

"One more word Hanabusa and I'm ripping that tongue out," Zero growled.

I stretched, keeping my peace. The patience of the group had grown thin. Everyone was tired, irritated. I was beginning to miss my crazy aunt. Thora decided she was going to remain in Russia to hunt the Bokyo clan in my absence. A part of me was relieved, but the other part was disappointed. I really wanted to see how she interacted with the Night Class vampires.

I sighed and my breath created a frosty cloud on the window. I began drawing frowning faces in it. I was becoming annoyed with the silence. I needed someone or something to distract me and usually fighting kept me distracted, but nobody would argue with me. The boys would just stare at me in concern or nod their heads whenever I said something.

I hated how they stared at me. It was like they were looking right through me and knew how miserable I truly felt. Hanabusa was the worst. His stare, with those alluring blue hues of his, made me feel fragile. I wanted to yell at him—tell him I wasn't weak. I wasn't going to shatter into pieces. I wasn't made of transparent glass.

He did not- could not- know how I feel.

Yagari-sama's presence became serious and business-like, an attitude he normally saved for battle. Talking to him made me feel like I was being interviewed for a new job. I had to be ultra serious or he'd look at me funny and ask me if I was okay—as if I was using humor to cover up my pain. Zero's face had become stoic again and his eyes appeared lost. I don't mean the lost as in he had no idea of where he was going, but as in 'the sad, lost puppy' kind of lost. I wanted to pinch his cheeks and force him to smile, which was ironic enough.

At least they've stopped asking me if I was all right. The question was driving me nuts. I kept having to repeat myself.

I was fine. I was okay with Kaede's death. I was okay with killing her--it was what I wanted. So...I was okay with that memory.

Right?

I didn't regret blowing up the cathedral. Maybe I was just nervous because she was the first noble vampire that I killed. Or maybe it's because everything is piling up.

Jade's revival, Mom's slow transformation, Thora's appearance, Kaede's death, and Mrs. Darako's death....

Everything just seemed to keep going. I kept wondering when life would give me a break--IF it would give me a break.

The plane landed roughly onto the ground. I looked out the window to see snow falling and tractors clearing out pathways.

"Put this on or you'll freeze," Hanabusa muttered. His voice was deep because of the nap. He frowned when he noticed I hadn't grabbed hold of the puffy brown coat he'd given me. "Come on, Serena."

I sighed and took it from him. I bundled myself into the coat, shoved a hat on and waited for the people to get off the plane. There weren't that many people and most of them were old, which would explain why the ride had been so peaceful. I don't remember getting our bags. I don't even remember getting into a taxi. Everything was hazy.

Maybe because I wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around me, which in any other case would have gotten me killed. However, I figured that the boys would have my back, so I allowed my brain to switch off and walked on autopilot. And then, much to my dismay, it started to hail.

"Oh for fuck's sake," I grumbled.

Hanabusa eyed me curiously—his eyebrow curving slightly upward to question me.

"This is going to be a long day," Yagari-sama sighed.

Getting to the academy was ridiculously hard. It stopped hailing but then it began to pour, causing some streets to be icy. Other roads were so flooded that we had to take different routes. People crossed the street without even making sure there wasn't a car heading their way, causing Yagari-sama to slam on the brakes a couple of times. Several of the traffic lights stopped working so the police were out guiding traffic.

"Long day," Yagari-sama repeated under his breath.

"I can drive if you're tired," Zero offered quietly.

"I'm fine," Yagari-sama replied.

Hanabusa was snoring softly, his head on his arm, leaning against the window. I was staring outside the window, watching people with their umbrellas. The sun was hidden behind thick, brooding clouds and the rain came down so hard that they looked like tiny bullets. The wind was strong enough to turn some of the umbrellas inside out, forcing them to run for shelter.

"Finally," Yagari-sama muttered, pulling into the school. "That only took…what? Three hours? Ugh. A forty-five minute drive turned into three hours. What a day."

To my surprise, Kiren was standing at the gate. She was carrying a purple umbrella and wearing red rainboots--the rainboots are what made me notice her. Her face showed indifference, but her eyes were cloudy. Behind her, Chairman Cross had his arms crossed over his chest, patiently waiting for us. I couldn't read his face, but he seemed calm. He probably wanted to ask me questions about the trip--that was going to have to be put on hold. I had other things to take care of.

"Stop here," I said, unbuckling my seatbelt.

"I could just pick her up and drive you back to the school," Yagari-sama said.

"If she had wanted to see me at the school, she would have waited with the Chairman," I told him. "She obviously wants to see me alone."

Yagari-sama pulled over and waited for me to get out.

Zero handed me an umbrella, which I rejected. "No use. The wind will just break it."

I shut the door and they drove off, leaving me with Kiren.

It was cold enough outside that I could the puffs of air escaping from her mouth as she sighed quietly. Winter had made her cheeks turn bright red and her fingers were slightly blue from being exposed for too long. She sniffed a few times and pinched the bridge of her nose.

I frowned. "You should have worn gloves."

She bit her lip and clenched her fists. I thought I heard her whimper.

Tears really do change a person's eye color. I would have smiled at Kiren, whose eyes had become alluring emerald orbs, but that might have been cruel. I quickly rushed to her side, hugged her tightly, and felt her shoulders shake with a sob.

"I'm sorry," I whispered into her ears.

I petted her hair as she grieved for her loss, feeling her tremble violently. Hearing her wails moved me to tears. Even though I have yet to lose my mother…it was only a matter of time. Just like Kiren's mother's death was only a matter of time.

This was a pain we could share. A pain we both understood. A pain we both had to face.

And I was going to be here as long as she needed me.

The funeral was quiet. Only close friends and relatives attended. The ground was wet earlier but the mud had become solid. It was actually beginning to snow. The wind was strong and bitterly cold, going through my winter clothes. I barely noticed the people around me—the only one I kept my eyes on was Kiren. Not that it was hard to keep track of her. She kept to my side, never releasing my hand.

Chairman Cross was standing next to a sobbing Mr. Darako, patting him on the back. It wasn't until Mr. Darako pulled away from the Chairman and took his daughter's hands that I let her go.

I watched the father and daughter grieve together, touching the coffin that held their beloved. Chairman Cross scooted closer to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "Yes? And how may I help you?"

Well it figures. Hunt me down to ask me about the trip when I wasn't in the mood to be interrogated.

"Did you know," his voice was soft. "That your brother was buried in this very same cemetery?"

I blinked a couple of times. "Really?"

Did you hear that Damon? I'm close to you.

"Do you want to see him?" He asked.

I glanced at Kiren and debated if I should leave her be. "I don't know if right now is the right time."

"They're going to want to be alone, Serena."

I contemplated this for a bit, chewing on my bottom lip. "Okay."

He guided me away from the crowd to an area surrounded by bare willow trees, creating a very creepy vibe. The branches of the trees reached down to each tomb like ghoulish hands greedily searching for souls to kidnap. I could picture the scenery during the summer, where lush green grass covered the stones and moss developed on the trunks of trees. When the branches of the trees would have leaves dangling and the wind would gently rush through them.

I should have waited until spring to visit his grave.

Yet, something dominated the atmosphere of the cemetery. The hair on my neck stood as if electricity was running through me, and it was suddenly warmer.

"Err…Chairman?"

"You feel it too?" He smiled, which confused me.

I shot him a skeptical glance. "What exactly am I supposed to be feeling?"

"A vampire hunter's spirit…err…they never truly leave." He coughed to clear his throat and I caught a whiff of his breath. "They have a…umm…a habit of staying behind to…to? OH! To guide the …umm…the next generation of vampire hunters!"

I eyed him suspiciously. "Did you by any chance sneak sake in?"

He hiccupped and wiggled his eyebrows at me. "How did you guess?"

"Oh for the love of God, Chairman!" I hissed.

"I can't...hic…help it! Funerals are too…hic…depressing!" he whined.

"If I have to carry you back," I growled in annoyance but he wrapped an arm around me.

"Oh don't…hic…worry darling…hic… I'll be…hic… fine," he giggled. "I can still walk."

He lifted his right leg up. "See? I still…hic…have my…hic…ba...balancccceeee."

Yeah, he had his balance all right, but he did not have his mind. He tried to show me that he still had his balance when he lifted his left leg up, forgetting that he needed his right leg down in order to remain standing and fell on his ass.

I exhaled loudly. "If there IS a God, He will give me loads of patience."

I took one of his arms and draped it across the back of my shoulders. "Geez you're heavy."

He sniffled. "Are you…hic…calling me…hic….fat?"

I rolled my eyes. "Forget it."

I was about to drag his sorry drunk ass back to the funeral when a light, playful breeze passed by me. A boyish chuckle sounded in my ears, causing me to stop in my steps.

"Damon?" I asked uncertainly, glancing over my shoulders in hopes of seeing a small boy with red hair.

No such luck.

"Da…mon? Damon? Hic…where?" He rolled his head to look behind him. "What are…hic…are you doing? His…hic…grave is over there."

I sighed. "I'll visit him another time."

I heaved him up and continued to walk despite his noisy protests. I had to threaten him to keep him quiet as we got closer to the funeral. Kiren was the first to spot me and gave me a questioning stare. I pointed at the Chairman with my head, signaling that he was definitely out of his mind. She nodded once and then her face became blank; an attempt to hide what she was really feeling. The rest of her family scowled at us and began to mutter amongst themselves.

I sighed again. How rude. Who the hell gets drunk at a funeral?

"I'll take him," Zero said, grabbing one of the Chairman's arms.

"I didn't know you were here," I said.

He gave me a tiny smile. "I tend to stay in the background. That way I go unnoticed."

Chairman Cross gave me a toothy grin. "Did you...hic...know that you...you look just like...hic... your mom? You're both so...hic...pretty."

I felt heat rise to my face, and he turned to look at Zero.

"How about you...hic...Zero...do you have any...hic...pretty women in your...hic...life?"

Zero rolled his eyes and dropped him not-so-gently into the car seat.

"Oww! Hic..." Chairman Cross giggled. "I hit my head!"

The male prefect ignored him as he settled himself into the driver's seat and adjusted the mirrors. It was then that I noticed Yagari-sama was also here, standing behind the car, resting his weight against a tree. His arms were crossed over his chest. He didn't wave at me. He didn't smile. He had a blank look too, as if he was staring past me.

"See you later," Zero told me, pulling away from the cemetery.

"Right," I said a bit too late.

It wasn't until after Zero departed that Kiren approached me and laid her head on my shoulder.

"I can't bear to be here any longer," she mumbled.

I waved at a chauffeur to grab his attention and pointed at us. "We're leaving!"

I took Kiren by her hand and led her to the car. Mr. Darako met us at the vehicle, patted his daughter on the shoulder, and said good luck in school. He then slowly made his way to his car and drove away.

I wasn't sure as to how to take that. Was it normal for a father to be distant after a death of a beloved? Was it cultural difference? Or was it just Mr. Darako? I knew it wasn't what Kiren wanted. When we got into the car, she buried her head in her hands and wept. Not knowing what to say to comfort her, I held her as closely as I could.

In the past, when Erica was still alive, we used to beat each other up to get over our pain. Erica had a knack for bottling things up until she could take it out on me. I, on the other hand, didn't bother to bottle anything up. I would just insult anyone who walked by and hit anything in my way.

I couldn't be that way with Kiren. Kiren was too gentle a person.

Erica would yell out profanities when she was upset. She would smack me silly when she was angry. She would degrade me when she felt insecure. I was her only way to vent out her agony.

Kiren was no Erica.

Kiren cried when she was upset. She was sarcastic when she was angry—possibly a side effect from hanging out with me too much. She was clingy when she felt insecure, needing to know where I was at all times. Her neediness was something I had to adjust to. Kiren would sneak her arm around mine and lean against me while we walked to class. She would space out in class so I took notes for both of us and later she would copy them in her zombie-state. At night she would climb into my bed, wrap an arm around my waist, and rest her forehead against my back as she wept.

I wasn't used to seeing such vulnerability.

It made me sympathetic. It made me patient. And it made me overprotective.

Shizune had the nerve to whisper something into Kiren's ears while we were walking to class the other day, and Kiren hid her face with her hair. I didn't need to know what Shizune said to upset Kiren. One little sniffle from Kiren and I tackled Shizune, knocking her onto the ground. I had a fistful of Shizune's hair to keep her head straight and my other fist ready to break her nose when Kiren shrieked and grabbed my arm.

"No, no, no, no! Stop! STOP! STOP!"

I was dragged off of Shizune by Zero who proceeded to throw me on the ground.

"Behave," he growled, lifting Shizune off the floor.

Shizune began to wail. "OOOOOH! I think she broke something!"

Zero tried to move her arm but she started screaming.

"That bitch!" Shizune shouted. "She broke my arm! That little BITCH!"

I shrugged her glare off. Zero rolled his eyes and began gently pushing her forward. "I'm taking you to the nurse."

I could still hear her scream after she turned the corner. I stood up and dusted myself off.

"Why did you do that?" Kiren questioned me softly, staring at the ground before her.

"Because she made you upset," I said bluntly.

"SERENA-CHAN!" She stomped her foot and glared at me, causing me to raise an eyebrow at her. "She was just saying she was sorry for my loss!"

There was a pause of silence.

"Oh," I mumbled, awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck.

What else was I supposed to say? What did she want me to say? Did she want me to apologize? This was the first time she exploded, and I didn't understand what she wanted me to do.

"Oh? OH?" Kiren threw her hands up in the air. "What is wrong with you? Why are you so...so damn violent? You can NOT just attack people who upset me! Or—or attack people period. Just because people piss you off it doesn't give you the right to hit them! Life doesn't work that way!"

I crossed my arms and stared at her indifferently, waiting for her to finish her rant. I was only guessing that she needed to vent in order to feel better. Maybe she was a bit more like Erica than I previously believed.

"Don't give me that attitude!" she continued, shaking her index finger at me. "You know that I'm right! You can't just be violent all the time! What if you come into contact with someone who could kill you? What then? You'll fight to the death just because they accidentally shoved you?"

"Are you pissy because I'm violent or because one day my temper will get me killed?" I asked bluntly, which I immediately regretted asking. My insensitivity to the subject made her burst into tears.

"You don't care, do you? You don't care that people worry about you! You don't care that people want to be sure that you're okay! You don't care that for nearly this entire winter break I've been sitting in our room, ALONE, worried about YOU because for some REASON you went to RUSSIA and didn't bother to TELL ME WHY!"

Oh dear. I've finally pushed the wrong button.

"Kiren…" I started to explain but she silenced me with a glare.

"You didn't even tell me about Kaede, who I know is a vampire!" she shouted as she cried. "That's right! I KNOW! You didn't even trust me enough to tell me about your mother! Your heritage with noble vampires and..."

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. "You—you know about that? HOW? WHO TOLD YOU?"

"NO ONE TOLD ME! I DO HAPPEN TO HAVE A BRAIN YOU KNOW! I DID MY OWN INVESTIGATION, YOU DOLT!"

I sucked in a quick breath. "Kiren, I wanted to tell you but-"

"But what? WHAT?"

"I don't know. It's just that…most humans don't know about vampires."

"Oh, I bet you just figured that it would be safer to keep me in the dark," she retorted.

"Well, yeah, kind of-" I muttered, at a loss for words.

"What about the fact that I'm dating a vampire? HMM?"

"HEY!" I shouted defensively. "I made sure he was a good one before I gave him permission to date you!"

"PERMISSION? DID I JUST HEAR YOU SAY PERMISSION?"

"Miss Darako and Miss Fontana! No more shouting! You know better than that! Indoor voices!" Our professor whacked us on the head with his ruler, coming out of nowhere. "And you're both late for class! My class! Now hop to it!"

He rushed passed us, his shoes creating clicking sounds in the empty hallway. We stared at each other in silence.

Kiren inhaled sharply and wiped her face. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Kiren," I started to say. "I'm really sorry."

"I don't want to hear it right now," she grumbled and turned on her heel to head to the bathroom.

I started to follow her. "Kiren..."

She spun sharply, emerald orbs glaring furiously at me like dangerous knives. "I mean it, Serena-chan! I don't want to talk to you right now!"

I halted, respecting her wishes and watched her storm off. Exhaling loudly, I rubbed my temples.

I definitely blew that one.

Jade's room was cold--courtesy of the vampires. They kept all of their rooms cold. Chairman Cross was supposed to have moved Jade's room to the Sun dorms by now, but it seems that he's been occupied with other things, such as getting over his hangover. The smell of Jade's room improved greatly once the scent of his blood was removed and replaced by his natural scent.

Jade had a very forest-like smell. It was fresh, not overpowering, and to the point. Nothing flowery or grass-like. He didn't remind me of pine trees either. It was just clean-cut. The room was a much more pleasant place to be in once his scent nestled in. I could breathe in without worrying about a vampire being tempted by his blood. His room began to flourish with colors. That was probably due to Kiren. She visited him more often than I did. If she wasn't already dating Takuma, I would have accused her of dating Jade. The thought used to make me smile. After all, the thought made me a horrible friend. Jade probably hasn't even moved passed Erica yet.

He would need time to begin dating again.

He had extra sea green pillows on his bed, which wasn't made. Blue curtains kept the sun from disturbing his sleep during the early morning hours and the blinds were pulled down to keep others from peering in. Jade was a man of privacy. He had the Kuran bring him some video games, claiming that he would lose his mind if he didn't have something to keep him busy.

I probably should have gone to Hanabusa to talk, but I wasn't in the mood to deal with his snide remarks and counter arguments. Even worse, Hanabusa would have given me a concerned look and asked me if something was bothering me.

Well, something was bothering me. I just didn't want to talk about them with him. I needed to talk to someone who...I knew before this whole mess began. And Jade fitted that bill.

Ooooh....my head was starting to hurt.

"You need to start eating again," Jade frowned when he saw me.

I noticed that his black hair needed to be trimmed since it was untamable when he had the bed-head look. He appeared healthier than the last time I saw him.

I ignored his comment and pulled up a chair to sit next to him as he paused the screen. "I'm only here to play."

He snorted. "You never played a video game in your life. You just want to avoid something."

"I'm fine," I lied. "What are you playing?"

"See!" he exclaimed. "You don't even know what I'm playing!"

"I just walked in the room, you retard!"

"And you're quick to be defensive!" he snapped. "What is your problem?"

I chewed my bottom lip. "Nothing."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Liar."

"Just let me play a round."

He kept quiet until he poked my stomach. "Well? Are you starving yourself? Erica used to be on these hilarious diets--they never work, ya know? Waste of money."

I sighed. "No, I have not eaten yet."

He scowled. "Shame on you Serena. You used to keep such a great figure."

I glared at him. "What are you trying to say, Jade?"

"I hate skeleton-looking women?"

"Oh my God!" I threw the remote control. "FINE! I'll go eat! GEEZ!"

I got up from my seat, knocking it over, and was about to slam the door behind me when he said, "Is Kiren still not talking to you?"

I didn't say anything. I didn't have to. He already knew the answer.

"I figured as much," he said, unpausing his game. "You have a habit of either eating too much or not eating at all when you're stressed."

"Still as observant as ever," I muttered under my breath, turning around to face him.

"She's not really mad at you," he continued. "She's more upset about-"

"Her mother's death? Yeah, I figured. I just didn't think she'd take it out on me," I mumbled.

"That's not what I was going to say, but I can see how you would think that."

"Then what else is she upset about?" I questioned the know-it-all.

"I wouldn't expect you to know about how she felt when you were gone. When she realized you had gone to Russia without saying bye to her," he said. "She came to talk to me, which surprised me. I thought she would have gone to her boyfriend."

I raised an eyebrow. "I take it that you guys have become close friends? After all, not many people know that she's dating someone."

He chuckled softly. "Serena, you really underestimate your friends. People may not tell us things, but Kiren and I are very observant. We pick up details most people don't."

I rolled my eyes, remembering Kiren's words. "Yeah, she proved that."

"Oh?" He arched an eyebrow at me. "You know that she knows?"

"If you're talking about her knowledge of vampires and my family, then yes."

"She knows more than she lets on," he explained. "She was just waiting for you to confess to her, but after a while she was starting to feel like you didn't trust her enough to tell her. Or maybe she wasn't as important to you as she believed."

Something tightened and pricked my heart. "Why didn't she say anything before?"

"Before she blew up on you?" he smirked. "Because she was waiting for you to say something. She didn't want to pry--Kiren's very respectful of other people's space."

I groaned and squished my cheeks in frustration. "What a mess!"

He blinked a couple of times. "You look like a fish when you do that."

I glared at him. "Be serious, Jade."

"Speaking of prying, you never told me about Kaede...."

"She's dead," I said boldly.

"Positive?"

"I made sure of it," I smirked, giving him two fingers for victory.

"And you're not disturbed by it at all?" he asked, the same concern showing in his face.

I sighed heavily. "I don't know. I feel like it hasn't hit me yet."

"Any nightmares?"

"Not that I remember," I lied and rubbed my head.

"Go eat something," he told me, changing the topic. "I don't like how your cheek bones are starting to look."

My hand returned to the door handle. "Fine. I'll go eat. You're acting as if you're my mother."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Both of you are going to need someone to act like one."

I shot him a dirty look.

"Hey, I only speak the truth," he mumbled. "At least Kiren was able to say bye to her mothers. I never got the chance."

Another prick in my heart.

Damn it. I forgot about that.

"Stop that," he told me, his face darkening. "Don't go blaming yourself again. Her death was not something you could have prevented, nor was it something you caused."

I sighed. "I know. I know."

Jade returned to his game, his mind focused on his character's survival, and totally oblivious to my staring. I wondered if he ever needed someone to act like his mother; someone to remind him that he was still cared for, someone who still worried about him. I wondered what kind of pain he felt when he thought of his family. I wondered if he had nightmares.

Without even thinking, I draped my arms around his shoulders and hugged him. "Thanks for the chat, Jade."

I felt him smirk. "Keep this up, and your boyfriend will have my head."

I snorted. "I doubt it. He hasn't shown his face in a while."

"He's been busy."

"How do you know that?" I scowled.

"Because he's noisy when he complains. Apparently the Kuran has him on some duty," he answered. "Besides, he probably knows you're busy nurturing a wounded roommate."

"Who happens to be the Queen of the Silent Treatment," I sighed. A beeping sound went off. "What's that?"

"That means I just died in the game," he muttered, his words triggered a shiver to go down my spine. "Damn it."

I cleared my throat and attempted to ignore the shiver. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just a little bit harder with one hand," he laughed. His laughter and smile did not meet his eyes. "But it's okay. I'll improve one day."

"Yeah," I said, my voice trailing off. "One day, everything will be okay..."

"Serena, quit stalling and go eat."

"Yes, Mom, I'm going!" I ruffled his hair before releasing him and marched out of the bedroom.

I made my way to the cafeteria, passing the Night Class students. I was supposed to be on duty tonight, but Zero told me not to worry about it. Tonight he had it covered. It made me smile a little, knowing that Zero cared enough to cut me a break. He must have overheard the gossip--the rumors flying around the Kiren and I had a fight. Well, it wasn't exactly just a rumor. We did have a fight.

But some details were totally exaggerated. For an example, I never laid a hand on Kiren. Kiren never accused me of cheating on her. That made me laugh the most. Apparently, some people believed Kiren and I were an item. Then there was a rumor of another girl being involved, which would have to be Shizune since she was the one I took down before Kiren started yelling at me.

Gossip. It twists so many things.

She had rows upon rows of teeth, sharp and tainted with red. Blood stained her lips and it drooled down to her neck. Her eyes were dark red and catlike, capable of seeing in the night. The red hair on her head swirled in the wind, grabbing my attention like a flag. Her skin had sunken in--some skin was even shedding off and leaving her muscles exposed. She was deep breathing, snarling and growling.

"Serena," a demonic voice said my name.

My stomach twisted uncomfortably. I felt like someone had taken a drill and used it to create a huge hole at the back of my head.

"Serena," she smiled. "Serena. Serena. Serena."

She started to sing, the lyrics having only my name. She spun around me, frolicking.

I wanted to vomit.

"You know who I am," she whispered into my ears.

"I do," I said. I knew who she was. I just wanted to be in denial.

"Then call me by my name," she ordered.

"No." An alarm was going off in my head.

She cackled and began frolicking around me. "You know me by my name--say it!"

"NO!"

"CALL ME BY MY REAL NAME!" she roared.

She hurled herself at me, causing me to hit my head against something hard. As the world spun around me, she leaned down and exposed her fangs at me.

"Awww, Serena darling."

I growled. "I am not...your darling..."

She grinned wickedly. "That's right. You will be the one to kill me."

And then she whacked me on the head.

I couldn't sleep. Every time my eyes found a dark corner in the room, Mom's gruesome image of whacking me on the head would be lurking there. When the image didn't resemble Mom, it took the form of Kaede. I couldn't decide which one bothered me more.

Kiren was having a hard time falling asleep too. She kept tossing and turning, putting on her bed covers and then kicking them off. She'd sigh loudly, cough, and then lay absolutely still for a couple of minutes. She would never glance at me, but she knew that I was awake too.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" she asked me.

I couldn't help myself. "Oh my God. She speaks."

She scowled at me. "You've been just as quiet as I have."

"I didn't want to bother you. I was going to wait until you wanted to talk to me," I explained.

She inhaled sharply. "Sure you did."

"Kiren, really...you know what? Never mind. Just forget it." I grabbed my pillow and stood.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere else. It's too hostile in here," I grumbled.

She stood up. "Serena-chan, please, stop overreacting."

"I'm not overreacting, I'm just leaving so I can sleep," I told her, gathering my blanket. Where was the best place to sleep right now? Hanabusa would probably molest me, Zero would kill me, Takuma would force me to come back, the Chairman's office was out of the question...maybe Jade wouldn't mind.

"Please." She sounded different. Her tone expressed despair. "Don't go."

Serena-chan! SERENA! HELP ME!

A flashing image of Kiren being held by Kaede's grinning corpse surprised me, causing me to yelp. An alarming, ringing sound went off in my head. My stomach twisted, forcing me to go down on my knees. Everything started to swirl.

"Oooooh....shit..." My hands began to shake.

Kiren gently touched my shoulder, applying pressure to comfort me. "Are you okay?"

Find him, kill him...he's a threat to your existence....

I sat down and put my head in between my legs. Little swirly lines began dancing in front of my eyes. My head pounded, becoming heavy.

"Serena-chan...you're scaring me..." She sounded distant.

Your prey escapes, young huntress

I coughed and shook my head. I inhaled a deep breath. "Relax...I'm just a little sick."

I was hearing voices. Of course I was sick.

"Then maybe I should take you to the nurse." She was already getting dressed.

"It's okay. Just a little cold." I forced myself to laugh. "Now who's overreacting?"

Kiren glared at me and ordered, "Get dressed. We're going."

She had to drag me there. I was still in my nightwear and it was snowing outside. The night sky had a thick blanket of white clouds. The crescent moon would appear when it wasn't being mauled by the clouds, allowing little rays of light.

What a perfect night to be attacked.

"What's going on?" Chairman Cross gave me a worried stare.

"I don't know," Kiren told him. "She turned pale and collapsed."

"I'm fine," I argued but right as those words slipped out of my mouth, Kaede's corpse stood right behind Chairman Cross.

She winked at me and licked her lips. I fought the urge to scream.

The Chairman ignored me. "Return back to your room, Miss Darako. She'll stay the night here."

"NO!" I shouted suddenly, causing them to jump.

"Serena..?" They glanced at me.

I grabbed her elbow. "She stays with me."

"Oh...okay. I'll have someone bring in another bed and-"

"Not necessary," I said, cutting him off. "She can just sleep in the same bed as me. Oh don't give me that look. It's nothing perverted."

I felt better knowing she was in touching distance.

"Very well," he said, frowning. He was already suspicious of my state. "You know where you can go."

I said good night to him and led Kiren to the Moon dorms, knowing full well we were better protected there. I kept reminding myself that Kaede wasn't really there. I was just seeing things. Kaede was dead. I made sure of it.

"Serena-chan...where..." Kiren panted as she tried to keep up with me as I practically dragged her by the arm. "Why are you such in a hurry?"

"You wanted to know, well now I'm telling you," I muttered under my breath, trying my best to ignore the cold as my foot sunk into the snow. "I'm telling you I wanted to keep you out of this because I wanted you safe. SAFE DAMN IT!"

I stopped walking, anger finally reaping out of me, and turned on her in my fury. "Erica, my best friend, is dead. She and her family were hunted down and murdered! Jade's family was slaughtered and he was tortured on my behalf! I went to Russia because I wanted to kill the bitch who killed my friends--the bitch who was now threatening the only family member I THOUGHT I had left. My Mom is slowly becoming some...zombie-like cannibal because she was bitten by a pure blood a long time ago---OH! And guess what! My Dad just happens to be the Chairman, who fucking abandoned me when I was five, and he suddenly just wants me to accept him!"

"And that's not all of it!" I shouted, arms finally in the air. "I killed Kaede! I thought I was okay with it since she killed so many people I cared about, but I've been having nightmares because of it, and in my nightmare you're dying and I....and...I..."

My voice was breaking. "And I couldn't save you."

Kiren stared at me, eyes beginning to water. "Serena-chan..."

"I'm not done yet." I tugged on my hair in frustration. "There's more of them. More of Kaede-like creeps who have freaky powers. They're going to be hunting me down and they're going to go after the people I care about to get back at me. You see? DO YOU HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING? You were supposed to be kept out of this! You were supposed to be kept safe!"

"And keeping me in the dark about this is supposed to keep me safe how?" she asked quietly.

I shot her a glare.

"Right, well, is that why we're going to the Moon dorms?"

My nerves began to calm down as we reached the gates. "Yeah...we're safer there."

Well, at least she was. I trusted the Kuran wouldn't let an innocent human die while in his territory. I, on the other hand, was a different story. We weren't exactly on best friend terms. If I had the option, I would transfer to a different planet. I didn't feel safe anywhere--not even near Hanabusa because being around Hanabusa meant putting him in danger.

And I couldn't handle that either.

Yes, I apologize for being absent for so long but I have a good excuse. I was robbed by my own roommate (she took my bank card and withdrew almost 500 from my account, which makes it a felony) back in September and the investigation took a long time (to gather evidence and such), so that kept me busy. And then she went missing for a month or so, and that made me paranoid.

But she's gone now so I can finally focus! I tried to create a creepy vibe for this chapter. And give Kiren more character development? Heh. Fail.

Anyway, one of my readers did point out that Kaede seemed weak in battle....she was supposed to be. Sorta. Kaede was never meant to be Serena's main opponent, but a way to introduce Serena and the readers to the clan who want Serena and her clan dead. As for who died when Serena blew up the Cathedral--Kaede...if I remember right...was the only one that died. The other vampires: Momi, Tolucan, and that one creepy vampire that wouldn't leave Serena alone....they escaped. So you'll see them in the future.

I've been debating about making a sequel...but it's making me squimish because that would take time...time that I don't have. Unless everyone is willing to wait until summer to being reading a sequel? -shrug-

Anyway, till next time! Please point out my mistakes!! I really appreciate them!

And happy holidays!