Demon in Town (Book 2)

Chapter 3

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Chapter 3

-Karen-

“How are you, Karen?” The whisper made me tremble with fear. I knew that voice. It was soothing as well as eerie. I turned around.

“Why are you here?” I asked. I couldn’t see his face. The lights were still off.

I heard the turning of the doorknob. My instincts told me to push past the not-so-stranger guy and run out of the room, but I didn’t. I wanted my answers. The dark figure chuckled.

“I’m just checking on you as I had promised, sweetheart,” Victor whispered again. He was so close to me. His breath touched my face as he spoke. “How can you just forget me like that?”

Fear crept in my head. I was hoping that it wasn’t Victor or Nate who had killed Adam on the school grounds. Was I wrong? Victor was here and that made me think if it was him. I was afraid of the truth. Victor was a real Jekyll and Hyde—charming and funny, and sometimes he was dangerous and a killer.

“I think I might want to turn the lights on.” I stretched my hand but cold fingers grasped my hand. A shiver went down my spine. “You’re being creepy, you know.”

“Karen, I’m here to warn you of what is about to come.”

“Umm, let’s just talk straight and not be vague,” I said folding my arms across my chest. What was the deal with the darkness? Why was Victor being weird? “Why are you not letting me turn on the damn light?”

“You’re still the grumpy Karen I knew.” I could hear him grin.

“You’re still the stupid Victor I knew.” I snapped back.

“Listen I should tell you that you’re in trouble.” He said and I narrowed my eyes on the dark figure. “Don’t trust anybody around you.”

“That includes you too,” I said. I raised my hand and started to push him away from me. He didn’t budge, like a brick wall. The stupid vampire was powerful. “I don’t trust you, Victor.”

“I’m the one who helped you to talk to your brotherly crush Jon in Paris.” He said. “I’m the one who saved you from Nathaniel like a thousand times during his bloodthirst.”

What the hell? Wait…how did he know that Jon considered me his sister? Was it already on the news channels?

“Are you freaking spying on me?” I nearly screamed. “How do you even know that Jon…”

“Karen, it doesn’t matter right now.”  His hands suddenly gripped my upper arms. “I don’t have much time to explain all of this to you. I can only tell you that something big is coming. I can’t stay here for too long.”

“Then make the explanation fast. God! It feels like I’m talking to a ghost right now.” I rolled my eyes in irritation. “Is your face burnt or something?”

“What?”

“You’re not letting me turn on the lights. Something happened to your freaking ugly face?” I asked out loud. “How did you even come into my room?”

“You should’ve asked that question earlier, not that I’m going to really answer it but you seem more stupid than before.” He growled. “Now listen carefully to me. You are not going to trust anybody. Don’t trust whatever you see or hear. Whatever happens after the Calling, will be too harsh for all of us.”

“What is Calling? Mind explaining?” I asked.

“I wish I could explain more but that isn’t my job.” His voice was desperate. “You’ve to promise me that you’ll keep your faith on me and my sick brother.”

“Why would I do that?” I asked, not understanding what was going on with him.

“Just promise me, Karen.” He sounded like he was in some sort of physical pain. “You know us. We won’t betray your faith.”

“Okay, I promise.” I exhaled in defeat. “Now tell me, what’s going on.”

“I’ve to go,” He said. I felt him move a little.

“Okay just answer my one question.” I insisted. “Did you kill the kid on the school grounds?”

“No,” He said. “It wasn’t me.”

The feeling of relief washed over me. I had to believe him. Even though Victor played the role of a bad boy in my story, I knew he wasn’t lying to me somehow. I was happy that he hadn’t killed the innocent kid.

“Now tell me what the Calling is.” I pushed the question out of my mouth. “And why you are here to warn me.”

“The war has started.” It was all he said before the lights turned on.

Being in the darkness for more than ten minutes, my eyes hurt. I kept my eyes closed and tried to focus them to open up to look around me. Slowly the eyes got accustomed to the light and opened my eyes fully.

There was no one in the room. Quickly I looked at the window. It was closed as it was before. There was no sign of Victor. Was it my imagination or was he really here some minutes ago?

I dropped on my bed, transfixed on the words he had said before disappearing. The war has started. Which war was he talking about? I knew he should have had made a portal in the room to disappear like this but that didn’t explain the war thing.

The most confusing thing was the Calling. What the hell was that? Why did I have to be cautious? Why couldn’t I trust people around me?

My head hurt so badly that I could think of nothing but the pain…and Victor. Victor had come into my room and without any clarification for anything he had just left me alone with million questions to wander in my head to cause the headache.

The next morning when Jon met me in the school I wanted to tell him all this but I didn’t dare to. Victor’s words about trusting no one rang in my head again and again. How was I supposed to keep all these from my best friend turned brother? It took all the strength to not cry when he called me his sister but I was trying to understand his feelings for me.

“Why are you looking pale like you’ve seen a ghost?” Jon asked me.

I looked at him and saw how his eyes were looking tired. They were bloodshot and the dark circles had formed under his eyes. I knew he hadn’t slept all night. He was upset about the murder of his friend. I knew Jon so well.

“You aren’t looking well either,” I said shrugging.

“I noticed first,” He raised his eyebrows. “Tell me what’s going on with you.”

“I just can't get the kid’s picture out of my head.” I lied but it wasn’t a full lie. “And I think something worse is going to happen.”

“Something worse, huh?” Jon yawned. “What can be worse than having a friend dead?”

He had a valid point but he couldn’t understand what I was trying to say. I wanted so bad to make him understand what I was trying to tell him. On the second thought, could I really tell him?

“I’m sorry, Jon.” I gave him a light hug, he hugged back. “I’m so sorry. I’m sure the cops will catch the murderer.”

“What if the murderer is a vampire?” He asked. “The cops said the wounds could only be made by some kind of animal. What if it was a vampire who killed Adam? Can the cops still catch him and put him behind the bars?”

I looked at him sadly. He was torturing himself with so many thoughts. He was led to believe that some vampires had done so. It was my fault that I had pointed in that direction. But I didn’t know that it wasn’t a vampire before I met Victor.

Victor had told me that it wasn’t him but he hadn’t said that it was not a vampire. There was still a possibility that any vampire could have killed Adam.

“Hey, you guys okay?” Beth asked as we entered the classroom. Jon didn’t answer and went away to take his seat. It was kind of rude but he was sad. “What happened to him?”

“He is stressed about Adam’s death,” I said taking the seat next to her.

“And you’re stressed about him,” Beth said as if she stated the obvious. “Why don’t you tell him that you are crushing on him since childhood? Maybe that will ease some of his pain.”

“He doesn’t love me,” I said sternly.

“Come again?” Beth furrowed her eyebrows.

“I told him that I love him and he replied the same.” I watched her face lighten up. “But then he said to me that he loved me as his sister.”

“Uh-oh, he did that.” She muttered like she already knew this. “I knew he was gonna say that shit.”

“How did you know?” I asked.

“I know guys like him who think they can treat girls like that.” She shook her head slowly.

I didn’t quite understand her but I didn’t bother asking her to repeat it. I had to let him go. If he wasn’t in my destiny, I couldn’t do anything to get him. It would just prove me mad.

“Are you fine?” She asked me. “You didn’t cry last night, right?”

“Yeah, I mean I didn’t cry.” I had so many questions running my head crazy last night that I couldn’t focus on the heart-breaking thing. “There nothing to cry for, he is still my best friend.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Where is Xavier by the way?” I asked. I noticed how he was missing.

“He had to go to some family business.” Beth checked her fined nails. “Lemme tell you he is hot.”

I muffled a groan.

The day passed and I survived without any more of Beth’s description of Xavier. He was gone for good. I don’t know how he felt in his new school, spending time with Beth.

Jon and I stood outside the school. The school gate was open and kids were starting to walk or ride back home. We stood there for no particular reason. We could talk on our way home. So, we started walking home but stopped in front of the park.

Jon wasn’t feeling well so I walked into the park with him for some fresh air. It was evening and the park was filled with children, playing outdoor games.

“Isn’t it weird how short life is?” Jon said looking far behind me.

“Jon, come on,” I said frowning. “We’ll investigate his death. You don’t have to stress too much.”

“I’m just afraid that vampires will kill us too.” He ignored me. It was like he was turning crazy. I could see him smiling with Maya White rather than talking madly to me. “They are dangerous.”

“No one is going to hurt us,” I assured him. “I’m always here to save you.”

His lips pulled up in a small smile.

“I know you’ll save me but I’m still worried.” He said. “You can’t fight the vampires, can you?”

“Jon, I need to tell you something.” I looked at his chiselled face. Maybe it was the right time to tell him that I was a witch. “And it’s really important.”

His blue eyes narrowed behind me and then they went wide. I realised that he wasn’t listening to me anymore. His eyes were focused on something that was happening behind me. I shook my head and tried to talk to him one more time but his eyes were glued to my shoulder.

“What is it, Jon?” I asked and when he didn’t answer I turned.

I knew my expressions were going to match Jon’s.

“You!” I screamed. “What-what are you doing here?”

His sparkling green eyes looked at me in relief. He took a long breath and stared at me for a moment before speaking.

“I’m here to take you back.”

I stepped away from him, feeling the danger in his stare. He smiled. A very cunning and intelligent smile. I looked at him and stopped myself from screaming again. There were people around and I didn’t want them to know what was going on here or get any wrong ideas.

I looked at the dress he was wearing. He was wearing a black coat. He seemed more of an aged man than a boy of my age.

Well, not a normal boy exactly. He was gorgeous. And dangerous. A vampire.

“Why?” I breathed.

He titled his head sideways and smiled again.

“We need you there,” Was all he said before he picked me up.