Living

Outed

HENRY'S POV

The school looked empty without Kalim. I wondered what he doing. He was probably sick. Cheryl kept hanging on to me like a leech and I could barely have time alone. School ended on a breeze because I could hardly concentrate on the teacher. My mind refused to shake off the beautiful face of Avery. She also wasn't in school. Immediately the bell rang, I ran off to the door only to be called back by the principal. Mr Samuel was a sturdy man in his fifties. He had a potbelly and gray hair to signify he was an old man who was nearly reaching retirement.

"My boy." The man said in a husky voice. He only spoke like that when he needed a favor. Henry kind of hated what his mother had forced him to do. He only joined the student body to please his mother.

"I need your help. There are a set of new student who just arrived. Do be a good chump and show them around." He said patting my back. The students were right at his back, three in total and they looked more like adults than teenagers especially the blonde-haired boy who had a scowl of his face. He was athletic and was definitely someone Cheryl would drool over. He had better warn him of that vixen. The other two were innocent looking girls that always sent him a smile each time he looked at them. He could tell they were not from Athenrim.

"And do check on Kalim. He wasn't in school today." The principal said and walked away in a gullible manner. The girls laughed and commented he walked like a pigeon. They were definitely high school material. The boy did not laugh. He only held his signature scowl and looked intensely into my eyes when he noticed I was watching him. I had to admit, the boy gave me the creeps.

The tense walk around the school sooner turned to a pleasant chatter as the girls loosened me up. I learned their names. The two girls were Milo and Lola, they were best friends and the boy was Duke, a strange name for a strange dude.

"This is our toilet where all the dirty things happen." I smiled at the girls ignoring the boy. He acted like he was a robot, only nodding when I questioned him. Perhaps he was one of those boys who wanted to look mysterious and dark when they arrived in school, Talk about way too much TV.

"So are the only new students in the school?" The boy finally spoke. His voice was quite soft considering his rugged features and beefed package.

He perhaps was sent here for being a handful, I thought and probably wanted to relate with someone that felt his plight. Unfortunately, the new girl was not around.

"Yes. A girl, she's not here." I answered giving him a cheerful grin hoping he would let go of that awful scowl that made him look like an American bad boy.

"Is her name Avery?" This should have set me off to something but I thought maybe he knew her from somewhere.

"Yes, Avery." I replied." Do you know her?" I asked.

His scowl finally loosened up and he gave a smile. He actually looked good if he kept it on.

"Her family and ours go way back."

"Oh! She lives in my neighborhood. Maybe...you know you could come see her."

"Sure." The three said in unison. I was not aware the two girls knew Avery but it turns out they did.

"Okay, I'll be going soon. I'll call you when I'm ready." I offered.

They all nodded and began to talk to themselves as I went to get my backpack.

The class was silent and as I picked up my backpack, I noticed something. It was footprints. Considering the floor was tiled, I doubted it was dirt. It looked moist and it could not be mud because it was bright red. I ran my hands on it out of curiosity and wanted to sniff what it was. A figure stood across the room sending its shadow on the footprint. Duke leaned at the doorway and talked in his thick lifeless voice.

"It's just a backpack you wanted to take, Are you coming?"

I subconsciously rubbed the stain on my hands on my Jean and strapped on my back.

"Let's go."

DAMIAN'S POV

I had successfully convinced the poke-nosing neighbors that the sound they heard was simply my room collapsing after it had been infested by termites. They hardly believed me but a little hypnotism did the trick. Avery's powers were getting stronger and I was a little worried about the metal boards would even be able to handle her outburst anymore.

"Are they gone?"

It was Avery. Her hair looked rough and she wasn't a vampire I'd say she looked like she was on drugs.

"Yes, they are," I answered. She took her seats on one of the couch still holding to her father's journal.

"Why can't we do the same to those monsters."

I knew this was coming. It was why I had initially avoided telling her in the first place.

"Because we are not monsters. We were cursed to be but we have a choice." I cleverly answered, beaming at the level of maturity I played.

"But aren't they meant to be protectors. They were rumored to only kill threats." Avery retorted, refusing to heed to my word. She could be very hard to deal with at times.

"Avery..." I said still trying to picture my perfect speech." We were made to be the monsters but some of us aren't. No matter what or who you are, what you become is your choice."

"I know. It just..." She burst into tears before she could finish her statement. My heart skipped a beat seeing in her in such a state. I feared the worst as her outburst had become frequent and it made her abilities unpredictable. I brought her in my warm embrace. She used my shirt as a tissue slightly irritating me as she stained it with saline waters. What the heck? Who cared, I could always change it.

A knock alerted me that someone was at the door and I had to break Avery and I's little time together. I felt my mindlink extend as I read another person's thoughts. My instinct kicked in and I peeped into a hole at the door to see who was there. It was the human boy Avery had refused to stay away from and three others.

Avery noticed my demeanor and asked if anything was wrong, I could not dare tell her another vampire could be around us.

"Nothing." I lied.

She hardly believed me. f**k the mindlink! I cursed under my breath.

" A vampire." Avery cringed in fear.

I witnessed the doorknob twist and open despite being locked. The door suddenly flung open hitting me and pushing me back. I saw the intruder.

It was two girls who held Henry against his wishes and a dreaded sight.

"You," I said, shocked.

Duke gave me a malevolent look.

"Hello Dr Damian."

I was tied up on a wooden chair alongside Henry whose eyes held shock from what he had just witnessed.

"Duke, what are you doing?" He questioned trying to pull his ropes free. Mine was tainted in vervain so I could hardly use my strength to break free. Duke sank his Dangs into one of the human girls he had hypnotized, drinking blood as the woman winced in pain. He stopped before he killed her, clothed the cut with his saliva to avoid siring her and ordered her to sit down.

Cleaning his bloodstained canines he spoke,

"It won't take long Henry. I just need to get Avery to someone by nightfall. I turned to Avery who was heavily roped and doused with vervain. We could still communicate with the mind link but our only hope was Henry. I got my opportunity when Duke turned to discuss with Avery about the coming blood moon and how they would be free from her sire.

"Henry," I whispered to the young lad. He turned to me still confused about what was happening. "I need you to free yourself of the ropes no matter what it costs you." The boy looked at me in disbelief and I knew it would be a hard task to convince him. I was so wrong. He began to twist on his rope pulling until the ropes had lacerated his skin. That, however, did not stop him. I guess I would do the same if I saw a vampire I believed were only myths. In little time, he was free. His hands were however bruised and bleeding. The blood made me thirsty but there was more that lay on ground now.

"Free me of my ropes," I commanded Henry who quickly got to work, fondling on the ropes in an effort to set me free. Duke unpredictably turned in our direction and caught us red-handed. By this time, Henry had already almost loosened my ropes. Duke charged at Henry in anger. He was too preoccupied with his rage to think straight. I quickly freed my hands from the rope and felt my abilities return. Henry was on the verge of the most terrible way to die. I watched Duke extend his fangs and rushed to sink his fangs into Henry's neck. I broke one of wooden chair legs which served as a makeshift stake and rushed for Duke just at the exact moment his fangs touched Henry's neck. Dust and screams ensued and I watched Duke disintegrated to dust. We were saved.

AVERY'S POV

Damian rid me of the ropes and I let out a sigh of relief. Damian had successfully compelled the human girls to go home and wiped off their memory of any ordeal they faced in the hands of Duke. I watched him slit his wrist and feed Henry his blood. His wounds slowly began to heal up and I watched in admiration as he looked at me with an expression that said, "are you seeing this".

"We have wiped him." Damian sent through the mind link. As much as u wanted this, I knew we dared not. Wiping memories thrice had permanent damage and could impair the mind.

"We can't?" I sent it back. Damian nodded and left us to be. He wanted me to do this. It was going to be hard revealing everything about the supernatural world to a human but I had to.

I walked up to him and grabbed myself a chair.

"Can you keep a secret?" I began.

He nodded.

"Here it goes..."

KALIM'S POV

The spell didn't work and it got my father all worked up. There was more to him not wanting me to be a faeblood. He refused to let me even leave for school fearing that the "warbloods" might try to make me one of them. I still could not understand his hatred for them. They were literally our people.

The telephone that my father rarely used rang getting me out of my train of thoughts. It was the flip-dial. O always thought my father had it for decoration but now I wasn't so sure. I picked it up and spoke to the receiver,

"Hello?"

The voice at the receiver sounded a lot familiar. It was the principal, Samuel. He was talking about a murder.

"Bob," he ranted, referring to my father's name."Vampires. A body just showed up on school this morning and although the vampire tried to cover up his tracks by severing his victim's head, I could make out the teeth marks. Do the warbloods know of this?"

My father was working as a warblood? I could hear his footsteps approaching the living room.

"Hello?" Principal Samuel screamed from over the phone.

My father finally came into the living room and I faced him.

"There was a murder Dad and a vampire did it," I said so loudly so principal Samuel could hear.

The line went static and I asked my father the most unsettling question of all.

"Are you still a warblood?"

His expression confirmed my suspicions. I just needed him to admit the truth.

"Yes." He admitted.

If he was living the life he was trying to make me avoid, why was he doing all of this. Something was odd and I could feel it. There was a huge secret he was keeping and I was going to find out what it was.