Chapter Ten

"So what's on your mind missy?" Lauri crossed her legs. 

"Well, I uh...I have a boyfriend." I said quickly. Lauri sat silently. Did I say something wrong?

"I know kiddo." Lauri said, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Oka-WAIT WHAT." I shouted.

"Calm down Vinnie." She laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "I am a girl if you didn't notice and I was your age once, you know, 4 years ago."

"That doesn't mean-" I started to say but Lauri held up her hand.

"I see the way you stare off into space, and I'm going to guess he's the reason you've been coming home so late." She cast a suggestive glance my way. I blushed fiercely.

"NO! It is not like that!" I exclaimed. I looked at my toes.

"I know, I know." Lauri put a hand on my shoulder. "So who is he?"

"You don't know him..." I murmured.

"Spill it."

"Well his name is Reece Hawkwood and he's really special to me and I think I love him." All the words tumbled out in a knot. Lauri retracted her hand.

"Hawkwood?!" She hissed.

"Do you know anything about his family?" 

"No, he doesn't seem to like his family." I didn't mention his uncle who had attacked me a few days ago.

"Sweetheart, his father is a murderer. He killed his own wife." My eyes went wide.

"What?"

"Now it isn't my place to tell you about other people's problems but that boy is damaged." Lauri said, resting her head against her hand.

"You don't know that." I whispered. Lauri stood up and walked over to the window.

Our cat jumped up beside me. He pawed at my jacket.

"Stop it Church." I mumbled. I brushed off the cat and stood up. Lauri walked over to me.

"Vinne, if he's special, go for it. But don't say that I didn't warn you." She put her hand softly on my shoulder. "Okay?"

"Okay." I replied, lifting my head.

"Good. Now I have work to do." Lauri sauntered off to the bedroom. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Reece.

Vinnie: Did you talk to your dad?

...

Reece: Yeah I did.

Vinnie: How did it go.

...

Reece: Great.

I smiled. Things were looking up. 

Chapter Nine

 I flipped a page in my biology textbook, pretending to be studying when I was really just thinking about Vinnie. The couch cushions sunk slightly as my father sat down beside me.

"Hi dad." I mumbled.

"Son, what are you doing?" He crossed his legs and looked at me expectantly.

"I was studying," I closed the book. "But I can tell you want to talk about something."

"You always have been intuitive my boy." He murmured. "Yes I wanted to ask about Maria."

"What about that bitch?" I snarled.

"Reece! She is the daughter of a very important man. Don't use such...terms when talking about her." Dad looked enraged.

"Well I'm sorry. Would 'princess' work better?"

"I do not appreciate your sarcasm young man." He swatted my arm. "You should be wooing her."

I burst out laughing.

"Wooing? What is this, 1856? Dad, I don't want to woo Maria." I coughed, smothering the rest of my laughter.

"Why on earth not?" He glared at me.

"Because I have a girlfriend." The term 'girlfriend' didn't...fit Vinnie. We were more than that but what was I supposed to say, lover? Soul-mate? I stood up and started to walk out of the room.

 "We are no where near done talking, get back here young man!" He roared following me off the couch. "Now who is this 'girl' that my son is with?"
"I erm..." I had hoped our conversation would have gone better. "Her name's Vinnie."
Dad crossed his arms.
"Is she pretty?" He asked.
"Yeah, here's a picture," I pulled out my phone.

His expression was blank.

I double-checked to see the picture, making sure it was the right one.
"Dad? Are you okay?" I said, putting my phone away. I was never able to read my fathers face but something was definitely wrong.
"Nothing." He snapped, regaining his poise. "She has very lively skin for a vampire. Is that, uh, her natural hair color?"

"Yeah it's natural." I made sure to only respond to the last question. I scratched behind my ear."Uh dad, please please don't freak out but..."
"But what?!"

"She's human." The room was dead silent.
"Human."
"Please Dad, don't hurt her." I grabbed his shoulders. "Please."
Dad lost it.

"How dare you! The Hawkwood family has been PURE blooded for eight hundred years! Does your heritage not mean ANYTHING to you?!" His hand came down on my face.
"Throwing it all away for some human?!"
"I'M NOT THROWING ANYTHING AWAY." I yelled. I'd never really raised my voice to my father like this before. It felt good.
"Did your mother's death not teach you anything?"
"It taught me plenty of things! You never loved her! So what?! She left you for a human. It was love, you obviously don't know what that is!" I restrained myself from throwing a few punches at his face.
"This little fling will be gone soon. In a few years you'll forget about her completely."
"Shut the hell up DAD! You know nothing about me or her! I love her!" I smack my hands over my mouth. Oh great, I just dropped the L-word. I thought, inwardly kicking myself.
"I'm done talking to you!" I yelled.

 I stormed off to my room and collapsed on my bed. I could still smell Vinnie. Tea leaves and sugarcane shampoo. My phone beeped and I pulled it out.
Vinnie: Did you talk with your dad?
My fingers sped across the touchscreen.
Reece: Yeah. I did.
...
Vinnie: How did it go.
Reece: Great.  

Chapter Eight

I reached behind and jiggled the door handle. Locked, that's impossible!

"What do we have here? Is the little mouse lost?" I froze, my heart rate skyrocketing. I turned around.

A man stood right in front of me, his hand near my head. His eyes scanned my body and I pressed myself further against the wall.

"Daminier was right." He whispered to himself while he looked at my hair. That name. That voice. My eyes widened, this was the man that was sent to kill me.

"I-I please...I'm sorry." I could hardly speak. "I'll just be g-going."

He slid closer to me, his hand hovering near my thigh.

"No, you won't little mouse." His raspy voice sent chills along my spine. "You're very frightened right now." He put his lips near my neck.

"Your heart is racing."

"L-let me go." I tried to push him off of me. "I'll scream." He chuckled and slid his hand along my leg.

In a flash his hand was in an iron grip on my mouth and nose.

"Oh, I don't think we'll be doing that sweetheart." I scraped at his hand, desperate for air. The man put his face close too mine, black spots started to cloud my vision.

"Remember this," His eyes glittered. "I'm watching you Vivienne." He stroked my jaw one more time before disappearing.

I stood there for a moment before dropping to my knees and gasping. Air rushed into my lungs and I blinked hard, clearing the spots. Once I had regained my vision and breath I spun around and grabbed the door. Yanking it back as hard as I could it swung open and I raced out.

I went directly across the hall and into what I assumed to be the living room. My sight blurred slightly as the tears started to flow down my face.

"Hey there you ar-" Reece took sight of my frazzled appearance. He jumped off and zipped across the room.

I broke down sobbing at the sight of him. Reece, he is safety.

His soft hands gripped my shoulders and he looked at me, his golden eyes wild with worry.

"Vinnie, what the hell? What happened?!" I didn't respond. I didn't know how to. Reece's grip tightened.

"Vinnie! You're scaring me, talk, tell me what's wrong." He shook me slightly. I collapsed against him, digging my fingers into his shirt, holding on as if letting go meant that man coming back. Reece led - more like carried - me to one of the couches.

"Vinnie please, I can't make it better if you won't tell me." He held my body against his.

"I-I went to the f-far set of doors and I thought it might lead to the bathroom," I told him the story and his expression turned from worry to utter anger.

 

Reece sighed.

"That jackass was probably my uncle."

"WHAT?!" I glared at him. "You said no one would be here!"

"Vi, he's an insanely powerful vampire, hell he could be anywhere."  Reece stammered. "I-I mean, no Vin, not like that." He corrected when he saw my look of horror.

He pulled me into his lap for a kiss.

"It's gonna be fine, I'll protect you." I responded with another kiss.

"Let's not let the pizza get cold."

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 "So, I'm gonna talk to my dad about us." Reece said, scratching behind his ear. "That okay with you?"

"Yeah I planned on telling Lauri." I said. He cocked his head to the side in a confusing manner.

"My Aunt." I picked at the laces of my boots.

"Not your parents?" His suspicious look made me nervous.

"They're out on a business trip for the next two weeks." 

"So Lauri...why not Aunt Lauri?" He doesn't trust me does he?

"She's twenty-one, she thinks 'aunt' makes her sound old." I snapped. Reece crawled over and placed a light kiss on my lips.

"Sorry. So, I'll see you Monday?"

"Sooner if you're a good boy." I giggled and tackled him to the floor. Just a few more kisses.

Chapter Seven

And there I was Friday afternoon, standing in the lobby of Reece's apartment building. I pressed the button and his voice came crackling over the intercom.

"Hawkwood Residence,"

"Hi Reece. It's me."

"Vin! Hey hun come on up." With that a loud beep sounded and the elevator doors opened.

This is going to be quite the adventure.

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After another bing the doors opened onto the topmost floor. There was one door, which I assumed would be Reece's.

I took a deep breath before knocking. The hall way was silent except for the soft whir of the air conditioning. The door suddenly swung open, interrupting my stream of thoughts.

"Vinnie, you came." 

I smiled shyly. "Yeah I guess I did." He pulled me into the doorway and with his arm locked around my waist, he gave me a kiss.

My heart fluttered and my toes tingled. I put my hands on his face and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. He gave a surprised mumble but went along with it.

Reece pulled away slightly. "C'mon, let's move this somewhere else."

"Mhm." I mumbled, resting my face against his cheek for a moment.

"Hey V, you okay? You seem, distant." He asked giving my hand a soft squeeze.

"Hm? Oh I'm fine. Just you know, stuff on my mind."

He opened a set of double doors and they opened into a large bedroom that was about the size of my house.
"I...erm." I stumbled, wondering what to say. Reece snickered.
"I know I know, it's big." He took my hand and led me over to the bed. I sat down.

"Vinnie, are you really okay? You seem upset about something." Reece's big eyes were filled with worry.
"Honestly it's fine. Just a bad memory that's all." I replied hastily. Reece gave me a look. "Reece, drop the damn subject." He stood up and pulled me closer so my legs were around his waist.
"Hm, you sure?"

 "I think you know my answer." I said, tangling one hand in his hair and yanking his face towards mine.
"Oh do I?' Reece's breath tickled my cheeks.

My hand made it's way to his shoulder and his hand made it's way to my thigh. Hell why did I ever wait this long to talk to him. Reece kept his grip on my body as he turned around and landed on his bed, his elbows cushioning him.

"Yeah, pretty clear answer." He replied. I slid down further and his hand grabbed mine, pulling my mouth back to his.

He was pretty perfect. Everything about him was, except for a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something was wrong. Parent problems? A dead family member? Is he hiding a dead body? Okay, I'm getting out of hand. It was probably me just reading false signs. I hope.
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"Hey." I said, laying my head against his chest.
"Hey." He smiled. "I'm gonna order a pizza 'kay?"
"That's sounds good." I sat up and he did too.
"One more." He said. One more wha-

Mm okay that works.
I pulled back. "Okay bud, go order me dinner, I'm going to the bathroom." He nodded and dug out his cell phone. I walked out of the room and shut the door slowly behind me, letting it click quietly. I was back in the main hallway.

It feel eerie and empty. Now which door do I go in? I took a guess and headed over to the farthest door. As soon as I stepped through the doorway, both doors shut.

The room before me was a dark, crypt-like bedroom. All of the lights were off.
This definitely wasn't the bathroom.

Chapter Six

Arriving at school the next morning felt odd. There was no more watching Reece from the sidelines. He'd be by my side. A pair of hands touched my shoulder and my hip.

"Hey." He said. I small grin stretched onto my face.

"Hey." I replied. I kept my gaze on the lockers, where Maria stood with her ice-like eyes locked onto us.

"Reece," I murmured.

"I know. I see her." Reece said. Maria stayed stone-faced. "Calm down V, I can hear your heart racing."

Something about the way Maria was acting made my stomach churn. She wasn't going ballistic like I expected her to. All she did was turn to Anika and whisper something. Anika took Wallace's hand and led him off towards the classroom. Axel and Kaya quickly followed. I caught Kaya's uneasy expression as she walked away.

Reece reached around and kissed me on the cheek softly. I giggled.

"See? Everything's fine." Reece whispered, his lips moving smoothly across my skin.

"Reece!" Maria's snarl caught both of us off guard. Reece's head snapped towards her and he moved in front of me in a protective gesture. 

 "Reece, be careful." I whispered.

"Vinnie I know what I'm doing." He growled in return. Maria slowly walked towards us. The click of her boots echoed off the empty corridor.

"Reecey-baby," She cooed, her voice silky but still full of venom. "What are doing with..her." As her eyes looked me up and down I slid further behind Reece.

"I'm doing exactly what it looks like." He replied, squeezing my hand. Maria's face darkened.

"What's so good about her anyway?!" Her anger was seeping out fast. "I've known you the longest. I've always been there for you. I've always been there to talk to. Even when your mother-"

"That's enough!" Reece shouted. What happened to his mom? I wondered.

"Look Maria, you better get over this stupid jealousy thing you have and leave her alone."

"JEALOUSY?! You think I'm JEALOUS of that white-haired brat?! SHE'S the one that should be jealous of me. I'm rich. I live in a mansion. I have a boyfriend." Maria screamed. How the hell are the hallways not swarming with teachers? I pushed away the thought and pushed Reece behind me. I'm capable of standing up for myself.

"Look, just because Reece 'chose' me over you doesn't mean you have to be a total bitch about it. I man really, it's a rejection get over it. It'll happen plenty of other times." I snapped. 

"Um V, your 'wisdom' might not be helpful in this situation." Reece murmured.

"Shut the hell up. I'm making a point." I said.

"Aw someone thinks she's smart." Maria mocked. Her phone chirped from her bag which lay against the stairs.

"Oh look. My parents texted me. They're so sweet. They're always there for me. Ya know?" She said, drawing out her words so they hurt even more. 

"YOU LITTLE BITCH." I cried throwing myself at her.

"Vinnie!" Reece's arms caught me around my waist.

"Let go of me!" I cried trying to twist out of his iron grip. Maria blinked in surprise but she quickly regained her smirk.

"I'll see you later Reece. Just hope that you made the right decision." With that she walked away. I rotated in Reece's arms so I was facing him.

"You know why I did that right?" Reece asked, holding me close. In reply I buried my face in his chest. We'd be together for such a short time but it already felt like I'd known him for years.

He kissed my forehead.

"C'mon. Let's go to class." He said leading me away.

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"Hey V, what do you think of  coming to my house?" Reece turned to me during our Algebra class.

"W-what?" His comment caught me by surprise even though it was so casual.

"You, come over to my apartment?" He repeated.

"Oh um. Sure." Apartment. That doesn't sound too fancy.

"Great." Reece smiled and I gazed over to Maria and Anika's desk.

"So, Friday?" Reece tugged on my shoulder. "Vinnie? Come back to me."

"Heh sorry. Friday sounds good." I mentally checked my calendar. Two days from now. I can handle this. Right?