Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince

The next morning I made sure I dressed earlier than usual, before heading out for school. The bus was stopped at the end of the street this early, so I hastily scampered onto it before the doors shut, making sure I grabbed all the items I needed. I didn’t want to be showing up at school with only my homework and keys again. Once the bus drove into downtown and towards the school I thought about my state. Currently I experienced an excitement of sorts. It was a feeling I had not felt prior to moving here. I was on my way to meet a boy, granted it was in the parking lot of the school we attended and I had mixed feelings about what he was, but it was the thought that I had met a boy and was meeting him somewhere in public that set off my excitement. Butterflies jumped in my stomach and it gave me time to think about how I might react if he tried touching me again. I imagined myself throwing him across the room in addition to not doing anything at all if his fingers met my arm or shoulder.

When I arrived at my destination his car was there, and parked next to it was a smaller silver sedan. His two friends were perched on the trunk of the four door car while he leaned against the side of his. He noticed at once when I stepped off the bus and onto the sidewalk, right outside the gate. His eyes moved in slow motion as he met my own pair and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. The other two kids stiffened by my sudden appearance, clearly not feeling quite as relaxed as Finn did. I didn’t know what he told them, but judging from their reactions it couldn’t be anything good.

I approached them all, not quite knowing what this meeting was about now that I knew Finn and I weren’t meeting him alone. “Hi,” I greeted quietly.

Finn’s smile widened. “I thought proper introductions should be made.”

I nearly stumbled as I halted on the pavement. That’s what he wanted me here for? Proper introductions?

He turned to the pair, waiting for my rebuttal. When I didn’t speak further he continued on like nothing had happened. “This is Emery and Thalia. They’re my bodyguards.”

The girl nodded and smiled at me. “They call me Tia for short. Thalia’s a mouthful.”

Bodyguards… “So you’re not his friends?” I asked them slowly.

“No we are,” Emery concluded. “We’ve been guarding him for-”

“Awhile,” Finn cut across before he could state the actual number.

The three exchanged a look.

I sighed heavily. The exchange of ages shouldn’t be this hard, even among those of us that were practically immortal. “I already know what you are. Just spill it. Are you afraid I might run for the hills after finding out how old you really are?”

“I’m eighteen,” he said slowly.

I nodded. “Yeah, and I’m twenty-one. You know what I mean.”

He didn’t respond.

“He’s been eighteen for three years,” Emery answered me when it was clear Finn wasn’t going to announce his true age.

Finn threw him a dangerous look. One that Thalia shrunk from.

“You’re so young…” I whispered with sarcasm.

His eyes found mine again.

“What?” I asked him. “Did you really think I’d be that shocked by how young you truly are?”

He crossed his arms. “I honestly thought you’d think I was old.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but settled for a small smirk. I glanced over at the two perched on the car. “And how old are you two?”

Emery grinned wide, showing off a perfect set of white teeth. “Nineteen for fifty something years. I’ve been looking after Finn here for quite a while. He couldn’t wait to grow up when he was younger.”

Thalia blushed. “I’m only seventeen. I haven’t completely finished the Change.”

Emery nudged her. “But you will.”

Aww…they looked so cute together. I nearly shook my head. What was wrong with me that I would think the two of them were cute? I usually didn’t find other vampires attractive or friendly.

Finn smiled and took in a long drawn out breath. “Sometimes their love sickens me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How long have you two been a couple?”

“Officially?” Thalia questioned. “Only a month or so. We were forced to wait.”

I frowned. That implied something else. I didn’t know what though, and the look on my face must’ve given a part of my ignorance away.

Emery scratched his head. “I’m sorry, but Finn told us that you are not from around here.”

I shook my head. “I’m not.”

“How come you didn’t go to the House like all the others?”

The question confused me. The way he stated ‘house’ made me wonder if it was something that was required of born and created vampires. If what Finn stated about me was true, they had no idea I wasn’t a born creature, at least not in the way that Finn implied.

“I didn’t know,” I stated before Finn could respond. “I’ve been disconnected from society for a long time. I didn’t even recognize you as vampires until after the journal incident.”

Emery frowned.

I didn’t know if he completely bought the lie or not, though some of it was the truth.

Thalia narrowed her eyes, but more out of curiosity rather than suspicion which is what I was trying to avoid. “You read the journal. Finn told us that. You should’ve come to the House then. We would’ve understood.”

Finn sharply glanced at her. “You might have. I don’t think the others would. The rules are clear about that.” He cleared his throat suddenly and shifted to the left. “Besides, I don’t think she was raised by our kind. I think she’s had to figure everything out on her own. Family is a touchy subject.” His eyes met mine for the briefest second but that’s all it took. He was clearly upset with me for not telling him about my past and it was a subject I loathed to discuss.

Right on cue I know I blushed. I hated discussing my family. I took a step back and eyed him hatefully. He knew better than to bring that up again or even look at me the way that he did.

Emery made a noise and looked over at Finn. “You think she was abandoned?”

Finn nodded, looking near my face but not at it. He was lying to them.

Thalia switched her gaze from me to him. “But an act like that is…” she huffed out incredulously.

Finn met my eyes once more. “I know. She’s ignorant of our ways. How else would you explain it?”

“I told you not to bring up my family,” I stated quietly.

They all switched their gazes on me. Thalia looked like she might burst into tears.

But before any more could be said between us, a car pulled up into one of the spaces nearby and the door opened. “Ah, Miss Harper,” Ms. Ingram greeted me.

I froze in place. All emotion emptied off my face. I turned and glanced at her, momentarily forgetting the pact we’d made.

From out of her car she pulled out her briefcase and another box full of stuff. “I was wondering if we could discuss your Chemistry project before the bell rings.” She neglected to say hi to the others, even though they stood nearby and every single one of them took her Biology class too.

I was only here to talk to Finn. But that was interrupted, unluckily.

“I didn’t think you had a project in Chemistry,” he mumbled, sounding suspicious of Ms. Ingram’s odd request.

When I glanced back at him, all three were tense with anticipation seemingly combined with a twinge of fear. But what had they to fear from her? I turned back to Ms. Ingram who wondered if I was going to follow her into the building or stay outside with the three of them.

“I’ll be right there,” I announced to her.

Satisfied, she walked indoors locking her car remotely.

All traces of fear were gone when I glanced back at Finn and the others. Whatever secret they held from me, they weren’t listing it anytime soon. “I… um… I better go see what she needs.” I had no excuse for this.

“I didn’t think you guys were doing projects in the class,” Thalia stated softly.

“Extra credit,” I answered quickly, probably much too quickly. I had promised not to reveal the teacher’s secret. But she would expect an update on my prowess in finding the vampires in the school. Now I needed a good lie to keep Finn and his body guards away from her prying mind. Obviously there was something going on between them all already.

I hated lying to a human like this, but I didn’t want Finn discovered. He was not a bad vampire, not like the others, and that’s why he needed to be protected or at least why I justified his protection.

“I’m sorry about this,” I apologized quickly. “I need to go see what she wants.”

Emery and Thalia glanced at each other. He jumped off the trunk quickly and approached me. “We don’t trust that woman,” he whispered, backing up Thalia’s feelings on the subject.

I nodded, clearly understanding the vibe that radiated off them like heat. “I know. I’ll see you later,” I said more to Finn than to the other two.

On the way inside, he told them I was completely secretive and trustful, mostly assuring their feelings they shouldn’t worry so much. I may have been some ignorant wild child to them, but I was still one of their kind.

I shook my head, knowing that I was lying to them all regarding my origins, and headed to class. They needn’t ever know that I was a monster.