Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince

When Dr. Edwards handed me the paper my heart rejoiced when I saw the score - a beautiful three digit, 100. There was even a note scratched in the margin ‘perfect!’ But then I spotted the familiar title, and the structure of the paper. My smile slowly turned into an expression of mixed shock and horror. How did he know? This wasn’t some typed up spur-of-the-moment paper written and handed in by Finn. This was my paper, my hand-written paper lying on my desk back at my apartment.

I hurriedly flipped through it, heck I even read it. There was no masking that it was my paper, down to the last written sentence and flair that I had given it. The only difference was the typing. This essay had been typed and printed. I didn’t own a computer or a printer.

Now, I knew for certain I had seen the paper lying on my desk the night before. I stared at it every day when I returned home wondering if Finn’s substitute work would be as good as all my other papers. And that turned out that he had gotten a hold of my exact paper and not created a fake. There was only one way he could’ve retrieved this, and it was not something I wished he’d know about.

The bell rang and I gathered my bag. As usual, I was the first out of the room, but I stopped in the hallway, infuriated by his actions. I did what every normal girl would do when she was overcome by powerful emotions - I ran into the nearest bathroom.

No one else was in here, thank goodness. I stared at myself in the mirror and took several deep calming breaths. It helped that I was completely alone in here and not bothered by other girls and their shrill voices. If anyone had been in here talking 90 miles an hour on their cell phone I would’ve probably lost it. My emotions were not in check, and in this state I didn’t need to be around anyone because I usually acted rashly and quickly. Human lives were threatened whenever I was like this.

Once I calmed down and felt like I was up for a confrontation, I left the room. I strolled into the thunder dome where everyone ate lunch. How he withstood the noise in here I’ll never know. I spotted my friends on the far wall. Unfortunately they had seen me, and already gestured to the empty seat at the table, but I averted my eyes and searched for Finn.

I found him at his usual table in the middle, sitting alone with his bodyguard friends behind him at their regular table. An empty chair stood beside him, probably reserved for me, but I was past friendliness after this atrocity.

Grasping the paper in hand I stormed over. When I arrived I stopped and slapped the essay down on the table, giving him my best glare possible and trying really hard not to use my power, although knowing me it probably leaked out with my near uncontrollable anger.

At first he stared at the paper, his face unchanging from his lazy body posture. But eventually a smile broke out across his perfect face. “You got a perfect score.”

“That’s not what I’m upset about,” I stressed angrily. He avoided my eyes on purpose.

His smile faded as he sighed heavily. He straightened his posture and finally met my glare. “I thought you’d be happy.”

I leaned over so my face could be at his level. “That’s not what this is about. How did you get in there?” I demanded.

From behind him, my eyes caught movement in my peripheral vision. His friends looked up, alarmed by my harsh words. They didn’t look happy, because I had probably just threatened him with my tone, but he deserved it after I discovered he had knowledge of where I lived after I expressly wished he didn’t know. They seemed curious about the situation, which made me wonder if they knew what he did at all hours of the day or if they only knew what transpired at school. From Emery’s explanation the other day, I thought that he knew what kinds of activities Finn participated in both within these walls and outside in the world. Apparently this was not the case.

“You knew I’d discover it sooner or later,” he stated smoothly like his actions justified what he did.

I stood back up right. He should know better. My personal life was not his to invade and bother. Where I lived was my business, and not his. I left the paper on the table and stormed away, but before I completely left his presence I bent down next to his ear. The bodyguards stiffened from my quick reaction, and from their behavior the students next to us at the other tables glanced over wondering what caused the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Chatter died almost at once.

“You have no right,” I harshly whispered.

I didn’t wait for his reply and quickly retreated.

I had spent a lot of the lunch time calming myself down in the bathroom. The bell rang as soon as I entered the hallway and I ran off to gym, escaping the noise that would soon follow. My emotions were all over the place, out of control. I felt weakened by the use of power I exerted in trying to control them. I would need sustenance soon. But for the moment I could exist as a shell and make it through gym class. Unleashing some of this anger on whatever sport we played would help me survive the rest of the day.

I changed into the blue and black short/shirt combo that was required by all gym students, and used my rage by playing volleyball aggressively. Surprisingly enough no one blocked my serves and spikes, when they normally did. I usually played fairly, giving people a chance to hit the ball back. The game wasn’t fun when people got too competitive. This wasn’t one of those games, but in my head all I saw was red. The ball and the colour merged together in which I pushed all my anger into the object so that it flew around the court with so much force that it couldn’t be stopped by anyone in its path. In fact everyone moved out of the way because the ball passed onto the opposite court with such power that it nearly exploded from the pressure I exerted on it. Though the last ball I served busted as soon as I swung my left hand at it.

Coach Seely excused me from class after that, clearly noting that I was upset over something and not my true self. I had always been athletic, but this was beyond normal behavior for me. The others melted into sighs of relief that I no longer played on the court, though they snuck looks and glances in my direction as I ran into the dressing room. I know they wondered what caused this new development in my normally easygoing façade. No one asked me outright what was wrong, but once I emerged fully dressed from the locker rooms, after taking a long hot shower, I ran right into Krista who had gym right after I did. She bumped into me as I was leaving the room, and steered me back inside before I could completely escape her grasp.

“Alright, what’s crawling on your skin missy?” She questioned while leading me over to her locker. She dialed the combination code.

“Nothing,” I muttered. I couldn’t explain this mess to her. It would give me and Finn away and I couldn’t do that.

She shook her head. “You need a break from that Finn guy. Every time you two get together you walk away looking like he pushed on a nerve.”

I whipped my head back around and my breath caught in my throat. She saw that? Great. I really didn’t think he affected me that badly, but now I knew better.

“You don’t have to tell me the details, but he did something to you.” She opened her locker and pulled out her gym clothes, shrugging on the blue shirt over her current clothes. “You should come out with us tonight,” she offered. “We’re going to the movies and afterwards to Blue Lagoon.”

What was this new place? I hadn’t heard of it before, but I couldn’t help wondering if it was like the club I had finally gotten them to stop hanging out at. After the last incident, one that Nate hopefully didn’t remember too much of, they didn’t need to be going into vampire territory. “What’s the Blue Lagoon?” I asked, suspicious of it already.

She pulled on her shorts and then proceeded pulling out her red top from under the gym clothes. “It’s a dinner club, not a dance club. It’s really rich and upscale. We don’t go very often because it can be too expensive, but every once in a while it’s worth the trip.”

“No alcohol.” It wasn’t exactly a question for her but a command.

She nodded once. “Exactly.”

Good. I knew she wasn’t about to start drinking again or hanging out in sketchy dark rooms, or worse yet, meeting a boy she didn’t know and allowing him to lead her on.

“It’d be great if you could come,” she offered while pulling on her sneakers.

Her conversation left me feeling slightly better. I was still angry with Finn for what he did, but I wasn’t set on killing a volleyball anytime soon like I had been earlier. “I’d like to come, but I have an errand I need to run tonight and it can’t be put off.”

Her face fell, but she nodded. “I understand. It was kind of unexpected and late. I’ll ask earlier next time.”

The bell rang again, and the girls from my class period walked in and started changing.

I smiled and repeated her last words back. “Next time.”

I needed to get back home now that I felt better.

I walked past everyone, listening to the pitter patter of their feet in order to avoid conversation and sanely walk out of the building. But the downside of listening to their feet meant I missed other things, like the sound of an expensive engine flaring to life.

I made it out onto the sidewalk leading from the building to the bus stop before I heard it. I never paused and looked for the direction it drove in, never wondered if it was heading towards me. But as soon as my feet hit the curb near the parking lot, a flash of yellow averted my eyes. I paused from the distraction and found the passenger door open in front of me.

I peered across the black leather seats and caught Finn’s eyes on me.

“Let me take you home,” he offered.

My anger flared anew. I turned away and stormed off.

He was out of the car and in front of me faster than lightning. Surely someone noticed that he moved too quickly to be human. Classes may still be in session for most of the student population, but there were windows on this side, including Ms. Ingram’s lab.

“Abelia…” he began but stopped.

I lost it then. “What? You’re not going to say you’re sorry? Please excuse me? You were in my room! My house!” I shouted at him.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, all the while the yellow car was running. “You gave me your permission to help you,” he muttered.

Seriously? That was his excuse. “And you took that to mean, find out where I live, break in, and steal my paper?”

He shrugged. “You got a satisfying score on it. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

I shook my head. “You’re unbelievable.” I tried to move past him, but he caught my arm and stopped me.

I really should have pushed him away from me, but the way he touched my arm made me pause. It wasn’t commanding or halting, it was soft and gentle, completely unlike him. And again I felt that tingling sensation jolt my nerves. I had yearned for him to touch me again, deep down inside, and now that he had I was breathless, even as upset as I was. If the situation had been completely different, I might have relished this gesture.

“I know in your mind I deserve to be yelled at, but please hear me out.”

I waited for his explanation.

His hand dropped from mine and he looked back up at me. “You wanted a passing grade, you wanted your paper, and I wanted to help you. I wish you could’ve seen yourself that day. You were a complete mess. I figured I gave you too much information too quickly that it kept you from focusing on your work, and that was my fault for not knowing I couldn’t spring what I was onto you. I needed to help you recover, and so I left here that day and found out where you lived.” He shook his head. “It didn’t take me long after talking with Sylvia that you rented one of her apartments. She let me in, and I copied what I needed. I had it printed and turned in before you ever walked in the door to Mr. Edwards’ class that day.”

He stepped closer to me. “If it was written by me, you would’ve gotten less than you deserved. And if I had excused your work for another day, you would’ve lost ten points. This was the better alternative. So I’m sorry that I invaded your privacy.”

I had been so mad at him. I still was to some degree, even if this was a good apology and I had to admit that it was. “I still don’t think you understand why I’m so angry with you.”

He smirked. “Enlighten me.”

“You put me in danger by going there. Now every vampire in the city will know where I live, and that puts human lives in danger. Your clan can come after me at any time, if they ever found out,” I whispered.

He sighed and smiled like the joke was on me. “No they can’t, actually. Sylvia’s one of us, but she keeps her patrons’ separated from our lives. She scolded me for even dropping by.” His blue eyes twinkled. “I wonder what she’ll do once she finds out what you are.”

I took a step backwards. Great, just great. “I keep food in the house. I can eat both you know.”

His eyes gazed into mine like that excuse wasn’t good enough. “But you need blood to live,” he finished the sentence I didn’t openly reveal. He understood a part of me that no one else did which I found intriguingly odd. “Let me take you home. You’re weak enough as it is.”

He was right. I was weak. Facing my chances, I didn’t have much strength in me left to make it back to the apartment on my own without breaking down and going on a rampage for food, plus I still needed to hunt. My anger had sapped away what remaining strength I had left in me, taking it out in pieces on the volleyball. “Alright. Penance for what you did.”

He smiled happily and led me to the door. Once I was seated, he shut my side and was soon behind the wheel. He drove over to the gate and pulled out some kind of key card. With one swipe, it opened for him.

I felt my mouth drop open in shock. “Where did you get one of those?” I pointed to the thing before he sneakily put it away in the pocket of his pants.

He flashed me a smile, but didn’t respond.

I grumbled, knowing I would never know the answer to it.

He drove quickly, sweeping the streets easily as any race car driver. I figured that’s what he did in his free time, race cars up at the Breaking Point – a small canyon of curves and hills that was notorious for night time races. When we pulled up the country lane that my home was located beside, he parked away from the office building on the side of the street, and actually got out to walk me to my door like he was the perfect gentleman.

He opened up a little iron gate that I had seen before, but never used. It ended up being a shortcut for me to my tiny cottage, because that’s what it was now that I caught the outward glance from the back of the main house. He walked me up to the door, and I took out my keys.

“I was wondering if you would like to go to dinner with me.” His sudden offer left me jolted and I nearly dropped the keys I held.

“What?” I turned to him with shock plastered all over my face.

“Dinner,” he repeated.

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to respond. His request was so sudden.

“I’ll pick you up at eight.” He turned away from me and left, while I just stood there.