Midnight Blood (Born Immortal) (22 page)

     Noah whipped his head around to see what Melina was gawking at.

“Uh oh,” he said. They were caught.

     Shayna turned and walked away. She didn’t have time to argue with them, and didn’t want to.

     “Shay!” Melina called.

     Shayna didn’t look back. Who cares? She thought. Let them talk about me. She left the library, and headed to her first class. Her assignment was complete, but she knew she would receive a lower grade, simply because it had been late. Her heart told her that Cain still would not be at school, and her heart was right. She decided to stop at ‘Between the Lines’ on her way home.

Shayna loved the atmosphere in the little bookstore. It felt almost like a library in a church, or a castle. Something from midevel times. Aunt Mill was in the back of the shop when Shayna entered, but came to the front within moments of the door closing.

     The old womans face lit up with joy when she saw Shayna, and she hugged her. Aunt Mill smelled of lemon and spice. An aroma Shayna loved smelling on her.

“I’m so glad you stopped in,” she said.

     “I’m sorry about the other night,” Shayna said sitting down in the victorian chair by the register, “This has a been so much to take in.”

     “I understand dear,” Aunt Mill looked at her sympathetically. “It is a lot.”

     “Have you heard anything?”

     Aunt Mill sighed, “I still only see darkness.” there was concern in her eyes. “But something is going to happen Shayna. Something big.”

     Shayna staightened her back, “What do you mean?”

     “I don’t know, it is something that I have been sensing lately, but I can’t decipher, whether it’s good or bad,” she turned toward the window and looked out, “Maybe both,” she whispered.

     Shayna didn’t know what to say. The only question she could think of, she dreaded asking, “Do you think it involves me?”

     Aunt Mill looked at the floor, “Yes.”

     Shayna took in a deep breath, “Do you see anything else? How am I involved?” Shayna was slowly starting to dislike her life, especially with Cain gone.

     “Oh Shayna dear,” Aunt Mill took Shayna’s hand, “I really wish that I knew more. Really.”

     “Should I be scared?” Shayna asked her. She  knew her life was about to take a major turn, but she didn’t ever expect it to be for the worse. She knew how happy, her father was in life.

     “Maybe,” Aunt Mill shook her head in frustration. “I can’t tell. It really discerns me that I can’t tell. I think it’s because I can’t see him. She sighed again, and stared out the window.

     Shayna looked at her, it seemed  a foggy haze had cast over Aunt Mill’s eyes.

“Aunt Mill?” Shayna said wearily.

     The old woman seemed to snap back to reality.

“Surround yourself with friends Shayna, yes that’s a good idea.”

     Shayna wasn’t sure what had happened. Maybe she had a vision, she thought. She smiled at her and blinked her eyes.

     “Where my dress dear, you’ll be the bell of the ball.”

     Shayna blushed behind her smile. She was growing very fond of Aunt Mill.

“Thank you,” she told her, and stood up and kissed the fragile womans cheek.

     The night was coming soon. Shayna lay in bed overwhelmed with anticipation and anxiety, and a sickening feeling that Cain was never coming back. She couldn’t help but think about what Aunt Mill had said, and that just made the anxiety worse. She lay there and hoped, that Aiden would make sure that everything would be fine. She finally fell asleep, reeading Utopia, and it wasn’t long after that she was dreaming.

     Marcus Verona squeezed his daughter’s hand. They were standing on the bluff that Obsidion had brought Shayna to. The sky was blood red with the setting sun over Lake Michigan.

     “The time is coming, my daughter,” he said, “I wish I could have prepared you for this, before I left. I don’t know what I was thinking,” he turned to face her, “The truth is, I should have never left you. I should have stayed, or taken you with me.” his eyes were sad.

     “Dad, I’m not going to hold it against you,” Shayna said to him, “You did what you thought you had to do,” she gave him a tight hug. “I think I’m going to be fine.” She knew she would be. She was strong, and she was going to make the best of the new life that was awaiting her.

     “Shayna,” Marcus knew his daughters heart was breaking, “Look into your heart, and you will find Cain.” he gently nudged her towards the edge of the bluff. Shayna was afraid of heights, but began to step forward. It’s only a dream, her mind told her. There must be a reason her father brought her to this place.

     There was a growl behind them.

     Shayna spun around. Not again! Her father was gone, standing about ten feet or so away from her, was a dark hooded figure, with red, glowing eyes.

     Shayna screamed, and could feel herself actually scream in her sleep.

     “What do you want?” she demanded, trembling.

     The hooded figure stood staring at her, silent, and motionless.

     “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!” Shayna cried to herself.

     Finally the figure moved. It stalked toward her, and started moving it’s hand to it’s hood.

     Wake up! Shayna screamed in her head.

     She opened her eyes, as Melina burst through her door, Sarah running in immediately behind her. Shayna sat up in her bed covered in sweat, heart pounding, and gasping for breath. She had been more scared than she realized.

     Sarah rushed to Shayna’s side, hoping Melina, hadn’t seen, what she had seen.

“Are you okay?” she asked Shayna, smoothing back her hair, she glanced at Melina briefly.

 Shayna’s eyes were fixed on Melina’s frightened face. “I’m fine,” she said, trying to stablize her breathing. Melina was standing in the doorway, staring at her, like she had seen a ghost.

     “You sure?” Sarah asked.

     “Yes,” Shayna looked from her mother, to her sister, then back to Sarah again. “It was only a dream,” she told them, trying to reassure them, that she
was
fine.

     “Okay,” Sarah said, and stood up. “Goodnight,” she walked to the door, and put her hand on Melina’s arm. “C’mon.”

     Melina stood, staring at Shayna still, with the same frightened expression. Sarah pulled her out of the door way, and closed the door.

     “Mom, what was wrong with her eyes?” Shayna heard Melina ask their mother through the door.

     Shayna didn’t hear the answer. They must have stepped away from the door before Sarah answered. Shayna realized she was shaking, and layed back down in her bed. Too afraid, to fall back to sleep. She laid in the dark with her eyes closed, fighting sleep, until she felt the sun on on her face through the bit of her drapes that were open. She wondered the whole time about what had been wrong with her eyes.

Chapter 18

     The board in her closet seemed tougher than normal to pry up. Shayna was looking for any information she could find in the books she had, about the creature that had been in her dream, but she came up empty handed.

      She was all grimey from her sweaty sleep, and got in the shower. Melina came in to talk to Shayna, and the first thing she noticed was the board in the closet that was pried up. Then she saw the books on Shayna’s bed. Shayna was still in the shower. Melina walked to the bed and picked up one of the books.

     “Halfling Princess?” she read aloud, and found the first chapter, and started to read, “What the…?”

     She put the book back down on the bed, and picked up the one next to it. Opening it randomly.

“Oh my god,” she said, and with a trembling hand, she put that book back on the bed.

     The water in the bathroom turned off, and Melina backed out of Shayna’s room. This isn’t true. She thought, closing the door. It’s not possible. Melina ran down the stairs and grabbed her phone out of her bag, and texted Noah to meet her at Dutch Cup, before her shift.

     Shayna walked into her room, and her nostrils burned with the smell of Melina’s freshly applied perfume. She glanced at her closet, and then the bed.

     “Dammit,” she said quietly.

     She was mad at herself for not thinking to put her stuff away. She wondered what Melina had seen. She screwed up, but she knew it was only a matter of time anyway. She wasn’t going to stress over it. She wasn’t looking forward to another day without Cain. She only had one more day of being mortal left, of being the Shayna that everyone knew.

     With a towel wrapped around her, she turned and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She wondered if she would look different. She let the towel drop to the floor and continued to examine herself. She closed her eyes, and saw Cain’s face. She began to cry. She had been able to refrain herself from crying for a couple of days. It didn’t suit her. But the longer Cain was gone, the weaker she felt against the burning behind her eyes. She tried to imagine him holding her, but she could only feel the pain of her heart breaking. Reluctanlty she got dressed. She replaced the board in her closet, and put the shoebox, that had been inside, in the bottom of her laundry basket with a pile of dirty clothes on top of it, in case Melina was snooping later. Shayna knew her ignorance had been foolish.

     The thought of Melina and Noah’s little detective game made Shayna laugh as she walked across the yard, when she left the house. Melina had apparently gotten in the habit of leaving Shayna to walk to school. Shayna wouldn’t say anything though, as long as there was very little snow, she didn’t mind the fresh air.

     She walked towards the road and realized that it was her last day of school, before she turned. Due to the Winter formal, and Conferences, there was no school Friday. The anxiety became overpowering. She had to sit down on the curb until the feeling passed.

     Noah arrived at dutch cup, and could see Melina sitting at a table outside waiting for him. Before he could even sit down with her, she blurted out,

     “Shayna’s a vampire!”

She had a horrified look on her face, but Noah thought she was joking. He laughed.

     “I’m dead serious,” Melina said. The expression on her face changed, “Last night she woke up screaming, and when I opened her door,” Melina stopped, she looked to Noah, like she might cry, “Her eyes were red.”

     “What do you mean, red?” Noah asked confused.

     “The blue of her eyes, was  ringed in red,” she tried to explain. “I opened the door, and when the light shone in, I could see that her eyes were red in the darkness. It scared the crap out of me,” Melina’s expression began to relax a little. “This morning, I found books about vampires on her bed, and, I’m pretty sure that she hides them in the floor, in her closet.”

     “You are serious,” Noah said, coming to the realization. “She’s a vampire?”

     “According to this book, not quite yet,” she told him. “This book says, that my father was a vampire too.”

     “This is crazy,” Noah’s mind was racing, he sat back in his seat.

     “This
is
crazy!” Melina agreed. “Do you believe me?’ She asked Noah.

     He looked at her, “Well, you obviously believe yourself, it’s kind of hard, not to believe you. Does your mom know?”

     Melina shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t know,” she said. “But I think she knows something. I asked her about Shayna’s eyes, because I’m pretty sure she saw them too, but she told me it was probably an optical illusion, or the light,” Melina rolled her eyes. “I don’t buy that garbage. I know what I saw.”

     “Wow,” Noah was trying to take in, what he was hearing, “This is what I wouldn’t understand.”

     “What?”

     “Well,” Noah’s said, squinting his eye, so he could see Melina through the sun. “Yesterday, when I tried to talk to her, she said I wouldn’t understand. This is what she what she was talking about.” Noah was a very open minded individual, and was beginning to understand a lot, “Wow.” he said again, “This is kinda cool.”

     “Shut up Noah,” Melina said, poking at him. Melina did secretly agree with him, something she found herself doing a lot. “This is serious,” she couldn’t believe that they were really talking about her twin sister being a vampire. “Am I dreaming?” she asked him.

     “What about Aiden and Cain? Where do they fit into the picture?” Noah asked.
     “I don’t know, we will still have to figure that one out,” Melina answered.

     They sat outside the coffee shop together until Melina started her shift. Noah went home and got on his computer, he had some research to do. Melina had told him everything that she had read, which wasn’t much, and he was going to investigate as much as he could. He felt as though him and Melina, were starting right back at ‘square one’. But at least they had a lead to go on.

     Shayna sat in the window seat in her bedroom, staring out at the night. She would be lying to herself, if she tried to pretend that she wasn’t genuinally scared about what the day to come, would bring. She looked into the darkness, praying that he would return to her, and knowing that Aiden was wrong. She hoped that what Aunt Mill was anticipating to happen would all be good. She wondered where Aiden was. Did he disappear too? She thought. Deep down she wished,
he
had never came to Michigan. Cain wouldn’t be gone.

     “You’re wrong, Aiden,” she said out loud, “I know it.”
     The Winter Formal came to her mind. She wasn’t even sure if she knew how to dance. When Shayna and Melina had seen each other in gym class, Melina had insisted, that she would help get Shayna ready. Shayna reluctantly agreed. She needed the time with her twin sister, she didn’t know when she would have it again.

      Shayna closed the drapes and climbed into her bed, the purple satin comfoter was cool on her skin. She turned off the light, and rested her head on the pillow.