Chapter 31

When we got home, I had a thought. What if Michael and his parents are the wanderers who kidnapped those pups?

I hope sleep will do me some good tonight. We told Billy and Donnie what happened earlier and they said everything would be fine. That maybe Michael had the ability to hide his thoughts. Anyway the rest of our family would be here tomorrow, except for Mitch and Aubrey. Now I need to sleep.

The scent hit me hard. I looked for Ben but he was nowhere to be found. I tried to run but my legs would not allow me to turn around and flee. They were taking me closer to the most delicious aroma. I recognized it. I had caught it on campus a few times. I was powerless. There was no stopping me and any who tried would have been hurt.

The monster inside me was getting stronger; I could feel it trying to break free. I don’t know that anyone could have helped me, but I wished someone would have tried.

I found the source of my torment. It was a boy about my age. He looked just as delicious as he smelled. I can’t be thinking like this. I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t even know him. How could he have such an overpowering allure?

Thank God. Scott is here. “Scott, I need your help!” I screamed.

He must not have heard me, that’s weird. “Scott!” Why can’t he hear me? Why isn’t anyone stopping me? Where is Ben, surely he’s foreseen this? Why isn’t he here? Please don’t let me do this.

“Somebody! Anybody! Please help me!” Jason! What’s he doing here? Who cares? “Jason, if you can hear me, please I need help!”

“What’s wrong?” Thank God he heard me. But why can’t anyone else?

“Get me out of here, now. Please help.”I hated that I had to ask him, but apparently he’s the only one who can hear me.

“I’m coming, try to resist!”

Jason got me out of there and took me home. I hated that he was the one to save me, but at least the human boy was safe for now. I went to my room and listened to the Plain White T’s.

When Scott got home, I asked him why he could not hear me earlier. He said he never saw me. I thought that was strange. I could have sworn that was him.

I decided to go for a run to clear my head. I took my MP3 player with me.

While running, I ran into that scent again. It caught me so off guard. People weren’t usually in this part of the woods. It was my sanctuary. But with my defenses down, I attacked the boy.

The monster won. At that moment I was no longer me. My human side was dead. My world started spiraling out of control. I had murdered an innocent boy. There was no going back. I’d become my mother. My worst fear had just happened. My mother won. Even from the grave she was destined to ruin me. She had finally won, I was her.

His blood filled every fiber of my being. I felt invincible. I wanted more but I had drained him. I went in search of more people. And I knew exactly where I would go.

When I got back to Boston, I headed straight for the university. No one could stop me now. The boy’s blood gave me a strength I’d never known before. When I arrived on campus, Zach was there. I was surprised. Okay, so I guess I still had one weakness, my fondness of Zach.

“What are you doing here Zach?” I demanded.

“I’m here to save you, from yourself.”

“I wish you had found me sooner. Now it’s too late. Maybe in another life. I wish I could turn back time. But it’s too late. I can’t go back. “

“It’s not too late. I can help you, if you let me. Please come with me. There’s still time. It’s never too late.”

“Every path now leads me nowhere. I can’t stop. You’ll have to kill me. It’s the only way! The demons got to me. Can’t you see? You can’t save me from myself. The demons are twisting my brain and my heart from the inside. I can’t deny them anymore. I won’t.”

“It’s not too late, Jeremiah can help you. Your father and Donnie, they’ll help too. I promise, we’ll get through this. Just take my hand, please!” Zach was pleading with me, if there was a chance I could be saved, Jeremiah would know.

I woke up terrified. I did not smell any blood. There weren’t any blood stained or dirt covered clothes on the floor or in the laundry basket. Everything appeared to be how it should. Thank God it was just a dream. I have to find Ben. The nightmares are getting worse and more vivid. I can’t tell them from reality anymore. This is not good.

The Adams’s were the first to arrive. I had never met them before. But they were my cousins. Hunter and Bryce are brothers. They don’t live together anymore, with each starting their own family. But they stay close to help each other out when needed. They don’t discriminate either; blood is blood. But they have promised to only hunt outside the state.

Next Harley and Ruby arrived. They were what we considered wild or wanderer vampires. They never took the time to stay in one place too long. Wandering nomads is what they were.

Later that night the Frost’s got here. I was so glad to see Zach and Eva. I had missed them so much.

No one else was scheduled to show up until tomorrow. Donnie and Billy told everyone about the strange encounter we had yesterday. No one knew who Michael was or which clan he belonged to.

I told Zach about the dream I had. I needed his advice. I was afraid the dream was a glimpse of my future. I did not like it. I had to keep it from happening.

Zach told me not to worry, that he wouldn’t let me do it. He was going to finish this semester at Stanford and transfer to Harvard. He said he found an old book when he visited Mitch in Venice last month and that it told of a prophecy. He immediately thought of me when he had finished reading it. He thought our family and Shawn might be a part of it. I had no idea what he was talking about. Then again I never studied the prophecies and he did, a lot.

“Which prophecy?” I asked him.

“I can’t tell you that. If I did, well you might do something stupid. Our family needs this if we‘re to survive. And you know how you get sometimes, you know… when you freak out. Don’t freak. Just let it happen.” Zach said in a matter of fact way. “Ah, I can see you don’t feel right about this. It’s all going to be okay. Ben, Scott, and I won’t let anything happen, that isn’t right. We are here for each other. No one is going to die. I won’t let it happen. You have nothing to worry about, so stop.”

“I can’t help it. What if I can’t control myself? What if everything goes wrong? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

“Just put it out of your mind for now, okay. No one else will be thinking about it either. You’re not your mother, and you never could be. You’re not a monster.”

“I’ll try. I can’t promise anything, but I will try.”

“Good. Are you up for going to the mall?”

“Sure, I need to do some shopping anyway.”

“Well, let’s go.”