Chapter 17: Chapter ☾ XVII ☽

I found Channing in the school library at the end of first period. I knew I would find him there today since he’s working on applying for scholarships for college. He was sitting at one of the computers that were far away from everyone else in the senior class.

I had to quietly go over to him.

He didn’t even blink when I sat in the empty seat next to him. I put my book down on the table, the white piece of paper sticking out. It took him a second but he finally looked at me. His gaze is always cold so I expected nothing less.

“I have a theory.” I said quietly and opened up the book. “Henri drew this map when he was telling me a story about the original vampires. He said they’re from here.” I point to the X on the paper, but I pulled it out and my finger was right on the location on the map.

I had drawn a circle in the book last night. I was sure that this is where the vampires were visiting or staying.

Channing remained quiet as he looked at the map. He picked up the book to get a closer view, yet he still didn’t say anything.

Maybe he didn’t believe me.

He thinks I’m crazy.

“Okay.” He said and put the book down.

“Okay?” Was that it? That’s all he was going to say? “Is that it?” There had to be more.

“I’m going to check it out.” His attention turned to the computer again as he typed something.

I almost felt like he wasn’t taking me seriously.

“I want to come, too.” I said.

He stopped typing. His eyebrow raised at my comment, and he was slow to look at me again. His gaze was cold, like usual, but less so than normal. He was stunned.

“Why?” He asked.

“I figured it out-”

“You really want Ty to bite my head off.”

“Of course not.” I said back quickly. “I just want to see if there’s something there...” I was curious if I was right about something being there.

Channing was quiet again, but this time he was thinking about what to say. He looked off to the side for a second before he turned to me again. This time his demeanor was...less intimidating.

“Okay.”

That was...easy. “Seriously?”

“You’d continue to bother me if I said no.” He replied plainly and continued working on the computer.

I frowned at his comment, though I had to remind myself that he’s letting me join so I can’t be upset.

“But also because I will give credit where credit is due.” He added after a few seconds of my brooding. “We’ll see when we get there.” He logged off the computer and picked up his bag.

“Wait-” Were we leaving now?

“You said you wanted to come.” He said, already leaving.

I didn’t think he’d want to go now! I have a test today! What are the chances that I’ll be back in time? I really hope that we do come back because I want to see if there’s something at that location, but also not fail a class.

I tagged along behind Channing as we walked outside. It was easier to walk behind him. Deep down, I know he doesn’t like me, and I’m not going to argue with him on that. I always try to talk to him, say some encouraging words, but I’m not sure if I ever break through so I bet it’s easier to just stay quiet.

I was staring at the back of his shoulders, the black long sleeve shirt fitting him perfectly. I was reminded of his brothers saying something about him having his whole back tattooed. I’ve never seen it before. I know about the ones on his arms, but I didn’t know he had more. He had his dreads tied back which wasn’t unusual. I also remember hearing one of his brothers say that he’s planning on cutting them off soon for graduation.

It was a surprise to everyone that he was graduating. He’s smart, no one ever doubts that, it’s just that he missed a lot of days of school, not including the snow storm days.

But knowing him, nothing was going to stop him from reaching the end. All he’s wanted was to leave. Everything that happened was more than a minor convenience. It definitely shook up his life and his brothers’ lives.

I wanted to say I was happy for him, but I bit my tongue hard. Normally, I would go for it and say everything, but lately Channing had this kind of energy like he shouldn’t be messed with.

I knew that from the beginning, but this is different. This is much worse.

He’s angry about the situation.

Vampires keep testing his patience and he does have a bad temper. As much as he tries to stay level headed, even he has a limit too.

Right now isn’t the best time to make unnecessary comments.

We tried to decipher the map once we got in his car. We knew what general direction to go in so it shouldn’t be that bad. It seemed like we might have to hike a bit to reached the exact location.

It was a quiet drive.

I watched out the window at the passing trees and lakes. I had so many things to say to Channing but I knew better than to talk. There’s a lot going on and I know I shouldn’t ask anything I’m not supposed to. It was just so unbearably quiet in the car. I was constantly biting my tongue so I wouldn’t ask him any questions. I kept my gaze outside so I wouldn’t get an unnecessary amount of confidence to try and spark a conversation with him.

It was thirty-five minutes of us not talking, which for me was torture. For him it was probably fine.

He stopped his car on the side of the two-laned road. There were signs for deer but that’s about it. There were barely any other cars passing through. It looked more like a back road than anything.

There were plenty of trees around us on either sides of the road. Up the hill, the row of trees got thicker. Channing had already started into the forest. I had to tag along quickly so I wouldn’t get left behind. With the way he was walking through, it seemed like he absolutely knew where he was going.

He followed whatever trail there was, though I definitely couldn’t see it. Was it something he could smell? I continued to follow him because he was sure of where he was going.

Then all of a sudden, he stopped.

“Shit.” He hissed out as he looked around. “You were right.” He said to me. Well I don’t see anything. “I feel like I know this place.”

I stared at him, not sure how to respond. If he feels something...

His ancestors were here.

He cursed again as he continued walking. That didn’t make me feel good.

The trees were starting to fade away and there was an opening to a smaller area that was unkept. An old abandoned house was in the middle of the clearing. I hadn’t noticed passing a driveway before.

The grass was high and messy. There were vines in the cracks of the house. There were weeds growing through the front steps. The windows were broken through and so was the front door. It’s like the house was closed off but people still got inside.

“Probably less than a hundred years old...” Channing said quietly.

“That’s definitely not as old as the legends.”

“No. It’s not.” Channing agreed.

So I guess I was wrong. We just ended up at some abandoned house in some forest on the side of the road. I don’t know if I was relieved or slightly unnerved because I didn’t get the answer I was looking for. What was I expecting? Something more?

“It was a nice try though.” He said, but he didn’t sound that reassuring. His tone was incredibly flat. It made me think that I wasted his time.

I had to remind myself that Channing is always that rough. I can’t just think it’s a personal attack on me.

He was ready to leave and I turned to follow him, but he quickly stopped, grabbing me and pulling me behind him.

I didn’t see anything at first.

When Channing threw something, it hit a person that was just a few feet away from us. It happened so quickly. It’s like they appeared out of thin air. The only thing that stopped this woman was the piece of wood that pierced her shoulder.

She looked down at the wound like it was nothing. She had barely flinched when it hit her a second ago. That wasn’t a good sign at all. And she did not seem happy to have been injured.

Her eyes were a bright red, glaring right at us as she pulled the wood from her shoulder. I saw it heal and close, like she wasn’t even hurt.

Channing’s arm nudged me further behind him so I wouldn’t be in her line of sight. I didn’t realize how tightly I was grabbing on to him till I noticed how numb my fingers were. I was terrified because in a quick second, he was able to see a vampire coming where I would’ve been dead before I noticed.

We continued to move back, but the woman stalked closer just before lunging towards us, bearing her sharp teeth.

Just as Channing moved forward, I was yanked away from him in the blink of an eye. Next thing I know, I see that he’s being held down by that woman and another vampire. Our eyes met, and he realized how far away he was from me before I could. There was this immediate shock on his face, and it took me a second to realize why this was dangerous.

Why not being near Channing was suddenly a death wish...

Maybe it was because everything happened so fast.

I didn’t have time to react, or even try to make my way to him because in the next second there was this sharp, burning pain at my right shoulder. I choked back my cry, but as the pain continued I could feel my scream rising in my throat. I felt like I was being ripped apart.

When I tried to push away, my hands were grabbed with a crushing strength that kept me moving.

It’s like a sudden heat flash just drowned me. The sharp pain to my shoulder was only getting worse, almost making me beg to just rip my arm off.

It didn’t stop even when an object went flying into the vampire’s forehead. It was so close to my face that I was absolutely terrified of it hitting me. I was stunned by how precise the hit was, dead center in the forehead of the vampire that was biting in to me. He just stopped, his teeth prying from my skin, and he sputtered a bit of blood before falling back on the ground.

That was it.

I... Channing was able to save me even while trying to fight off two vampires.

My entire body was trembling as I turned to see the body that was on the ground. Their face was completely paralyzed but all I could stare at was the blood around their mouth.

My blood.

Now the adrenaline was dulling the pain. My hands balled up at my side as I continued to stare at the vampire’s lifeless body. I was more than just stunned.

I was traumatized.

There was a loud growling noise not too far off that snapped me out of my existential crisis. I turned back sharply to see Channing still fighting off the vampires on his own. I didn’t know how to help him. I couldn’t move. And in reality, there’s not much a human could do against them.

I should be glad those other vampires aren’t paying attention to me.

But Channing...I didn’t want him to get hurt. And it looked like he was about to be pinned down.

His body began to shift, his clothes tearing as his muscles got bigger. The growling continued, getting louder and more animal like, to the point that it rose hairs on my body because I thought a monster was coming out. In just another second, a large black wolf was in Channing’s place and he tore into one of the vampires that had a hold of him.

The woman was still left and she fought back while the black wolf was distracted by the other vampire.

I heard a cracking noise, like the pop of a bone. Not a second later was there a wounded cry from the wolf. She hurt him and she wasn’t going to stop.

My ears were still ringing and there was so much pain going through my entire body. It was unsettling and distracting and uncomfortable. I could barely even think. I had to help Channing. I had to do something.

I yanked the sharp piece of wood out of the wound of the vampire that was withering away beside me and went running towards that vampire that was hurting Channing.

There was so much noise, growling, snarling. All this movement. It was too much at once.

I think they both noticed I was coming because they were quick to shift again, the woman turning back to see me and the wolf growling just as she did it. Everything in my body told me to stop, to drop the piece of wood and to hope that she wouldn’t kill me. But the wolf had enough strength to give me a window to actually be useful.

So she had to decide who was an actual threat in this situation. By the way the wolf tried to bite into her, she was focusing her strength on keeping his jaw from closing on her limbs.

I had to do something. This was my few seconds of grace to be able to help.

I didn’t think about how bad I was shaking, or the pain in my shoulder, or how if I’m not strong enough I could get slashed to my death.

I just wanted to help.

I brought my arms back and plunged the piece of wood as hard as I could through the woman’s back, and she abruptly stopped moving, a bone chilling shrill coming from her lips. I drove the wood into her deeper and she choked on her last breath, her weight collapsing under her and her body hitting the ground.

I just...I can’t believe I did that.

I just killed a vampire.

I killed a vampire.

The wolf on the ground let out a wounded cry. I was finally able to come back to reality once I heard him. I got down beside him and saw how his front right leg was curled up. That vampire broke his bone. I heard it not too long ago.

I didn’t know what to do at this point.

I didn’t know how to help.

I can’t move him, he’s too big. I should call for help. I grabbed my phone out of my power, and was ready to call Ty, but I didn’t have any service out here.

So I’m out of luck with that.

The wolf let out another cry, his breathing becoming more ragged.

Before I knew it, his shape was starting to change. The animal was shrinking, morphing into a human body.

Channing was holding his arm, and he groaned from the significant pain. It’s his shoulder that’s dislocated. By the way he groaned, I could tell it was unpleasant.

“What should I do?” I panicked, wanting to help because hearing him groan from the pain was scaring me.

“Clothes...in the car.” His voice strained as he turned over in the grass.

Right, he’s completely naked.

I had to run to the car to get his clothes. I was hoping there was a first aid kit in the car, too, but I was probably wishing for too much.

I came running back with his change of clothes. He couldn’t put it on yet, well not the shirt at least. He was sitting on the ground, still holding on to his arm, and he was sweating profusely from the pain.

“I need you to pop my shoulder back in.” He said through his teeth.

“You want me to " I think he’s delirious from the pain. I can’t pop his shoulder back in. “Let me take you to the hospital-”

“Hospital bills are expensive, Gabriel.” He said more harshly through his teeth as he glared up at me. The pain was really getting to him. “Come here.” He grabbed my wrist and pulled me down on to my knees so I would be beside him. He placed my one hand on his shoulder, and he took my other hand so I would hold his arm.

I could feel the bone that was not in the right place. By the way he placed my hands, he’s had this happen before. Still, I can’t believe he thinks I’ll be able to do it properly.

We should go to a clinic.

Channing wasn’t going to let me take him.

“Just pull as hard as you can until you hear a pop.” He said as he balled up the T-shirt with his other hand.

That seems easier said than done. His arm was tensing up and I hadn’t even pulled on him yet. I could already predict the amount of resistance he’ll have because of the pain.

“Channing-”

“Do it!” He pressured me.

I guess I had no choice.

He put part of the balled up cloth in his mouth just as I tightened my hold on him. I had to dig my knee into the dirt to get a good grip. I hope he doesn’t hate me for this. When I pulled, he groaned harder, and I saw his jaw bite down on the fabric. I hadn’t heard the pop yet so I yanked with more force which he did not like.

His bone was still sticking out a bit. My fingers that were over his shoulder tried to push inward so I could get it back in -as if I knew what I was doing at all- but I don’t think I was using enough strength.

I wanted to apologize to him, but I think he was more concerned with fixing the dislocation.

I gave a more forceful tug the second he stopped fighting against the pain and I could literally feel the shift in his shoulder once the bone was popped back into place.

Again, he did not like that.

His scream was muffled by the cloth he stuffed in his mouth. I still held on to him so he wouldn’t jerk his arm around. It wasn’t easy to hold him in place because he’s much stronger than I thought, but he was doing his best to hold back.

At least his shoulder was back in.

He was sweating more than before, his skin glistening and his cheeks a faint red. His entire body was tense, his muscles thick from flexing due to the pain. He breathed deeply through his nose as I kept him from moving his arm. My fingers were digging into his skin just to keep him in place. What was surprising to me was being able to feel him trembling.

Was it the pain?

It took a minute but he began to calm down a bit, enough for me to slowly release my grip on him. There were red prints on his skin from how hard I was holding him. Around his shoulder was worse though. I could feel how hot it was before, but with the way his arm was glowing red, I knew the swelling would be terrible. Though now he was relieved because his arm was somewhat fixed. I mean I hope it is. It’s not like I know what I’m doing.

He took the balled up shirt out of his mouth and breathed deeply. “Shit!” He hissed, his other hand grabbing his shoulder.

“I’m sorry!” I panicked.

“No, it’s f-fine.” He breathed heavily. “It’s back in place.” he started to flex his arm a bit, moving his fingers and wrists.

And then he started to move his shoulder but not much. When he felt pain, he winced and pressed his other hand to his shoulder. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now.

All of this has been an absolute nightmare.

“...Gabriel.” Channing snapped me out of my trance. He was already getting dressed. I wasn’t paying attention at all so I didn’t see him stand up.

I didn’t know I was staring off.

“Seems like you lost a lot of blood.”

What?...

I looked at my shoulder too. My shirt was torn, but I got the slightest glimpse of the wound that wasn’t bleeding at the moment. There was this dull burning that I felt around the area but I think I already felt so much pain that my body started tuning it out. I could feel it, it’s there, but other than that there’s nothing else.

Channing turned to look at the house again. I don’t think he believed anything of it, but considering there were vampires here, he might come back. He lifted his arms to pull his shirt on. I was finally able to see some of the other tattoos that weren’t on his arms. He got one recently but I was told it was just the finishing touches on the one he’s been getting on his back. Right before his clothes covered it, I saw his full back tattoo that was inked on his skin. The image was detailed and colorful. That must’ve taken a while to get done.

I wanted to ask Channing if he liked animals, too. His back tattoo is of a lion and it’s really detailed. No one would sit through that multiple times for multiple hours just for something they don’t like. He had a few wolf tattoos on his arms. I can’t forget the ones in white ink. Those always grab my attention. Now that he wasn’t wearing a long sleeve shirt, I could see the ones exposed on his biceps.

He turned away again and walked by me, heading off in the direction we came from. For a second I just listened to the silence in the air. The house was creepy but it didn’t seem like anything other than a house. But the location is what made me right. Channing said he felt something before, like he knows this place. His ancestors were here. And by how there were vampires here too, I figured they were part of this.

Were those vampires the original ones?

Well they’re dead now.

I followed Channing.

I was beginning to get lightheaded. I’m probably reaching my limit on pain tolerance. I’ll feel better once I’m sitting down and not worrying about my life.

I shouldn’t have been surprised when we ended up back at school. I was the one complaining about needing to take my test in sixth period but I’m not sure I’ll be focused enough to take it.

“Here.” Channing said, handing me something. I took the cloth from him, opening it up to see it was a t-shirt with a grey graphic on it.

It’s his.

“You should also get your wound cleaned.” He added.

“Kind of hard to walk into the nurse’s office with a vampire bite.”

“So, you want to go to the hospital where your parents will find out and you have to pay for the visit?” Channing asked me, though not that friendly about it.

He was right though.

I can’t go to the hospital and think that my parents won’t find out about what happened. I can lie and say an animal bit me but then they’ll ask why I wasn’t in school or anything like that. I just don’t want to deal with that right now.

Guess I’ll go to the nurse’s office then.

“What about shoulder?” I asked Channing.

“What about it?-”

“Your arm is literally red.” I pointed to the flushed color of his skin where his short sleeve didn’t cover. I can also bet his shoulder is swelling. “Are you going to the nurse’s office, too?”

He stared at me, and I was expecting that normal cold glare he always gives but it wasn’t like that at all. His gaze was softer, the softest it’s ever been since we’ve talked. I’ve seen him look like that with other people, calm, nice, and pleasant, but his usual demeanor can be harsh. Right now it wasn’t like that.

I wanted to know what he was thinking.

Usually, it might be him taking responsibility for everything that’s happened.

Me getting hurt isn’t his responsibility. And he shouldn’t be surprised that I’m worried about him, too. Channing’s the alpha male of his pack. If he’s not strong then things will fall apart.

“I’ll get some ice.” He finally said.

“Honestly, you should really go to the hospital.” I added quickly since he did soften up. Maybe I can be persuasive. “What if your shoulder is still dislocated?”

He lifted his left arm more to show me that it was just fine. He might be in pain, but he could lift it and move his arm around. I guess his shoulder was okay.

“I’ve had my arm broken multiple times. I’d know if it was still dislocated.” He said, turning away so he could lead the way back inside the school building.

I never have to remind myself how hard core Channing is. I can just imagine him breaking his arm again and popping it back in like it’s no big deal. There’s something about that kind of strength that’s frightening. Incredibly frightening. I could never go up against him, and I don’t think anyone else should either, even his enemies.

So Ty wasn’t particularly happy about what happened.

I knew he’d be upset so I already had my apology prepared for him. As much as my idea might have helped, I got hurt and it was preventable.

I really hate getting the cold shoulder from him.

His mom was kind enough to take care of my wound again. It was incredibly unpleasant this time because I had the pearls from my ear piercing. Now as she cleaned the bite wound, there was this burning pain that came with every dab of the wet cloth.

It was terrible.

“Ty is usually never moody.” Mrs. Martin said, wanting to talk to me as a distraction from the burning pain. “So it’s surprising to see him have an attitude.” She laughed quietly.

She didn’t think it was a big deal but I still don’t like when Ty’s mad at me.

“But he really cares about you.” She added. “The bond he has with you is incredibly strong. When you’re hurt, he feels it. When you’re upset, he feels it.”

I kind of figured that was true, but maybe I haven’t been taking it seriously. Ty has been more frustrated lately, and I haven’t been as considerate as I should be. Seeing the vampire bite on my shoulder must have been hard for him. It’s not the first time I’ve been bitten but still it must be a lot to deal with.

Ty came in to the kitchen quietly and sat down next to me, but he didn’t say anything. That’s usually how his silent treatments go. He’ll stay near me but he won’t say anything.

“He’s not much of a brooder.” Mrs. Martin continued to talk about him even though he was sitting right here. “His older brothers, for sure, but Ty has this tendency to just walk away.” She said while she gently pressed the towel over my wound. I hissed from the pain and as much as I wanted to ask her for a second to breathe, I just wanted this to be over with.

I really have to stop getting involved with vampires.

“I guess it is my fault.” I said as I looked to Ty, starting my apology. “I shouldn’t have gone anywhere with Channing.”

“Channing would’ve been more reckless had he been by himself.” Mrs. Martin didn’t sound that hopeful about how the situation would’ve gone.

Ty was staring right back at me, and he had that nonchalant expression he always had, even the gaze in his eyes was normal.

He’s mad.

I mouthed my apology to him, and that’s when he looked away. In fact, he got up and left the kitchen without saying a word.

“I feel really bad about some of the stuff I do sometimes.” I admitted to Mrs. Martin. “I like to find stuff out but I usually get involved with things that I shouldn’t.” It’s a curse of mine.

“Gabriel.” She put her hand on my shoulder gently, and came around to look at me. “You found Ty when he was missing for two months. You took a bullet for Jackie, you found both the twins when they tried to help that nice girl, and you were there to protect Channing this morning.” She said. “Don’t feel bad for ever being a saving grace.”

She had this reassuring smile on her face, and that made me feel tremendously better. She’s so welcoming and kind.

“They think of you as one of them.” She said.

That’s true. I’ve been told that I run with the wolves.

There was this acceptance that I was finally feeling. I guess hearing Mrs. Martin say those words really made me feel like one of them.

I was thankful.

Ty came back in the kitchen just as quietly as before. The t-shirt I was wearing today was on the table. He took it and placed another shirt in its place. It was his shirt, a blue long sleeve that he knows I like when he wears it.

He wants me to wear his shirt, not Channing’s.

I can do that.

At least he’s not that mad at me anymore. I smiled weakly at him and his expression softened a bit more. He gave in, that’s what I really saw.

He took me home after Mrs. Martin finished dressing the wound. It didn’t hurt as much now. I barely felt the bite mark on my shoulder now. I sat in Ty’s car though he’s been parked in my driveway for the past couple minutes. I was tugging on the sleeve of his shirt and I didn’t try to hide it when I sniffed the collar. He didn’t say anything.

“So...” I started slowly. “I told Channing that I think there’s a few vampires that may be here for revenge.” I came clean about it. “We went to some other place that’s out of the way, and we got ambushed. Channing said he felt something while he was there.” I explained.

“Okay.” He said plainly.

“I killed my first vampire.” I blurted out.

He was not happy for me. In fact, I saw the horror come across his face. The fact that I was in danger probably makes his heart race.

“There’s this weird sense of power the comes with it.” I laughed, though that didn’t make it better.

Ty was terrified.

“I’m not going to say I can take care of myself.” I said. “But I will say that you have to trust your brothers. Channing wasn’t going to let me get hurt.”

“They-” he stopped himself abruptly before saying something. I wanted him to say it so I waited for him to collect his thoughts. “You’re right.” He finally said.

That’s not what he was going to say.

“I just... I can’t let someone else be responsible for you. It hurts.” He admitted sadly.

He was valid in saying that.

“Ty, I promise I’m going to be okay.” I assured him. “If something happens, I know there will be someone around to help me.”

I had my faith in him. I had my faith in his brothers, too. They’re a team. They work together. That’s how this works.

“Also, I killed a vampire today so I know what I’m doing.” I added, more so as a joke.

So it was nice when he laughed. I felt like I could forget about what happened today while I watched him smile. He might still be on edge, but I still believe that he and his brothers can handle it.