Chapter 11

The next day I spent most of my time by the river. Looking at my phone that was nearly dead, I

see it is nearly 2pm and head into the city to meet my little brother. I sit on the swings at the park.

Staring over the pack school. It was smaller than the boarding school I attended. Tall gates wrapped

around the entire brick building, it had small buildings branching off it and a huge brick archway

that led to the front gate. Flowers running along the footpath out the front and a small pedestrian

crossing leading to the park I was sitting in which was next to the school car park.

My eyes light up when I see my brother walking toward the exit. His blue backpack tossed over

one shoulder. I watch as he looks in both directions before crossing the road. He waves as he steps

onto the footpath on this side of the road.

“Hey sis” He calls to me and I hop up. He rushes over and wraps his arm around my waist, I

inhale his scent. I loved how he smelt of the forest. I let him go sitting back on the swing and he sat

on the other before opening his bag and digging through it. He pulls out a plastic bag, handing it to

me.

“I got you jeans and skivvy, there is also a jumper in there and a throw over blanket and some

underwear” He says scrunching his face up at having to touch my knickers. I look at him laughing at

his face. He was a good brother.

“I know you're staying at the river, your voice sounded close last night, but if I put a sleeping

bag in there mum would have noticed” He murmurs. I nod my head when he pulls out his lunchbox.

He unwraps his sandwich and hands it to me. “Thanks” I tell him, taking it from him and biting

into it. It has peanut butter on it.

“Mum is still pissed off?” I ask him and he sighs before nodding.

“I think you really pushed her too far this time, Luce. Mum had banned me from seeing you,

says she doesn't want me becoming corrupt like you" his words stung, but I know it wasn't his

intention.

“Maybe go stay with Tyson and Ace till things calm down” He says.

“No, the river won't be so bad, she will forgive me eventually. That's what mothers do” I say

though my mother wasn't like normal mothers

“Besides Ace has Melana there all the time, I can't stand her” I tell him biting into the sandwich.

“What are you going to do about blood, you can have some of mine but I know it won't taste

too good" I shake my head.

“It's fine, 1 will just catch something” I told him though that didn't sound all that appealing. He

nods before digging through his bag again. "Here" He says, handing me some money. I shake my

head trying to pass it back to him.

“No, keep it. I will be fine. I don't want your pocket money Rayan, I just wanted to see you" I

told him.

“Just take it Luce, not like I will spend it anyway” He says dropping it in the bag when I refuse to

take it from him.

“If I can get away from Jacob I will try to sneak out and bring you a blood bag and a few things”

He tells me.

“Just don't get in trouble okay, I don't want you in trouble because of me” I tell him. He nods

and cars start pulling into the carpark, parents waiting for their children. Rayan gets up and so do I.

“You better go before Jacob gets here, he will tell mum he saw you” He says hugging me and

giving me a tight squeeze. I squeeze him back before grabbing the plastic bag off the ground.

“I love you" I tell him.

“I love you more” He says walking back toward the school. I watch him cross the road and wait

at the gate before I turn, rushing off through the street and heading back toward the river behind

the packhouse. By the time I got back the sun was blocked by the trees as it slowly went down. I

find a log and jam the bag in it before going in search of firewood again.

“You didn’t come over,” Ace's voice says, flitting through my head.

“Was busy” I lie.

“Come over now then, I want to see you" He tells me when suddenly Tyson joins the mindlink. I

could feel it stretching before his voice appeared in my head along with Ace's.

“Come have dinner with us” Tyson tells me.

“No, I am good and I don’t want to cause more drama. I will come see you soon though” I tell

them, cutting off the mindlink before they could say anything else. I continue gathering firewood,

before setting the wood inside the rocks I placed on the dirt. I get the fire going with a lighter I

found inside the bag. I smile knowing Rayan stole it from Dad.

When I am sure it isn't going to burn out I strip my clothes off, putting the new ones on in the

bag. I walk over to the river washing the clothes I had on before hanging them over a low branch to

dry.

Once I am done, I go in search of blood, I was already ravenous and knew going too long

would become not only uncomfortable but dangerous for anyone that happened to stumble into

the woods. These woods were mainly free of humans, not many came this far out but on the off

chance they did I had to be prepared for that. Picking up their scent would end badly if I go without

too long.

I try to remain close to my little camp, the last thing I needed was to burn the entire forest

down, yeah mum may actually kill me for that. Maybe even my father.

I pick up the aromatic scent of a deer. Following the scent, I found it was only a baby and

couldn't bring myself to actually kill it as I watched it strip a patch of grass. I looked around before

deciding to leave knowing its mother may be around. Maybe killing something was going to be

harder than I thought as I slid over a fallen tree. My fire I could make out just through the trees,

when movement caught my eye. Rabbits. Two of them next to the trunk of an old tree, I slowly crept

up on them, their little ears twitching, listening for any movement when I pounce, grabbing one by

its ears, the other darting off into a nearby log. I could hear its heart pounding, its little legs kicking

wildly as its fearful eyes peered back at me.

I grabbed the back of its neck holding it while it continued to kick. I felt bile rise in my throat at

the thought of killing it. Damn I was a shit vampire. Getting emotional over killing a rabbit. I tried to

will myself to kill it, giving myself a mental pep talk as I closed my eyes.

“Come on Lucy, it's just rabbit, just a cute fluffy terrified little rabbit’ The mental pep talk did

fuck all, if anything made me feel worse. I opened one eye peering at it, its little heart thumping in

its chest frantically as I looked at it. I let out a breath before grabbing its kicking back legs and

grabbing the back of its head. I feel my fangs slip from my gums, my saliva pooling in my mouth

and I try to give over to my senses, let them take control but tears slip down my face as I sink my

fangs into the furry little creature.

It squeals, the sound breaking my heart as I drain the life from it, its kicking slowing before

stopping all together and I lay the rabbit back on the ground, its blood running down my chin and I

look to the log the other ran into, only to see it peering out. Its heart thumping loudly inside the

log. I look away from it, did it know what I just did? I find myself wondering. There was not enough

blood in its tiny body, yet I couldn't bring myself to kill the other one. Instead wiping my tears and

heading back to the campfire. I could have cooked it, but the idea of skinning it grossed me out and

would ruin my clothes, surely mum would open the minlink soon instead of keeping me blocked out

and let me come home.0O0O0000000000000