Pride X Familiar ReVamp (Pride X ReVamp Book 1) (44 page)

Caprice nodded. “I know.”

I smiled up at her. “You have my blessing.”

She nodded again. “Thank you…Haruka.”

“I’ll help in any way I can.”

“You’ll support me instead of the other girl?”

I rocked my head from side to side. “I guess I will. I’ll help you win his heart.”

I thought about the way Caelum looked at Caprice when she wasn’t looking, or when he thought she wouldn’t notice. “Caprice, I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t think it was true. But I believe Caelum has strong feelings for you.”

“Oh….”

“But I think he’s having trouble accepting those feelings.”

She was quiet for a short while. “Thank you. That gives me hope.”

“Hope?”

She nodded. “Hope, that I will be the one to win his heart.”

She sat down the edge of the bed, but neither of us said anything for a while.

Then I remembered something she’d said. “By the way, Duncan isn’t my boyfriend.”

“Oh…why not?”

“Huh?”

“Why isn’t he—?”

I waved a hand quickly. “We’re taking things slow. One step at a time.”

“Do you like him?”

I looked into her emerald eyes.

This girl is a beauty. Why can’t Caelum see what a treasure he has beside him?

I took a quick breath. “Yes, I like him. And maybe I’m falling for him.”

She gave me that faint smile that she often bestowed on Caelum. But there was a different meaning behind it.

She was saying that she understood how I felt, because she loved a boy too.

I took another breath. “Yeah, I think I am falling in love with him.”

She reached out and squeezed my left hand. I squeezed her left hand back.

A knock on the door grabbed our attention.

Caprice stood up quickly off the bed, however she chose to remain beside it.

I watched two girls walk into the room.

Siobhan and Alistair carried flowers in their hands.

I sat up a little straighter. “Siobhan? Alistair?”

They looked at each other, and then they looked at Caprice.

Siobhan cleared her throat first. “I…I mean we…have something to say.” She looked at me. “To Haruka.”

Caprice nodded. “I’ll wait outside.”

Siobhan stepped into Caprice’s path. “And to you.”

Caprice tensed but Alistair spoke quickly. “No, it’s not like that. Please, just hear us out.”

Caprice eyed them warily and took a step back toward my bedside.

Siobhan said, “Haruka, I’m sorry. We’re both sorry. We…we have certain preconceptions and misconceptions about Familiars. They made me see Familiars as failures. As less than us Aventis. But I also saw them as freaks. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m really sorry.” She turned to Caprice. “And I’m sorry for treating you like you didn’t exist. You’re a part of our class. I won’t treat you that way again.”

Caprice was confused. I saw the subtle frown on her face. Then she nodded and said, “Thank you.”

Alistair spoke up. “My brother is the Student Council President. My name is Alistair Kell Avenir. I try to keep that a secret from the rest of the school. I used to be compared to him a lot, but now most people don’t remember that we’re related.”

I had an inkling of where she was going with this.

Alistair paused then continued. “My brother told me that it was Familiars who fought against Crimson Crescent and they fought to protect us and our school.” Her lower lip trembled. “He said you, and Caelum Desanto, and Maya Khayman, and Rina Sayen all fought against Crimson Crescent…and you did it to keep us safe and to protect our school.”

Caprice gave her a very faint nod, but remained silent.

Alistair covered her eyes. “I was so scared. I was really so scared when the shooting started and the buildings shook.”

I watched Alistair tremble for a little while. The girl calmed down when she started breathing slow and deep.

She lowered her hands and gave Caprice a steady look. “I’m sorry for treating you like you didn’t matter. I’m really sorry. I’m sorry for thinking you were no better than us. I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

I glanced at Caprice.

She was standing deadly still.

Then I saw her nod very faintly once more, and give them that faint smile of hers.

“I accept your apologies. And I’m sorry for not being able to do more to protect you, and your school.”

Siobhan took Alistair’s hand and pulled her closer to Caprice and I.

She said, “These are…just a little something. To be honest, I don’t know how to express our gratitude.”

“You’ve said enough,” Caprice replied, her voice even and yet not quite emotionless.

I swallowed and spoke up. “In that case, why don’t we try being friends.”

Alistair and Siobhan looked worried, then they looked at Caprice.

Siobhan said, “Would you…like to be friends?”

Caprice didn’t reply right away. She studied the two girls for a while, before nodding gently. “Yes, I think I’d like that.”

Alistair sighed in relief then she started to laugh. She reached out and took a hold of Caprice’s hands. “Yeah, I think I’d like that too.”

I turned away and looked out the window.

I was feeling in a good mood, and I wanted to cement these feelings in a good way.

I said, “Hey guys, I get released this afternoon. How about we do something fun?”

Alistair frowned. “Won’t your parents come by to take you home?”

I shrugged casually. “Yeah, but that’s just to sign the discharge papers.”

Alistair didn’t look convinced but gave me a nod. “Okay, if you say so.”

Siobhan planted a hand on her hip. “So, what do you have in mind?”

I sat back against my pillows. “I want to do karaoke.”

Alistair and Siobhan gave me concerned looks.

Caprice appeared intrigued.

Siobhan muttered uneasily, “But Haruka, you can’t sing.”

I gave Siobhan a dirty look and threw her one of my pillows.

Epilogue
.

(Caelum)

Sunday.

Island Three, Habitat Three.

Inside the entrance to the mag-lev station in District Seven.

I arrived thirty minutes beforehand.

New clothes, updated look. I had to thank that girl at the shop for attending to my urgent needs once again.

I looked about, wondering if I’d spot Prissila’s bodyguards keeping an eye on me.

I refrained from rubbing the Fragment bracelet under the sleeve of my right forearm.

The truth was, I wanted to be the one to protect her.

The mag-lev station clock displayed ten a.m.

I checked my palm-slate.

Yep, definitely ten a.m.

I took a series of deep breaths, hoping to calm down but now that the hour was upon me I felt even more nervous than that time I went to meet the Countess.

I wondered what Prissila would be wearing.

Something worthy of her fine figure and magnificent bosom.

My fingers touched my lips, and I thought of how soft Prissila’s lips were.

That kiss was something I replayed a number of times in my mind.

It kept me up at night.

I was still touching my lips when a beautiful girl stopped before me.

I forgot all about that kiss.

You could say I was completely blown away…by cold surprise.

I cleared my throat when I remembered how to use my voice again.

“Wh—what are you doing here?”

The Countess smiled and curtsied. “Surprise!”

“Huh?” Panic made my eyes dart about. I feared Prissila would show up and see the two of us standing here.

“Ara ara, looking for someone?”

“Yes—I mean no. Not at all.”

“Really, then why are you here?”

I ran a hand through my hair. My body trembled in dread. “Ah, well. I just thought, beautiful day, nothing to do—”

“She’s not coming.”

I felt my heart jump into my throat then land back in my chest. “What?”

“Prissila isn’t coming.”

I leaned forward in disbelief. “What? Why not? But I said yes to her!”

“Ara ara, did you now?”

“Ack!” I’d put my foot in my mouth. “It’s not what you think.”

“Of course it is. She asked you out on a date, and you agreed.”

“Eh…well…I—I really had no choice. I couldn’t say no!” I was starting to sound like a man desperately pleading his case before being condemned.

The Countess smiled. “It’s alright. I understand. But unfortunately she can’t make it.”

“Ah, why not?”

The Countess smiled. “She’s been grounded…for a month.”

I gasped. “A month. A whole month.”

“Ara ara, aren’t you disappointed.”

“Gah—” I swallowed and straightened guiltily. “Why is she grounded?”

“Something about her mother discovering her reading habits. Apparently her mother was
not
amused.”

I remembered Simone making fun of Prissila for reading those steamy, raunchy novels. “Oh, I see. It’s those books she was reading—wait! You told her mother.”

The Countess laughed haughtily. “She only has herself to blame.”

“But that’s so cruel.” I fixed a puzzled frown on her. “How did you find out about today? Prissila wouldn’t have told you.”

“I had an inside source.”

“Meaning what?”

“She paid the nurses at the hospital to keep an eye on you.”

“She did what?”

“I paid the nurses to keep an eye on
her
and
you
.”

“You did what?”

The Countess planted her hands on her shapely hips. “As I said, she only has herself to blame. The silly twit pulled that stunt straight out of a book she read. She told me about that story at the end of last year. Naturally, when I was lying in the hospital bed, I began to suspect she was up to something. And I was right!”

Simone smiled wickedly then flashed a victory sign.

“Her loss, my win!”

“You’re a devil.”

“In the flesh,” she replied.

“That was so unfair to the Princess.”

“Hey, all’s fair in love and war. I’m not about to lose to her. I plan to win. I’m in this for the win.”

I suddenly realized what she meant by winning.

I gulped loudly.

Simone sidled up to me and looped her left arm through my right.

I felt her impressively firm, yet undeniably soft left breast push into my arm. “Gah—Countess, you’re too close.”

But seriously, there is
nothing
in the universe that compares to this sensation. Absolutely nothing.

Simone giggled slyly. “Caelum, act like a man. Besides, you were fully prepared to do this with Prissila.”

I froze and paled a little. She was right. I had been steeling myself for such an event. I’d actually been looking forward to it.

My heart jumped and I hurriedly looked away.

Simone’s low cut halter top was revealing much more than just a hint of her charms.

Don’t look. Don’t look. But I want to look! Let me look! Damn it—let me look!

My neck was beginning to ache from the struggle between two sets of opposing muscles.

She made it worse by pressing into my arm even more. “Right, shall we then?”

I swallowed nervously, worrying I was starting to sweat. “Shall we what?”

“Hee hee hee,” she laughed. “We never finished our first date. I plan on seeing this one to the end. I have it all planned out.”

I couldn’t stop her from pulling me out of the station.

Nor could I stop her from dragging me into the largest shopping arcade in the habitat.

I gave up fighting her and my teenage desires. Who the Hell was I kidding? Was I going to be stupid and say ‘No’ to her?

Although I didn’t agree with the saying, ‘love the one you’re with’, I did feel that if I wasn’t careful Simone would indeed sway my heart.

My heart was starting to feel like a compass caught in a magnetic storm. There was a girl on three out of the four points.

Simone Alucard, Prissila Ventiss, and….

My feelings grew confused as I thought about that third girl.

Simone flashed me a beautiful smile and my heart stumbled.

But I thought of another smile – a smile I’d come to see more often these last few days.

A smile I was paying more attention to.

A faint smile.

A smile my heart no longer allowed me to ignore.

# Fin – Book One #