Shelter (11 page)

“Beginner’s luck,” I shrugged. “I told you I liked that ball.”

Max shrugged back at me. “So you did,” he agreed.

Kai called me three more times during the game, and when it was over Max asked if we wanted to play another game. Jamie did, but I was so irritated with Kai that I told him I just wanted to go home. I was frustrated and embarrassed, and I felt like a preteen whose mother called her every five minutes.

“I’m just going to call my brother and have him pick me up,” I said. “You and Jamie can stay.”

“I should go,” Jamie said.

“Let me drive you both home,” Max offered.

Jamie nodded, and since Jamie was going, I decided I would, too. Jamie automatically got into the back seat, so I sat up front with Max. His cousin’s car was really nice. It had leather seats and the engine roared like a racecar.

“Where to?” Max asked.

“I’m just a half mile from here,” Jamie said.

“I live all the way across town,” I replied.

“Okay, Jamie, I’ll drop you off first,” Max answered.

Jamie gave him directions to her house, and we dropped her off. She lived in a small house surrounded by a chain link fence. She had almost no front yard, and the houses on either side were so close it almost looked like they were all one big house. I had to lean forward to let Jamie out of the back seat, because the car had only two doors.

“Thanks,” Jamie said shyly, looking down at the ground.

“You’re welcome,” Max said back. “Thanks for coming.”

“Bye, Jamie,” I said.

Jamie nodded and soon disappeared inside her tiny house.

“Okay, now which way do I go for you?” Max asked.

“Turn around,” I said. “We have to go back the other way.”

On the way to my house, I noticed that Max was even better looking than I thought, as if that were possible. His layered dark hair fell to his shoulders and turned out slightly, and I noticed his hands were large and strong. When he smiled at me, his whole face lit up. And when he frowned, he was dark and brooding.

We didn’t talk much on the way to my house, but when we got there, he jumped out of the car and ran around to open my door. I thought it was strange that he hadn’t done that for Jamie. He was always so polite to her.

I hadn’t been expecting him to do that, so I’d already opened the door by the time he got around to my side of the car. He held the door back while I got out, and then he slammed it shut behind me.

“I had fun,” Max told me.

“So did I,” I agreed.

“Can we do it again next weekend?” he asked.

“I’ll have to think about it,” I answered.

I wasn’t sure I could handle another repeat of that day, and I didn’t think Kai would be able to handle the separation any better by then.

“Can I call you?” he asked.

“Sure,” I answered, and I gave him my cell phone number.

“I’ll call you later,” he said. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek, startling me. “Bye!”

I sat there for a moment – dumbfounded. Why did he open my door, but not Jamie’s? And why did he kiss me like that? It was just a kiss on the cheek, but it was still a kiss, and he hadn’t given Jamie one.

“What was that?” I heard Kai growl behind me.

“Huh?” I asked, confused. “What was what?”

I turned to face Kai, and his face was red with anger.

“He kissed you.”

“I…” I stammered. “I didn’t know he was going to do it.”

I blushed beet red, and Kai looked even more upset.

“Why did he kiss you?”

“How should I know?” I snapped.

“Guys don’t just kiss girls out of the blue,” he hissed, insinuating I had somehow encouraged it.

“Well maybe this one does!” I shouted.

I was really angry. I hadn’t done anything wrong, and I was not about to sit there and be yelled at. I stormed into the house, flew up the stairs, and slammed the door to my bedroom, locking it behind me. I flung my purse onto my desk, nearly knocking my computer into the floor. I sat down on my bed in a huff.

There was a knock at my door.

“Go away!” I shouted.

“Alice,” Kai said meekly.

“I said go away, Kai!” I screamed.

“Please, Alice,” Kai implored.

“Argh!” I snarled.

I went over to my desk and flipped on my radio. I quickly surfed through the stations until I found one with an angry-sounding heavy metal song. I cranked the volume up as loud as it would go, and then I flung myself onto my bed and buried my head underneath my pillows.

I could vaguely hear Kai knocking on my door, but I ignored it. Soon, he was pounding furiously, but still I ignored him. For a moment, the pounding stopped. Suddenly I heard a massive crash and the sound of splintering wood. I sat up with a start, and Kai was standing in my doorway panting and looking furious. His eyes flashed fire, and his hair was wild. He panted like a wild animal, and his fists were balled so tightly his knuckles were like pure ivory.

“Alice!” he screamed at me.

“What are you doing?” I shouted back. “Get out of my room!”

Kai didn’t say a word. In an instant, he was on top of me. He grabbed my wrists and pinned me to the bed. I struggled to break free, but it was impossible. He pressed his lips against mine so hard it almost hurt, and I could feel his ragged breath on my face. I fought against him, but the weight of his body kept me from moving.

“Stop!” I screamed, still struggling to get away.

He covered my mouth with his, kissing me with a passion I never knew could exist. I tried once more to cry out for him to stop, but the sound was muffled by his kiss. I was becoming weaker by the second. How could this be happening? I could fight a human off in a heartbeat! How was this possible?

He broke away from the kiss, staring into my eyes. In his eyes was a fierceness I’d never seen before. His breath was still wild and ragged, and I could feel his heart beating against my body. His lips curled back into a snarl, and that’s when I saw it… fangs! Behind his wet, crimson lips were the fangs of a vampire – fangs just like my own.

“Kai…” I whispered weakly.

He blinked at me, and a rush of confusion and contrition instantly consumed his face. His eyes suddenly changed back into the gentle eyes I’d remembered, and his brow furrowed.

“I… I…” he stuttered. “I’m sorry.”

He jumped off me and fled. I heard him stomping down the stairs, and shortly I heard the front door slam.

I was awash with confusion. How could this be? Kai’s mother had been having an affair with my father, and his father had been with my mother. They were humans – weren’t they? My mother never said anything otherwise.

Wait. Did Kai know
I
was a vampire? What if he never realized? He must be so upset right now!

I jumped up off my bed and ran outside to find him. I couldn’t see him anywhere in the front yard, so I headed around back to the garden. After searching for several minutes, I finally found him sitting on a bench beneath a rose arbor.

“Kai?” I said gently, placing my hand on his shoulder.

He flinched away from me.

“Leave me alone.”

“Kai, talk to me,” I pleaded.

I walked around and sat beside him, trying to take his hand. He jerked his hand away, and looked in the other direction. I reached out again and grabbed his hand firmly, refusing to let go.

“Kai, look at me!” I demanded.

Slowly, he turned to face me. He had tears in his eyes, and his face was contorted with sorrow and fear.

“You’re going to leave me,” he stated. It wasn’t a question.

“No!” I gasped.

“How could you love me?” he asked. “I’m a monster!”

“What?” I whispered. “No! You’re not a monster!”

“Yes, I am!” he shouted, jerking his hand away and standing up. He towered over me. “All my life my mother told me what a monster I am! As soon as she found out what I was, she hated me! Everyone does!”

I glared at him – stunned. What did he mean when he said,
“as soon as she found out”
? How could his own mother not know he was a vampire?

“Kai, I don’t understand,” I said, standing with him.

“Don’t you get it?” he yelled. “I’m a monster! A vampire! That’s why my mother hates me! That’s why everyone hates me!”

“
I
don’t hate you!” I shouted at him, trying to put my arms around him.

“You do!” he screamed, and he turned to run away.

I quickly grabbed his arm.

“Kai!” I shouted quickly. “I’m a vampire, too!”

He paused. For a fleeting moment, nothing moved. Kai was as still as a statue, and even the breeze had stopped. It was eerily quiet.

“What did you say?” he asked in disbelief.

“I said I’m a vampire, too,” I answered softly.

Kai slowly turned to face me, and his eyes searched mine as if trying to discover the truth. I looked deep into his stormy eyes, letting him know that I meant what I said.

“You…” he whispered, “you are a… vampire?”

I nodded.

Kai’s arm raised, his hand coming close to my face. He paused briefly, and then he let the back of his fingers gently brush against my cheek.

“I should have known,” he said softly.

“I didn’t know you were, either,” I admitted. “Your parents, though. They…”

He interrupted me to remind me of something. “I’m adopted, remember?”

Suddenly, it all made sense. His mother had found out what he was, and she’d rejected him. As soon as she discovered he was a vampire, he was no longer her son. It wasn’t about his father, after all. It was about what he was.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, and I felt his strong arms around my shoulders. His head rested on top of mine, and I felt his breathing in my hair. I finally understood. Kai’s terror – his clinginess, his nightmares, and his deep fear of abandonment – it all stemmed from the rejection of his mother.

Now, it all made sense.

And now I knew why I hadn’t felt hungry around him. He wasn’t human.

Kai and I had been getting along wonderfully for several weeks. He was upbeat and funny, and we actually enjoyed each other’s company. It was so wonderful to see him smiling and laughing so much. The old Kai – sad, lonely Kai – had disappeared. Now, he was joyous.

It was almost Christmas, and I decided I needed to go shopping. Not all vampires celebrate human holidays, but my family had always found them – especially Christmas – endearing. I wanted to get Kai something special, so my brother dropped me off at the mall.

I had been there for hours trying to find just the right gift. Kai hadn’t called at all. He’d become considerably less clingy since the big revelation that he was a vampire, and it was a relief to be able to get out of the house without him calling every five minutes.

I headed to the music store to look through the classical section – hoping to find something Kai didn’t have. I couldn’t find anything, and I was getting really frustrated. The crowds were really getting to me, and I was thinking about going home and doing my shopping online.

I decided to check out the art supply store on the ground floor, and I headed over to the elevator. When the doors opened, I noticed Max inside. I hadn’t seen him in a few days, because school was out for Christmas break. He smiled wide.

“Alice!” he gasped excitedly.

“Max!” I smiled warmly.

I got into the elevator and the doors closed. I noticed the light for the ground floor was already active.

“Going down?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Me, too,” he grinned. “I was just up on the third floor picking up movie tickets for my parents.”

The elevator doors closed, and the cabin lurched. Suddenly, there was a sharp, metallic grinding sound followed by a loud shriek. The elevator shuddered violently, and then it came to a standstill.

“What the…” Max mumbled.

He poked at the buttons, but nothing happened. He tried to pull the doors apart, but they would not budge.

“Push the alarm button,” I suggested.

He pushed it, but nothing happened.

“Oh, for crying out loud,” he grumbled.

“What should we do?” I asked.

“I guess I’ll try the phone,” he said, motioning to the emergency call box.

He opened it and took the phone out. After fiddling with it for a while, he shrugged.

“It’s not working,” he sighed.

“Great,” I muttered.

“They’ll figure out that something’s wrong when no one else can use it,” he said.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I said.

We stood there in silence for a long while, waiting for someone to show up. No one did. It was eerily quiet inside the elevator. I was wishing it were a glass elevator like the one in the main lobby of the mall. Sadly, this was a smaller elevator near the end of the mall, and there was no way for anyone to see us inside.