For a Thousand Years

2

I stood up slowly. "You're a vamp hunter?"

"Yes." She shook her head and her eyes changed back. "I don't want to be one though. I can't even sense vampires like I'm supposed to."

I frowned. "Your eyes turned purple like they're supposed to."

She smiled slightly. "I know."

"You're immortal like us. How old were you when you stopped aging?"

She thought about it for a minute. "Sixteen. But I look like a college student so my parents signed me up here."

"First time coming to college?"

She nodded. "I've only been alive for twenty years." Then she frowned. "How long have you been around?"

"A thousand."

She blinked. "A thousand years?"

"Yes."

"Wow. You've been alive for as long as my brother."

I froze. "Is he here?"

She nodded. "My parents wanted us to come."

"Is he like you?"

She shook her head. "His hunter instinct is excellent." There was love and respect in her voice that I understood."

I nodded. "What's his name?"

"Blake Hunt."

I blanched. I've met him and escaped which is something no vampire has done. He's the best hunter ever. He probably already knows I'm here. I'm screwed. I shook my head. There is no way I'm letting him screw this up for me. "Um, the best hunter ever is your brother?"

She winced. "Yes."

I sighed. "I've met him."

Her eyes widened. "And lived to tell the tale?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, his traps weren't that difficult."

The door opened and in came Blake. He had brown eyes and black hair with red stripes. His eyes landed on me. "Well, if it isn't the escapee."

My muscles tensed ready to fight if I needed to. You don't get to live to be a thousand without learning some good fighting technics. "Your traps were weak."

"Al, could you leave the room?"

She hesitated. "Y-yes, brother.." She left.

"He turned to me. "Do you honestly think you escaped because my trap was weak?"

I cocked my head to the side. His traps really had been weak. I broke them as easily as the other traps the hunters set. "They were."

"You escaped because I wanted you to."

I frowned. "You wanted me to escape?"

He stalked towards me but I didn't back down. "Exactly," he said.

"Why?"

He sighed. "Your family relies on you like mine relies on me. When you escaped I told my parents I killed you."

I blinked. "You lied to your hunter family for a vampire?"

"Yes."

I looked him up and down. "But you're a hunter."

"I know."

"Why would you protect the thing you hunt?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. It was something I felt I needed to do."

"So you aren't going to stake me?"

He snorted. "My sister had no friends. I heard your conversation and I'm glad she'll finally have one. Even if that friend is a vampire. So no, I won't be staking you."

I frowned. "You care about her." I know she cares about him too but...I didn't think the hunter I had met had any feelings. I guess I was wrong.

"Yeah, I do."

"You really haven't been hunting me for the last thousand years?"

"First of all, it's five hundred. Second of all, no I haven't."

I relaxed. "Okay. So what happens if your family shows up?"

H smiled. "We'll tell them you're Alice's pet."

I glared. "Yeah, no."

"Do you have a better idea?"

I can't believe I was even talking to him. "I do, actually. You'll tell them that Alice captured me and decided to keep me as a sign that no vamp is safe."

He sighed. "That won't work. Our parents know she can't hunt." He stayed silent for a few minutes. "We'll have you be my pet vamp. They won't take you from me. They would take you from Alice if you were her pet."

"An yet, that had been your first idea," I said dryly. Why did he suggest it if he knew it wouldn't have worked? Maybe he secretly wants me to be killed.

He shrugged. "I hadn't thought it through. Deal?"

Uh-huh. "Fine. But you get to tell Alice."Not that I think she'll mind. She just wants a friend and I will be that friend.

He nodded. "Fine by me." He left.

Great. Now I have to pretend to be his 'pet' when the Hunt family pays a visit. I left the room and went to the dining room. I sat beside Alice. "Did Blake tell you the plan?"

She nodded. "Blake was right when he said I couldn't hunt."

I smiled. "I'm kind of glad about that."

She laughed. "I still would have been friends with you."

"Maybe." I scowled as Blake sat at our table. "Is there a reason you're here?"

"There are other hunters at this school," Blake murmured. "The plan will have to be activated immediately."

I glared. "You could have told me that before."

"I didn't know then," he said through his teeth.

"Uh-oh," Alice said. "Kale and Helen are coming over."

"Crap," Blaze said.

The two sat beside him. "You have a pet vampire, Blake?" Helen asked.

My jaw clenched. "Yes, I do," Blake said calmly.

"We call her Catherine," Alice added.

Kale smiled at her kindly. "Why not just call it the normal names?"

"My choice, Kale," Blake said firmly.

Helen nodded. "True. You did catch it. But where did you catch it?"

Blake waved a hand dismissively. "On my way to school."

"But why not kill it?"

Being referred to as 'it' was getting on my nerves. I gave Blake a look. Blake sighed. "I wanted a pet."

The bell rang and we all stood. "Helen, Kale, I'd appreciate it if you call Blake's pet by the name we've given her," Alice said as we left.

Helen shrugged. "Referring to her as 'it' is just a habit."

Say nothing, say nothing, I mentally chanted. "A habit that should be broken when you are talking about Catherine," Alice retorted.

Kale snatched a fork up and slammed it down on my hand. It went through but I made no noise. Blake snatched the fork out of my hand and took a threatening step toward Kale. "Don't you ever do that again or I'll do to you what I do to vampires," Blake snapped.

Kale took a step back. "I got it."

Blake, Alice, and I left.