Legacy Diaries

Rafael's Diary Entry No. 4

Classroom

Rafael's Diary Entry

"I sent him to find his family," Hope replied as though she helped Landon.

"You sent Landon to find the parents that abandoned him," I rephrased in a way that she would understand what she did. "He had a family, he had me."

"You're his foster brother, not his blood," she stated, and my heart sank, for I wondered if those were Landon's words. "Blood is family, and family is always and forever."

I took a moment to keep my emotions in check to not show her how much her words affected me. Landon didn't say anything about looking for his biological family in the letter that he left me. Nothing. I stood up to pace so that I could distract myself.

"First, you mysteriously find me in another state and take Landon and me away from Hector and Maria's custody 'for everyone's safety'," I listed with my fingers as she got to her feet. "Second, you track us when we leave this place. Third, you separate us from each other instead of keeping us together because 'this is a safe place for people like me' and 'Landon isn't safe here'.

"That's three strikes, Hope. Three! And that's not mentioning the other red flags and the ridiculously generous scholarship that I've been offered to study and stay here when there's only two weeks left before spring break. Why am I really here? Why is Landon really wherever you sent him? Where is he exactly?"

"You're being paranoid, Rafael," was Hope's dismissive response.

"Am I?" I questioned, halting my pacing to give her my full attention. "How did you find me? How did you find us?"

"Doctor Saltzman received a tip," she answered.

"From who?" I followed up.

"One of his scouts," she said, like Salvatore Boarding School was big on sports.

"Who? And scouts for what?" I pressed.

"I-I don't know them," she replied reluctantly. "But they're scouts for students like you. Like Alyssa Chang. Like Kaleb. Just a few months ago, Doctor Saltzman got a tip about a newly turned teenage vampire, that vampire is Kaleb. Years ago, it was Alyssa. She accidentally burned down her house and killed her parents, and Doctor Saltzman brought her here. This is a safe place for people like us."

"A school that has dangerous supernatural knifes that attract dragons and giant spiders is safe for students?" I asked, raising a brow. "How can it be safe when it doesn't even teach students how to protect themselves? And don't get me started on the lack of phones and computers. How the hell are students supposed to keep in touch with their families and friends? Or do independent research? Or call for help when they're trapped in a giant spiderweb with a dead student?!

"Are you safe, Hope? Running around with Doctor Saltzman like you're his sidekick? Don't you have a family that would be concerned if it found out that you're practically the Headmaster's pet?"

"I am not…!" she began to deny.

"Come on, Hope," I cut her off. "It's pretty clear you're Doctor Saltzman's favorite student, and don't forget that Josie and Lizzie's mother handpicked you to give me 'princely lessons' for her daughter's birthday party. You're the most trusted student on campus. Actually, now that I think about it, why am I even talking to you about this? You trust Doctor Saltzman more than anyone on campus, and with how you 'hate' liars, he's probably never lied to you, right?"

Yeah, right. With six foster homes in seven years, I had to change schools on the regular, and I knew better. Some of my coaches were the most manipulative people I've met, some more than some of my foster parents, and they got some of their best players hooked on steroids, and most of them were their favorite players and they were loyal to them. Wait. Loyalty.