Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 3~

~Raelyn~
 
The moonlight spilled into the guest room, casting pale silver across the tangle of blankets and the soft rise and fall of Blake's chest as he slept beside me. For a moment, I let myself believe everything was okay—that the house was quiet because life was, for once, still.

Then I felt it. A soft, hesitant tap on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes, and there she was.

Mom.

Her face looked pale, almost ghost-like in the soft light, but her eyes... her eyes were full of something far worse than fear—resignation.

"Raelyn," she whispered, so softly I almost pretended I didn't hear it. "Sweetheart... I need you to come to your room. We need to talk."

And just like that, my stomach dropped into my ankles.

I nodded, careful not to wake Blake. He looked peaceful—completely unaware that his whole world was about to be flipped inside out.

As we walked down the hall, my mind spun with possibilities. *Maybe I forgot to unload the dishwasher.* Maybe the toilet flooded again. *Maybe she finally figured out who drank the last of her Moscato and filled it back up with water.*

But no. This was different. Heavy. Final.

We slipped into my room and she closed the door behind us, the soft click of the latch sounding like a gunshot in the silence. She turned to me slowly, bracing herself like I was about to punch her.

Honestly, I might have if I'd known what she was about to say.

"Raelyn," she began, her voice already shaking. "This isn't easy for me to say, but... you and Blake are being sent away. To California."

I blinked at her, slow. My brain short-circuited for a second like it was buffering.

"What?"

She swallowed hard. "West Creek University. It's in Los Angeles. The elders think it's best. They— They believe you'll be safer there."

There it was. The death sentence.

"Are you kidding me right now?" My voice cracked like dry ice. "You're just gonna ship me off? Like I'm a dangerous animal or something?"

Mom flinched. "The situation here—it's gotten worse, Raelyn. And with what you are—"

"Oh my god." I backed away from her like she'd slapped me. "Don't. Don't say it like that. Don't look at me like I'm some walking curse."

"I'm trying to protect you," she said, stepping toward me.

"You're sending me away," I screamed, voice breaking on the edges. "You're giving up! That's not protecting me, that's running."

Her hand reached out. I slapped it away. "Don't touch me."

"Raelyn, it's not just about you. If the wrong people find out you're half-vampire—"

"Then what? I spontaneously combust?" I laughed—cold and hysterical. "Maybe that'd be better than this little exile plan of yours!"

Her face fell. "You don't mean that."

"I don't even know what I mean anymore!"

The door slammed open like a scene out of a soap opera, and there she was—my sister, the chaos incarnate.

"What the hell is all this yelling about?" Isa snapped, crossing her arms.

"Go back to your room, Isa," I growled, wiping tears from my face. "This doesn't concern you."