Darkness (Alisa Rose #2)

-Fifteen-

Alisa POV

The canteen buzzed with the usual lunch crowd, a mix of chatter, laughter, and the occasional clatter of trays. But our table was silent. Too silent. Bryce had just dropped a bombshell, and none of us knew quite what to say.

I stared at Bryce, who was sitting across from me, his usual goofy smile replaced by a more serious expression. It wasn't like him to be this grim—usually, he was cracking jokes or making a quip about something. But today? Not so much.

"Are you sure?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. "Emmett's planning an attack here? On the Feast of San Vicente?"

Bryce nodded, pushing his food around his tray. "That's what he said. He's using the night party as cover. With all the students here and the chaos of the festival, it'll be the perfect distraction."

Jordan leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. "And you're just now telling us this? When did you find out?"

"Yesterday," Bryce admitted, looking sheepish. "But, y'know, with everything happening... I didn't really have a chance to bring it up."

I crossed my arms, shooting him a look. "Bryce, if there's one thing you make time for, it's warning us about potential vampire ambushes at school parties."

"Hey, I'm still new at this bloodsucking fest!" Bryce protested, lifting his hands in mock surrender. "Cut me some slack."

"Slack?" I raised an eyebrow, smirking. "You're lucky I'm not staking you right now for withholding information. Rookie move, Bryce."

Bryce gave me a playful grin, clearly trying to lighten the mood. "Oh come on, you wouldn't stake your best friend, would you? I'm too charming to dust."

I rolled my eyes. "You're lucky charm isn't a reason to not dust someone."

Jace, sitting next to me, cleared his throat. "So, back to the part where Emmett's planning an attack on the night of the Feast. We've got a week to prepare, and it sounds like we'll need every minute of it."

David, who had been mostly quiet until now, fidgeted in his seat. "Should we tell the faculty? Warn them about the attack?"

"Yeah, that'll go over well," I said, deadpan. "Oh hey, by the way, vampires are gonna crash the school party. Maybe tell everyone to wear garlic as accessories?"

Bryce chuckled under his breath. "Vampire chic. The new trend."

Jordan, however, wasn't amused. "We need to do something, though. We need to watch over the students and the teachers. We can't just let Emmett's plan unfold and hope for the best."

"We won't," Jace said, his voice steady. "We'll be ready. If Emmett thinks he can ambush us, we'll turn the tables on him. But we can't tip our hand too soon."

I shot him a look. "Got any brilliant ideas, then, Mr. Strategy?"

Jace leaned back in his seat, folding his arms. "We let him think everything's going according to plan. He wants to attack during the Feast? Fine. We lure him here, just like he wants. But we'll be ready for him."

I glanced at Bryce, who was listening intently, but still had that furrowed look on his face. "You alright?" I asked.

"Yeah," he muttered, scratching his head. "It's just... what if Emmett's not working alone? What if he's got more vampires, Tikbalanugo or otherwise, backing him up? Like what Kade did."

Jace nodded. "It's possible. Emmett's been building up his own little group for a while now."
There was an awkward pause at the mention of Kade's name, but I brushed it off quickly. 

I tapped my fingers on the table, thinking. "So, we lure Emmett in, but we have to be ready for a bigger fight than just his fledglings. We'll need backup."

"Chimon?" David suggested, glancing around. "And...us?"

"Yeah, we need you in this, David. We're going to need all the help we can get if this goes sideways." I said.

Bryce glanced at me, a shadow of doubt crossing his face. "You think we can watch and protect everyone?"

I met his gaze, my voice firm. "We don't have a choice."

Jace leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "We stick together, watch each other's backs, and we'll make sure Emmett regrets ever setting foot in this school. But until then, we stay sharp. No one goes off alone. No more slip-ups."

Jordan gave a low whistle. "Guess it's time to up our training, huh?"

"Way past time," I said, cracking my knuckles. "This is war, guys. And we're not losing."

The bell rang, cutting through the tension at the table like a knife. Students began filing out of the canteen, but our group lingered for a moment longer, the weight of what was coming hanging over us like a dark cloud.

Bryce stood up, shouldering his bag. "Alright. Guess we've got some planning to do."

I nodded, standing up too, and gave him a small smile. "And training. Lots of training."

Jace stood next to me, his hand resting lightly on my back as we headed toward the door. "This isn't gonna be easy, Alisa."

"Yeah, well," I smirked, feeling that familiar fire ignite inside me. "Since when has anything in my life been easy?"