TUNES

FIFTEEN: RISING ISSUES.

The next day at school, we were all surprised to see Raymond back.

It had been a week since his suspension, and I’ve got to say, he did change physically. You could tell by the deep lines on his face and his poorly shaved eyebrows.

As he walked to the clinic holding a box of files, people stared and muttered to themselves, but he didn’t seem to care a bit about the disturbance. He just walked quietly to the clinic.

When he reached it, he pulled out a bunch of keys from his pocket, going through them until he found the key to the door. He inserted it into the keyhole and turned it. The door unlocked, then he opened it gently but quickly and stepped inside.

He needed to get away from the stares and the whispers.

Eska, staring wide-eyed at the closed door, gave a brief sneer. 
“Gosh! He’s back.”

I took my eyes off the scene, shaking my head and wondering out loud, 
“I wonder how Clary will feel when she returns to school and crosses paths with Raymond.”

“Why is he back anyway?” Pink frowned as she took her books from her locker and headed to class.

Eska and I stared at each other. We couldn’t blame her; he was the reason Clary wasn’t at school.

During recess, we were seated at our usual spot in the cafeteria, eating quietly.

I sat opposite Pink, while Eska was beside me. Things had been quiet ever since Clary left, and Pink was still trying to adjust.

After what seemed like forever, Summer ran up to our table, slamming her fist on the surface and breathing heavily, catching our attention.

“Girl, what’s up?” Pink asked, surprised by her outburst.

“You look like you’ve been chased by a ghost,” Eska chuckled.

“Well, you’re not gonna believe it. A dead body was found at Caveroop Park earlier today,” Summer said, pulling out her phone and showing us a picture.

We all gasped when we saw it.

“Oh my!”

Pink snatched the phone from her to examine it, zooming in and out several times. 
“It looks like she was eaten.”

“Eaten?” I gasped, abandoning my fries and ketchup to take the phone from Pink. “What kind of animal would do that? Please don’t tell me there’s a dangerous beast on the loose.”

“Could it be the alpha?” Summer sighed, sitting In between Eska and me.

“I doubt it. It didn’t call out last night, and it was a full moon, which is weird,” Pink pointed out.

“That’s no animal,” Eska chimed in, zooming in on the picture. “Look at the bite marks. There’s only one creature on this earth that has marks like those.”

We all looked at her, waiting for her response.

“And that would be?” Pink asked impatiently.

“A vampire. And not just any vampire—a blue blood.”

We all stared at her, and then I smirked.

“A vampire? Come on, guys, the article said otherwise.”

“And the bite marks say otherwise, too,” Eska snapped.

“But what’s a blue-blood vamp doing in Caveroop?” Summer whispered. I could hear the fear in her voice.

“I don’t know, but let’s hope my theory isn’t right. Otherwise, our nights aren’t safe anymore,” Eska pointed out.

Gosh, this can’t be happening.