Illusion

Chapter Five

(Continued) Brooke's POV

2 hours later

We were almost to the city now. Kit had blindfolded me and put a strip of duct tape over my mouth. I could tell we were nearly there because I could smell the blood of all the people that worked on, oblivious. The car slowed to a stop a few minutes later, and I heard Kit get out and come over to my side. He pulled me out of the car and cuffed me to the door. He pulled off my blindfold.

“Stay here. Stay quiet. Watch for me.”

And then he just walked away.

He came back a few minutes later, two young teens following. They looked drunk. Kit came over to me and yanked the duct tape off harshly.

“Who are they?” I asked, fearing the answer.

“I don’t know.” He said flippantly. “But I don’t really care.”

He turned to the teens. “Come here, guys. I want you to meet my friend.” They walked closer, and I could tell they weren’t drunk. Something was going on in their minds. Maybe they were high. “This is Brooke. Brooke, one of them is all yours. Take your pick.” He gave me a cold smile, gesturing to the kids in front of me.

The boy was a ginger, his hair scruffy and cute. The girl had on way too much makeup, making her seem insecure in my mind. I couldn’t kill either of these people.

“No.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“No?” Kit repeated.

“No.” I said firmly. I wouldn’t do it. I saw a flicker of movement behind Kit but I kept silent. There was a flash of color, a bright red I hadn’t seen in almost a year.

“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Kit asked incredulously.

“I mean I’m not like you. I’m not going to kill kids!” I told him. The red spot was peeking from around a pillar, and I couldn’t tell what it was clearly. Just as swiftly as it had appeared the tuft of what I thought might be hair disappeared back behind the pillar.

My eyes flashed back to Kit and I expertly hid my surprise behind my glare.

“You are a vampire now. This is normal! No vampire I’ve ever met-besides Kyle, and he doesn’t count-hasn’t killed before. Even your precious Josh is one of ‘us’.”

“There is no ‘us’. I’m not one of you!”

“Yes you are! Arguing about it is pointless!” Kit yelled. “Look at you! You’re in denial about what you are.” He gestured wildly at me, but I didn’t flinch. I was concentrating too hard on not looking around his shoulder. “It’s not like you can go back from this point, so I don’t see why you’re so hell-bent on starving yourself!”

“Just because you’re a vampire doesn’t mean you have to kill the people whose blood you steal.” I spat at him. “Kyle is better than you. Josh is better than you. You are not what I want to be like. You’re like that kid every mom warns their teenage daughter about, the punky moron who thinks he knows everything, thinks the world revolves around him, and if it’s not your way it’s the wrong way!” I was nearly shouting. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my calm. I didn’t have to wait much longer. The ginger stepped silently around the pillar, and I had to hide my happiness to see him. It was Kyle.

In one gloved hand he held a knife and in the other hand what looked like small clump of purple flowers. He hefted the knife in his hand and raised his arm, but before he had the chance to throw the knife Kit spun around. He stumbled backwards in shock.

“Kyle?”

“Kit.” Kyle stated. In a flash, the knife was gone from his hand. It whizzed through the air and struck Kit in the shoulder. I tried to use the distraction to run to Kyle, but I was still cuffed to the door. I yanked on the metal links, straining until they popped open. Kit hissed, reaching up and touching the blade.

“This is coated in-“

“Verbena,” I said, remembering what Josh had told me about the vampire’s poison. I slowly inched towards Kyle in steps Kit wouldn’t notice.

Kit stumbled before righting himself and pulling the knife out. He dropped it like it had burned his hand, which it probably had. Kit turned to the kids, who we had nearly forgotten up to this point. He grabbed the boy in a tight headlock.

“One move from either of you and he dies,” Kit snarled, “I don’t care about him, but I know the two of you and your anti-death antics do.”

Kyle and I froze. Kit backed up. His shoulder was bleeding heavily where the knife had hit.

“What are you doing?” Kyle asked him.

“I’m leaving, and I’m taking him with me. After all, who doesn’t take a snack along for the road?” Kit stated. Kyle and I stiffened, both of us looking at each other quickly. Then, in the next second, Kyle jumped at Kit as I pulled the girl from Kit’s reach. She was hard to move, and was as unresponsive as a zombie. Kyle yanked the boy from Kit and pushed the child towards me. I shielded the two of them behind my back and Kit shoved Kyle away from him. Kit was weak, the verbena in his system slowing him down as it coursed through him.

I gave the kids a shove in the other direction and they walked away the way they had come. Where did Kit find them? What had he done to them?

Kyle had Kit pinned. “Here, use this.” I said, throwing Kit’s own restraining tools at Kyle. Kit was looking up at Kyle with hate in his eyes.

“You can’t beat me, Kyle. I’ve gotten a few new tricks since the last time.” Kit warned with a devilish smirk.

And in the next second, Kit was gone.