Diary of a Newborn Vampire (BOOK #1)

The Runaways

 Ava

Hesitantly, I walked through the front door of the house. The sky stood black, well into the night. As soon as I left the hospital, I hopped back into Angelina's jeep and made my way back. I knew there would be hell waiting for me here, and I had my bets on who would talk first.

I slowly made my way into the living room where Angelina and Victor sat on the couch, Bernard and Jacqueline casually leaned against the back of it, and Jane sat in another chair. They all sat there as if waiting for me to grace them with my presence.

"So nice of you to show up," Angelina said. "I hope you brought my baby back in good shape because I might just snap your neck if there's even a scratch."

I sighed. "Your car is safe in the garage. I filled it up on the way back, too."

Bernard stood up straight, crossing his arms. "On the way back from where, we might ask?"

"Newberry, North Carolina," I admitted. "My home. There was something I had to take care of."

"Well." Jacqueline stood up, brushing the lint from her navy dress. "I sure hope you succeeded in your mission because you had us all worried. You are our responsibility. We tried explaining the danger out there. We need to keep you here. Safe."

I stared down at the hardwood floors, avoiding all of their dagger-like gazes. "I'm sorry I scared you all, but it makes you feel any better I discovered a few things. I saw my friend and my sister—"

Jane suddenly popped up from her seat, her cheeks flaming with chagrin. "You honestly think we care? You could have put all of us in danger by going out on your little adventure! I could not care less about your safety, but it wasn't just you who were putting in danger by going back! Not just you putting yourself at risk with the Hunters! Do you know where William is now? He is searching for you! He's out there, and who knows when his Mela will wear off."

"He hasn't taken his for this week?" I asked, my chest growing heavy. I imagined him standing in broad sunlight and all of a sudden fading into a puff of ashes.

Bernard shook his head. "He claims he's been busy helping you hunt and all. This morning, the moment he came downstairs and discovered you were gone, he jumped into his car and has been driving around looking for you just hoping you weren't naïve enough to go all the way back to your hometown."

My breath caught in my throat. Not only did he bother to be pleasant to me in the past days. Or concerned about me and my safety. He went all the way as to risk his own ass in order to save mine.

I wasn't used to having so many people look out for me. And I didn't know how to possibly feel about it.

I ran from the room without another word. Quickly, I snatched Angelina's keys back off the wall and drove off in her jeep, not even bothering to pay attention to the words yelled behind me.

Where is he?

I drove without a destination. Without a singular thought. But something guided me. Something deep inside my soul, like an unknown force I couldn't quite explain. It pulled me far and wall as if gravity.

In an hour, I found myself at a little café connected to a dim bookstore that sat on the corner of a deserted street. The open sign lit up, and a couple of cars were parked out front.

I parked beside a black Camaro and dizzily walked into the cafe. A little bell rang above my head as I opened the door. One head in the back popped upthe room popped up, his emotions reflecting my own.

"I've been looking for you," William said as I sat down across from him. "All day, actually. I woke up and realized you were gone."

"So, I heard." I twisted the salt shaker around and around. "I'm sorry I ran away like that. I'm sorry I had you all worried. I just...I had to go back home. I had to make sure everything was okay. And dear God...it's not. Nothing's okay. But then I come back here and I hear that you were out looking for me...I really am sorry."

He sighed. "I know it's hard especially in the midst of all the chaos going on, but you can't go back, Ava."

I glanced around the café. The staff cleaned, not bothering to pay attention to us.. "William," I started in a low voice. "The hunters, the ones my sister works for, they're capturing vampires around town. Not killing them. Val thinks they're doing some sort of experiments. There's a doctor at the hospital—he's been helping them."

A dark shadow crossed William's features. "How do you know this?"

"I overheard my sister talking to the doctor about it. Well, he's her boyfriend, too, I guess. She's worried." About me, I almost said. But I felt that didn't really need to be said. I had enough people on my back about enough drama as is.

William pressed his lips together. "Your sister probably needs to be worrying about herself first. A Hunter helping a vampire...It's treason. For a hunter to disobey the orders, it's against their law. And it's given a severe punishment. Death."

I swallowed. "You think they'll kill her if they find out that she helped me escape. What if they already know?"

"Then she's probably somehow safe," William stated. "That or they're waiting on something."

"Like what?"

His eyes glazed over as he stared at me, the kind of stare that always made my stomach sink and my spine tingle.

"I'm not sure. But you see now why you have to stay here. If the Hunters get a hold of you...it's not going to be good. I don't care what's back home, Ava. You can't run away like that again."

"Exactly." William nodded. "Which is why you have to stay as far away as possible. You can't put your life at risk. No more running off. You have to stay with us where you're still a Newborn."

I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling utterly helpless. "Then what am I supposed to do? Wait? Just see if my sister eventually gets killed. What if there's something I can do? What if I can help her?"

"Right now, you help yourself, Ava." He pulled out a napkin and pen. "Here," he said, writing down something barely legible. "This is my promise. After you're through the Newborn phase, we'll talk about this again. For now, you let the rest of us take care of this. You stay."