Chapter 12
-Xavier-
Wow, he thought. This girl was beautiful and spoke to him as if she truly wanted to. This made him smile because he really wanted to talk to her as well. Xavier felt happiness, true happiness, not that storybook crap that everyone was taught to believe in.
A song poured from somewhere on the second floor of the hotel, the lyrics cascading down to them.
“We’re one mistake from being together but let’s not ask why it’s not right you won’t be seventeen forever and we can get away with this tonight,” Tally was singing along and Xavier was amazed by how well the song narrated how he was feeling.
He had only one thing holding him back from asking to see her again, and that was the fact that she was human, and he was a monster.
As if the word were a queue, something inside of him broke free of its chain and his dark side took over his body. Xavier noticed the scent of Tally’s blood for the first time.
Chapter 13
-Tally-
I stopped singing to Metro Station’s Seventeen Forever as the music turned off along with the light in the hotel room that had supplied the song. “So why are you staying in the hotel?”I asked, wanting to make conversation, “Are you traveling?”
He didn’t answer. His black hair covered his eyes but I could still see that he was staring into nothing. His lips curled into a smile that possessed something I couldn’t make sense of.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my heart speeding up automatically.
Xavier finally looked at me, his eyes blazing red.
“Tally, darling, I told you I was fine, did I not?” He smiled wider, pearl white fangs coming into my view, glinting in the moonlight.
I stepped out of the water and backed away, the whole time holding his icy gaze.
He walked back onto the cement, following my steps, coming toward me but keeping the same distance all the while. He showed his teeth, wanting to intimidate me. But it didn’t work, he was trying too hard and it let me see into his insecurities. I just wanted to hug him. But instead I played along, which wasn’t too hard because half of me was actually scared.
“You’re a vampire!” I trembled and fell backwards the ground, my palms smacking the concrete hard. But I kept my unconfident gaze on Xavier.
“No honey, I’m the Easter bunny.” He laughed, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
I didn’t find it very funny, but he obviously did because he laughed again. Then something changed- again- and his eyes went back to just a bright amber. His terrifying confidence disappeared and innocence took its place.
“Tally...,”Xavier whispered as if he were surprised I hadn’t run. “I’m sorry, I, I didn’t mean to hurt you...” He shook his head, giving up on apologizing and squinted his eyes like he was trying to keep something hidden, something painful.
So fast I almost massed it, Xavier leapt over the fence and took off into the city without another glance behind him.
I was sad to see him go.
Chapter 14
-Sam-
“Who was that?” Tony asked as Sam pulled him into the empty subway station. They were both out of breath from running there. Sam didn’t know why but she had to get away from the carnival, away from Xavier, the boy she had met so long ago on a city bus in Rome. It was obvious he was a vampire, even back then. His eyes gave away so much. “How do you know him?” Tony was having a hard time keeping his voice even.
