Bloodstream (#2 Blood Series)

Chapter 3

Haley's POV

I'm still shaking like a leaf as I run the quiet streets of my hometown. I wasn't prepared for how it would feel like to see him again after missing him and dreaming of him for so long. This is torture, nothing I've been through even comes close to how much it hurt having to turn and run away from him. I never truly understood what it meant to have your heart broken to pieces but I do now. That's what it felt like to hear his voice calling me to him and not be able to go to him. He's everything I want and I can't have him, not anymore.

My heart pumps more blood to my legs and I speed up. I can hear Nathan call my name somewhere far off. He's chasing me down the streets and he's getting too close. I can't have that even if turning around and running to him is what I yearn to do. I need to move faster, get further away. I stretch my legs even more and nearly fly. It's amazing how much more you can do when it's a matter of life and death.

I'm so lost in my thoughts that I almost run straight to someone. I look up to find Callum, my best friend Andrea's on-off boyfriend. He catches my wrist in his hand and stops me. "Haley", he breathes out, aqua blue eyes wide. "It's really you."

It's like a rerun from my meeting with Nathan. He just looks at me like he can't believe his eyes while I wish and don't wish to be anywhere but here. But unlike in Nathan's case I can't predict what he's thinking or what he'll do because we weren't on the best terms when I went missing. So I stay in place even though my brain is screaming at me to run. But I can't run. If I run he'll try to catch me because Callum is a Blood like Nathan and I'm guessing Nathan has given the orders to bring me to him. If I play my cards right I might be able to avoid that. Callum and I were friends once until we both screwed it up. Maybe I can appeal to him, convince him to let me go.

I can tell he's about to call up the other guys and I need to stop it. "Don't do it, Callum. Don't take me to him", I ask quietly, fear clear in my voice. I don't care if he sees me terrified because that's what I am. I can't be near Nathan. Callum has to let me go so Nathan can't get to me. Every second I waste here being held in place by Callum Winchester is another second Nathan gets closer to me. I have to force myself not to yank my wrist free of Callum's grip and stay still.

Callum stares at me. "You don't want to see Nathan? I thought you loved him", he says looking confused. I'd be confused too. The last time Callum saw me was at school before Christmas, acting all lovey dovey with the same boy I'm now begging him not to take me to. I nearly snort at him but manage to contain myself just in time before I'll spit out my thoughts. Of course I love him. I always will. But I can't be near him.

I take a deep breath to repel all and any thoughts about Nathan and continue pleading. "Please, just let me go. I know we didn't leave things at the best terms but please, please, just don't take me to him. Just let me go home. Cal, I need to go home. I need to see my mom and make sure she's okay."

Callum doesn't answer me, he's still simply staring at me like I'm about to burst into flames or something. Suddenly his phone goes off and he picks it up. He listens for a while what the person on the other end of the line is saying and then replies: "There's no one here."

I feel a whole new level of relief. He's not going to turn me in, at least not tonight. "Thank you", I mouth and scurry off again. Callum came through. I was hoping he would but I didn't think he really would let me go. We fought almost the entire fall semester because he was keeping secrets from my best friend Andrea who he was dating at the time and that pissed me off. I told Drea what was going on of which Callum wasn't too happy about. But all in all, Callum is not a bad kid, he just sometimes likes to hang out with bad kids whom he deems to be 'cool' and 'exciting'. I've known him most of my life because our parents went to high school together and they were friends when we were little. We lost touch at some point but reunited when he started dating Drea.