Mythfits

30-Steve

"I had high hopes for you, my boy." Grandfather sat back in his chair, his pale face impassive, "I am so very sorry to see that you let me down."

My stomach clenched, feelings like he had just succer-punched me, " How?" I asked, unable to keep my voice from cracking, "How have I let you down?"

Grandfather chuckled, "Well now, lets see. You disrespect your family and your heritage by disobeying a direct order from your coven leader. You then continued your disgraceful affiliation with that werewolf mongrel even after you had received several warnings!"
"But-" I started to protest, but Grandfather interrupted,

"Even with your..." he looked me up and down, as if I was under a microscope, picking out all my flaws, "defects, I had still hoped-"

"Defects?" I exclaimed, against my better judgement-not wanting to reveal how much that comment hurt.

"Yes, defects." Grandfather nodded gravely, "None of which are your fault directly, but you cannot ever survive in a pure vampire community, you can't eat normally, you don't hold the same values as the rest of us, you will never look like one of us- you will never be one of us."

I slumped, the non verbal disparagement I'd always felt from my family finally spoken out loud seemed to suck my will to respond to his accusations right out of me.

When Grandfather left, I ignored Mom's offer of dinner to go straight to bed and lie there in fetal position, not daring to move. I hadn't realized how much my family, especially Grandfather's, opinion of me counted until he went ahead and told me straight out how little he thought of me.

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"Steve." my name, accompanied by an elbow to the ribs, startles me out of my gloomy recollection of last nights argument with Grandfather. When I came home, he immediately sensed the foreign magic on me and had demanded an explanation. Apparently, he hadn't liked me continuing to help Ella after he expressedly told me not to.

"Mr. Carne, did you hear me?" Mr. Bowen asks, looking down at me concerned.

"Yeah," I shake my head, pushing myself upright, "Sorry."

Turns out, all he wanted was for me to deliver some tests to the World History teacher. When I turn the corner, Ella sneaking down the hallway. Curious, I fold up the tests into my jacket pocket and trail her, being sure to keep a couple paces behind her or risk being noted. When she leaves the building, I hesitate, contemplating if I should continue following her or go back to class. Thinking of Mom's reaction if she finds out I skipped class, and then Grandfathers if he finds out that it was to follow Ella, I almost turn back.

Unfortunately, my curiosity is my downfall, and I wave off my concerns by saying that if he asks, I'll just say I was following her because she was acting suspicious and I wanted to make sure she wasn't doing anything. Technically, it's true.

Knowing I'll never catch up to Ella on foot, (and will most likely be seen) I hide behind one of the portables that are currently being used as a classroom and shift into a bat, following Ella while staying safely under the tree cover. This is me assuming, and correct me if I'm wrong, that the average citizen of Small Town, South Dakota would recognize that a red bat with a three foot wingspan flying around town was unusual. So to avoid any potential problems, I simply fly in the safety of the woods, keeping an eye on Ella's bike as she rides in and out of view.

After running into several trees because I'm not watching where I'm flying (don't fly while distracted! Also don't fly drunk- I had an uncle go flying after spending an evening drinking with his brother. It did not end well, to say the least) and losing sight of Ella a few times, I finally watch her pull into the driveway of an old house on the edge of town. Flying closer to the house, I land on a nearby tree and watch her from my upside-down perch.