The Vampire Prince goes to High School (Book 1)

Another World-part 1

"Rin."

The door to my room opened and my mom poked her head in. I looked at her from the spot on my bed. She took one look at me and her brow furrowed.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I looked down at my hands. Sleep had escaped me. My eyes wouldn't close. Perhaps, I had dozed off a couple of times but it was not enough to call sleep. Even the tears hadn't come. Sonia's gift was kept under my pillow within reach. It was still there, hidden. I'd gotten up early to put concealer on my neck and hoped my mom wouldn't see it. I hadn't used a lot of her makeup so there shouldn't be a problem. Plus, I think I did it correctly. The web page I found online made it seem easy enough.

"Hey mom," I said, my voice hoarse. "Can I stay home today?" I cleared my throat. "I'm . . . not feeling well."

My mom crossed the distance between us. Her hand flew to my forehead checking for the temperature. She lifted my chin up and quickly moved my head.

"I'm just checking your tonsils," she told me.

Reluctantly, I opened my mouth up to the light. She pursed her lips. "Hmm," she said.

Without another word, she released my chin. My heart raced in my chest. Had she noticed the makeup? My eyes started to burn.

"Just for today," I pleaded. "I'm so exhausted. I don't have the energy to go to school today."

My mom cupped my face in her hands. She planted a kiss on my forehead. "Rin," she began.

"What's the hold-up?" Dad's voice came from the doorway.

Mom straightened and released my face. We both turned to look at him. "She doesn't want to go to school," mom explained.

Concerned, Dad stepped into the room. He looked at me and then at my mom. "I'll call the school," he said.

My parents looked at each for some time. Finally, mom nodded. When she looked at me, she smiled. "Alright," she said. "Just make sure you lock the doors. Don't let anyone in. Call the police if anything happens, okay?"

My chin trembled but I was able to force a smile on my face. "Thanks."

I didn't hear when they left for work. All that was left was the silence. I undressed and slipped underneath my comforter. My body felt heavy. Somewhere in the distance, I heard ringing. It took me a while before I realized it was coming from my cell phone. With my eyes closed, I searched around my bed until my hand touched the familiar device. I looked at the screen and grimaced at the sudden light.

Catching the name on the Caller ID, I frowned. Nevertheless, I answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Rin," Carlos said on the other end. "How's it going?"

"What is it?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"What? N-no, nothing really."

Impatiently, I waited for a couple seconds. "Carlos," I began.

"Sorry," he said. Again, he hesitated.

"If you don't tell me why you called, I'm hanging up," I warned. Granted, I could have been a little nicer but I was not in the mood to play a guessing game.

"I heard that you and Sonia got into a fight," Carlos blurted out.

I let out a sigh. Honestly, I was surprised Sonia told him. "Okay," I said. "Is that why you called? To tell me to make up with her?"

He didn't say anything. I let out another sigh. "Carlos –"

"Let's talk at school," he suddenly said. "You're probably already heading over there . . ." He trailed off.