Hidden Close (Jr. Year)

Chapter 18

Part 18 Of The First Draft

We couldn't find her anywhere. When we  asked Veronica where she went, she said she didn't know and that she was very worried. To make matters way worse, Veronica had been bitten by Becky. Veronica didn't know why she had been bitten by her, and played none the wiser.

“Veronica, once we find Becky, we'll be back to help you with your....wounds.”

Perry told Becky's distraught older sister as we rushed out the door. I commented to him, as we hurried to his car,

“There’s only one place she can be.”

Perry nodded his head, and added,

“I’ll bet that Carlita is hiding her away. She’ll undoubtedly act the fool when we come looking for Becky. Sanguines are always so cocky...she probably believes she can cure Becky herself.”

“Can she?”

Perry sighed loudly, obviously as frustrated as much as I am,

“Not without turning her, which she may be desperate enough to do, which is why we need to hurry.”

Why would Carlita turn her? I know that making a Becky a vampire would be bad....plus, I may never be able to see her again. I sure hope Carlita can be reasoned with. As we were making our way quickly to The Weekend Freak, Perry instructed me,

“When we make it to the club, I want you to help me grab Becky. If I can't get Carlita to listen to sense, we need to take her away by force. The last thing we need is Becky turned into a teenage vampire.”

After entering the club we made it quickly through the groups of people and found Becky with Carlita in the backroom. Becky was tied up to a chair, and when Carlita saw us, she called out,

“Ben!”

Perry then started to untie Becky, and I told Carlita, as Ben came into the room,

“You two can't do this. Let us save Becky.....our way.”

Perry undid the ropes around Becky and carried her out of the club as I fought with Ben to cover Perry's escape. I was able to surprise Ben with a hard knee to the gut, and as Carlita's large male vampire companion doubled over, I used the opportunity to escape with Perry. Becky, who was awake, looked like she hadn't seen the light of day for months. I sat in the back with her, making sure that she did not bite anyone. Becky couldn't even talk, and I did not find any kisses (bite marks) from Carlita on her neck. After we had made it to the Eisens’, we ensured we had not been followed and hurried the infected Becky inside. Upon seeing Becky, a frantic Grace called out,

“Set her down in the kitchen. She’s almost fully turned. We have to act quickly.”

Once we had restrained Becky in the kitchen, Grace brought her a ladle-full of purplish bubbling liquid and made her carefully drink it. After ingesting the substance, Becky stopped moving and her breathing became a bare minimum. I turned to Grace, and asked,

“Is she okay?”

Becky then started to cough, and her former color started to return to her. Becky then looked at all of us, as we were all watching her anxiously, hoping to get the same old Becky we know and love back. Becky then locked her eyes on Grace, and laughed, telling her,

“What can I ever do to repay you? You don't want to know what I felt like before.”

Grace countered her with,

“Actually, I do need to know what it is like. If we are to defeat the corrupted watchers we need to know all that you felt after becoming infected. We might be able to know their weaknesses or maybe even discover a cure. It's worth a shot, and besides, it's the only lead we have, besides those photos you took.”

Becky smiled, and coughed again. She agreed and explained further,

“I'll do anything that I can to help. As for those photos....I still have them on the phone. Carlita stole my printouts.”

My mom loudly hissed,

“Figures. I always knew Carlita would never change....”

Grace glanced at my mom, and asked,

“What do you mean?”

My mom explained, simply,

“She was always getting in trouble at the academy, causing all sorts of trouble and running with the wrong crowd. When she was expelled from school, she didn't seem to care. The last time I had seen her twenty years ago she looked the same as she does now. She really is a vampire, and she will return for Becky, which is why we need to protect her.”

I asked my mom, feeling like a casual observer to it all,

“You can't keep her safe at school...”

Becky added,

“I want to go to college someday. I can't just drop out of high school...”

My mom smiled at her, and informed Becky and the rest of us,

“We won't. Perry and Mindi will now be your bodyguards. Veronica had signed a slip saying that Becky needs an older tutor. You'll be teaching her math now, Mindi. Believe it or not, right now your grades are even higher than Perry's.”

I seemed even more shocked than Perry. My grades had not been all that hot since the last semester of my freshman year. Becky locked her eyes on me, and seemed elated. After she had coughed a few more times, she got up, and gave me a tight hug. She thanked me,

“You’re awesome, Mindi. I trust that you'll keep my former mistress from capturing me...I’m no longer a ghoul.....I’m helpless now.....”

I corrected her,

“No woman is ever helpless....”

We went to sit down together on the couch, wanting to forget about today. We’ve been through enough lately. We turned the television on, and I snapped a picture of Becky, Perry, and I together, uploading it to my profile, adding the caption of,

“Love triangle or more ?”

Becky slept close to me that night, and I realized she was scared. I gave her an extra blanket, and laid awake, staring at the ceiling. Is Becky the key to this all? Will we never be free until we figure out just why this Becky girl means so much to us all? She's just a girl, right? Maybe.....just maybe....no. She can't be that.....