Blood on Roses [COMPLETED]

Twenty-One: Trouble in the Mist

"Red, like a rose. Beautiful, like a rose. Deadly, like a rose."
~ Hazel Dawson

TWENTY-ONE

Kassandra and I waited in the living room of the headquarters. Roman was busy with his new mission in Russia, and Kass required a lift to travel to Mexico. Everybody was working. I decided to stay for a while to keep her company.

Eventually, the conversation steered to how much we missed human food. Kass stated that she'd give anything to get a taste of those French desserts again, and I wholeheartedly agreed.

"I heard bits and pieces of your past," she started. "I know you didn't choose the vampire life. Do you hate it?"

I recalled the night I spent with Zach and shook my head. "Not anymore." None of what we did could've been possible had I still been a fragile human.

Kassandra beamed widely. "Ah, I see! That's great!"

She was so innocent and easy to read. She was afraid that if I had pent-up hatred, I'd turn out like the traitorous member. She didn't want to see Hailee being reminded once more of her heartbreak.

I finally couldn't keep my mouth shut. I'd been dying to ask since the moment I met Kassandra. "Hey, Kass, why'd you voluntarily become a vampire?"

Her expression saddened, but she didn't hesitate to speak, "My great grandpa was a vampire, though nothing powerful like a Pureblood or Elite. The rest of my family didn't have any vampiristic traits. No thirst for blood, no enhanced senses, nothing. I had two adorable baby brothers and wonderful parents. We lived a simple and peaceful life."

Her eyes showed such bliss as she spoke of her family, but I knew better than to get attached. Soon after, her smile dropped.

"I don't know why the hunters came after us. I don't understand why it was necessary to butcher my brothers like they were diseased animals."

She choked back a sob, and I panicked. Crap, I'm insensitive! I hurriedly told her to stop, but she waved her hand. Pearl-like tears dripped from her eyes. "My mom hid me on a train. I don't know if she or my dad survived. I was too afraid to get off the train. I sat in the storage cabinet until the last stop. I arrived here, and I was starving. Hailee was the one who found me. She treated me to dinner at a restaurant. The Ones helped me through those times. They even enrolled me in school. Until the very end, none of them ever asked if I wanted to abandon humanity. I was the one who requested to be turned two months ago."

I kept quiet even after she finished. This girl was four years younger than me, yet so much stronger. I wasn't much of a hugger, but I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and let her cry.

Zach, Hailee, Ashlynne, Kassandra, Roman, Ashton, and Harvick. Compared to all of them, my problems were minimal. Everyone had hardships in life. I was ignorant to ever think that any of them were pure evil.

I had grown a lot and seen a lot in the past month.

~ ~ ~

While the mortician spoke, my mind was entirely elsewhere. I tried not to think about it, but I relived the moment in the London Eye again and again.

Just as our capsule passed the highest point of the Ferris wheel, Zach's lips slowly left mine. Still in a trance, my eyes fluttered open, only to smell the scent of fresh blood. I gasped when I saw that Zach had sunk his fangs into his bottom lip.

He mumbled softly under his breath, seemingly to himself.

My gaze followed the blood as it dripped down his chin.