The Vampire Prince goes to High School (Book 1)

Breaking Radio Silence

The 'someone' Camellia mentioned ended up being Carlos. I seriously doubted he was connected to the mafia. The day after Camellia had paid me a visit, Sonia and Carlos decided to drop by with a package. Apparently, Sonia had found it outside their house with my name on it. To be frank, that wasn't really hard to believe.

We hung out in the living room and they were still at my house when my parents came home from work. It wasn't like we were playing card games. It was more like an independent study session in the same room. Having someone around actually helped me get more work done.

"Rin, you didn't tell us we had visitors," my mom said. " I would have baked something beforehand. "

"It's fine Mrs. Borek," Sonia said, "we were just leaving."

She and Carlos gathered up their books. When I had asked why they brought their stuff with them, they'd said that it would be more believable if everyone thought we were studying together. I couldn't fault their logic. 

The only issue I had was the fact that I couldn't help but think that the vampire mafia had something to do with the Purists. Were they working together? Was the package just a warning to me? 'We know where your 'friends' live', type of warning. I doubted that Carlos was knowingly working for the vampire mafia. 

"Are you sure?" This was my dad. 

It was a bit of a surprise. He wasn't someone to invite people to stay any longer than they wanted to.

"We don't like to impose," Sonia replied.

My parents shared a glance. I could almost tell what they were thinking. 

"You're not imposing," Dad assured her.

"It's fine, Mr. Borek," Carlos interjected. "We should get going."

"Alright."

A part of me felt relief at their departure but the other part didn't. I hadn't opened the package yet and I wouldn't until later that night. Camellia wouldn't lie. If anything, her word was the only one I could trust. The vampire mafia didn't play games. I could count on that. 

"How about we order pizza for dinner?" Mom asked. "We can put on a movie and spend some time together."

She must have given it a lot of thought. My gut clenched with guilt. I knew I wasn't forcing my parents to spend some time with me but I didn't think they should be overlooking my punishment. They were already lenient with letting Sonia and Carlos come over.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I'm still grounded you know."

"Then this is a punishment too," Dad quickly said. "You have to spend time with your parents."

Of course he would say that. 

"Alright," I said with a sigh, "but, can we get pasta instead. I hear their alfredo pasta is good."

Dad nodded. "Sure. That's fine with me."

As we waited for the food, I took my books and package upstairs. It was easy to hide. The box was small and flat. I wanted to know what kind of help Camellia and her people were going to provide but, at the same time, I didn't. Opening that box would just solidify my plan. There was no turning back now. I had to go through with the plan no matter what for Alexander's sake and my own too.

I still hadn't received any word from Mr. Keys or Alexander. Did they really need to keep me in the dark? Didn't I deserve to know what was going no? Then again, my parents were giving me much to work with either. I was running around in the dark, blinded. It was better to take things into my own hands. At least, I would have some form of control over what was going on.

For a good three hours, I forgot about everything. It was just my family and I eating dinner and spending time together. My parents went to bed first. I stayed downstairs until well past midnight. I didn't want to go to my room but I knew deep down that I had to. It was hard to finally able to stand from the couch. 

The package was waiting for me underneath the bed. It was nice wrapped in brown paper and easily opened too. Inside, I found a sticker in the silhouette of a cat. What was it with these people and cats? There was also a note. It read:

'All you need to do is wear the sticker. Leave it in your pocket. We'll do the rest.'

What did that even mean? Hadn't they said that before? It begged the question. Who was using who? I guess it didn't matter. The only thing that was left was to call Micah. Just the thought made my stomach clench. Even if I had convinced Camellia to provide me with a body guard, it wouldn't have helped. Micah had to believe that I was returning to him without any suspicion. 

It was easier said than done. I picked up my cellphone and stared at it for a long time. It was so long ago since Alexander had first attacked me in my room. He had destroyed my phone. Who would have thought -? 

I shook my head. Now wasn't the time to be reminiscing. I had to call Micah. I had to. But what would I say to convince him? Or maybe, I didn't need to say anything. I wouldn't know until I called him.

Gathering my courage, I quickly dialed Micah's number before I could change my mind. It rang and rang. For a second, my stomach dropped. Would he ignore my call? I hadn't planned on that. 

Then, he did answer.

"I had a feeling you'd be calling soon."

At the sound of his voice, my gut clenched. Even if I wanted to speak, I couldn't. The words were stuck in my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut. I needed to do this. I had to.

I took a deep breath. "Let's stop," I forced out. "I can't do this anymore."

He smirked. "You should have thought about that before you chose him."

"M-Micah, listen. I - This is just too much. I'm so tired of this. A - the Prince can just stay locked up. I've been so blind. He's responsible for everything. I just can't anymore."

Micah didn't speak for a some time. "You're being very convincing Rin."

"What do I need to do to convince you?"

"You tell me."

I swallowed thickly. "If we met, face-to-face, would that convince you?"

"Depends."

"I'll come alone. There's this place. Carlos took me there once. I know where it's at."

"I'll think about," he said and ended the call.

My phone slipped out of my hand. What was done was done.