Blood on Roses [COMPLETED]

Bloodied Fate - Kaydence Samuels

What motivated Kaydence to hunt down her best friend? When did she begin to grow suspicious? What convinced her of such a betrayal?

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I didn't attempt to mask my shock. "You killed your comrade because he got turned?"

"Yes, it was the right thing to do," Henri replied as if addressing a crushed insect.

The right thing to do? Perhaps it was. Once a human changed to a vampire, their base instincts would morph, and they'd soon act and think just like vampires. They wouldn't hesitate to kill innocents.

That was the only thought that kept me sane while I hunted down my best friend.

It all started a month ago when I saw her with blood red eyes....

I was hallucinating, right? I had to be. There was no way that Hazel would play such a childish prank on me, especially when she didn't think vampires existed. So then, if those crimson eyes weren't colored contacts, what were they? She'd tell me if she got turned into a vampire, right?

I wrapped my thin jacket closer to myself. I sat at the bus stop, shivering in the March winds. The bus was twenty minutes late again.

This was my dreaded Friday night routine. I took a bus from school to my vocal class, sang for two hours, then waited for another bus to get home. I loved to sing, so this wouldn't be a problem if the last bus ever came on time.

Yesterday morning, the one after the night I slept on Hazel's couch, Hazel seemed weird to me. She was nervous. Shaken up, even. Most importantly, I caught a glimpse of her eyes; they were red. Fire-engine red. I acted like I always did today, but I couldn't get it off my mind.

I groaned out loud and shot up from my seat. I was five seconds away from snapping and calling a taxi, no matter how expensive it was. I stomped onto the sidewalk and fished my phone from my pocket. Just as my thumb moved to unlock the screen, something rammed into me from behind. My phone flew out of my hand, and I hit the ground with a bang.

"Oh, heavens me, I deeply apologize."

Rubbing my arm, I raised my head to glare at whoever knocked me down. A young gentleman came into view. He casually wore a blazer over an untucked dress shirt, and he held a suitcase in his hand. Smiling, he extended his free hand to me.

I took it, and he pulled me to my feet. He nodded down, saying, "I apologize again. I will definitely watch my path more carefully from now on. Are you hurt?"

"No. And it's okay."

He smiled again. "Good, good. I'll be on my way now. Have a great evening, Miss."

My gaze followed his retreating figure. He continued down the road, probably hurrying to a meeting or something. A strange feeling lingered in my stomach. I hadn't had this feeling since I witnessed a feeding vampire two years ago. Even as I closed my eyes, I could sense the direction in which the young man walked. When I focused harder, I could calculate his walking speed and distance from me.

Something was odd. It was like he didn't have a heartbeat.

My eyes snapped open, and I whipped my head in his direction. Extremely handsome face? No heartbeat? What if he was a vampire?!

I quickly glanced around me for my phone. The only way to make sure was to flash my camera at him, but I couldn't see my phone anywhere. As the man sped further from me, my heartbeat slowed.

No! I wouldn't lose sight of a vampire again. I cast one last scan around; still no phone. Thinking I'd come back for it, I dashed in the direction of the possible vampire.