The Curse

Chapter Seventeen- Surprise!

Kuroji lies in his bed close to mine.
It's so relaxing hearing him breathe. Slowly.
In and out.
Safe and sound.
It's a feeling I haven't had in a while, knowing that he is finally safe, near me. Until I gasp and my eyes flit open. I realize his steady breathing has stopped. I jump up and dash over, throwing up the covers. Kuroji's not dead, just gone.
But where would he go this time at day? And...without me?
I run outside and I look around. Then it hits me. Duh!
Katoro.
I glance at the gray clouds above me and I'm actually happy for the constant gloominess of this place. It blocks the mid-day sun so we can sleep, and the clouds clear during the night so we can see the moon. It's a good system. Of course, the HeadMaster before our current one, designed it. I run down the dirt road near the cell, and hide behind a tree.
I'm not spying...just...listening. You know, for Kuroji's well-being.
"Why did you come? You should be getting your rest." Katoro says, clearly wide-awake. Right...humans sleep at night, not in day. Almost forgot.
"I couldn't rest knowing you were in this dirty cell, starving." Kuroji says. He hands her a loaf of bread. She sighs and looks at the dusty floor. "Throw it in. I'm shackled," she whispers. "What? But we didn't..." his voice fades out. "The HeadMaster stopped by," she says. "Did he hurt you?" he asks, looking rather panicked. "No, not really...I mean, shackles are shackles. They are tight no matter what." she says, matter-of-factly. "Ugh, I can't wait any longer to defeat this HeadMaster guy." Kuroji spats. "Yeah, then we can live like a family again!" Katoro says, smiling happily. "Yeah! We can bunk in Nobara's old house, just like old times." he says. "Um, with Nobara...?" she stutters. "Obviously, she's like a sister to me." Kuroji says. "But I'm your actual sister, and I don't really know her. To be honest, I don't like her very much..." she grumbles. My cheeks get hotter as I listen. "But...I..." Kuroji mumbles. "Nobara will probably be totally fine with us just living at the orphanage or something. At least till I get to know her more." Katoro says. But I can tell by the way she said that, that she doesn't really plan on wasting her time to get to know me. And...not a chance! Kuroji and I are sticking together no matter what. She's not going to change that! "Well, I guess she'd probably be fine with that..." he replies. I am shocked. How could Kuroji say that!? My eyes water and hot tears threaten to roll down my flushed cheeks. I'm not too sad, just...mad. I would never say that if I was in Kuroji's position. "Good. I knew you'd understand," Katoro says, smiling. "...But I'm not." Kuroji finishes. "What...?" Chatter asks. "I've caused her so much pain and sorrow. She wouldn't mind leaving us alone, but I do. I promised myself I would always be there for her." I am shocked by his loyalty and kindness yet again. No, if anything, he should be mad at me. I can't believe I ever thought Kuroji would leave me. A tear trickles down my cheek. Kuroji thinks...he doesn't deserve me...? In reality, it's the other way around. At this moment, I want to run over and swing my arms around him, but I can't. I'm supposed to be sleeping. "How could you say that? I'm your sister! What would mom want? You staying with some girl? Instead of me?" Katoro spats angrily. "Some girl?" Kuroji repeats in barely a whisper. Then he shakes his head and walks away. "Wait! Kuroji!" Katoro yells after him. That's my cue. I dash back to our cabin, open and shut the door, hop into my bed, and lay down.
A bit later, Kuroji does the same.
I frown.
I'm the cause of this fight he's had with his sister.
I don't deserve him.
I slowly drift off to sleep.

I wake up, faint moonlight filtering through the windows. The moon has risen--it is time to get up. I look to my right and see Kuroji, still sleeping in his bed. Then I remember Joshua, Sarah, and the EU-NH. I get up, walk over to Kuroji's bed, and shake him. "C'mon, we have to go. I don't want them taking on the HeadMaster without me!" I say. "Mhm...Okay..." he grumbles sitting up. We walk into the bathroom and stare down the hole a bit before jumping down. I've prepared, though. I tied a rope around the toilet and down the hole. We climb down for what seems like forever, until we finally land. Then we run down the tunnel. A light shines from the entrance of a room--the main base. "Guys!" I yell. We walk in. Joshua, Sarah, and King are all talking while eating bagels. That reminds me...I'm extremely hungry. I stare at the humans. Oh, crap...
I clear my throat, try to control the hunger for their blood, and wave a greeting.     
"Oh, vampires! Join us." Joshua says. Apparently, they're friendly with the EU-NH. "Don't worry, I've convinced King that you're good vampires. Right?" Sarah winks at us. "We are willing to help. As long as I get to take down the HeadMaster." I say. "We'll see," King replies calmly. "But we do have a plan. After a lot of research, that is." Good, these guys work fast. "Why don't you get comfortable with my crew? We need to trust each other if we're going to fight together." he says. We nod, and walk slowly towards the hallway where I assume they're staying. I crack open the door. Right away, I make a bad impression. I run straight into a girl walking out.
"What the--!? A vampire!?" she shouts in shock. "Hey! I'm working with you guys!" I say, holding my hands up surrender style. "Prove it," she spats, standing up. "Ask King." I reply. She huffs and walks out. I give my head a shake and walk in. "Um, h-hello everyone..." I mumble. Everyone stares. My mouth moves, but for some reason, no sound comes out. Thankfully, Kuroji takes the lead. "We are humans that were turned into vampires. We want revenge on the HeadMaster. But...we need to trust each other if we're going to work together." Kuroji says. I've never noticed before, but I realize now that he'd be a great leader. The way he spoke...very convincing. That makes me like him even more.
"Permission from King?" a guy asks. "Yes. He...allowed us to join." Kuroji replies. "Well then, welcome to the family." he says, walking up to Kuroji and patting him on the back.
"My name is Corey. I've got your back." Corey says, winking.
"And I'm Nobara," I say, getting my strength back. "I can tell you used to be humans. You actually have emotions," Corey says, laughing. That makes me think of Jephudach. She had emotions...before she killed herself because of them. A regular vampire would've known better. But...she died with a best friend at her side.
Just then, King peeks into the room. "Meeting. Let's talk about the plan." he says. We all silently walk after him. We come to the table Joshua, Sarah and he were sitting at a few minutes ago. We all stand, leaning against the table and walls nearby. "Alright. You all know with this creature, it must be a surprise attack. He's intelligent." King speaks, his crew nodding. "We did the research before coming here, remember?" he says, nodding to his crew as if they all know something we don't. It's like they're exchanging a secret. This sends a chill up my spine. I don't know why.
But my trust towards them lowers.
King smirks.
"So, let's...plan."