What's at Stake

Chapter Seven

Today was the day I would go to the library. It was a safe starting point. No one would think a student going to a library was suspicious. Maybe Claude. But fortune was on my side. Claude didn't show up to our first class. I could feel how much more relaxed the rest of the students were in his absence. Me, on the other hand...

Well, neither Adora, San, nor Kaz did much to deter the other students from pestering me. They didn't hold the same influence as Claude.

"What does it feel like to kill someone?" a guy with long black hair asked. He sat in the row in front of me, looking up at me with a smirk on his square face. The two guys sitting next to him stared at me too, their expressions less mirthful and more disgusted.

I debated about answering. It would be rude to ignore him, but he was obviously trying to goad me. I needed to be as acquiescent as possible. "I've never killed anyone," I said.

He laughed. "And I've never drunk blood."

"Don't lie to us. Your family has killed hundreds of vampires," one of the other two interjected.

The guy with black hair nodded. "Yeah, we're not fools. Your family is notorious. Come on, just tell me."

"If you're not going to believe anything I say, why should I answer?"

"So, you have killed someone before."

I grit my teeth together.

"Piss off, Rehan," Adora said, narrowing her ruby eyes. "You're so brave when Claude isn't around, aren't you?"

"Quite taken by the murderer, aren't you? I'm not surprised. That's just your type, isn't she?"

Adora's jaw tightened, and she didn't answer, instead flipping open her grammar book. I glanced at her. What was that supposed to mean?

"I'm not surprised you're all buddy-buddy. Outcasts belong with each other, after all," Rehan said, scrunching up his nose.

"Oh, hey Claude!" San spoke, waving his hand over his head.

Rehan's face immediately drained of color, and he righted himself in his chair, looking toward the front of the room. I did as well, but didn't see Claude anywhere. San simpered to himself when Rehan faced him again and scowled.

"Do what you do best and shut up," San said.

"You guys must be so proud of yourselves. Protecting a murderer."

"Rehan."

At the sound of Kaz's voice, Rehan pressed his lips together. Kaz leaned forward so he could be seen behind San. "Evander already has his eyes on you. Do I need to give him another reason to?"

"No."

"Then stop bothering us."

"I'm not the only one, you know," Rehan warned, his voice low.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Kaz shook his head. Rehan and his pals turned away from us as Lietz walked into the classroom. My skin felt hot. What he'd said wasn't even that bad, but knowing I couldn't stand up for myself made it harder to listen to. I appreciated the others speaking up for me, but still. Didn't it make me look like an easy mark? Even more so than I already was?

Maybe it would have been smarter of me to say something back. As long as I made sure not to piss off the wrong people. I needed to show I couldn't be intimidated, otherwise I'd never be left alone. I couldn't rely on Claude. I didn't even want to be around him.

Sighing, I slumped down in my seat. I just kept making mistakes. Why was I like this? What could I do to change it?

Little snide comments followed me around the rest of the day. I wrestled with my thoughts. Do I respond? Do I continue to ignore it? What was the right thing to do? Nobody was physically harming me or attempting to. Words were easy to disregard. I did it with my family constantly.