Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince
Chapter 9

So far today I had missed threeclasses. When the bell rang for lunch, the principal managed spotting me amongthe dense crowd. She practically mowed me down with her glare, so I quickly ranover and started making excuses. It took some explaining, but I finallyfinagled my way out of detention. Notes were sent to my teachers, excusing myabsences from a minor cold. It didn’t take much to convince her, probablybecause I was last around Seth when he fell ill according to her knowledge.Plus I had called in sick the day after he left school, which added emphasis tomy condition. I really didn’t care how she believed it, just that she believed.But before I got cleanly away from her, she mentioned that I had a tardy forthis morning, even though I’d been in the school since it started. ApparentlyMs. Ingram left out my surprise stay in her class for second period andnaturally failed in excusing me from my other classes like she said she had.Already my calculus teacher queried Principal Hawkins as to whether I showed upfor school or not.

After dodging a near miss withdetention I headed off for lunch, already dreading the thunder dome. I reallywished I could go elsewhere, even though I was drawn into the room, not only bymy friends but also by Finn. I had promised we would talk, though I wished theconversation wouldn’t take place in this room. However, it was too late for meto turn back.

I walked into the area,concentrating on the pitter patter of feet and swept my eyes through the crowd.My friends sat at what was becoming our regular table, seemingly chatting up astorm. I could hear them from here, but didn’t want to focus my heightenedhearing onto their conversation mostly because my eyes caught a peculiar sight.What distracted my attention happened in the middle of the room where Finnawaited me, seated at a separate table with only one other empty chair. His twopals sat nearby at their regular table in the middle of the throng. Both ofthem looked wary and tense upon my entrance, but that was probably from theconversation that might follow concerning Finn and me. Naturally because of thenew shift in seating arrangements, a whole section of the cafeteria castedglances at Finn’s lonely position. I wondered who he bribed to let him havetheir table.

Several girls passed by Finn, goingout of their way. They suggested that the empty seat was for them and themalone. He didn’t acknowledge their presence, nor did he push out the chair foranyone else. His foot was wrapped around one of the legs, keeping it firmly inplace. I walked into the room and headed directly for my friend’s table first,because I owed them an explanation. As I neared them, they noticed and welcomedme with smiles and waves. I really wanted to sit down next to Mallory with myback at the window. But once I reached the middle, Finn made a small noise andmoved the chair slightly. I paused in place, completely distracted now.

From the corner of my eye, helanguidly fixed his gaze upon me. His expression looked smug. He must’veplanned this from the beginning. Already my friends had noticed the change andshift in my attention from his reaction. He wished we would talk now, in thecafeteria, surrounded by countless teenagers eager for gossip. I was sure hisgesture caused such a stir currently.

“Why don’t you sit?” he suggestedcasually as though nothing was wrong.

I frowned while turning my head soI could return his gaze. “My friends are expecting me.”

I wasn’t in the mood to play his gametoday. Plus I didn’t want to have our talk here, in front of everyone. AlreadyI spotted Krista’s mouth drop open in shock. Her eyes nearly popped out of herhead. Mallory looked the same way, only more introverted than Krista’soutlandish display. Even Nate and Seth were in shock, and I knew exactlywhy.

I made a slight movement with myfeet, planning on heading to the table despite his wishes, but the empty chairFinn held on to with his foot suddenly flew out from under the table, blockingmy path. “Sit.”

This time I scowled and threw him afiery look. “I’m not your dog.”

As soon as the words were out of mymouth, his chair scraped across the floor and he stood up, like my equal whenhe clearly didn’t treat me that way. The effect his gesture had on the entireroom was instantaneous. Everyone got quiet. Every single person stopped whatthey were doing and stared at the two of us. Pairs of eyes I had never seenclearly before until now met my face, while they switched their gazes back andforth between our faces. A few of the girls frowned at me, probably full ofjealousy and envy for he paid me attention instead of them. But despite howthey felt, they all waited for my reaction, which frightened and excited me allat the same time.

“Abelia Harper.” He announced myfull name to the entire lunchroom. If people didn’t know me before, theycertainly did now. “Will you please join me?”

There were so many eyes on my bodythat the feeling of being stared at was overwhelming. From my point of view,most were shocked by his sudden offer, but there were others, mostly girls, wholooked murderous. Only one thought crossed my mind. He had put me on the spotwhen I had devoted my life in remaining inconspicuous. Now it was not the case.

I tried so hard remaining anonymousand unknown, and that plan unraveled faster than I could thwart his intentions.If anything bad happened, I would be forced to move… again. I was invested now,something I wished to avoid.

If I didn’t sit with him, thegesture could be disastrous. He obviously knew what I was otherwise he wouldn’thave made the flamboyant expression. But his curiosity of me didn’t make himflinch like the others when they found out, unless this was all a show while heplanned for my downfall. Although, he wasn’t like Ms. Ingram who triedattacking outright, so I knew that his intentions might be somewhat honorable.It was possible I had found someone who admired my uniqueness and wasn’tintimidated by it.

But there was only one way to replaceout if he respected me.

I whirled around, deciding quicklywhat it was I should do, and planted myself in the chair in one fluid movement.He followed suit and returned to his lazy composure. He leaned against the backof his chair pushing it slightly off the ground while giving me that pointedlycreepy puzzling facial expression he always stared at me with.

Chatter resumed in the lunchroomonce we were seated, but it was more vibrant than ever. I actively focused inon the rain falling outside the building, because it was softer than what tookplace in the room currently. The soft pitter patter of water on the roofreplaced the stomping feet and hurried footfalls. People suddenly took aninterest in the development between Finn and I, and they squished themselves inbetween their classmates just to discuss the situation.

I flashed my burning eyes at Finn,making sure I backed them up with some power. He needed to know at once howdangerous I was, and that I could kill him at any moment. I knew he wouldn’tmiss the gesture. “How dare you draw attention to me,” I nearly growled.

He smiled slightly, never takinghis eyes off my person. For some strange reason I felt like my show of powerwas lost on him. He apparently wasn’t intimidated by me when he should be. “Howdare you reject my first offer,” he retorted quite easily.

So that’s what it all boiled downto. We were at an impasse.

We remained staring at each otherfor the majority of lunch as though if one of us tore our eyes away from theother we would forfeit our life. The groups around us talked nonstop about ourodd behavior, but I stopped paying attention to them because they all said thesame thing. Odd thing was I could stare at his eyes for days, without blinkingand without moving, but once forty five minutes passed I realized that we weregetting nowhere. Eventually someone would discover the truth about me, and thatI didn’t want happening.

I shifted my face slightly andleant forward. “As much as I enjoy the staring contest, we’re running out oftime. Spit it out and say whatever you need to.”

Another smile played at the cornersof his lips, but he remained silent. Shortly after I spoke, the bell rang.Groups of students hastily left the area. Usually by this time, many would havealready left the lunch room, but due to our staring contest and Finn’s oddbehavior, people remained in the room desperately waiting for a conclusion.Currently they retreated, but only because it was time for fifth period andthey couldn’t linger any longer.

I kept my focus on Finn’s eyes. Hecalled the shots now. I couldn’t speak up anymore than the little headroom Igave. Now I was stuck, in a staring war, with a boy I knew nothing about exceptthe fact that he wasn’t frightened by me. If I looked away and headed off formy last class, then I might never know what he wanted to talk about. But if Istayed, I could learn what brought us to this impasse.

What the heck, I had already missedthree classes, four according to Principal Hawkins. I could miss another, onlybecause it was gym anyway. Besides, I needed his trust. Some of the last peopleto leave the lunchroom were my friends with a few stragglers. They each castglances in our direction as they headed off to whatever class they had, but Ifigured they were making sure we wouldn’t kill one another. For a while there Iwas sure my facial expression looked murderous. Now that I had relaxed a bit, Iwasn’t feeling as angry as before. Currently I was intrigued by Finn’s resolve.

The bell signaling the start ofnext period rang. We both hadn’t moved, and I knew we wouldn’t until Finn saidsomething or made a gesture of some sort. The doors opened once more, andeventually from my peripheral vision I spotted our Principal, glaring at us.Well she mostly glared at me, not at Finn. I resisted the urge to drop my gazeand give her my full attention. Obviously this day had turned sour.

“Miss Harper, you’re supposed to bein gym. Are you still not feeling well?” She demanded before turning her eyesonto Finn. Her voice softened at once, which surprised me. “Mr. Tierney, aren’tyou supposed to be in calculus right now?”

Without turning his head Finnsmiled and spoke to her, but when the words left his mouth they dripped likemolasses on a creek bed. “Mrs. Hawkins,” he began.

I actually moved my eyes up so Icould see her face. I watched as her worried and stern expression melted into ablissful complexion, full of understanding and adoration as he spoke.

“You saw us in class, where webelong. We were never here.”

She nodded slowly, believing hislie. “Ms. Harper and Mr. Tierney are in class.” Her eyes glazed over once moreand she turned, heading for the door. “Excuse me,” she apologized and walkedout of the room.

Now no one was left. There weren’tany lunch ladies or cleaning crew. It was only me and Finn. During thecommotion from the student’s departure I hadn’t noticed how his pair of friendshad left with the others. They weren’t here either, which was odd. The threewere always together whenever I saw them, except for now.

He must’ve never thought of me as athreat, and judging from the way he used his compulsion on the principal I knewhe was powerful, much more powerful than the average bear. I may have been anovice with some of my gifts, especially when I used them on humans, but I wasstill stronger than he. It helped that I was immune to other vampire’scompulsion, so I knew he couldn’t use that ability on me. However stronger Iwas, I understood quickly that he was fierce and adept in the way he used thecompulsion. He was able to turn the principal into a walking rag doll withoutmeeting her gaze. That kind of control took talent and practice. There were notmany vampires I had come across who used the ability with the finesse and poisehe did.

Now I understood why he desperatelywanted to speak with me. We both had secrets of our own, secrets of power. Itook in a deep breath, one of the first ones since we started the staring game.

He shifted his eyes slightly to theleft. “You don’t have to tell me what you are. I already know you’re a vampire,a young one at that.”

I wasn’t going to argue this, therewould be no point. But then he said something I hadn’t prepared myself for.

“You aren’t alone. You have neverbeen alone.”

I arched an eyebrow. No matter whosaid it, that statement wasn’t correct. I would always be alone, but he didn’thave to know why. “Who says I was the only one?”

He shook his head slightly, butnever stopped gazing into my eyes. “I knew from the first moment I smelled yourblood that you were different. I have never smelled a scent like that before.Why do you think I keep staring at you the way I do?”

So he was conscious of his obscurebehavior. I shrugged, desperately hoping he found me indifferent. “Maybe youjust like to draw attention to me. Did you ever think I didn’t want to befound?”

His chair legs touched the floorand he straightened his back. His posture was no longer sloth like, but regaland commanding. “It is my job to know if there are vampires in my territory.”

I leaned forward and lifted my chinthe tiniest bit. “Your territory? Youknow I’ve been here for three months, and you’ve never said a word to me. Infact, until Monday, I had never seen you here at the school before. That makesthis my territory, as I was herefirst.”

He chuckled to himself and shookhis head. “You read the journal, so you already know my darkest secret. But youknow nothing of our world. Either that or you pretend to be ignorant.”

Ignorant? Me? I knew a lot aboutvampires, probably more than he did. I knew their weakness and how to trackthem. I was stronger than they were. I overpowered other vampires who triedtaking advantage of me. But during this whole affair with the club and myfriends and my life, I hadn’t realized that he was one of them, which was odd.I should’ve been able to pick up on the fact that he was dead.

I actively listened in for hisvitals. They were there, subtly. His pulse paced at a slow rate of 50 beats perminute. He had blood in his body, circulating and not feeding his extremitiesin the way the undead vampire bodies were structured. His body was built theway a human’s was, where the pulsing blood fed the tissues via arteries. Heeven had veins upon closer observation.

Finn was alive… and not dead.

This new development startled me.He needed to know the truth of things. And I needed to know more about him. Inall my years of wandering the world, I had never known there were two differenttypes of vampires before. I was completely ignorant in this subject.

“You’re alive,” I blurted outbefore I could stop myself.

His smile dropped. Now it was histurn to look confused. “You’re just now figuring that out?”

I froze in place, completelyashamed that I knew nothing about his kind, the alive kind, the mythical kind.

His body language shifted. He producedthe journal from some hidden book bag I hadn’t seen before. He placed the thingon the table, in between us. “I assumed you read it.”

I stared down at the thing. Nowonder he was afraid at first, knowing what I was. The black notebook scared mesuddenly. Did he honestly know what I truly was? Or was he just guessing? Iwished we could return to earlier, where we stared at each other, gleefullyunaware of what was about to unfold. But it was too late. We were pastformalities and flirtation. We both crossed a bridge without realizing we’dgotten this far. It was too late not to peek inside the box. Already knowingwhat I did, I wouldn’t go back and change the situation, no matter how dauntingand serious it was.

“You were created weren’t you?” heasked me. Usually that kind of question was personal. But in this case, we werepast personal issues.

I nodded slowly.

“But you have a conscious, a soul…”His voice was really quiet.

He let that sentence hang. I knewwhat he meant by it. The majority of vampires I met in my line of work were badmen and women. They played with their food and tormented humans, like theirhearts were dead and full of evil. I had never known that there was a differentsect of vampires that hadn’t given themselves over to their desires andembraced the demon within.

“You didn’t read it did you?” hewhispered suddenly.

My eyes met his, and in the depthsof his dark blue irises I saw forgiveness and regret. I shook my head. “No.”

He pocketed the journal oncemore. “You already know too much. I’vegiven myself away, unknowingly.”

“It’s too late to go back,” Iwhispered, already following his thoughts.

He nodded, agreeing with me. “I think it wouldbe best to tell you who I am, and go from there.”

I didn’t respond. I was too overcomewith shock. I imagined he had his own personal shock to deal with, but thisrealization of born and created vampires I couldn’t shake from my mind.

“My family has resided in this areafor many centuries. They were a part of the first colonizers to land onAmerica’s shores. Most of the immigrants knew that we were different right fromthe start and so we flocked north, living away from the majority of society,which is how we own a lot of the land and establishments here. Our ancestrythough traces back to the Tierney’s of Ireland and the Cassian’s of ancientGreece. My name is Orion Finn, and I am the last prince of the Cassian Coven.”