Bach entered Airiana's room, he could hear the girls laughing still from the kitchen. A picture on Airiana's bookshelf caught his eye. He slowly walked towards and picked it up. It was a picture of Airiana, Zoe and an attractive native boy in between them, smiling. The girls' arms were around him, smiling too. He walked back into the kitchen still holding the picture. "Uh-hum,"
The girls looked at him.
"Is this him?" Zoe and Airiana had mentioned to him about Mark and how much he helped them when figuring out Drake is a vampire and how close they were while they grew up.
Airiana looked at it solemnly and nodded. She glanced at her best friend worriedly.
Tears formed in Zoe's eyes. "Oh!"
"Wow." Bach slowly placed the picture down on the table.
Zoe sadly smiled at the photo.
Bach noticed her tears. "Oh! I am so sorry! I was just overwhelmed with curiosity of who Mark is and what he looks like. Maybe I will get to meet him one day."
"No, it's okay, I needed to see that." She grabbed the picture from the table and stroked Mark's face. "He's my baby."
"I still can't believe you're dating that hag bag, Greg." Bach stated. He leaned in. "You can do better."
Zoe patted his cheek in mock sympathy.
"You want ice cream?" Airiana asked, pulling an ice cream scooper out of the utensil drawer.
Zoe nodded.
"When are your parents coming home?" Bach asked. "It's been 2 hours."
"Not until 8:00." Airiana replied.
"Sweet!" Bach noticed a letter. "What's this?" he asked nodded his head towards it.
Airiana picked it up and dropped her ice cream scooper. "Crap!"
"What?"
"I have fucking detention."
"For what?" Zoe asked.
"I have 3 tardies."
"What class?"
"Geography." Airiana rolled her eyes.
"Sucks to suck." Bach stated.
"I'm doing ISS instead of detention."
"Why?"
Zoe smiled. "It's one of her rules."
"Which is?"
"No homework, no detention. Take the alternative because there's already 8 hours of fucking school."
"Wowwww."
Zoe giggled.
_______________________________________
Airiana sat in ISS, tapping her pen on the table at the same speed of the clock. Tick/ tap, tick/tap, tick/tap/. She sighed. She felt angry at her geography teacher but tried to realize that it wasn't his fault. I am just a natural slow eater, that's all. He cannot help that his class is right after lunch. She looked at the clock. 8:45. Oh come on! This day is going to be looong! The fan kicked on, blowing dusty air in her face. Really? This place is so fucking creepy… and dirty!
"Psst."
Airiana looked at the door. Seriously?
Drake smiled at her and entered. He snapped his fingers and the fan shut off.
"I don't want you getting dirty."
Airiana rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"
"A talk."
"A… talk?"
"Yeah, how are things going?"
Airiana stared blankly at him.
"It's cold in here, isn't it?"
Airiana continued staring at him, not replying.
"Follow me, I know a better room." Airiana followed him, holding her tongue, deciding not to ask a bunch of questions. Drake opened a door in the wall which was not noticeable to any human eye. It did not surprise Airiana in the slightest as she was getting used to weird physically impossible situations occurring on a daily basis in her school. "Please take a seat," Drake outstretched his arm to a comfortable red colored sofa. The room Airiana followed Drake into was decorated elegantly with the red sofa and candelabras on the wall holding pillar candles. Drake poured two drinks. Wine for Airiana and a goblet of blood for himself.
Airiana sat down on the sofa clutching the wine nervously, listening to Drake talk on and on about himself for the rest of the day. Sure beats being alone and bored… I think.
"I have frightened you dearly Air," He said sipping out of his wine glass, "I wish you were mine so I can tell you all the adventures I've had and how old I am. But being as you will not be mine, I will just have to tell you. I did try to kill you a couple nights ago,"
Images of the zombies she fought a couple nights ago in the cemetery appeared in her mind, as well as the handsome man she had met and who saved her life.
"My master wants you dead Air but if you were mine, I could protect you better. Especially now that I see you have powers... where did you get these powers Air?"
Airiana shrugged, her gaze still in her drink, "I don't know..." She whispered.
"I see... doesn't look like you are lying," She met his concerned gaze and he placed his finger underneath her chin, "I just want to see you be yourself Air,"
She looked away, glaring at the wall blinking back tears. "I was until you came."
Drake threw back his glass emptying it and got up to refill it. Airiana's head was a little fuzzy from the wine. "I want you to know me Air, really know me. I love you Air," he looked at her to see her response, but she continued staring into her glass. "I want to taste your blood so bad, but I don't think I can hurt you, not right now." Drake returned with his new goblet and started reminiscing of his childhood before he was a vampire, of when he was human just like her.
Airiana slowly refilled her wine glass throughout the day, careful to not get drunk but also needing the alcohol for all the stories she had to listen to. The story was the same as most vampires in fantasy novels. A boy in the 1700's growing up with a hard life of being poor, scraping for bread and money, barely getting by. Falling ill to smallpox and being saved by a bite to the neck and being turned by a vampire doctor in disguise who wanted an army and a family for himself. Airiana would have felt sorry for him if he weren't as evil as he was now.
"Will you turn me?" she asked him, looking into his dark coal black eyes.
"That was my original plan," Drake said, "But with your powers I wonder if you are as human as I thought you were."
Airiana frowned. She had no clue where her powers had come from, but she knew for a fact she was 100 percent human.
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"How was ISS?" Zoe asked.
"Retarded," Airiana replied, "Drake talked to me for like… forever."
"Ha!"
"Shut-up,"
"How was THAT like?"
"It was boring. Can we go by the lake?"
"Sure!" school was out, and kids were streaming out of the building. Most going on the buses. Some walking the same direction as the girls to walk home or to the store.
"Zoe, I realized that you hang out with Bach more than Greg." Airiana stated when there were not that many kids around to overhear her.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Zoe stared at Airiana with those big dark eyes of hers.
Airiana smiled and pinched her cheek. "You are so cute!"
"Oh please!" Zoe laughed and pushed Airiana's hand away.
"Anyways, you act more like yourself around Bach. What gives?"
"I don't know, his personality is really cute. It makes me open up more, joke around more. His personality is a lot like…Mark's!" She gushed with sudden realization.
Airiana smiled.
"But I really do love Greg,"
"Do you LOVE him Zoe? Or just respect that Greg was there for you when Mark left?"
Zoe pursed her lips.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to crush your relationship, I just-"
"I know," Zoe interrupted, "but Air, can you do me a favor?"
"Anything."
"Please don't talk about Mark anymore. He is a thing of the past. I'm over him."
No, you aren't. Airiana smiled softly. "Okay, no more Mark."
"Thanks, a lot," Zoe hugged her. "You're the bestest friend ever!"
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When Airiana and Zoe got home, they got ready for the Halloween dance at the school. Airiana was super girl her hair up in a half ponytail wearing an eyemask, short skirt, knee high boots and cape. Zoe was a vampire, her hair in the same up do with fake blood dripping down her face, fake fangs, pale makeup, a black corset, fluffy black short skirt, knee high black boots with heels and a cape. She called Airiana from the closet where she was getting dressed. "You ready?"
"Yeah,"
Zoe stepped into the bathroom.
Airiana laughed. "A vampire, how original,"
Zoe grinned, revealing her fake fangs and she reached inside her mouth to press them back into place. "Lets go," Zoe and Airiana climbed into her black bug, listening to emo rap all the way to the school. At the dance, Greg danced with Zoe practically the whole time. He was dressed as a wizard.
Airiana danced with a couple of boys. One of the boys groped her and she punched him in the face, sending him flying into two other couples. Another boy feeled her up while dancing and she slapped him hard and pushed him, sending him flying into Greg and Zoe.
"Hey! Watch it!" Zoe yelled. She put her hand on Greg's face, as if to protect it.
Bach shyly walked up to Airiana. He had not bothered to dress up. "May I have this dance?" the song "Just Dance" played in the background.
"Promise you won't try to grope me?" Airiana joked.
Bach feigned shock, "Now why would I do that? You're my sister, remember?"
Airiana gave him a happy look and held out her hand.
Bach took it and pulled Airiana into his arms. I wish she were my real sister. She would have changed my life a lot. And she is not as mean and crabby as I had thought. She is actually really nice. Bach could not help but look behind his shoulder at Zoe. He sighed.
"What?" Airiana's voice brought him back to reality to what he was truly doing, dancing with her.
"Oh… nothing."
Airiana gave him a lop-sided grin.
"Uh-hum," someone cleared their throat.
"What?"
"Huh? I didn't say anything."
Airiana looked behind her shoulder and gasped.
There stood Drake, looking smart in an all-black tux. He had not bothered dressing up in a costume, he did not really need to with what he was. "May I have this dance?"
"Sure, but not with me."
Drake smiled and took her in his arms anyways, ripping her out of Bach's.
"Let her go!" Bach yelled, hitting Drake's back.
Airiana started hitting Drake's chest, trying to break away from him. "Hey! What are you doing?! Stop it!"
Drake let her go, only because he did not want to draw attention. "I would dance with you Air. I would do even more than that to you."
Airiana stuck her finger in her mouth and made a gagging face.
"You're not going to defeat me, you know."
"Oh really?" Airiana's put her hands on her hips, lifting an eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Well I have news for you. I came here to have fun and that is just what I'll do. Come on Zoe." Airiana grabbed Zoe's hand, ripping her out of Greg's arms and they walked onto the stage. Everyone got quiet. Then a pop song started playing and Airiana and Zoe started dancing, laughing and booty bumping each other, almost sending each other flying off the stage. When the song ended, everyone started going crazy, they whooped and applauded. Airiana left the stage, feeling high and confident from acting like her true teenage self to confront Drake again, but he was gone. "We should find him," she told Zoe.
Zoe chuckled, "Why?"
"I want to throw one of my fire balls at him,"
Zoe laughed, doubling over, "Sure, why not. Can you make them appear at will now?"
"Yeah I think so." Airiana grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the crowd of dancing teenagers into the quieter hallway. Bach had noticed them slipping out and followed them. "Hey guys what are you doing?" He asked.
"Air wants to find Drake." Zoe explained.
"Why?" Bach asked.
"May as well see if my fireballs can hurt him." Airiana explained.
"Can you make those on impulse?"
"Guess I'll find out." the teenagers walked down the hallway, the noise of the dance disappearing behind them. The hallways were dimly lit due to it being after school hours and soon the only noise they could hear was the sound of the fan running softly.
Clap, clap.
The teenagers jumped, hugging each other. "You hear that?" Zoe whispered.
Clap, clap
Airiana grabbed her phone out her costume to start recording the supernatural instances. "Sounds like someone clapping. Holy shit!" she exclaimed, "My phone battery just dropped to 5% and wont record." she frustratingly put her phone away again in her costume. The teenagers stopped walking, looking at the pitch-black hallway before them. A black figure crawled across the floor, stood up looking at them with its nonexistent eyes and crawled again to the other side of the hallway. The teenagers held their breath, "Yeah fuck this, were leaving." Airiana turned around and ran back to the dance, Zoe and Bach close behind her.
"Oh my God did you see that?!" Zoe exclaimed her voice echoing down the hallway, "That was insane!"
Bach started fake crying, laughing and crying at the same time. Suddenly arms reached out from the hallway and pulled Bach away.
The girls screamed and stopped running, turning down the hallway he was pulled into.
"OH MY GOD STOP!" Airiana screamed in horror.
Drake pulled his mouth back from Bach's neck, blood dripping off his fangs as he smiled at her. Bach moaned in pain, limp in Drake's arms. "You shouldn't have brought a date to this dance Air, you are mine."
"That's not my date! That's my foster brother!"
Drake's smile dropped and he stood up, dropping Bach to the ground like a sack of potatoes. "Oh," he wiped the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand and turned around, walking away embarrassed.
Airiana and Zoe ran to Bach, each putting his arm around their shoulder, standing him up. "Thanks guys," he said weakly, a weak smile on his face.
"Are you alright?" Zoe asked.
"Yeah, just a little weak is all."
"Let's just go home." Airiana whispered.
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"I didn't tell you this, but when you were in ISS, I discovered this artifact in the display case. It was never there before, and I think its Drake's." Zoe said the next day at school.
Airiana and Zoe were skipping science class, their least favorite class because Zoe had wanted Airiana to see something but would not say what until they were away from listening students. "Well, let's see it." Airiana said.
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Bach had seen Airiana and Zoe run into the bathroom right when the second bell rang, so he hid too, behind a garbage can. When the halls were empty, he went into the elementary gym, which was vacant because he figured that Airiana and Zoe were inspecting the gym storage where they had discovered Elaine's body a month ago.
He tried to open its door, but it was locked. He found a bobby pin on the floor and picked the lock, the door swinging open. He entered the room and the door slammed shut immediately behind him. He turned around to open it, but it was locked. The lights started to flicker. What is going on?!
BOOM!
Bach jumped and whirled around.
A decaying body in a robe was holding a sword, floating above the ground.
Bach screamed and grabbed a baseball bat near him… his only weapon.
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"See this architecture?" Zoe asked, pointing at the artifact in the display case. It was almost as tall as the girls, it looked like an ancient god ancient people would have worshiped in history.
"Yeah… it has a certain energy to it, doesn't it?" Airiana smiled.
Zoe's eyes popped open in realization. "Yeah! Let's hope there's no lock on it."
"You open the case. I'll be the lookout guard."
"Okay," Zoe attempted to open the display case, but it was locked. She sighed in frustration and pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and picked the lock. "It's open," Zoe sighed with relief, pushing the glass door wide open. She ran her hands over the wooden gold and ruby painted artifact. "It's closed like a door." she pulled on it with her fingers and it opened up.
Airiana gasped. "No way!"
"Sweet!" Zoe gushed. The artifact was a door that opened up to a secret passage in between the walls of the school. Zoe started to climb in, Airiana right behind her.
Airiana closed the display case slightly behind her and then closed the artifact. "Did we just WALK IN an artifact?"
Zoe shrugged. "I guess so!"
It was dark at first until a dim light filled the room from lights that were on the side of the walls.
"Wow," Airiana breathed, "We're INSIDE the walls and ceiling of the school!"
"Wicked!"
They were walking a bit until Zoe asked, "Do you have any idea where we are?"
"Nope." They listened. They could hear nothing but fans and distant yelling.
"Is that… Bach?!" Zoe asked frantically.
"I don't know!" They heard what sounded like crashing and Bach yelling. "Hurry!" Airiana screamed and they blindly ran down the passageway.
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The zombie struck at Bach, but Bach blocked it with the baseball bat.
The zombie struck again.
Bach was lucky to block it again. That was close! Bach realized that he was getting trapped in the corner and his baseball bat was almost cut in half. I'm going to die!