5 Darkness Falls (13 page)

The baby fluttered within my belly. Dr. H said it was normal for me to feel the baby’s movements early considering I was carrying a vampire,
who is
much stronger than a human baby.

“Sorry, dear.” Jack closed down the panel of readings, signaling it was time for a break.

“Thanks, Jack. Thanks, Frank.” Frank had been the primar
y
tech guy assigned to my team’s mission by the vamp army.

I picked up my cell and made the call.

“Yeah?” Jarrod answered.

“Pull out. Be back in twenty-four.”

He hesitated before delivering a frustrated, “Got it.”

I rolled
my
chair away from the desk
that was
pressed against a wall of monitors and screens
. Each one displayed
something different
:
from charts and graphs to security feeds and street cams.

I adjusted my black leggings as I stood, pulling them up at the waist
and
immediately tugged on my teal tank dress. I’d
reverted to
plus size fashion
s
, wearing a one-inch thick belt around the smaller part of my waist
, trying to minimize
my middle, especially since the material
clung tightly
to my bulging belly and hips.

I sighed. At least my feet weren’t swollen
…
much.
Thankfully, they
still fit into my silver ballet flats,
which
went so perfectly with this outfit.

I scuttled out of the office and nearly ran into Laurence. “Sorry. I guess I’m a bit distracted.”

His face turned down, slightly thoughtful. “Are you certain you can handle this, Alexa? We don’t mind stepping in.”

“I appreciate the offer, but this is my problem, not yours. Plus, you’re already lending me your resources.”

He
pressed
his lips
together
,
their
pale pink
color
nearly blending into the
fairness of his complexion.
“Do let us know if you change your mind.”

“I will, thanks.”

He nodded, moving on to the conference room where Auggy and Felipe already sat with a few other vamps.

Drexel popped his head out of an office across the way. “You ready,
B
aby
C
akes?”

“I guess.”

He closed the distance between us in a few quick strides. “Let’s go. You’ve got a GED test to ace.”

“Hopefully.” He cut his eyes at me. “Uh, yes. I have a test to ace?” I lifted a single brow.

“That’s more like it.” He smiled, escorting me to the car.

***

Mel smiled, leaping through the doors of the local high school.

Drexel leaned against the front of the SUV. He immediately straightened at the sight of us coming towards him. “Well?” He
tilted his head,
waiting expectantly for
our
response.

“We passed!” I laughed, my heart soaring. “We don’t know our scores, but both of us definitely passed.”

“Congratulations,
B
aby
Cakes. And you too, B
londie.” He smirked, knowing
his pet name for Mel really irritated her.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

I shrieked as she whisked past me at vamp speed and circled the car.

She stopped and threw her arms in the air. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Screw you high school! I’m done with you!” She flicked an obscene gesture towards the building.

I shook my head in dismay. “Um, Drex, we don’t know her. Let’s go.”

“Aren’t you excited? I mean, holy sugarplums, Lex. Our entire high school career is over
…
done
…
finite. We never have to step back inside those doors again. No more petty drama, no more class
rooms
, no more social segregation.” She was smiling wide, her eyes alight with joy.

I gave her a smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes because I was clouded with regret. I was never big on high school, but I was fully aware of all I’d given up to be a vampeen, and now all I’d given up to be a teen mother. I was done. There was no going back. It’s not like I could take my GED,
and then
decide I wanted the prom memory and
the cap and gown experience
and suddenly re-enroll. This was final.

In many ways, it was the
last
thing left of my childhood. I was an adult in every way now: house, car, bills, a career, an army to lead, a baby… and finally, I’d completed school, at least at the primary level. I had nothing left, not even my parents, to give me that youthful edge. The only
had one advantage over the
vamps: my age.

“Let’s go celebrate.” Mel looped her arm around mine and dragged me towards the SUV. She discarded me at the front passenger door before moving to the back.

I climbed in and buckled up.

“You okay?” Drexel’s voice was low, discreet.

I gave a small shake of my head, acknowledging that I was okay for the moment.

“O.M.G. Lex. I can’t believe we’re really done. Ugh. It only felt like forever. How do people go all twelve years and then on to college? Bor
rriiing!
I mean, if you want to be a lawyer or doctor, okay, I get it, but why do I have to go to college to be an elementary school teacher when I already aced well beyond that? It’s a really twisted system if you think about it.

“I mean, when has anyone ever used
a
lgebra or
g
eometry in real life? Unless you
want to be
an engineer
-
which would require too much school for my sanity
-
you’re not going to use it.
S
cientists use advanced chemical compounds and research compositions, but again, most people aren’t going to
do that.”

She finally took a breath, but continued right after. “I mean, how sad is it to go to college for four years only to come out making less than your
part-time
high school
job?
I wanted to go to fashion school, which is a complete crock. When I came out, I’d either have to intern for next to nothing or for free or find a major wad of cash to start my own line. It’s either you have it or you don’t. School won’t change your fashion sense. I guess maybe a business course or two couldn’t hurt, but that’s just a class, not an entire degree. I mean, who needs college level math, English and social studies for a single course education?”

I saw her gaze out the window from the side mirror. She grew pensive. “I mean, you’re doing it Lex. You’ve surpassed us all with a sophomore level education. What does that say about the school system?”

“I think it’s about more than studying through high school. It’s about learning and experiencing things
: it’s about
life. Then
,
you graduate at an age when you should have reached a certain level of maturity. And college is about more than learning a single
subject.
Most people want to be well
-
rounded in case their plan A falls through. Not everyone can secure jobs in their field of study. If they hadn’t taken those math courses, they wouldn’t have a shot at being a bookkeeper. If they hadn’t studied college level English, they couldn’t secure a position as a copy editor.” I shrugged. “I see where you’re coming from, but I also see the point in all the extra
fluff
. It’s about ensuring more opportunities
for yourself
rather than
being
pigeon-hol
ed.”

“Well then. Way to knock me off my soap box.” She harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn’t truly miffed but playing
dramatically, as always.

I chuckled. That
’s my best friend in a nutshell.
She meant well, had solid points, but was a tad too impulsive with her explanation
s
, not thinking
ahead.

Drexel put the car in park in front of the restaurant. I saw several recognizable vehicles in the parking lot. It looked like everyone was already inside waiting.

Mel was out of the car and yanking open my door before I could even unbuckle. She practically dragged me out of the SUV, wrapping an arm around me and pushing me towards the restaurant’s entrance.

Drex held the door for us. Mel pushed past me,
grabbing
my hand
on
the way and
pulling me along beside her.
I knew my eyes flew open.

The entire front of the steakhouse was a blur. Mel didn’t even stop at the hostess stand. She
blazed
a trail straight towards the back of the main floor where we found everyone sitting around the table waiting for us.

The moment she released me
,
I teetered. Kellan
took
me in his arms the second Mel exclaimed, “I passed!”

“You okay?” Kellan pushed my hair back.

“Yeah. She’s just Mel
-On-Wheels
today.”

“Good.” He captured my lips. His
mouth
w
as
soft
and
graceful against mine.

But something was wrong
:
different. His mind didn’t immediately open up to me. I pulled back, my features firmly turned down.

I
stared at
him, trying to ga
u
ge where he was mentally. He was unreadable
.
For the first time, there was a clear distance between us.

He moved his mouth near my ear. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

I swallowed hard, trying to push past the
flood of
discomfort settling in my gut. My chest compressed slightly under the weight of possibilit
ies…
under the stress of my overactive mind already off on a whirlwind of conspiracies.

He pulled me in front of him
, facing
the crowded table. Mel’s dad was busy congratulating her while Craig waited eagerly
for his turn.
Kellan’s parents sat beside Aunt Claire and Auggy, all watching me closely…too closely.

I plastered a smile on my face that felt fake
,
even to me. The baby chose that moment to
flip-flop
about.
Instinctively, I placed my hand on
my lower stomach
trying to calm the sensation.
It wasn’t large enough to feel outside, but had enough power to let me know it was alive and kicking
on the
inside.
The baby’s
heartbeat quickened a few beats with the movement.

Gabi and Jack angled their heads simultaneously, as if they were of one mind. Kai lifted a brow towards me. The tension
visible
around his lips told me he knew something was bothering me, but he respected me too much to bring it up in public.

“Well?” Aunt Claire’s voice was high, anxious. “Don’t keep us in the dark.”

My features finally relaxed. “I passed.”

“Woohoo!” she screamed. “I knew you could do it!”

Auggy
flashed
an annoyed look, but was quick to congratulate me
along with everyone else.

“Thanks.”

Kellan pulled out a chair for me. I was just about to sit when my phone went off. My heart skipped a beat. Looking around,
anyone it could be – or anyone it
would
be - was already here.

I slowly backed away from the table and checked the screen. It was Jarrod. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re under attack. The town’s people turned against us. We can’t
back out now
without exposing ourselves if you catch my drift.”

I froze, my heart beating fast and hard,
matching a
nearly normal human pace. “I care about you; I don’t care about human theories or politics. Do what you have to do. Call me if you need back up
,
and I’ll have it there within the hour.”

He
hung up,
but not before I heard shouting in the background. I didn’t understand the language, but
easily picked up on
the aggressiveness of their tones. If I had to guess, they were probably
lurking
around the hotel.

I worried my bottom lip, fear coursing through me. Maybe some people could push away the
se
thoughts. Maybe the president could read to children in a classroom while his nation was under attack, but
I
couldn’t pretend that nothing was wrong. I couldn’t let go of the fact that my soldiers were in danger.