Beginnings (The Trifectus Series - Book One) (5 page)

“Oh cool.  Do you have any free time 2night?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah, I guess I do.  Why?” I replied.

“I was wondering if u wanted to video chat maybe,” he said.

This brightened my day in more ways than one.  I had been friends with Marcus for a while now, and I didn’t even know what he looked like.  I have always tried to put a face with him, but when you don’t have anything to work with, it can be rather hard. 

“Yeah, definitely,” I replied with a smiley face.

As I got home, I rushed upstairs.  Surprisingly nobody was home that day, and I had a bit of freedom that I normally don’t get.  As I logged online, I saw Marcus was on.

“Hey,” I typed enthusiastically.

“Hey, what’s up?” he typed back.

“Nm, want to video chat now?” I replied.

Here it was.  The time was finally here.  As I ran my fingers through my hair and fixed myself up last-minute, I got nervous.  It wasn’t the cute boy nervousness, but more so the meeting a new friend nervous.  Just as I finished fixing myself up, the request showed up on my screen.  I clicked it.

There he was: sort of.  It was very grainy.  I was suspicious.  Why would the video be so incredibly grainy?  It was rare to see anybody without high definition anything these days.  Everybody had the latest products, and graininess went out of fashion years ago. 

As I examined the screen closer, I could see him better.  He was cute.  His dark, brown skin was spotless.  His jaw was strong, and he had on black sunglasses.  I thought that part was weird.  Why would he be wearing sunglasses indoors in the late afternoon?  There wasn’t even a window where he was at, so there was no chance of random sunlight even getting to him.

“You’re very pretty,” he typed.

“Thank you!  You’re handsome,” I replied.

As we chatted more, I started feeling better.  Here was my old friend on the screen, and I felt like I could talk to him about anything.  We chatted for an hour and a half before my father got home.

“Oh, my family is home, I have to go!” I typed frantically right before logging off.

As I rushed downstairs, my father was watching the news.  There was another attack, but this time it wasn’t vampires.

“This is Terry Kerrington live at the scene.  Earlier this evening a bank in midtown was robbed.  Here with more is Deputy Tim Masterson.”

“Yeah, we had an elaborate robbery of Midtown Bank and Trust today at approximately 4:43 p.m.”
              “What can you tell us about the suspects, Deputy Masterson?”
              “There are three suspects of androidian race.  They hacked into the server mainframe to disable the security devices and then made their move.  One with a plasma cannon on his arm blasted the vault door clean off while the others made sure no hostages escaped.  We weren’t able to get here in time to stop them.  The robbery was very much planned and very fast and efficient.”

Androidians were rarely in the news.  They were a group of people that decades ago infused themselves with technology to evolve further.  They felt it was their duty to help accelerate the human evolutionary chain, and that technology was the way to go.  Brain implants, eye implants, mechanical parts, the whole kit and caboodle.  While they are rarely in the news or public eye, they make sure they make an entrance when they do.  They were a smart group of people.  While you can’t be born androidian, you have no choice at birth.  Two androidian parents have a mortal, human child.  Within a few days after birth, the parents surgically implant various cybernetic and mechanical parts into their child as they please.  Whatever they want them to have can be done if they have the money.

Some people, mortal humans, will choose to become androidian on their own.  We call these people drifters.  They have no real place in the world or society so they turn to a group that will welcome anyone willing to lay their bodies on the line. 

They are a dangerous race of people, some say even more dangerous than vampires or werewolves.  They are great at hacking computers and networks, making them a serious threat.  They live mostly underground.  Sewers, old bunkers: that kind of thing.  Their technological aptitude makes them almost impossible to find.  They create their own products to shield from infrared scanners and computer systems. 

In the off chance that one is found, they are captured and dissected of their mechanical parts for scientists to study them and figure out ways to find the others. 

“Can you believe that?” my dad exclaims.

“First the vampire attack and now this.  I guess now we just wait for those feral dogs to come attack us,” my dad said angrily. 

“I’m sure it will be okay,” I said, trying to be reassuring.

“NO!” he exclaimed at the top of his lungs.

“I will not stand for this any longer.  The next one of these freaks to be spotted will be shot on contact,” he said with fire in his eyes.

This frightened me.  I knew my father was a man of his word.  If he told you to your face he would kill these people, he would the first chance he got.  With all of the attacks in the news, he wanted to make an example of these people.  He wanted to show them what happens when you mess with him.  He wanted to exterminate them.

As he walked away, I started thinking about James.  What if he got caught in my father’s crosshairs?  He wasn’t even violent.  He was loving and kind and I am sure there were more vampires out there just like him.  I needed to try to protect him: I needed to shield him. 

I knew I could help him, but only if he would be honest with me.  I needed him to tell me what he was: a vampire. 

The next day at school I was on a mission.  I was going to confront James and trick him into telling me.  At lunch, I saw him making his way to the cafeteria.  I stood up and bumped into him.

“Oh hey, James!  How are you?” I asked smiling.

“Oh, Juliet.  I’m well, and you?” he replied.

“Oh, I’m so starving.  Why don’t you come get food with me!” I told him.

As I said that, I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the line with me. 

“I’m so hungry,” I said.  “What are you going to get?”

“Oh, I’m not really that hungry,” he said trying to pull away.

“Nonsense,” I said.  “You’re a teenage boy, you need to eat.”

James reluctantly took a few pieces of fruit and handed the woman his money. 

“My sister is probably looking for me.  I should go.”

“Okay, James!” I said.  “Talk to you later,” I said, smiling.

As I sat down with Ariel and my new friends, I kept a watchful eye on James.  He sat down with Emma and she looked confused, as if asking why he had fruit on his plate.  Emma didn’t have any food, just like James.  It made me wonder.

After lunch, I saw James get up.  I followed him to his locker and confronted him.

“How was your fruit?” I asked.

“Oh, um, it was good.”

“Are you sure?  You didn’t seem to eat any of it.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I know what you are,” I whispered into his ear.

“Not hungry?” he said with an uncomfortable laugh.

“Vampire,” I whispered.

Right as I said this to him, he looked me in the eyes and then took off.  As I followed him, he started to move faster.  He was trying to ditch me and escape.  He knew that I fully knew his secret, and he was scared.  He knew who my father was, and he knew that if I wanted to I could turn him in and have him killed.  I didn’t want that, though.  I wanted him.  I wanted to love him and have him love me back even more. 

As I turned around the corner after him he was gone.  I stood there in disbelief.  Why would he be doing this?  Why couldn’t he just accept it like I had?  Why couldn’t he talk to me about it and let me love him?

As I walked back inside, I saw Derek and Cara standing at the lockers smiling at me. 

“What happened there?” asked Derek, laughing.

“Yeah, you made James look a little pale there, if you know what I mean,” said Cara, laughing.

What was that supposed to mean?  Did they know he was a vampire?  If they knew his secret, why wouldn’t they go to the authorities and turn him in?  Or, I thought, was this a dig at me?  Maybe they wanted to make fun of me for making a guy run away.  Whatever it was, I knew I needed to get to the bottom of it.

As I walked to the bathroom, I couldn’t stop thinking about what had just happened.  What did I do?  Did I take things too far?  I shouldn’t have confronted him in school like that.  I was just fed up, though.  I didn’t want him to lie to me anymore and I certainly didn’t want him trying to avoid me either. 

I went into a bathroom stall and locked the door.  I sat there with my head buried in my lap trying to keep from crying.  I didn’t want everyone to see me crying and think I was some weak little girl who couldn’t handle herself. 

Just as I was starting to get myself together, the door opened and I heard a few girls talking.

“So, Brittany, did you know it was her?” one girl said.

“No way.  Some military guys stormed into our house last night and took her away.  They didn’t even say what they were doing at first,” Brittany said.

“Well then, how do you know she was there?”

“My father contacted some colonel and was given proof that Ashley was there and that she was involved.  I still don’t believe it, though.  I think she is being set up.  My father is working with our lawyers to get her out,” she said with confidence.

I tried being as quiet as I could.  I didn’t want them knowing I was in here.  What if they questioned me?  What if they knew my father must have been the one who contacted her father?  I wouldn’t be able to live it down.  These girls had true power at this school and they could get everybody to believe whatever they wanted.  I had to stay on their good side, no matter what.

As the day progressed, I tried to keep my distance from Brittany and her group.  There were only a few people at school who had parents in the military, and even fewer who had high-ranking parents.  It wouldn’t be hard for them to figure out my father was high-ranked and then deduct that I’m the daughter who took her sister away.

As I got home that day, I saw my father already home.

“How come you’re home already?” I asked.

“Oh, I worked from home today,” he said.

He barely looked at me when I got home.  It was almost as if he was mad at me.  What could he be mad at me for, though?  They had taken in Ashley and that got me off the hook.  Now he couldn’t blame me for anything.  I still felt like he knew somehow.  He knew I was the one there and he was just waiting for me to feel guilty and come clean.  Yes, I was the one there during the encounter.  Yes, I let Ashley take the dive for me because she is a cruel, heartless girl who deserves everything she has coming to her.  Somehow, though, I didn’t care.  If the truth ever came out, my father would be blamed.  His own daughter, the girl in love with the vampire: the girl who was there and saw everything.

I went upstairs and turned on my computer.  As I was messing around, I saw Marcus come online.  Hm, I wondered.  No, I thought, I couldn’t do that to him. 

I wanted to make James jealous.  Maybe if he thought I was talking to another guy, he would get jealous and want me.  Maybe I could use Marcus to get to James.  There was no way I was ever going to be able to corner James anywhere anyway.  He was faster than anything I had seen before. 

“Hey you,” I typed to Marcus.

“Hey Juliet, how are you doing?” he replied.
             

“I’m good.  I’ve been thinking about you,” I said flirtingly.

This was wrong, I thought.  How could I do this to such a good friend?  He had always been there for me and now I was using him.  I was using him to get to James and it was wrong.  I was desperate, though.  I needed to feel James’s strong arms around me again.  I needed to see his glistening smile.  I needed him.

“I’ve been thinking about you too,” he replied.

It was too late to turn back now.  Now he is flirting back and I can’t take back what I said.  I can’t come out and say it was a mistake or I don’t mean it.  It would crush him and crush our friendship. 

“Juliet!  Get down here!” my father yelled.

As I went downstairs, I was wondering what could be wrong.  Did he find out and now was furious?  I went down to see him watching the news.

“This is Terry Kerrington live at the scene.  Reports are surfacing that approximately thirty minutes ago, another bank was robbed downtown.  Here with more details is Deputy Tim Masterson.”

“Yeah, what we have here is another androidian robbery.  This time they struck another Midtown Bank and Trust branch.  There were no casualties, and once again the robbery was swift and efficient.”

“Deputy Masterson, what steps are your force going to take against these robbers?”

“Well, I’m glad you asked, Terry.  We are going to be placing on-duty police officers at every Midtown Bank and Trust in town.  We feel that for some reason they are targeting this specific bank.  Once we get more details we will make them known to the public.”

“Thank you, Deputy Masterson.  This is Terry Kerrington, signing off.”