Craved (Book #2 of the Vampire Legacy) (11 page)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Caleb stormed out of his house, livid. He could not believe what was happening to his family, how quickly everything seemed to be changing. Caitlin, who’d been a rock in his life for as long as he had known her, was having a breakdown. He had never seen her like this. All she talked about were vampires, supernatural nonsense, and her belief that her own daughter was turning into a vampire. It was ridiculous. He had been hoping that it was only due to stress, to Scarlet’s sickness, and that it would all go away and she would return to normal.

But Caitlin seemed to be getting worse. She wouldn’t stop obsessing over it, talking constantly of vampires, and then, bringing Scarlet to church. Now she talked about the priest, and something about the windows breaking. It was crazy. She had really lost it.

If that were not enough, now she was getting on a plane for Paris. Caleb had gone from being merely upset over this to truly worried. He didn’t know who he was more worried for now—his daughter or his wife. She had texted him from the plane, but he’d been too mad to respond.

Not to mention Scarlet: he could not understand what had come over her, either. Just a few days ago, she had been the sweet, kind, caring teenage daughter he had always known. He had never known her to act out like this. Slamming doors, yelling at them, skipping school, staying out late. And now, lying to them and sneaking out. This just wasn’t her.

He thought back to her being sick, a few days ago, and wondered if somehow it was all related. He thought it was silly to attribute all of this to some mysterious illness. This was no illness. To him, it seemed like drugs. Maybe Scarlet had been experimenting with drugs, like the police said, and maybe that was what had made her sick. Maybe it was some kind of bad trip. That would certainly explain for all her erratic behavior as of late. And the mood swings.

As Caleb walked to his car, and thought about the possibility of her doing drugs, he thought about any new friends that might have come into her life lately. His mind kept returning to one person: Blake. He didn’t know of any other new friends, and Blake was the first boyfriend she’d introduced them to. In Caleb’s mind, it was too much of a coincidence: one day, she introduces a new boyfriend, and the next, she’s acting like a completely different person. He felt certain, deep in his bones, that it was Blake’s doing, that he was a drug-addict and a terrible influence. They were probably spending all their time together, and he was probably enticing her to do drugs.

The thought sent him into a rage. He felt certain Scarlet was with Blake, and was determined to track them down and bring her back, and to keep him far away from his daughter.

Caleb floored it, screeching out of the driveway and speeding the ten or so blocks to the Wilsons’ house.

As he turned the corner in their quiet, sleepy village, he saw the street lit up: dozens of cars were parked in front, and every light in the house was on. Music blared even from here, and dozens of kids streamed onto the lawn, many holding plastic beer cups.

His rage increased, as he felt certain his daughter was inside. Probably with Blake.

He pulled up and parked in front of the house, jumped out and strutted across the street. He marched up the walkway, to the surprised stares of many teenagers, and scanned the lawn, looking for any sign of Scarlet, or Blake.

Caleb marched up to a girl he recognized as one of Scarlet’s friends. She saw him marching up, and she looked surprised—and scared.

“Hello Mr. Paine,” she said, lowering her beer cup. “What are you doing here?”

“Is Scarlet here?” he asked abruptly.

“Um…I saw her earlier. I think she’s inside,” she said, tentatively. “Is everything okay?”

So, Scarlet was here. Caleb was right.

He turned and stormed into the house, marching through the open front door.

The living room was absolutely packed, jammed shoulder to shoulder with kids. He could already see all the damage they’d done in the house, and could only imagine the expressions of the Wilsons when they returned from their trip. He knew them both well—they’d had dinner many times, and knew they’d be devastated to come home to a house like this. Caleb thought it was a shame that their son had done such a thing.
What was it with teenagers?
he wondered.

He pushed his way through the crowd, scanning the faces, looking for any sign of his daughter, or of Blake.

Finally, halfway through the room, he spotted Blake, standing there, in the corner, with a tall blonde girl who seemed to be coming on to him. At least Blake, to his credit, didn’t seem interested in her.

The sight of him put Caleb in a rage. He marched right up to him, the crowd parting ways. Blake did a double-take as he saw Caleb, and his expression morphed to one of true fear.

“Mr. Paine,” he said.

Caleb marched right up to him, grabbed his shirt with both of his hands, and pulled him in close.

“Where’s my daughter?” he growled.

Blake swallowed.

“I don’t know. I swear. Why? Is she okay?”

“Don’t you lie to me,” Caleb said.

“Mr. Paine, I swear. I have no idea. I like Scarlet. I would never do anything—”

“Is that why you invited her here? To get her drunk? To get her high?”

“Whoa dude,” Blake said, “it’s not like that at all. You’ve got it wrong. I didn’t invite her here. She showed up on her own. Like, look around: the whole school’s here.”

“You think she would have come if it weren’t for you?” Caleb pressed.

Blake’s eyes fell in disappointment.

“I like your daughter. I really do. But she’s not even into me.”

Caleb could see by Blake’s expression that he was telling the truth.

Slowly, he relaxed his grip. He still stood there though, glowering down at Blake.

“Have you offered my daughter any drugs, at any time in the last several days?” he asked.

“No sir. I would never do that.”

“Except for that hit on the joint you handed her the other day,” came a girl’s snotty voice.

Caleb turned and saw that blonde girl standing there, looking drunk, a sneer on her face.

“Hate to be the one to say it,” she added. “But it’s true.”

Caleb turned and glowered back at Blake. He could tell by his guilty expression that it was true.

“It wasn’t like that,” Blake said. “There was like a big group of us. Someone was passing around a joint. It wasn’t me.”

Caleb’s face turned red, as he felt himself fill with fury and rage. He had caught him in a lie. He was a drug addict. He had been pushing drugs on his daughter. Caleb had been right all along. If this boy was any older, Caleb would beat him to a pulp. It took every ounce of his will to contain himself.

“I’m only going to say this once,” Caleb sneered. “Stay away from my daughter. Do you hear me? I find you anywhere near here, and you’re dead. You understand?”

Slowly, Blake nodded, looking ashen.

Caleb turned and stormed back through the house, shoving his way through the party. He looked everywhere, but saw no signs of Scarlet. It looked like she’d left. But with who?

Caleb stormed out the house, down the walkway, and was trying to figure out where to go next, when suddenly there came a voice.

“OMG, Mr. Paine?”

Caleb turned, recognizing it. It was Maria. Scarlet’s best friend.

“Like what are you doing here?” she added

“Maria,” he said with urgency, heading towards her. “It’s important. I need to know where Scarlet is. Have you seen her here tonight?”

“Um…yeah,” she said. “Unfortunately.”

Caleb narrowed his eyes.

“What does that mean?”

“Last I saw her, she was like in the process of stealing my boyfriend,” she said.

Caleb narrowed his eyes further, trying to understand. Was Maria drunk, too?

“Is she here?” Caleb asked.

“No. She left a while ago.”

“Do you know where?”

“No clue. And glad I don’t.”

“She’s not responding to any of my calls or texts. Can you text her for me? I need to know where she is.”

Maria hesitated.

“I’m sorry Mr. Paine, I’d like to help you. But after tonight, Scarlet and me are no longer friends. Sorry. I wouldn’t text her if my life depended on it. In fact, I already deleted her from my contacts.”

She turned and stormed away, back into the house, leaving Caleb more puzzled than he was before. At least he knew that Scarlet had been here. And that she had left. Possibly with some boy. And not Blake.

He wracked his brain for where to go next, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized the best place to wait was at home. After all, he didn’t know where else to look, and eventually she had to come home.

Didn’t she?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Scarlet pulled up to her house in Sage’s growling Lamborghini, and parked it in the driveway. It had been the first time she had ever driven any car alone, and the whole ride had been terrifying, as she worried the whole way home that she’d get pulled over. She also felt especially funny driving this car, which was so expensive and which wasn’t even hers.

She saw the empty house, her mom and dad’s cars gone, and realized she was the only one home. She wondered where they could be at this late hour.

She glanced down at her phone as she turned off the car, and saw all the missed calls and texts from them. She felt guilty. She hadn’t wanted to avoid them, but she knew they’d be furious at her for sneaking out. They wouldn’t understand, and answering their calls would have just made everything much worse. There was no way she could explain it to them without their freaking out.

She worried that maybe they were out there looking for her. She felt bad about that. But at the same time, she was relieved the house was empty: at least she wouldn’t have to march in and face the fire. She could sneak back up to her room, close the door, and go to bed. Maybe, if she left early enough in the morning, she to get to school without having to deal with them either. Give them time to cool off.

As Scarlet entered the house she was immediately greeted by Ruth, who jumped on her as she walked in. She knelt down and hugged her, kissing her, as Ruth licked her all over her face.

“I know Ruth,” she said. “I missed you, too.”

Scarlet walked from room to room and realized all the lights were on, as if her mom and dad had left in a rush.

“Hello?” she called out, just in case one of them was home by some chance.

No response.

Scarlet took out her phone and stared, thinking. If her parents were out there looking for her, she figured she should at least let them know she was home, so that they would come back and stop worrying. She could still go to bed before they got back.

She typed a quick text to them both:

Am home. Sorry I didn’t text earlier. Going to bed now. See you tomorrow. Good night.

She sent it then powered it off so she wouldn’t feel it buzzing and vibrating with their angry responses, which she was sure would come instantaneously.

She felt too wound up to go right to bed, and needed something to help her relax. She figured she had a quick ten minutes before her parents got home, and decided to make herself a cup of tea. She headed into the kitchen, Ruth at her heels, and put a pot of boiling water on the stove. She reached into the cabinet for a cup and teabag, and while she was at it, grabbed a treat and threw it to Ruth.

Ruth snatched the bone in midair, then carried it to the corner and started to chew.

Scarlet took her tea and walked with it into the small reading room at the side of the house, her favorite room, Ruth following. It was small and quirky, lined with books from floor to ceiling

She sat in the comfortable, overstuffed chair in the corner, set down her cup of tea on the coffee table and leaned back and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. As she closed her eyes, she heard the piano music Sage had played; she quickly tried to push it from her mind.

It had been a crazy day and night. The party. All the drama with Blake, and Vivian, and Maria. And Sage…. She felt a knot in her stomach as she contemplated what tomorrow might bring.

Most of all, she thought of Sage, of their magical time together, of his beautiful home, of his patio, and the moonlight, and the river.

And, of course, their first kiss. It was the most magical kiss she’d ever had. She could not stop thinking about it.

But then her mind turned to thoughts of Sage’s asking her to leave. It had been so unexpected. She didn’t understand. She knew she should be more understanding, but she wasn’t. She really wanted answers. Was he rejecting her? Was there something wrong with her? With him? Why was he being so mysterious? Why couldn’t he just tell her?

Scarlet sighed as she opened her eyes and took another sip of tea. Boys. Her drama with them never seemed to end.

As Scarlet scanned the room, she noticed something, on the far end. It was a book she had never seen before, sitting on the end table, beside the other reading chair. It had unusual look to it, and it dew her in. It looked like one of her mom’s rare books, but it was smaller. Almost like…a journal.

Intrigued, she crossed the room, picked it up and examined it. She ran her hands along its worn edges, and as she turned the cover, the first page crinkled so loudly, she felt as if she were holding an ancient text. She had seen some of her mom’s rare books before—but never anything like this.

As she read the first page, she was puzzled. She looked closer, and read it again and again. She couldn’t understand. It looked like her mom’s handwriting. Was this hers?

As she was reading the text, suddenly, her heart stopped. She could not believe what she was reading. What was this? Some kind of journal?

Scarlet realized this was her mom’s journal, and a part of her told her it was private and she should put it down. But another part of her had to know. She read and read, knowing that she shouldn’t.

It was definitely her mom’s. Caitlin’s journal. But this was not the Caitlin she knew. This was Caitlin as a young girl. As a teenager. She was mesmerized, turning the pages. It talked of falling in love with a man named Caleb. Having a daughter named Scarlet. Of becoming a vampire.

Her mom. A vampire. Changing. Transforming. Having hunger pangs. A sensitivity to light. Super strength. Wanting to feed on others. Just like her.

Scarlet’s heart was pounding in her throat as she thought of herself. She remembered the other day, with Blake, by the river. She had felt it. Was it real? Was this the reason? Had her mom known all along? Was that was she was not telling her?

Scarlet turned the final page and saw a handwritten note, on a new piece of paper, taped to the back. It read:

“Must stop Scarlet.”

Her heart pounded as she read it. What did that mean? Stop Scarlet? Stop her from doing what?

And that was when Scarlet realized: stop her from feeding. From transforming. From becoming a vampire.

There was only one way to do that: to kill her.

Scarlet felt her whole body go icy cold. She could not believe it: her own mom wanted to kill her.

Suddenly the front door banged open, and Scarlet jumped and dropped the book to the floor, knocking over her tea. She hurried into the living room and there, scowling down at her, was her dad.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” he screamed at her.

She was taken aback: she had never heard him use that tone of voice before, and had never seen him look so angry.

“Whose car is that?” he demanded, before she could even answer. “In the driveway? Who? Is he here? In the house? Where is he?”

“No one’s here,” she shot back. “I drove it back myself.”

“You? What do you mean? You’re not even licensed? Do you realize that?”

“I had no choice,” she said, her mind reeling, feeling on the verge of tears.

“No choice? What are you talking about? Who owns that car?”

“A friend of mine,” she said. “He let me borrow it.”

“Let you borrow it? Who loans someone a Lamborghini? Is it one of your drug dealing friends?”

Drug dealing friends? What was he talking about?
Scarlet wondered.
Had he lost his mind?

“I don’t have any drug-dealing friends,” she said.

“Oh no?” he yelled. “Like Blake? He’s not a drug dealer?”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” she yelled back, preparing in her mind to leave.

“How could you have lied to us? How could you have snuck out like that? Do you know how worried sick I was about you? I’ve been calling and texting you for hours. Why didn’t you respond? What’s gotten into you?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t understand!” she yelled.

“I understand everything,” he snapped. “Too well. I know all about your pot smoking. Blake told me all about it.”

Scarlet narrowed her eyes, wondering what he was talking about.

“You saw Blake?” she asked, surprised.

“I did,” he said, “I went to the Wilsons. I saw him and I made it clear that he is never to see you again.”

Scarlet reeled at his words. She couldn’t believe it: her dad had gone to the party. He had shown up in front of everyone. He had confronted her ex-boyfriend. How humiliating. Now, she’d never be able to go back to school.

She was furious at her dad; she couldn’t stand the sight of him. She didn’t know who was worse—her mom, who wanted to kill her, or her dad, who wanted to humiliate her in front of everyone and who didn’t even trust her.

She’d had enough. She marched through the living room and grabbed her coat off the rack.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Caleb yelled, as he hurried over and grabbed her by the arm.

“Get off me!” she yelled.

But his grip was so strong, she wasn’t going anywhere.

Scarlet had had enough: in a flash, she was suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of rage. It rose up throughout her body, like a flash of heat, taking over. Without even meaning to, she turned and snarled at Caleb.

“I said get OFF of me!” she snarled.

She spun and shook her arm free with a strength she didn’t even know she had, then shoved him. She barely touched him, but as she did, he went flying across the room, crashing into the dining table and knocking it over.

He sat there, on the floor, looking up at her, blinking in stunned silence.

Scarlet knew that this was the moment that changed everything.

She was done with this house. Done with her parents. It was time for her to leave here—and to never come back.