Chapter Eight

Xana really didn’t feel safe. James had been so close to her at Midnight, and promised revenge on her dad. She had a feeling she was going to play a key role in that revenge. But how did this Roger guy play into it? Would he do all of those horrible things to her and then kill her?

            Her dad losing his only child and finding out she suffered had to be emotionally painful, right? Was that how strongly James felt when her dad killed the woman who Turned them?   

            She hadn’t gotten any recent creepy messages. She wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad sign. Something told her it was a bad one, though.

 

 

            For the first time in a while, Charlie was worried about someone who wasn’t part of her family. Though she guessed Xana was practically family now�"more than her mom and Casey at least. She really didn’t want anything bad to happen to Xana. Especially the things that were mentioned in the messages.

            Charlie wished there was something she could do. Sadly, she was just a helpless little girl on the run from a Vampire. In reality, she most likely couldn’t do s**t.

            Every day, before and after school Milo and/or Jeremy were there to drop Xana off or pick her up�"usually Jeremy. They’d wait until Charlie’s bus arrived in the morning so Xana wouldn’t go into school alone, and didn’t leave in the afternoon until Charlie’s bus pulled away.

            “It’s so annoying,” Xana said at school as the three of them walked the halls together. “I have an escort to and from school. What’s the point of having my own car if I can’t drive it? I’m eighteen now, I should have some independence.”

            “They’re keeping you safe,” Charlie told Xana. “You’ll get used to it.”

            “Once they catch James and this pervy guy, all things will go back to normal,” Roxy added.

            “But they’re Vampires,” Xana pointed out. “They can’t do anything to me during the day.”

            “So that’s why you look so tired,” Charlie observed. “I still have trouble sleeping at night. That’s when Marco can get to me.”

            Xana rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry. What’s going on with you is much worse.”

            Charlie shook her head. “Your threat is immediate. Mine’s more…ongoing.”

            “Vampires have all the time in the world,” Xana stated. “It could decades for James to get his revenge.”

            Roxy groaned. “Xana, quit being an idiot. James came up to you at Midnight. He warned you. Something’s going to happen. Probably soon. He wants your dad to be afraid. Afraid for what’s to come. It’s part of the torture. Part of the revenge.”

            Charlie looked at Roxy. “Exactly how many true crime shows do you watch?”

            Roxy smirked. “I read too.”

            The rest of the day went on as usual.

            Xana got in the car with Jeremy at the end of the day after seeing Charlie to the bus.

            “So,” she said to Jeremy instead of turning on the radio. “What exactly did you and Milo see on the security footage from the other night?”

            Jeremy made a face like he wasn’t sure he should say. But he felt Xana should know. “The Vampire with the pink and purple hair. She was seen outside Midnight talking to the red haired guy. From Milo’s sniff of him, he was just a Human. It looked like she slipped him some money. Inside the club, after she left the VIP area, she spoke to the guys who were fighting and distracted Berto. Same for the guy who bothered Charlie. As soon as she entered the security room to screw Bill they all started.”

            “So it was planned.”

            Jeremy nodded. “She was seen leaving with James.”

            “Do you know who she is?” Xana asked.

            “Milo’s been asking around. Some Vampires and Rogue Hunters have had contact with her. Her name is Magenta. She’s part of James’ Clan.”

            “Well, s**t.”

            “Yeah,” Jeremy agreed. “But we’ll find them before anything happens.”

            “Then why do I feel this sense of dread? Like something’s going to happen soon? It’s all gonna come crashing down, and I won’t be safe at all.”

            “That’s just the fear.”

            “Is it?” Xana wondered. “I still always feel like I’m being watched.”

            “What do you mean by still?”

            Xana cursed herself as she realized her slip. “I was feeling like that before the messages even started. I chalked it up to paranoia at first. Anxiety or something. But then I got the messages. So I figured maybe someone was following me. And now I know even my webcam was hacked. Even when I thought I was safe at home, he was watching.”

            “You should’ve told us that before,” Jeremy said calmly, but with frustration over teenagers and their secrets. But how could he be mad? He wasn’t too long out of his teen years at twenty-two.

            “Excuse me for being distracted.”

            Jeremy pulled into the Chambers’ long driveway after Xana hit the remote that opened the gate. “I get it. I’ll just have to tell Milo that this plan might’ve been going on for longer than we thought. Every bit of information is helpful.” He stopped the car by the front door. “Is anyone home?”

            “My dad’s still asleep. And my mom has been working from home. She will be for a while, I assume.” Xana opened the car door. “At least until the threat is gone. Thanks for the ride and stuff.”

            Jeremy smiled. “No problem.”

 

 

            Roxy, too, was of course worried for her friends. The Vampire Charlie was hiding from tried to kill her family. She was basically in Supernatural Witness Protection. And some psycho was hell bent on revenger against Xavier by using Xana as a tool�"probably through some stalker rapist.

            But Roxy wasn’t too afraid. Both of her friends had an entire Vampire Clan and Were Pack on their sides. And Milo was looking after them. Roxy had complete faith in Milo. He was the guy who found the Hunters that killed her mom. Milo was like a superhero in Roxy’s mind. He could keep them all safe. He had to.

            Since her dad had a meeting, Roxy went to get some Chinese take out. She knew her dad would want some too when he got home. He was a sucker for lo mein. But what was she in the mood for?

            Roxy smelled him and heard his heartbeat before he got near her. She pretended to keep reading the menu at the mall’s Chinese place. She was very aware when he was behind her.

            “Roxy?”
            She smiled briefly. She loved that voice. It was the only thing that could drown out the sounds of the world. She turned around. “Larry.” She wasn’t sure what to say next. “Um. What are you doing here?”

            Larry grinned, the left side of his mouth rising higher than the right, as usual. “Getting Chinese. Like you, I see.”

            “Yeah.” Roxy put her hands behind her back. “My dad has a meeting.”

            Larry leaned back and forth on his heels. “My mom has a Bible study thing. So, I’m getting dinner for me and Lucy while Lucy’s being ‘tutored’ at home.”

            “She’s with that junior girl she’s seeing?” Roxy asked. She was comfortable talking about his sister’s escapades. Lucy was only a freshman and went on more dates with girls than the most popular and hottest guys in school.

            “While Mom’s away, Lucy will play.”

            Roxy giggled, which was embarrassing. She wasn’t a giggler. “And you left her alone. With her current girlfriend. Her older girlfriend.”

            Larry shrugged. “It’s not like she can get pregnant.”

            “True. But STDs?”

            “Lucy hasn’t actually had sex yet. She’s just enjoying the dating and making out.”

            “A fifteen year old gets more dates than me,” Roxy lamented.

            “I could fix that.”

            Roxy’s stomach leapt. “What?”

            Larry widened his eyes. “What?”

            “Did you just say something really smooth?”

            Larry turned red. “Lucy and Eden presented me with a list of situations, and possible things to say in the event of this.”

            “Event of what?”

            “Asking you out.”

            “What?” Maybe Roxy was a little too loud with the question. Some people turned their heads.

            “If you don’t want to�"“

            “No, no, no, no! I do! I do!”

            Larry’s face brightened. “Really?”

            “Really.”

            “Okay. Um. Is Friday after school good? I know it’s ridiculous, but my mom doesn’t want me and Lucy dating while we’re in school and our hormones are running amok. It may lead us to sin.”

            Roxy couldn’t prevent a snort. “Well, your mom has always been…special.”

            “That’s a nice way of saying it. I just don’t want you to think I’m not telling my mom because I’m ashamed of you or whatever.”

            “Larry, I know your mom, and I get it. Just don’t freak out when my dad catches wind of it and interrogates you.”

            “Okay,” Larry said with a nod. “We can go to the Cheesecake Factory and maybe a movie?”

            “Sound great.”

            They chatted a bit more about school while they got their food.

            After leaving the mall, Roxy quickly picked Charlie up (claiming a study group thing to Mrs. Palmer) and then raced to Xana’s.

            “What’s up?” Xana asked when she let them in.

            “I’m freaking out.” Roxy ran up to Xana’s room with her Supernatural speed.

            Xana looked to Charlie for information.

            “I have no idea,” Charlie said. “She stole me and then sped over here. I feared death.”

            Xana glanced up the stairs. “Let’s go find out what’s got her all worked up.”

            In Xana’s room, they found Roxy pacing. She stopped when she saw them. “Larry asked me out!”

Xana clapped her hands while jumping up and down. “That’s great!”
Roxy put her hands on her face. “I think this is the happiest moment of my life.”

Charlie sat on the bed. “Wait until your wedding day to say that.”

            Roxy squealed then covered her mouth. “Did that noise just come out of me?” was her muffled question.

            “You’re just happy,” Xana said as she guided Roxy to the bed. “Now give us all the details.”

            Xana and Charlie listened closely to Roxy’s tale. It was all so normal, and it was nice for them to forget their problems.

            “So that’s what Lucy and Eden have been doing in gym,” Charlie said. “They were writing scripts, and what looked like football game plans. They wouldn’t let me see.”

            Roxy lay down on the bed. “I hope I don’t have an anxiety attack on Friday. And I will not be able to pay attention at school for the rest of the week.”

            “I’ll smack you if I have to,” Xana promised.

            “We need to plan your outfit,” Charlie said. “You need something casual, but breathtaking. Do you want to accentuate your b***s, your butt, or your flat tummy?”

            They spent a little too much time planning. Both of Charlie’s parents called, and so did Roxy’s dad. It was a school night after all.

            “What was that about?” Maggie asked Xana after her friends left.

            Xana smiled. “Just some good news for once.”

 

 

            Roxy’s impending date with her Mate made it easy for Xana to forget about things. She helped Roxy plan her outfit with Charlie, and did her best to ease all of Roxy’s nerves.

            Xana and Charlie had plans to hang out after school on Friday. Then Roxy would come over and tell them about her date.

            Xana and Charlie waited in the hall while Roxy changed in the bathroom after school.

            “This is nice,” Xana said. “Just normal things for once. And it’s good something nice is happening to one of us.”

            Charlie nodded. “Yeah. Roxy just has to worry about looking cute, and small talk. Not crazy Vampires.”

            Lucy and Eden walked up to them. “Is yours a nervous wreck too?” Eden asked.

            “I think Larry had about twelve panic attacks today,” Lucy informed them.

            Xana chuckled. “That’s probably what’s going on with Roxy right now.”

            “I’m fine.” The four girls turned to Roxy. She was wearing skinny black jeans, a black tank top, and a navy blue cardigan.

            Charlie crossed her arms and examined Roxy. “Accentuating your flat stomach was a good idea.”

            “I think my butt looks pretty good in these jeans,” Roxy said, doing a spin. “Lucy? Can I have an opinion from someone who’s attracted to girls?”

            “You look hot,” Lucy assured her.

            “And Larry looks adorable,” Xana said as she watched him walk down the hall. He chose to wear jeans, a white button up with the sleeves rolled up, and a purple sweater vest.

            “I don’t think I can move,” Roxy muttered.

            Lucy rolled her eyes. “You two are ridiculous. You’ve known each other forever. A date is nothing.”

            “But the distance I’ve kept between us has been closed,” Roxy said. “A distance created out of fear. Now it’s all out in the open, and I don’t�"Hi, Larry.”

            Larry shoved his hands in his pockets. “Hi. You look great.”

            Roxy let out another annoying giggle. “So do you.”

            Larry smiled. “Um. I hope you don’t mind dropping Lucy and Eden off at Eden’s house first.”

            “It’s no problem.” Roxy was glad she’d have a buffer for a bit before she was alone with Larry.

            Xana and Charlie watched them walk away.

            “Our little girl is growing up so fast,” Xana said, and wiped away a fake tear.

            Charlie put her arm through Xana’s. “It had to happen eventually. Come on. Milo or Jeremy is waiting for us.”

            It was Jeremy. Both girls got in the back of the car. “Roxy’s going off with that Larry guy? Her Mate?”

            “They have a date,” Xana told him. “She’ll be coming over to my place after to give us the details.”

            “Are you gonna eat junk food in your pajamas while you listen intently to the deets?” Jeremy teased.

            Xana kicked the back of his seat. “Maybe.”

            Jeremy shook his head with amusement. “It’s nice seeing you girls act like careless teens.”

            “It is,” Xana agreed.

            “Where’s Milo?” Charlie asked, silently wondering if Xana and Jeremy were always this casual with each other.

            “Dealing with a case,” Jeremy answered. “Some guy skipping out on child support.”

            Xana leaned forward. “Is it weird doing normal PI cases while also working on Supernatural stuff?”

            “It’s kind of the same so far,” Jeremy said. “Mostly following leads and people. A wife did break her cheating husband’s nose the other day, though.”

            “So you haven’t killed any Supernatural people?”

            “No.”

            “Have you killed anything?”

            Jeremy sighed. “My parents took me hunting a lot. Deer, duck, and stuff. It was important to practice hitting moving targets.”

            “A regular animal doesn’t move as fast as a Vampire or Were,” Xana told him.

            “It’s just how you prep young Hunters,” Jeremy said. “And we ate the animals we killed.”

            Xana let them into the gate. “Deer is pretty delicious.” She noted the vehicle in her driveway. “What the hell is this?” She got out of the car.

            “You think she’ll overreact?” Jeremy asked Charlie.

            “They’re putting up security cameras,” Charlie said. “She doesn’t like not being able to drive herself to and from school. She feels like she’s under house arrest already. She’ll feel like her privacy is being invaded. Again.”

            “The cameras are going to be outside the house and around the property.”

            “If you wanna stay on Xana’s good side, don’t let her find out you already knew about it,” Charlie suggested before getting out of the car and following Xana.

 

 

            Roxy was feeling great as she drove to Xana’s place. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends about her date.

            When she rang the buzzer for the gate, she noticed the camera on the surrounding wall. While parking she saw another in perfect view of the front door.

            Maggie let Roxy in.

            “Are those security cameras, Mrs. Chambers?”

            Maggie closed her eyes and sighed. “Yes. And my wonderful daughter isn’t too pleased about it. She says we’re overreacting to the issue at hand, and are invading her privacy.”

            “I think she’s overreacting,” Roxy said then headed up the stairs.

            She walked in on her friends watching a movie.

            “I need to gif that moment,” Xana said to Charlie. “If you had a Tumblr, you could write a head canon or something.”

            “And you’ll probably want me to draw some kind of sex scene,” Roxy interjected.

            Xana smiled at her. “Naturally. You see how my house has turned into Big Brother?”

            Roxy put down her bags, and joined her friend on the couch. “You’re being dramatic. It’s a necessary precaution.”

            “And Milo okayed it,” Charlie added.

            Xana glared at the TV. “That traitor Jeremy knew about it, and thinks it’s a good idea.”

            Charlie shook her head. “I told him not to tell you he knew.”

            Xana paused the movie. “It’s better that he didn’t lie to me, I guess.”

            Roxy tilted her head. “Why is that better?”

            “I don’t like my friends lying to me,” Xana said.

            “Right. Friends.” Roxy felt it was slightly different between Xana and Jeremy.

            “So how was your date?” Charlie asked Roxy.

            “Wonderful!” Roxy was excited to tell them. “I was worried we wouldn’t have much to talk about beyond school, but we did. We like a lot of the same movies and TV shows. I told him about my art�"I did not mention the drawings of him, though. He told me how he doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life, and that freaks him out. We broached the subject of us both having a dead parent. We didn’t talk much about it, but agreed it was nice to know someone who’s been through something similar. And we told each other if we ever needed to talk, we could.”

            “Well, that’s good,” Charlie said.

            “You can talk to me about your mom,” Xana said.

            Roxy waved a dismissive hand. “It’s different. Larry actually understands what it’s like to lose a parent. Even if I did lose my mom earlier…”

            Charlie patted Roxy’s knee. “What else happened on the date?”

            Roxy smiled dreamily. “We held hands during the movie. When he dropped me off, he tolerated my dad’s questions. Hell, my dad wasn’t even rude. Then I walked him to his car, and…”

            “And what?” Xana asked with a grin.

            Roxy giggled. She’d have to get used to that giggle. “He asked if he could kiss me.”

            “And you said yes?” Charlie wanted to know.

            Roxy nodded. “It was a little one, and quick. But it was nice. My heart sped up, and he was blushing. It was all just so great. We’re going out again next weekend.” She wiggled her feet happily.

            Xana was genuinely thrilled for her best friend. Roxy was just like her sister, and had been on a good first date with her Mate. But she was getting the feeling she’d start seeing less of Roxy now that Larry was in the picture. She figured she’d just have to get used to sharing her friend.