“See, I told you it’d be easy!” Sarah said as she turned to give Rachel a high-five.

“That was flawless!” Rachel said back.

The driver of the car turned up the radio, which was already blaring in Rachel’s ear. The station was set to 97.1 hip-hop and R&B, which Rachel despised. She’d rather listen to bubblegum pop than R&B any day of the week. The car reversed out of the driveway and then quickly skidded forward, and off they went down the road on their way to the movies.

The ride was short, thankfully for Rachel because she was crammed in the back right next to the excruciatingly loud, aftermarket subwoofer and speakers. She thought she was going to be deaf when she got out of the car. Thankfully, the car arrived in one piece and everyone hopped out of the car.

“I’ll see you after the movies, Rach— text me if you need a ride home or anything,” Sarah said.

“Thanks, Sis, will do!”

Rachel took out her cell phone to text Emily but then heard her friend’s voices coming from the parking lot. “Rachel, Rachel, Rachel!!!!” they were chanting as the car pulled into the spot near her.

“Hey Guys! I’m here!” Rachel said.

“Yeah, can’t believe you snuck out again. Twice in one day!” Liv said.

“I know, I know. I could write a book on the subject,” Rachel said back, as she let out a small laugh.

As she stood there and waited for all her friends to get out of the car she heard throngs of kids in the parking lot all talking, laughing and hollering. She realized that tonight was the big AHS movie night and everyone who was anyone at AHS was there.

She walked through the double doors of the theater and got in line to buy a ticket. They were all going to see a 3D movie, and luckily it wasn’t rated R, so she wouldn’t have to worry about being carded by the movie bouncer. As she stood on line, she heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned around and saw the entire AHS football team waiting in line to buy tickets.

“Listen guys, let it go already, it wasn’t her fault,” the voice said.

Rachel saw Rob talking to a few of the players who kept turning and looking at Rachel. She felt thankful that he was sticking up for her, after everything that had happened that night at the dance. But he was right. It wasn’t her fault.

“Hey Rach,” Rob said with a smile as he moved up in line closer to her.

“Oh, hi Rob,” she said pretending not to have heard his conversation.

“You excited for the movie? It’s supposed to be trippy, I’m psyched,” Rob said with a smile.

“Yeah, trippy?” Rachel asked naively.

“Trippy, like you’re on drugs or somethin’,” Rob said and let out a laugh.

“Oh, right! Duh, I knew that,” Rachel said trying not to look dumb.

Rachel could tell that Rob still liked her. She could tell by the way he looked at her and by the way he acted around her that he was still into her. She couldn’t really understand why though, given the circumstances of the previous days.

“Want to sit together?” Rob asked.

Rachel didn’t know what to think. She had liked Rob for a while, but after he stood her up, she lost all interest in him. She didn’t want to date a guy like that, but perhaps he had changed. She wavered in her head whether or not to give him a second shot and decided, why not. Benji hadn’t reached out to her in days, and maybe she could use a rebound.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Rachel, said cracking a smile. “Come sit with us thought. I don’t want to leave my friends.”

Rachel turned around to her friends and whispered to them what had just happened. They didn’t seem to mind that Rachel had offered for Rob to sit with them.

As the group entered the theater, they took their seats in the back row. They opened up their 3D glasses and started taking pictures with their cell phone cameras.

“I’m posting this to Facebook!” Jen said as she began pressing buttons on her iPhone.

“Tag me!” said Emily.

“Me, too,” said Taryn.

“I’m tagging everyone, don’t worry!” Jen said.

As the lights dimmed and the previews began, Rachel could feel Rob’s arm wrap around her shoulders. He held a soda in his other hand, sipping it casually with a straw. Rachel felt a little awkward about the situation, but didn’t push him off. Rob was acting as if nothing had happened between them, as he put his other hand on her leg. The movie began and Rob’s hand was slowly moving up her thigh.

She didn’t know what to do. She felt that it was too much, too soon, but at the same time, she was afraid that if she pushed his hand away, things might be over between them. She closed her eyes and breathed deep, wishing that Benji were here to take her away from all of this.

Chapter Twelve

Benji sped down Route 22 on his motorcycle, the cool fall breezes rushing through his hair. It was getting dark out and the road was becoming desolate. All he could think about was Rachel. He knew that he had to see her one more time before he left for his ancestral home at Lyndvia Castle.

He was worried, though, because he hadn’t heard from Rachel since he’d told her his secret. He didn’t know how she felt about him now and that scared him. He wanted desperately for Rachel to be with him and to share his passions with him, but all he could think about was the look on her face after he told her he was a vampire. She looked at him as though she’d never seen him before, like he was a stranger. He felt a complete shift in Rachel that night. He felt like she went from complete and utter passion to sheer fear and hatred. He didn’t know what to make of it.

Benji hadn’t called her since that night because he wanted to give her some time to cool off. He figured she needed time to think about things and let everything settle down. He was worried about how she would react to him now. His biggest fear was that she’d want nothing to do with him anymore. The thought of that ate him up inside.

As he came to a stoplight on the outskirts of town, he pulled out his cell phone and wrote her a text. He hadn’t texted her in days and hoped she hadn’t blocked his number.

Hey, Rachel. I need to see you. Where are you?

He waited for her response, but nothing came.

A few minutes went by and he felt a buzzing noise. He slowed down his bike and opened his phone.

Rachel: Hi! I’m at the movies with friends. Where are you?

Benji: I’m on my way. I’ll text you when I get there.

Benji shut his phone and headed towards the movies. He knew he had nothing to lose by reaching out to see the love of his life one more time before he left.

As he was turning left in the intersection, he heard a loud horn blaring in his ears and saw a pickup truck swerving into his lane. He quickly turned his bike and floored it. He missed a major collision by millimeters.

As he made his final turn into the movie theater, he pulled out his phone and texted Rachel. He couldn’t wait for her to come out and see him. He could feel his body getting colder and colder with each minute that passed. His nerves were growing as he watched and waited for Rachel to come through the double doors of the theater. He had visions of their reunion being like something out of a movie where Rachel would run to him fast and then jump into his arms and they would live happily ever after.

A moment later, he did see Rachel, but she was not running. She was walking slowly, with a pensive look on her face. Benji didn’t know what to make of it. He waited for her to get closer, so as not to draw attention to himself by screaming her name. He noticed that she looked especially beautiful tonight, which made him wonder who she was at the movies with. He hoped it wasn’t a date. He didn’t even want to let his mind go there.

“Hi,” Benji said as she came closer.

He waited for her to respond, but she didn’t. She just looked at him as if she wanted him to explain himself.

“How have you been? I missed you?” Benji said, going out on a limb.

He saw Rachel let out a smile and then say, “I’m OK, it’s been a pretty crazy couple of days here since the fight.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I should warn you the police are after you. They’ve been questioning everyone at school about you. I think they’re on to you. You better be careful.”

“I guess they would be,” Benji replied calmly. “Things like this have happened before and I always manage to out\smart them.” He let out a laugh and then checked his phone. “I only have a few minutes until I have to leave.”

“What do you mean leave? Where are you going?” Rachel asked.

“I’m going back to my castle. I need to get back to my ancestral home to reflect and recharge. It’s been a while since I’ve been back, and given the way things are going here, I could use some time at home.”

“Wait a minute. Castle? What on earth are you talking about?”

“Did you not hear me the other night when I told you I lived in a castle?”

Benji stopped speaking and waited for Rachel to say something. She looked him up and down and then said, “I did, but I didn’t believe you.”

“Take my hand,” Benji said as he held his hand out for Rachel to grab. “Please.”

She hesitated, then reached out and touched him. A surge of energy ran through his body, which he could not deny. His big eyes stared deeply into her soul and all he could think about was what she would taste like. He wanted to taste her blood, but he controlled his urge. He’d never hurt Rachel. Never.

He couldn’t believe he had gotten himself into this situation in the first place. He knew never to trust a human, let alone fall in love with one. He knew he was making the right choice by going back home for a while. He would miss Rachel, but he couldn’t bear to put her in any danger. He squeezed her hand and said, “Do you feel me? I’m not like you.”

Rachel shook her head and then quickly let go of his hand. He wished so desperately he could read her mind. Normally, he could read people’s minds. But in her case, he couldn’t. He just couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Why did she have to be so difficult to read?