Chapter 5

       I burst out laughing. I thought it was all just a big joke. Then I realized that no one else was sharing in my amusement.
      "I'm sorry."I was still trying to calm myself down.
      "It's alright. I didn't expect you to believe me at first anyway."
      "Oh wait your serious."I was mocking her and she new it.
      " Are you done Miss Stewart or should I just leave?Believe me you wont want to be here when you start to change."
      "What do you mean change?"
      "When a person becomes a vampire they do not get their powers right away. Sometimes it could take a few days or a few weeks. It really depends on the vampire who changed you."
      "I still don't understand. Don't you have to be bitten by a vampire to become one?"I pause."Thats what I read."She sighs.
     "No, vampires can not be made by simply biting someone."
     "Ok, how are they made?"
     "There are two ways. Either a vampire drains a humans blood almost entirely and allows that person to drink of them or a human willingly kills another human by entirely draining and consuming their blood. The latter makes them a part of the Shadows though."
     "Whats the Shadows?"
     "Something you will learn of later when you are taking classes at my school.Do not worry about that though."
     "Alright well I didn't drink a vampires blood and I defiantly didn't kill a human so you must be mistaken. I'm not a vampire."I was feeling a little sick. As though she could read my mind she said.
     "Maybe we should stop talking about the details. You will have plenty of time to learn about that later."
     "That sounds like a good idea."I swallow."Can you at least tell me how this happened to me?"
     "You were attacked late Wednesday night. You would have been killed. I was down here on a business trip and found you. I fought off the vampire that was feeding off you. I was going to let you die peacefully. I figured you would not want to live this life. But then I recognized who you were,so I saved you."
      "How did you recognize me?"
      "I knew your mother and father."

    I tried to get her to tell me more about my parents but she would not say anything else about them. She said in time, when I was ready, she would talk to me about them.I was still a little shocked about the vampire thing and about me changing schools so Mrs. Pyre talked to the principal and I was allowed to go home early.
   When I pulled into my driveway my house looked dark and lonely. It looked like I felt. Ever since Mrs. Pyre mentioned my parents I haven't been able to stop thinking about them. I thought I had been able to heal the wound concerning my parents deaths, but apparently it was deeper than I had previously thought.  I shake my head back and forth trying to clear my head. I didn't want to think about them right now. I go inside and busy myself with making lunch. I'm starving since I didn't have time to eat breakfast this morning. I eat and go upstairs to my room.Even though I don't have to do my homework, I do it anyways. I'm trying to keep things as normal as possible until they have to get weird. In a few hours Anna will be home.
   Later, I hear the door open and close downstairs. I walk into to kitchen to find Anna preparing to cook dinner.
   "Hey Anna."
   "Hello sweetheart. How was school today."
   "It was ok. I got called into the office."
   "Really."She said in a knowing tone.
   "Yeah. I was told I would be transferring schools. Someone named Mrs.Pyre said she already talked to you and Michael."
   "She did this morning."
   "What did she say?"
   "That you were recognized for your academic achievements and you got a scholarship to a top boarding school. Oh sweetheart, I am so proud of you. This is going to be such a great opportunity for you." I pause not knowing what to say. I knew that Mrs. Pyre wouldn't tell Michael and Anna the real reason for my getting into this new school,but I hadn't realized how little she would tell them.
     "How could you send me to a new school in an entirely different state without even talking to me about it first. I was mad that Michael and Anna would agree to send me somewhere they knew nothing about.
   "Oh I'm sorry Alex. I know you will miss your friends here, but you will make new friends. And you can always call and keep in touch with your friends here."
   "Anna, this isn't even about my friends; this is about the fact that you didn't even stop to think of talking to me about this first before you made this decision."
   "Well Michael and I talked about it and decided that this was important for your future. If you go to a good high school it will insure that you get into a good college. We are just thinking about whats best for you." I felt a little bad. Anna didn't know the whole situation. Mrs. Pyre had told me that for the protection of Michael and Anna I couldn't tell them the real reason for my transferring schools. I was still upset but I didn't want to be here when I started to change. I was just mad that Michael and Anna had enrolled me without talking to me first and that I was going to have to leave all my friends.
    "Oh Alex, Mrs. Pyre left a brochure with all the school and housing information. If you want you can look at it. It's sitting on the counter over there."
    I grab it and sit down at the breakfast bar. On the front cover is a picture of the campus. I read:
                              At Firestone Academy we are proud to offer our highly
                              motivated students placement in our quality educational
                              institution through our Private High School Boarding
                              Program. Students are personally selected for their
                              outstanding achievements and academic records by our
                              board of education. Our top priority is that we not only
                              offer a great education but also the best possible environment
                              and atmosphere for student comfort.  
     I flip the brochure over and see that is it. No information about the classes or about housing. I read it again to see if there is anything I missed. No, I had defiantly read the whole thing. It didn't even have any contact information. Now that I think about it the brochure didn't give any important information at all. I was about to start to bring this up to Anna when Michael sets his keys down on the table by the door and walks into the kitchen.
     "Mmm, What smells so good?"
     "Anna's cooking." I say laughing. Anna cooks dinner every day and every day Michael asks what smells so good when he walks into the kitchen.
    "How was school today?"Michael asks.
    "It was fine."
    "Oh just fine?" he raises his eyebrows.
    "Ok, it was lovely and we rode ponies and painted pictures in class today!"I joke.
    "Well that's just wonderful."
    "Oh just wonderful?" I try to mimic Michael's eyebrow trick and fail miserably which makes him laugh.
   "Lets eat."Anna yells over our laughter and we all walk into the dining room with our spirits lightened. We serve our food and say grace.
   "So today I bought your ticket to Maine. You will be leaving Sunday at 4:00. Sadly that means you will be arriving in Portland, Maine around 10:30 or 11:00. So I called the school and arranged for them to send a teacher to pick you up."
    "Thank you Michael."I push my food around my plate.
    "Aren't you hungry?"Anna asks concerned.
    "No, not really. I actually just want to go to Rachel's house."
    "I don't think that's such a good idea."Anna says."In fact you should probably go upstairs to pack."
    "I can do that tomorrow."
    "No, you can do it now."
    "Anna, I'm going to be leaving to go to a whole other school in a whole other state in two days. I should be allowed to go to my friends house one more time before I do. And besides Rachel and I had this planned way before all this new school stuff happened."I race upstairs before she can tell me no again and slam my door. I throw some clothes in a bag and run back down the stairs.
    "I'm leaving."I call out.
    "Wait Alex."Anna runs into the entryway."I feel bad leaving things the way we did."I had my hand resting on the door knob. I sigh and let go. Calmly I say.
    "If I'm going to this new school then I at least have to say good bye to Rachel. I will be back tomorrow and I can pack then. I promise.
     "Alright, bye sweetheart."

     I left quickly and drove to Rachel's house.When I got there I didn't knock or ring the door bell; I just let myself in knowing Rachel's mom wouldn't be home and search the lower rooms. She wasn't down there so I went to look in her room upstairs. When I opened the door Rachel came running out of her closet holding a baseball bat above her head. She screamed when she saw me, lowered the bat, and put a hand over her heart like she was going to have a heart attack.
    "Oh my God Alex, don't you ever scare me like that again. I thought you were a robber or something."
    "Oh sorry." I pull out the chair from her desk and sit in it backwards with my arms resting on the back.
    "Are you ok."She asks sitting down on her bed.
    "Um ya I'm fine..."I pause."Actually no I'm not fine."
    "Whats wrong?"
    I didn't know what to say. I can't tell her about the vampire thing and if I tell her about my new school it would ruin the night. So I decide to lie.
    "Oh it's nothing. I'm just feeling a little sick."
    "Is that why you left school?" I had completely forgotten about that. I pause and just nod.
    "Well it is Friday. If your up to it we can watch a movie."
    "That sounds like a great idea."
    We watch some horror movie which ironically was about a group of vampires killing off a whole town. I ate a huge bowl of popcorn and drank about ten gallons of coke partly because I was starving and partly because the movie was making me feel sick. I ended up going in the kitchen for a new drink every time one of the killing scenes came on because it was making me feel nauseous. When the movie was over we stayed up all night giving each other manicures,pedicures, and facials. We talked about the latest gossip, who was dating who and about all the great parties that were coming up. We talked about all the crazy teachers we hated and how much homework they gave us. And the whole time all I could think about was the fact that I wouldn't be there to see any of it.
    "...and Samantha told me that next Friday..."
    "Rachel."
    "...her parents are going to be out of town..."
    "Rachel."
    "... and she's having a pool party and inviting all the cute football..."
    "Rachel!" I shout interrupting her.
    "What? Don't worry I got her to invite you too."
    "No, I don't care about the party. I need to tell you something important."
    "Ok what?"She laughs.
    "I'm leaving."
    "What?"she looks over at the alarm clock."Its three o'clock in the morning."
    "No, I mean I'm moving."
    "What do you mean? Michael and Anna..."
    "Aren't coming."I finish for her."I'm transferring to a new school in Maine. A boarding school."
    "What?Why?"
    "I wish I could tell you but even I don't fully know."She looks down not looking at me.
    "When will you be leaving?"she asks slowly.
    "I leave on Sunday and start school there on Monday."Oh is all she says.
    "Hey I'm really sorry Rachel. I didn't even know about it till today."
    "I know Alex. It's just I'm going to miss you that's all. I don't mean to sound like a bitch."
    "Oh no. You don't sound like that at all."
    "Well you better call me!"
    "I will. I promise."
    "Ok, well I'm tired. Lets go to bed."
    "Ya...sounds good."