On the Edge of Humanity (13 page)

Webb lifted his gaze and looked behind me, I imagined at his two guards. I turned. They weren’t staring straight ahead. No, this time they were both looking at me. They had their names embroidered on their shirts. The one on the right was Tripp and the other guard was Sloan. Their berets had a gold emblem with the Jupiter Sentinels name embroidered on it. On one side of their belts there was a cell phone clipped on, and from the opposite side dangled a leather object, which looked like some type of police baton.

I faced forward. The vein in Webb’s neck caused my pulse to quicken. I counted each beat as it pumped blood through his body.

Suddenly, my upper gums ached. The lust for blood overwhelmed me. Oh my God, what was happening to me?

I stood up, but the muscles in my legs instantly relaxed. A wave of warmth swept over me and I fell gently back into the chair. It was a feeling I couldn’t quite discern.

What just happened? A groggy feeling infiltrated my head, as if I had just taken a sleeping pill. My eyelids were heavy. I blinked several times in succession to keep them from closing.

I glowered at Lt. London. “What are you doing to me?”

“Tripp.” He nodded.

A hand touched my shoulder. I flicked my head up and Tripp’s bronze eyes were peering down at me. As his hand squeezed my shoulder blade, his eyes slowly changed to a deep coal black with a red ring circling the outer edges. All of sudden the groggy feeling dissipated. Tripp’s eyes returned to their bronze color as he let go of my shoulder and stepped back.

Whoa! I wondered if the immortal world did exist as Ms. Costner explained. Maybe Pythagoras was right about that three-world theory. Only, I sat in limbo between two of them, the Inferior and the Superior.

“Who are you guys? You’re not the military.”

“We’re just like you,” Webb replied.

I moistened my lips and bit down on the bottom one.

“Like me?” I asked, eyes wide.

“Yes, Jo.” He paused and nodded at his guards. “A natural-born vampire.”

I stopped breathing. My jaw dropped.

Did he just say vampire? It’s not possible. Vampires didn’t exist.

Suddenly, I was more alone than ever.

Chapter 9

A
fire raced through my limbs
as I sat in the principal’s office trying to process this new information. Webb had said the word
vampire
and not just vampire, but ‘natural-born vampire.’ What the hell did that mean?

I desperately wanted to run—to find somewhere to hide. I squeezed my eyes shut—tears threatening to spill. I needed Sam. Where was he?

A hand fell on my left arm, followed by a velvety voice that whispered something I couldn’t quite make out in my ear. His hot breath accelerated my pulse, causing the blood to surge through me—awakening my limbs. I twitched.

“Jo?” Webb whispered.

I looked up and met his gaze. He lifted his hand off my arm, and leaned back against the desk. He tilted his strong jaw and peered at me through mile-long lashes. I shifted my gaze. Tripp stood to Webb’s right with his hands cupped just below his belt.

My mouth was dry. I swallowed, taking in a gulp of air. “What do you mean by natural-born…?” The word was caught in the back of my throat.

Until a week ago, I had never picked up a book about vampires or anything related to one. They just plain freaked me out. Now the images of the books in the funeral home were swimming before me. I even had two of the books in my backpack, which was sitting around here somewhere. Between the books, the fanged man outside the hospital room and hearing Webb speak about vampires as if it were the most natural thing in the world, I pinched myself, making sure I wasn’t dreaming.

“Vampire,” Webb intoned. “Jo, you’re not a vampire yet. Right now, you only carry the gene. Those of us who are born with the vampire gene are normal mortals up to the time we choose not to be. However, at the age of sixteen or thereabouts, your body will start to go through what we call
vampire puberty
in preparation for the change.” He dipped his head, gesturing at Tripp.

What the heck was vampire puberty? I wanted to scream and laugh all at the same time.

“For example, Jo,” Tripp started to say.

He speaks
. His voice was deep but with a gentle tone.

“For me, my gums started hurting when I was fifteen. I reached puberty early. Then, at seventeen, I discovered I liked the taste of blood,” Tripp explained as he nodded at Webb.

Like Webb, Tripp didn’t look a day over twenty-one. His sandy blond hair was cut short with the sides shaven just above the ears.

“One of the first things that usually happens is your eyes change colors. You’ll notice this when your emotional state alters in some way. But all this depends on your genetic make-up.” Webb flicked his head at Tripp. “He craved blood to the point it became a drug for him.”

Blood, a drug? My brain couldn’t wrap itself around that idea. Were there drug dealers who sold blood? Plus, he just described me. My eyes were changing colors, I craved blood and my gums had started aching a few minutes ago. I didn’t know if I should be relieved that I wasn’t crazy or panicked by the idea that I had a thirst for blood—or even worse, that I might be a vampire.

“You said I wasn’t a vampire yet. Will I be?” I held my breath, not sure I wanted to know the answer. My inner voice kept telling me to get out of here, as far away as possible.

“That depends,” Webb replied. “Some people choose to crossover. Others are forced to become one.”

I didn’t like the latter part of his response. With my luck, I was going to be forced.

“It doesn’t happen naturally?” I asked. I bit the inside of my cheek, hoping he would say no.

The door to the office opened; Mr. Jackson entered.

“I’m sorry, I need to get some keys out of my desk,” Mr. Jackson said.

“We’re through here for now. Any luck with your security personnel on finding Sam?” Webb asked.

What do you mean we’re finished?
We hadn’t even scratched the surface. We had a lot to talk about; I still had a ton of questions.

Mr. Jackson pulled open his top desk drawer and fished around in it to find his keys. What would he think if he knew I was a…natural-born vampire? The words
crazy, loony and nuts
popped into my head. He undoubtedly would call his friend Chief Garrett and have me committed.

“Got them,” he said. “No, Manny, my head of security, checked all the places Sam was supposed to be during school this morning. The only person we haven’t questioned yet is this McDonald kid that Ben saw Sam speaking to. His dad picked him up just before second period for a dental appointment.”

That’s right. I’d forgotten about McDonald. He was the kid in the parking lot this morning—the one talking with his friend about the janitor being dead.

“Is this McDonald student returning to school today?” Webb asked.

“Not sure. I’ll have Gail contact his parents,” Mr. Jackson replied.

“I know it’s still during school hours, but I would like to take Jo back to headquarters, if that’s all right with you?” Webb requested.

“I’m not going with you. I need to find Sam,” I said.

“Jo, we’re not done with our conversation. Plus, I would like to give Mr. Jackson back his office. We can continue where we left off. My team will have more information for me on their progress in finding Sam,” Webb replied.

He gave Tripp a commanding stare. Then Tripp and Sloan exited the office.

Mr. Jackson pocketed the keys then stepped around his desk. He knelt down near my chair, placed his hand on mine, and looked up at me.

“Jo, it’s best if you go with Lt. London. His team has the resources to help us. Will you be okay? If not, you don’t have to go.”

I choked back tears. This was the first time that an adult was giving me a choice. I’ve always been pushed around, been told what to do. No one ever asked me what I wanted or what I thought. Not to mention that Mr. Jackson was acting as a real father figure, not one who wanted something from me…except an answer, which was new to me.

I leaned down and whispered, “What if these guys are with the man who was chasing us?”

“They’re not. I had them checked out while you were in here talking with them,” he whispered back. “I’ll notify Lt. London if I find any hint of Sam or where he might be. Okay?” His voice rose above a whisper.

I nodded.

I wasn’t sure if going with the Jupiter Sentinels was the right thing to do or even if I could trust them, but if Mr. Jackson trusted them, it should be okay. Besides, I had to do something other than sit here waiting. If Sam were in my shoes, he would be out there looking for me right now. I had to help in some way. If I could find out more information from Webb about who I was, then maybe it would lead to Sam.

“Lt. London, we’ll talk later,” Mr. Jackson said.

“I can drop Jo off at your place this afternoon, if that’s all right?” Webb pulled out his beret from his back pocket.

“That would be great. Jo, do you need to stop at your locker before you leave?” Mr. Jackson asked.

I shook my head. I rose from the chair and my knees wobbled. I had been sitting down for too long without moving. The blood had stopped circulating through my legs. I grabbed the arm of the chair to steady my balance. I closed my eyes, inhaled through my mouth, then exhaled through my nose.
I can do this. I need to do this to find Sam.

Webb stood at the door. A starburst of red flashed in his eyes, which muted the dark blue of his irises.

I moved cautiously until blood was circulating again. I searched the room for my backpack, but I didn’t see it. Then I remembered I had left it outside the office door. Webb followed my line of sight and picked up my backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. I guessed that was my cue to hurry up.

I stopped at the threshold. “Thank you, Mr. Jackson. I really appreciate all your help.”

He nodded as he picked up his office phone.

I turned on my heel, walked into the hallway and right into Darcy.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked. “I’ve been waiting for you. I ran into Ben when I was leaving Mr. Grant’s office. He told me about Sam.” She threw her arms around me and gave me a fierce hug.

I stood still as a statue. Tears were threatening to overflow. If I started crying, I was afraid I wasn’t going to stop. I had to be strong; I had to fight.

“I’m fine.” My voice was quiet the sound of it strangely distant.

She released me. “Bull. You’re not fine. I know you. You’re as fragile as they come.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, friend.” I skewered a look her way.

She peeked around me. “Who’s the hunk in fatigues?” Her lips were curled at the ends and, if I weren’t mistaken, I thought I could hear her heart racing. Sometimes her attention span was the size of ant’s, always shifting from one subject to another.

“He’s too old for you.”

“He’s barely over twenty, if I had to guess,” she shot back. “You leaving with him?”

I nodded.

“How do I get on that train?” She was still sizing up Webb.

“Focus, Darcy.” I snapped my fingers in front of her face.

“Sorry.” She shook her head a few times. “And why are you going with Gorgeous Brownie Locks?”

“He might be able to help find Sam. He came here to speak to me and Sam about—”

Webb walked up behind me and touched my arm. “Let’s go, Jo.”

I raised my eyebrows at Darcy and shrugged. “I should be back at Mr. Jackson’s later.”

“Don’t worry, girl. Sam will show up,” she shouted.

As Webb escorted me out, I prayed that Darcy was right, but my intuition was screaming at me—something was very wrong.

The halls were buzzing with students inside and out. In the courtyard, kids were seated at benches eating their lunch. The thought of food made my stomach perk up. I wondered if natural-born vampires could still eat human food when they became vampires or if they were restricted to just…blood. That thought made my stomach churn, but I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

We walked out the front entrance. A small ray of sunshine shone through the thin clouds. I stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Webb asked.

“The sun’s out,” I said, my brows furrowed.

“So? Keep moving,” he commanded.

“Aren’t vampires sensitive to the sun or it burns them or something like that?”

“You read too many myths. I need you to keep walking.” His voice had a nervous tone to it. He nudged me a bit.

I resumed putting one foot in front of other. Up ahead standing next to a black sedan with tinted windows was Tripp. He was holding the handle on the back door.

Webb nodded.

Boy, they did a lot of nodding and little talking.
How do they know what the other is saying? Can they mind speak or something since they’re vampires?

Webb scanned the area with a mechanical precision, all the while touching my elbow, ensuring he didn’t lose physical contact with me. I guessed he was being cautious since Sam had gone missing, but I’m sure it was also the military order of business to be as guarded as he could be.