BLOOD LEGACIES
Chapter 187: Reopened Wounds

Chapter 187: Reopened Wounds

"What’s going on?" I asked.

He looked over Dace briefly before setting his eyes on me.

"The school Janitor who cleans after school hours... they found him dead this morning"

"D-Dead?" My blood ran cold at Owen’s words.

"What do you mean dead?" Dace said with a frown.

"Like I said dead" Owen finalized making the truth of his words more prominent, someone actually died, how?

"Was it a heart attack or-"

"Owen!" Miles and Henry came to us, they tensed when they saw Dace.

"What is it?"

"There are talks," Miles began.

"Talks about what?" Owen demands.

"The first people to find the body they said they saw..." he looked over at Dace.

"Am I keeping you from talking?" Dace said not liking the idea, he was just as curious as I was and Miles’ slow words weren’t helping.

It was Henry who spoke this time. "They said they saw twin holes on his wrist"

"Twin holes?" Owen said, checking if he heard wrong.

"Like a vampire mark," Miles said.

My blood ran cold and a past memory came like a fresh nightmare, my body freezing up and my breath was a short hitch, everything seemed to blur out of my vision and my insides twisted, next was his face, the face of that red-haired vampire as in that split second I relived everything I went through that day.

I rubbed my neck where the two flat dots were and I sank in breath. Dace’s hand wrapped tightly against mine snapping me back to reality, I looked over at him but he has his focus on the others, but his gesture caused me to feel safe, so I gripped his hand harder like my life depended on it, allowing his warmth to smelt the ice within me.

"Are you sure?" Dace’s strong voice broke in, he didn’t look pleased now and it caused Miles and Henry to sweat. Owen tensed too but he didn’t show it because his expression was just matching the same as Dace, hearing about the vampire made both of them aggravated.

"They may have just seen things," Henry shrugged.

"One of them was a supernatural, it’s gotta be true," Miles said.

"But how? The barrier is back up" Henry said.

"Maybe there was another loophole" I swore Owen looked at me when he said that.

"You think I weakened the barrier again?" I said, sounding hurt by his slight accusation but who am I to deny it? I might have weakened the barrier without knowing, but I didn’t want that, it meant danger not for me but for every supernatural out there.

"I need to see the body" Dace cut in.

That was when the stretcher carrying the janitor’s body came out and the mumbles increased.

"Okay everyone, don’t panic, back away please," the Sheriff said to us. "You will be inside the school soon let us handle this’’

Some took pictures, some pointed and some asked questions, it was mini chaos here. I just held Dace as tightly as I could when I saw the covered body, I gulped hard before my eyes darted to the other side of the line.

Grayson stood there watching the movement of the body with both hands in his pocket, he didn’t show anything, worried fear, or panic, he just stood like a statue, his eyes never leaving the body until it was pulled into the back of the ambulance, or so I thought... Our eyes locked but I quickly looked away, that was unsettling

The tapes were removed and everyone was allowed back into the school building with mumbles and talks of what happened rotating the area.

"Don’t worry" Dace said to me and I faced him. "I will check, I will know if it’s a vampire or not" he assured me and faced the others... he was about to say something but Owen was fast.

"I will go with you,"

"There’s no need, for now, you’re the only one I can trust to look after Emma while I’m gone"

"I’m not a kid" I mumbled.

"Baby, if this is a vampire attack I need to figure it out, the little news we have right now isn’t enough" he looked over to Owen briefly. "I hate him but I will allow him to be near you"

Owen huffed at his words and I opened my mouth to speak.

"I will go with you, Miles and Henry can look after Emma" he cut in Quickly.

"Seriously you guys" I sighed. Now was not the time for this.

"I’m going with you, I need to know if this is a vampire attack or not, I need to know if all of us are safe," he said, not backing down.

"Fine," Dace said with clenched teeth. I knew he didn’t like the idea nor the idea of leaving me. I didn’t want him to leave too, I felt safer with him.

"Dace" I gripped his hand and he faced me with his softened looks.

"Stay close to Miles and Henry okay? And call me if anything I will come right back"

I nodded and I got scared again, not just because of the attack but the possibility of it being the work of that vampire that bit me. I knew Dace was trying to keep me safe, and Owen too.

"Okay"

~

Classes were slow and dead silent, even the teachers weren’t motivated, and the janitor must have meant a lot to them, I have never stayed in school during late hours so I didn’t know much about him, but he seemed to be close to the teachers here, speeches were given by the round of teachers about how a good and a hardworking man he was... providing for his family, it was heartbreaking and it killed all the humor in the school.

I stood before the printed picture they did today, of him, he looked in his late forties. It was more heart-wrenching seeing his picture now, I had to drag my eyes away before they would water. I spotted Miles and Henry talking with Sarah just a few steps away from me. I didn’t wanna be close to them now, I just made sure I was in sight so that they could see me, they were keeping an eye on me after all.

I checked my phone, and I haven’t heard from Dace yet. I have sent messages but he hasn’t replied to them. I trained my eyes to the Chem lab. Some classes today didn’t function, and everyone was still shaken, it was just homework. But why was he there? Grayson, I moved closer to the door, he was just seated close to one of the iron tables. I thought he was reading or something but it seems like he was... writing? No, the movement of his hand said otherwise. He had his headset on as he worked on something, constantly running his free hand through his dark brown golden hair he let freely on his shoulders in a wavy pattern, thick and full.

I was drawn in now, before I could stop my body I was already walking in, slowly approaching him like I was sneaking up on him. I mentally slapped myself for doing something like this, but I couldn’t help it, he was so engrossed in doing whatever that he would hardly notice me. Wait... was he drawing?

"There’s no class" his sudden rich voice stopped me in my tracks and I froze just over the table he sat on, he didn’t look up at me, he was still shading, I could hear the music coming from his headset so how did he hear me come in?

"I-I know that," I said.

He didn’t answer so I let myself see what he was drawing, it was a sword like a Katana and it looked so real with the way he shaded, so big that it took almost the entire page.

"Wow" I couldn’t help myself, it looked so real almost like it would come out of the pages. "You draw nice"

Instantly his shading stopped, and my heart throbbed as he slowly shifted his green eyes to mine and he narrowed them. I quickly looked away because it felt like he was pulling me into his orbs.

"Did you know him?"

"Huh?" I snapped my eyes back to him.

He pointed to the poster on the wall and I saw the Janitor.

"Oh... no no I didn’t" I shook my head. "I’m new here just like you I haven’t exactly known everyone yet"

He darted his eyes back to his drawing and thank god he did because I found it hard to breathe with his eyes on me, it was almost like they took the air out.

Only the sound of his shading echoed in the lab, this was definitely a cue for me to leave then why was I still talking?

"I’m Emma Adams"

He stopped again.

"We’re in the same class"

"I know," he said, resuming his shade. "The same girl who can’t take her eyes off me"