Chapter 9: The Perfect Gift

Vinnie's POV:

After the party last night, my mind has been a complete wreck. I had to wake up earlier than everyone in the house to get the blood out of my shortalls and pour the hydrogen peroxide on it. The wait before I blotted the stain took most of the time before everyone woke up. There was no way that mom would believe for a second it was because of my period. I threw it into the washing machine with some other clothes to avoid suspicion. Being up early was already a sign that something was wrong because I was not a morning person. I found myself being clumsier than usual which led to me putting my leggings on backwards and spilling milk as I poured myself some cereal. I was a mess before I even left the house! I couldn't even focus on playing when my piano instructor, Mrs. Eldritch, handed me the sheet music. After many bad plays, she told me to just play what I felt in my heart. If this kept up, mom and dad would definitely find out that I went to that party after they specifically told me not to. Either way, I'd probably be spacing out like I am now because I kept thinking of Jake. I didn't deserve him and I'm sure he knew this too. What makes it worse, is that we kissed. It was too soon for a kiss!

After he kissed me at the party, my friends finally came over and I found out Alex and Francine were mates. I knew they would probably end up together since they seemed to understand each other better than others. Despite Francine's insecurities, I had confidence that they'd make it. Because there were many things I didn't know about mates, Jake led me off to a quieter place and we spent the rest of the night talking about everything. We had a long talk about what should happen next. He even told me that he knew before, but wasn't sure how to tell me. It was as though we were only talking for twenty minutes, but soon it was one and I had to go back home before I was found out. He put me on his back and used his super speed to get there and now he even knows where I live! I groaned and switched up the tempo of the music. I ran a hand through my hair as my other continued to press the keys.

I blew a strand of my hair out of my face and let out a small whine as I remembered last night. Jake... The thought of seeing him again caused a shiver to go down my spine and my heart rate to spike. I closed my eyes and tried to convey what I was feeling through the melody of my song. His eyes were so vibrant. Blue with light green around his pupils. My heart began hammering in my chest and I shook my head. I ended the song quickly and sat there, staring at the vase that sat atop of it.

Clapping sounded behind me and I lurched around. Mrs. Eldritch stood there, smiling at me. She seemed to be in awe and I came back to reality. In the past, I never met her eyes because I was scared of what type of judgment I'd see, but I didn't care at the moment. Now that I looked at her clearly, I realized her brownish red eyes were similar to Justin's, although his were ruby red. I guess it makes sense because Mrs. Eldritch was his father's sister and that's where his fire powers came from.

"Vinnie, that was beautiful!" Mrs. Eldritch exclaimed. Again, I blinked out of the daze and focused on her. I really needed to stop doing that.

"Um... thank you." I smiled and rubbed my hands. Her smile slowly fell and she closed the distance between us.

"Are you alright? You seem... a bit distracted today." She placed her hand on my shoulder and I sighed.

"I'm sorry... I just... have a lot of things I'm thinking about now and it's... all so new." I swallowed. She nodded.

"Hmm, maybe it would be best if you went home early." She gave me a smile as I raised my eyebrows in confusion.

"You won't tell my mom about this?" I bit my lip in worry. Mrs. Eldritch just chuckled.

"I won't. Vinnie, you're an amazing student already. I'm not sure why your mother insists on me giving you lessons. Just tell Justin and his mate, Isabella I believe, that I said hello." She patted my shoulder as I stood up. I nodded even though I was utterly confused. Isabella was Danny's first name. Her and... Justin were mates? When did this happen and why wasn't I told about it?

"I will. Thank you Mrs. Eldritch." I said before walking out of the studio.

I reached the front doors and sighed. The doors creaked open and the sun began shining down. I couldn't go home because I still had about two hours left of practice. I squinted just as an idea popped into my head and pulled out my phone, going to Francine's contact. I knew she was the person who I could go to for help or to calm about this. I would call and ask her if she wanted to go to the mall with me. I called and waited for her to answer as I stood there with the ringing in my ear. It ended and I heard her voicemail. As I was about to call her again, she sent me a text that told me she was busy with Alex. My eyes were glued to the green message bubble on the screen. Maybe Danny would want to go to the mall with me, then I would get an explanation on why she kept her relationship with Justin a secret.

See, I'm finally getting my mind off Jake.

Wait...

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Jake's POV:

A loud thud came from outside my room, waking me up. I groaned and stretched out in my bed, blinking to help my eyes focus. I glanced over at my clock to see that it was 12 in the afternoon. I didn't feel well rested at all. After I dropped Vinnie off at her house, I got lost for about thirty minutes before I found home again. Directions aren't my strong-suit. I crashed once I took off my shirt and got into bed. I wanted to keep sleeping until I woke up for food since I wouldn't be able to see Vinnie today. I'm just glad she knows we're mates so I don't have to worry about the other guys coming for her. Vinnie was very cute which seemed to be unknown to her. It made it hard to resist kissing her the whole time we had that conversation last night. I wanted to mark her but I decided against it. It was too early. She was mine now though and that's all that mattered.

Another thud sounded outside my bedroom door and I frowned. I rolled out of bed and stretched again before heading to the door. I was ready to tear into the head of whoever was making this noise. I glanced at my calendar hanging crookedly on the wall next to my desk and saw it was my birthday today, or should i say, our birthday. I almost forgot. A grin spread across my face as I realized what the noise was about. Lex and Dria were probably going to play a prank or something on me. It was always small things that anyone would get annoyed with, but it was nice. Today was going to be a fun day. I fixed my hair and made sure there was nothing on my face before opening my door. The sound of things falling was soon followed by short screams. All from Lex's bedroom like I had guessed. She had the tendency to overreact in certain situations.

I sighed and carefully made my way towards her room, waiting to get jumpscared. It surprised me as to why mom or dad hadn't heard her and come to check. Yet, it seemed like both of them weren't home. I opened the door to Lex's room and peeked inside. Nothing was messed up in the slightest. It looked the same as always. Three piles of clothes on the floor in her closet, shoes an unorganized mess underneath her unmade bed, and her underwear over her dresser. I shook my head and cringed. Everything seemed fine, so now I started getting suspicious.

Opening the door and walking inside, I heard another crash and flinched. I noticed a recording device sticking out from under Lex's pillow and picked it up just as another scream sounded. I turned it off, narrowing my eyes. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled and my eyes widened. It's a trap! I started to turn around but I wasn't fast enough. Someone shoved a pillowcase over my head while another handcuffed my hands behind my back. My screams for help were muffled by the bag and my kicks weren't hitting anything but air. I tried flashing away but they must've been vampires too because hands would be back on my arms in no time. Just my luck. I get captured in my own home by a couple of vampires.

The irony.

They led me downstairs and I heard a man grunt as they dragged me outside. I kept struggling before they threw me into the backseat of a car. Something clubbed my head and stars danced in front of my eyes. I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut to keep from getting nauseous. If I get my hands on this person, I'll strangle them to death and that was a promise. The car doors slammed and I heard the jingle of keys. There was whispering and no matter how much I strained my advanced hearing, I couldn't hear whoever it was. It sounded like a prayer though, like they were trying to stay alive or something. I should be the one praying here!

The car started up and a seat belt was fastened quickly. Why hadn't I been given a seat belt too?! I could probably get out if I didn't have my arms behind me. The car began moving and I searched for the door handle with my cuffed wrists. My hands couldn't find it but I did find a seat belt which I quickly grabbed and tried putting it on. The car picked up speed and started swerving uncontrollably, causing me to move from side to side precariously. I cursed under my breath and quickly tried to find the buckle. A high pitched scream sounded as something was hit and ran over. I could hear the honks of horns and something hit the windshield with a bang and rolled over the car. I was thrown to one side of the backseat and hit my head on the door. I hoped I'd be able to survive this car ride at least.

* * *

The vehicle came to an abrupt stop and the ignition was turned off. One of the doors was thrown open and someone screamed out in relief, thanking god they were still alive. I could kind of recognize their voice but it was hard to make out because of all the blood rushing to my head. There was a loud slam on the driver's side and my door was opened. I kicked at whoever it was and yelped, groaning in pain. I let go of the seat belt and tried to run to where I saw the light, but someone grabbed my ankle and pulled me back into the car. I grunted and kept wiggling my body as they grabbed my arms. The handcuffs were unlocked and I quickly took off the bag, ready to snap their necks and call the police. But they weren't random kidnappers but Dria and Lex. A low growl emitted from my throat and Dria backed up a little as my eyes turned black.

"What the hell!? I thought I was actually being kidnapped, you assholes!" I yelled. Lex rolled her eyes.

"Happy birthday to you too." She grumbled, putting the keys in her pocket. No wonder Dria was screaming.

"You especially... you could've gotten us all killed!"

"Shut up before you end up with your head inside the fountain." She snapped. I flinched but still glared at her.

"Here's your money Jake!" Dria came around handed me two one hundred dollar bills and my eyes widened. I looked at her as she smiled at me.

"Where'd you get this?"

"Mom and dad. Who else?" She scoffed and I sighed.

"I don't even have my shoes."

"I brought you some with your black jacket to cover up your... half nakedness." Lex chuckled. I rolled my eyes before taking my converse sneakers from her and putting them on along with my jacket. I zipped it up, stepped out of the car, and put on my hood. I moved my hair out of my eyes and looked up at the sky.

"Alright. We meet back at the fountain around three thirty. No later or you'll be walking home. Got it?" Dria put her hands on her hips. We nodded.

"And I'm driving next time. Nearly gave me a fucking heart attack. Driving like we're in grand theft auto." She huffed and walked away. Lex glowered and pushed past me.

I shook my head as I walked into the mall. The whole place was huge, small stores all around and an escalator in the middle which lead up to the other floor. A familiar scent hit my nose and I smirked as some people gave me weird looks. I looked like a bum at the moment and it was all thanks to my sisters. It didn't help I was only wearing sweatpants and a black jacket halfway zipped up. I was still getting looks from some girls my age, but I was focused on something else. A cool breeze wafted over to me and I walked toward where the smell of honeycomb and lilies was coming. I walked towards the escalator, practically running. The smell was even stronger as I reached the second floor.

The evil smirk on my face must've been creeping a few people out because they hurried past me and gave me troubled glances. It didn't help that I had my hands in my jacket pockets. The smell made up for it though and I started heading towards it. Today was going to be good. Because of one thing...

Vinnie was here too.