A few days went by before I saw James again. It was torture. All I could think about was him. Why was he avoiding me? Why wouldn’t he talk to me? He wrapped me around his finger and then threw me away. I needed to get to the bottom of it.
As I arrived to school, I saw him, standing there alone at his locker.
“Haven’t forgotten about me, have you?” I asked playfully.
“Oh—hey—no, I haven’t.” he said.
“Are you sure?” I asked him.
“Yeah, I’ve just been busy is all.”
He was lying. He wasn’t busy. We had a lot of the same classes and we had barely had any work this week. I knew he was avoiding me. I knew he wasn’t telling the truth.
“Are you sure I didn’t do anything?” I asked.
“Yeah. It’s not you, it’s me. I’ve got to go,” he blurted.
What could I have done to push him away? Why wouldn’t he want to get close to me? As he walked away, all I could do was feel helpless. He was the man of my dreams, and I was losing him. I put my back to the locker and slid down, crying. I looked like a mess. Everyone around was staring at me and whispering. Staring at the new crazy girl sobbing in the middle of the hallway for no reason.
“Are you okay?” asked Ariel.
“Yeah—yeah, I’m okay,” I said, sniffling.
“Okay.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here,” she said.
School was hard that day. It’s bad enough when a guy breaks up with you or kicks you to the curb, but to have to see him in your classes and daily life makes it ten times worse. He was everywhere. Biology, history, lunch, gym and in the hallways. It seemed like every time I turned a corner he was there. Every time I started feeling a little better, he would appear to bring me down again.
When school was over, I walked outside to see my chariot awaiting. As I got in the car, I got a text.
“Hey, where u been?”
It was Marcus. Anytime I felt bad he always contacted me. It was weird. How did he know I was having bad times? Maybe it just was a coincidence. I mean, it would be crazy if it wasn’t, right? Unless he was psychic or something.
“Oh you know, just busy with school n stuff,” I replied.
“Oh cool. Do you have any free time 2night?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah, I guess I do. Why?” I replied.
“I was wondering if u wanted to video chat maybe,” he said.
That brightened my day in more ways than one. I had been friends with Marcus for a while now, and I didn’t even know what he looked like. I have always tried to put a face with him, but when you don’t have anything to work with, it can be rather hard.
“Yeah, definitely,” I replied with a smiley face.
As I got home, I rushed upstairs. Surprisingly nobody was home that day, and I had a bit of freedom that I normally don’t get. As I logged online, I saw Marcus was on.
“Hey,” I typed enthusiastically.
“Hey, what’s up?” he typed back.
“Nm, want to video chat now?” I replied.
Here it was. The time was finally here. As I ran my fingers through my hair and fixed myself up last minute, I got nervous. It wasn’t the cute boy nervousness, but more the meeting a new friend nervous. Just as I finished fixing myself up, the request showed up on my screen. I clicked it.
There he was: sort of. The image was very grainy. I was suspicious. Why would the video be so incredibly grainy? It was rare to see anybody without high definition anything these days. Everybody had the latest products, and graininess went out of fashion years ago.
As I examined the screen closer, I could see him better. He was cute. His dark brown skin was spotless. His jaw was strong, and he had on black sunglasses. I thought that part was weird. Why would he be wearing sunglasses indoors in the late afternoon?
“You’re very pretty,” he typed.
“Thank you! You’re handsome,” I replied.
As we chatted more, I started feeling better. It was my old friend on the screen, and I felt like I could talk to him about anything. We chatted for an hour and a half before my father got home.
“Oh, my family is home, I have to go!” I typed frantically right before logging off.
As I rushed downstairs, my father was watching the news. There was another attack, but this time it wasn’t vampires.
“This is Terry Kerrington live at the scene,” the reporter on TV began. “Earlier this evening a bank in midtown was robbed. Here with more is Deputy Tim Masterson.”
“Yeah,” the deputy said, “we had an elaborate robbery of Midtown Bank and Trust today at approximately 4:43 p.m.”
“What can you tell us about the suspects, Deputy Masterson?”
“There are three suspects of androidian race. They hacked into the server mainframe to disable the security devices and then made their move. One with a plasma cannon on his arm blasted the vault door clean off while the others made sure no hostages escaped. We weren’t able to get here in time to stop them. The robbery was very much planned and very fast and efficient.”
Androidians were rarely in the news. They were a group of people that decades ago infused themselves with technology to evolve further. They felt it was their duty to help accelerate the human evolutionary chain, and that technology was the way to go. Brain implants, eye implants, mechanical parts, the whole kit and caboodle. While they were rarely in the news or public eye, they made sure they made an entrance when they were. They were a smart group of people. While no one was born androidian, their offspring had no choice at birth. Two androidian parents would have a mortal, human child. Within a few days after birth, the parents surgically implanted various cybernetic and mechanical parts into their child as they pleased. Whatever they wanted them to have could be done if they had the money.
Some people, mortal humans, will choose to become androidian on their own. We call these people drifters. They have no real place in the world or society so they turn to groups that will welcome anyone willing to lay their lives on the line.
They are a dangerous race of people, some say even more dangerous than vampires or werewolves. They are great at hacking computers and networks, making them a serious threat. They live mostly underground. Sewers, old bunkers: that kind of thing. Their technological aptitude makes them almost impossible to find. They create their own products to shield from infrared scanners and computer systems.
In the rare event that some are found, they are captured, killed and dissected of their mechanical parts. Scientists study them to try and figure out ways to find the others.
“Can you believe that?” my dad exclaims, shaking his head. “First the vampire attack and now this. I guess now we just wait for those feral dogs to come attack us,” he added angrily.
“I’m sure it will be okay,” I said, trying to be reassuring.
“NO!” he exclaimed at the top of his lungs. “I will not stand for this any longer. The next one of these freaks to be spotted will be shot on contact,” he said with fire in his eyes.
This frightened me. I knew my father was a man of his word. If he said that he would kill these people, he would the first chance he got. With all of the attacks in the news, he wanted to make an example of them. He wanted to show them what happened when they messed with him. He wanted to exterminate them.
As he walked away, I started thinking about James. What if he got caught in my father’s crosshairs? James wasn’t even violent. He was loving and kind and I was sure there were more vampires out there just like him. I needed to try to protect him: I needed to shield him.
I knew I could help him, but only if he would be honest with me. I needed him to tell me what he was: a vampire.
The next day at school I was on a mission. I was going to confront James and trick him into telling me. At lunch, I saw him making his way to the cafeteria. I stood up and bumped into him.
“Oh hey, James! How are you?” I asked, smiling.
“Oh, Juliet. I’m well, and y
ou?” he replied.
“Oh, I’m so starving. Why don’t you come get food with me?” I told him.
As I said that, I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the line with me.
“I’m so hungry,” I said. “What are you going to get?”
“Oh, I’m not really that hungry,” he said, trying to pull away.
“Nonsense,” I said. “You’re a teenage boy, you need to eat.”
James reluctantly took a few pieces of fruit and handed the woman his money.
“My sister is probably looking for me,” he said. “I should go.”
“Okay, talk to you later,” I said, smiling.
As I sat down with Ariel and my new friends, I kept a watchful eye on James. He sat down with Emma and she looked confused, as if asking why he had fruit on his plate. Emma didn’t have any food, just like James. It made me wonder.
After lunch, I saw James get up. I followed him to his locker and confronted him.
“How was your fruit?” I asked.
“Oh, um, it was good.”
“Are you sure? You didn’t seem to eat any of it.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I know what you are,” I whispered into his ear.
“Not hungry?” he said with an uncomfortable laugh.
“Vampire,” I whispered.
Right as I said this to him, he looked me in the eyes, then he turned and took off. As I followed him, he started to move faster. He was trying to ditch me and escape. He knew that I fully knew his secret, and he was scared. By now, he knew who my father was, and he knew that if I wanted to I could turn him in and have him killed. I didn’t want that, though. I wanted him. I wanted to love him and have him love me back.
I turned a corner after him, but he was gone. I stood there in disbelief. Why would he do this? Why couldn’t he just accept it as I had? Why couldn’t he talk to me about it?
As I walked back inside, I saw Derek and Cara standing at the lockers smiling at me.
“What happened there?” asked Derek, laughing.
“Yeah, you made James look a little pale there, if you know what I mean,” said Cara, smirking.
What was that supposed to mean? Did they know he was a vampire? If they knew his secret, why didn’t they go to the authorities and turn him in? Or, I thought, was this a dig at me? Maybe they wanted to make fun of me for making a guy run away. Whatever it was, I needed to get to the bottom of it.
As I walked to the bathroom, I couldn’t stop thinking about what had just happened. Had I taken things too far? Maybe I shouldn’t have confronted him in school like that. But I was just fed up. I didn’t want him to lie to me anymore and I certainly didn’t want him trying to avoid me either.
I went into a bathroom stall and locked the door. I sat there with my head buried in my lap trying to keep from crying. I didn’t want everyone to see me fall apart and think I was some weak little girl who couldn’t handle herself.
Just as I was starting to get myself together, the door opened. I heard a few girls talking.
“So, Brittany, did you know it was her?” said a girl whose voice I didn’t recognize.
“No way,” Brittany answered. “Some military guys stormed into our house last night and took her away. They didn’t even say what they were doing at first.”
“Well then, how do you know she was there?”
“My father contacted some colonel and was given proof that Ashley was there and that she was involved. I still don’t believe it, though. I think she was set up. My father is working with our lawyers to get her out,” she said with confidence.
I tried being as quiet as I could. I didn’t want them knowing I was in here. What if they questioned me? What if they knew my father must have been the one who contacted her father? I wouldn’t be able to live it down. These girls had true power at this school and they could get everybody to believe whatever they wanted. I had to stay on their good side, no matter what.
As the day progressed, I tried to keep my distance from Brittany and her group. Only a few people at school had parents in the military, and even fewer had high-ranking parents. It wouldn’t be hard for people to figure out my father was high-ranked and then deduce that I was likely behind Ashley being taken away.
When I got home later that day, my father was already there.
“How come you’re home already?” I asked.
“Oh, I worked from home today,” he said.
He barely looked at me. It was almost as if he was mad at me. What could he be mad at me for, though? They had taken in Ashley and that got me off the hook. Now he couldn’t blame me for anything. But I still felt like he knew somehow. Like he knew I was the one there and he was just waiting for me to feel guilty and come clean. Yes, I was the one there during the encounter. Yes, I let Ashley take the fall for me because she is a cruel, heartless girl who deserves everything she has coming to her. Somehow, though, I didn’t care. If the truth ever came out, my father would be blamed. His own daughter, the girl in love with the vampire: the girl who was there and saw everything.
I went upstairs and turned on my computer. As I was messing around, I saw Marcus come online. Hmm, I wondered, could I use Marcus to make James jealous? No, I thought, I shouldn’t do that to him.
But maybe if James thought I was talking to another guy, he would get jealous and want me. Would it be so terrible to use Marcus to get to James?
“Hey you,” I typed to Marcus.
“Hey Juliet, how are you doing?” he replied.
“I’m good. I’ve been thinking about you,” I said, flirting.
This was wrong, I thought. How could I do this to such a good friend? He had always been there for me and now I was using him. I was using him to get to James and it was wrong. I was desperate, though. I needed to feel James’s strong arms around me again. I needed to see his melting smile. I needed him.
“I’ve been thinking about you too,” he replied.
It was too late to turn back now. Now he was flirting back and I couldn’t take back what I said. I couldn’t come out and say it was a mistake or I didn’t mean it. It would crush him and crush our friendship.
“Juliet! Get down here!” my father yelled.
As I went downstairs, I wondered what could be wrong. Had he found out and now was furious? I went down to see him watching the news.
“This is Terry Kerrington live at the scene. Reports are surfacing that approximately thirty minutes ago, another bank was robbed downtown. Here with more details is Deputy Tim Masterson.”
“Yeah, what we have here is another androidian robbery,” the deputy said. “This time they struck another Midtown Bank and Trust branch. There were no casualties, and once again the robbery was swift and efficient.”
“Deputy Masterson, what steps will be taken against these robbers?”
“Well, I’m glad you asked, Terry. We’re going to be placing on-duty police officers at every Midtown Bank and Trust in town. For some reason they seem to be targeting this specific bank. Once we get more details, we will make them known to the public.”
“Thank you, Deputy Masterson. This is Terry Kerrington, signing off.”
“Can you believe this?” my father screeched. “Another bank was robbed. This is starting to get way out of hand. How are they doing this? Those wired freaks have always been nothing but trouble. At least the vampires and werewolves aren’t breaking into places and stealing people’s money,” he exclaimed.
I hadn’t seen my father this heated in a while. He hadn’t been this mad since the androidian attack seven years ago in London. I started to make my way back upstairs to talk more to Marcus.
“Can you believe that?” I typed to him.
“What?” he asked.
“There was another bank robbery today. Those androidians are all bad news,” I said.
“I don’t think all of them are bad,” he said. “There are always bad people in any group. You shouldn’t label them all bad.”
&nb
sp; “I don’t know. They all seem pretty bad to me.”
Right after I said this, Marcus signed off. What had I done wrong? Almost everyone thought badly about the androidians. They were never around anywhere and when they were, bad things happened. Of course, people would think they were no good. What else should people think? That they were stand-up citizens who play with puppies in the park?
I thought a lot that night. I thought about James. I thought about Marcus. I even thought about Ashley and where she was right now. Everything was my fault. James wouldn’t talk to me. Marcus was mad at me. Even Ashley was probably in some prison somewhere because of me. I was walking bad luck and who knows what I would do next.
As I went to bed, my head was racing. Just when I finally started drifting off, I was woken up by faint tapping on my bedroom window. It was James. He was there, looking at me, waiting for me to open the window.
I made my way over to the window and slowly and quietly opened it.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, with confusion.
“I needed to see you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he said.
He couldn’t stop thinking about me? All this time he’d been avoiding me and refusing to talk to me, and now he couldn’t stop thinking about me? I was mad, but not mad enough to turn him away.
“Why?” I asked.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said to me. What you thought I was.”
“I’m sorry if I offended you. It’s just that--.”
“No,” he said, interrupting me. “You didn’t offend me. It’s true. You were right.”
I was so happy. He’d finally admitted it to me. Even with all of the struggle and pressure he felt, he cared about me enough to tell me the truth, no matter what it meant.
“You can’t tell anyone,” he said. “If anyone found out, especially your father, things would be really bad really fast.”
“No, of course not. I care about you, James.”
“I care about you too,” he said softly, staring into my eyes.
He started leaning in towards me slowly. Was this really happening? Were we going to kiss? I started leaning in and closed my eyes. Finally, I felt his lips against mine. It was magical. His cool, soft lips caressed mine tenderly. He placed his hand against my cheek, brushing back my stray hairs. At that moment, I felt complete. I was his.
The curtains rippled gently in the night breeze and the moonlight shone down upon us. He looked so beautiful. His skin was glowing, his eyes twinkling.
“Why did you hide it from me?” I asked.
“I didn’t want to scare you. You are so perfect, and I was scared you would think I was far from it,” he said.
“No, never,” I said. “You are the most perfect guy I’ve ever known. I want to be yours.”
He looked at me, smiling. His hands rested gently on my waist while my arms rested on his shoulders, my hands clasped behind his neck.
I yawned while my eyes started tearing up. I was tired, and he knew it. He gently grabbed my hand and walked me over to my bed. He tucked me in and sat beside me.
“Aren’t you tired?” I asked him.
“No. I don’t sleep,” he replied.
“Why not?” I asked in confusion.
“Well, when you’re a supernatural being you kind of don’t need to sleep,” he said with a soft smile.
As I fell asleep he stayed by my side. I held his hand as I slowly started to drift away. I was happy.
When I woke up the next morning, I was surprised that he was gone. I sat up and noticed a note lying on my nightstand.
It read, “I hope your dreams were nice and sweet. I can’t wait to see you again my love.”
I hadn’t smiled as big as I did at that moment in a long time. He loved me: I knew it. He cared for me just as much as I cared for him.
As I got up and ready for the day, all I could do was smile. I was in love, and it showed. I went downstairs and kissed my parents on the cheek.
“What’s wrong with you?” my father asked cautiously.
“Nothing at all. It is just a beautiful day!” I replied, smiling.
I skipped out of the house and to the car waiting outside for me. I didn’t mind the guards today. I happily greeted them and jumped in the car. I was the happiest I had been in months.
As I got out of the car, I saw Ariel and Melissa getting off the bus.
“Hey guys!” I exclaimed with excitement.
“Are you feeling okay?” Melissa asked.
“Well, sure I am!” I replied. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I just haven’t seen you this happy since you’ve been here,” she replied.
“It is just a gorgeous day and I am happy to see my friends,” I said, smiling.
We all walked inside the school together and I went to my locker. As I opened it, something fell out. It was a note. I hadn’t received a note since elementary school when Bobby Higgins asked me to the rec club dance.
“My dearest Juliet,” it read, “I have something very important to talk to you about. I shall find you at lunch so we can talk.”
What was this about? Was he going to break things off with me? No, I thought. After last night and the way he held me, there was no possible way he would do that to me. I think he will tell me something good.
I kept telling myself this all day long. While we had many of the same classes together, I couldn’t find him at all. It was as if he was absent for the day. Why would he leave me a note and come and talk to me at lunch, though, if he didn’t show up for any classes?
When the bell finally rang for lunch, I turned into an Olympic sprinter. I pushed and shoved my way to the cafeteria and leaned against a wall to wait for him to arrive. I waited for ten minutes without him showing up. Just as I was about to give up hope, there he was.
“Hey,” I said. “I got your note. What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing at all. I just wanted to ask you something,” he said.
“Well, what’s it about?” I asked.
“I was wondering if you were free this weekend.”
Was he about to ask me out on a date? Was this really happening?
“Y-yeah, I’m free,” I said, trying to contain my excitement.
“I was wondering if you wanted to come to my house and meet my family,” he said.
His family? It wasn’t quite what I was hoping for our first date, but I wasn’t about to pass up this opportunity.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” I said, smiling.
“Good,” he said. “I’ll see you on Saturday at five.”
After he said that, he walked away. I could see Emma, his sister, looking on and smiling. She had a very pretty smile, and I could tell she was excited.
As I went and sat down with my friends, I could tell they were slightly confused.
“What was that all about?” asked Ariel.
“Oh, nothing,” I replied. “I am just going to James’s house Saturday.”
“I’m surprised he did that,” said Ryan.
“Why? What do you mean?”
“Nobody has ever seen their house or where they go.”
“Well, that isn’t too weird,” I said, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.
“Sure it is,” exclaimed Steve. “A couple people tried following them home one day to see just where they live,” he continued. “When they went around a corner they just vanished, as if they were never there.”
“Yeah,” said Greg. “They’re very secretive.”
Just as things started getting awkward, the bell rang. I had never been so excited to get to class and away from a conversation. James and Emma weren’t weird or secretive. They just didn’t want anybody following them and finding out what they were.
As I sat down in Mr. Quigley’s history class, he started speaking.
“Well, class,” he said. “Today we have a very interesting topic for you to learn about. We are going to learn about the androidians.”
Th
e entire class groaned.
“Oh hush now,” he said. “With the recent attacks I think it’s important that we learn more about them and see if we can figure out how they tick. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” he added.
As he dimmed the lights, the projector started.
Androidians were a recent addition to this planet. The revolution started 37 years ago after the election of President Jonathon Rose. President Rose sought to take the country back to a simpler time: a time when electronics and other devices didn’t rule people’s lives. A time when we communicated face-to-face like our grandparents and not through gadgets and devices. Most of the population opposed this change. A select few took it one step further. They didn’t want their lives controlled by a tyrannical dictator who would take away the freedoms of the people.
Once the revolution started, it easily picked up momentum. Outcasts were enticed by a society with open acceptance. Anyone could get the implants and be accepted into a “loving” society. Those excluded from normal society could find refuge and families. It wasn’t long before their numbers increased. Word spread beyond our country and people all over the world jumped at the chance for unity and acceptance.
The androidians sought refuge in underground bunkers and sewers. Most were experienced and versed in coding, software, technology and the sciences. They developed a way to inject software into their minds. To fuse their emotional selves with new computer selves. They developed weapons and gear that they could implant into their bodies. They implanted themselves with guns, cannons and even bionic limbs and eyes. They did it all, and they did it efficiently. Nobody saw them for a couple years — until they attacked. They attacked President Rose and his colleagues and assassinated them. The world watched in awe as a group of misfit rebels started their conquest of the world. The world they envisioned was one where humans evolved into technological beings.
Soon after the assassination, most of the androidians were wiped out. Government agents got hold of many key locations where these people lived. They destroyed the towns and either killed or kidnapped the inhabitants. It was a huge loss for them, but in the end, only made them stronger.
They haven’t been seen much since these attacks. Many people think they are plotting something. Many people think they are planning a large-scale attack on the mortals to take down the oppressive establishment.
“Well, class,” Mr. Quigley said, “As you can see, there is a lot of debate and confusion about these people.
“Some people think they are just a group of misguided and misinformed individuals, while others think they want the destruction of our current world.
“Your assignment for tonight is to write a short paper on what you think of the androidians,” he said. “Write anything you feel about them and what you think the government should do, if anything.”
I barely remembered anything that was said in the movie or by Mr. Quigley. All I could think about was James. I wondered what his family was like. Were they a real family, or just a group of people living together calling themselves a family? Would they even accept me, a mortal, into their home?
As I left school, I couldn’t stop asking myself those questions. It drove me crazy, but I knew I had to wait until Saturday to find out the answers to my questions.
As I gathered my things and started to make my way to the entrance, my phone beeped.
“I need to talk to you,” said Marcus.
“Okay. On my way home now,” I replied.
I had forgotten all about Marcus last night. I got so caught up with James that I never tried to find out why Marcus was so upset with me. I felt really bad, and I wanted to try to make it up to him.
At home, I rushed up to my room. I had to get online and talk to Marcus. I had to apologize to him.
“Hey!” I typed. “What’s up?”
“Not too much. Sorry for logging off on you yesterday. How was school?”
“It was good. I have to write this stupid paper.”
“Oh really? What about?”
“About the androidians and how I feel about them.”
“I see. How do you feel about them?”
“I don’t know. I mean I guess they really aren’t that good of a people. I mean they have been committing bad acts and everyone thinks they are plotting something bad. I guess I am just not that into them.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
“Why would that be too bad?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just believe that not everybody of a certain group is bad. There have been many bad humans but nobody lumps them all into one category. I think there are probably good androidians out there who are discriminated against because of others.”
“I guess, oh well.”
“Yeah, oh well.”
After he sent that, he logged off on me again. What was with him? Why was he just logging off on me at weird times? He always got so defensive about the androidians when he had no reason to. Oh well, I figured there was no point to getting upset over it. I had enough to worry about with Saturday approaching. What do you even wear to meet a vampire family? Would it be disrespectful to wear red? I hoped it wouldn’t be too awkward.
I was willing to do anything to get his family to like me. I needed him in my life, and I figured getting his family to love me too was the best bet.
Just as I was about to start my paper, my mother got home. I went downstairs to talk to her.
“Hey, mom. I just wanted to let you know I won’t be able to be here Saturday night for dinner.”
“And why is that, dear?”
“I got invited to a friend’s house for dinner.”
“Oh that is wonderful, dear.” She barely looked at me.
Normally I wouldn’t tell her any more but I was so nervous thinking of it, I blurted, “I’m a little nervous, I hope they like me.”
“Oh don’t be silly, dear, I’m sure they won’t bite.”
Chapter Four
Family