Nothing.
Rachel got closer to his body, reached out and touched his ice cold hand, which sent a shiver down her spine. For a moment she’d forgotten they were vampires. She tried to remember.
She remembers clutching the Blue Tablet. Holding Benij’s hand and jumping. Plunging to what she was sure would be her death. But, here she was, alive, breathing, trying to figure out how they got into this cave. Had the jump killed him?
She looked down at her wrist, hoping her watch was still on, and it was. The time said 11:05am and the date was September 15th.
“September 15th?” she asked out loud.
How could it be September? she thought to herself. The last thing she remembered was the Halloween Ball and it being almost Thanksgiving. She thought something must have gone wrong with her watch, maybe the battery was low or maybe it was broken. She grabbed Benji’s arm and looked down at his watch in disbelief.
September 15th. How could this be? Had they really been in this cave for almost a year?
Then, out of nowhere, Benji started coughing and spitting up water.
“Benji! Are you ok? Answer me!” Rachel cried.
Gurgling noises came from his throat as one of his eye lids opened and Rachel caught a glimpse of the whites of his eyes and his pupils rolling back in his head.
“Benji, please, don’t die, you can’t leave me!” Rachel begged. “I love you.”
Rachel looked at Benji’s lips, which appeared to be mouthing something to her. She couldn’t quite make it out. She listened carefully and heard a slight whisper.
“The Red Amulet,” Benji whispered softly, his eyes still not focusing.
“Red Amulet?” Rachel asked. “What’s that?”
Then without another word, Benji’s body slunk back into a state of unconsciousness and his body lay limp on the cave floor. She took another look at Benji and realized she needed to find help fast. She tried to pick him up—but he was too heavy. She couldn’t lift him. She realized the only way was for her to leave him and go get help. She hated the idea of leaving him here alone—but she had no choice.
Rachel walked quickly through the cave, trying to find a way out. It was dark and damp, and the screeching of bats echoed off the wall. She thought for a moment that she was still dreaming, or in some sort of horror movie.
Terrified of being alone, she began to breathe quickly, and her heart started racing. She had to get out of there—and fast. She ran towards a ray of light she saw towards the far back of the cave, but when she came upon it, realized it was only a small hole leading to the outside. She couldn’t possibly fit through it.
She walked towards the other end but found nothing but darkness and stalagmites. She walked to another end and luckily she saw a narrow passageway, just big enough for her to squeeze her way through.
Sucking in her gut and barely breathing, she pushed her way though the small opening and followed the smell of fresh air and the warm rays of sun that were hitting her on the face. Thankfully, she’d applied Hex Lotion in anticipation of getting out of the cave alive and so she wasn’t worried about getting burnt or killed.
With only the Red Amulet on her mind, Rachel knew she had to figure out what the Red Amulet was and where to find it. She knew Benji was in great danger, and perhaps this Red Amulet was the only thing that could save him now. She felt like a lost puppy and didn’t know where to begin. She needed Benji now more than ever and he was unable to wake up or help her. She’d wished he could have finished telling her about the Red Amulet before he fell back into his state of unconsciousness, but he didn’t. Now it was up to her to put all the pieces together. It was up to her to make it right and save his life. After all, he’d do anything for her. Now it was her turn to prove her love to him.
Rachel leapt into the air, felt her wings spread, felt the cool wind hit her in the face and knew, that no matter what she had to do, she would find it.
Chapter 3
Rob sprinted down the football field, holding the ball and charging for the endzone. He couldn’t believe his speed and agility—he was faster than ever. He felt like a cheetah running through the African desert. He was unstoppable and nobody could keep up with him. He clutched the ball tightly in his hands as the croud cheered him on.
“Rob! Rob! Rob!” the kids yelled from the bleechers.
Then, charging the last yard and into the end zone, Rob scored a touchdown. His tenth touchdown of the game. It was unheard of—even Rob couldn’t believe his streak this game. He knew something was up, he didn’t feel quite like himself tonight, and knew his powers were coming back.
It had been almost a year since the incident with Violet, when he first felt his body changing and his powers strengthening; but then, all of a sudden, they disappeared. They went almost as quickly as they came, and now he was beginning to feel the powers come back in full force, even stronger than before, but he didn’t know why.
Why now? he thought to himself.
“Nice one, Rob!” a teammate said, slapping him on the back.
“Word!” another teammate said, high fiving him.
“Yo, what’s gotten into you? You’re da bomb,” another teammate said, chest-butting him.
“Rob, nice work! Now that’s what I call an amazing game,” the coach yelled as he came barreling onto the field to congratulate Rob on winning the game.
The cheerleaders danced onto the field, all running up to Rob and hugging and kissing him. He’d never felt more loved or prized as he did at that moment. He felt like he was on top of the world, yet he knew it wasn’t him. He knew there was someone or something behind this sudden surge of power.
The team walked off the field together, smiling and high fiving each other on their way to the locker room. The crowd in the bleachers was still chanting his name and many of the kids were coming up to Rob in amazement, congratulating him on his win for the school.
As he entered the locker room, Rob’s head suddenly began to hurt; it felt as if someone were inside his brain, banging on the walls of his skull. It hurt so badly, he had to stop and sit down for a minute with his head in between his hands. Then, a hunger came raging through his body and he became ravenous. All he wanted to do was eat. He was craving blood, something he hadn’t thought of in months. Now, suddenly, it was emerging from out of nowhere. He knew he had to let it subside; there were way too many people here and he knew he’d get caught if he killed an animal and sucked its blood. But Rob wasn’t craving an animal per se—what he really wanted was human blood.