Chapter 9
It felt as though there was blood, blood on her hands as she stared wide eyed at the woman who raised her, lying in a coffin.
Her guardian, Missy, had warned her time and time again she was going to die, it just never felt real to the eight year old.
Until she found her dead, in a pool of her own blood. She had held Missy, begging her to wake up, to not leave her behind, but only got dead silence.
First her parents, then Missy, everyone died. Raven wiped her face and sniffed.
“Hey, I’m sorry,” someone behind her said gently. The girl turned, frightened. He was tall and had sharp intelligent blue eyes.
“Who are you?” She demanded, holding the bottom of her dress, face red from crying.
He knelt down, and her face twisted. “I’m River, I knew Missy well, she wanted me to take care of you when she ”
“I don’t want you to take care of me, I can take care of myself.” Raven told him coldly.
River blinked in surprise, “Well, you’re going to be staying with me for awhile,”
Raven turned and looked at Missy, new tears running down her cheeks. “Can’t you see I’m saying goodbye? Leave me alone, I don’t like you,”
River forced a smile. “You don’t know me, but I think Missy would like it if”
Raven turned and glared at him with puffy tired green eyes. “Don’t try to manipulate me, that’s disgusting.”
kiver paused. “I’m not, trying to manipulate”
“Tuck off,” the eight year old said coldly and crossed her arms arms.
The vampire stared at the child. “Did you just swear?”
“Are you deaf?” The girl retorted and turned her back on him.
And thus began a long lasting rocky relationship between a group of vampires and a stubborn human girl.
Roughly nine years later.
“You have to go to school – Raven, open this damn door!” River shouted from outside my room. I slowly made my way over and opened it, glaring at
him.
“I’m sick,” I lied and blinked.
He raised an eyebrow “No, you’re not, get ready for school, you can’t just skip because you don’t want to go.
My fingers twitched on the door. “Really? It worked yesterday,”
River ground his teeth together. “Raven, I don’t have time for this, get ready for school, now.”
I closed the door in his face and groaned, rubbing my eyes. I really didn’t want to go to school today. After forcing myself to get dressed I ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, holding boots by their strings.
I opened a cupboard and grabbed a poptart, unwrapping the wrapper and biting into the middle of one of the sugary treats as I reached down and pulled on my boots.
The sound of jiggling keys made me glance up, and Fin, one of the five vampires I lived with, smiled. “I can give you a ride,” his tone like a song. I swallowed a bite of my breakfast before taking the poptart out of my lips.
“I’m good, I’m going to walk,”
Fin frowned. “Are you sure? It’s kind of cold out there…” I looked at him in disbelief.
16.58
I’m Not Your Branding Tival Vonnue Lord
Chapter 9
“You’re a vampire, you can’t get cold,” Fin scratched his cheek with a single finger.
“Yes, but I checked the weather” Fin paused and watched me grab my coat.
“I’m good, I’m going to walk,” I repeated and walked towards the front door.
“Cross, tell Raven she has to let me drive her!” Fin called, and the dark haired vampire called Cross watched me stomp through the living room.
“Raven, let Fin drive you,” Cross said in a monotone voice. I scoffed.
“No, I’m good,” I opened the front door and then slammed it behind me, huffing. Really, really didn’t want to go to school today…
“Woke up on the wrong side of bed?” I paused and glanced over at Lion, who was coming back from his morning walk. Or at least, he said he was walking.
I more imagined him going off into the forest and killing small cute animals. “Fuck off,” I said in a fake pleasant voice, walking past him.
Lion narrowed his eyes. “You’re not supposed to swear,”
I threw my hands in the air and made my way past him, ever in a bad mood. It was cold outside, the wind icy as I made the long treck to my horrible school.
When I finally arrived I ducked my head and walked across the parking lot and through the front door, hurrying to my locker.
“What’s the big rush Raven?” I froze and turned, Emma Phillips leaning on the wall, blowing gum into a bubble as she watched me.
“Well, it’s called school,” I said sarcastically and walked past her. Emma sneered and followed after me, slamming my locker closed as I opened it.
Emma wasn’t your typical pretty girl, mostly because she wasn’t pretty at all. She was mean and had a mustache, but still managed to bully me.
I had tried to get help, but no one believes me. I mean, why would they? I’m a traumatized liar who lives with foster parents no one has met.
“Don’t sass me, Raven, I thought we were friends!” Emma said and laughed like she was funny. I glanced at her thick bushy eyebrows forming into one and sighed. “I’m going to be late for class, move,”
Emma gave me a yellow smile. My shoulders sagged. Today was going to be one of those days.
“Is there a reason you’re ten minutes late?” The math teacher who always had it out for me demanded, nostrils flaring.
I stared at the woman in the pencil skirt and bit the inside of my mouth. “I told you, I couldn’t get my locker open,”
She took off her glasses and gave me the usual disappointed sigh. “Go sit down, we’ll talk about this after class.”
I made a sound in my throat and made my way into the back, sitting down at my desk. I placed my head on my hand and looked out the window.
“Raven, could you answer this?” The teacher suddenly asked, and I looked at the large problem with wide eyes.
“Uh, no, I can’t,” I said honesty. The class snickered at me and the teacher sighed again.
“It’s thirty seven,” a boy called and sent me a smile. “Pretty simple if you ask me,”
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