Unraveling Selena by Marisa Maichel (best ereader for comics TXT) 📖

If I’d known…but I know now. My advice is this: quit your job at Pon’s. If it’s money you’re worried about, talk to Mother or me, and we’ll work something out. You get part of the family pay as a member of this family. If it’s something else, tell me and I’ll fix it.”

She buried her head in her hands.

“My Belle,” I said, taking her soft hands. She looked up.

“What? What did you call me?”

“My Belle,” I said.

“Daddy used to call me that. He called me Belle. So did Grandpa whenever we went to France to see him and Nana. I haven’t seen them since Daddy died, though.” I leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

“He saw the darkness in her beauty,” I said.

“She saw the beauty in his darkness,” she finished. She touched my cheek. “And you are beautiful, Reese. You are the most beautiful boy I’ve ever met.”

“And darkness isn’t scary,” I said.

“Vassalord,” she caught. “I didn’t know you liked yaoi, Reese. Or Shounen-ai.”

“Trust me,” I said, “I wish that Sebastian and Ciel from Black Butler were a couple.”

“I can’t see that with Ciel,” she said. She looked down. Then she tensed, clutching her head. “I feel dizzy,” she said.

“Sarah…”

She collapsed onto the floor.

“Sarah!” I ran over to her side. I lifted her head up, pulling her onto my lap.

“She needs the nurse!” said the librarian, running over. “What happened?”

“She fainted,” I said.

Within minutes, the nurse and Principal Turner came running over to Sarah.

“We need to call an ambulance,” said the nurse.

“Call her mother first,” said Principal Turner. “Make sure you talk to Alicia-“

“Alicia is in rehab,” I snapped. “Call whoever is on the contact list! It’s most likely my mother.”

“Mr. Emerson, shouldn’t you be in class?”

“It’s my lunch hour.”

“I recall last year, your father saying that you would eat more.”

“Sarah is more important right now! Are you going to stand there and berate me or actually do your job and take care of my girlfriend?”

“Reese Emerson!”

“For heaven’s sake, she needs to be taken to the nurse’s office!” the librarian shouted at him.

I was able to carry her to the office myself. As the bell rang, students began to file out of classrooms. Many of them stared as I carried Sarah, the nurse and Principal Turner following behind with our belongings. I knew I’d pay later for my sass to the principal, but I didn’t care. Sarah was what was most important to me.

When my mother arrived before the ambulance, she fussed over Sarah. Sarah had woken up a few minutes after we arrived in the office, and she insisted that she didn’t need an ambulance.

“I’m fine, Mom,” she said to Mother.

“No, you’re not…did you pull out this piece of hair? Oh, Sarah.”

Caden Cartwright arrived in the nurse’s office with a pass and immediately went over to Sarah.

“Sarah, are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” she repeated. “They’re freaking out over nothing.”

“The ambulance is here,” said Principal Turner.

Two EMTs came into the room with a stretcher. One of them was Glen Crow.

“Sarah,” he said, “Do you know where you are?”

“School,” she replied. “My name is Sarah, I’m seventeen, and I go to North Hampton High School. My mother is Alicia and my father-“ She broke off, tears welling up in her eyes. She was lifted onto the stretcher by Crow and the female EMT.

They took her out the door, where she was promptly put in the ambulance. The female EMT drove while Crow got into the back with her.

Principal Turner turned to me. “Maybe we need to have a discussion about your attitude, Mr. Emerson. Detention in-“

“Hold it right there,” said the nurse. “You were giving him a hard time when you should have been focusing on poor Sarah. If you give him detention, both Mrs. Powell and I will complain to the school board. If anything, you owe both of them an apology.”

Mother stood up and glared at Principal Turner, who turned a deep shade of red. My mother is a tall woman with thick black curly hair and crystal blue eyes that turned to ice when one of her children was hurt. Her anger was palpable, and trust me, you do not want to get on her bad side.

“Do you know who my son is?” Mother growled. “His father is one of the most well-known and richest men on the planet. My fiancé is soon to be the stepfather of my Reese. You do not want to mess with my future husband. When you mess with our children, you mess with us. Do you understand? Do I make myself clear?”

Principal Turner gulped. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. I will contact my fiancé and tell him what has occurred today. I don’t think he or my ex-husband will be happy with how you have treated our son. I will speak to Mrs. Powell and the nurse and get the full story, then get it from Reese. If I hear that you are unfair to Reese ever again, you will wish you had never been born.” With that, Mother turned and started walking out. “Come, Reese. Grab your things. We must see to Sarah.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alexander found Mother’s threats to Principal Turner hilarious. He was furious when he heard how the principal had spoken to me and threatened me with detention, but he was proud of both me and Mother. Me, for sticking up for Sarah and staying strong, and Mother, for telling Principal Turner exactly what would happen if he ever threatened me again.

He was concerned about Sarah, though, as we all were. She was laying in the hospital bed, covered by a thin sheet. She found all of this irritating.

“Mom, I’m fine,” she said for the tenth time as Mother checked her vitals.

“Hello, may I come in?” said the nurse. She held a vase full of red roses and baby’s breath. “You have an admirer.” She handed the vase to Uncle Soren, who read the card out loud.

“’To my dearest Sarah: I hope you recover. From Glen.’”

“How nauseating,” Alexander said. He looked at Sarah. “Little girl, if you don’t do something about it, that boy will be your downfall.”

“Shut up, Alexander,” Sarah snapped, and then hid under the sheet as Alexander gave her a dark look.

“It’s not her fault,” I said. “He just can’t take no for an answer.”

“I know it’s not her fault, Reese.”

“Both of you shut up,” Sarah said. “I feel dizzy and lightheaded.”

“Close your eyes,” Mother advised. “I will be here when you wake up.” She stroked Sarah’s hair, then kissed her. She started purring as she nuzzled her. She turned and looked at Alexander. “I love you, Ambrogio Nicolai, but if you do not respect my children, then we cannot marry.”

“I do respect them,” Alexander said, looking panicked. “I love them just as much as you do. But I love you more.”

“You should love them more.”

Alexander wrinkled his nose. He had dug himself into a hole. Tension was thick in the room. Sarah snored. She had fallen asleep. She looked like an angel laying there. Alexander himself looked furious. Mother ignored him and petted Sarah. Alexander rolled his eyes, and Mother thumped him.

We were all crowded around her. Alexander was feeding a fussy Cirino, who was extremely gassy. Mother constantly checked Sarah’s vitals, occasionally smelling her, as if her health would suddenly change just because she was here. I was muttering the lyrics to “Second Chance” by Shinedown under my breath and humming the tune.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” Father said. He pecked me.

“Nope. Except that I’m getting hungry. You’re the parent, the provider. Go get food.”

He thumped me for my sass.

“Tough luck, cousin,” Louis chuckled. Uncle Soren thumped him.

“I’ve set up a perimeter around the territory,” Uncle Soren said. “Father and I spread our scents around the area.”

“Is there another vampire around?” I asked.

“A coven,” Grandfather said. “A large one; about ten members. Slightly smaller than Ambrose’s old coven. We still don’t know them, so we’re not taking any chances, especially given their size. I believe Louis mentioned it before.”

“He probably did, I just wasn’t paying attention.” Father thumped me again.

“Mom?” Sarah whimpered.

“Yes, baby, I’m here,” Mother told here. I went over to my girl’s side.

“Mom, I feel sick,” she said. Mother handed her a glass of water. “Also, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t want to upset everybody. I just wanted to be perfect.”

“No one is perfect, my sweet,” Mother said. “Cella Kent should have known that. I have filed a complaint and will destroy her if she hurts you again.”

“Mom, it isn’t just me. Everyone wants to be thin.”

“And everyone wants to rule the world, but that’s not going to happen. Only God can rule the Earth. You are in charge of your own body and soul. You are beautiful, my love, both inside and out. You are my daughter, and I love you. I could not let you kill yourself.”

Sabine, who had remained silent, was now quietly crying. Mother pulled Sabine into her and kissed her blond locks.

“Both of you are my daughters. I will be your mother until the end of my existence.”

Sarah was crying now. Father said something about paperwork and left the room, followed by Louis, Grandfather, and Uncle Soren. Only Alexander remained with the baby. He seemed to be lost in thought.

“I’m so sorry,” Sarah said. “I had no idea I was hurting everyone else.”

“It’s okay now, turtle dove,” I said. She looked at me.

“Turtle dove?”

“Would you rather I called you a hawk?” I asked. She smiled a little, a forced smile. “Okay, how about a raven? Or a penguin? You know, all birds mate for life.”

“Even starlings and drackels?”

“All birds. So do lions, unless another male wins a fight.”

“Do cats mate for life? Or foxes?”

“Foxes, yes, Cats usually don’t if they’re feral. Do you remember when I took you to the edge of the woods, and we heard a fox?”

“I didn’t know what it was. I asked you what it was.”

“Yes, foxes can sound very gruesome if you’ve never heard one before.”

“There is a fox on your family crest,” Alexander said. Sarah looked at me.

“He’s right,” I said. “My family crest is a fox and a raven over each other with the Helm of Awe in the middle, along with the Valknut.”

“The Helm of Awe means protection and might, and the Valknut means death,” Alexander helpfully explained. “Mine was the wolf Fenrir with Thor’s Hammer before my brothers died and my family split into mortals and immortals.”

The girls looked surprised and interested all in the same look.

“How many kinds of vampires are there?” Sabine asked.

“Several,” I said. “Vampires who were originally humans, like Alexander and my grandfather, are called human vampires. I’m a natural-born vampire, meaning I was born from two vampires.”

“My son Kieran is a hybrid,” Alexander said. “He’s half-human. There are also vegan vampires, which we refer to as vampires who drink the chlorophyll from plants, vampires who drink animal blood, which is a joke to the rest of us, strigoi, evil vampires known for taking souls, and so on. Each culture has their own version, and each version is mostly accurate.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN – MITRA

It was a simple mistake. I hadn’t meant to go onto another vampire’s territory. I didn’t realize it was hers. Now, as I faced the female, I couldn’t help but notice that she was very pretty. She had chin-length shiny black hair, a smooth, dark tan, and hazelnut eyes. She was at least seventeen when she was turned, and now she stood in front of me, hissing.

I gently and silently backed away, being careful not to turn my back or bare my teeth, as much as I wanted to snarl at her.

“I didn’t realize this was your land,” I said.

“This is Lenape land,” she corrected. “I am their guardian.” She muttered a curse in another language that I didn’t catch.

“A guardian of humans?” Alexander scoffed.

“Who is the big dumb one?” the female asked.

“This is Alexander Nicolai,” I told her. “Who are you?”

“My name is Mitra Dearwood.