Chapter 28

The joy that the hockey game brought me held over for the next few days. I was in higher spirits than I’d been in a long time.

Bouncing down to breakfast one morning, I was singing to myself, and was caught off guard by Armand’s sudden presence in front of me.

“Oh! Hi! I didn’t see yo there. How are you?” Armand hadn’t been around the mansion much lately. I had heard rumors that he had been seeing someone new, and that the tension with the vampires had increased some, causing him to be gone more.

“Good morning Beryl. I’m well, thank you. And you?” He seemed distracted, not really looking at me, but off into the distance, contemplative.

“I’m great. Ready for a good day!” I couldn’t keep the joy from leaking out. He chuckled a bit at my exuberance. He looked at me fully now.

“I’m glad to hear it. Just be careful when you’re off the grounds for awhile. Things are unsettling lately, and I’d like to know you’re safe.”

“Of course. I don’t really go anywhere besides here, school, or Lily’s anyway.” I laughed a bit at that, and he smiled back at me.

“Good, just stay vigilant and aware when you’re out. I don’t think anything will happen, but just in case.” He was distracted again and began walking away.

“Have a good day!” I called after him and saw him wave to me over his shoulder, looking down at his phone.

After breakfast, I called Lily. “Beryl! I have the best idea ever! We need to go on a shopping spree!”

She spoke quickly, not giving me much chance to argue.

“You’ve lost so much weight now, your clothes don’t fit you right anymore. You need a whole new wardrobe! And I know just the places we need to go!”

By the time she had finished talking I was laughing and couldn’t say no. She was so exited and had the entire day planned out, even down to where we would eat lunch. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

“Ok, I’m on my way to pick you up, then.” I was again excited and ready for an outing with my best, and only friend.

Thanks to Armand, my car was in brand new shape, and we rode in style. We had our most comfortable shoes on for a full day of shopping, and out sunglasses ready for the bright day.

Sometime during the second or third store Lily had drug me into, I been to get a strange feeling. It seemed as though we were being watched.

The warning Armand had given me that morning flashed through my mind for a moment, but then Lily was throwing a shiny new outfit at me, and the thought passed.

The rest of the day day passed without incident. Lily helped me pick out an brand new wardrobe that any fashionista would find enviable. I was grateful for the platinum credit card Armand had recently gifted me.

“Just check in with me if you decide to purchase anything over $50,000.” He had said to me when he gave it to me. I had choked on my drink when he had said it, thinking he was joking, but the look on his face told me he was being dead serious.

Just how much money did this werewolf clan have? I knew they were wealthy and powerful, but thinking that much money was an almost frivolous amount flabbergasted me.

Shopping and not having to worry about price tags, though, was something I could get used to. I was having so much fun trying on new clothes and shoes, that even the feeling of being watched didn’t bother me.

Back at the mansion, Lily helped me pack up my old clothes, and we took them to the trash bin. “This is kind of symbolic, isn’t it?” She said looking at me over the pile of bags that held my old wardrobe.

I looked back at her in question. “You’ve kind of become a new Beryl in the last month or so. It’s a bit like we’re throwing out the old Beryl, and welcoming in the new one.”

She smiled softly at me, and I realized she was right. I had been through so many changes lately, that this was a bit symbolic of the change within me. My confidence and strength, I was now showing it outwardly too.

I smiled back at her, “Here’s to the best new Beryl I can be!” I shouted and threw the bag that held the old me into the bin.

After Lily helped me organize and put away all of my new things, it was late and almost time for dinner so she had one of our drivers take her home. We promised to text each other later.

I had walked with her down to the car, and on my way back I started to get that nagging feeling that I had felt earlier that day, while out shopping.

I paused, just outside the front door, and looked around a bit. I couldn’t see or hear anything, but the hairs on my neck and arms began to stand up, and a low growl grew within me.

I wasn’t sure what my instincts were telling me, but I listened and ran for the door. I hear a sharp crack behind me, like someone had stepped on a branch, but the grounds were clean. The only branches were high up in the trees.

Only taking a moment to look back, my hand was on the door, I turned and saw gleaming red eyes soaring down from the trees in front of the mansion. Panic hit me in the gut.

I opened the door and bolted for the stairs, screaming for help. I heard them break through the door behind me, just as some of our guards rounded the corner in front of me.

I ran past them, still heading for the stairs, not thinking of where I was going, letting my instincts drive me. As I reached the bottom of the staircase, the triplets materialized at the top.

Their eyes raked over me, checking for something, and then they were moving past me. Each of them laying a quick hand on me as they passed me. I raced to the top of the stairs and stopped, looking back down at the scene below me.

Chaos had erupted in the foyer of the mansion. I counted ten vampires, and only six of our werewolves, including the triplets. Where was everyone else? I was confused, there was usually a battalion of guards here at the mansion.

I watched the fighting below, almost as if I wasn’t a part of the scene. My mind had separated itself momentarily in my panic.

That distraction caused me to miss the two vampires that had broken away from the fight and come up behind me. I caught sight of them just before they grabbed me, and made to run again.

They caught me almost instantly, one roughly throwing me over his shoulder. I fought back, kicking and screaming. I bite into his arm as hard as I could and he howled in pain.

I felt the blow on my shoulder, and the crack of my collar bone, just before I watched his hand come down on my face.

As the world faded around me, I heard the roars of the triplets, unmistakable, radiate through me, and then I sank into darkness.