The Vampire Shadows

He's Soo tall , with his ebony hair and dark eyes... ohh I can get lost in those eyes, he's the perfect example of perfect, " Kara, come to say hi to our guest" mom said, destroying my train of thought, bringing me back to reality. I smiled as I made my way down the stairs, still staring at the strangely good-looking man.

"Hello Kara," he said when I finally got to where they were standing. Mehn his voice sounds better than I imagined.

"Hi," I managed to say, barely audible.

" This is your cousin Maxwell, he's Victor's son." mom said, excitement visible in her voice.

"Oh" was all I could say. So it's Maxwell, well, I'm not surprised I didn't recognize him, we haven't met in ages the last time I saw him was 12 years ago, I was just 6, I don't even have clear memories of him, but I do remember that our families were close, Uncle Victor is Mom's only brother, they grew up together after losing their parents in an accident. He took over their parent's business and made sure mom grew up comfortably. Years later, he got married to Max's mom and mom got married to dad . Even though they lived in different cities, he made sure to keep in touch with us, they always visited during summer breaks.

But things changed after his death. His wife made sure she cut all ties with us, for reasons Known only to her. It still hurts mom cause she couldn't meet Max anymore , her last surviving relative.

" Maxwell is here on a business trip, he called and said he'll be staying at our place through out the trip" mom said " go and freshen up sweetie, dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. Kara please show him to his room" .she added. "Okay" I murmured.

The walk up the stairs was long and quiet, it was damn tiring, and fact that his eyes were on me the whole time, wasn't helping! .

I've always wondered why our house didn't have an elevator, it's a mini Villa for crying out loud. After what felt like forever, we finally arrived! "Your room," I said, opening the door, "enjoy your stay" I added, before leaving the room quickly.

Huhhhh what a relief, finally I'm going to be on my own, and I have thirty more minutes to enjoy .

In case you are wondering, yessss I'm an introvert, I don't like talking or being around people, Even my family , I find comfort in being alone, with little friends, no besties, just me myself and I oh, and my little sis, Kendra.

Wait, I haven't seen Kendra all day, I hope she's not getting herself in some kind of trouble! If she is, I don't mind , I mean, she's used to it anyway.

Kendra's my little sister, she's 16 but she acts like a freaking 20 year old. She's either at a party or running around with some dude, we're getting used to this side of her, bad grades, bad friends, gross guys, plus she dresses and acts like a little slut, and not to mention she's been ditching school. And it hurts me that I can't do anything about it, she doesn't even listen to mom. But, Kendra hasn't always been like that, she used to be the perfect daughter too, until dad left us three years ago and ran off with some lady, we all became shattered, especially Mom. But in the midst of being broken we totally forgot about the youngest member of the family, things were tough , but I Wish we didn't forget her, I wish we cared for her and noticed her just a little bit, maybe she wouldn't be like this. She just needed attention and we couldn't give it to her, so she found company from a bunch of freaks, and that's how I lost my kiddo, but I'm not going to give up, I still hope that she'll change, I Know she will.

"Ma'am, dinner is ready" the maid informed, I raised my head, staring at her, but she was still there staring back! "Ehhnm ma'am, I heard we have a guest...." She started "well why don't you go confirm that yourself" I said, glaring at her. After a few seconds of staring contest , she finally left. That's Tracy, the nosiest maid in the whole Villa , she's always trying to know what's going on in our lives, but mom won't let her go and even made her me and Kendra's personal maid. Kendra and I have always been mean to her, because she is just a few years older plus, her nosy attitude.

Enough talk about Tracy, I need to go down and get this dinner over with.

I was already half way down the stairs when mom suddenly yelled from the dining hall, telling me to go get Max. ughhhhhhh...... I turned around slowly, and started walking back up. I was already at his door, about to knock , when I heard him saying something, so I did what any normal person would do, I moved closer to the door so I could hear clearly. "What do you mean you can't make it" I heard him say, his voice a little impatient and desperate. " I need it, right now! I don't think I'll be able to control myself any longer, and I don't want them suspecting any thing, it'll ruin everything" he said the last part with a little bit of anger.

Then, I heard foot steps, he was coming towards the door, I ran and hid behind the closest pillar, I peep to see if he was coming my way, then I saw him, he was standing by the door, his ebony hair was disheveled, and his eyes, they we're as dreamy as I remembered... He looked frustrated yet cute, I could get used to staring at him, at his eyes... Wait his eyes weren't this dark the last time I saw him.

*****At dinner*****

I met mom and Max at the table, they were discussing something, his eyes weren't as dark as the way I saw them a few minutes ago, and he wasn't looking distressed anymore he looked different. Like nothing happened.

I sat next to mom and started digging in.

"Mom must be really excited about Max's visit, for preparing such a feast", I thought.

As we ate, mom and Max were having small talks, she kept asking him about how his life has been and kept reminding him how good-looking he was. That kind of made me feel awkward.

While he, well he'd just laugh anytime mom says something like that. But his mood suddenly changed when mom asked about his mom, that flirty smile of his faded and was replaced with a deadly look, his face looked almost the same way he did when I saw him upstairs, only, this time he didn't look frustrated, just angry, and sad. And the way he held the table cloth tightly freaked me out more.

I guess mom sensed that he wasn't interested in the issue, so she quickly changed the topic and in a few seconds, his mood was back to normal. "wow" I said to myself, how can a person's mood change Soo quickly! Then my mind went back to what happened earlier, "why did he behave like that, and what was he hiding, why did he say something about us suspecting him?. I can't understand anything, nothing makes sense, is his presence here going to get us in danger, or was he here to hurt us? Does this have something to do with his mother?

Mom always called her a little witch, so maybe she's up to something and sent Max to do it. But the way he reacted shows that he's not on good terms with his mother. Or maybe he was just pretending.

Maybe I should inform mom about it, she might have a solution." But I thought against it, Mom's so happy to meet Max, I can't just ruin things for her, she deserves to be happy, and perhaps I am just being paranoid. He's probably a nice guy, and I misheard him!" I was still trying to convince myself that it wasn't a big deal when I heard him say " so how's high school Kara" mehn I love the way he calls my name, this is the second time. "It's great," I replied , trying to think of something else to say, then mom cut in; Kara is in her final year, she's one of the top students in her school, she has received a lot of awards, she's a great dancer........" And she kept blabbering kinds of stuff.

Dinner was going well until we heard noises coming from the living room, we all rushed there and found Kendra.

Her friends brought her back from the club and she got into a fight with one of them for reasons God only knows.

When we got there they were so obsessed with fighting that they didn't even notice our presence. Kendra was dragging the girl's hair and pushing her towards the wall, then suddenly **smash**

That's when everyone stopped.

Pin drop silence!

We all stared at each other for a few seconds before I took the initiative to speak, " ehnnm I think you guys should go home" I said, directing Kendra's friends to leave.

***Slap***

Mom just slapped Kendra, something she has never done before. Although Kendra's naughty, mom has never slapped her, I'm the one who normally gets such punishments. But this, it's really surprising. I can't believe it. But what got my attention was Max's reaction, his face was stiff, and the mixture of anger, frustration, and anxiety was evident on his face, he was sending my sister death glares and it is really freaking me out.

I turned to face mom who was now on the floor, weeping, and picking the remains of what Kendra broke. It was some glass stuff that looks like a trophy with a little red crystal at the top, it has always been there on the shelf in the living room. Mom said it was given to her by her father and she seemed to treasure it a lot and I guess I can't blame her for her reaction. But then, why would she keep something she treasured in such an open place. plus, it's really fragile.

Mom picked up what she could and left still crying.

Now it's just me, Max, and Kendra. I was about to leave when I saw Max hurriedly walking towards Kendra, he Put his hands around her neck, slightly strangling her then he yelled " how can you be Soo careless and thoughtless, do you know what you have caused? How can you be so childish, Kendra? ...." I quickly ran towards them, trying to process what was going on, I grabbed his hands trying to make him let go, " let go of her Max you are hurting her" I said stammering "please let go Max you'll hurt her" I added, this Time, crying. he finally let go, " you don't know what your sister has caused Kara, she has just risked many lives" he added bluntly before leaving.

I stared at him wide-eyed, I didn't blink until he left the scene, I looked at Kendra, moving towards her I opened my arms to hug her, but she pushed me and walked away. "I guess it's just me, I'm all alone, I've always been," I thought as I looked around the room how can things change just within a few minutes.

My mind went back to what happened earlier, how is that piece of junk important, and what was Max saying about lives being at risk, I mean, if you ask me, that stuff is just a piece of junk, and if my life depended on it, I don't think it's worth living it. But then why was mom shattered after the incident, was it because it's a gift from her dad or maybe there's more to it, Cause I've never seen mom this sad and broken , Even when dad left us, she was broken then, but it wasn't this bad. She's a strong lady and she doesn't cry over little things , and that's why I'm convinced that there's more to this than just a gift.

That's it, I can't take this suspense any longer, I need answers.

I was at Max's door and for the second time today, I heard him talking to someone. So I once again moved closer to the door so I could eavesdrop. * I can't help it, I need answers *

He was saying something, and this time he was not alone, someone was in there with him and the voice didn't sound familiar at all.

" It's not that easy Max, I've been trying hard to act like one of them, you know if I make a little mistake they're going to find out that I work for you. And once they do, they'll hang my head on a fork and send it to you " the unfamiliar voice said.

" No you have to try harder to keep your identity secret I can't lose any more men," Max said, sounding really serious.

"I'll try my best. Anyway, how's your new home big man?" Mr unfamiliar asked

" No big deal, there's nothing much to worry about here, I can deal with it with a wave of my finger," Max said sounding even more serious. " I know exactly how to take care of the situation here, you just focus on destroying those people "he added.

"Okay, but max, your cousins..." Mr unfamiliar started " what about them," Max asked, cutting him short.

"Uhhhmmm I just want to know if they have any idea About the whole stuff" he continued.

" No, I doubt that, and I think that'll make things easier for me, I'll just act normal, get the job done in a few weeks, and then disappear, they'll never find anything out. " he replied "But my aunt knows a lot, and I'll need to shut her up ASAP. Especially after what happened today, she mustn't let anything about the ancestral crystal leak, if not, they'll be trouble." His final sentence sent shivers down my spine. What is going on? What is he planning to do to us, something is up and it doesn't sound good.

" you know what, Max, just take your time oh, and enjoy the present, I went through a lot to get it your know." the guy said.

And Max replied " sure, now let me see you out".

Uh uh, I need to hide quick! I ran and hid behind a pillar. I waited for fifteen minutes, but they didn't show up , I waited for ten more minutes, still nothing, so I decided to check what was going on.

Getting to the door, I leaned closer, but I didn't hear anything. I slowly pushed the door and... Huhhhh? No one's in there.

I slowly walked in, checking the environment, empty. But how? They were in there 25 minutes ago, and I'm sure they didn't use the door!

I kept looking around to find anything suspicious but nothing, only a glass of wine. Something in me made me move closer to the glass, hmmm, red wine. I picked it up and stared at it. " This must be the thickest wine I've come across. " I sniffed it and it smelled really bad! Wait, a minute.......

" It's rude to barge in to someone's room without permission" I heard Max's voice from behind. I quickly dropped the glass and faced him. " I .... Ehhnm, I.." I stammered trying to think of what to say, I couldn't even remember the reason I was here, yes I was here because of what happened earlier. " We need to talk," I said firmly, trying my best not to act suspicious. " And you couldn't wait for me to come? Instead, you started going through my stuff" he said, almost yelling.

" I'm sorry for coming in like that but, I just couldn't go back after coming all the way here," I said in an innocent tone.

"Alright, what is it," he said, buying my pretense. " It's about what happened down stairs, I really don't appreciate the way you spoke to Kendra, I know she made a mistake, and she isn't sorry, but, I don't think you have the right to judge or punish her. It's our personal issue and you shouldn't have interfered." I said. Yes, this wasn't the main reason that brought me here, but I can't tell him that, after everything I've heard and seen, I have to know what's really going on here, I want to know what he's hiding, and if he's trying to hurt us. And for that to happen I need to be extra careful.

"So, you came all the way to my room just to tell me that?" He asked looking at me intently. I bet he's trying to see if I'm lying.

I fully composed myself and said "yes, you have been here for less than 10 hours, so please, don't put yourself in our trouble. We are fine, and you Know nothing about grandpa's gift Soo stop acting all worked up" I said this while staring at him, I felt like running my hands through his hair, but discarded the thought immediately. I noticed his reaction change when I said the last part. As though he was almost caught. I smiled and added "I'll be grateful if you go apologies to Kendra, she's going through a lot and I don't want her to end up doing something stupid." then I left his room.

" Woah! That was close"

My mind went back to what I saw in his room. Was that really blood in the glass? If it is then what is he going to do with blood? I hope he's not going to drink it!!! Ewww who would drink blood, that sounds disgusting. Plus, how did his friend leave the room without being seen, I'm sure he didn't use the door, maybe he used a ladder down the balcony, tomorrow I'm going to ask the guards if they saw anything. Sincerely, anything that has to do with Max is hot and creepy. I really like him and fear him at the same time. I can't believe I like a guy who's my cousin and also probably trying to kill us all.

I was losing my mind already, I have a lot of questions and I have a feeling that mom can answer few if not all.

I kept thinking until I got mom's room, I was about to Knock but Changed my mind and pushed the door slowly, I peeped and found mom sleeping on the bed. I slowly walked in and sat beside her. Her face looked worn out and her eyes were swollen from all the crying. I felt really bad. I covered her using the blanket and then stood up to Leave.

Suddenly, my eyes caught something, a bottle of wine, mom's favorite. She doesn't drink any other wine apart from this one and she doesn't let anyone drink it. Truthfully, I've never even held the bottle in my hands before. She's Soo protective of it, and this is the first time I'm actually wondering why. One thing I've noticed about it though, is , it doesn't have a label and it's always delivered to her by a particular lady. Now that I'm thinking about it, it's making my nosy nature come to action. So I quickly walked to her mini fridge, opened it, and behold! The whole fridge was filled with it. I took a bottle and left.

I was on my way to my room. when I came across Kendra's room I stopped to check on her, I am desperately in need of someone to talk to. I wish she hadn't changed, we would have been in this together and maybe things would be easier.

I slowly knocked hoping she would open the door and give me a hug, or at least listen to me. "Kendra, it's me, kara, can we talk?" I said hopefully. But she didn't reply. she's probably asleep.

I knocked again, still, no reply. So I slowly pushed the door and was surprised to see her on her bed, doing something on her phone.

"Kendra, I've been at the door and you didn't reply, I really need to talk to you" I said, trying not to sound annoyed.

"I don't want to talk to you, just get out" she replied indifferently.

"Kendra," I started as I sat beside her, I know she doesn't want to talk to me or even look at me, but I'm not going to leave without trying to talk to her, I've missed my little sis, it's been 3 years since she started distancing herself from us, and I can't take it anymore, I miss her.

" My baby" I said as I hugged her and started crying. She didn't return the hug, but at least she didn't push me away either.

"Okay Kara, what do you want" she said sounding disgusted. So, I let go of her and started " sis, I think something is up, something is wrong and it is somehow related to Max, he's up to something and I'm scared he'll hurt us." I said as fast as I could.

Kendra just stared at me, a little hint of boredom showed on her face , after a few seconds she finally spoke, " Kara, I know you want us to be close again, but I didn't think you'll be this serious, I mean Max is trying to hurt us? Why would he do that, they are obviously richer than we are and he has nothing to gain, " she said almost laughing at me.

Then, I got angry and narrated everything that has happened from the moment he stepped in, I kept the part that I felt attracted to him out though.

This time she stared at me, wide eyed,

It was as if she was trying to process something, she then finally said " look I need to sleep, so, just leave, please. And the whole stuff about how Max reacted down stairs, it was weird and annoying, and yes, I don't trust him but that doesn't mean I trust you either, so just please leave. We have school tomorrow".

"But Kendra... " I started but she pushed me out and locked the door.

I walked slowly to my room, as I processed everything. My sister's right, I should go to bed.

But that doesn't mean I'm giving up. I'm still going to find out the truth.

I entered my room and went straight to the closet, I changed into my nighties and walked to the mirror and tied my brown hair into a bun. I stayed there and stared at myself, my brown hair and emerald green eyes, slightly brown skin..... I was nothing like my mom and sister, they had black hair and dark eyes, long lashes, and their skin is really white, almost pale, but it compliments the dark hair Soo much, it makes them look pretty. They've always been the perfect pair, while I'm just the member of the family that looks like dad! Ughhhhhhh I hate that man.

I laid on my bed and my thoughts trailed to Max. But this time I had only positive thoughts about him, his good looks uhhhh....

I kept thinking and didn't know when I fell asleep.