I'm Not A Savior

I walked into school today, the first day of the new semester. I got my schedule out of my bag and went to my first class of the day, which was in Alex’s classroom. I walked in to find that Alex wasn’t there. My heart sank. Where was he? Did they find out he had been doing with me? Oh I hoped not. Alex wouldn’t survive in prison. He’d kill someone in there and cause all sorts of trouble.

The new teacher looked up from her desk and I froze in my tracks. She was a vampire. I could tell from the glow behind her eyes and the hint of red to them. I just took my seat like all the other students and tried to stay calm. She thoroughly freaked me out. Worse thing was that I was alone in this class. Tay and Tess had different classes than I did, and were on the other side of the school.

“Welcome to Music Theory II,” she greeted the class, “I’m your new teacher, Ms. Sarmiento. Mr. Gaskarth has decided to pursue new ventures.”

Alex quit, and he never told me. Oh he was getting an earful tonight. We went from one vampire teacher to another. Only this one seemed less friendly.
---
I ran to Alex’s as fast as I could. When I got there I found him sitting on the couch sipping on some whiskey. I grabbed it out of his hand and put it on his coffee table.

“Kenzie,” he asked shocked, “What was that for?”

“We have a problem,” I told him, “Actually you do.”

“What do you mean,” he asked.

“You quit without telling me,” I whined, “What were you thinking? Now some Sarmiento is teaching us and I know for a fact she’s a vampire.”

“Did you say Sarmiento,” Alex had fear in his eyes, “Please tell me you didn’t say Sarmiento.”

“I did,” I told him, “Why?”

“Shit,” Alex put his head between his knees and pulled on his hair, “Kenzie you are in danger.”

“Alex tell me what’s going on,” I began to pace. He was worrying me.

“Kenzie,” he tried to steady his breathing, “Sarmiento is Carmina’s surname. My creator is your new teacher.”

“Alex,” I was confused on why he was scared, “What does that mean?”

“It means that you’re in danger,” he warned, “Kenzie, she is going to use you to get to me. I knew she was up to something before.”

“We’ll figure it out, okay,” I comforted him, “She won’t do anything to me, okay.”
♪♫♪
There was no reasoning with Carmina. She was deadest on getting her hands on me. She wanted me as her toy, her pet. As ashamed as I am to admit it, I was very good at killing and torturing her enemies. I was a master of pain. And I hate every bit of it.

Kenzie had no idea what was at stake with Carmina. Kenzie has no idea that Carmina wants me to shut off my emotions. She wants me to kill and revel in it with indifference to those I care about most. Carmina wants her favorite ripper back.

Kenzie fell asleep on my couch after she finished her homework. I knew she was exhausted worrying over her new teacher as much as I was. Carmina was about to play a very deadly game with us that only she could win, and it scared Kenzie.

“We went from one crisis to another,” I murmured quietly as I stroked her hair, “And I am so sorry for this.”
---
I went to the school well before they’d allow students in the building. I needed to confront Carmina. And I had to do it before she did something to hurt Kenzie.

“Carmina,” I called her out once I got into the classroom.

“Alexander, darling,” she greeted me with a fake smile, “I see you’ve come to your senses and returned to me.”

“Not a chance in hell,” I growled, “You need to leave, now.”

“But I was just getting settled into my new home,” she taunted, “I mean someone had to comfort her uncle.”

“Don’t you dare lay a single fang into him,” I warned her, “Leave him out of it.”

“Alright fine I’ll leave him alone,” she surrendered a little too easily, “But do get him on vervain if you want to keep me away.”

“I’m more than willing to stick you with vervain,” I growled, “And then drain of almost all blood and keep you just above desiccating.”

“I would tear your heart out of your chest first,” she her tone turned sinister, “And precious Kenzie would be so heartbroken to see you go.”

“So what do you want,” I asked her, already knowing her answer.

“You,” she replied, “And I know you already knew that. But I’m thinking on taking back your friends too.”
---
I sat at home, drinking heavily to cope with Carmina and the memories of what I did for her that flooded up to the surface. I had no idea what time it was until Kenzie came over and took the bottle of whiskey I was drinking away from me. I looked up at her with sullen eyes.

“We need to end her,” Kenzie said simply as she took a sip from the bottle, “And to start, you need to sober up.”

“I’m not that drunk,” I told her, “It takes five whole bars whole of alcohol to get me wasted.”

“We need to do something to make you stronger than her,” Kenzie sat down next to me.

“The only way is for me to gorge on human blood,” I told her, “Which is not an option. But there is another that is way more dangerous for me.”

“What’s that,” she asked, curious.

“I have to drink vampire blood,” I told her, “But it comes with a price.”

“What’s that,” she wanted to know.

“Night terrors,” I answered, “And blood memories.”

“But who’s blood would you drink,” she asked.

“Mine,” we looked up to find Jack.

“Not a chance,” I protested.

“Alex,” he sat down with us, “We’re all going to share blood. Tess and Matt already came up with the plan. They’re going to share blood with each other. Rian, Zack, and I agreed to join in. But we’re going to share amongst the four of us if you agreed to help.”

“We need Tay,” I told him, “She decided to stay up in New York. We have to call her back to help.”

Kenzie nodded, knowing I was making the hardest choice in my vampire existence. Sharing vampire blood was the only way I was going to keep Kenzie safe. I needed her to be safe. Without her, my humanity would be pointless now.

If she were to die, I would turn it all off again. Then Carmina would have me as hers again.

Notes