The Legacy of Kilkenny (20 page)

We pull up and park behind Oakley’s truck, Pru said she’d meet me inside in a minute.
 
I find my way into the gym (aka the basement) where we all are meeting.
 
I sit in one of the metal folding chairs that is oddly a bright red.
 
I’ve never seen a red folding chair and I think they are actually pretty cool looking.
  
I scooted my chair making that loud screeching noise just to fit into the semi-circle that is surrounding the General.
 
I like how he can stand there all casual and still have the respect from everyone in the room.

“I think everyone is here so I’m going to start.”
 
General Phelan said.
 
“Listen up, we have a couple of rogue wolves in our area.
 
Don’t worry, I already know who it is and actually you do too.
 
Sean Youngblood and Bruce
Holten
decided to approach Pru and Abel tonight.”
 
I hear everyone catch their breath.
 
“Sean made a direct threat to Pru, I think he must have suffered some brain damage out there on his own.”
 
Pru shakes her head up and down, agreeing with her dad.
 
“I have someone taking care of that right now. He did however have another bit of information…. we have visitors.
 
Apparently the nightwalkers of the Durand clan from Baton Rouge have decided to take up territory in Oklahoma.”
 
A few people looked around at each other, stunned at this revelation.
 
“Rumor has it they bought some land in Stillwater.
 
I’ve sent word via Alecia
Bumgardner
, she is part of the local coven and apparently has a good rapport with the nightwalkers.
 
We’re hoping to have a meeting with them.”

Pru stood up and told everyone about the encounter with Sean, I am impressed she didn’t play down my part in taking him down.
 
I look over at Oakley and can tell he is pissed about the threat.
 
I focus on him to see if I can dip into his thoughts, all I really gather from him thoughts is ‘
Their ass is mine’
.
 

“I want everyone to go out for a run tonight, I want ya’ll in pairs.
 
Oak and Pru will run here in Piedsville taking care of Abe’s house and this one.
 
Everyone else, you’ll be sent to different areas within a 50-mile radius of the farm. We need to establish where they are entering from and where they’re going.
 
There is a new night club in
Bricktown
, I want a couple of you to check it out.
 
I hear they have a couple of private rooms for Goth wannabe’s. With all of the romanticizing of vampire’s and werewolves with humans in the movie theatres, it’s started a supernatural phenomenon among teens.”
 
He wipes his forehead with a bandana as he looks out at everyone, taking in the reactions.
 
“It’d be a good cover for them, and finding a willing participant in blood exchanges would most likely happen there.
 
What is it they call it?
 
Oh, yeah.
 
We’re pop culture.
 
Go figure!”
 
He shakes his head in disbelief.
 
“Okay, you’ve been given your orders.
 
I implore you to be diligent and keep in mind they’re here to find Abel, remember this is
our
legacy and we must protect it no matter what!
 
Go in peace.”
 
General Phelan said.
 
Everyone disbursed, pairing up for the evening run.

“Hey Pru, I’m sorry I came down on you so hard earlier, it’s just frustrating when everyone is telling me how to live, and in my case, die.”
 
I put my arm around her and pull her in for a hug.
 
I can’t help but wish she had feelings for me, it is getting a little old not having a girlfriend.
 
Everyone at school thinks we’re dating and I don’t deny it to anyone just because I don’t want to look like a pansy.

 
“Abel, I hear you want to talk to me.” General Phelan came up and put his hand on my shoulder scaring the living daylights out of me.

I stammered around trying to find my words.
 
“I, uh, well, uh, Sir I just, well; I uh want to see the codex.”
 
Mentally crossing my fingers I blurt out, “I know you have it locked up in the safe but I’d really like to see it.”
 
.

“What he wants to know about is, if he has to die, he doesn’t understand
why
he has to put his parents through the death.
 
He figures that he is a wolf but is still unsure of being TGW so he doesn’t want to do it.”
 
Pru interjected giving me one of her sarcastic eyebrow lift looks.
 
For a pretty girl, she sure has some mean looks.

“Thanks for being my attorney Pru.” I pull away from her and stand up straight looking General Phelan in the eye, the one thing I’m not supposed to do.
 
I try to focus straight into his thoughts but apparently I can’t hear his thoughts.
 
Damn.

“There is a simple answer to that. No.
 
You kids drive safe.
 
Pru, you and Oakley get back by three, send me a text so I know you’re safe.
 
Good night.” He turns around and walks away.

“What the what?”
 
How did that just happen, he totally blew me off.
 
As he walked away he lifts his hand, shaking his finger back and forth as if he was telling me,
no
,
no
.

“And that is when we say, the Alpha has spoken.
 
Sorry Abe, I knew he was going to say no, you didn’t really think he was going to agree did you?”
 
We start picking up chairs and stack them in the corner.
 
“I need you to be careful around Allie for right now.
 
I don’t think she is dangerous,
yet
, but we need to figure out how we’re going to call her out.
 
We’re not telling everyone in the Pack about her, we need to figure things out with her first, or we’ll have a witch hunt on our hands.
 
She is technically in our territory so she is breaking the law by not notifying us.
 
It seems that she is a fledgling or will be made one soon.
 
Bright side of it all, we are
weres,
we’re bad
asses
and we’ll save her if we can.….. you
see,
there is a bright side to every dark night.
 
Come on, I’ll drop you off.
 
Oak, grab our robes so we can go run.”
 
We stacked the final chairs before we headed back out into the night.

Bryon climbed into the back seat of the Camero, his knees practically embedded into the back of the passenger seat.
  
Pru gave us the go ahead to do the sweep of my neighborhood looking around for anything that was out of the ordinary.
 
Apparently vampires are known for the cars they drive. They like Italian leather and fancy horses as emblems; obviously a car like that would stand out in my neighborhood.
 
We don’t notice anything that seemed out of place so we went home.

No need for an alarm clock when you have the hot Oklahoma sun beaming in on you as you’re trying to catch a few extra
z’s
.
 
I walk over to Bryon who had fallen asleep on my floor, putting my socked foot on his shoulder to shake him awake.
 
He mumbles out some girl’s name before opening his eyes.
 
He grabs my foot twisting it sideways.
 
“Little Mary Sunshine, you need to get your funky butt up before we run late.”
 
He
shoos
me away.
 
“I’ll be downstairs.”

Bryon the eating machine and I stop by Sonic to grab some breakfast.
 
The school parking lot is practically full; I find a spot next to a beat up SUV.
 
I look over to the guys in the SUV and notice they are the school stoners.
 
I don’t even need to dip into their thoughts to figure out what they are doing.

 
“What’s that guy’s name?
 
He’s always stoned.”
 
Bryon asked.

I grabbed my backpack and try to hold back a laugh.
 
“You think?
 
Yeah, that’s Brad; he’s been fried since middle school.
 
He’s got issues, his parents split up when he was like twelve and he decided negative attention was the only way he was going to get his old man to come around.”

“Tragic, I hate hearing stuff like that.
 
I
gotta
go, I need to get to my locker before the first bell rings or I’ll have detention.
 
I’ll catch you at lunch.”
 
He ran up the steps practically running Julie down.
 
That would be epic.

It sounds like everyone is punishing their army green locker as they slam them shut, my ears too sensitive for the loud banging.
 
I cringe and focus my mind to listen in on my classmates thoughts.
 
When I turn on my listening it sounds like non-stop chatter until I push into one person and just focus on them.
  
I bet the girls would die to know I know they think about sex almost as much as the guys do. The girls seem obsessed with their body image, especially their boobs and hair.
 
Sometimes I catch myself laughing out loud when I hear something amusing, like the time I heard the science teacher Mr. Smith call the principal a few choice names one day during class.
 
It was so funny, I had to pretend I was coughing.

I thought about vampires all day and the fact that my sister of all people would get herself involved with them.
 
I pull into the gravel parking lot of the internet café that doubled as a convenience store.
 
My mocha
frappuccino
with extra espresso is just what I need after a disturbing day eavesdropping.
 
 
I
google
the word
vampire
; it has over 54 million hits.
 
I have to narrow it down. Of course Wikipedia has all of the definitions, and if you find it on the internet, it has to be true right?
 
Now that I have the 411 on vamps it’s time to go kick some vampire butt.

I dial Allie’s number,
 
“Hey sis,
whatcha
doin
’?”

Allie tells me she missed classes and was taking a nap.

“Have you eaten today?” I say, thinking about how much I sound like mom.

“Are you spying on me?
 
Is that what this is?
 
Mom had you call and see if I’m eating because she is afraid her little baby girl is anorexic.
 
Well, I’m not anorexic!
 
I’m just not hungry okay.
 
I don’t know why I’m not hungry!”
 
Her voice breaks, she lost her conviction and burst into sobs.
 
“Abe, I really don’t know what is wrong.
 
I’m so afraid I have cancer or something, but I’m too afraid to go to a doctor because of what they will say.”
 
She confided to me.

“For what it’s worth sis, I’m not spying on you.
 
I’m just worried; you’ve been a little cranky lately.
 
Oh crap, I do sound like mom, just shoot me!”
 
I try laughing it off.

“Don’t you think you’d be slightly cranky too if you haven’t eaten much?
 
Food just doesn’t appeal to me.
 
I haven’t lost any weight, as a matter of fact my stomach has a solid six pack and my arms look like I’ve been lifting weights.
 
I don’t get it.
 
If I could switch my days and nights it would be great.
 
I mean I can go to the parties and I’m fine, wide awake but man I’m
draggin
’ ass when I have to go to class.
 
The bright side to all of it, I’ve met this guy that has been hitting the parties too and he’s really cool.
 
You should see his car,
omigawd
it is an Aston Martin DB something.”
 
She says totally impressed.

“A DBS?
 
He drives an Aston Martin DBS?
 
Holy
shamoli
!
 
That is one sweet car!
 
It’s like a $300,000 car, if it doesn’t have any custom stuff with it.
 
He goes to school with you?
 
What is he, like some Prince or something?”
 
My mind was going in overdrive thinking about how I found the vampire responsible.
 
I have to go see her.
 
“I’m thinking about driving out that way tonight, it is so nice outside. Pru and I’ve been doing all of these work outs with Oakley and I want to relax. I thought we’d go out there and get some dinner.
 
I guess you’re probably not up to having dinner…but maybe you could try.
 
I really miss you and I know they’ll want to eat.”
 
I crossed my fingers she would go for the bait.