Roses and Fangs: ch. 2. Broken Paths pt. 3.

Kara slid into her room and shut the door. It had taken some doing but she had managed to secure herself a dorm room to herself even though her scholarship did not cover the cost of private rooms. Sighing softly she tossed her backpack in the corner and her jacket on the foot of the bed. She opened the door to the cheap built in wardrobe and reached up to the top shelf taking a book from the top shelf and closing the doors. Plopping down on her bed, ignoring the jacket, she set the book on her pillow and opened it staring at the pictures contained within.
Outside her door a pair of high-heeled boots made absolutely no sound as their owner walked away.

***

Later that night Jacqueline was in the laundry room at Marycrest residence hall. It was sometime past midnight, and although a couple of dryers held long since dry loads of laundry, she was alone in the room as she pulled a couple of loads from dryers and tossed them onto the folding table. She moved a couple of more loads from washers into dryers and set yet two more loads into washer. I really have too many clothes, she thought to herself. Maybe I should donate some to Goodwill or something.
She was midway through folding the loads she had pulled out when the click of the door closing startled her. She spun around immediately on guard since the door was meant to remain open.
A dark-haired woman dressed like she might have just stepped out of Bizarre or Goth Today magazines stood blocking the door. Her raven black hair swept down behind her ears and well down the front and back of her equally dark leather jacket. A leather skirt, tights, and knee-high buckled boots of a matching black completed the outfit. Her pale face and over dramatic midnight blue eye-shadow and crimson lips set of a round face.
“Um, Can I help you?” Jacqueline stammered, something about the strange girl setting her on edge.
The girl crossed her arms and looked Jacqueline up and down sternly, biting her lip a bit. Jacqueline felt like she was being examined as the girl adopted a speculative expression. Finally, she met Jacqueline’s eyes and stated matter-of-factly, “You aren’t supposed to know about us.”
“Excuse me?” Jacqueline backed up staring at the girl. She made a quick glance around the room but didn’t see anything immediately useful but she moved herself in reach of her laundry detergent, a little uncertain of what good it could do.
“You aren’t supposed to know about us. It could get you killed if the wrong people found out.” The girl said, cocking an eyebrow as she watched Jacqueline move.
“Like you, I suppose?” Jacqueline’s voice grew tight as she reached out grabbing the detergent and trying to twist off the cap.
Before she could, the girl was suddenly across the room right in front of her gently, but firmly taking the detergent bottle away and setting it on the table. Jacqueline gulped and tried to step back but the girl grabbed her by the shoulders, again gently but firmly, holding her in place.
“No, not like me. You have spunk, a backbone. Allot like her, I like that. I told Sam I had their backs, I think I’ll have yours too.”
“You’re one of them, aren’t you? Which are you? Vampire or Were?” Jacqueline asked, her voice trembling slightly with fear but she didn’t take her eyes away from the girls.
“Very good. Yes I’m one of ‘them,’” she smiled slightly; “I’m a vampire. A daywalker like Sam.”
“So you gonna kill me? For knowing what you are?”
The girl smiles slightly and let go of Jacqueline backing up slightly and offering a thin smile, allowing the tips of her fangs to extend slightly. “No, like I just said, I think I will have your back. I’m not as paranoid as some about people knowing about our existence, and I think you might do them both some good.” Her expression softened a bit. “Lord knows that I wish she would realize they already are together whether she realized it or not.”
“You want Sam and Kara together?” Jacqueline asked her curiosity tempering her fear somewhat. “I thought they could be killed for that.”
“My, my, someone has been talking. Don’t go around sharing what you’ve heard, but yes that is true there are many that would kill them. Allot of people, vampires and weres alike don’t like it when vampires and weres mate. Some might overlook a short term casual fling, but definitely not anything serious which is probably part of what holds Kara back.”
“But not you,” Jacqueline eyed the girl.
“Perceptive. No not me. I want my cousin to be happy. I really don’t give a damn about what races people are if they love each other, though I do know there are some that want Sam and Kara to succeed because they think it would improve relations between our races. A kind of modern Romeo and Juliet,” the girl shrugged stepping back closer to the door, still watching Jacqueline.
Jacqueline noticed the girl made no sound when she moved at all. It freaked her out a bit though she tried to keep it under control. “So where do I fit in? Besides being food.”
The girl chuckled for a moment. “Well, you aren’t food to any of the three of us, not unless you want to be.” She seemed to appraise Jacqueline for a moment before continuing more seriously. “I think you might become a sort of neutral party. A friend both of them really need who they can be themselves around without fearing what they let slip, without fearing that they will have a knife in their backs. Everyone needs friends like that,” a soft, sad inflection in her voice. “Especially them.”
“I already consider them friends. They saved my life,” Jacqueline eyed the girl. “I just don’t know how much they like me. I’m not going to be the pesky little freshman that follows them around.”
The girl smiled and chuckled. “Not saying you have to, but I’m glad you like them.” She suddenly crossed the room to whisper into Jacqueline’s ear. “I don’t suppose you’re into girls are you?”
Jacqueline blinked. “Um, not really.”
“A shame. You’re cute and sometimes I am,” the girl retreated slightly and pulled out a card placing it in Jacqueline’s hand. “My work card, though I’m also a junior here. My cell phone is on there. If you get in trouble, change your mind, or just want someone to have a beer with, give me a call. My name is Erica.” With that, she turned around and walked out of the room leaving a very confused Jacqueline looking after her.

***

Kara tossed and turned on her bed. After staring at the pictures of times she and Sam had spent together, she had tried to do her homework and eventually gave up, unable to focus.
He drew a picture of me. He only saw me as a wolf once when he knew it was me and yet he drew a picture of me.
She rolled over pulling the covers tight against her as she hugged herself, tears rolling down her cheeks. He loves me so much and yet all I do is hurt him because I’m afraid but I really don’t want to be hunted for the rest of my life. But I love him too. It’s so unfair.
The last thought she had when the merciful darkness of sleep finally over took her was he deserves someone better then me.