The Soulkeeper

Chapter 1

Preparing for the Hunt

“I am sooo sick and tired of being the only person who answers the teachers’ questions.” Belle complained out loud to Melinda as they left the Spanish class at their last bell.

“And you’ve labeled as teacher’s pet for it.” She answered with a chuckle as she saw the look on Belle’s face, a mixture between disgust and pride. Belle would never admit it, but she kind of liked being the smartest kid in class. “Come off it Bells. You can’t help that no one else understands the crap Koslosky’s teaching.”

“It’s not hard! It’s basic Spanish!”

Melinda shot her a look that should have peeled, if not only her face, the paint off of the wall behind her. “Belle, you’re a genius. Some of us weren’t born with a pen and paper in our mouths.”

“No, but you would think that some of us could learn to think! And I’m not a genius!”

“You are so. But even genius’ need to eat. What about going hunting with me tonight?”

Belle ran her fingers through her bangs. “I can’t. Faith and Rick will be waiting for me in the clearing at eleven. But you’re more than welcome to join us. They say that the deer population skyrocketed this year. We can eat until we’re about to explode.”

Melinda made a face. “How can you stand that prey? It tastes like grass to me. I’m a vampire, Bells, not a caterpillar. I was thinking mountain lion tonight.”

“Mel, mountain lion is low right now. We’ve all got to make sacrifices. I hated when the bear population went down. I had to eat raccoon. I got so much rabid blood its not even funny. It made me sick for weeks.”

Melinda sighed. “I guess you’re right. Hopefully, the blood bank’s new president will be a vampire again so we have free access. All this primitive hunting is making me go savage. I wanted to bite Cory yesterday! Just how would I explain that to him?” Cory was her boyfriend. Her mortal boyfriend.

“You’re going to have to tell him sometime.” They walked out into the rain and onto the street, meeting up with Cory, who was leaning against the telephone post outside the school gate.

“Tell me what?” He kissed Melinda on the cheek.

“That Homecoming is next week here. We’re gonna need dates.” Bella covered. “Think you can hook us up with a couple of your hot friends?” She teased. Belle and Melinda went to an all girls school. An all girls school for vampires. They never had to be secretive about their abilities. Everyone already knew what they were.

“Well, let’s see...I could set you up with Zeke. He’s free. But I’m sorry,” He looked at Melinda. “All of my other friends are taken. You’re going to have to put up with a night with me.”

“Sounds fine to me.” She snuggled closer to his side.

“You’re going to have to tell him soon about the whole vampire thing. If you two stay thinking what you’re thinking, then you’ll have to tell him. Otherwise you’ll end up biting him.” Belle spoke, moving her lips so fast and putting her voice so low that no human ears would hear her voice.

“I wish that you would stop reading my mind! You know that I hate that!” Melinda spoke the same way.

“If I asked you to stop reading the future, would you? Would you have ever gone after Cory if you hadn’t seen yourself save him from that rogue werewolf? Would he still be here if I hadn’t read that dog’s mind to find where he was stalking him?” She said the word “dog” with disgust.

“I see your point. I will stop asking. But please just trust that I will tell him when the time is right. I need to prepare him a little before I bite.” She chuckled to herself at the pun.

“Fine. Do it in your time. But he’s getting suspicious.” She warned, ending the conversation.

“What are you doing, Bells?” Cory ruffled her hair.

“Hey, hey, hey. Watch the hair! You’re like a brother to me, and that gives me license to kick your–”

“Belle!” Melinda warned.

“What?” An innocent expression crossed her face, not fooling anyone.

“Seriously, what were you doing. Your throat was moving.”

“Oh, I was just humming to myself. Thinking about this Zeke. Is he hot?”

“You and your hormones. I don’t know. I don’t usually look at my guy friends like that.”

“Oh...Guess I’ll have to go through your yearbook.” She took off running toward his house, leaving him laughing behind her as he and Melinda took off. She curbed her natural speed to a human level, reaching his house a mere thirty seconds before him rather than the minutes it could have been. Throwing open the front door, she flopped down on the beaten up black leather couch and waited for the couple to sit down before getting down to business.

“Cory, do you remember that dog that attacked you last year?” Melinda shot her a warning look behind his back and squeezed his hand.

“Yeah, I do. He was huge. I was so lucky that you and Melinda were there to carry me out of that ditch. I think he would have killed me if you hadn’t arrived just on time.”

“He may have killed you even though we had. And then us.” Melinda mind-whispered to Belle.

“Well, we’re going to have to ask you to stay inside for a while. They let him get loose earlier today. It was all over the news.” The vampires news, Bella mentally corrected herself. “They think that because he had your blood in his mouth, he may come after you.”

“He didn’t bite that hard, and he didn’t have rabies, so why are you guys worried about it? It may just be your worries.” He brushed it off and went to go grab a soda.

“He’s damn lucky we had the anti-venom on us beforehand, or he would know for sure that werewolf would be coming after him. Damn it! Petrelli should have killed him when he had the chance! We’re going to have to protect him, Bells, and you know it. We’ll get the old gang back together and set up an all-night watch. If I lose him...”

“I know, Mel, I know. I’ll tell Meg, Faith, and Rick tonight at the hunt. Sheila and Mark will have to be called tomorrow. We’ll keep him safe. Even a rogue werewolf is no match for seven vampires.”

“Thank you, Bells.”

“No prob. He’s going to be my cousin-in-law soon, right? Gotta make sure he’s alive so I can be the maid-of-honor.”

Mel smiled and embraced her best friend, wondering how she could have been blessed with such an amazing cousin.

“It’s because you’re amazing too.”

“STOP READING MY MIND!!!” Melinda screamed, forgetting her mortal boyfriend was in the next room. He came walking in with three sodas and a confused expression on his handsome face, his green eyes sparkling.

Belle looked him up and down again, mentally applauding her cousin on her choice of life mate. His blonde hair , set off perfectly by the jade orbs, curled down around his defined cheeks. His full, pink lips would not have looked misplaced on a girl and still set off his features to perfection. His long, lean legs were encased in blue denim, and his torso sported a light green Lacoste t-shirt that showcased his every muscle. His eyes showed his every emotion and was marked by the kindness evident to anyone who was around him for even a moment. If she was even remotely attracted to him, her own eyes would have been green with envy. He was a great guy.

Melinda smiled at him and accepted her root beer, popping the top and setting it in her lap. He handed Belle her Sprite and sat down with his own Coke. Melinda draped her legs across his, and he placed a hand on her bare knee from her prep-school mini-skirt riding up her thin thighs. Belle fussed with her own black pleated skirt, hating the thing more every moment.

She had been in Braintree, Massachusetts, for almost three years, and she still found that she hated the uniform. The black mini-skirt and plain white button-down shirt were okay enough, though plain. What she really hated was the way they had of blowing up as a stray breeze passed through, often exposing her to the elements and human eyes. She had grown her black hair long so that she could hide behind it, shielding her ice-blue eyes and scattered emotions from the world of vampires and mortals alike. Her mind reading abilities had given her a chance to withdraw from anyone who meant her harm and she had used it to her full advantage, making sure that no one got close enough to hurt her.

As far as she knew, she was the only one of her kind who could read minds, just as Melinda was the only one who could see the future. Others could do other amazing things, such as throw themselves out of their bodies or teleport across the world in an instant.

They had tried their hardest to remain under the radar since the Salem Witch Trials when the other Supernatural beings were found and killed, though few vampires were caught with any kind of success due to their superior speed and abilities. Feeding off of humans was now outlawed by Lila, the Queen of the Vampires, and anyone found drinking out of the direct source without special permission or circumstance would be prosecuted, torn to pieces and burned, the only sure way to kill a vampire. That stake nonsense was just the humans way of killing other people under suspicion of vampirism. Real vampires healed to fast for a stake to kill them.

Seeing that her cousin wanted to be alone with her soon-to-be fiancee, Belle stood up, pulling her skirt down again, and began to leave, hugging Melinda and kissing Cory on the cheek. “I gotta go. I’ve got a dentist’s appointment this afternoon and have that really big quiz for Medieval history to study for.” Will the lies ever stop? She thought to herself. She wouldn’t have to study for any such quiz. She had been there.

Melinda spotted the untruths and wrinkled her nose, like she always did when looking into the future. Belle caught a glimpse of the store where she was planning on going and then the farm where they’d be meeting in Belmont.

I’ll meet you there at ten thirty. Thanks for leaving us alone. Melinda thought loudly for Belle to hear.

Belle winked and envisioned a picture of herself climbing into Melinda’s silver Corvette. I’ll bring the ‘Vette. Melinda thought again.

“Thanks for the soda.” She set the still-full can on the end table near where the couple sat and ran out of the house at full, vampire speed.

Shortly after leaving the house in Braintree, she arrived at her favorite store in Boston, a little mom-and-pop store owned by her mom and pop. She smiled as she entered and saw her beautiful mother walk out to greet her with arms wide open.

Belle buried herself in her mothers warm embrace. Their hearts beat together until she squeezed and pulled away. “Hey, Mom. It’s really great to see you. I missed you guys! Where’s Dad?”

“He’s in Lowell on a mission for the company. He’s picking up two hundred more laptops and one hundred Ipods. The teenagers have wiped us clean out. How are things at WSV?” WSV was Belle and Melinda’s prep school, Wheeley School for Vampires.

“They’re fine. Melinda got a hundred on the medical exam this week on the composition of human behavior. She’s the only one with enough nerve to get that close to a human with any success at keeping the secret.” Belle laughed. “How’s Dad? Is he drinking enough? Is his hemophilia acting up now that he switched to intravenously feeding?”

“Your father is the only vampire I know that faints at the sight of blood. It’s ridiculous. But he’s been okay since we got him the IV.”

“That’s good. I’m going hunting tonight, so I’m going to have my cell phone off. If you need anything, I’m going to Belmont for the deer. I should be easy enough to find, especially for you.” Trisha, Belle’s mother, could find anyone, anywhere, just by thinking of them.

“Well, just be careful. Lila’s been getting testy. If you happen to come across a mortal, be extra sure to get them to get out of the way fast. And be home for church on Sunday.”

“Mom, you’d think that after five hundred years, I would remember to come home for church on Sunday.”

“You forgot last week.”

“I was locked in a spare room by a crazed ‘Vampire Hunter!’ How ridiculous. He made me touch the cross, then let me go when I whelped him over the head with it.” She laughed again and waved as she ran toward Belmont, disappearing in a flash of the human eye, but remaining in sight for a moment to her worried mother, who waved until her daughter disappeared below the horizon. She knew about the rogue werewolf and was wondering when her only child was going to tell her that she was planning on going after it.