16: Team Werewolf
Should I call him back? Should I not?
These were the only two things I could think of as I stared at my call log. It would be so easy to just click on his number, click on 'call' and then wait for him to pick up. But I was not sure I was ready for such an action. Not only that, but I was not sure I was 'clean enough'. This whole time, I had been so wrapped up in vampirism and sexual desires that I had forgotten all about Demetri, and, admittedly, I felt bad. It was clear that he had not given up on me. And so, with a heavy sigh, I put my phone away in my bedside drawer. I'd wait for him to call.
I then checked my watch. It was now 12:55, five minutes until lunch, and thus, five minutes before my involuntary torture. The only positive thing I saw coming out of this was me not seeing Xavier at the dining room table. He was, after all, notorious for skipping meals.
Sebastian collected me for lunch at exactly 13:00. Unfortunately for me, two new families had joined the table. The Bernard family, a family of six beautiful, chocolate skinned, beautiful, brown eyed vampires, consisted three parents and three children: Marcus, Matilda and finally Mary Bernard. Each seemed bored out of their mind. The other family, the Trests, were a family of four. Three parents and a single son, David Trest. He had olive skin, pale grey eyes and the bluest hair I had ever seen. He also seemed to have caught Felicity's eye as she gazed at him from afar, not once even moving her eyes from him to gaze at the goblet she was about to grip, thus, sending it spilling across the table. Her parents were beyond furious, so was everyone else at the table. All except for Liam who had not once taken his eyes off of me. But I had not once placed my own eyes on him, knowing full well Sebastian would have given me no less than an earful. Once lunch was over with, I was given an hour before my next lesson with Sebastian- 'The Art of Speech', as he called it. I was about to head to my room, eager to check my phone when, a hand gripped on my shoulder. Immediately I turned around, fist in the air, ready to punch whoever it was and then shyly apologise later. To my surprise, I was not met with the angered eyes of a hostile noble. Instead, I was met with Felicity’s beautiful, hazel eyes.
"Hey there, Phoenix, was it? My name is Felicity." She held a hand out, completely covered in black ink which was fashioned into a skull. I gazed at the cold, bony hand wearily for a while, before taking it in mine, gently shaking it up and down.
"So, Liam was right, you really are quite shy," She uttered.
I almost nodded, *almost*.
"W-well, sometimes, I guess..."
She smiled, gripped my hand tighter and began pulling me.
"Hey, where are we going?" I asked.
"Well, we're friends now, aren't we?"
I was no professional at being social, obviously, but I did know for a fact that a simple introduction did not automatically make two people friends. If that were the case, the awful scowls I received in the dining room would have been smiles instead. Nonetheless, I followed her, wordlessly as she led me out to what seemed to be the outside terrace right at the end of the passageway, passed the kitchen and passed the sitting room area. The terrace was quite empty, with only two other vampires there: Aaliyah and... Xavier. They both seemed to be engaged in quite a serious conversation when, suddenly, Xavier's eyes met mine. Immediately, he got up from one of the soft-cushioned pale blue chairs and began to walk towards me. I honestly thought he was going to grab me by the shoulders or severely throttle me by the way his eyes were boring into mine. But instead, he shoved passed me and walked away from the terrace, as though nothing had happened between the both of us. Admittedly, I was relieved and the feeling of heaviness, pressing down on my chest was immediately gone.
Aaliyah still called out for Xavier, and then huffed as the realisation set in that he was not coming back. She folded her arms and gazed angrily towards the pot of succulents placed on the coffee table in front of her.
"Asshole." She uttered.
"Hey Aaliyah!" Felicity said from beside me, snapping Aaliyah from her angry fit. Her eyes immediately glanced up and met mine, holding my gaze with its piercing green colour. They softened and shined with excitement and suddenly, she stood up from her chair. I took the time to notice that, unlike the other females, Felicity included, she was quite modestly dressed. No, in fact, quite informally dressed in a pair of blue denim jeans, a yellow shirt and white jacket tied around her hips. Her curly hair was now tied neatly into a ponytail, exposing her beautiful face and her dazzling smile.
"Phoenix!" She uttered, and then ran to wrap me into a tight embrace. My arms, however, just hung there, and I stared out into the distance, quite confused. Was I missing something? Had I met these two women before?
It took a few moments before she pulled away from me.
"Wow, aren't you beautiful! Liam was right!"
Finally, I took the opportunity to speak, highly disturbed by this entire encounter.
"I-I'm sorry, am I m-missing something here? D-do I know a-any of y-you?" I asked.
They both looked at each other and began laughing hysterically. This went on for a while, until they realised that I was not laughing at all. In fact, I was practically ready to bolt, when they finally kept quiet.
"Well, no, you don't know us, and we do not really know you."
Still, they had not given me any useful information, and that showed all across my confused facial expression.
Felicity laughed and then tapped Aaliyah on the shoulder lightly. "You're confusing her, cupcake."
Cupcake? It was then that I realised that Aaliyah and Felicity must have been quite good friends. This was confirmed when Felicity wrapped her arm around Aaliyah’s and offered her a small, gentle smile. Perhaps they were more than just friends?
"Apologies for Aaliyah's behaviour. She tends to get... excited around new faces. Now, to clarify, Aaliyah and I are on 'Team Lupus', and since you're part werewolf, well it means we're 'Team Phoenix'."
Still, I could not understand.
"I'm sorry, but Team Lupus?"
And it was at this point that I finally received some constructive information. Apparently, Aaliyah and Felicity were part of a group of vampires who believed in a world where werewolves and vampires could co-exist. Hence the name, 'Team Lupus'.
"... There are only a few nobles on 'Team Lupus', but, amongst the normal vampires, there are quite a few more. It's more of a moment than anything else, but perhaps a hybrid like you, could be just what we need for a good old revolution."
"R-revolution? I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong person." I said.
Aaliyah and Felicity both looked at each other and then began laughing.
"Oh, don't be so serious Phoenix. All we're trying to say is that a lot of people could use a symbol like you to untie us. That's all. Now, why don't we move away from all of this seriousness. Come and sit with us, and we can chat some more."
Revolution? Team Lupus? It seemed not all vampires were complete and utter assholes. I wondered, however, why Sebastian hadn't told me. So far, he'd done a good job of painting his kind as little blood sucking leeches. It was quite unlike him to omit something from me, especially something as important as an entire group of people who believed in unity.
----
So, Sebastian clearly has some questions to answer!
Updates will be slow this week as I am still writing exams.
Stay safe! Stay healthy! Sending you all loads of love!