The Vampire Prince goes to High School (Book 1)

Plan

After my trip to the police station, my parents weren't happy to say the least. I was grounded. Well, it wasn't like I could go anywhere else at the moment, but I was still grounded. Plus, they figured out that I was a bit behind on all my homework and lectures. They each dedicated their time after work to sit down with me until I finished at least five assignments that day. If I finished more then, I had some free time which just meant that I could go to my room without either of them breathing down my neck.

It wasn't all that bad. Getting work done took my mind off what Alexander had said. I doubted if Mr. Keys would tell me the truth if I asked him. They wouldn't tell me anything. If anyone would tell me what was going on then, maybe I wouldn't have to act behind everyone's back. But there was no point in thinking about that. I had to figure out a way for everyone to know that Micah had been behind everything.

He was a manipulator and liked toying with people. These sick games of his had to stop. I had to stop him because no one else seemed like they were willing to do anything about him.

It took a few days for me to come up with a plan. I thought about it really hard and kept turning every option around in my head until I thought up of a decent plan. Actually, if I really thought about it, it was simple. All we needed was for Micah to confess. No one could ignore that. The real issue was to figure out how to record him without Micah finding out.

In order for that to happen, he needed to believe that I had exhausted every plan imaginable and I was finally crawling back to him. Micah wasn't exactly one to gloat but after everything he had to do to get to this point, there was a high possibility that he would. The only thing that would be difficult was to get a recording of his confession.

Micah wasn't stupid. He would prepare for something like that. Or maybe he wouldn't. It was hard to say what he would or wouldn't do. If anything, he might just let his guard down. However, even if I somehow managed to get a recording, and somehow making it back to Mr. Keys, would he accept something like that?

I shook my head. No, he wouldn't. There would probably be something along the lines of forced confession or something. No. If I somehow managed to get a recording then, there was only a handful of people that could help me with it. One of those people was Carlos. The tricky part was going to get him to agree with it.

Well, the tricky part was to get my parents to let me leave the house. This was something I needed to speak to Carlos in person. I didn't want to take the chances of talking on the phone. One slip up and Micah would know everything. For this to work, he had to remain in the dark and so did everyone else that wasn't involved. For now, I had play along like nothing was wrong. I would do my homework and hopefully it would be enough to get my parents to let down their guard.

The opportunity presented itself during dinner one evening. My mom was making lasagna and I was helping set the table. Just as the timer went off from the oven, Dad walked in with a newspaper tucked underneath his arm.

"You're finished with your work?" Dad asked.

"She is," Mom replied, slipping oven mitts on. "I checked."

Dad nodded in acknowledgement. He placed the newspaper on the table and washed his hands in the sink. I glanced at Mom then at Dad.

"Is it okay to invite Sonia and Carlos over?" I asked them.

Each one of them froze for a few minutes. They shared a glance.

"You're grounded," Dad finally said. He dried his hands on a towel.

"Yeah," I said. "I know. It's not for a sleep over or anything. I was thinking maybe they could help me out with some of the school work. Not like completing it but like helping me understand."

"We can help with that," Mom said. She placed the tray of lasagna on the table. "Is there a problem that you need help with?"

I bit my lip. Neither of them was budging. "Um, well. Sort of, I guess." I shrug. "It's just weird not being in school and having social interactions with anyone. It's weird."

Without looking at either of them, I grabbed a spatula from the drawer. It wasn't like I wanted to go back to school. I wouldn't mind if I was home schooled from now on. I got to sleep late and wake up late. That's all I wanted. However, that wasn't the goal.

"I think school can wait until the trouble with Micah is dealt with," Dad replied firmly.

I looked at him. "Dealt with how?" I asked. "Has Mr. Keys made any headway?"

"We have a court session in two months," Mom supplied. "We'll talk to judge and go from there."

My jaw dropped. "Two months?" I asked. "I'm supposed to be kept prisoner for two months?"

Mom crossed her arms. "Rin, please. You're not a prisoner."

I gestured to the house. "I've been cooped up in here for weeks now. Am I supposed to give up just living my life because of what might happen?"

I let out a deep sigh. "Look, I'm not asking for you to not ground me. Going to the police station was stupid of me. I know that, but can I at least go back to school? I can still be grounded. I just want to be around people again."

My parents didn't speak for a long time. I clutched the spatula tightly. Well, this wasn't how I wanted it to be but that was fine. The thought was planted in their brain. Without waiting for them to reply, I served each one of us a square of lasagna. My parents were happy to not answer.

We ate in silence only speaking to pass napkins or to refill our glasses with lemonade. I didn't look at either of them. I was fine with the silence, but I also wanted them to decide. The longer this took . . . Mr. Keys couldn't keep the public at bay forever. Sooner or later . . . even if Alexander was right . . . someone was going to receive judgement and I feared that it wouldn't be Micah.

"Rin," Dad suddenly said.

I looked up from the plate. It was probably the first time that I really noticed the bags underneath his eyes. Did his shoulders always look so small?

"Yeah?" I asked.

He rubbed his face. "Your mom and I, well, we just want you to be safe. You know, that right?"

"I know."

"I need you to trust us. We're doing everything in our power to keep you safe. Having you at home makes us more peaceful because we know that you're safe."

I bit my lip. It wouldn't help to say that I wasn't even safe here.

"Okay," I whispered. "I miss . . . talking to people."

Mom placed a hand on my back. "I know it's hard," she said, "but bear with it a bit longer. It won't be long now."

"Can Sonia and Carlos come over though?"

My parents shared a glance.

"We'll think about it," Dad said.

I forced a smile on my face. This wasn't going as I planned.