The Vampire Prince returns to High School (Book 2)

Aftermath

I woke to ringing in my ear. My mind swirled and I felt like a pinwheel. A sudden coldness washed over me. Faint figures moved across my vision. Everything was a yellow haze. There were voices but I couldn't hear anything. The ringing was louder.

Closing my eyes, I focused on breathing. My body felt numb. I tried to move my fingers but I couldn't feel them. A surge of panic rose through my chest.

The pinwheel in my head moved again. I groaned feeling nauseous. There was more talking. Little by little, the world came into focus.

My mom was the first person I noticed. She stood at the foot of the bed, nibbling on her thumb. Dad paced back and forth just behind her. They were still dressed in their fancy outfits and the room was extremely bright. It was also a room I wasn't familiar with. To my right were two women I didn't recognize.

"Rin," Mom said, noticing my opened eyes.

She was immediately at my side, holding my hand. Dad was right behind her.

"Are you okay?" Mom asked.

The taller of the two women took my pulse. She had me follow her finger and even shown a small light in both of my eyes. As she did, the second woman jotted down something on a clipboard.

"Rin is in excellent health," the tallest woman said. "There is no concussion or damage to her head. She fainted is all."

"Thank you, Doctor," Dad said.

"Call if anything changes," the doctor said.

No one spoke until both women were gone. Mom kissed my forehead. Her eyes were swollen and her makeup was gone.

"What happened?" I asked.

My mouth felt dry, swollen. My parents shared a look.

"What do you remember?" Dad asked.

I thought back. Henry took me to the stage. Alexander was upset. And then . . . I sat up gasping. Everything spun.

Mom sat beside me, holding me up.

"Alexander," I blurted out. "He was -" I looked at my parents. "I think he was -"

I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"There was a breach," Dad said, matter-of-factly.

Mom gave him a look but he continued.

"Everyone is locked up in their suits." He gestured to the room. "We were moved to a more private room. No one comes or leaves."

"Breach?" I asked. "That would mean -" Alexander did get shot.

Tears blurred my vision. He saved me. That bullet was meant for me. I quickly wiped my eyes. Now wasn't the time to break down.

"How is he?" I asked. "Have they said anything? Who did it?"

Another look between my parents.

"It's not every day someone tries to assassinate the Crown Prince," Mom said gently. "He is fine," she added. "The announcement just came out."

Trembling, I laid back down. He was alive. Maybe it was a flesh wound. Nothing serious to him but he still needed to be protected.

"Did they catch who did it?"

Dad shook his head. "We don't know. No one has told us anything. We were told to stay put and someone would come by."

I swallowed thickly. "And the doctors?"

"We were told they found you and the Prince together. You were over him, unconscious and the Prince wasn't moving."

I held my head in my hands. I didn't remember any of that. It was then that I noticed someone had changed me. I wore a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt.

"How long has it been?" I croaked out.

"It's dusk now," Mom replied. "They brought us some food but we can't go out."

"Do you think they'll let me see him?"

Their answer was interrupted by a knock on the door. Dad opened it and Cassidy walked in followed by two bodyguards. She too had changed out of her gown into something more comfortable. After closing the door, Dad joined us by the bed.

"I heard you were awake," she said.

The usual cheerful was gone. Mom helped me sit up.

"Yeah," I told her. "What are you doing here?"

"I figured you wanted some first-hand information," she replied.

"Your dad okay with it?"

She shrugged. "Not really but you were the last person who was with the Prince. It is easier to question you if you talk to someone you know."

"You think Rin had something to do with all of this?" Dad asked.

"No," Cassidy replied. "But not everyone knows her like we do."

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

I told her everything about Henry, and going down to the stage, and even to where Alexander had been shot. It didn't help that my parents couldn't remember Henry or me leaving.

"So it was a setup," Cassidy said as I finished.

"And I was bait," I whispered.

My stomach churned. This was all my fault. If it wasn't for me, Alexander wouldn't have been there.

"It's not your fault," Cassidy said as if reading my mind. "You didn't know."

"But I should have," I insisted. "It was strange and I completely fell for it."

Sympathetically, Mom rubbed my back.

"Don't blame yourself," Cassidy said. "I'm sure the Prince doesn't blame you either."

"How is he?"

Cassidy crossed her arms and began to pace. "He's receiving treatment."

"So, it's serious?"

Cassidy bit her lip. "The bullet was engineered to harm a vampire," she confessed.

"Princess," one of the guards began.

"She deserves to know," Cassidy snapped.

"Know what?"

"The doctors are doing everything they can but it was a strong dose of poison. It seemed he was shot more than once."

The blood rushed from my face. The only reason why I remained sitting was because my mom held me up. I closed my eyes. This time I couldn't stop the tears.

"Do they think he'll die?" I forced out.

"I don't know," Cassidy whispered. "If we can find the poison they used, we can make an antidote. Everyone is being questioned. No one leaves."

"And if you don't find anything?" I asked. "What's going to happen to Alexander?"

Cassidy turned away. "I'm sorry," she said.

Mom pulled me into a tight hug. I cried into her shoulder. This couldn't be happening. Alexander had to be fine. He had to be because I didn't know what I was going to do if he wasn't.

A/N: this chapter was originally going to be longer but I decided to cut it in two. I felt like the last chapter was rushed and I didn't want to repeat that mistake.