Eleventh Grade Burns(70)

A small breeze brushed his face and then Otis appeared, looking worried, but not winded in the slightest. “You shouldn’t use your vampiric speed out in the open like that, Vladimir. It could cause some raised eyebrows.”

“You said it yourself, Otis. They already know.” He set his jaw and fought back tears. “I’m done hiding.”

Otis folded his arms in front of him. “But not done running, it seems. Where are you going?”

“Away from here.”

“What about Nelly?”

“She’ll be fine. You’ll take care of her.”

“And Henry? What do you suppose it would do to a drudge to be abandoned by his master?”

That gave Vlad pause, but only briefly. “I’ll release him before I go.”

“And me, Vladimir? Do you really think I’ll be okay without my nephew around?” Hurt lurked in Otis’s eyes, blended neatly with concern. “Because if that’s what you’re thinking, I can assure you that you’re wrong.”

“They know about me, Otis! What do you expect me to do?”

Otis quieted his voice, forcing his tone into something resembling calm, but it was a falsehood, betrayed by the look in his eye. “I expect you to be a man and face your problems head-on. Running away is never the answer.”

Vlad’s face grew hotter and in his imagination a couple hundred school papers changed hands, chased by a murmur of gossip. They knew. They all knew. What else was there to do but get away? He regarded his uncle with a glare. “What if it is? What if the only way I’ll ever be happy or safe or okay again is if I run away from Bathory and make a new life for myself somewhere else? What if I can’t bear to see the way people will look at me now? What if I can’t stand to hear them whispering about me?”

“How selfish of you, Vladimir. You’d abandon the woman who’s been a mother to you these last seven years, who helped bring you into the world, and made certain you were well-nourished since your very first intake of breath. You’d tear away a part of your best friend’s soul. You’d rip yourself from my life, taking with you any real meaning that I have found in all of Elysia. You would do all of that because you’re afraid of the unknown?” Otis set his jaw and shook his head curtly. “Very selfish, indeed.”

Selfish or not, Vlad was absolutely finished with this conversation. “Are you done? I have to call a cab.”

Otis paused for a moment, but then moved out of Vlad’s way without saying a word.

Vlad hurried down the steps, then turned and made his way into the kitchen where he picked up the phone. As he dialed the number of the cab company, he looked about the room. Memories filled him. Memories of countless breakfasts with Henry after he stayed the night. Memories of holiday meals and baking cookies with Nelly. Memories of his first dinner with Otis and threatening him with a flash of fangs. This kitchen was important to him, the way that Nelly was important to him. He pictured her finding out from Otis that he’d run away, sobbing into a kitchen towel at the long plank table. She looked hollow, sad, more lost than he ever cared to see her look. Vlad’s heart cracked, a small, thin, crooked line, and good sense somehow managed to find its way in. He returned the phone to its cradle and dropped his bag to the floor. His back to the wall, he slid to the floor, tears escaping his frustrated eyes. With shuddering sobs, Vlad broke down and cried into his hands.

“Vladimir.” Otis’s voice, much softer this time, as if he didn’t want to interrupt.

Vlad looked up, not bothering to wipe away the tears that refused to stop ebbing from his eyes. He was lost. He couldn’t stay here in Bathory, but he couldn’t run away. He was trapped between what he loved and what he hated, with no way out.

Otis crouched down beside him and handed him a handkerchief, understanding in his eyes.

Vlad sniffled. “You would’ve let me go.”

“I did let you go.” Otis looked around the kitchen, then back to Vlad. “You didn’t get very far.”

Vlad wiped at his eyes with the handkerchief and took a moment to steady his breathing. “What am I going to do, Otis? They all know about me. Because of Eddie, they all know.”

“I think you underestimate the ignorance of humankind. This will blow over, Vlad. Give it time.”

“No. It won’t. It will change everything.” Vlad released a shuddering sigh. “One thing’s for sure.”

Otis looked at him, his eyes full of curiosity. “What’s that?”