Chapter 542) Rebels With A Cause

Chestnut Ridge
Near the Kershaw Ranch

She couldn’t help staring at him, from the passenger seat, the way his blue eyes seemed so bright when the sunlight hit them just right, his always tan skin that always felt so warm, just the right mixture between soft and rough, the way he smiled now, because somehow, even without looking at her, he always seemed to know when she was looking at him. And then the way he turned his head to smile back at her.

Bri’s heart skipped a few beats, she felt genuinely happy and excited, even though she had stopped cheering and giggling as much as she had when he started driving, after letting her take the wheel for a while. At first it was harrowing, exciting, but scary, his truck was so much bigger and higher than any car she has ever driven before, but Bri quickly got the hang of it.

That had been crazy intense for her as he stayed close to her to jump in if needed.

And Bri made plenty sure his help was ‘needed’, by acting ignorant at times just so he would reach into the wheel and help her steer or stretch his long legs besides hers to accelerate or break at just the right moment, feeling the movement of his muscles beneath his jeans as his leg pressed against her leg to activate the pedals, gas or break, gave her goosebumps. The good kind. He probably knew it was a rouse and played along anyway.

“Never thought you’d be the type of girl who likes ridin’ in trucks.” he now said in that voice, somewhere between high enough to be young, but deep enough to send shivers down her spine, with that twang that seemed to intensify whenever he was excited about something, good or bad.

“I am full of surprises.” she heard herself say.

“No argument there. Ooooh doggy, watch out Bri, there’s an S.O.B. curve comin’ up.” he gave her that type of side glance and the boyish smile that made her feel all funny inside.

“What’s an S.O.B. curve?”

“You’ll see …”

He looked over at her, smiling, winking, before he ripped the steering wheel around, sending Bri sliding over up against him, screaming, giggling, while he placed his right arm around her.

“S.O.B. – Slide Over Baby!” he said, making Bri laugh hard.

“Do that again!” she demanded, so he put his foot on the accelerator, and she started to giggle …

Bri felt a rough nudge, suddenly the bright sunlight darked, the warmth of the sun faded to a chill and the scent of the prairie flowers and Jackson’s special Jackson-scent faded along with his image, while her giggle echoed embarrassingly and clearly out of place.

Forgotten Hollow
Castello Vatore
Seat of the Vampire High Council and home of the High Grand Master Caleb Vatore

“What?” she asked, discombobulated, her words echoing off the walls eerily as she blinked confused at the people sitting before her and standing around her, eyeing her as if she had grown an additional head. The smile she realized she was still wearing, yet seemed inappropriate now, faded as she realized all that had been only in her head, just reliving memories of the last weekend.

“Nice of you to fully join us again. Have you heard anything I just said?” Caleb Vatore asked, unnerved.

“Umm … no. Sorry.” Bri blushed deeply about getting so publicly busted daydreaming about her memory of a few stolen hours visiting Jackson at his ranch last week, when she and Iris were supposedly spending a weekend with Jasper, who had loaded the girls in his car and driven them out to Chestnut Ridge, where he and Iris took off sightseeing, while Jackson and Bri played with Prairie Rose and Bri got to ride in Jackson’s truck.

“Briar Rose. For all that is holy, girl!” Caleb now ranted, “You are not here for a lovely visit over afternoon coffee and cake, but for a good reason! Would you kindly be present?!”

Bri now remembered why she was here, the choice she and the others were supposed to make today, and her heart started racing so hard, she could barely breathe.

She and her age group were the first batch of teens to ever make this choice ever since the government of the mortals and the occult had their difficulties some years back, wreaking havoc for the occult communities near and far, who were all still rallying trying to remedy the fallout this caused for the occults, most notably the vampire community, which had been affected the most.
The governments of the mortals and the occult had since reached much more agreeable terms, but the damage had been done and took time to resolve. This rite of passage Bri and the others were currently part of had been hastily written into place to calm the upheaval among the vamps who felt betrayed and were unhappy with the choices that had been made over their heads.

Bri looked around and saw her cousins, her sister and Jasper lined up with a bunch of other kids with at least one vampire parent, some of them she kinda knew, others she had never seen before, all 18 years old or about to be, all dressed up and nervous, just like her, all worried about the choice they had to make which either way would determine the course of their lives forever. Irrevocably, as unturning had been outlawed for anyone over the age of 12. If you got turned now, or declined, it was permanent, no way out. No mulligans.

“This is wrong! All wrong! Too soon, too much. I can’t …” she exclaimed, breathless from her anxiety attack, her words echoing eerily off the stone walls.

“Excuse me?” Caleb had just started his speech again, when Briar Rose’s outburst had interrupted him. Again.

“This system is flawed. Wrong. We all just stopped being kids. We don’t even know who we are yet, we can’t decide something like this with a gun to our head with no way to correct it if we chose wrong. We weren’t even allowed to talk to our parents about it, so they don’t influence us, and they weren’t allowed to be here, which is nuts! It’s too early, way too early for all of us to make such big decisions on our own! I am so tired of being forced to make choices I am not ready for!! I am out. I am sorry, great-grandpa! Sorry grandma! Sorry Caelan, Connell … sorry everyone …”

Bri turned on her heels and ran, out of the hall, up the long stone stairs, through the foyer and out into the always creepily cold and often foggy Forgotten Hollow, where the air always felt heavy and smelled of old moss and decay.

By the time she got home, the High Council had decided the rules were indeed in need of change, dismissing all invitees. At the pressing insistence of her grandmother Scarlett, effective immediately, it was decided that for all current and future children of vampires this decision no longer involved uncomfortable hearings before the Grand Council to proclaim their choices in front of their peers, but a petition submitted in writing to the High Grand Master for approval whenever they were ready for the choice, be it today, or in years from now.

Brindleton Bay
Covington Heights
Home to Iris' boyfriend Sterling, his parents and younger sister Dinah

Poking around in the last bites of the dessert following a 4-course dinner, kinda sorta listening to Sterling’s father Dean Covington go on and on about the graduation trip he took when he was his son’s age, Iris didn’t even pay much attention until he mentioned Rome.

“Thinking we’ll fly you into Rome, then get you a rental and have you drive up to Milan …” Mr. Covington said.

“No honey, they should fly to Vienna and drive down, more scenic.” his wife Linda disagreed.

“I think they need to go to Venice! OMG, YASS!” Dinah, Sterling’s 16-year-old sister chimed in.

“Oh, lovely idea! Yes, darling, you and Iris should definitely stay a few days in Venice. And then Milan, for shopping. Oh, your father and I used to fly to Milan every year, almost all my wardrobe used to be Milanese.”

“Nah, that’s for old people. I was kinda thinking something cooler. London for the club scene. Yeah. That. Maybe Tokyo.” Sterling said.

“I would rather go to a beach. Sulani or Tartosa. As a group. That was so much fun.” Iris said quietly, causing all heads to turn to her.

“Sulani? Tartosa? As a graduation trip? Oh, I don’t know.” Linda Covington frowned at the idea.

“Yeah, not Tartosa again. We’ve already seen it. And what group? There is no group anymore. Brad’s not dating, so he’d be just one, we can’t take your sister, cos then we couldn’t take Brad, and we are 100% not inviting Jasper! All the others are going somewhere with their parents, ultra-lame.” Sterling decided.

“Wait, what?! I am not going on a graduation trip without Bri! Not ever! Not happening! Or without Jasper! Yeah no, back to the drawing board with that …” Iris looked appalled.

“They’re not going, Iris! I am so over all that kindergarten drama that seems to keep happening. Brad can’t seem to get over your sister, Bri just basks in all the attention and keeps stirring it all up, hell, she might end up bringing that white trash cowboy, that would just be the cherry on top, and I am NOT dealing with their shit when I am trying to be on vacation, and I am DONE with Jasper! He was always an annoying bigmouth, living in DSV has not done him any favors!” Sterling told her.

“Kids, let’s not turn this dinner into whatever this is. How about squash this Saturday. You two can do a double with Bri and Dinah. I’ll call that in after dinner so it doesn’t fill up.” Linda Covington decided.

“Squash? I HATE squash! And I am not done with this topic. I am NOT going on that grad trip without Bri. Or Jasper. That is not up for discussion, that’s a fact. Period!” Iris insisted.

“Speaking of period … sounds like someone’s on it full force … we need to load you up on Midol or something, and also fuck Jasper. I said he isn’t going, that asshole!” Sterling snarled.

“Sterling! Do not be vulgar, especially not at the table. And Iris, let it go. Please. I insist!” Sterling’s mother sounded less polite now, which was the last straw for Iris.

“No, let’s just not. Hang on, so YOU get bend out of shape about me dancing with Jasper at a party at MY home after YOU practically forgot I even existed, YOU start a fight with him, he defends himself and now I am not allowed to see him, while your parents plan OUR grad trip? Sounds a lot like a YOU-problem, and what year do you all think this is? 1500-somehing!? This is a joke. Better be!” Iris was getting upset, her light eyes almost glowing for anger.

“Fine, Iris, you wanna talk about this so badly?! Okay, let’s. You weren’t dancing, quit downplaying, you were letting Jasper dry-hump you in front of everyone making a fool of me and you flirted with him so obviously, everyone probably thought you both end up in the bushes fuckin any minute! Yes, I have a problem with that and with him!” Sterling burst out.

“You managed to make a fool of yourself without ANYONE’s help!” Iris shouted back.

“STERLING! IRIS MARIE! Desist, now!” his father slammed his flat hand onto the table, making the glasses clink.

“Oh, I am gonna desist! This is bullshit – and I am telling you, you don’t even know your own son, I could tell you stories that would make you give him up for adoption now! And no Sterling, you don’t have a problem with Jasper. You have a problem with ME. And I am gonna solve that AND your grad trip planning: do it without me. Take your parents! Or Brad! Or anyone BUT me. I am so done! DONE!” Iris jumped up and ran out.

Continued in the next chapter