“You need to confront him!”

I'm sitting in the room. I go to the only two people I know to talk to about the fact that last night JB confessed his love for Candy. As usual Satyr is being blunt and direct telling me that I need to confront him.

“I think you need to confront her,” Bambam is saying, “Think about it. You never confront the man. Especially not when the man is a king. I mean. You still have a fighting chance.”

“We need you to get him back,” Satyr responds.

“Satyr!”

“It's ok,” I reply crossing my arms, “I know why you two are here. I know why you two are friends with me. You thought JB and I would end up together and that I'd help raise your reputation in Eden. I get it. I also understand if you go back to Candy.”

“Oh please, Candy won't take us back,” Satyr responds.

Bambam elbows her at that moment, “What Satyr means to say is that in the beginning that might have been our motivation but believe it or not...we care about you Jr. We love you. This isn't about social climbing...not anymore.”

“Is isn't?” Satyr asks, before fixing quickly to add, “No, it isn't.”

Bambam puts his arm over me at that moment, “We are here for you Jr. And I have no motivation when I tell you this is heartbreaking.”

Satyr grabs onto the other arm. It is bittersweet that they are admitting that they honestly do care. A part of me liked hanging around with them because I felt like they didn't. I felt like it was all business with them. Now that I knew they actually did like me things just seemed to go into that uncomfortable zone. How could they give me honest advice if they had their emotions involved in this?

Why now that I have real friends do I feel the most alone than I've ever felt in Eden?

“We should get to Combat. We're running late,” I say.

“Jr... what are you going to do about JB?”

“Nothing. He's made his choice. I want him to be happy.”

How could he be happy with me? I was a monster. I walk out of the room feeling the pain. I should have known this was going to happen. Jackson warned me. Mark warned me.

When JB found out who I really was and what I was really about he wouldn't want anything to do with me.

And they were right.

***

Mantissa makes a long speech in the beginning of combat class. The 2nd half of the semester has started. It's mid-January but luckily it doesn't get cold in Eden. It stays the same lukewarm perfect ideal weather. This really was paradise. I miss most of what Mantissa is saying because I see that JB is on the mat next to Candy. They're talking...yet again. My heart is racing yet again. I hate the fact that JB doesn't even have the balls to break up with me before moving on first...but maybe he's scared that I'll snap.

Maybe I will snap...

I can't imagine doing to JB what I did to Mino.

I catch the end of what Mantissa is telling the class, “It's time to prepare. The Rogue threat is getting stronger behind these gates. Everywhere in the city the vampires of Eden are preparing for another attack against the forces of darkness. Children are made to believe that the monsters are hiding under their beds or in their closets. They are made to believe that monsters are hiding in the darkness. We vampires know better. The monsters are outside our garden, getting ready to come in!”

Monsters. That's what Mantissa calls the rogues and I wonder if he is referring to me. Am I the monster hiding in the darkness. The rogues seem to think so.

JB seems to think so...

Mantissa's voice echoes across the gym, “What will we do!”

“FIGHT!”

The scream rattles the nearby bleachers as Mantissa instructs us quickly, “Pair up and do your stretches before you spar.”

I usually do my stretches alone but Mark comes up to me. It's hard to shake him. A part of me is tempted to entertain him knowing that JB has moved on and is back with Candy. Mark has always been there. Still...I can't help but to blame him for all the bad news. Without him I would have been living in my little bubble not knowing all the things that JB did.

“Give me your leg,” Mark instructs.

“I don't need your help...” I respond.

Mark gives me a look that lets me know that he doesn't give a if I want his help or not. I roll my eyes and allow Mark to do his thing. I am sitting on the mat and I lay flat on my back. He takes my left leg and bend it up all the way over my head. He uses his chest to keep my leg up as he positions himself up and down releasing my leg in quick gestures.

“Can we do a stretch that doesn't look like we're ing?” I ask him.

“You worried about being in a compromising position with me?” Mark asks with a smiling gesture, “Don't worry. Your boyfriend isn't paying attention.”

Mark is right. JB is stretching with Candy. They aren't touching one another but it doesn't matter. They are stretching together and he doesn't even seem to notice like he usually would that Mark put me in this weird clearly ual position.

“Not now Mark.”

“Of course I'm not gonna you now,” Mark responds, “You're all sweaty. I'm going to save that until after we shower.”

I push Mark off of me and start to stretch by myself. I'm not in the mood to joke right now especially with what's going on. Mark seems to notice I'm not in a good mood. He moves next to me and sits on the mat. Usually Mantissa would be on our about not doing the right stretches and staying active but Mantissa is working with Bambam on his boxing stance.

“I don't belong here,” I finally say after a couple moments of silence.

“In Combat class?”

“In Eden, Mark,” I explain, “Did my father tell you? I'm her...heir...I'm”

Mark clears his throat. I know why he's doing it. Satyr is somersaulting past like a goddam vampire gymnast ninja. She somersaults high in the sky. I have to admit I'm impressed. Looking around I'm impressed by all of them. They all are getting better. They are all becoming these tough warriors that would make amazing King's Guards.

Then there is me. I'm either not dangerous at all or dangerous to the point that I black out and wake up to the complete obliteration of my enemies.

No middle ground.

“You going to keep playing the ing victim?” Mark asks me, “Because you have a choice. If you don't want to be here, then leave.”

“Mark...”

I'm not expecting him to say that. Honestly I don't.

Mark backpedals just as harshly, “I'm not saying I want you to, but it man. You have a choice of what you become. Look at JB. He spends all his time trying to kiss the King's but he'll never be what Ecbert wants him to be. Sometimes you have to walk your own path.”

For a moment it makes me feel better. The moment doesn't last that long though.

“But what if my path is the path of darkness?” I ask.

“Is that what you want?” he asks me.

I shake my head, “I hope not. But there is something in me Mark. There's something dark and you can't bury alive everyone who finds out about it forever. You and my father can't hide this thing growing in me forever. It's too big. It's too dark...”

Mark shrugs, “You're right. Then maybe you have to find a way to add some light in your life.”

Mark says it as though it's so easy. All I've ever known was pain and despair. I got angry to the poit that I out and I did the scariest imaginable. I can hardly close my eyes and not think about what I did to Mino.

This isn't easy. This is never going to be easy.

***

The weekend comes before I know it. I have a scarf around my head. I am borrowing one of Bambam's book bags and I have my golden outfits in it. Satyr is already complaining about something or another. Mark is standing to my right looking annoyed that she decided to come along just to complain. JB is the only one who seems to be smiling and in a decent mood besides Candy. Yes...Candy is happy.

“I'm glad you all decided to come along!” Candy is telling me.

I smile weakly. Satyr and Bambam literally had to drag me along to come to this camping trip. We've been walking for what seems like an hour and a half. The way out of Eden is a straight shot down a paved road. Now we aren't on the roads. We've wandered off into what was known as the Garden of Eden. The Garden was a thick forest with amber trees, thick soil and a humidity that caused you to sweat in places you didn't know existed.

“Look how close she is to him,” Satyr whispers in my ear.

I look over at Candy. Satyr isn't being the least bit discreet about her dislike about Candy and JB. It's not like they are holding hands or anything like that but they are definitely talking a lot more than they were. It's hard to imagine Candy liking something like this but she's putting on a decent face.

“Is everything ok you guys?” Candy asks Satyr, Bambam and I.

Satyr and I give her stone faces and luckily Bambam is a little bit more civilized, “Great. We're glad you invited us along.”

“Good. I wanted to introduce you to Hyun and Rosa. Hyun is an A Blood and Rosa is a B type. They're going to be our guides out here.”

Hyun was dark skin and I admit is handsome. He has dreadlocks that fall all the way to his and looks like the football player Larry Fitzgerald in the face if you ask me. It's rare to see another guy almost the height of Roman but he's up there. Unlike Roman though he seems to have more a thicker frame and not slim. He's not really muscular like JB but he's more on the bulky side as though maybe he used to be muscular but he stopped going to the gym as much. It still looks good on him. The girl Rosa is a really skinny girl...looking almost anorexic and honestly she isn't pretty at all. I can tell Satyr getting annoyed at Rosa's presence when she starts to sing loudly.

“Can't we just camp here?” Satyr asks, “I'm tired of walking...”

“Maybe if you didn't wear Louboutin flats and wore combat boots like the rest of us, you'd be ok,” JB tells Satyr clearly annoyed.

“Amen,” Mark responds.

I elbow Mark, not so much for criticizing Satyr but for agreeing with JB. I think JB notices it because he turns towards me. He waits for me to catch up to him and he hands me a bottle. The bottle has blood in it.

“You thirsty?” he asks.

I shake my head, “I'm fine. Candy looks thirsty though.”

I'm not sure if Candy recognizes the shade at that moment because she stops and says, “Aw how considerate. I am thirsty...”

“Very parched,” Satyr adds in.

Candy grabs the bottle out o