Hayley's POV
Being a vampire means a lot of things: eternal youth, super strength, blood cravings, but apparently, it doesn't stop me from oversleeping for school. For someone who's one hundred and fifteen years old, you'd think I'd have figured out how to wake up on time. Spoiler: I haven't.
I open my eyes as the sun hits my skin, and for one terrifying second, I forget I have the ring on. Luckily, it's there, protecting me. New Jersey wasn't supposed to be home. But when humans start sniffing out your secrets, you don't get a choice.
And honestly? If there's one thing worse than moving in next to a werewolf pack, it's having to pretend I'm just another teenager. I hated New Jersey the second we got here, too many humans, too close to werewolves, and way too far from the life I wanted.
But anyways nothing says good morning like realizing you're late for school. My mom says I'm a brat. She's probably right, but in my defense, I'm a one-hundred-and-fifteen-year-old brat.
I jump out of bed and rush downstairs, only to find my wonderful family already eating breakfast without me.
"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" I demand. Not that I'm too young to wake myself up, for fuck's sake, I'm one hundred and fifteen.
"Well, your brother wanted to," my mother says sharply. "But I figured you'd still act like a brat and ignore me, so I told him not to bother."
I expected that answer. Three weeks ago, we were still safe in Texas, far from werewolves. Now, thanks to humans sniffing around our secrets, we had to move. My mother, our clan maestra, found us a place in New Jersey. The catch? We're living dangerously close to a werewolf pack. And if there's one thing everyone knows, it's that vampires and werewolves have hated each other for centuries.
Even so, our secret has stayed safe. Still, I hated the move and made sure everyone knew it especially by giving mum the silence treatment for weeks.
"Mother, I won't lie saying I'm happy here," I admit. "But I understand this is what the clan needed. They're more important."
I may be a lot of things, but selfish isn't one of them. If humans find out about us, they'll come after not just the adults but the fledglings too.
My mother hums in approval. "Alright then, hurry upstairs and get ready."
I smile, nod, and head back toward my room, ignoring the fact that my dad and brother are still in the background.
After getting dressed and grabbing my things, I come back down. Dad is sitting with his newspaper, but he drops it when he notices me.
"Morning, sweetie. Your brother's waiting in the car," he says.
"Thanks. See you later."
The drive to school is painfully quiet, so I decide to start a conversation.
"So," I ask, "are you excited about going to a school filled with humans and probably werewolves?" I know I'm not.
Rick sighs and shoots me a look. "No. I'm just more optimistic than you are," he says with a mischievous smile.
I scoff. "Fuck off." He's always been good at getting under my skin. Rick is fifty years older than me, which in vampire years isn't much. Neither of us has ever been to a human school before. Our clan teachers always handled our lessons: hunting, surviving without blood, and learning how to complete the bond with our soulmate.
Most vampires meet their soulmate at one hundred. They're meant to spend eternity together. But I'm one hundred and fifteen, Rick's one hundred and sixty-five, and neither of us has met ours yet. Not that I'm in a rush. Honestly, the idea of someone tying me down doesn't sound appealing.
I'm pulled out of my thoughts when Rick parks in the school driveway. The empty front lawn tells us we're late.
Oh, Great deity, help us.