Beautiful Monster(86)

              As we got closer, I tensed up. Selene was standing behind Porsche, who looked rigid and uncomfortable, her jaw set. Her eyes were wide and she was trying to warn us off, I could see it. But Liam, my brave Liam, was having none of it.
              “Ah, my beautiful Liam. What a performance.” Selene’s French accent was thick, but it only added to her beauty. She truly was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. But the evil that lay behind her eyes brought the reality home for me. This was a woman to be feared, to be hated.
              “Porsche, are you alright?” Liam asked, ignoring Selene. Porsche shrugged, although I could see she was petrified.
              “Sure,” she managed. Liam took a step closer and Selene growled at him.
              “Don’t move, boy.”
              “What is it I can do for you?” Liam asked her, calmly, as if this were a normal conversation. “You came to check on me, Selene, same as last year. And so here I am. Operating the school, flying under the radar, acting human and sucking blood bags. So what is it you want? Let go of Porsche before I rip you limb from limb,” he said it mildly, as if they were talking about the weather. But I could see his eyes darken, and I knew he meant it.
              “But you aren’t.” Selene replied, and her eyes darted to me. “You aren’t exactly keeping what you are a secret, are you, Liam?”
              “Amy, get behind me,” he growled, not giving me a choice in the matter.  His arm pulled me back, but I fought to face Selene.
              “Are you talking about me?” I asked, with more courage in my voice than I ever had in my life. “Yes, Liam told me what he was. But I would never ever tell anyone. I didn’t even want to believe it myself. ”
              “Ah, little one, your integrity does not factor into the vampire code. Liam’s job was to keep everything quiet, and yet I see two humans here who know what we are,” she replied, and Liam smirked.
              “Except you seem to be breathing right now, Selene, so may I remind you that I could snap your neck like a twig in one move. Let go of Porsche, now, or I’ll make sure you are human for the rest of your miserable life.” I could see he meant it too, his fist clenching at his side. Never in my whole life had I ever wanted anyone to die, until tonight. Anger burned up inside me until I was seeing red. I wanted nothing more than to see Selene running for her life, and then lifeless on the floor.
              “Kill me, Liam, and you know what happens,” her voice was ominous, and my mind was spinning.
              “But I’m dying too!” I blurted out, and everyone turned to me.  “I mean…I will. Sooner than a normal person. Like Porsche, I’m also HIV positive. So even though I know Liam’s secret…it’s not like I’m going to know it for 100 years.”
              “Amy,” Liam’s face softened as he turned to me. “Don’t talk like that.”
              “It’s the truth.”
              Porsche whimpered and squirmed and we both turned back. Selene had her arm twisted behind her back and I could see she was hurting her. Liam met Porsche’s eyes and raised an eyebrow. Very slowly, Porsche gave the tiniest nod.
              I felt my stomach plummet. Here, it was going to happen here and now, and I was going to be witness to it. Porsche would accept the death sentence Liam gave her and transform into a vampire. My eyes were darting around the theater, trying to think of an exit plan to get Porsche and I out, when all of sudden, Selene laughed.