Chapter 2

       Out of all the places in the Protector HQ, the morgue was the one place I always avoided. I never did too well seeing the dead bodies normally with deep wounds because of the supernatural killings. 

       Yet, for some reason, I found myself there with Grandpa and Jerome while Jerome worked his magic on the dead body. Then again, I wasn't really focusing on the dead body. My eyes were too busy focusing on something else.

       Or someone else.

       I had seriously never been so attracted to someone before, so it was going to be quite the shame when Jerome had to go back home because I would have nobody to ogle anymore.

       Might as well bask it in while I can.

       Jerome finished using his magic on the body before looking at Grandpa. "You were right," Jerome said. "Some sort of concealment was used on the body, but not just any concealment. A concealment spell."

       "You mean... a sorcerer did this?" Grandpa asked.

       "Yes and no," Jerome said. "It was a sorcerer who used the spell, but..." Blue energy sparked from his hands before swarming around the body, and the unidentifiable wound slowly changed into one I could definitely recognize. "It was a vampire who killed him."

       "A vampire?" I asked. "The last vampire killing we had in Miami was probably ten years ago. All the vampires in Miami are part of the clan, and they would never kill a human."

       "Well, you can never be too sure with supernaturals," Jerome said. "Trust me, I would know. A lot of them do uphold their vows to never kill a human, but there are some shady ones out there who would do what they want."

       "I'll get some Protectors to go and talk to the clan," Grandpa said.

       "Before you do, you might want to think of an excuse as to how you found out the truth about the killing," Jerome said. "Or at least not let them know that a sorcerer helped. If word gets around to the supernaturals, I'm sure it won't be long before it comes to the Protectors."

       "You are right there," Grandpa said. "I'll send Ryder and Alan since they're excellent at creating lies, and Orchid since her Protector ability is to read minds." Grandpa looked over at me. "Would you like to go with them as well?"

       "To talk to the vampire clan?" I asked. "No. No way. I do not have the best memories with them and I try my best to stay away from them."

       Grandpa chuckled. "Alright. Can you make sure nobody else comes in here?"

       "Yeah, of course," I said.

       "And Jerome, thank you so much for your help," Grandpa said. "Trust me, I wouldn't have asked a sorcerer for help if there was nothing else we could do, so nobody else can know about it."

       "No problem," Jerome said. "And don't worry, I won't say a word to anyone. Oh, I can also check the body to see if there are any traces of the vampire left behind. If they were careful enough, there won't be anything but it can't hurt to try."

       "That would be great," Grandpa said. "Thank you. In the meantime, I'll get Ryder, Alan, and Orchid to go talk to the clan."

       Grandpa left the morgue, and Jerome turned back to the body and started using magic on him again. "So, what are these memories of the vampire clan that aren't really the best?" he asked.

       "Nothing too bad, really," I said. "There's just this one girl, Janelle, who keeps flirting with me and even tried enchanting me once because she thought it would be fun. The worst part was that I had to pretend it worked."

       "Why?" Jerome asked.

       "Because I... I'm not really out to anyone yet, not even my family," I said. "I do feel like they'll accept me no matter what but... I don't know, it's just hard."

       "Hey, I know exactly what you mean," Jerome said. "It took me a while to come out to my parents, and let's just say it didn't go to well. Half of it didn't go so well. My mom didn't agree with it and that is exactly why I was kicked out of the Sorcerer Circle in the first place."

       "Because you're gay?" I asked.

       "Precisely," Jerome said. "She's the head of the Sorcerer Circle so whatever she says goes. Anyway, my dad ended up divorcing her so she isn't particularly fond of me right now. She thinks it's my fault."

       "But it's not," I said. "You can't control how you feel."

       "Well, my mom didn't see it that way," Jerome said before he stopped using his magic and turned to face me. "There's no trace of the vampire left on the body."

        "I still don't got who would want to kill him," I said. "Normally when a vampire kills, it's right outside of Miami so it's definitely not from the Miami clan, and they don't even bother trying to hide it. Since they're not part of the clan, they don't have to follow their rules. So why try hide it?"

       "Not only that, but why team up with a sorcerer?" Jerome asked. "And what kind of sorcerer would go along with concealing a vampire's killing?"

       "I don't have a good feeling about this," I said.

       "Neither do I," Jerome said. "There's actually going to be a supernatural gathering sometime this week and I, for some reason, was invited to it. If I was, then that means it doesn't involve the Sorcerer Circle."

       "Meaning... Supernaturals not part of a group?" I asked

       "That's what I'm guessing," Jerome said. "I wasn't planning on going, but now I'm actually going to go. And I know the whole supernatural helping out Protectors thing isn't allowed but if I find something important, I'll tell you. Can I have your number?"

       "Yeah," I said, pulling my cell phone out of my pocket before handing it to Jerome. He placed his number under a new contact before handing my cell phone back to me. "Thank you, for all your help. I honestly don't get the rule about supernaturals not being able to help because at times, it might be the only solution."

       "True, but it might not be best to break the Tribunal's rules," Jerome said. "And speaking of, I should be heading back home so nobody else finds out I'm here. I'll keep in touch about what happens at the meeting."

       Jerome created a portal before stepping into it, the portal closing behind him. Shortly after, Grandpa came back into the morgue. "He just left," I said. "He couldn't find any traces of the vampire."

       "Well, hopefully Ryder, Alan, and Orchid can find something out when they go talk to the clan," Grandpa said. "And I know I'm the one who suggested getting Jerome's help in the first place, but that was a one time thing. We can't go to him for anymore help, okay?"

       "Yeah, okay," I said, though a huge part of me had a feeling that wasn't going to be the last time I would see Jerome.

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it's almost 1:30 in the morning hahahaha i'm tired.

it didn't help that i was out from 3-10 today and i didn't like it at all. too many people and i really didn't think i'd be gone that late. on the bright side, my family brought a lot of cake home so i now have my lunch for tomorrow.

great now cake makes me think of canter lol.