Sonia and I had our "meeting" in the living room. My room was completely off limits. We weren't close anymore. Even if Sonia apologized to me, I don't think we could ever go back to how it used to be.
While Sonia had never really expressed hatred towards vampires, I didn't know where she stood. I knew she didn't like them that much but she wasn't joining hate groups like Carlos and framing innocent vampires. Then again, that showed how little I knew Sonia. Now that I think about it, maybe we were just pretending to be each other's friends.
We sat on the couch, keeping plenty of space between us. It was awkward, to say the least. I was still waiting for someone to jump out saying this was all a joke.
"What exactly is Carlos planning on doing?" I asked. "How can he help?"
"Honestly, I don't know all the details," she admitted. "But, Carlos is more organized than he shows. He probably has secret codes or whatever."
"So, you don't actually know what he can do to help," I stated.
Sonia rubbed her face. "No, I don't. But, let's be real, you wouldn't have open your door to Carlos."
I looked away. "Actually, I would have."
Sonia raised an eyebrow.
"I called him the other day. I - it was for - the Vampire Prince is being framed by him and his 'friends' and I was hoping he would help."
"I told you already," Sonia sighed. "Carlos told me what you said. I confronted him in front of his parents and you know the rest."
"I'll give you Mr. Key's number," I told her. "He's the Prince's lawyer. Carlos can talk to him. "
I bit my lip. Why hadn't she mentioned how dangerous it would be for Carlos to testify? Well, actually, she hadn't said anything having Carlos testify. How exactly was he going to help?
"I'll give it to his parents," Sonia said. "They make him talk to Mr. Keys, was it?"
"Yeah."
Neither of us spoke. I was still in square one but there was progress. But, what if Carlos backed out? What if he warned the others? What if they just disappeared into the wind? Micah would have definitely won if they did that.
But . . . Alexander was a vampire. Was there really a prison that could a vampire? No one had advertised anything like that yet. That was a loaded topic to be sure. How was a court going to sentence a vampire? They aged differently from humans. Or that was what we had been lead to believe.
"I know what you're thinking," Sonia blurted out. "Carlos knows what he did was wrong. Have some faith in that at least."
Sonia stood abruptly. "Text me the number. I'll see myself out."
Just like that, she was gone. I wasn't given a chance to say anything. A part of me felt guilty but could she blame me? We wouldn't be in this mess if . . . It was best not to point fingers. I was at fault for this too. I should have told my parents as soon as Micah had contacted me. I couldn't say if everything would have turned out the same but there was no point in crying over spilled milk. What was done was done.
I took a deep breath. My chest felt lighter. Maybe everything would turn out okay. If Carlos did go through with it . . . was it okay to hope? Feeling somewhat optimistic, I locked the front door before heading upstairs. There was something I should have done a long time ago.
#
"You want what?" Mr. Keys asked.
I sighed.
After showering and dressing decently, I'd sent Sonia Mr. Key's number. Then, I called him. He missed my calls five times before he finally answered. To say the least, he wasn't thrilled about what I told him.
"I want to visit the Prince," I repeated. "I'm sure he's allowed visitors, right?"
"Miss Borek, do you not understand the delicacy of this matter?"
I paced around my room, rubbing my eyes. "Yes," I said. "I know this is a delicate matter but I still want to see him. Can I do that or not?"
"Is there something going on that you're not telling me?" he suddenly asked.
I came to a stop. "What do you mean?"
"You are suddenly very interested in the vampire Prince," he said. "It wasn't long ago when your family wanted to get rid of him."
He had a point there. "I - it's nothing like what you're thinking," I stammered out. "My parents might have told you but it has to do with Micah. The Prince is being framed. I know he's innocent."
Mr. Keys didn't speak. "I've heard something along those lines," he admitted.
"A - someone who was involved with a certain group will probably contact you," I began. "His name is Carlos. He might have information that can help the Prince."
"Well, I haven't received any calls regarding that matter."
My stomach tightened. I should have known. Carlos wasn't going to help. Was Sonia coming to my house just a charade?
"Oh."
I shook my head. No. I had to focus. I needed to talk to Alexander. There were some things he needed to clarify for me.
"Can I see him or not?" I asked.
"What have your parents said?"
Of course, he was going to bring that up. "I don't need my parent's permission to visit someone in jail. A permission slip isn't required for that sort of thing."
"Miss Borek," Mr. Keys sighed tiredly. "Do you think your parents will want you to do this?"
"Regardless if they don't, I want to do this. It's my choice so, please. I want to visit the Prince. If it makes you feel any better, I'll leave my parents a note."
He didn't speak for a long time. I pace around my room. I might have worn a hole into the carpet before Mr. Keys finally replied.
"Alright. I'll have someone pick you up. But you better tell your parents."
"I will," I promised.
An hour later, my ride finally pulled up to the house. Instead of a note, I texted my parents. It was better if they knew where I was going before they found an empty house. From what Mr. Keys had explained, he had a delivery service of sorts for his clients when it wasn't safe for them to leave the house.
When we got to the police precinct, there were vans everywhere. Reporters and the masses stood. Many people had signs. I kept my head down. I didn't want to recognize anyone. For now, I wanted to focus on what face I needed to have in front of Alexander.
He was going to be mad at me. He was going to ask me why I was there. Maybe he would tell me to go away. My stomach twisted. I just needed the strength not to break down and cry.
You can do this, I told myself. Let him know that everything is going to be alright.
We waved towards the back. It was loading zone. Mr. Keys was waiting at the back door. I was hurriedly escorted into the building. I started to shiver.
Mr. Keys looked worn out. His clothes were wrinkled and it didn't appear that he had gone home for the past few days.
"Hello," I said quietly.
"Let's get his over with," he said. "Come on. We have ten minutes."
"That's all?" I asked. "Shouldn't it be more?"
Mr. Keys frowned at me and lead me inside. "It's wasn't easy, you know. I had to call in some favors."
"Then, thanks for doing this. I won't take long."
Mr. Keys shook his head. "The Prince is in his own cell. They had to keep him separated from the others."
He walked quickly as he talked and I struggled to keep up with him.
"How come?" I asked. "Did something happen? Are they going to move him somewhere."
Mr. Keys stopped abruptly. "Miss Borek, this entire case is a land mine. There are rules in place for incidents like these but those lawmakers underestimated - " he trailed off. "Just, follow me. You don't have much time."
Before I could go in, I had to be checked for weapons and my ID had to be scanned. After everything had been said and done, I was taken towards the cells. Mr. Keys stopped at the entrance.
"I'll give you some privacy," he said. "Now hurry."
"Thanks," I said sincerely. "I won't take long."
Taking a deep breath, I walked into the room. It was dark in here. The lights were dimmed. There were cells on either side but they were all empty. At the end, I saw a shadow move against the wall. My stomach twisted. Step-by-step, I approached the last cell.
Alexander probably already knew it was me. He probably knew the sound of my heartbeat by now. It was ready to burst out of my chest.
I stopped before reaching his cell. I couldn't bring myself to take another step. There were so many things I had come here to say but I couldn't think of any.
"Rin."
His voice broke me. I slapped my hand over my mouth. I wasn't going to cry. I wasn't going to cry. My vision blurred. I took a step back. I couldn't let him see me like this.
"Rin?" he called out again.
I shook my head. My voice was stuck in my throat. His voice sounded hoarse, defeated. How could I bring myself to see him?