Part 1 Eight Years Later
Jainiah Creed was glaring at the screen of her desktop on her desk in her room. She spent the last five minutes stuck on the same question of her physics homework. Because the strong smell of garlic permeated the air. Sure she liked garlic but not to this extent.
“Miles!” she gritted out. “Get out of my room!” There was movement she heard in the background. She turned around and saw her little brother crawl out from underneath her bed.
He stood up and fixed his Five Night at Freddy’s t-shirt and he was wearing a Jigsaw mask. Jainiah walked up to him and yanked the mask on his desk. At thirteen Miles stood a couple of inches taller than her.
That annoyed Jainiah because last year she was taller than him. She shoved the mask in his hands. “You're too big to be hiding under my bed. And why do you smell like garlic?”
Miles clutched the mask in one hand and reached for something in the pocket of his pajama pants. He pulled out five pieces of garlic bulbs and held them close to her face.
Jainiah almost gagged “Don’t put that in my face!” she swatted his hand and the garlic fell on the floor.
“You better pick it up. You’re not leaving that there.” She turned her angry gaze at her brother but her anger dissipated when she saw his red rimmed dark brown eyes. His carmel skin looks ashen.
She grabbed his arm and sat him on her bed. She sat right next to him. “Miles, what's wrong?” concern lacing her voice.
Miles sniffed and avoided her gaze “I don’t want to be bitten by a vampire.”
Jainiah's concern turned into confusion. “Huh? Vampires? Miles they don’t exist.”
Miles shook his head “They do according Low Key they are walking among us. Nobody is safe.”
Jainiah's concern for her brother vanished. She was once again annoyed.“ Just because Low Key has a podcast doesn’t make them right.”
Low Key is an anonymous podcaster that created the podcast YoungBlood Confidential. They talk about conspiracy theories relating to YoungBlood.
Jainiah side eyed her brother as he continued to rattle on about Low Key.
Miles clutched the mask in his hands “He said that the Alpha Society has eyes and ears everywhere. The whole town is under surveillance.”
“Well as interesting as this sounds.” Jainiah said with mock interest “I have homework to get done. Clean up the garlic and get out of my room..”
Miles got up and quickly cleaned up the mess on the floor. Before he walked out he left her with parting words. “I’m serious Jai, Low Key is speaking the truth. Why is it hard to move out of YoungBlood you ever thought of that?” with that thought he walked out of the door.
Jainiah closed it gently behind him.She leaned back first on the door and glanced at the window. Then she looked at her computer screen which had her screensaver up, pictures of her and her best friends Lita and Tanisha. She pushed her glasses up on her face.
She started to walk towards her computer, when she saw her smartphone that she left at the cabinet next to her bed light up. She picked up her phone then sat down at her desk.
She read the text message “Hey are you up? We have to talk about what happened.”
Jainiah felt her ears go hot. That night changed everything. Then she felt a pang of guilt. She answered back “We have nothing to talk about stop texting me ”
The smell of garlic still lingered. She muttered “Stupid Miles.” Her brother is at the age where he believes CreepyPasta stories are fact. She shook her head at his nativity. “If he keeps going on like this he’ll be classified as an Omega when he has his senior trip.”
She couldn’t focus on her homework. She leaned back in the chair and saw the mini remote that controlled the military grade window in her room, and pressed the button to open the window. The window hummed and split down the middle to open the cool breeze of night touched her face.She glanced at the door leading to the hallway. Her father didn’t like the windows in the house open. She asked him why, and he answered her, “Because Angel, people are nosy.”
Jainiah remembered her brother saying YoungBlood is under surveillance.
The mansion where she and her family live is like a fortress. Security cameras are set up on all perimeters and rooms of the Mansion except for bedrooms being occupied. And the bathrooms. The windows of the house are so strong that a missile couldn't break them according to her father. She always wondered why they were set apart away from their neighbors.
She glanced at her phone then picked it up. She went into Apple Music and typed in YoungBlood Confidential. She popped in her air pods, then clicked on the latest episode.
She heard a digitized voice. “Welcome back to another episode of YoungBlood Confidential. I’m Low Key, the bringer of truths, the realist of the real.”
Jainiah rolled her eyes at the ego boost.
Low Key voice took on a softer quality like they were telling a story. “ Now I’m a YoungBlood native born and raised in this fucked up town.”
“It’s not a secret The Alpha Society runs YoungBlood. And there are two ways you can be here: you're either an Alpha or Omega there’s no in between.” there was a slight pause.
Jainiah walked towards the window,got on her knees, and leaned on the window lead. The cool air tickled her face.
“The Alpha Society isn’t the urban legend to attract locals or a scary time story parents tell their kids to get them to behave. They are a society that values power and money over human life. I know because I used to be a part of the Alpha Society. And baby I can tell you they like to play with their food before eating it. They are like vampires, beautiful and lethal.”
Jainiah hands gripped the ledge; she wasn’t expecting that confession.
“The moment you step into YoungBlood you belong to the Alpha Society even if you aren’t a part of their cult. They have eyes everywhere. Cameras are set up in all parts of the town. So if you see a blinking red light it’s not your imagination they are watching you.”
“You ever wonder why, once people move to YoungBlood they can’t leave? They are watching us even when we are in another state or country and they have eyes on us.”
Jainiah looked out in the trees that surround the mansion. She saw something red and blinking moving closer to the window. She gasped and backed up. The blinking light was moving closer and closer when the window closed shut. She felt a hand on her shoulder and held back a scream.
Jainiah looked up and saw Kendra, their housekeeper gripping the small remote and looking down at her in concern.
Kendra's look turned stern when she made a gesture for Jainiah to take out her AirPods. Jainiah obliged and took them out.
She got up heart still racing and sat down on her bed.
Kendra stood in front of her with hands on her hips. “Jainiah, your father instructed that the windows remain closed at all times. I knocked on your door three times and you didn’t answer. What were you doing?"Her green eyes did not meet Jainiah’s, but Jainiah felt the heat of them.
Jainiah shrugged, “Just taking a break from doing homework. I’m sorry, did you need something?”
Kendra relaxed her stance and pulled a one hundred dollar bill from her pocket. “Thank you for watching the twins for me Saturday.”
Jainiah shook her head “You don’t have to pay me Kendra I love Macey and Lacey. My dad is loaded.” She finished with a joke .
Kendra placed the money in Jainiah’s hand. “Please, it would make me feel better to take the money. You have been a big help.”
Jainiah smiled, “ No problem.”
Kendra smiled back at her then she flinched, she lifted her wrist and Jainiah saw she was wearing a funky looking smartwatch. Kendra gritted her teeth and reached into her pocket of her jeans where she pulled out a red pill bottle. She opened the bottle and shook it on her palm. Then Kendra quickly swallowed her medication and grimaced.
Jainiah watched her in fascination, her mom has the same exact watch and also carries a similar pill bottle. Her curiosity got the better of her . “Are you sick Kendra?”
Kendra stared at her in shock, then she flinched when she met Jainiah’s eyes. Then stared at the ground. “No, I just took some vitamins. I have a weak immune system.” she finished with a wide grin. Then she looked at her watch. “It’s getting late I have to get home, otherwise I’m going to hear an earful from Frankie about leaving her with the twins. Have a goodnight thanks again Jainiah." The woman quickly scurried out of Jainiah’s room slamming the door behind her.
Jainiah stared at the door in shock. Why was Kendra making a big deal about vitamins?