“Who’s that?” another girl asked.
“He’s a famous vampire slayer,” Reeba explained, eyeing Mina suspiciously.
“What?” a few girls gasped, looking at Mina distrustfully.
“Yes,” Reeba nodded, “and, she is as famous as he is, if not more.”
“I can explain…” Mina started, but the look on Reeba’s face told her how deeply hurt Reeba was. “Please, just hear me out.”
“Do you have any idea of the position you just put us in?” Reeba asked, incredulously.
“Just listen to her,” Rose urged her.
> “But, Rose…” Reeba started.
“Give her a chance, Reeba. Trust me. Trust your heart. Listen to what it is telling you.”
“Fine,” Reeba snorted. “I can hear you out but I don’t have to understand.”
“I just want to explain,” Mina pleaded.
“I’m listening.”
“My brother went missing,” Mina started, “and so did the book. Your book. The one my mother kept safe all her life, then it was given to my brother and me, but I had no idea that my mother was a witch. I just thought that this book was important and we would give it back to whoever it belonged to. I guess I’ve been kept in the dark most of my life.”
“But, that didn’t prevent you from killing us off one by one, now did it?” Reeba hissed.
“Reeba…” Rose gently placed her hand on Reeba’s shoulder and she calmed down again.
“I only killed those who were a danger,” Mina tried to explain her actions.
“How did you choose those?”
“She had instructions from high up,” Rose explained.
“What does that mean?”
“Reeba,” Rose smiled, “you don’t know many things. Maybe if you did, you’d understand that Mina was actually doing us a favor.”
“A favor?” Now, it was Mina’s turn to be surprised.
“There are always good vampires and bad vampires, good people and bad people, good witches and bad witches,” Rose spoke with a kind smile, “Mina and slayers like her only kill the ones who present a threat, to both humans and vampires.”
“Is that true?” Reeba asked, and Rose nodded.
“I always thought that was true as well,” Mina agreed. “So, when my brother disappeared, I thought someone got him. And the book, too. You know what would happen if the book falls in the wrong hands.”
“I do,” Rose nodded and there was no more smile on her face.
“That was why I came here, to try and find my brother.”
“What makes you think he’s here?” Rose wondered.
“A source told me that Dante is planning something big. That he’s already killed a few slayers and needed the book.”
“What would he want with the book?” Rose asked.
“I heard he found the prequel.”