Chapter III

My eyes flickered open squinting at the new morning sunlight, a thin sheen of pink and orange across the late autumn sky. I could feel the dampness in my clothes from the dew and the reek of outdoors in my hair that made me feel all too dirty. My body was heavy, still racked with fatigue making it hard to get up and walk up the path at a reasonable pace. Glancing at the main school clock I noted the time was only seven twenty-five giving my a little over an hour before my class started. From a distance I saw Royal atop his sleek chrome and black motorcycle speaking to Astrick who then flipped him off and stormed away into the main building. Once she was out of sight, I approached him trying to put on a healthier demeanor then the one I actually possessed.

“Damn, you look like hell.” Was the first thing he said when he finally noticed me. “What happened to you?”

I groaned not yet ready for banters this early in the morning. “I fell asleep at the pond.”

“That would explain the smell.” He grinned that quickly washed away at my scowl.

“Can I ask you a question?” He shrugged looking himself over in his rearview mirror which was highly unnecessary. “Is it normal to get worked up by the smell of blood?”

His expression made me feel brainless the way he stuggled not to laugh as he tried to figure out if I was being serious or not.

“What kind of question is that, Roxi? Of course it is. We’re vampires.”

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the back of his bike. “I know, but it’s never happened to me. Last night I went to BBQ Daves with my roommate and some of her friends and she had a cut on her leg and I just got so…I don’t know. I couldn’t control it.”

His head cranes back to look at me curious. Royal knew I was apathetic to the nature of our kind – even though I’m one myself. He tried his hardest to get me to be more like the others but never worked.

“It’s nothing to worry about.” I couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious.

“Nothing to worry about?!” I scream. “Royal, I almost attacked my roommate.”

Throwing back his head, Royal gives a hardy laugh. “It happens when you’ve never been around so many rich bloods. Make sue you keep yourself well fed.” No duh. “Good thing your mom gave you the serum.”

“Yeah, that.” I say pulling it out of the little pocket on my grimy jeans. “What is it anyways?”

“Some serum Daniel cooked up for the savage. They inject it so they can stay normal. Just a smell of it can calm your urges.”

“Oh…”

“So you’re roommate is Peri.”

“You know her?”

Royal simply nodded but the look on his face tells that there’s more he isn’t telling me. I guess I’ll find out from her later. “Astrick told me about her. The library chick right? Yeah she’s a weird one. Spends too much time reading books. Astrick tells me she believes in vampires and werewolves and stuff like that.”

“Um, it’s not like we don’t exist.”

“I know.” He rolled his eyes shifting weight on his cycle. “I’m just saying. It’s not right for rich bloods to know so much about us. I’m sure if she gets a clue of what you are she’ll haunt you with a crucifix.”

“Not like that’ll hurt me.”

“Maybe not you.” His head turned to me and I look away. I had forgotten that Royal and Astrick were for the most part Savage.

There are different classes of vampires: Feeble, Savage, Daint, and Faim. Feebles are vampires once humans. They’re the weakest and don’t have the same strength as the other classes. Daint’s, which I am, are full blood vampires with heightened senses and strengths. They have the ability to turn a human into a Feeble but if the process goes bad they could turn into a Savage. The Savage are wicked, always thirsting for blood, extremely strong but very fragile still connected to their human side. The last are Faim, pureblood. They’re very rare and extremely powerful. They too can grant humans vampire hood and are resistible to most threats.

The normal things such as wooden stakes, rosaries, and garlic don’t affect the higher classes such as Daint and Faim. Even the Feeble aren’t affect due to their human past. Savage can be ruined by crucifix.

“I’ll be careful don’t worry.” I assure him hugging his waist from behind.

“I hope so.” He whispered.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

I rolled my eyes peeling myself from his cycle having to use it to keep my balance. “Whatever. I need to get to class.”

I entered my literate class just before the bell sounded. No thanks to Royal, I only had about thirty minutes to get washed up and to class. Thankfully, I made it but at a price I had to get a seat towards the front seeing as all the other chairs were taken. Across the room I noticed Dustin and Larissa sitting side by side. Dustin noticed me and waved frantically while Lari turned to look at me, shot a façade of a smile and turned away.

A quarter of the hour past by before our professor stepped in with an obvious hangover. He slammed his briefcase onto the desk opening it only for all of his papers to spill all over the floor. He didn’t mind to pick them up instead he turned to the black board and scribbled a few page numbers and told us to read then complete the work on the assignment pages before stepping out of the class again.

Finding no book in the basket beneath my desk, I tap the girl beside me shocked that it was the same curly haired girl I saw last night out back. She looked a bit different, pale and worn in the face. Slight bags hung under her outlined sea foam green, anime like eyes. It baffled me that she was the same age as me. If anything I’d expect her to be alone about thirteen.

“Excuse me, but can you pass me that extra book?”

“Sure.” She smiles politely handing me the large blue and red textbook. I nodded a thank you. “Hey didn’t I see you last night?” Her doe like eyes narrowed to an amazing small size despite there large size. I’m guessing she was afraid I’d snitched on her or something.

“Uh…yeah…”

“I’m Clare, what’s your name?”

“Roxi.” I reply thumbing through the old, water stained textbook getting the worn sticky smells of others who had used it in the past.

“You new?” A lollypop appears out of nowhere and she unravels the wrapper before sticking the yellow orb into her mouth. I could taste he lemon myself.

“Yeah. I just transferred yesterday.” At this she seemed to relax thinking I was too new to even know who to tattle to about her drug usage. “Is he always like that?”

“Who Mr. McCormick?” She paused to lick the salvia from her sucker. “Yeah. But that’s not as bad as when he’s high.”

“Those are always fun.” Chimes in a boy, the same lanky one from last night, from behind her. I started to count his piercing then. There were four in his lips, two on top and two on bottom, one in each eyebrow and three in each ear. A scar ran from his hairline down to his jaw in a jagged line making his head look like that of Frankenstein.

“We never do work in here.” He twitched while a thumb scratched at the top of his other hand. “I’m Travis by the way.” He said after a few moments.

“Say, Rox. Come over here!” Waves Dustin right when I was about to say my redundant ‘nice to meet you’.

“It was nice to meet you.” I tell Clare and Travis as I gather my things.

“You should.” Twitch. “Come by the ally tonight.” Clare gave him a hard look and he slouched over his desk.

“Uh, I think I’ll pass. Thanks though.”

Getting up I started my way over relived to be away from the stench of narcotics and other things that started to burn my chest. I felt self-conscious like everyone was watching me as I went over to sit by Dustin and Larissa. I knew every eye was on me, minds wondering who this new freaky looking girl came from. I was beginning to feel claustrophobic being in a tiny room full of rich bloods. After the little incident last night, I was really beginning to wonder how I’d hold up. I hadn’t gotten to properly for almost two days. My slow in pace and fatigue was already starting to build up.

I threw down my messenger bag and slip into Dustin’s seat seeing as he offered it to me.

“What happened to you last night?” Asked Dustin accumulating a yo-yo from his deep khaki pockets. I watched as he tossed it down then popped it back up with no effort.

“Yeah, you didn’t look too good.” Added in Lari rotating her desk so it faced mine. I had a hard time reading this girl. When I met her at BBQ Daves she seemed cautious of me visibly tense. She was the same here and obviously discomforted by my presence but she tolerated me with no complaint other then the daggers stabbing me in her moon like hazel eyes.

I dropped my concentration from her and back to the subject groaning inside my head. If there was one thing I hated doing a lot of it was lie. It seemed like here, everything would have to be a lie no matter what. “I just ate too much I guess.”

“Pfft. Who wouldn’t get sick from eating a rare steak!” Dustin laughed nudging Lari in the shoulder as if to communicate an inside joke but the tall girl didn’t crack a laugh, let alone a grin. Instead one of her eyes narrowed while the other held a raised eyebrow over it giving off a death expression that ceased Dustin’s laughter and made me almost want to get up and leave.

Her gaze then turned down to me only her eyes at first then her whole head, nose scrunching up as if she caught a bad smell. “Are you going to the Twilight Festival this Friday?” She asked nonchalantly. I knew there was a deeper reason she was asking.

“Who me? I didn’t know anything about it.”

“You don’t?!” Dustin shrieks now recovered from the death look. “You’ve gotta go. It’s like one of the biggest events of Angus Ming. We close up the street and have this huge block party slash carnival slash dance ending with a massive bon fire!”

“Sounds interesting.” I say but the look on Lari’s face is one of worry. I didn’t care to ask. “I’m not sure.” I already started to think about the night being in a crowd of rich bloods. Before I went, I needed to have something to really eat.

Larissa almost looked enthused at my indecisiveness but then said, “You should go. It’s a good place to meet new people.” My eyes rolled at the emphases in the word ‘new’. What was her deal?

“You could go with Row.” Dustin offered not aware of how wrong it was.

Larissa and I both stared at him in disbelief that he’d suggest such a thing. I could see her hazel eyes drilling into me in a sideward gaze. I smiled now realizing why she didn’t care for me that much.

“Are you kidding?” I blurted just to calm Larissa down. “I can go alone I don’t mind.”

Lari’s lips moved but once I adjusted my hearing to pick up what she was saying she was already done.

The bell then rings, and everyone gets up to leave. I stuff things into my bag slowly not anxious to get out just yet.

“So are you going to come?” Dustin asks again with hope in his hazy metallic green eyes.

“Most likely. I love carnival games.” It was half the truth. I had only gone to one carnival, but I didn’t do anything there. The clan was trying to shake a band of werewolves in the human crowd hoping our scent would mix with theirs/

“Schweet.” He punches my fist with his. “Check ya later.” His thin fingers throw up a peace sign as he walked out dragged by Larissa. Once everyone was gone, I let my fangs fall finding it painful now that I was getting weaker. Others started to file in and I grab my stuff heading down to my history class hoping I didn’t have it with anyone else from last night. I didn’t feel like lying yet again.

Thankfully none of the crew was in my history class and I sat in the very back trying my best to listen as the teacher droned on about ancient civilizations and what they believed, a lesson I’ve heard a million times over. Beside me sat a girl with orange-red hair and glossy olive skin folding unprocurable origami shapes then made them dance by blowing on them and using two pencils. A few others around her tuned in with interest whispering suggestions for shapes, which she produced effortlessly. To the other side of me I could hear the conversation of two guys about girls they thought were hot throughout Angus Ming and their classes. I turned to look at them, one eyebrow raised and lips pursed. They caught my gaze and went red in the face before snickering amongst themselves. I rolled my eyes. Silly blood boys.

I checked the clock. There was only ten minutes left of class but it already seemed like I had been in the room for over three. My hands grasped the sides of my desk squeezing hard. I was getting cabin fever and I hadn’t even been inside that long. I heard a girls voice ask if I was okay and I tensed up gliding my tongue over my teeth relived to note my fangs weren’t out. Right before I thought I’d go insane, the bell rang and I darted out of class taking in deep breaths of so-so fresh air only to get whiffs of everyone around. I groaned leaning my head against the cold wall. Others from the class looked at my awkwardly and straightened up weaving in and out of people to get to the end of the hall.

Leaning over a water fountain, I chugged as much as I could letting my teeth sink out and the water cool my aching gums. The water was bitter, washing down my throat too quickly to enjoy. I was only using the water to ease away my emptiness. It was stupid to think something so meaningless could take that pain away. This whole surviving at human school thing wasn’t as easy as I thought.

“Save some water for the fish won’t ya?” It was a deep tenor voice that rung in my back indicating how close he really was. I peer up at Row wiping remnants of water from my lips. His large hand glides up, thumb brushing against my chin, his touch unpredictably soft. “Missed a spot.”

Rigid, I sidestepped from his way and watched as he bent over sucking in the water for a second then turn to me with a grin I couldn’t read. There was something different about him. He seemed too tall and too buff. His face was sharply angled and chiseled clean-shaven save for his side burns that faded away the lower they got.

He looked over at me with moon like eyes, the way Larissa’s were, but they were an icy blue like artic slopes, mysterious and warm. This wasn’t the first time I noticed them. Back at BBQ Daves, I caught myself staring at them but now they appeared different. The fatigue was gone within them replaced with the fervor and excitement.

“Feeling better?” It took me a minute before I realized he was yet again talking to me in his deep melodic voice. I nod sheepishly and he grins. “You still look a little pale.” It was a joke I could tell from the snort in his tone.

“I can’t really help that.” He shrugged broad shoulders and I begin to walk away punching myself mentally. Why was I so uptight talking to him?

I got a few steps down the hall when I felt someone close by. “Do you need something?” I asked not stopping or turning around.

“No not really.” He smirked coming up right beside me so close our arms brushed against each other every once in a while. I then noted ho much taller then me he was. “I just thought it would be nice to walk you to class.”

“I’m not going to class.”

“Skipping?” The amusement in his voice was overwhelming.

“No. I don’t have class for another hour so I’m going to the library to get my ID made.”

He nodded in understanding; palm of his hand patting the long bent back spikes of his hair. “So I’m walking you to the library.”

“I already know where it is.”

“Do you?”

I stop where I stood glaring up at him wondering why he was all in my business. Okay maybe it was apparent he was flirting but right now I wasn’t up to it. The last thing I wanted to do was get serious with a rich blood though I was severely curious about him for an odd reason.

“Yes I do so I don’t need you to escort me there.”

“Very well then.” He flashed me a wonderful Abercrombie smile as I’m walking away then adds. “I guess I should let you know that the library is in the north wing not the south.”

My cheeks flushed red when I notice the large purple and white SOUTH WING sign. Silently, I spin on my heels and head the other direction, Row right beside me chuckling in triumph as he escorted me the right way to the library.

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