by Nexus Jones
“It came from…some random dude in the forest.”
A look came across his face that showed he had a revelation at my statement.
“A member of the Fang?” he asked
“How…How’d you know?”
“Oh, you sweet naive thing, there’s so much that I know. So much that would probably shock and stun you. My family is one of the elite, after all. Nothing gets past us.”
“Yeah, he found me in the forest and said I had some unlocked powers. And he unlocked them for me, which turned my eyes purple. But I don’t know what the powers might be.”
“Purple?” he said, narrowing his eyes and looking deeply into me, “The color of royalty.”
I chuckled at his comment, “Well we all know that’s not the case.” I said, waving my hand in dismissal.
“Mira, you smell so….intoxicating.” He said
My face got as red as a tomato, as I struggled to even pretend to play it cool. I managed to pull myself together to respond.
“Thanks. You smell good too.”
“Kiss me.” He said, leaning into me.
His lips hit mine, and I felt like melting. It was the best feeling ever. Kissing Paul is like eating fresh chocolate chip cookies from the oven.
His tongue danced in my mouth, taking time to explore every crease and crevice. I could feel his hand move down my back, sending a chill up my spine in total pleasure.
I used my hands to explore his body, going from feeling up his muscular back, all the way up to running my fingers through his gorgeous mop of hair.
He regrettably pulled back from me. I wanted that moment to last forever. It was too quick and fleeting.
I was lost in a state of utter euphoria. My face had to be redder than I ever thought possible.
Why on Earth would I kiss my bully and sworn enemy?
But I cannot lie, it felt so good. It felt like I finally did something that I was destined to do, that felt like it was meant to be.
“And what about your relationship?” I asked
“I’m going to call it off. There’s another girl that I’m interested in.” He said, raising an eyebrow to me and causing me to blush even harder.
Good. Melinda doesn’t deserve him. There are only so many attractive, strong vampires out there, and she shouldn’t have one. She probably feels entitled to him because of who her family is and her last name, but that doesn’t mean we should all bow down to her whims and wishes.
“But what will your parents say?” I ask
“They won’t be happy. But they will have to deal with it.”
He rubbed his hand on my shoulder, causing me to internally melt. Every touch he gave me sent waves of pleasure through my body. It was like he was the missing piece to my puzzle.
“Hey what are you two doing up here?”
We both turned around to see George and Austin standing in the doorway, walking towards us.
“Nothing. I just wanted to talk to her about the conflict she had with Melinda.”
George lifted an eyebrow, walking closer. He was suspicious and could tell that something was off.
“I can smell lust in the air. You two were up here hooking up, weren’t you?” he asked with a grin.
I scoffed, “Absolutely not.”
I turned my body away from him in pretend disgust at his suggestion that I was kissing one of the most attractive men in the world.
“Nah, I can tell.” He said, “You don’t fool me for a second.”
“George, what do want?” Paul asked him with a bit on annoyance in his undertone.
I could tell that Paul was enjoying the time that we had been able to get, and he didn’t like that his two friends had just barged in to break it up.
“Melinda’s gone into town to find an antidote for that potion.”
He then looked over at me.
“Don’t tell her I said this, but that was such a badass move.” He said, smirking even harder and leaning against the railing.
“Oh…well thanks, George.” I said
George was wildly attractive himself, but in a different way. He was your typical high school athlete and jock. Not at all like Paul, who was more of an academic. A hot academic, but an academic nonetheless.
George played lacrosse and hockey for the vampire school league and was the captain of the team. He was one of the best players even in the entire country and travelled to camps across America to play other vampires.
But academics weren’t his strong suit. He struggled in a lot of his classes, but he was able to get his family to pay off the instructors to raise his grades.
So, he’s slated to be the class valedictorian. And that’s totally unfair and complete bullshit, but he gets away with it because of who he is.
That’s just the way things work in the vampire realm. Who you know means so much more than what your actual accomplishments are or what your personality is like.
He adjusted his backwards baseball cap so it fit firmly atop his brown-haired head. His blue eyes shimmered like a swimming pool.
“You have a boyfriend yet?”
“Excuse me?” I said, taken aback by the boldness of his comment
“It’s just that you’re pretty cute, and I never see you walking around with any guys here.”
I cleared my throat to calm down and not let myself get worked up.
“Well, I think that’s kind of a private question. But to answer it, I’m not dating anyone right now.”
“That’s a shame.” He said with a faked sad face
“Are you dating anyone?” I asked back
He chuckled, “Come on. You know I have vampire babes knocking at my door at all hours of the night.”
He was such a douchebag. George was also known for dating girls and then leaving them after he found someone else who captured his attention more. He gets bored with girls. Even if they’re really pretty.
He uses them for their bodies and then discards them as soon as they are of no more use to him. He’s a total lothario. Being a typical guy, he hooks up with as many girls as he can.
And since he’s both very attractive and very wealthy and well-known, he has no shortage of girls willing to sell out their self-decency and self-respect for the chance to say they slept with George Longfang.
I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted me to be the next conquest on his list.
“Yeah, I know that you’ve been with many girls. Probably fifty or something.”
“Add another zero on that, and you’re probably closer.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head in disapproval.
“I’ve never met someone that was incredibly forward with you are about your romantic life.”
“That’s because no one has as good of a sex life as I do. And I can show you why all the vampire girls can’t resist me.” He said, lifting his eyebrow and biting his bottom lip and exposing his sharp fangs.
My heartbeat started to stutter. I’ve heard things about him in bed.
I mean, girls gossip right. We all do it.
Last semester Katie Samuelson slept with him and told us all that he had a huge cock and that he fucked viciously. She told us that he banged her so hard that she saw stars in her eyes and could barely walk right the next day.
That rumor got around school and it eventually got back to George himself, who of course approved of it and got a lot of credibility with the other guys in his year.
Ever since then, he’s been known as the most popular guy in the entire school. All the other guys wanted to be him. Or they were jealous of him. All the girls wanted to date him.
Even I wondered for a moment what it would be like to be on the arm of the most popular guy in the entire school. To be in a relationship with someone so wealthy and respected? That comes from a powerful noble family? What it would be like to become popular by association?
It wouldn’t last long, of course. Eventually, he’d find someone else to be with. Even if it only took a couple of weeks to get there. But
what a fantastic couple of weeks that would be.
“If you’re thinking about asking me out on a date, the answer is no.” I said
“Hmm….I like a challenge.” He said
He then turned his attention to Austin,
“Yo Austin, what do you think about this fine piece of meat right here?” he asked
Did he just refer to me as a piece of meat? What an asshole. He definitely needed to be humbled.
“She’s pretty cute, but she might be out of your league, man.” Austin said, in a joking manner.
George looked surprised but then taken a bit back by his response, but he wasn’t upset at all.
Austin was just joking. He was known around the campus to be a funny guy, not one that you take seriously.
His parents were traders of exotic bloods, and ran a company that traded all kinds of rare blood types from animals all over the world. They managed to monopolize that market, and needless to say they became fabulously wealthy.
In fact, the courtyard at the school is named after his family, the Greyskulls.
Austin was a bit shorter than George, which is to be expected, because he wasn’t an athlete, but he was still solidly over six feet. He had a leaner build but was still toned. But his most defining characteristic was his color-changing hair. His hair changed with his mood. Turning fiery red when angry, deep blue when depressed, and brown when feeling neutral.
Austin looked up at me and took a couple of steps forward, extending his hand for a shake. I stepped back, still angry and well aware of what happened the days before.
“Look, I know that I fucked up. We all did, but I’m sorry we were kind of forced to do so.”
“Forced?” I said in astonishment and disbelief, “No one forced you to do anything. And don’t even blame Melinda, it was still your choice.”
“Look, I get what you’re saying, but there’s more to it than you are aware of. Trust me.”
I wanted to burst out in complete and total laughter. Why on Earth would I believe anything that he had to say?
“So, I should put faith in my bullies?” I said, “You must really think I’m a total idiot.”
George interjected.
“If it counts for anything, I’m actually sorry too.”
I didn’t believe them. I mean, I couldn’t believe them. The apologizes seemed sincere and earnest. They claimed to have done what they did because they were coerced into doing so. But even then, you’d have a hard time convincing me that a trio of vampires from well-known families are just helpless.
“Mira, if it makes you feel any better, then we can just decide to leave you alone.” George said
I shook my head. No, that would not be enough. As the old saying goes, it’s best to keep your enemies close. Because, although I may not ever actually trust them, it’s a good idea to keep contact with them.
They’re also my potential direct link to Melinda and her definite plotting. Without a doubt, Melinda is coming back at me with full force, and I need someone to keep me updated on her machinations.
I looked out into the sunset-soaked campus. Everything was so incredibly stunning, so beautiful and calm.
It was a sharp contrast to my experience here, but it was still amazing nonetheless.
Seeing this made me realize that I needed to take more control of my own life, of my own happiness and destiny. That the surrounding world is only what I make it, and that there’s no way to make a better life for myself through running away from the past.
“You three are very important to me.” I said, “Because you are my only real connections to the inner workings of the vampire society.”
“Hmm…” George said narrowing his eyes.
He then turned to Paul, “Are you sure that she’s not a gold digger?” while laughing
“Well, see that’s the thing…I don’t need you to dig for gold. I’m looking into digging something else.”
He looked at me, befuddled. And I knew that I had him wrapped around my finger.
These boys love to play games. But they aren’t the only ones who can play them.
***************
Chapter Six
Chapter Six
The waves crash against the shore. The wind whips against my body harshly as I stand on the beach, raindrops pummeling me.
The wind has made my hair a total mess, flying in all sorts of directions.
The sky is bleak and black, grey clouds moving in frantic directions, lighting striking the ocean and thunder so loud my eardrums could pop.
I don’t know how I got here, but I have to get out of here. I have to get home. I have to get back.
By any means necessary.
Looking at the ocean in front of me, I feel hopeless. How am I ever going to get across that?
It’s like a beast, waiting for me to foolishly decide to challenge it.
A lump forms in my throat as I take a deep breath and work up the courage to do it.
The smell of the salty sea invades my nostrils and gives me a temporary sense of calm before I take the biggest risk I ever could.
Reaching into my pocket, I grab a scrunchie, and wrap my hair in a bun.
I narrow my eyes on the roaring ocean and set my feet firmly on the ground in a sprinter’s position.
“You got this.” I say to myself
I sprint towards the violent ocean, with waves at least fifty feet high moving quickly to the shore.
I skip across the water.
Skip.
I can feel the power coursing through me, as I use this ability that I didn’t even know I could have.
Fear builds up inside me as a massive wave descends upon me, big enough to swallow me whole.
I extend my arms out, stopping the wave in its tracks. My body, taken over by a force I don’t recognize mumbles a spell that causes the wave to fall apart into the water again.
I mumble another spell.
The entire water around me stops moving. Everything is silent. The sky still whirls ominously with lightning strikes in the distance.
In the far out reaches of my vision I can see an island with a fuzzy structure I can’t make out from here reaching up towards the sky.
I glide across the eerily still water for a few minutes until I reach the coast of the island.
A beautiful, tropical island with palm trees and coconuts. There are beautiful flowers and natural foliage covering ground. I could feel an intense magical presence.
My eyes drifted up to see a…..castle?
Right in the center of the island. Large and grey, made of cinderblock with flying buttresses and pointed towers. The windows were entirely lit. There was definitely some activity going on in there.
Before I could make my way there, I heard footsteps behind me. My eyes glowed even stronger, my power becoming more concentrated in the presence of a potential threat.
“You’ve done so well.” The strong male voice said.
He was pretty imposing, over six feet, and covered head-to-toe in a hooded white cloak.
“Who are you? And where am I?”
He didn’t respond to my question. Instead he giggled, and lifted his hood.
I squinted my eyes. I recognize him from somewhere, but I’m not sure exactly where.
He was older, probably in his fifties. But he was still pretty handsome with a large square jaw and black hair that was greying.
“You’ve always been so….to the point.” He said
There was a tinge inside me that told me “You know this person.”
I narrowed my eyes even more intensely.
Think.
Think.
Think.
“Tell me who you are!” I said in frustration. The power inside me grew even more intense and my nostrils flared. I felt like a weapon getting ready to pop at any second. I could barely control the force that was inside of me. Only holding on by a thread.
He smirked. And then he disappeared into the air like dust.
Wait. No
!” I yelled, getting even angrier.
My head turned around, looking for the man. And then my vision turned into total whiteness.
I was drifting away. To where? I have no idea.
*******************
“Mira, no matter how many times you tell me this, I won’t believe it.”
Isadora was still in shock about the story I told her. She couldn’t believe that I was making out with Paul on the roof of the school.
“It’s too much like a romance movie. I feel like I’ve seen it a thousand times.” She continued
I smirked, because I felt the exact same way.
“The sunset was in the background when he kissed me. I never wanted it to end.” I said
“That’s just so…unbelievable. And why on Earth would George and Austin just be fine with you putting a curse on Melinda? I mean, I get what you said about them all being manipulated by her. But damn, that was cold.” She said with a smile.
The rumor that I splashed Melinda with a curse spread around the school like wildfire. Everyone was talking about it and gossiping about it.
Of course, they put their own spin on the events to make it seem even more dramatic than what it was, but the end result was largely the same.
I looked like a bad ass, and Melinda looked like she finally got her just desserts.
Rumor has it that she returned back home and is under some emotional distress. Or, at least that’s what I heard from some members of the cheer squad she’s a part of.
I just know that she’s going to hit back at me for some revenge. That’s just her way of doing things.
But I’ll worry about that when it comes to that point. Right now, I feel happy that I knocked her down a peg or two.
Isadora was so proud of me when she heard the news. And that kind of surprised me, because she had been like a motherly figure, encouraging me not to get into any fights or provoke the wrath of the popular kids.
“It would’ve been cool if you were there to see it.” I said
“I would’ve been sitting there with a bucket of popcorn. But I’m shocked you pulled that off. Who helped you make that curse?”
“Oh….I made it myself. I just followed a tutorial from a spell book.”
I didn’t want to incriminate McKenzie. Using dark magic is strictly against the rules, as I said earlier. And besides, McKenzie might come in useful again, and I don’t want to make her upset with me.