Veronica stood and beckoned the collective to the front of the bus with a few subtle gestures.
Joining her, we huddled around awaiting our instructions.
While we waited as she thumbed through the folder in her hand, I realized that I noticed little nuisances thanks to my heightened senses.
I could hear the blood coursing through the driver's body, even detect the fact that he was in the final stages of cancer. Additionally, I could hear the slight skip of his heart. Even smell the beginning traces of perspiration of his feet which I found nauseating.
My vampire colleagues were different. The blood did not course as roughly, but like a trickle through their veins. The hearts mostly lumbered inside the bodies of the others in my group instead of a normal rhythmic beating of which I was accustomed to hearing with humans. I could even determine the last blood type or source of blood consumed. We all had odors that were pleasant and were really modifications created as lures to draw in humans.
The powers of my senses were amazing and I could have spent hours determining how far I could carry each if not for the distraction of an obvious connection that bonded use all: uniqueness.
Each of us carried a specific ability which was briefly discussed within the binder, but not the specific of each vampire. Veronica could change her hair color, but how or why would be a matter of further investigation though it was something I had noticed already. Chloe had the unique ability to change her eye color which apparently she used to match her outfits.
Darby, Liam, Logan and I were a mystery. So far nothing had presented itself, but I was hopeful we each were as gifted. Picking up the abilities of the others in our unit would be fun. I decided to use the rest of the ride to help take my mind off of the anxiety of my first day of high school with the local humans.
My study of the GV16s was broken when Veronica closed the folder alerting us that she was ready to speak." I hope everyone has read through the information given to you in your portfolio. Once we arrive on campus at Butler County, we will have a few classes together, but besides lunch we will be on our own. Remember, we are interacting to a point to make our cover viable. This is training. If you need assistance that can be provided by another member of our group then each of you will find a class schedule in the notes app on your phone which will guide you to the one you are seeking. However, if you find yourself needing help from Chadron personnel then in your favorite's menu there is a speed dial listing for Walter."
Liam spoke up, "According to the folder, we are not allowed to play sports or join clubs, but that is such bullshit. How can blend in if we are not allowed to participate like the rest of the population?"
Chloe and Logan nodded in agreement.
Veronica was not rattled as she came nose to nose with the hulking vampire. "If you want to answer to Mathias about why you think his protocols are not good enough, then be my guest. If not, then you will shut the hell up and do as you are told. So which will it be?"
Liam hung his head as he answered, "I will do as I am told I guess."
Incensed Veronica snatched up his head, bringing him eye to eye. "You guess?!"
Liam was scared of the fiery Veronica and it showed as he replied weakly, "I will do as I am told."
Roughly Veronica flung his head away before addressing the rest of us. Her eyes were aflame. "Anybody else got a problem that we need to discuss?!"
Everybody was quiet and avoided making eye contact with her.
She continued, "Avoid sunlight as much as possible because we all know that over exposure limits our abilities and hardens our flesh making us appear vastly different than the appearance of the humans."
We were all temporarily distracted including Veronica when we heard the squirt of a nearly empty bottle.
Darby felt the sting of our stares. Looking up, she never missed a beat when she exclaimed, "It is sun screen. Y'all have heard of it right."
We were waiting for Veronica to say something, but she just glared at Darby for the interruption.
Uncomfortable with the attention, Darby began to rub the lotion into her skin. "It works you know. The lotion helps to cut down on the grayness. Plus you never know if we can get cancer or not."
Everybody swung the focus back to Veronica, who scooped some from her friend's hand and began to apply to her own face. Aghast at her actions, the group sat not knowing what to think. Finally Logan laughed, lightening the mood.
Veronica talked as she rubbed in the lotion. "The phones are monitored so let’s be careful about what we say to each other and avoid any individual time with humans. Stay with the masses. This will help eliminate the tendency to allow any cravings get the better of you. If you do become hungry, contact your safety people immediately who will help get you onsite aid. Additionally, the pairings mimic those of teenage human male and female relationships. This will give us the appearance of being taken and thus we will not be burdened when our natural lures create want among the student population."
Handing the closed folder in the seat to Darby, Veronica asked, "Will you read the safety assignments from the top of page five?"
Opening the folder, Darby swiftly found the page of which Veronica spoke and began to read aloud the pairings. "Chloe and Liam are group 1. Darby and Logan are group 2. Veronica and Ethan are group 3."
Darby was obviously dejected, and I believed that had been part of Veronica's plan when she had asked the younger vampire to read the details aloud. The whole time Darby read she smiled through any pain she was feeling, maintaining her infectious glow. Sadness filled my heart that it had to be this way, but I knew this was probably for the best. It was best for her, best for me and best for the group.
Veronica took the folder from her friend. "Any questions? If not, then remember - if stuck or being hounded for personnel information, always allow yourself a moment of reflection to try and answer with the basics first then the more elaborate details if needed. Well, we still have about ten minutes before we arrive. Enjoy what little free time you have."
Everybody except Veronica settled back into his or her seat for some quiet time as the last few miles blurred outside the window. She stored the folder in a hidden compartment in the bus seat. Veronica then reached inside her purse. Rummaging through the handbag, she retrieved a plastic gallon sized freezer bag containing cell phones. Deftly, she passed out the phones with much effort. Done, I noticed she seemed to sigh very gently when she finished.
Apparently the day was weighing on her too.
Closing my eyes, I almost felt like I was falling. It seemed that I was about to slip into a deep sleep which I knew wasn't possible, but with the bright morning sky bearing down through the slightly tinted windows I was amazingly at ease.
The stopping of the bus forced me to depart my attempt at real rest. Opening my eyes, I was greeted with the delightful face of Darby peering over the seat at me.
"We can't be late for our first day of school ever," she cheerfully chimed.
Though, I was sure since at one time we had been alive, we technically we had been to some sort of school before, but I did not have it in me to tell her anything different and break her heart.
Not sharing her enthusiasm, I begrudgingly rose from my seat and followed the rest of my made family into the scariest environment on earth; high school.
Chapter 18
Since I had nothing to gauge high school on except weird facts that would randomly pop into my head, I surmised that my first day was going pretty well.
Veronica had handed me a class schedule and personal information reminder as I got off the bus.
I was the son of fictional parents named Willard and Jennifer Castel, a contractor and housewife from Pensacola, Florida. Since I didn't know a single fact about where I was from, I planned on telling anybody that wanted to know that I had moved young and had since grown up on the base.
Also the paper listed my grade as the eleventh with a full schedule of four classes including English (1st Block), Span
ish (4th Block), Chemistry (2nd Block) and Trigonometry (3rd Block).
Being the second day of the fall semester, I wasn't as worried about my academic standing though the thought of flunking and being restricted to the military base did cross my mind.
The school was large enough that the halls were spacious and the students were plentiful enough it was simple to blend in with the herd as I wandered purposefully from one place to another.
Sporadically throughout the morning I would see the other children of the base around the school, but only Veronica had been in my first two classes. We had opted to sit together in English, but were separated during Chemistry due to a predetermined seating arrangement. In homeroom, I was greeted by an excited Darby who had saved me a seat.
Through divine intervention, if God would do that for a vampire or not was inconsequential so I hedged my bets and said thank you, the teacher had to read announcements and collect paperwork which meant we were asked to be respectful and refrain from talking.
Darby was like a tiger waiting to spring as she patiently waited for the teacher to finish. I could see the restraint was killing her slowly.
Another student asked her a question which created a momentary distraction that allowed me to escape to my class, or so I concluded, until rounding a corner where I ran smack dab into her.
I have got to figure out how she moves so damn fast, I reconciled.
Darby was giggly. "Trying to get away?"
Uncomfortable at being caught, I responded, "No, I...I just didn't want to be late and since you were busy..."
She cut me off, "No it is ok. I am only messing with you. How is your day going? Mine has been so cool. I have even made some new friends."
Studying her as she spoke, I noticed she bounced up and down as she talked. Why did she seem to bounce up and down as she talked I wondered?
The five minutes between classes was shrinking fast, and I wasn't sure where my next class was, so it was no longer a matter of escaping from my unique friend for the sake of escaping, but in order to get to class. "Hey, I am not sure where my next class is so I need to get going so I am not late."
Darby grinned then spoke, "Sure, see you at lunch. I will save you a seat."
Before I could respond, she was already slipping past other students who were trying hard to get to class on time.
At a human pace, I just arrived in time have the bell ring and door shut in my face. The teacher, Mr. Aarons, mouthed and pointed toward the office before he turned to address the class.
"Shit, first day of school and already I get to go to the office," I said to myself.
Looking through the small glass window in the door I could see Veronica and Liam inside. Both were in different states of disapproval. Veronica showed hers with a small shaking of her jet black hair and Liam by flipping me the finger.
Dejected, I plodded four doors down to the office.
Instead of being motioned to take a seat with the rest of the rejects who couldn't seem to fit getting to class on time, I was silently directed through a door into a smaller office by the student assistant behind the counter. The sign on the door was marked Counseling.
I closed my eyes and opened the door knowing a hassle from a human was not what I needed today.
Inside I was shocked to know the figure seating behind the student assistant's desk in the outer office.
Chloe, another member of our group, was scribbling away at a piece of paper as I approached.
"How did you get this job?" I asked.
The bitchy vampire tore the note from the pad and handed me a note that I realized was an excuse for being late.
Looking into her face, I witnessed her eye color changed from a mild green to a dark, rich, vibrant blue that couldn't have existed in nature. "Do you really believe anybody, especially a male, human or otherwise, could refuse me of anything that I would want?"
Something about her eyes tugged at my brain, made it hurt, not allowing me to look away. I felt drawn into her. Aware of what was happening, but unable to look away. The longer I looked into her eyes the more I was powerless to resist. I didn't even want to fight it because the sensation was numbing my entire body.
Her eyes flickered back to a hazel tint, releasing me from her control.
I no longer needed an answer. I knew how she got the job; her uniqueness was mind control.
"Hell of a power, but damn that hurt," I meekly blurted out as my brain reacted to the sudden regained control.
She looked back down at the fashion magazine spread across her desk without answering, casually flipping through the latest fall fashions.
Chloe did not have an allegiance to Veronica or Darby because she had a disdain for everybody. This would be a perfect time to find out what really happened after I blacked out on Darby's porch. There was something there I was sure I wasn't supposed to find out about, and something my friends would never tell me.
Knowing she was doing her best to ignore me hoping I would go away, I chose to pose a question to her since I knew she would not gain anything by lying to me.
"Chloe, I have a question."
The vampire looked up flashing dark red eyes at me.
Realizing the attempt at intimidation did not have the desired effect, she blinked, returning her eyes to a human coloring before she growled a growl that was less menace and more of a moan. "What do you want now?"
"Do you know what happened that day when I first came into Town?"
Uninterested, she returned to turning the pages of her magazine. "Is that all? She made a foolish mistake rescuing you. Now she must be punished by our law and not that of the humans we behold as our creators. She was sentenced to the run through the zones. There is enough of an answer for you Ethan or at least all you will get from me. If you want to know more, you shouldn't be afraid to ask Veronica since it is her life she is willing to sacrifice for yours."
Turning from the cold hearted teammate, I stumbled back into the lobby dwelling on the news that was given to me.
Mind racing, I was in a fog of worry and regret as I exited into the hallway. Dazed and feeling powerlessly, caught in between two worlds to which neither I seemed to belong, I bumped into something.
Shaking off my confusion, I was thrust into the reality of the situation. The something I had bumped into was not a something after all, but a someone, and from the scroll work on the pink binder that had fallen upon my feet, her name was Sunnie.
Chapter 19
Squatting to pick up the binder on my foot, I heard a repeated throat clearing sound. Peeking, I was greeted by the sight of a very upset school mate. In my preoccupation with dealing with the recent news, I had inadvertently knocked down a young lady about my age. She had been thrown several feet back from me when we had collided. The teenager was sprawled on the floor momentarily startled before hustling to return all of the spilt items back to her purse.
Taking the binder in my hands, I closed the distance between the two of us. From my position I offered her my hand, but the very agitated young blonde waved me off as she finished fishing for her personal items.
Grabbing her scattered books I insisted. "Please, I am so sorry. Please allow me to help you up. I feel awful for being so absent minded and not watching where I was going."
Her expression was noncommittal, though she did take my hand this time. Easily, I stood us both up at a pace that was almost too fast to be humanly possible. Clearly she had been lifted off her feet before I sat her down which did not register until prepared to sit her back upright. I gathered how unnatural that must have been from her now puzzled expression.
Quickly, I apologized again to get her talking and not thinking about my own inability to control my attributes. "Are you ok? I am really sorry for being such an idiot and not watching where I was going."
Handing her books back to her, I waited for her to say something, but she chose to edge by me cautiously, disappearing into the girl's bathroom nearby.
Walking back to c
lass, the issues with Veronica all came flooding back. She and I had to talk. There was no way she was going to have to die for me. Something had to be done.
Touching the door handle, a new, overwhelming rush took control of my senses. There was a single scent. Then a thousand scents. All of which came rushing in to fill up my mind. Next, a thousand sounds joined the bombardment. My head was spinning; my teeth were starting to hurt. Finally, an overpowering need to flee or suffer watching myself tear out the throats of all the people in the classroom before me took hold.
The urge to kill was coming over me and was beating back whatever part of me was still human.
The door handle was made of a thin steel, but it gave a little then a little again until I knew it was about to sheer.
Instantly, I snapped back to a world in which I did not want to kill and feed on my classmates. I could deal, maybe. Bumbling around in the hallway as my head screamed with a million thoughts, I ran into the boy's bathroom to get my bearings.
The last stall furthest from the door seemed a safe haven. I jumped out of my skin when the bathroom door was violently ripped open and steps started running toward my stall.
"Sorry for the intrusion, but I saw you staggering around outside of class so I asked permission to go to the bathroom. So are you ok?"
It was Veronica. There was clearly a twinge of concern in her voice. I wondered if it was for me or for the mission. Casting aside doubts, I knew if this girl, vampire or not, was willing to put her life on the line to rescue me, there was some amount of importance in regard to how she felt.
I managed a reply, "I am not sure. It is not hunger or thirst as you call it. My senses are working overtime, and I cannot shut them off. Everything is loud and about a gazillion miles per hour. My teeth are aching and I don't know what the hell that is about? Images of blood all over the pace, death. Then there is an urge to...to kill everybody."
Veronica was standing outside the stall door. "Shit, this just got real for you. You are being exposed to your senses in bulk. Sometimes it is natural or sometimes it takes a trigger. All of our kind has to deal with this after we are first exposed to humans, but none of us have been exposed to this many at one time. Our true nature takes over. Call it sensory overload for beings that are already ultra-sensitive. In the past, we had to fight through the urges or give in. Eventually, it would work itself out... "
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