The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5

by Stacy Claflin

  "Are they planning on going off somewhere or shall we lead them away?" she asked.

  "They want to find some girls to prey upon."

  "This will be fun. Let's pretend to be innocent girls," she said and started walking toward the group before I could say anything. I started walking to catch up to her.

  "Hello girls," one of the stoners said with a smile. His heart was beating with excitement and his mind was racing with disgusting thoughts of what he wanted to do with us. He made me sick.

  "What are you boys doing tonight?" Clara asked sweetly.

  "We're just looking for a good time," said the one with spiky hair.

  "What a coincidence," Clara said. She ran her hand through her hair. "So are we. What kind of plans do you guys have?"

  "Let's all go somewhere a little more private and have a good time," said one.

  "There are some woods not too far from here," Clara told them. "Why don't we go there?"

  "Awesome. Let's go."

  We all started walking toward the woods. They were acting tough, their thoughts enough to turn my stomach. I would have less guilt getting rid of them.

  "Here's a good spot," spiky hair said. "Should we start a camp fire?"

  Clara's eyes turned red. "I have a better idea!" She went straight in for his neck. His face showed terror but he didn't even have time to scream.

  The other two did.

  "What are you?" one shrieked, like a little girl.

  "Not innocent schoolgirls to take advantage of, like you've been thinking!" I told him, and as I felt my teeth growing, I went in for the kill. I bit into his neck and as warm blood flowed into my mouth, I drank it up slowly, savoring the fresh taste. It had been so long since I'd been able to drink as much human blood as I wanted. It wasn't possible with a volunteer.

  When he was completely dry, I looked up to see Clara smiling at me.

  "Where's the other one?" I asked her.

  "Now we hunt. He's seen us, we can't let him live. Can you hear his heartbeat?"

  I listened for a human heartbeat. "I hear one to the left, a little way off. Maybe half a mile."

  She nodded. "That's the direction that I saw him run. Let's go."

  We ran toward the sound of his heartbeat. We slowed down as we neared him, and could hear his pulse quicken as he sensed our presence.

  I breathed in deeply. "Smell that fear."

  "Dessert." She grinned.

  We stepped into his line of sight and he took off running again. We ran after him, staying close behind. We could have easily taken him but the chase would elevate his fear, making his blood taste all the more sweet.

  He began to get tired and stopped, leaning against a tree. Eyes wide, he asked, "Are you guys vampires? Are vampires real?"

  "Why don't you find out?" I asked and went for one side of his neck while Clara went for the other side. I savored the sweet taste of his blood. The fear made his blood taste so much better than his friend's, who had been taken by surprise. My mouth watered as I enjoyed our dessert.

  "What do we do with the bodies?" I asked, after we had drained him.

  "We can just leave them. It doesn't take very long for animals to find them and take care of it for us."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Let's go back to the other two. I'm sure we'll find that something has already taken care of them."

  We strolled through the woods and sure enough, the bodies weren't where we had left them.

  "Look at that," Clara said with a smile.

  "That was unbelievable. I've never had that much human blood before. I feel so strong now."

  "There's nothing like it," she agreed. "Now we should be set for maybe a week and not have to worry at all about living with humans. By tomorrow, you would've been ready to take down some classmates, or worse, your family or friends."

  ***

  The next day at school, everyone had already forgotten all about Tanner, Cliff and I. There was a new math teacher who was apparently some serious eye candy. Even Amanda had cheered up after finding out that she was in one of his classes.

  Out of curiosity, I peeked into his classroom between two of my classes. He looked up and recognized me instantly. From the news, no doubt. I looked at him and could see why everyone thought he was so hot. He didn't compare to Tanner or Cliff, but he was still extremely good looking.

  "Alexis! Are you in my next class?" he asked.

  I shook my head. "I have all honors classes. I just wanted to see the new teacher that everyone's talking about."

  He laughed. "I've heard that I'm a hot topic today."

  "Interesting choice of words. I'm glad you are, because yesterday I could barely breathe from all the attention. Why are you starting on a Friday? That seems pretty random."

  "Mrs. Johnson had her baby last night. I've been waiting for her to begin her leave so that I could take her place."

  I nodded. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Foley," I said, and started to back out of the doorway.

  "Wait a minute. Did you say that you have all honors courses?"

  "Yeah. Why?"

  "I could really use a teacher's assistant. If you're in all Honor's classes, you must be smart and reliable, right?"

  I laughed. "My track record for reliable has tanked this year. But I would like to think that I'm still dependable."

  "If you'd be willing to take a free period, I'd really like for you to be my assistant."

  "I have been thinking about lightening my academic load, actually. Would I get some kind of credit for being a teacher's assistant?"

  "As a TA, you would receive an elective credit, as if you were taking underwater basket weaving or keyboarding."

  I laughed. "You know how popular basket weaving is with teens today."

  He smiled. "Let me know if you need help pulling strings to get out of a class and I'll take care of it."

  There was something about him that drew me to him. Not in a romantic way—I didn't need any more drama in that department. Whatever was drawing me to him had nothing to do with his looks. I couldn't figure out what it was about him, but I was determined to find out.

  "I'm sure that I won't have any trouble," I told him. "With everything that I've been through, dropping a class will be easy enough."

  The bell rang.

  I sighed. "I better get going. I'm late for my next class."

  He smiled. "I can write you a note. This is my free period, would you mind helping me put up posters?"

  "Sure," I said. I walked into the room and set my backpack down on a chair. "What do you want me to do?"

  He started explaining where he wanted the posters to go and I noticed that he had an odd scent. It was noteworthy because it wasn't what humans usually smelled like. It was a new odor to me, one that seemed to belong in a forest, not at school. It reminded me of a cross between a bear and coyote, but it was definitely different from anything I'd ever encountered. It wasn't something that any human would be able to pick up on, but it was obvious to me with my heightened senses. He had a heartbeat so I knew he had to be human.

  As I put up the posters, I looked for any clues that would indicate what was different about him. I couldn't detect anything aside from the scent and his looks, which were unusually good for a human. He was easy to talk to and very charming. I enjoyed spending the hour with him decorating the classroom, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to him than had appeared.

  "Class is about to be over," he said. "Let me write you a note that you can take to your teacher before the bell rings. I really hope that you decide to be my TA."

  "I think I'd like to. It would be nice to do something different."

  "The timing is perfect then. Do you know what period you might choose? You could get a lot more done this period since I don't have students in here at this time."

  "I think that I can make it work. I have an elective this hour, so dropping it won't hurt anything."

  He grinned. "So will I see you this time tomorrow?"r />
  "I think so!"

  As I was walking down the hall, I thought I heard my phone buzzing so I pulled my purse out of my backpack. There was an envelope in it that I hadn't put there. I stopped and pulled it out. It was made of very thick paper and had my name written on it, in very fancy script with red ink. I opened the envelope and unfolded the thick, matching paper and ink.

  Make wise decisions. I'll be watching you.

  Chills ran up and down my body as I quickly refolded the note and shoved it down to the bottom of my backpack. Who had written it? I didn't recognize the fancy handwriting. I looked around at the empty hallway. Was it Francine, trying to intimidate me without showing up to do it in person? Had she shown up at school again?

  I didn't know where or when she had been watching me, assuming that it was her, but I knew that she had resources. She could have someone put a spell on me or hire someone with a gift for visions. She had a lot more help at her disposal than I did.

  I decided that I wasn't going to let her get to me. I put a smile on my face, more for myself than for her, and started walking to my class. Let her watch me.

  FIVE

  I was laughing so hard that my stomach hurt. The last time that had happened had been right before I had been abducted. I pushed that thought out of my mind.

  Amanda was gasping for air. "You guys are so funny! I can't take it. I have been bummed out for so long—I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. It's good to feel normal again."

  Clara, Brooke and I looked at each other and smiled. If normal was spending time with three vampires, then she was worse off than she thought. I almost wanted to tell her, but I was sure that the knowledge would send her over the edge.

  "You're telling me," I said. "Normal is all that I've wanted to feel for a long time."

  "We can have a lot more of these normal times," Clara said. "This is a lot of fun!"

  "We have to do this more often!" Natalie agreed. "Thanks for letting me join in."

  "It wouldn't be the same without you," I told her. "It's your turn, Brooke."

  Brooke took the dice and rolled. We were playing a cheesy but hilarious board game. It had something to do with a scary movie we'd just watched and the even more frightening amount of sugar and grease we'd consumed.

  "Did any of you see the new math teacher?" Amanda asked, giggling.

  "Mr. Foley?" Natalie asked. "He's yummy! I need to switch to his class next semester!"

  "He wants me to be his TA," I said, grabbing the dice.

  Amanda and Natalie both gave me jealous looks. Clara and Brooke exchanged a curious glance.

  "He's new and just wants some help from one of the honors' students," I said. "It's not a big deal. Besides, it gives me a good excuse to lighten my load a little."

  "Of course he chose the hottest honors student," Natalie said. "I'll have to find a way to tag along, dear sister."

  I smiled. "I'm sure he'd be happy to have the extra help. I was decorating his room during his free period today."

  "You spent almost an hour alone with him? I'm so jealous," Amanda pined.

  "It wasn't a date," I said, rolling my eyes. "I was putting up posters. Tomorrow, I'll probably be grading homework."

  "I can't believe he's a teacher," Natalie said. "It's just so unfair."

  "Oh, I know," Amanda agreed. "Everyone has been talking about him. He's going to have all of the girls crawling all over him. I wonder if he's married."

  "He doesn't have a wedding ring," said Natalie.

  "You checked?" Brooke asked.

  Natalie laughed. "Not personally. Sydney did though. She's in his algebra class."

  "Why am I not surprised to hear that?" I asked.

  "You really should give her a chance," said Natalie.

  I shook my head. "She could be one of the main characters in that mean girl show on TV."

  "That's my favorite show!" Natalie said and we all burst into laughter.

  After Natalie and Amanda had fallen asleep, Brooke and Clara ambushed me.

  "Why didn't you tell us that you're going to be Mr. Foley's TA?" Brooke demanded.

  I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know that I was supposed to."

  "Don't you think it's strange that he wants you to be his TA?" Clara asked.

  "No. Why would it be strange? I'm the smartest person in the entire school district. I'm probably also familiar to him because my picture has been all over the news. Even if he doesn't know me, he probably just feels comfortable being around a familiar face."

  "That's true," Clara said. "Humans are funny that way."

  "I don't trust him," Brooke said.

  "You haven't even seen him," I told her.

  "Do you think that I would change my mind if I saw how handsome he was?"

  I laughed. "No. I'm just saying that you can't judge someone you haven't met. If I felt that his motives were bad, I wouldn't agree to it. He seems like a genuinely nice guy who's a little nervous. Wouldn't you be? He's young and has to stand in front of high school kids all day. He may as well send himself into a lion's den."

  "I'm sure that if there were some type of danger, Alexis would be able to sense it," Clara said.

  "You haven't had any visions, either," I pointed out to Brooke.

  "My visions have been sketchy since you started your transition," she said. "I don't think we can rely on them. I barely saw anything when you were abducted. It was really aggravating. Just be careful. There are too many traps out there."

  "He's not a vampire," I said. "He has a heartbeat."

  "Does Cliff have anything to worry about?" Clara asked with a wink.

  I rolled my eyes. "I don't need any more drama in my life. I'm just helping out a new teacher and giving myself a little academic break. Cliff and I are going to be going over all kinds of vampire studies, so a break from my regular work would be helpful."

  "True," Clara said. "You're going to be learning a lot. No reason to let your schoolwork get in the way of that."

  ***

  The next afternoon, Cliff and I were sitting at the table in my back yard so that I could learn about vampire history from him.

  "I wish we could go to your house," I said in a low voice. "I feel like we're being watched here."

  He put his hand on top of mine. "We are. Your family is concerned for your safety. But they can't hear us while we're out here, and they won't come out here anyway. It's too cold for humans to be outside."

  "Should we go inside then? Will this give us away?"

  "Do you really think they're going to suspect we're vampires because we're studying outside?" He said, smiling at me.

  "When you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous."

  He brushed his hand across my face. "Don't worry so much. They can't hear us unless they come out here. Nobody is going to sneak up on us. They feel better knowing that they can see you."

  I pulled at my jacket's collar. "This thing's annoying. I wish I could take it off."

  "Then you would give them something to be concerned about. Let's get started on this. I was thinking that we could begin with vampire history."

  "I like history."

  "You'll really like vampire history. It's very interesting how the first vampire was created, and how everything followed after that."

  I smiled. "I finally get to hear the good stuff!"

  "Do you know anything at all about how or why vampires were created?"

  I thought for a minute. "Only that we were created to help the human race."

  "I suppose that's a start. You weren't kidding about them not telling you much."

  I flipped my hair behind my shoulder. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."

  He grinned. "The first vampire, one of your ancestors, was born about three thousand years ago. Obviously, the world was a completely different place back then. There were all kinds of creatures that are considered mythical by today's so-called advanced humans. It wasn't unusual for mortals and immortals to live amongst each oth
er with full knowledge of each other. Often they would help each other and become allies against mutual enemies."

  I nodded. "That makes sense. Not that I would have believed any of this two months ago."

  He continued. "In the region now known as Iceland, the entire land was filled with peaceful people and creatures. They lived in harmony for many centuries. Then a local man named Larus Hinriksson traveled the world, went to what is now India, and fell in love with a Nagini. He brought her back to Iceland and—"

  "Wait a minute, what's a Nagini?"

  "Sorry. They're half serpent and half human. They have power over the weather. Larus brought her back to his homeland hoping to change it from a cold tundra to the lush green wonderland that it's been for the last three thousand years. When the Nagini changed the climate, the rest of her kind was made aware that she had moved there. They wanted her back, and they infiltrated the land and made war with the people and the creatures."

  "What happened?"

  "They flooded many of the villages and burned the woodlands. Everyone began to live in fear and people started moving to the mainland in droves. After his Nagini was killed by one of her kind, Larus was enraged and found as many strong men as he could gather. They began fighting the Naginis and Nagas, but they weren't strong enough to defeat them. They needed help, so—"

  "The Nagas? I'm beginning to wish that I had taken a mythology course. I thought it would have been a waste of time."

  He smiled. "You probably still wouldn't have heard of a lot of these creatures. To answer your question, Nagas are male Naginis."

  "Maybe I should write all of this down. I have a great memory, but this is a lot to take in."

  "That's a great idea. There really is a lot; we haven't even gotten started yet."

  I raised my eyebrows at him and grabbed a pen from my backpack.

  "One of the men in Larus' group wanted to seek the counsel of some local Asrai. The Asrai are essentially water faeries. They're beautiful, wise creatures who live for many centuries. They have to stay out of the sun, because if sunlight so much as touches them, they'll melt into a pool of water. Legend has it that they're cool to the touch and if they even brush against a human's skin, it'll remain forever cold."