"Sorry. I just get creeped out being alone in a bathroom,” I explained.
"No, it's okay. Believe me, I wouldn't be here either, but these days my bladder is the size of a pea.” She entered a stall, and I quickly exited the bathroom, deep laughter following me out.
I reached out to grab the theater door. Someone gripped my shoulders. I swung around, ready to confront Constantine yet again.
My eyes widened and I felt the color drain from my face.
"Hey, Sparkie. I was worried about you. You were taking so long I thought I better check and make sure you were okay."
Suspicions once again swirled through my mind. How did he manage to always show up around the same time as Constantine? I wasn't gone that long, so why did he need to come looking for me? I'm quite capable of going to the bathroom on my own.
"Why are you staring at me so weird? You look like you've seen a ghost.” He bent down and kissed me, electrical pulses passing from one to the other.
No, he had none of the evil that radiated from Constantine. Nothing more than one coincidence after another. Stranger things have happened. Or so I tried to convince myself.
After the movie ended, we decided to go to Chipotle and get a burrito for dinner. For once, I appreciated the noisiness of the place. I didn't feel up to talking much. I enjoyed just staring across the table at perfection.
But, that little twinge of doubt kept creeping back. My heart didn't want to believe it, but my mind kept forcing the possibility to the front. My body agreed with my heart and wanted my mind to take a flying leap off the highest building.
"You've been awfully quiet since leaving the movie,” Ryan stated.
"Oh, I guess I'm kind of tired. And it's really loud in here. I can hardly hear myself talk."
Ryan licked the hot sauce from the corner of his mouth, drawing my attention to his lips. I followed every motion of his tongue. After experiencing how wonderful kissing could be, I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to French kiss. My face heated at the thought. I'd seen it on TV and talked about it with Mandy, but I'd never done it before. Not ever.
Soon, Ryan would take me back home. But, would he kiss me good night? My stomach tingled with anticipation. If he didn't, I think I'd just die. How could I wait for the next time if he didn't? Would there even be a next time? And what about my breath? Omigod! The corn salsa had onions and garlic in it. Why didn't I skip it this time? Maybe I had some gum in my purse.
"Aren't you going to eat?” Ryan asked.
"Huh?” I glanced at my half-eaten burrito. “Yeah. I just had to let my stomach settle. A certain person forced too much popcorn on me. And let's not forget about the Twizzlers."
He looked down at his empty burrito wrapping. “Yeah, me too.” We both laughed.
Obviously, he had no problems with his appetite. And thank goodness, mine had chilled since I started taking the supplements. The never ending hunger got rather old.
On the way home, Ryan held my hand, gently stroking the sensitive flesh between my thumb and forefinger. The closer we got to my house, the more nervous I became. I wanted him to kiss me again. It seemed to be the only thing I could think about. Did Mandy feel that way about Brad? Had she kissed him and not told me? No, no way would she keep that to herself. Heck, I couldn't wait to tell Mandy what had happened.
I searched in my purse, trying to find anything to mask the overpowering scent of garlic that no doubt resided in my mouth. Thank goodness I had one piece of gum left.
"Would you like half?” I held up the piece and wiggled it.
"That's okay. You go right ahead."
I popped the gum in my mouth. When we arrived at my house, I took the opportunity to check my breath while he walked around the car to open my door. Omigod! Minty garlic. Much better. Not! I rolled my eyes.
He helped me out of the car. “I had a great time tonight. I'm glad you decided to go with me."
"Yeah, me too,” I said.
As we walked up the driveway, Ryan slid his arm around my waist. The tingling burn in my lower belly intensified. I felt every bite of the burrito like an anvil in my gut.
The door loomed closer ... closer ... closer.
Crap! What should I do about the gum still in my mouth? What if he kissed me and somehow the gum ended up in his mouth. Nasty! I pretended to cough. When I raised my hand to cover my mouth, I spit the gum into my hand. And in one fluid motion, I chunked it into the bushes. I smiled, pleased with myself for being so sneaky, sneaky.
When we reached the porch, he spun me so I faced him. Before I had a chance to realize what he intended, his mouth covered mine in a deep, mind-numbing kiss.
My eyes rolled back in my head. He pulled me tighter against him, our bodies fitting together like a puzzle—a warm yummy puzzle. His heart thudded against my chest, matching the rhythm of my own pulse. He ran his hands up and down my back, causing the hair on my arms to stand on end. Every sense blazed to life, my body short circuiting.
And then the burn and cracking started.
At first I couldn't distinguish it from all the other sensations racing through my body. Then, the sharp pain radiating from my tailbone doused me with reality like a bucket of ice water.
I was shifting in front of Ryan.
I had to get away from him—before it was too late. I broke the kiss and pulled away from him.
"I have to go.” Without making eye contact, I turned and hurried through the door, not taking the time to say good bye.
No sooner had I closed the door than fur speckled my arms and claws replaced my fingernails. Oh, God! One second longer and Ryan would've witnessed my horrible affliction. I ran straight up to my bed and threw myself across it, hot tears streaking down my face. I'd never be able to have a normal life. Never. How could I expect to have any kind of relationship without the other person eventually finding out what manner of creature I had become? What would Ryan think if he knew he was going out with a blood-sucking, panther-shifting freak of nature? If I was him, I'd run as far away as I could and never look back.
I wanted to flee, only the creature I'd be running from happened to be me.
[Back to Table of Contents]
14
Oh, Holy Shift!
Mondays sucked. But something about this particular Monday made the suck factor increase exponentially as the day wore on.
Unsure of exactly what would trigger my next shift, I remained in a constant state of paranoia. I didn't feel like associating with anyone. Nothing like a little self-pity to start the week off right. I wondered what the day had in store for me.
I didn't have long to wait.
On my way to my first class, the bottom of my backpack ripped, spilling my crap all over the hallway. No one bothered to help me pick it up. Now, I had no choice but to run to my locker between each class.
As I rushed down the hall to English after putting my unneeded supplies in my locker, some jerk bumped into me, sending my stuff flying across the floor—again.
"Thanks a lot!” I yelled at the retreating figure.
He returned the favor by sending me a one finger salute with his free hand.
The bell rang. Its obnoxious shrill frazzling my last few remaining nerves.
"Great, now I'm late,” I mumbled to myself.
I bent to pick up my strewn items, collecting the mess as fast as I could.
"Ooow! Nice ba-dunk-a-dunk you got going on there, Bat Magnet,” one of the stupid football jocks said as he passed.
"Jerk."
I scooped up my last folder right when the scent of almonds struck me straight in the face.
"Yep, it's mighty fine. And I should know."
I slowly turned, facing Constantine in time to watch him run his tongue along his bottom lip. My face ignited. Had all the creeps decided to come out today and harass me? Truly, his appearance put the icing on my crap cake of a day that had barely even started.
I straightened and held my books against my chest. “You can't b
e here. Get lost. Go bother someone else. I have to get to class."
"You are quite tense, little Vanator. See, if you joined with me, you'd never feel stress again. And I'd make sure to take care of all your desires. You'd never be left wanting.” He stepped forward, closing the space between us. The heat from his body reached out and wrapped around me. “Ah, think of the freedom."
"What I think is that you're a canker sore on my butt that won't go away.” I moved to go around him. He blocked my way. I scooted left. He followed. “Do you mind? I have to get to class. Now, get out of my way."
He let me pass. “You know where to find me. I'll be waiting for you."
I turned back to snarl a response, but he had vanished. How convenient.
Miss Sanders had her back turned to the class when I arrived at the door, so I snuck in and slid into a back seat without her seeing.
"Good morning, Miss Wilde. Glad you could make it,” Miss Sanders said.
I slunk down in my seat. Did she have eyes in the back of her head? Never mind. I didn't want to know. Maybe she really did.
It didn't take long before I zoned out her words, my thoughts turning to Ryan.
I felt like a complete butthead for the way I had reacted toward him last night after the heated kiss we shared on the porch—before my inner beast decided to make an ill-timed appearance. Apparently, I could add passion to the list of emotions I had to avoid. Ryan had called and texted many times, but I refused to answer. Since I couldn't bring myself to deal with him just yet, I avoided him like the plague. I didn't even answer Mandy's IMs last night. But, that was all about to come to an end, since I had both of them in my next class. And Val, too. Can't forget about her. My day just wouldn't be complete without a little dose of Val.
I rushed to my locker before history to dump off my English books from my first class and pick up the history one I needed next. When I closed the door, there Ryan stood, waiting for me to acknowledge his presence. I gasped, already out of breath from rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off.
"Hey, Sparkie,” he said, obviously studying my reaction.
I dropped my gaze to the floor, unable to maintain eye contact with the guy who set my world on fire. “Hey."
He reached out and touched my elbow, sending zaps of current up my arm. “Look, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to come on so strong. I promise it won't happen again.” I glanced up at him, his eyes an honest reflection of his sincerity. “Not until you're ready."
Omigod! He blamed himself for my odd behavior. Amazed, I didn't even try to correct his assumption. Besides, what would I say instead? Sorry Ryan, I was in the middle of shifting into a freakin’ panther, so I had to go hide? I think not. But, at the same time, I couldn't continue to allow him to feel bad for some imagined wrong.
"It's okay. It wasn't you. I—"
The bell rang. Crap! Tardy again. Ryan grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall toward our history class. By the time we arrived at our destination, we were giggling and out of breath. Ms. Johnson hadn't closed the door yet, so we slipped into the room, trying not to draw too much attention to ourselves—not an easy task given the fact we couldn't contain our snickers.
We worked our way to the back of the room where two empty desks sat next to each other, passing an irate, pinched-faced Val. I had a bad feeling I'd be paying for it later today at some point.
As I slid into the desk, I caught a movement out of the corner of my eyes. Mandy waved and smiled, then gave me the thumbs up. She didn't act too upset about me not calling or IMing yesterday after Ryan dropped me off.
Maybe this day could be salvaged after all.
After that last statement, I should've knocked on wood. Again, I found myself late to my next class due to having to go to my locker yet again. When I opened the door to shove my book in, a folded piece of paper fell to the ground, my name neatly written on the outside. I bent down and scooped it up, then stuck it in my purse. I'd have to read it later. Who could it be from? Ryan? I smiled to myself. Who else would write me? Not like Mandy would. We texted or IMed. We didn't write notes. That was gay! But, a note from Ryan was a totally different thing. I savored the thought of reading it during lunch.
As class continued on and on and on, anticipation over reading the note grew. Maybe I could sneak it out and read it really quick. No, with my luck, I'd get busted and the stupid note would be read in front of the whole class. No doubt it would contain something totally embarrassing.
The bell rang. Finally, lunch time! I rushed to the nearest secluded area and pulled the note from my purse.
Meet me in the supply closet next to the biology room at 1:15.
Ryan
Why the supply closet? Privacy? To hide from Val? I checked the time on my iPhone. Crap! It was already 1:12. I had to hurry. I practically sprinted down the hall. Since classes continued during my lunch period, I had to be quiet. I crept past the biology room and stood in front of the closet. Something didn't feel right to me. I couldn't imagine Ryan suggesting meeting like this. Shouldn't all the supply closets be locked anyway? Surely, the school wouldn't leave them open for students to enter whenever they felt like it. It didn't make any sense.
I glanced around the hall. No one seemed to be around. I didn't sense evil and the scent of almonds didn't permeate the air around me—not like when Constantine makes an appearance. I reached my hand out to try the doorknob and hesitated, dropping it back by my side. I hated small enclosed areas, especially dark ones. Why was I even here? It's not like I could hang out in such a place. I'd have a full out claustrophobic attack. But, I couldn't let Ryan think I blew him off. Again I reached out and tried the doorknob. It turned, nothing impeding its progress. I pushed the door open, allowing light to filter into the tiny, but crowded room.
"Ryan?” I whispered.
I took a small step into the room, just to be sure he wasn't hiding behind some of the piled-up crap. He did seem to enjoy teasing me.
Shoved from behind, I flew forward into the room and fell to my knees, barely avoiding cracking my head on an audiovisual stand that had been placed against the back wall. Before I had a chance to regain my composure, the room encased in darkness as the door shut firmly behind me. Feminine laughter trailed down the hall.
"Val!"
I'd know her cackle anywhere. What would possess her to do such a thing?
The dark, cramped room pulsed around me, forcing me back to a time I never wanted to revisit. I had to get out of there.
My chest constricted, partially closing off my lungs. Memories of a similar circumstance flashed into my head. I sat back on my heels. No. No. No. I didn't want to go there. Not now. Not ever. I rolled to my side and drew my knees to my chest, rocking back and forth. But the images kept coming and coming.
I was four. I didn't want to take a nap, but Mom made me because I was cranky. I took all my dolls out of my toy box and started to play. Then my room got really dark and it started to thunder. Boom! I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the memory. I could hear the thunder, even now. Boom! I covered my ears to block the horrible sound. I wanted to run to my mom, but she'd be really mad I hadn't gone to sleep. The thunder got louder. And louder. Something scratched at my window. I covered my mouth with my hands to keep from screaming. Lightning lit up my room, casting spooky shadows everywhere. I needed my mom, but I was too scared to move. I had to hide from the shadows, so I crawled into my toy box and shut the lid. But it was even darker and so tight. I couldn't breathe. My chest hurt bad. I pushed against the top. But it stuck. I screamed and screamed. Mom didn't hear me.
She didn't hear me.
I stayed trapped in the little box for so long ... so long.
Tears streamed down my face. My chest tightened even more. I needed out of the closet and fast.
Suck it up. Suck it up.
I wiped the moisture from my face, then pushed myself onto my hands and knees. Gasping for air, I felt around in the darkness, just enough light makin
g its way under the door to show me the way. Even my increased senses couldn't combat the blurring and dimming of my vision. Adrenaline burst through my veins, sending my pulse skyrocketing into dangerous zones. My heart ached, the pressure increasing until I thought it would shatter into a million pieces. I couldn't breathe. My lungs burned. Dizziness seized me and I swayed side to side. Dots of light danced behind my eyes. I fell onto my side, no longer able to sit up.
And then my muscles started to burn—just like they had in the cave the last time I had an attack. My bones twisted and cracked. I groaned from the odd pain.
"Oh, God! No!"
I was shifting—at school. I had to stop it. But the pain increased, making it hard to relax and calm myself down. I rolled to my back, my arms falling by my sides. My newly sprung claws scratched along the cool cement floor. The tickle of fur sprouting from my skin sent a ripple of chills across my skin. My body started to take on another shape—and not that of a human. My fangs dug into my lips. Blood trickled from the wound, scenting the air with a delicious sweet, metallic aroma.
No! I have to stop it.
At any time now, I'd be unable to speak, my voice reduced to the scream of a wild beast.
Then I thought of what Nicoleta had told me. I took a deep breath and centered on my pendant.
"Please help me. I can't control the shift. Show me how before it's too late,” I pleaded.
My necklace heated and the pendant vibrated, emitting a glowing orange halo. Instantly, a peaceful feeling settled over me. My lungs expanded normally, allowing more oxygen throughout my body. I inhaled and exhaled. My heart rate slowed, releasing the pressure in my chest. I continued to draw from the power of the pendant. The twisting of my body ceased.
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