I ran through a field, grass whipping my bare legs. There were horses behind me, maybe twenty of them. They were stampeding as fast as they could, eyes fiery red, glaring at me as I looked back. My feet were fast and kept me a small distance ahead of them until I stumbled. Pain surged through my face as it scraped the ground. The galloping sound replicated, nails being hammered into my skull over and over. I looked back one last time. The horses had multiplied, and I was about to be trampled. Not giving in so easily, I tried to get back up and run, but I tripped over my feet. Covering my face and bracing for impact, I yelled, “Stop!”
The field faded, and I was now cocooned in my blanket, flailing about. The more I kicked, the more I became entangled. The horses disappeared, and I was lying in a hopeless mess of bedsheets.
That’s when I heard it more clearly, right above me. Thud! Thump! Fwap! I rolled over toward Emily’s bed, hoping she was sleeping through the loud explosions happening in the room above ours. I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus, until I noticed there was no Emily. I jumped out of bed. The desk and closet looked untouched. Her backpack lay on top of her neatly made bed, but had been riffled through. I grabbed my jeans and a clean tank top and threw them on.
I didn’t know what time it was. Waking up before my brain said it was time to get up had made me wobbly, and I made a bleary-eyed pit stop at the bathroom. I turned the faucet on and splashed water on my face. The cold water shocked my body, telling it to wake up, and it did.
Lifting my head, I looked in the mirror. I still looked sickly, with my gray eyes and pallid skin. I ran a brush through my hair, trying to make it presentable. And to think, I’d wondered why people, mainly Ethan, had been cold to me. I was an utter disaster.
I sighed heavily before heading out to find Emily. There was a pang in my heart, not knowing where she was. We always woke up in the same house or room, and never in a place so big and so filled with vampires.
Upon entering the main hall, I noticed a few unknown faces, and some doors were open on the second floor. I saw no one I knew, so I headed to the kitchen, where Lizzie and Ethan were sitting at one end of a table with another girl I didn’t know.
I walked up to stand behind Lizzie.
“Anyone seen Emily?” My voice sounded groggy.
“And hello to you too, sunshine,” Lizzie said. “She and Cas are in the training room. Up the stairs, last room on the right.”
“Above the dorm rooms?” I asked. Stupid horses.
“What’s the matter? Disturb your beauty sleep? I don’t think it’s going to help. Sorry, doll,” Ethan spat out, getting up to leave.
What happened to the sweet Ethan from last night? Did he suddenly realize how much he hated me again?
“Why’s he such a jerk?” I mumbled under my breath.
“Hey, don’t talk about him like that. Ethan is amazing.” The redheaded pixie-looking girl sitting at the table stared me down with her dark-green eyes. She was trying to bare her teeth at me without looking like she was intentionally doing it, but it would take a lot more than that to intimidate me.
I saw Lizzie sit back.
“Then go be with Mr. Amazing, whoever you are,” I said in a squeaky voice, mocking her.
She stood up, palms firmly pressed on the table, and looked at me. “You can’t walk into our house and act like a big shot, half-breed. I don’t care if your dad was Adrian Vasile.” She snorted. She flipped her hair, stuck her nose in the air, and ran after Ethan, who I hadn’t noticed was holding the door for her.
“Do you typically clear out a room when you enter it?” Lizzie said. “I wish I had her on camera. Her face was priceless.”
“Who was that, anyway?”
“Ethan’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, Clover. I think since yesterday, they were on again. Well, at least that’s what she says—Ethan usually rolls with whatever.”
My fingers gripped the edge of the table tighter as the heat in my face grew warmer. I tried to relax the tension building within me, but I could feel my lips pressing together tighter. The thought of Clover rattling me before I could even have some coffee to wake myself up annoyed me.
“She has a knack for getting under people’s skin. Don’t let it get to you.”
Lizzie’s words brought some calm to me. Then my heart crumbled as the word girlfriend rang in my head. I must have imagined everything from last night. I needed to learn how to read people. My aunt had taught me everything I knew, but social skills weren’t on that list.
“Here, sit and drink some of this. It will take the edge off.”
She slid a blue coffee mug over to me.
“What is . . .” That was all I could say before I sensed the sweet scent of iron swirling through my nose. I turned to Lizzie and, in a whisper, asked, “Is this blood?”
“Duh, Sherlock, and it’s not a secret—we all do it.” Laughter overtook Lizzie. “You’re not so clever today. Trust me, drink some.” She eyed me curiously. “It’ll be good for you.”
I hesitantly picked it up, holding it to my lips for several seconds. Slowly, they parted, letting in the thick liquid. It was warm, and before I knew it, I was chugging it down. It slid down my throat and flowed into every inch of my body, all the way to my toes and fingertips. My body was alive again. A familiar feeling filled me, almost as if I’d found something once forgotten.
I turned to Lizzie as I wiped my lips with the back of my hand. “Whoa.”
Now she was hysterically laughing. “Oh, Tasi, I have a lot to teach you. You’re so lucky to have found me.”
She stood up and poured me a little more from the coffeepot on the counter. It was clearly not filled with coffee. Placing the mug back in front of me, she handed me a banana nut muffin before sitting down again.
“Why is it that when I drink my concoction, I don’t feel like this?” I asked, taking a bite of my muffin.
“I don’t know. How do you drink it?” Lizzie asked.
“I would dilute it with coffee, a lot of coffee, actually, or juice. Sometimes water too. I had to make it last, so I drank only a little at a time every few days.” I took another gulp. “I always thought blood on its own was so gross. I can’t believe how much I like this.”
Lizzie shook her head. “You’re half-vampire, or did you forget?”
“Yeah, I guess there is a lot I don’t know.” I shoved the rest of the muffin in my mouth.
“Come on, let’s go find out how Emily is doing with Cas.”
I took one last gulp, rinsed the cup out before putting it in the sink, and then ran to catch up with Lizzie. She was now watching me from the bottom of the stairs in the main hall with a grin on her face. Her smile baffled me as I headed over.
Along the way, some people stopped and gawked. Others broke out into whispers. Lizzie’s laugh echoed in the hall as more people stared at me. Finally, I spotted Ethan, whose eyes didn’t leave mine. Even as Clover pulled at his arm, he just watched me.
Something must be on my face. Oh God, did Lizzie set me up? Are there remnants of blood on my face? My temper flared. I pulled my attention back to Lizzie, who was now heading up the stairs.
“Was this a sick joke?” I asked as I grabbed her arm, piercing her skin.
“Hey, careful—your grip is too tight. Stop.”
I loosened my clasp. Lizzie still wore a smile on her face.
My breath quickened, leaving my mouth dry. “Why are people staring at me? What’s on my face?”
“Relax, Tasi, and follow me.” She clutched my arm and carted me to the bathroom on the second floor. “Now take a peek.”
“I know what I look like.” I turned toward the mirror, then froze as I stared at a distantly familiar face.
“Man, you’re good for a bunch of laughs today.” She was standing against the wall, arms crossed against her chest, staring at me. “Meet me in the training area when you’re finished.” Before she stepped through the doorway, she looked over at me. “You’re welcome.” Her laughter followed her into the hall.
I touched my face, waiting for the mask to fall off to reveal my permanent dark circles, grayish-colored skin, and dulled features. But there was no mask. My eyes were bright, like they had been a long time ago, and turquoise like the ocean. My features were flawless, better than I remembered, with glowing olive skin and lips full of color. I looked healthy.
I smiled a genuine smile for the first time in a long while. Then I headed out of the bathroom, right into Clover, who had her hands on her hips, breathing so hard she might start spewing fire.
“Oh, come on. Can’t you find someone else to bother?”
Her lip curled back, revealing more of her fangs this time. “I’m going to say this once: Ethan belongs to me. I heard last night you two were real chummy. Well, you better watch yourself. I hear dhampyr blood is a delicacy.”
I pushed against her, forcing her a couple steps back. She was a few inches shorter than me. “Let’s get two things straight, Cloves.”
“It’s Clover.”
“First, if you have issues with your relationship, then take it up with Ethan, not me. Second, my blood will never get near your lips, but my stake will reach your heart if you keep threatening me. So get the hell out of my face before I rip yours off.” The heat burned within me as I spoke through gritted teeth.
Clover flinched, and her eyes went wide, but she didn’t back down. “Watch yourself!” She stomped off.
Lizzie leaned out of the room next to the bathroom. “You have a fan.”
“Is this what high school is like? If so, I wish my aunt were here so I could thank her for homeschooling me.”
Lizzie, still as gorgeous as ever, with her blonde ringlets pulled back in a ponytail, threw her arm around me. “Ignore her. She’s jealous. Clover used to hate me because she thought I was out to steal Ethan too.” Lizzie smiled. “She might have something to worry about with you, though. You’re smoking hot.”
“And you’re not? Please, Lizzie.”
“It’s different. You’re hot and exotic.” She laughed again.
“By the way, what did you put in that blood? It was so good, and I look like me again.”
“Oh, Tasi, why would you think the old, processed blood you stole from a hospital would sustain you? You’re lucky it kept you alive. If I drank that stuff . . . nope, that would never happen. This is fresh human blood sent to us within hours of it leaving their bodies. It’s why living in New York is such a dream—lots of willing donors.”
I shook my head as I entered the training room to see Cas in a defensive stance and Emily attacking him with boxing gloves. He was holding up his hands, letting her jab them over and over. They danced around a little. Emily landed a few punches before she saw me standing to the side.
“Tasi!” she screamed as she ran over to me. “Sorry I didn’t wake you, but I figured you could use the sleep. Cas wasn’t doing anything and offered to show me some moves. Did you see my jab? Pretty good, huh?” Finally, she stopped speaking and stared at me for a few seconds. “You look like Tasi again.” Her voice was childlike, and she hugged me tightly.
“I know, weird, right?” I replied, running my hands through my hair.
Cas handed Lizzie a hundred bucks, then turned to me. “Man, I thought for sure you would have held out for a week at least.”
I looked between the two. “You guys bet on me? Really?” I dropped my head, looking at my feet, and let out a sigh.
“Listen, it was a friendly bet, so don’t get all mad and stuff,” Lizzie said.
I raised my head with a smirk on my face. The three looked at me. “I’m not mad—just realizing vampires have nothing better to do than bet on stupid things like how long it would be until I tasted pure blood.” I arched an eyebrow at Lizzie. “You’re buying me a latte next time we pass a Starbucks.”
“You drank just blood, like, as in, not mixed with anything?” Emily stuck her tongue out in disgust. “Ew, so gross.”
“Get used to it, kiddo. Eventually, it’ll be you,” Cas said.
“Don’t remind me. Let’s go. I want to beat you up a few more times.” Emily bounced around, making jabbing motions.
“Fine, but go easy on me,” he said. “I don’t want to mess up my hair.”