I was walking on a very thin line. Gustav was so sure of our
safety in this town and I almost blew it. If the other girl didn’t bump me,
we’d have half the town knocking on our gates with torches and pitch forks by
now. Not that it could do us any harm, but we had nowhere else to go.
The house was
quiet when I got home. Gustav must have been out hunting. I dropped my bag
unceremoniously on the floor and proceeded to my room. I leaned against my
closed door and slowly slid to the floor. I still had the handkerchief in my
pocket. I could smell my blood and the faint scent of the boy I had met. I was
hoping he didn’t see my earlier transformation on the roof. But he’d seemed so
calm and sure of himself when he approached me. Obviously, I didn’t look
dangerous to him. I wonder if he would still think that if he knew what I
really was. I pulled out the hanky and pressed it to my nose. I inhaled deeply,
taking in the metallic fragrance of my blood mixed with his smell. There was a
hint of forest in it. Guess he’s the outdoorsy type. We could probably go
hunting together, yeah right. I slapped myself. Why was I thinking of him
anyway?
“Sanguine?” Gustav was back.
I momentarily panicked as I stared at
the soiled piece of cloth in my hand. I ran to the bathroom and soaked it in
the sink.
“Just a sec!”
I called.
I changed
into a clean pair of drawstring shorts and a tank top. When I entered the
living room, a fully human Gustav was lounging on the sofa watching the news.
“How was your
day?” he asked.
“It was
okay.” I answered too quickly. I mentally kicked myself.
“Really,
that’s good.”
“What, you
mean that’s all?”
Gustav cocked
his head, “Were you expecting a full interrogation by any chance?”
“No.”
He suddenly
stiffened and pulled me down beside him. “Who is that?”
It was my turn to freeze. I felt
the blood drain from my face and I probably looked whiter than a ghost. “W-who
is what?”
“Don’t mess with me, cherie. I caught the
scent when you entered the room. Where have you been?” he asked his tone
accusing.
“At school.”
Gustav’s brow furrowed. “What is a Shade
doing there? Is he your teacher?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Shade.” He touched my cheek and
sniffed his fingers.
I imitated his gesture. A feeling of
relief and confusion washed over me. Gustav smelled the girl from my gym class,
not the boy. Thank goodness. “She’s not my teacher.”
“How did she get so close to you then?
Her scent on you is so strong.”
“She’s my classmate.”
Gustav’s head snapped up so quickly I
was afraid it would break. “That’s impossible.” He exclaimed. “They’re never
this young.”
“Hold up! I’m still in the dark here.”
“Have I never told you about Shades?”
he looked as bewildered as me, it was almost hilarious.
“Obviously, no.”
We moved into the kitchen. Gustav made
some coffee and chugged it down though it was steaming hot. Yes, we can consume
other food besides blood. He settled into the chair across me.
“Shades are special beings that can
control shadows. What they lack in strength, they make up with their power but
they rely on the dark. So basically, if you bring these guys out into the sun
they’re useless, vulnerable…”
“Like us.”
Gustav nodded grimly. “Exactly, but
unlike us they can’t be turned, they’re born. The female Shades get their
powers by the time they turn eighteen and males twenty-one.”
“But my classmates are freshmen.” I
added. “Most of them had just turned fifteen. Are you sure it’s a shade?”
“I’m positive. And another thing,
these guys are never alone. This is more complicated than I thought. I never
imagined that there’d be more species in this town.”
“Why not? It’s secluded, practically
hidden from the rest of society. Isn’t that why you chose to stay here, so what
if there are other kinds of supernaturals in Austinford?”
He stood up and paced uncomfortably around the
room. His expression was dark. Gustav seemed to be debating with himself about
something bigger than sharing the town with some Shades.
“Gustav, what’s wrong?” I asked.
He
combed his fingers through his tousled hair. “Just another hitch, cherie.”
He didn’t explain anything to me no
matter how hard I pressed for information. So I decided to drown my dismay in
hunting. I never procured a taste for animal blood but it would suffice for
now. Once we’re clear of that crazy guy hunting us down, we’d be back to our
normal jive and back to our original diet. The cute little deer I had startled
was now a gory mess and so was I. I had seen a river a few feet from my
location so I headed down for a wash. The river was running steadily, bubbling
gently and intensifying the serenity of the forest. The air smelled of pine and
dirt, just like that boy. The handkerchief was washed, ironed and safely tucked
away in the bottom of my drawer. Luckily, Gustav wasn’t the type of dad who
rummaged their daughter’s stuff when they weren’t around. We valued each
other’s privacy and it kept our bond stronger through the centuries.
My reminiscing was interrupted by a
low growl. I had been too lost in thought that I had let my guard down and
failed to notice a threat creeping in on me. I found a pair of yellow eyes
peering at me from behind some large bushes, and by the sound of its snarl, it
was something huge. Was it a Shade? We were observing each other, waiting to
see who would make the first move. I moved a foot backwards and almost
simultaneously, the creature set its paw forward. I could now see thick grey
fur and the long and sharp nails connected to a muscled front leg. I didn’t
wait around for it to show its whole self so I made a mad dash south. I heard
it chasing after me. I was surprised that it could almost equal my speed. I
leaped up into a tree praying that it couldn’t climb, but I was wrong. The
branches made audible cracks and snaps as they tried to bear the weight of my
pursuer. I ascended higher and higher until the branches became thinner and
more brittle. I heard a whine followed by the sound of the whole tree toppling
over. I grabbed hold of another tree and watched as a large ball of fur fell to
the ground. It was obviously hurt but it still got up and tried to climb the
tree I was on. I could take a hint. It didn’t want me in the forest so I opted
for the final trick up my sleeve. This creature could run and climb but it
couldn’t fly.
I stood up, wrapped my arms around my torso and closed my eyes. I
counted to three and swiftly spread my arms. I felt the familiar tingling in my
muscles as I blew up into a swarm of bats.
Didn’t see
that coming, did you buddy?
I flew
back to the house carefully using a different route in case it would still try
to follow me. I fluttered into my bedroom window and reassembled myself on the
carpet.
The sun was rising as I plopped onto
my unmade bed. I wiped the grime from my face remembering each minute of the
chase. I just had a dangerous encounter with yet another kind of species. My
mind was overflowing with unanswered questions, but then it suddenly hit me -
something far more important than my nightly escapades.
My unfinished homework.
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