Chapter 1

The sun is shining this morning. I let out a sigh. On a sunny day, I always take precaution. I put on a long sleeve shirt, a pair of jeans and a baseball cap. Grandpa is already off to work at the police station so I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. I got to school just in time to see my friends hanging out in the parking lot. My friend Brooklyn greeted me right away: "Hey Ness!" She was chatting with 2 other girls, Jen and Karen. They both turned to look at me and smiled politely. I know they don't like me. They find me a little weird. So do most of the students at this school. Only Brooklyn seems to be immune to the vibe or whatever it is that my half-vampire self gives off. "Hey you guys" I said it as coolly as I can manage. Jen narrowed her eyes and said: "Is that…glitter on your face?" I self-consciously pull my baseball cap lower to shade my whole face. Crap. I couldn't believe she noticed my sparkly vampire skin. I stammered out a response. "yeah, I was using some…er…glitter glue this morning, it must have, um…gotten on my face…" Karen burst out laughing and said: "what are you, like, 4 years old?" Brooklyn interrupted her "Hey, glitter glue is cool, I love that stuff! Come on, let's go inside." I got to my locker without humiliating myself any further. I yanked open the door and shoved my small insulator bag deep inside my locker. I sighed. I hated what was inside that bag. Beside the small ice pack was a silver vial full of animal blood. Like an addict, I take a hit of blood every morning just before class to make sure my craving is under control as I walk into a classroom. I took the silver vial out and shoved it into my school bag. Suddenly I became aware of a familiar smell. Jacob. I close the locker door and there he was leaning against the locker beside mine.

" Jake, please go away." I pleaded. I felt bad saying that to him.

"Gee Ness, Good morning to you too!"

"I'm sorry. It's just that I already look like a freak show without having a wolf standing next to me." I whispered. " Can't I belong somewhere for once?"

Jake considered that for a second and said: "You belong with us."

"By us, do you mean the vampires or the werewolves? Because I can't phase into a wolf and I can't go without breathing, so what the heck am I?" I said breathlessly in a low voice.

Just then, Marc walked by and said "Hey Ness, how is it going?" I smiled at him. Jacob gave Marc an angry stare. Marc looked a little surprised and continued walking to class.

"Jake! Stop that!" I hissed at him. Marc looked back at us twice as he walked down the hall. So much for me trying to look normal. It certainly doesn't help the case when your 7-foot-tall boyfriend stares down anyone who tries to be friendly to you.

"Just go, I will see you later, ok?"

Jacob shook his head slowly: "You know they will never understand you." He turned around to leave. As he was walking off he added "By the way, Bella wants you to call, preferably sometime within this century." I scowled at him. I knew he said that loudly just to annoy me.

It was almost time for class. I hurried into the women's washroom and locked myself inside one of the stall. I took out the silver vial and held it tight in my hand. I hated that my mouth was already watering. I opened up the vial and shot the content down my throat. A rush of relief came over me and then I wanted more. I jerked the vial violently until the very last drop was in my mouth. I couldn't suppress the snarl that came out of my throat. I wanted more blood. I cover my mouth with both of my hands as a drop of tear started rolling down my cheek. Hold yourself together! I thought to myself. I can overcome this. The school bell rang. I took in a deep breath and walked out of the washroom.