I am damned.
Not damned as in by the devil. Damned by the spawn of Siete. I am Emma, the result of a defiant human caught in the middle of a vampiric two person war.
It started like a normal school year Joe Edwards high school. I was a "fresh meat" that year, innocent in appearance, but tougher than anyone would have guessed. For the first month, everything was as it should have been. I made new friends, or those who dared to talk to me, went home after school, did what all teenagers do, slept and did it over again. Then they came.
Two boys, transfer students, came into all of my classes. One, a blond boy, tall with sculpted features and, unusually, black eyes. He wore a red t-shirt and faded blue jeans. The other, a black haired guy, strong face and black eyes as well. This one wore a tight black, sleeveless shirt and black jeans. They were both pale and had an aura about them that was a bit dangerous, but also wise and knowing. The blond was named Kelvin and the raven haired one, Alex. From the moment I saw them, I knew they might be some fair sized fish in this pond, but I was bigger. They would learn that no matter how many times I had to strike them down.
FIRST WAS ENGLISH and both conveniently invaded my space of three desks by sitting on either side of me. Not necessarily their fault, but it ticked me off all the same. I felt a strange energy floating about just before Mr. Robert Payton came up to me wanting to see my notes. I held up a full sheet of paper which I had recorded from the book the day before after I looked at his lecture sheet. I was getting A's in his class whether I had the damn notes or not.
"Do you listen to a single thing I say, Ematrice?!"
"Since I'd ace your class anyway, no."
"Do you need to go up to the office again? Your parents won't want you suspended again." You don't know shit, Rob...
"I repeat, besides the missed homework, I'd have enough extra credit piled in to keep up my straight A's, or maybe you hadn't looked at my progress report recently. The one that you sent out."
"Forget it!"
"Yeah, sure, Robert." I didnt even call him by his last name anymore.
"Do you usually talk to teachers like that?" Alex asked.
"Only when theyre a pain like Robby here, why?"
"I don't know many people who would have the gall to do that."
"Yourself included?"
"Not necessarily. What made you assume that?"
"I simply asked out of the purest curiosity."
He scoffed and continued taking notes. I took out my hair so that I could hide the cord that attached to my radio.
"Your name's Imatreece, right?" Kelvin questioned.
"It's Ematrice. If your gonna address me like the teachers, at least pronounce it right."
"Would you prefer to be called by something else?"
"My friends call me Emma, but I haven't quite decided on whether or not to consider you a friend."
"Would you need persuasion?" He leaned a bit toward me.
"Not now I don't ass wipe. Get your head out of the gutters and shut up, I don't need a horny bastard trying to get at me."
I scratched my arm due to an itch and drew blood. I didnt notice until Kelvin touched my arm.
"You might consider a bandage." he commented, his fingers coated with my blood.
"I've had worse."
"You might get one, just so it doesnt look like someone died in here."
"Sure whatever."
I went to the first aid kit and turned just in time to see Kelvin lick my blood off his fingers. I just wrapped my arm and pretended not to see it. I returned in time to hear Alex say,
"- be more careful, Kaleo."
"Who's Kaleo?"
Just a nickname. Dont worry about it."
NEXT WAS BIO, which had only Alex in it. We were dissecting frogs and fish today. We were spilt into groups and I was with a scattering of people I didnt know and Alex. Our salmon was laid on the table and I picked up the knife and cut it open before the teacher had a chance to stop me or do it himself.
"Get some gloves on, Ematrice." Mr. Sanchez suggested.
"Gloves are used by wusses who cant stand the feel of bloody flesh."
"Whatever."
"Do you seriously enjoy the feel of bloody meat?" Alex asked.
"I don't enjoy it, but some people vomit at the touch."
Everyone else had a sheet of paper that had a list of possible things in the fishs stomach. We found eggs. I stared in fascination while everyone else grimaced.
I WENT TO history with fishy smelling hands. This one only Kelvin was in. It was also taught by my favorite teacher, Mr. Nyquist. (he's the reason I didnt freak out when I saw Alex and Kaleo's black eyes. His sister is like them.) We watched a movie about World War II from the Japanese point of view.
"Yes, that war was a lot of fun..." Kelvin commented to himself.
"What? You make it sound like you went through it."
"My grandmother lived through it and told me all about it. Especially when the Japs bombed Pearl harbor."
"The Japanese, not the Japs, that was a rude term during World War Two. It will be as long as there are people who lived through it." I whispered sharply.
"You got worked up suddenly." he observed.
"Because it matters how you address someone's ethnicity. It's like calling all Germans Nazis."
"I see." That lecture was meant to get an apology, but it would do for now.
IN DRAMA, THE teacher auditioned for the part of Erik (the phantom) and Raoul in our production of Phantom Of The Opera(both of them in this class). Fifteen minutes after the guys sang, Ms. Velasquez announced that two boys were equally matched. Alex and another boy named Patrick(I think that Ms. Velasquez was just trying to be nice to Patrick since he had an easily wounded pride).
"Therefore, if the two will allow, they can share the rolls of Raoul and Erik between the student and evening performances."
"I'll do Raoul for the students." Patrick said quickly.
"That's fine by me." Alex answered.
We rehearsed the bits we all knew and then came up to the main song, "The Phantom of the Opera." It was the highest, most rangy song for Christine, that being me. After a long warm up for Alex and I, the orchestra began to play.
In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came
That voice which calls to me, and speaks my name
And do I dream again? For now I find
The Phantom of the Opera is there inside my mind.
Sing once again with me, our strange duet.
My power over you grows stronger yet.
And though you turn from me to glance behind,
The Phantom of the Opera is there inside your mind.
Those who have seen your face draw back in fear
I am the mask you wear
It's me they hear.
My spirit and your voice Your spirit and my voice
In one combined
The Phantom of the opera in there
Inside your mind Inside my mind
He's there the Phantom of the Opera
In all your fantasies, you always knew
That man and mystery
Were both in you
And in this labyrinth, where night is blind
The Phantom of the Opera is there
Inside your mind Inside my mind
Ahhh
Sing, my Angel of music! Ahhh
Sing, my Angel! Ahhh
Sing for me! Ahhh
Sing... Ahhh
Sing my Angel! Ahhh
Sing for me! Ahhh
Ahhh!
I surprised myself when I became enchanted by Alex's voice. There was something almost unnatural about it, seeing as I was the one who had been caught. Suddenly, I began to cough uncontrollably. When it finally stopped, I looked at my hand to find that it was coated with blood. I hid it from Ms. Velasquez, but Alex saw, or smelled it.
"What happened?!" He asked with urgency.
"I was practically coughing up a fur ball, its only normal."
"Blood?" he uncurled my fingers to reveal the crimson liquid they hid.
"It's the corset, dont worry about it."
"CoRsEt?!"
"I'm going to be wearing one for the performance anyway. Did you seriously think I was this unnaturally skinny?" I indicated my waist.
"You're lucky your lipstick is blood colored. If it wasnt I would be very obvious. Do you want to go up to the office?"
"WHATS ALL THIS ABOUT COUGHING UP BLOOD??!!" Ms. Vaquez yelled.
"Nothing, its nothing." I replied before Alex could.
"YOURE GOING UP TO THE OFFICE NOW!!" she looked for someone to send with. "Kelvin, take her up!"
Kelvin took my arm and lead me toward the office. Just before the door closed, I heard someone ask to go to the restroom.
"Listen, Emma, I'm going to bond with you."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You never age until one of us is murdered or I release you. The latter wont happen though."
"Why not?"
"I don't think I could get enough of your blood. It's like honey in a sense."
"So I take you're a vampire of some sort."
"Yes, I am. I'm surprised that you just noticed."
"I didn't. I noticed when you touched my blood and then licked it off your fingers."
"You did see. You have a quick eye. So... you agree to my terms?"
"So as long as I'm bonded to you, I'm your personal snack and I'll never age, huh? I'll pass, buddy." I pushed past him.
He caught my hand, pulled me to him from behind, and tilted my head back my head bearing my throat. He wrapped a hand around my waist and one around the front of my neck.
"You're some what of a masochist, I don't think this will cause you much intolerable pain. In fact, I think you'll enjoy it."