I smiled as my friends flocked my sides.
"Avalon, those Mui Mui's are so you," my friend, Chastity, squealed. She clapped her hands excitedly and smiled, as did all my other friends.
I smiled. "I know, aren't they adorable? I got them," I trailed off, craning my neck to see my boyfriend, Blake, making his way down the hall. I smiled as he wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Hey, gorgeous," he murmured in my ear, pressing his cheek against mine, the stubble on his cheek making me squirm. My friends giggled with giddiness and beamed.
"Hey," I managed as he left tiny kisses on my jaw. A small smirk appeared on his face. In few words, Blake was hot. Like boy-next-door meets bad-boy meets football god meets amateur male model.
He had a slight farmer's tan from working in the fields the summer before and sandy blonde hair that made everyone- even me- jealous. Blake had these amazing blue eyes. They seemed almost too blue. And his body- he was ripped. For a human, anyways.
"Hey, guys, I'll meet up with you in a few minutes," I reassured Chastity as they- she, Elena, and Kathy- began to shift from foot to foot awkwardly.
Kathy offered Blake a raised eyebrow and a wave before sauntering off, my other two friends following at her sides, their hips swaying. I smiled as they made their way to French. My attention turned to Blake, who was twirling they gold charm bracelet around on my wrist.
"Are you coming over tonight? My parent's are going out," he murmured, lowering his voice so only I could hear.
A slight blush crept across my face and I shook my head. "I-I can't. I promised-" I began, taking in his annoyed grimace.
"Avalon, come on. Just tonight," he pleaded quietly, his fingers tracing my collarbone lightly. I grit my teeth. It had become a ritual: fighting over sex, not talking for an hour- at the least- and then making up. I hated when he put me on the spot like that.
My head snapped up and I tried to catch his eye. "I just don't want to, okay?"
He muttered something under his breath and stepped back, removing the closeness, frowning. "I love you, you know that right," he asked quietly. I nodded and ran my fingers through my dark hair. He smiled and kissed me lightly on the lips.
"Then why can't we, Ave? I love you, you love me, what else is there to it," he asked as he pulled away, his breath warm on my mouth.
I shrugged. "I want it to happen when I'm ready and, right now, I'm not."
He rolled his eyes. "We've been dating for almost six months and I'm getting sick of just cuddling," he insisted, his voice growing a bit louder.
"Look, I have to get to class," I muttered, pecking him on the cheek, and squeezing by him. Only after I sat down in my assigned seat- Mademoiselle Brown halfway through her speech in fluent French- did I relax.
(V)
There are few people you can trust nowadays. Chastity, Elena, and Kathy were not those type of people.
"Ave, Blake's just being a baby," Elena insisted, tucking some of her light blonde hair behind her ear. She gripped my shoulder reassuringly and smiled half-heartedly.
Kathy rolled her eyes. "Maybe, if you'd just screw the kid already, he wouldn't be such a baby." Something like annoyance tinged her voice but I shrugged it off.
"Kathy! I, for one, Avalon, totally respect your decision. I'd do it too, but it's kind of too late for that," Chastity joked. We all smiled and laughed quietly. The librarian, Mrs. Peerce, shot us a warning glare, looking at us from over her winged reading glasses. Her serious expression only made us laugh harder.
"So, Ave, you're not going to his place," Kathy asked, twirling her orange-red hair with her finger. Her nosiness was slightly upsetting.
I shook my head. "No, I mean, I want to but…You guys, probably, don't want to hear this," I insisted, shaking my head. Elena and Chastity nodded encouragingly and Kathy rolled her eyes.
"Ave, you can tell us anything, remember," Chastity teased, nudging in my shoulder playfully.
"Well, I love Blake, you guys know that. But, I want to wait until I know that person is 'the one', you know," I asked, looking around at my friends.
"Boring," Kathy muttered, pretending to yawn, and leaning farther back in her seat.
"Thanks, Kathy, your support means so much," I snapped. She rolled her eyes and glanced at her nails. Sometimes, talking to Kathy was like talking to a five year old.
"Oh please, don't tell me you've never thought about it," she insisted, after a few minutes, raising a perfect eyebrow and giving me a slightly teasing smile. A blush washed over me.
"Kathy-"
"Blake is the hottest guy in school. And the there's you. Come on, Avalon, your cute and all, but don't you see the way he stares at other girls? He practically eye-fucks them. And, your decision is cool, but do you really think that he's going to stick around with you and play cuddle buddy for the rest of high school? He's probably already found you a replacement for tonight," she insisted in an icy tone. Her mean words stung and I looked into her cat-like green eyes. Just then, a rack of coughs reached my body. My throat burned and a sudden dizziness washed over me.
"Ave, are you okay," Elena asked, patting my back as a wet cough tickled my throat. I nodded. And I was, or a while anyways.
(V)
I took a deep breath and walked across the dark lawn. I had gone from feeling great to shitty in a record time of five hours. My nose dripped and I wiped the snot on the sleeve of my sweatshirt. Blake's house loomed over me and I scanned the windows to find his bedroom. I found it, on the first floor, the lights dimmed.
'Weird,' I thought as I made my way closer to the side of the house. I stepped carefully around the flower bed, but Mr. Gnome was not saved. I heard a nasty crunch as I stepped on Mrs. Ranger's prized statue, its cheery face smashed to smithereens by my foot. Wincing, lifted my foot to see the pointed hat sharp as a knife.
'Note to Self: buy Mrs. Ranger another garden gnome, right after I lose my virginity to her son,' I thought as I picked up the broken pieces and threw them in the bushes.
I snuck past the rest of the garden and ended up on the outside patio. The automatic lights flickered on and I jumped, running back into the darkness. But not before I caught sight of Blake through the French doors. I watched in horror as he kissed my replacements neck.
The thing that tore me up the most was that Kathy was right. He had found a replacement. But she didn't know because she knew his type- the hormonally crazed football players- or she heard it in the bathroom. No, she knew because she was my replacement. Kathy, my best friend, was just a few feet away, in my boyfriend's bed.
A sick feeling washed over me and I took a step closer. That's when I caught Kathy's eye. She smirked triumphantly, as if to say 'Ha-ha, I got here first.' A glint of pride was in her eyes as she kissed my Blake's bare chest.
Rage, hurt, and disgust washed over me all at the same time. I tried not to vomit in the bushes, partially from my horror and partially because I felt horrible. I stumbled backwards into the darkness and sprinted towards my car. Tears had begun to collect in my eyes and I rubbed them away furiously. Part of me was yearning to go back there and rip them both to pieces. I took a deep breath and got in my car.
I sat in darkness for a moment, pressing my forehead on the steering wheel and trying not to cry my eyes out. Kathy was my friend. She had been my friend since seventh grade. I taught her how to use a tampon for Christ's sake! We had been like sisters. I tried to burn the image of her self-satisfied smile out of my mind and started my car. I just needed to get out of there. And I knew the perfect place.
(V)
Skipping Stone Lake. It was a small pond that few people ever went. The perfect place for a pity party. I laid on the big rock and tried not to cry. Blake was cheating on me, and with Kathy of all people. I considered calling up Chastity and Elena, but then remembered they were at dance until ten, at least. They were serious bunheads.
I pulled my knees tighter into my chest and let out a shallow breath. The cool wind blew and I was greeted by the smell of jasmine. I wrapped my sweater closer to me and laughed at the lingerie underneath.
I had picked my best lace bra only to end up at a deserted park crying my eyes out. A bitter laugh escaped and I wipe my eyes. Some friends they were. I looked over at the lonely slide and let out a shallow breath. And that's when I saw him. He was undeniably and utterly gorgeous. His pale skin seemed to illuminate in the moonlight and for a moment, I completely forgot about Blake and his 'farmer's son' look.
A dark mess of curls sat on top of the boy's head and black eyes scanned the empty park to land on me. I froze. Not because a completely gorgeous man was staring at me, but because a completely gorgeous Tracker was staring at me. My heart thudded in my chest as he made his way closer, his bright sapphire tattoos glowing in the light. The breath caught in my throat and I froze like a deer in headlights. He raised a pale finger to my forehead and repeated the words he had probably said a thousand times.
"Avalon Kensington! Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny waits you at the House of Night!" Pain flared in my temples and I felt sick. I stumbled off the swing and looked up to see the Tracker gone. And that, was how I was Marked.
(V)
I coughed and sputtered and wished it was all over. My body… was it rejecting the Change?
'Don't think like that, Avalon,' I thought angrily as I shut the front door of my house. I prayed my parents weren't awake.
"Avalon, is that you," I heard a voice cry from the living room. I froze. My prayers had been sent straight to voicemail, unfortunately. I caught my reflection in one of the gleaming tiles and cringed. A bright blue Mark was beginning to spread on my forehead.
"Avalon," my mother yelled again. The creak of the recliner made me jump and I scanned the foyer for something to cover my face. My eyes landed on my parent's African fertility mask. I lunged for the brightly decorated mask and just as I brought it up to my face, my dad walked into the room.
"Avalon? what are you doing," he drawled, taking in my casual pose. I shrugged, leaning against the banister of the stairs.
"Why are you wearing you mother's Kenyan fertility mask," he asked, looking at me from over the tip of his glasses.
"I was, um, examining the inside… for scratches," I managed, pulling it from my face and turning towards the stairs. Luckily, my dark hair hung in front of my face so I was relatively invisible.
"Hey, wait! Where were you? We called your phone and you didn't pick up," he began. I rolled my eyes and subconsciously tucked the hair that was hanging in my face, behind my ear. He froze. My mouth formed a small O as his eyes widened and he took a step back.
"Kassandra! Get in here," he cried, looking over his shoulder. He wouldn't look me in the eye. I stumbled backwards and began coughing violently. And that's when my mother screamed. I looked up to see her, pale faced and disbelieving, staring at me as though I were eating somebody's brains. Well, this was going to be a long explanation.
(V)
"Um, I-I have to go," I muttered, turning towards the stairs. Both my parent's stood there for a second before realizing what I just said.
"Avalon! Y-you can't just… leave," my mother insisted, lunging towards me, her hand hovering by my shoulder. She was afraid to touch me.
"I have to go, Mom," I repeated, my voice stronger than before. I looked over at my dad, who had his brows furrowed and his lips pursed. It was his thinking face, and when I was little, I used to tease him about it. He looked like a monkey.
"This has to be a mistake," he said quietly, grabbing hold of my mother's shoulder and pulling her back. My parents had dealt with alligators and hostile monks who threw bread at them. My parents were adrenaline junkies that never ceased an adventure. They had been shot at with poisonous darts by the Matis Indians in Peru. They caught alligators in Louisianna for a whole week. And yet, their own daughter scared them more than grown men in robes and crazy Indians that seemed hyped up on Mountain Dew.
"There are no mistakes," I said quietly. My voice broke at the end and I ran my fingers through my hair subconsciously. I was Changing. Or dying, one of the two. Another series of wet coughs and stomach pains made me cringe and my mother faltered.
"I… I'll drive you," she said quietly, her fingers resting on my shoulder. I flinched at her touch and sighed, beginning to trudge up the steps in sorrow. I would be leaving my everything- my friends, family, home- to live with a boarding school for vampires. Ah, hell.