2. New You

My whole body felt like it was on fire. It was like every nerve in my body had been used to strike a match, or maybe a million. What was worse was my throat. It felt like I needed to drink something, but I couldn't because I didn't want to move. It felt like is lasted forever while it hurt. I heard myself scream a lot but it was like I wasn't in my brain. As soon as it was over, it was like it had only lasted a few seconds. My senses were in overdrive. I could smell pines and dirt.

The pale face boy was looking down at me. "Hey, kiddo. You've been screaming for three days."

"Three days?" I whispered. "How?" I couldn't form a full sentence.

"That's how long it normally takes. You're number twenty. How you feeling?"

I thought for a moment. The burning in the throat had calmed a little, but it was still there. Like a constant case of laryngitis. "Water?" I croaked.

"You're not craving water, kiddo." He moved away from me, half hiding behind a tree. "Don't go crazy on me."

There was something wrong with my eyesight. Everything was brighter, sharp. "What's wrong with me?"

"It's not wrong," he replied, still keeping his distance.

I sat up, rubbing my forehead. The feeling in my throat wouldn't go away. "What's wrong with me?" I repeated. "What did you do to me?!" I stood and ran to him, feeling like a blur. "Why did you hurt me?!" I pushed him against the tree.

The tree made a cracking sound and the pale boy jumped into the air as it fell. I was surprised at how high he got and how fast he went. He landed. "Don't make me do something I'd regret, kiddo." He grabbed my shoulders.

I threw him off me with an inhuman hiss. He fell to the ground, and I pinned him down by the neck. "Tell me what you did to me, dude, or I'll rip out your voice box."

"I didn't do it!" he yelled. "We're not supposed to think about! Our thoughts aren't safe! She wants us to be as careful as possible! They can't know we're coming!"

"Who are you? Who are they?" I put my knee on his chest. "And what did you do to me?"

"I said I didn't do it!" he croaked. "Please don't kill me!"

I forced myself off him with a big breath. It caused the burning sensation to worsen. "Sorry, dude," I muttered. "I don't know what came over me." I, in general, didn't think of myself as a violent person. "This is so confusing."

He stood, swiped some of the dirt off his tattered clothes, and smiled. "That's okay. It's all part of the new you. Name's Riley."

"I'm Bree." I thought for a moment. "What do you mean by a new me?"

Riley pulled out a worn and cracked hand mirror. "Take a look."

I took in from him and fought a gasp. I lost. The reflection still looked like me, but some how, I was paler and sleeker. My eyes weren't blue anymore; they were red, like blood. "Dude," I whistled. All the acne and scars on my face had disappeared. I smiled and noticed that my canines were sharp, not quite fangs, but still pretty lethal looking.

"See what I mean?" Riley asked. "You're a new you. A stronger, faster more beautiful you. A better version of yourself."

I had to ask the next question, whether I wanted to or not. "What about this feeling in my throat? That can't be a positive."

He smirked. "That, Bree, is the best part of being a vampire. What you're thirsting for is blood. It's like pure energy for us. Sara will take you on your first hunt."

Sara was a blonde and the second eldest vampire in the group—coven, I should say. When I first saw her, I nearly feel out of the tree I had been sitting in. She looked beautiful, even from as high up as I was. That's a cool thing about being a vampire. You can climb trees with your bare hands.

"New girl! Get your butt down here!"

I jumped down, landing on my feet like a cat. "Dude, this is amazing." I held my hand out. "I'm Bree. You must be Sara."

She growled at me. "It's not that fun, newbie. It's night, so we're going out."

"No, it's not. At least, it doesn't look like it. Are you sure it's not just twilight?"

"It's because turning makes your eyesight better, idiot. Didn't you notice that all the colors were sharper?"

I shook my head. "Not really. There's just so much to take in. I think this is the best thing to ever happen to me."

"You won't think that when Riley explains our orders. Follow me." We ran to Seattle's Northland mall. "The mall is closing. Find someone who's alone, feed and call to me. I'll help you deal with the body this once."

"How am I supposed to call you?" I asked, feeling embarrassed but no blood came to my cheeks. "I don't have a cell phone."

"Just say my name. You don't even have to yell. I'll hear you." She ran off before I could ask her what that meant.

I heard a voice I recognized seconds later. "Yes, Mother, I'm on my way. Bye."

Sticking to the shadow I sped over to her. "Hey, Reed. Miss me?"

Reed dropped her phone and I caught it before it landed. I closed it and hand it back to her. "Wilson? You're alive?"

I smiled at her, showing my teeth. "Dude, you're nearly as dumb as I felt five hours ago."

"You've been gone for four days." She started backing into the loading dock area. "What happened to you?"

I took a deep breath. The smell of her was intoxicating. The burning in my throat intensified. "I'll make this quick, dude, I promise." I closed the space, knocked her to the ground and bit her before she could even scream.