Chapter Four- Blood Preference

Alexis sat in the arena stands the next day, watching Syrus' duel exam, rooting for him. His skills as a duelist had improved since last year; this duel was proof of that. His opponent, however, was an Obelisk Blue. She thought it unfair to pit him against an Obelisk, but if he defeated her, he would prove himself worthy of being a Ra Yellow.

The field spell the Obelisk, Melissa, had played was fading and she was on her knees, a sign that Syrus had won! It was confirmed when Crowler, who had fully recovered from the attack, said, "And the winner of the duel is Syrus Truesdale!"

A roar of cheers and applause sounded from the crowd, most of them Slifers and Ras, but there were a few Obelisks, Alexis among them. She was proud of Syrus and knew Zane would be too. Syrus would most likely call Zane to tell him the news. Alexis saw Melissa storm out of the arena and hoped she wasn't going to cause trouble for anyone- especially Syrus.

There was much celebration in Jaden's room. Alexis noticed that even though he was now wearing a yellow jacket, Syrus stayed in the Slifer dorm. She briefly wondered why and then realized that he and Hassleberry both considered himself Jaden's best friend and thus stayed by the Slifer boy's side. Alexis personally thought it was stupid; both could be Jaden's best friend and not feel left out, couldn't they? At that point, a nasty familiar throb stabbed through her head, making her put a hand to her temple.

"You okay, Alexis?" Syrus asked, drawing the attentions of the other two.

"Uh, yeah. Just need some fresh air." Alexis left the room and headed down the stairs. Now, she knew that she needed to feed every two days. Good thing she didn't need to drain her victim and could heal the bite, and remove memory of the attack. Her concern was finding someone to feed on.

A figure was approaching Slifer as she was walking away. She came closer and saw it was Melissa! "Melissa, what are you doing out here?" Alexis asked, knowing Melissa didn't have any Slifer friends.

"I'm here to challenge Syrus to a rematch," she answered, holding up her left arm to show her Duel Disk. "There's no way some Slifer trash could beat me."

Alexis sighed as her head throbbed again. She played the feeling off by putting her hand on her forehead as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Syrus beat you fair and square."

"I don't think so, Alexis. Crowler's trying to boost the school's image with publicity stunts and famous names. I say that match was rigged to promote Syrus just because his last name is Truesdale." Melissa brushed past Alexis to head for the red dorm.

Alexis grabbed Melissa by the arms and knocked her feet out from under her before spearing forwards and biting her neck. She heard a gasp from Melissa before her blood entered Alexis' mouth. She drank until sated then released and proceeded to heal and remove. She dragged her into the woods, making a mental note to pick her up on the way home, licked her fangs clean, and returned to the celebration. Her blood wasn't as satisfying as Crowler's was. Maybe I prefer male blood because I'm a girl. I'll make sure to choose a guy next time to test that.

Alexis spent every spare moment the next day, thinking of how to get her blood the following evening. She supposed she could stalk a victim; that could work. It didn't matter who she fed on since she didn't kill and could remove all traces of the attack. There's a chance that pale and unconscious people will cause a medical panic. It can't be helped; I must feed every two days. It's not like there's a blood bank on the island I can raid.

The second night was a few minutes away and Alexis was ready to stalk a victim. She crossed the room and opened her door to see Atticus standing there with his fist raised to knock. He dropped the fist and flashed a smile. "Hi, sis."

"Atti, why are you here?" She stepped aside to allow him inside before closing the door.

"Well, Crowler was thinking we could be pop star siblings. You know, a singing duo."

Alexis stared at him in disbelief. "And why would you think I would go along with that? I plan to be pro duelist, not a singer."

Atticus shrugged. "Think about it, Lexi."

"I don't need to. I see where this is going. Crowler wants to use our names to boost the school's image and enrollment figures." She quickly glanced out the window: It was dark which meant she need to be mindful of her fangs and she needed to feed. I may not have to stalk. I could feed on Atti, since he is a guy to test my theory of blood preference. He won't remember the attack, in any event.

"I need to get back to my room, Lexi," Atticus' voice cut into her thoughts.

"Atti, why not stay here tonight? You can sleep on the couch and I have a spare toothbrush. It'll be like old times."

Atticus smiled. "That would be nice. Okay, I'll stay here tonight."

He turned away to head for the bathroom when Alexis struck. She pushed him against the bathroom wall, put a hand over his mouth, and sank her fangs into his neck. She drank her fill before doing what she now called heal and remove. She dragged Atticus to the couch and actually lifted him onto it. She brushed her teeth and hair before changing clothes and climbing into bed.

Hmm, that was more satisfying than Melissa's. Perhaps, I'll feed on another girl, just to be sure. Maybe I do like male blood more because I'm a girl.

Her eyes fell on the couch. It's kind of lonely, keeping this to myself. I wonder…would Atti believe me if I told him I'm a vampire? Would he still love me? I think I'll pose that question hypothetically. Perhaps in the morning.

Atticus' eyes fluttered open and softly groaned. He felt weak and still a little sleepy. He sat up and saw that it was still dark. No wonder I'm still tired. But, how did I get on the couch? Last thing I remember is heading for the bathroom. He shifted position and he had a view of Alexis asleep in bed. The soft light of a bedside lamp fell on her face. She was quite the beauty, his sister. She had beauty, brains, and talent.

Her mouth opened slightly and Atticus blinked. Something suddenly looked wrong with Alexis. He carefully and slowly got up and crept up to Alexis' bedside. He leaned forward slightly to see that Alexis' incisors were longer and sharper. They looked like…fangs?

No way, he thought. I'm seeing things. If they are fangs, that would make Alexis a…vampire. Maybe I'll ask some roundabout questions in the morning.