A New Vampire 7

By Rei Edogawa

Another breakfast that I had to sit through and stare at with no appetite. I was glad I had fed the other night, but staring at this food turned my stomach. Even now the thirst burned in my throat. The thirst for human blood.

I felt like the thirst had lessened somewhat, now that I was exposed to the scent continuously. It had to be like sensory adaptation, where the senses got so used to what they were experiencing that it no longer affected them. I hoped so. It would make this a lot simpler if it did.

After breakfast, we all piled into my car and took off for school. Mom followed behind in her beat up Ford. Jamie and Sara went to class right when we got to school. Mom took me into the office. After a long morning meeting with the principal and guidance counselors, all of whom remembered me and had deep sympathy for me, it was decided that I would undergo testing that afternoon to determine how much schooling I remembered.

During lunch, I sat in a corner in the cafeteria, watching and listening. Teachers and students alike were curious about me. Most of my teachers, those who weren't on duty were called into a meeting where they were informed of my problem. I ignored all the stares. The principal himself would make an announcement later to all the students. I hoped to be spared that because I knew tomorrow the questioning would begin.

That afternoon, I secluded myself in a library study room and undertook the aptitude tests. I plugged in my iPod and jammed out while answering the questions. I didn't hear the announcement, but I picked up the students' thoughts. It became an uproar. I was the missing student whose memories were still missing. The irony was not lost on me.

The tests were really easy. Even if I didn't remember all that I had learned, it was all around me for me to take. Even the librarian knew enough to help me pass. I finished the tests in record time and sat there making it look like I was still taking it. Instead my mind wandered from student to student, helping one here and there. Those who I felt deserved it.

Then there was the bitch of the school, Nina. She was a junior like me and head of the cheerleaders. Cliché, I know, but there it is. She and I never got along when I was a sophomore. She and her clique often made me the butt of her witty words. She was standing in front of class giving a speech. I couldn't resist. I made her fumble several times, lose her train of thought, and made her say the wrong words.

By the end of it, she was completely embarrassed and I was happy. Also in the class I noticed was an old friend of mine, Izzy. Izzy and I had been friends since elementary school. Apparently she took my disappearance harder than I thought. She looked a wreck and with my return had her completely distracted.

She was up next. Strangely enough for her speech, she chose to explain how x-ray machines worked. I knew enough from Carlisle to help her out. She was completely unprepared. I took over for her. I made the speech for her in great detail. She never knew that I did it for her. When she sat down, she was proud of herself. I hoped it would boost her self-confidence enough to give her a push in the right direction.

When the bell rang for everyone to go home, I turned in my test and met Sara and Jamie in the parking lot next to the Mercedes. We got in and headed home. Tomorrow morning, I would have the results of my exams and then get my new schedule.

Suddenly, I didn't want to go home and spend another night staring at the ceiling. I asked Jamie and Sara if they had a lot of homework, which they didn't. So I said, we're going out.

I took them to the movies and we watched the latest Hobbit movie. Then I took them to eat dinner and walk around the promenade. We windowed shopped for a while, and I ignored Sara's hints to buy her jewelry. I did buy a new kindle for me and added some new books. My old one was full.

We eventually went home. Mom was unhappy when I texted her earlier, and now she was still upset. I was really going to have to find out the problem and fix it. Her continuous disapproval of me was getting on my nerves, and while she kept her thoughts to herself, she couldn't keep them from me.

She was going to ask me tonight to accompany her to her church this Wednesday. Apparently it was her deal with God to make good Christians of her children if I returned. I had no problem going with her, but church now held little meaning for me. Eternal life left no afterlife for me, unless I was torn apart and burned by another vampire or a werewolf.

She eventually gathered her courage and asked, and I willingly agreed. Sara and Jamie made looks of dismay when the subject was brought up, but whatever thoughts they had were gone in a flash and they did not think them again. This does not bode well, I thought.

That night while everyone slept, I went probing. Mom had confused and jumbled memories. I found that after I disappeared, she spent some time in a depressed daze. One day she found the faith that I would return. That faith kept her looking long after the police gave up looking. She had been so happy to find me, but so disappointed when I didn't know her.

Her anger came from those feelings. She wanted her son back, but what she got was a stranger in her son's skin. I didn't know what to do for her. What I was, was never my choice. The lies were to protect her from the things that she couldn't know about and she could never, ever face the monster behind the mask.

I waited till morning and was up before anyone else. I made breakfast for everyone that morning. I didn't know if I got it right until I saw Jamie's face as he ate it. The eggs and pancakes looked good to me, but I had no desire to eat it, nor could I.

That morning, mom decided to have freshly sliced bread with her eggs. I should have done it for her. She sliced her hand wide open. The scent of her blood in the air nearly sent me over the edge. I froze in place, refusing to breathe or even look at it. The monster inside me welled up and wanted it so bad.

The thought of satiating my thirst with human blood would not, could not leave. I barely noticed Sara and Jamie running about binding her wound. All I could focus on was the blood. I turned to my mother. I was losing control. I was so, so, so THIRSTY!