Chapter 6

Le Fleur Noir

"Are you sure you're okay?"

We were standing by my locker and that was the fifth time that Dominic had asked me that question since I had met him here after third period. There were a million things buzzing around in my head and the only one that I could focus on was the fact that Keith was somewhere in this school. I hid my face into Dominic's chest. I couldn't stand to look at him when it was clear that I was thinking about someone else.

"It's nothing," I lied. "I'm just tired."

"I heard that you got sick yesterday. Are you feeling better?"

"Not really."

He moved in closer to me and I was gone the second that the bell echoed through the hallways. That moment was the most excited that I had ever been to go to any class. Sadly though, I didn't make it that far. It all happened so fast. One second, I was just feet away from my next class after taking one of my many shortcuts, and then the next thing I know, I'm being slammed into a locker on a deserted hallway. My head hit first and harder than any other part of me leaving me stunned for a minute or two. Everything was blurry and out of place but it was impossible to miss those blue eyes. My favorite vampire was back and it was great to see that he was happy to see me. Yeah, I think not.

He smiled at my pain. I raised my hand, but he slammed it against the locker along with my other wrist.

"Not a smart choice, love," he pressed himself against me and it was a miracle that I didn't form some sense of claustrophobia because I truly felt like a wall was crushing me. He moved his lips to my neck, his teeth brushing against my skin as he spoke, "I don't think that you realize what I could do to you right now. All I have to do is get my teeth the tiniest bit below the surface of your skin and it'll burn pretty bad. But…if I were to actually bite you, the venom would rush through your body and eventually shut down your systems. It hurts beyond imagination, but all you have to do is make a wrong move and you'll get to see what I'm talking about."

As he spoke, my vision started to clear, but my skull throbbed. I was trapped. I couldn't change here, especially not with him holding me and I couldn't risk being seen. I winced as he tightened his grip on my wrist, breaking my train of thought.

"Why are you here?" I asked quietly as he brought his face back up to mine.

"Aw, I'm hurt. I just wanted to see if you remember me," he whispered exaggerated innocence.

He clasped my wrists together in his large left hand and put his right hand over his chest, trying to look upset. I wouldn't be surprised if he had been an actor at some point in his extended life. If the situation were different, then I would think that I had really offended him. He took his hand away from his silent heart and put my hands back onto their separate sides.

"How could I forget?" I asked sarcastically. There was no way that I was going to give him the satisfaction of seeing any fear in me. To be honest, I really didn't have any. I was angry and I could do at least a little damage if I was forced, hopefully. He smiled again. That was when I really noticed his teeth for the first time. His canine teeth were similar to mine, slightly longer than normal, but not enough to bring alarm to normal people.

"I'm flattered, but we have a bit of unfinished business between us. You see, I don't think that you realize just how unique you are. You are the first female of your kind in quite a while. I'm guessing that you don't know of your ancestry?"

I really didn't. I hardly knew anything about my family tree. Heck, if it weren't for me changing, I never would've known about the whole lycan part either. When there was something that my dad didn't want me to know, he would do anything to keep it a secret.

"No, I don't. I'm assuming that you do?"

"Not only did I know her, but I was in love with her. She was given the name Alsoomse at birth, but as she grew, she became known as Aiyana. You see, it's funny because Alsoomse means 'independent', which she clearly proved to be for the entire time that I knew her. However, Aiyana, meaning 'eternal bloom', came to fit her far better. Her tribe was very wise. They knew what she was meant to become before she was even born. Her mother was the first female of their tribe to change and her father was the strongest of the males. Her parents were meant to be together and she was destined for near invulnerability. Her genes were perfect, making her both feared and desired. They all believed that she would serve as the perfect mother and wife to any man who was worthy and few believed that they were. Everyone in her tribe knew of her story.

"Of course… I wasn't part of the tribe. At the time, I was the fourteen-year old son of an explorer and the main nurse of the village that was left behind once my father heard of the discovery of 'the new world'. They knew me as Jared Hartman. Aiyana and I met not too long after my family's arrival. My parents and I, along with a third of our village, had ventured out, ready to start fresh on the new lands. Aiyana and her father were two of the first to officially introduce themselves to us. We got to know each other for a few years until I died at the age of nineteen. Everything changed then. She broke my heart, you know?"

"How would I know that if I haven't even heard of her? And I didn't know that you even had a heart."

He chuckled. "Well, it may not beat, but I have one."

"If it doesn't beat, then why do you look the way you do? There's no blood going through you're veins."

He smiled even harder at this question and started playing with my fingers. "Think of it as a type of camouflage. I blend in with the students here. Surprisingly, people pay money to get this kind of skin tone. It's alluring and I'm a predator looking for easy prey. Of course, that's only to occupy me until I get to you."

A guttural snarl erupted from deep in my chest and I bared my teeth. He only laughed.

"Relax. You should feel honored. The others will get quick, meaningless deaths. I'm doing them a favor. They ruin their lives enough on their own. I'm just saving them from themselves and each other. Besides, half of the children in this 'school' are suicidal enough as it is. I might even have a little fun with it and go for the vampire-obsessed ones first. This way they can get a glimpse of the characters that they have come to idolize. It's really quite funny if you think about it. The term 'vampire' used to refer to folklore and horror movie characters and now they are thought of as seductive and enthralling. In a way, I suppose we are, but not for the reasons that they'd like to believe. Our looks are meant to lure. We are the Venus flytraps in a world full of flies. And you humans make it too simple. But I guess I can't classify you with them anymore, can I?"

He didn't wait for my response.

"Don't look at me like that. Besides, we are not the only ones who humans have feared throughout history. You are not seen as the protectors that you claim to be. You are monsters just as we are. Lycans and shape shifters have caused pain just as much as they have prevented it, maybe even more. We are not the only ones who are guilty of this manipulation. You dogs do it too, you just don't realize it."

"What are you talking about?" I asked angrily.

"Have you not looked in a mirror lately? You are not the same weak, insignificant human that died that night in the snow. You've taken on a whole new look. The girls here fear you as their competition and the males see you as a target. There's a dangerous air to you now and everyone likes a bit of danger in their life. It's attractive to them. Humans want things that they know that they shouldn't have and that defines you."

"And you know this how?"

"It's impossible to miss. You all have this trait. It starts as soon as you're tatted. Which reminds me, we have a bit of a bond now, don't we? You never forget the face of the one who tatted you," he leaned in closer, "no matter how hard you try. Tell me, have you dreamed of me yet?"

I scowled. "Why are you doing this now? Why here? Why don't you just go ahead and kill me? I'm right here and no one's around. It's perfect."

My face was frozen and if he was going to kill me, then I wasn't going to go down without a fight. Anger was pulsing through me and I wanted this fight that he was talking about so that I could get it over with. I let my teeth click together loudly before baring them again.

"Oh no love, this isn't the time or place," he leaned into my ear again as he whispered, "When I kill you, there isn't going to be anyone around. I want you to really be a challenge for me. And right now, you're not. Your first death bored me. It was simple and peaceful and what good would that do me? But luckily, it resulted in more. Honestly, I don't think you realize how desperately I want to hear you scream." His grip on my wrist tightened and he pushed himself harder against me, moving his lips from my ear to the tip of my neck. "I want you to feel the pain that I've endured for centuries. And the only way that I can be sure that that happens is if I do it myself. I don't think that I can move on until I do. But, I can't do it now. I prefer surprise and I know where to find you."

He brushed his lips across my collarbone, his unnecessary breathing steady against my neck. I growled louder this time and he moved his head away from me before I had the chance to decapitate him, not saying that I could've, but I would definitely try. He moved his face only inches away from mine and stared. I was still growling. His eyes focused in on mine.

"You've imprinted, haven't you?"

"What?"

My tone was cold and harsh. I was shocked that it was coming from me, but he didn't even flinch.

"You have that shine in your eyes, that pain. There is someone who you just can't have and it's eating away at you. Aiyana had that same look in her eyes once upon a time. It killed her and if you're not careful, it just might kill you before I do. In fact, you really remind me of her. You have her eyes. And I'd be willing to bet that you've got a pesky black flower somewhere on your back just like she did. After all, elle était la fleur noire."

"Hey!"

I turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Oh crap! I didn't need this right now. Dominic was staring at us from the end of the hallway and he didn't look very happy. His aid badge swung from left to right around his neck as he stomped over. I had forgotten about him being an aid. When most people are in class, our school's aids help teachers out by copying papers, taking things to other teachers and other various tasks. Bottom line, they stay in the hallway for a good portion of the time. Jared, if that was even his real name, looked away from my neck and over to my boyfriend. Knowing Dominic the way that I do, he would avoid accusing me of cheating at all costs, but he could be the jealous type and that was what worried me the most. He was walking in our direction. Jared smiled anxiously. I knew what he was thinking. The hunger and malice towards me were in his eyes, and what better way to hurt me than to kill an innocent person right in front of me?

"I'm guessing this belongs to you?" Jared asked, moving his body a few centimeters away from me, but still holding onto my hands. His voice had changed. It was still smooth, but now it had a more…modern edge to it. He sounded more like an eighteen-year old senior rather than an old English resident.

"Yeah, she's my girl."

I would just have to be mad about the fact that he practically just referred to me as his property later because I would have to keep him alive if I wanted to kill him.

"Well, we were just in the middle of something, so if you don't mind…."

He turned away from Dominic and smiled at me before turning his focus back to my neck. I closed my eyes and Jared loosened his grip on my wrist but pushed himself harder against me so that I couldn't even squirm. We both knew what was coming next and Jared had enough time for only one slow kiss on the top of my neck before it happened. Dominic ripped him off of me and punched him in his jaw. Dominic tried to hide it, but he was in pain. He tried to close his hand, and grimaced at every attempt. I moved between them. As Jared straightened himself up, his eyes began to change. They weren't blue anymore; they were darker, much darker. His entire eye swirled to an eerie black. He smiled and moved closer to us. I held onto Dominic's shirt and forced him to stay behind me as I crouched slightly.

"Surely you wouldn't change in front of him now would you?" Jared's expression was smug and calm. I despised him even more then, but I knew that he was right. I couldn't change in front of Dominic, and the sound of a fight this scale would surely bring attention to us from all of the students and teachers who were located right behind the doors of the hallway that we were standing in. I glanced around, only for a second, not wanting to take my eyes off of Jared for too long, and caught a glimpse of Dominic. He didn't need this drama in his life. He didn't need this threat and he doesn't need me.

"She doesn't have to."

My heart skipped a beat. I had to be hearing things because there was no way that I just heard the voice that I thought I just heard. I looked around Jared to see Keith walking slowly down the hallway. Jared's gaze followed the direction that I was looking in and then turned back to me. He laughed mischievously.

"This is him, isn't it? It wasn't the human that you've imprinted on, it's this one. It's so obvious! You have quite a lot to deal with, don't you?"

"Shut up," I snapped. Dominic had stiffened behind me and Keith's arms were crossed. This only excited Jared more.

"I'm guessing that the human doesn't know?"

I took a step in his direction and Keith lowered his arms mirroring me. The bell rang. With the feeling of a quick breeze, Jared was gone before the students began flooding the hallway. I huffed in frustration and walked over to Keith.

"How did you know where we were?" I asked.

"How do you think?" His tone broke my heart. It was cold and it was clear that he didn't want to talk to me.

"Instincts, right. Thank you anyway."

"Yeah."

This was all he said before disappearing into the crowd of freshmen. They continued on about their business unaware of the death trap that had just been dodged. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to be upset before Dominic spun me around.

"You care to explain to me what that was?" he asked.

"Now really isn't the time Dominic."

"Then make time. What was all that? What in the hell aren't you telling me, Chanelle?"

I hadn't really realized it, but I was walking blindly. I wasn't bumping into anybody. It was almost as if they were clearing a path for me, like they were avoiding me, afraid of me. The looks they were giving me, it was like I was suddenly the center of the universe. When did this happen? I mean, it's not like I've never gotten random looks and I'm not an outcast or anything, but never had so many people watched me for no real reason. I didn't stop until I felt a warm hand grab me by my arm and spin me around roughly, too roughly. I snarled. I literally snarled at Dominic of all people. It's not like I didn't understand it though. His grip had been way too tight and he wasn't my focus at the moment. The shock had pissed me off. I couldn't help myself. It took all of me not to jump him right then and there, but with the look that he gave me, I might as well have. Fear and surprise consumed his expression, but I almost prefer that over the anger that followed. He dropped my arm and turned his back to me, walking down the hall with the crowd that was slowly getting smaller.

I started hyperventilating, realizing what I could've just done. In those few seconds when he had grabbed my arm and turned me around, I saw all the different things that I could do to him. I shuddered. All of the scenarios resulted in his death and they were by far not peaceful ones. And I wasn't even seeing all of this through my own eyes, but rather through the eyes of another almost. And the look of the surrounding students was petrifying. In a few of the instances, I had done it all so quickly that they didn't notice that there was anything wrong with him until he hit the ground and I was gone. Oh and the blood! His blood, it was everywhere! It was on me, around me, near me, all over him and the other students! And the monster version of me was happy about it, enjoying it, loving it, craving it. I was actually tasting it and wanted more.

His murders had all looked so simple. He didn't expect any of it, my strength, my speed, and my ruthlessness, none of it. None of them did until it was all over. And what if I was capable of something like that? If I would have killed him in front of all of those students who all know me one way or another, what would I do after? Would I kill them too and then kill the people who came to find out what was going on? It would be a mass war, an endless columbine and I would be the cause of it all. And then where would that leave my parents? They would be known as the producers of the world's worst-known killing machine. And then where would Jared and Keith be during all of this? Jared would surely smell the blood and that would lead to even more deaths. And then Keith…Keith, even if my conscience after all of that ended didn't kill me, I think the look on his face when he would see what I caused would.

And what was with him anyway? I thank him and all he can say is 'yeah'? I may be in some sick, convoluted version of love with him, but I can't help but to be a little annoyed by that.