I swung open the double doors to the Hedone High cafeteria. There were lots of kids everywhere. I could barely hear myself think from the talking. I looked around for the boys. I saw Desmond, jabbering it up. I turned my head the other way. Wei Ren and Izm were waving. A.E.D. flicked his head to where you get the food.

I grabbed a tray and stood in line. I forgot to say, but I could feel most of my arm today! Yay! I grabbed waffles, eggs, bacon, and milk. I'm a freaking carnivore; I'll eat almost anything except green veggies. I hate 'em.

I wandered over to them, carefully watching where I stepped; you never know when someone will trip you. I didn't see Caleb or his cronies at all, which put me on my guard.

"Hey guys!" I greeted them. Izm scooted over to make room for me.

"Hey Dare," they said.

"Hey, you're wearing the outfit I got for you," Izm said.

I nodded through a bite of bacon. I swallowed and licked my lips like a proper feline. "I still don't know how you got this though; didn't you say this was an all boys' school?"

"Well, It's a teacher's uniform," he confessed.

O rly?

"I'm asking you, how the hell did you turn half psycho on Des like that?" Zeke asked.

I didn't look like it because I have an unreadable poker face, but I desperately looked for a covering story. I'm not telling them that I'm a shapeshifter! Maybe yet.

"Well, when I grew my teeth, my canines were naturally sharper than a normal human child's," I quickly grew fangs on my pause, "I look like a freak when I smile."

"You're not a freak," Wei Ren said.

"But if you really want to know someone different," Marcus said, "Look at NightTiger, she's a changeling!"

Why are all the guys at this school talking about my other side? Damn! Maybe I won't be able to hide as well as I thought.

"Why do you people constantly talk about her?" I asked.

Izm instantly swooned, "Because she's so fucking hawt,"

I'm actually getting kind of offended. "Do you know that NightTiger has a SECRET IDENTITY just like everybody?" I sounded a little pissed.

"Yeah," .D said, "But I'm not love struck like some guys. She probably has too much on her hands to even find romance in her life."

O rly?

I lifted an eyebrow at him.

"You have a point Dare," Zeke stated, "but how can she hide the ears and the tail?"

"Besides," Wei Ren continued, "Dare, why are you jealous anyway?"

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Oooooooh! Someone's jealous!" Izm taunted.

"You really want to know why?" I asked menacingly, eyes in slits, "I'm jealous because none of you guys are gonna meet her, so why flock? I mean really! She's not interested in any of you idiots."

"Hey, hey, you, you, I don't like your girlfriend," Izm started singing, "No way, no way, I think you need a new one.
Hey, hey, you, you, I could be your girlfriend!"

Everybody cracked up.

STFU!

I grabbed a fork and jabbed right into the table with my right hand. The prongs went halfway into full metal table. The laughing instantly stopped and they all stared at the fork.

To me it was a little funny because it looked bloody, but it just had thin ketchup on it.

"Izm," I sang, "You should be lucky that wasn't your hand."

"Yo Dare, I'm sorry, OK?" he apologized.

I had a strong compulsion to sing the rest of the chorus, but I kept it inside.

I blinked my eyes normal. "It's fine, but sorry I freaked you out," I stuck my tongue out at him.

I smelled something familiar and hostile. I turned my head and looked behind me.

"Aw shit, Caleb," I teased, "Looks like you lost the element of surprise, huh?"

"Shut up, ya dirty whore," he retorted.

Izm got up from the table. "You can't leave us in peace, can you?"

"She doesn't belong here, she never did; she's leaving."

"Uh, I think this was UNCLEAR, but it's YOUR fault that she's here in the first place! If you didn't stab her arm, she'd be home right now!"

"Why'd you bring her here in the first place, Izzy?"

"DO NOT call me that!" he yelled loud enough for the whole cafeteria to hear. Everything quieted down into almost dead silence.

"I don't want you; I want to 'chat' with the girl," Caleb ordered. No one was behind him, but he acted like he had backup.

"Oh, so I don't have a name anymore?" I hissed at him.

I flipped my hair and got up from the table. I stepped in front of Izm protectively.

"What are you doing?" he whispered in my ear.

"You wanna God damn fight, Caleb, then you're gettin' a God damn fight."

Caleb cracked his knuckles happily, "That's what I love to hear,"

"But I'm just warning you; never mess with a girl-"

I was about to say the end when he threw me a nice fist to the face.

You know, an awesome thing about being an animal hybrid is that I get a lot of perks for my body and mind. For example, if I'm punched in the face, it's actually less likely to end up in a black eye. Other times, I can be as swift as a spider monkey and do amazing gymnastics, but that's just bragging.

The fist landed right on my nose. If I were human, it would have broken. But I'm an animal, so that's not happening yet. A lot of the boys around me were surprised that my nose wasn't even bleeding.

"You know, you should have let me finish first," I taunted. I yawned and gave back that fist he gave me. I didn't move, but I totally knocked Caleb on the ground. Did I mention I yawned?

"Are you toying with me?" he screeched.

"Well, I wouldn't really call it toying, but it's close," I replied sarcastically. He quickly got up from the ground and dusted himself off.

I think I heard some kid in the back of the room scream, "C'mon Caleb! She doesn't even go to this school!"

Caleb turned his head to the voice. Big mistake; I flipped in a back-hand spring and kicked him in the face.

"This is getting too easy," I said, sticking the follow through and standing back up.

"You'll be sorry, bitch!" His mouth was barely bleeding.

"I wonder how it feels being a big coward all the time!" I yelled at him. My voice echoed through the cafeteria. Everything was quiet, asides from me and Caleb.

Izm was standing behind me. I looked back at him. He stood there, horrified.

"Turn around now!"

"What, why?"

I flicked my head back to Caleb. He smashed his fist against my head. This actually hurt. I fell on my knees.

"Hey, I could actually feel that!" I taunted, "Finally! A boy who's not afraid to hit a girl with force! Those are hard to come by, nowadays, ya know?"

He lost it.

Caleb kicked me in the chest, knocking the wind out of me. I sputtered, coughing up a little blood. He kicked me in the head.

Bastard.

Steel-toe boots suck.

I got a cut on my forehead. I'm fine, though.

I growled like a wolf to myself. I'm now officially mad. If anything happens, I'm going to crack.

"So a little brat can't take a few hits?" Caleb retorted, "You stupid girls think you rule the world! All it takes is just a tiny jab to the neck and a little bitch like you is crying for mercy!"

I'm going to kill him.

I already have the blood of five people on my hands. I know how to kill with my bare hands. I don't care if a school is watching. He's not going to see another day alive.

What am I thinking?

I can't kill him even thought he's the worst scoundrel I've ever met.

Has another side taken over me?

I have a good side, and a bad side?

Whatever this is, I feel more bloodthirsty than ever. I wanted to stab him with bare claws. I can feel my eyes glowing full crimson blood with revenge.

I sprang up from the ground and attacked him in total bloodlust. This side just wants to kill for sport.

And yet I have a mild, loving side trying to stop me.

It's like having a good NightTiger on one shoulder and an evil NightTiger on the other.

I'm angry and confused. My mind is playing with me.

Izm backed away from me. I looked back from the half dead Caleb and mellowed a tiny bit.

Izm was terrified.

The boys were terrified.

I scared the crap out of everyone. And I didn't even mean to.

I grabbed Caleb's collar and yanked him on the ground behind me. I stomped on his chest and grabbed a knife from the table. A lot of the kids gasped.

"You don't know what it's like to be pounded every day by jealous whores," I hissed at him. "You have no idea how damn HARD life is for me! You're lucky enough that I haven't killed you yet! At least you have your cronies backing you up constantly; I have NOBODY to look out for me except ME! You ungrateful PIECE OF SHIT!"

I threw the knife at Caleb. It landed right next to his neck, almost cutting him. That's just where I aimed.

"Unless you really do want me to kill you, GET OUT."

Caleb painfully scuttled up from the ground and sprinted out the door.

I sighed and growled. The whole room was quiet, almost like waiting for me to say something.

"Never mess with a girl who has blood on her hands."

The room was dead silent. I stared at the door that Caleb retreated from. If I had a tail, I would have swished it. I brushed some hair from my face.

"You beat Caleb Donahue!" Zeke said.

I heard random whispers from around the room.

"She defeated him!"

"He ran from her! That's impossible!"

"What's her name?"

"She's pretty."

"She's so tough!"

"She looks like NightTiger!"

That comment made me tense up. These people never shut up about her, do they?

Izm smiled and walked up to me. "Her name is Delilah," he said triumphantly, "And she defeated Caleb Donahue!"

He held up my hand in the air. I had won.

People actually cheered for me!

I almost killed my worst enemy, but I felt good about it!

After some of the cheering died, I sat back down on the table and chewed some waffle.

"OK, how did you do that?" Zeke sputtered.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Something happened when Caleb kicked you, what was it?"

"I just had a mental breakdown at him," I lied.

"Dare," A.E.D. started after a short pause, "What do you mean by 'blood on her hands'?"

The rest of the guys stopped chewing. I guess they remembered that quote.

I sighed. "You really want to know, .D?"

He nodded once.

"I know how to kill with my bare hands," I started.

They looked at me with OMG SHE CAN KILL US faces.

I growled to myself. "You guys asked. I killed five people with nothing but my person. And it's not my fault; they were the ones who tried to rape me first."

They were traumatized. I think they were a little scared of me.

"But..." Wei Ren broke the silence, "How did you kill them?"

"Bloody vengeance, Ren," I answered, glaring. "I'm gonna go back to .D's dorm; I'm not hungry."

I never say that. I'm a bottomless pit sometimes.

I got up from the table and took my tray to the trash can. I dumped everything in and put the tray on top.

I pulled up my short uniform skirt and wandered back into A.E.D.'s room.