by Graham, J A
“Aw, come on. The way you looked, it hurt a lot.”
Christian’s hand immediately clutched his arm in defence. Tanitha knew then that there was definitely something up. She reached up impulsively.
“Let me have a look…”
She placed an arm on his shoulder and he twisted away roughly, resulting in her becoming unbalanced and ending up on the ground. For a second, his eyes glowed with fury but when he saw what he had done he calmed down, still clutching his upper arm. His eyes flickered with apologies but it seemed that he didn’t want to voice them. It was a matter of pride for him not to apologise.
“It’s nothing. Okay? Why don’t you just go home and leave me alone!?”
And with that he walked away. Tanitha watched; hurt more by his words than the actual violence. He stormed angrily down the street and Tanitha guessed he was going home. She sighed sadly and made her way to class, wondering what had caused Christian to act in that manner.
Chapter Three
Christian slammed the door to his house, anger powering his force. He heard the familiar stomping of his father’s overweight figure storming its way down the hallway. Sure enough, his dad made his way into the room with an immense scowl on his face. His massive bulk blocked the doorway, like a bouncer at a nightclub.
Clifton’s face was red, and he looked at his son like a volcano ready to blow its top. Sure enough, his mouth spewed forth the molten lava that was expected.
“Why’d ya slam the door like that?!” He roared, angry at having the rugby on television disturbed by his son’s outrage.
“Just leave it, Dad. I’m not in the mood.”
“Like bloody hell you aren’t! You’ll be in the mood if I say so! If I told you to jump off the Sky Tower, you’d bloody well better obey me, son -”
“I’m old enough to make my own decisions!” Christian cut in, speaking with a stubborn bluntness. Clifton’s eyes bulged out of his head and he looked ready to burst. Christian knew that, sooner or later, the beating would come. But right now, he didn’t care. He was too infuriated to tap into common sense.
“Who pays the bills, huh?!” Clifton roared like a bull into battle.
“Go back to being a bum in front of the TV and leave me alone!” Christian yelled at him.
“You calling me a bum?! Is that what you think of me?!” He shoved Christian roughly against the wall, Christian still clutching his shoulder. “I’ll show ya what this bum can do! Why, you no good…”
He lifted a hand and Christian squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the blow. Suddenly his mother’s syrupy sweet voice floated through the air and the hand was never brought down.
“Oh, Clifton, he tries his hardest.”
“Well, that’s not good enough Mythos.” But he released his harsh grip and made his way back to the television. “Go and cook me some kai, woman.”
Christian’s mother beckoned to Christian to follow her into the kitchen. She was a small willowy woman, slender of frame and obedient to Clifton’s every whim. Put the two in the same room and you can immediately tell who the dominant one is. Usually Mythos stays silent to Clifton’s outbursts. She only spoke up when Clifton took it out on Christian.
Christian followed his mother’s steps and sat down heavily at the table, knowing what was going to come. Every single time Christian upset his father, he would get a quiet little speech from his mother. The very whisper of her speaking so as not to let Clifton hear made him feel guilty, more so than Clifton’s shouting. If Clifton screamed at him, he could handle it, whereas if Mythos spoke to him, he couldn’t.
“You know you shouldn’t upset your father. You know what he’s like when he gets all worked up. There’s no reasoning with him.”
“He’s the one that starts it.” Christian moaned, slumping over with his hands covering his face.
“I know but he doesn’t have the sense to stop it. And you know that.”
“Sometimes I wonder who the man about the house is.”
His mum dropped the spatula she was holding and started banging her head against the cupboard.
“I just can’t cope anymore…you…him…I just can’t…”
Christian was immediately up on his feet and comforting his mother. He rubbed her back soothingly. He hated to see her this way. She was only ever this depressed when Clifton was around. When his father had gone on holiday, without them of course, Mythos had revealed a side to her Christian hadn’t even known she had. But that side evaporated the very second Clifton stomped back in the door.
Naturally Clifton came in to see what the racket was.
He took one look at the two and fumed.
“Did you do this, son? Huh?”
Christian stayed silent.
“Speak up, boy, so I can hear you! Go on, say something!” Clifton dared, glaring at him with his beady brown eyes.
“No, don’t…” Mythos’s voice quivered. Christian returned his father’s eye contact with equal fury.
“I’m sick and tired of all the rubbish that’s going on here, father!” Christian retaliated, deliberately stressing the last word. “I’m trying hard with my exams! I can’t help it if I don’t live up to your expectations! And what are you doing to help? Nothing! You leave everything up to me! It’s me that has to go get a job to pay for school fees, me that’s always tidying up around here. Just give me a break, won’t you?”
“Please, don’t…”
Neither of the two men, now clearly angered by the other’s mere presence, heard Mythos’s whisper.
“I don’t set high expectations for you! They’re well within your capabilities and you know it!”
“Why don’t you get a job yourself then!? I shouldn’t be the only one earning the family income! I’m not going to provide for you! I’m sick of your bullsh…”
“Stop!” Mythos screamed loudly, shocking the two warring males. It was the first time she had ever shown such clear defiance. Maybe she had sensed there was something heavier in the air that night. Whatever the reason, Christian suddenly needed to be on his own. He glared at Clifton before storming up the carpeted stairs to his room. He could hear his father yelling at his mother now, and his mother sobbing her heart out. He slammed the heavy oak door and sat down on the seat in front of his mirror. He peeled off his top, sticky with sweat after getting so worked up. A bandage lay folded neatly against his upper left arm and he removed it. A jagged bite met his gaze, blazing red and almost festering. He slammed his hand down on the desk, reveling in the answering shock of pain. After three months, it still hadn’t cleared up. He brought out a fresh bandage and bound the wound up tightly. Then he placed his head in his hands, trying to get rid of the pounding headache.
Chapter Four
Senses heightened, the Canine’s eyes changed from slight crescents to half moons in the rapidly failing light. Nightfall lay but minutes away and he was on the prowl again. His mouth salivated with the thought of blood on his taste buds and he was eager to be out and hunting. He led a lonely life, this stray, but that was the way he preferred it. He once had a partner, but he killed her and supped upon her dying carcass; for always there was the insatiable craving of feeling warm moistness trickle down his sandy cheeks and gorge on the savior that only this life giving force held. Ah, yes, for whoever was to drink the blood were to have their life sustained. He wasn’t expecting much, just enough to cure his cravings…well, at least for one night.
It seemed, then, that this Canine’s prayers were answered. Stones rolled like skittles underfoot as he padded softly towards the shadowed figure, silhouetted in the moonlight. His pointed ears pricked forwards, his ebony coat mottled with sandy streaks providing excellent camouflage from prowling eyes. The young boy was nervous; maybe he had lost his way and was scared of the dark. Oh well, all his problems would be cured soon. The dog licked his lips and tasted the tenderness of the saliva that dribbled eagerly from his open maw. Soon, soon he would feast on the best blood of all. The blood of man…
When Tanitha arrived at school the next day, she didn’t know what to expect. The police had cordoned off the area where the murder supposedly happened. Faint traces of blood were still visible. She felt sick in the stomach. What sort of person could do such a thing? According to the newspapers, a young boy of about ten or eleven was killed right outside the school grounds. Slashed and dashed as if by some animal, a wolf maybe, the tabloids said, due to the size of the canine imprints. But that was stupid, there were no wolves in this country, in fact no animal considered to be seriously dangerous ever prowled here at all. Why couldn’t they see that fact? Anyway, no animal could do something like that, could they? It seemed, by the way of his footprints, that the boy had been targeted, then “played with”. They showed that the boy, after a while of this game, fell, and that was when he met his final doom. What really baffled the police was the lack of a second pair of prints. Only the boy’s were visible in the area. Already there were all sorts of rumours spreading like wildfire. Seleena even believed that there might even be a vampire in the area, or a werewolf. She played on this fact with her common knowledge: Their footprints were non-existent. Tanitha thought it absurd to even be thinking such horrendous thoughts. Vampires and werewolves were myths and legends.
Tanitha looked up, snapping from her thoughts, as a shadow moved in front of her. She slanted her eyes from the backdrop of sun and found herself gazing into a familiar face.
“Oh, hi Christian.”
“Hey,” he said, his hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his jeans. He was looking down, his hair falling to cover his face. Finally, after about a minute of scuffing his feet and Tanitha waiting patiently for an explanation, he looked straight at her with his enchanting emerald eyes. “Look, I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to act like I did. There’s just so much pressure at home and everything…”
Tanitha placed a hand gently on his shoulder, trying to be of some comfort to him. He looked to be in need of comforting.
“Look, I understand. Just forget about it.” She changed the subject, flicking her head in the direction of the squad car outside the school property. “Heard about it?”
“Yeah.” Was it Tanitha’s imagination or was that nervousness that streaked quickly through his eyes? He scratched the back of his head, wrinkling his nose. “Dreadful stuff, ain’t it?”
Tanitha nodded, glancing back at the site. She was glad the body still wasn’t there. She knew she would have thrown up if it were. Christian kept on staring at her, and Tanitha felt uncomfortable under his intense gaze.
“All who are born will eventually die, though.” He said softly. Tanitha shivered as the words chilled her to the bone. There was a mixture of emotion in that one sentence. Hurt. Despair. Hunger. He finally broke the contact of his stare to look through his bag.
A dog approached Tanitha from off the street. Tanitha bent down with a warm smile, glad for the distraction. The dog was a bulky animal of sled dog descent. It carried its bushy tail like a sickle over its back.
“Hey, it’s my pal, Dusky. Say hello to Dusky, Chris.”
Christian looked up from his rummaging and locked eyes with the dog. Dusky also seemed to notice Christian for the first time too and he lowered his head, eyes glaring at Christian. Tanitha looked at the two of them in turn. Dusky never acted like that. It puzzled her that he would do so now. Christian let out a mock growl and Dusky turned and ran with his ears flat against the back of his head and tail between his legs. Tanitha looked at Christian and apologized profusely.
“I’m so sorry! He’s never acted like that before…” Her sentence trailed off, mingling with her momentary confusion. Christian merely shrugged, his hands sliding into his pockets.
“Yeah, well, me and dogs. We just don’t mix.”
Tanitha could have told him that herself. She had no time to ponder this thought as the bell rung. She hadn’t yet noticed this habit, which could be hiding crucial evidence. She started walking instinctively towards the classrooms.
A guy was waiting at the gateway between two knee-height poles. He had been leaning on the walls in a carefree manner, chatting to Seleena and her friends. Tanitha watched in her own little reserve as he stepped around Seleena and, much to the amazement of everyone watching, approached Tanitha. Seleena watched intently, maybe even a little too quietly for her usual self. She had her long blonde hair braided to either side of her head today, trying to distribute the innocent schoolgirl look but betraying it by wearing a mid-thigh skirt. Tanitha could feel Seleena’s gaze measuring her up to see if she fitted into the category of competition.
“Hi.” The guy said, drawing Tanitha’s wandering attention back to him. She didn’t know what Cameron Reynolds was doing talking to someone like her. He was the captain of the first fifteen. It was unnatural for him to even be seen with Tanitha. Tanitha felt shock draw over her slowly and she blushed, and then cursed herself silently as shame replaced the shock.
“Hello.” She uttered simply, afraid that her mouth might not be able to string together a coherent sentence. Cameron smiled as he was acknowledged. He wore his ebony hair in much the same way as Christian did, parted to either side, but the difference was that Cameron’s was brushed smooth. His blue eyes usually exuded confidence in the fact that he was handsome. For he was a complete stunner. But something was over the confidence that day, like a shutter blocking the sunlight.
“I’m Cam, and this is Seleena.” He waved slightly towards the blonde, though it seemed more a dismissal than a welcome. “I saw you over there talking to Dusky and I just wanted to say hi. Did you know Dusky was our dog?”
“No, I didn’t. Someone told me his name once but I didn’t know who actually owned him. So you own him?” Tanitha was pleasantly surprised that she was making normal conversation.
“Yeah, me and my bro, Cheyne. Maybe you’d like to come over and meet Cheyne sometime? He’s quite cool. He doesn’t go to school anymore.”
“Wow, very subtle.” A voice said in response. Tanitha turned around. Cameron seemed to also notice Christian for the first time and only then did he let his smug superiority show. He cradled his face in one hand, as if thinking, tapping his index finger against his cheek. Then his face seemed to light up. As if mocking Christian, he pointed the same finger at him.
“You’re on the team, right?” He asked, referring to the first fifteen. “New boy. Chris-topher, was it?”
“Christian.”
“Right. Now, Chris, tell me. Was I addressing you in particular?”
Cameron’s eyes held a mean light and he had a smirk on his face. Tanitha could tell that his intentions weren’t at all friendly.
“No. In fact, maybe I shouldn’t bother. Maybe I’m wasting my time because your head is so far up your backside you talk sh…”
“Hey, guys, come on.”
Both guys looked at Tanitha, who shrugged, feeling her cheeks burning again. Why was it she got easily embarrassed at the worst of times? Seleena cracked up laughing, and her girlie giggle was starting to irritate Tanitha deeply. She walked over, hips visibly swaying, and Tanitha rolled her eyes. She watched as Seleena draped her arms over Christian from behind. Tanitha scowled. Christian was her friend. She found herself hoping that Seleena wouldn’t sink her claws into him.
“I’m Seleena.” Seleena said in his ear. Christian turned around, breaking the contact with a raised eyebrow.
“I know, you said that in form class.”
“You know what? So I did. Come. I have to tell you about the party that’s on this weekend. Cam?”
“Hmmm?”
“You can invite her if you like.”
She said it in such a dismissal tone that Tanitha felt like vapour. Tanitha’s hands instinctively clenched at her sides.
“So, Tanitha.” Cameron interrupted her train of thoughts. “You heard about the party on Friday?”
“Yeah, just now apparently.”
“You gonna come?”
She thought about it for
a while, listing the pros and cons.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“But…”
“See ya then.”
“What…”
But he had gone, and Tanitha was now infuriated by the way he had acted. She should have known that Cameron would be no different from any other. She was halfway hoping that she would have been able to go with Christian but now it seemed that Seleena had already snagged him. She shrugged to loosen her tense shoulders and started off towards class. She was stopped not long after by a familiar syrupy sweet voice.
“Hey, Tanitha baby, wait up.”
Tanitha stopped and sighed melodramatically. Seleena drew up beside her. She was clutching a couple of books to her chest and smiling that come-to-bed smile of hers.
“It might just be me but it seems like Cam’s smitten.”
She bit her lip through the smile, her body moving suggestibly. Tanitha merely turned on her heel and continued walking.
“I don’t have any intention of doing anything. Not with anyone and especially not with Cameron.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of it.” Seleena’s voice called after her. “Cam can be awfully determined. In fact, I bet you that you’ll be all over him by the end of the night.”
Tanitha thought about Seleena’s words as she continued down the corridor. No way could she fall for some hotshot like Cameron Reynolds – could she? Why was he after her? There were much prettier girls than her, like Seleena for example. She shrugged, and then decided to look for Christian.
Chapter Five
Christian wandered down the field solemnly after Seleena had seen him. It was obvious she had liked him, but the feeling wasn’t mutual. He just didn’t like girls that acted the way she did. She was pretty and she knew it. And that made Christian feel insecure.
Suddenly he felt stabs of pain shoot through his body. He clutched his stomach wearily.
No, not now. Not now!
