Southern Exposure

by Lari Smythe

  Chapter 5

  I glanced in the mirror at my honey-golden eyes and then checked to make sure I'd completely covered my exposed skin before heading out. The house was mysteriously quiet. It seemed odd they would leave me alone, especially since Elizabeth had never gotten the opportunity to grill me about school. Ever since I could remember, she constantly hovered over me like a warden. Why now, when so much was at stake, would she back off? It made no sense—I was skeptical, but grateful.

  My evening hunt had taken longer than I wanted, but giving myself over to the primitive side had definitely relieved the tension. It meant I hadn't done as much art as I'd hoped, but I managed to complete a few decent charcoal renderings before the sky lightened. I could hear Tink, still in the garage working on his truck I imagined, as I strolled across the dew soaked lawn toward the garage. Would it be selfish to ask him to use his truck? My car would likely attract all sorts of unwanted attention at school, and I just didn't want to have to deal with that—my 'dealing with' plate was pretty much maxed out.

  "Oh my God." I abruptly stopped at the open garage door.

  "There you are," Tink said, appearing from under the hood of his truck with a huge grin.

  "How—what—I mean, it was—I don't understand how you—"

  Tink walked over to my car and ran a clean, white terry cloth over the fender. "The paint was new, still soft, so it was easy to repair. I still had an extra headlight bucket from the donor car and well, a little elbow grease and it's good as new." He opened the door. "Don't want to be late."

  "How do I explain—I mean, what do I say to the boys?"

  "Think I'd stay away from those boys and well as far as the car goes, I guess just act like nothin' ever happened."

  I slid my portfolio behind the driver's seat and got in. "You're the best brother a girl could have."

  "Yeah," Tink said closing the door, "don't get too lovey dovey though, I expect a rematch tonight—still think I can take you." He winked.

  "Will you be close by again today?"

  "Few more things to do around here, but I should be there before lunch, that okay?"

  "Yeah, lunch, no problem."

  He stepped back as I started the engine and pulled out of the garage. The whole way to school I was worried about Derrick and his crew. As luck would have it, I was running a few minutes late, so by the time I pulled into the parking lot, everyone had gone inside. Just the same, I parked on the opposite side of the parking lot from the ricers. Unfortunately, Derrick and the others were standing outside the front of the school. Their jaws dropped as I strolled across the parking lot, met Cathy at the door, and went inside. We were standing across from the office before I ventured a cautious breath.

  "You okay?" Cathy asked.

  "Sure, why?"

  "I don't know, I had this feeling—you sure?"

  "Yeah." I glanced in the front office. "Hey, where's your mom?"

  "She had to go back home after she dropped me off."

  "Why?"

  "Our house got egged last night."

  "Do you know who did it?"

  "Probably Derrick and his crew, that's why I was worried about you. I thought I saw them follow you after you dropped me off."

  "No, I don't think so." The lie came easy. No need to worry Cathy.

  "Well, that's good. I see you found it." She read my puzzled expression. "Your portfolio."

  "Yeah, it's not much, just a couple of pieces." I cringed as the first bell rang.

  "I'll see you in Art."

  "Sure, see you then."

  Latin was a godsend, a place where I could gradually reacquaint myself with humanity. Except for my brief conversation with Cathy, I hadn't taken a breath since entering the school. By the time Latin was over, I was breathing like any normal human, albeit guarded.

  Art was fine, except Andy kept making these irritating faces—bugging his eyes out and everything. Mrs. Snyder liked my portfolio, and we started on another still life. The bell rang before I knew it, and we were off to lunch. It was just like I'd hoped. The second day was easier. I did remember to stop breathing when Cathy and I walked into the cafeteria—no need to push it—and deposited our books on the small, round table just inside the door. Cathy smiled and headed for the lunch line. We were early, but by the time Cathy returned with her tray, the room was getting quite noisy and a bit overwhelming for me.

  "Not eating?" Cathy asked.

  "Not today," I replied using as little air as possible—I didn't want to have to take another breath. Across the room, in the far corner, I picked up on Derrick and the other boys boisterous laughter. It was odd how they'd completely ignored me, even when they walked past our table. Maybe they felt bad about what happened, or more likely, afraid I'd rat them out. And then I heard it, the name from last night.

  "Well, if it ain't Hollywood. What do you think you're doing?"

  "Thought I'd sit with you, and the name's Jason."

  That voice again, that beautiful, melodic voice. I couldn't stop myself from taking a shallow breath—and I wasn't disappointed.

  "Not so fast, Hollywood," Derrick continued, "'cept for on the bench, I ain't so sure I want you sittin' with me. What do ya' think fella's?"

  "He should have to earn it," Joe said.

  "Yeah, and he ain't gonna earn it sittin' on the bench." Derrick laughed, the others joined in like puppets.

  "Oh, oh, I know," Andy piped up, "make him sit with the freaks."

  "The who?" Jason asked.

  "Not bad, Andy," Derrick replied, slapping a high five with Andy, "maybe a little time with the freaks will teach him a little appreciation."

  "You kidding me," Jason mumbled.

  "They're the ones dressed in black in case you don't know what a freakin' Emo looks like. Up to you." Derrick and the others turned their backs on him.

  I ducked down behind my book as Jason looked across the room toward our table, but I heard him grumble, "Great, sit with the vampires."

  I cringed even though I knew no one else could hear what he said, but the word vampire—in these surroundings—made me very self conscious. Shreds of pulp fell from my fingers as I'd unintentionally crushed the cardboard cover of the hardback book I'd been reading.

  "Guess there's nothing wrong with a little initiation as long as no one gets hurt, right?"

  Derrick and the other boys continued to ignore him.

  "You can sit with me," Lisa, the 'makeup' girl from Advisory, said as Jason passed her table.

  "Maybe some other time, excuse me."

  My whole body tensed, was he really going to sit with Cathy and me? He couldn't. It was impossible. There was no way I could control myself. I glanced toward the doors and started to get up.

  "You okay?" Cathy whispered. A shadow swept across our table. "Oh!"

  I gasped at her surprise, erasing any chance of a positive outcome. His sweet, scent burned through my lungs like the afternoon sun across the desert sand. I clenched, pulverizing the remains of my book as the fire zeroed in at the back of my throat. I'd experienced thirst, but nothing like this. This was unrelenting. Even so, that wasn't what disturbed me the most. Deep in my gut there was a strange sensation like a tightening knot. The intensity almost doubled me over. Alone, each sensation was too much. Together, they were insane. He was beyond description, beyond belief, beyond my control.

  "Hope that's not a library book," Jason said from behind me.

  "Are you okay?" Cathy whispered again. When our eyes met, her face went white. I could only imagine what mine looked like. When she glanced down at my book, I quickly shoved the remnants into my book bag.

  His shadow moved from behind me. "I'm new. Name's Jason. Seems this is the newbies table. Mind if I join you?"

  His succulent breath was like nothing I'd ever experienced. It was completely overpowering. I slowly looked up into his beautiful, tanned face that pleaded for me to say yes, a face that brightened with recognition when our eyes met.

  "It's you. I kn
ew you weren't my imagination," he said so softly only I could hear.

  I slowly slid off my stool, not wanting to make any sudden movement that might trigger my instincts. His eyes were locked on mine, and I didn't have the strength to look away, which meant only one thing—I was on autopilot without the experience to control it. His pupils began to dilate as my hypnotic influence captured him. I tilted my head to the side, and his obediently followed. His heartbeat, blood surging through bulging veins, was all I could hear. My lips pealed back in a seductive smile, exposing my teeth. When there was no doubt what was about to happen—and at that instant it was all I wanted—the knot deep in my gut wrenched me back. I broke the stare and glanced toward the door.

  "No, not again." Jason stepped between me and the door. The room, beyond my bubble of awareness, had fallen silent. He quickly glanced around, probably wishing he'd said yes to Lisa. "Listen, I know you probably wish I hadn't bothered you, but I really don't have a lot of options here. Can't you help me out?"

  Out was the answer. I needed to get as far away from him as I could. I cautiously stepped to the side.

  "Wait, don't go." He slid his tray onto our table without looking away from me.

  "I'm sorry," I groaned, but it came out more like a low, guttural growl. Normal human pace, I reminded myself, normal human pace. As the wonder in his face melted, I bolted for the door.

  The door slammed closed behind me triggering an eruption of laughter, Derrick's above the rest. I folded my hands across my abdomen and pressed against the tightness. "What is that?" I panted falling back against the wall next to the door.

  From inside the cafeteria, footsteps raced toward me and the door suddenly flew open. In vampire speed, I saw Jason's hand on the door and was gone—out the side entrance—before the door hit the wall.

  I passed my car and cleared the parking lot. Even as the school disappeared behind me, I knew the slightest hesitation could cause me to turn around. I plunged into the trees that hung over a one hundred year old stone fence line following it away from Boonsboro toward the mountains. Up ahead, where the fence formed a corner, a lone buck was grazing. I closed on him with incredible speed. His muscles were still placid when I tore into his flesh. We crashed through the stone, wall, and I gorged myself on his blood hoping it would give me pause. It did little to quell the fire, but momentarily distracted me from the urge to go back for Jason. I began to pace in rigid, erratic motions, finally collapsing against the stone, wall and sliding to the ground.

  That's it. It's finished, I'll never get my revenge. I slammed my fist into the ground, pulverizing a boulder. "You lucky bastard, I'll never find you!" The frustration further distracted me from the incident with Jason.

  The thin veil of glowing fog that clung to the moist vegetation around me slowly burned away with the afternoon sun. The warmth on my face calmed me, and as I began to regain control, I realized my hands had been drawn to my abdomen. Just thinking Jason's name brought back the tightness. What is that?

  I'd always thought Elizabeth's objection to school—besides the obvious—was the fear that I might remember my past, and for some unknown reason, that was forbidden. I knew I wasn't originally part of this coven—they were all from the civil war era, the south—but the Faulkners were all I knew. There were things said, things not said, and quick, discrete glances between them that made me think they were all sworn to secrecy. There was a time I thought I might have been created for Tink—and they let me believe that, almost encouraged it—but I came to believe it was more of an afterthought. Tink would never kill, especially for such a selfish reason—isn't that what I'd almost done, kill? The thought stabbed like a knife. I'd sworn never to kill—and I hadn't—yet with Jason I almost gave myself over to the monster.

  "I can't go back to school," I mumbled with crushing finality. My entire miserable existence had been geared toward finding the vampire who changed me—to destroy him—and then myself. School was my last chance, my last hope and if school was no longer an option, what now? Did it matter?

  "Jason," I growled, "this is your fault."

  The intensity of my anger erased the façade of control and I sprang to my feet, quickly picking up the scent of another deer—the pursuit was short, but draining the yearling did nothing to help. How could it? I was trying to erase the thirst for human blood with an animal's.