by Amy Hale
I pondered all of this new information and exhaled a deep sigh as I watched the scenery fly by the passenger-side window of my dad’s car. It was the end of November, and I’d been incident-free since the coffee shop accident, so I naively wished that’d be all there was to it. To be honest, the idea of becoming a full-blown dragon terrified me, especially since I didn’t know how the transformation process worked. No one had given me answers for that, and I’d been afraid to ask. I wanted to know, but I also didn’t. Sometimes knowing can make the anxiety worse, like getting a shot. If you find out at the last minute, you won’t waste time worrying about it before hand. Only, I still worried. I was making myself crazy with all the back and forth of emotions and thoughts, and my birthday approached quickly.
I released another big sigh, overwhelmed by it all, and I felt Dad shift in his seat. I wasn’t intentionally trying to make him feel bad. But with every little noise or gesture, he seemed more and more displeased. Guilt sucked. It wasn’t his fault that I’d never been the kind of girl to make friends easily. The new school was nice, but he knew I struggled to find my place, as usual.
We pulled up in front of the school, and Dad forced a smile. “I know it’s been rough, kiddo. I’m sorry. We never meant to put you through all of . . .” He paused and gestured around him. “. . . this.”
I shrugged. “I’ll survive.” I reached over and gave his arm a squeeze. “It’ll just take some time for me to adjust to . . .” I mimicked his gesture. “. . . this.”
He chuckled. “All right, sweetheart. You’d better get to class. I’ll talk to you tonight.”
I nodded and stepped out of the car. I shut the door and glanced up at the large brick building in front of me. My teachers were nice enough, and there were a few students that I kind of liked. The only person that had really made an effort to befriend me was Miranda Saunders, a very kind girl with platinum blond hair, porcelain skin, and a perfect, heart-shaped face. She stood a good four inches taller than me as well. She was the kind of girl that it would be easy to be jealous of, if she weren’t so sweet.
I pushed through the doors and saw her standing next to my locker. As usual, she was dressed impeccably in designer jeans, a gorgeous blue sweater, and uncomfortable-looking wedge shoes that added unneeded inches to her height. She looked like she had just stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine.
“Oh, hey, Zoey!” Her wide smile greeted me. “Did you study for that English quiz Mr. Zander is giving us today?”
I tried not to laugh. “I did. How about you?”
I pulled books out of my locker while pretending not to watch her reaction.
“Of course, although if I don’t do well, I may have to ask for tutoring.” She grinned.
I couldn’t hold back my laugh this time. “I knew it! You are totally trying to find a reason to stay after class.”
Her expression changed to one of horror, as if I’d insulted her. “Me? Whatever makes you think that?”
I turned to face her. “How about because all you ever do is talk about how hot Mr. Zander is and how you wish he were younger, or you were older?”
Miranda batted her long lashes at me. “I will admit to no such thing.” She smirked and sighed. “But I will admit he’s fun to look at.”
I shook my head. “True, but it’s still disturbing.”
She gave me a wink and then turned her head in the direction of our classroom. “We should get going.”
I picked up my English book and followed her. I’d only glanced down a moment when I ran into something warm and solid.
I raised my head to see a Havenwood Falls T-shirt at eye level. It covered what felt like an impressively muscled chest. I felt myself blush at my blunder and looked up into the exquisite face of one Jordan Woods.
Jordan was an Adonis in blue jeans. His shaggy blond hair, bright blue eyes, and chiseled jawline pulled me in every time I set eyes on him. I felt my nerves kick up a notch.
“Oh, gosh. I’m so sorry. I should have been watching where I walked.” I hoped I wasn’t mumbling, since I tended to do that when I got nervous. I could almost hear the blood rushing to my face as I blushed.
“No problem.” He looked me over for a moment. “Aren’t you the new girl? Zoey? Your dad runs the pawn shop now, right?”
I nodded, suddenly losing my ability to speak. I’d never actually spoken to Jordan face to face before this, but I’d silently worshiped him from afar.
“Cool. Well, I guess I’ll see you around. Have a nice day.” He smiled at me and continued to his first-period class.
It took a moment for me to breathe. That smile almost melted my knees. When I took my next step, my legs shook a bit, and suddenly Miranda stood right next to me. “He’s cute, huh? You should totally flirt with him.”
“Me?” I squeaked. “I struggled to complete a sentence just now. Flirting will be impossible.”
“Don’t let him fluster you. He’s only human, like the rest of us.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Sure, like the rest of us.” I didn’t say more. Instead I walked to class and pondered the fact that I didn’t know who was human and who wasn’t. Shouldn’t I sense something? Would this be one of those things that develops after my birthday? I really hoped all this started making sense soon. I felt as if I were losing my mind, and I was sure an insane dragon wandering Havenwood Falls was the last thing anyone needed.
The clock slowly ticked away as I watched from my desk in the back of the room. Lunch was minutes away, and I was more than ready. I’d overslept and skipped breakfast, so I paid the price. It felt like my stomach was devouring itself, and if I didn’t eat soon, it would growl so loud that everyone in class would hear it. Thankfully, most of the other students were engrossed in their history books and showed no indication that they’d heard the smaller rumblings coming from my stomach. I tried to focus, but I just couldn’t get into the Civil War at that moment. My preoccupied mind struggled with everything else, and I couldn’t concentrate. I had so many questions.
How many of the kids around me are supernatural, too? What if I do something wrong and get in trouble with the Court? Am I in danger from any of the other supernatural beings that live here? Is my mom safe, since she’s human?
The bell rang, and I slowly gathered my books. I still ran these questions through my mind when Miranda hooked her arm through mine.
“Ready for lunch?” She sounded chipper as always.
“Yes, so ready. I’m starving.” I groaned.
Arm in arm, we walked to the cafeteria. She placed her lunch box on the table, and I frowned.
“Do you have something against cafeteria food? You always bring your lunch.” I teased her, although I did wonder if there was something about our school lunches that she wasn’t telling me.
“No, not at all. It’s just that I’m on a special diet. Food allergies and all that.”
“Oh, okay. You’ll have to let me know what they are so I don’t accidentally give you something you can’t have.” The thought of making my best friend, really my only friend, sick, worried me. I’d never forgive myself if I accidentally hurt her.
She smiled and waved me away. “It’s all good. Now go get your lunch and get back so we can chat.”
I stuck my hands in the pockets of my jeans and strolled over to the lunch line. It moved quickly, and I arrived at the food trays in no time. I watched the line worker place pizza in the middle of the plate, then set a fruit cup and salad on the sides. She raised her eyes to mine and asked, “Milk?”
I shook my head no. “Water will be fine.”
She nodded and handed me a bottle of water along with my food tray.
I’d almost made it back to my seat when I noticed Miranda appeared as if she were about to be sick all over the table. I rushed over to her, setting my tray aside so it wasn’t in my way.
“Are you okay? You don’t look well.” I put my hand in hers, and it felt unusually cold.
“Yeah, I j
ust think my lunch isn’t agreeing with me.” She raised a hand to her mouth and covered it.
I grabbed the thermos she’d been sipping from to inspect the contents. Miranda reached for it, but wasn’t fast enough to get to it before I did. I sloshed the contents around inside.
“What is this, soup? Is this one of your food allergies?” I tilted the insulated thermos to get a better look.
“Uh, yeah. My lunch must have gotten tainted.” She reached for the thermos again, and I handed it to her, spilling a little on the table. I grabbed a napkin to wipe it up and then froze.
“Miranda, is that what I think it is?” My eyes grew wide as I looked into hers.
She put the lid on her thermos, stood, and grabbed her things. “I gotta go.”
I stood, too, forgetting all about my pizza and salad. Shoot, I don’t think I could have eaten anyway. Not after what I just saw.
I gave the table a quick swipe with the napkin before I followed her out of the cafeteria, down the hall, and into the girls’ bathroom. She ducked into a stall and quickly slammed the door.
“Miranda, you can talk to me. I promise to be open-minded,” I said quietly.
“I don’t think so,” she said, just before I heard her start to puke.
I waited patiently until she had purged it all from her system. She flushed and opened the door, then jumped when she realized I was still there.
“You didn’t have to wait,” she muttered.
“I know, but I wanted to.” I smiled at her.
Miranda turned on the water and washed her hands.
I moved to stand beside her. “I can keep a secret. I’m getting good at that, actually. I may even have a big secret of my own.” I gave her a wink, hoping it would encourage her.
“You do?” Her voice sounded hopeful.
“I do.” I placed a hand on her arm. “So, let’s make a deal. You tell me yours, and I’ll tell you mine?”
She nodded. “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “My lunch is probably what you thought it was. Except that it wasn’t my usual. Mom must have accidentally put her lunch in my thermos by mistake.”
“You don’t drink the same . . . uh . . . stuff?” I didn’t know if I could get the word blood past my lips just yet. I ducked my head down to be sure no one else occupied the stalls behind us. I knew it wouldn’t do to have someone overhear our conversation.
Miranda dried her hands. “No, I’m very particular about my meals. They must be from animal sources. I don’t like the taste of . . . well, the usual sources.”
I raised my eyebrows. “So, you’re like the vegan version of your kind?”
She chuckled. “Yeah, something like that.”
“That’s pretty cool,” I said. I still thought it was gross, but it didn’t surprise me that drinking human blood would upset her. Her kind nature wouldn’t allow for anything else.
She smiled at me. “Thank you. I’m glad we’re friends, Zoey.” She pulled me in for a hug.
I hugged her back. “Me, too, Miranda.”
Holy crap. My best friend is a vampire.
Chapter 4
Miranda leaned against the sink and crossed her arms. “My mom and I are both vampires. I’m kind of a freak, in more ways than one. My mom had a short relationship with the man that fathered me. Once she found out she was pregnant, he bolted, so I’ve never met him. What makes all this unique is he’s a vampire and changed my mom before I was born . . . before they found out about the pregnancy. As a rule, vampires aren’t supposed to be able to sire children, at least that’s what I’ve heard, so he became irate, accusing her of cheating on him. She’d been changed, but I was born this way. I’m not the norm.”
She sighed. “I’m also kind of an outcast because I prefer animals over the blood bank stuff.” She frowned. “The others of my kind do their best to avoid me.” Her voice held a hint of sadness and I couldn’t help but place my hand over hers.
“They don’t know what a great person they’re missing out on.” Great, I’m turning into my mother.
She squinted her eyes at me in suspicion, but I sensed a teasing tone to her voice. “Get that line from your mom?”
I laughed. “Was it an obvious mom-ism?”
She nodded. “It was. And I’ve heard it a million times from my own mother.”
We both stood in silence for a moment, then I spoke up. “Maybe they actually know what they’re talking about now and then.”
Miranda nodded again. “Well, the plus side is I’m pretty popular with the humans in the school. It’s mostly just the vamps that have labeled me a pariah.”
I let out a huff. “Yeah, well count yourself lucky. I can’t seem to get anyone, humans or otherwise, to give me the time of day, unless they are picking on me.” I paused and looked at my best friend. “Why are you so nice to me?”
She reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. “How could I not be? You exude kindness and compassion, Zoey. I knew the moment I saw you that you were special.”
That made me smile, and blush a little. “Thank you. I think that’s the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“You deserve kindness.”
I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I changed the subject. “You’ve haven’t heard my secret yet. It’s only fair.”
Miranda’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Tell me!”
I took a deep breath. This would have been the first time I admitted my secret to anyone, but since Miranda had a secret of her own, I felt safe with her. I still worked to push the words past my lips. “I’m not human, either.”
She shrugged. “I figured as much. I know you aren’t a vampire, so . . .” She waited for me to fill in the blanks.
“I’m a frost dragon.” I tried to mask the insecurity in my voice.
“A dragon!” she squealed.
“Shhh!” I hissed. “Not so loud.”
“Sorry.” She bounced up and down. “But that’s just the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“With all the supes that live in this town, that’s the coolest thing?”
She chuckled. “I’ve always been fascinated with dragons, so I might be a little biased. A frost dragon? So, you breathe ice instead of fire?”
I nodded. “Something like that.”
“Awesome,” she whispered beneath her breath. Miranda’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, Zoey! You have to meet Bale! He’s a dragon shifter, too! He’s not a frost dragon, but still . . . you guys would probably have a lot in common.”
I shook my head. “Not yet, Miranda. I recently found out myself, and I’m doing all I can to hold it together right now. Maybe after the dust has settled.”
Miranda nodded. “I get it. There’s a lot to adjust to.”
She placed her hand on my arm in a gesture of support. It was good to know, though, that there were others kinda like me. And to have a friend like Miranda.
The rest of the day went by quickly. Since I’d skipped lunch, I managed to keep my hunger at bay by quickly choking down some pretzels I’d bought from a vending machine between fifth and sixth periods. Miranda felt much better and even a little giddy after I’d told her my secret. She thought being a dragon was great, although I couldn’t verify or deny that for her either way, since I hadn’t actually experienced it yet.
We were walking to our last class of the day, when a girl I didn’t recognize shoved me into a wall and knocked the books from my hands.
“What hole did you crawl out of, freak?” She growled the words at me.
I glanced up into her face and saw a lot of anger and hatred. It was nothing unusual for me—this was just a repeat of my past school experiences.
Miranda’s voice came from my left. “Leave her alone, Katy. She isn’t bothering anyone.”
Katy turned her glare on Miranda. Her dark, short-bobbed hair swung as she stepped closer. “Who’s gonna make me? You?”
Miranda closed her eyes, and Katy smiled. Katy must have thought she frightened Miranda, but in reality, I belie
ved Miranda worked to control her temper. She gave off a vibe that reeked of danger.
I placed a hand on Miranda’s arm. “It’s okay. I’m not hurt.” I turned to Katy. “I’m Zoey Mills. It’s nice to meet you.” Kill them with kindness, right?
“I know who you are. I’ve heard all about your family. You aren’t welcome here.” She put a finger in my face. “If you knew what was good for you, you’d move away—all of you.” With that, she stomped away. I watched her retreat and tried to understand what my family had to do with anything.
I turned my face to Miranda’s and whispered, “Is it possible she knows? Is she supernatural, too?”
Miranda shook her head. “She’s human, but her dad is one of the few in town that know of our existence. He’s not supposed to speak of it, so I’m wondering if she overheard something she shouldn’t have.”
“About my family?” I squeaked.
“Well,” said Miranda, “you are the newcomers in town. A little place like this . . . there will be talk. Granted, it’s usually in the form of your usual gossip, not about what species someone is.”
I nodded. “Well, whatever she heard, she must not have liked it. I’m not a stranger to bullying or people thinking I’m odd, but it would have been nice to go a bit longer before it started up.”
Miranda’s smile held sadness. “We won’t allow her to push you around, Zoey. I promise.”
I nodded, thankful for someone willing to stand by me. I pulled her in for a hug and wiped a tear from my eye. “I don’t know why I’m so emotional. I thought this kind of thing wouldn’t bother me anymore.”
