The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5

by Stacy Claflin

***

  While I was busy with my homework, Brooke called my cell phone. I hoped that she was calling to see how I was, not to lecture me about something.

  "Hi Brooke."

  "You're finally answering your phone." She sounded exasperated. "What's been going on?"

  "I had a little down time."

  "A little? I would say that it was quite a lot. I tried to visit you but your family wouldn't let me. Natalie said that you weren't feeling well, and that she wouldn't let any relative of Cliff's near me."

  I smiled. "She knew that Cliff and I had a fight, so she must have been trying to protect me. Surely you can understand that."

  "Well, what's going on? Why weren't you answering your phone? We've been worried about you."

  "I left it unplugged, so I didn't get any calls or texts until I plugged it in yesterday."

  "Why didn't you respond to any of them?" she asked.

  I sighed. "To be honest, I don't know who called me or texted me. I've been busy catching up on my homework."

  "What have you done about blood?"

  "I haven't wanted any until this morning, and I got some from a forest animal."

  She laughed. "Don't expect to start sparkling in the sunlight."

  "Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes. "I know the movies aren't accurate, but I was desperate and gave it a try. Did you guys find Cliff?"

  "No, we haven't heard from Cliff yet. It's been a slow couple of weeks with both of you in hiding."

  "So I hear someone named Clara is coming to be my new warden. Want to tell me who she is?"

  "I'm sure that the two of you will get acquainted when she arrives, but I can tell you that she's your cousin and she's seen your parents recently. She might be able to tell you more about them than us."

  "Is she really my cousin, or is she my cousin like Cliff is your cousin?"

  "She's really your cousin. Your fathers are brothers, so she's also a descendant of the Fyrsturae. She's not in line for the throne because her father married a common vampire."

  "How do you classify a common vampire?" I asked.

  "One who was changed from being a human. Her father caused some upset among the royals when he married a common vampire, but he was madly in love, and they still are, from what I hear."

  "That sounds interesting," I said. "I'll have to ask her about that."

  "Yes. You'll have plenty of time for that."

  "So do you have any new clothes for me, or will I have to wear one of my other outfits two whole times? Not that it would bother me to wear something twice, but I know how you feel about it. Most of the clothes that I wore before you started making me clothes were worn hundreds of times."

  "That I believe." she laughed. "I've still been making you clothes, and I can drop them off a little later if you'd like."

  "That's fine. I'm doing just homework here all day."

  SIXTEEN

  At school, the rumor about my absence was that I had been out with mono. I knew that it was impossible, but everyone seemed to believe it, so I went with it. I definitely didn't want to get into the real reasons with anyone.

  I was glad that I'd had plenty of space while I was gone, because I had no space whatsoever once back at school. Every time I turned around, someone was there to ask me about my absence or to tell me about someone that they knew who had mono. Popularity was suffocating.

  During lunch, I avoided the cafeteria where most people were, but ended up wishing that I had gone there anyway. I was by my locker, reading the texts that I had gotten while I was in bed, when I became aware of two people looking at me from a slight distance.

  Looking up, I saw Hailey and Emma standing at the other end of the hall staring at me and whispering to each other that I was poser and fake.

  They didn't know that I could hear them or their predator heartbeats. My senses didn't know the difference between a physical or social threat, but they were screaming at me about those two. I would have to be careful or I might end up acting out of reflexes.

  I walked over to them carefully and asked, "What exactly is it that makes me a poser?"

  They looked at me in shock.

  Emma asked, "How did you know…?"

  Hailey poked her with her elbow and whispered, "Shut up."

  "You two were just discussing that I am a poser and fake, right?" I asked.

  "What exactly doesn't make you fake or a poser?" Hailey asked. "You went from nothing, and I do mean nothing, to popular and homecoming princess in one night. The only reason is that you got dressed up and had the hottest date in the place."

  "Oh, you mean when I took that crown that you thought was going to be yours? I didn't ask for that. The people made their choice."

  "I've worked hard to become popular," Hailey said. "For years, everyone has loved me and wanted to be me. You don't know anything about what real popularity takes."

  "Everyone seems to like me well enough," I said. "I can barely get any space anymore, because everyone wants to talk to me and be my friend. I'm here by the lockers to get some air. It really does get to be too much at times."

  I can't believe she's taunting me.

  "You think I'm taunting you?" I asked, as her face went white. "I'm not taunting you. I'm only sharing facts."

  "What are you talking about?" Emma asked.

  There's no way that she's reading my mind.

  "Oh but I am, Hailey. There really is a way, because it is happening."

  Emma looked completely confused. Hailey looked like she might vomit, and her heart rate had increased significantly.

  "You're some kind of freak," Hailey whispered.

  "Is that all you have?" I asked. "Name calling?"

  "I'll tell everyone what a freak you are," she said. "Then we'll see how popular you are."

  "You think that people will believe you when you tell them that? They will think that you're the freak."

  "Tell them what?" Emma demanded. "What are you two talking about?"

  Hailey ignored her and tried to stare me down. "So tell me, where is your boyfriend? I haven't seen him around the entire time that you were gone. Did he figure out how pathetic you are and leave you? Is that the real reason that you were gone from school so long?"

  It took every ounce of self-control I had not to attack her right there.

  "He's traveling," I told her. "Don't try to change the subject."

  "Get a life," she said. I'll get you later.

  "When you do get me later, you had better stay away from my new car or you will regret it. I could overlook what you did to my old car but I won't overlook anything that happens to my new car."

  "Emma, let's go," Hailey commanded. She grabbed Emma's arm and yanked her along as she stomped away.

  As I watched them walk away, I knew without a doubt that they wouldn't leave me alone. I was sure that they would do something to me soon.

  ***

  After school, Tanner was waiting for me at my car. "Nice plate. It's very clever: A Lexus, Alexis."

  "That was my dad's idea," I told him. "But yeah, I like it too."

  "So after a couple weeks, are you in need of some more blood?"

  "You don't beat around the bush at all. Tell me what you're really here for."

  "I see you're just as funny as ever. My football game is going downhill and I could use some help."

  "Find yourself a dealer to get your fix," I told him. "I can't use you as my volunteer anymore. Your blood makes me feel things that I shouldn't. Cliff is my boyfriend, I love him very much and I can't allow anything to come between us."

  "It doesn't have to. I'm not looking for a relationship. I just need the fix for my game."

  "Your blood does something to me that I can't explain," I said. "That's why I did what I did last time."

  He smiled. "You mean when you threw yourself at me?"

  "Don't flatter yourself," I told him. "It was only because of your blood. That's the problem."

  "Where are you going to get the blood that you n
eed now?" he asked.

  "I'll either hunt animals or raid a blood bank."

  I thought his eyes would bulge out of his head. "Seriously?"

  "Of course."

  "That sounds like a lot of trouble, especially when you have a more than eager human volunteer. No chasing and no raiding."

  "Hunting is actually quite a thrill," I informed him. "As for raiding the blood bank, I won't actually be the one to raid it. I'll be getting it from some other vamps."

  "You've hunted? What did you hunt?"

  "You sound pretty interested, Tanner. Maybe I'll have to take you with me sometime. So far, I've only hunted a coyote. But I let it get ahead of me so it would put up a fight. Next time, I'll probably try something a little more dangerous."

  "I'm impressed, but not sure if I want to try it myself. You know, if you really like a good chase, I could make it a challenge to get my blood. It could be a lot of fun. I may not be able to outrun you, but I have more mental capabilities than a forest animal."

  My heart began to race at the mention of hunting a human, but I didn't want to acknowledge that to myself, much less him. I needed to focus on getting Cliff back and showing him that he was the only one for me.

  "I've got your number," I said. "But I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."

  He smiled. "I'll hear from you soon enough, Alexis." He gave a slight wave and walked away.

  ***

  I sat in my car, deciding what to do. I missed Cliff and wanted to talk to him so much that I ached. I didn't want to think about him and end up depressed for another two weeks. I couldn't keep my mind off of him.

  Why had I kissed Tanner? What had overcome me? More than anything, I wanted to go back in time and take it back.

  Something caught my eye. It was shining on the passenger side floor. I reached across and picked it up. It was a fancy men's watch. Who wore those anymore? Everyone checks the time with their cell phones. I wondered if my dad had dropped it, and then a memory flashed of Cliff wearing it one day.

  I held it close to my chest and hugged it. It was the closest thing that I had to him, and I had no intention of ever letting it go.

  Suddenly, it felt like the car started spinning. All I could see was a blur of colors. When everything stopped moving, I was standing in a hallway, in what appeared to be a log cabin. I wondered if I was really there, or if I was having some kind of a vision. I reached to my left and touched a coat hanging on a rack. It was soft and made of a slippery material. It felt very real.

  I walked down the hall as quickly and as quietly as I could. I peeked into a room when I reached an open door. It was a bedroom and someone was sleeping in the bed. I tiptoed to the bed and Cliff was sleeping there. I stood there and just stared at him. I was too stunned to be able to think clearly. I couldn't decide whether I should wake him or let him sleep.

  He started to roll around back and forth, looking like he was in anguish. "Why? Why would you do this to me?" he mumbled.

  I jumped back, afraid that he had realized that I was there, but he was still sleeping. I held my breath as I continued to watch him.

  "How could you break my heart like this?"

  A tear rolled down my face. "I'm so sorry, Cliff. I'm so sorry."

  His eyes opened. I was so surprised that I dropped the watch.

  Suddenly, I was back in my car. The tears that had started in a mysterious cabin continued to flow in my car at Delphic Cove High.

  After I had cried my last tear, I was filled with a determination to work on my powers and gifts. I couldn't get back to Cliff without his watch and I couldn't take back what I had done. But, I could do one thing. I decided to go and train myself to be better. That would be a lot better than doing nothing.

  I drove to the forest to practice using my senses. There were a lot of unfamiliar sounds and I wanted to learn how to focus my senses and use them to their full potential. I had a strong feeling that I would need them, and I wanted to be prepared for anything that came my way.

  It was a certainty that I would be the one to rid the world of the Moretti's, but I didn't know what that would entail. One thing that I knew was that I needed to learn how to use all of my gifts and abilities to their fullest extent.

  I ran about two miles into the forest and climbed about half way up a tree. I sat quietly and listened, allowing the quieter sounds to fill my ears slowly as I tuned out the more obvious noises. Many strange noises filled my ears and I picked one that I would search out.

  I tuned out every other sound to the point in which I felt I had nearly become one with the unfamiliar noise. I jumped out of the tree and landed soundlessly on the soft ground below. I walked in a near crouch in the direction of the sound.

  I went around bushes, over fallen trees, under low branches and basically through an obstacle course until I had found the source of the sound. I found a little family of mice building a nest within a small crevice in a dead tree. I estimated that this was about a mile and a half from where I had originally heard the sound.

  Satisfied that I had been successful, I decided to try my skills a couple more times. Both times, I heard something that was over a mile from where I started. I found a bird cleaning its feathers and a couple of weasels wrestling.

  Then, I decided to do the same thing with my sense of smell. There were a lot of unfamiliar scents in the woods, and at first it was difficult to separate them out, especially while sitting in a tree that had hundreds of scents in it alone.

  I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in too many scents to count. I held onto the inhaled breath and focused in on a particular group of scents. Then I exhaled and took in another breath, focusing even deeper on that group of scents until I had narrowed in on one smell.

  Without allowing myself to think, I went purely by instincts and followed the scent through the woods until I reached my destination. With my eyes closed, I traced the path of the scent that I was tracking. I opened my eyes when I knew that I was getting close, and found myself about twelve feet from a brown bear.

  I jumped when I saw it, but quickly remembered that I was both faster and stronger than it, so then I had no fear. I thought about hunting it, but then I saw some cubs not too far away and decided to leave it alone. The cubs were pretty big, but I thought they still needed both parents.

  I ran back in the direction that I had come from, and after a couple of miles, went up another tree to test my sense of smell again. I decided that it would be best to keep my eyes open this time.

  I took in a deep breath and let thousands of different smells flood my nose. I focused in on a different group of scents this time.

  Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and a cold sensation went up and down my back. I froze in place while all of my senses kicked into overdrive. Something or someone was watching me.

  I readjusted myself on the branch while evaluating the situation through my senses. I had to decide quickly what to do. I could either sit where I was and see if whatever or whoever it was decided to move on, or I could act before it pursued me.

  The hairs on my arm rose and my senses went into high alert again. This told me that I was being watched intently, and probably not by a passerby. I was going to have to run or fight.

  I took in another deep breath to see if I could pick up a scent that didn't belong in the forest. I needed to at least know what I dealing with before I decided what to do.

  Could it be another vampire? I knew very little about non-royals except that they were blood thirsty and liked to stay hidden. I hoped that it wasn't a werewolf, because I knew nothing about them except that someone had mentioned to me that they can kill vampires. I didn't know what I could do to defend myself against one, and they probably lived in the forests.

  I didn't think that I could smell any type of wolf, but then again what did I know about the scent of a wolf? I also couldn't pick out any human smells.

  Why hadn't I asked Brooke to teach me how to hunt and use my senses?
<
br />   A chill ran down my spine again, and I could feel that whatever was watching me had moved closer. I listened for footsteps but didn't hear anything that was close by.

  My instincts took over and before I knew it, I had jumped out of the tree and landed silently. I stood in a half crouch and felt my fangs grow inside my mouth. My heart was racing, but not from fear. I took in every sound, every sight, and every smell. I knew that I was being watched from my right and I spun around.

  "I know you're there. Show yourself."

  Silence.

  "I said make yourself known."

  Footsteps.

  I turned slightly to my right again and saw a girl mostly behind a tree. I almost sighed in relief, but didn't dare let my guard down. I had no idea who she was or why she was so deep in the woods, alone.

  "Who are you?" I demanded.

  She stepped out from behind the tree and took a few steps toward me. She looked at me for a minute and then said, "I'm Clara."

  "My cousin?"

  She stepped closer and I looked at her intently. She was definitely beautiful enough to be a vampire. She walked soundlessly and I felt no threat coming from her.

  "What are you doing out here in the woods?" I asked.

  "I could ask you the same thing," she replied. "I wanted to meet you before I officially became your human family's exchange student. You didn't make that easy at all."

  "I didn't know that you were looking for me. I would have gladly met up with you somewhere a little less secluded. You could have called my cell."

  She smiled. "That would be too easy, and so human. I see that you are testing your senses. I'm glad that you're not waiting around for others to teach you. Experience is the best teacher."

  "It's pretty difficult to get any information out of anyone around here," I said. "They seem to forget that I know nothing about vampire life."

  "You and I will be spending a lot of time together so I'm sure that I can fill you in," Clara said. "I'm also a bit older than the others, so I probably have a better understanding than they do. They are still learning, really, so it's not easy for them to teach. They probably don't realize it, but they're most likely waiting for you to teach them."