Her eyebrows arched slightly. “And?"
"This girl decided to play a trick on me and locked me in a supply closet. I don't do well in small spaces, especially in the dark. I panicked. And...” I paused, biting my lower lip, not wanting to tell her the rest.
"And you started to shift,” Nicoleta finished for me.
My jaw dropped. She could read minds. How else would she know what I thought? I nodded in agreement.
"Did anyone witness it?"
Again I nodded, not wanting to look her in the eye.
She exhaled loud enough to snap my attention back on her. No emotion flickered across her face, which made it all the worse. “Who?” she demanded.
Why hadn't I just lied and said no one witnessed it? Mandy wouldn't tell anyone. Not with her family background. She understood the seriousness of the situation.
"Who, Cheyenne?” Her lips pressed into a tight line.
If something happened to Mandy because of my big mouth, I'd never forgive myself. “Mandy, my best friend. But, she won't tell anyone. She really won't. She's never betrayed my trust. Not ever. And well, there's something else. She's not from a normal family either. Her dad and brother are shifters, too. So see, she knows how important it is to keep the secret,” I rambled ninety miles an hour as I twisted my hands together.
"We know all about Mandy and her family. Have for quite a while."
I drew in a quick breath. “You know?"
"Yes. We make it our business to know the various races within our community. We've been at peace with the Luptãs for many centuries."
"So, it's okay that Mandy knows?” I asked, hope bursting from every word.
She took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “I wouldn't go so far as to say it's ‘okay’ that she knows, but I don't feel it places our clice or your identity in danger. But, you do need to be more careful and control your emotions better. What would have happened if someone other than Mandy witnessed the transformation?"
"I know. But what was I supposed to do?” I lifted my hands in front of me. “It wasn't like I asked for the witch to lock me in a closet. And it's not like I asked to be claustrophobic. If I could control it, don't you think I would? It's humiliating and embarrassing. It's not like I enjoy it.” I snapped my mouth shut and glared at Nicoleta. Maybe I wasn't cut out to be an ice queen like her. Emotions raged inside me ready to explode at any time—a teenager. Hello. And sorry if that wasn't good enough for her, but nobody asked me if I wanted to take on the responsibility of being a Vanator on top of the normal hormonal changes going on inside me.
"You were born into power and with that you have certain obligations. Obligations you cannot hide from any longer.” She cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips. “Trying to find a place in this world is hard enough for kids your age, but to be marked as a Vanator makes it ten times worse. I get that. However, you must look beyond your fear and frustrations and embrace what you are."
"What I am? I don't want to be seen as what I am but who I am.” I slapped my palm over my heart. “Inside. Not defined by my position. I didn't ask to be born into power.” I crossed my arms over my chest—anger rising to the surface and heating my skin to an uncomfortable level.
"And you didn't ask to be a girl. And you didn't ask for your color of hair or eyes. And you didn't ask for your skin to have a certain pigment. Well guess what, kiddo? None of us gets the privilege of ‘picking’ what we will be when we're born. Nature takes care of that."
I opened my mouth to speak, but Nicoleta cut me off before I had a chance to say a word.
"Yes, even us—the horrid monsters you look down on. We are what we are. We have no more control than any other species. We evolve and change out of necessity. Yes, we accomplish this quicker than most, but it's still a process. It's nature's way of helping to keep us from extinction. And yes we have a place in the world like every other creature big and small.” She snapped her fingers together. “We can't snap our fingers and decide to be someone else. We learn to live with the cards we are dealt. It's called life."
"So, I'm supposed to suck it up and like it?"
She froze me with a stare. “No one said you had to like it. Do you think children born with no arms or legs like it? But that's what nature dealt them, so they have no choice but to accept and learn to adapt. You, on the other hand, received a gift. And it's up to you to decide what to do with it.” She stood. “Tell me, Cheyenne, will you become worthy of your gift? Or will you choose to flush it down the toilet and wallow in the mud of self pity?” She walked out of the room, then out the front door without a further word.
Unable to remain angry, I hung my head in shame. Nicoleta spoke the truth. And I knew it.
[Back to Table of Contents]
15
Stalking Psycho Bat
Not holding out any hope that today would end up better than yesterday, I hesitantly entered the student center within the main building. Val's group of cheer buddies stood in a huddle and glared at me with malice glowing in their eyes as I passed, Val conspicuously absent.
"Boo-yah!” Mandy hollered as she goosed me from behind.
My heart accelerated, sending my pulse pounding hard enough I could feel it bulging and contracting the veins in my wrists and throat. “Are you trying to scare me half to death or what?” I huffed, trying to catch my breath.
"You're mighty jumpy today. What's with the overly sensitive thing you got going on?” She waved her arms in front of me.
I glanced toward the group still glaring at me.
Mandy shrugged. “Oh, them. Well, they're just pissed because Val got in-school suspension for two days for what she did to you. I'm sure they're just lost since their evil leader is missing. They don't know who to torture today.” Mandy laughed.
"Great. Just what I need."
Why did Mandy have to go and rat out Val to Mr. Gonzales? Now, she'd really make my life miserable, not to mention it could affect Ryan's dad in a round-about way. I couldn't imagine what her dad would think about his perfect little daughter having in-school suspension. Crap. I didn't need this today or any day for that matter. Oh yeah, this day reeked of golden opportunities for a happy ending. Not!
"Well, at least you don't have to see Val today. The others are harmless without the head witch. The worst they can inflict is dirty looks."
"Yeah, but it's when she gets back that worries me. I have enough on my plate without worrying about her. She's already ticked about Ryan admitting he likes me, not her."
"Eh, don't worry about it. I've got your back. No biggie. Besides, you can just morph into a panther and eat her. Of course, you'll have a bad case of indigestion.” She cracked up laughing.
My mouth dropped open. How could she joke about such a thing? Had she been so brainwashed and immersed into this strange world that it no longer shocked her? Because it still shocked the hell out of me.
"Oh come on.” She slapped me on the back. “Quit taking things so serious. It's rather funny if you think about it. I guess you haven't had time to adjust yet."
I lowered my voice to just above a whisper. “I've only known what I am for less than a week—my birthday to be exact. I'm not sure I'll ever adjust to it."
"Holy crap, Batman. I didn't know that. No wonder you're all serious and freaked out. I guess I would be, too. I've had most of my life to adjust to it—ever since I walked in on my brother practically howling at the freakin’ moon. I was only four at the time, so I thought it was kind of cool. You know how I like dogs and all."
Mandy always had a way of putting things into perspective. I chuckled at the thought of her scratching her own brother behind the ears like she did Roxie whenever she came over.
"Yep, you do like the furry four-legged type,” I said. Come to think of it, I could be put into that category as well. “I just don't know if I can accept things so easily. And how did you keep these secrets from me?"
Out of all the times I had been to Mandy's house and even spent the n
ight a million times, how in the world did I never see anything strange? How could she have kept it from me? We've been attached at the hip since third grade when she ended up in my class after moving to Round Rock. She'd always seemed normal. Okay, maybe normal didn't quite fit, but I definitely didn't think anything out of the ordinary existed within her family.
"Well, it's not like we sit around at the dinner table in wolf form. Besides, I can't shift. Only my dad and brother can. I take after my mom. It used to tick me off that I couldn't morph and my brother could. But, I watched how it affected him and decided maybe it wasn't so cool after all."
"Trust me, it's not all it's cracked up to be. I don't know what will make me shift from one minute to the next. I have to be careful all the time. I can't afford to be angry or panic or even kiss Ryan—"
"What?” Mandy interrupted.
Heat spread from my chest up to my face. I glanced down and plucked at my jeans. “Yeah. Sunday night when he dropped me off at the house, he kissed me. But, it wasn't just a normal kiss.” I glanced back at Mandy. “It was all ... I don't know ... warm and tingly and intense. And—"
"And what?” Mandy flipped her hands over palms up, impatience written across her face.
"And I started to shift—right in front of Ryan. I practically shoved him away and ran inside."
"Omigod!"
"Yeah, exactly. I could've just died. And the bad thing is he thought I freaked out over the kiss because he came on too strong. I couldn't exactly tell him the real reason. I mean what would I have said? Gee, Ryan, I had to break off the most exciting thing to ever happen to me because I was about to turn into a very large cat?"
Mandy laughed, then covered her mouth, snapping her expression back into a semblance of seriousness. “Dang, girl, that's rough. But, he's such a nice guy. You're lucky. Most aren't that understanding. Heck, many will drop you like a hot potato if you don't put out."
"Yeah, I guess. I just feel like a complete dork. And now I have no idea what will cause a shift. That's the scary part. I'm afraid to get too close to—"
An arm wrapped around my waist, while the other brushed my hair aside, pressing a warm kiss to my neck. I gasped.
"Too close to who?” Ryan asked.
I clutched my chest. The sound of my pulse roared inside my ears. The way he grabbed me from behind and swiped my hair from my neck had me flashing back to that first encounter in the cave with Constantine. I shuddered, chills racing up and down my spine.
Ryan moved to stand in front of me, then lifted my chin with his finger. “Sorry if I startled you, Sparkie."
Mandy giggled. “You should've seen the look on her face. I think you scared ten years off her life."
"Sorry. Didn't mean to,” he said.
Little did he know I could afford to lose even more years without it making much of a difference.
"How about I walk you to your first class? You know, to make up for losing the ten years and all. Least I can do.” He grinned and bowed, then offered his arm like a perfect gentleman. “My lady."
Mandy rolled her eyes. “See y'all later.” She walked off in the opposite direction.
I looped my arm through his. We passed the Cheyenne Hate Club. Their glares blazed through me like a blow torch.
"What up with them?” He jerked his thumb back toward them.
"Val has in-school suspension. I guess they aren't too happy about it."
"I can see that.” He sucked in air between his teeth, making a whistling sound.
"I'm really sorry Mandy told on Val and that she's in trouble. I hope her dad doesn't cause your dad too much trouble."
He drew his eyebrows together. “What?"
"Well, you know, how your dad asked you to be nice to Val because her dad had some kind of influence over yours."
His mouth opened slightly and his eyebrows rose. “Oh, right. Mandy did the right thing. I'm sure everything will be just fine with my dad. No worries. Besides, you're more important than a business, so don't worry about it."
Okay, something didn't feel right about his whole reaction to the situation. Had he lied about his dad's connection to Val's? If it was such a big deal the other night when he explained about having to make nice with Val, why had he acted today as if he'd forgotten all about it? I'd been worrying myself sick that I had caused his family trouble.
The first bell rang right after we reached my first class. Like a flood gate had opened, the halls filled with students, one after another bumping into me. I moved closer to the wall, leaning my back against it, hoping to avoid any more abuse.
Ryan stood in front of me, his hands pushed into his front pockets. “I better go. I have a pretty good trek to my first class."
"Okay,” I said.
He leaned toward me, his glance resting on my lips. He lifted one of his hands from his pocket and ran a finger down the side of my face.
Someone knocked into Ryan, sending him careening into me, sandwiching my body between the wall and his. He made no obvious attempt to distance himself. Every sensory nerve residing inside me jumped to attention—another one of those snap-crackle-pop moments. He pushed against the wall to right himself and grinned, my glance zooming in on his perfect white teeth. Perfect. That summed Ryan up all right.
"Later, Sparkie. Have a good day.” He winked, then disappeared into the crowd.
"Enjoy it while you can. Someone like Ryan will never stay with the likes of you. He's just slumming,” Kimee said, her expression smug and matter-of-fact. She brushed past me, making sure to clip my shoulder on her way into the classroom.
Fantabulous. Now Val had her cult followers making digs. Even when she wasn't physically around, her presence remained like the ghost of Halloween past. How far did her sphere of influence extend anyway?
I set my stuff on top of the desk in the second row next to one of the football jocks. Before I could plant myself into the seat, he plopped his big foot across it, barring my way.
"Seat taken,” he said.
Well, I guess my question just got answered. Val reigned supreme.
After enduring a whole day of dirty looks and rude comments, I jumped for joy when the bell rang, ending my torture. I didn't know who suffered more, me or Val, while she stayed locked in detention.
I made a quick run to my locker, grabbing what I needed to take home and dumping the rest, then headed straight for my car before I encountered any more unwelcomed attempts to inform me I ranked lower than the pus oozing from an infected wound.
Eager to get the heck off school grounds, I failed to notice the body leaning against the car parked next to mine.
"Good afternoon, Cheyenne,” Constantine greeted.
I jumped back and squealed, completely caught off guard.
He sucked on the end of his fingers, one at a time, like he had just finished eating hot wings or something. “This place called high school has some mighty fine appetizers—quite the variety."
I sucked in a breath. “No you didn't."
"Oh relax! I'm just messing with you. Unlike humans, I can control my desires ... when I choose."
"And you expect me to believe you chose to control your sadistic appetite?” I put one hand on my hip, daring him to contradict my words.
He pushed himself off the car and stood directly in front of me, his strong almond scent assaulting my nose. “It so happens I had a rather large dinner last night. Besides, I decided not to cause any further problems for you today. You seemed to be having a hard enough time without my interference."
"I have to go."
His expression darkened. “Why do you fight so hard? It's not natural to go against your instincts.” He masked the anger simmering deep in the bottomless depths of his eyes. “You know you crave the freedom of no responsibilities. Freedom is a gift worth embracing. Like I've said before, say the word and the blonde girl will cease to be a thorn in your side.” He reached out and ran his finger down the side of my face—just like Ryan.
I cringed and pulle
d away. “I can show you how to truly live. When you get tired of all the rules and burdens placed upon you, you'll beg for me to release you from that life.” He morphed into what looked like a crow and flew off.
I glanced around, checking to see if anyone had witnessed the bizarre scene.
"Hey!” Mandy shouted from her car as she pulled up next to me. “You weren't at the lockers. I waited for you. When you didn't show, I left. And were you talking to that guy who showed up at the gym yesterday—the hot, evil one? And where did he go?"
"Sorry. I just couldn't wait to get out of there. And yes, the jerk waited for me at my car. He shifted into some black bird and few off,” I responded as if it happened every day.
"Omigod! What did he want?” She didn't even flinch over him morphing into a bird.
"The typical. Wants me to join with him and rule the world, blah blah."
"Huh?"
I waved my hand in front of me. “Never mind. I'll tell you about it on the way to gym. Meet you at your house."
"Okay.” She drove off.
When I pulled up to Mandy's house, she was standing in the driveway waiting for me—obviously anxious to find out the details. The last thing I wanted to do included chronicling my freakish existence over the past week since finding out I belong to the blood-sucking variety. I guess for Mandy it held a sort of entertainment quality.
I barely put the car in park when she jerked the door open and jumped into the passenger seat. “Okay, spill it."
Nothing like easing into an uncomfortable conversation. Well, subtle didn't function as her middle name—never had come to think of it.
"Hey, Mandy. Nice seeing you, too.” I cocked my head to the side. “My day? Well, it pretty much sucked. Thanks for asking."
"Fine. I get the point.” She stuck her chin out. “But, I can't stand it, so just tell me already. Grrrrrrrr."
"What exactly are you just dying to know?” I backed out of the driveway.
"For starters, what did he want?"
"He has a name—Constantine."
"Are you for real? That's his name? Like that guy from American Idol?"
Cave of Terror Page 20
