go ahead and bash like it's a pinata. Just like you to know, I'm thirteen, so I spell like crap and have horrible grammer. Plus, my vocabulary is small. :P

 

-  So far I have written out : 19 chapters.

So far I have posted to Res: 14 chapters.

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My throat burned like I was inhaling smoke, drinking acid and drowning in cleaning fluids. My nostrils flared, and my eyes changed from their normal blue to a deep, bloody scarlet colour. The only reason I didn’t snap her neck and drink her blood that second was the fact of who she was. She was Sarah Sparks, my long-time girlfriend and twin sister to the boy who was crouched beside her, tears dripping down his face.

 

I didn’t know what made me madder; the fact that I wanted to drink her blood, or the fact that she was dead, because of me.

 

Jacob Sparks, Sarah’s brother, caught my eye and saw my tortured ex
pression. He tossed me a pair of car keys and whispered, “Get away from here.” I tossed them back.

 

He gave me a totally confused ex
pression and I explained in a hoarse voice, “Running is faster.” He and I both knew that it would be dangerous for me to let loose so near blood, but we both also knew it was dangerous for me to be near her any longer.

 

I spun around on my heel and took off, stripping while I ran. If that hadn’t been my last pair of clothes, I probably would have just exploded. But it was my last pair, so I decided I should keep them.

 

When I got at least twenty meters from where I had been standing, I exploded. Literally. My body exploded into another, another body covered in fur and feathers. I was a wolf. But not a normal wolf; I had enormous black wings sprouting from my back, and feathers genetically sewn into my fur in various places. Not to mention the fangs that extended over my lower jaw, and was dripping highly toxic venom.

 

I was a hybrid. Stolen out of my own house at the age of fifteen and transformed into a creature that didn’t exist up until now.

 

 

Chapter 1: February 14, 2010.

 

I locked my eyes onto the clock and stared at it intently. I couldn’t wait to get out of this cl*censored*room. I couldn’t wait to get out of this school. All because of one reason: Today I turned 15.

 

My birthday had plagued me since I was 6. The kids made petty names for me, and teased me. The only two kids that didn’t tease me were Sarah and Jacob Sparks, the twins that lived next door to me. The only reason they didn’t pick on me was because people picked on them.

 

You see, Jacob is gay, and he doesn’t try to hide it. But kids at our school have some sort of prejudice against gays, so he’s kind of an outcast. Sarah is always standing up for us and supporting us, so she’s on the same boat as us guys.

 

The bell rang, and snapped me out of my self-induced mini-rant. I grabbed my books, shoved them in my bag and rushed out of my last cl*censored* of the day. But apparently I wasn’t fast enough.

 

Jack and Stephen, the two biggest jerks (and the two biggest idiots) in the school slammed me against the lockers outside of the cl*censored*room door. My head met the metal with a bang and I felt it. The throbbing started, and I could hardly make it out when they said, “Meet us outside in the parking lot- or we’ll find you.”

 

I nodded blankly, trying to pinpoint where the pain was worse. They let me go, and then proceeded to walk down the halls, shoving random people out of their way and whistling at the ladies. They even licked their lips as Jessica (the biggest *censored*) walked by.

 

I watched for a minute, then rubbed the back of my head and groaned. There was blood. I wiped my hand on my jeans, leaving a red smudge that contrasted with the light blue. I cursed one more time, grabbed my book bag from where it had dropped to the floor, and began to walk towards where Jack and Stephen had disappeared. Everyone was silent around me, whispering and pointing at the back of my head. “Josh!”

 

I turned around, and met myself face-to-face with Sarah. She was tall, lean, curvy, and yet there was something about her looks that said, “Touch me and die.” All in all, she was really hot. But I didn’t think about her that way. We were just friends. No, scratch that, brother and sister. I even liked to think I looked a little like her.

 

She wasn’t grinning as she usually was, but her face was set in a tired, sorrowful ex
pression. She frowned harder when she saw the blood on the back of my head, and on my hand. “What happened to you?” she muttered, walking around me swiftly to get a better look at my head. She touched the wound gently, as to judge if it needed stitches or not. But I could tell something was up, because she was stiff, and usually she would be chatting up a storm.

 

I sighed, and said quietly, “Jake and Stephen happened.” I winced as she pressed her finger a little harder on the back of my head. She walked back around to face me. I noticed with slight satisfaction that her hands were balled into fists.

 

She growled, eyes flashing with anger and something more that I couldn’t recognize, “I ought to teach them a lesson one of these days!”

 

I winked and chuckled, “I’m behind you all the way, sister.” She frowned when I said sister, and pushed against my chest. I’m a big guy, but Sarah’s pretty strong herself. Normally she could push me out of the way easily, but today she seemed to be...holding back or something.

 

She laughed half-heartedly, like she was too tired to do anything else. Like she was worn out from holding a secret from someone for ten years. “Come on,” she said quietly, “Let’s go find them and have a little talk.” I rolled my eyes, but linked arms with her and started to walk down the hallway again. She walked stiffly beside me, looking like she was about to rip her arm from mine. I ignored the people that were looking at us, and whispering. Sarah and I were best buds, no wait, scratch that, more like brother and sister. No matter what they thought, we knew how it was.

 

As we approached the front doors, I had to swallow the lump forming in my throat and smile falsely to Sarah. Get a hold on yourself Josh! I scolded myself, it’s no different from every other time they find you and threaten you or beat you up. You’ll live. It’s not even that bad. You’re getting better at hiding the bruises too!

 

We walked into the parking lot silently, but tension crackled between us. I knew something was up with Sarah, and she would take it out on everyone around her, but I just wanted nothing more than to hide and never come out.

 

Stephen and Jake were sitting on the hood of Jake’s jet-black Chevy pick-up truck when we approached them. Stephen threw the cigarette he had been smoking to the side and said in a deep voice that sounded like he was holding his breath, “Hey look! It’s the Dorkamese Twins!”

 

Jake grinned and hopped off the car. He was a muscular guy, but he wasn’t any sort of match for me. The only reason I didn’t kick the crap out of them was because of one

Word: Power.

 

If I beat them up, I’d be the man of the school, and everyone would look up to me. The last thing I needed was a spotlight to be on me when I trip and fall on my face. Sarah stiffened even more beside me, and snatched her arm out of mine.

 

Stephen and Jake were now standing in front of us, and Jake was grinning from ear to ear. He laughed, “Hey! Look! It’s Cupid! Where’s your bow and arrows?”

 

Sarah rolled her hands into fists automatically and snapped at them, “Up your *censored* Jake!” I could tell she had wanted to say something else though; it was written on her face.

 

Jake purred, cupping one hand under Sarah’s chin, “Awe! Look, it’s Joshua’s little girlfriend.” I winced, but Sarah looked almost sad and destroyed, like she wanted that. But please, this was Sarah, after all. We were just friends... Instead of reacting like me, she brought her hands up, and wrapped them around his neck. Then she started to pull his face toward hers.

 

At first, I thought she was going to kiss him, but then I realized what she was doing. She jerked his head downwards at the same time she brought her knee up. His jaw and her knee connected with a loud crack, and Sarah stepped back in approval. She said in a cracking voice, like she was about to cry. But her eyes were dry and hard, “If I’m his girlfriend, then I didn’t just break your jaw.”

 

Jake groaned, and stood up. His jaw twisted slightly to the right. He tried to speak, but winced and didn’t say anything after all. Stephen looked pale, and slightly green. He grabbed Jake and started to back away from us. He staggered nervously, almost dropping Jake. Jake looked like he’d p*censored*ed out.

 

Stephen shoved Jake into the p*censored*enger seat of his Ferrari and revved the engine menacingly, though he looked like he was about to p*censored* out himself. It was amusing, and I could tell I was smiling at them.

 

He tore off through the parking lot and towards the where the hospital would be just as I wrapped my arms around Sarah’s waist. “Thanks,” I murmured.

 

Sarah pushed me off of her. “No problem,” she snapped, avoiding my eye on purpose. She had Ash blonde hair, and it complemented her blue eyes perfectly. But today they weren’t the warm, almost aqua colour they usually were. They were unfamiliar, and it scared me. I’d never seen her look like this; it wasn’t normal. She looked tortured, like she was waiting for me to say something she needed. But I didn’t know what she needed from me.

 

She whisked around and walked quicker than usual towards her car. I followed after her, and she snapped, “Leave me alone, Josh! I don’t want to talk to you.” That stopped me in my tracks. What was up with her? She never, emphasis on never, ever didn’t want to talk to me.

 

I called after her, “What’s wrong?” She climbed into her old VW bug, and glared at me through the window with an odd ex
pression.

 

She whispered something under her breath like, “Everything”, and started her car. I opened my mouth to say something else, but she slammed on the gas petal and whipped past me.

 

“What’s up with her?” Jacob’s voice made me jump, and I spun around to face him. He had a hamburger in one hand, and a drink in the other. Looked like Coka Cola. “I said, what’s up with her?” Jacob pressed.

 

I shrugged and stared after her car. “I don’t know. Want a ride?” Jacob nodded. I sighed, and started to walk towards my car begrudgingly. I had my dream car, and I wished I didn’t. I know that sounds stupid, but it makes sense to me.

 

I opened the car door for Jacob, and he whistled under his breath. “Man,” he muttered, “I still can’t believe you have a Mustang GT convertible. I’m so jealous.”

 

I snapped, “Just get in!” I was extremely confused and in pain; I could feel the blood drying in my hair and I didn’t want to waste time talking to Jacob about my car.

 

Jacob grunted, “Okay, okay…” and climbed into the car. I got in the driver’s side, jammed the key in the ignition and slammed down on the gas, despite feeling slightly light-headed. Jacob said quietly, “I also can’t believe your dad is rich as hell, and you don’t have any friends.” He added quickly, “Besides me and Sarah.”

 

I winced. My dad wasn’t the best topic to bring up around me. Sure, he was a billionaire or something like that, but that couldn’t buy me attention and acceptance. I didn’t want it too. I had an illegal license for my friends, and me because driving under the age of 18 was illegal in the little town that I lived in; my dad thought that it would be nice for his son to show the town how responsible teens could be. All it got us was extra attention. That was something I could do without. I mumbled, “There’s no problem with that. I don’t really tell people who my dad is.”

 

Jacob rolled his eyes and mumbled something incoherent back, but I didn’t make any sense of it. I was too busy watching as a little VW bug rolled off the road and the big jet-black Chevy truck that had just slammed into it raced away. It stopped rolling when it crashed into a large tree. Jacob screamed, “THAT’S SARAH’S CAR!”

 

I nodded, panic building in my chest as I pulled over to the side of the road. We jumped out of the car and ran through the small distance to Sarah’s car like we were flying. I stopped next to the driver’s door, and was almost knocked out when the reek of death and blood hit me.

 

I ripped the car door open, adrenaline thumping through my veins. Jacob leaned in and pulled a bloody, torn and broken body from the driver’s seat. Everything after that went in slow motion.

 

Sarah’s head lolled to the side, she blinked her blood-shot eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs. Blood-tainted tears spilled down her pale cheeks and the only word that she was screaming, that could be understood, was, “Vampire.”

 

After that, I think I p*censored*ed out for a good ten minutes. Long enough for Jacob to drag us both back to the car, where the ambulance was waiting.

 

Chapter 2: February 15, 2010

 

I frowned, and set the large bouquet of flowers on the bedside table. Sarah looked up at me warmly. “Thanks Charlotte,” she croaked, “It’s nice of you to stop by.”

 

I answered back softly, “Don’t mention it. I may have just found out about you and all, but you’re the only real family I have.” Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off, “You want to see that boy again, don’t you? Go to sleep.” She snapped her mouth shut and glared at me with a tortured ex
pression.

“He doesn’t like me like that,” she said in a whisper, choked with emotion.

 

“I was talking about your boyfriend. Whom are you talking about?” I said back quietly, corner of my mouth pulling up in a smirk. She tumbled into a story about her long-lasting love for ‘Josh’ and how she had dated ‘Toby’ to make ‘Josh’ jealous. And how she had broken up with ‘Toby’ today, and was distressed that ‘Josh’ hadn’t asked her out, or even offered to be her valentine.

 

I smoothed her hair and said, “Good things come in good time, Sarah. Don’t worry. He’ll come around.” I stretched and smiled. I joked, “But what do I know? I’m just an Oklahoma bum off of the streets.”

 

Sarah scowled, “I told you that you could stay with me, you know. I’m a single child.” Something about how she said ‘single child’ seemed off, but I ignored it and grinned.

 

“Go to sleep, Sarah. You need your strength.” I chimed, walking towards the room’s exit. She grumbled something under her breath, but I ignored her. I exited the room and started down the long hallway.

 

I p*censored*ed by the first boy. He was tall, and very attractive with black hair, green eyes and a nice body. He was looking both anxious and guilty. “What’s the news?” he whispered, not meeting my eyes.

 

I frowned; I didn’t trust him at all. He seemed like a really bad sort of person. “A few broken ribs, a broken left ankle. Um… Her right wrist is broken. Slight concussion, and I think a fractured-“ I cut myself off when he made a choking sound. I realized it was a sob.

 

The second boy came up to him then, sat down and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He spoke calmly, like he was trying to soothe the boy, “It’s not your fault Josh.” ‘Josh’ only shook his head, like he was too weak to argue. The second boy was muscular with brown eyes and wispy brown hair. He too was tall and very attractive.

 

I cleared my throat. Both boys look up at me, and I stifled a gasp. Both of them had red eyes, like they had just been crying. I had so many questions. I picked one. “No offence, but, who are you guys?” I asked softly. I wanted to add, and are you dating? But I stifled a laugh and kept a straight face.

 

The first growled defensively, “I’m Jacob. Sarah’s twin brother, you know.”

 

The second one responded in a monotone, “I’m Joshua Banks. Joe Banks is my father.”

 

I ignored Jacob completely. I knew he was lying; Sarah said she was an only child. “Joe Banks… Like millionaire Joe Banks?” I gasped. He glanced up at me, and I took his slightly amused ex
pression as a yes. “But I don’t get how you know Sarah.”

 

“We go to school together,” Josh, answered quickly, “We were like brother and sister.” He twined his fingers together, and then released them. Then he let out a small sigh and continued, “And it’s my fault she got in the accident.”

 

Jacob barked at him, “No. It’s Not! Stop saying that.” Josh chuckled coldly in response and shook his head. It clicked in my head and I realized he was the Josh Sarah had been talking about.

 

“…Nice meeting you guys. Guess I’ll see you around?” I said quietly, hoping they’d ignore me.

 

“Well, who are you?” Josh asked, “How do you know Sarah?”

 

I sucked in a deep breath, and tumbled into a long story. “My name is Charlotte Sweb. I grew up in Oklahoma. Sarah and I know each other because we share a father.” I glanced at Jacob apologetically, “But she never told me she had a brother. So, anyways, when I found out what happened, I had to come see her because she’s the only family I know.”

 

Jacob stared at her for a moment. “But how do you know her? Internet, phone, school?”

 

I tried to hide my discomfort, and I stared at the floor. “I live on the streets across from your house. Sarah saw me one morning, and we started to talk. She told me she lived with her dad and her step-mom, no siblings.”

 

Jacob clenched his hands into fists, “But she never told me about you!”

 

“She didn’t want anyone to know.”

 

“I think I know Sarah, and Sarah wouldn’t do that to me.”

 

“Then you don’t know as much about Sarah as I do!” I retorted sharply. As soon as I’d said it, I wish I hadn’t.

 

Jacob’s teeth snapped together and he hissed through them, “So you expect me to believe that some random Oklahoma hobo is my half sister? And that she has been meeting up with Sarah behind my back? Are you high?”

 

I snapped, “I am not a hobo! My father dropped me on the streets when I was three so he could meet your mom! I’m eighteen. You are fifteen. Do the damned math and leave me alone, you jealous mother-” I cut myself off and without waiting for a response, I spun around and marched out of the hospital.

 

I was absolutely fuming, so I sat in the driver’s seat of my blue Volvo and set my forehead on the wheel gently. Wow, when Jacob brought up that I lived on the streets, I really flipped, didn’t I?  I sighed and shook my head slightly.

 

I sat up straight, and pushed the key in the ignition. I turned it, and listened as my car spluttered, and then the engine kicked in. I pressed the brake, and put it into drive. As soon as I pressed my foot down on the gas, my mind went blank and I concentrated on driving. No more Jacob thoughts.

 

I checked my rearview mirror as I pulled into the little ally way that was my home. There was a big, black Chevy truck following me. I pulled over to the side, got out and prepared to face whoever was in the truck. I marched up to their driver’s side, and knocked on the window. (They had stopped as soon as I pulled over.)

 

A man rolled down the window, and I was shocked to see that the man wasn’t really a man; he had to be only 17 years old. I asked him as politely as I could,  “Where are you going sir, and who are you?”

 

He chuckled at me in a strange accent, “I’m following you, Charlotte. My identity is none of your concern.” I finally realized he was wear a thick black hood, and I could only see his eyes, nose and part of his mouth; plus, it was too dark to see the colour of his skin and eyes.

 

I snapped at him, “What do you mean, ‘none of my concern’? You are stalking me!” The man reached up, and pulled off his hood in one smooth movement.

 

He was very handsome. He had skin that looked similar to milk chocolate, and eyes that were so green it looked like fluorescent light bulbs were placed in his eye sockets. He had short-cropped black hair, and in the middle of his forehead was a deep green marking that looked like a wolf howling at the moon. It was scary, but beautiful. “Who are -“ I never got my question out.

 

The man held a silver, sharp-angled gun out, and pointed it directly at me. He smiled, to reveal perfect white teeth with fangs. He said slowly, “You will get in the car, and not say anything. Or else.”

 

Chapter 3: February 28, 2010

 

I wrapped my thick arm around Sarah’s slim waist carefully. She stuck her tongue out at me, and I laughed half-heartedly. She could hardly walk by herself, even with crutches, and she refused to use a wheelchair. Three words repeated in my head: All. My. Fault.

 

I didn’t know why, but all of this seemed like it was my fault. I shook my head to clear away the nasty thoughts (with no success), and helped her into the p*censored*enger side. Jacob was away helping the police locate Charlotte.

 

I shook away that thought too, and stared out the dashboard as I sat down in the drivers’ seat. “Where to?” I asked her, realizing with shame how flat my voice was. It wasn’t usually like this; it was husky and seductive all the time; always filled with sarcasm and amusement. I sounded dead.

 

Sarah spoke softly and quickly. I almost missed it when she said, “I’m sorry about how I acted on Valentine’s Day. I should have told you what I was thinking, but…”

 

Now she had my attention. I dropped my other question and smiled at her. “But what?” I pressed, catching her eye. She blushed.

 

“I should have asked you that morning.”

 

“Asked me what?”

 

Without thinking, Sarah blurted out, “Will you go out with me?”

 

I stared at her for a long while. I didn’t even notice when she buried her face in her hands and started to sniffle. I finally choked out, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

 

She blinked up at me through her fingers. “Why?”

 

My grip tightened on the steering wheel. “What would Jacob think, Sarah, and why me? What’s wrong with Toby?”

 

She shook her head and explained slowly, “I only dated him because I wanted to make you jealous.”

 

I stared past the dashboard, eyes unfocused. “I’ll call Jacob. You need a ride.”

 

Sarah whined, “I don’t want a ride from Jacob. I want a ride from you,” 

 

I snapped, “It’s not open for debate!” And then her good hand caught the collar of my shirt, and she pulled my face towards hers, and pressed her lips against mine. At first it made me light-headed, but once I was able to think I pulled back and growled, “I’m calling Jacob.”

 

Sarah snarled, “No. You are going to drive me home.” I stared over the dashboard angrily, and right into Jacob’s boiling brown eyes. OH. CRAP.

 

He kicked the front of my car, cursing. Then he spun around and stormed towards his own beat-up Cadillac. I swore under my breath and stormed after him, casting Sarah an angry look. She looked pleased, actually. Like she’d gotten some big secret off of her chest. That made me madder.

 

I caught up to Jacob, who was already revving the engine of his car. When I walked up, he got out and stood in front of me. I was slightly satisfied that I was taller than him, but he was heavier than me. That could prove a problem.

 

He snapped, “You’re a real back-stabber, aren’t you Josh?”

 

I growled back, eyes blazing. “Hey, that was all Sarah. I didn’t do anything.”

 

“Yeah, just blame it on her. You’re a real-“

 

I cut him off angrily, “What is your problem Jacob? She, kissed, me. Get that through your one-tracked mind!”

 

And then he swung at me.

 

I grabbed his fist midair, and twisted his arm around his back, slamming his chest and face onto the car hood with ease and precision. I hissed in his ear, “Swing at me again boy, and I’ll slit your throat.”

 

I released him and stormed to my car, where Sarah was sitting. I flopped into the driver’s seat and snarled at her, “Get out of my car.”

 

“Josh, I’m sorry, I-“

 

I cut her off, “It’s not you I’m mad at, and it is your brother. Now go get a ride with him.” She slipped out of my car carefully, and limped with extreme slowness to Jacob’s car. He helped her in, and left abruptly.

 

I sat in the car for a couple minutes, but put it in drive never the less and drove home quietly, flipping through the radio channels. No songs caught my attention. So instead I turned it off and went over what happened between Sarah and me. Finally it clicked in my mind. Sarah was in love with me. I whipped into my driveway, and hopped out of the car. Jacob and Sarah lived down the street, so I could walk down there and apologize to Jacob and Sarah, and make it up to Sarah.

 

I started down the street, but somebody grabbed me from behind and put a gun to the side of my head. “Come with me. Or else,” a voice with an odd accent muttered. I nodded, and he dragged me towards a big black Chevy truck and threw me in the back of it.

 

What’s going to happen to me now?

Chapter 4: March 1, 2010

 

I screamed. That’s all I could do. I was tied down to some sort of table. Travis smiled at me charmingly and lifted one of my hands. At first, he kissed it, and then he bit down on my hand, and a searing pain ran up my arm. I screamed louder.

 

He grabbed my other hand and did the same, but this time the pain was worse. I arched my back as the pain raced through my heart. I screamed louder than ever, and I could feel blood pooling at the back of my throat from the effort. “What are you doing to me?” I shrieked, thrashing around as he bit down on the inside of my left elbow.

 

He grinned, and danced to my other side. “The great goddess has called for your blood, young Charlotte. I am making you into one of us.”

 

“What are you?” I screamed, crying out as the pain doubled. I didn’t even notice when he bit down on my throat.

 

He stood back up, lips coated in the ruby liquid I guessed was blood. “Immortal.” He wiped the blood off of his lips and then pressed his right hand on my forehead. “And now I shall mark you.”

 

All the fire in my body leaped to my forehead, and it burned hotter than ever. I screamed louder, and I eventually lost my voice. Blood bubbled even more in my throat, and occasionally I choked on it. My heartbeats faltered, and my heart was pounding in my chest. I thrashed around, and I hardly noticed as the hours ticked by. Three hours p*censored*ed, and I could feel myself getting weaker and weaker.

 

And then it faded ever so slightly. The intense burning in my forehead was fading silently. And then I noticed everything in the room was silent. I had no heartbeat. And then it started again like a bomb ticking. It ticked on, slow and sluggish. Whatever he had done, it had killed me. I was certain of it. And then my forehead stopped burning all of a sudden, and became numb.

 

Travis walked back in the room, and smiled at me as I opened my eyes. He untied my wrists and torso. He asked me politely, “Would you like a mirror?”

 

I nodded blankly, wondering what I would see. Would I have a third eye? Would I have tentacles and horrible green skin?

 

There was no turning back now; I might as well accept that I wasn't human and go on with my existance. My life was over.

 

The man held up a silver mirror, and I looked at it cautiously. I looked at the girl who looked back at me.

 

Her eyes were a bloody, gory red, and if she didn’t have a gorgeous face, then that would be the only thing I could see. She had a sleek, curvy body and brown ringlets that fell gently to her shoulders. She looked graceful, even while sitting still. And then it caught my eye.

 

There was a deep purple marking on her forehead. It was a crescent moon, with a wolf standing on top of it, throwing it’s head back in a pain filled howl.  I reached my hand out, and the girl in the reflection mimicked me. I choke out, “Is that me?” My voice didn’t sound right; it sounded light, and bell-like.

 

The man nodded, and grinned at me, “Immortality suits you well, Charlotte.”

 

“Immortality?”

 

“Yes. You are now a Darkling. This means you will train to find out what you were marked to be.”

 

“What did you mark me to be?” This confused me a lot.

 

“Only Lasiandra, out goddess knows that, Darkling.”

 

“What did you call me?” I growled, slightly offended.

 

“I called you ‘Darkling’. In the ancient language, that means student. You have much to learn, Charlotte.” I stared past the man, and caught sight of a familiar teenager being carried into another room.

 

I gasped as it clicked, “Was that Josh?”

 

“Lasiandra has many great things planned for Josh, Charlotte.” He paused, “By the way, now that you are a Darkling, you have the choice to change your name to anything you want it to be. Would you like to change your name?”

 

“Give me a minute to think about it?” I asked quietly. He nodded, and untied the rest of me. Then he left the room. I started to panic and think of everything I left behind, but I realized that I really hadn’t left anything. I calmed down and concentrated on the task at hand.

 

I sat there and played with last names. Charlotte Night? Charlotte Dark? Charlotte Widow? Charlotte Twist? Charlotte Star? Charlotte Stark? Charlotte Snow?

 

No last names fit, so I played with first names. Lucinda Sweb? Raven Sweb? Angel Sweb? Rebecca Sweb? Jennifer Sweb? Shauna Sweb? Bonnie Sweb?

 

I figured that Lucinda Sweb and Rebecca Sweb had a nice ring to them, but something about Lucinda made me feel better. I whispered aloud, “Lucinda Sweb.”

 

The man poked his head in the room and smiled, “Night choice, Lucy.” I blushed, and smiled shyly back.

 

What does this new life have in store for me? What sort of monster will I become? What are they doing to Josh? Why did Travis choose me? ME?

 

Chapter 5: March 3, 2010

 

I didn’t know what was happening. My entire body was numb and worn out. Numerous people poked me with needles, and murmured to themselves. I couldn’t see them clearly; my eyes were blurred and useless. My head spun and everything seemed wrong. I wasn’t me; that was the only thing I was certain of.

 

Throughout the three days of torture I’d gone through, I could feel myself changing, and realized what they were doing to me.

 

I could smell blood, I felt the need to kill and drink blood, I couldn’t get a hold on who I was. I felt like there was a part of me that I had just discovered, who thirsted for blood, and didn’t want to hide again.

 

And then they released me. I blinked my eyes a couple times and looked around. Everything was clearer than it ever had been; like they’d given me super contacts. I asked them cautiously, “Who am I? What am I?” My voice didn’t sound right. It sounded smoother, and silkier than my usual husky voice.

 

The man who had kidnapped me smiled and bowed, with both arms crossed over his chest. He stood back up and explained slowly, “The Goddess has a special plan for you, Werevangel.”

 

“What did you just call me?” I growled in my odd voice.

 

“Werevangel, young Joshua. You are the world’s first.”

 

“What is a Werevangel?” I cried, curling my hands into fists again. This man was crazy, but somehow everything seemed normal to me.

 

“Joshua, the Goddess has transformed you into a magnificent creature. You are half vampire, half werewolf and part fallen angel. You are an immortal being now, and you have great power.”

 

I stared at him for minute. It seemed crazy and stupid, but I completely understood for some reason. “Can I have a mirror please?” I muttered, locking eyes with the strange man.

 

He nodded, and flicked his hand towards a girl who looked strangely familiar. She danced out of the room gracefully and searched for a mirror. I looked back at the man. “Who are you?” I pressed, glaring at him cautiously.

 

He chuckled warmly, like I was a family member come to visit. “I am Travis. I am a full-blooded werewolf,” he explained in his accent. “I am the tracker for the Goddess. She tells me who to find and where, and I find them. Then they are Marked and taken here, to train to be what they were Marked to be. Usually they don’t get their wings, fangs, or ears and tail until they make the final change, but you are an odd case, I believe…”

 

“But you ran Sarah off the road.” I growled, preparing myself to punch the man in the face. “And you kidnapped Charlotte. I think.”

 

“I did not run your girlfriend off the road, that was my partner, Anna. She has quite a temper, and your girlfriend wasn’t driving fast enough for her like, apparently. As for Charlotte- Oh! Here she is.”

 

The woman walked back in the room, and handed me a mirror. I took it silently and ignored it. I cried, “Charlotte! Is that you?”

 

The woman nodded, but said in a bell-like voice, “It’s Lucy now though.”

 

Her eyes were a bloody, gory red, she had a gorgeous face, and she had a sleek, curvy body with brown ringlets that fell gently to her shoulders. She looked graceful, even while standing still. And then it caught my eye. There was a deep purple marking on her forehead. It was a crescent moon, with a wolf standing on top of it, throwing it’s head back in a pain filled howl.

 

I stared at the mark for a minute, and then looked into the mirror. I gasped and staggered when I caught my reflection.

 

I had the same silky black hair, in the same old hairstyle it was always in. My skin was slightly tan, and I looked strong and fit. My eyes had changed though; Instead of their delicate green, they were a hard indigo/blue colour, and it kind of freaked me out. Out of my head poked two black wolf ears, and what looked like a tail was growing off of what was once my tailbone.

 

But there were there things that really made me want to punch Travis out. One: I had enormous jet-black bird wings sprouted from my back, and they looked dangerous and powerful though they were pinned against my side.

 

Two: When I opened my mouth to gasp, I caught sight of two fangs where teeth used to be. They looked dangerous, and seemed to hold some sort of venom.

 

Three: I had a deep red mark on my forehead; it wasn’t like Travis’ or Charlotte’s, it had nothing to do with a wolf. It was a crescent moon, with what looked like a snake curled around it; it’s fangs dripping venom. A white star showed from between two of its coils.

 

I reached up and touched my forehead. The mark shimmered momentarily and then became still. Without taking my eyes off of the mirror, I asked Travis and ‘Lucy’ carefully, “Why me? Why not Stephen or Jacob or Toby or something?”

 

“Jacob and Stephen and Toby were not chosen. You were.” Travis said softly.

 

I slammed my fist against the table, and noticed with slight satisfaction that it actually snapped in half. “I don’t want to be chosen! I want to go back to school, and hang out with Sarah and Jacob, and be normal!”

 

Travis shook his head. “Calm down,” Lucy snapped, “Or you’ll kill us all.”

 

And then I exploded. Literally. My body blew up, and was replaced by fur and feathers. Where I once stood there was a m*censored*ive black wolf with black feathers genetically sewn into his fur in some places. He had a shimmering red mark on his left flank of a snake wrapped around a crescent moon, and he had the hardest indigo eyes you would’ve seen. And he had wings. Big, black birds wings.

 

This was me.

 

I snarled, and bared my teeth at Travis and Lucy. Lucy screamed, and ran out of the room with inhuman speed. I ignored her, and targeted Travis.

My mind wasn’t human anymore; it functioned like a wolf’s and right now I was focused on my hunt. I growled again, and Travis lifted his arms above his head and backed into a corner. “Please!” he cried, “Please don’t!”

 

I ignored him, and bunched my muscles to lunge at his throat. And then he shifted before my eyes.

 

His body blurred and exploded, and a larger, more heavy silver wolf stood in front of me. I weighed the chances of me winning, and noticed they weren’t that great. But, instead of listening to my human logics, my wolf side kicked in, and I lunged for his throat.

 

He hadn’t been expecting that, and he staggered under my weight. My teeth connected to his throat and I bit down hard. Going for the kill.

 

He was pinned underneath me; he kicked and flailed, but he couldn’t get me off. Finally, he stopped moving and I noticed with glee he was dead. And then I did something I thought I never would; I drank his blood.

 

I sucked his veins dry, and then climbed off of him and looked around. Lucy was standing in the doorway, looking shocked, but pleased. She muttered to me, “You have the choice to change your name, you know. I changed my name to…”

 

But I wasn’t looking at her, or listening. I spun around and put my front paws on the windowsill and looked down. It wasn’t too far of a jump. So I rammed my head against the window, and it shattered.

 

Chapter 6: March 6, 2010.

 

I sighed, and closed the door behind be quietly. I hadn’t been myself since I witnessed Josh kill Travis, then jump out a window. My mind wouldn’t process the facts. I still thought I was dreaming.

 

Anna strode into the room; blonde curls bouncing as she moved gracefully towards the counter. Her eyes were red again, like she’d been crying. I whispered, “You okay Anne?”

 

She shook her head and snarled, “I’ll kill that boy if it’s the last thing I do.” Panic fluttered in my chest, and I wondered faintly how she would kill a powerful immortal. I stared at my feet, and she noticed my ex
pression. “What? You going to defend him or something?” she hissed, jerking my head up to face her.

 

“N-n-no. I was just thinking about another way to get to him.” I lied smoothly, staring her in the eyes cautiously.

 

She grinned darkly and asked me in a seductive voice, “What’s your plan, Lucy?”

 

I swallowed any pride I might have had left and murmured, “Maybe we could set up a trap. Like, get someone they love, and set it up so he comes to us, and we can kill him then.” Her eyes got an evil sparkle once I finished, and I had to choke down the lump forming in my throat.

 

“Perfect,” she snarled, spinning away from me with a dizzying speed. She continued without looking at me, “I’ll call up Kelsey.” She grabbed the phone off of the counter and punched in a number quickly.

 

“Who’s Kelsey?” I squeaked, looking in the fridge for something to drink. There was only water, blood, and apple juice. I pulled out the apple juice and then looked for a gl*censored*.

 

Anna had the phone up to her ear, and she mumbled to me, “Kelsey lives in Washington. She is a werepire, a loner, and one of my best friends.”

 

“What’s a werepire?” I frowned, staring at her while I sipped from my gl*censored*. Anna only scowled at me, when someone said hello on the other end of the line. She walked out of the room silently, and left me alone in the kitchen.

 

I leaned against the counter and drank my apple juice in silence. I could here her in the other room speaking almost silently, “Yes, Yes. No! Yes, I heard he has a girlfriend. No! Yes, Her name is Sarah Sparks or something.” I choked on my apple juice, and whirled around to spit it into the sink.

 

My head started to spin in dizzying circles, and I had to remind myself that I wasn’t alone, and to get myself together.

 

I dropped my gl*censored* into the sink, and ignored when it shattered. I spun around on my heel and dashed towards the room where I slept. The climb up the stairs was easy now that I was marked, and I got to my room almost immediately.

 

I kicked the door open, and flopped onto my bed face down. Then my roommate walked in, took one look at me and frowned. She sighed, “What’s wrong now, Lucy?”

 

I sniffled, and sat up so I could face her.

 

My roommate was Destiny Stares, nineteen year-old Darkling with curly black hair and bright red eyes like the rest of us. She had a silver mark, and it was a wolf curled up and sleeping, with a crescent moon hovering over its head. She was always there for me, and had helped me through the previous shock of becoming marked. I smiled at her warmly.

 

I sucked in a deep breath, and explained to Destiny about everything; how I was Sarah’s half sister, all the way to how I had just set Sarah up by accident. She sat and listened, and when I was done, she closed her eyes and stayed silent for a moment.

 

She opened her eyes and smiled warmly at me. “You,” she chuckled, “Have yourself in quite the pickle right now. Perhaps you should wait it out?” I nodded and hugged her tightly. It was nice to have someone to talk to, when your transforming into a creature that’s unknown.

 

I straightened out and asked her in a whisper, “Why does everyone’s mark have something to do with a wolf, but Josh’s didn’t?”

 

“The crescent moon and wolf symbolizes strength and loyalty in the immortal’s society. Josh must have been lacking loyalty, because his wolf was missing. You said his was a snake? While, in the immortal’s society history, the snake symbolizes pain, suffering and betrayal.”

 

I choked back a gasp of fear and said in a shaky voice, “It was dripping venom. Does that mean anything extra?”

 

Destiny’s eyes went blank for a minute, and if my heart were still beating it would have been hammering in my chest. She blinked and looked at me. “You said it was dripping venom?” she asked in an urgent manner.

 

I nodded bleakly and muttered, “What does that mean?”

 

She breathed in deeply and explained, “In the ancient times, a snake dripping poison meant that the person with the mark was cursed.“

 

I sucked in a deep breath and stared at her. “So that means…”

 

“That means Joshua Banks is cursed.”

 

*Ignore this post XD*

Chapter 7: March 7, 2010

 

I stayed silent, and watched as the girl paced back and forth, phone pinned to her head and tears streaming down her face. My tail twitched impatiently. As soon as she hung up on the man she was screaming at, I could rip her throat out and feast on her blood.

 

Every time I drank a human’s blood, my humanity slipped farther and farther away. It’s been around three days or so since I jumped out the window, and I’ve drunken the blood of too many humans to count. I was entirely animal right now.

 

I haven’t changed back to human since then, nor do I really want to. It’s easier to kill like this. I was stronger as a wolf, and I was growing stronger still.

 

But I shook it off, and concentrated on the woman. She snapped her phone shut, and sat on the bench, sobbing. I bunched my muscles, and then released them as I lunged at the back of her head. But the second I lunged, she leaned over, and I missed her completely.

 

I slid to the side, and the asphalt grazed the bottom of my paws, but they healed completely before I could even bl
ink. I spun around to face the woman.

 

She had the phone held up to me, and a flash of light momentarily blinded me. She opened the phone again and pressed speed-dial. The people on the other end were police. She screamed into the phone, “THERE IS A M*censored*IVE WOLF TRYING TO EAT ME!” I cursed under my breath, tossed my head back and howled loudly, then took off back into the ally way I came from.

 

I skidded to a halt near a kicked-in cellar door. I pinned my wings to my side, and slid into the darkness as silently as I could manage. I was in someone’s cellar, and by the smell of it, it was completely abandoned. I curled up in the corner of it, next to something that was rotting, and closed my eyes. I drifted into sleep immediately.

 

And then, I was watching them.

 

There was a female vampire standing at one end of the clearing, and a male fallen angel at the other. Both were holding a gun. They both shot at the other’s hearts, and both bullets p*censored*ed through them, but only the vampire dropped to her knees and cried out in pain.

 

The fallen angel turned to me and sneered, “You have to have a heart to feel the pain, right Josh?”

 

I leaped off of the ground, snarling and snapping, but I was back alone in the small, damp cellar. Nobody was around me. I curled up again, but didn’t close my eyes. I focused them on the entryway. Footsteps…coming my way…and then a young boy poked his head into the cellar door. He called into the darkness, “Oh wolf! Come out, come out!”

 

I stood up and ruffled my wings, growling and grumbling under my breath. He squeaked in surprise, and disappeared from sight. I followed after him.

 

When I exited the cellar, I was surprised to see the sunlight so strongly. I had attacked the woman at exactly midnight. I looked around.

 

The boy cried out in shock, “What an odd wolf you are!” I spun around to face him, baring my teeth at him. He continued to babble on, “Oh, I can’t believe someone would test on you like that! It’s just not right! It’s so evil! Come here, little wolf! Come here!”

 

I smiled on the inside a little, and then approached the male carefully. I sniffed at his hand carefully. He was human, but his smell was tainted. “I’m Alec,” he purred, “Will you let me take care of you from now on?”

 

That questioned pinched at my morals. It brought back human memories, and made my humanity glow brightly in the dark abyss I was in. I nodded like a dumb animal would. He patted me on the head, and smiled. That made his humanity grow a little brighter, but I pulled back from her slightly. I wasn’t going to act like a dog.

 

He sat down against a dumpster and murmured to me, “I’ll feed you fresh meat everyday, and give you fresh water. I know a good place to steal it from.” And with a pang of pity, I realized that this boy lived on the street. He had to be only like what, 13?

 

I nodded like a dumb animal would, and curled up again a little ways away from him. He smiled. “You’re awfully smart, for a wolf.” He added quickly at my hostile growl, “No offence.”

 

I shifted my wings so they stretched out on the pavement beside me. No problem, I thought a bit angrily. You’re awfully smart for a human. I froze, startled by my own words. Where did the sudden hatred for humans come from? Sarah was a human. Jacob was a human. Okay, granted, I wasn’t a human anymore, but still…

 

I rolled over to face the boy, and wondered faintly if I should change and tell him what I was. But the question wasn’t if I was going to change, it was if I could change. I stood up abruptly, and the boy cried in shock, “Don’t leave!” I barked a laugh; the boy was quite amusing, and padded away into the cellar I had come from. I slammed the door behind me and stood in the shadows. Alone.

 

I closed my eyes and concentrated on calming thoughts. Laying on the beach with Jacob, checking out girls. Having a picnic with the twins, and laughing when Jacob screamed like a girl at the sight of a bee or an ant. I opened my eyes and looked down. I saw hands.

 

Thrilled, I shuffled back the way I came. I opened the cellar door a crack and peeked out. Seeing the boy was still there, I shoved it all the way open and squeezed out. He stared at me like I was Jesus incarnation. “Hi,” I mumbled, grinning to show my sharp fangs, “I’m…” I thought of a quick, fake name. “Alkemi.”

 

The boy shrieked and toppled sideways. His head hit the ground with a little crack, and blood leaked out the side of his open mouth. The ruby liquid smelled strong to me; like I was a bee, and that small scarlet drop was a mountain of honey.

 

I let out a deep growl, and dropped into a hunter’s crouch, not taking my eyes off of the boy. Now I would get the blood I needed.

 

But somewhere inside me, my mind shrieked at me everything about the situation that was wrong. Stop! This boy is kind! Please! I shut off that part of my mind and snarled again, eyes narrowing and fangs leaking venom.

 

I lunged, and just as my fangs were about to fasten into the boy’s throat, somebody’s foot connected to my ribs, and I was thrown aside. “No!”

Chapter 8:  March 7, 2010

 

 

I hate that feeling you get in the morning. The feeling you get when you sit up too fast, and it feels like you’re going to fall over. Yeah, I got that this morning.

 

I groaned, and looked around the spinning room until my head calmed. I’ve had the same nightmare over and over again. Somebody shooting an arrow at a boy, but the arrow gets deflected by some shield or something, and plunges into my own heart. I shook my head. Just a dream, I scolded myself, nothing to worry about.

 

I sighed inwardly and glanced at the clock. It read: 11:37. I groaned and looked around. Where was Destiny, and why had she let me sleep in? Realization crept into my mind. I shrieked, “I have cl*censored*!”

 

I leaped out of my bed, and grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top out of my drawer. I threw them on hastily as I brushed my hair and teeth at the same time. What I wouldn’t kill to be Harry Potter right now…I thought wistfully.

 

I looked at myself in the mirror for a moment. For some reason, no matter how badly I rushed, I looked fabulous. I sighed, “Go-“ I choked on the lord’s name, and screamed in agony. Wow, Ironic isn’t it? A catholic girl punished for saying the lord’s name.

 

All I’d tried to say was, God I love Immortality.  I shook my head in confusion and hurried out the door, bag pressed against my chest as I ran. My first cl*censored* was on the fourth floor. It was Animal Labs, and Professor Willow taught it. I leaped into the elevator at the end of the hall and pressed the fourth floor button. It whooshed through the air, and my stomach was left on the sixth floor.

 

It halted, and I staggered out of the elevator. “Damn those things move fast…” I muttered under my breath, eyes wide.

 

“You look lost,” chimed a voice behind her, and she spun around to face a boy that looked to be in about his late teens. He was tall, and thin, but still quite muscular for an immortal. He had a gold halo of hair that fell softly over his left eye, and the one eye that I could see was a gold, almost yellow colour. I couldn’t see his mark. “You look lost,” he repeated.

 

I blushed, because I noticed that I had been staring at him. “Yeah, I woke up late,” I admitted, grinning at him sheepishly.

 

He chuckled, “First day of cl*censored* is like that for everyone, trust me.”

 

I laughed with him for a moment, then asked him cautiously, “What are you doing out of cl*censored*?” I eyed him carefully. Sure, he was absolutely gorgeous, but that didn’t mean I could trust him.

 

“It’s healthy to skip once in a while you know. Want to join?” he said quietly in response, flashing a dazzling smile at me. I was stunned for the moment.

 

Then he shook the hair out of his face.

 

The left side of his face had deep, twisted scars that ran from his temple to his jaw, slashing through his left eye on the way down. It was a milky, cloudy white, and I knew automatically that he was blind in that eye. I gasped in mute horror; what could have done something like that to him?

 

He noticed my ex
pression, and the gasp and he tensed up immediately. He said through gritted teeth, “I’ll be going then, if you’re done staring at me.”

 

I shook my head and blinked up sadly at him. “What happened to you?” I asked softly, stepping towards him slightly, fighting the urge to pull him into a hug and comfort him.

 

He narrowed his eyes, and stepped towards me. He towered a couple inches over me. “Why do you care?” he asked huskily; I could tell he was trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. I caught sight of his mark.

 

It was gold, like everything else about him. It was a circle, with a circle in the middle of it. Lightning bolts shot out of the center circle, and hanging from the bottom of the circle was a filled-in star, with little lines around it. She wondered what it meant. She shook it off and whispered, “Because, that’s horrible. Who could do something like that to you?”

 

He shook his head, and I noticed with shock that his chest was pressed against mine and we were staring into each other’s eyes angrily. “My name is Luke,” he whispered, eyes detaching themselves from my eyes to stare at the wall past me. “I was born in 1903, April second. My mom died during childbirth, my father killed himself soon after her death. I grew up on the streets.” His voice was growing thick with emotion, “When I was eighteen, I was marked and brought here, to the institute. Not long after, maybe a month after I got here, an immortal from another coven broke into my dorm, killed my roomy and stole something. I tried to fight him off, but I was no match; he was a full-blooded adult werewolf. He left the scares to prove it.” He took a step away from me, and I shook my head in despair.

 

“That’s terrible,” I whispered, unwilling to look away from him. “Are you okay?”

 

His answer was abrupt, “I have to go. Good-bye.”  He spun around, and started to walk away from me.

 

“I’m Lucy, by the way,” I called after him quietly.

 

He turned around, and smiled. His hair had fallen back into place, covering his ravaged face. “I know,” he chuckled, tossing me something white and thin, and then hurrying down the hallway.

 

I caught it, and almost laughed out loud when I saw it was a paper airplane. I opened it up, and there was a note inside. It read,

 

Hey Lucy,

 

Call me sometime, will you? Even angels feel alone.

 

Signed,

   

Luke Garroway.

 

P.s. 634-764-1938.

 

I smiled at the little paper for a minute, then stuffed it in my bag and walked into cl*censored*, feeling more flamboyant than ever.

Chapter 9: March 7, 2010.

 

Pain flared through my ribs, and I could tell that one or two were broken. But, of course, by the time I stood up they would be healed. My head spun, and the only thing I could concentrate on was the heavy scent of blood that drifted through the still air.

 

I stood up, shaking from head to toe in rage. I faced the attacker, who was bent over Alec’s side, back towards me. Dropping into a hunter’s crouch, my body gave a last, m*censored*ive shudder and exploded into the wolf I was more familiar with. I snarled.

 

He spun around, eyes locking onto mine with a frightening force. I dropped my eyes from his, stood my ground and studied him over.

 

He was tall, with broad shoulders and thick muscles, like you’d imagine some sort of warrior would. His hair was white, with ice-blue tips that clashed the gray-silver colour of his eyes. Out of his hair poked two silver wolf-like ears, and a tail swished through the air behind him. His hair covered the entire right side of his face, and on the left side of his forehead, above his eye, was a mark. It was ice blue, a crescent moon with a cloth drifting underneath it. The cloth covered a white star. He growled back at me, revealing pointed fangs that were slightly shorter than my own. He snarled, “Who are you, and what are you doing to my brother?”

 

I spread my wings from my side, eyes boiling with rage. How dare he keep me from perfectly good blood? Sure, it did smell weird but… I shook it off and growled back, “I have no name. Give me the boy.”

 

He curled protectively around the boy, shivering from head to toe with rage. “I will not give you my brother, mongrel.” He retorted angrily.

 

“Who are you?” I barked angrily, “What are you doing here?” He stood up, eyes suddenly guarded and his voice drained of any emotion.

 

“My name is Cole Stewart Breton, werepire from Gomme’s coven. I was changed at age 21. I have a younger brother named Alec, who I’ve been searching the face of the earth for, and a half-sister named Anna, who lives with this coven. She called me here because somebody killed Travis.” What he said next felt like a slap, “What are you doing here, pup?”

 

I snarled at him, taking a step forwards, “My name is Joshua Michael Banks, werevangel of nobody’s coven. I was changed at the age of 15, and I have no family whatsoever. I’m a lost cause, and a curse to everyone who used to know me.” I snarled, a deep feral growl. “Now move before I tear out your throat.”

 

Cole flung himself at me, changing midair. His body shuddered and exploded into a hard-muscled silver wolf with a werepire’s mark on its flank. He skidded to a halt in front of me, teeth bared to show two fangs. I bared my teeth back at him, and leaped with all my power onto his back.

 

He staggered under my weight, and I sunk my fangs into his shoulders. He let out a pained yelp, and flipped onto his back so I was pinned under him. His weight crushed the air out of my lungs, but I kept my jaws clamped on his shoulders. I could feel the venom flowing into his bloodstream; I could taste the salty tang of his blood… And then his weight was gone.

 

I stood up shakily and looked around, blinking numerous times. It was empty except for me, and Alec. I dropped into a hunter’s crouch and slunk towards the unconscious boy, only to have something invisible pummel into my side. I felt the air whoosh out of my lungs with a gasp, and I spun around to face my attacker, jaws snapping. Nobody was there.

 

And then a pair of invisible teeth sank into my throat, and I snarled and writhed on the ground, back feet trying to pummel my enemy. My mind screeched, Call on your powers! Call on them! I answered back in a panic, what powers? But never the less, I continued to kick at the invisible man’s stomach, and prayed in my head that my ‘powers’ would show themselves to me now.

 

From the corner of my eye, I watched as the shadows detached themselves from the walls and crept towards us, howling in icy voices. This is the end! I thought in despair.

 

And then they all leaped on the invisible attacker. My vision wavered, and everything went black as midnight.

Chapter 10, March 7, 2010

 

I walked into my first cl*censored* of the day, bag clutched against my chest, where my heart fluttered like a trapped bird. Prof. Willow spun around and faced me, her beauty striking my self-esteem like a fist.

 

She was tall and dark-skinned, with deep scarlet eyes and chocolate brown wavy hair that went down to her waist. She had angel wings pinned to her side, which were a metallic bronze colour. Her mark was bronze, and it was a crescent moon with various animals curled around it. A coloured-in star was speared on one end of the crescent moon.

 

She said in a voice similar to chimes dangling in the wind, “Hello, Lucy, take a seat. You are late for cl*censored*.” I nodded and blushed, rushing to take my seat. I sat in a seat at the back of the cl*censored*room, behind a boy with blonde hair.

 

I tried to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. She was reading from an old book, her voice ringing out through the entire room, “Every Immortal can imprint with an immortal animal. It makes them stronger, and ties them together for the rest of their existence. To imprint on an animal, you must place your favored hand on a wing, forehead, chest or paw. It will leave a mark on the animal that represents you, and the other way around also. You do not choose the animal, the animal chooses you and…”

 

I didn’t hear the rest. I was staring at the back of the boy’s head, trying to picture what he looked like. Suddenly he raised his hand, and the teacher pointed to him and said clearly, “Yes Ash?”

 

His voice was soft, like fleece, but it was still like a man’s in many ways, “Will we ever get the chance to imprint on an immortal animal?” His question pricked my interest, and I leaned to see the teacher’s face.

 

She glowed. “Yes, in fact, that’s what I had planned for today,” she said loudly, looking around the cl*censored*room. “Everyone stand up and form a circle!”

 

I bounced out of my seat, and I could feel the smile that was plastered to my face. I set my bag down on my chair, and danced to the edge of the circle that was forming. Ash walked up and stood beside me. “Hey,” he said into my ear. His eyes were elsewhere around the room, “My name is Ash. Ash Redfern. Who’re you?”

 

I smiled slightly at him. He seemed nice. “My name is Lucinda Sweb. Call me Lucy.”

 

“That’s a pretty name,” he admitted sheepishly. He added, “Hey, where’s Professor Willow?” I shrugged, looking around the vast room for her. I looked back at him.

 

He was not much taller than I was, maybe only an inch taller. His hair was a nice colour of blonde, and it hid the mark that I knew was on his forehead. He had beautiful hazel eyes. He was staring back at me. I blushed and ducked my head away from him, to see Professor Willow approaching the circle at the opposite end. The crowd split and I saw what was following her.

 

A series of enchanted creature followed her. She was holding the reins to a white unicorn, with a horn that had to be at least two feet long. On it’s back perched a black phoenix, eyes darting around the room nervously.

 

Numerous half-creatures and magical beings stumbled after them, chattering and laughing to themselves. Prof. Willow halted, and the room fell silent. She looked at everyone and said loudly, “You may mingle,” She released the unicorn’s reins, and it nickered softly. The phoenix fluttered off of it’s back and landed on my desk.

 

I was just about to follow it when I noticed something pecking at my feet. I looked down, and what looked like a baby basilisk was chewing on my laces. He was built like a snake, with spines and huge, and obviously poisonous, fangs.

 

 I smiled, and scooped him up, careful not to look into his eyes for too long. Prof. Willow said from my shoulder softly, “That’s a basilisk, you must know. He’s young for his kind. Don’t look into his eyes.” I nodded and looked at her instead. “Now press the palm of your hand on his forehead, and we’ll see what happens.”

 

I nodded and swallowed the bile rising in my throat as I pressed my right hand against his forehead. A searing pain ran up my arm and I screamed, dropping him immediately. My arm was on fire, and I started to cry, hand balled in a tight fist, nails biting into my skin. Tears blurred my vision for a long moment. Finally I blinked them away and looked at the basilisk that was rubbing against my legs like a cat.

 

And then I noticed everyone was looking at me. I blushed, and wiped the tears from my face. Everyone looked shocked. I glanced down at my hand to see the shimmering black mark in center of it, shaped like a serpent or something. No, like a basilisk. The basilisk had one on his forehead shaped like a small human handprint.  Prof. Willow said softly, “Congratulations on your imprint. Don’t worry. His eyes will not affect you now. Give him a name,” and walked away. The burning in my arm was numbing.

 

I scooped up my immortal animal and stared at him in amazement. He stared at me back. Ash chuckled besides me, “Nice going, New Blood. Maybe later I’ll show you my Fenex fox, Kijrii.”

 

I smiled and blushed. “I’d like that,” I said softly.

 

“So would I,” he said just as softly back. My heart fluttered in my chest.

Chapter 11, March 10, 2010.

 

I blinked, and sat up warily. It took me a minute to figure it out, but I was still wolf, and I wasn’t in the ally way. Stretching my wings and yawning at the same time, I caught something moving in the corner of my eye. I spun around; teeth drawn back in a snarl and faced the intruder. It was Jacob.

 

The room I was in was small, and the walls were painted a rather bright shade of purple. The ceiling was a light shade of blue, while the floor was some sort of gray tile. There was a bed pushed up against the wall, and numerous shelves and drawers pushed against the walls too. Jacob stared at me with narrowed eyes.

 

“Who, and what, are you?” he asked quietly, like he was scared. But he wasn’t scared; his eyes were too hard and angry for that.

 

I opened my mouth to tell him, and then remembered that only immortals could understand me while I was wolf. I sat in silence and glared back at him with icy eyes while I thought of a way to tell him. Fed up, I stood up and dug my nails into the tiles. They sliced through easily. That gave me an idea.

 

I trailed my sharp claws along the tiles carefully; forming the three words I needed him to see the most. In scratchy handwriting, it read: Joshua Michael Banks. I barked at him, “That’s me!” I knew he couldn’t understand, but I did it anyways. Just for the hell of it.

 

Jacob shuttered, and I could hear him snap his teeth together in fury. He snapped, “Josh is dead, you miserable pup. Killed by someone in an ally way, they say. Tell me who you are.” I shook my head in despair, and slammed my tail onto the ground next to my name.

 

And then I knew what I had to do.

 

The only way I could convince Jacob that I was who I was was to change in front of him. I sat down, and closed my eyes tightly, ignoring the taunting smell of Jacob’s blood, even though it was slightly tainted, like Alec’s.

 

I replayed some of my favourite scenes in my head. Me stretched out on the beach, topless, while Jacob rambled on about a cute guy splashing in the waters. Sarah was making gagging noises.  I almost laughed out loud at the memories, but I choked it back and opened my eyes. I was human again.

 

And then I saw Jacob. His face was bright red, and he was grinding his teeth together in anger. I stared at him. He shouted, “What are you, and why did you let us think you were dead?”

 

“I honestly don’t really know what I am, Jacob. And I couldn’t tell you I was alive because of, well…” I broke off, and flexed my wings. I bared my fangs and flicked my ears and tail. “I’m a freak, Jacob. I can’t see you guys anymore.” Finally the connection clicked, and I realized I was in the guest bedroom. “How’d I get here?”

 

Jacob didn’t take his boiling green eyes off of me. I could tell I’d upset him as he explained in a thick voice, “We found a wolf in the middle of an ally way. We were looking for any trace of Charlotte. Sarah was all up for taking it home and calling animal control. Oh, by the way, they’ll be here in five minutes.” He turned around, and said softly over his shoulder, “Now I’ll be leaving.”

 

I stomped across the room, and grabbed Jacob’s shoulders tightly. He shrieked in pain, and I ignored him and spun him around to face me. I snapped, “I need a large leather jacket, a hat and a pair of pants. Now.” Jacob spit on the front of my shirt, eyes bubbling again. “NOW!”

 

He wrenched himself free of my grasp and snarled, “Fine, but I don’t want to see you ever again, Joshua.” I opened my mouth to say something rude back, but a female’s shrill voice cut me off.

 

“Who are you talking to Jacob?” It was Sarah. Cursing under my breath, I dove under the bed and flattened myself to the ground as best I could. My wings were squashed against me in an uncomfortable position. She walked in.

 

Sarah looked the way she did the day I was taken. Braces covering half her body, crutch propped under one arm; but it was good to see all the bruises were faded. She looked almost like herself. Jacob stuttered, “N-nobody Sarah. Just myself.”

 

Sarah’s eyes drifted around the bedroom, and I could have sworn she looked right at me, but she looked back at Jacob before I could tell. “Where’s the wolf, Jacob?”

 

Jacob lied smoothly, “The people came while you were in the shower Sarah. It’s gone.” Sarah nodded like she believed him, and started towards the bed. Jacob choked out, “Let’s go in the living room. Now.”

 

Sarah opened her mouth to protest, and then I sneezed. Loudly. Sarah faced me, and I felt my breathing stop. “JOSH!”

 

Oh crap.