His Infatuation with Thea James

P R O L O G U E

It was the start of winter when he first laid eyes on her. The snow just barely covered the ground they walked on, the sun hidden behind a thick layer of clouds: no hint of a blue sky. He sat in his old beat-up truck, hardly hearing his favorite classical songs play - the girl with pretty hair had captured his attention.

He was completely and utterly entranced.

He watched the girl with messy brown curls walk towards the school. His heart seemingly beat faster the longer he stared at the beauty before him. It bothered him that she wasn't facing him. He wanted to see her face, no, needed to see her face. A sense of urgency fell upon him, and before he knew it, he was turning his truck off and following the footsteps the girl had left behind.

He walked with an aura of confidence, his demeanor screaming "look at me." And look at him they did. He felt the stares of several students, all eying him up, yet making sure to stay far out of his way.

A few freshmen scamper out of his path, their eyes wide as they gaze at the 6'3 senior walking in their direction. They had heard the stories, and they weren't stupid enough to believe they were just rumors.

He felt the fear radiating off of the students he passed, hell, he smelt the fear - and he loved it. He basked in the sight of their panic-stricken faces when he neared someone. He thoroughly enjoyed it when they looked at him as though he were a beast about to devour his last meal.

And this beast was hungry for a certain brunette.

His eyes never strayed from the girl. She had her head bent down, perhaps looking at something in her hand. She walked up the steps to the school, nearly slipping on the slick snow that covered the second step. Her hands shot out just as his heart skipped a beat. She grasped onto the railing beside her, regained her composure, and continued her way up the steps, into the school, and much to his dismay, out of his sight.

Warm air hits him the second he enters the school, his gaze skimming past students until they land on the curly-headed brunette disappearing around the corner at the end of the hall. He follows her to the office, staying just outside of the door, hidden from sight.

His breath hitches when the sound of her angelic voice reaches his ears.

"Hello, I'm the new student. I'm-"

"Name." The nasal voice of the receptionist cuts the girl off before she could speak her name.

"Thea James."

And just like that, the beast's hunger for the girl intensified.