A Touch of Scarlet

05

I sit up against my purple and black poke a dot pillow scrolling through tumblr.

Today is the 27th of October.

This day 14 years ago was the day my parents died or were killed I guess.

Every year my sister and I would grieve  by getting lost in a film together while eating buckets of ice cream.

However this year my sister has now also been added to my personal list of those to grieve for. So instead I continue to lay sprawled on the queen sized bed in Carter's guest room with the door locked, my cheeks tear-stained, scrolling through #SadQuotes on tumblr. I know it's pathetic but I don't usually break down enough to be in this position.

I'm blaming it on my heightened emotions from my so called;
'transformation' into a 'vampire'.

I continue scrolling while listening to all of the sad songs that I can find on YouTube, sadly humming along.

Carter's parents aren't home and Carter knowing what day it is, left.

15 years ago I had been a happy baby with a sister and two very alive parents.

Now I'm a soon to be vampire with no family, a guy with strangely-coloured hair popping up all over the place, and a new fear of cars.

So yeah that's my life I guess, and it kind of sucks.

Before I can even look up to the almost silent movement of the window, a graceful figure is sitting perched up on the window seat beside me and is un-shamefully leaning over my shoulder and reading the extremely embarrassing quotes that I've been scrolling through for the past couple of hours.

"The worst thing

That you can do

To yourself

Is depend too much

On a certain person

Because what are you going

To do

If one day they decide

That they don't need you

Anymore"

The voice finishes reading.

I look down unable to look Jordan in the eyes, but before I get the chance to shut the computer screen a finger is placed under my chin,
he wipes a tear from my cheek and tilts my face upward to look into his, locking eyes with me.

His features tell me everything I need to know;

'I'm sorry, but I'm not going to tell you that because it's pointless',

'I understand',

'It will get better'.

Then I remember his words from the other day,

'anyone who cuts them self around you can be sucked dry within minutes'...'within minutes'...'sucked dry'...'within minutes'.

Dead. Because of me. Dead.

I choke on a sob threatening to surface. Jordan puts his arm around my shoulder giving me a reassuring squeeze,

"you'll get through this I promise. I will help you get through this."

⋆⋆⋆

Sitting across from me is Carter, diagonal from me is Adrien and bedside me is Adrien's possible soon to be girlfriend, Mai.

Adrien's been drooling over her for the past year.

Her dad's Scottish and her mom's Japanese, her silk black hair falls just past her shoulders layered with pretty blue streaks.

The lunch bell had rung twenty minutes ago so we'd met up by the door and made our way to our usual table in the cafeteria.

"Mai what's that? are you alright?" Adrien's worried voice comes from the other side of the table.

"Yeah, I mean it hurts like hell but it's fine. It's from weight training. I drop-"

Tuning out the rest of her explanation I look over at the scene.

Mai sits with her right arm laying on the table, an unwrapped bandage lays open around her forearm.

The dark blue's and purples that mix together to combine into one giant bruise aren't what instantly catch my eye, what catches my eye is the teared open skin running through the bruise dripping scarlet liquid.

Automatically I feel my small canines slipping out, and my stomach quenching with hunger.

Quickly forcing my head down I dig my nails into my thighs so hard I wince.

"You alright there Lydia?" Carter asks worriedly.

I nod trying to keep my head down.

All of a sudden a pale hand wraps around my wrist firmly and begins to pull me up and out of my seat. I look up from under my lashes to see Jordan.

He doesn't release my wrist, he just pulls me into his chest as if to shelter me from the students or I guess to hide my new form.

Carter stands up, glaring at Jordan.

I'd forgotten that none of my friends had seen me with him before.

Awkward.

"What do you think you're doing?" Carter asks protectively.

I put my hand up to Carter "it's alright, I forgot I had to talk over some project ideas with him" I defend still not lifting my head.

Carter looks at me with doubtful eyes knowing not one word of that was true, oh well I guess it's just a lot of covering up I'll have to do later.

Jordan rushes me out of the cafeteria and drags me to a nearby door.
I look up instantly recognizing it as the guys bathroom,

"no please don't take me in there" I plead.

Ignoring me, Jordan opens the door, pushes me through and locks it behind us.

"open your mouth" he says,

"Why wha-" before I can finish my sentence he puts his thumb against the gum that my canines had slipped out of and remain out of.

Slowly he massages the gum, my canines start to slowly retreat. He steps back examining my gums for any sign of them coming right back out.

"The further into your change the bigger your canines will grow" he states,

"how do I not think about peoples blood?" I ask awkwardly not sure if I want the answer.
"Well from now on that's going to be basically all you think about but I can help you learn to control it so others don't notice and so it doesn't control you" he pauses, "ok?" he asks.

"Okay" I answer.