Grasp Heart

Chapter 3: Loner Vampire

My hunting led me to a lonely aisle of chairs where a copper-haired boy sat alone. Again, I recognized the flawless appearance and minty-sweet scent of the predator. I swallowed back my fluttering, frightened anxiety and even made a move to spite the little thing. I sat in the seat directly beside him.

"Hello," I greeted this male.

He nearly squirmed where he sat, pressing into his opposite armrest. That stirred a bold satisfaction in my gut, momentarily drowning the buzz of nerves. And I smiled. My lips pulled back a little too far while I examined him.

He glanced at me, probing, his gaze a rich emerald. The burst around his pupils was near-black, as if to suck out my soul; this one was thirsty. Even so, these eyes lacked a reddish tinge to their black hunger; why was that?

"This is theater?" I asked, raising my eyebrows, tone unconcerned by his standoffishness.

His eyes darted once around the auditorium, lips pressed together, then he nodded once and faced resolutely forward again. I thought I saw his freckled nose wrinkle a bit.

"Do you all put on plays or musicals? Is there an end-of-year show?" I continued, watching his facial expressions as I pestered him, "I'm new, so I'm not sure how it works."

"Yes, this year should be Wicked. Mrs. Chiles will review the syllabus."

"It's odd to have a theater class instead of... a drama club."

"Small school," he said dismissively, "Band, orchestra, drama, chorus. This is a catch all class. Each sub-group becomes student-run as the year continues."

"I see. Do you participate? Acting, stage crew, pit band or...?"

"I'm usually on the keyboard," he said crisply, "Are you usually this chatty with strangers?"

"I'm Sara," I said, realizing that I hadn't introduced myself.

"Mason."

"Keyboard, huh? Then you must play the piano as well."

"They are direct translations," he said sarcastically, finally turning to give me a more thorough inspection.

"You're not in the mood to talk?" I pressed.

"I'm... not feeling well."

I studied his face, noting again the dark color of his irises.

"Low blood sugar probably – we're getting close to lunch time," I mused, "I can walk you to the nurse."

"No!" he said so suddenly and severely that my hands, on the armrests, instinctively clawed at the air.

"Oh-kay," I muttered, hoping to manage a high-pitched awkwardness rather than nerves.

He pursed his lips, jaw flexing; the motion put my shoulders up near my ears with anxiety. I knew the agony that a vampire's teeth, a vampire's venom, could cause. A few times, he opened his mouth, then closed it, then furrowed his brow, then opened again.

And finally, "I'm kind of a loner."

I chewed my lower lip against a twisted, bitter smirk, "I noticed, believe it or not. I think it was the five empty rows of theater seating between you and the other students."

"I'm a loner for a reason."

"Oh," I gasped in mock horror, simultaneously fighting the urge to curl my lip back, "Wait, don't tell me! You're an emo kid still into My Chemical Romance... "- I wrinkled my nose, exaggerating my thoughtful expression "-No, no, you're the nerd who reminds the teacher to collect homework..."