The Vampire Princess

Chapter 10

The whole school is mourning the loss. The principal holds a ceremony in the gym and all grades are made to come. A few teachers shed tears and Angel is crying buckets full beside me.

I get it she's dead. I do feel some time of empathy for her and her parent's loss. But we all know the real reason the principal mourns. No more money for the school, no more payoffs for their kid's bullying behavior.

Come on already it's hot and I'm suffocating from the smell of these people. I shrink closer to Angel but it doesn't seem to help none. She smells just like the rest. For some reason, her smell is more bearable.
 
    I'm beginning to get hungry again.  Usually, I can go almost all day without being hungry. I tense up when I smell the familiar scent again. Dexter slides down beside me and now I'm completely caged in. I breathe through my mouth hoping that that would dampen the smell. For some reason, his smell is stronger than all the rest. My eyes immediately go to his neck.

   It's only after I take a glance at his face that I'm able to tell something is wrong with him. He seems more stressed than normal and his finger taps rapidly on his knee. I wait for him to acknowledge my presence and when he doesn't I do.

  "What's wrong?" I say. I began to slide closer to him before I stopped. His scent is pulling me in and yet I repell myself. I clench my hands together and run my tongue over my newly pointed teeth. I would do anything to taste his blood. If we weren't so public I would have been given my desire.

  He takes a deep sigh and I can tell he wants nothing less than to be somewhere else right now.

    "I'm stressed," he said plainly. I can see his brow furrowed and him looking towards the podium. The principal has just begun to walk towards the podium. I wait expecting him to say more and when he doesn't I gratefully move away. I shrink further towards Angel and put as much distance between me and him as possible.

   He smells stronger. Why does his scent overpower the hundreds of teenagers here?

  I attempt to ignore my body and the way my mouth waters at the smell of his blood. I focus solely on the principal who has just begun speaking.

  "As many of you know we're gathered here today in remembrance of Trixie Cooper and here to show support to her parents," he says. He seems to be empathetic about what he is saying or was it just the money talking? "Trixie has left a long impact on this school and she will never be forgotten. She helped mentor many of the young ladies here at Woodland High. She lit up every room she went in and was the very model of a charitable person; always placing the needs of others above her own."

   I couldn't suppress a laugh of disbelief at the long list of lies he just told. It was like trying to fit a wolf into sheep's clothing and he knew it. The only charitable thing about her was the fact that her parents gave money to the school. She never placed one person's needs before her own and only took into consideration someone else's if it benefited her. I get it, they need to put on a good show, but please don't stretch the truth out.

    I can tell the words had some of the same effects on a few other kids. Angel was sobbing and sapping it up. Just because she is dead doesn't mean one has to suck up to her.

  I reach over to say something but I bite my lip and hold my tongue. The girl is dead Myla you don't have to be so bitter towards the whole thing. That never changed the fact that I never liked her and still don't know that she's not here. Still, this did make me feel a small pang of realization. She would no longer be delivering her sappy speeches or bitching me during practice. At that, I smile. Hate was as close as I would ever get to loving her.

  Dexter isn't paying any attention to the principal. Instead, he's staring at me and I can see he's struggling to mask his confusion and curiosity. Why is he staring at me? Has he noticed the strange changes that happened? If anyone would notice what's happened to my body he would. He slides closer to me and places his hand on mine. I tense up involuntarily. He doesn't seem to notice and I take note of it willing myself to remain sane.

  "You're taking the whole thing better than I thought you would." He sounds calmer and more intuitive.
    
  His body still has the same effect on me, but this time is different. This time I want desperately to flee.

  So why do I remain seated? Because where would I go and how would I explain to him?

  "Yeah I supposed so," I said. I pull my arms closer to myself and try to hide any signs of discomfort. "Don't get me wrong I feel bad about this happening to her. But we're never that close of friends anyway."

    He nods a head at me and continues to caress my hand. I wish he would stop. I'm imagining myself pulling his neck back and when he leans closer to me. I take a deep breath. I grip his shirt and pull him towards me. The room is going quiet and I can hear the steady thumping of his heart and see the mixture of confusion flash across his face.

  I push him back on the bleacher and immediately stand up. I must have pushed him harder than expected because he rams into a guy beside him. I shoot him an apology and I rush away from him.
 
  I don't run so that I don't draw attention to myself. I can hear them both call after me but I continue to call ignore them and sidestep my way around students to get out the double doors.

As soon as I'm on the other end I let out my breath. The hallway is still mixed with the scents of the hundreds of students. Luckily for me, it's not as intensified as before. I rest my back against the door and let out a long breath.

   "Stuffy in there, isn't it?" Said a cocky voice.