The Bite

The Bite Part 1

"Oh, drats," I whispered under my breath. "Where is that girl?"

I knew what to expect. It always happened. In fact, there was never a time when it didn't. After four long years, today was the day I had been waiting for... if Sammy would just show up! I glanced down the never-ending tunnel of metal lockers to a hallway that was bustling with the most popular kids in school — the vamps. I didn't know how I got stuck in this wing, but that was how my life seemed to work. A witch stuck in a whirlwind of vamps who all stared at me like I was a meal.

"Hey, Leah," Josie's voice rang down the hall. She was the prettiest girl in school — witch or not — and was bounding over toward me. Her auburn hair shimmied down to her waist, and she was already in her cheerleading outfit for the afternoon's pep-rally. She also happened to be my twin sister and somehow the only witch that flew under the vamps' radar. It was as if she was one of them, which was something I could never understand.

"Hi, Josie," I muttered, trying not to roll my eyes. To say we weren't close would be an understatement. She could have any guy she wanted and constantly flaunted that fact to everyone in a mile radius. And of course, she always seemed to narrow her gaze on any guy I happened to even notice or who might notice me.

"Do you have my assignment ready?" she asked, plopping her hand out.

"Right here," I said, handing over the Chemistry assignment.

"Have you seen Jake lately?" Josie asked, trying to sound innocent but failing miserably.

She barely glanced at the paper, which only sealed her own fate. The assignment she was about to turn in was complete trash. None of the answers were right and the presentation had a few surprises as well.

"Heeello. Did you hear me? Have you seen Jake?" She stomped her foot to get my attention.

Just hearing her mention his name made me annoyed. Jake and I had been friends for three years. He was the only vamp who gave me the time of day, and he happened to be the hottest guy in school. But that's not why my mission had to work. It's because he's the sweetest guy I'd ever met. Period. And I knew if we all went off to college, he'd never remember me unless he had a little help. That's where Sammy came in. Where was that girl?

I slammed my locker closed and noticed Josie wasn't budging. We never hung out together so I followed her gaze down the hall and realized what made her suddenly want to stand by me. Jake was on his way over.

"Whatever, dude," Jake's voice rumbled through the airwaves, pushing one of his friends, Caleb, away from him. As he walked toward us his jeans sagged lower and lower in all the right places, and I forced myself to look away.

"It's true," Caleb said, returning to his side. "She's a fine piece of..."

I couldn't take it any longer, and I waved at Jake and Caleb. My heart rate increased a little as I wondered who they were talking about. Was Jake into someone? If he was, my plan couldn't have come at a better time. If I could get the spell into him, he wouldn't remember who he'd thought he was into. He'd only have eyes for me... or something like that.

Jake came over and leaned against the locker next to me and reached out to hug me, bringing me securely into his arms. That sounded promising, right? But nope! It was his friend hug. He's just that nice! He looked as amazing as ever, with his sweatshirt unzipped enough for me to notice his v-neck tee and the thin leather necklace he always wore. His blue eyes were so striking, it was almost impossible to stare at them for long periods of time without looking dopey. I couldn't even imagine how incredible he was going to look in a few years. There'd be a line of vamp bimbos out the dorm for him if I didn't do what I had to do. It was for his sake, really. He let me go, and I reached for my notebook, hoping Sammy would arrive any second. Once I had the potion on me, I'd be able to relax.

Josie began her version of turning up the charm and this was the best part. He didn't care. He never did! She stood there batting her thick eyelashes and giggling at anything he said and what did he do? He looked over at me with an amused grin and winked at me. He would never cross the sister boundary. That I was sure of, but there would be plenty of others I was sure he'd be willing to cross, especially once he got to college.

A girl tripped as she walked by, and I quickly caught my sister sliding her foot back beneath her. My sister tripped the poor girl for no reason. Just a typical Josie move.

I dropped my binder on the ground, startling my sister enough to get her to move down the hall, but I was sure that wouldn't stop her from finding a new target.

I spotted Sammy as I picked my folder back up. She gave me a huge smile and patted her front jean pocket. She snuck a glance over at Jake as she blew a stray piece of hair out of her face. He was hard not to notice. I didn't blame her.

"When do you want to do it?" she whispered, leaning over to me.

"Three periods from now."

"I'm starting to get kind of nervous," she muttered, handing me the vial. "Especially with the whole karma thing. What we've got planned for Josie breaks all kind of boundaries. If things go wrong, it's going to come back and bite us. I'm really worried."

I slipped it in my pocket and gave her a big hug. "Don't be. Life isn't all cause and effect or Josie wouldn't have gotten away with things for so long. Besides, nothing can go wrong."

"Never say that," she snapped. "This is magic. Things can always go wrong."

I scowled at her and turned on my heel as the warning bell rang through the air.

"Whatcha got there?" Jake teased, coming up behind me as we headed toward class. He draped his arm around my shoulder, and I had to bat down the butterflies that were trying to take over.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I felt his smile wrap around me. "I think you're up to something, and I've got to be a part of it."