Shawn Salvatore

Chapter 2.

Shawn's P.O.V

First period hasn't even started and I can tell it's going to be absolute hell. As soon as I stepped through the schools entrance this morning I was bombarded with smells, sounds and I could feel every little thing happening around me making me feel jumpy and awkward. I wanted to throw up the minute I passed the schools threshold. It felt nothing like my old school back in Toronto.

Being a vampire has its perks though. My strength is heightened; my hearing, smell and sight are enhanced; I never feel the cold; I don't have to eat or drink to stay alive; my skin and body are flawlessly perfect and I will never ever age, I'll be eighteen forever. I also heal abnormally fast and am very hard to kill; unless you chop off my head or steak me through the heart - gruesome but noteworthy.

My favourite thing though is the power of compulsion - I can literally control a human's mind just by looking into their eyes and willing them to do something. It's a pretty cool trick but some vampires use it in the wrong way to hurt humans and that's when the negative aspects of being this creature come in.

There are some very big negatives to being what I am. The blood lust for a start is excruciatingly painful at times. The urge to tear into someone's jugular when I'm hungry is nauseating and can literally bring me to my knees with hunger pangs. According to Stefan, who's been attending high school for a while now, being around so many humans for such a long space of time each day is a draining ordeal and the hunger pains will eventually start and I'm going to have to get used to it and learn to control myself if I want to be normal.

Which brings me on to another negative; control. When you're a vampire it's like your natural sense of control just disappears and before you even realise it you've broken someone's arm or even killed them for no reason at all other than they may have coughed too loudly or picked on one of the less fortunate kids in class. Apparently control will reappear as I get older and find my own ways to deal with things but until then I'm a massive risk to everyone.

I'm still positive I won't kill anyone though and it's been nearly six months since I turned.

I'm drifting in my own thoughts when the end of period bell rings through the room. The sound makes me wince as it hits my eardrums. I remind myself I need to get used to that overly loud noise again and learn more control over not letting my hearing stray too far when I'm not concentrating. I pack my things up quickly and head towards the door to leave when a pale girl with black hair and bright blue eyes stands in my way, a grin on her face and her hand out like she wants me to shake it.

She's about half a head smaller than my six foot and overly skinny. I look from her hand up to her face then back down again, ignoring her gesture by stuffing my hands into my jacket pockets. I'm not trying to be rude but physical human contact surges the blood lust.

"Hi," she says putting her hand down awkwardly a sharp glint now in her eyes at my rejection. "I'm Becca and you are?"

I know she already knows my name as we just shared a class together but I play along anyway.

"Shawn Salvatore," I reply.

There's more smiling from her as I continue to stare silently wondering what she wants. "Where are you from Shawn?" She asks.

"Canada."

"Oh great, what bought you all the way here to California? I hear you have a brother."

It suddenly clicks to why this girl is asking so many questions, she wants gossip and that makes me laugh inside at the game I'm going to play back. I make myself tense up at her question, I look around sheepishly before I stage whisper my lies.