Hellhound (Supernatural #1)

11: Welcome To The Dark Side

Coffee, noun.

1. A beverage consisting of a decoction or infusion of the roasted ground or crushed seeds of the two-seeded fruit of certain coffee trees.
2. A cup of coffee.

***

I was on my way to the cafeteria when Tate appeared as my side and steered me in a completely different direction. Luckily, I brought my lunch with me so I could eat it up wherever he was taking me to. It turned out, we were going to the library. Teasingly, I asked him if he needed help studying for something but he told me, quite seriously, that we were going there to continue my studies.

There were a few students in the library but mostly the place was empty. And why wouldn't it be? People could be having lunch right now. There was a strict no-food policy in the library, and teenagers did love their food. Tate led the way, walking with confidence like he knew exactly where he was heading. Of course, he did. Despite having been at this school for only a few weeks now, he knew the place like the back of his hand. All those times Devin had come and whisked him away; who knew what dark corners they had explored together.

There was a table all the way at the back, hidden out of sight from the librarian by rows of bookshelves, and nowhere near a window. A slim blond girl sat at the table, reading a book and munching on her sandwich. So much for the no-food policy. She glanced up way sooner than she should have, as if she had heard us approach. But I figured if Tate was taking me to see her then she must have been a supernatural. Which probably meant good hearing.

As we approached, I recognized her. Her name was Erica. Just like Devin, we had been going to the same schools since kindergarten but we had never spoken much. Erica liked to read a lot, which a lot of people found weird, like they couldn't understand why someone would rather sit and read than go out with friends. I liked that about her; it meant she was quiet, unlike everyone in the cafeteria who seemed to use the one hour to try and make as much noise as humanly possible.

She smiled, her eyes moving from Tate to me. She closed the book and watched as Tate sat down. He didn't even ask her, like he knew she would never tell him no. I followed his example though because I would have felt awkward standing there.

"Hi Erica," Tate grinned. "I suppose you know Sawyer." The blond nodded, smiling briefly at me. "I'm giving her a tour of the community, trying to introduce her to all the different kind of supernaturals there are in this school. Would you like to tell her about yourself?"

"You're telling her about us? Isn't that an offense punishable by death - for all of three of us?" Erica stared at him like he was crazy. Very much the way Devin had looked at him that morning. She didn't even glance at me; all her attention was focused on Tate. There was a mixture of worry, fear, and confusion in her eyes. I could understand the confusion; why is this guy introducing some random girl to supernaturals? Why does he want us to tell our biggest secret to a human? Or at least something along those lines. The worry and the fear I wasn't sure what to make of. Nor the 'punishable by death' part.

"Why is everyone so hung up on the death thing?" Tate muttered to himself. Why indeed? Devin had said something similar but I figured he was just being dramatic. Now, if Erica brought it up as well, it made me wonder if there wasn't more to it. I would have to remember to ask about that later. "Look, I know the consequences, I know what I'm doing. Trust me, alright? You won't get into trouble for this."

"Are you planning on changing her?" she asked suspiciously.

"No." The word was sharp and left no room for discussion. Changing me? As in changing me into a supernatural? Was that even a real thing? Could he even do that? Not that it mattered; obviously Tate had already decided that it wasn't going to happen. Then he turned to me, "Erica here is a born vampire."