Starsong

Appetite

 Monroe received her schedule from the office lady, whose name she later learned was Irene Terrick. She also received a dutiful glare, something she ignored with equal fervor. After sitting through two classes, she now had a study break. She took the time to explore the stone-lined halls. Eventually, she stumbled upon the library. Usually, she would succumb to the urge to find a corner, whip out her sketchbook, and doodle a little. However, she had forgone her sketchbook today and would every day from then on.

"So what's your deal anyway?" a voice asked, a voice that Monroe had already saved and stored in her mind. Gavin leaned against a column outside the library, chewing on a toothpick. She wondered briefly if he was one of those guys that tried so hard to be mysterious, the ones that leaned against walls and chewed on toothpicks.

"Do I have to have a deal?" she shot back walking past him, leaving the vast collection of books behind. She hoped he would follow after her and he did.

"Everyone does," he said, falling into step beside her. She didn't really have a destination; she would just walk until he caught on to that fact. Then she would find her next class. "And you look like the epitome of someone who has a deal," he added, driving a hand through his hair all the way to the back of his head. The way his hair fell back like that, Monroe figured he did that often.

"You're wrong about that," she responded. She said it in a way that completely betrayed that she just lied; however, he didn't know her like that.

He laughed, a bark of sound that forced him to throw his head back at the force of it. She didn't think she was that funny, but then again, maybe Gavin was just so used to laughing; it came so easily. "I'm laughing cause I'm never wrong. Even when I am--eventually, I'm not," he said.

Monroe thought of her father and how he would always smile warmly at her mother whenever she said something like that--that she was never wrong.

Disregarding what he just said, she opted to change the subject: "Why are the halls so dark?"

"Didn't you know? We're all vampires; can't be in the sun," he said like it was common knowledge, gesturing to the giant drapes hanging from the ceilings and covering the tall windows. Monroe's lips quirked up at that. A jokester. Seeing her almost smile he clapped in triumph. "There it is," he said, pointing to her mouth.

She stayed silent then, unsure how to keep talking to him, but she soon knew she wouldn't ever have that problem with Gavin. He just talked and talked and always had a witty comment.

"Do you wanna get outta here?" he asked her, pausing in the middle of the hall.

"Leave?" Monroe stressed for clarification as she stopped alongside him. She looked both ways before stepping towards him in a conspiring manner. "Where would we go?"

He shrugged, walking again--this time towards a side exit of the building. "Doesn't matter," he said, opening the door and peaking out.

"Hey!" a voice called out. Monroe whipped around to see the same red-faced teacher from earlier stomping towards them.

"Run!" Gavin yelled with a chuckle, bursting out the door with Monroe hot on his tail.

"Cross!" the teacher yelled from the doorway. "Detention! Detention for both of you!" he called after the two.

Gavin laughed again and Monroe fed off of his high, giggling alongside him as they left the old campus and spilled into the main street. Her breaths came out in heavy pants; the adrenaline generated from the situation made her dizzy. Gavin made her dizzy, and she knew he had an effect on her from the moment she met him; she just didn't know what that effect was.