Peppermint

Prelude

We were being hunted, by two jerks who hated our guts just for existing and who were stronger than us by a thousand percent.

We'd been hunted all our life-the difference was now they'd actually found us. And unless we figured out something fast, both my brother and I would probably be saying goodbye to our wretched lives for good. I should've been at least mildly freaked out.

But all I could think about was her. Her wide, terrified eyes, frozen on me in horror, petrified. If she hadn't thought of me as a monster before, she certainly did now. The image of the inflamed, red mark on her sweet, tender neck haunted me. How could I have let that happen?

"I'm gonna be sick." I glanced at my brother, driving fast, with his hands urgently clenching the steering wheel.

"Sick like...mentha piperita withdrawal, or sick like...?"

"You know."

He sighed deeply, shaking his head. "It's your fault."

I was furious. Not with him, with myself of course. Blinding rage surged through me, igniting my insides, setting me on fire. I tightened my hand into a fist, ready to hit something. "I swore I wouldn't hurt her. She trusted me! But that's all over now, because she can't even look me in the eye at this point. I love her, you know."

"I know. And I know you won't hurt her anymore. But you have to convince her of that too."

"How can I? She's terrified of me. Ugh, I need some peppermint. Why don't you have, like, a spare leaf or something in this freaking car??"

My brother gave me a side glare. "Because I didn't count on our entire supply getting destroyed!"

I was starting to get nervous. Drumming my nails on the door panel, I swallowed, the back of my throat getting the all too familiar hot, parched feeling. "It's really close to the Vernal Equinox, too...it's like the worst time to not have it...ugh, I was this close to draining her!"

"But you didn't. Consider that a blessing. Otherwise, we'd be in even worse hell than we are now. Where do you think would sell more of it? Food Lion or Ace Hardware?"

"Idiot, Food Lion is not gonna have what we need. All they sell is, like, jumbo mayonnaise jars and gummy bears. They might have it in dried tea form, but that won't be nearly strong enough. Go to Ace-they sell trees and stuff there. We can just buy every single peppermint plant they have. Let's ask to buy any they might have in the back too."

"It still won't be enough."

"Don't you think I know that?! Gosh."

I was this close to choking my own brother. I had to get fresh peppermint in me soon. But even though that would calm the nerves and the sick, achy, hungry feeling inside of me, I knew it would do nothing for my broken heart, and the regret that squeezed and twisted my insides even worse than the cravings...

I couldn't do like he said and consider it a blessing that I hadn't drained the love of my life of every drop of blood in her body. I wouldn't cut myself that kinda slack. The fact that I'd actually let myself get to the point where that was something to be grateful for was ridiculous and disgusting. No wonder she wanted nothing to do with me anymore.

"I hate this," I said, my voice coming out as a growl. "I hate being this, this thing. I hate being dependent on a tiny green leaf. I hate that I almost just killed the girl that means everything to me. I want to be normal."

"We're not normal. Far from it. Eat this. I found it at the bottom of the inside of my door."

He was holding out a small, wrapped candy with red and white stripes. Peppermint candy. For a moment, I wanted to smack his hand away. How could he possibly think that would do anything for me right now?! The amount of peppermint extract in this stupid little candy was probably less than two percent.

"Ugh, what the heck, I'm already as good as dead anyway." Taking his feeble attempt at helping me out of the palm of his hand, I unwrapped the candy and popped it in my mouth. As soon as it started to melt over my tongue, the cool, sweet sensation of menthol filled my mouth, my lungs, my stomach. Instantly, the sharp edge of my sickness and anxiety was dulled, and relief coursed through me. I closed my eyes, letting the feeling sink in. The alleviation was powerful-it literally felt like my very nerves had been pieced back together. The cold peppery effect coated my throat, easing the cracked painfulness the cravings always leave behind.

"Oh my gosh," I groaned in bliss, leaning my head back against the seat. "Thank goodness I have you, man."

My brother grinned, and pulled into the Ace parking lot. "Me? Thank goodness you have peppermint. We'd both be a mess without it."