What Remains of White Sands

Chapter Five

Yes, what Konner had said was not simply an insult. She was referencing a secret that I thought was … well, secret.

What she was referencing was: Nari was not simply a teenage girl, just like Konner wasn’t simply a biatch. Like how my brother and I were not humans.

Djimon and I were vampires.

I’d discovered this highly unpleasant secret just before my thirteenth birthday. I hated being a vampire—they don’t have the best of reputations. But I’m training myself to be a normal human. I know it has to change something. I’d do anything to be normal.

However, being a vampire does have its perks. I can turn into a screech owl, see in the dark, and run really fast. Still, I believe I’d give it up if I got to eat anything I wanted—some foods just taste so disgusting to my super-sensitive taste buds—have a normal sleeping schedules, and prove my worth on my own. How do I know how smart I really am, without the influence of Supernatural gifts? I do sleep, but sporadically—and with that comes a mystery. Why do I need so little sleep—and why don’t I have a pulse?

I noticed that last factor on my fourteenth birthday—a considerably long time ago to still be wondering—but my parents and I don’t have the best relationship, and I simply don’t know who else to ask … so no one knows. And yes, most teenage girls have wild hormones, but they don’t go from ecstatic to despondent, from courteous to furious, in the space of two seconds.

Over the week following my identity crisis, so to speak, I’d discovered that Karida and Hetal were sorceresses, that Tadi could persuade people to do anything she wanted and to turn invisible, and that Nari could read minds. I’d also learned that Mrs. Carsur, the local librarian, was a sorceress as well, and that Austin was a Shapeshifter. When Cannan moved to town, I uncovered his biggest secret: he was a werewolf. But after my friends and I administered wolfsbane, the werewolf curse was lifted; yet Cannan retains the ability to transform into a wolf.

On the day before my fourteenth birthday, Zahina told me that she was psychic, and Temira confided that she was a fairy. When Irena draws something meticulously, it becomes real, and Penelope can create spider webs, climb walls, and see in the dark. It was discovered that Phyre, who visited for a day, was a fire demon and a necromancer. But what were the chances of her ending up here?

Yes, her parents had gone to school here, but they were Supernaturals too. And that bowl of water did not decide to jump up and spill its contents down my dress on its own. I’d been noticing small clues like this over the past few months: water seems to bend to Konner’s will; every plant Joe touches flourishes; Lyric, an annoying and brainless friend of Konner’s, seems to transfix others with her beautiful voice; and Miss Glote, the guidance counselor, brings out extreme emotions in everyone she encounters. Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I’m also becoming suspicious. How is it that all my friends have some sort of power—and we’re all here? For if I know one thing about normal, it’s that you aren’t completely different than all of your friends—and you don’t try to keep this difference secret.

So what was Konner’s secret?

“You—” I gaped at my soaking dress, mouth open, temper rising. I stalked toward my archenemy, fists shaking. “What are you?”

Konner looked amused. “What are you talking about, freak?”

I really, really wanted to throttle her. I walked within an inch of her nose and repeated, “What are you?”

“And you call yourself smart,” Konner laughed. “Ha!”

I would have grabbed the front of her dress, except, as it was low-cut and clingy, that would have been very awkward. Instead my fists tightened, my nails digging into my palms. “I know you must be something. What are you?”