Crystalline

03

Some would say that history is one of the most boring subjects. And I would have agreed with them, because I was not really a fan of wars, cultures and that kind of stuff. Trust me my opinion wouldn't have changed about that, if my father wasn't my history teacher. You might say that it is a pain in the butt because of the grades and everything, but before you judge, just attend on one of his classes and you'll see that it's worth it.

I was not biased because he was my father, but because his classes were really good. He knew just how to gain the attention of every student, including the ones who were sleeping on most of the classes. And how he managed to do that? Believe it or not, he talked about our town's rich history and how it included the origin of the infamously famous bloodsucking creatures - the vampires.

"Then the Government had kept the existence of the vampires a secret from the public, in order to protect both human and vampires from harming each other. But some of the humans knew about this secret and they learned how to coexist with the vampires. It has been said that some even mixed with them, which fairly makes us descendants from both vampires and humans. But unlike us, the vampires have the blessing of immortality; there are old journals in which is written that they don't age. It has been said that they lived in Dark Mist for hundreds of thousands of years, and that maybe some of them still do."

With this being said noise filled the classroom. Some were debating about what my father had just said about us being the descendants of the vampires and I know that some were probably questioning his madness like I was, at this moment. Louder than the others was Damian, the blond-haired boy who was sitting a few rows away from me. But that didn't stop him from openly staring at Reina, who was beside me and didn't seem to be bothered with his attention. I'm surprised how he even heard what the professor was saying, but when he spoke he asked with a rather mocking voice.

"You can't possibly believe in that, Professor Reed. Of course, it's not true."

"Is it, really? You may not be a believer Mr. Stone, but not everyone shares your opinion."

After that silence invaded the space of the large amphitheater as everyone seemed to be even more fascinated by the story about the vampires. You understand now, when I say that his classes are very interesting.

But fascinated or not, after what he said next every student including myself, returned on their usual sulking about assignments and homework.

"Before the beginning of the midterm exams, I want you to write me a paper on the mystical creatures of our town. It doesn't have to be on vampires, it can be on any other creature you can possibly think of. But I want originality, dig deep in the local library and bring me something worth an A."

• • •

"I'm telling you he keeps staring at me the whole day. It's getting really annoying."

On our way out of the classroom, even with Reina's rumbling about the assignments we had to do for the weekend, I still didn't miss Jaime's eyes catching mine before he passed me in the hallway.

"Who, Jaime? That's impossible; he is not the person who makes eye contact with anyone. It's like he thinks that no one here is good enough for him to even look at. And plus how do you know if he was staring at you the whole day, if you weren't looking at him too."

She wiggled her eyebrows, revenging on me for the way I mocked her last week when she drooled over Elijah all over our lunch table.

"It's not the way you think - I don't know how to explain it, but something happens when our eyes meet."

"Yeah right, and that has nothing to do with the fact that he is mesmerizingly gorgeous."

Leaving Reina to celebrate her small victory from our verbal battle, I stepped outside through the main door of our school. After classes, I decided to explore the area before the sun sets down.

For some weird reason, my father warned me not to wander around after sunset, which was odd because he never had a problem with that in our old place. But he went with the excuse that 'we were still new in town', so I had no choice but to agree with him.

However, I still had a few hours before that and I intended to use them. Originally Reina was supposed to show me around, but she told me that she had to reschedule for another time leaving me on my own. That wasn't a problem for two hours when I visited the shops near the center of our town. And it was definitely not a problem when I was munching a delicious chocolate cake in the local sugar-land.

But when I decided to wander around the town alone, it never occurred to me that I would end up in the situation I currently was. And me being a naturally curious person didn't help my case either. Hidden in the nearest bush to the crime scene, I was kneeling in the muddy ground and was vividly watching a fight happening in front of my eyes.

You might think that I must be really interested in fighting if you had seen me in this situation hidden in the dark side of the park, but I can assure you that's not quite true. I didn't hate fighting either, but if it was a matter of interest then I must admit I was more interested in one of the fighters than the fight itself.

He was neither a friend nor an enemy of mine, but someone who I couldn't get out of my mind from the first day my eyes had met his. We haven't even spoken a single word to each other, but I couldn't deny this connection I felt with him. And I think that same connection made me find the fighting scene in the first place. It was like my legs had walked and led me towards him on their own.

From where I was, I couldn't hear what was happening but it was obvious that they were fighting. The two men who went against the boy were maybe even twice his size, but surprisingly he was holding up pretty well. Not only holding up, but it looked like he was winning.

At this point, I didn't know what to do, whether to call the police or to just walk away. But knowing the person I was, it was most likely that I would join the fight. Finally making up my mind, I decided to stand up and reveal myself from behind the bush.

Scratching my hands from the branches, I struggled to get away from the bush. If I knew that I would see what my eyes were seeing right now, I would have thought twice before getting out of my hideout. It would have never occurred to me that just seconds after my head made its way up, the fight would stop. But it did, and now instead of putting his focus on the two men, the boy's eyes met mine.

I felt like I was suddenly part of a scene from a movie. When he turned his head towards me, I could swear that I felt goosebumps running down my spine. It was like time had stopped and all I saw were his eyes.

But I didn't meet the familiar warm brown in them, because what I was seeing now was dark red and bloody. He tilted his head to the side in an unusual predator way, and revealed his teeth which looked more like fangs than regular teeth to me.

You might think that I was losing my mind, because to be honest I thought of that as well. Maybe I paid too much attention to my father's lesson today. And who said that studying is always good for you. I'm living proof of the opposite.

I didn't have the time to process what was happening because now his stare was not the usual one he gave me every day. This stare was making my blood freeze in my veins and not in a good way.

From where I was standing I couldn't see if he was deciding to finish the two men off, or just go to me. And I didn't know what he would do if he went after me, but I was certain of one thing - the boy owning those murderously red eyes even though now he didn't look much like himself, was no other than Jaime Valentine.

Making up his mind, he tossed the two men aside and turned his full focus on me. And at that moment I knew why they say that curiosity killed the cat.

But I was yet to find out if I would end up like her - minus the nine lives.

• • •

N O T E :

Chapter three is here, and this is where things start to get interesting. You may think that I reveal things too early, but this is nothing compared to what is going to happen in the next chapters. We still have a long way to go, so be patient with me. Also, I really need your support on this book and your opinions on how you like the developing.

Take care of yourselves! Stay always in a good mood and most importantly, be healthy. I love you!

THIA