Dark

Chapter 2

The next day at school, I find out that the blond boy is new. Of course. Everyone in school knows not to mess with me. I could easily beat anyone up, or Aidan would. Obviously he should know that by now. Or not.

"Hey pretty," he says, leaning on the locker next to mine. "Where's your boyfriend?"

"Try something and you'll find out," I spit. I really hate this guy.

"Take it easy girly. I was just asking." He raises his hands in surrender.

"Don't call me that," I say through gritted teeth.

"What?" He says. "Pretty or girly? The first one was a compliment."

"Both," I say, closing my locker a little harder than necessary.

"You don't want me to compliment you?" He says, raising an eyebrow.

"Shut the hell up!" I push him with both my hands and he staggers. "You idiot! You don't know anything about me!"

I turn and start walking away, but he grabs my arm. Acting on reflex, I spin around and punch. Lights out. The other people in the hallway look at me. Shock, anger, disapproval.

And then I'm running. Out of school, out of the city, into the forest. It only takes me a few minutes. I'm going all out now. Right now, I'm the only one in danger.

I'm scared. More than scared- I'm terrified. I messed up. I punched a kid. Not only punched him, I knocked him out cold. Cr*p. How do I get out of this now? Dang it! I'm so stupid!

I walk through the forest for several hours. It's so different to at night. At night, what little light there is scatters giant, dark shadows. There is only the scuttling of night creatures and flapping of owls.

During the day, shadows are small and pale, lots of different critters skitter around the forest floor, birds hop and fly from tree to tree, filling the forest with their song. It's peaceful. I lose myself in the calmness.

***

"Hey Shortie." I jump at the gentle voice and almost fall out of the tree. Aidan climbs up and sits next to me. "They're looking for you, you know."

"Yeah," I say dryly. "Probably going to apprehend me the second I set foot in the meadow."

Aidan shakes his head. "No, they're not," he says. "They thought he got knocked out when he went flying into the locker. They don't know what you are. To them, you're just a girl who got touched and punched a boy."

I smile, ever so slightly. Thanks to all the students in the corridor who covered for me. Most of them probably didn't even know how much they helped me.

You see, there's something you get in the gang. A prize for you murders. A few small gifts to help you whenever during a kill, or in everyday life. A small token for the blood on your hands. You get to chose them. My choices: speed, agility, strength. All I needed to do to keep these abilities, is keep killing.

***

Three day suspension. That's all I get for slamming a kid into a locker, knocking him out cold. Wow. Those students who saw it must have been very persuasive on my side.

Still, Dad was furious. He lectured and yelled for half an hour tonight. Not unexpected. Aidan offered to work alone for a while, in case my dad went in to check on me. I told him I'd leave after he went to bed.