Chapter Two: So Apparently I Have Fangs Now

  "Okay, I'm done," I said, walking into Donavon's room.

  He bored into my eyes, making me weirdly nervous. Well, I was in a short, loose designer dress and heels, I’m that kind of girl.

  "Um..." I said.

  "Ah, yes. After you," he said, stepping aside.

  I walked towards him, eyeing him up a little. As usual, he avoided eye contact. I smirked and walked past. He followed closely behind.

  "Tonight is just an exception. Dinner is usually served earlier, and being late is not an option," he explained.

  "I don't care," I replied flatly.

  "Neither do I. I'm just informing you."

  "Still don’t care."

  We entered the dining hall. It was stunning, glowing with soft lights and filled with students chatting, laughing, and enjoying their meals.

  I followed Donavon to the food station.

  "What do you want to eat?" he asked.

  "Anything?" I asked.

  "Yeah."

  "Well... I’m not that hungry. Just some green salad," I said with a shrug.

  He nodded and placed the order. His own tray held a sleek glass filled with a red, not-so-thick liquid.

  We took our seats.

  That’s when I smelled it.

  Rich. Metallic. Sweet.

  I wanted it. So bad.

  "Is that... blood?" I asked, barely able to form the words.

  Suddenly, my gums began to ache, like they were being torn apart. Something sharp pushed its way through them. My vision blurred, and then it sharpened, everything looked so vivid. My eyes must have changed, and I felt something shift in my mouth.

  My hand flew to my lips.

  Fangs.

  I had fangs.

  Before I could process it, instinct took over. I snatched his glass and drank it all in one go.

  It wasn’t enough. Instead of satisfaction, a wave of nausea hit me like a truck.

  I leapt from the table, bolted down the hallway, and threw up what felt like my entire life. Knees buckled, stomach twisted, and dignity? Gone.

  Luckily, the hallway was clear. No one saw. Thank the gods.

  But that didn’t stop the heat of embarrassment from burning under my skin. What the hell was happening to me?

  Donavon ran after me.

  "Are you okay?" he asked.

  "What the hell was that!?" I snapped, still trying to catch my breath.

  "Blood. Animal blood," he said calmly.

  "It was disgusting," I groaned, wiping my mouth.

  "Well, it’s not straight from the vein," he replied.

  "Speak English, Donavon, please."

  "Not all vampires can handle stored animal blood. Some prefer to drink straight from the animal, fresh from the vein until it dies."

  Before I could say anything, a mocking voice echoed through the hallway.

  "Look at what we have here... someone’s sensitive." The voice dripped with sarcasm.

  She was a blonde with silver eyes, walking toward us like she owned the school, followed by two girls who screamed minions the moment you saw them.

  "A newb puking out the stored blood," she added with a wicked smirk.

  "Aliana. My name’s Aliana, not newb," I said firmly.

  "Oh, will you look at that, it talks," she giggled.

  Her two little shadows burst into laughter like it was the funniest thing they'd ever heard.

  "Becky, please," Donavon stepped in, clearly annoyed.

  She turned to him with fake sweetness. "Well, I get to call her whatever I please, and she’ll just have to love it. Because, unfortunately for her, I’m stronger."

  With the nerves, and yes, the audacity, I have, I walked right up to her.

  I stepped closer, unfazed. "You know... I always imagined someone as powerful as a Hexagon would have more class. But here you are, acting like a jealous little brat with cheap perfume and daddy issues."She smiled, but not the nice kind. Then she slapped me. She slapped me.

  Across my beautiful face.

  "Becky!" Donavon yelled, stepping forward.

  "I won’t be disrespected by a low-life like you," she snapped, ignoring him. "Donavon, maybe explain to your little student here that I’m a Hexagon, and she doesn’t wanna mess with that."

  She turned to walk away, all smug and full of herself.

  I wished…no, willed, for her to trip.

  And then... she did. Becky tripped and face-planted.

  Right in my puke.

  The minions gasped, holding their mouths in horror.

  I flipped my hair, walked up slowly, and squatted next to her.

  "I’m guessing a Hexagon is something powerful. But if a douchebag like you counts as strong... I bet I’m stronger. So don’t mess with me. You don’t know me."

  Then I stood up and walked off.

  If I could’ve added slow motion, I would’ve. It was epic.

  She scrambled up, furious, about to come after me, but Donavon grabbed her arm.

  "That’s enough!" he growled.

  Half her face was covered in red liquid and whatever food I had digested. It was not a look.

  "How dare she?" Becky spat.

  "You look really disgusting, Becks," one of the minions muttered.

  "Yeah," said the other. "And you might wanna stop talking before some of that stuff gets in your mouth."

  Becky rolled her eyes and vanished.

  "Don’t follow me, Donavon!" I shouted, storming back to the room.

  I slammed the door behind me,and it broke clean off the frame.

  I froze.

  Eyes wide.

  "...Oh crap."

  Then I ran.

  Making my way outside, I spotted a tall tower with a terrace at the top. Don’t ask how, but somehow,I got up there.

  I landed on top of the girl in black from earlier. She was lying on her back, just chilling like this was her personal spa day. I nervously giggled.

  "I'm so sorry," I said.

  "I'd rather advise you to..." she began, her voice laced with a British accent. I awkwardly got off her and stood upright, and so did she.

  "Are you okay?" she asked. "Seems like your heart’s racing a fair bit, mate."

  "Well, my emotions are all over the place right now and running wild," I said, pacing like a lost puppy. I felt so uneasy.

  "Have a chat with me, won’t you?" she offered calmly.

  "I'mstartingtoaskmyselfifthiswastherightdecisionwasleavinghomewiseIrecentlyfoundoutI'mnotsohuman,amnotevenhumanatallandallthispowersandthenabullylikeIdon’tevenknowherbutshehadthenervetoprovokemeandIbrokethatdoorit'sjustalltoomuchrightnowI…"

  She stopped my rambling and pacing by gently taking my hand. She stepped closer, held my chin, and smiled.

  "Take a moment, beautiful, and gently breathe in and out."

  "Breathe in... and out..."

  I followed her lead, inhaling deeply, then exhaling. It really helped. I felt the chaos inside start to calm.

  "Well, it seems you have a fondness for the in and out, don’t you? It does lend itself to a rather pleasing rhythm for the heartbeat, I must say."

  I raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Yeah?"

  "Ah, yeah. I too happen to have an affinity for the delightful synchrony of the in and out."

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Oh my goodness. She was such a pervert.

  "Oh my, you do seem to have quite the penchant for verbosity. Pray tell, does your moaning possess a similar propensity?"

  I chuckled, shaking my head. “You literally called me a chatterbox and now you’re asking if I moan the same way? Goodness, you’re… dirty.”

  I sighed. "I’m sorry, I ruined whatever you were doing up here."

  "Well, I was merely catching my breath, you see..." she paused, “...escaping the company of my so-called wise companion. She tends to be quite bothersome. I dare say she’s currently on the hunt for my whereabouts. As for her personal circumstances, I suspect she remains a virgin, if you catch my drift.”

  I narrowed my eyes. "How can you tell?"

  "Her walk has a slight hobble to it, just proof that nothing’s ever been inserted between her legs to straighten her out."

  My eyes went wide. I was shook.

  "What? It’s true. And she truly tends to be excessively overwhelming. I assure you, she can be quite the handful."

  "Tell me about it. Mine’s male and grumpy, but I don’t think he’s a virgin," I said.

  "Yeah?"

  I nodded.

  "I can’t help but feel as though our roles are meant to be reversed, you see. She happens to be of a shorter and slimmer stature, well, perhaps not entirely slender, but certainly to some extent. And let me assure you, she possesses an incessant stream of conversation that flows without pause. I solemnly swear."

  I laughed. "That’s bad, huh? Now I’m not so much of a chatterbox, am I?"

  "Yeah, you’re way better."

  "Is she beautiful though?" I asked.

  She turned toward me and gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

  "The only thing of true beauty I’ve laid eyes upon in these surroundings is none other than yourself."

  I smiled. "Thank you, but we just arrived. I’m sure you’ll see a lot of beautiful beings."

  "Must I really partake in this? I do believe I may have developed an allergic reaction to such an endeavor."

  I laughed. "To beauty or to the people?"

  "Oh, I adore beauty. People? No."

  "Well, you’re cured from now on," I said.

  "Yay," she replied sarcastically.

  I smiled.

  "Aliana?!"

  Donavon’s voice called from below.

  "I have to go," I said.

  "Sure."

  "It was really nice talking to you."

  "I’m aware."

  "...How do I get off of here?" I asked, looking around.

  "The same way you got up here?" she said, flustered.

  "I don’t know how I got up here," I admitted, awkwardly smiling.

  "You don’t say... goodness gracious, it appears the emotions were truly running rampant, huh?"

  I nodded.

  "Right-o, I’ll make sure to get you down, yeah? That is, if you reckon your body can trust me to hold you up properly in my arms."

  "Honestly, no. But I don’t have much of a choice, do I?"

  "Exactly. Come here," she said, eyeing me with that pervy smirk again.

  "You’re such a pervert, I swear."

  I jumped into her arms, wrapping my legs around her waist and my arms around her neck. She held my thighs.

  "Ah, this would indeed be a splendid moment to steal a kiss, wouldn’t you agree?"

  I smiled and shook my head. "No."

  She nodded, and in a flash, we were on the ground in front of Donavon. She gently placed me down.

  "Thank you," I said kindly.

  "Certainly. I shall bid you adieu for now. Until we meet again, beautiful," she said, then walked away.

  "What was that?" Donavon asked.

  "You’re asking me? Shouldn’t you ask your crazy girlfriend?!" I snapped.

  "She’s not my girlfriend," he said.

  "Well, the way she looked at you didn’t say that."

  "What did I do to her? Huh?"

  "It’s just Becky being Becky," he reasoned.

  "Really? I can’t believe you’re defending her right now!"

  "I’m not defending her, I’m just saying that she’s like that. I Mean… she takes advantage of being a hexagon."

  "Whatever she is, Donavon, I don’t care. She shouldn’t go all Becky on me. I’ll put her in her place," I said, then stormed off.

  His eyebrows raised in shock. "Women…" he sighed.

  The next day (LA)

  "I believed it was understood, Bushida, that my daughter's existence was to remain undisclosed. You explicitly emphasized that no one should have knowledge of it." Dad argued. "Ali, I am completely unaware of the means by which Ms Cauchy became acquainted with the existence of Aliana. However, I am confident that she poses no threat whatsoever. She merely engages in extensive research and is entirely innocuous, which I can assure you without any doubt." Mrs. Bushida said. "I am entrusting you with the responsibility of caring for my daughter, Bushida. Should any unforeseen circumstances arise, I will not hesitate to take severe measures, potentially leading to the complete destruction of your school" he assured her and hung up.

  "…and the most important rule is that we do not kill humans under any circumstance! And you must never reveal your true identity to a human. That’s how both worlds stay safe..." Donavon continued droning on about the rules.

  I yawned. We’d been up since 3 a.m., and everyone was outside doing their own thing.

  “Power is everything to supernaturals. If you don’t have power, you’re nothing. Useless. A good-for-nothing,” he added, but something in his tone told me that came from a personal place.

  “Speaking of strength… how is a hexagon stronger than everyone else?” I asked.

  “Not stronger than everyone,” he corrected. “And keep in mind, it also depends on how long you’ve lived.”

  He went on, “We're divided into two groups. We’ve got singles, like me, you, and most others. Singles are vampires, werewolves, coyotes, witches, kitsunes, sirens, hellhounds, banshees, and so on. Singles only have powers of their own kind. Like me, I'm a vampire: fast, strong, night vision, heightened senses. But I can't breathe underwater like a siren or shift like a kitsune."

  He took a breath before continuing. “Then we have the shapes. Shapes are stronger than singles, but again, age matters. There’s only one of each kind. The strongest is the Decagon. His name’s Ali Forbes. He’s the most powerful being alive. He has all the abilities of every single type, and at a hundred times the strength. When those powers combine, he’s basically unstoppable.”

  I blinked, trying to take it all in.

  “Then there’s the Nonagon, the Octagon, and the Heptagon. But according to legend, those shapes are extinct. Gone.”

  “I know what extinct means, you know.” I cleared my throat. “So… does that make Becky the second strongest?”

  He shook his head. “That would be the Triangle, also known as the Triplet, Eliana Forbes, Ali’s wife. She’s the second most powerful, not just because of age, but… well, legend says she used to be human. No other shape or single ever was.”

  My brows furrowed. “She transitioned three times!? That must’ve been brutal.”

  “It was,” he said solemnly. “Ali turned her. But it wasn’t a regular bite, it was special. Done with emotion, and only during a rare moonrise that happens once every century, if not more.”

  He continued. “Then there’s the Pentagon, also called The Apollo. Legend says he gained power through deception, sacrificing singles and using dark magic. After him, we have ancient singles, and then Becky, our Hexagon. She’s not in the history books yet. She’s still young.”

  My curiosity flared. “Um… what if the Decagon and Triplet had a kid?”

  Donavon looked at me, throat tightening. He swallowed hard.

  “Well… that would make her the most dangerous and powerful being alive. Born of the two most powerful supernaturals, she’d be called a Tricagon. But that would never happen. Shapes are forbidden from having children with one another. That’s why there’s only one of each.”

  Did you hear that? He said her. Which means… he knows of me. But not that it’s me. Then why hide it?

  “How did the shapes come about then?” I asked.

  “They weren’t born,” he said. “They were created by nature itself. Singles are born when a shape has a child with a singl, or when two singles mate.”

  I was still trying to wrap my head around all this. “But then… how is Becky so young?”

  “With her, it was inheritance,” he explained. “She wasn’t born a shape. Her mother was, and when she passed, she transferred her powers to Becky.”

  I squinted. “Wait… you didn’t mention rectangles, squares, or diamonds, all the four-sided shapes?”

  “They never existed,” he said flatly.

  He stood, and so did I, but I tripped and instinctively grabbed him for support. My hand rested on his chest. I gazed into his eyes… and he quickly looked away.

  I smiled. “Why don’t you like it when I look you in the eyes?”

  He turned slightly towards me. “What is it you want to see in them?”

  “Love, joy, freedom,” I replied softly. “But all I see right now… is sadness. A lot of it. And hate. So much hate.” I didn’t know how, but I could feel his pain. And it was heavy.

  “You want to be free,” I said, “but he won’t let you. Will he?”

  Donavon’s expression shifted, he looked shocked, almost angry, but confused.

  I smiled at him and pulled away, standing up straight.

  “What did you just say?” he asked.

  “Nothing. I was imagining someone else,” I lied. I didn’t know how, but I even hid my heartbeat so he wouldn’t sense the lie. What is happening to me?

  He nodded, slowly, not questioning it further.

  I bit my lip and smiled at him.

  He shook his head, clearly flustered, and walked away. “I’ll be back,” he muttered.

  Just then, this really cute guy appeared, drenched in sweat from a jog around the forest. He wore the school’s trainee attire: black silk shorts, a grey tank top with the school logo, and matching black trainers. His toned arms glistened under the early morning light.

  “Pass me a bottle, please,” he said breathlessly, nodding toward the water rack I was standing beside.

  I grabbed one and handed it to him. His fingers brushed mine as he took it, eyes locking onto mine with this intense gaze, and a teasing smirk that almost made me melt.

  He downed the entire bottle in one go. “That’s refreshing,” he said with a deep exhale.

  I smiled. “Must be.”

  He returned the smile. “Mark. My name’s Mark.”

  “I’m Aliana.”

  “Well, Aliana… I love your lips,” he said, eyes shamelessly dropping to them.

  I couldn’t help but grin. “I love yours too.” I didn’t really mean it, but it came out anyway.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “And you’re cute,” I replied smoothly.

  He smiled to himself, clearly pleased with where this was going.

  “I wanna touch you,” he said, voice low.

  “And I wanna feel that,” I said, matching his tone.

  He chuckled softly, biting his bottom lip.

  “Hey, Mark! Let’s go, man!” a voice called out from a distance.

  “Mark! C’mon! Leave shawty alone!” another one yelled, laughing.

  Mark groaned and tapped his forehead with a sigh. “We’ll resume this talk, Aliana…”

  Then, louder: “I’m coming!”

  He gave me one last smirk and jogged off to join his friends. Guys, don’t give me the eye, I told you I was a player… ish.

  I caught a glimpse of Annelly and walked over.

  “Hey,” I said, stretching.

  “Hi, Aliana,” she replied, breathing hard.

  Her legs were wide apart as she reached toward her feet from side to side. Honestly, it was... kinda disturbing to watch.

  “Damn female! are you a virgin???” a voice called out from the terrace.

  The girl strolled over, her cologne hitting me before she even got close. That British accent? Way too pleasing for its own good.

  I shot her a ‘seriously?’ kind of look.

  “Wot? That’s nasty,” she added, shaking her head. I smiled and shook mine too.

  “Yes, Andrea. I am,” Annelly replied, deadpan.

  I blinked. “Andrea?”

  “Blimey! You mean to say you had no clue about my name all this while? Are you pulling my leg? After all the conversations we've had, I can't believe you're being serious!” Andrea exclaimed, hand to chest like she’d been personally offended.

  “Well, I didn’t get the chance to ask you,” I defended.

  “Andrea, we just arrived yesterday. Should she really know everyone’s name she talks to?” Annelly said.

  “Well duh, I mean, I know her name,” Andrea pointed out.

  “I’m sorry,” I said with a shrug.

  “Don’t worry, I’m just pulling your leg, mate,” she said with a wink.

  “How do the two of you know each other?” I asked.

  “Nope. I can assure you I’ve never laid eyes on her in my entire existence,” Andrea said.

  “Ha! Funny. We’ve been friends for three years, two months, a week, a day, and nine hours, thirty minutes, plus minus some seconds,” Annelly stated matter-of-factly.

  “And that, my friend, is precisely why I refute her existence altogether,” Andrea quipped.

  I laughed, shaking my head.

  “Well, I’m about to indulge in a spot of sustenance. Fancy joining me for a bite? Would you…” she smirked, “…cum?”

  “Cum?” I echoed, arching a brow.

  “Yes, cum,” she repeated smoothly.

  I smiled.

  “ANDREA! You're so dirty!” Annelly squealed.

  “Oh my,” Andrea said dramatically. “Utters the girl who’s got her clit rubbing against a mat. If you’re after coitus, Annelly, there’s no shortage of nerds around here.”

  I couldn’t hold it. I laughed, like really hard.

  Annelly rolled her eyes and stood up. “I wasn’t rubbing it against anything, and I’m not interested in coitus. I’m coming with. I’m also hungry.”

  “Oh, we are aware of that, alright,” Andrea muttered with a cheeky grin.

  I smiled and shook my head. The three of us headed to the dining hall, ordered food, and sat down.

  While eating, I leaned in toward Annelly. “How do you know about me?” I asked discreetly.

  “Well, I read,” she said. “I found it suspicious that the most…”

  I covered her mouth. “Hush!” I warned.

  She nodded, eyes wide.

  “Please tell me you told no one,” I whispered.

  “Well… I’m aware,” Andrea said casually.

  I smacked my forehead. “Who else knows???”

  “No one, I swear,” Annelly assured me. And I could tell she wasn’t lying.

  “Let’s keep it that way, okay? Please…” I pleaded.

  “Well, as long as I get to eat, sure,” Andrea replied with a shrug.

  “ANDREA! Stop being a pervert!” Annelly scolded.

  “We won’t say anything to anyone,” she said more seriously. “You have our word.”

  I smiled softly. “Thank you.”

  Andrea leaned in, her eyes twinkling. “But it’s absolutely brilliant,” she said, grinning.

  I gazed into her eyes. “You’re amazing,” I said softly, smiling.

  Her heart skipped a beat, I felt it.

  “I heard that,” I whispered.

  She smiled, caught off guard, maybe even flustered for once.

  Just then, a girl approached our table. Round glasses, a small frame, black hair with purple-dyed edges…and a truly terrible fashion sense. Like the worst.

  “You know, I also eat, don’t I, Andrea? Huh? Answer me?” she demanded.

  I glanced at Andrea, mouthing, “Your crooked virgin wise man?”

  Andrea nodded but didn’t break her eye contact with the approaching girl.

  “Yes, of course, Emily. You do,” she said, sounding almost tired.

  “Good! Now that you know I’m human too and can digest food like you, invite me!” Emily huffed.

  “Well, logically speaking, you’re not human, Emily. You’re a creature. A being. But not a human,” Annelly pointed out.

  “Did anyone speak to you, Annelly?” Emily snapped.

  “No, ma’am,” Annelly mumbled.

  “Then keep it shut!” Emily yelled.

  Andrea let out a sarcastic “Oops.”

  Just then, I noticed Mark peeking from behind a slightly opened door, gesturing for me to come to him. He wiggled his fingers in a come-hither motion.

  I smiled.

  “Um, excuse me, guys,” I said, standing up and heading toward him…

  END