Created (Book 1 of the Created) (14 page)

Uncomfortable with the attention, Darby began to rub the
lotion into her skin. "It works you know. The lotion helps to cut down on
the grayness. Plus you never know if we can get cancer or not."

Everybody swung the focus back to Veronica, who scooped some
from her friend's hand and began to apply to her own face. Aghast at her
actions, the group sat not knowing what to think. Finally Logan laughed,
lightening the mood.

Veronica talked as she rubbed in the lotion. "The
phones are monitored so let’s be careful about what we say to each other and
avoid any individual time with humans. Stay with the masses. This will help
eliminate the tendency to allow any cravings get the better of you. If you do
become hungry, contact your safety people immediately who will help get you
onsite aid. Additionally, the pairings mimic those of teenage human male and
female relationships. This will give us the appearance of being taken and thus
we will not be burdened when our natural lures create want among the student
population."

Handing the closed folder in the seat to Darby, Veronica
asked, "Will you read the safety assignments from the top of page
five?"

Opening the folder, Darby swiftly found the page of which
Veronica spoke and began to read aloud the pairings. "Chloe and Liam are
group 1. Darby and Logan are group 2. Veronica and Ethan are group 3."

Darby was obviously dejected, and I believed that had been
part of Veronica's plan when she had asked the younger vampire to read the
details aloud. The whole time Darby read she smiled through any pain she was
feeling, maintaining her infectious glow. Sadness filled my heart that it had
to be this way, but I knew this was probably for the best. It was best for her,
best for me and best for the group.

Veronica took the folder from her friend.
"Any
questions?
If not, then remember - if stuck or being hounded for
personnel information, always allow yourself a moment of reflection to try and
answer with the basics first then the more elaborate details if needed. Well,
we still have about ten minutes before we arrive. Enjoy what little free time
you have."

Everybody except Veronica settled back into his or her seat
for some quiet time as the last few miles blurred outside the window. She
stored the folder in a hidden compartment in the bus seat. Veronica then
reached inside her purse. Rummaging through the handbag, she retrieved a
plastic gallon sized freezer bag containing cell phones. Deftly, she passed out
the phones with much effort. Done, I noticed she seemed to sigh very gently
when she finished.

Apparently the day was weighing on her too.

Closing my eyes, I almost felt like I was falling. It seemed
that I was about to slip into a deep sleep which I knew wasn't possible, but with
the bright morning sky bearing down through the slightly tinted windows I was
amazingly at ease.

The stopping of the bus forced me to depart my attempt at
real rest. Opening my eyes, I was greeted with the delightful face of Darby
peering over the seat at me.

"We can't be late for our first day of school
ever," she cheerfully chimed.

Though, I was sure since at one time we had been alive, we
technically we had been to some sort of school before, but I did not have it in
me to tell her anything different and break her heart.

Not sharing her enthusiasm, I begrudgingly rose from my seat
and followed the rest of my made family into the scariest environment on earth;
high school.

Since I had nothing to gauge high school on except weird
facts that would randomly pop into my head, I surmised that my first day was
going pretty well.

Veronica had handed me a class schedule and personal
information reminder as I got off the bus.

I was the son of fictional parents named Willard and
Jennifer Castel, a contractor and housewife from Pensacola, Florida. Since I
didn't know a single fact about where I was from, I planned on telling anybody
that wanted to know that I had moved young and had since grown up on the base.

Also the paper listed my grade as the eleventh with a full
schedule of four classes including English (1st Block), Spanish (4th Block),
Chemistry (2nd Block) and Trigonometry (3rd Block).

Being the second day of the fall semester, I wasn't as
worried about my academic standing though the thought of flunking and being
restricted to the military base did cross my mind.
 

The school was large enough that the halls were spacious and
the students were plentiful enough it was simple to blend in with the herd as I
wandered purposefully from one place to another.

Sporadically throughout the morning I would see the other
children of the base around the school, but only Veronica had been in my first
two classes. We had opted to sit together in English, but were separated during
Chemistry due to a predetermined seating arrangement. In homeroom, I was
greeted by an excited Darby who had saved me a seat.

Through divine intervention, if God would do that for a
vampire or not was inconsequential so I hedged my bets and said thank you, the
teacher had to read announcements and collect paperwork which meant we were
asked to be respectful and refrain from talking.

Darby was like a tiger waiting to spring as she patiently
waited for the teacher to finish. I could see the restraint was killing her
slowly.

Another student asked her a question which created a
momentary distraction that allowed me to escape to my class, or so I concluded,
until rounding a corner where I ran smack dab into her.

I have got to figure out how she moves so damn fast, I
reconciled.

Darby was giggly. "Trying to get away?"

Uncomfortable at being caught, I responded, "No, I...I
just didn't want to be late and since you were busy..."

She cut me off, "No it is ok. I am only messing with
you. How is your day going? Mine has been so cool. I have even made some new
friends."

Studying her as she spoke, I noticed she bounced up and down
as she talked. Why did she seem to bounce up and down as she talked I wondered?

The five minutes between classes was shrinking fast, and I
wasn't sure where my next class was, so it was no longer a matter of escaping
from my unique friend for the sake of escaping, but in order to get to class.
"Hey, I am not sure where my next class is so I need to get going so I am
not late."

Darby grinned then spoke, "Sure, see you at lunch. I
will save you a seat."

Before I could respond, she was already slipping past other
students who were trying hard to get to class on time.

At a human pace, I just arrived in time have the bell ring
and door shut in my face. The teacher, Mr. Aarons, mouthed and pointed toward
the office before he turned to address the class.

"Shit, first day of school and already I get to go to
the office," I said to myself.

Looking through the small glass window in the door I could
see Veronica and Liam inside. Both were in different states of disapproval.
Veronica showed hers with a small shaking of her jet black hair and Liam by
flipping me the finger.

Dejected, I plodded four doors down to the office.

Instead of being motioned to take a seat with the rest of
the rejects who couldn't seem to fit getting to class on time, I was silently
directed through a door into a smaller office by the student assistant behind
the counter. The sign on the door was marked Counseling.
 

I closed my eyes and opened the door knowing a hassle from a
human was not what I needed today.

Inside I was shocked to know the figure seating behind the
student assistant's desk in the outer office.

Chloe, another member of our group, was scribbling away at a
piece of paper as I approached.

"How did you get this job?" I asked.

The bitchy vampire tore the note from the pad and handed me
a note that I realized was an excuse for being late.

Looking into her face, I witnessed her eye color changed
from a mild green to a dark, rich, vibrant blue that couldn't have existed in
nature. "Do you really believe anybody, especially a male, human or
otherwise, could refuse me of anything that I would want?"

Something about her eyes tugged at my brain, made it hurt,
not allowing me to look away. I felt drawn into her. Aware of what was
happening, but unable to look away. The longer I looked into her eyes the more
I was powerless to resist. I didn't even want to fight it because the sensation
was numbing my entire body.

Her eyes flickered back to a hazel tint, releasing me from
her control.

I no longer needed an answer. I knew how she got the job;
her uniqueness was mind control.

"Hell of a power, but damn that hurt," I meekly
blurted out as my brain reacted to the sudden regained control.

She looked back down at the fashion magazine spread across
her desk without answering, casually flipping through the latest fall fashions.

Chloe did not have an allegiance to Veronica or Darby
because she had a disdain for everybody. This would be a perfect time to find
out what really happened after I blacked out on Darby's porch. There was
something there I was sure I wasn't supposed to find out about, and something
my friends would never tell me.

Knowing she was doing her best to ignore me hoping I would
go away, I chose to pose a question to her since I knew she would not gain
anything by lying to me.

"Chloe, I have a question."

The vampire looked up flashing dark red eyes at me.

Realizing the attempt at intimidation did not have the
desired effect, she blinked, returning her eyes to a human coloring before she
growled a growl that was less menace and more of a moan. "What do you want
now?"

"Do you know what happened that day when I first came
into Town?"

Uninterested, she returned to turning the pages of her
magazine. "Is that all? She made a foolish mistake rescuing you. Now she
must be punished by our law and not that of the humans we behold as our
creators. She was sentenced to the run through the zones. There is enough of an
answer for you Ethan or at least all you will get from me. If you want to know
more, you shouldn't be afraid to ask Veronica since it is her life she is
willing to sacrifice for yours."

Turning from the cold hearted teammate, I stumbled back into
the lobby dwelling on the news that was given to me.

Mind racing, I was in a fog of worry and regret as I exited
into the hallway. Dazed and feeling powerlessly, caught in between two worlds
to which neither I seemed to belong, I bumped into something.

Shaking off my confusion, I was thrust into the reality of
the situation. The something I had bumped into was not a something after all,
but
a someone
, and from the scroll work on the pink
binder that had fallen upon my feet, her name was
Sunnie
.

Squatting to pick up the binder on my foot, I heard a
repeated throat clearing sound. Peeking, I was greeted by the sight of a very
upset school mate. In my preoccupation with dealing with the recent news, I had
inadvertently knocked down a young lady about my age. She had been thrown
several feet back from me when we had collided. The teenager was sprawled on
the floor momentarily startled before hustling to return all of the spilt items
back to her purse.

Taking the binder in my hands, I closed the distance between
the two of us. From my position I offered her my hand, but the very agitated
young blonde waved me off as she finished fishing for her personal items.

Grabbing her scattered books I insisted. "Please, I am
so sorry. Please allow me to help you up. I feel awful for being so absent
minded and not watching where I was going."

Her expression was noncommittal, though she did take my hand
this time. Easily, I stood us both up at a pace that was almost too fast to be
humanly possible. Clearly she had been lifted off her feet before I sat her
down which did not register until prepared to sit her back upright. I gathered
how unnatural that must have been from her now puzzled expression.

Quickly, I apologized again to get her talking and not
thinking about my own inability to control my attributes. "Are you ok? I
am really sorry for being such an idiot and not watching where I was
going."

Handing her books back to her, I waited for her to say
something, but she chose to edge by me cautiously, disappearing into the girl's
bathroom nearby.

Walking back to class, the issues with Veronica all came
flooding back. She and I had to talk. There was no way she was going to have to
die for me. Something had to be done.

Touching the door handle, a new, overwhelming rush took
control of my senses. There was a single scent. Then a thousand scents. All of
which came rushing in to fill up my mind. Next, a thousand sounds joined the
bombardment. My head was spinning; my teeth were starting to hurt. Finally, an
overpowering need to flee or suffer watching myself tear out the throats of all
the people in the classroom before me took hold.

The urge to kill was coming over me and was beating back
whatever part of me was still human.

The door handle was made of a thin steel, but it gave a
little then a little again until I knew it was about to sheer.

Instantly, I snapped back to a world in which I did not want
to kill and feed on my classmates. I could deal, maybe. Bumbling around in the
hallway as my head screamed with a million thoughts, I ran into the boy's
bathroom to get my bearings.

The last stall furthest from the door seemed a safe haven. I
jumped out of my skin when the bathroom door was violently ripped open and
steps started running toward my stall.