Chapter 1
have you ever felt like your trying to push two magnets together? and neither one can flip, but there oppisite, so they wont go together? thats how i feel. alot. like when i tried to ignore him today
maybe i should start at the beginning. thats always a good thing to have at the front of a book...
i just moved to minnesota. well we did- my foster parents tara and randy. my name is camilla. we moved from down south-texas. but we dont have an accent- who would guess?
today was monday. so here i come school. hope yoour ready for another klutz.
klutz doesnt even begin to cover it. klutz is a euphemism. i could stand completly still and i would fall over.
i have my own car. nothing special. unless your in the smallest city in the world. which we were. my cars just a siver 1918 chevy siveradoe. it cant go very fast and i cant stand it. so i drove myself to school. not hard because every teenager in a five mile radius was trying to remember how to get there.
all i had to do was pick through their brains for about five seconds, and i got the directions. it would be a 20 minute drive from were i was. well that is, if i care about a little thing like speed limits. but what mind reading vampire cares about speed limits? i know this one doesnt!
so i got to school no problem. even being the klutzyest vampire in the world, the humans still see me as the most gracefull being alive. thats what they were thinking about, all day.
no one came up to me today, so far. so i found the office, and saw a young guy behind the counter- mid 20s. as soon as he saw me, his breath was gone.
shes got to be too young! he kept thinking over and over. if only he knew how old i possibly was- not how old i looked. he would be thinking-shes too old, gross.
"hello, my name is camilla. i believe you were expecting me?" i said politely, slowly, and very high. just enough so that he could hear me though.
"oh, yes."he said, startled- by my voice according to his thoughts. "yes, um, lets see." he said, sifting through his papers."here, heres your schedual, and here is a slip. you need to have all your teachers sign this. off you go now."
first hour, room 203, with mr. pitsa, science. it went smoothly. the humans didnt even relize they have a test tomarrow. too busy admiring and envying me. poor people. mr. pitsa tried his best no to look at me.
the rest of the day past like that. that is, untill eigth period. i did my quick check of all the minds and the guy next to me wasnt thinking about me. actually, it sounded like he wasnt thiking, period. i looked at him, confuzed.
he was wrighting a note. he kept it covered so i couldnt read it.
he didnt look at me once througout the whole class.
and that smell. oh how it tourured me. i could just whisper in his ear, tell the teacher i need the nurse...
NO! i thought. i relized i had clenched my hands very tightly so my viens could be seen through my paper white skin. look away and dont breath, camy. i thought.
i made it through the last period. when the bell rang, i was gone. not a smart idea, because everyone was watching me.
that night i went hunting. i told my parents that i made a friend and they wanted a sleep over. they dont know about the whole "mind-reding/vampire" thing.
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the next day, a few boys were planning to approach me. i just sat on the benches outside the school looking bored, being as still as i could- thats really still, seeing as i dont have to breath and all.
the boys were starting bets on who could date me first, when out of nowere a jacket lightly but quickly found its way on my shoulders. i tensed quickly, then relaxed thinking how another vampire wouldnt do that. i turned, slowly and saw thw guy from eighth hour ,history, sitting next to me.
"hey" he said quietly in a voice i was sure only i could hear. i nodded, flabberghasted.
"im sorry about yesterday. i was incredibly rude."
all he did was shake his head. "no" he said "no, it wasnt you, dont blame yourself." the only thing i could do was look at him with enough confusion in my face for im to see. but still he didnt look at me. and still, his mind was silent, like no one sat next to me.
"my name is camilla. call me camy. what your name?" i asked politely, but truly curiose.
"jakob. call me jake." how could he keep his voice that low? that quiet?
i was still trying to figure out what to say when a boy from my fith hour math sat next on the other side of me.
just after he thought it he said "your camilla right? from fith our math?"
i nodded "camy. whats your name? i dont want people i dont know to know me." that was such a lie. i knew so much about erick- just from what he was thinking.
"my names erick. wheres your next class? maybe i could walk you there?" he offered, trying to be helpfull.
i quick glanced over my shoulder to see if jakob was still there. he had left, but his jacket was still with me. the smell was starting to get to me. i turned back to erick. "sure" i said, a little reluctantly "its room 203."
so we walked. going this slow it would take 10 minutes. for a while we jsut walked in silence. he was trying to think of a way to ask me out.
" hey, would you meet me at the library after school sometime? we have a few of the same classes and i need help."
i could always say i have a boyfriend." sure. when?"
"tonight? 3:30? is that okay?" he asked sounding worried i would say no.
"okay, ill let you know if something comes up." we were at my class and the warning bell rang.
today went just the same as yesterday. i answered a couple questions. people avioded me. so on and so forth.
that is, untill lunch.
i sat alone at lunch. just like always. for some reason they cant explain themselfs, humans stay away from us vampires.
but while i was sitting there-trying to find jakes mind- someone sat down across from me. i expected erick- i was too emerced in my own thoughts to care about others. but it wasnt him.
"hey." said jake. short, sweet, and to the point. just as quiet as the first time i heard him.
"hey" i said in my normal -normal, as in vampire- voice.
"heard you have a date tonight. you do know hes going to bring you out tonight- i mean other then the library- right?"
"uh-huh" it was true i did know that. "he doesnt keep secrets well does he?" that was a lie.
"your reluctant to go. you dont like him like that." the first was a statement of fact. the second was a question. he wanted to know why i agreed.
"well-" i was cut off.
"tell him- you got grounded. trust me. tell him, that you got in an accedent and your father called and you got grounded. he handed me his cell phone.
"okay, where am i calling from? i cant tell im this is my cell phone."
"your on a school pay phone."
i noded and opend the phone. jakob told me ericks number and i called.
"hello?"
"hey erick." i said humaly,"got bad news. im grounded."
"oh no! why?"
"car crash. it was on the way to school today. person called police, police called my father."
"how long? i mean, maybe we can do a raincheck?"
"im not sure. he said at least till i can pay it off. hey, i got to go. sorry again. 'bye." i quick shut the phone and handed it back.
with the trays of food between us, i could hardly smell jake. which is a good thing. but i worried when he leaned over and pushed his tray to the side, holding his elbows whith his hands on the table.
"thers no need to be scared. even for me." how did he know i was terrified for him? i always looked indifferent, uncaring.
"why would i be?"
"i know some reasons."
just then, the warning bell rang. we both got up and dumped our trays, his only had one bite taken out of it. mine had none.
he had the same next hour as me. so we walked in silence. i took miniscule glances at him from time to time, studieing how he looked.
jakob has really dark hair, almost black. which made his skin look like mine under that grownout/spikey look. green eyes, but they looked fake, like he puts yellow contacts over blue eyes - not at all like mine, which almost glow when i hunted recently. a small nose and thin lips made up the rest of his face.
jakes' body was thin, but not unhealthy looking. under his medium sized shirt, you could tell he had arms like rope. but he wore a dark blue, long sleeve turtle neck- like mine, only mine was gray. my nose came up to his chin.
when we got to sixth hour, he saw me looking at him. he smiled, showing his beautiful teeth. it looked amazing. i smiled back.
the rest of the day went like that.
i got to my truck and there was a note stuck to the inside fo my window. it said:
-CAMILLA
CALL ME WHEN YOUR OFF.
763-554-6872
~RICK-E
(ERICK)
i shook my head and got in the car. then relized he knew which car was mine. i was creeped out by the thought. i got home just before the snow started to fall. it was beautifel, but gross.
i went inside and put mystuff away. then walked straight into the kitchen.i grabbed the phone to call erick when it rang.
"hello?" i said
"hey camy!" it was erick,"i wanted to know, since we can hang out tonight, maybe we can make a time, like next saterday?"
"erick, i told: you im grounded"
"i called here earilier, you werent home yet, i talked to your mom, and she seemed to want you gone."
"i dont know. let me think about it."
" oh. okay. see ya then." he still sounded elated.
"bye." i hung up.
i walked up to my room. a few minutes later i heard a knock on my door.
"camill'? honey? someones here to see you." she spoke uncertainly. most humans stay away from me.
"who is it?"i asked already getting ready for jake.
"his name is like, jake, or something. boy, almost as pale as you, black shaggy hair?"
"send him up mom."
she went back down the stairs. and then he was right there, moving the homework from under my hands.- and sitting on my bed.
i was suddenly very aware of my slobby outfit i put on since i got home: a pair of deep blue sweats with holes and a light purple tank top.
"erick called you again."he already knew, so why lie to him.
"yea. wants to know if i would go out with him this saterday. i told him i dont know."
"why didnt you say yes?"
"because i dont like him like that. his brown eyes never look at my face, his blond hair is never combed and hes a wimp- body-wise. then his personality! dont get me started on that!"
he nodded. then he said "can we go somewere on saterday? you dont have to if you dont want. and it doesnt have to be a date. unless you want it to be one."
it was my turn to nod. i was suddenly embarrasse-though it would never show in my face other then me biting my lip. i wispered so softly that i hardly heard it-"a date."
then something happend so fast i couldnt follow it. first i was sitting upright, one knee on the bed, facing jake, who was mirroring my position. next, his hand was cupping my face and i was lying down, jake at my side.
"sorry." he whispered. then left.
Chapter 2:
on wednesday, erick walked me from class to class. often at his own expense- he was late to class. everytime i saw him he would beam. this guy not only was the second strangest human ive ever met, but he really likes me. he would think about how "beautiful camy is", and my "wonderful personality". whatever.
but jakob wasnt there.
actually, jakob wasnt there all week. so the week slowly progressed, the same as wednesday.
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the next friday, i knew what to expect: erick would walk me to my classes, we would sit at the table with his friends at lunch - even though his friends wanted to admire me from further away- and i would leave the school parking lot shaking my head at another note from erick.
during second hour-history (which i exceled at more then any of my other classes, and i dont know why...)- i got called down to the office.
on my way there, i felt someone watching me. i turned around -though i knew no one was there- and i saw the bottom half of a face not two inches from my own. i stepped back and remembered that smell. oh no! i thought-except, i didnt think that. it was ericks voice inside my head - my head that was inches from jakes.
"hey jake." i said, natrally.
"hey, ericks coming, you better get to the office."
"yea." i said, turning. jake started to follow. i needed to know how and why he kept his voice so low, so quiet. "jake? why do you keep your voice down all the time?"
"do you want me to be louder?" he asked, genuinly confunded.
"it doesnt matter. i just wanted to know. it seems to come so, natrally for you."
"your pretty good at it yourself." i relized he was asking me why i did that to my voice. "well this is my normal voice. i love to talk like this."
"then why dont you all the time?"
"because most people cant hear me when im like this. why do you talk like this?"
"i know you can hear me."
"hmm." i said, thinking hard. did he know what i was? was he one himself? "what are you thinking?
"ive got to go. well- i should go, but i wont. youll understand tomarrow."
we were at the doorto the office. he looked torn, his hand half raised, but like he was holding himself back. so i decided to help him: i reached up and took his hand. he smiled a confuzed smile and me and squeezed my hand.
i relized how fast we got here- faster then a human could travel easily. yet he kept his breath even, walked at a 'normal' pace.
"cami- oh. i see. hes your boyfriend. isnt he. ill leave you two alone then."
i just then looked at his mind and saw what he saw: my, inches from this guy, holding his hand, and -from his veiw- waiting to kiss.
none of that was untrue. i relized how- normal- i could be around jake. i could tell he was going to keep himself from kissing me, but he wanted to. i also relized how close i had gotten to him, uncontiously.
erick walked back around the corner and started running. he was thinking about how stupid he had to be to think that camilla price would ever date him.
i turned around and walked into the office. the man behind the desk - mr. gaman- was trying no to think about my looks this time.
quickly i turned to jake. "want permission to ditch school?" i offered.
he grinned evilly. "yea." so i turned around and put on a desprate yet seductive face and looked straight at mr. gaman.
"mr. gaman?" i pleaded, suggestingly. "can jakob here bring me home? im feeling just awful."
poor mr. gaman, he was struck full blast with this. "uh-huh" he nodded, his mouth open. he grabbed a pad of papers and wrote us passes. then we left.
jakes skin goes well with the maroon interior of my truck. he drives just like i do, and neither of us care. just then, at that moment, i relized how mysterious he was, and how i wanted to kiss him. i couldnt though, not if i wanted to keep him from both physical and mental pain.
"turn right here." i said, giving him the directions to my house. but he didnt turn. he kept going straight. "jake, the turn was back there. were are we going?"
"to the place i was going to bring you tomarrow."
"weres that? does anyone else know were we're going?" i was starting to get a mix of anger and worry.
"its not far. just a few miles. no, no one else knows were we're going. but someone does expect me somewere, and your parents will worry when you dont come home."
so i sat quietly, waiting to get were ever we were going. a few hours, i thought to myself, thats not near enough time for the venom to kick in. a few days of mental confusion first... STOP! i told myself. theres no way i could bite him.
"stop worrying camilla. theres no reason to worry for me. just worry for yourself." the last part he said so quietly i wasnt sure i heard it.
"why do you think im worrying for you? and why should i worry for myself?" i demanded.
"do you promise not to call me crazy when you hear?"
"yes, i promise." i was becoming impatient.
"worry for yourself, because your human. and not everyone around you is." i froze.
"who isnt human?" other then myself, but lets not give that away.
it took him a few minutes to answer. when he did, it was in a quiet voice, even for myself. "me."
Chapter 3:
he got out of the car then. we were there. it looked like a large black cabin. everything on the outside was painted or made black. even the windows were tinted.
i opened the door and stepped out. then he was next to me. i could tell we were alone. so it was safe to talk.
"so, if your not human, what are you?" i asked- scared for my life for the first time i could remember.
"dont be worried for me, okay? come inside and youll see. if you want to of course." he wanted to know if i wanted to run away or not.
"lead the way."i told him.
jake opend the door and seemed to move by habit; he moved across the black room and onto a black chair. he folded his hands and put his elbows on his knees. i moved to the black couch across from him and sat myself silently on the edge. the shadows surrounded him.
"are you going to tell me or not?" i asked, impatiently. the shadows disappeared slightly.
he answered hesitently more quiet then usual,"im, what you would call, a... shadow demon."
"oh."i said, dumbfounded. i was expecting "warlock", or "axe murderer,"or maybe,-possibly hoping,- "vampire.
then he disappeared, reappearing at my side on the couch. "thank you. and im sorry, you must think im terrifieing or evil, but im not. truly." he looked at me, begging for me to understand.
"its okay, im not scared of you. and i dont think your evil."
"really?" jake was confuzed. torn between many emotions. i didnt have to read his mind to tell that.
"actually, i have something to admit also."
"if its something bad, let me do something befor i find out. okay?"
"well, it depends on your definition of bad..."
"okay, then let me do it." again he disappeared. before i could even acknoledge he was gone, he reappeared again, closer. just inches away. he leaned closer still. then looked into my eyes with his own. mine had only moved fractionaly since he was on the couch.
then his lips touched mine. it was like rubbing silk to my face- but the silk had hard rocks behind it. we sat like that for what seemed an eternity. then his hand touched my knee, holding it, then slowly found my hand and traced up my arm onto my shoulder. i didnt know what to do, what to expect. then he pushed my away slowly.
he disappeared again -from what i assumed was embarracement. i personaly was dazed. that was my first kiss- from what i remember. i thought about how it felt-those small, thin, silky, hard lips, the feeling of his hand on my knee, my hand, moving up my arm. the smell.
"sorry. what were you going to say now?"
"i had news. since you told me about you, i wanted you to know about me." i needed to stay calm."i-i,"i stammered, i took a deep breath and said"im a vampire." i looked back to him out of the corner of my eye.
"prove it." he said simply.
moving so fast that he couldnt see me, with such strength that it could have killed him if placed properly, i pushed him off the couch and into the hall- 5 yards away.i put my teeth to his neck and whispered "proof enough?"
"i guess." then he chuckled.
"what could possibly be so funny?"
"this." then he rolled over on top of me and disappeared. i layed there for a second before he reappeared. his face was upside down over mine when he kissed me again.
as soon as my lips came in contact with his, his hand grabbed mine, he was put something in my hand but wouldnt let go. jake moved away sooner this time.
"we have to go now." he whispered, then he tightend his hold on my hand and led me out the door. he didnt let go of it once as we followed the road to my house- so i never got to see what he left there.
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jake said i cant look at what was in my hand untill i was going to sleep - so i didnt.
when i got home, tara and randy were doing busy work. tara was making a grocery list, cleaning the kitchen and making dinner. randy was on the computer- from his thoughts, he was trying to find the 'perfect' birthday present for me.
"hey hon' ! how was your day?" it was randy.
"fine, randy." i called back
"hey there punky, when do you get off calling me 'randy?' i said call me dad or pops. anything but 'randy'
nothing spectacular happend today, i thought you got out early?"
fantastic. "yea, i wasnt feeling the greatest. i drove home and missed the turn. im exhausted. im going to bed after dinner."
so i was forced to eat- just like every other day. it always tasted horrible, but im guessing thats what i get for being a vampire... i lied and said it was the best ever.
then i headed to my room. i jumped onto my bed and took out the paper jake left in my hand. on the back it said:
OCT 26
2007
8TH HR HIST.
that was my first day going here. i opened the note. only it wasnt a note. it was a drawing. with such wonderful detail, it was outstanding.
the picture seemed to breath. almost blink. it was me-only without the weird green eyes, and with darker skin, so i looked human. the eyes were a bit duller, and faded. the head shot made me look wonderful. maybe this is what i looked like human...
just then, a shadow danced across my window, in front of the moon. i walked to the pane and opend it. paper white and glimmering in the moonlight, my skin prickled, like when someones watching you.
a pair of arms wound themselves around my waist, holding me against a hard chest. i spun around in my cage and took a deep breath in through my nose.
"jakob." i breathed
"yes?" he spoke to my hair.
"your hurting me." i said but held my hands behind his head so he coundnt escape. so he disappeared.
"im sorry. what did i do?"
"come back and ill tell you." jake once again came back, and held me.
"now, tell me." he said looking deep into my eyes.
"you smell, in such a way that i cannot describe."
"try me, i think i could understand."
"its delicouse. think of your favriote food. now try to magnify the smell by ten and know that if you ever want that smell again, you cant eat the food."
i led jake to the bed and we sat down. i ran my nose along the right side of his collarbone, inhaleing as much as possible. i had my eyes closed, going up and down, back and forth.
"you need sleep jake." i said. i could smell it on him.
"dont worry about me." he said. but i pushed him onto my pillows easily- he didnt even fight me.
three minutes later he was out cold.
i stayed up- since i cant sleep, thats not hard. all night i lay there, breathing in and out, listening to jakes heart. it was quiet, but not silent-like my own. it sounded as though i had my ear against a wall while the real jake stood in the sun, casting a shadow where i was listening.
around midnight i listened for jakes parents minds. i found them and brought jake home. i was almost out the window when jake said very clearly, "camilla." then he rolled over and fell back asleep.
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i strolled into the woods. already i saw a black bear. i snuck up behind it. then i waited, and pounced. i sunk my teeth into the helpless bear, i drank untill i was almost full. then pulled away and drank the poisend blood. thats the last thing we need around here - a vampiric bear...
as i was leaving, i heard a new voice. i listend and picked up on someones thoughts. they were crying, so i cleaned up in the creek near by and went to help whoever it was.
finally, i ran into a girl i recognized from third hour english. i believe her name is maria.
"maria?" i asked.
the girl looked up. "what?" she managed to choke out.
"what happend?"
she started bawling. i had to calm her down before she could answer. that took almost five minutes.
"maria, what happend?" i asked again.
"i dont know!" she was screaming "it hurts!!! im freezing!!! im dieing!!!"
"maria, how long has it hurt?" i asked, my voice still calm.
"hours." her voice was loosing volume.
"maria, listen to me. stop screaming, i wont help. someone bit you two days ago, didnt they?" she nodded
