Lunch was tense. I could practically feel the hate radiating from Stephen, directed right at Will.

Will pretended to be oblivious. I’m sure he thought it was because he knew what we had done.

That was part of it.

He was also confused. Alice was obviously adept at disguising her presence. I had to be right in front of her, before I could sense her non-humaness. I assumed she wanted my mother to sense her...So, she relaxed her guard, somehow?

Stephen had no idea, how this human male could have imprinted me.

This situation would amuse me, but for my fear of how this might go. I stayed close to Will, I feared Stephen accidentally giving away that part of him, before his mother could tell him.

Why hadn’t she told them on Sunday?

*****

As the last school-bell rang, I spied Nelli leaning against her locker...Tears streaming down her face.

"That fucking asshole!" she screamed, pounding her fists hard enough to dent the door.

"Nelli..."

"That self-righteous dick said he couldn’t pretend anymore...Said I was a superficial twit. Not too much of a twit for him to go out with for two weeks, though!"

She slid down the stacked lockers and sat helplessly on the shiny linoleum floor.

"Ibis... I’m pretty, right?"

"Yeah, Nelli, you’re gorgeous...You can do much better."

"Well, you sure have. I can’t believe how gone Will is for you. The way you look at each other."

She sighed and looked down at her feet.

"I wish, I could have that. He even let you give it up." Jesus, was it obvious to everyone??

"...I was starting to wonder about him, you know?" She chuckled through her tears.

"That stuck-up bastard!" and back to Stephen.

"Listen, Nell...How about we all go and help you drown your sorrows in an anti-love movie??"

"Anti-love?? Like what?"

"Well, I’m partial to Under the Tuscan Sun."

"Wait, isn’t that the one where the divorced woman goes to Italy?"

"Yup."

"I’ve seen it...At least she got a good lay."

I laughed and gathered her up, carefully into a side-hug.

"Okay, we won’t see that." It was now time to take one for the team.

Despite her efforts to be disliked, I now understood that was because she feared real closeness with others.

I had smelled some things on her, that lead me to believe her home life wasn’t exactly roses and daisies. Booze, cigarette smoke, the musk of a dirty old man...I could tell he hadn’t...done that yet. But he certainly would get there, soon, if left to his own devices.

She didn’t know it, but I had been keeping track of her, on the sly.

She lives close enough, so I can. So, far it’s just been inappropriate comments and breaching her personal space. Just enough, so she’d second-guess herself on what was really going on.

If and when he decided to go any further...He’d be getting a visit from me.

I took a deep breath and said something I’d never said, in all my long years of existence.

"Listen, Nelli, how about we go to the mall?"

The mall in this one-horse town, was a small outlet strip consisting of a Harris Teeter, A discount Eddie Bauer's, an Old Navy, and locally owned multi-level Macy’s'-look-alike called Avene’s.

She looked up at me, her eyes wide with shock.

"Funny. I hadn’t pegged you as the mall-going type."

"I’m not." I thought.

Then she realized what I was doing, and genuinely seemed touched.

"Hey where’s Gail? Maybe we can invite her along."

"At home sick."

"Well, I know Clara will be up for it."

"I helped her to her feet, pretending she was heavier than she was."

*****

I saw Will in the parking lot...Shit, Stephen was headed his way.

I intercepted Stephen.

"We’ve got to talk."

He cringed back from me.

"But he imprinted you. He’s been all over you." he said with clear disgust. "How could he do that?! He’s human."

"Walk with me." I said through gritted teeth.

I grabbed his arm and pushed him back into the wall of the school...Hard. A few bricks chipped.

"What the hell?!"

"You’re right. He isn’t completely human."

"Shit. ...And he doesn’t know...He doesn’t know what he’s done to you."

"No. But he will soon...But YOU won’t breath a word. Understand?"

He looked me up and down...His expression switching between desire and disgust.

"Look, Stephen. If you throw a wrench in this, I’ll make sure you regret it. Don’t fuck this up."

He looked away. I grabbed his arm.

"Hey!" He said.

"Promise me, you won’t tell him."

"I promise, I won’t say anything. I’m not a complete dick."

"Good."

He tried to reach out to me, but his hand stopped at a certain point, like he had a cramp in his hand.

"Shit. I can’t even bring myself to touch you anymore..."

"What is he?"

"You’ll find out, soon."

I turned to leave...And I heard his voice in my head.

"I still want you. The things we can’t have..."

I spoke out loud. "You should be concerning yourself with apologizing to Nelli."

I stalked off.

*****

Will was calmer than usual about me talking to Stephen. I think on some level, he knew he couldn’t do anything.

"What was that about?"

"Nelli."

Well part of it was, at least.

"Listen, Will, would you mind dropping us off by the mall?"

"Sure." he said, looking slightly amused.

*****

I’d texted Clara about this. She was supposed to met us here.

I sat in the shoe department, while Nelli tried on endless pairs of strappy shoes... Apparently, she was a shoe therapy kind of girl. She seemed much cheerier.

I was in the third circle of hell.

Where was Clara??

"I’m here." She said, appearing on the floor. She looked shell-shocked.

She knew. That meant Will did too.

"Will’s gonna drop you two off, after we’re done." She said.

*****

Nelli’s home was closer to mine, but they made up a lie about having to swing by the grocery store to pick up some ingredients their dad had requested...And she hopped out early.

"Mom told us." Will said.

"We’ll be turned on Saturday..."

"Will there be any kind of risk to you?"

"No. We’ll be fine...It’ll just take more preparations, than usual. Apparently there are some other...shape-shifters who have been brought over. It’s why the idea of vampires changing form is part of the myth...because some of them did, because they started out like my mother."

He shook his head. "I still can’t believe she kept this from us this whole time."

Clara had been quiet.

"Clara? How is this sitting with you?"

"I’m afraid."

She said simply.

"I don’t want to be a different person."

"You won’t be." I said.

She still looked worried.

"Will it be like...with him?" She said, remembering her kidnapping.

"No. It won’t." I said, placing a hand on top of her own.

Will looked at me calmly. He was more than ready, completely at peace with the idea and more than likely, looking forward to the benefits.

*****

Preparations, began early in the week.

Their mother had prepared a special protective concoction, to help their bodies accept the venom.

They’d been drinking a measured amount, everyday. By the time Saturday morning came around, they were ready.

*****

We all went to Clara and Will’s home. It was protected by a shield their mother had erected. She knew the power unleashed during their change could very well give away their position to her clan’s powerful elders.

Sylvia, Holt, Stephen, and Tess came along as well, just in case they were needed.

The change affected people in different ways. Some escaped immediately to find human sustenance. Others panicked and harmed themselves. Depending on the gifts, which were wide-ranging... It could very well be dangerous.

It was decided that it would be best to bite them. Injecting had been considered, but the personal contact had a greater sedatiing effect on our victims. It was an adaption perfect for our survival. No need to fight and potentially damage our food.

Because she feared it most, Clara opted to go first, to get it over with. Her last experience with this had been pretty traumatizing.

*****

"Be gentle with me."

"Don’t worry..." I said, as I sat on the edge of her bed, "I will."

"Are you gonna bite me on the neck? Or what?"

"I had planned on the wrist, actually." I said, smiling. She seemed uncomfortable with the notion of us being so intimate.

I was tasked with this myself, because I was closest to them both. Knowing them so well, having been around them so much, meant my body would calm their own, easiest. That was a definite necessity, for entering this delicate task.

"Are you ready?"

"...As I’ll ever be." She said, taking a deep breath. "I guess that’s the last time I’ll do that, huh?" she said, chuckling.

Her laugh was strained.

I took her hand and she nodded, turning away; her eyes, squeezed tightly shut.

I bit down. She winced at first, but very quickly relaxed. I took only just enough to get my venom into her system.

This time, she lay still... her body quickly changing. Her skin became like porcelain, her lips reddening. Her hair, became lusher, a paler cornsilk blond.

It was taking hold quickly.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open. They were the true black of calligraphy ink. She sat up and looked at all of us. And immediately we all felt her terror...

Sylvia spoke up first.

"It’s not real. She’s an empathic-telepath. She can make us feel what she does."

Sylvia stepped forward, her eyes steady on hers. "It’s okay. You’re okay." she said.

She cringed against the wall, causing bits of adobe to fall away.

Alice whispered something and blew.

Suddenly, Clara’s eyes rolled back in her head and she dropped. Stephen caught her before she hit the floor.

"Jesus." Stephen said.

"I had to. She could make us all go mad, with so little control over her gifts." She said.

"She’ll be fine." Stephen placed her gingerly, back on her bed.

"She’ll be out for the rest of the day. And she’ll wake up much more in control of herself..." Alice said, stroking her daughter’s hair.

"And now, for my son." she said, looking at me.

*****

"Do they all have to be here?" He asked.

"Yes." I said, smiling...It was very intimate for us. Like a whole audience watching us kiss... more than that, really.

He sat up and looked at me.

"Are you ready, Will?"

He answered by angling up his chin, his eyes steady on my own. At that moment, I really wished I could be alone with him, too.

I would savor this last taste of him, his delicious alluring blood...Gone after this. Screw our spectators.

I leaned forward and breathed him in, brushing my lips across his jugular. He gasped, expecting the bite. And then I did. He grunted, in pain, in pleasure...both.

His trembling hands grasped at my shirt and then fell slack at his sides. I willed myself to stop. It had been easier, this time. His taste was already changing.

And then I saw it...The wounds at his neck, healing. His skin hardening, becoming that same porcelain color, his hair taking on that same unnatural luster. Shafts of sunlight leaked through the shaded window... and his skin reflected, where it touched. I was right about them both.

They were so beautiful, it almost hurt to look at them.

His eyes flew open again, the truest black of emptiness, a fathomless void.

He looked at me, his blood still on my lips and it was like no one else was there... He slid out of the bed, and walked over to me. He reached out and wiped the blood from my lips, with a finger.

He then angled my face up and gently kissed me.

*****

"Will, honey..." Alice said, stepping forward, her husband close behind.

"How do you feel?" he looked up at her, his eyes narrowing.

"Like myself...but keener. More aware of things."

He leaned down towards me again. "Ibis. You smell like flowers in the rain. I don’t know what kind."

And then he touched his head... "Stephen’s coming."

And sure enough, he stepped through my door. Clearly checking on me, not Will.

Will stared at him and frowned. He walked over to him and peered at him in frighteningly knowing way. Stephen backed up.

"I see you." he said. " I see what you want. I see your plan. Every step."

He smiled.

"It won’t happen." he said simply.

He turned to his mother.

"The clan elders are coming."