It was an unusually bright day, giving me the perfect excuse to stay home. I had no desire to see Will and possibly trigger some memory he had of me.

Maybe a day or two away, would help.

I spent the day helping Tess spruce up the earthship, staining the adobe walls a more soothing eggshell color.

"So..." she said, as she dabbed the walls with color.

"Are you going to tell me what you did last night?"

"What?"

"Come on, Ibis you can’t hide anything from me. I’ve known you for far too long."

"What, did you kill someone last night? A vagrant or thief, perhaps?..."

I frowned at her, disappointed by her lack of faith in me.

"And you claim to know me."

"Well, then..." She put down the sponge and placed a hand on her hip.

"Your eyes are a nice shade of crimson this afternoon." She smiled, her eyebrows raised.

"So, you’re either lying to me...or you’re lying to me."

"I didn’t really feed as much as ...taste a little." I looked down, very much embarrassed by my slight indiscretion...But, who was I kidding? I’d probably throttle the poor boy, if I saw him again.

She sighed. "It’s the boy from school isn’t it?"

I looked up, not entirely shocked by her deductive skills.

"Yes...but I didn’t bite him. He was bleeding and I...sampled. He didn’t. He won’t turn."

"-And I was helping him. Otherwise I would have never done it. A wildcat almost attacked him and his date, last night and then he crashed his car...He just had an unlucky evening."

"It’s a good thing you showed up, huh?" She said and sardonic grin twitching the corners of her mouth.

I sighed, frustrated. "I don’t want this."

She removed a glove and placed an assuring hand on my shoulder.

"I know." she said, frowning.

"...Look, this is too much for you. You won’t be satisfied until you have your fill-"

"-No, Tess. I’m not going to risk everything we’ve managed to do for ourselves just for a moment of pleasure." I crossed my arms across my chest.

"...I can assure you. It lasts longer than a moment." She said, her eyes, very serious.

"I won’t be angry. In all the years you’ve been completely unselfish. Not harming one innocent soul. That’s better than I’ve managed."

"Can we move?" I asked suddenly.

"It will take awhile to find another place...It took me two years to find this place."

I put a hand to my head.

"Do you want to leave school?" She made it sound like a statement, instead of a question.

"No. It’s the only place where I’ve felt...even remotely normal."

"...And this is the only school, I’ve been in where kids are at least trying to my friends. Instead of the other way around. ...Something beyond the longing and fear..."

"I see." She said.

"Well. We’ll see if you’re up to the challenge. I do know of one of us who has managed to deal with it. Even loving his intended prey, I might add. If one can do it. Others can follow suit."

I ignored the implication of some sort of romantic notion. It would be all too confusing, a meal of the most macabre kind. One of loved flesh.

****

I’d stayed out the entire week, though the weather had misted up sufficiently by Thursday.

On the following Monday, I explained to the principal that I had chronic health issues, life-threatening. Our "doctor’s note" provided the proof. He frowned his concern at me and I felt a twinge of guilt, but it was necessary.

Will was the first person I met in the damn hall, his right arm from wrist to elbow, covered in plaster. I tried keep a wall of distance between us.

"Hey, Ibis. We were worried about you." His face clearly showed his concern, his brow furrowed, his full lips tensed.

"I’m fine. I just have a health issue, that I’d rather not talk about." I said, strutting past him.

It hurt to be so cold to him...but anything to make him -not be around me so much would be good for him and me. He called out behind me.

"-Are you not going to ask about my cast?"

I ignored it.

As I stalked through the hallway, I noted Hannah squealing loudly, her bony frame bouncing past me and into Will’s arms. His eyes briefly caught mine looking directly into his as he twirled her in his arms.

Shit.

****

Clara met me at our usual spot by the lockers. She had the same concerned look on her face.

"...Well, is there anything I can do?"

"I promise, rest is the best thing for me, really."....rest and feeding on lots of human synthetic blood, I thought.

I barely concentrated during my classes, thinking too hard about Will’s glance. And that’s all it was...A glance, really.

So then why was I analyzing it, so much?

Just another boy...with beyond tempting blood. I clutched my over-sized t-shirt at just the thought of it.

"Ibis? Ibis?" Everyone turned to look at me. I slumped in my desk.

"Yes, Mrs. Tyler?"

"I just asked you what the four branches of the government ar-"

I rattled them off quickly before she could finish the question.

"It is good that you are so smart, young lady, but it would be smarter to pay attention."

I sighed deeply, waiting for the relief that was everyone returning their attention to History instead of me.

The rest of the day was much easier...Up to a point.

I’d had lunch at my usual spot, with more sympathy for Gail, as she had been blown off for the skinny bag of bones, that was Hannah. I understood her jealousy, more than I’d liked

****

I left the school, my black backpack slung over one shoulder, I noted the jogging sounds behind me and knew who they belonged to.

"Will." I said, coldly.

"Is there any reason in particular that you don’t like me?" Wow, straight to the point. I had to admire that.

"No. I just don’t." I said and began to walk away...He touched me, grabbing my arm, to keep me from leaving. I had to be careful. It would have been all too easy, an accident, really to snap that other arm of his, pulling away.

"Why do you even care? Can’t I just be friends with your sister and leave it at that?"

"Because I don’t think you care as little as you pretend to."

"What?" I said raising my voice.

"I mean, I don’t think, it’s about you not liking me." He said, boldly.

"In fact, I think you do. I’ve seen you watching me...because I’ve been watching you too." He added, his complexion flushing deep pink.

I backed a few steps. He had no idea what that did to me.

"You have a girlfriend, remember? Her name is Hannah."

"-Not anymore." He said with a look so hopeful, I wavered in my protective stance. I wanted to move closer.

"What? -Why?"

"I uh, had an incident last week and she showed her true colors. They weren’t colors that I liked."

I sighed, hoping he read it as dismissal instead of relief.

"I was...hoping, we could get over whatever it was that you don’t like about me, and maybe even be friends."

"Will, honestly? You make me uncomfortable." The understatement of the century, but at least somewhat truthful.

"You are so strange." he said, his expression flitting between rapt fascination and frustration.

"You are the most beautiful girl in this school and yet...You don’t seem to care. You wear these clothes" He said taking an over-sized sleeve in his hand. I pulled away.

"Every guy and some girls too...would give their right arm to go out with you and yet..You seem oblivious."

Big word for the a high school kid. Advanced placement, indeed. If I’d made known the true extent of my knowledge I’d be that and beyond.

"Do you think we’re all some kind of backwards desert people?"

"Of course not."

"Then, why won’t you go out with anybody?"

"-Because I’m afraid, okay?"

Once again, truth.

"Afraid of what?" He said, taking the two steps toward me, I had earlier taken away.

"I don’t want to get serious with anyone, because of my illness." Still, no lies. Strange that I could tell even half-truths to this one.

"Well, what have you got, exactly?"

"That’s not your business..." I said, sternly.

"Does it have anything to do with you being out in the middle of the night, last week?"

...damnit.

Deny it. "I uh..." DENY IT.

"I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a hike." ...Stalking a cougar to eat, which almost ate you.

"How did you...?"

"I wasn’t sure until just now." He said smugly.

"You called the police, when you saw my car accident, didn’t you?" Good, he clearly didn’t suspect anything else.

"A hike, huh? Twenty miles into the brush.... In the middle of the night. That’s an odd excursion."

"I drove for most of the way." I added.

"I wanted to see the stars. I heard the crash and went to investigate."

"Does the fresh night air help you feel better?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes. Sometimes."

He seemed to be trying to decipher me, his eyes looking directly into my own until I turned away.

"Hey! Ibis!" It was Clara. I had never been so happy to see her.

I turned to wave and smile. Will nodded at me. "There’s so much to you, Ibis. ...I won’t give up until I figure you out."

"And Ibis?" he said, touching me again, sending a chill up my arm. "Thanks."

I nodded and walked towards Clara.

"Hey, I was hoping you’d give me a ride. My car’s in the shop."

"Sure." I said, cheerfully.

As we walked towards the truck, Clara sing-songed. "Sooo, what were you talking about with my brother?"

"Oh, he was just asking how I was doing."

"I’m sure that’s really getting old." Clara said laughing.

We both slided in and I closed my door, sticking my keys into the ignition.

"You know, he asks about you, all the time. It’s like he’s obsessed. ...And now, that Hannah’s out of the picture..."

"Clara, Nelli’s sort of my friend... I don’t want to get into that."

"Your friend?" She said, eyebrows raised. "Ibis, even I know she’s a bitch and she’s been sitting at our table since she started school."

I laughed. "I don’t think anyone else would put up with her. I felt bad." I was pleased the subject moved away from Will.

"Clara, your heart is way too soft." I said, but who was I to talk?

"Yeah, I know." she said, cocking her head.

"Really, she’s not so bad when it comes to the real stuff." She said, sliding the elastic out of her hair. In that moment, I imagined what she would be like, if she were like Tess and I.

Still sweet, I suspected, and powerfully-beautiful. ...And so would Will.

"When my grandmother was in the hospital last year, you know she was the only one of my friends to visit?"

"She may be a bitch in school, but she sticks when things get tough."

"...So, back to my brother." -Damn.

"You two looked cozy back there. I mean, for you. That is. You seem to have an aversion to touching people."

"Yeah, it’s a weird OCD thing, I think." I said shrugging.

"And wow, you drive really well, for someone who barely keeps her eyes on the road."

"It’s a gift."

Clara seemed nonchalant, but she was observant. I had to be more careful.

"Listen, Ibis, would you drop me off at Kirk’s? He lives just up the road and to the right."

"Yeah."

I glanced at her, trying to seem like I was concentrating a bit more on my driving.

I ventured a question. "If I say something, will you promise you won’t get mad?"

"If it’s that Kirk’s a cheating jerk, I know."

"You know?...Then why do you stay with him?" My reading skills only go as far as emotions. So, this was a real shock.

"Well, he’s nice to look at and we do have fun..if uh, you know what I mean."

"I think we’re kinda’ just sort of, mutually engaged in enjoying each other, without the baggage, you know?"

"Yeah." So, Clara was just as frightened of intimacy as I was. No, wonder we got along.

"Oh, wow, what brand of body glitter is that?!"

It took me just a second to realize what she was talking about. Shafts of white sunlight had pierced through the thick low, fluffy clouds and shined on the back of my wrist.

My skin refracts light in a really odd way. It’s the reason we have to live in areas where the sun doesn’t shine much.

"Oh, yeah." I said moving my wrist out of the sun’s path. "I got it from Seattle. I’ve had it for so long, the label’s long since, rubbed off.

"It’s amazing...It really makes you sparkle, but not in that cheap way, you know?"

"It’s like you really do sparkle." she said, still staring at my wrist.

I forced a chuckle.

"If I remember the brand, I’ll let you know."

"Sure." she said. "Or... you could let me borrow it sometime?"

"I’d like to, but I’m running low...If I still have some by homecoming, I’ll definitely let you give yourself a dusting." I said, nervously.

"Oh, we’re here ." She announced, pointing to a low house surrounded by odd, spiky-looking desert trees.

Before I could come to a complete stop she opened the door and hopped out, her book bag bouncing on over her shoulder. She took a brief moment, as she stood up the run her fingers through her hair.

Then she looked back and waved.

****

As I pulled into my own drive-way, Tess met me, her eyes glistening with tears.

I lept out of the truck reaching her in less than a second.

"What’s happened?"

"Lawrence has been killed."