XVIII.Clawed

Cara

I tried to convince myself that he had attended some sort of weird costume party the previous night and the fake fangs had refused to come off but the look in his eyes told me otherwise.

His eyes were crimson and dark. I felt almost hypnotised as I stared into crimson orbs. It was as if they were drawing me in like a moth to fire but I knew what was what, this fire burned.

"Your eyes...your fangs? What are you?"

"You mean you don't know? I thought you knew, I mean the necklace... " I did not understand what he was saying." I am a vampire...vampyre...whatever you like to call it.”

It struck me like a slap in the face, "vam…" I dared not speak that last part for once it was spoken it could not be unspoken and it thus was made the reality.

"Come on say it, let's have our Twilight moment," he joked letting out a sadistic laugh. However, I was not laughing, not one bit. "I am a vampire. A blood-sucking, titty-loving vampire."

My feet were glued in place but I tried and succeeded in breaking through the daze he had put me in. I ran for what seemed like hours but was in reality about three and a half seconds until he caught me.

Swiftly, he grabbed my arm and threw me against the locker causing me to hit my head on the hard metal.

"Now that you have made me lose my breakfast we will have to make other arrangements," he pressed closer to me forcing my body between his and the locker. "Don't scream, you'll be dead before they get to you."

Everything was happening so fast.

"Don't. I-I have a c-crucifix, "I said quickly and panicked as his fangs neared me.

"I do too, " he reached into his shirt and with a smirk, showed me the crucifix on the chain that hung around his neck."Now shut the fuck up! You're whining is making me want to snap your pretty little neck and I hate cold blood!"

This is it...again. The last time I had thought that it was 'it' it had not been but this was definitely 'it' for me.

Cara Elizabeth Matthews, struck down in her youth by her history teacher who happens to be a vampire...with fangs! My heart beat like a hummingbird's, my blood rushed like water in a wild river, I could feel it, in my head, everywhere.

This is not it! Fast thinking, I connected my knee with his more private area. He recovered fast. He let out a shout and angrily snapped at me, " that's not very nice, now is it? No extra credit for you."

Rougher than the first time, he shoved me against the locker and this time I was sure my head left a dent there. He pinned my hands above me using one hand while the other forced my hair out of the way to my neck.

Without any mercy, his fangs sunk into my neck breaking my skin. The pain was unbearable so much that I lost all my energy. I could not hear myself scream but it felt like I was. My throat was painful and my head hurt even more.

But then Hoff screamed and pulled away. He reached for my neck but never got to it. He was ripped right off me. Without his merciless grip on my wrists supporting me, I fell limply to the cold floor.

As my vision came back I saw Hoff's body flying across the room like a bullet, only faster. Right at the end of the hall stood Ivan, at least I thought it was Ivan for I could not recognise the man. My vision was clear and sharp but it must have been wrong.

The man at the end of the hall had the large size of Ivan with that face of Ivan but it was not Ivan. His eyes were dark like a starless, moonless sky. Four large fangs hung on his upper and lower jaws with claws sticking out of his fingers.

Was he like Hoff? No, he was different, a different kind of deadly, a different form of death.

As I saw his claws rip through Hoff's skin ,I grew even more afraid, not of Hoff -not anymore- but of him.

He growled and scratched like an animal, he was an animal. He was not the man I knew.

He stood over the vampire who was now lying on the floor,a look of horror on his face. I watched ,unmoving, as Ivan plucked Hoff's fangs out of their roots and threw them aside.

A scream ripped through me as he grabbed Hoff's head and tore it right off his neck as if it required no effort at all. Blood was spurted all over the hall, the walls, the windows, the locker and all over the beast's hands.

Oh my God! Everything broke down.

My body was suddenly lifted off the floor. I gasped. I looked at the person hoping they too did not have a set of claws. It was Alice. She placed a finger on her lips telling me to be quiet. It was not like I could even talk.

My heart beat a little slower in relief.

Behind my brunette friend stood Connor. Quickly and quietly, they dragged me away from the scene as the beast finished off its victim.

They took me outside the building and placed me down.

"Are you OK? "Asked Alice.

"She is NOT OK!" Connor exclaimed.

"Quick take off your shirt," ordered Alice. Normally, the boy would not have passed up the opportunity for sleazy innuendo but he did.

Hesitantly, Connor obliged.He took off both his jacket and his shirt. I did not expect to see what I saw. Over the expected abs on his abdomen were dozens of scars. Some were old, somewhere new.

He handed Alice the shirt. She told him to turn around as she took off my blood soaked shirt. She put his shirt on me. It was large which was great because it was able to cover the blood on the top part of my jeans.

"What are you doing? " I croaked.

"Changing your top. It has blood all over it."

"Why? Did you see what happened there? " I questioned her weakly. I had so many questions that I doubted anyone could answer. I hated feeling like this, weak, helpless.

"First of all, so no one can see you like this and second, yes we saw. When you wake up I will explain everything to you but now...somnum."

She said the word with strength and power, 'somnum'.

"Somnum! Somnum!Somnum! " She repeated it many times but nothing happened. I assumed something was supposed to happen. "Am I saying it wrong? "

"You're saying it fine, little witch but your little spell will not work on her.You see that necklace around her neck, no witchy spell for you."

"Arggh! Fine. I suppose you'll carry her... You know since you're the big and strong one, " I sensed sarcasm in her tone but did not dwell on it, I was too busy having a psychological breakdown.

I could not wrap my head around what had happened in the past twenty minutes.

Recap. First my history teacher was drinking blood out of a Starbucks cup then he was a vampire with fangs and all then he attacked me and finally the cherry on the insane asylum-worthy cake...my boyfriend turned into an animal-like creature and...killed him.

I have seriously lost my mind!

At this point I wasn't sure I actually did get out of bed. This all could have been just a dream.

My body had recovered and aside from the splitting headache I was feeling fine, physically. Mentally? No, not really.

" I can stand," I said softly to Connor as he carried me towards the bus. He confirmed that I was sure I could stand before letting me go.

We hurried to the bus. Alice insisted that we should leave as soon as possible. She was a very good liar. She convinced the other teachers that we should leave and that Mr.Hoff had told her to inform them that he was not feeling well. They fell for it but I knew the truth about what happened to him.

He had been murdered by Ivan.