The school had A days and B days. On A days I was supposed to go to different classes than my B days. Each class was ninety minutes long with a thirty-five minute lunch - except Tuesdays. That was what they called a "short day," which meant school started at eight-thirty instead of seven-thirty. It was Monday, a B day, and according to the paper schedule I clutched in my hands, that meant I had Creative Writing, PE, something called Homeroom, Calculus, and history. On A days, I had accounting, Homeroom, chemistry, English, and Spanish. Sydney walked me around the school, taking me to the cafeteria, the auditorium, and the gymnasium. She even showed me where my locker was. "This isn't a bad spot." Sydney flipped her hair and turned around. She wore tight jeans, a long peach shirt that was see through and had a tie around the hips. Underneath was a white tank top. On her feet were gold ballet flats. She looked cute. But I noticed she wasn't nearly as friendly once we left the office.

Gym class was easy after the show and tell with Abby and Sydney. Troy was also in class."Small world," he said, running by with another guy. "Yeah." He winked and I winked back. Mrs. Hadley blew her whistle. That meant we needed to gather around. I followed after Abby. At first, I worried she or Sydney would treat me differently. If anything, my tattoo seemed to have upped my coolness factor. When Mrs. Hadley called Sydney and Troy up to be the captains in a game of volleyball, Sydney picked me first. Troy seemed disappointed. "I wanted you, Jack." I felt my cheek heat up. "No you don't. Trust me. I don't know the first thing about this game.""What?" Sydney gave me an evil glare. "You'd better stay out of the way then." Coolness factor back to zero, I thought. Once teams were picked, we went to a net. The first set of people rotated in. That meant me. Troy was in the back serving. The ball went over the net and over my head and landed on the floor in front of another girl."T

Laeddin waited for me exactly where he dropped me off several hours before. If I hadn't watched him drive away, I would've wondered if he ever left. As I started down the stairs Sydney fell into step beside me. "Hey, Jack. Sorry about Drake. He's such a jerk.""It's okay. Thanks again for all your help. I couldn't have made it through today without you."She waved a hand in front of her face. "Sure. Sure. So listen. A bunch of us are getting together tonight. Just a little party to start the week off right. Want to come?" She was bouncing on the tips of her toes.I glanced at Laeddin who was watching me."I'd love to. Thanks for the invite." I bounced on my toes. My first party. "Great. Here's the directions. Wear something warm." She went down the rest of the stairs. "And Jack?""Yeah?" I clutched the paper she gave me. "Is that your dad in the car over there?" She pointed at Laeddin. "Gah, no. He isn't my dad. He-he works for my mom and dad. He's staying with me until they can joi

I retracted my fangs and closed my mouth, holding my breath. Then sat. He rubbed his jaw and I heard the scratchiness from his unshaven beard. "Jasmine?" Laeddin really looked at me. "What is it?" He scooted closer. Even with me holding my breath, his scent still had me drooling. I covered my nose and my mouth, but that didn't help either. Standing, I ran to my room, and slammed the door. It was like I was five again and couldn't control myself. I knew I couldn't have his blood, but the fire burning in my throat didn't care. "Jasmine?" There was a knock on the door. "It's nothing. I'm fine." I could smell his blood through the door. "Can I come in?" His voice took on a softer tone."Nooooo." I ran to my bed and flung myself on it before grabbing a pillow and jamming it over my face. There was a lingering scent of my mother. Or maybe I only imagined that.Laeddin sighed but didn't walk away. "I'm opening the door," he said gently. He poked his head in. "Hey, tell me what's wron

A scream ripped from my throat and I shot upright. There was a thump outside my bedroom. I clawed at the covers, pulling them up around my chin. The door burst opened and Laeddin appeared. "What's going on?" His eyes frantically searched the room for danger. "I - " The worry on his face was replaced by irritation. "Sorry. I had a bad dream."Laeddin looked like he wanted to say something. He opened his mouth, but instead of words, he snorted and left. "Man, graze a genie with fangs one time and the world ends." I lay back down and stared at the ceiling. Shadows slithered and danced. I thought about the demura and the way it left the body of that man like a shadow. Had it come into my room and given me the dream? I jumped out of bed, closed the window and pulled the curtains shut. My stomach twisted itself in knots. Strange sounds seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere. I flipped on the light and glanced around the room. What had my mom done when she had a bad dream? Did