The morning sun was cruel, pouring down on the schoolyard like it wanted to burn me alive. Every step through the gates made the hunger claw harder, sharper, louder.
I'd avoided breakfast again. The smell of eggs had turned my stomach, but the thought of blood—warm, thick, alive—made my chest ache with a need I didn't understand.
"Hey, Nyla!" someone called.
I turned. A boy leaned against the wall near the entrance, his grin too easy, his presence too confident. His name flickered in my mind—Kian. He'd been in my year since middle school, the kind of boy who could charm teachers and make half the class laugh without trying.
Today, though, all I noticed was the vein in his neck.
It throbbed, steady and strong. A drumbeat, a lure.
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails bit into my palms. Don't look. Don't think. Don't—
"You okay?" Kian asked, his grin fading when he caught my expression. "You look like you're about to faint."
Before I could answer, the hallway filled with students. Their laughter, their chatter, their warmth—too much warmth. The scent of them was everywhere. Soap. Sweat. Perfume. But under it all, thick and constant… blood.
My vision blurred. Every person in the corridor shimmered faintly, their pulses glowing red, throbbing like lights I couldn't turn off.
My throat burned. My teeth ached.
Someone brushed my shoulder, and I snapped.
The boy yelped as I spun, my hand clamping down on his wrist. His skin was hot, the vein beneath his flesh thrumming against my grip. For one dizzy second, all I had to do was lean forward, sink my teeth in, and—
"Nyla!"
Aisha's voice cracked through the haze. She grabbed my arm, pulling me back. The boy ripped his wrist free, stumbling away, muttering something about me being a freak.
The hallway went silent.
Dozens of eyes stared.
My chest heaved, my lips parted. I tasted metal—not on my tongue, but in the air, as if I'd almost dragged it out of him.
"I—" My voice broke. My vision cleared just enough to see Kian staring at me too, brows furrowed. Not mocking. Not disgusted. Something else.
Curiosity. Concern.
A bell rang, shattering the silence. Students scattered quickly, whispering behind their hands, stealing glances over their shoulders.
I stood frozen, my hands trembling.
"Nyla," Aisha whispered, her grip still tight. "What… was that?"
I had no answer.
---
The rest of the day passed in fragments. Teachers droned. Pens scratched. Pages turned. But all I heard was the pounding of hearts, the steady pulse of life around me.
And Kian's eyes. Watching me. Always watching.
Not like the others. Not with fear. But with a strange intensity I couldn't bear to meet for long.
---
By the time the last bell rang, my body was thrumming like it didn't belong to me anymore.
I shoved my books into my bag and ran, barely hearing Aisha call after me.
The bathroom mirror waited. The one place I could test reality.
I locked the door, breathing hard. My reflection stared back—lips pale, eyes sunken, but burning faintly red beneath the surface.
Then, slowly, my reflection's lips curled into that smirk again.
"You're losing control," she whispered.
I stumbled back. "Shut up."
But she only smiled wider, baring teeth that were sharper than mine.
And for the first time, I believed her.