I was hiding in the janitor's closet when I first smelled it.
Not the bleach and floor wax that usually clung to every surface of Lincoln High though that was still there, stinging the back of my throat. This was something else. Sharp, metallic, and so thick I could almost taste it on my tongue. Like pennies left out in the rain, mixed with wet dog and something sweet I couldn't place.
"Elara? You in there?"
Maya's voice was quiet, but it still made me jump. I pressed my palm against the cold metal shelf to steady myself, knocking over a bottle of window cleaner. It clattered against the tile floor loud enough to make my teeth ache.
"Shit," I muttered, scrambling to pick it up before the whole thing spilled. The cap was loose clear liquid sloshed over my fingers, cold as ice even through my jeans. "Yeah, I'm here. Don't tell Mrs. Hart I skipped her trig quiz."
The closet door creaked open. Maya ducked inside, her curly hair tied back in a messy bun that was already coming undone. She was the only person at school who'd talk to me, probably because she spent half her time hiding too—though her reasons were way less stupid than mine.
"Please," she said, pushing a bag of gummy bears into my hand. "Mrs. Hart didn't even notice you were gone. She was too busy yelling at Tyler for drawing dicks on his test paper."
I tore open the bag and shoveled a handful into my mouth. Sugar hit my system hard, and for a second the weird smell faded into the background. I'd been on edge all week waking up with my sheets twisted around me like ropes, my knuckles scraped raw even though I didn't remember falling down. Last night I'd broken a wooden spoon just by gripping it too tight while making ramen.
Maya leaned against the shelf next to me, her shoulder brushing mine. "You okay? You look like you've been fighting bears."
"More like fighting the urge to punch Kyle Morrison in his smug face." I gestured at my hoodie, where a dark stain spread across the front. "He spilled his soda on me in the cafeteria. Said it was an accident, but he was grinning the whole time."
I didn't tell her that when he'd gotten close, I'd seen his veins darkening under his skin, like ink spreading through water. Or that his breath had smelled exactly like the thing I'd been catching whiffs of all day.
She rolled her eyes. "His whole family's weird. They live way out in those woods off Route 7, never come to town except for school. My mom says they're 'off-grid' but I think they're just crazy."
Before I could answer, the lights in the hallway flickered out.
The school's backup generators kicked in a second later, bathing everything in an orange glow that made the walls look like they were bleeding. And that smell came back stronger this time, so thick I could feel it coating the inside of my nose.
Maya tensed beside me. "What is that?"
I shook my head, but I was already moving pushing past her and out into the hall. The smell was coming from the gym, I could tell now. It was pulling me forward like a magnet, even though every single instinct in my body was screaming to run the other way.
The gym doors were propped open. Inside, the basketball hoops cast long shadows across the polished floor. I could hear someone breathing heavy, ragged, like they'd just run a marathon. And something else. A low growling sound that made the hair on my arms stand straight up.
I stepped inside, my sneakers squeaking against the wood. "Hello? Anyone here?"
The growling stopped. Then, from the far corner by the equipment closet, a figure stood up.
It was a girl I'd never seen before pale skin, black hair cut sharp enough to cut glass, wearing a leather jacket covered in silver zippers that caught the orange light. She was holding something in her hand, but I couldn't make out what it was yet.
"Elara Vasile," she said, and her voice was like gravel mixed with honey. "I've been looking for you."
"How do you know my name?" I took a step back, but my feet felt heavy, like they were glued to the floor. "Who are you?"
She smiled then, and I saw them. Two sharp points, white as bone, extending past her lower lip.
"Your mother's sister," she said, taking a step forward. In her hand was a silver necklace shaped like a wolf's head, its eyes glowing red in the generator light. "And you're not as human as you think you are."
That's when I heard it behind me. Footsteps, slow and deliberate, echoing off the gym walls. I turned just as Kyle Morrison stepped into the doorway except it wasn't Kyle. His eyes were bright amber, his teeth longer and sharper than they'd been ten minutes ago, and dark fur was starting to push through his skin.
"Stay away from her," he growled, and this time the sound came from deep in his chest. "She's not yours to take."
The girl laughed a cold, sharp sound that made my head spin. "She's not yours either, mutt. The prophecy doesn't care about pack rules."
My heart was hammering so hard I thought it might burst through my ribs. I looked from the vampire in front of me to the thing that used to be Kyle, and all I could think was that I'd been right about one thing my whole life.
I'd always known I was different. I just had no idea how much.