Living Dead Girls

Almost immediately after one of the most embarrassing exits I had ever witnessed in my long life, most of the students in the room attacked the unconscious girl's belongings. Someone invaded the personal space of her bag, deciding on a mystery novel -- as if seeing people who weren't there wasn't mysterious enough -- and a doll of some sort. Who knows what that was for.

The only dolls that size I had ever seen were voodoo dolls -- which the boy had announced to the entire class who answered in giggles and laughter. He was wrong. I had not seen anyone practice voodoo in the United States. Ever. And I have seen quite a few places.

Besides. The girl was made fun of enough, and called a freak for one thing already. She wouldn't magnify that by carrying a voodoo doll around with her.. even if some of these kids deserved it.

Another grabbed her notebook, sitting in the seat next to hers with a crowd around to watch him. Making sure to use his own utensil and not one from her bag, he proceeded to doodle things that made the others snicker and add suggestions to his new 'improvements' of the girl's belongings.

Amanda Newton was the cause of this, even if she was doing nothing but unsuccessfully flirting with Edward. She would say something, and get no response in return. It was comical, really, and almost enough to make me laugh. Instead I smiled at the desk, keeping my amusement to myself. This Newton girl was used to getting whatever and whoever she wanted. And there was Edward, brushing her off as though she were no more than someone he was walking right past. There and then gone.

Everything and everyone went back to it's original place but the doll when Mr. Jones stepped in, pulling the door closed behind him. The poor man's face was flushed. People faint all the time. It's nothing to be overly worried about. The girl didn't die under his care and she didn't break any bones or start bleeding profusely from falling on some sharp implement.

As it was the first day of school, we were not asked questions about events in History, or who had been the first black or female President -- which we were all around to see. We were given an outline of our carefully planned out year. We were nearly through the entire thing when the not-so-vicious girl reentered the room and went directly to her seat, explaining that she was fine; it was just a panic attack.

Panic attack my ass.

"Are you sure one of her ghosts didn't possess her, Mr. Jones?" Amanda Newton asked. "They could be trying to kill us through her. She should be committed."

I leaned around Edward to look at her. Was there an end to how rude people were? I may be cruel, tactless and many other things, but I am not rude. The fact that the rest of the class actually found it hilarious made it even worse.

I glanced back at the girl who was noticing all of her graffitied possessions. She was on the brink of tears, I could tell. Having found pleasure in bringing humans to that point for so long, it had become easy for me to notice.

"Amanda, I think that a detention after school will do you good."

If she were a vampire in my and Zachary's previous vampire coven, a smart comment like that would have merited torment or death had it been said to the right person. Then again, Amanda was not a vampire, but a human, nor was she in a coven of any kind. Just a silly building with a group of friends who were probably not even a touch close enough to be considered a coven.

The bell rang, and I scraped my things together, allowing Zachary to pull me from the room before the students crowded together and too close to me.

---

Alice suddenly looked to me from across the lunch table. "Esme might be disappointed."

It was enough to make me stop studying my intended target and her friends. "I won't really be harming her."

"Zachary--" Alice tried.

Zachary let out an exasperated sigh. "I can only tell or ask her to stop, and hope that she listens to reason. I've learned that the hard way."

"I'm not going to hurt her, Alice. If something goes wrong, it will be her own fault."

Something wrong as in if the girl fell and hit her head on the table. Funny, yes. Would I be the cause of it? Not completely.

In my human life I had the power to make anyone believe almost anything. I suppose it could have been termed as manipulative. When I was turned into a vampire that power crossed over in spades.

I don't like controlling others in front of my family. It shows them just how easy it was, and still could be at any given moment, for me to lure innocent people, and then turn them into victims. Their vivid imaginations could piece together the rest. Zachary and Edward were the only two in the family who had ever really seen it. Zachary because he had been there. As for Edward, that's because he had been in my mind at a time when I was thinking about it.

At the beginning, when I was first getting used to it, I had to look and keep my full attention on the person. Over the years it had become easier. All I needed to do anymore was keep a fairly decent amount of concentration on the person and.. put the thoughts in their head. There really is no other way to explain it than to say that. It is difficult to describe how I manage it. I just do.

So, pretty much all they become were marionettes, and I was kind in calling them that.

There was a scream from the once prettiest girl in the school before Rosalie, Alice, and I arrived. It echoed through the room, rebounded off the walls. The sound came back to my ears to settle in my brain. Our sensitive hearing and the fact that everyone in the room had silenced either themselves or each other to listen didn't help me to simply ignore it.

Many years ago, that very sound had been one of my favorite things to hear. That I was the cause of Amanda Newton's false worries, but could not act on it almost hurt. But my mind was made up. I would go through with my plan whether it hurt or not. Why? Because I am repenting.. maybe because she was annoying too. But I forced myself to believe that it was more of the former reason.

I stiffened and Zachary's arm wrapped around my waist, holding me tightly to him. I didn't take it as a sign of distrust. Edward would choose that reason before Zachary ever would. No, Zachary did it to calm me. And to protect me from myself. If anyone could keep me from doing something surpassing that of stupid, it would be him.

"Amanda, what's wrong?" A ditzy looking brunette asked, dropping her plastic spoon posing as a fork down onto her plate.

"What's wrong?" she shrieked, patting rapidly at the surely designer jacket she was wearing. And, to tell the truth, that jacket would have looked better on Rosalie. "I'm on fire, you idiot!"

It didn't take long before the giggling started.

"Maybe you should stop, drop, and roll!" the friend suggested stupidly, standing up in a vain attempt to help her friend.

Emmett snorted. Rosalie looked once from me to Amanda. And Edward only watched. That he didn't try to stop me was surprising.

Amanda Newton wanted embarrassment? Well, she was getting it. And then some.