Fairytales and Nightmares

Early September 2002.

For the millionth time this class, I looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. Three more minutes...still. Time seemed to go even slower when I didn’t have Triyx or Mitch, my before-Massacre team buddies and my best friends. Why am I stuck in this horrible predicament? Apparently, according to Ash, there are too many possible vampire locations in US. So, I’m stuck with recon as eight different identities; one of which is, you guessed it, as a high school student. And an introverted, wallflower type to top it off. I would have ranted at Ash for that if I didn’t value my life. I do the hunting; people like Triyx do the acting and recon work.

Already in a fearfully bad mood, I frowned even more when my train of thought was disturbed by an array of giggles. I looked up to see a group of sluts giggling as Landon did something “funny”, or as I often called it, “evidence of lack of brain cells”. He was currently grinning proudly to himself as the same group of sluts gave him a once-over, and even granted them a wink. I shuddered, quickly removing my gaze to the person next to him, Nate Hawkes, who was chatting to three girls sitting on his desk. Nate was even more popular than Landon, and that was saying something. In fact, Nate was probably the top of all the girls in the school’s dream list. Sure he was somewhat good-looking, but his rotten personality squashed whatever good qualities he might have accidentally gotten at birth.

Narrowing my eyes on him, I hardly realized when he suddenly lifted up his head and looked me back in the eyes. We glared at each other for a few seconds, neither of us wanting to lose. Suddenly, he smiled, his bright blue eyes sparkling with amusement, and subtly winked. My eyes grew wide, and I began glaring more ferociously than before. Spying a small movement in the corner of my eye, an idea came over me. I tossed a charming smile at Nate, which quickly wiped off the cheeky grin from his now-surprised face. I moved my hand to the side of my desk and daintily flicked the oversized spider at one of the girls sitting on Nate’s desk. Her reaction was perfect. She screamed, her twig-sized arms waving everywhere and her blonde hair smacking Nate across the face. To my delight, this set off a chain reaction that got both Nate and Landon at least a few elbows and accidental slaps. I stood up as the end-of-class bell rang and shoved my books carelessly into my backpack. As I passed Nate, who was still being harassed by the bubblehead girls, I kicked the back leg of his chair. I left the classroom in high spirits, hearing the painful thud as Nate toppled off his chair and hit his head against the floor. Well, no harm done; his skull’s hollow either way.

In the hallway, I picked up Nate’s voice back in the classroom. I wondered distractedly if he would yell profanities at me. Instead, he seemed to be whispering a question to a friend of his. What the girl’s name was.

Landon replied to him automatically. Ciera Estelle. My name.

I paused, caught by surprise. Not because Nate didn’t know my name; after all, I did take extra measures to keep a low profile (a plan that I just threw out the window due to my anger). I was surprised because 1) Nate cared to know who I was. The guy with an ego so big I’m surprised the entire school population hasn’t died from ego suffocation yet. And 2) because Landon knew my name. I didn’t even know he knew I existed, never mind what my name was.

Realizing that I was spending too much brainpower and time on the two top numbskulls of the decade, I put them out of my mind and concentrated more on one of my night jobs as a bartender in one of the most vampire-concentrated bars. Hopefully I don’t blow my identity as a mute bartender there as well.