Nocturnal

I hated rumors. I hated people who spread them even more.

On Monday things had gone smoothly. Good presentation, some name calling, nothing I couldn't handle. Things hadn't seemed to escalate throughout the week.

Until today.

Dawn was discussing costumes for a Halloween party next week, I was listening—or supposed to—and was doing just fine, until two guys came up to me.

We stopped, eying one another, "What?" I asked impatient.

"If we gave you a joint, would you have a threesome?" Brian Goodfair—who sat behind me in English—asked tittering.

His friend smacked his shoulder, chuckling. "Or would it only work if we were brothers? Is that what turns you on?"

Dawn's expression copied mine. Blown out of the park. What. The. Hell. They were running off before I got anything back-boney out.

"I never thought I could loath someone," I muttered. "But I do. I loathe Samantha." She was turning my life into a bad soap opera.

Dawn caught up with my heavy march, "You're sure this was her?"

"I've told you, Cam broke up with her, I was there and she said, and I quote: you'll be sorry." The bitch was unfaithful to everything but her word. I was so lucky. "She's the one who cheated with Daren—" I lowered my voice, Dawn leaned in. "I wasn't doing a thing with Cam. We were talking." I had his coat on, so what?

Dawn hugged her books walking in toe.

"I don't know what Cam was doing with her in the first place. He never went for her slutty advances before."

V had said she was a distraction. But for what? Who cared... my life was turning into a bloody mess.

After a whole Trigg period getting hit by notes, I was ready to go home. Skip lunch, Bio, get in the car and drive. Phillip was right outside and the blond guy who'd been throwing crumpled papers ran off with his tail between his legs.

"You're looking all serious." Not that I wasn't thankful... "Something happened?"

The blue hue in his eyes came alive when he spoke, "Should I look happy? Have you heard the shit going around the halls?"

I bit back a gasp. He sounded mad. He looked like it, too. I looked at the floor.

"I'm not angry at you. It's everyone else that pisses me off." I reached for his face, cupping it and I kissed him. Long and hard—Phill pulled away with surprised eyes. "Save that for when we're in a room." I smacked his stomach.

"Hardy-har-har," he tilted my chin, pecking my lips gently.

It was over in a flicker. My smile flattered. Phillip was a good-damn kisser. There was warmth in our kisses. There was a feeling I couldn't shake... like something was lacking.

"We can grab lunch outside school if you prefer." He said as we stood face to face with the cafeteria.

I took a big breath, "No. My grandmother always told me that no matter what, I should face my demons." I grimaced into his arm. "That's what I'm going to do. Even if my instincts are telling me to run home, lock myself inside and throw away the key."

We walked in and murmurs ensued. Phillip held on tight, never letting go or flattering; behaving just like a good friend would. We grabbed trays, went through a big ass line and sat down.

"You're supposed to eat it." I turned to him. He smiled, "The food? You put it in your mouth, chew and swallow. Here, I'll show you." He took a fry beating it lightly against my lips. "Open up," I giggled, doing as he said.

This went on. People watched, we didn't care. Ignoring them was the best offense.

He fed me a grape, I fed him another.

"You're baby-feeding skills are very impressive." I nuzzled his nose—

"You two are being so cute it's nauseating." Dawn pointed out. "Can't you be like a normal couple and just suck each other's face off?"

We shared a comic smile. Phillip held me against his chest.

"Why aren't you eating with Zeke?"

"Because," she started. "He went out for lunch with your big brother."

Phillip made a disapproving noise. I rubbed the arm around me, sighing. They talked about the near Halloween party. Sometime later, Zeke got to our table. He kissed her—it was mutual actually—and his hands went down her sides, exploring. I felt my chest heave. It felt wrong watching my friend making out. I was trying to understand what me and Phillip were missing.

Did he need to be more touchy-feely? I glanced up, biting my lip. This wasn't a good place to test that theory.

"I'm going to make one hot Red Riding Hood." Dawn slipped her arm around Zeke's neck. "You can go as a hunter."

He shifted, "A hunter?" she nodded, her curls splayed over his shoulder.

"I need someone to keep me safe from the big bad wolf." They laughed. Dawn's attention pivoted back to us. "What are you going to go as?"

We shared a glance.

"We haven't talked about the party."

"Halloween's for kids." I stated uninterested.

Dawn tsked, "You sound just like Cameron. He never comes, either."

My boyfriend enveloped my waist with both arms.

"But Nina's not my brother," he leaned against my temple. "She'll come, won't you?"

They were all staring at me now. I felt I'd be crucified if I said 'no'. I wanted to say it, though.

Clearing my throat, tucking a strand, I said, "I'll think about it." I faked a smile.

Halloween was a night to let out your inner freak. Problem was, I was a freak every day of my life. What was the point?

***

Closing my locker, I walked to the exit. School was over. Finally. I couldn't wait to get home.

"Long day?" V said catching up with me.

"You can say that again." I looked to her. The pale of her skin was amplified by the dark clothes, today.

"Oh my..." she stopped dead.

"What—" my words died when I followed her dead-ahead gaze.

Fire clawed its way up my stomach, my throat—until I believed I'd choke. It was hard to breathe. A few jokes, insults were one thing. Throwing tomatoes at my Toyota and painting 'SLUT' on the side of the door was completely different.

Undeniable. I couldn't run.

Vanessa had me by the arm. She led me away from the laughing, the sneers and pointing fingers. They're faces were twisted into mockery, glaring cruelly. Among them was Daren. I felt the urge to scratch his eyes out.

"He's not worth it." I heard Vanessa mutter somewhere.

Smacking face-first into something hard as rock, I blinked up—tears of hatred draining, for a minute longer, before they burned tracks down my cheeks.

Coal eyes narrowed on me; rage shook behind a surprising pitch of worry. Cam's hand reached for my shoulders and I wanted nothing but to lean into him. He pushed me—not with aggression, gently—behind him.

His eyes shone with a poisonous glee, ready to infect and lay anyone to waste. It both thrilled and scared me.

"I'll take her home." V said.

"If you lose cont—"

"I won't," she ground. His mouth turned to stone, looking to Daren who was clapping—soon, I was being pushed into a car. "I'll take you home." She said.

My eyes were still glued on my car. It was horrible. I just wanted a hole to dive into.

"Nina?" I sniffed—fighting against it. "It'll be okay. I'm taking you home—but you have to tell me where that is." Her hand reached out rubbing my back, an utter sense of humiliation replayed over and... "Your phone's ringing—here."

I breathed in, calming the shaking in my hands.

"Yeah...?" a sob escaped and I cursed.

"Baby, where are you?" Phillip sounded irked—he'd still been at school. "Nina, babe, are you alright?" he tried again.

"I... I'm fine." Well, that was a lie.

"No, you're not, baby. Where are you?" his voice went soft.

I sucked in a gulf of air, "Vanessa's taking me home."

There was quietness on the other side.

"I'll take care of this. I'll move your car, clean it—I'll fix this, I promise." He sounded strong, determined—protective. "Stay safe." He murmured.

I nodded my head, bracing it against the cold glass. I didn't bother arguing over it; I didn't have the energy. I felt too shaken. I agreed.

I didn't give V any directions, I saw her driving past my house. I didn't tell her to stop.

"You drove past it..." I wiped a tear trail. "My house, we drove past it already."

V started stopping—I shook my head.

"Can we just go somewhere—anywhere?" I pleaded feeling torn.

It took her a while. She finally spoke.

"Do you... want to go to the movies? It always cheers me up." I half-laughed, half-cried—drawing my lips in so I'd stop being so pathetic, nodding.

***

Vanessa and I watched a comedy, ate a full bucket of popcorn and I laughed. A lot. She was putting a big effort in. She was such a sincere, goodhearted person. It was the main reason why I didn't get angry with Phillip. She deserved his help.

Half-way to the movies, I'd called my mom—making sure my voice didn't sound strained. I told her I was with a friend and didn't know what time I'd be home. Mom just sounded glad to know I had friends.

Good thing she didn't know about my enemies.

All the while, I thought about what I was going to tell her when I got home, but no car.

"You know what we could do?" V said as we entered Haven Hills.

"What?"

"We should pay them back." Her eyebrows wagged in a sinister manner. "Get revenge for what they did. Nothing destructive," she shrugged. "Just prank them. It might not change much but it would make me feel a lot better."

I couldn't say my ears weren't perking at the idea.

"What do you have in mind?"

V snickered pulling us into a department store. It was night, but it was open 'till late. We both went in. I frowned when she took a box of condoms off a shelf, super-glue and lastly, a bottle of Easy Cheese.

Just what was she thinking?

"Planning on letting me in on the fun?" I asked once we were back in the warm car.

"We're going to prank their lockers."

"Now?"

"Well, yeah. When else? During the day we'd risk people seeing us. Night's our best chance." She smiled pulling out of the parking lot. "We go in, stealthy as ninja assassins and we get out—no biggie. Trust me."

Sounded like she'd done it before. I abused my lip between my canines; glancing down, I saw all the missed calls from Dawn. I hadn't been in the mood for talking. There was one from Phillip, too. None from Cameron—but why would he call?

Frustration riding high, I didn't think twice about what I could be getting myself into. I didn't even stop to wonder why my stomach felt uneasy when the school zoomed into view, or why my head felt light. Dizzy, as if it had spun for light years.

Despite all those factors, I walked straight. We jumped the fence and ended up cutting time across the football field. The intense lights were on, shining down. My eyes had to squint. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two colors mixing together—red and black.

Dejá vu.

The cheer made me jump six-feet. V put a finger to my lips.

She looked towards the left, "Just some guys getting high. Hard to believe that even when school's closed this is still their stoner pit."

They hooted, laughing. Not noticing us, at all.

Vanessa led us to the side of school. There was a dumpster right below a slim window. I didn't have extra pounds on me, or anything, but could I fit through there?

"It leads into the girl's bathroom. They always leave it open. Come on," she climbed on with outstanding balance and helped me up. "I'll give you a push."

She could reach the edge. Me, not so much. It was times like these where I cursed my small stature. I braced my body on the wall, pushed my foot on V's hands—and hoisted myself. The landing was rough. I was lucky not to hit my head on a sink.

V threw me the bag of goods, then, came through herself. I helped her down.

We made sure no one was in the halls before taking them over. Samantha's locker was near Vanessa's, she knew exactly where it was. Once we were standing in front of it, V explained what the condoms and super-glue were for.

"Poetic justice," she started. "Sam's a dirty skank, so—" she began gluing condoms all over the locker door—I burst into laughter. "These aren't coming off that easily."

We grinned before leaving for Daren's. When we did, a vision rammed my heart. 169.

"Since I always thought Daren's a cheesy sleaze ball..." she waved the can of cheese in front of me.

I felt the hairs on my neck stand. I knew why this felt like a repeat—I'd seen those signs in a dream, in that vision at school. So far, everything had been accurate. The mixed colors—from the flag—the cheers—from the stoners—the only thing missing... I didn't dare think it.

The sight of number 169 rushed my heart, putting it dangerously close to my mouth. Fear was nestled in me, firing up alarms—we shouldn't be here. It wasn't safe.

"We shouldn't be here," I didn't care I sounded like a lunatic—V shook the can—I latched onto her arm. "I'm serious."

"It's a little too late for cold feet, Nina." She said gently, not getting my point. "We're not getting caught. No one will no." She sprayed the cheese into the locker vents.

I would've bitten my nails. I would have if Vanessa hadn't been snatched from my side, like smoke disappearing through cracks.

169 was the last thing I saw before being thrown full force into the locker.

Struggling to clear the haze from my pounding head, I looked up. And I screamed.

Adrenaline had nothing to do with what came next. My arm was tugged on so suddenly and strongly, I thought my shoulder popped from its socket. A rush of air bounced my hair as wildly as when I rode Phillip's bike—my hip throbbed when I skidded across hard, cold flooring.

I couldn't decide what to do first, gasp or cough. My lungs felt dead still.

Eyes flickered open and breathing felt easy—easier then figuring out how I'd ended up inside the school cafeteria when just seconds ago… I'd been standing hallways away.

"Shit," I muttered coughing. "Wha…" Vanessa stood in a crouch, beside me.

The size of her eyes didn't shock me—the dilated pupils did. They were pulsing. Heart thundering, I crab walked hitting a chair.

"Nina," she said in a heavy breath. "I need you not to panic." Not panic…? I glanced all around us—my face was held tight, my gaze forced on hers.

I hadn't seen her move, "Ho-how…" I couldn't believe this—

"This is important. That thing will kill us, it'll kill you!" She hissed. And I wondered how I was supposed not to panic when something was out there wanting to off us—

I was thrust into a whirl of terror and incredible confusion. Vanessa was flung by the man—there was a struggle of fists, chairs ricocheted on the walls, breaking. I crawled between the spaces, trying to avoid hits. Or direct contact.

This wasn't happening. I was dreaming. Had to be… right?

A sinking feeling started in me the minute I caught a glimpse of the man. The silver moonlight shone, allowing me to see the sprouting black veins running around his face; the teeth were big as shark's, only not as healthy looking.

The eyes… were an eerie yellow with freckles of red.

My whole frame shuddered when those deadly iris caught mine. I wasn't moving, I knew I should—

"Oh my..." I breathed scrambling to my feet.

Vanessa had just stabbed the man—thing—with a knife that put Michael Myers' to shame. A gigantic howl crippled my eardrums—clapping hands over my ears, I staggered into a wall.

She drew the weapon out, used it again. The thrusting movements were so fast... they were uncanny. But, if anything, they only seemed to render the monster angrier. It didn't kill it.

From the corner where V had it, its eyes met me. Vanessa was sent crashing to the other side of the room. The zombie-like guy pulled out the knife, as if it didn't faze him, letting it fall.

All it took was a flash. V had gotten up, charging at the ugly SOB, she never touched him.

I covered my mouth afraid to move. He'd broken a broom hilt and shoved it into her stomach, pushing it through a vender machine's glass. Vanessa's cry merged along with my own fear.

Numbly I slid along the wall, eying the knife—then my friend.

"Nina..." she gasped—head shook telling me "don't be an idiot", "...run..."

Heart pounding I cursed my inability to listen.

Diving for the sharp, glinting object was the easy part, even stabbing the man's back. I had no idea of what to do afterward. What had I expected to accomplish? Vanessa seemed to have super-human strength, not to mention speed. The only thing I had were visions with bad timing.

The black blood vessels sticking out among ashen skin pumped furiously. This time he didn't bother pulling out the kitchen knife—my throat was ceased, I let out a curdling scream.

The touch was cold, feeling like death. The sick yellow of its eyes shone, the mouth parted and a smell of rottenness threw me into a dizzy state. I didn't know whether to yell, kick and struggle—or throw up.

Whatever the thing was, something inside him began moving. The man was skin and bones, under the thin layer, a being crawled—the skin moved. It started in the stomach, coming up.

All of a sudden, another set of teeth—fangs—sprouted. Dark, thick tentacles touched my face, wrapped my neck dragging me towards the mouth.

And I fought. I kicked, lashed out—helplessness consumed me. A slash down my arm caused me to jolt—claws?

I cried out, Vanessa's voice felt distant. She was crying for me—teeth scrapped the exposed side of my neck.

A tickle racked me. Hot and cold. It wasn't fear. It wasn't any emotion. Just a presence.

A shriek of pure pain struck the entire lunch room. The oily tentacles unwrapped, the bony hand vanished—I fell. My head hit the wall. I didn't care. I was safe... for the time being.

Standing in front of me, was Cameron. Looking royally pissed off. And... my jaw dropped—his hand was enveloped by what looked like an electrical current. The bluish light crackled until he straightened his fingers—it vanished. Almost like... it obeyed him.

"Tip about women," he cocked his head. "They like to be taken out to dinner—not being the dinner."

The man's face appeared fiercely burned. This time the wounds weren't going away—not as fast.

It hollered at Cameron.

"What, you want to kill me?" Cam snorted a smug laugh. "Get in line."

The possessed man launched. Cam was a blur of darkness, reappearing by a wall—pinning the monster there. He wasn't impressed by the growls or the... the... thing sprouting from inside the man. It wasn't just an extra set of teeth, or tentacles—a horrible shape burst.

Cameron backed up, then. Eyes never leaving the black, giant worm. The man had been shed, like a snake shedding a skin. It's yellow eyes prowled the room, falling to Cameron.

He whistled through his teeth, "You're an ugly bag of shit." Tentacles sailed forth, lashing for him—he jumped on cue, avoiding them. "At least now I can kill you."

He smiled in anticipation, fists closing. The air bristled, I felt something more than just oxygen—it became saturated. Energy was drawing all around Cameron. The electrical current was gathering again, playing in his hands.

I curled myself into the wall when the slithering monster got closer to him.

The lights came to life—flickering. Was he doing that? My God...

Electricity left him, aiming for the hissing being. It was big and heavy, but quick. Cam's attack hit its tail—I heard him swear—dodging another set of tentacles.

"Look out!" I yelled feeling my heart tighten.

It was a second too late. Cameron got smacked by the creature's heavy tail. He wasn't basking in hurt, though, he was hurrying to his feet...

"Son of a...!" he tripped into a wall, holding his arm. A liquid dropped from the creature's mouth, the floor smoked... acid? Did that thing spit acid? "I hate when they do that."

I swallowed. When they did that? That meant... it meant...

The double doors parted quickly and a woosh later someone was in the room. Fire caught on with the gruesome being. It wailed, twisted—tentacles reached out trying to smack everyone and everything.

"Phillip..." I whispered seeing my boyfriend heaving a long breath. "Jesus..." my eyes widened when Phillip locked his eyes onto the fire—solely.

It was like he was focusing on counting it—keeping it from spreading anywhere else. Just keeping it burning the monster away. Vanessa was yelling Phillip's name in panic.

Vanessa!

I'd forgotten all about her. Her eyes were locked on the fiery show, scared.

Cameron had slipped from the corner the monster had had him in. He wiped his brow with his sleeve, nose twitching as the monster's pained growls faded. Soon, only a carcass littered the floor. Along with splatters of blood.

My pulse was all over the place, the functioning of my lungs was erratic and... and... I couldn't think. I couldn't convey more than the cliché "what are you" question. My words made it out without me hearing them. A little hoarse from all the screaming.

They heard them, even if they'd been a whisper. They heard.

Phillip gazed from the destruction to me. Cameron was closer than he was, eyes shiny interlocking with mine. They were stealing me from reality so fast, I nearly didn't hear Phillip's own murmur.

"We're Nephilim."