Niszczyciel

I went a full week avoiding both Peter and Roman. After the first few days, Roman grew quickly tired of my lack of interest to talk with him and gave up, though Peter had not been so easily deterred. And though I could reluctantly admit I missed talking with him, I continued to avoid him because he only reminded me of what had happened the night at the park.

Seventeen years ago my parents had decided to try the whole hiking across Europe bullshit. They were young, adventurous, and my dad had always had a fair enough amount of money being a chemist. It was in Poland they'd found a box abandoned in the middle of a field, crying. I was inside that box. The only indication to who I was was what appeared to be a warning scratched into the lid, 'Niszczyciel'. My mother, being the wonderfully naive woman that she was, thought the name was beautiful and unique, and thus I was unknowingly named 'Destroyer'.

So I was adopted and maybe had I found out sooner I would have given a shit. However, I found the blood issue a more pressing matter at the moment then my biological parents, even if they could have potentially been the link to figuring out just what the hell was happening to me.

My dad's lack of concern over what had happened last week genuinely surprised me, but what was even more so was his promise to help me. He seemed convinced that he could come up with something at the Godfrey Institute to simulate the blood I'd been craving, though I wasn't so easily convinced. After my little blood gorge, I felt stronger—more in control. I hadn't had a blood related nightmare since the night before the park, but I could feel it fading. It was as if my body was telling me I needed more.

Turning the corner of the hall, I stopped as I noticed loud moans coming from the girls restroom. Peter had his ear pressed against the door, but his back was towards me so he couldn't see me smiling hard as I tried not to laugh. The last week I'd avoided him like the plague, and yet he still smiled at me whenever we'd pass in the halls. There was some part of me that wanted to tell him what was happening to me, but I couldn't bring it upon myself to do so. Last week at the park, before Roman had showed up, he'd tried to tell me something about the rumors, but I couldn't be sure if he was just bullshitting me or if he'd been serious.

I leaned against the lockers behind him, clutching my books to my chest as a blond stopped in the hall, causing Peter to jump as he realized he'd been caught.

"Uh..." Peter nervously glanced back towards the bathroom door while the little blond patiently waited for an explanation. "This is... this is exactly what it looks like." I silently laughed, shaking my head at his honesty. The girl gave a slight eye roll before shooting a glance back at the bathroom door and continuing down the hall.

"Smooth, Casanova." Peter quickly turned around to see who had spoken. I gave him a weak smile, which I'd tried to make sympathetic, only he didn't seem to care as he simply rolled his eyes at me.

"Oh, so you're done ignoring me?" I had ignored him, but I didn't feel sorry for it. My life was spiraling out of control and I didn't need to explain anything to him, regardless whether or not if I missed his sarcastic attitude.

"Back at the park, before Roman showed up." I ignored his question and I could see in Peter's face he knew what I was getting at as his eyebrows perked up a bit. "What were you gonna tell me?" He gave a half smile, glancing down at the red tank top I was wearing beneath my cropped sweater.

"Come to my place after school." I wasn't sure if he was hitting on me or not as he'd obviously just been listening to some students getting it on in the bathroom. I liked Peter, but I liked him as a friend and though I didn't necessarily find him unattractive, I had bigger things to worry about at the moment than getting laid.

I crossed my arms, tilting my head to show my slightly annoyed disappointment at his response.

"I'm not gonna fuck you for answers." I informed him.

"Little Red," Peter sounded offended as he gave me a sly smile before grabbing a lock of my hair and playfully tossing it over my shoulder. "Get your mind out of the gutter." He turned, leaving me alone outside of the bathroom with the moaning girl. Right, because I was the one with my mind in the gutter—he was such an ass.

I was still for a moment, smiling incredulously as I watched Peter make his way down the hall. It wasn't even until the bathroom door opened and Roman Godfrey stepped out in front of me did I even realize how silent it had gotten. He stopped not inches in front of me, smiling down as he wiped a spot of blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb before licking it off.

It was just like in my dream and I felt a shiver run its way down my spine at the memory.

All of a sudden, the realization that it had been Roman in the bathroom with the girl angered me and I wasn't sure why. He stood for a moment longer, watching me almost as if he was tempting me to say something, to comment on what I'd heard, but I didn't. I just stared back up into his green eyes. I thought I saw a flash of sympathy in those eyes before Roman quickly looked away, focusing on something behind me, if anything, before taking off past me and around the corner I'd just come from.

The blood, he'd just licked the blood from his finger deliberately in front of me as if mocking me, but then that look he'd given me before hurrying away... had it been sympathy? Taking a quick breath to regain my composure, I hurried off to my next class before the girl finally decided to follow after Roman. I didn't want to see her--I didn't want to think about her with Roman and know that it had been her with him in that bathroom and not me.

Roman Godfrey was the last thing I wanted on my mind, yet I could think of nothing but him as I waited for Peter in the school parking lot. There was something about the way he'd licked the blood from his finger—had he known? Of course not, that was impossible.

I saw Peter approaching my car just as I'd begun to feel my throat tingle at the thought of the blood. Peter, my wonderful distraction.

He gave me wide smile, opening up the passenger door to crawl in.

"God, I hate you rich kids." He sighed, taking a look around my car as though he hadn't already been in it. I gave a smirk, shaking my head before pulling off. I'd already been to Peter's home, not inside, but I'd dropped him off, so I knew the way easy enough.

"So what the hell was up with you all week?" I should have known the question was coming, yet it still caught me off guard. I wasn't sure what I wanted to tell him. I was afraid if I told him the truth, he would be the one avoiding me or worse, he'd start to believe the rumors about me being a witch.

"I just—Roman really freaked me out with that mind control shit or whatever." It wasn't a complete lie, but it left out the blood drinking. I focused hard on the road, trying my best not to look over at Peter to see if he was buying it or not.

"I call bullshit." I gave a surprised scoff, slightly dropping my jaw in surprise as I glanced over at him just to find him smiling back with raised eyebrows. His arm was propped up against the window as he continued to eye me. "You're not easily freaked out, Little Red." He may have had a point, but whatever it was that Roman had done to those officers really had freaked me out. "Besides," he tucked a few strands of his unruly brown locks behind his ear, "doesn't explain why you'd avoid me." When I didn't respond, he added, "hey, if it's personal I get it." I nervously bit down on my lip, choosing not to comment on the subject and thankfully Peter didn't press the issue.

"So," I began as I pulled to a stop beside the stairs that led down to Peter's home. "Are you going to tell me now?" He just smiled, stepping out of the car and motioning for me to follow.

"Alright," I followed Peter down the steps, stopping as he did right outside his front door. "I tell you, you tell me the real reason you blew me off for a week." I couldn't help but to roll my eyes. It seemed fair enough, but I didn't like it. I had a bad feeling that my secret was a lot worse than his, whatever his was.

Giving a sigh, I shoved my hands into my pockets.

"Alright, fine." I shrugged. Peter stared at me a moment longer, probably deciding whether or not I was telling the truth. Finally, he rubbed his hands together roughly before brushing the hair from his face.

"I... really am a werewolf." Peter waited with raised brows for my reaction.

I would have been more surprised had I not already suspected that that was what he was going to tell me anyway. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to believe him or not, though it was no stranger than my sudden craving for blood, hey maybe I was a vampire? Why not?

I opened my mouth to make the comparison, but stopped as I realized the seriousness in Peter's face. It wasn't a joke and he wasn't trying to bullshit me.

Biting down on my lip, I pulled my right hand from my pocket to brush my hair back and out of my face. So, Peter was a werewolf. I supposed that was no more strange than whatever I was exactly.
I gave Peter a half smile, taking a few steps towards him as I made my way to his front door. He simply watched me, still waiting for my reaction.

"I..." I moistened my lips, fighting my thoughts that were second guessing my decision to be honest with him. Peter was actually telling me this, even though the entire town already had it in their heads that he was the killer—he was trusting me. I lifted my shoulders, focusing up at the trees. "I like—blood. I think." I blinked a few times, shaking my head before looking back at Peter. He hadn't moved and my heart sank at the expression on his face—his mouth had fallen open a bit in surprise.

It only took him a moment to realize what he was doing before quickly closing his mouth.

"Like what—like hematomania?" I hadn't exactly thought of it in that way, but that definitely wasn't what it was. I didn't care to press the issue any more so I simply shrugged, kicking up a few fallen leaves.

"What do you mean by werewolf?" Peter's face fell before giving me a smirk.

"Touché." I smiled back up at him as he stepped past me, reaching for the door. I'd gone to follow him inside when he stopped, hand still on the doorknob. "So you're saying Roman's little nosebleed made you wanna bone him?" I scoffed, slapping him in his chest.

"Don't be an ass."

"Alright—alright." Peter laughed, finally stepping inside.

I was relieved to have Peter. He was my only friend in Hemlock Grove as Mel had longed stopped talking to me, though I couldn't honestly say that I missed her much. Peter was my distraction from whatever fucked up shit was happening to me and a part of me loved him for it. He took my mind off of blood—off of Roman.