Innocence

My hand collided with the nearest tree, breaking threw the bark and into the heart of the hollow tree. I pulled back, air seething through my teeth. The tree creaked and groaned under my anger, threatening to fall over. Her house was visible from my location in the trees. My eyes held a firm sight of her bedroom, wanting to see what she was doing, rather than hear it.

Her breathing was a whisper in my ear, hard and a fast staccato. Her heartbeat was a thrumming through the air. I could feel it on my fingertips as I reached forward toward her window.

“My God,” she murmured to herself.

“I know,” I whispered back, even though she had no idea I was here, and couldn’t hear what I was saying. I wanted to believe I could explain, could let her know that I wasn’t what she thought. I wasn’t like that.

You are, Aiden, A voice said, and you can’t escape it. Trevor jumped from the branches above me, his mouth staying still, but his thoughts racing toward me in a whirl of anger and resentment for me. You knew this was going to happen. And yet every time I reminded you, you just went off with her again.

My hands gripped each other in front of me so I wouldn’t reach out and do the same thing I had to the tree, to Trevor. Who the hell did he think he was for giving me lectures about hanging around Candace? I wanted to punch him in all the places I could reach, but held back. Alerting Candace to being here would end in a worse disaster than the parking lot had. And what had brought it on? She was just so absorbed into herself all the time I can never tell what she's thinking.

I was warned to stay away from her, but I could feel it. I could feel that I wasn't supposed to. I was meant to be by her side, or at least, I thought I was. My damn feelings always got me into trouble. So who the hell did Trevor think he was for telling me off? He had felt what I had, could feel what I was right now.

I actually saw what I was doing before it got out of hand. Despite my mood, Trevor continued on, his temper rising just as much as mine was. I did the right thing by making her hate me. You on the other hand made it ten times worse.She is actually chasing you.

The padding of feet started and got louder until they stopped what sounded like a foot away. I look up to see Candace on her balcony looking out past the trees to my house. Her face was contorted into a grimace, her skin clammy and pale. A book fell from her hands to her feet. She didn't seem to notice anything around her. The slight breeze swept her hair in front of her eyes, and yet, she stayed immobile, unable to move a muscle.

My stomach twisted. That was what I had done to her, that face, the feelings that she was feeling was all my fault.

I could tell it was going to happen before it did. Candace leaned over the railing, held her hair to her neck, and spewed her breakfast all over the ground feet in front of me.

I took a step farther into the trees so she wouldn’t see me.

That should show you how she feels about you.

Trevor, I screamed through his thoughts, who the hell do you think you are?

Excuse me?

You heard me. You act like I’m the one who started this. Like I’m the one who suggested to go to Candace’s house weeks ago to invite her snowmobiling, like I’m the one who said we should just meet her, and like I’m the one who thought about her constantly at first. I approached Trevor, getting close enough to feel his ice cold breath on my face. News flash idiot, you were the one to do all those things. You were the one who invited her, you made me come along, and you are the one who put her into my head.

I heard Candace wretch again, her stomach contents splattering on the grass again.

Trevor pushed on my chest, making me stagger back. You’re the one doing it now! You are the one who took it farther than I had, and you are the one who hangs out with dumb human girl. You know what she is supposed to be for us? Delicious—

I charged him. My chest slammed into his, knocking him off his feet onto the ground. The soil was still frozen from all the snow, but it still gave a little with our combined force. Trevor’s hands grasped the back of my shirt and tugged. I felt myself flying back and grabbed onto Trevor’s shirt to try and stay, but I was already flying through the air. Trevor’s shirt gave in my hand, ripping from his chest and coming with me as I fell back and smacked the nearest tree with my head.

What has gotten into you? I focused my gaze on Trevor’s face, trying to convey everything I have thought, have felt, but I couldn’t. The only thing I could show was anger.

If you don’t know, I responded. I couldn’t finish my sentence.

I charged him again, letting my hands scrap at his open chest. Trevor held in his screams as to not alert Candace who was still outside on her balcony. It took most of my concentration to keep my mouth shut to the screams that were bubbling to the surface. Trevor’s muscles bulged under mine, trying to fight me off.

Another voice was inside my head now, trying to stop me, but there was no getting my anger to simmer now. Just stop!it screamed.

I bared my teeth, and sunk them into Trevor’s arm. He grunted through the pain, trying to rip his arm away from my blood stained teeth.

Hands grabbed my shirt, my hair, my arms to pull me off him. I let them drag me away from my victim and farther towards my home.

Get him Clark; I’ll be there in a second. Ryan’s hands held ont0o my arms and pulled me to my feet. What did you do to him?

“He deserved it,” I said out load. My voice shook, and I could feel his blood in my mouth. I ran my sleeve over my mouth, letting the blood stain my shirt.

Trevor squirmed on the ground as Clark took his shirt and wrapped it around Trevor’s bicep. I could see his dark blood flowing slowly out of his wound. It was darker than human blood, and thicker from not being pumped through his body with efficiency.

Clark looked around, trying to see if anyone was coming. He could hear Candace. And so could I. She had no idea what was going on in the woods, but was absorbed into her own thoughts about me. About how much I scare her, how much I repulse her, and how to get me away from her.

If I reached out now, I could still feel her energy in the air. She was scared, terrified about what was to come from living next door to me. I couldn’t blame her. Who could? I would be terrified if I fond out I was living next door to a myth that came true.

Trevor stood with the help of Clark. He staggered once, then righted himself into a proud stance in front of me, his eyes fixed on my face. They no longer held anger, but pity. That was worse than anger, or rage, or even hatred. Why?he asked,Why can’t you just leave her alone. Why can’t you just forget about her? His words hung in my thoughts with such force I had to shake my head to clear them away.

I hadn’t been mad at Trevor. I had been mad at myself, at my situation. But I couldn’t punish myself, and I knew I shouldn’t have done anything to Trevor. But I snapped. There was just so much built up inside of me that I had to let it go, and he had been there to let it out on.

Can’t you see? I was almost pleading with him. Can’t you tell that Iwant to? I don’t want to care about her. I don’t want to feel like I have to know more about her. But I do, I have to. Can’t you see that? Can’t you see that it isn’t that I won’t forget, but it’s that Ican’t? I pulled away from Ryan, stepping away from my brothers. The question blurted from my mouth in a low whisper, having more meaning than it could hold, “Can’t you see that?”