Catrina Billowson

“So you’re this ‘Verepire’ creature?”

We were sitting in her vast living room and it was around midnight. The moon was shining through every window in Holly’s living room. It was spotless and very, very white. Koby was sound asleep in a guest bedroom on the second floor. I was itching to see if he was alright, but… I know he is. Otherwise, he wouldn’t make it to me later.

“Yes,” I told Holly.

“So, what is your name?” she asked, looking a little confused.

“My name is Catrina,” I said.

“And you came from the future through a Werewolf’s dream...?” Burton asked, lost also.

“Well, I wouldn’t call it a dream... more like a virtual world created with his mind. Sort of like a dream, I guess. Unless it’s actually time-travel,” I said, realizing I’d probably made them more confused, and confusing myself at the same time. I bite my cheek. “No, I think we actually traveled through time.”

“And you know this boy that is in the guest bedroom upstairs?”

“His name is Koby. He’s my English buddy,” I chuckled. “Er, I mean, he will be. In the future. He’ll go to school with me.”

“Why did you go through all of this trouble for him if you’ve only known him about two days?” Holly said to me. After I shrugged, she said, “You have to have a reason, Catrina.” She then walked over and put her hand on my shoulder. “Do you have feelings for Koby?”

I laughed. “No! I can’t like him like that. Like you said, I only met him about two days ago...” I trailed off. “You can’t like a guy in that short of time... can you?”

She smiled a sad smile. “Unfortunately, you can. I feel in love with my former husband in the matter of minutes. It was like a Romeo and Juliet feeling toward that man.”

“Why did you split up?”

“Because I ran away,” she said, close to tears. “I ran away... because of the beast I’d become...”

“You miss him, don’t you?” I said softly because I thought normal words would shatter her heart into a million tiny pieces that were too small to put back together again. My heart hurt for her.

She sat down on the white couch and put her face in her hands. “Yes. I do very much. I would do anything to be back with him.” She looked at me. “It’s all because of my... problem. The Werewolf inside of me is too hungry, and...” She choked on her words, and burst out crying.

I tried to calm her down. “Shh, shh! It’ll be okay... I promise.”

“Nothing’s okay without him...” she said through her hands and sniffles.

“Where is he now?” I asked her.

Holly sniffled. “He’s somewhere in the states. Last place I saw him, he was in California.” She slouched onto the back of the couch, and stared at the high ceiling.

“That’s where I’m living now!” I told her. “Maybe you could come with me, and I could help you find him!”

“No, you’ll probably be long gone before that happens, and when it does, you won’t know about werewolves yet. Your story proves it,” She looked me in the eyes. “You won’t be of any help to us in California. Now, the sun is starting to come up. Von’s powers should be wearing off any minute now. I will take care of Koby, and I shall take him along with me to the states when I head over there, just in time for you to meet him, save him, and maybe,” she finished with a smile, “Fall for him.”

“Fall for him?” I said, taken aback. “If anything, I think I’m falling for Harvey.”

“Not from what I heard,” she said. “Goodbye, Catrina. I shall see you another day...”

She faded into a blur of white as Von Sought’s powers gave way. I was back in the school hallways, with Von pacing in front of me. He stepped closer.

“Catrina Billowson, if I can’t get you in my world, then I’ll just get you in yours,” he said, and stormed back into the classroom.

I followed him in, and sat down, everyone looking at me and watching as I walked awkwardly to my seat.

❦

I headed to second period: Drama. Mrs. Grand taught this one. My least favorite teacher. She was old and wrinkly, and pale. She had two beady black eyes, and one of them was a lazy eye. She was always licking her lips to rehydrate her dry chops. She wore glasses that hung around her crane’s neck, a neck that barely supported her bird head. She had a large nose that looked like a crow and a crackly voice like (and resembled) the witch from Wizard of Oz.

I walked into the classroom, and as soon as I entered, I felt as if I was in danger. My senses spiked and my fangs grew in my mouth. Clicks softly erupted in my throat as venom began to trickle down onto my tongue, the nasty taste making me cringe.

There was a dangerous creature nearby. I knew it.

Mrs. Grand looked up as I stepped in the doorway, her beady eyes darting from me to the board. She seemed alerted, like I was. Maybe... No. She couldn’t be...

I went and sat down just as the bell rang at one of the tables scattered in the room. I was sitting by Henry. Yeah, he was in my first and second periods.

He had brown hair that hung over his eyebrows, and was almost to his eyes. His eyes were electrically blue, and he had a bit of acne on his face. He had braces and he was wearing a South Pole shirt and jeans.

“Hey,” I said to him.

He smiled. “Hi.”

“Did you do the homework?” I asked him, knowing only half of mine was done.

“Probably not,” he said honestly. “What was it?”

“We had to write a two-page script for two or more characters, I think,” I said as I saw Mrs. Grand was staring at me with her small black pupils. I turned around, my Verepire nerves spiking even more. I could smell everyone’s blood rushing through their skins. And a quickened heart. I could hear it beating. Beating fast. Loud.

“Nah, I didn’t.” Henry laughed.

I used to think he was kinda cute. Then Harvey changed and Koby arrived... There was competition. I smiled at him.

Suddenly, the thirst for blood took over my body and I started shivering. I clutched onto the table. My fangs dug into my lip and I shut my eyes. I tensed every muscle in my body and I felt the hunger for the humans in the room wrap around my mind.

“Catrina... Are you okay?” I heard Henry ask, kinda freaked out.

My body finally relaxed, the sudden overwhelming feelings dissipated. I was breathing hard and sweat lined my hairline. “Yeah.... I think... I think I am...”

“You don’t look so good... Do you wanna go to the nurse?” He said, resting a hand on my shoulder. My heart jumped, and kinda fluttered. His warmth from his hand felt good against my cool skin.

I looked at him. “Um... I don’t think I need to go to the—” I tensed again,, my throat flaring as a few clicks slip out. “The nurse.”

“You sure?” He said, and he put the other hand on my other shoulder and turned my body to face him and look him in the eyes. His blue eyes were full of concern. “You’re making weird noises, too.”

“I think... I think I just need to... go outside for a while...” I said exasperatedly.

“I’ll take you if you want me to,” he offered.

I looked at him, and nodded painfully. “Okay.”

The inside of my lip had started bleeding, the liquid gathering in front of my teeth.

He nodded and raised his hand to ask Mrs. Grand if he could take me outside to get some air.

“No,” she said sternly. So sternly, I looked at her and a few clicks began to vibrate in my throat at the eye-contact. She was glaring at me.

“Witch...” I whispered.

Witch?

“What did you say?” Henry asked me.

“Nothing,” I told him. “Why not?” I asked Mrs. Grand, my voice crackling. The fire in my throat wouldn’t go away and the clicks were only going to get louder. Henry could probably hear them if he focused on the sound.

“You know why,” she said, then turned to go to the front of the classroom.

“No I don’t,” I said, clueless, getting irritated as I grit my teeth. My body begins to shake again and my stomach twists inside of me. Am I sick? Could this be… the vampire venom mixing with the werewolf? “Why can’t I? I feel sick!”

“Because I said so, Catrina. Talk back one more time, and you get detention.”

I stood up, not able to handle the Verepire’s senses anymore, and walked over to the teacher. I whispered around the soft clicking, almost inaudibly, “Let. Me. Go. Outside.”

“Get away from me, Vampire scum!” She backed away whispering. “You’re a disgrace to all the mythical creatures. Even to us witches! You are a disgrace to both Vampires and Werewolves. Now... sit. Down,” she said just as quietly back.

“I knew you were a Witch.”

Somehow.

I smirked, and walked to the door. I looked back at her, glared, and flung open the door, heading outside.