Bitten. V1. C7 X

-Chapter seven-

-BloodlustCandy was at her locker moaning to Fiona, trying to distract herself, even before she began, she knew it wouldn’t work, it was impossible to distract yourself when you were that thirsty, yet she still tried frugally to distract herself - “I hate maths; it’s so repetitive, same shit all the time. I can’t wait until I can drop it and do something better with my time.” “Do you, like, do maths every time? Can’t you, I dunno, start later, so you can drop it straight away, or just skip it,” she asked, while she was staring off into space. “I wish. But no, if we start earlier at a new place the longer we can stay there, still wish I could start out later and if I skip it all the time the school will notice -sadly,” Candice said, slamming the locker shut with unintentional force so there was a slight indentation of her hand print. When she noticed what she did, Candy glanced around quickly visibly and mentally checking that no one noticed anything suspicious, than began trying to smooth the indentation out. “Crap, crap, crap,” Candy murmured under her breath, still trying to smooth it out, checking every few seconds that no one had noticed anything. “What?” Fiona asked, looking in Candice’s general direction. “Just frigging dented the locker- a great, big, bloody hand print, right smack bang in the middle. Oh for god’s sake could anything else go wrong for me today?” Candice said

in a hushed voice, dropping her hand and leaning back onto the locker facing Fiona. “What’s the matter?” even though Fiona couldn’t see the resigned expression she new Candice well enough to hear in her voice. “Nothing,” she sighed through her nose, but then Fiona noticed she didn’t breathe in. “Candy tell me, what’s up?” Fiona insisted - Candice knew she might as well tell her because Fiona wouldn’t let it drop; she would keep badgering her until Candice spilled. “I am just really hungry. Or more accurately- thirsty,” she said the word thirsty, really quietly, full of regret and shame. “Why. I mean can’t you hunt animals? That’s what you do isn’t it? Instead of humans,” Fiona asked. “No. I did that last night. I have tried everything. I don’t want to hurt people. But I need to. I don't want to end up killing Owen, or someone here.” As she said that Owen came up behind her, and she heard Candy groan slightly. “Hi Candy. Hi Fiona. You ok Candy? You look pale. I mean paler than usual.” Owen said his thoughts full of concern for her - that defiantly wasn’t helping the situation. Candy felt the heat dripping off Owen in bucketfuls. The thump of his heart ringing into her ears, the blood running all over his body – it would feel so good to be able to drink him. His sweet blood would taste so nice. ‘No!’ a voice inside Candice’s head yelled out, blocking out the thirsty thoughts, ‘He is my friend, I will not hurt him, no matter how thirsty I am, there is no chance, let’s just go and hunt some animals! A damn lion if I am that thirsty but not him!’ When the more human voice shut-up, the thirsty, vampire part started up again - it would be too easy to get him by

himself. She could ask to talk to him in privet, knock him out, snap his neck then feed off him, or do it while he was still alive having the blood still pumping around his body while she was draining him, so all she would have to do is ask him to talk privately, she could do it now... ‘Shut up! NO! I mean it.’ ‘He’s basically asking for it though. His instincts told him that we were dangerous, yet he ignored em and came running.’ ‘And? I am glad he did. I like him and I will not harm him.’ ‘Why. I mean what is the point. He is dying now isn’t he?’ ‘What, no he bloody is not!’ ‘Sure he is. He is human is he not? Why not speed along the natural progress, you know save him a load of suffering in the long run?’ ‘Because it isn’t my place. I won’t play god with Owen?’ ‘Boring! Why not? Have you seen the news? Kids are playing god with other kids lives – why not you?’ ‘Because I am not like those kids!’ ‘What’s stopping you? Give in.” ‘What’s stopping me? I have a good human conscience-‘ ‘But you’re not human are you. You have been denying yourself for too long, I know you want to!’ ‘La, la, la, la, la, la, la! I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you!’ ‘You’re only ignoring me because you know I am making more sense than your feeble attempts to persuade yourself that you can live without blood. It’s what we are!’ ‘What is that? A cold blooded murder? That’s you –not me.’ ‘We are the same – you know it and want it. Stop denying yourself the simple pleasures in life!’ ‘Fine, I will deny myself chocolate, eyeliner for month, human blood isn’t a pleasure it is a curse!’ ‘You keep telling yourself that!’ ‘Okay I will don't worry.’

‘Fine I will just have some nice luscious blood, dripping all down me! Nice and warm and tasty, sweet my favourite kinda;’ ‘I still can’t here you!’ All of the silent arguing went on inside Candy’s head for about half a second- then she blurted out to Fiona“I am sorry I have to go, I can’t do this. Fiona please tell them where I have gone. I’m sorry, but I can’t be here. I don’t want to do any of this - I can’t.” She gushed out still not breathing in. Then she ran so fast that Owen was surprised that she was failing P.E when they were doing hurdles. “What was that about?” asked Owen, facing Fiona. Fiona just shook her head slightly, and then said to Owen, “Could you do me a favour? Can you take me to Jaspers class? Please I need to talk to them and I know if I go by myself I will go into the wrong class - again.” Five minutes later Jasper ran up to the top of forest creek and found Candice in a state of daresay. Her clothes were ripped and she was pacing, so quickly around the corpses of various animals – that she looked like a ghost. When she saw Jasper she froze. Not moving a muscle at all. He saw the dried blood around her mouth and her huge eyes had gone a sullen dark brown colour and were darting around like crazy. He walked cautiously forward talking to her in a calming voice. “Hello, Candy. What’s the matter? Didn’t it work last night?” he thought back to the early hunting trip that they went on with her, and the amount of animals she fed on. “Of course it didn’t bloody work. I am so thirsty. I can’t do this Jasper. It burns too much. But I don’t want to give in and hurt someone I might know.” She suddenly sat down and whispered, “I am so scared.”

Jasper felt his heart break when she said that, he had spoken to Carlisle earlier, the previous night and they had agreed that it was only normal for vampires who had once tasted human blood. After a hundred years or so they became uncontrollably thirsty for human blood. He said that the easy way out would be for her to feed on human blood. He didn’t like the idea, but just live his children, he hated anything that made her upset, or suffer. ‘Hunt,’ was Jaspers thought. “No!” she growled, “I will NOT harm any human.” ‘You are so stubborn! Have one human. Pick and choose. Have one that no one will notice if it dies.” She growled fiercely at him, “I am sure that they will notice. I don't want to. What if I go mad, and go on a rampage?” ‘Chill, you need to before you do really hurt someone. I will go with. Stand with you on guard or something. You need to do this – or you will correct your fears by killing Owen.” She paled, and then said in a pained voice, “But I don't want to.” He smiled sympathetically, “But you have to. You know that – go out of Europe whatever. Come on you know we are all worried about you. Especially Fiona. You now she is amazing, she knows you have to kill what, she is meant to protect, and she is okay with it. Well she said she doesn’t care as long as you’re back in time for Drama.” He stepped forwards, “go on. Now!” he ordered, “don’t be scared,” he gave her a quick cuddle, and then pushed her in the direction of a deeper part of the forest. Two hours later and Jasper rang Evelyn up while she was at school, to ask her if she would come home early to talk to Candice before Carlisle or Jada got back. “Why?” she asked.

“Candy’s eyes went red didn’t they – but when she noticed she smashed the mirror and she is in a real bad mood. She’s sitting on her bed and she won’t talk to anyone, well not me anyway.” “Five secs,” she said hurriedly before snapping her phone shut, and quickly telling them that Candice was ill, and Jasper wanted some help before he took her to the doctors.

“What’s the matter Candy?” Evelyn asked with false cheeriness as she entered the room, she double took when she entered the room, noticing the smashed mirror with glass splayed out across her dark wooden flooring. “Don’t Evelyn, please leave it. Let me wallow just for a bit.” Candice said half smiling. ‘Come on you know Jasper is worried.’ “He is always worried about me.” She said, pulling a pillow onto her lap and curling up into a ball at the end of her bed. ‘That’s because you are always the one who is in trouble!’ She peered over the pillow and stuck her tongue out at Evelyn and mumbled into the pillow again, “I will take that as a complement!” She walked over and sat on Candice’s bed and looked around her room; it was rare for anyone apart from Jasper, to ever go into her room, but it was massive, her room, it had a colossal black plasma TV screen surrounded by DVDs, then next to it there were two vast speakers side by side next to each other with a miniature C.D player smack bang in the middle, with about forty C.Ds splayed out across the floor, the walls were covered in multi-coloured graffiti that Candice had done, she was now sitting on her gigantic bed, with a few pairs of shoes scattered around. “Come on – you know what Carlisle said,” Evelyn said,

picking up one of the fluffy red pillows in her bed and sat down next to her and pulled her closer, letting her lean on her exposed shoulder. “Yeah I know - but you all expect it of me and Oliver has had human blood before and he isn’t like me.” She complained. “You have been a vegetarian for a shorter time,” consoled Evelyn, stroking Candice black hair, “It just takes practice.” Candice began debating whether or not to tell Evelyn what was really bothering – what she would tell Jasper because she knew what his response would be already. “Eves,” she began, fiddling with a piece of red thread that was dangling off of the pillow, “You know how I am more human I am compared to Oliver and all that.” Evelyn seemed hesitant to answer, not sure where it was leading too, “Yes,” she sighed at her hand dropped into her lap and was wary about what was going to be said. “Do you think that it is a bad thing?” she asked. Her huge, now ruby red, eyes looked up and studied Evelyn’s face. “Why? It’s only a bad thing if you think it’s a bad thing.” Evelyn said her eyes shifting away from the red ones, glancing over her head and into space. “It is a bad thing though isn’t it, because we aren’t human and it’s especially bad for me because humans like me more, and I like human blood more.” Candice sighed louder and pursed her lips when she finished, still not reviling her true fear, but Evelyn knew Candice well enough. “Oh, you’re worried -” began Evelyn but then Candice flew into action and with her left hand she clamped Evelyn’s mouth shut, then with her other hand with the pillow in, she threw the pillow into the door, the pillow slammed the door shut with a loud bang. “Jasper,” was all Candice said but Evelyn understood that

the convosation would mostly be in silence now, Evelyn nodded so Candy removed her hand from her mouth. ‘So you are afraid about hurting someone?’ thought Evelyn, understanding that thoughts were the way that she would communicate to Candice without Jasper listening in. “Yep,” was all she murmured, but sat down in a dejected way. ‘You won’t though; you should have more faith in yourself Candz,’ thought Evelyn as she sat down next to Candice, rubbing her back in a comforting fashion. Candice just raised her eyebrows. Abruptly Evelyn’s train of thought changed direction and she began thinking about the Toméan family visit. The Toméans are the largest family in Egypt, and the only permeate resident vampire family in Egypt as far as they know. In the Toméan family there is the mother Asenath, she is a lot like Jada in some ways, apart from Jada has Carlisle to help her bring them up somehow and help them be vegetarian, but Asenath doesn’t have anyone, then the eldest son Bebti, then there’s Eboni, she’s about Evelyn’s age, and they are similar, apart from Eboni is very gravitational and is often so deep in thought that you have to yell in her face to get her to pay even the slightest bit attention, then there is Candice’s favourite – Femi, she was frozen in her sixteen year old body, like Candice, but they acted the same as well, they were very good friends, the twins were the youngest Kakra and Kissia, the pair of them looked exactly the same, they both moved the same, they both talked the same, only their thoughts held the slightest bit difference, even then that was miniscule, Kissia was that slight bit braver then Kakra, only by a smudge – that was there only difference the two of them had. ‘They are coming down soon, Jada and Carlisle are taking

time off and we are being pulled out of school. You know the Superficials and the Tylers might be coming too, all four of us together.’ * The Superficials were the Crawfords, the vampire clan that lived in Beverly Hills. There was Chase, the eldest, then there was Brittany she was amazingly bitchy about people she hated, and didn’t mind telling people exactly what she thought of them whenever she wanted to, so not many people tried to get onto her bad side, Jodie was next, she was the opposite of Brittany in a way, she was by no means less bitchy, but she sugar coated it in the way Brittany didn’t, Serena was the youngest (in human and vampire age) and she wasn’t so bitchy, she was more like a teacher’s pet, always nice and always sweet, whereas in reality she wasn’t - then there was the parents Daniel and Daphne, they were very much the stereotypical people who live in Beverly Hills – apart from most families in Beverly Hills aren’t Vampires. The Tyler’s were the largest vampire family in America, Jason was the eldest, and much like Oliver in nearly every way, funny, the strongest, and they could both fly. Nicole, or Nikki if you liked being alive, was the blond one, much like Stephanie - blond, self-obsessed, fashionista, then there was Ashley, she was content, able to control her emotions easily, a daydreamer, much like Evelyn but more talkative. Matthew, or preferably Matt, was astoundingly smart, sincere, obliging and just an all round good person. Drew was the youngest (in human years) and much like Candice in their abilities, they could both hear what others around them were thinking – and Drew was more human than the rest of his family. Their parents were Ely and Claudine; Ely had the same job as Jada, working at a hospital. All four families that would be meeting up in

Wales, and that fact was enough to keep Candice smiling when Jasper came in the room to check on her.