The amazing thing inside of me rose to the surface completely, and I let it. There was no sense hiding it away anymore, he knew I was going to kill him. Erek was probably pretty aware of it too, so it wouldn't be a shock when I let go. And that was exactly what I did. I let the string attaching my predatory side to my human side snap, and I lunged for my prey.
As I stood up, the hand that covered his tightened considerably, snapping several bones in the process. I let him snatch his hand back as a distraction. While he was staring stupidly at it and rubbing the broken fingers, I grabbed hold of his neck and bent it. The uppermost vertebra in his spinal chord shattered, immobilizing him, and I went with the instinct and sank my teeth into the pale, throbbing flesh of his throat.
I hadn't even realized the pain was still plaguing me after getting too close to my teacher, but I felt it release as my canines sank into his neck. The rest of my teeth sliced through skin and punctured several veins. I shivered as blood finally dripped into my mouth.
The human scent sent chills up and down my spine. It made my mind float lazily above the clouds, not caring what happened down on Earth. It was like an escape. The taste of human blood was a thousand times more powerful. It was the equivalent of an electric shock, swallowing liquid fire, and being in love for the first time, all in one. It didn't cloud my mind, it gave it a mesmerizing buzz. It didn't give me chills, it soothed and replaced them with a steady rhythm. It was the ultimate high that no drug would ever be able to give you, and I felt it in all its power then.
Over my own ecstasy, I was aware of Harley's frantic screaming. That added to my unimaginable pleasure. He was screaming because of me. I had caused that large a reaction without really trying. Soon, though, too soon, his shrieks died down to hoarse moans of pain. Then, nothing. I believed he was unconscious, but didn't really care. I was more concerned about the dwindling flow of blood. There was barely any left, and no matter how hard I tried, I could procure no more.
Reluctantly, I dropped the corpse and let it fall, more bones breaking as it savagely hit the floor. As soon as I was separated from my opiate, my common sense flooded back. My control, my sanity, my humanity, it was all in tact. I'd just lost touch for a moment. In fact, all my animal experiences blurred, too. I sighed and turned.
It had not just been the late Mr. Harley screaming at the top of his lungs. It had been the entire cafeteria, save one person — the only one I cared about. Erek was staring at me in shocked wonder, not saying a thing. Because he was a writer, I supposed, he had a better understanding of the supernatural than the rest of my former classmates.
Still, I felt I owed him an explanation. I held my hand out to him. Without thinking, he stood and took it, stepping over the body to get to me. As soon as I looked at it, everything sharpened again. My hand dropped. I saw everything I'd done, felt the intense pleasure all over again, and thought, I enjoyed all of this. No matter what I try to tell myself, the highlight of this entire day will always be killing Mr. Harley.
"Anna?"
I looked up. Erek was looking at me expectantly.
"You might want to consider running now," he said, "And if you can run super fast or something, don't forget to take me with you."
"I don't know if I'm super fast." I smiled without meaning it and took his hand, just as I'd planned to. "Let's find out, shall we?"
I took off, full speed ahead, and found that I was much faster. Maybe not 'super fast', as Erek had said, but faster than I'd run before my change. Maybe it was the change, maybe it was the fresh blood, but I could have sprinted in the Olympics and gone for the Gold. Erek laughed as he stumbled along behind me, and I laughed along with him, forgetting, if just for a moment, the horrific and gruesome murder I'd just committed. I was so happy, I didn't realize that we'd reached the front doors until they were right in front of me.
I stopped abruptly and my best friend slammed into my back. I didn't flinch. The doors exuded a sense of finality. After I walked out of them, there would be no more laughing in the halls. There would be no more anything. After I walked out, there would be no coming back in. I didn't want to leave just yet. I'd spent the last four years at this place wanting to get out, but at that moment, I didn't want to leave. Instead, I turned to Erek.
"Do you know what I am?" I asked. He nodded, and I continued. "I did this on purpose. I sought out a vampire and practically begged him to bite me, then went through the change fully understanding what would happen. All of this is my fault, but I just wanted a little more time with you. Can you understand that?"
