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I'd managed to avoid the guys for nearly a month. It wasn’t like they hadn’t tried talking to me, I just didn’t give them the opportunity. During class I mentored them, strictly speaking about the subject and nothing else
. I wasn’t usually one for avoidance, but the memories from my room were too vivid to be a dream. I knew that it was real... that Evander had fangs.
"Please, Lennie," Van whispered next to me as he approached me in the dinner line, the hurt in his words pulling at my heartstrings. I don't know why I'm letting them get to me. I'm stronger than this.
"Do you need help with math?" I asked, using the only thing I could think of. When I glanced up at him, I instantly regretted it. The hurt in his blue eyes had me feeling things I had no business feeling, things that I’d never really experienced before.
"No, you know I don't," he answered back. "Please ju-" His words were cut off by Clara coming forward, the gleeful expression on her face meaning one thing. She had found the perfect revenge... but what could it be? It's not like I do anything sketchy for her to dig up.
"The headmaster asked me to drop this off for you because we are so close. I took the liberty of opening it, and man, I'm glad I did. It's a letter from dear old mom and dad.” She held the letter up in front of her, leaving her eyes uncovered so I could see the glee that only my pain seemed to give her. With the letter just out of reach, and the numbness sweeping through my body, there was nothing I could do before she began reciting what was clearly meant for just me.
Dear Lennox,
Now that you are turning eighteen, it's time your father and I move on. We are moving away, and you'll be on your own, but we sent you to boarding school to prepare you for this. We tried to give you a good childhood, a better one than your biological father would have given you. We opened a trust in your name many years ago, so you'll be okay without us. I'm sorry to tell you this, in this way, but with you off to school, it is easier. We adopted you later in life, mainly out of familial obligation, and now that you're a grown woman, I'm confident you'll continue to be a smart and rational woman.
Regards,
Edna and Victor Malia
“Ouch, it must suck to find out that even your parents don't like you," Clara cackled at her own malicious words. My vision tunneled at the overload of emotions that flooded me. Dropping my bags all at once, I took off at a sprint, not caring who I was running into. My name was called out by the guys as I passed them, but I didn't stop until I reached my familiar spot above the Obsidian Sea. The moment I looked down into the water, I decided that it was all too much, the pull was too strong. I'd rather let the sea take me than to keep going like this.
March 17
Evening
Evander
My gums ached as my fangs threatened to poke through. Seeing this human treat Lennox this way had me wanting to lash out at her. It took every bit of my self-control not to reach over and body slam her to the ground. I tried to reach for Lennox, but she was already throwing her stuff down and running off. My heart shattered at the words in the letter and her reaction to them. Who the fuck does that?
Once she was out of sight, I turned my eyes to Clara, stalking forward and letting my fury show. Her smile faltered, and she looked close to peeing herself. I didn’t stop moving forward until she had backed into a wall and couldn't run away. Locking my hands behind my back, I leaned forward, stopping mere inches from her face. "If you so much as think about ever doing something like this again, I will go after both you and your brother. I know enough shady people that I can make it look like an accident, and nobody will ever find out the truth. I suggest you find something new to focus on, like being a better fucking person, you heinous bitch," I said evenly, my words quiet but dripping with venom.
"You can't talk to me like that," she sputtered, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. I let out a low, icy chuckle.
"Try me," I threatened, my eyes narrowing further. "Tell me why. Why did you do this to her for so long?" I put a bit of magic in my words, wanting the compulsion to make her confess. I shouldn’t have risked it here, but fuck, I wanted to understand this ridiculous bullying. Jealousy, greed, just plain hate?
"I didn't want her to be more popular than I was. She was trying to steal my boyfriend, and everyone liked her. I wanted that, so I made it happen," she bit out, the true nature of her personality showing, and it wasn't pretty. With nothing left to say to her, I turned on my heel and ran after Lennox.
Remembering something about her favorite spot being the bridge, I went there first. The whispers and pointing from her classmates told me I was heading in the right direction. I made it to the bridge in time to see her walk off the edge, her black dress and dark curls swirling in the wind as she plunged into the dark waters of the Obsidian Sea.
March 17
Evening
Lennox
The icy water of the Obsidian Sea enveloped me, the vast opaqueness expanding on all sides as I sunk lower into the abyss. My lungs slowly started to burn as my body fought against the lack of oxygen, my vision tunneling as my body started to give up. Unable to stop myself, I took in a deep breath of water, choking and sputtering as the water suffocated me slowly.
My eyes finally closed, my mind going over my miserable life and the loneliness that left a deep ache in my chest. You're dying like you lived, completely and utterly alone. Fitting. I couldn't stop my thoughts from spiraling, no happy memories popped up to counteract it.
The depression was so all-consuming, that it took me a few minutes to realize that my lungs no longer burned. Cool water flowed through me, an odd sensation tickling the sides of my neck. My fingers brushed against the once perfect skin, revealing odd slits. I could feel the water flowing in and out of them, small bubbles rising around me. The change had me so startled that I started screaming, the sound garbled this far into the water.
Unable to stand the oppressive darkness, I started swimming to the surface, the movement much quicker than should have been possible. As the moonlight wove through the water, a shifting glint caught my eye. Iridescent black and purple scales lined my arms, gently reflecting the beams of light that sifted through the water. My eyes flew open wide as I took it in, stopping my ascent so I could check them out. I moved my arm from side to side, watching the way the moonlight played across the freaky scales. Despite the emotions rushing through me, they were oddly beautiful.
The panic rose higher and higher, mixing with my depression and causing my vision to blur again. Fighting it with everything I had, I finally broke the surface. I tried to instinctively take in a breath of air, but the moment I did, my body started to reject the water, huge coughs shaking my petite frame as water ejected from my lungs.
A pair of hands wrapped around me, pulling me closer and dragging me to shore. My eyes couldn't focus, the water spilling out of my lungs painfully as my body tried to hyperventilate at the same time. A soothing hand rubbed my back as tears streamed down my face, my heart pounding in my chest as I tried to not think about what happened… what I am. When the water finished gushing from my lungs, I finally took in my first real breath of air since going under. The salty sea air was familiar and calming, despite the steady burn. My chest still ached, hating that even the peacefulness of death had been taken from me. Tears finally broke free, no longer from choking, but because of my broken spirit. Finally gaining the courage to look up, I peeked up to see Evander's terrified expression. I broke further, knowing I had hurt one of the only people who were ever kind to me. Instead of pushing me away, he pulled me closer, holding me together as I shattered in his arms, whispering the only thing I could.
“I’m sorry.”
