When Pam congratulated Nastia in English class, the strawberry blonde was surprised to hear news of her unopposed secretarial run had circulated that fast. But it turned out that wasn't the news her best friend had heard.

"Of course, I heard! I looked at the cast list. You got a part in the play!" Pam beamed.

Oh. She had forgotten about that.

"I haven't seen the cast list. Did you get a part?" Nastia asked hoping she'd say yes since drama club was her thing first.

"Yeah. I got the mom, Helen Cooper. You got Judy, the teen girl."

Nastia didn't think she did that great and she hoped there wasn't too many lines to memorize. Nevertheless, she went with Pam after class to Mrs. Trailbridge's classroom to pick up the script and was told the read through was after school and they'd get their rehearsal schedules then.

Nothing exciting happened for the rest of day. At lunch, Reina complained about her boyfriend as usual. Savannah was excited about the easy victory and Pam already had her nose buried in the script. Anastasia felt a stare on her back and turned to find Ivy looking at her. She turned back to her lunch convincing herself that the other girl wasn't actually staring at her, she just happened to be looking in her direction at that time. And the next time she checked a few minutes later as well....

On the way to Mrs. Trailbridge's classroom after school, Pam walked beside Nastia and admitted that she was a bit jealous about Nastia's part.

"Do you want to trade?" Anastasia asked.

"Nash! We can't do that," she chuckled. "Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for you and it's not really about the part itself but more about--"

"Hi, Pam.... congrats on your parts," AJ said as he came from an adjacent hallway and matched his step to the girls' to walk on Pam's other side. Nastia silently praised the distance. Yesterday at church he was too close for comfort. Still the strange feeling surged inside her.

"Congrats on your part, too! I'm not surprised you got it cause you were great." Pam rambled this out so fast she made it sound like a tongue twister.

"Thanks."

There was a lull in the conversation. Pam's hands tightened on her backpack straps, her gaze turning to the floor. Though Nastia was not interested in talking to him, she wanted to help Pam who she could tell was trying to think of anything to say to keep talking to AJ, so she asked him, "What part did you get?"

AJ just cleared his throat and turned his attention to some of the other guys in the classroom when they crossed the doorway. It was now she realized he was back to avoiding her. She told herself she didn't care, and it was for the best. He may be have grown into a stud, but he was still the same obnoxious jerk that he was back in grade school!

"He is your boyfriend," Pam answered. She probably assumed that her idol just didn't hear her friend, but Anastasia knew better. "In the play, I mean," she added unnecessarily.

"Great...," she replied.

Mrs. Trailbridge taught Life Skills and Home Economics. Instead of the standard desks, there were white tables and the classroom also featured four kitchen stations. They sat at a table towards the back of the classroom, saving seats for Savannah and Reina.

"He is so hot. You're so lucky," Pam sighed in defeat as they sat down.

"Lucky, yeah sure. Who's your pretend husband?"

"Kevin." Pam made a face and as if summoned from a pentagram circle, bespectacled Kevin spotted them across the room and moseyed on over with a big grin.

"Hey, girls. Anastasia, I told you you'd get a part. Didn't I? You were up on stage, and I was like "yup, she got a part," he laughed to himself.

"Yes, you sure did, Kevin," Pam said with a strained smile.

"Why, hello, wife!" He laughed again, more of a chortle. The pity grew, but Ana was now less willing to switch parts even if it was allowed. Sorry, Pam!

Mrs. Trailbridge came in and asked the students to rearrange where they were sitting based on the cast list. The eight principals had to sit at one table. Nastia was relieved to remain next to Pam.

"Why, hello again. My daddy always says if there's a seat next to a pretty girl, you better take it." Kevin helped himself to the seat beside Nastia. She gave a small smile and began wondering how she could ward off his unwanted feelings without being too harsh. She has had admirers before and rejecting little handwritten notes was child's play. Most were not this open about their crushes, though.

To her chagrin, AJ settled in the seat across from her, his emeralds laughing at Nastia's discomfort. She opened the script to keep her eyes focused, but that restless feeling he conjured in her refused to leave. Blood pounded in her ears and her gums were aching.

The read through began. Nastia had planned to just read off the page, but the way everyone acted with their voices made her want to try. Shelby, who got the part of Barbara, even added this hysterical quality to her voice when her brother, Johnny, is attacked by the lone zombie in the beginning.

A persistent thumping sound made it hard to concentrate as the story unfolded. It must have been the pipes. This school needed upgrades.

Thump, thump, thump...

It takes a bit for her character, Judy, to make her first appearance. She has a couple of lines mostly switching off watching the injured little kid in the basement, then she has one-on-one dialogue with Tom aka AJ before their characters are killed off stage.

When it's her turn to speak, her intentions to act flew out the window as the thumping noise grew louder with each passing second. No one else seemed to be bothered by it. Their dialogue ends with them sharing a tender kiss.

Thump, thump.

"Now I won't force you two to kiss, but I will encourage it. I understand if you feel uncomfortable. We will talk about ways to fake a kiss onstage," Mrs. Trailbridge said. An awkward silence ensues albeit a couple of snickers. Mrs. Trailbridge looks between Nastia and AJ but neither gave a reaction to the suggestion.

They continued with the lines, but Nastia could no longer hear them. Her jaw was tightening as she struggled to remain calm as a crippling panic was taking over. She needed to get out of there. Her throat was on fire and AJ was too close. One leap over this small table and she would be right on him, her weight pinning him to the cold linoleum floor, lips on his warm skin, piercing the skin until--

"Ana! Ana, it's your line!"

The background static faded and it's like someone turned up the volume in the room. Her tongue weighed heavy in her mouth. Lips trembling, she took a deep breath, but the air seemed to suffocate her with stomach-clenching desire.

Thump, thump, thump...

A suddeb fear grappled her throat, that her imaginings would become reality without any decisive, coherent thought. Hissing she stood up from her seat abruptly, mumbling an excuse to go to the bathroom.

Her footsteps echoed in the hall as she raced to the nearest restroom. She flung herself through the door, nearly skidding across the floor. Splashing water on her face, she met her eyes in the mirror and went still in terror. Her mother's eyes stared back.

No. Not her mother's. Her own eyes.

They were bluer than ever with her pupils constricted into inhuman diamond slits. It was happening. How could she have ignored the signs?

Not now, her mind whispered. She shook her head. It's not a good time. I need time, time to prepare... She watched as if her reflection wasn't her own as the coral lips parted to reveal beautiful, deadly fangs.

Calm down. Think. Don't do anything. Just stay calm.

Thump... Thump...

"Anastasia?" AJ knocked on the door, his concerned voice prickling her skin from the other side of the bathroom door. She pressed her ear to the wood. And...

Thump. Thump. Thump.

It was his heartbeat that filled her ears. Of course, it was. It was all him. He was hers. Her prey. He was made to help her. His blood was the key to her awakening. Her body ached for it, the need to be complete. This was the Affinity, her affinity.

"Are you... okay in there?"

Her mind raced with all the possibilities. She had to get him alone... she ached for him so bad that she was trembling with raw want. She listened past the thumping to the steady, shallow air he pulled in ... and out... She could pull him into the bathroom right now! How easy would it be to slip out her hand, seize him and sink her teeth into his hot skin. Her hand gripped the handle of the door ready to do just that with a fanged smile.

No! I can't do that. She relaxed her grip and clenched her jaw frustrated with herself. If she does that now... he may scream. They would hear in the classroom... and it is daylight! She can't awaken and be stuck in this school! Not unless she was prepared to kill anyone who stumbles upon her and the body. Would it be worth it? To sate herself on AJ's blood? Pulling at her blonde hair hard to distract her from the growing thirst, she shut her eyes tight against the throbbing headache.

Killing a few humans wouldn't be too big of a deal. She'll take responsibility and clean up her mess.

An image of Pam flashed through her mind, and she stumbled back from the door. This image was surreal. Pam was lying on the floor covered in blood, red hair and freckles but no smile, just a haunted, graying look in her eyes.

Nastia caught a glimpse in the mirror and saw the fangs gone and her eyes had reverted to normal. She let out a sigh. AJ was still there; his heartbeat was still there drumming her senses in a tantalizing rhythm.

No. I can't. I can make this clean, with no harm befalling Pam or anyone else.

She opened the door and gave AJ a smile as sweet as licorice. "Sorry. Gosh, I am so embarrassed."

Wow, that sounded so fake to my own ears! Am I a bad actress? How did I get a part?

He eyed her cautiously. "Did you get sick?"

Thump.... thump....

She shook her head and sucked on her teeth. "No. Sort of. Yes. Just nerves. Sorry you're missing the rest of the read through."

"It's fine. We both died not long after the kissing part. So, no more lines for us. But Mrs. T does want us back in there." He rolled his eyes and suddenly it's like they were precocious fifth graders again walking back to Mrs. O'Bryan's class.

"Oh, right. Hey, before we go back in, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

Anastasia touched his arm like she did with Brianna that morning. He looked surprised, but just like Brianna was drawn to the girl's magnetic eyes. "Let's hang out this weekend. At your house. We can go over lines together?"

She grasped onto his will. It wasn't a rubber band like Brianna, it wasn't playdoh like the Burrito Bell worker... she couldn't decide what it was until he effortlessly shook off her compulsion. It moved on its own! His will slithered away before she could even define the properties.

What the...

"Can't. I've got a busy weekend, but if you want... we could hang out after school sometime this week. Thursday?"

His words and body language would seem like lazy indifference to the eye, but her ears could hear his heartrate increase and he was now avoiding direct eye contact with her. Was he scared? Did he somehow sense her intentions?

"Yeah, Thursday sounds great! I can't wait," she said cheerfully to calm his underlaying apprehension. He raised a suspicious eyebrow at her and she realized she may have sounded a little too enthused. As he turned to enter the room with a nod, she facepalmed.

She got home and wondered if she should even bother doing her homework. She will awaken in just a matter of days. Graduating was no longer important. None of this mattered. She slung her backpack on her bed and spun around in excitement, then stopped catching sight of her corkboard. It was the most personal possession she had, filled with snapshots and memorabilia.

The bracelet that Pam gave her hung there. She wore it every other day from fifth grade to seventh. It broke at the state fair that year. Nastia had spent nearly an hour crawling around on the grass to find every bead. She had pieced it back together and put it on display in her room afraid she would lose it again. Next to the bracelet was assorted collections of other small keepsakes and photos of her and Pam or of all four of the group of friends together. Right smack in the middle of the memories pinned was a reminder of the promise, a clean copy of their Senior Year To Do List. She sat down on her bed twisting the bracelet around her fingers, then pulled up the text conversation between her and Pam on her phone.

Pam: Hey you okay? Are you sick?

Do you need something?

Nash?!?

U and AJ still haven't come back, I'm worried

Okay I'm about to die. Be there soon : ( plz text back

Nvm you're back lol

Nastia: You're such a dork ; P

A crooked smile on her face, she typed out a new text:

Nastia: Hey. Want to grab some milkshakes tomorrow after school?

Thanks for reading! Vote and comment! I also wanted to add a recommendation. I have done a few of these in my other novel, Sienna and the Heart of Aislei (please check out)

Check out 'Wishing Upon a Star' by gmohandes

Her writing is beautiful.