I was a fool. I had thought that I could kill him and go back to my normal life. That my family would stop worrying, my friends would accept me, I would lose my paranoia and become normal again.

And I realized this, in the moment when he fell. As the blood stained the grass red and the apple rolled to my feet, I knew I would never be the same again.

I felt strange, floaty and distant. It was as if I was far away, watching my body.

I leaned down and unclipped his golden wristwatch. The blood was thick and strange. Everything was slow.

Something deep in my gut was telling me that this was irrevocably wrong. But I was still holding the knife, so I let it drop to the ground. I thought it might have nicked my pinky toe, but I couldn't feel enough to tell. A word floated to mind. Numb.

I spoke. My voice was hoarse and it sounded strange in my own ears, different. "Dummy."

And all of a sudden, I was ravenous. I saw the apple lying at my feet, in a puddle of blood. It was lying maybe a foot away from his severed head, which was rapidly turning grey. His eyes were still yellow, though. They stared to the side, unblinking and strangely focused.

I picked up the apple. It was shiny and stained. I smiled and bit into it, and it was the sweetest thing I had ever tasted. It was like apples, but also like jasmine and smoke. I could feel his blood on my tongue.

And I could feel myself changing. My teeth were becoming longer. I was becoming taller. And maybe this was what he had really wanted, this whole time.

I was stuck in time. I took a step, testing. I felt taller. Stronger.

Four things you should know:

The fourth thing was that he wouldn't take no for an answer. Even after he died, he stayed in my head, whispering what I should do.

The third thing was that he thought he was in love with me, but that wasn't the point after all.

The second thing was that he was tall; yellow-eyed. Maybe I was too, now. I didn't have a mirror with me to see.

I tasted apples and blood.

The first thing you should know is that I hate him.

I always have.

I always will.