Slut #1

The next morning, I wake disgruntled to my mobile ringing shrilly.

"Hi, Dad," I say sleepily, knowing it can only be one person, as I try and adjust my blurry sight to look at the clock on the bedside table.

"Can you hear me?" my dad asks.

"Yes, coming through crystal clear," I answer, resting my head back down on the pillow.

"Great, it works. Remember your first day of school is today, and I expect you to be on time," he reminds me.

I groan. I don't need a wake-up call.

"I won't. It's only 6:20, and school doesn't start for about an hour."

"Enjoy your day, but not so much that you get into trouble," my dad tells me, ignoring my comment completely before hanging up.

I chuckle at him.

"Bye," I say into the silent phone with a sigh before returning it to my bedside table. I roll onto my other side. I'll just close my eyes for a second. I have plenty of time to get ready.

I blink away the sleep in my eyes as I sit up. I yawn, stretching before I look at the clock on the bedside table. Shit! I overslept. It's 7:23. School starts in seven minutes. I fling the covers back and tumble out of bed, trying to stay on my feet. I run to my closet and pick out a pair of shorts and vest. While I'm there, I also grab a bag, filling it with pens and notebooks (what I think I may need).

I rush through my morning routine before I go flying down the stairs. I grab a bag of blood from the stock in my kitchen. I forgot to eat last night, but today, I know I will need it. I won't be able to sit around humans with fresh blood running through their veins for eight hours.

I grab an apple as well as I quickly walk to the door. I hop around, trying to put my boots on with the apple in my mouth. Once I have stopped jumping around, I grab the car keys from the bowl.

I will drink the blood and eat the apple on the way. I pull open the door, turning to lock it when I realize that I left my bag. With a groan, I reopen the door, reaching in for my bag on the floor before closing and locking it.

I run down to my car and slide into it. I push the key in before setting the GPS to the school. It says that it will take twenty-five minutes. I look at the clock on the dashboard and see that school has just started. Proud of myself for getting ready in seven minutes, I press down on the accelerator. My dad should just be happy that I'm going; does it matter if I arrive twenty-five minutes late?

Once I am on the main road, I have finished the apple, throwing the core out of the window. I reach for the blood bag, tearing it open with my teeth. I take gulps of the nectar in intervals, aware that people may be able to see into the car. I squeeze the last of the liquid out of the bag and into my mouth as I turn into the school parking lot.

I put the car in park, shove the empty bag into the glove compartment, and check myself over in the rearview mirror. It will be a bad first impression if I enter with blood-stained teeth and cheeks. Satisfied that I am clean, I reach for my bag as I exit the car.

I stroll leisurely until I find the main office, needing to get my timetable. I push open one of the doors and find a small space. A desk sits in front of a corridor, facing the doors I am entering through. I turn to see chairs to the side of the room where a couple of students are sitting. I turn back to the desk where a woman is waiting with a warm smile on her face.

"Can I help you, dear?" she asks.

I inwardly cringe at the endearment as I walk closer.

"I don't know. Can you, Miss—" I look down to her name tag "—Williams? I'm new, and I need my schedule."

She looks at me, her jaw going slack.

"Name?" she asks in a daze.

"Scarlett Hades," I say.

She looks at me weirdly for a moment before she shakes it off and begins to type into her computer. I just give her a smile, tapping my fingernails on the desktop.

I'm used to getting weird looks. It's either for my last name or my actions. Humans can also sense demons. They don't know what the feeling means, or why they have it, but it's a result of what we are—predators who are higher in the food chain. When you see a wild, predatory animal, your body reacts by getting ready to flee or fight.

The sound of paper passing through a printer starts, and the woman turns her back on me to collect the papers. I see her shoulders relax, but as soon as she turns around, her shoulders tighten again. Some people are more susceptible to us than others. She passes the papers to me, and I notice her hand is as far away from mine as possible.

"Here is your locker assignment and combination and schedule. I hope you enjoy your time here at Aspen Valley High School."

I take them from her.

"Thanks, but I doubt it," I quickly say before I turn and leave. I pause and look down at the schedule.

Homeroom – Room 212 – Mr. Matthews

AP World History – Room 124 – Mr. Ward

AP English – Room 139 – Mrs. Hale

Gym – Gymnasium – Coach Karmen

Algebra – Room 106 – Mrs. Smith

Lunch

AP Psychology – Room 217 – Mr. Jeff

French – Room 230 – M. Francis

Physics – Room 226 – Mrs. Jackson

I sigh. Eight classes! What has my dad got me into? What's the point of coming to Earth if I'm going to be stuck in the same building each day? I force myself to make my way to room 124 and World History, which I am five minutes late to.

I eventually find the correct room, pushing the door open. As soon as I step into the class, a pair of watery, beady, blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses move to look at me. The owner is a balding, slightly overweight, older man. I look from them to the students to my left. They are all watching me curiously. I flash them a smile before looking back to the teacher.

"May I help you?" he asks, his voice grating.

"I should hope so. My name is Scarlett. I'm new."

"Ah, yes, Scarlett Hades, correct?" He checks, looking down at his papers.

"Yep, that's me."

"What a unique name..." he comments, his eyes meeting mine, his thin lips pulling up into an uncomfortable smile.

"Thanks. It runs in the family."

A few students chuckle.

"Well, you joined us at the right time, Ms. Hades, as today we will be learning about your namesake. Take a seat."

I move through the tables until I get to an empty one near the back. Mr. Ward turns to the board and writes two words: Ancient Greeks. I groan.

"To get us started, can anyone tell me any facts about the Ancient Greeks and their beliefs?" he asks the class, turning back to look at us.

"They believed in myths which included gods," a boy from the front shouts out. I want to shout at him, 'Do I look like a myth to you?' but I shut my mouth knowing my dad won't be happy if I were found out on the first day of my time here.

"Correct. Can anyone name any of their gods?"

"Hades," a girl answers, shooting a quick glance at me.

I roll my eyes when a few of the other students also take a quick look at me. I shift in my seat when I feel Mr. Ward's gaze also falling on me. The moment passes, however, as students continue to call out some names of my more well-known family members and family friends. I haven't seen any of them recently, except for Jack. Do they know that I'm down here?

"Zeus."

"Poseidon."

"Hermes."

"Aphrodite."

Not liking that my other family members and friends have not been mentioned, I pipe up, finishing off the list. "Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Chiron, Ares, Apollo, Hephaestus, Artemis, Dionysus, and Athena. Want me to name any of the Titans?" I ask innocently.

They all stare at me baffled.

"That won't be needed, but yes...that is a correct list of the main ones." Mr. Ward stutters. "But to start off with, we will only be looking at each of them separately. Hades is the first god we are going to be looking at. So, can anyone tell me any facts or myths surrounding him?"

I want to jump up and shout at them if they want to know anything, just ask his daughter who is sitting right there, but I stay silent, wanting to see what people think of us. I don't have to wait long as people start to call out answers again.

"He is the lord and god of the underworld and the god of wealth and the dead."

"He kidnapped Persephone from Earth to be his wife."

"He has a three-headed guard dog called Cerberus."

The last time I checked, Tybalt only had one.

"Anything else? No, okay. Please take notes. We will go more in depth in the next couple of lessons," he says before going into his lecture. "Hades, son of Rhea and Cronus, has three sisters and two brothers. His sisters are Hestia, Hera, and Demeter. His brothers are Poseidon, Zeus, and Chiron, his half-brother..."

"Wasn't there, like, a lot of incest back then?" A boy cuts Mr. Ward off.

I roll my eyes as I shake my head. I'm not going to say that it's a lie because it isn't. It happened ages ago when it was probably more acceptable, and since then, they have all moved on to different partners. I find it weird, and it makes my skin crawl whenever I think about it, knowing my dad was the product of incest.

"Uh—yes." The students show their disgust. "Let's get back to Hades. He and his brothers all overthrew their titan parents after a ten-year war. When it came to deciding on who ruled which realms, they all drew lots. Hades was unhappy with his choice of the underworld, and this caused a rift between Hades and Zeus.

"Hades' wife is Persephone. You are correct. She is the daughter of Demeter and Zeus and is the goddess of nature. He acquired her by abducting her from the field of Nysa where she was picking flowers. He tricked her to eat pomegranate seeds. As she tasted food from the underworld, she was obliged to spend a third of her year there. They do not have any children..."

I look around incredulous. My dad may have had a short fling with Persephone, but he was no abductor. Is that what she's telling everyone? And as for having no children, hello! Living proof right here. Not able to stay silent any longer, I pipe up again.

"That's a lie," I mutter, getting fed up.

"Excuse me, what did you just say?" Mr. Ward asks.

"I said you don't know your facts. Hades was happy to take the role of lord of the underworld and even offered to take it if Zeus or Poseidon drew it, and the fact that they don't get along is utter bullshit. They get along fine. Hell may be filled with souls and demons, but they visit each other regularly, along with their other siblings.

"I don't get why Hades is seen as evil. He was the one to maintain relative balance and was more selfless than evil," I tell him, getting heated. I always do when I defend my family. I quickly go back over what I said, trying to see if I gave anything away.

"And how do you know this? I think I would know the correct facts as I am a history teacher," Mr. Ward replies in the same tone as me, bristling.

"I'm really into Greek mythology?" I respond as more of a question, deflating slightly. Technically, I am replying truthfully.

"As you are so into Greek mythology, then you can all write me a paper about Hades and the myths surrounding him. 5,000 words please," he tells us smugly. He does not like being told he's wrong.

I groan along with the students, although it's for a different reason. I'm just writing about my family.

As soon as I hear the bell ring, I jump up out of my seat and head to the door. I push myself out into the busy corridor. Thinking I will have to fight my way through, I'm surprised when people stop walking and move out of my way, allowing me a clear path. I feel stares on me as I walk and realize whispered rumors are circulating about me. I listen in on them, wondering what facts I don't know about myself.

"That's the new girl." Obviously.

"She was the one to correct Mr. Ward." Wow, news travels fast in this school.

"She looks like a slut," a girl comments to her friends.

I stop in my tracks and stare at the girl. I see people start to move away from her as I walk closer. I look her over. I start at the top of her head, moving past her dyed, bleach blonde hair and brown eyes to look at her clothes. I don't know if I can even call them clothes. The fabric covered only a quarter of her body. I look to either side of her and see that she is accompanied by three clones. I watch as her eyes move from me to a passing boy, her shoulders going back slightly, before moving onto another. I raise my eyebrow.

"I'm sorry. I don't think I remember you...Have we met?"

Her eyes fly back to me, giving me a narrowed glare. "No."

"Then don't make assumptions, because it makes an ass out of you and me. Anyway, have you seen yourself in the mirror lately? At least I don't feel the need to dress up—well, down—and dye my hair to get men's attention, honey."

"How do you know I didn't dye my hair because I felt like it?" she responds, a smug grin coming on her lips. However, her heartbeat quickening tells me I'm right.

"Oh, loads of people dye their hair just for themselves, but you don't. You do it because you think it will gain you more attention from men, so if anyone is the slut here, I'm looking at her. How many of the school population have you fucked? I'm sure I could find out," I say bluntly, raising an eyebrow.

She glares at me before she turns around and storms off, her clones following closely behind. I turn to see everyone is staring at me, some in admiration but mostly in shock.

"What?" I shout. Everyone looks away, and I nod in approval before I continue onto English.

When I enter the classroom, I get a similar response to World History. Everyone looks at me as if I were an alien. I turn to the lady at the front and see that she is in her early fifties, her brown hair put back into a bun. Her warm smile deepens the wrinkles around her gray eyes.

"You must be the new girl. Everyone, this is Scarlett Hades. Please make her feel welcome," she says, turning to the class. "Would you like to introduce yourself?" She looks back to me.

"No. I think you already have," I tell her as I walk to the back, slumping into a seat.

She looks flustered for a moment, not quite knowing what to do, before she clasps her hands together.

"Well, um, welcome to Aspen Valley High," she manages to say before turning to the board, writing our lesson material up there. She places the pen down before turning back to us, calmer now.

She opens her mouth to start the lesson when someone flings the door open. A tall, well-toned figure stands in the doorway. The longer brown hair on the top of his head is styled to keep away from his caramel- eyes. His thick, pink lips are pulled up into a small smile as he watches Mrs. Hale sigh in exasperation. His gray shirt allows everyone to see that he looks after his body. A leather jacket stretches over his strong shoulders. If I didn't know differently, I would have guessed that he was a demon who worked with my dad from the sheer size of him. My dad makes sure that the guards keep fit.

"Hunter, late again. What is your excuse this time?" Mrs. Hale expectantly asks Hunter, her hand placed on her hip.

"I was kidnapped by the devil," he answers simply as if it were a normal thing.

"And why did he do that?" Mrs. Hale responds in disbelief.

"You can ask him in person soon. He said that Hell was meant to be hellish and asked if I knew anything or anyone whom I thought was Hell as he needed something extra. I thought straight away of this class and your teaching. I think he purposefully allowed me to escape, as he asked me to request that you go down there now, instead of a couple of years. I'm just relaying a message. Don't shoot the messenger." Hunter finishes with a shrug.

I can't contain my laughter anymore. Thinking of Hunter's and Mrs. Hale's faces, the discussion I had with my dad, and the irony of all this, I let out loud laugh. I laugh so hard that I find it hard to breathe and tears start to stream down my face. I know I'm laughing louder than the students' quiet chuckling, but I don't care.

"What is so funny, Ms. Hades?" Mrs. Hale asks in a clipped tone.

"Nothing, Miss. I'm just remembering something my dad told me."

"Well, Hunter, next time the devil kidnaps you, tell him to do it when it's not school time. Now, go and sit down, and stop wasting my time." Mrs. Hale gets louder with each word. She takes a couple of deep breaths before shuffling a couple of papers on her desk.

I watch Hunter smirking as he walks to a desk a couple rows away from mine.

Finally composed, Mrs. Hale looks back to us with a forced smile on her face. I see her open her mouth but tune out what comes out of it. I rest my chin on my arms and wait for the fifty-five-minute lesson to be over.

I watch as the hand of the clock moves past the three, groaning at the prospect of another thirty minutes sitting in this boring lesson. I can understand where Hunter is coming from now.

Someone nudges my shoulder, and I sit up. I look over to my right and see a girl holding out a folded piece of paper. She points at Hunter. I crane my neck to look at him and see him wink at me. I roll my eyes, take the piece of paper from the girl, and open it.

What's your name newbie?

I lean forward and give him my best glare, putting the paper on the corner of the desk. I rest my head back on my arms, only to be nudged again five minutes later. He obviously didn't get the message. I open it to see what another paper says.

Is it hard or embarrassing? I'll tell you mine and then you tell me yours. Hunter Stone and you are...

I scribble out a reply before handing it to the girl.

No, it's not. Maybe it's because I don't want to tell you.

Two minutes later, instead of going through the chain, a piece of paper flies through the air. I catch it and pull it open.

I know your last name is Hades...all I need now is your first name. Pretty please. :(

I groan knowing he won't give up.

Scarlett.

I glance at Mrs. Hale before throwing the paper at him. It misses his desk, landing on the floor. Hunter bends down to pick it up before smiling. He shoots me a look before responding.

Well, that wasn't hard. Nice to meet you, Scarlett.

I am about to write out my response when I am stopped by a shadow standing over my desk. I look up to see Mrs. Hale.

"How can I help you, Miss?" I ask, giving her a sweet smile.

"What are these?" she asks, picking the pieces of paper up.

"That? That is a piece of paper," I tell her in a patronizing tone.

"Very clever. What is on the piece of paper?" she asks, matching my tone.

"Writing," I respond. I bite my lip, trying to stop myself from laughing.

Hunter gives up hiding his amusement and is sniggering noticeably.

"I will not tolerate note passing and people talking back at me in my class," she tells us sternly. She opens the papers, reading each note out.

I shrug, not feeling embarrassed like she hoped.

"Ms. Hades and Mr. Stone, leave my classroom right now. I will not be disrespected."

"Finally!" Hunter shouts, getting up with his bag. I chuckle and join him standing up.

"Can I have them back?" I ask, pressing my lips together to suppress a grin when I see her irate reaction.

"I'll take that as a no," I say picking my bag up and following behind Hunter.

When we both enter the hallway, I turn and walk the opposite way to him. I only get halfway down the corridor, however, as he stops me.

"Hey, Newbie!"

I turn around, looking expectant.

"What?" I say.

He holds up a pack of cigarettes. "Do you smoke? If so, do you want one?"

I look at the pack in his hand. If I were mortal, I would tell him no; they can kill you, but as I am not and I need a reminder of home right now, I agree.

He waits for me to catch up with him before he starts walking with me out to a small grassy area behind the school. We sit under a tree. We can see through the doors and the whole school.

He flips the pack open and offers it to me. I take one, and he offers his lighter. I press down on the lever, letting my thumb closer to the flame than normal, feeling the familiar flicker of warmth. I bring the lighter up to the cigarette, lighting it, before letting the lever go and passing it to Hunter. I bring it to my lips and breathe in. The warm smoke fills my mouth, moving down into my lungs. I let out a sigh of relief as I look over to Hunter who I see is looking at me curiously. The silence stays for a while before Hunter musters the courage to say something.

"You don't have a noticeable accent. Where are you originally from?" Hunter asks.

"Greece, but we move around," I tell him.

"Really? That's cool. So, why are you here?"

"I wanted to get away before I take over the family business," I reply telling him a version of the truth.

"What is it your family does?"

"Look after people, sort stuff," I answer vaguely.

"Are you here with your parents?"

"No. I don't know where my mom is. I never met her. It's just been my dad and me. He stayed behind at home, looking after the business. So, I'm living by myself for a year," I say and blow a smoke.

"So, have you stopped moving around? Where was home before you moved here?" he asks.

I take one last drag from the cigarette before standing up. I brush my pants before walking back toward the school, stepping on the cigarette on the way.

"We should go back," I call over my shoulder.

"You're bringing them next time!" he shouts after me, referring to the cigarettes.

"Who says there is going to be a next time?" I shoot back at him as I pull the door open.

I enter the school to hear the bell for the next period ringing. It only takes a couple of seconds for the doors in the hallway to open and all of the students to exit their different classes.

I ignore all the stares that are sent my way again and force my way through them until I arrive outside the gym. I see two doors on either side of the gym's entrance, one signed 'Boys' and the other 'Girls.' Not knowing what I should do, I enter the girl's locker room hoping to find a teacher. Luckily, I find Mrs. Karmen talking to one of the students just inside.

"I'm sorry, Laura, but you'll have to participate."

I hear the girl groan before walking further into the room. The young blonde woman turns around, jumping back slightly when she sees me standing there. A small smile appears on my lips when I see her shocked, green eyes travel up to mine. She quickly pushes her shock away as she clears her throat.

"Ah, yes, you must be Scarlett Hades," she states, looking down at the clipboard in her hands. I confirm with a nod. "Do you have the gym clothes on you?" I shake my head, and she sighs.

"We have some that you will be able to use for today, but I expect you to have them tomorrow. We're out on the track today, so get changed and join us out there." She motions to the back of the changing room.

As she moves around me to the door, she runs her fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her face before giving a smile to the girls entering the locker room.

"Hi girls, we will be out on..."

I move through the lockers and the girls changing until I find the bin of clothes. My nose wrinkles as I smell the unwashed clothes next to the clean ones. I rifle through the white and maroon mass. I find one white vest in my size and put it over my shoulder as I search for a pair of maroon shorts. My bag falls off my shoulder as I continue to search. I only find ones in sizes too big or too small for me. I groan and pick one of the small shorts; at least they will stay on my hips.

***

I look at the sun, closing my eyes, as I stroll toward the gaggle of girls standing near the track. The heat of the Miami sun does not compare to the heat of Hell, but it's nice to feel the rays on my skin. My eyelids flutter when I open them as they adjust to the onslaught of light. That's one thing that accompanies the heat that I'm not used to: the brightness.

I bring my hair up into a messy bun, securing it with the hairband from my bag as I join the class. Mrs. Karmen stands at the front, her hands on her hips as she waits for the class to gather.

I hear the voices of the boys' class walking onto the football field in the middle of the track.

Mrs. Karmen claps her hands together loudly, bringing our attention to what she has to say next.

"Okay, everyone, today, we will be doing running..." She gets groans in response from my classmates, and I notice that the loudest groan is coming from the girl who I had the exchange with in the hallway earlier.

"Quiet! We'll start with some stretches before moving onto a warm-up run," she commands before leading us. I follow her orders, going from lunges to stretching my arms.

"And touch your toes for ten seconds." She finishes. I bend down, my fingers clasping around the trainers I found. I count the seconds in my head. One. Two. Three. Four.

Loud wolf whistles sound through the air.

"Nice ass, Newbie," Hunter calls over to me.

I roll my eyes and stand up, looking over my shoulder.

"I understand why you like it. You see a version every time you look in the mirror," I call back before I move back to doing the stretch.

Guys jeer and chuckle at Hunter. I finish the stretch and stand back up to look back at Hunter. His mouth has fallen open, and a slight blush tints his cheeks.

"Shut your mouth. You're catching flies," I shout to him when he still doesn't move. His mouth quickly shuts, and he smirks.

I turn back to the group as Mrs. Karmen instructs us to run a lap on the track. I smooth down the vest as I walk to the starting line. The whistle blows after we have all congregated, and we move as a group.

My legs easily fall into a rhythm; I move at a fast human pace, allowing me to complete the lap quickly and with ease. I slow to a walk as I cross the line. I look back and see the group behind me is just turning around the last corner of the track. Mrs. Karmen looks surprised when she sees me cross the line.

"Wow, Hades, how long have you been running?"

"Ever since I could walk..." I answer confused.

She chuckles slightly before clarifying. "Have you ever competed, or thought about it?"

"No," I answer simply, moving to the other side of the track as I wait for them all to finish.

I watch the field, looking at the boys running as they throw a football around. Hunter draws his arm back and uses his strong muscles to throw a fastball at a boy across the field. Before he runs, he looks back over his shoulder and catches that I am watching him.

He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively as he flexes his arm. I shake my head at him, a small smile on my lips as I hear most of the girls run over the line.

I turn to see that one of the last people over the line is the girl from the hallway, whom I have decided to call Slut #1. Her breaths are short and irregular as she pushes a piece of her bleached blonde hair off her red face. I press my lips together to suppress a laugh. I thought she would have better stamina.

Mrs. Karmen tells us to catch our breath for a moment before we do hurdles.

The rest of the lesson goes by, a few people tripping over the hurdles to my amusement, and eventually, we have ten minutes left before we go and change.

"Okay, everyone, line up. Let's see how many laps you can do in the ten minutes left. Remember, if you do not complete four laps within the ten minutes, then you will be given a detention," she orders after a couple of minutes.

Once we are all lined up, Mrs. Karmen blows her whistle, and we all set off again. I keep a steady pace with the main group, but they quickly fall behind as my legs push me to go slightly faster. I don't keep track of the time, and it passes by quickly.

When Mrs. Karmen shouts that we have been running for half of the time, I am just coming around the last bend on my sixth lap. I look to the bleachers and see that people are slowly struggling their way up the steps. I look at the faces and see that Slut #2 and #3 are two of the people who have given up. I look behind me and see that Slut #4 and their leader are gaining on me, their faces red and sweat dripping down them. Slut #4 is looking worse than her leader. She looks longingly at the bleachers but then back to the girl running determinedly beside her. She eventually gives up and slows to a walk, and Slut #4 takes this as them giving up and starts toward the bleachers happily. However, a glare has her returning to Slut #1's side.

I stay at the same pace until Mrs. Karmen tells us to speed up for the last minute. I kick the notch up a bit and run the lap, passing Slut #1 and her clone who are both still walking. I hear the beat of their feet hitting the floor start to quicken, and they force themselves so they can try and pass me. I slow down, giving it to them.

I see it before it happens; Slut #1 sticks her foot out, waiting for me. I step over her leg, moving to the side, slightly sticking my leg out in return. When she starts off, thinking she has to catch up with me, she doesn't notice my foot in her way and trips over it, her head flying back as she zooms toward the floor.

A satisfied smirk makes its way to my lips as I start off again, seeing the finish line is around the next corner. Holding my breath, I run the rest of the way and over the line. When I let myself breathe again, I draw in deep breaths, panting, giving the illusion of me losing my breath to the exercise. I bend down, resting my hands on my knees for extra effect. Mrs. Karmen walks up beside me.

"Wow, Hades, you should really think about trying out for the track team. Twelve laps, that's the best I have seen," she comments. Straightening up, I put my hands on my hips.

"Maybe," I say to please her.

"However, I did see you trip Tiffany. We do not tolerate that sort of behavior," she points out, an amused edge to her voice. So, Slut #1 is called Tiffany. I nod, letting her know I understand.

Mrs. Karmen walks away when Tiffany joins us, and Tiffany calls the coach. A snigger leaves me as I take in the girl in front of me. Her hand is upon her face, hovering over her nose. Blood trickles from it, smearing at the bottom of her hand. At the sight of blood, I panic momentarily, wondering if it will trigger my hunger. It doesn't, thankfully. I had no appeal to her blood; if anything, it made my nose scrunch up. Her usually nasal and whiny voice is dimmed as if she had a clogged nose. I laugh.

"Mrs. Karmen, did you see what she did to me? You should put her in detention or something," she exclaims.

Mrs. Karmen closes her eyes and sighs before responding,

"Tiffany, if I were to do that, then you would need to join her, as you went to trip her first. Do you still want to complain?"

Tiffany grumbles but doesn't argue any further.

"Okay, you can all go in and change now!" she calls back to the group of girls behind us. There are a few weak cheers as we join the boys in making our way back into the main building. I trail behind them, hoping people will not start a conversation with me.

It doesn't work, as moments later I see a male figure stop in front of me, allowing me to catch up with him. I turn to see it is Hunter. Rolling my eyes, I start to walk quicker.

"You're very welcoming," he says sarcastically.

"Thanks. I'm glad you noticed," I reply dryly, looking ahead. I don't need a relationship; I'll be gone in a year, and how do I explain to them why they will never see me again? It will never work out with humans anyway unless I change them like my dad did; they grow old and die, and I would never entertain the idea of having a relationship with a soul.

My way into the building is blocked when Hunter stands in front of me. My eyes find a sweat-soaked shirt in front of me. I force the thoughts that it provokes out of my head as I look up into his chocolate eyes. A drop of sweat falls from his brown hair over his eyes; his hair is matted with sweat also. I would have imagined that he stinks, and he does slightly, but the overwhelming manly smell that comes with it has me backing up. The muskiness and slight spiciness seem to encircle me. I breathe in and hold it there, going to move around him, but he steps with me.

I groan, my jaw clenching. I give him a false smile.

"Let's get this over with. No," I tell him, going the other way, but he steps in front of me again. I cross my arms as I cock my head, glaring at him.

"What?" Hunter asks confused.

"No, I will not go out with you. You have your answer. Now, let me past," I tell him irritably, trying to move past him. I throw my hands up in exasperation when he doesn't let me pass again.

He chuckles, stepping toward me.

"That wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about. That question will come another day." His hand reaches out for my face, and I grab it, bending his fingers back slightly.

"I'll break your fingers if you try that again," I threaten him, dropping them. A glint comes into his eyes.

"You like it rough? Good to know." I roll my eyes, shaking my head. He does not give up. "You're a violent little thing..."

My mouth falls open. Did he just call me little? I'm not a kid. I poke him in the chest, hard.

"Watch what you say about me, because I may just break your fingers anyway," I warn him.

He chuckles, thinking it's a joke. I will; I don't like being called little. I'm short in comparison to all the demons back home, and I get teased about it endlessly by the friends that I have, mostly Adrian. I know they mean it all good-heartedly, but I don't need it pointed out.

"Anyway, I saw you trip Tiffany."

"And you've come to defend her? Are you her boyfriend or something?" I ask, crossing my arms again as I raise an eyebrow. "She deserved it."

"No, I just wanted to let you know it was pretty funny."

"That's it? You annoyed me just to say you thought that it was funny that I tripped Tiffany?"

He shrugs. "You made it longer than it needed to be. Maybe you like me after all," he adds cheekily before turning and continuing into the building.

I scoff at him as I reach up into my hair, untangling the band there, running my hands through it to try and make it presentable. Tiffany shoves my shoulder as she walks past.

"Hunter's mine, bitch," she sneers.

"Does he know that? He just told me he found it funny that you were hurt," I call after her with a slight chuckle.

She spins around before storming back to me.

"You're just jealous."

"Jealous? Have at him. I have no interest in him whatsoever, so back off," I tell her firmly before going around her and into the building.