he and his roommates live, they seem like perfectly normal people. There’s the small matter that Nick drinks blood to survive, and Landon transforms every full moon, but otherwise, they’re not that different from anyone else I’ve ever known. Still, as a former “normal” human being, I can see why most people would want to keep people like Nick at a safe distance. So I say, “Not everyone would agree with you on the human part.”
Nick shrugs, and says, “Not many of us agree either. Most vampires tend to think of us as the ‘evolution of man’, the superior species… but I see things differently. I don’t think our humanity is determined by whether we’ve been bitten by anything, or if we’re something that isn’t considered ‘normal’ by the rest of society. I think that in reality, there’s a monster inside each of us. It’s whether or not we give in to it that makes us human.”
I look up into Nick’s familiar face, and I feel like I’m really seeing him for the first time. Not the version of him that’s gentle and flirty and intelligent, nor even the vicious, protective side I caught a glimpse of when we first met. This is my first peek at the version that he keeps to himself. I know if I were in his shoes, I would feel a certain degree of bitterness about being so isolated from the rest of humanity. I realize that for the first time, I’m seeing Nick as a human being with thoughts and feelings, instead of something other . And I think that might be all he’s wanted since he was turned.
I want to say something comforting and profound, but nothing really comes to mind, so I close the gap between us, and stand on the tips of my toes to wrap my arms around his shoulders. I whisper to him, “I’m sorry.”
He likewise wraps his arms around me, and, silly as it sounds, for a split second I feel as if we’ve briefly crossed into something deeper than our normal, flirty-but-friendly relationship. Even sillier, part of me wants it to stay this way. But Nick releases me, and the moment passes. He whispers, “Don’t be. You’ve done nothing wrong.” Then he waves goodnight, and turns to walk back home.
Chapter 7
For the next three weeks or so, I head straight for the main entrance after school, and Nick is always waiting for me at the bottom of the stone steps. I can find my way to his place in my sleep after the first trip, but I let him pick me up anyway. It’s stupid, but it’s those precious few minutes with him that I look forward to most every day. He hasn’t opened up to me much since the first time; in fact, he might have gotten a tiny bit colder. I didn’t expect him to start telling me every single detail of his life right off the bat, but I haven’t seen a glimmer of the boy behind his aloof façade since.
Instead, when we talk, he insists on learning more about me. He knows more about me than any other guy on the planet, and while he makes a good friend, it’s equal parts disappointing and relieving that he hasn’t shown much romantic interest in me the past few weeks. If he were to ask me out, I’d have to actually decide whether or not it’s worth the risk to date him, and yet, I don’t want him to slip so far that I end up friend-zoned for eternity. I constantly wonder if the relationships between normal boys and normal girls are this frustrating.
Whereas being around Nick is fun/frustrating, my lessons with Krystal are fun/painful. We practice spells on the roof of their building, both to keep us from destroying the apartment and to avoid being seen. Nick and Landon occasionally join us, watching from afar as I get my ass handed to me again and again. Krystal figured out early on that I learn best by doing, so she quickly teaches me what I need in order to perform the proper shield spell, and then attacks me without warning. After three weeks of accruing various injuries, which Krystal always heals, I know just about every shield spell in existence; most simply
Nick shrugs, and says, “Not many of us agree either. Most vampires tend to think of us as the ‘evolution of man’, the superior species… but I see things differently. I don’t think our humanity is determined by whether we’ve been bitten by anything, or if we’re something that isn’t considered ‘normal’ by the rest of society. I think that in reality, there’s a monster inside each of us. It’s whether or not we give in to it that makes us human.”
I look up into Nick’s familiar face, and I feel like I’m really seeing him for the first time. Not the version of him that’s gentle and flirty and intelligent, nor even the vicious, protective side I caught a glimpse of when we first met. This is my first peek at the version that he keeps to himself. I know if I were in his shoes, I would feel a certain degree of bitterness about being so isolated from the rest of humanity. I realize that for the first time, I’m seeing Nick as a human being with thoughts and feelings, instead of something other . And I think that might be all he’s wanted since he was turned.
I want to say something comforting and profound, but nothing really comes to mind, so I close the gap between us, and stand on the tips of my toes to wrap my arms around his shoulders. I whisper to him, “I’m sorry.”
He likewise wraps his arms around me, and, silly as it sounds, for a split second I feel as if we’ve briefly crossed into something deeper than our normal, flirty-but-friendly relationship. Even sillier, part of me wants it to stay this way. But Nick releases me, and the moment passes. He whispers, “Don’t be. You’ve done nothing wrong.” Then he waves goodnight, and turns to walk back home.
Chapter 7
For the next three weeks or so, I head straight for the main entrance after school, and Nick is always waiting for me at the bottom of the stone steps. I can find my way to his place in my sleep after the first trip, but I let him pick me up anyway. It’s stupid, but it’s those precious few minutes with him that I look forward to most every day. He hasn’t opened up to me much since the first time; in fact, he might have gotten a tiny bit colder. I didn’t expect him to start telling me every single detail of his life right off the bat, but I haven’t seen a glimmer of the boy behind his aloof façade since.
Instead, when we talk, he insists on learning more about me. He knows more about me than any other guy on the planet, and while he makes a good friend, it’s equal parts disappointing and relieving that he hasn’t shown much romantic interest in me the past few weeks. If he were to ask me out, I’d have to actually decide whether or not it’s worth the risk to date him, and yet, I don’t want him to slip so far that I end up friend-zoned for eternity. I constantly wonder if the relationships between normal boys and normal girls are this frustrating.
Whereas being around Nick is fun/frustrating, my lessons with Krystal are fun/painful. We practice spells on the roof of their building, both to keep us from destroying the apartment and to avoid being seen. Nick and Landon occasionally join us, watching from afar as I get my ass handed to me again and again. Krystal figured out early on that I learn best by doing, so she quickly teaches me what I need in order to perform the proper shield spell, and then attacks me without warning. After three weeks of accruing various injuries, which Krystal always heals, I know just about every shield spell in existence; most simply
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