Consume (The Devoured Series) (2 page)

"Where to start would be telling your parents."

Back to square one. His jaw tightened and he jammed his hands into his pockets. "No way. I'll be fine. I really don't see why you're so worried about me anyway."

"I told you. I felt like I owed you."

"I wasn't nice to you so you'd help me hide my addiction later, Clara," he said harshly.

"I know that," I told him with certainty. I didn't say anything else. The person had to want to change. It couldn't be forced. And from the way his nose was scrunching, the change wasn't coming today.

"Please just stay out of my business," he said and walked around me. I heard him mutter as he kept walking. "Especially since you don't belong to me anymore."

Ok. I took a deep breath and realized this was what I thought was going to happen. He admitted it at least, but wasn't looking for a fork in the road. I had done my deed and felt good. Maybe one day he'd come around, but for now, I was free of him and any guilt that I may have felt. Though it was totally stupid to feel guilty over any of it.

Done. With. It.

I bumped into someone as I scrambled for my next class. I apologized and started to leave, but they grabbed my sleeve.

"Hey," she said.

"Oh, hey, Ariel." I stopped and looked at her. "Are you ok? Pat said you were sick or something last night."

"I'm fine," she said, but she totally wasn't. Her eyes were black underneath, and not from any Goth look she was rocking. She hadn't slept at all and I felt terrible because I knew why.

"Hey, you want to have a sleepover or something tonight?" I blurted out in my newfound need to try to fix things. I was no longer going to sit on the sidelines while things happened around me.

"Really?" she said stunned. I nodded. "Ok," she answered quickly. "My parents have been out of town for a few days. They come back tomorrow night so that's perfect."

No wonder she didn't sleep last night. After Demarcus has scared the crap out of her, and there was no logical explanation for it, she'd gone home to an empty house. "Great! It's settled. Vamp show marathon, here we come!" I said excitedly. I
was
actually excited and it wasn't all for her benefit! My other friends never slept over or did anything like that with me. I was always alone in my Salvatore\Spike\Angel obsession. Until now.

Her eyes seemed to brighten a bit, her pallor and color becoming a thing of the past. I looked at her objectively for probably the first time. The nose ring connected to her earring was intimidating to say the least, but at least she rocked it. The short hair she had sported since I could remember did bring out her cheek bones, for real. She wasn't thin, but wasn't heavy either, her curves showing through her skirt, unlike mine. Our feet were total contrasts to each other; my petite ballet flats and her big black boots.

I smiled. She was my complete opposite. A foot in the right direction away from the guarded years of pretending to be something I wasn't.

"Come on," I said. "Who do you have next?"

"Smith." She drawled and popped a piece of chewing gum into her mouth and grinned. "He hates it when I chew gum."

I laughed as I glanced around for Eli. I spotted him watching me, leaning against the lockers with his hip. He was smirking. "Lunch," I called to Ariel and waved over my shoulder.

"Mos def!"

I pushed my way through the throngs and liked it a lot when he opened his arms to me. I went and almost slammed into him as the masses scrammed to make it to class before the bell. He caught me easily and pulled me to the side as if to protect me from the herd. "It's crazy today," he muttered.

"Yeah," I agreed halfheartedly because my excitement and focus were definitely elsewhere now. "So, Ariel's coming to spend the night with me."

"She is?" His voice was high with surprise.

"Yeah. Her parents come back tomorrow night, but she didn't sleep at all last night because of what that," I looked around for listening ears, "Devourer did to her."

He nodded his head in recognition. "Ok," he said slowly. "Does that mean you don't want me to come to you tonight?" His voice went ground level and he inched closer. "In a reverie?"

My stupid teenage girl heart started to flutter just like butterfly wings. Just like in those books that Ariel reads. I wanted to curse it and be mad at it, but Eli's breath hit my cheek and all thoughts of insignificant things left me. "No, you can come to me," I said breathlessly. "I want you to."

"Good," he answered, his voice almost a growl. He kissed my cheek and then turned me. He pushed me gently on the small of my back with both hands and said, "Bell's in eighteen seconds. Go fast."

I turned to look at him as I almost sprinted down the hall. He was watching me to as he walked into his class. I thought he'd bump right into the wall because he never once looked up to see where he was going. But he walked right into his class door, and his eyes disappeared.

I didn't have the same luck.

I banged my shin on a small metal trash can keeping my class door open. It resounded around the room and hall as I tried not to howl. "Ow," I muttered and ignored the couple of idiots who laughed.

"Right on time," my teacher said and then the bell rang starting another class.

Another meaningless cycle. I couldn't concentrate or focus or think. Everything just seemed so mediocre, miniscule and pointless now. Didn't these people know there was more to life than this? There were monsters out there. There was a great big ol' world with all sorts of things in it that didn't give a flip whether we passed High School Spanish or not.

They'd kill you all the same.

Two

Classes dragged, people were the same. No one seemed too interested that I wasn't hanging with the same crew anymore, and I was glad. I had enough drama to fill up daytime television and wasn't looking for more. But lunch was coming and I knew - just knew - we wouldn't come out without some kind of altercation.

Eli met me at the lunch doors, took my bag from me, and walked me in with a graceful, strong arm around my waist. He plopped all of our stuff down on Patrick's table and then proceeded me through the line. Nachos. Yay…

Pat and the rest of them soon followed and we were all laughing and sitting close around our little round table. Though Eli was fully engrossed in a conversation with Patrick about a new motorcycle he wanted to buy, Eli's hand never left my thigh. He moved and caressed with his hand every few minutes to let me know that he could be in two places at once in his mind.

Ariel and I on the other hand were just listening. And I was being enlightened an awful lot. Number one: Ariel was freaking in love with Patrick. Number two: Patrick was a clueless fool. Number three: I wasn't the only one who noticed Ariel's penchant for the group's fearless leader. Eli tried repeatedly to ask what Ariel thought, but she just shrugged and Patrick just kept going. He did however keep a steady eye on Sarah. I felt bad for Ariel…and Patrick. No matter how much attention he showed Sarah, no matter that she had a crush on him forever, her reputation was the most important thing to her and for some reason, she was convinced that it all revolved around Dee. It didn't of course, but I didn't see Sarah coming to that realization anytime soon.

So I tried to engage Ariel in another chat to distract her, but the bell rang. We all made our way down the hall to our classes. Eli asked the kid next to me in Math - asked, not used Devourer persuasion - if he could switch seats with him. He was fine with it and now Eli was my new neighbor. Which was fine with me because I sucked at Math.

Math and I were not on speaking terms.

~ ~ ~

In Art, we were supposed to paint today. Grrr. Paint and I weren't on speaking terms either. I never left painting with my clothes unscathed, no matter the amount of protective clothing. As I slipped my apron on, I laughed a little out loud at Eli. His apron was purple, making his eyes so much brighter, but not matching. He was glorious with his uniform on and apron, all ready for teacher's instructions.

"What's so funny, Miss Hopkins?" he said and quirked a pierced brow while continuing to attempt the tie of the apron. "You laughing at me?"

"Let me do it," I said with fake disgust. I tied it loosely and stayed close when he turned.

"Thanks," he breathed. "So, where do you want to go tonight?"

I knew he meant in the reverie. "Surprise me."

"Do you mean that?" He grinned. "Because there're lots of places that I've never taken you that I'd like to." I must've looked confused so he clarified. "They have nothing to do with this po-dunk town."

"Aah," I trailed off. "Well then take me away, Calgon. I'm game."

"Calgon?"

"Never mind." I smiled. "Something my mom used to say."

"Ok," he said softly. "I'll surprise you then. But you'll have to stay awake after Ariel goes to sleep."

"Or you could just come over and watch vamp shows with us," I suggested, but I could practically mouth his rebuttal.

"Girls and vamp shows? No thanks." He played with the ball in his tongue ring with his teeth for a second. "But you gals have fun," he said sarcastically.

"We will," I retorted and bumped his hip with mine. "We don't need the likes of Eli Thames to have a fantabulous time," I spouted as I pulled my plastic gloves on.

"I'm offended," he said and held a green gloved hand to his heart. I laughed loudly just as the teacher turned. She glared at me with her precisely manicured eyebrows and I cringed in embarrassment. She always caught me doing crap in her class.

Eli chuckled. I straightened and went to stand at attention at my side of the desk, waiting for instruction. After that I sat and watched Eli as he started on -no doubt- another masterpiece.

~ ~ ~

Ariel met me eagerly at my locker. She lived near me somewhere, so she said she'd run home and meet me at my house in a few minutes. I agreed, and after stuffing my books into my locker, I slammed the door. The noise was so loud, resounding painfully in my ears.

I covered them with my hands and waited for the ringing to pass. It did after a few seconds and I looked around to see if anyone else had heard it. Everyone just walked around me and acted normally. Weird.

I brushed it off and headed for the street. Eli said he'd let me and Ariel hang out and didn't come walk me home. He said the bird was acting strangely anyway and he wanted to get home as soon as possible.

So I headed home. I walked passed Mike. Some freshman girl was eating up his attention and just thankful to be in his general vicinity. I rolled my eyes and he yelled at my back. "Got a problem, Miss Goody Goody?"

"Nope," I yelled over my shoulder and waved flippantly.

I looked back to the street and was blinded. I squinted and threw my hand up to shield my eyes, but my eyes still burned and hurt. I turned and even felt myself crouch down. Then it stopped, just like that. I looked up and around, but no one was acting different. A couple of people were looking at
me
though, and I felt like a freak. Something was going on with me. I stood quickly to bolt across the street.

I didn't look in my haste.

The car didn't have a chance to stop before it was too late. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact…

It never came.

I looked up and saw the car had stopped. The woman's face behind the windshield was frozen in her fear of hitting someone. I turned in a slow circle to see that everyone else has frozen, too. No one moved, no one breathed, no one blinked.

I was so confused until I felt a presence behind me. I turned around quickly and was met with a boy, his face covered in the shadows of the oak tree he was standing under. It reminded me so much of when Eli had first started invading my consciousness. He had always hidden himself in shadow…