Chapter one: Impulses

I couldn't see. My throat was on fire, all I wanted to do was sink my teeth into the neck of that cheerleader sitting in front of me.

She was tan, the soft skin of her neck stretched at a tempting tilt. Her light blonde hair was tied up in a high pony tail revealing her neck, a faint blue line glowing just beneath the surface. A small growl bubbled up from my throat and made it all the way to my lips before I choked it down.

The bell rang and I let out a sigh of relief. Hanging my head, I waited for the rest of the class to depart before following.

"Grace, would you come here for a minute please? Miss Everlowe?"

Shoot! Almost made it, I thought. I turned around and resigned myself to another five minutes of resisting the urge to attack someone.

"Grace, you were my best student. You were early every day, attentive, polite, always got the best scores on your tests..."

"I know; your continued use of the past tense is noted."

"I'm glad you noticed something in my class today," Mr. Ambrose said pointedly.

"I'm sorry, I've just been..." turning to a vampire lately it seems, but I know that's not possible, so I've been trying to hide the fact that I'm going insane, so I don't get locked up in some nut house. "Busy."

"If you need to talk to somebody, you know where my office is. And...I need to ask, Grace, are you on anything? It's just, during the entire class you looked like you were jonesing."

"No, I'm not using. No alcohol either." Just blood, that's all. Nothing to worry about.

"What are you 'busy' with?"

"Just..." I had to come up with something believable fast. "Okay...m-maybe I just tried some weed once. I-I did-didn't know what it was I swear!"

"Grace, you know you're a sucky liar, right?" Mr. Ambrose was the only adult I knew that used the word sucky.

"I know. I admit it, I knew what it was. I knew it was weed. And I didn't just use it once."

"You're still a terrible liar. What could be so terrible that you'd lie about using drugs?"

"I've been hung-over in class every day, and I was scared you'd boot me out?"

"You're not a sucky liar, you're an atrocious liar. In fact, I don't even consider this lying anymore."

"It's not bad, just...embarrassing. I don't feel comfortable discussing it with...a guy." I crossed my fingers in my pockets, hoping against hope that he wouldn't notice that I'd lied about it not being bad. It was embarrassing, and I didn't feel comfortable discussing it with a guy...or a girl, but that was beside the point.

"Perhaps the school psychologist?" he suggested. I raised my eyebrows at him.

Mr. Ambrose was my favorite teacher by far, I enjoyed talking to him. He liked me because I was the only student who would actually have debates with him. He knew me well enough to know that a psychologist and I being in the same room would not be a good idea. I would argue with everything she said and end up wasting the whole session trying to avoid talking about me.

"Alright, maybe not the therapist, your sister?"

"My sister and I are kind of in the middle of ongoing argument."

"Oh, I'm sorry, what's the argument about?"

"She's got a new boyfriend. Remy." I spat the name out with contempt.

"I take it you're not too fond of this Remy?"

"Ha, he drives his motorcycle without a helmet with my sister clutching at his abs. He gave her a tattoo the other day with pen ink and a sewing needle! He's been to prison three times, violated his parole twice. And he's stupid! My sister's dating a dimwit!"

"Maybe this could be why you're having trouble in class?"

"Maybe." I figured that this noncommittal answer was better than having to fib to the human polygraph.

"Okay then, you'd best get some food in you. You're probably starving by now."

"No, just thirsty." The thought of solid food made my stomach churn.

I started toward the door again when Mr. Ambrose added one more thing.

"Grace, if you want me to, I could remind Angelica that as your legal guardian she is responsible for you."

"No, but thanks. The last thing I want is Gel hovering over me saying that it's my own fault and that I never should have told you about something that wasn't even my business. Thanks for the talk Mr. Ambrose. Bye."

"Goodbye Grace."

I went through the door and as soon as I heard it shut behind me I sprinted toward my car, a black Beemer. My skin felt like it was burning; it always did when I went out in the sun. When I got in the car I took off my belt and folded it in half before stuffing it in my mouth. There must have been a dozen teeth marks in this one by now. I got out my Swiss army knife and flicked the blade out. In one quick motion I jabbed it into my wrist leaving a small puncture wound about an inch deep and as long as a penny is wide. My eyes watered from the pain as I hurriedly took the leather from my jaws.

The taste got better every time. The salty red liquid gushed from the cut into my mouth, and dripped down my throat until I blacked out.

"Mom look! Look, there's a deer," I shouted excitedly

"Yeah, we see them all time here G."

"I know Gel, but look at that one, she's got three fawns."

"Yup, she's got three damn fawns, go her."

"Angelica! Just because you're almost eighteen now doesn't mean that your sister is old enough to be exposed to that kind of language." Mom was giving Gel the 'you'd better do what I say, young lady' glare in the rearview mirror.

"Then let me out of this little hellhole you call a car. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. I'm gonna keep saying it until you let me out. Damn, damn, damn…"

"Gel, please don't. We can play a game, something to take your mind off the traveling," I pleaded with her.

"Ange, play with your sister, we're going to see Gran and that's that. As long as you're living with this family you're going to abide by our rules." Dad was turned around in the passenger seat trying look at Gel.

"Okay," she said ruffling my hair. "Sorry G, Whada ya wanna play?"

"Hmm...Twenty questions?" I asked, trying to please my older sister.

"Alright, you think of an animal, vegetable, or mineral.

"You're right Mom and Dad; I need to get my own place. I love you, but I need to get out."

"Love you too sweetie, but we agree, you need to get out," Dad said, both he and Mom were smiling. We all laughed.

"Mom! The deer!"

"What about the de-"

The car swerved and...

My eyes opened slowly as I woke up. My cheeks were wet with saltwater. I looked down to find that my shirt was soaked with blood. I grabbed my hoodie and zipped it up to my neck, covering the stain. Looking in the mirror, I saw there were crimson splotches all over my face too. I rubbed them off and looked at the dashboard. Twelve-twenty-six, there were four minutes of lunch left; I still had time to slip into the next classroom before anyone noticed.

I hurried into biology and took my seat. A fairly muscular red-haired senior sat in front of me this time. He was pale, every vein and artery clearly visible. His carotid was practically screaming "bite me!"

I couldn't take it anymore, if I didn't get out of there soon I was going to hurt someone. I grabbed my escape out of my pocket and shoved a mento in my mouth. The effect was immediate. My body's reaction to the solid food made me gag and vomit all over the floor next to me.

Half the class jumped up from their seats and got as far away as possible from the red mass of slime.

"I- I think I need to go to the nurse," I choked out.

"I think you're right Miss Everlowe. Take a partner and see Nurse Howard immediately."

"I know my way around, I'll be fine." And before she could object, I slipped out the door and into the hallway.

"Hey Honey, where ya goin' so fast?" Grady Louder was the single most obnoxious male on the entire planet, but also one of the most attractive. His bad boy attitude and flirtatious manner got him a lot, and his looks got him everything else. All the girls in the school liked him except me, but I was the only one he had eyes for. I detested Grady, and he saw it as a challenge.

"Nurses office, I just puked all over the classroom floor. Wanna go see?"

"Yeah, right. You're just trying to get rid of me. I know you didn't- oh." He scrunched up his nose and held his breath.

"Told you. But did you listen? No. Kind of like I keep telling you that I'm not interested. But do you listen? Much to my dismay, no. Maybe you should take note of what I say once in a while."

"May I be your escort?"

"No, you may not," I quipped.

"Oh, come on, Gracie. Just give me chance." He shoved his hands down my back pockets and I stiffened.

"You will remove your hands before I count to three. One..."

"You don't mean that."

"Two...Better hurry." He pressed his lips to the back of my neck, just below my ear. I didn't even bother to say three. I whipped around and grabbed his larynx. I thrust him against the lockers.

The taste of his blood was better than anything I could have imagined. It coated my teeth and rolled over my tongue. I tried to savor the taste, but I kept gulping it, not able to slow down.

Four pairs of arms were trying to pull me off Grady, but to no avail. There were ten people grabbing and tugging at me before I couldn't hold on to him any longer.

As they wrenched me away from the now unconscious boy, I let out an inhuman snarl. My restrainers forced me down onto a cot and I felt something hard, sharp, and cold slide into my skin. A sedative, I decided as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

"G? G, are you awake?"

"No," I moaned when I heard my sister's voice through the tired fog that the tranquilizer left behind.

"Don't...Don't be startled when you look around you, ok?"

"What? Where am I? What did you do?" My eyes shot open to reveal that I was lying in a bright room; not a hospital room, I realized. It was a normal bedroom, only vacant of anything personal. It looked somewhat like a cheery hotel room.

Have you ever noticed that whenever anyone says something like "don't panic" or "don't worry" or "Don't be startled when you look around you" it has the opposite effect, and you just freak out twice as much as you would have before anybody said something about it?

"It- You're at a place called Lyle House, it's for kids like you, G."

"Kids like me?" I asked, wary. Then the events from the day before came flooding back, and I wished they'd given me another sedative. "Is Grady alright?" I said instead, disregarding my last question, I knew the answer now. Kids like me...psychos.

"He'll be fine. He'll need a few transfusions, but other than that..."

"Kill me," I whimpered.

"G, don't say that. He'll be fine."

"I won't, I'll never be able to go back there again. I'm a freak," I stated simply.

"G..." Gel pleaded. "I'm begging you; just try this for a while."

"What exactly is this?" I inquired.

"Here at Lyle House they diagnose your...illness. Then they make you better so you can come back to me."

"Fine, whatever." I didn't want to talk to her just then.

"G, I can't...I have to leave now; its part of the adjustment system they have, I can't visit you for a while, ok?"

"Fine, whatever, Gel." I barely heard her; only one thing kept running through my mind.

I'm crazy, I'm crazy, I'm crazy, I'm crazy, I'm crazy, I'm crazy, I'm crazy. I'm crazy, I'm crazy.

"Bye, G. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Fine, whatever." The door clicked shut behind my sister and I was alone in the too-cheerful-for-a-nuthouse room.