Midnight Blood (Born Immortal) (2 page)

“Don’t even ask,” Melina glared, but proceeded anyway, “When I got to the office, Marie was already there, she had her Host Mom drop her off. After he checked in, we both offered to show him around, and he said ‘No thank you’, can you believe that?”

Shayna laughed, “He rejected you?”

“It’s not funny Shayna,” she glared, this time it was directed
at
Shayna.

“Sorry, but how many times can your little ‘welcome wagon’ plan work before your friends catch on?” Shayna said, her lips curling into a smile. “It is a little funny.”

“Whatever. I’ll meet you at the car at 3:15,” Melina said, and she stormed off.

After lunch, Shayna had Advanced Art, she left the cafeteria, and headed to the other side of the campus. She walked in the classroom, sat down and pulled her sketch book out of her backpack.

“It’s good to see everyone,” Ms. Olson said greeting the class, after the bell had rang.

Ms. Olson was the epitomy of ‘Hippie’, and very cool. Shayna thought she smoked marijuana, but wasn’t sure. She was wearing a tie dye skirt, a purple blouse, and Birkenstock sandals.

“Welcome back. Today we’re going t…”  she began, but was interrupted by the door opening, and a boy dressed all in black walked in. He walked to Ms.Olson and gave her his enrollment slip for the office. This was the new boy. Shayna could not believe how handsome he was. Dark and handsome.

“You must be Cain,” Ms. Olson said, reaching for the slip. He nodded his head, not taking his eyes off of the woman. “ You may take a seat in the back next to Shayna,” she said after a second.

Shayna looked up as Ms. Olson pointed in her direction, and she and this boy, Cain, made eye contact. It was a good thing she was sitting down, because her knees went weak when he looked at her. Thoughts raced through her mind, she tried to figure out why she was feeling this way, all she knew, was that she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He was absolutly gorgeous, he had shoulder length wavy dark hair, a tall broad build and the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen. He looked like a model for a men’s magazine. No wonder he didn’t accept Melina and Maria’s gesture, he was way out of their league. He seemed too sophisticated and mature, for most of the girls at the Center for the Arts.

Their eyes stayed locked as he sauntered down the aisle towards her. He smiled as he sat down, and outstretched his hand to her.

“Cain,” he said, hand open to shake hers.

Shayna flashed him a smile and waved his hand away, “Shayna,” she replied.

“Okay, guys,” Ms.Olson said over the whispering, which no doubt was about Cain. “I know how much everyone likes Still Lifes drawings, so I thought that we would start the New Year off with one.” She gestured to a table that had a variety of items on it, like, wine bottles, vases with flowers, old cigar boxes, even the skull of a bull. “If everyone would choose a place around the table, and take a seat, we can begin.”

The students got up, and found where they would sit. Cain was sitting behind Shayna and to her right. As she drew she felt the same feeling of his eyes on her, as she had when he had looked at her from across the street. Why did she blow him off like that? She could have at least shaken his hand.

She couldn’t stop thinking about his eyes, as she drew. Maybe that is why she thought he was staring at her. She finally got the courage to look over her shoulder at him. He was staring at her! She quickly looked back to her sketch book. Why was he looking at her? She thought. And why so intently?

This went on throughout the rest of the class she would sneak casual peaks at him, out of the corner of her eye, and most of the time he was watching her. What is going on?
she thought

Ms. Olson dismissed the class, and Shayna gathered her things and  headed for the door,  but stopped in her steps when she heard a soft, musical voice say her name, her knees weakened a little. She turned to face him.

“Yes?” she tried to act casually, although her heart was pounding in her chest. What was going on with her, she couldn’t help but wonder.

“Can you help me find my next class?” he asked, with a smile that made his green eyes more beautiful.

Are you serious?
She thought.

“Sure,” she tried the casual thing again, this boy had refused the ‘welcome wagon’ of one of the most beautiful girls in school, her twin sister, and he was asking Shayna for help. “What is your next class?”

“World History, with Mr. Duncan,” he answered.

“Okay” she said, and they walked out of the art room together. “You’re going to go down the hall, take a left and go all the way down, last door on the right.”

He looked at her and smiled, “Thank you Shayna,” and he turned and walked away.      

Hearing him say her name again, gave her chills, and she began to feel dizzy. Shayna watched him walk away. He turned the corner, and looked back and smiled at her again. Like he knew she was watching him. She didn’t move until another student bumped into her from behind. She was kind of in shock. Her mind was racing with thoughts about this new boy. Thoughts she refused to let herself think about the other boys she went to school with. She wondered why he had asked
her
for directions. He could have asked any of the other kids in the class, but he chose, probably, the only girl who didn’t throw herself at his feet, and she wouldn’t even shake his hand. What is wrong with you?
She asked herself.

Maybe that was it, he saw through all their hairdye and makeup, and saw what was underneath. Maybe she should be flattered. Then she thought of Melina. Melina was after this boy, so she would have to keep any thoughts she had about him to herself. That wouldn’t be hard to do, Shayna kept a lot of things from her twin. She has never told Melina about the boy she dreams about, Melina would just laugh at her, and tell her to get a boyfriend. She also hasn’t told Melina what she found in the attic two years earlier.

When the final bell rang at 3:10. Shayna felt like she couldn’t get out of the school building fast enough. She just wanted to go home. She got to the Honda, and Melina wasn’t there yet. Big surprise, Shayna thought. She reached in her bag for her set of keys but came up empty. Melina and Shanya share the Honda Prelude, but Melina drives mostly. Shayna remembered that her keys were sitting on her dresser at home. She leaned against the car and began thinking about Cain. She couldn’t stop thinking about his eyes. They were so alluring, and so green. She had never seen eyes that color of green before, they were the color of emeralds, bright sparkling green.

Melina showed up around 3:30, late as always, and Shayna realized that Cain’s BMW was already gone. When had he left? Was his car there when she came outside? She couldn’t remember, and she was too busy thinking about him, to even think to see if he had left.

“Sorry I’m late,” Melina apologized and unlocked the door, “The girls and I had to exchange notes.”

“What did you find out?” Shayna asked to fulfill her own curiosity, and climbed into the car.

“Nothing really,” Melina plopped into the driver seat and threw her bag in the back seat. “He really didn’t talk to anyone but Noah, I heard he lives with his aunt though.”

Melina had caught Shayna’s attention, “Noah? Why was he talking to Noah?” she asked her.

Noah was the one person that didn’t totally repulse Shayna, at the Art Academy. He was the only person that she was close to, and trusted
.

“I don’t know,” Melina responded. “Delany saw them talking in Gym. She couldn’t hear them.”

Shayna looked out the window, “Oh,” she said
.

“Why do you care?” Melina asked.

“I don’t,” Shayna said, turning her head quickly back to face Melina. “I was just wondering why he was talking to Noah is all.”

“Why not Noah,
everyone
talks to Noah. Shay are you okay?” Melina looked at Shayna quizzically.

“I’m fine,” she laughed, “I was just curious.”

“Well anyways,” Melina went on. “I’m not sure what to do. I don’t know anything about him, so I don’t know where to start, and Maria said I can have him, she said it would be pointless, and wished me luck.” Melina laughed, and ran her fingers through her golden locks. “Like I need it.”

“Oh brother,” Shayna rolled her eyes. “Just give him time and space, it’s his first day of school, maybe he’s shy.”

“Did you see him?” Shayna nodded in response to Melina’s question, and Melina continued. “Did you see those eyes?” Melina didn’t wait for the answer, “He is definitely not shy!”

Shayna thought about those eyes. She couldn’t stop thinking about them. So green and captivating. She’d only seen eyes that beautiful, in her dreams. Did they
have the same eyes? No,
his
were blue. She shook the thought out of her head. 

When they pulled onto Melody Lane, Shayna saw their mothers Jeep in their driveway before Melina did, and smiled.

“Oh crap,” Melina blurted out, and turned around in her seat while driving, and looked in the backseat for something to change into fast, but for the first time, the Honda had nothing, Shayna had cleaned it out the weekend before. She looked at Shayna pleadingly, “Tell mom I’m going back, to hang out with Delany’s, and I’ll be back for dinner.”

“Going to change your clothes?” Shayna asked grinning.

“She wasn’t supposed to be here tonight,” Melina told her, “I checked the chart.”

“Tell Delany ‘Hi’ for me,” Shayna said sarcastically and got out of the car.

“Thanks Shay.”

Shayna winked at her, “You owe me.” She closed the car door, and bound up the walkway to the house and opened front door.

“Mom,” she shouted. She was concerned, she hoped she wasn’t ill. “Where are you?”

“In the kitchen Shay”, she heard her mother answer. Shayna walked into the kitchen.

“I thought you were working today,” she said to her mother.

“I’m on call, I just put it on the fridge chart so you girls weren’t expecting me home,” Sarah Verona works nights at Munson Medical Center as a phlebotomist. She had been there since she graduated twenty years ago. Their father Marcus had supported their mother, and had taken care of the girls so that she could go back to work. “So far no call,” she smiled at her daughter, “So how was the new boy? Was he worth all the fuss?”

Shayna smiled and said, “Probably. He seems to be keeping to himself, and I think that’s causing a bigger fuss.”

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked.

“I don’t know, he hasn’t really talked to anyone, and I think it’s driving some of the girls crazy. Most of them aren’t used to being ignored.” Shayna twisted the ends of her hair.

“Ah, I see,” Sarah put her hands on Shayna’s, “I bet he didn’t ignore you.”

Shayna looked at her mom, her eyes were tired and full of love for her daughter. “How do you know?” she shook her head, and narrowed her eyes.

“You’re beautiful Shayna,” she squeezed her hand, “You don’t need blonde hair dye, and gobs of make up. You’re naturally beautiful. Do I have to tell you that everyday?”

“No, I guess not,” she sighed.

She did know she was beautiful. She just didn’t care. She knew that every boy at school wanted her, and she knew that it drove them crazy that she wouldn’t have them.             

“He only asked me for directions to his next class, no big deal,” she smiled at Sarah, “I love you Mom.”

“I love you too Shayna,” she gave Shayna a hug, kissed her forehead and said, “I’m going upstairs to take a nap in case I do get called in.”

“Okay,” Shayna said and grabbed her backpack. “I’m going to go for a walk.”

“Just be back by seven for dinner,” Sarah said, heading up the stairs.

Shayna grabbed  an apple off the counter, and headed upstairs herself, eating as she walked. She went into her room, and threw her backpack on her bed, grabbed her art bag, and headed back down. She threw the apple in the garbage on her way out the door, and walked towards the edge of the forest where their path was. The path had been there for years. Permanantly beaten into the ground by Melina and Shayna over time.

Shayna felt so at peace in the woods, away from the house and the town. She only had to walk about a mile in, until she got to the river. This time of year their favorite summer time creek was a raging torrent, and the waterfall was amazing. She entered the clearing and found her spot. Shayna was in the middle of a personal art project. She was drawing the waterfall in different stages of the seasons. Although there wasn’t any snow to draw at the time, the waterfall still raged. She was mezmerized by how it could go from something so calm and peaceful, to a raging killer, in just a few months. She felt one with the waterfall. She was changing too.

High up in a very large maple tree, a silent, dark figure watched Shayna drawing. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was the most magnificent creature he had ever seen. Her scent was so sweet and powerful. He licked his lips and ran his tongue over his teeth feeling the sharpness extend.

Shayna had an eerie feeling come over her. A feeling like she was being watched. She looked up to the trees, the dark figure hugged the big tree, to hide himself, and Shayna saw nothing. She remembered something her father had told her about cougars, or mountain lions, or whatever. Something about being able to feel them hunting you. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up, and she shivered. The DNR had confirmed Mountain Lions were
in fact
inhabiting Northern Michigan.
She decided it was time to go. She had never had that feeling here before….or anywhere for that matter.

It was dark when Shayna emerged from the woods. She could hear music coming from Melina’s bedroom, she was already home. She opened the back door and an aroma of tomatoes, and basils, and her mother’s secret ingredient filled her nostrils. Sarah kept the secret ingredient locked in an icebox in the basement. Shayna knew what was inside, but she never told her mother’s secret, it was her secret too. Sarah didn’t even know she knew.

“Smells good,” she told Sarah as she entered the kitchen.

“Thank you,” Sarah smiled at her, “Will you call down Mel, it’s almost done.”