Shattered (the Spellbound Series Book 2) (2 page)

2

             
“How the hell is this possible?,” I ask as I pull my shirt over my head.

              “I’m as lost as you are,” Nick mutters. “I feel pretty much the same, just… hungry.”

              I tilt my head to the side, exposing my neck to Nick, but he wrinkles his nose at the gesture. I roll my eyes at him, and continue getting dressed. “Come on, we don’t have time for you to drain a few squirrels in the park, we’re gonna be late as it is.”

              “I can’t.”

              “Why not?”

              “My fangs won’t come out… and it’s not blood that I want. Honestly, right now, I would give anything for a cheeseburger.”

              I pause in the middle of pulling up my sock, and watch Nick carefully for a moment. He looks the same as ever, for the most part. But I know I didn’t imagine his heart beat, I’m confused by his sudden craving for solid food, and… is it a trick of the light, or is there more color in his skin than before? If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost think I cured him of his vampirism with sex, but it doesn’t seem possible. I shrug, and try not to dwell on the subject; whatever’s going on, we’ll have plenty of time to figure it out after the party.

              Once we’re both dressed and ready to go, Nick and I cut straight through Central Park to the subway station on 86
th
. I’d have teleported us to our destination, but it has to look as if I don’t know where I’m going. Along the way, I watch Nick’s face shift from confusion, to giddiness, to childlike wonder. It’s almost as if he’s looking at the world with brand new eyes. When I ask what’s up, he replies, “For the first time in five years, I’m not tempted to drink from anyone or anything.”

              “So, you’re really not craving blood anymore?”

              “You don’t understand… it’s not just a craving. You become a slave to it. Imagine if your survival were based on… let’s say, chicken nuggets.”

“Already true, but go on.”

“Now, imagine chicken nuggets were the only thing you could possibly digest without being overcome by incredible pain. Imagine living in a world where if you simply refuse to give in to that hunger, you’ll die.”

I shrug my shoulders, and mutter, “I’m imagining it.”

“Good. Now imagine the only way to get those chicken nuggets was to cause pain to others. And everyone carried around that delicious smell with them everywhere they went, but you limited yourself to tiny little scraps of unsatisfying chicken out in the woods.”

I shudder a little. Nick sure has a talent for making the vampire life sound less than enticing.

“That’s what it’s like, being dependant on blood,” Nick continues. “And I can’t explain how or why, but I don’t feel the drive to seek it out anymore, I don’t feel hunger like I did an hour ago. It’s a very liberating feeling.”

              I face forward again, and try to ignore the fact that my boyfriend used to think of me and everyone we know as food.

              Nick and I stay on the subway until we make it to the West Village, where we take a moment to get our bearings before walking a few blocks east. We come to a stop outside of a squat yellow building with a young woman sitting on the front steps, looking forlorn. She looks drastically different from the version of her I met last year; after a video of the battle in Grand Central got leaked to the media, she cut her purple hair to barely three inches to avoid being recognized. It’s long since grown back to shoulder length, but in its natural dirty blonde color, with a fading purple fringe at the bottom. The eyes behind her rectangular framed glasses have returned to their natural color as well, a walnut brown with a halo of green around the pupils.

              Alyssa stands up as we draw near, and says, “Thank God. I’ve been waiting half an hour… I figured we should arrive together so they don’t waste all their energy on the first ‘surprise’.”

              “Yeah,” I agree. “One entrance would be best.”

              “It just bothers me that these people seem to think we’re too stupid to figure out what they’re planning.”

              “It was a nice gesture,” Nick says frostily as we climb the stairs. He and Alyssa share a look, then she rolls her eyes, and turns to unlock the front door.

This time last year, Alyssa revealed that she’d had feelings for me for a long time, leaving me with conflicted feelings where the two of us are concerned. We kissed once, and that’s about as far as things with us ever progressed. I told Alyssa we needed to just be friends for everyone’s sake, but Nick eventually found out that the two of us have ventured further than being just “friends”.

He still trusts me, miraculously, but the two of them have been at odds ever since they met face to face. And Alyssa hasn’t brought up her feelings towards me since. In fact, she’s even been somewhat cold to me in the past few months.

They have an unspoken agreement not to fight over me, but I highly doubt they’ll ever actually enjoy each other’s company.

              We climb the steps inside to the third floor, and then wait while Alyssa fumbles with the lock on her door. She lets out a frustrated sigh, unlocks the door with a spell, and pushes it open. There appears to be nothing but a black void beyond the threshold, until Alyssa turns on the lights, and the people hidden inside yell as one, “Surprise!”

              Arranged in Alyssa’s loft are almost all the people we care about the most; my mother; one of my best friends and my current favorite werewolf, Rachel; Nick’s werewolf roommate and famous artist, Landon; Nick’s other roommate and my mentor, Krystal; several of our mutual friends within the Caelestia clan; Alyssa’s roommates, Holly and Joseph; and finally, one girl that I don’t recognize at all. Nick squeezes my hand as Alyssa and I step into the loft amid various voices telling us, “Happy Birthday.”

              I look around at the loft with mock surprise plastered on my face. There are green and purple streamers hung up all over the living room, attached to everything from the ceiling, to the exposed brick walls, to a bedroom door. Someone, probably Landon, crafted a banner with our likenesses painted on it, which hangs over the chocolate cake on the table. Plastic plates, forks, and cups can be found everywhere, including in the hands of partygoers that couldn’t wait for us to lay into the refreshments. The sight brings a smile to my lips; they obviously went to a lot of effort.

Not long after our arrival, my mom pulls me aside, and asks, “What do you think?”

              Alyssa and I realized what was going on when everyone kept urging us to keep our schedules for May 19
th
clear, so I’m nonplussed by the “surprise” portion of the party. But I know how much this means to my mom, so I grin, and say, “This is amazing! Thank you!”

              Rachel throws a green feather boa around my neck as someone across the loft turns on a stereo. I turn to face her, and ask, “Where’s Jenna?,” the third member of our trio.

              “She had to work,” Rachel half shouts over the music.

              I respond with a halfhearted, “Oh.” I’m disappointed by Jenna’s absence, but I can’t exactly say I’m surprised. She’s been slowly drifting from us even before Rachel and I started college. Now, she seems to spend her time doing nothing but working.

              Rachel notices the shift in my mood, and says, “It’s alright, she might swing by later if she gets off early enough. Her present’s on the pile next to mine.”

              I look over in the corner of the living room at the small stack of presents from all the partygoers. Next to the stack are Alyssa and the one girl I didn’t recognize, their arms wrapped around each other. They seem to be deep in conversation one moment, and then they’re suddenly kissing in the next. As I watch, I become aware of the heat flooding my cheeks, the pressure behind my temples. Alyssa
has
been acting noticeably distant lately, and I think I’m finally seeing why.

              Maybe her feelings towards me aren’t quite as one-sided as we both assume. I try to shake off the slight twinge of jealousy by focusing on any other part of the party I can.

              Everyone else seems to be having fun; what little conversation is going on is happening as far from the speakers as possible. There are some people playing Uno at the kitchen table, a few amusing themselves by shooting green and purple sparks into the air to match the streamers, and a brave few individuals dancing in the middle of the living room. I can’t see any activity that I’m particularly interested in, but I’m content just wandering around the loft, watching what’s going on. As long as I can put some distance between myself and Alyssa.

              I pass by Nick on my rounds through the party, and pause to watch him devour handfuls of M&M’s. It seems like he wasn’t kidding about being hungry. I’m not in the mood to shout over the music so we can talk, so I move on before he can notice me.

After a while, I start to feel a headache coming on, so I climb out onto the fire escape for a little peace and quiet. I’d been hoping for solitude, but the first thing I notice after squeezing through the window is Landon, leaning against the iron railing and staring out at the city’s skyline. He turns to face me, and asks, “What’s up, birthday girl? Why aren’t you inside?”

              “I needed some air. You?”

              “Joseph’s been hitting on me for the past hour...”

              “What’s wrong with that? He’s cute.”

              “Yeah, but I have no time for guys.”

              “Why not?”

              Landon stares out at the skyline again as he speaks. “There’s just too much I need to do. People to see, projects to finish, ideas to bring to life. And in the midst of all that, I need time for myself as well. I’m sure it sounds pretty selfish to you because you’re still young, but I realized a long time ago that I come first in my own life. And right now, I’m not in a place where I can make my life about someone else.”

              I lean against the railing as well, and say, “Yeah, I get what you mean.” And I do. Aside from training, classes, and occasionally seeing my friends, my time is pretty much consumed by girlfriend duties. “My life pretty much revolves around Nick.”

              “That’s only because you don’t have anything else to make it about.” I look over at Landon, who quickly adds, “Don’t get me wrong, I think you and Nick are a good match. But, do you still know who you are without him? Because you were a full person with hopes and dreams before you met, and you will continue to be one if you guys become strangers, God forbid.”

              Landon’s words send my mind into overdrive, trying to see if I can figure myself out, but I come up short. My mom once told me that who we are is defined by what we do, but that advice isn’t any help to me. I like writing, but I’d never call myself an author. I’m good at defending myself and others, but I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a warrior, or a hero. At the end of the day, I only really know
what
I am, not
who
, and what I am is just a stubborn, nerdy freak of nature with a somehow-not-a-vampire-anymore boyfriend.

              “I’m heading back inside,” Landon announces. “Happy birthday, kid.” He then steps back into the loft through the open window, leaving me to ponder our conversation alone.

***

              Once all the cake has been eaten, and the presents have been opened, there isn’t much left to do, so the party starts winding down. Alyssa and I wait downstairs as most of the partygoers start trickling out. Nick stops on his way down the steps and asks if I want to sleep over, but I decline. I’d much rather just head home for some me time. Nick shrugs, and kisses me on the forehead before leaving with Landon and Krystal.

              My mother is the last one to leave, and she pulls me into a huge hug before saying, “See you in the morning.”

              “Morning?”

              “I had to swap shifts with Maddie so I could come to the party, meaning I’ll be getting home around 8. I’ll meet you for breakfast, and then it’s bedtime for me, alright?”

              “Alright. See you then.” My mom smiles at me, and turns down the block towards the nearest subway station.

              Now it’s just Alyssa and I, standing on the steps of the building. I go to ask her about what I saw at the party, but the roar of an engine nearby cuts me off. A sleek black motorcycle slows to a stop right in front of us, being ridden by the girl I was just going to ask about. Now that I can see her up close, I have to admit she has a certain allure. The left side of her head is partially shaved, revealing an ear lined with piercings to match the silver hoop dangling from her septum. The rest of her jet black hair flows down her back, only partially covering the tattoo on the back of her neck. Hints of her copper skin can be seen through the tears in her jeans, and is otherwise covered by a white t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and matching leather boots.

              “So, you’re Heather,” the girl half-shouts over her engine. Her bow shaped lips are drawn up into a smile as she looks me over, and I suddenly feel self conscious about my own boring jeans/t-shirt/Converse combination. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Lily.”

              I’ve never heard of this girl before, but I respond, “Same here. It’s nice to meet you.”