Hmm, is my Heather a reference to Total Drama too? I guess.
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Himiko stood on the sidelines, her mind racing with conflicting emotions. She watched as the other students celebrated their victory, the air thick with laughter and cheers. The game was over, and Karakura had won, yet she felt anything but triumphant.
She glanced at Saito and Kuro, surrounded by adoring fans, their faces lit with the glow of success. They were special—brilliant, shining stars everyone wanted to be near.
And then there was her. Normal, old, boring Himiko. She repeated the words like a mantra, trying to convince herself that it was okay, that she was okay with being ordinary. She should just blend in, keep her head down, and let the stars shine. But the ache in her chest refused to go away, no matter how much she tried to bury it.
As she sulked in the shadows, lost in her thoughts, Heather suddenly appeared, her presence as unwelcome as ever. "Himiko!" she called out, her voice annoyingly bright. Before Himiko could react, Heather grabbed her arm and began dragging her toward the school gymnasium, where the victory party was in full swing.
"Come on, it's the Victory Party!" Heather exclaimed, flashing a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You can't just stand around moping all night."
Himiko allowed herself to be pulled along, too weary to resist. The gym was alive with energy, filled with students laughing, dancing, and chattering away. Streamers in Karakura's colors hung from the ceiling, and tables were piled high with food and drinks. It was a school event—win or lose, Karakura Junior High always threw a party after a big game. But tonight, the celebration was especially sweet.
Heather wasted no time in filling a plate with food, piling it high with snacks before thrusting it into Himiko's hands. Himiko blinked in surprise, staring down at the plate before looking back up at Heather. "Why are you being so… nice to me all of a sudden?" she asked, suspicion lacing her voice. It wasn't like Heather to be this considerate, especially after the way she had treated her earlier.
Heather rolled her eyes, waving off the question. "What are you talking about? I'm always nice to you. Now stop being such a downer and enjoy the party."
Himiko bit back the retort on the tip of her tongue, deciding it wasn't worth the argument. She forced a smile, determined to have a good time despite the nagging doubts in her mind. "Yeah, you're right," she murmured, more to herself than to Heather. "It's a party, after all."
Leaving Heather to mingle with the other cheerleaders, Himiko made her way to the refreshment table, her thoughts still a whirl of uncertainty.
She scanned the assortment of drinks, her gaze falling on a large dispenser filled with a bright red liquid. The juice flowed smoothly through the spout, the deep crimson color catching the light in a way that made her breath hitch.
It's just cranberry juice, Himiko told herself firmly, trying to ignore the way her pulse quickened at the sight. But the longer she stared, the more her mind wandered, and before she knew it, her mouth had curved into a wide, unsettling smile. Her large incisors glinted under the dim lights, the smile taking on a predatory edge.
Quirks were commonplace, with 80% of the population possessing some form of superhuman ability. But Himiko's quirk was different—a dark secret that she had been forced to hide.
Her quirk required blood to activate, allowing her to transform into anyone whose blood she ingested. But it wasn't just the power that unnerved people; it was the fact that she had developed a deep, almost obsessive love for blood—a love that her parents had always tried to stifle.
So, she suppressed the urge, every day fighting to keep it buried beneath the surface. She focused on being the perfect lady, the sweet and polite girl everyone expected her to be. But tonight, standing before that dispenser of cranberry juice, the struggle became harder than ever.
Absentmindedly, she poured herself a cup, the red liquid swirling as it filled the glass. She took a sip, her mind swimming with dangerous thoughts, and suddenly, everyone in the room seemed different.
They weren't just students or classmates—they were warm, living beings, each of them pulsing with life, with blood. The realization sent a shiver down her spine, her unmanaged urges clawing their way to the surface.
Surely no one would care if she just took a little… just a taste…
Himiko's hand tightened around the cup, her smile growing wider, more feral. Her golden eyes scanned the room, no longer seeing friends or peers but potential prey. It was as if the entire gym was packed with delicious possibilities, each one more tempting than the last.
Just as she was about to lose herself completely, Heather reappeared, her cheerful expression faltering when she caught sight of Himiko's face. There was something in Himiko's eyes—something wild, dangerous, like a predator on the hunt. Heather took a step back, her smile wavering as a chill ran down her spine.
"Uh, Himiko? You okay?" Heather asked, her voice uncertain. But Himiko didn't respond, her focus elsewhere, her thoughts far from the cheerful chaos of the party.
Sensing something was very wrong, Heather quickly decided against whatever she had been about to say. "Actually, never mind," she muttered, taking a cautious step back. "I'll… I'll catch up with you later."
...
Himiko stood frozen by the refreshment table, her mind a swirling storm of dark desires. The vibrant sounds of the party faded into a distant hum as she struggled against the overwhelming urge rising within her. Her grip on the cup tightened, the cranberry juice inside sloshing dangerously close to the rim. She could feel her quirk stirring, the primal hunger that had always lurked just beneath the surface threatening to break free.
But then, amidst the haze, she saw them.
Her parents. They were there, standing in the doorway of the gym, their faces etched with horror and disgust. The sight hit her like a bolt of lightning. Her father's stern, disappointed eyes bore into her, and her mother's expression twisted into one of pure repulsion. Behind them, her siblings stared at her with a mixture of fear and shame, their faces pale and drawn.
The image was so vivid, so real, that it took her breath away. Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat a painful reminder of the expectations she had failed to meet, the standards she could never live up to.
She could see it all in their eyes—the disappointment, the disgust. They weren't proud of her. They never would be. Not with this... monstrous urge that she couldn't control.
"No… I can't," Himiko whispered, her voice trembling. Her earlier resolve crumbled in the face of this imagined confrontation. She couldn't do it. She couldn't give in. The thought of seeing that look on her parents' faces in reality was too much to bear. She couldn't let them down. Not like this.
In a sudden burst of panic, Himiko dropped the cup, the bright red juice splashing onto the floor like blood. She didn't even notice. All she could think about was escaping—escaping the judgmental stares, the crushing weight of their expectations, and the darkness inside her that threatened to consume everything.
Without another thought, Himiko turned on her heel and bolted out of the gym, her feet moving faster than she could think. She didn't care where she was going; she just needed to get away.
Away from the party, away from the people who might see her for what she truly was—a freak, a monster. The cold night air hit her like a slap to the face as she burst through the doors and into the darkness outside. She ran, her breath coming in ragged gasps, the shadows of the night swallowing her whole.
Back in the gym, Heather returned to the refreshment table, a frown tugging at the corners of her lips when she saw that Himiko was gone. It wasn't like Himiko to just disappear like that, especially after Heather had made a rare effort to be nice.
Heather glanced around the room, her eyes narrowing as she searched for any sign of the blonde girl. It was rare for Heather to ever be truly kind, and now she was left standing alone, the weight of her niceness suddenly feeling heavy and pointless.
"Where did she go?" Heather muttered to herself, her earlier irritation giving way to a small pang of concern. But the party was still in full swing, and it wasn't like Himiko to cause a scene. So, with a dismissive shrug, Heather turned her attention back to the festivities, pushing the uneasy feeling to the back of her mind.
But as the music played on and the celebration continued, a small part of Heather couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.
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[Auther: Yo. Just trying to get some backlog for this story, 5 chapters should be enough.]