The ringing of Annabelle's alarm made her grumble in her sleep before turning it off as she cursed the inventor of that specific alarm in her room.
Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she still felt like sleeping, but she had to go to school.
Unsure of when Emily would return, she walked into the bathroom and had her bath, preparing for school.
She headed to the kitchen and took some slices of bread before getting dressed in her uniform.
After brushing her hair and making it fall over her neck to conceal the marking, she picked up her backpack.
But before she could leave, she winced and covered her neck due to the pain she was feeling, and she crouched to the floor.
She winced silently, hoping for the pain to disappear, but it didn't.
"Alvin, what have you done to me?" She whispered as she hurriedly soaked a towel and used it to cover the very spot on her neck he had bitten. It was very painful, as painful as when he was marking her.
Though the weather outside was chilly, she was sweating, her body temperature high.
Walking down the stairs into the parlor, she took off her coat, before unbuttoning her school shirt and placing them on the headrest of a sofa.
She threw her backpack onto another sofa, before she laid on the floor, sobbing silently as she pressed the towel to her nape.
She remained laying on the floor after she heard the soft thud of the door, signifying that someone had walked it.
She was in pain and didn't know who it was, but who else would it be if not Emily? She had told her that she'll return today.
"Emily… Emily?" She called through tears. She was dying silently through the pain. No wonder Emily had said that even werewolves couldn't endure the pain. It was a slow type of death in disguise.
"You were right about the pain. I can't take it anymore, I give up, it's killing me. I want it to stop," she cried, clutching her head as she felt the pain spreading like poison, but the source was the mark on her nape.
She heard the approaching steps of someone, and she could feel the eyes of something dangerous watching her, but she remained laying weak on the floor.
She couldn't care if a wild wolf had broken into the house, because the pain she was passing through was also death.
She felt the hand of someone touch her hair, but she didn't feel scared even without knowing who it was.
The hand gently stroked her hair, trailing downwards.
It removed her hair from covering her nape, before removing her hand which held the wet towel which was covering the mark.
That was when she felt the surge of sparks and immediately knew who it was, but before she could turn to him, she felt his soft lips on her nape, his hair cascading down to the floor and covering her face.
She remained still, too weak to say anything and could only allow him to do what he was doing.
When he finished, he pulled away, while she remained lying how she was, her heartbeat quickened.
The pain suddenly disappeared, making her slowly turn to him, but groaned due to how weak she had become.
He cupped her cheek with his left hand, turning her to face him.
She noticed the worried expression he had on his face as they stared at each other, but he didn't say a word.
He used his thumb to clean off her tears, but when he was about to say something, the ringing of his phone made him close his eyes, frustration appearing on his face, his jaws clenched.
He suddenly stood up, about to leave, but she held his wrist, making him stop and turn back at her.
She didn't know why she did it, maybe it could be because of the pain that would resurface in his absence, but deep down, she wanted his presence.
She shook her head, letting go of his wrist, a peculiar expression on her face as though she was about to cry.
She then turned away, secretly clutching her heart, feeling pained.
The soft click on the door made her turn back, and he was no longer there. He had left.
She remained laying on the floor, waiting for the pain to resurface due to the absence of his presence, but she didn't feel anything.
She slowly raised her hand up to her neck and felt the mark, caressing it gently.
She could feel the wetness of his lips on her nape, so she cleaned it off with the towel before standing up from the floor with a groan.
She wore back her school uniform, picked up her backpack and headed for the door, unknown to her that she made a mistake by cleaning his saliva from her neck.
That was the antidote which could stop the pain from resurfacing in his absence.
Stepping out of the house, she banged the door before walking out the gate.
After walking out of the woods on her own, she waved down a cab, and sat in the passenger's seat before it drove away.
~
Alighting down from the cab, she walked into the school premises.
While walking through the hallways, she received stares like usual, but she was already used to it.
"Hey girlie, what's up?" She heard someone behind her, when she was about to walk into her class.
"Hey... Jessica right?" Annabelle asked, smiling slightly at her. It was one of Emily's friends.
"Yeah.. that's right. So where is Emily?" she asked as they walked into their class.
"She wasn't feeling okay, so Lucas took her home," Annabelle replied, and they sat down.
"So you are alone today? Would you mind joining me and my friends?"
"I would love to, but Emily isn't here so I have to remain in class," Annabelle replied and a lecture walked in.
"Who is Emily to you?" Jessica asked as she stared at Annabelle strangely. It seemed as though they had a very close relationship.
"Umm ... she is my ...sister.." Annabelle stuttered.
That was the only idea that came into her mind.
"Oh, really?" Jessica asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah…" Annabelle replied and turned away from Jessica, only to be met with the gaze of their lecturer.
"Miss Annabelle and Jessica," the lecturer called, and they both stood up after exchanging confused glances.
"Can you tell the class what you both were discussing while I was teaching?" the lecturer asked as he stared at them with his spectacles that weren't worn properly.
"We were discussing how our lecturer doesn't know how to wear his glasses properly!" Jessica exclaimed, and the whole class bursted out laughing loudly.
"That's enough," the lecturer said and wore his glasses properly.
"Sit!" he said with an embarrassed tone, and Jessica immediately sat incautiously.
When Annabelle was about to sit down also, he stopped her.
"Not you, Miss Annabelle," he said, restricting her from sitting.
"What are you?" he asked as he stared intently at her.
And then, all she could wish for at the moment was for the ground to open and swallow her up.
The eyes of every student in class were on her, and Emily wasn't there to defend her.
She couldn't tell them that she was a human, no she couldn't, if not she'd be in danger.
"Professor Geiger!" Jessica yelled, slamming her hands on her desk as stood up beside the startled Annabelle.
"Must you ask her such a question? What's your problem?" she asked, glaring at their professor.
"Miss Jessica, please have your seat," the professor said, and she sat with a scoff.
"So what are you?" he asked Annabelle, who was now fidgeting with her nails.
"I'm a late bloomer, sir," she answered, and immediately there were whispers all over.
"She hasn't reached eighteen, so there isn't any problem," Jessica said as she glared at the professor and students.
Now Annabelle would be bullied because they've already known that she hasn't wolfed out yet.
"That's good, you can now sit," he said before proceeding with his lectures, unaware that he would have to face the repercussions of what he had just done, he had no idea.
~
"So you're a late bloomer?" one of the girls in their class asked.
"What's wrong with being a late bloomer?" Annabelle asked in frustration. She was tired of being asked if she was a late bloomer.
"I'm sorry to tell you, but you are no longer safe here, you better change school," the girl said with an evil smirk before walking out of the class.
"Don't mind them, Annabelle, just stay by my side and you'll be safe," Jessica said as she smiled slightly at Annabelle, who looked very worried.
~
"Annabelle, you are now the talk of the whole school, all thanks to that good-for-nothing professor who doesn't even know how to wear his glasses," Jessica complained as they walked to the cafeteria.
"Am I in trouble?" The innocent Annabelle asked in a whisper as they walked through the hallways with students staring at them.
"I don't know, but just stay by me," Jessica said as they continued walking.
All of a sudden, Annabelle collapsed to the floor with her books she was holding.
"Annabelle, are you alright?" Jessica asked as she helped her stand and pack her books that had scattered all over the floor.
"I'm okay," Annabelle said as she held her neck, groaning. She had started feeling pain in her neck, and it was making her feel dizzy.
"Are you sure?" Jessica asked as she stared at her.
"Yeah.." Annabelle replied, biting her bottom lip, trying to conceal the pain as they walked to the cafeteria, while students were already gathering around there.
"So everyone now knows that Annabelle is a late bloomer?" Valency asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah," Jessica replied, and all her friends gasped.
"This means trouble," Valency said as she stared at Jessica.
"Indeed," the rest replied with a nod of their heads.
"Annabelle, are you alright?" Xavier asked, observing Annabelle who was busy caressing her nape with a pained expression on her face.
"Yeah.… I just need to take a breather," she said before standing up and walking out of the cafeteria.
"Seriously? You guys are just staring at each other, won't anyone go after her?" Valency asked as she stared at Annabelle's retreating figure.
"I'll go. Xavier, come with me," Jessica ordered and stood up from her chair, also walking out of the cafeteria in search of Annabelle.