I can't help but get terrible sleep every night. My body always feels restless, like I haven't done anything. Not that I can blame it—after all, I try my hardest to do nothing. So, just like any other day, I wake up discombobulated and distraught, ready for another day of doing as little as possible. Helps that it's the weekend.
I go downstairs and find breakfast cooked and laid out. Too bad it's cold—that's what I get for waking up at 1 in the afternoon. I rub tiredness from my eyes, while I grab some cold French toast and stuff it into my mouth. Then, like any teenager, I check my phone. My group chat with my friends has 30 new messages, so I open it.
"Bullshit... bullshit... bullshit," I mutter as I scroll through the texts, until I finally see my name. I focus up. Damn it—it's just Eustass and Bryan trying to get me to go to some party. Normally, I'd decline, but since I'm leaving to stay with my dad tomorrow... I send a text saying, "Yes." I figure I should at least hang out with them on my last day of freedom here. Tomorrow, I'll have to pack and get ready to leave the day after.
Just when I thought I could chill today... well, whatever. I notice my mom and sister tanning outside, so I head out to stave off the boredom. I step onto our back patio, squinting as the sunlight blinds me.
"That's definitely one thing I won't be missing," I proclaim.
Bella turns to me, annoyed. "You could use some sun—might fix that pale, flaky skin of yours."
"That's rich coming from you, Dracula," I reply in a monotone.
"Hey now," my mom chimes in. "You're both pale as hell."
We all laugh, until the reality of it being our last day together sets in. My mom instantly becomes a blubbering mess, saying how much she'll miss us and how much she loves us. We try to comfort her, but it's no use. Eventually, she pulls herself together, and I leave them to go about my day.
Nine o'clock rolls around, and I know it's time to head to this party. I throw on a white T-shirt, a red flannel, and some baggy jeans. I really need to buy more clothes—this is just wrong.
"BEEP... BEEP..."
Oh shit, that must be them. Time to interact with strangers. I begrudgingly hobble out the door.
"SILVER, GET THE FUCK IN THE CAR," Eustass yells.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I mumble, strolling without a care.
We laugh and reminisce until we arrive. The party is at a nice suburban house, completely overrun by teenagers. Beer cans, cigarette butts, and other gross shit litter the lawn. We step past the mess and head inside. As we enter, I glance back to talk to my friends, but they've already disappeared.
"Wow, so much for hanging out on my last day," I mutter.
I start to feel nervous now that I'm on my own. Without my friends, I'm pretty much a loner. They can be assholes sometimes, but they've always had my back. Even now, they probably ditched me so I'd learn to be more social before starting at my new school. It's their way of showing they care. Or maybe they just wanted me to prove I'm more than what people say about me.
The rumors, though... well, they're true. Or at least they were. People called me a demon child. I was a violent kid—any disagreement, I'd solve it with my fists or even my teeth. My anger was out of control, like a boiling pot of water that overflowed at the slightest discontent. Parents warned their kids to stay away from me, and I can't blame them. When you put a kid in the hospital with a chair to the head people tend to steer clear. I had problems back then, but I've worked on myself. That didn't stop the rumors from following me, though.
"Damn, what do I do now?" I say with a sigh. "Guess if I'm going to have any fun, I should start drinking."
I grab a beer and sit down on the couch awkwardly. Next to me is a couple about two beers away from a long nine-month journey. While they were in each other's throats—quite literally—I sip my beer, wondering what my next move is. Feeling out of place, I glance toward the door just as it opens.
In walks a beautiful girl... or should I say woman. She looks about 20—or maybe it's just the mature aura around her. She has long, curly red hair that falls past her shoulders and milky white skin. Her plain white shirt and jeans make her vibrant hair pop. She's so entrancing that I almost don't notice the two men behind her.
Both of them look like they belong in a cologne ad. One looks around 35 or 40, with dark skin and long dreads. The other is white, with shoulder-length dirty blond hair and a smirk like he's just smelled something good. They're all ridiculously attractive, but something about them seems... off.
"What the hell are they doing at a high school party?" I wonder aloud. That one guy's at least 30. What business could they possibly have with a bunch of teenagers?
Feeling uneasy, I decide to steer clear of them. They're probably drug dealers or something. Better safe than sorry. With that thought, I head off to find my friends.
"Found you motherfuckers!" I exclaim. "In here playing beer pong without me?"
"Ha! Silver couldn't make any new friends," Eustass teases.
"Fuck off," I shoot back. "I just want to hang out with my real friends on my last day."
"Oh my god, he actually loves us. That's so fucking touching," Bryan says, making a sarcastic puppy-dog face.
"I take it back, dickheads," I mutter, embarrassed.
"No takesies backsies—you wuv us," Bryan says in a baby voice.
We continue shit-talking as we play a few games of beer pong, then mingle with everyone else. I notice a few glances towards us from the group of 3 that came in earlier. I quickly dismiss it as nothing and quickly forget, because I was surprisingly actually enjoying myself. It actually felt fun partying with all these randoms. Of course, it's all thanks to Bryan and Eustass. I can have fun doing anything when I'm with them.
A few hours pass, and I check the time. I figure I should head home soon—I have to pack tomorrow. That's when I realize Eustass is passed out drunk.
"Guess there goes our ride," I say to Bryan.
He pokes Eustass and slurs, "Look at this useless pile of flesh."
I nod in agreement, and we head out. Our houses aren't too far, so we decide to walk. The streets are dead silent, which is why we notice we're being followed.
At first, we think it's just a coincidence. But when they make all the same turns, we start to run. I glance at Bryan to ask where we should go, but when I look, he's gone. I stop, panic setting in. A faint yelp draws my attention behind me.
What I see makes my blood run cold. Bryan is on the ground, covered in blood, trying to scream as the three strangers gnaw at him.
I freeze and all my instinct tells me to run, but old habits die hard. Consumed by a bubbling rage, a sorrowful feeling of grief, and overwhelming despair, I lunge at them. My attack is useless—I'm quickly overpowered and thrown to the ground making a painful gasp as the wind is knocked out of me. The red-haired woman pins me down by my wrists with unnatural strength. I struggle scraping my skin on the rough road, but it was no use. While I gasped for air, she bore fangs at me and lowered her head to my neck.
I feel a stabbing pain, along with a tickle sensation like something was dripping down my neck.my vision starts to blur soon after. The last thing I see before blacking out is red and blue lights