Darling (You're Already In My Veins)

Ethan stood at his locker, Benny babbling about while he grabbed the things he needed.

"So, there's a hot chick in Chemistry and I'm planning on-" Benny continued to babble before a hand smacked the locker by his head, causing both boys to jump.

Benny turned his head to the delicate hand that caused the dent in the lockers and looked at the arm connected to the hand, the shoulder covered in leather, and the neck, pale and perfect, and Benny finally arrived at the beautiful face of Erica Jones smirking with her fangs on full display.

"Planning on what, dork?" Benny blinked in shock for a couple of moments, both boys noting that Rory was looming behind her, uncharacteristically stoic, before hissing at Erica,

"What are you doing?! Do you want to be found out?" The amusement was replaced by exasperation as she rolled her eyes heavenward.

"Ugh," she groaned, Rory placing a hand on her shoulder, which she surprisingly didn't shake off, "why should I care? Better for me anyways. Definitely makes it more fun when I get to chase." Ethan furrowed his brows, Benny and him glancing at each other.

"Uh, okay Erica. You do know that means that you'd turn everyone you bit, right?" She rolled her eyes again.

"Duh. I was just joking," she muttered before flashing a saccharine smile at both the boys, who flinched at the sight, her fangs still peeking through. "I just came over to tell you boys that there's a surprise." Ethan and Benny looked at each other with knowing grins on their faces.

"What?" Erica asked with a hint of irritation. She really wanted to surprise them.

"We kind of-" Benny started with a sheepish look.

"Knew," Ethan finished, the same expression cast on his face. "I had a vision. Last night. But it was weird. She looked really different." Erica quirked an eyebrow, hands on her hips while Rory still loomed behind her.

"How different?" Ethan shrugged, averting his eyes because he didn't know exactly how different either.

"Just. Different." At the growing annoyance on the dirty blonde's face, Ethan quickly tried to change the subject.

"So, uh, Rory," the dark haired boy gulped as the vastly different looking Rory turned his attention from Benny, who his gaze had never deviated from, to him. "You look different. What did you do? Work out or uh something?"

And it was true, he did look very different. For one, he apparently grew a half foot taller, from his 5'9 height before to his 6'3 height now and fully towering over Benny. His hair was about the same length before as well, if a bit longer (to the point where he could probably put it into a little ponytail), and his frame filled out. Long gone was the scrawny, skinny, and goofy blonde, and instead, a tall, leanly muscled, aloof man took his place.

'Even Erica didn't change this much when she turned,' Ethan thought, a nervous look on his face.

"Yeah," Rory's deeper voice answered, and Benny's eyebrows raised. That was a huge change from the squeakiness before. Suddenly, Rory's blue eyes came back to rest on Benny, an acute attentiveness there that Benny wasn't entirely sure he liked. At the very least, he wasn't entirely sure he disliked it either.

"Uh," Benny uttered out, moving towards his best friend, innately aware that both Erica and Rory's eyes followed his every movement, "okay then. We're gonna get to class. We'll see you later." Erica shrugged.

"Fine. See ya." With that, Benny grabbed Ethan's arm and made their escape behind a corner and making their way to class.

"That was weird," Ethan glanced back at the corner they just made, a concerned look in his eyes. Benny huffed.