Capture

Chapter 5: A Monster Calls

Chapter 5: A Monster Calls

"Nattie B?"

It was a familiar looking girl that said this. She had a tall willowy frame and short brunette hair that was cut to her ears. My mind didn't instantly place her voice or appearance until she gave me a comical side smile. Ah, Rebekah. I didn't recognize her without all the dark makeup and blue hair.

"Oh, hi", I hesitantly said.

We weren't exactly friends back at school. If we had a class, we could work well on projects, but we never hung out outside of school. She had this whole Princess of Darkness thing going on since middle school. Black everything and blue hair. I had admired her dedication. She looked so out of place in the light grey sweats. Her hair, which I'm guess was her natural coloring, must have been cut to hide the remnants of blueish bleached hair.

"Want to sleep on my bunk?", She gestured down to a further row, where a group of girls with hair even shorter than hers sat.

"Um...", I muttered glancing behind me, back at the door, and then around the room.

No Emilee.

"Have you seen my sister? Remember Emilee?", I asked hopefully.

She raked a polish-free through the front of her hair. I don't remember that being one of her ticks.

"No, I'm sorry Nat. I haven't seen her.", She sighed.

"Then sure", I said forcing a small smile at Rebekah, trying to lighten the mood.

I followed her through the rows. None of the other humans paid me much attention. Before we reached those girls and while we weren't to close to anyone else, I pulled on Rebekah's sleeve to a stop.

"What is going on here? Why are there so many people here?", I asked her quietly.

Her signature smile reappeared on her face.

"This Detention. None of us have done anything illegal per say, but haven't followed the new set in place. You have been missing for a while, its gotten a lot sticker. I'm here because unnatural things aren't tolerated anymore, which is totally like my entire look."

She raised coordinating her eyebrow that held all the sarcasm she wouldn't be allowed to say. I distinctly remember that brow being pieced with a bright green bar. We started walking again.

"The front is to rehabilitate us for society. Really, they want to pair us all off to some Natural being that will keep us all in line."

"Is that why they collected a bunch of my hair?"

"Yep," she said with a pop. "This is us."

She climbed onto the top bunk. Dangling her feet over the side, she patted next to her.

"They keep our stinky human hair for the rabid hopefuls to smell. Its better than them trying to parade us through the halls. Its more efficient for my sleep schedule."

She smiled down at me, then it dropped.

"Where were you?", She whispered.

I was taken back by the emotion in her voice. Rebekah was her own person, but I must have been the one she would have turned to, and I wasn't there. That's not my fault and I'm sure she didn't blame me.

"You heard about my mom? Well, her...Natural...he didn't react well," I stared down at my hands, twisting the edge of the fabric of my shirt. "He wanted to hurt us. I believe that even if he wanted to play catch with me and Emilee, Dad would have still have reacted the same. He worried about our future. You've heard what happens to humans in mate pairings. The day of the announcements, Dad was planning so that didn't happen."

"Where did you stay hidden all this time?" She placed her hand over mine. It was much warmer than I was.

"Would you believe me if I said we were under the house?" I twisted my lips with mirth.

"Now that sounds like a story."

I filled Rebekah in on everything and she me. Her brother had been shipped off on some cryptic mission after a lame human draft was put in place. The territory borders were firmly in place and the vampires had stayed away, at least from the territory we were located. Although most of the human population was terrified there were still some ass-kissers out there trying to get beast-cozy. Idiots.

Annoying chimes sound overhead. A group of boys raced across the room, pushing and grabbing onto each other's shirts. The rest of the humans leisurely walked in the same direction. Rebekah jumped down from the bunk.

"Come on, breakfast time." She reached a hand up to me.

She had managed the fall, but she was much taller than me. Her own head reached over the top of the bunk. I slid down, slowing my fall by clinging to the frame.

We started to walk in the same direction as everyone else. I fell in line behind her. We entered into a separate space that was used as a cafeteria. I could see other sleeping quarter doors open and spilling out a similar line. I scanned the faces.

After we had collected our food, Rebekah steered me towards the same group of girls from before. They accepted me and smiled but they seemed apprehensive. I ate silently, letting her do all the talking for me. We had never been this close before, but she was talking to these girls as if we had been best friends since childhood, that her rebellious spirit was akin to my own.

There was a commotion in the hallway. Shouting. The room quieted. All heads snapped in the same direction. Naturals that had been stationed at the doors rushed out. In the moment the door was swinging closed, I could see a beast. A mixture of an animal and man in a rage being held back by failing guards. I had never seen a Natural so out of control or even shift in such a fashion. I glanced to Rebekah and was taken back by the worry on her face.

I must have become dense from all my time underground. The monster in the hallway wanted in here. It wanted someone in here and was willing to do anything to do so. It wanted a mate.

But who was that?