Only Fire

Chapter 7

"Just think about it, Ember," Kathryn said as she turned her head toward me on her way to her seat.

I smiled and nodded my head. I would give her a definite answer by the end of lunch.

"So, go where?" Zane asked me. He was not going to let this go. 

"Ember's new friends want her to go to the Halloween dance with them," Lucy said. Way to keep a conversation between us, Lucy. I did not want to tell my enemies what I considered doing. 

I heard their laughter first. He always acted differently in front of his kind. 

"Is that funny?" I asked.

"It's just hard to picture you at a social gathering," Zane said.

"I'm sure your dance moves are fire! You'll be the light of the party!" Antonio laughed. His jokes were pitiful. 

"I might just go."

"Don't let us stop you," Zane said.

"Trust me, I am not taking you guys into account at all." 

I opened my notebook, wishing to end the conversation. On cue, Mr. Schwertz walked in, making my wish come true. 

"One person from each lab, grab your materials for today's assignment."

Like Deja vu, Zane and Antonio headed up front, grabbing the materials. 

"They are such gentlemen that they always get the stuff for us," Lucy said.

"Yeah, Lucy," I said, watching Lucy's eyes follow each step Antonio made like a puppy waiting for their master to return. What had he done to her?   

"Last time you got used to the equipment," Mr. Schwertz continued. "This time, you will be handling different materials."

I knew what would happen when I saw the bottles that read hydrogen peroxide and yeast. At least we were not using fire today. 

"I hope you like purple," Zane said, setting a small bottle of food coloring on the lab table. 

"It's my favorite," I muttered. 

I did not miss the slight smile that rose at the corner of his lips as he put the bulky safety glasses on his face. If his personality wasn't so arrogant, I might have found him as attractive as everyone else in the class who had their eyes ogling him.

We worked carefully and slowly, taking notes and measuring the precise amounts into the glass beakers. Zane let me do the honors and pour the water and yeast mixture into the purple soap and hydrogen peroxide. The purple foam explosion was beautiful, and for a split second, I thought we made a good team.

"The explosion was pretty, wasn't it?" Zane leaned over and whispered to me. Was this vamp a mind reader or just a flirtatious predator?

"Yeah," I replied, and that was it. Silence. The end of our conversation and the end of class.

"Make sure to clean up your areas and turn in your notes before you leave," Mr. Schwertz said.

"You got that, right?" Zane asked. He slung his backpack over one shoulder. Did I miss something?  

"What?" I asked, but it was too late. He was out the door with the other vamps. Lucy must have been charmed as she cleaned up the area, without complaining. That was out of her character as she was one of the biggest human complainers I knew.

This vampire's hot and cold ways were going to drive me psychotic, if I wasn't there already. As I picked up a beaker to take to the sink and wash it, I noticed a couple more hands at my table. My friends had joined in the cleanup where my partner had left me.