What Love Craves

Chapter 3

Tabitha

I shuffled my feet down the hall to English class. I wanted to see him but knew we could never be together. I didn't trust myself to be around him alone. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I'd lost control and hurt him. I could never lose control around him ever. So that's why I've kept my distance from him. He wasn't the only one I had to be careful around; I found I had to pretend to cough around some so I could hold my hand over my nose and mouth. Their blood was more enticing to me than others. 

I strolled into English right as Ms. Jordan rounded the corner and headed for her classroom. There on the left side of the room, a few desks over from mine, was Blake, glancing down at his phone. He raised his head when one of the girls in the classroom walked by, flirting with him. He smiled but went right back to looking down at his phone. I thought my eyes were blue, but his were piercing with his brown hair. For a split second, I wondered what it would be like to be able to gaze deep into them without worrying about ripping open his neck. 

"Time to take your seat, Tabitha," Ms. Jordan said, easing around me to walk to her desk. 

"Huh?" I turned toward her shoes, tapping the floor. She set her iced coffee on the desk and motioned for me to take my seat. I nodded in response, then turned my head slowly toward my seat, knowing I'd have to walk past Blake to get to it. I held my breath so his scent wouldn't entice me as I passed by him. I no longer needed to breathe air, but I still went through the action out of habit. 

"Hey." Blake's hypnotic blue eyes gazed up at me. 

"Hi." I held his gaze briefly, then snapped out of it when Ms. Jordan cleared her throat, telling me to take my seat so she could start class. I knew she was doing her job, but she wouldn't be so snappy if she knew who I truly was. I felt bad enough for having to use mind compulsion on Ms. Inman; I didn't want to use it on Ms. Jordan, too. My eyes shifted to the left, staring at the back of Blake's head, listening to his strong heart pumping blood through his body. There was something about him that I craved other than his blood. Right as I opened my book, I heard a whisper from across the room, saying how hot Blake looked today. I turned to the right, hoping to spot the one that said it. I perused through the rows, looking for a girl sitting by another girl. I shifted in my seat, spotting her on the other side of the room, by the wall. She kept turning her head every few minutes, staring at Blake. She sat there, twirling her long auburn hair around her finger. 

"Okay, everyone, let's open our books to page thirty-five and get started." Ms. Jordan announced, turning and grabbing a dry-erase marker. I flipped through the pages, sneaking glances at Harper, who kept staring at Blake every few minutes. I wanted to look her in the eye and compel her to chase after someone else. I didn't like messing with people's minds, but she was asking for it. I knew she was going to be a problem for me later on. 

"Psst...Psst..." The sound vibrated in my ears as if the person was next to me. My eyes shot to the left, where the sound was coming from. Blake's eyes were fixated on me; he glanced toward the front to make sure Ms. Jordan was still talking and writing on the board. "Can I talk to you after class?" 

Everything told me I needed to compel him, but instead, I shook my head yes. Blake's face lit up like a little kid in a toy store. As for mine, I hoped it wasn't screaming regret for agreeing to talk to him. It's a good thing I was good at controlling my emotions for the most part. Every once in a while, my emotions would come across like a neon sign.  As long as I didn't get mad, everything was fine. I didn't have to worry about my eyes or teeth changing as long as I could keep my cool.

Blake was at my desk the minute the bell rang, gazing down at me. "Tabitha, can I walk with you to lunch?" Blake handed me my stuff off my desk when I stood up. 

"Thanks." I situated the books in the bend of my arm, wrapping my hand around them. I could hear his blood pumping through his body, making the burning in my throat unbearable. I had to get out to my car, but I couldn't with him wanting to walk me to lunch. "Um...I have to go to the office really quickly to take care of something related to my schedule. Could I meet you in there after I'm done?" 

"Uh...Yeah, sure." I couldn't help but notice the disappointment that swept over his face. He had no idea I was saving him from myself. I wanted to be around him, but I didn't trust myself. I couldn't live with myself if I accidentally hurt him because I'd lost control. "I'll see you in a little bit." He forced a smile, then turned and headed out into the hall, disappearing in the swarm of kids rushing past the door. I waited a few minutes before I left the classroom, running down the hall; kids couldn't see me but felt the breeze as I rushed past them. I started walking a few feet from the doors, looking both ways before opening the right door. 

"Um...Excuse me. No one is allowed to leave without permission." I heard a nasally voice, walking up behind me. I rolled my eyes and turned around. It was none other than Ms. Curry walking toward me, her shoulder-length, brown hair bouncing with each step. "Where do you think you're going?" She stopped a few feet from me, pointing at the door. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, tilting her head to the side, shifting her weight to the right. Ms. Curry was the school's secretary; she's a real ball-buster from what I've heard listening to other students. 

She may be an annoying bitch to the students in this school, but she didn't deserve what was coming next. No one deserved to have their minds messed with. I closed the few feet between us and stared deep into her brown eyes. "You didn't see me walking out the door. You're going to turn around and head back to your desk and stop harassing students today." She blinked a couple of times, then turned to the right and headed back to the office, her black flats tapping the tile floor. I opened the door, propping my book against the door frame so I could get back in without buzzing the office. I ran to my car and opened the trunk, thinking I should keep my cooler in a hiding place in the school so I wouldn't have to keep running outside. I lifted the bottle to my lips; the cold liquid quenched the fire in my throat. I took another drink to help curb my hunger. 

"Tsk...Tsk...Still taking trips to your car when you have almost a thousand fresh bodies in the school." 

I screwed the lid back on the bottle, shoving it down in the cooler. I slammed my trunk shut. "What do you want, Evie?" I turned around, glaring at her. She was leaning against the back of a blue car with her arms and ankles crossed. 

"Is that any way to treat your sister?" She uncrossed her arms and ankles, standing up away from the car. "Still trying to blend in. Pitty." She flipped her long, light brown hair over her shoulder, walking closer to me. "I don't see how you can drink it cold. I prefer mine to be 98.6." She motioned her hand at my trunk. 

"Again. What do you want?" I stared at her. 

"Calm down. I'm not going to do anything...Yet." She laughed, sliding her sunglasses down off the top of her head. "Then again, if you aren't going to scoop him up, I will." 

"Stay away from him!" I hollered, exposing my fangs. 

"Fiesty. I like it. Calm down before someone sees you. You should get back inside before someone notices you out here, and you have to compel them, too." She turned and walked over to her black sports car. 

"How did..." Evie cut me off before I could finish my sentence. 

"Guess...You'll have to find out." She opened the car door, slid down in the seat, shut the door, and sped out of the parking lot. I watched her turn onto the road and gunned it down the road. I exhaled, trying to calm down. I ran back to the school, grabbed my book, and let the door eased close. I wiped the corners of my mouth, making sure there was evidence of my snack left over. I walked into the cafeteria, studying everyone's faces, knowing some of them would probably end up dead in the coming weeks.