Nasferas: The Begotten

2

EARTH

"Give it back!" Matt yanked the iPod out of his sister's delicate hands.

"You broke my nail, asshole." Katelyn kicked Matt in the shin, sucking on the broken nail of her right index finger. It stung for a second but had no real damage. Besides, she had a pack of Lee Press-On Nails in her room.

The twins had started arguing over the electronic device at Christmas two weeks earlier when Matt got the thirty-two gigabyte iPod and Katelyn had unwrapped a leather coat. Her parents had given her a choice and she'd sacrificed electronics for the style. Now she wanted an iPod of her own and Matt wouldn't share.

"Mom said you had to share."

"So?"

"You're not even using it." She flipped her waist-long, one-length, straight-blonde-hair over her right shoulder.

I need a bargaining chip.

A chip she could pluck from the air at a moment's notice. It needed to be something she could use against him to get what she wanted. On the 31st of December, they'd be turning seventeen and could finally get their driver's licenses. Their parents had made them wait a year due to financial problems. Matt hadn't studied and never took his driver's ed class. Katelyn had done both and would brandish the shiny new license in a few weeks. She knew she had him. Now, with some negotiating power, he'd need to barter if he wanted a ride anywhere. She smiled and watched her six-foot-two brother stumble down the dirt path.

For twins, the two weren't much alike at all. Her hair hung full and straight, while his tight blond curls matted to his head like a stocking cap. Not to mention the height difference as she stood a foot shorter than him. She also sported a cute little mole on her right cheek just below her nose-line which he didn't have. Both of the toothpick-thin teens had silky smooth skin, perfect complexions, and large, straight teeth; not from genetics, but from forced braces worn for two years in middle school. Katelyn also prided herself on her posture. Matt slouched.

Who'd ever heard of Riddle, Oregon? Katelyn had wondered. She couldn't even find the place on the map. The family had moved from their big city life in downtown Seattle to the small southern Oregon town of Riddle at the beginning of the past semester. Their father had landed a job as the school's football coach and shop teacher.

To Katelyn, the kids in town treated them like celebrities. They hadn't seen boy-girl twins. The two became the school's new star attraction. She'd been on four dates with two different boys since they moved and now she couldn't decide which one she liked the most.

Both boys had asked her to the Winter Formal. The decision teetered between the captain of the football team, a senior named Jason Hanscom, and a junior star varsity wrestler named Brett Gerard. Jason's cuteness and height drew her in but Brett's muscles and sense of humor put him at the top of the list. The other girls seemed to like Brett more. Katelyn had gotten lucky as Brett had broken up with his girlfriend earlier that year, which made him fair game.

Jason, however, was dating the head cheerleader. The sad thing was, his girlfriend Nancy had taken Katelyn in, befriending her almost immediately. There's no way I'm hurting her, she thought. But her dream of dreams was to one day date the captain of the football team and this boy seemed ripe for the taking. She figured her decision might come down to a coin toss.

Matt circled and slapped her on the back of the head. The pain shot through to her eyes.

"Ouch! You jerk!" She tried to knead out the numbness in her scalp with her fingers.