Toy Wolf

Chapter 16: vampirism

Weeks passed. I ran, I trained, I was scolded by Dr. Bryce on my spelling, my penmanship, and basically anything else she could scold me about. Frank and Grins continued to run tests on my agility, reflexes, and senses. I knew my body and its limits better than anyone else, and though Frank and Grins would try to push me farther every day, I knew that I was still holding back. Candice forced me to learn some fighting styles and form, and though usually I fought as fully human, every now and then I would use my claws to gain the upper hand. The vampires had become more spiteful as I continued to pin them, but it was hardly a fair fight. They were nearly starved and I was well fed and well trained.

Stefa helped fill in the gaps of my training, telling me stories of life before she had become a vampire. I learned a little about politics and family life and what others considered normal.

It wasn't a perfect education, and it had been at the promise of harm to both myself and Stefa, but I was a little grateful that I was no longer the silent dog on the leash. I could talk to most of the staff and they weren't afraid of me. I could read and write, and so knew the moment I escaped I wouldn't be totally helpless.

Grins had never warmed up to me. He treated me like I had been the one to murder his old partner and all my attempts at building a friendship had been for naught. He seemed to be willfully determined to hate me. He scowled as I walked into the room and busied himself at his computer.

"Hey Conor," Frank called cheerfully. "Did you hear? They brought in a couple of werewolves last night."

"No, I didn't," I answered carefully, trying to keep my emotions in check. "From where?"

"Nebraska," he replied, to my relief. "I'm human and I wouldn't want to be in Nebraska. Why would a werewolf want to be there?"

"It's isolated?" I offered. "No one's going to want to do a manhunt in the middle of nowhere, there's too much land to cover."

"Fair," Frank admitted. "Did you eat last night? You look thinner today."

I had not gotten used to the bulk of my arms and legs, and it was still odd to me when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I didn't wear shirts often; before they had hung on me, now they were uncomfortably tight around my shoulders. Frank said I ate enough protein for a football team, to which I had responded I would gladly eat more if they let me.

"I ate what was provided me," I replied, looking down at my chest and torso. "What are we doing today?"

"We're supposed to give you your next shot of vampirism," he replied with a grin. "And Dr. Bryce mentioned you might need time for a math test?"

I groaned.

"On the plus side, if you do succumb to vampirism, you don't have to take the test," he laughed. "What are you now, a fourth grader?"

"Probably," I admitted.

Frank rolled his eyes as I hopped on the table, letting my legs swing over the sides. He stabbed my shoulder with a needle and I could feel a wave of nausea hit me a moment later.

"This dose affects you more," he noted.

I gripped the table, unable to nod my assent. The first dose had made me dizzy, but not like this. Dr. Bryce wanted to know if my immunity to disease would protect me from vampires. Stefa thought it was stupid; no vampire would want to bite me twice.

"I'm just really dizzy and the lights are too bright," I said. "Like I can't turn down what I'm hearing or what I'm sensing."

Grins muttered something and typed up what I said.