Taming Beasts » Twilight

T E E T H

     "I'm so cold." Riley spoke through shivers. I rolled my eyes at her weak attempt to steal a boy's sweatshirt. We were all sitting on uncomfortable logs around a warm bonfire. The warmth created a reassuring shield around us, keeping the cold, damp air untouched. Kataline, Mahalia, Riley and Lanessa were there. Riley invited only every cute boy in the tenth grade. The boys outnumbered us by four, insisting an awkward vibe from Lanessa; she was our little ninth grade recruit. Besides the obvious anxiousness Lanessa produced, the group was at ease, roasting marshmallows and hosting humorous conversations. Lanessa thought this was a 'spin the bottle' type of get together, when in reality it was just a friendly hang out.
"Hey," I whispered, leaning into Lanessa's long black hair. "There's nothing to be worried about. These are all my friends....besides that guy." I spoke, glancing towards the pale skinned boy across the flames. "I actually have no clue who he is." Lanessa laughed and nodded. "Got it." She smiled, looking down. I patted her back and picked up a marshmallow, fitting it in my mouth with one bite.
"So," Riley said from the far left of me. "How's that boyfriend, Taylor?" I looked at her in annoyance. I shouldn't suspected that she wouldn't let the night end without some drama. I eyed Kataline to my right, she was clearly uncomfortable.
"I don't know, aren't you the one who hooked up with him last night?" I fired back. Riley smiled and nodded her head.
"Smart girl." She looked up from under her lashes. "But I think last night it was Jordyn, sweetie."
"Whatever slut he can get in bed with, I suppose. A slut like you." I eyed her harshly. Hollers rang from the boys around us. I could hear Lanessa try to hold back a laugh. I smirked, pleased with my harm.
"It's not my fault you got yourself in a relationship with Mr. Fuckboy of the year." She snorted.
"And it's not my fault he'll always choose me over you." I responded. Riley knew she was losing this fight, she tried to change the subject.
"I don't have to accept you, Taylor. You know that, right?"
"I never asked to be accepted, especially by someone like you." I finished, picking up my soda and walking into the dark woods.
"I'll be back in a sec, have to call my boyfriend." I yelled over my shoulder. Triumph was clear in my voice.
     My stomach dropped the way it usually did when I travel somewhere dark and silent. The trees blocked the light of the moon, so I only had the faint light of the bonfire that was a couple dozen feet away from me. I pulled out my phone and found James in my contacts.
James was indeed a person that used girls for their bodies, but he was also not my boyfriend. I had a fling with him a few weeks before, but once I was in on the gossip I cut him off completely. Not that he cared, all he wanted was me in bed. He answered on the seventh ring.
"Look who came crawling back." He said in a seductive tone.
"I'm not back, asshole. I'm calling because Riley likes to piss me off. Do you have anything to do with this?"
"Are we talking about our relationship?"
I sighed and closed my eyes.
"James, there is no relationship. Not even one were I tolerate your existence."
"Oh please, hun. You know that's not what it's like."
"No, that's exactly what it's like. I know your little broken heart will never get over me," I stated sarcastically. "But I'm over you. Beyond over, actually. And don't forget what happened to the last person that messed with me." I finished harshly, not waiting for him to answer before hanging up. I looked down to my leather boots below me, I wasn't in the mood to rejoin the group. I let me feet lead me deeper into the dark forest, a place where the sound of the bonfire stories were barley audible.
     I concentrated on the sound of my feet crunching the dead leaves and twigs below me. Playing with the charms on my right hand bracelet, I closed my eyes and stopped walking. I tried something my mom showed me long ago when I had trouble sleeping due to stress. I breathed in deeply for three seconds, then let all my air out until I was empty of oxygen. I repeated this process several times, trying to slow my pounding heart. Despite the fact James was the person I was trying to forget, he was all I could think of. I kept replaying the pain he caused me when I discovered how many girls he had slept with before me. To say the least, it was an unhealthy amount. I was innocently clueless, thinking we were building a relationship together.
"Taylor." An unfamiliar voice spoke, pulling me out of my trance. I opened my eyes and turned around, unbalanced and flustered. I made eye contact with the nameless pale skinned boy from the bonfire. He smiled in return.
"I was just wondering where you were, the group was getting worried." He said in a hypnotizing tone. Everything about him could make a girl think twice. I noticed through the darkness his perfect jawline, hair and eyes. In all honesty, every feature he had was near perfect. I nodded in agreement and started walking back towards the flames. Just as I was about to pass the beautiful boy he grabbed my wrist tightly, sending shivers up my back. His touch was too cold, even in the thick chilly air. His hands numbed my arm like ice. My stomach dropped as I whipped my head towards him in curiosity. He looked at me with a small smile playing across his lips. He leaned into my body, forcing our faces only inches apart. He opened his mouth slightly, invading my nostrils with the smell of peppermint. I was not intrigued by his actions, but more so scared. Something about him sent the bad type of butterflies to my stomach.
"I'm not..." I started, but before I could finish he had my head in both his hands.
  "Hey!" I reconized Miles voice voice from what sounded like only a few feet away. I tried to turn my head to see him, but the cold boy's hands were stronger than chains, holding me back. I grew anxious.
"Hey! Let go of me!" I struggled with his grip. "I said let go!" I shouted once more. His hands were now all over me, trying to restrain my whole body from moving. My eyebrows tugged together as I struggled with his strong arms. My mind went into attack mode and all else was irrelevant. I pushed and clawed at his body, continuously punching and slapping his face, he barley moved.
"Help!" I screamed, kicking him in the leg. He hushed me and put a hand over my mouth, dragging me deeper into the dark forest. My mind went haywire as my body started numbing and my eyes widened with fear. I couldn't get my body to cooperate with my mind, I couldn't process what was happening. My eyes darted back and forth trying to find something that could help me escape. Tears streamed down my face when I realized there was no way to break his steel hold. My body started shaking slightly with fear. He looked down at my trembling body and chuckled, amused with my obvious pain. He started to slow his pace, soon coming to a stop. I looked at his amused expression once more, disgusted with his idea of humour. A horrible idea came to mind, but it was the only one I had. I opened my mouth as wide as it would go, hammering my teeth into the side of his hand. It felt as though I had sent my jaw crushing down on stone. It irritated my mouth and took away my slight hope. However, he looked drawn back, so I clenched my jaw with all the strength I had. Despite the horrible pain I dug my teeth in deeper, actually breaking through a layer of skin. Suddenly and unexpectedly, puncturing his hand was much easier. I felt my jaw ease through the rest of his flesh, nearly down to his bone.
"Ahh!" He screamed, throwing me to the ground. My head hit a rock with a large thump, but the pain was not the first thing on my mind. I licked over my teeth to find them much longer and sharper than usual. The pale boy whipped his head to me, eyeing my bloody hair. His eyes frightened me. I remembered them once a plain shade of brown, but now they were an iridescent red. He stomped towards me and a growl filled the void of the once silent night. I backed up sporadically, still on the ground. More tears streamed down my face as I watched his jaw tightened as he moved towards me. I let out a moan as my back came in contact with a tree that had been hiding behind me, the boy smiled. So fast I unsure how it happened, we were face to face. With the adrenaline rush I was experiencing, and the successes I witnessed not long ago, I decided to take a chance. I brought my knees up all the way to my chest and pushed his stomach with my feet. To my surprise he moved back, not only moved back, he flew. I stopped and watched for a second in total shock before standing up and running away.
     My feet felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each. I was barley moving. I used all my strength in attempt to run faster, but something was pulling me back. Suddenly, the boy's cold hand was gripping my neck like he was trying to choke me. My hands started clawing at his, trying to pull him off of me. I tried to scream as his grip became more deathly. That's when he took his other hand and tilted my head to the side, slowly letting his lips come in contact with my neck.
     Fear made my slight shivers turn to trembles, like tidal waves were taking over my body. The dangerous boy paused, his lips just barley hovering over my neck. He seemed almost as scared as I was. He released his tight grip on my body and took a step back, looking at me in disbelief. I couldn't focus on running away, my body was jerking too much. I started to regain the feeling of my limbs, the numbness was fading. It was then replaced with a ticklish feeling. I felt like I was being pumped with steroids and my pulse quickened. My bones and muscles felt like they were expanding, growing stronger in the process. I let my body bare through one last tremble before I realized I was on my hands and feet. I was running, fast. The forest flew by me in a blur. I tried to slow down and concentrate on my moving feet, but when I looked down all I could find were white paws.