BloodLust

Marble Statues

Chapter Three

Carl was great.

He was easy to talk to, had a nice smile, and was thoughtful and caring. His kind demeanor made it easy to just spill what was on your mind, no matter how insane or embarrassing. I found it odd, how charming he was, but also found it relieving. I had never had any friends, and my father was too business-y to ever just be able to talk casually to. This must be what having a friend felt like.

He invited me to lunch, and I felt myself like him even more. There was an issue though, and that issue was his brother. He was in all of my classes as well, always sitting in the back with his friends. Every time I thought I was going to sneak a glance at him, his brooding silver eyes were always on me first, resulting in flaming cheeks and a flood of embarrassment.

Every time I asked Carl about him, he dismissed it with another question until I unintentionally forgot about it. But the entire time I was at my locker getting ready for lunch I stuck it in my mind, mentally preparing myself for any distractions he might have at hand. His brother unnerved me, and I wasn't about to sit the rest of the school-year freaked out and on edge. My grades would drop.

"Why won't you talk about your brother?" I blurted as we walked side by side to the cafeteria. He glanced to me, running his fingers through his fiery red hair.

"Step-brother." He said, his face serious. I sighed internally; maybe I had pressed a button?

"Okay, why won't you talk about your step-brother?" I continued to press, gazing at the side of his head. He sighed loudly, his silver eyes glancing around but never landing on me.

"Because he's...complicated." He said finally, running his hand through his hair again. Either his hair was that soft or he was nervous. He looked at me as we entered the cafeteria. "Just try to stay away from him okay? All he causes is trouble and for whatever reason he seems to like it."

We were silent after that as I thought over his warning. So maybe Peter was a sexual predator. I glanced around the cafeteria, finding Peter sitting at a table with his friends. They were all jocks, and yet Peter was the only one who wasn't overly buff like the rest of them. He was the palest too, sticking out in the blur of tan skin and brown hair.

Carl led me to his table in the far right, across the aisle from Peter's table. Four people sat at Carl's table, and I didn't fail to notice how unremarkably pale they all were.

Homework. I thought. They must be stuck inside all the time because of homework. As I sat down, getting a closer look my insides told me that wasn't the case.

They were all beautiful, in an odd ghostly kind of way. They reminded me of marble statues, everything about them stiff yet graceful. The two girl's eyes were rimmed red, as if they never got any sleep. They were still pretty no doubt, with their flowing hair and bright eyes. The other two, guys, had silver eyes like Carl and Peter. One of them had brown hair, but it looked as if the color had been sucked from it, leaving only a faint whisper of brown while the rest was a bright whitish shade. Same went for the other guy, except he had what looked like black hair.

"Athena," I jumped at Carl's steady voice. "These are William and Samuel." He gestured to the brown haired boy and the black haired boy. "And these lovely ladies are Tessa and Sara." He gestured to the sickly looking girls. They waved ecstatically at me, staring at me with hungry looking eyes.

I scooted closer to Carl, who sent a stern look at the girls.

"So which gutter did you find this one in?" The black haired boy named Samuel asked. His intense eyes were staring me down, holding me captive.