The Genetic Code

Chapter 5

Juliette

Last period is a free for me, so I put my books in my locker and get ready to go home early.

As I'm walking through the hallways towards the staircase, I feel my wrist grabbed from behind, and I'm hauled backwards. I try to twist my arm out of the hold, but it's too strong.

The hand isn't Kera's. It belongs to a male. But it's not Sterling's either. Sterling's hands are... softer, smoother. This guy's hand is calloused and almost scaly in texture.

I turn my neck and take a glimpse of the back of the head of my aggressor. Turns out the hand really does belong to a reptile — a new breed of reptile with peroxide blonde hair.

"W-What are you d-doing? Ivan! Let me g-go!" I hate how trembly and weak my voice sounds, but it's an accurate representation of how I'm feeling right now. Most students are having class, so there's no one along the echoing hallways to hear my screams.

Once my eyes land on where we're going, they widen, and I struggle even harder against his death grip, to no avail.

Ivan drags me into the dark supply closet, and locks the door.

He flicks on the light, and that grotesque face of his is illuminated, revealing a gross expression. Did he get even uglier since I last saw him?

"Why, hello there, Miss Aldaine. Long time no see."

"I don't know what the hell it is that you want, Ivan—"

"I want to finish what I started at camp, before we were so rudely interrupted."

"Well I don't!" I try to wrestle my hands free, but he takes my wrists and pin them above my head.

He cackles. "Too bad. I don't care about what you want." He slams me against the wall of the cramped space, knocking the wind right out of me.

"I've been waiting for too long. I couldn't do anything because of that Crawford shithead watching you like a hawk, but it seems like you've been blowing him off, which gives me the perfect opportunity to swoop in..." He leans in closer to me, and though I didn't think he could get any more revolting, his breath smells like a mixture between mothballs and almond extract, which I've heard has a similar scent to cockroaches. "And snatch the prey."

I feel a cold hand creep up my leg, and it feels like a million spiders are crawling all over my entire body.

"No! Stop!" I begin to thrash my body, but without my hands, it's nearly impossible to put up a fight at all.

"Don't pretend you don't like it, babe." He plants a wet kiss to my cheek. I almost barf right there and then.

"You're disgusting."

He cackles again. It's one of the most horrible laughs I've ever heard in my life, like a cross between a pelican being stabbed and a horse having intercourse. "Are you not going to call for your guardian angel to come save you? Why don't you give a cry?"

"What, like a damsel?" I gather saliva in my mouth and spit straight in his face.

"You bitch!" he snarls. "You're going to regret that."