Bloodlines

CHAPTER ONE: LIVING DEAD GIRLS

             I was never exactly a normal teenager, but it all changed in one night. Six months ago, my father died. It's been difficult for me ever since. It greatly changed me in the process. I've had my best friends to support me however. There's Indi Marin, Alexandra Gordon, and Raven Beckett. My name is Lucinda, and this is my story.
            It was Friday. I woke up from bed and did my usual daily routine. The date was April 13th, 2007. I went in the shower then took out my outfit for the day. I was too lazy to get sophisticated so i just threw on a black cardigan over a black tank top, black leggings, and black Converse shoes. After that, I put on my makeup while playing music on my iPod. My makeup isn't that extreme either. I simply apply black eyeliner, pink blush, and some lip-gloss. After that, I left my room. I tried to quickly grab my purse and walk out the house without my mom worrying about my well-being.
          "Have a good day at school sweetie." she said colorfully. I doubted it, I hadn't had a good day in months.
        "Thanks mom." I said, walking out the door. It was rainy and gloomy outside, like it usually is in Woodstake, Florida. I loved the rain though. I disliked super-sunny days. On the way to school, I listened to music and saw a black cat walking down the sidewalk. I walked towards the cat, but it got scared and ran away. Perfect summary of my love life. Anyway, I continued walking to school. When I got there, my friends, Indi, Raven, and Alexandra, sat by the front steps.
         "Hey girl." Indi said, hugging me.
         "Hey." I said in return. 
          Raven and Alex hugged me too.
          Indi was a very beautiful girl with an emo sense of fashion style. She was curvy, though petite, and also had pale skin with green eyes. She had a round face and short black hair cut in a bob with blue highlights. Raven was skinny. She had a caramel complexion and an oval face. She had curly brown hair and hazel eyes. And lastly, Alexandra. She had long blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. she had a fair complexion and an oval face. She was the kind of girl all boys wanted, and most girls wanted to look like. Then there was me. Aside from the girls, who looked beautiful in their own, different ways, I felt like the odd one out. Like Raven and Alex, I wasn't very tall. We were only an inch taller than Indi, who was also the shortest girl in the school, standing at 4'10. At least my thin figure complimented my short height, also gifting me with slight curvature. I had long jet-black hair and fair skin. My brown eyes weren't too special either. Not as exciting as the green, blue, and hazel of the other girls. I did however like my long, thick eyelashes and my arched eyebrows that kind of gave me a 'bitch-face', as Indi would often say.
           My friends stood by me when I grieved the death of my dad, but I've never actually told them what exactly happened the night he died. I always dodged the topic. But they've been around since the beginning, and lately I've been thinking a lot about that night.
           I cleared my throat. "Do you guys wanna have a sleepover at my house tonight?" I asked.
          "I'm down." Raven said, "You guys?" She asked.
          "Yeah, why don't we order takeout and watch horror movies?" Alex requested.
          "Great idea!" Indi exclaimed.
          "Alright guys come, we'll be late for Chem." I said, walking into the school building.
          When I walked into the school, I went to my locker to get my Chemistry notebook. A few lockers away stood Jeremy...my crush. He's a sophomore, like me. He has nicest blond hair which fell over his eyes a little bit at the front, eyes as blue as the ocean, and a fair complexion which was a few tones darker than mine. He is a foot taller than I am, and has a slim but well-built body. Girls were all over him last year, but it seemed to have died down this year. I didn't know him that well, but we have spoken here and there, like in group projects and whatnot, so we weren't complete strangers. But I knew he would never date someone like me. Why would he? I'm not as pretty as the other girls, or at least I don't believe I am. In the sea of blondes and brunettes, I was practically the only girl with jet-black hair. Not as thrilling. 
             I continued to daydream but before I knew it, I was pushed to the floor. I looked up and above me stood Chloe, Woodstake High's most popular cheerleader. She's hated me for months, but I don't blame her. She is also a junior, and is taller than me, has curly dark-blonde hair, grey eyes, and a tan complexion.
           "Watch it!" She yelled.
           I got up and closed my locker, but Chloe pushed me again. I got up and pushed her back.
          "Just leave me alone!" I snapped. Chloe then grabbed me and pushed me against the locker.
          "You're gonna pay." 
          "You mind taking the hair salon smell elsewhere, Chloe?" Indi asked sarcastically, covering her nose.
          "Oh great, the posse is here." Chloe said, "Now if you guys will excuse me, i'm gonna be late for Physics." She grabbed her hot-pink purse and marched for the classroom.
          "She should put herself on a leash." Alex said.
           I then saw my friend Freddy. Freddy was my best friend before the girls came around. we went to preschool and elementary together. He was half a foot taller than me, had light brown hair, brown eyes, a fair complexion, and a lanky build. When he caught my eye, he waved at me with a smile, and I waved back. 
            "Nerd." Indi mumbled.
           "Back off, he's cool, leave him alone." I giggled.
           After the boredom that was Chem class, I went to the girls locker room to change for Phys Ed. I put on a pair of yoga pants, a black v-neck shirt, and the same Converse shoes. We had dodge-ball today. When I tell you i'm really not good at sports, I mean i'm really not good at sports. I don't like sweating either.
           "Watch out, freak!" Chloe said, hurling the dodge-ball at me with all her strength. I fell to the ground. I held my head in pain, but when I looked up, I couldn't believe my eyes. Jeremy stood over me. He helped me get back on my feet, which is not what how I imagined my first encounter with him would go.
           "Are you alright?" He asked in a voice so soft, it was almost angelic.
           "Yeah, i'm fine." I said, "Thank you."
           "Don't mention it." Jeremy said, smiling at me and walking back to his position.
           Maybe the dodge back hit me hard enough so I can hallucinate, but did Jeremy actually just talk to me? This is probably the only highlight of the day, although it could've gone a lot better.
          That night, Indi, Raven, Alex, and I had the sleepover at my house. We ordered Chinese food. I got my favorite, which was pork fried rice with Tokyo fried chicken and an egg roll..
          "So Lucy Lu, when are you gonna ask Jeremy out?" Alex asked, intending to tease me.
          "Jeremy? I don't know what you're talking about." I said, stuffing a piece of chicken in my mouth. "He's so not into me."
          "Oh come on." Raven said, "I saw the way he looked at you when Chlorine knocked you down with the dodge-ball."
          "You have no idea how fast he ran to you when you fell." Indi added.
          "I don't know guys." I said, "I don't feel ready."
          "Look, you've been using that excuse a lot lately." Indi pointed out, "What's going on?" She asked.
           I decided not to wiggle my way out of the topic yet again and decided to tell them the truth. After all, I did plan to tell them. That was the whole reason I hosted the sleepover.
          "Do you guys wanna go to the cemetery?" I asked.
          "Sure, will you tell us then?" Alex asked.
          "Yes." I promised.
           After we ate, the four of us went to the cemetery where my dad was buried. I used to come here a lot the following month. It's peaceful at night. I loved hearing the cricket and owl noises. there would always be little traces of fog all over this place.
         "This is my dad's grave" I said, analyzing the tombstone, which read:
         'Felix Ramirez'
         'October 10th, 1967-October 31st, 2006'
         'Loving father and husband.'
         "The night he died..." I began, "It wasn't just an accident. Or at least I don't think it was. When we drove over the bridge, there was nothing at first. But the next second, a tall man just stood in front of us. I couldn't catch a good glimpse of him because before I knew it,  we were in the water."
        "What else happened?" Raven asked.
        "It felt like forever, but we were drowning and he managed to unbuckle my seatbelt." I said, "And then he passed out. I tried to wake him but he didn't, so I got out of the car before I drowned, and swam to the surface."
        "I'm so sorry, Luce" Indi said.
        "Don't be, this is all my fault." I began to cry, "If I hadn't gone to that stupid party, he would still be alive right now."
          The three of them held onto me closely. They stood quiet as I wept all over their clothes.
          "I need a minute." I said, freeing myself and walking away.
          "You don't have to be out here alone." Alex said.
         "I won't go far." I said.
           I sat on top of a tombstone for a few minutes before I heard footsteps and felt like something or someone was moving fast.
           "Is someone there?" I asked. No answer. The scariest part was that just a few seconds ago, I could clearly hear the girls' conversation from a distance, but now it was dead silent. 
           "Hello?" I called out again, hoping for an answer from Indi. Maybe the girls are trying to scare me, I thought to myself. "Okay Indi, you're hilarious! You guys can stop trying to scare me."
            Then suddenly, it became cold. I pulled the sleeve of my cardigan over my hands. I swear I could hear breathing, and it felt close by. It felt like it came from right behind me, but when I turned, nothing was there. I didn't like this at all. I looked behind me once more and suddenly a bat appeared out of nowhere and hit me in the face. It flew all around me and I tried shooing it away. After a few seconds, the bat flew away, and I moved my hair out of my face. Since when were there bats in Woodstake?
               Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind. Both of my arms were crushed under the pressure of two bigger arms, which were covered my black leather sleeves. Who, or whatever this was bit through my neck. I screamed, the pain was unbearable. It was as if the person was draining every last drop of my blood out of my body. I began to feel weak, powerless. The person finally pulled its teeth away. For a second, I thought I was gonna die. The person still held onto me. It pulled one of its arms back, then I heard a biting sound. Did he just bite his own arm? Next thing I knew, the arm was forced on top of my mouth. My lips pressed against the bloody area of his pale, cold arm. I felt its cold blood dripping down my throat. The person let me go and I fell to the ground. The last thing I saw was a tall figure in a trench coat and a hat walking away. Then I blacked out. 
          And suddenly, I just woke up like nothing happened. It couldn't have been too long after I...I didn't know. I got up, my neck still killing me.
         I began to walk back to where my dad's grave. "Raven! Alex! Indi!" I called out. Still no answer. I began to worry. "Guys?! Hello?!"
         "Right here!" I heard Indi's voice say, which immediately calmed me down.
         "What the hell happened?" I asked.
         "I don't know." Indi said, "All I remember is being grabbed, experiencing sharp pain, and then blacking out."
         "Where's Raven and Alex?" I asked.
         "Over here." Alex replied.
         "What happened?" I asked, "I just woke up on the ground."
         "Maybe we should go." Raven advised.
         "You're right, let's go back to Lucy's." Indi agreed.
         Once we got there, the three of them were already fast asleep. I went to the bathroom to wash my face. I felt a rush of heat flow throughout my body as soon as I turned on the light, like my insides were burning, so I took off my clothes. I noticed I looked pale, more pale than normal. Then suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my gums. I yelped in pain, but made sure I wasn't loud enough to wake the others. Then the pain stopped. I looked into the mirror and opened my mouth only to see...fangs?