Vallen: The Marking (Vallen series #1)

Chapter 2

The school wasn't so bad. There were a few annoying teachers, like my Science teacher who spend the entire lesson talking about his hobbies but did give out pop quizzes every Friday. But the things they taught were pretty easy, I could manage to keep up by not doing a whole lot.

The first week flew by before I realized it. I spend the weekend painting Maddie's room a soft pink colour. She raved on and on about her new friends

During lunch on Monday, she invited a few of her new friends to sit with us in the rather small and empty cafeteria, so I would understand why they were so awesome. I hadn't made any friends yet, which was no surprise. There was a boy in my Biology class who had talked with me for a bit, he seemed nice enough. But in the back of my mind I always thought: Why bother? In less than a year we will probably leave again.

"So what do you think of the city?" One of Maddie's new friends asked her. The girl had frizzy hair with poorly placed highlights.

"You mean this town?" Maddie asked back. "Kind of smaller than what I'm used to, but everyone seems nice." The other three girls seemed to be totally hypnotized by Madelena's stories of where we used to live. Being a newcomer in a small town came with a small dose of popularity.

I understood why my parents had to drag us all over the country. My mother does important work for the government. She helps regulate human-Vallen relations. Every time a new anti-Vallen support group would pop up she would be the first to be sent out to stop them. 

I never blamed them for dragging two kids into this lifestyle, but I had always dreamed of a place to call my own. To buy a house that I would call home for at least more than five years. To know that if I paint a room pink, it won't have to do it again in a year. Maybe even make some lasting friends.

My sad little thoughts were interrupted by a weird, tingling sensation on my right forearm. I ignored it and started listening to my sister's friends again.

"So there's a guy named Theo in our class. You should avoid him. He's rubbish." A girl with a mouth full of metal said. "He's dated loads of girls already."

Wait, so twelve-year-olds have proper relationships now? I mean Maddie did date someone but she wasn't very serious about it. She probably just did it to look like an adult. I had no idea there were twelve-year-old fuck boys already.

The other three girls nodded along to her. Adding things like 'he sucks' and 'avoid him' whenever the other girl allowed any silence. They sure did talk a lot.

The tingling sensation on my arm turned into burning, like someone was dragging a white-hot needle across my skin. I pulled my sleeve up, trying to see what the hell was going on.

I looked down and saw a pattern, drawn freshly into my skin. I knew it wasn't something I had absentmindedly drawn on myself. I could never have gotten the lines so straight, nor have I ever seen the drawing before.

"I-I'm going to the bathroom." I said, totally interrupting braces in the middle of her story. I could see on Maddie's face that she knew something was wrong. She knew me far too well not to notice. I didn't allow her to say anything. I walked away.

I pulled my sleeve down again, stretching it all the way so I was covered up to the knuckle. I speed-walked out of the cafeteria and back into the school. It was only in the bathroom that I allowed myself to breathe again. After taking a few deep breaths in an attempt to stop my heart from thumping out of my chest, I rolled my sleeve up again.

It was still there, as if it had been there for years and I was just crazy to notice it so late. It looked almost as though it was a butterfly drawn by a math teacher. Every line was perfectly straight, even though my arm was curved. It looked more like a geometric take on a butterfly. It fit my arm like it was meant to have always been there, and that it wasn't going to fuck up my life as I know it will.

Vallens have been around for almost as long as the human race. They look just like humans too, with the exception of a tattooed forearm. All Vallens have gifts, things that make them more powerful. Humans despise them for it. 

Not a day goes by that some innocent Vallen is on trial for a murder a human probably committed. But the one thing that is more than important to me right now: It is all about the genetics. The Vallen gene is passed on from mother to child. Neither of my parents are Vallens.

They lied to me. They have been lying for sixteen years now. Was Maddie also adopted? I had a million more questions flying around in my head, but they were all stopped by the loud ringing of the school bell.

I couldn't possibly go to class now. Not only did this mean that my family wasn't my family it also meant that I wasn't human, I was a Vallen. Vallens and humans hate each other. Especially in small traditional towns like this.

My entire body felt numb as I left the bathroom. A janitor gave me a weird look as I walked through the hallway. It felt like everyone around me knew. Like it was now branded on my forehead, 'this girl is a Vallen'. I tugged both my sleeves down again, no one could see my tattoo.