Page 29 (1/2)

I AVOIDED STEVE THAT EVENING AND rushed straight home I was confused Why had I attacked Alan? I didn’t want to drink anybody’s blood I hadn’t been looking for a victim So how come I’d juain? And what if next ti until

No, that was a crazy thought The sight of blood had takenit I would learn from this experience and next time I’d be able to hold myself back

The taste of blood was still in my mouth, so I went to the bathroolasses of water, then brushed my teeth

I studied myself in the mirror My face looked the saer or sharper

My eyes and ears were the saht, no fresh patches of hair The only visible difference was in my nails, which had hardened and darkened

So as I acting so strangely?

I drew one ofdeep scratch "I’ll have to be careful of those," I thought to myself

My attack on Alan aside, I didn’t appear to be too badly off In fact, the ht about it, the less dreadful it seerow up, and I’d have to be careful if I saw fresh blood Those were downers

But apart froer than anybody else e, faster and fitter I could becoe would work against h, that wouldn’t matter

Iine: a vampire soccer player! I’d make millions I’d be on TV talk shows, people would write books about ht be asked to et work in the hts were interrupted by a knock on the door "Who is it? "I asked

"Annie," ca forever to use the bathroom"

"Co yourself in the rinned "Why shouldn’t I?"

"If I had a face like yours, I’d stay away froled She had a torapped around her She turned on the bath faucets and ran a hand under the water to e of the tub and studied e," she said

"I don’t," I said Then, looking in the mirror, I asked: "Do I?"

"Yeah," she said "I don’t knohat it is, but there’s so things," I told her "I’ her head "You’re definitely" The tub began filling up, so she stopped speaking and turned aside to turn off the faucets As she was bending over, my eyes focused on the curve of her neck, and suddenly an, turning back around

She stopped when she saw my eyes

"Darren?" she asked nervously "Darren, what are"

I raised ht hand and she went quiet Her eyes widened and she stared silently at ers as I waved them slowly from side to side, then around in s it, but I was hypnotizing her!

"Corowled, my voice deeper than nor, eyes blank, ars stiff

When she stopped before ers I was breathing heavily and seeing her as though through a ue slowly licked around my lips and my belly rumbled The bathroom felt as hot as a furnace, and I could see beads of sweat rolling down Annie’s face

I walked around the back of her,her flesh I could feel the veins throbbing as I stroked them, and when I pressed down on one near the botto out, blue and beautiful, begging to be ripped open and sucked dry

I bared my teeth and leaned forward, jaide open