NINE | FAMILIAR

I supposed I’d never been so close to him, and never in an indoor space with him before. It didn’t make sense, but as our eyes locked, I knew it had to be true. It had been his gaze I’d felt upon me, time after time, and as our eyes finally met there was something… else. Something other than fear, other than trepidation. I was intrigued.

Something in my gut was urging me to move closer. I wanted to reach out towards him, to stroke my fingers down his dark skin; I wanted to trace the curve of his cheek, the soft, plump pout of his upper lip, and the sharp line of his jaw.

Instead, I ran.

I only had five minutes until the start of my second period, but I was not thinking of school as I sprinted. My rucksack thumped against my back with every thunderous step I took, and as I used my shoulders to barge milling students out of the way, it dawned on me that I was acting irrationally.

I couldn’t find it in myself to care. Towards the back of the school, alongside the sports field, was a small cluster of conifers. I should be hidden there, I hoped; I needed somewhere quiet, somewhere secluded, to talk with my familiar.

I’d finally found the werewolf I’d been so desperately hunting down, and I’d uncovered far more than I’d ever expected to.

I began to slow. I couldn’t miss a lesson, not so early in the year. It would raise suspicions… but I needed guidance. I turned back towards the cluster of buildings that made up most of the school’s campus. I had two minutes to get back. I could arrive a little flustered, a little late. That would be far less strange than running out entirely. I could say I’d left something in my truck, and hope that nobody had noticed the direction I’d run in.

Or, I could continue down this grubby, dirt path, and sit on the damp grass in the hopes of conjuring my familiar. She would come, I had no doubt about that – but how much help she would actually be was where I kept floundering.

All Light Vampires had familiars. So did Dark Vampires, too, according to Ezrand, but they were… different. Ours offered guidance, and they took the form of the animal that aligned closest with our souls – or what was left of them. They weren’t fully corporeal, and often appeared to shimmer between our world and theirs, their silver outlines flickering between realities. They came when we called (well, most of them did, anyway – Kathrena’s little black cat was often hard to persuade), and they could offer us direction when we felt most lost.

Ezrand, however, had told me that Dark Vampires had familiars, but theirs were not formed into any sort of animal. It was more of an ethereal mist, that spurred them on under the cover of night to drink, to feast, and to torment. He’d suggested that they could not take the shape of any animal, for more of their souls were masked by those of the human’s blood they drank so freely. Ours were more intact than our Darkened brethren, apparently, but sometimes it didn’t feel like it.

My familiar was a dog. A bounding Golden Retriever, with a dopey, open-mouthed grin and soft brown eyes. She meant well, and tried her best, but often her guidance was to “follow my heart” and to “trust in myself” – neither of which were statements that were often very helpful at all. It was the sort of motivational post I could find on a lifestyle blog in an instant, should I be so inclined, but I supposed that talking through things with her was useful – far more so than any of the advice she actually gave.

I let out a tiny, unhappy sigh. As much as I wanted to talk to my familiar, I knew I should get back to my next class. She’d make me feel better, but I didn’t have enough information myself to pass onto her. Any conversation we had would bring me back to where I was now, though I didn’t want to admit it to myself.

I turned back, and resolved to find out more throughout the rest of the day, and then conjure her when I had more to share.

I nodded to myself, and ran back the way I’d come from. The hallways had cleared now, and I realised belatedly that it was still raining. It wasn’t heavy, but the sky was turning darker as more clouds rolled in, thick and waterlogged. The shoulders of my orange sweater had dampened a little, a few stray strands of wet hair clung to my forehead and cheeks, but for the most part I shouldn’t stand out too much upon my return.

I just had to hope that there would be some seats towards the back of the classroom today. My trainers squeaked against the floor as I rounded the hallways, and eventually came to rest outside of the classroom door. I peered in, and was relieved to see two things: first, the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, and second, there was a spare seat towards the back.

I quickly smoothed down my hair, and I felt like Kathrena as I did so. I stifled a laugh as I pictured her dishevelled clothes and hair, and then slipped into the room.

I gave a quick smile to my classmates, my lips turning in on themselves. I could smell him, that golden-eyed, beautiful, werewolf boy, as I neared the back of the room, but I kept my eyes down. I wanted to stay near to him, but not overstep and end up too close. Perhaps my attraction to him was some sort of wolf-power; maybe they drew people in, with mystery and warmth, and then they’d lure you out to… I don’t know, eat you? I shook my head slightly at myself, and took my seat.

I could feel someone’s eyes on me, so I quickly slung my bag beneath my desk. I busied myself getting my notebook and pens out, and then tapped the edge of my pen against my desk. I supposed that they were wondering where I’d gone, but my excuse that I’d been out to grab something from my truck died on my lips as I looked up.

The golden-eyed, beautiful wolf boy was sat directly to my left, and he was staring right at me.