Crave (7 page)

 

I didn't want to talk to anyone for the rest of the weekend. But Nanna said that my friends had been calling for me all week. So I made myself call Anne later that evening.

After chatting for a few minutes, I thought I'd better warn her about the changes in my appearance. But when I tried to describe how different I looked, she just laughed.

“Don't worry about it, Sav. Every year I get the flu for a few days, and afterward I swear my head looks way too big for my body. Anyways, if you want to start coming early to school next week, I could help you get caught up on all the algebra homework you missed.”

“Mmm, good idea.” I hesitated, curious to know if anyone else had missed me while I was gone, one boy in particular. But I couldn't find a casual way to ask and not make a big deal out of it. And why would anyone other than my friends have missed me? So I gave up and said goodbye instead.

When I called Carrie and Michelle, I didn't mention the changes in my appearance. For all I knew, I was the only one who would notice them.

 

But when I returned to school Monday morning, too late to meet Anne at the picnic tables for tutoring, I felt more like a freak than ever. While some of the changes in my appearance might be my imagination, the bigger chest size definitely wasn't. I'd gone up a full cup and a half. Mom and I had been forced to do emergency shirt and bra shopping yesterday so I'd have something to wear to school that didn't scream
slut.

Still, even with the bigger shirts, I felt conspicuous in the main hall before first period. So I made sure to carry my notebook against my chest. The freshmen boys weren't exactly kind in their comments toward the curvier girls in our grade, and I so didn't need more hall harassment in my life right now.

Unfortunately, even my notebook couldn't block what happened next.

“O. M. G. Worst boob job ever!” Vanessa called out to me, laughing as she and her sister passed by, their voices somehow loud enough to carry over the noise of the hall even though they didn't sound like they were actually yelling. Magically amplified? I wouldn't doubt it. They would want everyone to be sure to hear them torture me.

And then I felt it. It was like a poisonous gas spreading over my skin, seeping past my shirt to make my skin crawl. And alien…whatever it was, the sensation definitely wasn't coming from me.

What the heck
was
it? Nobody had warned me about this.

It had to be either magic-or vampire-based. Or had the Brat Twins hit me with a spell just now? I would have to call Mom as soon as I could find a restroom where I could talk in private.

I kept walking, forcing my hands to be still when all I wanted to do was scrub the vile sensation from my skin. I tried to think about something else, anything at all.

But then I had to refocus on the weird sensation, because it was changing now. In fact, the farther away I got from the Brat Twins, the more the sinister feeling of evil intentions faded away. Now it was more a mixture of stuff I couldn't sort out. Kind of like cobwebs made of worry, happiness, sadness and fear all twisted together. Maybe I was going insane from learning too much crazy crap about my family and myself this weekend.

Unless…somehow I could sense others' emotions now?

Oh, Lord. When I concentrated, it grew worse, until I could feel each person's mood as they passed me. Experimenting, I matched up what I felt with each person's facial expression and overheard bits of conversations, and was able to piece clues together. Happiness nearly made me laugh from its tickling sensation. Worry was heavy and cold, an ice chunk sliding down my skin. Love was warmth and softness, heated cotton balls. Anger, a knife that slashed and ripped across my skin.

I managed to make it the hundred yards to my locker, then closed my eyes and tried to think about something else. Anything else to make the overwhelming mix of emotions go away. Something soothing. Something…

Tristan's eyes staring down at me. The sound of his voice, low and husky, whispering my nickname, asking me if I was okay. His hands on my shoulders, warming me through my shirt in algebra class.

After a few minutes, the sensations of others' emotions faded away. My shoulders, which had scrunched up near my ears, eased back down, and I could breathe deeply again.

Okay. So now I could sense others' emotions. It wasn't an
ideal development, and I definitely could have used a little warning. But at least I could control it if I stayed calm.

Was it magic-or vampire-based?

It had to be magic-based, some sort of natural Clann ESP ability, right? Which meant no cause for alarm, no vampire abilities developing here. It wasn't exactly
normal.
But maybe all the descendants could do this and just didn't show it. Even Tristan.

Oh, crap. Could they read my emotions around him? Could he tell—?

Face burning, I cut off that thought and headed away from my locker, debating whether to call my parents or Nanna and let them know about this new development. Then again, why should I? They'd wanted me to tell them about new developments so they could help me deal with them. But I'd handled this one on my own. All I had to do to control it and block out everyone's emotions was to stay calm. There was no need for the rescue squad. Yet.

Okay, so no phone call to the family. But maybe I should go ahead and grab my entire day's collection of books so I wouldn't have to return to the main hall later. Just to be safe.

 

“Go, Savannah!” Captain Kristi, leader of the Charmers dance team and the assistant teacher for my pre-drill class, whooped as she ran over to give me a high five, hundreds of tiny black braids bouncing wildly around her head with her every step.

I couldn't even feel her palm slap mine. I was too much in shock. A triple pirouette. When I couldn't even do a proper single a week ago. It was an honest-to-goodness miracle.

At the end of pre-drill class, I floated downstairs, feeling like one of those Mylar balloons, all light and shiny, while I got dressed then walked over to the cafeteria for lunch. No
doubt my cheeks would hurt tomorrow from the force of my smile. But I couldn't stop myself. Today, for the first time ever, I had been every bit as good as the experienced dancers in my class. Not only had I succeeded in performing a triple pirouette, but I'd also finally gone all the way down to the floor in my splits, and my split leaps had all landed without a single thud or shake of the room. Still better, my wimpy high kicks, once only up to chest level, had nearly hit me in the face today. And hadn't hit anyone else for a change. Even the experienced dancers in the class had seemed impressed by my improvement. And now that I wasn't such a failure at it, dancing was
fun!

This freak had finally learned some dance skills, maybe even good enough to make the Charmers dance team next month, if I was crazy enough to audition. Ha! Let the Clann sense
these
emotions!

“Hey, girls,” I greeted my friends as I dropped my backpack at our table in the cafeteria. I glanced at them, my face stuck in a broad grin. “Let me grab some food and I'll be right back to hear what I missed last week.”

No one replied, but I didn't give them much time to before I hurried to join the food line. The lunchroom was packed as usual, but apparently sensing others' emotions only happened when I was upset, because I felt nothing now except my own pure joy. Which only made me happier.

Finally, I'd managed not to be a total klutz at something! Maybe I
should
try out for the Charmers. Making the dance team was pretty much an instant passport to popularity in Jacksonville, or at least a huge social upgrade. And getting to dance all the time would be a total blast.

Lost in thought, I didn't realize at first that the boy directly ahead of me in the slow-moving line was smiling at me. Sur
prised, I smiled back, though I didn't recognize him, then blushed and looked down.

“Hi, I'm Greg Stanwick.” He grabbed a mint-green tray from the stack then offered me one, as well.

“Oh, hey. I'm Savannah.” I hadn't planned on getting the lunch of the day since I usually had pizza or chili cheese fries instead. Then again, maybe I should eat something healthy for a change and reward my body for all its amazing improvements in pre-drill. “Um, thanks.”

Greg seemed to take that as encouragement. “So, what grade are you in?”

“Ninth.”

“Eleventh for me. Hey, do you ever go to the soccer games?”

I shook my head.

“Well, you should really think about seeing some. We've got a killer team this year. Four-time champions. I should know, I'm on the varsity team.” His smile was a few watts too bright, reminding me of a game-show host. And he was only a few inches taller than me, putting him somewhere around five-nine or -ten. But overall he was kind of hot, with short black hair and soft brown eyes that reflected warmth from his smile.

I realized Greg was still talking and tried to look interested as he chatted about his soccer team and all the ways they were training hard for another winning season.

“Maybe we'll run into each other again,” he said as we paid for our food.

“Um, sure. Nice meeting you.”

“Nice meeting you, too, Savannah.” But he didn't turn away. Instead, he stood there watching me. I could feel his gaze on me as I returned to my table.

Okay, that was weird but sort of nice. Guys never paid any attention to me. Maybe it was the bigger boob size?

I set down my tray and sat.

Suddenly, I felt someone standing next to me.

I looked up and found Greg grinning down at me.

“Hey,” he said. “I forgot to mention, we've got a home game this Friday, if you want to come watch. It'll start at six at the Tomato Bowl.”

Total silence, not only at our table, but at all the surrounding tables, too, made my cheeks burn. The unwanted attention had to be because of Greg, because I wasn't exactly on anyone's social radar around here.

I blinked a few times and struggled to think of a reply. Then I remembered. “Um, that sounds like fun. But I have a dance recital that night. So…maybe next time?”

Greg looked away for a moment. At the same time, goose bumps and a prickling sensation raced up my arms and across the back of my neck. Someone must have cranked up the air-conditioning or something. Shivering, I rubbed my arms.

When Greg looked back down at me, his smile wasn't quite as blinding. “Yeah, sure. Next time.” Then he walked away.

I cringed, hoping I hadn't hurt his feelings. Though why he'd care if
I
came to one of his games or not was beyond me.

I glanced at my friends and grinned. Their shocked expressions matched how I felt. “Did that just happen?” I asked, a short laugh slipping out.

Silence at our table, even as the other nearby tables recovered.

In the continuing silence from my friends, I leaned forward and looked more closely at them. “Um, hello? Anyone care to comment on that?”

Yeesh. Yes, it was true that boys never talked to me, and definitely none had ever made a point to come up to me
during lunch. But my friends were acting like he'd also jumped up on the table and performed a song and dance for us or something. I'd never seen them all this speechless at the same time. I had the strong urge to snap my fingers under their noses just to bring them back to planet Earth.

I met Anne's stare first, then Carrie's, then Michelle's. Without fail, each girl's eyes widened as I met their gazes. Okay, this was getting weirder by the moment.

“Look at me.” Anne's command, an echo of Dad's demanding tone on Saturday, reminded me of my changed appearance. And of the crazy family secrets I wanted to forget as quickly as possible.

“Oh, yeah.” My good mood faded. “I forgot, you haven't seen how weird I look.” Now Anne would tell me what an imaginative idiot I was and how I looked the same as I always did.

Her eyebrows drew together. “You don't look weird. But you do look different, that's for sure. What'd you do to your hair? It looks like a flippin' Garnier commercial. Did you get it colored? It's not so orange now. And it's…poufy.”

Oh. So maybe I hadn't imagined the changes in my appearance.

Feeling like a circus sideshow, I blushed. “I know, it's kind of odd. But I swear I didn't do anything new to it.”

“And your eyes,” Michelle whispered.

I looked at Michelle, who reminded me of a nervous rabbit today for some reason. Her gaze darted away.

Oh, crap, that's right. Dad had mentioned that my gaze might have a strange effect on others. But he hadn't said what kind of effect. He should've warned me that my friends would treat me like an alien that had crash-landed at our table.

“What do you think, Carrie?” I met her stare head-on, my hands clenching into fists under the table as fear battled with
a tiny bit of curiosity. Exactly what did they see when they looked into my eyes now?

Carrie was the calmest, coolest, most levelheaded member of our group. She had a mind like a scientist, or the doctor she claimed to want to become someday. She could offer some practical, objective feedback.

I held her gaze for several seconds as something like the weekend's panic threatened to overwhelm what little curiosity I'd had. Maybe I didn't want to know, after all.

Then I saw it…that same fearful widening of the eyes just before Carrie looked away.

Ohhh, crap. And according to Dad, that
was
a vampire thing.

I tried to remember how to breathe past the growing thickness in my throat. The noise of the cafeteria ramped up, roaring in my ears like an angry ocean during a storm, even as too many different emotions from others rushed in waves over my skin. I wrapped my arms around myself in a futile effort to block them out.

Did this mean I was turning into a vampire?