Iced
Page 7

 Karen Marie Moning

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What the feck is wrong with me?
Did slamming into him do something to me? Like break me?
Superspeedgone.
Superstrengthgone.
Im as weak as a Joe and ew! Stuck in Ryodans arms. Close. Like were about to slow dance, or get all kissy.
Dude, you like me or something? Get off me!
He looks down at me. I can see the mind working behind his eyes. I dont like Ryodans mind working when hes looking at me.
Fight, kid.
I tilt my nose up at a defiant angle, jut my jaw at my best feck you slant. Maybe I dont feel like it. You said theres no point. You keep telling me how large and in-charge you are.
Never stopped you before.
Maybe I dont want to break a nail, I toss out all nonchalant-like, to cover up that I just tried fighting. And fleeing. And for the first time in, welleverIm norm
The word sticks like a hard, spiky burr in the back of my throat. I cant cough it up. I cant swallow it.
Its okay. I dont need to be able to say it. Its not true. It never will be.
Ive never been that word. Its not part of my reality. I probably just forgot to eat enough. I take a hasty mental tally of my fuel consumption over the past few hours: eleven protein bars, three cans of tuna, five cans black beans, seven Snickers. Okay, so my menus coming up a little light, but not enough to drain my gas tank. I step on the freeze-frame pedal again.
I still dont move. Motionless is me. That and way freaked out.
Hes holding my hand, looking at my short nails that TP painted black the night she found out the truth about me. I dont know why I havent taken it off yet. It chips like crazy in no time with all the fighting I do.
You dont have nails to break. Try again.
Let go of my hand.
Make me.
Before I can snap off a pithy, brilliant reply, my head is back, my spine is arched like a bow, and Ryodans face is in my neck.
He bites me.
The fecker bites me!
Right on the neck!
Fangs bracket my jugular. I feel them, sharp and deep, sinking into me. It hurts.
Ryodan does have fangs! I didnt imagine what I thought I saw on the rooftop the other night when he was telling me he had a job for me!
What the feck you doing? You a vamp or something? You turning me? Im horrified. Im intrigued. How much stronger might I get? Are vampires real? Fairies are. I suppose that flings the closet door wide open. Everythings going to be springing out now. Does TP know about this? Is Barrons a vampire? Whats going on here? Dude, my world just got so much more interesting!
Suddenly Im staggeringfor footing, resisting nothing and looking like a drunken pinwheel doing it. It pisses me off, Ryodan making me look clumsy in front of him. I wipe a smear of blood from my neck and glare at it. When was the last time somebody spilled my blood? Like never. Sure, I bang myself up. But nobody else does. Not anymore.
Bleeding? Clumsy? Slow? Who am I?
I know your taste now, kid. I know your scent like I know my own. You will never be able to pass me again without me knowing its you. And if I ever catch you on the lower levels of Chesters or anywhere in my club for that matter
I jerk my glare from my hand to his face.
He smiles at me. Theres blood on his teeth.
Fact: its just wrong to be smiled at by someone who has your blood on his teeth. It offends to the bone. Where were his fangs? Did he have fangs? Natural or cosmetic implants? You never know with folks these days. They didnt retract with a smoothly audible snick like on TV or I would have heard it. I have superhearing. Well, sometimes I do. Like when I also have superspeed and superstrength. Which used to be all the time. Until exactly now.
dont let me
His gaze does that unnerving flickery thing it does sometimes. I think its because he looks me up and down so quick that I cant focus on his eyes changing directions, I just see a kind of ocular shiver. I wonder if I can do it, too, superspeed a single part of me, like maybe tap a finger hyperfast. I need to practice. Assuming I can superspeed again at all. What the feck is wrong with me? Did I stall? How could I stall? I dont stall!
unless youre working for me and there at my direction. Thats the deal. Hes cold. Ice cold. And I know without him even saying what the second option is: die. Work for me or die. It pisses me off big-time.
Are you giving me an ultimatum? Because that is so not cool. I dont emote disdain. I become disdain. I flash him number seventeen of my thirty-five Looks of Death. Grown-ups! They see a teenager with a little more stuff going on than they know what to do with, so they try to lock them down, box them up, make them feel bad just for being what they are. Like I can even help it. Dancers right, adults are afraid of the kids theyre raising.
If growing up means turning out like you, I say, Im never doing it. I know who I am and I like it. Im not changing for anybody.
One day, kid, youll be willing to mortgage your fucking soul for somebody.
I dont think you should say fucking around me. In case you forgot, Im only fourteen. And news flash, dude, Ive got no soul. There arent any banks. And there isnt any currency. Ergo. Never. Going. To. Happen.