“Mine!” Faye yelled, in a guttural tone, as she held Declan above the floor.

  “Whoa! Calm down, sis. I didn’t mean to--” Declan’s eyes met Setsuna’s fogy one’s, and he gasped, before looking down into feral pale red.

  “Dom, you need to calm down.” His voice lost all humor and became calm and steady.

  Faye only growled in response. Declan brought a hand up slowly to cup her face as he spoke softly. “I stake no claim here. Release me.”

  Faye seemed to slowly come back to herself and set Declan back down on his feet. She shook her head before looking up and giving him a small smile. “Sorry, Declan.”

  “No problem!” He chuckled. “It’s not every day I get manhandled by a girl half my size, but I won’t say that I didn’t like it.” He bobbed his eyebrows suggestively, and Faye smacked him on the shoulder.

  “Keep it in your pants.”

  “Faye?” Setsuna’s soft voice drew the other girls attention and her smile disappeared. She took a step forward as if to help her up but immediately stepped back as a look of shame settled on her face. “I’m...I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean--” she cut herself off before she stepped backward again. “I have to go,” she whispered.

  “Dom!” Declan called out as the girl took off running. “Shit.”

  A sniffle drew his attention, and he sighed then crouched down next to Setsuna and patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

  “That’s okay, I guess. Come on. I’ll take you home. The buses have already left.”

  She nodded as he helped her up. “Okay.”

  “It will be alright, Setsuna. Trust me. She just needs some time to come to terms with everything, and frankly, I think you could use some as well.”

  Setsuna bent down to retrieve her bag. “I don’t understand.”

  Declan nodded. “I’m sure once you’ve calmed down and thought about it, you will, but for now let me take you home.”

  She followed him outside to the parking lot and climbed into his old clunker. It wasn’t until she was back in her bedroom, that a thought struck her, as tears trailed down her face. Declan had called Faye, ‘sis’. What did that mean?

  * * *

  Setsuna wasn’t surprised to learn of Faye’s absence at school the next day, but she wouldn’t say that it didn’t hurt a little. It also didn’t help that Damian decided to use the other feeders absence as a green light for him to begin bullying her again. She had managed to avoid most of his antics until he somehow found a way to corner her on her way to the cafeteria.

  “Hey, little bleeder. Where’s your friend?” he taunted.

  Setsuna tried to walk around him, but he pushed her back into the lockers. “Hold on. What’s the rush? I want to get to know you a little bit better.”

  “I just want to go to lunch,” she mumbled.

  His features darkened. “I wouldn’t mind having some lunch too.”

  Setsuna’s scared blue eyes met his crimson red, as she pushed herself back into the lockers, to put some space between them. “Please let me go,” she whispered.

  “Come on. Just a little taste. I promise it won’t hurt too much.” He moved forward, only for a heavy hand to grab the scruff of his polo, and drag him away.

  “Hey!” he yelled.

  “I don’t appreciate you causing trouble, Damian.” Declan’s booming voice cut through the terror that had frozen Setsuna.

  Damian straightened his shirt. ‘Declan.”

  “Why don’t you go to lunch.”

  Damian sneered. “Just because you're bigger than me doesn’t mean that you're stronger. I have the strength of a feeder.”

  Declan took a threatening step forward causing Damian to stumble back. “Do you want to test that theory?”

  He frowned. “I’ll remember this, Declan,” he called out over his shoulder as he made his way down the hallway.

  Declan sighed and turned back to see Setsuna clutching her hands to her chest. “You should be careful not to be alone with him.”

  She nodded.

  “Come on then. I’ll walk you to the lunch room. Wouldn’t want you to get swept away, now would I?” He chuckled.

  She gave a small smile and walked next to him as he lead the way. After a moment of walking in a companionable silence, Setsuna asked the question that had been plaguing her all night. “Declan?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Are you and Faye really dating?”

  He glanced down at her, as he held the door to the cafeteria open, allowing her to enter first. “Why? Are you interested?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  Setsuna frowned and tilted her head. “I don’t understand.”

  The boy chuckled. “Let’s just say that mine and Dom’s relationship is a complicated one.”

  “Will you not explain it to me?”

  He shook his head. “It’s not my place to do so. If you’re curious, you should ask Dom about it. I’d advise making up with her first, though.” Declan winked before walking away to join his usual table.

  Setsuna thought over what the boy had suggested, all throughout lunch, and through her last two classes. She was brought out of her musing by a loud bang. She looked around only to realize she was standing in front of classroom 112B, with her hand hanging limply in the air, as if to grab the doorknob. The sound of loud voices drew her attention to the gymnasium which was right across from 112B. Curiosity got the better of her, and she walked over to investigate what had caused the loud noise. The gym was empty when she entered, but the back door leading out to the football field was hanging open slightly. She jogged over to it, careful to keep an eye on her surroundings, only to hear a boy yelling.

  As she drew closer, she was able to make out what was being said, “Are you fucking kidding me?” She gasped silently when she realized that it was Damian who was yelling. Her heart suddenly began to pound in her chest.

  “Calm down, Damian. I have enough for you to make your sale today. It was just one right?”

  Damian let out a loud sigh. “Yeah.”

  The sound of a zipper cut through the quiet. “Here. It’s the last of our stock. I’ll admit that I don’t know if it is still much good. At least it should offer your buyer a mild high.”

  “Thanks.”

  Squeaking sneakers alerted Setsuna that someone had entered the gymnasium and she jerked around to search for a hiding place. By a snap decision, she jumped behind the bleachers just as another boy rounded them, and walked up to the back door pushing it open. Setsuna glanced out, as far as she dared, to get a glimpse of the other student. The boy had short black hair, and a face covered in pimples, but he was human. She didn’t recognize him from any of her classes, but suspected that he was in her grade, as he looked older.

  “Steve, glad you could make it,” Damian’s voice called out.

  The back door slammed shut behind Steve, but before it had closed Setsuna had been able to glimpse of the feeder outside. She was positive he didn’t see her as he was focused on the other boy, but more importantly, she had been able to make out what he had been holding. The supply they had been discussing caused the cold hand of fear to grip her heart tightly. The item Damian had been holding in his hand, was none other than the injector commonly used to shoot the red haze into a user's eye. Setsuna decided she had seen enough, and quickly exited the gym, only to bump into Declan.

  “Oh hey! I know that I’m irresistible, and you can’t help falling for me, but I don’t want you to get hurt in the process.” Declan chuckled as he steadied her on her feet.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  “No problem. I was just coming here to tell you not to worry about the club today. I meant to tell you earlier, but I forgot.”

  Setsuna nodded. “Okay. I’ll just go catch the bus then.”

  He smiled. “Good.”

  She turned to head towards the exit when Declan’s voice made her pause. “Just give her some space, Setsuna. She’ll be back tomorrow. I promise.”

  The girl nodded and left the building. As soon as she made it to the safety of her bedroom, she had the case file open and flipped to the section containing the picture she was hoping would confirm her findings.

  “It really was the injector for the red haze,” she mumbled out loud as she read through the findings of the police.

  “Red haze, was a strange drug as it had to be directly interjected into a user's eyes to reap the full benefits. As such, it required a specific type of injector as the drug was a thick liquid and had too much volume to run through a standard over the counter needle. Once injected, it would react within a matter of second turning the user's pupil crimson and granting them a high like nothing they could have ever imagined.

  “Once the drug took effect the user would only be able to see a red haze in the eye they injected thus giving it its name. It was because of this haze, that took over both their sight and mind, that ninety-nine percent of the users couldn’t remember anything that happens during the duration they are high. All the user ever remembers is the feeling of being invincible and the euphoria that comes along with it. It has been described as feeling like both a mind blowing orgasm and an adrenaline high,” Setsuna finished reading the notes left by the detective, most likely Declan’s father, out loud before sitting back in her computer chair.

  What would Damian be doing with something like that at school? Sure, drugs were passed around at her school. She had quickly learned that drugs were a common occurrence at most high schools though some more than others. But something like red haze? That was a high-end drug, or so it seemed. How would a guy like Damian Troy even get his hands on it?

  Her eyes caught the red numbers of her alarm clock, and she was shocked to see it was already time for dinner. Standing up, Setsuna realized that she wasn’t really that hungry, and after a quick glance at her bed turned into a longing look, she decided a nap couldn’t hurt. She could deal with all her question later, for now, she just wanted to clear her mind and succumb to the calming darkness one could only find in sleep.

  Chapter Seven

  The next day at school, Setsuna was both shocked and excited to see Faye in the hallway, but that excitement turned into something more when she passed by the older girl who made a half-hearted attempt at calling her name. Setsuna didn’t respond verbally. No, her jaw was locked shut, and her voice smothered out as she held back a groan from being only mere inches away from the feeder. Instead of responding with her voice, Setsuna’s blood pumped erratically through her veins forcing her body into a full flush. It was as if the blood in her veins was trying to force its way out of her body and into Faye’s.

  She couldn’t help but trip over her own feet in her haste to get as far away from Faye as possible. She must have worried the older girl because to her horror Faye made a conscious effort throughout the school day to interact with her. It was a sweet torture that finally led her to her breaking point about halfway through the day. Faye, obviously concerned by Setsuna’s strange behavior, had decided to try and stop her in the hallway during a class change.

  It was a harmless touch. A brush of soft pale skin on flushed skin. But it released a tsunami of emotions and feelings from within Setsuna sending her over the edge. “Setsuna?”

  The bleeder had frozen the moment Faye’s pale hand made contact with her warm skin. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Frightened glowing blue orbs met concerned red, and suddenly Setsuna was off, barreling down the hallway while holding a hand over her nose. She was going to overflow! She ran into the first bathroom she could find, and managed to throw open the door, just as blood burst from her nostrils in overwhelming amounts. She cried out in pain, and fell to the cold linoleum floor, as she tried to stop the flowing of blood by holding her hands over her face.

  For a moment she just sat there in silence staring at the floor now covered in enough blood to make it look more like a crime scene then a high school bathroom. The blood collected in a puddle by her feet soaking into her jeans and socks. Tears streamed down her face and her nose burned. It felt raw, and with every breath, it ached painfully. She sighed. It had been a long time since something like this had happened. It was a common occurrence when she was younger. It wasn’t until after puberty, that she had gained better control over her blood. Usually, she was able to control or slow down her natural production, so that she only needed to go to a donation center about three times a year. Now it seemed, that by merely touching Faye her blood would go out of control!

  Picking herself up off the floor she walked over to the sink and the sight of herself in the mirror was scary. She looked like some victim of a horrible accident, with her skin pale, and the lower half of her face covered in blood. Glancing down at her white school polo she frowned to see the whole front side was stained a deep crimson along with her white bra underneath. She had always liked that bra. She sighed and turned on the faucet. Cupping her hands under the steady stream, she brought the ice cold water to her face, repeating the same action until most of the blood had been cleaned away.

  When she turned to look for paper towels, she was shocked to see a sneaker poking out from a bathroom stall, as well as the fact that there were urinals against the other wall. Apparently, she had found her way into the boy's bathroom by mistake. Despite her horror show attire, she couldn’t help her natural curiosity rearing its ugly head, and where a normal person would have run out of the bathroom as fast as possible, Setsuna found herself standing in front of the bathroom stall where the black sneaker was sticking out. She pushed the door, as it opened inwards, and was greeted with an actual crime scene.

  The boy who had bought the red haze from Damian yesterday was bent over the toilet as if he had tried to stick his head inside. One empty bloodshot red eye and one empty brown one stared back at her sending a horrible chill down her spine. Setsuna took a step back and couldn’t help the high pitched yelp that left her mouth when the bathroom door swung open, and the familiar baritone of Declan was like a sweet song to her ears.

  “What the hell happened in here?” he asked as his brown eyes met Setsuna’s blue.

  “Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to wash my face?” she asked weakly.

  He frowned and stroked his chin. “I could if you promised to tell me the rest of the story.”

  She nodded. “I don’t feel so well,” she called out as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Declan moved quickly and managed to catch her before she could bang her head.

  Looking down at the pale, and blood covered face of the Asian girl, Declan sighed. “Dom is going to have kittens.” He murmured as he glanced back into the bathroom stall and his eyebrows rose in surprise to see a dead student folded over the toilet. “Scratch that. She’s going to have vampire kittens, and she’s going to set them loose on me.” The boy sighed and moved Setsuna so that he could hold her in a bridals hold against his chest.

  Looking around the bathroom, he frowned. “Well, we better get out of here before someone sees us. I, for one, don’t want to be the one to clean up this mess.” He was careful to walk around the puddle of blood, but it was a hopeless attempt, as most of the floor had some form of the crimson liquid on it.

  As he walked out of the bathroom, he placed Setsuna down carefully against the wall and quickly took off his sneakers. After tying the shoelaces together and hanging them around his neck, he picked the girl up again and took off for the stairwell. He was just placing Setsuna in his old clunker when the bell to end the class rang. “Good timing,” he mumbled as he turned on the car’s engine and pulled out of the school parking lot.

  * * *

  A scream broke the silence of the night as Setsuna sat up in her bed. The room was dark as the sun had set and she reached blindly for something to produce light. She clumsily stumbled out of her bed and outside of her room fumbling until she was able to turn on the hallway light. The girl stood panting in the now illuminated hallway of her aunt's house. How she had got here, she didn’t know? Glancing down, she quickly realized that she was no longer wearing her school clothes, but was instead dressed in her pajamas. Setsuna tried to think back but everything after the bathroom scene was a complete blank in her memory.

  She felt faint just remembering what had happened back at school and stumbled down the hallway to the kitchen. After pouring herself a glass of water and gulping it down, she began to feel a little more awake. Glancing around the room, the crisp white of a sheet of paper on the dark shadow of the kitchen table drew her to it.

  It was a note from her aunt telling her that she had forgotten to tell the girl that she had to go to a mandatory party after work and wouldn’t be home until after nine. Setsuna glanced up at the clock on the stove, and the green numbers told her that it was only eight-thirty. Thinking back, she was able to deduce, that between eleven in the morning and eight-thirty at night was all a giant black spot in her memory. She picked up the loose leaf only to realize that there was another page next to it. It was written in more harsh handwriting than the smooth cursive of her aunts. It simply read, ‘Brought you home and burned your clothes. Just kidding. But I did throw them away. I promise you don’t have anything I haven’t seen, so try to let it slide that I changed you, or at least don’t tell Dom. She might really kill me. Anyway, you didn’t have much in the fridge, so I just made some rice balls with seaweed. I promise they are editable. Dom taught me how to make them. Get some rest and make sure you come to school tomorrow, otherwise, I’ll have to show up and drag you there.

  Irresistibly Affectionate,

  Declan, Your Homeboy.’

  Setsuna blushed at the thought of Declan changing her into her pajamas but pushed it from her mind as she walked over to the fridge, and pulled out the small plate with five large rice balls shaped into triangles on it. Smiling softly, she pulled one out and took a bite. They were good! She would just have to forgive him for changing her. He did get her out of the school without Faye seeing her. The bleeder took the plate of rice balls, or onigiri as she called them back home, into the living room and turned on the television. Her aunt had taken the time to teach her how to turn on Netflix. She blushed lightly when she thought back to her first attempt at using the remote.

 

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