Sinking into the couch, while balancing the cold plate on her lap, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander as the sounds of the random movie she had picked played in the background. Going over the chain of events that occurred earlier, the most concerning one, or at least the one that affected her emotional well being to a greater degree, was the fact that her blood reacted so violently to Faye’s presence. But why? Did it have something to do with being a bleeder? The truth was that no one had ever tasted a drop of her blood before. Setsuna had always donated blood the good old fashion way, by sticking a needle in her arm and watching it get dragged into a blood bag.

  But, there had been that moment a few days ago when she and Faye had shared a copper kiss. Had that done something to them? Setsuna was a bleeder. Both of the types of vampirism were hereditary, but Setsuna was a bit of an anomaly. Neither her mother nor her father were bleeders. It had been a shock to both her parents when she was born, as well as a source of tension, that eventually led to her DNA being tested so her father could confirm she was his. Afterward, they had to look into their family trees, only to discover that on her mother’s side there had been a great aunt that was a bleeder, and it was decided that Setsuna inherited the trait from her.

  To make matters worse, all the rituals and traditions, as well as important milestones that bleeders and feeders need to know, are passed down through family members. Back in Japan, there were no vampire houses of government like in America. Such establishments were responsible for educating her kind. The fact that Setsuna was a bleeder, had been a constant struggle throughout her life, as vampires only made up one percent of Japan’s population as compared to the thirty-seven percent of the United States of America.

  Setsuna gingerly touched the bridge of her nose and winced when it throbbed. Who could she ask? Could she….could she ask Faye? She shook her head. She couldn’t even get near the other girl without her blood trying to burst from her body. Sighing, she finally began to pay attention to the mindless action movie she had put on. Honestly, all she wanted to do right now was turn off her brain for a minute and just pretend that her life wasn’t being disrupted. There were moments when she wished she hadn’t come to the States, but there were also times when she was eternally grateful. Being away from the constant pressure that her parents placed on her shoulders, or of the ‘polite’ shunning the other students at the schools she had attended in Tokyo had subjected her to on a daily basis, had given her a chance just to breathe. So, despite the chaos, her life was being thrown into, she couldn’t help but want to face it with an excited grin on her face.

  * * *

  School the next day began somberly. The student's body had been discovered and taken away the day before, and as a result, several students had been called out of classes during school to be offered counseling individually. It was mostly the students that had been close to the boy, but it wasn’t an odd occurrence to see girls huddled in the hallway crying or other boys with their heads down throughout an entire class. Even the teachers were conscious and compassionate about it all and didn’t give out too much homework or would cut their lecture short.

  For Setsuna, it was another kind of torture. Whenever Faye passed her in the hallway, she would give her a wide berth leading Setsuna to deduce that Declan had told at least some parts of what had occurred the day before and the girl wasn’t sure how she felt about Faye’s reaction. She was both thankful and irrationally hurt by it. Her body and blood both craved to be as close as possible, even to the point of wanting to flow through the feeders veins, that it was driving Setsuna slightly crazy. By the end of the school day, she had decided to bail on going to the club. She was sitting on the school bus staring out the window when all of a sudden there was a commotion at the front of the bus. Curiously she looked down the aisle only to catch Declan’s attention.

  “There you are!” his voice boomed over the hum of the engine.

  The older boys large strides ate up the distance until he was standing beside her with an expectant look on his face. Setsuna blushed. “Yes?”

  “Well, hurry up then. We don’t want to hold up the bus.”

  The girl frowned. “What?”

  Declan gave an exasperated sigh and reached out grabbing her hand and pulling her up out of the seat before dragging her off the bus with an absent apology to the bus driver. The shorter girl struggled to keep up with his large strides. “Declan-san, where are you taking me?”

  He grinned over his shoulder. “To our girl.”

  She clammed up after that, finally accepting her fate and struggling to keep up with the older boy. Within minutes Declan was tossing her into classroom 112B. He folded his arms over his chest and gave them both a level look. “Now, I’m going to stand outside, and the two of you are going to clear the air. I don’t really understand what is going on between you both, but we are in this together. We’re the Perfect Crime Club, right? How can we do our club activities if we can’t work together? Just think of this time as bonding time. We must live up our youth! We only get one chance at it! It’s the springtime of our--”

  Faye cut off his speech as he seemed to become caught up in it and was preaching more than helping. “We get it Declan. You can go.”

  He cleared his throat and smirked unabashedly. “Well, you get the point. Talk, makeup, but don’t like…you know…make out without me.”

  “Go Declan!”

  “Okay! I’m going, don’t get your panties in a bunch.” The redheaded boy snickered as he left the classroom and closed the door behind him.

  Setsuna was standing by the only exit, and at the moment her blood was settled, but Faye was also on the other side of the classroom sitting on a desk. The bleeder looked down and began to fidget with her hands. Faye broke the silence first. “I’m sorry I’ve been putting distance between us.”

  Setsuna looked up and blushed as her blue clashed with pale reds. “No, it helps.”

  Faye frowned. “Yeah, it does. But how did you know that?”

  Now it was Setsuna’s turn to frown. “I don’t understand?”

  “Well, I’ve been putting more distance between us because it helps me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  A slight pink dusted Faye’s cheeks. “Well, whenever I get to close to you my fangs drop down and begin to throb. I just want to…you know…bite you. I’m sorry.”

  “No! It’s alright.” Setsuna took a small step forward.

  Faye tilted her head. “It is?”

  “It helps me too.”

  “How so?”

  Now it was the Asian girls turn to blush. “My blood…” she mumbled only to trail off.

  “I didn’t catch that.”

  “Didn’t Declan tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “Oh.” Setsuna frowned. So he hadn’t said anything to Faye about yesterday.

  “Tell me Setsuna.”

  She smiled shyly. “Whenever I get too close to you my blood reacts.”

  “It does? In what way?”

  “It wants to come out.” Setsuna’s face burned at her confession.

  “Come out?”

  “I think it’s a response like your fangs. You feel the urge to bite me while I feel the need to be bitten.”

  “Oh.”

  A tense silence settled between them only to be broken by a light tinkling laugh. Setsuna was shocked that such an enchanting sound was coming from Faye. It was like small bells, the kind you hear around Christmas time. It made the bleeder smile.

  “Just look at us!” Faye said between gasps.

  “Yes.” Setsuna giggled.

  Suddenly, Faye stopped, but a smirk was spread across her lips. Setsuna gained control over her own giggles and wiped a small tear from her eyes. “What?” she asked.

  “That’s the first time you’ve laughed around me,” Faye whispered.

  Setsuna’s face lit with surprise. “I think that is the first time I have laughed in awhile,” she said thoughtfully.

  Faye’s smirk slowly disappeared. “I’m sorry to hear that. The world would be a nicer place if it were filled with your laughter.”

  Setsuna’s face flushed and her blood stirred from within her veins. ‘Thank you.”

  The door to the classroom flew open startling the two girls from their moment as Declan marched inside. “Okay, I’m so bored! Entertain me! Now!”

  Setsuna smiled when Faye rolled her eyes. “I guess we should start out club activities. Do you feel safe coming closer to me Setsuna? I think I can handle you being close now.”

  The bleeder took inventory of how she was feeling and her blood was only a little agitated. Nodding she took a few testing steps forward and when there was no immediate reaction she smiled up at Faye. “I think I will be fine so long as you don’t touch me.”

  “Don’t worry Faye; you can touch me all you want instead!” Declan chuckled as he moved the desks together to form a table.

  Faye gave him a disgusted look. “I think that I’ll have to pass on that one.”

  He shrugged. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

  “Not much,” the older girl whispered making Setsuna giggle silently as she took a seat in the desk next to Faye careful not to get too close. Faye smirked and turned to Declan. “So what do you got?”

  Declan smirked and began to lay it all out.

  Chapter Eight

  The boy turned to Setsuna. “Did you bring the file?”

  She nodded, and quickly pulled it out of her bag, placing it down on the desks. Declan smirked. “Have you had a chance to read through most of it?”

  A small smile appeared on her mouth before turning into a frown. “There are some things that I need to say first.”

  “Is everything alright?” Faye asked.

  Setsuna nodded. “Yes. It’s just…yesterday…” she trailed off as she tried to find the words to explain what had happened the past two days.

  Declan smiled. “Faye, I think Setsuna is trying to tell you why she left school early yesterday.”

  Faye turned back to the younger girl. “Declan said you weren’t feeling well.”

  Setsuna nodded shyly. “That is correct. But there was a reason for that. Yesterday, when you touched me…my blood reacted.”

  Faye nodded but still looked confused. Setsuna blushed. “I um…I burst,” she mumbled.

  Faye’s features lit with understanding. “Oh. Oh! I’m so sorry. Was it that painful?”

  Setsuna shifted uncomfortably. “It wasn’t pleasant, but that is not why Declan took me home, though it was a large part as to why.”

  “What else happened?”

  “That boy.”

  Faye frowned. “The one found in the bathroom yesterday?”

  Setsuna nodded. “I accidentally went into the boy's bathroom, where I lost a lot of blood, but also happened to see that boy in the bathroom stall. I didn’t handle it well.”

  Concerned, Faye reached out to comfort the other girl, but paused awkwardly, after remembering that Setsuna reacted to her touch. She began to pull back, but the Asian girl stopped her. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

  Faye stilled her hand and met the bleeder's eyes. Setsuna nodded, so Faye slowly placed her hand on top of the smaller, colder one. Setsuna tensed for a moment before releasing a deep breath. They shared a smile, and Faye tightened her grip, only for the sound of a throat clearing to break their moment.

  “Well, that’s all fine and dandy, then! But to continue with the story, the boy was an obvious red haze user and that was most likely the cause of death.”

  Faye frowned. “I didn’t think that was one of the drugs being sold at this school. It’s pricey. I’m surprised a student could afford it.”

  Declan nodded, but Setsuna spoke up. “Um…I saw that boy the day before.”

  Declan sat forward. “When he was still alive?”

  She nodded. “Behind the gym. I saw Damian. He sold the drug to the boy. I went home and read over some things in the file and confirmed that it had been red haze that Damian was selling. There had been another person there before the boy showed up but I only heard his voice. He was the one that supplies Damian, but he had mentioned that the drug he gave Damian that time was the end of the stock, and might not be as effective.”

  “Well, it was effective enough,” Declan grunted.

  Faye nodded. “I always hated that bastard.”

  Declan clapped his hands once making Setsuna jump slightly. “It’s decided then!”

  “What is?”

  “We will tail Damian tomorrow after school.”

  Faye smirked. “I’m down.”

  Setsuna shook her head. “Is it safe to do it?”

  Declan shrugged. “It will be fine. You got me there.”

  Faye nodded but gently squeezed the younger girl's hand. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, kid. We won’t force you.”

  Setsuna nodded and looked down as Declan and Faye continued to speak and work out the details of their plan until it was time to pack up. Faye drove Setsuna home, and soon she was eating dinner with her aunt while mulling over the plan Declan and Faye had made. Should she go with them tomorrow?

  “Setsu-chan, are you listening?”

  “I’m sorry. I missed that.”

  Her aunt sighed placing down her chopsticks. “What’s got you so distracted?”

  Setsuna shook her head. “Nothing. I think that I’m just tired.”

  “Setsu-chan?”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you happy here?”

  Setsuna frowned. “What do you mean?”

  He aunt folded her arms. “Do you like it here? America, living with me, school, do any of these things give you joy? It’s just, you never talk about Tokyo, so I was under the impression that you didn’t miss it, but you also never talk about your life here.”

  Setsuna nodded slowly, and was about to answer, but paused. Did she like it in America? Though her aunt was a bit more liberal than her own mother, the bleeder was actually beginning to appreciate the differences. But school? Declan and Faye made every day entertaining, but they also made school fun! Back in Tokyo, school was more like a job. It was something that she went to every day and didn’t think too hard about. It was a necessity, but here, school was enjoyable. The people, no, the friends she had managed to make here made everything brighter and more exciting.

  The bleeder smiled at her aunt. “I like it here very much.”

  The older woman smiled back. “I’m glad.”

  That night, while Setsuna was lying in bed, she made the silent decision that tomorrow she was going to tell Faye that she wanted to go with them to follow Damian. The conversation with her aunt had reminded her that this was her last year in high school. It was also her only year to live in America and her only year to be close to Faye and Declan. It would only give her deep regret to not spend as much time with her first two friends as she could. Smiling slightly, Setsuna drifted off into a pleasant dream where she was playing with another little girl outside her aunt's house. When she woke the next morning, the dream was wiped from her mind as a distant memory as she set about getting ready for school.

  * * *

  After school, Setsuna found herself buckling her seatbelt and tightening it as much as possible without choking herself, as she sat in the backseat of Declan’s old clunker. Faye spun around in the passenger seat to smile at her. “Sorry, we have to let Declan drive. The truth is that he knows how to tail people. His dad taught him after he passed his driving test.”

  “Why?” Setsuna asked.

  Faye shrugged. “His dad is determined that he follows in his footsteps, I guess.”

  “Oh.”

  The older girl glanced outside her window, seeing Declan walking over, before smirking at Setsuna. “I’m glad you decided to come, Setsuna.” She then spun back around just as Declan climbed behind the wheel.

  “Alright, ladies! Let us commence operation…” He turned to Faye, “we need a name for this.”

  She frowned. “Why?”

  “It makes it official.”

  Faye rolled her eyes. “Just call it whatever you want.”

  Declan grinned. “Fine then. I’ll call it operation, Destroy Damian!”

  Faye shrugged. “A bit dramatic but it fits.”

  He let loose a booming laugh and turned the key. The car growled as it came to life. “Now commencing, Destroy Damian!”

  “Just drive, Declan.” Faye sighed.

  “Yes, ma’am!” He chuckled and hit the gas. Setsuna gripped her seatbelt while closing her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the secret smile adorning her lips.

  * * *

  They waited. And waited. And waited some more. Faye sighed. “Declan--”

  He interrupted. “Just a little longer.” His eyes were glued to the front door of Damian’s house.

  Setsuna wasn’t sure what exactly they were waiting for but she was starting to get hungry, not to mention it was going on eight o’clock, and her aunt was going to be home soon. This wouldn’t be a problem, except for the fact that she didn’t have a cell phone, and didn’t tell her aunt that she would be out late. Hopefully, either Faye or Declan would let her use one of theirs. They were parked a little ways down the street from Damian’s house. Damian Troy lived in a nicer area than Setsuna had thought.

  It was a suburb, but Faye had mentioned that it was in the nicer part of town and Setsuna would have to agree. Most of the houses looked the same. They had white doors, tan bricks, and black roofs. The cars parked in the driveways were all shiny and seemingly new. There had been a few people that had walked passed with their dogs, and given Declan’s monstrosity of a car strange looks, but no one approached them which Setsuna was grateful for.

  “Ah ha!” Declan yelled making her jump in her seat.

  After getting her heartbeat under control, she looked out the window to see Damian speaking on his cell phone while locking the front door to his house. Declan waited until the other boy was pulling out of the driveway and driving off in the opposite direction before he turned on his own car, and they began to follow a good distance behind.

 

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