Sanctuary's Fiend
Chapter 1

The tiles on the wall were yellow, white, and blue. Very normal tiles, in the very normal girl’s restroom, in the very normal colors of the very normal high school.

I wasn’t trying to look at those tiles though. I was trying to look at the girl standing in front of them. But I could see right through her. She wasn’t so very normal, and neither was I.

“Come on, stop it!” I told her.

“It’s just us, don’t worry,” said Erin.

“A human could come in any second!” I moved to punch her arm, but my hand passed straight through.

She had only been able to control her shifting from physical form to incorporeal since last week, and she kept doing it even when she shouldn’t. Like right now, in the restroom at Sanctuary High School.

“Yes, they could, Relic. Scary, huh?”

I sighed. “Call me Rel. Or if you have to, then it’s Rel-ick-ay.” I’d only met her recently, since she’d found her abilities, but it was still annoying that every single person I’d met always managed to replace a new way to mess my name up. I blamed my parents!

“Sure, sure, Relic.” Her chances of becoming a best friend were looking slim.

“What about you?” she asked.

I looked at myself in the mirror, and pushed my straight, bat black hair behind my ear. Let’s be clear, yes, I used to call it raven black. But, you know, vampire. So it’s probably bat black if anything. Which means dark brown. And no, it’s not naturally straight. Honestly, I’m like a vampire without the vampire bits. Even my eyes. Yeah, they’re really brown, but they don’t change color, or glow, or anything cool. Also, I’ve never felt the urge to drink blood.

And obviously, I can see myself in the mirror.

I bared my teeth at my reflection “No fangs yet.”

“I’m sure it’ll happen soon,” Erin said, reassuringly. “What did your parents say?”

All the supernaturals who can pass in human society start replaceing their abilities around our age. Erin could walk through walls or be invisible. Vampires could… “They haven’t told me.” I was adopted, so my parents weren’t vampires. They hadn’t told me much about what a vampire should be able to do.

“That sucks. But you’ll be at the bunker this evening, right?”

I faked a smile. “I can’t think of a reason not.” Believe me, if I could, I would. But my best friend, Ariel, wanted to go.

“I think I’m going to–”

The door to the restrooms swung open. I heard a little cry of surprise from Erin, but when I looked back at her, she was solid again. I gave her a hard stare, letting her know I’d told her so.

It was a couple of cheerleaders, so me and Erin left quickly, ignoring the giggles which weren’t aimed at us. Or so I told myself.

Peter and Bhav had been waiting outside for us. The best guy friends anyone could ask for. But they were human, and after the last few months of us coming into our abilities, I saw why not many supe adults had human friends.

Richard was with them. The new guy. The British guy. “Thanks, mate. Goodbye,” Richard said, and then ambled off.

Erin raised her eyebrows at me, grabbed my arm, and started walking me towards our homeroom. Peter and Bhav jogged forward to keep up with us.

“What was that about, guys?” Erin asked. “Making friends but not sharing with us, huh?”

I didn’t want them to share. I wanted Richard all to myself. He was from England, and he was definitely the cutest boy I’d ever seen.

“Nothing. Just being friendly.” Peter shrugged.

“Oh yeah?” Bhav asked. “Maybe you’d be better at making friends if you stopped drooling.”

“Don’t listen to him. He’s just jealous,” Peter told Erin and me. “He was only asking for directions to the cafeteria. Have you guys seen him around?”

“Only barely,” Erin admitted. “But I’d like to see a lot more of him.”

“So would we,” Bhav and Peter said in unison.

“He just knows how to dress well,” Bhav said. “Can’t complain about a snappy dresser joining the school. At least that will make two of us.”

Looking him over, Bhav was almost certainly right. He was the best dressed guy in school. With the sun beating down like it usually did here in California, he managed to get away with loose white linen all over, including his turban, which contrasted perfectly with his brown skin.

“Are you trying to tell me something?” Peter asked, looking down at his jean shorts and black t-shirt.

“You have such great skin tone to work with, and you’re just wasting it.”

“I matched my t-shirt to it. Isn’t that enough?”

Bhav sighed. “Anyway. Richard just seems like a nice guy. Have you met him, Rel?”

Question time. Did I admit that the second I saw him I fell a little bit in love with him? No. That would be weird. Also, I don’t know if you can only be a little bit in love with someone. Better change that to completely, head over heels, haven’t had a day without pretending he’s my boyfriend since I met him, in love with him.

“Yeah. I was the one that had to show him around his first day.”

They all gasped.

“And you didn’t tell me?!” Erin held her hand to her chest in mock hurt. At least, I hoped she was pretending.

“He seems nice, I guess.” I brushed the question away. It was hard enough to seem normal around my human friends due to the whole I’m a vampire thing. I didn’t want them to think I was weird for other reasons too. The fact that for all practical purposes I was basically a human right now, didn’t matter. Things could change.

My phone buzzed and I checked the screen.

“I’ve got to go, guys. Meeting.”

They waved goodbye and kept walking. The space I’d left allowed Peter and Bhav to move closer together and hold hands as they walked.