Westward High School nestled on the outskirts of a prosperous city, away from the commotion of the streets. Only the rich could afford the convenience of safety such as this. Only the smart could ever get in. Long lines of prestigious students lay in waiting for an opening.

The buildings were small. The classes were established with ten students each. Some usually falling behind, and going back in their zones. New spots though were hard to come-by, considering Dean Philips was always lessening the maximum number. It was a little community all to itself, except for football season.

Westward always had the best team. They practiced year- round, and they were serious. Some rumors cast were that steroids were placed in the lunch food. Maybe so. No one doubted it.

On the day of their first game, a pep rally assembled in the school gym. Every student went, every student was intrigued in their team. The gym was perhaps the largest establishment on campus. It was a lone building by itself, cast of in the back corner of the campus. Bricked and sturdy, it was only five years old.

People were cheering in the stands, their yells encouraging the players down below on the gym floor. Cheerleaders pulled off expert moves, flipping over and over again to the crowd’s rhythm. The floor was a mess of pride and dancing, the band playing high beat tones of joy. Everyone was alive, to say the least.

I wasn’t. This wasn’t my school. I had never been to school, it was always too dangerous. In fact, I never had to many human interactions. I always watched, as I was doing now.

I hid well away from view, down below the bleachers were the shadows would keep me from wandering eyes. Between two sets of legs I saw my purpose. Seated with the rest of the players was a bulky senior with short black hair, piercing green eyes, and a anxious face. He wasn’t enjoying himself. I didn’t blame him, even though my feelings obviously didn’t match his.

This boy was my brother. I was the oldest, but he didn’t know that. He never knew who I was. My parents never told anyone. In fact, my mother pretended she had a miscarriage, but I couldn’t blame her either. They took me because they knew what I was. They wanted me to test, to make sure. They didn’t have me for long.

I grew quickly into the slim teenage appearance I would stay forever. My mind was still young, but it knew what to do. I ran from them, because I’m a secret. I’m a loner. I can live by myself. I always have.

I’m not human, I never have been. Born of humans though, I couldn’t say what happened. If I hadn’t kept myself hidden, people would notice. The air was cooler around me, dropping to degrees below what a human could usually stand. I couldn’t go near anyone, for fear of freezing them. If I was around people, they would notice and shiver, and they would also notice that I never once felt it. No, the cold didn’t bother me. I was fine. Crouching low to the ground where I was, I could see my own breath. Out past my black hood, it swirled in with the air, lightly sparkling. In the air was my own reflection: I had a pale face, pointed and attractive. My hair was cut short and spiked. It did that itself, but I always cut the locks when the became to vigorous to keep from pestering. The blackness of it would make a human face close to my own look even whiter, but it had no effect on me. I always looked perfect. My eyes, they were a deep green. They stood out of my face, bringing color to my being. The only color, except the purple of my blood that ran through my veins. My hood hung low so people couldn’t see my face, for they would immediately be drawn to me. No one could resist me: another inhuman effect.

No one had a name for me, for as far as I was concerned, I was alone. A mutated fix, an accident. Well, I wasn’t alone.

There was one other. Blonde and powerful green eyes like mine he had, beautiful like myself. He was a loner too, until we found each other.

For long months I spoke to nobody, although I couldn’t speak much English anyway. No, I spoke a language that one doesn’t learn, but one fixed in my mind from birth. One thing I and my mate both shared. Yes, he was my mate, for we had no one else. I met him hunting in a wood one day. I was tired, and my hunger was eating me alive. All I could manage at the time was a few little squirrels, nothing more. They weren’t satisfying. I needed something big. I smelled something odd, nothing like I have smelled before, and went after it. Only, I wasn’t the only one playing predator. He also was hungry, and upon smelling me coming near, managed the higher hand. Though I leapt for him, ready to sink my teeth in, he was quicker. Struggled like lions we did, until both of us saw each other without the power of hunger controlling. We met glares, and we were amazed. Never had either of us seen something as beautiful as ourselves. Never had we seen something truly the same.

We soon became close, speaking our own language, sharing stories. His was the same as mine, and for once, both of us felt a need to not be lonely. This was how we joined.

He was beside me now, watching the innocent human boy. He was in a danger that no human could possibly dream of imagining, a danger that would show itself soon.

My mate wrapped his arms around my crouched form, trying to soothe my tight nerves. “Melissa.” he whispered into my ear. That was his name for me upon meeting, as that was how he viewed me. Our pact was tighter than a humans couples, for we could read each other’s souls. We could read each other’s names, and that’s who I was. Melissa was my soul.

“Gabriel.” I whispered back, my lips pursed ever so slightly. His head rested against my own, trying to pull me into a warp. That’s what we called it, warps. When we were so drawn to each other, nothing else existed. I kissed his cheek lightly and turned back towards my brother. He was bored and unaware of the cheering before him. I knew what he wanted. He wanted the game to start, where everything made sense. He wanted to use his primal instincts from long ago, and he wanted to be free of the boring.

Gabriel and I were here for a reason other than just to watch. My brother was being sought out by a tracker, a nonhuman who blends in better than I ever could. Her name is Violet, and she means trouble.

A tracker is a dangerous animal close enough to a human, but not. Violet was the only one I knew, but I also knew that there were once more, before my brother had accidentally killed them. He was unaware, of course, but he had. Trackers kill much like what you would think a vampire would. They suck the blood out of you. However, they aren’t vampires. Vampires didn’t exist. Trackers are much like cats, and they work best at night, traveling in packs. Violet used to have a pack.

My brother had done the worst one could do: he had sucked the life from them. Each one of Violet’s sisters watched my brother, wanting his blood. Sweet and pure, rich and strong. My brother found them soon enough all sitting on his bedroom window seal, waiting for him to wake. He thought they were parts of his dreams, and they thought he was a reasonable power source. Slowly, they had crept up to him, a frozen statue of horror, and they all drank vigorously from his veins. However, his blood was a poison for the trackers, consisting of the special IV fluid he took monthly for a slight muscle acuteness. All of them died.

Violet would enter the room, scaring all of the innocence. My brother was in the most jeopardy.

I was here to kill Violet once and for all. She was a pest of the energy that I sensed, and she was wild with revenge. My brother, even with my efforts, might not live tonight.

I sensed her come near, closer than I could stand. Gabriel felt it too, and he jerked back, not fully aware of our purpose. Both of us crept silently over to the gap between the two human sets of legs, both of us ready to spring at a moment’s notice. She was slowly progressing now that she was close. Probably planning the fastest attack. Lucky for myself, she had no idea I existed. She wasn’t that aware.

Gabriel motioned with his hooded head towards the entrance, where sure enough, she stood. Her hair was wild and red, her eyes gold and cat- like. Her skin was a powerful tan, showing that her travels were mostly during daylight. I resisted attacking her then, for the whole plan would ruin, and she would escape.

I gritted my teeth as she prowled over on two legs towards the football players. No one noticed her, even though she should be collecting plenty of attention. Probably a minor trick of cloaking against human eyes from her. I could break that bond if I came out.

I was a rebounded of magic, a canceling beast. If I got near her, she would be noticed.

She started to draw nearer to my bother, well on the edge of the row. I nodded towards Gabriel. It was time to pounce.

Both of us crashed through the small opening, sending several students flying. Everyone stared in shock as we leapt from the aerial balcony, landing on the gym floor. Cheerleaders fled and the band stopped playing. I locked eyes with Violet, who showed no emotion.

Everything was silent. No one spoke. I took a step towards Violet, and everyone noticed her. All eyes were on us, I felt it. My brother stared with shock, his mouth open. He had no idea.

I made a move faster than sound towards Violet, while Gabriel ran in a circle around us, giving Violet no choice but to fight. I soon found out that she was fast too. Expertly, she dodged me, bumping into Gabriel, trying to make a run. I leapt for her again, and pinned her to the ground. She struggled, but was to match for my power.

“You try to kill boy, you don’t do good job.” I spat in my horrible English.

“You need not interfere. I need his blood on my hands. Only then will I be satisfied.” Her lips moved with a struggle, and her breath came out jagged. I was tiring her, keeping her close, draining her. That’s another thing I could do, drain the life out of someone with my very breath. My visible air hung around her like smoke, and she struggled to breath it. Her body was turning a blue, a sign of being bending towards the temperature. I let my face drop closer to hers.

“Kill you won’t. You are no more.”

I saw knowing in her eyes. She knew that I was going to kill her. I waited a second, watching her suffer. Suffering that I shouldn’t be giving. However, I had to save my brother. A tracker usually never changed her mind once set, and she had to be done with. I took another deep breath, causing her to suffocate.

“Goodbye tracker.” I said in a low voice. I bared my teeth and bit her neck, my poison filling her blood. Slowly, she was no more. The light faded from her eyes, and then, she froze at my finger tips.

I stood up, caught Gabriel and let him hug me close. He knew how hard it was to kill someone when it wasn’t right.

I looked up at my brother, the only player left on the stands. He stared at me, unafraid.

“Who are you?” He asked, suspicious.

I smiled. “One call me Melissa. I suppose that who I am.” Gabriel smiled towards my human brother.

My brother smiled at me. “No, why did you save me from her?” He asked, pointing to Violet.

“You and me, we blood.” I stated with affection. He looked at me in amazement. Before he could say more, I ran from the campus, with Gabriel close at my heels. That was the first battle I even fought to save my brother. That was the first person I ever killed. That was my first taste of darkness. That was my first taste of who I am.