CHAPTER 2

A week has passed and no one has tried to start any kind of drama about me yet. I was glad that it was going like this, and I wish that it would stay this way, but my luck wouldn't allow it. As the final bell of the day rang and everyone rushed to leave the classroom, I was the last one to go. Nigel had returned yesterday and the training was harder than normal. It had left my body sore and drained of energy, which I'm feeling twice as bad today. Walking out of the room, the hallways were deserted except for a few teachers doing a few last minute things.

Normally the guys would head home without me because I would go and run for a bit before heading home, which is what I did today. Going to a nature trail that was twenty minutes away, I walked up to the information desk to drop my bag off. Nigel knows the owner of the trails here, so they let me keep my bag in the information booth. Pulling out my phone I sent a text to my sister stating that I was going for a run and that they should start dinner without me. After the text was sent, I started playing my running playlist. Depending on what I was doing, I had a playlist for everything: running, the gym, self-defense training, and homework. They helped me focus on whatever I am doing at the time.

It took a little over two hours to complete the two mile run, and the sun was beginning to set. Grabbing my bag from the entrance, I started my walk home. Walking at night wasn't my favorite thing to do, but I had to admit that it was relaxing. Being outside at night always had me worried about vampires, but I've always loved the moon and stars. I guess it was my wolf side coming through.

It took about forty-five minutes to walk home, so I grabbed some McDonalds to eat on the way. When I turned onto my street, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Something wasn't right. I smelled the air, and the scent of blood was strong. Vampires. If it wasn't something to do with school, it had something to do with a creature wanting my blood. Dragon's blood had a lot of uses for witches, and it was a delicacy for vampires. Using my magic to make a dagger appear in my hand, I continued walking with all of my senses fully heightened.

When I saw my three story mini-mansion style house in sight, I picked up my pace. If there was going to be trouble, I didn't want it to involve me or my family. Best to be out of the picture when the blood suckers were concerned. Reaching my door, I sighed with relief. I made it. Putting my dagger away, I walked in and headed to the kitchen. Mom was cleaning, so I put my backpack down and started helping her with the dishes. She looked up and gave me a sideways hug.

"Hey honey. How was your run?" My mother asked as I dried a plate that she handed to me. Shrugging my shoulders, I told her about my day. I love moments like these with her, because she has this way of making you relaxed when you talk.

You see, there are some people who have a special type of blood that allows them to have a special ability. A long time ago, people started calling these people Pure Bloods, because as time went on, the concentration of the blood faded. My family is one of the few who possess a high concentration of it. Which is a possible reason for me being born with both a dragon and an ayakashi. My father has enhanced strength, mom has the ability to bring a sense of calm over people, and Alexandra has healing. Dad isn't insanely strong, but he is stronger than most men, and I love the wrestling matches we used to do when I was first learning self-defense. Both Alex and mom work at the nearby hospital because of their personalities, and the fact that they can use their abilities to the fullest there.

Upon hearing about the vampires outside, she made me promise that I would stay indoors for the rest of the evening. No complaints there. I still needed to do homework, and I wanted to be able to relax a bit before going to bed. Giving my mother a kiss on the cheek, I said goodnight and headed upstairs to start on my work. Sighing, I put my pencil down and stretched. The homework was finally done, and I could start on the drawing that's been playing in my head for the past couple days. It was going to be a dragon wrapped around a wolf while they slept. I wanted it to represent yin and yang, like with the dragon and wolf inside of me.

It isn't easy having two different species living inside of you. Add on the fact that they are both dangerous and considered the most dominant within their respective races, and you have a recipe for trouble. That's the main reason why I have really bad anger. My dragon, Magnus, and my wolf, Nightmare. Despite this fact, I have been able to make them work together without tearing my mental state to shreds. It was around ten p.m. now, so I decided to take a quick shower and go to bed.

"Wakey, wakey. It's time to open your eyes now." A cold, sinister voice called in the dark. Opening one eye, I saw that it was a young woman who spoke. I saw that she held a bloody knife in her hand and the memories from the night before rushed back to me. I was at the park sketching when someone knocked me out from behind. After a couple more seconds, I felt searing pain all over my body. Looking down, I saw long red gashes that were in the process of healing. Man, did I hate people like her. Those that believe they can do whatever they want to others and get away with it. Whether it's torture, or doing illegal experiments, they seem to love coming after me. I might only be ten years old, but I have already been kidnapped more times than I can count. My head felt heavy, and I couldn't keep it up anymore, so as I let it fall down, I saw big bowls below me filling with my blood. Great. Someone else who wants to take my blood for who-knows-what. Unable to stay conscious, I let myself fall into a pain-free slumber.

I woke up in a cold sweat. Again. This was the second nightmare in two weeks, and it was beginning to piss me off. Normally they wouldn't bother me, so the reason as to why I am having more now, is beyond me. Checking the clock by my bed, I saw that it was 6:30 a.m. Getting up, I did my morning routine and headed downstairs for breakfast. Upon entering the kitchen, my mother gave me a knowing look, but I just shook my head. It was too early to do this again. After breakfast, I grabbed a monster from the fridge and headed out to the car so Alex could drive us to school.

"I think you need to talk to Donatello." Alex said out of nowhere.

"All he's going to do is prescribe something to help me sleep. That and counseling, but you know how that went the last time." I really didn't want this conversation this early, but knowing my sister, she won't let this go. She was the type to pursue a situation until it was solved, but this isn't something that can be fixed with meds and talking to someone. Letting it go for now, Alex drove us the rest of the way in silence.

"Talk to Donny today. Anything is better than nothing." Was Alexandra's reply as we pulled up to the school building.

"Alright, I'll talk to him. But no promises." I replied with a sigh. Getting out of the car, I grabbed my backpack and headed inside to start another long day. As I walked to my first class, I spotted Amber and Jacob. Amber shared four out of five of our classes, and Jacob only shared one; but despite that, we became quick friends. Walking down the hall towards them, I heard some of the other students whispering while looking in my direction. Clenching my fist around my backpack strap, I ignored  them the best I could until I reached my friends.

"You look horrible." Amber said when I stopped in front of them.

"Thanks for the compliment. I feel so much better." Was my sarcastic reply. Right now, I didn't want to talk to anyone, but I didn't want to give them another reason to worry about me. I didn't like the attention, and I was willing to do anything to avoid it. The day went by like usual, and when P.E rolled around, I was exhausted. The lack of sleep last night was catching up with me, and it was hitting me hard.

"Alright, everyone! Today we will be playing soccer. You'll split into teams of five and aim for five goals. The first team to get five goals wins and then the teams will switch out. Any questions? No? Then pick your teams!" Coach Hendrics was very excited because soccer was his favorite sport and he was the coach for the school's soccer team. As the others gathered into their teams, Adam, Josh, Damian, Dominic, and I formed our own team. The coach put us as one of the first two teams, so we decided to have Josh as the goalie.

About thirteen minutes into the game, the score was two to one with my team winning, when I started getting really dizzy. Kicking the ball to Damian, I took a few deep breaths to get it under control, then I rejoined the game. As I ran to catch up, I lost my balance and fell. On my way down, I twisted my right hand trying to catch myself, but with no luck. Collapsing on the ground, I tried to breathe to calm the spinning in my head, but it was no use. I heard the guys calling my name as my vision gets blurry, and a couple seconds later, I passed out.