MARIA'S VAMPIRE DARK CYCLE

17 FEBRUARY, WEDNESDAY, COMPUTER CLASS

We were nearing the end of computer class and I was done with the assigned module for today. All I had to do now was wait for the bell to ring.

The computer screens provided a lot of coverage. As long as you were quiet, you could pretty much do your own thing without the teacher, who spent most of his time behind his own screen, noticing.

Most of the kids surfed the internet or played games... On their phones. It's faster than using the school's network. Plus there was some kind of firewall, so most of the popular social media sites were blocked anyway.

I was just weighing my options - attempt to beat my typing high score again, or take out my phone and experience the fullness of my teenage social life? Why did I even have to ask? TBH, I was hesitant about experiencing too much fullness. Maybe Mum was right and I wasn't ready for online social media. My one single word had sparked such an uproar. It wasn't like my chat app where whatever was said in the app, stayed in the app... as long as your friends didn't post a screenshot on their social media channel.

I'm not even sure why I was mulling over this. Shouldn't social media be like a YOLO kind of thing? Hahahaha... yes... except no, Ki was already overloaded as it was. YOLO-ing was a surefire way to send more PR c*** his way.

Yeah, this had been bothering me a little bit. Like when Jax shot the drone this morning... my first thought wasn't that it was cool or OP. I worried about the repercussions, because so far EVERY little stupid thing I did led on to some kind of long term consequence - whether good or bad. Most of the time, I couldn't even tell if it were a good or bad thing.

Nothing I did or said, whether in private to my betas, or in public on social media, didn't boomerang back at me at some point. Dad always said "An Alpha's words spoken once is echoed many times over." At that time, I thought he was talking about how many people would repeat his order and told him about the broken telephone line game we played at Lycan Study Group, "You know Dad, if a message is repeated too many times, it gets really messed up."

Talking about telephones, I should NEVER had changed the settings of my social media account. In fact, I should NEVER had gotten a mobile phone to begin with. Maybe I just wasn't good with technology - specifically the type that required me to respond to messages. Face it, I didn't even respond to mindlinks! So maybe it wasn't so much the technology part than the communicating part.

How was it that it was only about a month since I've shifted and I was already full of regrets? Didn't I make some speech about living with no regrets? Unfortunately, I couldn't remember a thing I said that night. I only remembered fighting Alpha Jude - which was incidentally, also regretful.

Maybe I should just NOT do anything. Then there would be nothing to regret. Except I might regret doing nothing. Wow, I just couldn't win here.

So I turned back to the computer screen and clicked on the "Try again" link to restart the typing speed test. At least this was something I could win. I posed my fingers on the keyboard, feeling for the little notches where the "F" and "J" keys were. The secret to typing quickly was not looking at the keyboard. And the secret to typing without looking at the keyboard was to never stray far from your "F" and "J", and also to always leave one thumb above the space bar - then you could move to the next word quicker. And focus. Do not think why the fox would jump over the dog, why the fox was quick but the dog was lazy, what the fox or dog might represent. Don't think, type.

Just as the screen said "Start!", a keyboard flew across the room. It hit the window with a smashing sound and clattered onto the floor. The girls closest to the windows screamed. Everyone else popped up from behind their computers like prairie dogs sensing danger.

"Who...now, who did that?" The computer teacher also stood up. He pushed up his glasses and looked around. I'm guessing whoever did it would be at the computer with a missing keyboard?

"Who did that?" The computer teacher asked again.

"The glass is cracked." One of the girls whispered to her friend.

"So scary." Another said.

"Quiet! Who did that?" The computer teacher demanded again.

I looked down at my hands. My keyboard was still there, and then I looked over to Jasmine who was next to me. Her keyboard was still there. She gave me a shrugged and made a face like, "I don't know what happened either." Then she looked around.

"There..." Terrence said, but Troy cut him off, "Shhh!"

We all looked over to them.

"Who?" The computer teacher demanded again. He sighed and then made his way over to Terrence and Troy.

"It wasn't us, Teacher!" Troy quickly said.

"Then who-" The computer teacher stopped short at the table before the two guys, "Hey, girl! Girl, get up! What's wrong?"

Abigail was face down on the table. Her keyboard was missing.

"What's wrong with your friend, girl?" The computer teacher decided to ask the girl sitting next to Abigail, who turned out to be Maria! MARIA? Since when was Maria sitting with Abigail for anything?

Maria... who was at this moment wearing an extremely creepy smile. Her dark flame was lit in a way that was particularly alarming to my wolf.

I double checked my mind-block, and found Fluffy desperately trying to link me. I allowed it.

{Alpha, take caution. The vamp is about to strike.}

Okay. I had no idea what Fluffy meant, but I think I would know better than to get involved. Boo had already surfaced, she was on the defensive. I decided to take my cue from her stance and stay low. I signaled Jasmine to remain seated and quiet. She nodded her understanding and ducked her head low to the table.

I couldn't see Henry or the other guys either. If they had stood up earlier when the keyboard flew, they were back down behind their computers now.

Jasmine showed me her phone screen. It was opened to our chat group.

A. HENRY

> Stay down. Especially Sam. The vamp is controlling Abi.

> @B. MARCUS Add the new wolves.

B. MARCUS

> [FLUFFY was added to the group]

> [EJ was added to the group]

> Hi, A. Hen says to stay down. Vamp is controlling Abi.

A. HENRY

> Keep your mindblocks up.

> @ FLUFFY @EJ Do not go over to Sam or u'd draw atten to Sam. Stay down.

FLUFFY

> Understood scary alpha.

EJ

> Dun worry scary alpha! We be pros with lady vamps.

A. HENRY

> Stay down you idiots. This is school. If you mess up, I can and will have you taken out of Sam's security roster.

LIAM

> Babe, are you okay? @JASMINE

> Answer your pm, babe? [*puppy dog eyes emoticon]

Jasmine quickly retracted her hand to check her chat from Liam.

I had no choice but to quietly retrieve my own phone from my bag.

B. MARCUS

> Update: Contacted B.Matt. Mdm P activated.

"Girl! I'm talking to you..." The computer teacher said, and then he was suddenly quiet. He just stood there. Actually, all the humans were just standing in their places, staring blankly at nothing. It was very creepy, like some kind of horror movie or bad dream where all your classmates turned into zombies.

Grrr...

{Alpha, please remain calm.}

Oh, Fluffy was still there. He sounded deceptively calm, I could just imagine him mindlinking me with his smiling mask on. But he couldn't fool me, I was the Alpha, I was quite aware of the dread that he was suppressing.

{Fluffy, its okay.}

{She is entering her dark cycle, Alpha.}

Her what now?

{My previous mistress had also entered her dark cycle when she came of age.}

And then what happened? I had almost asked, but Fluffy's wolf had coward back just at the memory. Fluffy's very withdrawn wolf who had only recently began to exert its presence was quickly fading away. I grabbed onto him through the mindlink.

{Fluffy, its okay. I'll protect you.}

{That is my job, Alpha. I will give my life for you.}

There would be no giving of anybody's life. Stoopid Fluffy, I don't want your stoopid life. At any rate, isn't your dad coming over to get you as we speak? I can't give him a dead son! Your mama would cry all over again... Sigh. I needed to calm down. Focus.

{Fluffy. What's a dark cycle? Report.}

I used the magic word and a bit of Alpha command, so Fluffy had not choice but to answer what he knew.

It turned out that a dark cycle was something all vampires went through at their coming of age. Something like our first shift, but with a lot more destruction and bloodshed, not the vampire's blood though. During the dark cycle, even the gentlest vamp would go into a dark mood, causing them to kill and destroy. Fluffy knew no way to stop the massacre except to kill her.

{Okay, Fluffy. Thank you.}

Honestly, I was afraid his wolf might break if he said any more.

{I wasn't sorry. I was just relieved. When I...when I killed her. It was over. I was only sorry I didn't die too.}

{It's okay, Fluffy.}

{EJ doesn't know. These humans will not live past today. We will have to find our own chance to escape. She will let us watch, and then she will kill us off, one by one, as we watch silently, like lambs to slaughter. But I will protect you Alpha. Please escape the moment you can. Run and do not turn back.}

Fluffy's wolf was in a bad way... like a drunk man on his last leg. Drunk from pain. Grrrr... I grabbed him by his link and shook him hard.

{Fluffy! It's okay. It's going to be okay!}

But while I said this, I also flared. My hair - it was out to get me killed.

Suddenly, all the humans in the class turned their heads in my direction and said in one voice, "Sam."

Now that was creepy to the max. I stood up to face Maria. I felt her try to mind wrap around me, her presence cold and austere over my mind. I blocked her out.

But then Fluffy and EJ stood up too.

"Pretty princess why don't you play with us instead?" EJ asked.

"I promise we would be more fun." Fluffy smiled.