The Would-be Boyfriend

For the rest of the bus ride they talked about mundane things, like what plans they'd made for the summer. Carin was trying to convince her mother that a summer membership at the pool would be beneficial. After all, if she hung out at the pool all day then she would have a nice tan by winter. Plus, everyone knows that only the cutest boys hang out at the pool.

Leona's plans are less than fun, a summer spent working full time for her parents and their store. Since they would be graduating at the end of the school year she would be preparing to get into college in the fall. That's what her parents plans are, anyway. Go straight from high school to college, a local one so that she can still help at the store.

"Leona! You can't just work all summer, that's too horrible for me to even think about. You need to get out and have a little fun."

"It's not so bad, usually I do summer school and science camp and you treat both of them as if I'm dying. Maybe work is my idea of fun."

But it isn't my idea of fun, I don't hate it but I also don't enjoy it. I just don't know how to tell my parents no. Leona envies Carin in all aspects. She has a mother who is willing to let her do what she wants. Carin isn't expected to go to college but she wants to and that's one of the biggest differences between them.

It's then that they arrive at Leona's house and she gets off the bus, waving goodbye to Carin as she goes. It's almost with a sigh of relief that Leona steps off the bus and walks towards her house.

Even on the bus the boys couldn't keep their eyes off her, almost leering at her at times. Carin had noticed, she knew from the looks her friend sent her periodically, but she hadn't said anything. Carin would leave it up to her to say something first, unless she really got worried.

Inside Leona sets her backpack down by the desk and changes her clothes. She chooses a light purple, button up shirt and a knee length black skirt and black ankle boots.

Normally she doesn't dress up this much but something inside her wants to be a little daring today. Maybe that's why, when she brushes her hair, she changes her style so that the part is off to one side.

She turns to look at herself in the full length mirror that hangs on the inside of the bathroom door. The light purple of the shirt compliments her hair and skin tone, making them both seem darker. Her hair seems to flow around her, with her hair parted and covering part of her face it looks almost as if she has bangs. She doesn't remember having hair that short and wonders if it is her new powers changing it.

Altogether she makes an amazing vision, a vision that she doesn't recognize as being her. It's as if she's watching life through the eyes of a movie star or a model. Leona Dracy has never been anything but ordinary. Her clothes hug just right to accentuate every curve. She feels as if she's finally alive, as if she'd been dead all these years. She watched almost mesmerized as her right hand trails down her breasts, her breathing quickens.

She finds herself thinking of last night with Edward, of all the things they had done. She can't help but think of what will happen tonight when she sees him. Because she knows she can't just ignore the changes going on around her. A single thought of Edward reignites the fires within her and she can almost taste him on her lips, feel his soft skin against her. A car horn blares from outside, startling her awake from the daze she'd been drowning in, her hand resting on the band of her skirt.

Her heart skips a beat then races as she finishes up in the bathroom and goes outside. She can't leave her mother waiting for long or she'll come inside. Leona isn't certain what just happened but it scared her just a little. Outside her mother is waiting in a black Ford with a scowl of impatience. Nothing like a little reality to wake you up, she thinks as she climbs into the passenger seat. As part of the daily routine Leona's mother picks her up half an hour after school and she helps them with the store.

Even if it's only a few hours after school on weekdays, or all day on the weekends, they feel it necessary for her to work. One of their plans is to give her the store when they retire, leaving her full run of the place. She doesn't want it, knows that having the store in her name will mean she's tied down to it and the town for the rest of her life. It's almost more than she can handle and many days she outright refuses to think about it.

They make small talk on the short drive to the store, her mother goes through the rounds of asking about school while not really listening. Leona plays along, the familiar game a comfort with so much change going on around her. Her mother doesn't even notice the change in her hair or over all appearance, not that she would be able to accurately describe her daughter to anyone should they ask.

They park the car in the back of the store, right next to the sign that says 'Employee Parking Only.' Leona doesn't waste time going in, doesn't spare a glance at the employee parking spaces. She's seen everything a million times before and while it's familiar none of it incite any feelings except maybe anxiety. The large green dumpster, the immaculately clean pavement. Not even the small white building that houses the Dracy's Grocery store.

The space in the back of the store is relatively small. The back door leads directly into the lunch room which is equipped with a small microwave, fridge and a sink. It's furnished with a table and enough chairs to hold six at one time. Normally only one or two are in the lunchroom at the same time, though there may be six employees on the payroll. Connected to the lunch room is a smaller room that houses cleaning supplies and in front of those two rooms is the storage room that runs the length of the building.

Leona hangs her light jacket on a row of peg hooks in the lunchroom and goes out to the main part of the store. They are busy for a Wednesday night and Leona's job is running the register to which she throws herself into with the hopes of forgetting the thoughts that plague her mind.

The constant bombardment of customers keeps her busy for several hours.

All too soon the store suddenly turns quiet as seven o'clock comes around and everyone is at home sitting down to dinner. While she's wiping down her register and cleaning up the disorderly mess that so many people left behind she catches sight of a boy watching her over the cover of a magazine. When he sees her looking his way he quickly turns away, pretending to be engrossed in selecting a magazine and not watching her.

She remembers him from school, he'd moved into town only a year ago. He's one of those guys who keeps to himself and seems to be happier sitting in a corner than with a crowd. The first time she saw him, she'd been walking by his house with Carin on their way to get pizza. His family was moving in and he'd been carrying a box inside. Half way there he'd stopped and just stood there staring until they turned the corner. From then on he had given her the creeps.

She doesn't even know his name. Suddenly, as the thought crossed her mind a name came to her head. Kevin. And the thought that he's always found her attractive, even on her worst day.

Leona turns her attention back to her work but finds that she cannot concentrate, too many things keep coming into her head. She had hoped to forget about Edward, about all the changes, but seeing Kevin and hearing his name in her mind only brought it all back. She can't seem to get out of his thoughts, foreign images fill her mind with thoughts that are not her own.

Leona signals to Olivia, the other girl working the register, that she is taking a bathroom break and turns her light off as she leaves. She tries to look casual as she walks to the back but the constant bombardment of Kevin's thoughts is too much on her system and she feels sick to her stomach.

It seemed to take forever for her to reach the bathroom and in the back of her mind she hopes that the place is empty. She doesn't want anyone to hear if she does throw up. She quickly makes her way to a stall and locks the door, falling to her knees in front of the toilet she pulls her hair back.

Life suddenly has new meaning to her as the reality of what had happened last night fully hits her. She had been able to ignore most of it up until now, even all of the boys staring at her could be easily ignored. But the fact that she could connect with Kevin and cannot get out of his mind just brings everything into focus.

Her breathing becomes shallow, as if it's hard to breathe and tears threaten to fall. Leona loses the contents of her stomach until there is nothing left, until her stomach hurts. Soaked with sweat she sits down and leans against the side of the stall, her breathing coming in short bursts. She closes her eyes and forces herself to settle down, the last thing she needs is to have a complete break down. With the panic that she feels rising she knows that a break down, or at the very least hysterics, is not far away.

She knows what must be done, that she will go see Edward after her parents are asleep. She knows with sudden determination that she must learn to control her new powers and how to live peacefully with them. Only Edward can teach her how, it is his fault after all that she is different. Feeling a little better than she had a moment ago she stands and exit's the stall.

When she looks at herself in the mirror she looks terrible, her skin is pale and her hair is plastered to her skin with sweat. She splashes cold water on her face and dries off. When she looks at the mirror again she's almost back to normal, her new normal anyway. It hadn't taken long for the magic to work on her and make her beautiful again.

She shakes her head and leaves the restroom. It will take time for her to get used to being different. Leona is deep in thought when she opens the restroom door and walks out, so much so that she walks right into Kevin who'd been standing nearby.

"Oh, sorry…"

She looks up to see Kevin standing in front of her and her eyes immediately hit the floor. So many thoughts and emotions swell up inside of her at such close proximity that it's almost unbearable.

"It's all right, no harm done."

Leona looks up to find him smiling, he's a good foot taller than her five foot two inches and she's forced to look up at him. She's surprised that she had never really noticed him before, there is something about his face, his presence, that draws her to him.

His eyes are green and full of intelligence, his red hair a mass of curls on his head. She sways as if she's going to fall. He reaches out to steady her and both of them freeze as their eyes locked.

She can feel his pulse, feel the rapid beating of his heart. The look in his eyes changes with his hand on her arm, skin against skin. Desire swells within him. She can feel his body react to her close proximity and finds her own body reacting as well. What would it be like to kiss him? To touch him?

Leona could see in his mind that he wanted to kiss her, every image that flashed into his mind filled hers in turn. It didn't take long for the images to become more intense than a simple kiss, even more graphic. She doesn't know if it has something to do with her or if he would have normally thought of her in that way. Either way his desire is feeding her, arousing her, and she in turn is feeding his desire. An unending circle.

"No harm. I-I really should get back to work. Sorry again about walking into you."

She practically runs back to her register, leaving Kevin to stare at her retreating figure. Not even the distance can keep his thoughts out of her head. She knows that he had been moments away from kissing her, knows that even now he wants to kiss her. She can't seem to find relief from the bombardment of his thoughts.

The rest of her evening is a constant torment as images and thoughts from Kevin continue to fill her mind. It's not that it hurts her, she actually feels more energetic. The sick feeling in her stomach was gone, only to be replaced by an unending heat, a hunger that she knew could only be appeased one way. And yet it scared her to think that such minimal contact could turn her on.

It doesn't seem right to her that Kevin had been so infatuated with her even before the change. Her plain appearance, subdued demeanor and he had actually liked her. If only she had come across Kevin first instead of Edward. What a difference it would have made in her life if he'd been her boyfriend. She felt giddy at the thought that mousey Leona could have gotten a boyfriend.

****

Kevin runs a hand through his hair and plays the meeting with Leona through his mind for the fifth time since leaving the store. For the first time in a year he'd been close enough to touch her, to talk with her and he'd blown it. One look at her and his hormones had gone into overdrive and completely clouded his ability to talk. Now he'll never get another chance to talk with her.

Two more months and he'll be going away to college and probably not the one she'll be going to. Why do things have to be so complicated for me? Why can't I just be like everyone else? It's a question that's plagued him his whole life and one that he will never have an answer for.

It takes a moment for him to realize that he'd walked to the park from the store. It was the feel of shredded rubber at his feet that made him stop and look around. As late as it is no one else is around and the sun is low enough that it casts ominous shadows across the swings and monkey bars. He walks over to the swings and sits down, running a hand through his hair again and sighs softly as he watches the sun slowly sink out of sight.

He had been captivated by her the first time he saw her. He remembers every little detail of that day. The sky had been pale blue with only a few puffs of clouds in the sky and a warm breeze was blowing. It had been the first part of April when flowers were starting to bloom and the temperature started to warm. He had been unpacking the U-haul and she'd walked around the block followed close by another girl. She had been wearing a white tank with floral print and worn blue jeans, her brown hair had been left down.

That image of her had stayed with him until he'd seen her next, a few weeks later he and his parents went shopping at her parent's store and she'd been working. It didn't seem to matter what he did, she never noticed him but he had noticed her. In a way he'd felt sorry for her, he could see that no one paid any attention to her. He's had to work hard his whole life to stay out of the spotlight and all she had to do was show up and suddenly she was invisible.

His like of her over the months could only be called an obsession as he'd watched her and followed her home a couple times. He's tried to back off but his inability to speak when she's around has only made him more desperate to see her. That's why he always stops by the grocery store every day after school and never leaves until he sees her.

If his parents knew about what he's been doing he knows that they would have a few things to say to him, one of which would be to tell him to stop. He knows that his watching her isn't healthy but he can't help himself. Maybe if his parents didn't see the need to protect him and keep him from doing anything he might have an outlet for his feelings.

Kevin swings for a few more minutes then gets up as the sun completely disappears. His parents will be looking for him and he really doesn't feel like having them hunt him down. Nothing more embarrassing than having your parents scour the town looking for you, even if no one notices. He stands at the edge of the sidewalk and stares out into the darkness, the image of Leona seared into his mind.

Never before has his thoughts of her gone that far. Sure he's thought about kissing her but never about undressing her, there has always been that small amount of respect for her that's kept him from thinking that way. When he can't get the image of a nude Leona out of his mind he turns and kicks the closet thing, a trash can made of concrete. The trash can nearly folds in half before it shatters, bits of concrete scattered across the grass of the park.

Damn it! I'm so stupid… Who uses a concrete trash can anyway?

Kevin storms off without a second glance at the destroyed trash can, anger radiates around him. By the time he makes it home he's calmed down enough that his parents won't notice. The last thing he wants is for his parents to start asking questions.

****

Leona can barely contain herself during dinner, eating as quickly as she can without drawing attention to herself. The food has no appeal to her but she obediently eats knowing that her parents will get after her for not eating. It seems to take forever for her parents to call it a night. She sat on her bed for what felt like hours waiting for the stillness that meant her parents were fast asleep. When she's certain they wouldn't hear she opens her window and slips onto the ground, glad in that moment that they didn't own a two-story house.

As she's walking to Edward's house she can't help but think about what life would have been like with Kevin as her boyfriend. They could have gone to movies together, snuggled together under the stars. She knows that her parents would have approved, from the look she's had into Kevin's mind she knows that he is a top student. But instead of living as a normal teenager she's forced to deal with powers and feelings that keep bombarding her until she has little choice but to seek out Edward for help.

The whole thing is his fault, he had chosen to give this curse to her. Now he is the only one she can rely on, though she cannot afford to give him her complete trust. No, she must stay on guard when around him. He's already done his worst to her as far as she's concerned but there is a possibility that he could do something else much worse.

Dread and apprehension settle in the pit of her stomach as she approaches Edward's house. The outside lights are on but they cast more shadows than they illuminate and she finds herself seeing monsters in every corner. It takes all she has to reach out and knock, a part of her hopes that he isn't home. On the second knock she can hear movement inside and can feel him as he moves closer.

Her heart stops when he opens the door then settles into an unforgiving rhythm as she walks inside. The living room is bare of life, furnished only with a dark blue couch and a tv set upon a small table across from the couch. No pictures or personal touches can be seen and it makes her think of an empty shell. She can't help but think that the house is but a mask to hide the truth that dwells within Edward, weaknesses and losses too deep to need images to draw remembrance.

"Have a seat. How are you doing this evening?"

He sits down on the couch and motions for her to join him. She thinks about it a moment before finally sitting down, though it's at the opposite end of the couch.

"Good. I, um, I had all the guys at school staring at me today. Men everywhere were staring at me."

She feels heat rise to her cheeks and looks away. Edward laughs, short and abrupt and she turns to look at him with the slightest hint of anger in her eyes. Apparently he thinks it's funny.

"Leona, they will stare. You possessed a quiet beauty before but now you're shouting that beauty. You are a bewitching sight. You practically glow now, drawing all the men around to you.

If you're truly not comfortable with it then all you have to do to regain your old invisible self is to simply tone down your 'glow'. Before you leave tonight I'll show you how to tone it down enough that you can go to school without being stared at."

She nods her head, making herself accept what he's saying. Too much in her life has changed in the twenty-four hours since she first met Edward. She thinks of the biggest change, of Kevin, and suddenly her mind is in his. She knows that right now Kevin is sleeping, that his dreams are chaotic to the point of being a nightmare. She closes her eyes for a moment as she feels him wash through her mind, their connection makes his dream change into erotic images of her.

"At the store today there was a boy. I looked at him and felt my mind connect with his, later I bumped into him. I-I could hear his thoughts and feel what he was feeling. I knew that he liked me, that he wanted me. In one moment I knew everything about him."

Leona opens her eyes, heat rising inside and threatens to burn her. She takes a deep, ragged breath to try and soothe the heat but it only burns hotter as she smells Edward. Edward watches her with a carefully guarded expression.

"Touch will amplify your abilities, as a succubus touch means everything. I'm surprised that you were able to connect with someone so quickly. How long were you able to hear his thoughts?"

Leona bites her lower lip and looks away, embarrassed to admit the truth. "I don't think I ever stopped. I couldn't hear him this evening but just now when I thought of his name it all came back.

"The things that I saw in his mind, I don't know if it was there before or if I put them there. I find that I want him, the desire to have him is like nothing I've felt before. I know that he's sleeping right now and when I thought of him I went into his mind and saw that his dream was more of a nightmare. Then it changed and became erotic and sensual. I felt his reaction, his desire for me."

"He must have already felt something for you to connect with him so strongly when your powers are still weak. When you connected with him you started the process of owning him and in doing so have been feeding off of him all day."

"I didn't hurt him, did ?"

"No, this type of feeding is usually gradual. My mistress called it coaxing because while you feed from him you are feeding him. You amplify everything he feels until there are no barriers left when you make him yours. Before you leave, I'll show you how to guard yourself. Tomorrow if he comes around have him come here. It will aid your training to learn by doing."

"Ok."

She's a little scared to pull Kevin into her new world but at the same time she's excited. She wouldn't be alone in all this if he were there by her side and she would have someone to call her own. Edward is the one who created her and doesn't count, he can't offer her the support that Kevin would be able to.

Edward moves to sit next to her and she can feel his desire answer hers. Leona has fought her own desire since seeing Kevin but now she doesn't have to fight any more, now she can let herself go. She releases all of her restraints and the flame within her burns brightly, causing her to gasps aloud as she feels herself become wet.

"Not only will other's desire you but you will have a larger appetite for sex as well. It's not unusual, merely your body telling you that it's hungry. The first few months will be far more intense while you learn your new powers. The more you learn the easier it will be to control.

"But, you must always make certain you keep yourself healthy and well fed whether by desire or food. Your powers and your body will become weak without nourishment and you're more likely to do something you'll regret. If you don't feed the desire regularly you will start to drain those who belong to you and anyone else who comes in contact with you.

"Never forget this."

Edward leans down and kisses her, he takes her bottom lip between his teeth and tugs gently. She is tired of talking, tired of waiting. She is the one that meshes their lips together, the one who pushed him back on the couch. She only struggled a little with getting his pants off and pulled her underwear off while her tongue branded the inside of his mouth. He accepts her need, makes it his own. He unfastens her bra and tosses it aside along with her shirt then squeezes her breasts.

She pulls her skirt up to her waist and positioned him beneath her. The downward thrust of her hips draws him deep inside of her. She shudders at the feel of him inside of her, so hard and thick, then slowly starts to work up a rhythm. He sucks on her nipples, his teeth grazing as she moves faster above him.

His hips move in time with her thrusts and they build up an almost painful rhythm. But it feels good letting out all the frustrations of the day as she pumps him harder and harder until she screams as she climaxes, her body releasing everything. She feels him come inside of her moments later and lets herself feed. She takes what she needs and savors it as it fills her. She lays down and rests her head on his chest and feels sated. At peace with herself for the first time that day.