Starting Now

CLAIRE'S POV

"I'm going to take a shower now," Caius said, looking at me.

I nodded, gesturing toward the door. "Hurry up, or we'll be late."

He knocked on the bathroom door, and when there was no response, he pushed it open and stepped inside. Moments later, the sound of running water filled the room.

I sighed and leaned back on my bed.

I finally felt so much better, thanks to Caius.

Even though five days had felt like an eternity, he had stayed with me through it all. He brought me food and medicine, made sure I stayed hydrated, and never left my side.

By the third night, we had started sharing the bed, yet I hadn't felt uncomfortable with his presence. He kept his hands to himself and barely moved while he slept, always remaining in the same position until morning.

Maybe the stiffness was partially because he was a vampire. But the truth was, I owed him a lot for everything he did. 

Not only had he saved me and controlled his urges, but he had also nursed me back to health. And now, he would be leaving today.

I couldn't think of a single thing a guy like him would want from me. What could I possibly offer to repay him?

The bathroom door opened, and my gaze lifted as Caius stepped out, shirtless, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Water dripped from his hair, trailing down his pale skin.

Before I could stop myself, my eyes roamed over him, taking in every sculpted inch. He was breathtaking. His chest, toned body looked as if he spent hours working out or maybe he was just naturally blessed.

His dark hair contrasted sharply with his pale complexion, and his blue eyes were mesmerizing. I stared, lost in thought, until our eyes met.

Heat rushed to my face as I realized he had caught me openly checking him out.

Flustered, I quickly looked away, pretending to focus on something else. But when I dared to glance at him again, I noticed a small smile tugging at his lips as he dried his hair.

At least he didn't think I was being weird.

I waited for him to get dressed, and once he was ready, we headed to school together.

We talked about all sorts of things on the way, and I had to admit that Caius was great company.

"I'll see you later," he said as we finally got to the hallway and then we went our separate ways.

I waved at him with a smile, but as soon as he turned his back, I was harshly reminded of my reality. No one here liked me, and just a few nights ago, I was nearly killed.

The thought made my smile vanish instantly. With a straight face, I turned toward my locker to grab my books. I had class that morning, and considering how many days I'd missed, I needed to get there before the professor.

But as I rounded the corner where my locker was, I froze in place.

"Unbelievable…" I muttered under my breath, fury rising like a storm inside me.

Zane and Skylar were leaning against a locker, just two spaces away from mine. Zane was kissing her neck while Skylar shamelessly threw her head back, moaning softly in pleasure.

My hands clenched into fists, my chest heaving with anger. Neither of them had lockers near mine. It was obvious they were doing this to spite me, five days after trying to kill me.

Before I could stop myself, I marched straight toward them.

"Do either of you have a conscience?" I snapped, my voice cutting through the air like a whip.

They stopped immediately. Zane slowly turned to face me, his expression darkening into a frown.

"You're heartless beasts," I spat, glaring at Skylar. "I've been keeping my head down since I got here, making myself small, feeling guilty for what my father did. But you know what? You don't deserve it. Not anymore!"

Zane straightened, sliding his hands into his pockets, his calm demeanor only fueling my rage. "When did you come up with that speech? Now? Or during one of your long naps over the past few days?"

I scoffed, refusing to back down especially with his taunt about my napping. If his girlfriend hadn't tried to kill me, would I have been forced to sleep for so long?

"You hate hunters so much, but you're just like them," I bit back, glaring at both of them. "You hunt the weak for sport. You break people for fun. What makes you any different?"

His jaw tightened, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes.

"And you," I said, turning to Skylar. My lips curled in pure disgust as I stared her down. "You're nothing but a raging psychopath on a leash, desperate for scraps of Zane's attention. Do you even have a shred of self-respect? Or is your whole personality just being his deranged little lapdog?"

Skylar growled, her body coiling as if ready to lunge at me, but Zane grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"What are you going to do?" I challenged, taking a bold step closer. "Try to kill me again? You think I'd let you get away with it a second time? Go ahead, Skylar. I dare you."

"Walk away, Claire," Zane said, his voice low and filled with warning.

"No," I shot back, my glare burning into him. "I'm done bending over backward for a sociopath with daddy issues and his rabid little attack dog."

Zane stepped closer, his voice coming out dangerously low, "That's enough."

I shook my head. "It's never going to be enough from now on. You want me to be the girl my father trained me to be? Fine. I'll be her."

I smiled coldly as my gaze shifted between two of them. "And I'm starting with both of you."

I pushed past Zane, opened my locker, grabbed my books and walked away, leaving them standing there.

******************

I sat on my seat, feeling lost in my WereLeadership class. It was boring, but mostly I was still fuming because of Zane and Skylar. I didn't think seeing Skylar would make me so angry that I wanted to kill her, but it did. 

It reminded me of the messages from my father. It was almost like he saw what was going to happen to me here. And honestly, there was no sugar coating it, I couldn't fit in here. I just had to stand out. Good or bad. But either way, I was getting my revenge on Skylar first. And then Zane. 

I lowered my head to write when the PSA crackled and a voice came through. "Claire Hunter, report to the headmistress office immediately."

I snapped my head up when I heard my name. I had to listen again to make sure I'd heard correctly. 

"Claire Hunter, report to the headmistress office immediately."