The flames and smoke rose into the sky, red and orange and black and grey rolling in waves across the dawn. The sunrise behind was cast out, soft apricot and purple bleeding into obscurity as the fire crackled. David’s body was in the fire, somewhere. I didn’t look too closely. Most of the Clan were stood around the pyre, their eyes down and their mouths in sombre, thin lines. Falmer was nowhere to be seen, but that was nothing unusual; he frequented the bar in town, especially since we’d been on a diet of animal blood. He could, more often than not, find willing donors in the women he met. The only other person missing was Kathrena. Her absence, however, had raised a lot of eyebrows, and had elicited a few startled mumbles and narrowed eyes. I couldn’t bring myself to care where she was. David was dead, and it was my fault. I’d checked for his pulse, two fingers feeling

I smiled to myself as I hung up the phone. Skye’s voice had begun to trail off, and his words had been peppered with yawns, so I’d let him go. I’d slept through the entire day, and I needed to get up, to stretch, and to hunt.I luxuriated in the feel of my warm sheets for a minute, sprawling my legs out beneath the duvet. My mouth felt heavy, swollen, and there was a familiar ache in my throat. The sun had dipped away, leaving darkness in its wake.The only light in my room came from the flat, blue-tinted hue of my phone screen, and it made everything look creepier than if there had been no light at all. It was ghostly, shining off the edges of my desk and bedside table, making them into strange, new shapes that weren’t really there.With a sigh, I shoved the duvet back with my feet. The cool air swilled around my bare legs, breathing in through the open window. I frowned at it for a moment. I thought I’d left it closed. Then I shook myself; I’d been asleep all day. That always left me

 The sun was cresting the horizon as I slipped back into my bedroom, wafts of steam following me from the shower. It felt good to finally be clean, but the stress of the last few days was weighing on me, and I toyed with missing school for the second day in a row. Falmer’s offer had surprised me, but mostly because of my vehement, instinctive reaction: no. I’d realised, to my utmost shock, that I liked living with the Clan. Until I’d had another option – a serious one, something more than the vague idea of me going off on my own – I’d just assumed that I was staying with Aradia and Ezrand because I had nothing better to do with my time. I realised, now, how wrong I’d been. With that in mind, I’d showered quickly, wanting to rush through my routine so that I would have enough time to get ready for school. As I’d lathered shampoo into my scalp, I’d let m

“Look, Ellis – are you sure about this?” Kathrena sounded nervous, and she refused to meet my gaze. The truck rumbled along quietly as I pulled into Aspen High’s car park. The sun was golden, with a cold quality to the light that spoke of chilly evenings, of gloved hands stuffed into warm pockets, and of pumpkin spiced lattes. I smiled to myself at the thought of that, and I imagined Skye sipping at one, shyly glancing at me across the worn wooden table in the coffee shop. “I’m certain,” I said, swinging the truck into a parking space. As I twisted the key, turning off the engine, I shifted in my seat to face her.  “But–“ “But nothing,” I interjected, my eyebrows raised. “Your friend wants to meet you in town. So does mine. So I’ll drive us both to town, straight after final period. I’m going to the library

Skye carefully placed the pumpkin down on the small table we’d chosen. It was right by a wide floor-to-ceiling window, and it was secluded from the rest of the library.I laughed, seeing the flush of red in his cheeks as he dropped heavily into his chair. “You didn’t have to get me such a big one, you know.”He shrugged, but he looked hopeful and more than a little proud of himself as he looked at me. “Four years is a long time to go without carving a pumpkin. You deserve a big one. It doesn’t make up for the lost time, but it’s a good start.”“You’re sweet,” I smiled, dropping my gaze and fluttering my lashes as I felt the heat of his golden eyes roving across my face. “Thank you.”“You’re welcome. You – you look really nice today, by the way.”“Thanks,” I said, and my stomach flipped. I shook myself, and I managed to re-arrange my features into a smooth, confident grin. “So. What did you find?”“Well,” he said, swelling up with pride, “it’s a story. An old legend, about this good vam