The disgusting wet sounds of my coughing silenced the boy filled chatter as I exploded through the bathroom doors. I had rushed to the bathroom not wanting to cough on anyone and I only succeed in spraying a group of girls standing by the sinks. The looks of absolute horror on their faces would have been funny if I didn't feel like utter shit. Guilt filled me but before I could apologize they start shrieking and shoved passed me to hurry out the doors.
They lost my attention as I doubled over as a painful cramp twisted my stomach. I grimaced and gripped my stomach, staying like that until it passed. God, what was wrong with me?
Ever since this morning I had been horribly sick, if anyone saw me they would swear I was turning into a zombie. My usual brown skin was several shades lighter, the whites of my black eyes were blood shot, and I couldn't stop hacking. The only reason why I was in school instead of in bed watching Netflix was because I had this huge algebra test. I couldn't afford to fail it as my grade was already ass in his class so here I was. Dying in the girls bathroom.
With a groan I turned on the water at the sink and splashed myself with water. In the movies it always worked but I didn't feel any better, I just felt wet. I snatched a piece of paper towel and wiped my face off when I heard the door open. A glance over as I threw the paper away showed me that Raven had came in, my best friend since sixth grade. She must have came looking after me after I didn't show up in our usual spot.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? You look like shit. " She said, wrinkling her nose at me.
I rolled my eyes and noticed she didn't come any closer.
"Thanks." I said sarcastically.
I ran my fingers through my slightly wet hair. Great, it was gonna get back curly. i took my scrunchie off my wrist and pulled the wild black mess into a ponytail.
"To be honest, I feel like it. I don't know what's wrong with me."
She shook her head, concern wrinkling her features, and started to walk over to me. She froze as another bout of coughs ran through me. She couldn't hide the look of disgust as she backed up. Irritation flooded through me and it must have showed because she held her hands out towards me.
"I'm sorry Ave, but you know I hate germs. And I can't get sick, especially now. " She said, emphasizing now.
Right, she had that big date with dean. She had been waiting forever for him to ask her out and he finally grew a pair a few days ago. It would be cruel to get her sick the day before her date. I sighed and wiped my mouth, ew, drool. I grabbed another paper towel and wiped my hands off.
" Don't worry about it. After I take this stupid test for Mr. Rogers, I'm hauling ass back home. " I said.
She stomped her foot in frustration as I rolled my eyes. Neither one of us could afford to fail this test. We had spent time together throughout the year instead of being productive and it came back to bite both of us. If we failed we were gonna be stuck in summer school. But at least we'll have each other, right?
"God, I really need to pass this class. My mom will kill me if I don't. ugh. Come on, might as well head over. It's like 6 minutes before class starts. " She said and I nodded reluctantly.
Might as well get this over with so I can go home. Maybe some sleep will do me good. I hitched my bag up and shoved a few ringlets away from my face and headed towards the door. Raven eyed me as she held the door open for me. The sounds of a few remaining kids rushing to class met me ears. I glanced at her, wondering what her problem was.
"You know, if the Markers hadn't already came, I would think that you were Chosen or something. " She said with a laugh. I wrinkled my nose up and frowned at her.
"God, don't even joke like that. It's over with and in the past, so let's leave it there. " I said, shuddering.
The thought of being Chosen terrified. Even though 10 kids were Chosen already as the news had told us this morning -two from our school- I still had some left over fear. Last week had been hell for me and that was probably why I was so sick. I had never felt so much panic and worry in my entire life, mom had to force me out the house - you would think she would be more worried about her eldest child- and i spent every second looking over my shoulder. in the whole week I had only like 12 hours of sleep total. When the Markers finally came and picked Chloe and Danny I was both relieved and guilty, though the guilt didn't last that long.
They were pretty much branded freaks as soon as everyone saw the marks on their head. The worse part was that it was first period and they couldn't leave until school was over. They both walked around, their friends avoiding them, and everyone gawking at them. I couldn't help but feel bad; no one wanted to be a vampire or werewolf. Though I couldn't help but be glad that it was over.
I didn't want to talk about it but I couldn't pretend that how I was sick wasn't eerily similar to how the Chosen was before they got marked. I tried not to worry. People were only chosen every five years and by the time the next Choosing came around, I would be 20, out of the age range. The only time I had to worry about it again was when I had kids of my own. It was just some weird cold and I would get over it in no time.
"I don't know, Ave... " She teased.
I glared at her, " Drop it, Raven, I'm serious. It's not funny. "
"Okay, god, you don't have to be such a sour puss. " She said with a scoff great, now she was pissed.
My irritation faded but before I could say anything, she pulled her phone out and began to text someone. Probably Dean or Hayley, her other(more bitchy) friend. I didn't even understand why she liked her. Hayley talked shit about everyone: me, dean, and even her. But Raven ignored me, making excuses about Hayley being insecure and not wanting to believe that she was a raging bitch.
We finally arrived to our class and Raven slipped her phone into her purse and walked over to her seat. No, wait, she wasn't heading over to our usual seats but going over to sit next to the blonde she devil herself. Great. Immediately the two began to chatter excitedly and I tried not to feel jealous as I rolled my eyes and walked to my seat. If she wanted to catch her usual attitude and act like a child, then fine, let her. I didn't care.
I dropped my bag to the floor, letting out a loud cough. The boy in the desk that wasn't empty, scooted away from me slightly. I couldn't get mad because I would have done the same thing. Germs were ick. The bell rung and Mr. Rogers got up from his seat and shushed the class. We all fell silent and he grabbed the stack of papers before he started to pass them out.
Oh god, this was it, what I spent several nights up studying for. This was going to make me or force me to spend two months in summer school. I held back a cough and crossed my fingers, hoping I got at least a C. mom and her asshole husband might end up pissed, but i could handle that. He slid the paper on my desk and I waited for him to give the word to start. He gave the last student a test and told us we could began.
It was only a single page but a look at all the questions made the blood drain from my face. The problems looked similar to the ones from the homework but a thousand times harder. There were fractions, decimals, and giant numbers- and we weren't even allowed to use a calculator. I whipped my head, wondering if I was the only one who was confused, and pretty much everyone was writing away with pencils dancing. There were only 3 other people who were staring at their papers like I was; one of them being Raven. She met my eyes, hers wide, and mouthed 'wtf'. I shook my head with my own eyes wide. We so did not cover this in class.
There was nothing we could do and Mr. Rogers was watching the class like a hawk, so we couldn't cheat. Our eyes drifted back to our own papers, and I stared intensely, wondering how I was going to do this. After several long minutes I picked up my pencils and started my attempt to work out the problem. At best I was going to get a D, but hey, that was still passing.
The class went by agonizingly slow and I was only on the second problem when I jolted as my stomach started to cramp painfully. Oh god, not now; I bit my lip, trying to hold back a moan. My hand inched to my stomach and clutched it, trying to wish it away. If that wasn't bad enough, my throat began to itch as I was over come with a burning urge to cough.
It was impossible to hold it back so I pulled my shirt over my mouth and let it out. I sprayed my own chest with spit as I hacked up a lung and turned heads to look at me. Even the teacher glanced at me with furrowed brows and a look of worry. The fit lasted forever before I finally came to a stop. I sucked in a deep breath and wiped my mouth before letting my shirt drop.
"Are you alright, Miss Gara? " Mr. Rogers asked. I nodded and gave him a strained smile.
"Wonderful." I said.
Not. But there was nothing I could do until class was over. Afterwards I planned on raiding mom's medicine cabinet and drifting off to La La Land.
Before I could pick up my pencil again through the pain there was a sudden scream that made me jolt and shake my entire desk. i slapped a hand over my chest as all heads snapped up and looked around in confusion. It sounded like it came from the hall or maybe another classroom. Mr. Rogers stood and glanced towards us.
"Keep working. I'm sure it's just an over excited teenager. You girls do love to scream over nothing. " He said and moved to the door.
not only was that sexist as hell, it was also wrong- at least this time. that scream sounded different. it sounded like it was filled with fear and panic ridden. Nothing like the typical dramatic teenage girl.
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I and a few others ignored our test and watched Mr. Rogers as he opened the door and stepped out. My phone buzzed and I quickly pulled it out while he was distracted. It was a text from Raven and she wanted me to send her a picture of my test. I furrowed my brows and glanced over only to see both her and Hayley watching me. Hayley motioned me taking a picture. Before I could even entertain the thought, Mr. Rogers stumbled back in the class and slammed the door shut, making the glass rattle. Another muffled scream rang out followed by another and another. It sounded like chaos was going on outside.
The girls forgotten, I stared at him wide eyed, wondering what the hell was his problem. He spun around to face the class and the look he wore stirred up fear and chatter in the class. Beneath his glasses his eyes were pretty much bulging out of his head and he looked like he just seen a monster.
"Mr. Rogers, what's wrong? " Amy asked, her voice sounding more high pitched than usual.
He was casting a spell of fear over the class and we waited anxiously for him to speak. He backed away from the door and I had a feeling that something dangerous was out there. He slowly turned his from the door to look to us, his eyes landing on every single person. My head began to pound before he even spoke that word. The word that struck fear into my heart and everyone else in the room.
"Markers."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
the word almost seemed to echo in the classroom, as everyone stayed silent in shock.
What.
No, that was impossible.
The Choosing already happened last week. Mr. Rogers was just imagining things or it wasn't really them. But how he was acting wouldn't let me pretend that he was just crazy. Also, with all the screams and shouting in the Hall just furthered proved something serious was going on.
Tests were forgotten as everyone took in his words and glanced around, not sure what to do. The rules last week was to stay calm and stay in our seat at until the Markers Marked the Chosen ones. What were we suppose to do now? Looking around I could tell some people wanted to run and were far from calm. It didn't help that our teacher was freaking out more than we were.
I felt the weight of eyes on me and I glanced over to see Raven staring at me. Her face was pale and horror was in her eyes. I knew exactly what she was thinking and my heart began to pound. I was sick, just like a chosen, and if they were here again I might get marked.
But I wasn't chosen, I couldn't be.
My body began to shake and I knew I had to get out of here. The only problem was the only exit was into the hall where they were. I glanced around the room, wondering if there was somewhere I could hide. Aside from the locked closet in the back, there was nothing. For a moment I thought of going through the window but decided against it. We were on the second floor and I wasn't that desperate.
I looked back over to Raven and she was now comforting Hayley who was crying. What was her problem? it wasn't like she was sick, she didn't have anything to worry about. Aside from me, everyone looked perfectly fine. God, I hoped I wasn't chosen.
"Mr. Rogers, what do you mean? The 10 were already picked. " A random boy said in the back. Another girl spoke at the same time.
"Oh my god, what do we do? "
Everyone began to speak all at once at Mr. Rogers, the volume rising, and I could tell that he was getting overwhelmed. The door to the class suddenly flew open and at once the class fell silent. There was sounds of whimpering and silent crying as we all locked eyes on the door, fearing what was going to walk through. Just as a tall man walked through the door, my body decided that was the time to let out a loud, wet cough.
Eyes flickered to me and I could tell by the relief in some of their eyes, they thought it was going to be me. Screw you all, I won't get picked, I just couldn't. My body was tense and heart was beating wildly as I dug my fingers into my palm.
The tall, slim man had this otherworldly energy and presence that sucked all the air from the room. The crescent moon he wore in the center of his head was a pale blue inside and was outlined with a bright silver. It pointed to the right marking him as a vampire, or at least I think. Vampires and werewolves usually had normal colored eyes with a silver ring around the pupils. Since he was a Marker, his eyes were completely silver, and he ranked them across the class. I couldn't help the shudder that ran through me; it was wrong and unnatural. They all were.
He wasn't alone and was followed by another man that was a bit shorter but just as intimidating with his large frame. His eyes and Mark was exactly the same as the other man except his mark pointed left. He was a Werewolf.
The sight of the men was too much for Mr. Rogers as he went and covered in the back of the class. It irritated me seeing a grown man act like that, yet at the same time I understood. Adults never had anything to worry about but since the rules apparently changed, who knows who might be chosen. Maybe they might even Mark a healthy person and ignore me. I could only hope.
They stood there for several agonizing seconds, and I just wanted then to get it over. They were looking each person in their eyes. Some people they just gazed over while others they took a bit longer to look at. Amy was one of them and she fainted right as the taller one's landed on her she slid right of her seat and landed with a thud on the floor.
No one moved to help her. everyone terrified to gain their attention.
The shorter one landed on Raven and I held my breath as he stared at her. She was visibly trembling in her seat as her eyes welled up with tears. We both sagged in relief when he turned his eyes away but it was short lived. I wasn't there when Danny or Chloe was chosen so I had no clue how it worked. But I knew as soon as his eyes brushed Hayley that she was a Chosen.
Her mouth dropped open widely and she finally stopped her crying as she stared at him, frozen. His eyes began to glow brightly and everyone around her, even Raven, leaned away. Some even completely got up out of their seats, fearing that they might accidentally get in his line of sight.
His voice was booming and almost seemed to echo as it drowned out any other noise.
"Hayley Christine Richardson, you have been Chosen in this cycle by the most esteemed Goddess. You will bear the Mark of the moon, and rejoice and bask in the light and love of your Goddess. Accept your destiny, as it awaits you. "
A scream ripped from her throat as she dropped her head into her hands. Her pain rippled through me and I stared in horror, wishing there was something I could do. She sobbed loudly, her shoulders shaking as she did so, before slowly lifting her tear streak in face up. I gasped along with the rest of the class at the bright mark on her forehead. It glowed for a moment before settling into an empty crescent moon to the left with a bright silver outline.
The werewolf's eyes dulled before changing into a pair of soft brown with a silver ring. He didn't even spare a look at the crying girl as he left out. It was cold hearted and he should have done something to help her. But his job was done. It was up to her to go to one of the their schools or a Collector would come for her.
"Raven." She choked and held her hand out to her.
Raven just shook her head in disgust and it was clear that their friendship was over.
I stared at her, not believing that she could be so cruel. If I was Marked next, would she turn her back on me? My stomach sunk as I guessed the answer to that question. Hayley shoved her chair back and ran out the class, her cries mixing in with the others.
I drew my eyes back to the vampire. The horrible Marking wasn't over yet. There was still another Chosen in the class. He continued raking over the class and my heart was pounding so loud I could hear it in my ears. I was certain it stopped when his gaze landed on me.
I was hit with sudden tunnel vision, everything around me dimmed except for him. His eyes began to glow a brightly and even as I was sucked in powerfully, I was screaming in my head. No, I couldn't be chosen, it was never suppose to happen to me. Being Chosen and Marked was that sad horrible thing that always happened to other people, never you. But now it was.
I shoved my chair back and stood abruptly, feeling like a caged animal. My eyes darted around looking for someone, anyone, that would help me. They all looked away, not daring to meet my eyes. Even my best friend refused to look at me.
I was all alone.
With nothing else to do, I shoved passed desks and went straight to the window. A small part of me said that it was hopeless and I wouldn't be able to run; I was already chosen. A larger part would do what ever it took to get away, include jumping out a second story window. The window was up and before I could go through ii, his honey like voice froze me.
His words were both smooth and dangerous as they caressed my ear, making it impossible to focus on anything else.
"Avery Strange Sanders, you have been Chosen in this cycle by the most esteemed Goddess. You will bear the Mark of the moon, and rejoice and bask in the light and love of your Goddess. Accept your destiny, as it awaits you. "
The whole time he spoke my began to buzz and vibrate with energy, and I felt like I could explode. Even though my back was to him, I could feel as he pointed towards me. The energy zipped through my body, rushing towards my head, and An intense painful burning exploded across my forehead. I threw back and let the scream rip from my lungs.
I fell down to my knees, too weak to stand, and clutched at my head. I screamed, both because of the pain and the realization that my life was over. No more finishing high school, no more prom, no more going to college to be a psychologist. No more best friend, no more hoping to date the football captain, and no more future. I was going to have to go to Freak school or die.
Everything was over for me.
When the pain finally ebbed away and I had the will, I lifted my head. My vision was blurred but I could see that the man was gone and I was left alone to bear the Mark. I could feel weight of everyone's stares and it made me sick. I couldn't handle being looked at like I was a freak, a monster. I pushed myself up on shaky legs and took off out the classroom.
The Hall was filled with adults and students, most crying loudly. As I ran I noticed most of the adults were Markers and almost all the kids were either marked as werewolves or vampires. There was so many, at least around fifteen. What was going on? There was never this many before.
I recognized a few faces her and there: Kim, Ryan, that weird acne kid, and Dean. Wait... Dean? I slowed at the sight of the giant quarterback sitting on the floor against the lockers.
It was hard to tell if that was him at first as his shaggy hair hid his face. He slowly raised his head and you could see his new Mark under his hair. His eyes were bloodshot from crying. I didn't know what to do. We weren't close, and I only knew him because of Raven. Should I try to comfort him or something?
Before I could move forward he shook his head and lowered it back to his knees. I hesitated before taking off again, my thoughts slipping from Dean to Raven. I wonder what she will do once she finds out that not only has her friends been marked, but also her crush.
I ran all the way down the Hall and through the doors leading outside, only stopping as a fresh breeze reached out to greet me. Greedily, I sucked in a break only to explode into coughs. I guess being marked didn't stop the sickness.
A sharp pain went through my head and I closed my eyes as I walked down the stairs. I just wanted to get home to my mom, she would know what to do. My mind was spiraling out of control. The only thing that was on my mind was that I was a freak and my life was over. Mom may have despised the supernaturals but I was still her daughter. She would help me.
I slammed into a tall large figure and my head bounced off of their chest. I jolted back as I let out a hiss, and looks up at the person. It was another goddamn Marker. The sight of them was seriously starting to make me sick. His eyes were still silver, meaning that he hadn't found his Chosen yet.
If he wasn't a werewolf I would have found him attractive. He was a few inches taller than my 5'6 height, and he was incredibly muscular. His skin was almost as black as the leather jacket he was wearing, and he had long black dreads that was pulled up in a ponytail. With his sharp features, high cheekbones, and silver eyes, he didn't even look human.
Even though I was irritated and technically a supernatural myself, I was still fearful of him. I tried to back up and move around him but then his eyes started glowing. My brows furrowed and I looked behind me, expecting to see someone there. But other than the werewolf in front of me, there was no one around. What was he doing?
I looked back to him and with a gasp, I realized I was experiencing the same thing from back in the class. The world around us pretty much disappeared and I could only focus on him. Through my intense focus on him, I was thinking that I shouldn't be going through this. I was already Chosen and Marked once, you can't be Marked more than one time.
his voice was sweet and soothing like a lullaby. his words moved along the breeze to my ears.
"Avery Strange Sanders, you have been Chosen in this Cycle by the most Esteemed Goddess. you will bear the double marks of the moon, and wear them with pride and prestige as you have been Chosen by the Goddesses. Bask in their light and love as the first of your kind. accept your destiny, as you are meant for great things."
he took a step back and pointed at me. pain exploded through my head, feeling as if a bomb went off. it was a thousand times worse as my brain already suffered so much today. i couldn't even scream as my vision turned dark, and the last thing i remembered was falling down and landing hard.