Halle spent the night tossing and turning, plagued by nightmares of Norah ripping her throat out. She tried to imagine the face as Josh described it, like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland but with razor like teeth. Black eyes as deep, soulless and empty as some screaming void.

It sounded ridiculous. Unbelievable really. How could her face change that like? How could she do that to another human being?Halle shook the thought from her head as she moved through the corridors of Hogarth High. Josh liked to play jokes but it wasn’t in his nature to lie, especially not about something so horrifying.

Thanks to her poor sleeping habits, and cheap alarm clock, Halle had almost been late for school, which meant no Ravi that morning either. Without her parents at home, she felt like Robert Neville roaming the world without anyone to call a friend. Except, she didn’t even have the benefit of a dog to keep her company.

Halle felt exposed walking the halls without Josh to keep her in check. He was still at the hospital waiting for that poor guy to wake up, meaning Halle would have to brave her morning classes alone. She was headed to Physics with Mr Carringdon, a class so boring she would have nothing but time to stew and worry.

Though the hospital wouldn’t tell Josh much, they were yet to discover the mystery man’s identity. The most they’d been able to learn about him was that he’d been carrying a ceremonial knife and that he had an unusual symbol tattooed on the inside of his arm. Other than that he was ghost, until he woke up at least. If he woke up.

Halle was roused from her anxious bubble by the shrill and spine chilling laugh of Sophie Chat, who along with Evony Chaikram and some other airheads, was boxing Marnie Jackson and Clem Smith into a corner near some lockers. Marnie and Clem were part of a core group made up of the usual social outcasts, who the athletic sect liked to torment most days.

Sophie and her brood swirling their half-fat vanilla lattes like witches over a cauldron. The popular girls liked to monopolize the coffee carts from 7:15 until the first bell, bragging about how they’d missed breakfast, while simultaneously chugging down eight-hundred calories in syrups and steamed milk.

Halle didn’t much know Clem, although she had several classes with Marnie, and deemed her to be one of the few people who didn’t make her want to punch things. She might even hazard that Marnie was kind of cool at times, although her subscription to Goth made her seem unapproachable to most, which was likely the point.

“What have you got to say for yourself?” Sophie was tapping her foot like a displeased teacher.

Marnie and Clem, whose heads were turned down, began stammering, which Evony being determinedly dim-witted began mimicking, causing the others to laugh. Lord knows what they’d done to draw the ire of Sophie and her bimbettes, not that it took much. Sometimes as much as glancing in Sophie’s direction when she was feeling especially raw was enough to earn a slew of verbal abuse. Halle didn’t much care what the reason was, but they were blocking her from her class.

After trying a few times to move around them, a sigh escaped Halle, “Haven’t you losers got anything better to do?”

She might as well have thrown chum in the water. Sophie’s shoulders pinched and she stood there frozen, never a good sign, even the airheads looked panicked. Very slowly Sophie turned in place, her face seemed placid but the stiffness in her body told a different story.

Her bright blue eyes, perfectly bordered with sharp lines pointing to her tightly slicked back hair-line, studied Halle with predatory intensity, “I’m sure you weren’t talking to us”.

“Of course I’m talking to you, I’m looking at you.”

Halle must have looked frightening because all of the airheads, bar Sophie, took a step back. Halle couldn’t help but want to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Sophie didn’t seem to sense the irony as she stared down on Halle as if expecting her to drop to her knees and beg forgiveness.

On another day that might have been exactly what Halle did, but suddenly it all seemed so trivial. If what Josh said was true, there were much scarier things in the world than this skinny harpy with crooked teeth. Halle laughed, which evidently threw Sophie off as she began to shift in place.

“What are you laughing about?”

“I have no idea”, and Halle meant it, which made her laugh even harder. Maybe it was the lack of sleep doing it, but seeing them all there dressed in their fashionable clothes with their holier than thought attitudes seemed so childish. How was it she’d been so afraid of these girls for almost a decade?

Halle leaned around Sophie to talk to Clem and Marnie, “You can go if you want”. The girls didn’t need to be told twice, as they scurried off into the crowd.

Sophie scoffed, stamping her little sneaker down on the ground, “Excuse me, I’m talking to you!”

“And I’m ignoring you.”

By this point, some of the boys from the football team were congregating, including Ravi. Catching his eyes emboldened Halle, she was still staring at him when she said, “This’s been fun, Sophie, but I have to get to class”.

When Halle looked back Sophie and Evony were stood over her with smug looks on their faces, “Oh really?” Sophie purred.

Sophie glanced at Evony, who without being instructed, removed the cap from her coffee cup and dumped it over Halle’s shoes. Halle jumped back but it wasn’t enough to avoid it splashing all over her white high tops, it was enough to send her rage spiraling.

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Evony tossed the empty cup at Halle, “Whoops”.

Despite being a good head shorter than both girls, Halle squared up to them. Her nostrils were flared and she knew she’d lost her upper hand, but she didn’t care. Those skinny witches were going to meet a fist, if they weren’t careful.

Down the hall, the doors opened and Norah walked in. She looked normal, healthy even, her hair raked back in an easy braid, dressed in skinny jeans and an oversized band t-shirt off one shoulder. Halle felt frozen, studying Norah like she would any predator.

Norah caught Halle’s eye and immediately her earnest face began morphing, her cheeks splitting to reveal rows and rows of glistening teeth. Without another word, Halle turned and ran away, leaving a confused Sophie and Evony in her wake. Moments later, Norah bashed past them.

Halle rushed off into the girl’s bathroom, just managing to squirrel herself away in one of the cubicles before Norah’s eye appeared in the crack between the door.

“Don’t you think you’re overreacting a little?” When Halle didn’t respond, Norah knocked on the cubicle pointedly, “Halle, you can’t hide in there forever”.

We’ll see about that. Halle wedged herself in the corner of the stall, glaring at Norah through the crack in the door. Her skirt was slicking against the cold tiles and the scent of coffee on her shoes was growing stronger by the second.

The stall door rattled as Norah rested her head against it, “Please, Halle, open up. I just want to talk to you”, her boots were peaking under the door.

Why should I listen to you?

“Because I feel like I should explain about what happened last night.”

Halle froze, did she say that out loud?

“I clearly really freaked you out and I want to apologise…”

Last night? Halle hugged her backpack to her chest as if it would have any impact in protecting her if she opened the door to that psycho. Oh, God. Please don’t kill me.

Norah stepped back from he door, her voice sounded sad, “Kill you? Why would I want to kill you?”

It had to be the lack of sleep, because she was certain she didn’t say anything that time. Hearing the sadness in Norah’s voice, Halle tentatively opened the door, but remained in the cubicle poised ready to close it again. The girls studied each other with suspicion.

Eventually, Halle felt brave enough to venture out of the cubicle, she walked around Norah, looking her up and down with intrigue. She performed one full loop before stopping in front of her. You don't look like a vampire?

Norah's lip curled in distaste, “I’m not a vampire”.

Halle’s mouth felt like it fell to the floor as she stared at Norah in complete shock and disbelief, “You heard my thoughts!”

Norah tried to laugh it off, “What?! Of course I didn’t”. She wasn’t very convincing.

Halle backed away into the cubicle, pointing an accusing finger at Norah as she stammered, “Yes you did! Oh my god”. Halle narrowed her eyes. In fact, I bet you're doing it right now.

“I am not!”

“Ah ha! See!”

Norah tried to cover Halle’s mouth to silence her but was slapped away, causing her to inadvertently box her into a corner, “It's not what you think”.

“What that you're a vampire?”

“Shush! I'm not a–” she lowered her voice, “–vampire”.

Halle swerved around the edge of the cubicle, turning the tables on Norah so that she was the one who was cornered. Halle held her hand out to keep Norah out of her space as she backed away, “But he saw you! Last night, he said you... attacked that man…”

Norah looked horrified, “Who saw? Who told you that?”, rushing forward she grabbed Halle by the arms,

Halle tensed her body, leaning as far back as her arms would allow her, “Josh! He said you changed, you bit that man and left him for dead”, her face was scrunched half expecting Norah to start breathing fire.

“That…”, Norah’s voice became tight, “We were attacked. It was an accident”.

“Oh sure, I accidentally bite people all the time”, Halle had regained her boldness, seeing Norah falter she shook herself free and took a step back.

Norah looked up at the ceiling, exhausted and full of despair, “You have to believe me, I didn’t mean to hurt him”.

Halle rolled her eyes. Tell that to the guy in hospital.

Norah's face brightened and she grabbed Halle by the arms once again, “Hospital? Wait, so he's alive?”

“Get out of my head!” Halle tried to shake herself free but this time Norah wasn’t letting go.

“I can't help it!” Norah pushed Halle so that she was caught between two sinks, she stared intently into her eyes, “Please, Halle, is he alive?”

Norah had such a look of sincerity in her eyes, Halle couldn’t help but take pity on her, “Last I heard he was in the ICU”.

Tears glistened in Norah’s eyes and she touched her face in relief, “You have to take me to him, please. I need to talk to him”.

“What so you can finish the job?”

“No, I–” Norah was interrupted when the bathroom door swung open and two freshman girls entered. The girls stopped mid-conversation, seemingly aware they’d walked in on something they shouldn’t, prompting Norah and Halle to both yell, “Occupied!”

The girls turned and rushed out, not wanting to be accessory to whatever was going on in that bathroom. Now that they were alone, Norah put her hand against the mirror, trapping Halle in the nook between the sinks, “You’re going to take me to that hospital or–”

“Don't hurt me, please, I won't tell anyone what you did”, Halle was almost cowering.

Cold realization filled Norah’s eyes and she lowered her arm, she stepped back to give Halle space, she was hugging her body, “I’m not trying to hurt anyone”. Norah ran her fingers through her hair with agitation, “…I just want to explain”.

Halle straightened up, this girl seemed too pathetic to be as dangerous and evil as Josh implied, “Okay then, explain”.

Norah glanced up in surprise, evidently stumped by the request, “What now… just like that?”

Halle crossed her arms and stepped closer, “You said there was an explanation, so spill”.

The blunt statement left Norah baffled, she blinked several times like an automaton resetting, “It was an accident”.

“You said that already”, Halle arched her brow.

Norah looked flabbergasted, “How else am I supposed to explain it?”

Halle was getting impatient, “Maybe start with what the hell your deal is and we can work backwards”, she put her hands on her hips in a haughty manner.

“Look, even if I could explain that part of things there isn’t time, now please, take me to the hospital so I can fix this”.

Halle’s confidence began to wane, she could already see Josh’s face if she allowed that scenario to play out, “I really don’t think that’s a good idea”.

Norah grabbed Halle's hands and dropped to her knees, tears were flooding down her cheeks, “Please! You have to take me to him. I have to help or… or… explain. I don’t know”.

Disgusted by the display, Halle ripped her hand away, “Ugh, fine!”

Norah's head jutted upwards as she gave Halle a grateful smile, “You will?”

“Yes”, Halle wiped her hand on her shirt, “But if you go all exorcist on us then I’m going to super kill you… with like, a stake”.

“Fair enough”, Norah leapt up and pulled Halle into a bear hug, “Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me!”

Seeing that Halle was struggling to get away from her, Norah released her and they stood for a moment in awkward silence. Eventually Halle gestured for them to leave the bathroom, making sure to stay behind Norah the whole time.

“Hey, by the way, did you know your shoes are all wet?”