The Undying Truth. C J Higginbotham

different. Two teeth stick out like sore thumbs being longer than the rest.

      What the hell is happening to me? I think to myself.

      The school bell goes off, and it’s finally lunchtime. I step out of the bathroom to see Ezra and Cara walking down to the lunchroom. Cara hollers for me. I keep my head down as she walks next to me. They smell different from the rest of the school. Why have I never noticed their presence is obviously different?

      The hunger comes back, clawing at the inside of my stomach. We get our food and sit in silence. I start eating everything on my plate, but it doesn’t help my hunger. I know that I’m not hungry but that I am craving something. I need something to fill his hole in me that is just crying for help. Cara and Ezra just look at me and willingly offer their food. I take both of their plates. Cara starts talking about depression, explaining that in some cases, mainly death of a family member, people eat a lot as a coping mechanism.

      That’s all I can listen to as I finish the food. The food starts to help, but it’s not what I need. I desperately look around, trying to find something to help this craving. I start to lightly shake as head, filled with pounding voices that pierce my ears. I finally look at them, and they are staring at me, scared.

      “What!?” I say, agitated.

      “Y-your eyes they are…pulsating?” Cara finally makes out.

      Pulsating? What is she talking about? I stand up, startled by her words. I turn to hide in the bathroom and accidently knock Nick to the ground. He falls on his fork, which cuts his hand. I start to apologize until he jumps to his feet and grabs me. I smell his blood, and suddenly, everything becomes quiet and slows down. The only thing I hear is his heartbeat. The only thing I smell is the blood now soaking my shirt. Something ignites in me, and before I know what I’m doing, I bite him on his wrist.

      His blood fills my mouth, and the only thing I can think is how I need more. I jump on him, pin him down on the table, and bite his neck. The taste was so overwhelming, and I can’t stop until I’ve had my fill. I put my hand on his chin and try to sink my teeth deeper, but his veins are completely dry. The hunger eases up, but I’m not finished.

      I start to think clearly. As I look around, I see everyone is terrified. What did I just do in front of everyone? I look down to see his head is almost ripped clean off his body. I stand up from the lifeless body, in a panic. My hand comes to mouth as I realize that this is my doing. Sadness lumps my throat, and I can’t move. I look around and see teachers starting to come for me. I hear a loud high-pitched scream fill the room, and it hits my ears like a ton of bricks. I look at the girl screaming as she looks at me, horrified, just noticing what everyone else has already noticed. Everyone panics and tries to run from me, blocking the path of the teachers.

      This is bad. I’m going to prison! For murder!

      My siblings grab me and push me toward the closes exit. I am shaking. What have I done? I’m scared to crave the blood again. I can’t control it, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t want to hurt him. My instincts came over me, and my craving moved me to become a murder. Now I’m regretting what I have just done.

      “What was that, you freak!” Ezra says as we hurry home, hoping not to be stopped.

      “I was hungry. I didn’t mean to,” I tell them. “I didn’t even know how or what happened. Please believe me. I never wanted to hurt him! I am sorry!”

      They didn’t say anything as we finally walk into our house. When I get past the door, Mom is standing there, waiting for me, but before she can say something, I start explaining myself.

      “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened!” I said.

      “It’s okay. How do you feel now?” Mom asked.

      “What?” I say, completely shocked.

      “Are you still hungry?” she says, looking intensely at me.

      “I don’t know. I think so, Mom. What’s going on?” I say, starting to get scared.

      “I need to know how you feel. We have to leave,” she says in a panic.

      “Leave? Where could we possibly go to?”

      “I’ve got to make some phone calls. Be ready in fifteen minutes.” She starts to rush.

      “How are you okay with this? Mom, what’s happening?” I say, starting to panic.

      “I don’t know what happened. I just know you all need to get your things. We are leaving soon. Cara, Ezra, you too.” She’s more frantic now.

      “Mom, talk to me. What’s going on?”

      “I don’t know, Levi! I think there is a place that can help you!”

      “What can possibly help me?”

      “Just do what I say—now!” she hollers.

      After packing everything, Mom makes me sit in the middle of Ezra and Cara. We all get into the car. She is more scared than I have ever seen before. She rushes and, every five minutes, looks in the back at me and makes sure I’m looking right at her.

      I killed someone today; the realization sinks in.

      How could I have done that? I’m not a violent person. I may have not liked Nick, but I didn’t mean to kill him. Were the cravings that bad? I try to think back, and it doesn’t seem real. It feels like it wasn’t me who did it. Next time I have the craving, I will be able to control myself. We’ve been driving for a while, and I start to feel hungry again. I start to feel nervous, worried what I might do next.

      “Levi, how are you feeling, honey?” Mom says, concerned.

      “I feel a little hungry.”

      I see her eyes move frantically for a second, and I hear her heart starting to speed up.

      “Ezra, Cara, get up now.”

      They wake up, confused at the sound of Mom being scared.

      “What? Where are we?” says Cara and Ezra.

      “Don’t let Levi move.”

      “Mom, what did I do? I would never hurt you,” I ask, confused of her fear of me.

      After a couple more hours, we start arriving at a huge building. There is a sign that reads “Ardeal Embassy” on it. I can’t control it anymore—the urges of my hunger. I know what I need, and this feeling in me tells me that I’m going to be taken away for a long time. It tells me that I need the blood and the only one I can get it from is her. I start to lose my guilt in my hunger, and my mother suddenly becomes just a source of food.

      “Mom, please, this is crazy. I don’t need to be held down.”

      “It’s for your own protection. Just relax.”

      As we pull up to the door, I think this could be my last chance for blood. I reach out for her, and Ezra tries to hold me back, but I break his grip. Mom sees this, puts the car in park, and jumps out. I barely miss her with my claws, and they sink into the driver’s seat. I see her running inside, crying. Anger ignites in my stomach that I can’t have what I need.

      “Calm down, Levi,” says Ezra.

      “Yeah, what are you doing? That’s mom!” Cara screams, terrified.

      I turn around and glare at Ezra, “Shut up. You wouldn’t understand. I’m a freak, right?” I say as I put my foot on his throat. Cara tries to jump in, but I smack her, and she hits the door. I look back, seeing Ezra’s face turning blue.

      The door swings open, and I am grabbed by so much force it almost rips my shirt. A guy with an army outfit picks me up and slams me on the concrete. All the wind is taken out of my lungs as his grip tightens around my neck. His eyes are golden, with the same pattern as mine without my contacts. I cannot break his grip, so I try to kick and punch him. His body is solid like a stone wall, unaffected by my blows. More officers come out and cuff me. They carry