Chapter 14 Ch. 11
Chapter 11
Ethan didn’t even feel the pain at first.
The glass hit the floor and broke. He only heard the sound and saw the acid spill. It reached his hand and started to burn although not so badly because it was diluted, but it felt far away, like it wasn’t really happening to him.
"Oh my God! Are you okay? Ethan?!" Yvette’s voice was loud. She sounded like she was about to cry. Her hands flew to her mouth and she took a step back, looking around at everyone.
"Ethan!" Mrs. Lawrence shouted. "That’s why I told you to focus! Everyone stand back! Someone get the nurse! Don’t just stand there! You're so damn lucky this is diluted Ethan!"
People were staring. Some were whispering. Some were trying to help. A few were already running for the door. He didn’t move an inch from where he was though, he just stood there, watching Zara.
She looked shocked. Her hand was by her chest, her eyes wide. She hadn’t said anything yet. She wasn’t screaming like the others. She just stood there, frozen, looking at him.
His hand stung, but it was like his brain was trying to make sense of something else first.
Yvette had said vampire.
Vampire.
She said it like it was a joke. But it wasn’t a joke. He saw the way she looked at him. She knew.
But how?
He looked at Zara again.
Zara was the only one who knew. She was the only one who had seen him that night. The only one who hadn’t forgotten.
Had she told someone?
Had she gone around talking about him? Did she run her mouth to someone who ran their mouth to someone else? Was that why people were staring today? Was that why the girls had looked at him the way they did? Was that why Yvette was saying weird things and acting like she knew?
He blinked and looked down at his hand. The pain was worse now. The burn made his fingers twitch, but he didn’t make a sound.
He felt stupid.
Stupid for trusting her to just shut up about what she saw and keep it between them without him telling her. He felt stupid for thinking maybe she was different. Stupid for thinking he liked her.
Someone grabbed his other arm.
"Come on," one of the boys said. "We need to get you to the nurse."
Mrs. Lawrence was behind him, talking fast.
"This is exactly what I warned you all about," she said. "You think you’re in a movie, flirting and laughing. Now look. We could’ve had a disaster. Ethan, say something. Are you dizzy? Can you walk? Did it splash in your eyes? Keep your eyes open."
He nodded once but he didn’t say anything.
He was led out of the lab. People stared as he passed by. He hated it. He didn’t want their eyes on him. He didn’t want anyone near him.
"Ethan!" Zara said, reaching for him. "Ethan, what happened? Are you okay? How did the flask break? Why didn’t you move back?"
He turned to her but he didn’t even stop walking.
"Get lost," he spat in annoyance.
She froze, taking a step back and raising her eyebrows in shock. She hasn't expected that type of reaction from him. Hell, she hadn't even done anything except for know his secret. He could not possibly be mad because of that?
"Why do you even act like you care?" He asked as they continued to lead him away. Eventually, his back was turned to her.
Zara didn’t say anything. She just stood there, her lips were slightly parted, her eyes dropped to the floor. Then she stepped back as Mrs. Lawrence pushed them forward again.
The nurse’s office was quiet save for the annoying hum of something Ethan could not quite place. The nurse didn’t say much when she started treating him. She cleaned the burn and kept shaking her head. She told him he was lucky. That it could have been worse. That he should have been more careful. That she didn’t know what was going on with the students these days.
He didn’t say anything because he was too annoyed. Mrs. Lawrence had left although he knew class was going to end.
"Hey," he said to the nurse who was still mumbloimg.
"I want you to shut up. You will stop talking."
She did, blinking rapidly and then continuing her treatment.
Great, I haven't lost my powers yet. He h light to himself..
But if Yvette knew, then it was definitely going to spread.
If people were talking, he had to find out how far it had gone.
Zara. It had to be her. No one else knew. No one else was there. She was the only one he didn’t compel.
He let her go home with it. He gave her time. He waited, like an idiot. And now people were whispering. Now people were watching him like he was some animal. Like he wasn’t normal.
He hated it. He hated her. No. He didn’t hate her. He hated that he liked her. He hated that even when she rushed over, he still wanted to believe she cared. That her eyes weren’t lying.
The pain in his hand was starting to calm down. The nurse wrapped it with gauze, told him to rest, and said she’d be back in a few minutes.
He sat there alone.
The silence felt worse now and he began to wish for the nurse's incessant questioning and comments.
Why would she say something? Why would she ruin it?
He ran a hand over his face. He leaned back in the chair. His back hurt from sitting straight for too long. He stared at the ceiling for a while.
He didn’t know what to do. If it was spreading, if people really knew, he couldn’t just sit there and watch it fall apart. He had to stop it or find a way to undo it.
The door opened a few minutes later and Yvette stepped in.
She looked around like she wasn’t sure if she should be there. Her hands were behind her back. She wore a small smile.
"Shouldn't you be in be in class?" Ethan asked dryly.
"Cancelled. Thanks to you vampire boy, you don't know how happy I am."
Ethan's jaw clenched tightly.
"So," "The rumors are true. You’re actually a vampire."
He looked up at her. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds.
"No," he said finally. "I’m not."
She raised her eyebrows. "Really? Because you looked pretty shocked when I said it. You dropped the flask. You stared at me like I caught you."
He shook his head.
"That’s not why I dropped the flask."
"Oh? Then why?"
He looked her in the eyes.
"Because you said we should hook up and make vampire babies."
She blinked.
"That’s what you said. That was the weird part. Not the vampire thing. You never said vampire before that. You were just flirting. You were being weird. That’s why I dropped it. It surprised me. That’s all."
He stared at her. Her eyes started to look distant.
"I never said vampire before that," she repeated slowly.
"Exactly. You were just messing around and never even said the word.
"Right. I said something stupid. That’s all."
She looked dazed. Then she smiled, nodded, and walked to the door.
"See you around," she said.
She could be compelled.
She forgot everything.
So then why didn’t it work on Zara?
What was wrong with her?