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CHAPTER 4

NEW RIVAL

Winds howled and the night screeched. Screaming flew into the sky, flying down to Taemin, creating a whirl wind around him. The concrete under his bare feet was warm and wet. The darkened water underneath the night sky was thick.

No, not water, blood.

The blood squished in between Taemin's toes, staining them. The bright red made it easy to determine that it was fresh. He picked up his feet and the blood trickled down. The drips creating small pools, bouncing once before disappearing into the bigger one.

The metal fence boarding the roof's edge was sparkling new. The school building's white wash color was shinning clean, as supposed to the dirty white from the wear and tear of rain and snow it was now.

Goose bumps trailed up Taemin's arms, over his chest and down his back. The little bumps covering half his body. The numbing cold hit him like a thousand needles, puncturing his skin and staying put. Taemin brushed his hands against his arms, the heating friction making the perfect sweater. His heavy eyelids had not allowed him to see the snow that covered most of the ground.

Winter.

It wasn't any winter he remembered. By the time he began attending Daewon high, the white walls were already dirty and chipping and the fence had already rusted.

"Stop moving." The voice was muffled, but that didn't scare Taemin any less.

Ducking behind the bench, that seemed to have been there since the school was built, he peeked out from the top. The voice inviting new goose bumps on his body.

He held her up. His arms wrapped around her waist and chest to trap her. Her feet dangled a few inches off the ground. His mouth was snuggled deeply into her neck. What looked like a normal love bite was everything but a love bite.

She scratched at his face, only coming half way. She was lucky if she skimmed it. Her resisting disturbed him. He didn't like his food to move, it didn't make good if you wanted to keep your appetite. Squeezing even tighter, he shook her. Her whole body waved from side to side like a rag doll. Her violently swinging legs almost seperated from her body, but it worked and made her stop.

The swallowing sound as he took in her blood came clear as day to Taemin. It wasn't like the faint sound from the TV, where he could hardly understand what they were saying. No, this was very clear.

The boy looked at Taemin. He was a boy. Maybe Taemin's age, maybe a little younger. At the moment his age wasn't what Taemin was focusing on. He must have been half asleep because he didn't realize, until the boy looked at him, that his face was a black hole. The kind that hovered in space waiting to eat up a space ship and never spit it out. Within the black hole Taemin could see the amber glow of his eyes. The glow that made it known that he was not human.

Piled up beside him, blood seeping out, were a dozen dead bodies. All of them female, teenagers and all of them dead. Couldn't he at least spared some?

Finishing off, he released the girl, allowing her to fall on to the pile with the others. With his sleeve, he wiped his mouth, making sure to get every nuke and cranny. Finding some blood that might be hiding. His eyes focused on Taemin, his tongue picking up any drop of blood he forgot to wipe.

Leaping into the air, he landed on Taemin. Both legs were on either side of him. Taemin's back was covered in thousands of gallons of blood. He was drowning in it.

Taemin expected for the boy's face to clear as he bent down to him, but the black hole wouldn't disapear. Squeezing and tightening, the boys hands wrapped around Taemin's neck. Breathing was impossible. He could only gasp, knowing that he was already turning blue.

Gasping for air, Taemin's eyes flew open. He sat up in his bed, his hands making their way to his neck. It hurt. His bed beneath him was soaked in his sweat.

The nightmare was all too real to be a dream. A vision maybe? Lately they've been occurring more frequently and if it was a vision, what did it mean? Was he witnessing the killing that happened over thirty years ago or was the vision of deaths to come?

His phone beeped. Those four consecutive beats, bringing him out of his thoughts. The phone vibrated. The vibration louder against his desk.

Taemin put himself together and jumped off his bed and walked over to his desk.

There was the same number on the caller ID from last night. He flipped open the phone, opening the message.

Hope your not still in bed getting your beauty sleep. Your going to be late.

Taemin looked at the clock on the right hand corner of his phone. Eight.

"Damn it!" Taemin cursed and ran to get ready.

#

Lack of sleep was going to be a problem for him if he was going to stay awake for school. He stayed up most of the night, fighting off images of Taemin. It was harder to do than he thought. When one was out, another showed up in it's place. On top of that, it seemed that Taemin's scent stayed with him. Every time he took in a breath the smell of Taemin's blood ran up his nose.

Minho leaned against the wall while everyone piled through the gate. He waited for nearly twenty minutes, but still no Taemin. Had his message reached him in time? He himself ran late thanks to Jonghyun.

Not only did Jonghyun open his curtains, but he also hid his pendant and Minho spent breakfast with a blanket over his head, looking for it. Things would have turned out worse if Jonghyun didn't hide it in Minho's school jacket. Jonghyun was lucky that he was good looking because his inteligence was running thin. Must be the fact that he's pushing fifty-three.

Old age gets the best of them.

Minho stared at his watch, then in the direction of Taemin's home and back at his watch. Another five minutes went by. Where was he?

Finally, when he was at the brink of loosing his patience, he saw Taemin running. His school bag was flapping back and forth. He was cutting it close.

"Yo." Minho greeted. Taemin slowed down and walked cautiously. His eyes looking anywhere, but at Minho. "Good morning."

Taemin scratched his head, hesitantly. His eyes reverting away from him. "Thank you for helping me yesterday, but I don't want to be friends with you." Taemin inhaled deeply and his beating heart rang in Minho's ears. "Being friends with you will only cause me trouble and I don't like you."

Minho didn't expect him to be so straightforward. At the least he could of sugar coated it. For Minho's pride anyway.

It didn't matter. Minho didn't believe the words. Being the vampire that he was, he could hear the lie in Taemin's voice. Too bad he couldn't hear the truth behind them. He would love to know what the boy truly thought of him.

Did he even consider Minho?

Minho grabbed Taemin's arm. "Why are you saying this?"

The instant Minho's hand rested on Taemin's arm, the burning became excruciating. Watchers. He completely forgot about them and their defenses were definitely up. He created a threat. Being powerful creatures, they had insight on what Minho was and to them, he was a threat to all.

Minho removed his hand from Taemin's arm. The blistering swells healing slowly.

Even being around a watcher for a minute the healing process for a Nightling is slowed. It can take a day, a week or a month before being completely healed if a Nightling is around a watcher long enough. It's worst being around three. He may not heal completely.

"Why are you lying to me?" Minho was determined to get an honest answer out of him.

Taemin brought up his face. A black and blue bruise, taking up most of his cheek. Minho caressed the spot, the back of his hand soothing it. His hand acted like a compress, warming it up, trying to make the pain disappear. At that moment, Minho realized how good it felt to touch Taemin. The tingling sensation that entered from his fingers, traveled his hole body and shot out from his toes. His blood had boiled with just one touch. It was serious.

"Taemin-ah!" The call from across the street detached Minho from Taemin. His warm, unbeaten heart becoming ice cold again.

He never had to rely on a human to make him feel alive. He was fine with living as a normal human. Truthfully, he hated the vulnerability that came with humanity. The emotion that came with living for someone else was pathetic and Minho spit on the thought. Then there was Taemin, who made him throw all his beliefs out the window.

Minho wasn't familiar with the rage of emotion that took hold of his body, but the moment that short pretty boy, personal space invading child let his arm fall over Taemin's shoulder's, he was inclined to tear it off. He laughed at the thought of the boy chasing after his arm that Minho flanged into the street.

"Taemin. It's been a long time." he brought in Taemin to his chest, hugging him and ruffling his hair.

Taemin tore away, smacking his hand off his head. "What are you doing tormenting me here, Donghae?"

"1, I've never tormented you and 2, I just transferred here." Donghae said counting off his fingers. "It's going to be like old times. The two of us."

What about the two of them? Minho wished they wouldn't treat him like he was invisible. Minho cleared his throat to draw their attention.

"Wow, he's so handsome." Donghae dipped low and looked up at Minho, his height a five inch difference from him. "Is he your friend?"

Taemin swallowed his saliva. "No." Taemin turned and walked through the gate. Leaving Minho in his wake.

"Wait!" Donghae waved at Minho and ran. His arm strapped itself on Taemin's shoulder.

What could be the reason? Minho asked himself, his hand rolling, finger after finger, forming a fist. His frustration cupped in it.

#

"Here." Donghae tapped the soda can against Taemin's shoulder.

Taemin stared out into the field in front of him, his mind wondering away from him.

Being friends with you will only cause me trouble. I don't like you. Those words kept echoing in his head. His heart had beaten after every word. He thought he wasn't able to get it out, but after a small breath he managed to do it. Question was, was he too harsh? Should he have been more lenient on Minho? All he did was help him out of a jam, but the consequences were extreme for Taemin.

"Hey!" Donghae yelled, holding out the soda can. Taemin shook his head, snapping out of his daze and grabbed the soda. Donghae sat beside him, popped open the soda and took a sip before speaking. "That guy was your friend, wasn't he?"

Taemin spit out some of his soda. Donghae was very perceptive.

"I've known you long enough to know that you swallow your spit every time you lie." Donghae took another sip, watching while all the other students spent their lunch eating homemade bento's and all they did was chug down a soda. "Why lie?"

Donghae wouldn't understand. Being born from a Korean mother and Spanish father, different was normal to him. He had love from his family. He never had to live with the abuse Taemin went through every day.

Taemin didn't want to lie, but if he was going to make it through until he got into a university, he had to stay away from Minho. Even if his hurting heart called out to him. He had to take the beatings, either at school or at home. Either way a beating was coming.

Taemin held onto his soda can with both hands. The cold tin cooling his hands that had overcome with nervous heat. It's water dripped down the can as Taemin's hands slowly warmed the drink.

"He stopped Onew from kicking my up on the roof."

"That guy is still up to his old tricks?"

"Because he got in Onew's way my mother got fired."

"Oh." Donghae turned to Taemin. His elbow rested on the back of the bench. His hand pushed Taemin's hair away from his face and passed it slowly over his cheek. "Is that the reason you got this. Your mother's still up to no good?"

Taemin gave a sad smirk and nodded.

Donghae turned and faced the field, bringing the soda can up to his lips. "Looks like nothing's changed." Donghae said before finishing his soda in one big gulp.

"Yep." Taemin brought up his soda and gulped it down with Donghae.

#

Minho clung to the fence peering down. His Nightling vision making for perfect binoculars. They zoomed in, his pupils expanding ten times that of a normal human eye. Shimmering light boarded Taemin and Donghae as Minho focused in on them.

He had understood human jealousy the moment Donghae put his hand on Taemin's cheek. His entire body fired up, his insides turning and knotting. His new found emotions were starting to become a hindrance to him. Especially jealousy, it would trigger his anger.

The bell rang sounding off the end of lunch and in a flash the field had cleared.

Taemin was so comfortable around Donghae and that comfortably sent Minho deeper and deeper into the green giant's stomach.

"If you don't come to class, your going to get eraser duty." Jessica's threat had no effect. Class was the last thing on his mind nowadays.

Minho looked at Jessica. His eyebrows furrowed and his piercing eyes turned her body cold. He pulled back from the fence, standing one leg in front of the other, bending at the knees. "I'm not going." Minho pushed on his back leg and leaped over the fence.

He landed on the ground, the roof behind him fifty feet up. The grass spread with the Minho's powerful blow on it. He looked up at his sister, he knew, by her look, that she was secretly scolding him. He broke plenty of rules. What was one more?