**_I didn’t see Lavender _**again**_ _**for a long time after…whatever had happened.

I found myself thinking of him for the next month or two. I didn’t know why. We’d only met once (?), and that time was less than satisfactory. I would tell myself to forget about him, to try and be as I always was once more—it must have been fate that he’d left.

Miss Smith said nothing about the woods. My friends were chatting, unaware at the strange way I felt those few days. Lavender didn’t matter, he wasn’t apart of my life. He was an error that had been removed. No need to think about him.

But then, at night, I would look through the darkness, eyes blind, and stroke the inside of my wrist. Though I couldn’t see, I knew what was there, and every time my finger brushed against the marks, warmth filled my veins and made me do something akin to a smile.

The twin star marks smiled back at me, giving me the feeling that it knew I wanted.

**_I was fourteen when _**the stars on my hand flared.

I was fourteen when I saw him again.

I was fourteen when**_ _**I almost died.

**_“I play the three _**of diamonds.” Placing my last card down, and staring at the enormous stacks of pairs Lance had obtained during our game, I sighed, defeated. Grandpa gave me a frown.

Miss Smith, Grandma, and Lance’s aunt had left to go shopping at the local supermarket that day, leaving Lance with Grandpa and I until they got back. Lance and I were sitting on the front porch of my house playing Spades while Grandpa watched us. I saw him eye Lance’s pink crop top, jean-shorts, and his brown hair in pigtails, but he said nothing else. I didn’t know what I would do if he said something. But I knew Lance was weird, despite what gender he liked. Lance was just like that, not caring what others thought.

I didn’t understand how he could live with himself.

“The Ace of Spades dominates all! I win again!” Lance announced, laughing proudly and loud, as he did, and scooping all the cards on the porch back into a pile.

Grandpa, who was smoking, took a drag from his cigar. “You cheatin’, boy?”

Lance handed me the cards to shuffle them—he didn’t know how to—then faced Grandpa with a smug look. “No, I just get good cards and play them correctly.”

“That’s what they all say.”

“What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean, old man.”

Grandpa gave Lance a toothy smile, smoke curling out from the places where his teeth never grown back in. “I like you boy. You got a better backbone than that one there,” he pointed to me with his cane, actually shoving my shoulder with the end of it, “Walden here’s still the same as he was when he was born: a dull, dumb rock.”

“I dunno about the dumb part, but,” Lance gave me a look that said “I’m gonna be honesty here”, “He _is_ sometimes dull—sometimes! Okay!”

“I like being dull.” Was what I was going to say, but the moment it reached my lips, I knew it was a lie. So I said nothing.

They continued on and life did as well. No one expected me to say anything.

_Walden Jones was Walden Jones._

For some reason, the stars on my wrist ached and my heart did as well.

**_School started a month_** later after that event. Everyone was chatting with each other, bragging about where they went for the summer. Others whined about where they didn’t go and the work their parents made them do.

I didn’t go anywhere that Summer. I had no reason to.

I was in Highschool now. People were nervous of the amount of work, the images they would have to keep up, pleasing their friends and being “cool”.

I didn’t understand any of that. It was still school; nothing had changed. Was that normal? If not, I would have to understand.

Only two people waved to me and started a conversation when I walked into my first class of the day. Science. I was average at that.

I had just gotten into my desk, bringing out my notebook and pencil, when I heard someone call my name.

Before I had looked up the stars on my wrist had stirred warmth in my arm, but when I looked up, it wasn’t Lavender. But the girl looked like him.

I should have ignored her. I should have. It was a bad omen that someone like Lavender knew my name. A bad omen that my head started to buzz. A bad omen that the people around me didn’t seem to notice her presence.

But my stars said that it was okay. So I said:

“Hi.”

๑๑๑๑๑๑๑๑

_They’ve come back again, the Polcocks._

_Why? Is the King really hiding in that forest?_

_Would make sense. No one would suspect him to be in there with his personality._

_Regardless, vampires are so close to our land. We should do something._

_And deal with that old witch? Ha! Last time we fought her it was by her _mercy_ we all came out alive._

_But they have something she cares for. We can use that to our advantage._

_So, we’re driving them out?_

_Of course. Someone’s gotta deal with the blood-suckers._