~*~ Prologue ~*~
"Use your powers, Aries..."
'I don't have any powers?' I argued.
"Shoot him!"
I froze. 'Shoot him? With what?' I asked.
Ken tore my shirt and leaned on me.
"ARIES NOW!"
*
WHO WAS I? AND WHAT I DID? AND WHAT I'VE BECOME...
IT ALL STARTED WITH THE DAMN BITE...
~*~
CHAPTER 1
I love gazing at the sky. Space, the emptiness, the limitless stars, the attraction has always continued to fascinate me.
But like space, I too lacked life.
My life was very dull. I didn't have friends. I never did anything exciting, never went to a restaurant or a coffee shop, never went to see a movie in a theater, and did not even go to the mall.
In school, I didn't take part in any school activities and only minded my own business. I purposely try to maintain some distance from others. I recognized a few faces, but I don't acknowledge them in class, or when I see them in the school corridors, that's why I never stored anything in the school locker. I always carried all my books according to the schedule.
I always got to the class before anybody else and selected a seat near the door. That way, I was still the first to leave.
And during recess, I love sitting under a tree. It was my favorite place where I could immerse myself in reading and writing and eating my lunch. This was the school life I'd designed to obscure myself from everyone.
Why? You might ask.
Because, I have a secret profession, and I didn't want anybody to recognize me, and so I keep myself shrouded in an oversized hoodie.
I don't want anyone to find out my secret, I'd lose everything - good grades, good credit, and high regard from teachers - that I'd worked so hard to reach my goal. I wanted to get into the right college, hopefully with a full scholarship and run far away from this town, from all the exploitation and find my way to one wholesome dream - new place, new home, new hope, and freedom.
~*~
Sunday at midnight, when the clock struck twelve, it was my birthday, I turned eighteen today. Unfortunately, I didn't have anybody to celebrate with or a cake or a candle to make a wish, so I closed my eyes and made a wish to the stars. The only word that came to my mind was 'LOVE.'
~*~
Monday afternoon after school, it rained hails. I'd no choice but to wait for the storm to stop. Some kids were trying to catch small ice balls in their hands, only to melt those by the heat of their skin.
"Dude, could you move a little? You're in the way." A voice came from the back.
"Um, sorry," I said.
"Woh, you're a girl? I always thought you're a guy in that hoodie." He chuckled. "You're in my math class and chemistry too." He said. But I didn't respond.
He came close and stood next to me, and I hid my face under the oversized hoodie even more. I recognized that voice. He sits in the back, not too far from me. I was shocked that he knew that we have classes together.
"You are always so quick to walk out of the class—" he continued, and I stepped out in the hailstorm, prepared to ignore him and walk away.
"Hey!" He called. I felt a tug on my hoodie. I turned around and frowned my eyebrows at him in annoyance. He was staring at me, and that feared me. I quickly pulled the hoodie back over my head and dashed out of there. The tapping noise from the hails irritated me as I walked faster.
He was; Leo Carter. The most popular boy in the school, a football champion, an honorable student known for his sincerity, and always nice to everybody.
Some say he has a gift. He had saved people from burning buildings and accidents. At school, he'd stopped bullying and protected girls from jerks and lunatics. He was known for his ability to defend in a violent confrontation and has proved himself a hero. He was a remarkable guy—inferior in every way, from prowess in a fight—to popular among girls.
~*~
I reached home, soaking wet. When I entered, I saw my older cousin Skye sitting on a workbench in her room. This room was huge and equipped with tools from soldering and rolling mills to drilling machines. She was paraplegic and used a wheelchair. With her disability, she usually stayed inside the house, and occasionally stepped outside to collect mails or packages. She kept herself occupied all day long, making jewelry and selling them online.
Skye paused from whatever she was doing with flat nose pliers in one hand and gold wire in another. She looked at me from head to toe and was a little annoyed. I stood there, fidgeting my fingers, a nervous habit of mine. I was trying to come up with something to say. I thought maybe I should make a compliment on the peacock feather earrings she'd made, and they looked beautiful. So I went open my mouth, but Skye turned her back at me and carried to work on her jewelry. I sighed, lowering my gaze, and then went to my bedroom.
Taking off my hoodie, I sat next to a heating vent on my bedroom floor to warm up. I freed my long blonde hair to dry and laid there for ten, maybe fifteen minutes or so. I was famished, but I had limited food choices—I was put on a strict diet, forbidden from getting anything from the pantry and refrigerator, and Skye was put on a food patrol by Judin.
I lived with my aunt and uncle, Ken and Judin. Ken was a truck driver, he practically lived on the road, and only occasionally comes home. His wife Judin works at a nightclub.
Their one-story house had three bedrooms with one bathroom. It was a very old-old house.
On my way to the bathroom, I passed by Skye's bedroom. "You should start driving to school," she said. I halted in my tracks. I looked at
