LIRA: Book I

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN: The Slayer

Clara came back to school in the middle of December. True to what Miss Amara had explained, Clara confirmed her sudden ailment and her needed treatment in Isla del Sur. The rest of their classmates were highly suspicious of Clara's mysterious illness, though.

A week later, Ian showed up. Lira, Yumi and Mari were ecstatic that Ian finally came back. Only, everyone noticed the radical change with Ian. Gone was the tall and lanky bespectacled boy. Although Ian still wore his beanie and glasses, he developed some well-formed muscles in his biceps and abs. He resembled those slayer boys the girls often spot jogging around shirtless.

"Wow Ian, what did you do?" Yumi asked appreciating Ian's new physique. "You're all hunk of beef! Did you play with some steroids?"

"I appreciate the hunk part, Yumi. Just scratch the beef part," Ian said looking embarrassed with the attention he was receiving. "And no it's not steroids. What do you know about steroids?"

"Really, Ian, what have you been doing during your vacay?" Mari insisted. "If I wasn't half in love with Matt, I'd drool all over you."

"I've been working out," he explained. Secretly, he told Lira in a whisper, "I ditch the glamour thing since you and the heads of school already knows who and what I am."

Since that day, Ian earned a spot in the academy's list of top ten handsomest boys that-ever-roamed-the-school-ground. Lira had high suspicions Mari and Yumi had started that list.

The following day, Matt approached her and asked her to meet with him in the gazebo later in the afternoon. Lira agreed. When she arrived at the gazebo, Matt was already there, standing in the middle, his hands inside his pockets.

"Hey Matt," she said approaching him. "What is this all about? Is there something wrong? Does Miss Amara want to tell me something?"

Matt spun around looking angry. "I'll be the one doing the asking, Lira. You'll be doing the answering."

Lira placed her hand on his arm, frowning over Matt's odd behavior. "Matt, what's wrong?"

Matt suddenly grabbed her wrist and held it in a vise-like grip, his face was twisted with anger and his eyes stared at her murderously. "What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong! How could you do this, Lira?"

Lira tried to loosen Matt's hold on her wrist, wary over Matt's sudden outburst. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about," he grated. "I've just heard from someone that I nearly died that night in the woods and that you asked those bastards to heal me. Do you know what you have done, Lira? Do you have any idea?!"

"Matt..."

"My slayer blood is tinted with a filthy vampire blood! Do you know what the implications are, huh? Do you? You have made me just like them!"

"But Matt, you can't be turn by drinking their blood. Nick explained that to me. No one has turned by a vampire's bite or drinking their blood; except from the bites of those Crazed vampires."

"Oh, I'm not a half-vampire. I only share their fucking powers! I can see like them; I move faster like them. I can lift a fucking truck! Let's not forget that I can also hear your heart beating wildly—and it's like music in my ears! I can even hear everyone's mind around me." Matt took a step closer to Lira, his eyes were now blazing with intense fury. "I can smell your blood Lira, and I understand why they crave for it. The only consolation I get out of this is I don't have the fucking thirst for blood!"

Lira cringed, not used to seeing Matt acting like this. Yes, he bullied her most of the time before but he was never this violent towards her. She had expected him to be angry at her once he found out what had happened back in the woods. But she did not expect him to react so violently.