The Crimson Mark

The heavy oak door slammed shut as the loud chatter of the hallway was silenced. "Please take your seats," Mr. Harrison announced, tossing a stack of books onto his desk. "We have a new transfer coming to join us today, so try not to intimidate her." Aria Vance kept her head held high as she walked down the middle aisle of desks, leather bag slung over her shoulder, and thirty sets of eyes watching her every move. "You're in my spot, transfer." Aria halted as a broad shouldered boy was watching her from the desk at the back of the room. His dark hair was slicked back with the smell of the autumn rain, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and stormy grey eyes that seemed to pierce right through her. "I don't see your name on it," Aria said coolly, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's Julian," the boy said, his voice a deep and rough rumble that sent shivers down her spine. "And everyone in this school knows where I sit." "Well I just transferred from out of state," Aria said, walking up to him and placing her heavy bag on the desk next to his with a loud thud. "So I don't." A gasp echoed throughout the nearest row of desks. "Is there a problem back there, Mr. Drake?" Mr. Harrison said, still facing forward as he wrote on the chalkboard. "No problem, sir," Julian said, his stormy gaze never leaving Aria's face. "Just trying to make the new girl feel welcome." Aria sat down in the desk next to him and pulled out her notebook. "I don't need your welcome, Drake. Just leave me alone." Julian let out a breathy chuckle and leaned back in his seat, pressing his forearm against her desk, and invading her personal space. "You smell strange, Vance," Julian said, his warm breath fanning against her ear. "Excuse me?" Aria said, turning her head sharply to stare at him. "Are you always this creepy to new students?" "It's not an insult," Julian said, his voice dropping to a dangerously low growl. "It's a comment. You smell like crushed herbs and damp earth. Like you're hiding something behind your pretty little human exterior." "I'm not hiding anything," Aria snapped, her dark eyes narrowing at him. "And I don't appreciate you invading my space." "Then push me away," Julian said, his lips curling into a menacing smirk. "Don't test me," Aria warned. Instead, Julian reached out and placed his right hand over her left wrist. On his ring finger a thick silver band of polished metal glinted in the sunlight streaming in through the tall windows. In the next heartbeat, a loud hissing noise echoed through Aria's ears. "AH!" Aria gasped, jerking her wrist away from him. A sharp, burning pain shot up her arm as she pressed her hand against her wrist, eyes wide as she looked down at the angry red line that was slowly forming across her skin as smoke curled from her wrist. Julian went pale, the smirk on his face vanishing as his stormy grey eyes burned an eerie golden color. "What did you just do to me?!" Aria said, her heartbeat pounding against her ribs. "That's pure silver, Aria," Julian said, his voice rough and vibrating with some unknown darkness as he stood up from his desk and loomed over her. "Pure silver doesn't burn humans." "You're insane!" Aria said, pulling her sleeve down to cover the mark but Julian grabbed her shoulder and held her in place. "Look at your arm, Vance!" Julian said, his grip tightening bruising her skin. "Look at it now!" "Let go of me!" "Look at it!" Aria yanked her sleeve back up to prove him wrong, and stared in horror as the blistering black skin on her wrist bubbled and smoothed over itself, healing within three seconds until not a trace of the burn remained. Aria's heart pounded in her ears as she looked at her wrist, mind whirling in disbelief. "No... no! That's not possible! That's a trick!" "That's not a trick," Julian said, his breath fanning against her ear as he leaned down until his lips were mere inches from her ear. "That's accelerated cellular re-growth. You're not human, Vance. What pack did you come from?" "I don't know what you're talking about!" Aria said, shoving his chest as hard as she could. Her shove sent Julian stumbling back two steps, his boots screeching against the linoleum floor. The entire room fell silent as Mr. Harrison's chalk hovered above the chalkboard and thirty students turned around to face Julian and the strange transfer student. "Is there something you'd like to share with the class, Aria?" Mr. Harrison said. Aria grabbed her bag from the desk and turned to face Julian, chest heaving. "No, sir. I was just leaving." "Sit down, Vance," Julian said, his voice vibrating with some strange power that sent a sharp pain through Aria's bones. "Make me," Aria said, glaring into his glowing eyes before she turned on her heel and marched out the door, slamming it shut behind her.