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Bloodbound (w/WillowVX)

There was something slightly off about James' reaction to Belle's invitation. She suddenly felt self conscious. She hoped he didn't get the wrong idea. She really only wanted to get this project over with. Even as she thought this, she knew that wasn't entirely true. She wanted to let James in. She wanted to let him become her friend. She was torn.

Belle ripped a piece of paper from her notebook and copied down her address. She slid it to James, her fingers lightly brushed against his as he took it. She hadn't exactly gave James an answer when he told her to meet him at lunch. He walked away before she had a chance to reply. She would tell him no. They would work on the project together but that's as far as it would go. No meeting outside of class. No meeting for other reasons besides research.

However, Belle realized she was breaking her own rules as she found her feet carrying her towards the lunchroom. She was fifteen minutes late. What could James possibly want to share with her? She never ate inside of the cafeteria. Too many people. She didn't like dealing with it. She walked through and was engulfed by the sea of students.

"Hi." A small voice said from beside her. It was Winifred Tanner.

"Hey, Fred." Belle actually managed a real smile, a warm gesture for the small girl. She was short, thin, and had dark rimmed glasses. She was the only one in the high school that knew the truth about Belle. She had saved Fred about a month ago from being taken as a slave to one of those vampire enclaves. She was a timid, sweet girl. Belle had no doubts that she would keep her secret. Thinking about those enclaves made her blood boil. She never did find out where they were taking the girls. Sure enough, shortly after that came this new hot shot leader. Belle had no doubt that he had something to do with it. Belle barely got Fred out alive. When she found this leader, she would make him suffer.

Belle's eyes scanned the faces for James. Where was he? Maybe he'd already left. Why did she even come here? This was stupid, she decided. She turned on her heal to walk back when she saw James sitting at a table from the corner of her eye. She could leave now. He may not have seen her yet. But as this internal debate droned on, she saw James stand and wave her over.
 
He had begun to think she wasn't coming. And if she hadn't, he would have told himself it was alright. That it was better that way, that it would be more of a challenge. But it wouldn't have been the truth; he would have been quite frustrated. But there she was! And with a friend, apparently. Belle seemed so withdrawn, but apparently she had friends. Or maybe just the one? His mind was racing, adjusting his plans for this new information, but he didn't let it show on his face. Instead he stood up and waved. "Belle!" he called out, just loud enough that she should be able to hear him. Of course, lots of other people would hear too; there would be a fair amount of attention focused on her, on her reaction. Faced with that kind of pressure, it would be hard for her to be indecisive, but what would she choose? To come over, or to run away? He hoped the former, but if it was the latter it would be important to know now.
 
Belle heard her name be called from the far table in the back. James stood expectantly with a smile on his face, waving her over. Shit, she cursed herself. She was going to keep walking and pretend she never heard him. She was almost out of the lunchroom when a thought struck her. He came to her aide earlier. He defended her against Aaron. Nobody had ever done that before. If he hadn't intervened, Aaron would have taken her bag, and it would have blown her cover. She clenched her teeth and turned on her heel. She owed him. She would meet him for lunch one time, out of respect for what he did. She may not be the happy, social type but she had honour.

"Hey James." She said as she met up with him. She took a seat next to him at the table. She looked tired. She looked like she didn't really want to be there. Belle didn't do this on purpose, there were only two things she wanted: to sleep and to track down that vampire. She could hardly think of anything else. Hopefully whatever James wanted, it would be quick. Belle didn't even plan on finishing the rest of the school day. She was going to go home early, get some sleep, then prepare for tonight.
 
"Hey! Glad you could make it, I was worried you weren't coming. Is your friend not coming? I mean, I know I didn't call out to her, but that's just cause I don't know her name... um. Are you alright? You seem a little tired... well, anyway..." He reached into his bag and took out two small tupperware containers. "Do you like curry? I was thinking we could have lunch together and work on the project, but I guess we don't really have time now. But I still made more than I can eat, so you know. I thought I would give it to you. You can have it for lunch or take it home for dinner... whatever. Or like if you don't want it, that's fine too I guess. Just... I thought it would be nice to share."
 
James seemed enthusiastic as Belle took a seat next to him. She felt bad. He was obviously trying to connect with her. Part of her felt ashamed that she kept trying to drive him away. It's for his own good, she told herself. While Belle sat there with James, she found it difficult to resist enjoying his company. He made it easy to be around him.

She ignored his questions about whether or not she was okay. She wasn't. But she couldn't very well explain that to him.

"Who?" Belle looked behind her where the girl sat on the other side of the room. "Fred?" She didn't know how to answer his question. "Oh, we're not.. I mean... she's a freshman. I kind of... look after her, you know." She shrugged and looked at the tupperware of food James handed to her. She hadn't actually realized how hungry she was. She hadn't been able to eat since she lost Missy the night before. She glanced at the doors and then back at James. He was extremely difficult to say no to.

"I was actually going to head home early. I guess it couldn't hurt to stay here a little while longer, though." She opened the contanier lid. "Did you make this yourself?" Belle asked.
 
"That's nice of you, Belle, to look after her like that. You seem really withdrawn, but somehow I'm not surprised to find out you can be so compassionate." He smiled warmly when she took the container. "Yeah... well... my parents aren't really around that much. I guess we have that in common. Anyway, I cook for myself and I kind of like it--shut up, it's super manly to enjoy cooking--but I really don't get to share my stuff with anyone. So I don't really know if it's any good. Like... I like it, but I guess I need outside confirmation to know if it's good?"

That, of course, was a lie. James was quite confident in his cooking skills, as he was confident in most of his skills. He'd had quite a lot of time to learn, after all, and cooking could be extremely useful at times. But right now, it would not serve his purposes to come off as cocky, as he had the day before about history. He had already established that side of himself in Belle's mind, so now he would play up humility, insecurity even. A good balance of the two was necessary for a believable performance, and besides, exposing a 'vulnerability' made people feel closer to him.
 
Belle wiggled uncomfortably in her seat. She hadn't meant to show that to him. The truth was, she was extremely compassionate. If she weren't, she wouldn't risk her life to save people like she does. She almost felt a little offended at the intrusion of assuming he knew anything about her compassion, but the way those dimples imprinted his face as he smiled gave her heart a little tug. She gave him a mocking look when he told her that he enjoyed cooking. Was she flirting with James? She was in big trouble.

"Yeah... Well, she's a sweet kid. I care about her." Belle looked at him sadly. "And I guess we do. What happened to your parents?" She mentally kicked herself. "I'm sorry. That was rude. I didn't mean to pry." What compelled her to ask that? Her thought trailed off as the scent of the food wafted out of the open container. Her stomach tightened and she couldn't ignore the clawing in her stomach anymore. Her and James started eating as they continued to talk.

"Oh, don't worry. As long as you can cook while still managing to save damsels in distress, I think your manly rep will be just fine." Belle laughed as she ate a fork full of James' food. She blinked a few times. What is that? She took another bite and tried to determine which ingredient it was that she liked so much. There was something about it, it was just so... good. "James... this is amazing. What did you put in it?" She couldn't stop herself from swallowing another fork full.
 
Within his mind, James was doing a little victory dance. She had eaten the food; one bite would have been enough for a foothold, but it was clear she was going to eat all of it... and most likely, anything more he offered her in the future. Of course, it would all be for naught if a look of triumph crossed his face, so instead he put on a puzzled expression. "Well... you know... curry powder. Garam masala. Butter. Carrots, potatoes, onions, chicken, rice... could it be the apple? I thought I would add something sweet, to balance out the spice, so..." Of course, he did not mention the most important ingredient, which may well have been the one she was noticing. He didn't think the flavor would have stood out, at least, not to her tongue. He could pick it out easily when he ate his, and although it didn't exactly taste bad to him, it was a strange, almost surreal experience.
 
The container was empty before Belle had even noticed. She wasn't sure what it was, maybe she just hadn't realized how hungry she'd gotten. Anything would have tasted that good at that point.

"Well, whatever it is, you have nailed it." She smiled at James. "That was very good. Thank you." Belle felt less tired than she had when she first sat down. If anything, she felt energized. She almost felt like she wanted to run a mile. Instead, she decided not to go home right away. She wanted to sit and talk with James for a while. How much did she really know about him? She noticed that he didn't answer her question about his parents. It couldn't hurt to maybe have one friend, she decided. Just someone to talk to.

"So, where are you from? You know, originally. What made you come to this hellmouth of a town?" Belle felt an odd sense of companionship with James. Her resistance seemed to be far away as she looked into his liquid gold eyes.
 
James smiled shyly at her compliment while mentally exploring the delightful new world that was opening up to him. Although Belle could surely sense the connection that was forming between them, she didn't seem to understand what was happening. She certainly couldn't exploit it the way James could; he was in control of their bond. By the time she had finished her meal, his consciousness was nestled in a dark corner of her mind. Not that he could do very much, beyond observe her from within, but even if he could it would be a bad idea to do anything drastic to her mind. He would have to be subtle.

"Hellmouth? It's not so bad... I take it you're not local. I actually transferred from South Eden, not from out of town. But I mean, I have lived in other towns quite a bit. My parents are always traveling and moving around for their jobs. Transfer to another branch, business trip abroad... then they'll be so exhausted they need to go on vacation for a few weeks. Finally like a year ago my mom moved back to Edenvale, but she's still doing business trips and vacations nonstop. I'm lucky if she's home one day a week. And my dad still lives in Chicago. He came up for Christmas though."
 
The feelings that washed over Belle felt odd. They felt misplaced. There was something she needed to do. Something that was important. But as she listened to James continue on about his parents, she forgot what it was. It was eating at her insides. She needed... She looked at James' face. Her mind continued to struggle. She couldn't quite remember exactly what was so important.

"No, I'm not local. My parents were killed when I was a kid." She laughed lightly, almost bitterly. "I get around though. And it's bad enough. If you know where to look. Haven't you noticed all of the girls that have gone missing recently?" Something inside of Belle exploded. Missy. The vampires. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. Her mind began to clear. What was she doing? She needed to get home and prepare for tonight. She didn't want to give James another opportunity to distract her.

"I.. Uhm..." She looked at James and hesitated. "I'm sorry but I have to go."
 
"Oh, well, okay then." He sounded disappointed, and he was, but not as much as he was pretending to be. Although he would have liked to be able to steal her attention away from her 'mission', he knew he didn't have to yet. He already had his hooks in Belle, and could reel her in at his leisure; there was no harm in giving her a little slack to tire herself out with. Besides, he had already come up with a delightful way to pass the evening.

After the last bell, as students trickled out of the school, James hung around the door. Belle had gone already, of course, but he wasn't waiting for Belle this time. Instead when the small girl that had been with Belle in the lunchroom came out, he called out, "It's Fred, right? Belle's friend? I imagine that's short for something..."
 
The disappointed look on James' face didn't stop Belle as she slid from the seat. She cast him a remorseful glance and made her way out of the lunchroom. She needed to pack. She needed to practice. She needed to sleep. And then tonight she was determined to track the vampire that got away.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fred tossed her school books into her locker and quietly walked through the hallway. She waited until most of the people were gone. She had a tendency to get lost in crowds. She gave people who passed her a friendly smile as she walked with her arms crossed. When she walked out of the main doors of the school and into the cloudy day, the voice startled her. She looked around, confused.

"Who? Me?" She glanced behind her at the empty hallway. "Oh. Well, of course you meant me. Winifred. My name's Winifred. But you can just call me Fred." She laughed at herself and gave him a shy smile. She perked up a bit at the mention of Belle. Belle saved her from... well she wasn't sure what they were. All Fred knew was that they had sharp teeth and they were going to hurt her. Belle saves people. "You know Belle? She's great, ain't she?" She asked in a friendly, southern tone.
 
James returned Fred's warm smile. He had been worried that she might be jumpy or suspicious, but she seemed so open and trusting. This is going to be too easy... Still, he reminded himself, he couldn't get carried away. It was fairly rare, but people did surprise him now and then. Winifred might have been sharper than she let on.

So he answered her friendly question about Belle. "She really is. She's smart, she looks out for people... although she's so busy. I mean, I respect her work ethic and all, but she didn't even have time to introduce us today, which is a shame. When I called out to her a lunch, I was sort of hoping you'd come along, since... well, since I'm new here and I don't have a lot of friends. Are you catching the bus? I could walk with you to your stop if that's okay. Actually I could give you a ride if you want, but I would totally understand if you didn't. Just met me and all that."
 
James was so sweet, Fred thought. She smiled at him and nodded her head.

"That would be wonderful!" She said enthusiastically. "It's okay. If Belle trusts you, then I trust you too. I usually walk home, it's not too far from here. Just about a mile or so up the road." Under his sweet exterior, she noticed, his smile was odd. It almost reminded her of the way those things smiled at her when they tried to take her. Fred remembered that Belle said they couldn't walk in daylight but Fred carried the piece of wood in her book bag anyways. She was just being silly. James was a nice boy, and cute too, she thought. "A ride home couldn't hurt." She said with a big smile and pushed the glasses that were sliding down higher onto her face.
 
"Well alright Even if it's not far, it'll give us a little time to talk and get to know each other." He led her to his car--an expensive little black thing with tinted windows--and opened the door for her. Surreptitiously, when he was certain his body was blocking her view, he flipped the child safety lock on the inside of the door. He had often wondered how that feature was supposed to be safe for children, or anyone for that matter; from James' perspective its primary use was to lock people in cars. Not that Fred would notice until it was too late. He turned to her and smiled, even giving a slight bow. "After you," he said, just barely restraining himself from adding 'm'lady.' That probably would have been going too far.
 
Fred couldn't help but feel special. She never got much attention from boys. She was tiny, awkward, and mousy. James wanted to get to know her. He wanted to talk to her. She felt giddy inside. She wished that Belle was here to see it. She would be so happy for her.

"Nice car!" Fred's eyes sparkled as she saw herself in the reflection of the tinted windows. "Thank you." She smiled at James as he held open the door for her. She almost jumped a bit. She hadn't seem him in the window when he came from behind her. He was such a gentleman! She saw him around school the past week but she felt bad that she hadn't even thought to ask for his name. She waited for him to get into the car and she looked at him with a hopeful, excited smile.

"I almost forgot to ask, I know you said you were friends with Belle, but what's your name? I feel like I should know that but sometimes I get a little daydreamy." She laughed at herself and shook her head. "I live just up Route 44 about a mile and down Sarycruse Lane, it will be on your left."
 
James waited until he had closed the door and circled around to his own seat to tell her, "My name is James." He made polite conversation with her as he backed out of his parking space, but as soon as he exited the parking lot, taking the road in the wrong direction for her house, his demeanor changed. His warm smile twisted into a mocking grin, and his wide eyes narrowed into condescending slits.

"Even after all this time, it never ceases to amaze me how gullible people can be. I even reminded you what a spectacularly bad idea it was, to get in the car with a total stranger. But no, Belle trusts me, so you trust me. It didn't even occur to you that she's nearly as dimwitted as yourself, did it Winifred?"
 
James. James was a good name, Fred thought. She set her hands in her lap and watched as James pulled out of the school parking lot.

"Uhm, James. I'm sorry, I think you're going the wrong way." Fred laughed. She must have given him the wrong directions. When she noticed his face change, the air around them become colder, stale. He smirked and looked at her with his dark, golden eyes. Something inside of Fred turned into ice. She sat there completely rigid as she listened to James' words. Her stomach sank, like the feeling you get when you go down the big hill of a rollar coaster. The way James said her name sent an uncomfortable chill up her spine. Her heart was beating in her throat and she looked at him with scared, confused eyes.

"What are you talkin' about, James?" Fred asked. She laughed nervously. When his face got serious, she knew he wasn't playing a prank on her. Her eyes got wide and tears began to form. "Thank you for the ride, I really appreciate it. But I think I am just going to walk home..." When it didn't seem like he was going to slow down, Fred glanced at James carefully and crept her hand to the door handle. She was a tough girl, she had no problems tucking and rolling out of a car.

The handle felt cool in her grip. When she pulled it back as far as it would go and the door remained locked, she felt panic rise in her chest.
 
James inhaled deeply. He had keen senses, well suited to a hunter, and now he could smell the fear rising within his prey. It was delicious and it was all he could do to keep his eyes on the road. He wanted to let go of the wheel and pounce on her right now, but he knew better than to get ahead of himself like that. "Don't be silly, Winifred, not that you can help it I suppose. I told you I'd take you home and I will. We're just going to get to know each other a little first. Isn't that what you wanted? Isn't it why you came along in the first place? You were so desperate to be acknowledged, so desperate for attention... of course, you should have realized that no man could look at you and see anything other than a route to Belle. Have you looked at her, Winifred? Or has it just been so long since you've looked into a mirror and remembered what a poor excuse for a woman you are?"

He chuckled. "Well, don't worry too much. Just because you are a means to a larger end, doesn't mean you're going to be entirely neglected. Attention to detail is important, you know. I'll make sure that you have the night of your life, Winifred. It's the least I can do, since it's going to be your last one."
 
Fred sat still in the seat and took deep, ragged breaths. She couldn't get out. She started pulling at the handle frantically and pushing at the door while James was speaking to her.

"Why are you doin' this?" Fred turned her head to face him. She was crying now. The tears rolling down her cheeks. "Why are you sayin' those terrible things?" She put her head in her hands and her tiny frame shook as she cried. "Just let me go. Please. I'm sorry for whatever it is I'd done... Please let me out." Fred started pushing at the passenger door again uselessly. She stopped then and turned her questioning eyes on him. "A route to Belle? What is that supposed to mean? What do you want with her?" She asked, there was something in her voice at the end. Something protective.

His eyes were cold and his laugh increased her fear. How did she not notice before? Maybe he was right. She was too desperate for attention. But James had been so cute, so nice.

"What?" Her face fell and this time her heart sank into her feet. "My last one? Are you gonna kill me, James?" She whispered. "Please. Take me home. I don't wanna die." Her southern accent shook with fear and her hand stealthily crept to hold on to her book bag. He was one of them. He had to be. Her fingers circled around the piece of wood and held onto it so tightly she thought her fingers might bleed.
 
James was vaguely aware of Fred shifting around in her seat, but none of her movements struck him as particularly threatening, so he continued talking. "Nobody wants to die, but everybody has to." Then he laughed, high and chilling. "No, I can't say it with a straight face. There is a way to live forever, Winifred, and I intend to. I might even share it with Belle, eventually... but never with you, Winifred. Let's face it, you just aren't cut out to be immortal. Still, you could have lived for months or years in my care, except that you happen to mean something to Belle. I want to hurt her, Winifred, and for that I have to hurt you."
 
The sudden shrill sound of his laughter made Fred jump in her seat. He was gonna kill her. She sat in the passenger seat and continued to cry. She desperately tried to think of a way out. Maybe she could talk to buy herself time? She had to try.

"I would rather die than have to spend forever lookin' at you." Fred spit. She was angry and hurt. She felt foolish. "Belle doesn't care what happens to me. And she would never accept anything from you! She's gonna kill you, you know? She is gonna track you down and she is gonna kill you." She wished Belle was here right now. Fred didn't think that she could save her this time. Nobody knew who she was with. Nobody knew where she had gone. The sick realization made a pit in her stomach the size of Texas.

"Pull the car over right now or I'll stick this in your heart, I swear I will." Fred knelt in her seat and held the piece of wood up.
 
He glanced over, and his eyes widened ever so slightly. Without another word, he slammed on the breaks, then the accelerator, eliciting an angry honk from a car behind him. He had been ready for the sudden stop and start, and by relaxing his body it actually felt sort of nice. It was like a roller coaster. Of course, Fred probably didn't know what was coming, and if she had, he wondered if she even could have relaxed, as tense and frightened as she was. As the car was jostling them around, he let go of the wheel with one hand and reached over to swat at her wrist--although the casual movement of his arm had as much force behind it as someone swinging a baseball bat.
 
Fred wasn't ready for the sudden stop as her head hit the dashboard violently. She screamed as James switched from the break to the accelerator, jerking her fragile body around. She screamed out in pain as James hit her wrist and caused the piece of wood to drop under the seat. It was such a small, graceful movement. It didn't seem like he put any force behind it at all, but when Fred heard the sickening crunch and felt the pain searing up her arm, she knew that he had broken her wrist.

Fred reached her other hand to her head and could feel blood where it hit on the dashboard. She wasn't getting out of here. The sheer intensity of his strength terrified her. There was no way she could over power him. She laid back on the seat and clutched her wrist to her chest.

"Please!" Fred screamed as James continued to drive. "Please... Just let me go. I won't tell no one, I swear I won't tell no one." She felt the blood drip onto her face from the cut on her head. She was having a hard time breathing as she was taking it fast, deep, frightened breaths. "You don't have to do this." She cried.
 
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