"Bite me" - Chapter 3: Change - by Nanna Andersen

Josh sat at his desk in his class at Palamont City's High School. Sat with a stack of papers that he had no idea what to do with. He wanted to help these kids expand there knowledge, but if they had no interest in what he had to offer, what was the point then?

The door to his class opened and Josh turned his head to see Amber step in; head bended towards the floor, arms tucked around the books they used in his class. She didn't even look at him, instead she rushed to her seat at the back of the classroom. 

Josh kept on following her movement with his eyes. It had been the same on the bus earlier this morning. Usually she would look up at him, smile and say a quick "Hallo professor Fields." but not today. Josh tried telling himself it was just the Friday morning flue: when the kids were all exhausted form a whole week of school and really just wanted to welcome the weekend with open arms. But that hadn't been it. Something else was different about his straight A student. He just couldn't put his finger on what. 

Amber opened her text book, the one about the 21th century's literature. Josh had picked out that book himself. He still remembered the argument he had had with the other teachers about his choice. 

Miss Jenkins was, what Josh would call, conservative. When he told her that he wanted to get new books for his classes, she had met him with a hoarse laugther. Saying, they had always taught english literature from the 19th century. Her argument had, in Josh's eyes, been invalid. In her opinion they needed to give the future rulers of their country an understanding of where their roots lay. Josh had looked at her with a lifted eyebrow, but only halfway. He had never been able to do a perfect eyebrow-lift. Then he had looked at her, deep into her old, wise eyes and whispered "Why linger in the past, when it is the future they will rule?"

Josh smiled just by the thought of it. That had made her shut up. And he had gotten his text books. Of course literature from the good old times were important, but to him it was just as important to live in the now as knowing of the past.

Amber brushed her bangs behind her ear exposing the small silver ring in her earflip. She looked so concentrated, so at peace with herself. Josh got out of his seat and walked to her desk. He knocked on the desk and Amber jumped in her chair. She hurried up closing the book and smiled up at him. 

He pointed at the book. "How do you like it?"

She shrugged and stroke the cover wrapped in old newspapers. "It's... different." she said avoiding his eyes at any cost.

Josh braided his fingers together on his lap. "Well," he said, nodding towards the book. "Some times different is better."

Amber snorted. "Or some times different is a freak."

Josh stood up and walked back to his desk in front of the blackboard. At the halfway point, he turned back to face Amber. "I think different," he said. Amber's eyes rose to meet his. "is exactly what this city needs." out the corner of his eye, he caught half of a smile from his student.

As the bell rang to lunch all his students rushed to the door. "Mr. Davids," Josh yelled to overpower the screaming of over a hundred students running to the cafeteria. Matthew Davids stopped in the door, other students pushed him back into the classroom. 

"What's up mr. F?" he said as he leaned his ass on the edge of one of the front desks. 

Josh crossed his arms over his chest. "To you, it is professor Fields." the brat rolled his eyes and chewed his gum a little harder opening his mouth to share the leftovers of his breakfast. His teeth had with certainty not seen the shadow of toothpaste, therefore the gum.

For a moment the two of them just stood. Awaiting each other's next move. Then Matthew rubbed his hands together. "If that's all, can I go?"

Josh stood up and walked to the door, closing it. "No," he said. "No, you cannot."

"Am I in trouble?" he asked without a care in the world. Josh watched him. He kept looking at the door as though he had to be somewhere else. His hands were shaking. When Matthew saw Josh staring at his hands, he shoved them into the pockets of his sweatshirt.

"You tell me." Matthew didn't seem to understand, so Josh sat back onto his desk. He pulled a clean paper out of his bag and handed it to the student in front of him. "Here." 

Matthew took it without a word, so Josh continued. "You go home right after school, and then you write me that essay."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you give me no choice but to give you a F."

Matthew didn't answer. For a second Josh thought he saw a hint of fear in the eyes of the fried brain in front of him. He did not like that little brat, but everyone deserved a second chance. Josh could give him that. Matthew stuffed the paper in his bag and headed for the door, leaving Josh alone with his thoughts.

And he did think. All the way down to the teacher's office. And those thoughts pointed towards one single target. A young beauty called Jasmine. Josh did not even know of her last name. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really know much about her. Her name was Jasmine, Jazz for short... she was new in town... her eyes were green... what else? He couldn't think of anything. And yet he had felt the urge to ask her out. Two things had played in to that. First of all, Arrow had bit her, and he feared for his K-9. The other reason was Jasmine herself. She was different, and as he had told Amber, maybe different was exactly what this town needed. Maybe it was what he needed.

Josh opened the door to the teacher's office and was met by the smiles of the rest of the staff.

"Ah! Professor Fields!" Principal Roberts rushed to him. With him he had...

"Jasmine?" Josh burst, sqeezing his eyes together to make sure what he saw was real. It really was her. In all her beauty. 

"I see you already known miss Smith." Roberts said clapping his hands together in excitement. "That's good. Miss Smith is our new intern. She is currently studying english at Palamont City's University, but you probably already know that," Josh did not know that. "Anyway, she is going to be here part time until she has taken her final exam. While here, she will be helping you out with your classes."

"Is that so?" Josh couldn't hide a smile. He offered Jasmine his hand and she took it. Her hand was just as warm as the other day. He studied it. Small scars showed where Arrow had buried her teeth. All of a sudden his stomach tied a knot. His eyes moved to her's. "I'm looking forward to our future teamwork, miss Smith."

Jasmine tightened her grib around his hand. And for the first time since their goodbye at his house, she spoke. "I can only say the same thing, professor Fields."

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So this is the part where I would usually write "To be continued" but due to being able to copy the text from this site, there will be no more parts of the story on here. I made this decision from the start "a prologue + 3 sample chapters" and that is what I have given you. 

I hope you have found some enjoyment in this story, and if you wish to continue reading it, I will post a link at the end of each of my Saturday-posts to the story. 

I still haven't decided wether or not I will give this a try in the "real world" but I might.

For now...

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.

"Bite me" - Chapter 1: Just another day - by Nanna Andersen

It was an ordinary day for the 32-year old Josh Fields.

At 6 am, he woke up, as he always did. He ate breakfast, brushed his teeth and went for a walk with old Arrow. They took the same route as they had taken for the past eight years, and Arrow had done her business at the usual place by the small tree stump that had always been there. It would never grow up to be the tree it once had been.

Josh remembered it clearly. How when he first moved here he walked down that very same road and saw the old birch being cut down. How it majesticly fell, landed on the ground as though it just gave up on life, it was almost as if it signed. The ever so green leaves seemed to fade to a more greyish tone.

All left was the stump. The same stump as now, covered in moss and other fungus - Josh would even go as far as saying that an entire colony of woodlouse lived in there. 

From the first ever walk; Arrow had stopped at the stump. It was the same every single time. She walked around it, all the way around. Just looking. Then her nose took in the same scent of eight years. Last, but not least, she stepped up on it. Gazing at Josh with her deep, blue, husky eyes. Once done with her every-day ritual, she did her business and moved on. Nothing else caught her attention like that stump, and only on the way out. She didn't even glance at it, when walking back home.

Josh had always found this behavior odd for his old gal, but, like everything else, it was now part of his daily routine.

Once at home Josh packed his bag, filled Arrow's bowls: one with dry food, and one with icing water. He gave her a quick bellyrub and left the house, locking the door behind him. But like always, when he reached the gate, he turned around to check on the door. Arrow growled, but went silent when she saw her master. Josh smiled at her and then continued on his way to work. 

He had never forgotten to lock the door, not since he moved here at least. Yet, he still felt the need to check every time. Just to make sure. Make sure that today wasn't the day either. Like it never was.

He took the sidewalk through Palamont City in which he had lived for the past eight years. Since he first got Arrow.

The same blue mercedes drove behind him, slowed down as it past him, and then speeded up. Because of the tinted windows, Josh had never gotten a good look at the driver, and now, eight years later, he had accepted that. Nevertheless, he could spit out the number plate at any given moment if needed. 

It had rained again tonight causing the roads to be flooded with water. It always rained in the night between Wednesday and Thursday. And like every other Thursday, the blue mercedes wheeled into a puddle, splashing water onto the sidewalk right by the busstop where an old elderly couple waited for the bus.

The very same bus Josh needed to get on. 

The elderly couple yelled at the mercedes, waving their arms and canes after the driver. The man walked his wife to the bench. Their walk was slow and by the time they sat down, Josh stood beside the same bench.

Hallo, Josh - The old man would say.

"Hallo, Josh." the old man said as he sat down next to his wife.

Hallo, Mr. Peterson - Josh would answer, then pausing and would then address Mr. Peterson's wife as well.

"Hallo, Mr. Peterson," Josh said, bowing politely. He turned to Mr. Peterson's wife. "Mrs. Peterson."

What a weather, am I right? - Mr. Peterson would point out. And Josh would agree.

"What a weather, am I right?" Mr. Peterson pointed out.

Josh nodded. "It sure is." he said. 

The same conversation as every other Thursday, not even with a handmotion to differ. One could not even call it déjá vu, because it wasn't. Josh did have this exact conversation with the same exact elderly couple every Thursday morning at 7.21 am. 

At 7.30 am, the bus finally arrived. Two minutes late, Josh observed as he glanced at his phone. Two minutes late as always.

He got on and sat down at his usual spot four seats from the driver's seat. Here he looked out the window, seeing how Palamont City flashed by before his eyes. The same houses, people, trees and the black cat that nearly got ran over by a black BMW. That cat never learned its lesson, and it never would.

Two stops before his destination, one of his students got on the bus. A young girl: Amber, her name was. Her brown hair, longer in the front than in the back, was all tangled up in itself due to the hefty wind. Her big midnight blue scarf lay around her neck and even covered the bottom of her face causing her breath to come right back at her warmer than when it left her lungs. When she passed Josh, she nodded and mumbled a "Hallo, professor Fields." 

Josh liked Amber. One of his best students. However, he worried about her. Always silent, always alone. He had a feeling something was bothering his straight A student. But it wasn't in his hands to attend her problems. He could ask her, but nothing more.

Therefore, he just nodded back at her, like every other morning. 

Arriving at Palamont City's High School was as dull as ever. Children with the attitude of an educated politician, or teenagers as most people referred to them as, were scattered around the outside area. The night's atrocious weather didn't seem to have an impact on the so called teenagers. 

They sat on the humid benches and brawled on the muddy grass, covering their bodies in dirt.

Josh signed as he recognized Matthew Davids on the ground. One of his own students. A little brad nothing more. Loved to interrupt the class, hated doing anything school related other than football, which he did deserve some credit for. But not a scholarship. Josh cringed. Defiently not a scholarship.

The bell rang to class as Josh opened the main entrance. Stressed out students came running from outside and a number of girls larger than the amount of stalls rushed out of the restroom.

When Josh stepped into his classroom, most seats were filled. His eyes fell on Amber, who sat at the table all the way in the back. Alone. As though the rest of the class had pulled their tables away from her. In the center, Matthew had seated himself. He always did this. By sitting in the middle no one could miss hearing his 'oh so brilliant' comments. Every time Matthew opened his mouth, Josh felt his braincells die one after another.

"Today," Josh said and went through his bag. "We'll be discussing the essays you handed in last week. You all have some common mistakes that we will touch on to improve your writing." He pulled the essays out and handed them out among the students. First Amber. "Would you mind me asking, if you would read it aloud later in this class?"

Amber took her essay, her hand shaking as it came in touch with the paper. Josh had been very impressed by her writing in particular.

It was the story of a young girl, who was brutually abused at home, but had no one to go to. She was ashamed and therefore build a wall around herself so others wouldn't worry. The story ended with the daughter committing suicide after being raped by her father.

A very sad story, indeed. 

Amber looked through the pages. "I don't think I want to." she said without taking her eyes off the paper. 

Josh shrugged and moved on. When he stood in front of Matthew he went through the leftover assignments. "So, Matthew," the boy lifted his eyebrow. "I missed reading your essay." 

"I doubt that's all you've been missing lately!" he burst into laughter. The laughter spread to the other students, except for Amber, who was as quiet as ever.

One more braincell dead and gone.

Josh went on with the lesson, but as it ended he knew his students weren't smarter than when they arrived. It was the same every day. No one seemed to care for learning. So why did he even bother? Because of people like Amber. 

At 4.52 pm, Josh went home on the same bus as every other day, with the same citizens as always. Little, shy Amber rushed down at the back of the bus before anyone else could take her seat. She didn't have to worry, though; they never took her seat.

The road home seemed shorter. It always did. At home Arrow waited for him. It always felt nice coming home to someone who actually cared for his presence. A nice feeling for sure.

Josh got off the bus on the other side of the road from where he goton it earlier that day. He walked the way home.

Once in front of his front door, Josh struggled to find his keys. Agitated his hands checked every single pocket. His heartrate dropped down to a regular pace, when they appeared in the pocket within his jacket. He opened the door and Arrow came to him. Wagging her tail backand forth, happy to see her master's safe return.

He began petting her head and she closed her eyes in comfort. Together they walked to the living room, ready to solve today's crossword. Josh sat down in his leather armchair, the one he received as a 'moving in'-present from his mother. One could say a lot about his mother, but she defiently had good taste in furniture.

An ordinary day indeed. But then...

...a knock on the door got Arrow standing. What was this? Josh thought to himself. This was new. 

Arrow began growling, but Josh lifted his hand. "Easy, girl." he said and Arrow went silent, though not happy with the situation. Josh didn't know what to expect as he approached the door. Who could it be? His mother? Probably. She loved surprising him. 

He opened the door. "Yes?" and was startled by the sight before him.

A beautiful woman, whom he had never seen before in Palamont City, turned her head to face him. Her eyes caught him right away. Green. Green like the leaves on the birch that once stood in this city. They drew him in and the feeling of nostalgia filled him from head to toe, however he did not understand why. It was not just the eyes; Her hair. Chestnut brown, a reddish glow. Soft-looking like silk. Josh desired to reach out and touch it, but managed himself. 

In his 32-years he had never seen a girl like this one. And then, she began to speak.

"Excuse me," she said with the voice of an angel. Soft and daring. She held out her hand and Josh took it. It was just as soft as her hair looked. "My name is Jasmine, Jazz for short."

To be continued...

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna. 

"Bite me" - Prologue - by Nanna Andersen

He screamed.

Screamed again.

Then again, this time a little louder and more like the sound of a creacking door. His chin touched his chest. Burried itself in the thick, sticky hair flooded in sweat.

He tried looking at her but failed. The deep, brown, bloodshot eyes were just as heavy as the chains holding him up. Having failed his attempt he instead focused on the tiles underneath him. Red. Painted red with blood. His blood. The smell stung in his nostrils, made him dizzy. It would be so easy throwing up. Letting it out, but the easy way out wasn't necessarily the best. And he knew this. Therefore, he held it in. Swallowed the lump of fluid and leftovers from last night's dinner.

"You know," she said while sharpening the knife. After all this time it had gotten a bit dull. Even with her back towards him, he could sense the smile widening on her lips, showing the fairytale white teeth. She held the knife in front of her face and caressed it. Still with the knife pressed against her cheek in a lovely manner, she turned to face him.

He had been right. The smile was certainly there. She continued in a rusty voice while walking towards him. "It didn't have to go down this way."

Her cold fingers took a grib around his cheeks, squishing them up against his nose. She caught his eyes with her own. He could no longer run. Forced to stare into the madness he had caused. But he refused to fall victum. So he didn't.

He gathered up saliva and sent it off in her direction. She closed her eyes as it exploded on her face. "Bite me." he hissed.

She smiled. "Oh..." laughed. "Oh, you actually did that." with her free hand, she whiped the spit off and opened her eyes. Her black, velvet eyes. Black like the night sky. No, darker. Darker than the blackness from a dreamless night.

Her eyes. They were the true darkness. The darkness from which all evil climbed. Climbed into the closet, under the bed and into the human mind. Here it hid. Waiting for the right moment. Because a real hunter knows when to strike.

And so did she.

She pulled an eyelash upwards, lifting his eyelid. He saw it coming before it happened. Saw her tigthening her grib around the knife. Saw the knife rise towards his eye. Felt it carve into the thin skin.

He screamed. Kept on screaming. Even when she lowered the knife and showed him the cut off eyelid, the screaming didn't stop.

She rolled her eyes and threw the eyelid away. Then she lifted the knife to his face. He closed his eyes. But no more pain were felt. Instead he heard the screech when the knife hammered into the space between two of the bricks behind him. For a moment he felt relieved. But when he saw the smile on her face that feeling was long gone.

Her face approached his in a drastic speed and then her lips engulfted his. They tasted dark. Dark like her eyes. Like his worst nightmare. He wanted to break free but couldn't.

All he could do was watch as her finger ascended up his cheek and stopped as they reached his unprotected eye.

Still with her tongue exploring his mouth, she tuck her fingernail in behind his eye and digged it out. He screamed, but it was as though her tongue absorbed the sound.

She pulled away from him and looked at the eyeball in her palm. Then she looked at him. She smiled. "You wanted me to bite you," licked her mouth. "Right?"

She placed the eyeball between her teeth and pressed them together. One half of the eyeball went into her chewing mouth and the other fell on the bloody tiles.

To be continued...

Keep Calm and Write On.

- Nanna.