A loud whistle blew near my ears. I sank quickly, exhausted and weak from jogging on the track. My classmates look up at their PE professor, Ms. Drake, who looks like she could do a four-hour triathlon in under an hour while the rugby team's head coach blows her whistle again.

This evening, Erin dragged me, tooth and nail, to rugby tryouts. "If you put forth the effort, we encourage you to enroll in an after-school extracurricular activity. I dismiss all of you." Ms. Drake declared it once more, blowing her whistle.

Jeremy and the rugby team monitored Erin and me from a distance. The students filed into the school dressing rooms for boys on one side and girls on the other.

"Are you thinking about trying out?" With a tap on the shoulder, Erin asked.

"Maybe this year I'll have better luck?" I sighed. Jeremy grinned as he pushed his way past Erin and me.

"You'll be on towel duty like puppy-boy." Jeremy tousled Erin's hair. "Isn't that right?" Erin snarled low and barked at Jeremy as he moved away, spitting on the floor at him.

"Jeremy has to suck the life out of everything all the time. I'm also trying out this year." Both boys made their way into the locker rooms.

I dug into my locker next to Erin and took my shirt off into the locker rooms. Erin briefly locked his glasses as I reached for a spare shirt in my locker.

"Since when did you get abs of fucking steel?" Erin exclaimed. I winced when Erin slapped my stomach and looked down at my sculpted abs, then Erin's.

I said, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why? The rugby tryouts are this afternoon, and you're finally strong enough to screw Jeremy over. Not to mention, you've got sick abs." Erin said.

I let out a snort. "Girls hate nerds who hang around with trouble-making freaks."

"Watch it, bud." Erin pointed his finger in my direction. I sighed and drew my shirt over his shoulders. Erin chuckled and drew his shirt up over his head as well.

"You're fucking incredible. Your sister and dad do very eye-roll things when irritated. It must be genetics." I went away after shoving Erin into the lockers. Erin followed closely following.

"I'm going to divide you all into two groups. Skins from the opposing team move to the left. Team shirts remain in place." Coach said. More than half of the tryout squad grumbled in frustration. Erin and I stood in the crowd, waiting to see who would attend. Blake rolled her eyes as she stood off to the side.

"Andrews, what are you doing here? It's only for boys." Everyone's gaze drew to Blake. The sun set slowly in the distance.

"Don't you think that's sexist?" Blake replied with a growl. Ms. Drake blows twice on her whistle.

"Jeremy, just let it go. If she wants to, she can try it out." Ms. Drake explained.

"Assuming she can keep up with us," Jeremy spat in front of Blake on the ground. Blake was unconcerned.

"That's big talk for a guy whose sister outran him in a 5-kilometer race." The rugby boys laughed. Jeremy huffed again.

"Listen here, you little witch-"

Ms. Drake blew her whistle and said, "Both of you, enough. Andrews is going to play shirts for obvious reasons." I smacked Erin after the boys, including him standing near me, hooted and hollered. Ms. Drake could calm the boys down. Blake appeared irritated. I was annoyed, too, as her eyes briefly met mine.

"For the rest of you, team shirts are to the left of where you are now. Divide and conquer."

The boys moaned and groaned as they split into two groups. The skins team included Erin, Jeremy, and a few other boys, including myself. Jeremy was furious, sliding his shirt over his head and slamming into my side as he pushed by me and ran onto the field, stretching his calves while holding the ball. Erin and I also took our shirts off, showing off my new killer body and catching a few glares from the other boys.

The ground seemed to tremble beneath him, and Jeremy tripped on the floor. The boys mocked Jeremy and split up on opposite sides of the field. I was frightened and comforted myself by chewing my hangnails. My stomach grumbled, and I felt a dull stabbing ache.

"This will be good," Erin murmured as he moved towards the field, clapping his hands against my chest. I sighed and followed. Jeremy stood up, dusting grass and mud from his chest, and glanced around.

The game began a few minutes later. I was running face-paced down the field with a ball, much quicker than I typically was, and no one could keep up with me. Jeremy tried to persuade me to pass the ball by standing in the corner and trailing me with a sidestep.

Jeremy growled, "Pass the fucking ball, dumb-ass." I came to a complete stop as three guys in team shirts mauled me to the ground. Furious, I got off the floor and dusted the grass and dirt off my body.

"That fucking hurt," I said emphatically. Jeremy, off to the side, seemed happy. My stomach grumbled louder, and fangs grew from my gums as I stared over at his best friend and balled my hands tight. The pounding of heartbeats and the wonderful smell of blood pumping distracted me. Buh-boom. Buh-boom. Buh-boom. I was in panic mode, standing on the field before my eyes shifted to the open woodsy area behind the school while covering my lips with his hand, and I raced off the field as a string of curse words left my mouth. All eyes watched me disappear.

My hunger intensified as I buried my fangs behind my plush sweatshirt and surveyed my surroundings in a dizzying haze deep amid the trees. My gaze drew to a coyote hunting a baby fawn in the distance. My tongue dragged across my lips to my fangs as I stared between the two animals, and I slammed forward at extraordinary speeds, my fangs latching onto the coyote. After hearing the coyote yelp, the deer bolted further into the woods, and the coyote's carcass melted into my teeth, blood flowing from the wound. The thumping subsided as my gaze fell on Erin, who was nearby in the distance.

"Adam, concentrate on my voice." Erin grabbed my face with his hands. As my world crumbled around me, I attempted to stay focused. I freed the coyote from my fangs while spinning in the woods. It lay still on the floor. The unstable woods halted as Erin came into view, his grin broadening.

"Thirsty?" Erin laughed. He pounded my shoulder, and I tried to divert his attention away from my new reality by focusing on a crack in the ground.

The term vampire seemed foreign to me initially, but as my fangs retracted, the word sank in. My mouth was dripping blood across his naked chest.

"You smell like a fucking vampire, bro," Erin said.

"How the hell do you know that shit?" I asked.

I turned to face the coyote lying lifeless on the ground. The coyote's eyes appear glassy and dull, and I see my closest buddy kicking the coyote's limbs with his high-top sneaker.

"I'm a dire werewolf. Prince of the Dire Wolves, which makes my father a"

"Are you joking?" I asked. Erin shook his head in denial.

"I wish I were, bro. I'll tell you more while I get you home."

I sighed. "How do you know all of this?" I asked. Erin widened her grin.

"Werewolves protect vampire fledglings." He took a breath and stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets, kissing his lips. "Given that you haven't gone through the typical ceremony with your master and the vampire deity, I'm betting you're safe. The vampire gods don't mess around with young vampires. They'll do anything to help you get through the transformation." I sat down on a log. Erin and I exchanged blank stares as he studied me.

"We'll wait until school ends. Then we'll grab your stuff and get you cleaned up."

"When did you be the practical one?" I inquired. I used my tongue to clean my bloodied lips. Erin pressed his fists against my sternum.

"If my father discovers you're a vampire, he'll kill us both. Let's get back before it gets dark."

The wind howled nearby, and the shrubs swayed. Two beady red eyes stared out from beneath a giant leaf and slithered away, catching my attention for a few seconds. As the sun sank in the distance and nightfall approached, Erin and I headed back to the school.