My weekend was filled with hunger. Tiny pin-pricks traveled all along my skin like someone was stabbing needles into my flesh. The vacuum in my stomach seemed to take all of my focus and energy with it.

I ate everything, from the cookies mom, had hidden in the back of the pantry to Leland's favorite fruit loops. We almost had world war three but mom managed to talk him down.

No matter how much food I shoveled into my stomach it never felt full. So I wasn't surprised by my grumpy mood when I woke up for school on Monday morning. The sting that seemed to always cling to my skin was still there, sharper and more defined than the day before.

I hadn't moved from the edge of my bed, I hadn't even bothered to make it. Although laziness could be blamed for my lack of interest, that just wasn't the case. I felt weak, tired and most of all hungry.

"Syd, I'm taking Lee to school," my mom shouted from downstairs.

"Okay, Bye!" I shouted back.

I heard the front door close downstairs minutes before mom's car pulled out of the driveway. A throb pulsed through my stomach causing me to clutch at my shirt and hunch over in pain. My jaw clenched as the pressure on my skin increased, from tiny pin-pricks to razor-sharp blades digging in my flesh. I couldn't take a breath much less stand up but I knew I had to. I needed to eat and even if it didn't seem to help at all my mind didn't comprehend anything other than hunger and pain.

The house was quiet as I walked downstairs. On the kitchen island, mom had left a brown paper bag, no doubt my lunch for the day. I opened the bag to a BLT sandwich and didn't even think twice before scarfing it down. I knew I would have to suffer through cafeteria food but I couldn't help it. Next, I dug into the cinnamon buns that mom always had around and grabbed the milk carton from the fridge.

As I was guzzling the milk down my eyes caught the clock on the wall, it was already past seven and I was going to be late for school. I shoved the milk carton back into the fridge before shutting the door causing the contents inside to jingle. With my bag slung over my shoulder I rushed out the door. The trees stretched out behind my house and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Fear licked at my skin, raising goosebumps all along my arms. For seem reason, my once safe haven scared the crap out of me making me decide to walk through town.

By the time I reached Brookfield High, I was breathless and dizzy. I swayed on my feet before taking huge gulps of air into my lungs. The walk to school has never before made me this tired yet, I can't seem to concentrate on anything but the hollow feeling in my stomach and the weakness in my limbs.

The double doors were swung open, an electric squeal punctured my ears just before Mia rushed down the steps and crashed into me. Her scrawny arms flung across my neck pulling me in for a quick hug. She was bouncing around on the balls of her feet as if this was the best moment of her life.

As she pulled back I saw her freckled face break into a wide grin. Her green eyes sparkled with excitement that left my head swirling. Usually, Mia's energetic personality could pull me out of any funk but my head swirled nauseously and I had to bite back a grimace.

"Syd!" She screeched, the sound grating at my eardrums, "I missed you!"

"Come on Mia, give the girl a break she just got here," Shawna's disinterested voice quipped.

Mia rolled her eyes, "I was just saying 'hi' besides, I missed you guys so much! I had to spend my break with the twins from hell."

Shawna was leaning against the door frame, smirking at me. We're not best friends, we merely tolerate each other for Leah and Mia's sake. She threw her ebony black hair over her shoulder and feigned boredom. "They can't be that bad, Mia."

Mia's lips pulled into a ridiculous pout, "Easy for you to say, they didn't put gum in your hair."

Just then Leah walked down the steps behind Shawna, "Mia, is that why you cut your hair?"

I bit back a smile as Mia's face drained of all color, leaving her freckles that much darker on her already pale skin, "Susan, otherwise known as Satan, made sure to rub it into my hair. I had no choice!"

Leah put a hand on Mia's shoulder, "Well, I think it looks great, it suits you."

Mia smiled brightly just as Leah had intended and I couldn't stop the grin forming on my face at my best friend. Leah was a saint. Mia's hair used to be all the way down to her waist and the color of orange fire. It caused a lot of envy among the girls in our school, she wouldn't have cut it if the choice was hers.

Leah pulled me into a hug, once Mia stopped freaking out, just as the first bell rang. Mia dashed off first with Shawna right at her heels and I sent a small thank you skywards when Shawna and Mia were finally gone. I loved Mia to death and I tolerated Shawna but I wasn't in the mood for all that today.

When we were alone Leah turned her gaze to me. Her brows were pulled together as her brown eyes studied me. "Are you okay, Syd? You look a little pale."

I waved her off, "I'm fine, besides my skin is always pasty."

My limbs still felt like lead and every step took great effort, but I didn't want to tell Leah that. For one she was worse than my mother sometimes and I didn't want her to worry about me. She was always the one telling me not to push myself too hard and judging by the way I felt, I wasn't going to be all that friendly if she brought it up again.

Leah laughed, a soft bell-like melody running through the halls. We pushed past students and finally made it to homeroom. By the time we reached the classroom a cold sweat had broken out over my body.

The hours dragged along painfully and my focus wasn't in class at all. Everything started sounding like white noise, painfully scraping against my eardrums. Everything became too loud and even the smallest sound sounded like roaring thunder. My head was pounding and I kept praying for a miracle. I had no idea what was happening and as the day wore on, I became increasingly worried. I must have caught something.

If I was sick it meant I might miss my track tryouts and my chance at a scholarship. Mom wouldn't be able to afford college, I knew that, so all through high school, I had kept my grades up and made sure I excelled in the one sport I loved. I spent every spare minute trying to better myself, its why I loved running along Wickery road. The ground was rough and harder to navigate than the track course. The thought of Wickery road brought back a sudden stab of fear that had me doubting my sanity.

When the bell rang to single lunch, I rushed into the cafeteria to find food. My stomach had started to cramp and still felt like it was being ripped apart. The sting irritating my skin kept growing throughout the day forcing me to scratch at my arms leaving red welts across my skin.

I sighed out gratefully when I saw that I was the first one there. I stuffed my plate with everything I could get my hands on. Surprise meatloaf that was more surprised than meat, bread rolls, salad, and fruit juice.

I didn't even wait to sit down before I started shoveling food into my mouth. It hardly had a taste to it but I could care less. All that mattered to me was to fill the void in my stomach. My eyes felt dry, my skin on fire, and the hole in my stomach felt like it was going to swallow me whole.

"Damn Syd, don't you have track after school?" Shawna asked.

She sat down across from me with Mia on her left. I didn't bother to answer her and just continued eating. My brain didn't comprehend anything aside from food.

Leah sat down next to me, her brows furrowing in concern, "Hey, are you sure you're okay? I mean you look worse than this morning."

I took a gulp of fruit juice washing down my food that tasted like cardboard. After I swallowed I glanced at Leah, "Yeah, I guess I was just really hungry."

I wiped my mouth on my sleeve as some of the hunger seemed to fade. My stomach felt uncomfortably full but at least that would hold until this afternoon. My senses felt overloaded, the light too sharp and the noise too loud. Hell, the very air around me annoyed my skin.

"If you say so," Leah said but her words didn't match her tone. Her eyes held a glint of suspicion but I just averted my gaze. Sometimes, I felt like Leah could see right through me.

We continued to talk and eat, catching up on our short summer break. I spent most of my summer training so I didn't have much to contribute to the conversation. I kept quiet, only answering when they talked directly to me. Lucky for me, Mia's rapid-fire verbal diarrhea switched through topics so fast she could have been talking to herself.

The bell rang and Leah and I went to our class. We had English lit together for the fifth period and I sighed at the thought of the day almost being over. I wanted to ask coach Burks if she'd let my tryout at a later date, even if it was the last thing I wanted to do but if I tried out and didn't make the team that would be a disaster. I didn't feel ready to take on the track field and I knew coach would be fine with it, mostly because I was the fastest runner they had.

"So, you ready for tryouts this afternoon?" Leah asked as we grabbed our books from our lockers.

I wanted to tell Leah that I didn't feel well but the words lodged in my throat. If I told her she would spend the whole day fussing and I wasn't in the mood. To be fair, I wasn't in the mood for pretty much anything.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. My times are getting better."

Leah smiled, "If anyone can do it, it's you. You've always been an insanely good runner."

"I hope so, coach Burks will be pushing us this year."

Leah sighed and linked her arm through mine, "Just don't burn yourself out, okay?"

I frowned but kept on walking, choosing to remain silent on the subject. I had worked too hard and too long to give up now. It's not like I didn't know what I was doing.

We reached class and Leah and I found our usual spots in the front of the class. I sat down and pulled out my books when a thumping sound had me swirling around in my seat. The smells in the room began to blend together and I felt that hollow feeling creep back into my stomach as if I hadn't eaten anything at all.

I looked at Leah, "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Leah asked frowning.

I shook my head and forced a smile, "Nothing, never mind."

Mrs. Thumbly walked into the class cutting off my conversation with Leah, "Good day students. As most of you know this year is all about Shakespeare..."

Her lecture rambled on but I could barely focus on a word she said. Wave after wave crashed in my stomach making me feel ill. Pressure started to build up as tears sprung to my eyes. Before I could take stock I felt the bile rise in my throat and I shot out of my chair with the feet scraping loudly on the linoleum floors.

Mrs. Thumbly stopped mid-sentence, "...Miss. Walsh, please sit down!"

Leah looked at me in surprise and concerned ready to say something, I didn't give her a chance as I bolted for the door. A few snickers followed me as I ran from the classroom but I didn't care.

I ran down the long hallway where the blue lockers were situated on either side. Coming to a turn, I didn't stop fast enough and smacked into the wall.

My stomach made another nauseating churn and I had to smack my hand over my mouth to stop my stomach contents from spilling across the floor. By the time I reached the bathroom, I was shaking.

With a trembling hand, I fastened the lock on the stall door and dropped to my knees. Before I even reached the toilet my stomach contracted violently, spilling out everything I had pilled into it this morning and at lunch.

It felt like I was about to spit out a lung and when nothing came out dry heaves shook my body. There was a knock on the stall door and I was internally grateful that I had locked the door.

"Syd, are you okay?"

Thump, thump thump.

Like a demented beating of a drum, the sound invaded my being. I used my hands to cover my ears but to no avail, the sound grew louder and more frantic.

More banging on the door, "Syd, please you're scaring me, open the door!"

Thump, thump, thump.

I felt a hiss pass my lips, the sound so foreign to my own ears. Then I smelt something, sweet at first and beckoning me closer. A curtain dropped over everything else and the only thing that registered in my mind was the tantalizing smell.

The beating sound became a call, begging me to give in. Saliva filled my mouth as I pushed up on my legs. Crouched inside the stall, I pressed my ear to the door. A hard smack against the door had me jumping back.

"Sydney Walsh, you better answer me right now or I'm calling a teacher!"

Lilacs, I smelled lilacs.

Mixed with the scent that had every atom in my body begging for sustenance, was the smell of lilacs. The same smell that had clung to Leah for as long as I have known her.

"Go away," I croaked out.

She had to leave, if not for my sanity then at least for her own safety. Something was wrong with me and I couldn't bear the thought of hurting her even if every fiber in my body desperately wanted to.

"Please just come out, I can take you to the nurse's office and maybe..."

I punched the stall door, the metal bending where my fist made contact and I heard a small yelp from the other side of the door. The sound echoing in the empty bathroom.

"I said go away!" I screamed.

My voice was animalistic and gruff. It was not my voice but it was enough to send Leah scuttling out of the bathroom. I listened until I could no longer hear her receding footsteps.

As Leah disappeared so did the smell. I didn't know much at that point but I knew that I had to get out of there. The reaction I had towards my best friend was unnerving, to say the least. Until I knew what was going on, I couldn't go anywhere near her.

Sneaking out of school was hard. I had to walk past the office where the receptionist sat sipping from a cup and she would surely question why I was leaving on the first day.

After skipping school for the first time in my life, I made a run for it. The adrenaline coursing through my system kept me upright. I ran home in a fog, my mind jumping from one thought to another but I couldn't grasp a single one. Nothing made sense as one single thought dominated my senses.

Hunger.

Everything else seemed meaningless. My conscious mind was fighting for control and it was holding on, but just barely.

I unlocked the front door of our home and stumbled up the stairs. Eager to put some distance between myself and other people.

Before I knew it, I was pacing the small space between my bed and dresser. I refused to believe what was right in front of me. I could smell my best friend and what's worse it ignited a hunger in me that I had never felt before.

I don't know how long I paced until a door shut downstairs. My ears perked and I listened closely.

"Syd! Mom said you were going to make lunch!"

Lee was home, his small feet thundered up the stairs as he raced through the hall. He banged his tiny fists against my door, shrieking my name at the top of his lungs.

The noise had me flinching away from my door. Leland was one of the most energetic eight-year-olds I have ever encountered. I had to answer him or his antics would just get more obnoxious.

Inching closer to the door I was hit full force by a sweet aroma. My heart picked up its pace as my movement froze. I held my breath as tears sprung to my eyes.

My brain was screaming at me to hunt, to kill, to satisfy my hunger. It took all that I was just to hold off and keep my body still. Lee might have been an annoying little brat but he was still my baby brother.

"Stop pretending you're not in there! I can see your shadow under the door!"

I covered my nose with my arm as tears sprung to my eyes. I needed him to leave before I hurt him but where to? Lee was alone with me in the house and I could barely contain myself.

"There's a roast in the fridge, now leave me alone I have homework!" I yelled back hoping he would leave.

"But I don't feel like eating roast."

I could almost see him pouting behind the door but I didn't have time for his cutesy behavior.

"Then starve!"

I stormed off and locked myself in my bathroom with my heart pounding in my ears. Turning around, I wanted to splash my face with water but I froze in horror at my reflection.

Inky black veins protruded from the skin, running in spider-web lines. The roots of my hair were stark white and gave it an odd two-tone look. But it was my eyes that had my mouth gaping open. Where my once blue eyes were, blood-red pupils stared back at me. The whites of my eyes were non-existent as that too was tinged in red. I screamed in horror and sunk down to the bathroom floor. What the hell was happening to me?

Getting up I peeked in the mirror, terrified of what I might see. My face was mostly back to normal. Blue eyes and pale skin. Except for my hair. The roots were still white.

I racked my brain trying to come up with a plausible explanation. Maybe I had rabies and that's why I had lost my mind.

The woods... the blood, the pain, the fear. A memory so sharp, it had my legs giving in, stabbed through my vision. I was attacked. And whatever that thing was, was the cause of this.