Blood Kisses, Amber Marshall-Nichols [summer reading list txt] 📗

with my iPod, I am debating two lists of songs. My entire iPod is divided in to two playlists. The Depressing Playlist and the Happy-GO! Playlist Normally I would play the happy-go when I was depressed to try lightening the mood, but that day I thought I’d dwell on my bad mood. What a miserable cow I was, so there, shuffle ‘Depressing’ Playlist. The first song is David Grey’s ‘This year’s love’ and then the bus rounds the corner.
I suppose getting the bus isn’t so bad. Ignore the pervy bus driver, the little twirpy boys throwing paper aeroplanes at your head, the possibility of having your iPod stood on, the gum stuck to the seats and the dusty curtains in your face, and it’s okay, an excellent time for you to think. I don’t know anyone on my bus, well I know them, but I don’t talk to them. So it’s kind of just me and the music. I ring Lucy sometimes, but she was bound to be late first day back. The only real downside to the bus is that you know in fifteen minutes time, you’ll be there. At school. If I run I can drag the journey down right until the bell rings. Take the bus you know you’re going to be there dead on eight o’clock, and you’ve got at least twenty minutes before first period. It dramatically sucks being at school early. Six hours a day is more than enough for me. I don’t even need to go. I could’ve been homeschooled, but I guess I’m the one that want s to be normal. So I shouldn’t complain.
As we entered the school gates I saw Lucy on the side walk and waved, she didn’t wave back though, it was almost as though she looked right through me, either that or she didn’t recognise me!
I took my time getting off the bus and as soon as I stepped off I saw Lucy’s shoes. The familiar little black pumps with the gold pattern around the front rim. I looked up and she smiled at me. Then she blinked and her eyes widened.
“What?” I asked confused.
“Nothing,” she gulped and shook her head.
“Have I forgotten my skirt or something?”
“Umm, No, although it’s quite short, my dad would say you were wearing a belt,”
“Then what?”
“Nothing, maybe it’s the light or something... Oh I need to tell you something about when I left last night,” She grinned.
“Yeah me too, and about the hunting trip,” I lowered my voice.
“Oh okay,” She gave me that strange shocked look again as I held the door to the locker’s open for her.
“What?” I asked annoyed now.
“It’s just...”
“Come on?”
“It’s just I’m up for a new look at the start of term and everything, but don’t you think that A.) That’s a bit drastic and B.) Pointless?”
“What is?” I frowned. Maggie passed us just then and answered for me.
“Oh My Anya, your hair...It looks great,”
“Yeah don’t get me wrong An, it looks cool, but I thought you’d never dye your hair,” Lucy continued.
“Whoa, I’d never dye my hair! The dye would come out with one wash. Why what’s going on with my hair. It looked normal this morning.”
“Really? That’s sure strange... It’s a totally different colour?”
“It is?” I was dead confused. Lucy nodded and pulled a compact from her blazer pocket.
“Here,” she said handing me the compact as she sat down on one of the locker room benches. I slowly opened the mirror and as soon as I saw myself, nearly dropped it.
“I’m friggin blond!” I exclaimed.
“Yeah, you really didn’t dye it?”
“No!”
“This morning it was normal?”
“Totally, golden brown and red,”
“What the fuck is going on then?”
“I don’t know, I’m like bloody Leyland Palmer, except it wasn’t a change overnight, it was a couple hours!”
“You think it’s a vampire thing?” she lowered her voice.
“We go through changes, but going from brunette to blond is a bit drastic! I mean how the hell is that equipped for hunting?”
“Camouflage?”
“Do you see any blond trees Lucy?”
“Umm No, except those bleached ones you get on beaches,”
“Well I don’t tend to go hunting on the beach, for obvious reasons,”
“Huh, well it’s really weird. I mean it should look ridiculous, you should have these dark eyebrows that don’t match your hair, but they’ve changed too,”
“What colour would you place it as anyway?”
“A really light strawberry blond,” she said after a moment of consideration.
“Oh god! I’m ginger!” I exclaimed.
“No not ginger, it’s just a darkish blond?” she said quickly as I ran my fingers frantically through the mass of ‘ginger’ hair.
“I hope it goes back to normal,”
“I kind of like it,” Lucy said tugging the mirror from my hand. I stared at her a moment, she smiled shyly and I sighed.
“No you don’t,”
“No, No I do!” she defended. “Maybe if it lightened up it’d be okay,”
“Why ginger! Just why?” I groaned.
“It’s not ginger,” Lucy assured me a last time.
“Maybe I should borrow someone’s hat?”
“No Anya it looks nice, see Fleur and Ella are pointing and smiling at it now,” she said waving them over. They began to get up from their bench then stopped when Josh walked in. All of a sudden they were pointing and giggling at him. The two of them rushed over and I heard them introduce themselves after all the ‘you must be the cute new boy everyone’s talking about’ charade.
“Well,” I murmured “At least the school’s attention won’t be on my hair today.


Imprint

Publication Date: 03-26-2011

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
For My mum- Suzanne, who always had faith in me, helped me create the ideas for this book, and for loving me.