8/14/2019 Bitten. V1. C3 x

1/8

#-CHAPTER THREE-

Peace With The LivingWHAT WE HAVE NEXT? ASKED OWEN, PULLING himself onto the graffitied bench.

Candice lounged backwards and picked up his heavy bagwith unnatural ease.

With a quick flick of her wrist, she threw the crumpled uptimetable at him.

Owen only quickly glanced at the bit of paper, than hepulled a face.

Next weve got a period of... French! Damn, I forgot that it was today Madame Thomasset was back. And knowingCandy, she is going to want to go; shed love to try. And shes

probably better than me, considering shes perfect at everything.

Stifling a grin, Candy leaned forwards, towards Owen, andcalled out,

Well what do we have then?Owen grinned in spite of himself and said,Would you skive again if I asked you really nicely?She pretended to mull it over, then pulled a face at him and

said,Nope, with her mouth popping on the p.Owen just groaned,But youre meant to love me! he said, pouting out his

lower lip.Yes I do Owen, however not that much, she teased him

playfully.

8/14/2019 Bitten. V1. C3 x

2/8

When she was standing next to him, she agilely pulledherself onto his lap.

Please, please, please, please, please, please, he started.

She stared into his eyes, unleashing the full force of hersmouldering turquoise eyes.Owen looked stunned, but then pulled her face slightly

closer to hers.Candice took a breath in, knowing that she wouldnt be

breathing in, for the next minute or so, and then pulled herface even closer to his.

Please, she breathed, her lips so close to his, she couldsee the few fine freckles that were spread across his nose.

Instead of replying Owen just moved his lips closer andbrushed his lips with hers. She heard his heart accelerate,and she felt like hers had just been jump started.

Instead of breathing in, she moved her face closer to hisand pressed her ice cold lips, harder to Owens warm lips.

After a few seconds of them like that, she pulled awayslowly and laughed quietly under her breath.

She held out her hand, and she begun to lead him out of the basketball court, in the direction of the main building withthe promise of French.

About two minutes later both Candy and Owen walked intothe class room late, as per usual.

When they stumbled through the door, everyones eyesglanced over Candices eccentric outfit.

Theyd all become so used to her weirdness, that hardly

anything about her shocked them anymore. All Humans feltcompelled to keep staring at her because of her beauty -Owen didnt like that.

However Madame Thomasset wasnt used to Candice. Hereyes very nearly popped out of her socket in surprise whenshe saw what Candice was wearing.

It was a long flowing black and purple tie-dyed gothic dress.

8/14/2019 Bitten. V1. C3 x

3/8

The back was laced up as a corset, yet she managed to pull itoff without looking slutty.

Not another one, thought Madame Thomasset, Girls like

her, never learn good French skills.

Candy felt shocked for a second, than she became angry.Never learn good French?In the eighteen hundreds, shed lived in France.As a matter of fact Candices French was more probably

better than Madame Thomassets.Before Candy and Owen walked to the back of the class

room, to their normal seats, Candice spoke in a clear voice,which filled every corner of the tiny, damp French room.

Bonjour, je suis trs heureux de voir que vous avez dcidde revenir et de nous enseigner. Je suis trs egar pour ensavoir plus sur la France, la langue, les gens - mme del'histoire.

(Hello I am very pleased that you decided to come back and teach us. I am very eager to learn more about France,the language, the people - even the history.)

Madame Thomasset looked too shocked to say anything toher, yet managing to choke a sentence out in a strangelyaccented English,

You ave an amazeeng accent young lade.Merci, Candice spun around and walked to the back of the

class next to Owen.She got her French books out of her bag and put them

neatly on her desk, then with everyones eyes still glued toher (even the teachers) she said gleefully, Carry on,She placed her hands on the top of her books and nodded

toward the front.All eyes averted to the flustered Madame, as she begun

shuffling around bits of paper on her desk.

8/14/2019 Bitten. V1. C3 x

4/8

After an extremely uneventful lesson, in whicheveryone managed to copy Candices answers, they weredismissed for their next lesson.

The next lesson was music.

It was one of Candices favourite lessons. She didn't love itbecause she was the best - it wasnt because the teacher wasfit, or nice - in fact he was the opposite - Mr Lewis; a fatbalding man, with a short temper and full of worthy-of-getting-the-piss-taken-out-of threats - but that was whyCandice loved the lessons.

As she walked in she said,What up sir? before he could answer her question with a

detention, another twenty seven pupils entered into the smallcramped the Music block.

As usual, it took Lewis twenty minutes of shouting hisconstant threats before anyone took the slightest notice.

When he had the semi-attention of the class he said,When the register comes around you must sign it - or a

detention. So who here can tell me the difference between anacoustic guitar and an electric?

When he saw no one would answer, he scanned the top of everyones heads, and chose the pupil that looked like theywere paying the most attention, and also the one who hehappened to dislike the most...

Candice? he asked, with a sigh.Yes Sir?What is that answer to the question I asked the class?A grin crept across her face, her eyes wide and cheerful as

she swung her chair back onto two legs.Sir, if you don't know the difference between an electric

and an acoustic by now should you really be teaching memusic?A outbreak of sniggering spread across the class, while

Lewis eyes just narrowed.After about a minute and a half, he gave up and began

blinking ferociously in the opposite direction that Candy wasin.

8/14/2019 Bitten. V1. C3 x

5/8

When he finally found his voice again he said in a voiceslightly in awe of the students in front of him,

Listen to me, young lady. Because you dress differently,doesnt mean he trailed off into silence under Candice

glare.What dyou mean about my dress sense? she asked.Candice sat there, she cocked her head to the side, and her

turquoise eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. Are you goingto let me play? Or are you going to try and teach me Twinkle

Twinkle Little Star like the rest of the class? she didnt evenwait for him to answer.

Unaware the class was staring up at her, she effortlesslypicked up the guitar that looked the most in tune and shepulled herself up onto the teachers desk and began to play asoft, mellifluous tune which enchanted the entire class.

Candice grinned, as soon as she had caught Owens eyes -she began to change the song she was playing. Her eyessparkled mischievously as she began to change the song.

The temp of the lullaby got faster, and then a few of thechords began to change, then it slowly began to get deeperand lower.

Then all of a sudden the song changed abruptly and Owenthought he was the only one who recognised -

I Wanna Dead Beat You ! by the Night Marchers.

She finished playing, after a minute or so.She slowly put the faded wooden guitar back down on the

dirty green carpet and said to him evenly,May I go now? Candy asked Mr. Lewis, almost daring him

to say otherwise.

He nodded mutely.Owen? she called out enquiringly when she paused at theheavy wooden door, but when she spun round to ask him if he was coming with she was startled to see that he wasactually behind her, whispering in her ear, You think I wouldmiss a chance to ditch Music?

Why dont we just ditch today? she asked, skipping in to

8/14/2019 Bitten. V1. C3 x

6/8

the basketball court.Owen laughed and said,Whered we go? We cant hang in school and my homes

off limits with my mum being there he trailed off.

It was apparent that the idea of spending the rest of theafternoon with Candice, felt like a great idea to Owen, but hecouldnt see how he could.

We can just go to mine. Don't think anyones home sheshrugged, unconcerned about what would happen if anymember of her family was home.

Everyone knew that their father figure was a lecture atuniversity and often worked unpredictable hours, while Jadawas a A&E (Accident & Emergencies) doctor and she workedthree nights a week and four days a week.

What if theyre home? he asked her, wrapping his armaround her waist.

Candice murmured something distractedly, while she was

texting someone, Er well we fabricate a paper,That really sounds like a great idea, and I would love to

participate, but I have no idea what fabricate means.I meant invent a paper like I dunno - a SOC paper due -

and theyve given us the afternoon off.Candice phone vibrated and she slid it up as soon as she

had finished talking to Owen, he read the text over hershoulder;

Meet u at the b-ball court?B der in 5min? Think M&D home wiv S&O, c ya there J

X.

Sorted, she said sliding her phone it down cheerfully. Three and a half hours later, Candice and Owen were sitting

in her mammoth garden, they both had their feet dangling inthe stream that wove through their garden and in and out of the surrounding forest.

8/14/2019 Bitten. V1. C3 x

7/8

So you were adopted? Owen asked her apprehensively ashe felt her stiffen around him, but she spoke.

That was random, but since he was cute, it really didntmatter.

Yeah I was adopted, she said shrugging, ,when I wasabout twelve? Im not that sure, but Carlyle and Jada werealready taking care of Evelyn, Oliver and Jasper. Steph metwith Oliver when she was adopted about three years back.

Do you remember your real family at all? Owen askedcuriously.

Candice only shook her head sadly, her eyes filled withwhat suspiciously looked like tears.

Owen instantly felt bad that he had make her cry, You don'thave to tell me Candy - honestly. Sorry I will shut up now.

No, its ok, she said back, thinking of ways to word heranswer so they she wouldnt be lying to him - not telling himthe complete truth. My father either died of left when I wasyoung - I cant remember him that much, but my motheralways said he was an alcoholic, like her,

She scratched at the ground bitterly with a stick. My er -mum died when I was about ten, just after giving birth to myyoungest sister, she smiled slightly,

At least I don't have to lie to Owen about that , she thoughtsourly.

My older sister - Darcy - died just before I was adoptedwhen she was about nineteen - twenty. She was taking careof us until then.

Owen sympathetically, wrapped his arms around her.

She was taking care of me, my only little brother Faganand my two little sisters Lydia and she trailed off and if hedidnt know any better he thought shed forgotten her othersisters name - but Candice wouldnt do that - would she?

Candy shifted uncomfortably and moved her eyes awayfrom Owen back to the shallow little stream.

Owen feeling like he should say something stayed silent

8/14/2019 Bitten. V1. C3 x

8/8

until Candy got up slowly and walked with Owen back to thecar.