Mean Girls... Or is it? PV

@Charlotte Cadunt | @Nico Shymane | @Aurelia Notrésvace

Even in a school of magic, sometimes you had to study. Even magical subjects required work. When someone was going to study up on something, they would go to the library - so that was where Koko was heading to now.

It wasn't that the young Slytherin was failing any of her classes - the class that she needed the most work on was Flying, and she really couldn't help that by going to the library, could she? But she had an upcoming test in Transfiguration, and this was one that the girl was intending to pass with flying colours. Or so she hoped.

As Koko entered the room, she spotted one of her fellow prefects, Nico Shymane. Nico was a sweet girl, Koko remembered. The blonde-haired girl scanned the bookshelves, and upon finding a book on light and photons, she sat down next to Nico with a nod at her friend. Hello was what the nod conveyed; the library was supposed to be a quiet place so she would not speak unless prompted.

Koko shifted her gaze back to her book, scanning the words. These were words that she would likely not retain after taking the test and getting through the year's exams, but they would be good to keep mind of until then. She found this topic moderately interesting, but it was nothing like art was. Her mind drifted back to what Nico was drawing again, and she peered over at it. The drawing was moving. What really impressed Koko was that Nico drew with a quill - something that the blonde-haired girl had not yet attempted.

Not wanting her admiration to be noticed, Koko returned her attention to her book, taking in the words that seemed more scientific than magical into her mind with more interest than before. She began reading at a fairly quick speed, flipping the pages about twice in one minute. She would scan the words and understand them, but she wouldn't dwell on them. She actually thought she was doing quite well.

She no longer cared about her posture; she now hunched over her book and propped her head up with her elbow. She now felt a pang of hunger, and her throat was parched. It was still nearly an hour to her next meal, though, so she could do nothing about it.

Koko was given an excuse to stop herself from studying when a thin edge of the page ran quickly and surely along her thumb. Slice. A tingling itch immediately filled the finger as it reddened, and then a drop of blood formed and spilled onto the book. Koko's eyes widened, and she sat up quickly, almost knocking herself back in her chair. "Oh no..." This wasn't good. She had just ruined a library book and she had no bandages. What was she going to do with herself?

Reducio

Sorry this is a little late!

@Charlotte Cadunt | @Aurelia Notrésvace | @Koko Riddle

After sliding her quill, finishing the cat like figure, Nico's attention was pulled by a sound by the door. Abit too embarassed to check who entered, the dhampir perked her ears up slightly, subtily following the sound of footsteps. When they seemed to approach her, her eyes looked up. With relief, her eyes met with the ones of a familiar face. Koko.

She had recently become her colleague and they saw eachother more because of that. Nico liked her. Koko was kind and sweet. A good addition to their Slytherin team.

She greeted her with a nod, the dhampir answered it with a warm welcoming smile. Pleasantly surprised that her colleague didn't mind sitting near her. It was still a pleasantly comforting feeling to be approached without being side eyed.

The Slytherin dhampir was in a good mood, gently waving her head from side to side to a song in her head. For a moment she felt two curious eyes looking at her. Such a strange feeling.

As quickly as she sat up, just as quick the curious eyes went to read the book in front of them. The last time Nico sat with someone in the library was with Luna, another colleague of hers. That went slightly different than this encounter. A little less comfortable.

Eyeing Koko, she noticed how she got more into her book. Her posture that was first like that of a princess was now more sloppy. Nico took that as a sign that the blonde felt at ease beside her.

Nico then leaned back against the support of her chair, carefully stretching her arms above her head. Feeling at peace since a while.

Blood.

What? Mid stretch, the dhampir froze. Her nose filled up with red. Not acual red, but the smell of iron. Blood. Slightly panicked, trying to keep her cool, Nico sat up, no longer leaning on the back of her chair. How long has it been since she smelled it this strong? It must've been years. To compare the delicious smell of ones blood, I suppose it could be compared to the smell of fresh bread in the morning.

Her ice blue eyes slowely turned a red hue. Her attention rose to a maximum as her focus was on where to find the source. Why now... lunch would've been soon... Why today when she had decided not to eat too much breakfast...

Shakey her eyes looked over at Koko. It came from there.

'K-..Koko.. are..' Her voice was soft but every word was crystal clear. Her pupils had become small like that of an animal. No. She couldn't give in to this feeling. There was no way. Her body screamed. It wanted to lunge at the blonde girl. It wanted to ... restrain her. To lock the doors, the windows. To corner her... leaving her with no way to escape.

But she held back. One of her hands gripped onto the bottom of her chair tightly. Her claws holding on tight, digging in the wood. Her other hand wrapped itself around her elbow. Her nails, digging into her skin. A stain of blood, growing onto her sleeve.

What now? She didn't bring anything with her as a snack. How careless.

The smell stayed but Nico wouldn't flinch. Sweat ran down her forhead as she continued to hold herself back. Her legs getting stuck behind the legs of the chair. No way. No way she could hurt Koko. No way that she'd give in to this old feeling.

Having no other choice, Nico pressed her forhead on the table, trying to control her breathing. This was... bad.

Flashbacks to the Ball made her anxious. A monster. Was she really just a monster in the end?

@Nico Shymane | @Aurelia Notrésvace | @Charlotte Cadunt

Koko immediately glanced through her eyelashes to see a red stain forming on the book's page. At least it wasn't too bad. She then looked at her thumb - not too terrible, it could have been worse. She at first moved her hand to cradle it against her chest - why was it itching? - but she decided against it. It was instinct to pop her thumb in her mouth. She didn't know why, but as soon as she did it the itching receded.

Now she was being forced to welcome the taste of iron in her mouth, so she could only do this for so long. It tasted... not good. After barely thirty seconds, she took out her finger to press it against the table to try and stop the itching once again. The finger was red. Koko reached out for her book with her other hand and flipped it over so that it was resting on the table, its spine facing up towards the ceiling.

Koko took a glance over at Nico; was she still drawing? No. She was not. What Koko saw spooked her. Her friend's eyes were no longer their usual icy blue, she seemed to be noticing something and wanting to lunge at something. But what? Koko glanced around; she could see nothing other than a few students and the books crowding the shelves. Nico said something... "I-" Koko took a deep breath, keeping her eyes on her friend. "I'm fine. A-Are you... all right, N-Nico?" Her brow was furrowed, and her lips were barely open - partially to get rid of the lingering taste of her own blood as well as to talk more if it was needed.

She watched in confusion as the red-haired girl's nails dug into her own skin. "Nico..?" Koko asked. She was worried now, eyeing the other prefect curiously. She was also scared, but since she had been very fearful last year, and she knew how not to show it. Her fingers trembled, but that was her only sign of fear. "W-what are you... What are you doing?"

@Koko Riddle | @Charlotte Cadunt | @Aurelia Notrésvace

Frick... She couldn't cover up that she was different. It was too late. Nico had to think of a way to get out of here. Or... to stop her hunger. Some fresh warm blood would be nice...

No. No no. She would NOT give in. She never attacked anyone before and she'd never will. Slightly shivering, breathing heavy, Nico continued to clench her fingers around the chair.

'K-Koko... d..do you...' Breathing through her teeth, her fangs slid out. She was dangerously on edge now. If she'd loosen her muscles now, she would launch at her friend. The dhampir tried everything to not let that happen.

'D--..Do you have.. anything.. to..eat..?' Nico couldn't look her in the eye. It was too much of a risk. It could happen that the slit thumb would be in sight and the temptation would be too strong. You're not a monster. You're not a monster.

'K-Koko... please.. anything... I.. I have to eat..' Her claws dug deeper in her skin. It hurt. It hurt so bad. But rather that than attacking Koko. A scar was nothing compared to a friends trust.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She was scared. Powerless against her own will. 'P-Professor..Eq..' Her voice sounded similar to the creaking of a door. She was fighting. Struggling. In agony. Alaric Equinox. He would know what to do, right? What would he do? Did this happen to him aswell..? Did he once got so far to nearly attack his friends?..

Was... she going to attack Koko? Would she be fast enough to bring her something? Her cravings were getting real bad. The swirling smell of iron made her mind go blank. It was scary.

'I-If you.. have nothing. P-Please leave. Go far away. T-This will..blow over..' That was the only other option. The only other way to not harm her. Otherwise ..m-maybe she'd have to run.. run to the Astronomy Tower.

@Nico Shymane | @Aurelia Notrésvace | @Charlotte Cadunt

Koko was shivering now; she was actually quite scared. "N-Nico... I don't know... Let me... check..." Koko frowned and got out of her chair, grabbing her bag and rifling through it. No food. Koko looked up, grimacing. "I'm sorry."

She was worried beyond measure. Was her friend all right? Would she be all right? "Nico, does the blood bother you? I can wrap it in something." Koko began backing away, but she stopped when someone else came near. Someone she didn't know. She felt as if her friend might need protection, so she stood there awkwardly. Koko's eyes narrowed when the Gryffindor held her arm out in front of Nico and told the other prefect to 'take it'. What did she mean by that? Nico wasn't a cannibal!

Now, she began to back away in earnest, scared. What was this? Why would Nico be scared of her? Was it Koko's fault? Or was it... something else.

It seemed to be the latter, but Koko imitated searching for a book - while still listening to see what would happen. She didn't want to be attacked; however, she didn't want this weird Gryffindor to be attacked. She didn't even think that Nico would attack either of them, though she was nervous. Koko's thought was that Nico was playing a prank on her and that she was just bluffing. Halloween was coming up. Perhaps Nico has a costume idea and was trying it out?

The blonde-haired Slytherin's left index finger came into contact with the leather spine of a book. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Koko already had this book. Oh well. She could fake losing it.

She took the book off of the shelf with a sigh, eyeing Nico and the other girl again. "Can one of you please explain what's going on?" She raised an eyebrow and hugged the book to her chest. She did not try to appear nervous, but she was unable to help her arms from trembling; her eyebrows from lifting upward just the slightest bit. It would be obvious to the trained eye that Koko was both confused and scared out of her mind. "Y-You're trying to scare me, aren't you? It's okay..."

@Koko Riddle | @Aurelia Notrésvace | @Charlotte Cadunt

Sobbing. Softly sobbing, Nico clinged tight onto her stomach. She was scared. Scared of scaring others. Koko was taking this way better than expected. Others would've ran immediately, or called her names or... anything else.

But Koko... Koko stayed. She didn't understand what Nico was. Not yet. That would soon change. As she dug her nails into her skin, Nico could hear a familar voice approaching her from the side. This was it. She would get kicked, shoved, dragged away to a dark corner... Images of the dark shed she usually hid in at primairy school formed in her head.

“Take it, I can always use a spell to heal myself,”

Her eyes widened. That voice. As her hair hung over her eyes like a shadow, tears trinkled down her chin. Carefully looking over at the former Gryffindor Prefect: Aurélia.

'Aurélia...' Her voice broke. She was not vicious, she was terrified. Scared to hurt anyone. A monster...
A flash of flesh presented themselves infront of her. Her thirst for blood made her see the veins running underneath it. That silky layer of pinkish white. Her fangs could easily puncture it. She knew that. There was no doubt.

But biting... would mean... that she gave in. That she allowed the monster to exist. To make decisions. Was that okey? What other options did she have? Koko had no food. There was no way out with Aurelia cornering her from the side. Nico also didn't want to make a scene. Everyone would know if she let that happen.

She had to.

With tears rolling down her cheeks, Nico lunged at Aurelias arm, holding it tightly in her grasp. She was scared of her own reaction. So greedy, so needy. She had to be more careful in the future... No more chances.

Her hair covering what was happening for Koko. Nico felt gross, and satisfied. Strong and weak. She wasn't strong enough to fight it.

After taking a good sip of blood, Nico carefully let go. Her nails releasing Aurelias arm and her fangs slowely sliding back in their gums.

'I-...I'm sorry...' She whispered. Her bloody fingers resting on her face. If Koko finds out... If Koko realises... surely, she'll hate her. She'll run and hide. The once so very nice Slytherin Prefect, wouldn't seem so nice anymore.

'I-I'm so sorry.... I'm.. I.. understand... If.. you don't want to ... I-' Again, her hands slid down over her arms, holding them tightly. Her head hanging, her lips covered with red smudges. Icey tears rolling down her pale, silky cheeks.

Koko's breath hitched in her throat when she saw Nico lunge forward. A hushed curse escaped her lips as she shoved herself backwards against a bookshelf. She was scared. She was worried, not only for herself, but now for Nico and the other girl, the Gryffindor. "You're a cannibal?" Koko hissed, quiet so that only one with superb hearing could hear her. What was this? Nico was trying to eat the newcomer.

The older girl cast a spell, and her arm was already beginning to mend. Nico was apologising, and Koko forced herself to not show how she was repulsed. Her gaze was steely, but if someone managed to come up close to the scared girl without scaring her away, they would easily be able to notice how she was chewing on her lower lip just as she had used to during her First Year. It was a habit of hers, gnawing on her lip when she was anxious.

And yet, covered in blood, sobbing bloody tears, Nico was still beautiful. Koko couldn't say that alone didn't spook her a bit without lying. It was almost like those fictitious vampires. W-Wait. No. That was impossible. Holy shit. Koko's formerly narrowed amber eyes widened, and her mouth opened in a small O shape. She didn't believe this. It couldn't be happening. This was just another kid trying to scare her, like that idiot who had pretended to be her brother and had sent her an owl telling her that she wasn't human. Her, a descendant of the esteemed Leblanc line of pureblooded wizards and witches. Koko had to be human, and her bloodied friend had to be. She just... Probably had an affinity for raw meat and was having withdrawl symptoms, right, so she needed more? Even that explanation didn't make sense.

The fear was certainly apparent on Koko's face, but now she did not bother to hide her repulsion. Her upper lip was curled back, and her eyes narrowed once more as a dry laugh escaped from her lungs. She sounded almost like one of those bullies, and that scared her. But she wouldn't show it, because now she wasn't only scared of Nico - she was also scared of herself. The blonde-haired girl was shaking with her hysterical laughter now, and one thing went through her head. I'm in shock, aren't I? She probably was. "Nico, Nico, Nico..." Koko's voice, usually high and clear, was now lower and richer. But... It was not warm. It wasn't cold, but it was dripping with contempt. The formerly sweet girl was now eyeing her own friend as if she was a monster, and she didn't know what to think about that. Did it make her a bad person? Fear could do many things to a person, but then why did it make Koko act like a bully? It was a good question. The Slytherin's laboured breathing did not steady; she only kept her eyes on the redhead and the Gryffindor and finally said, "Why?"