Chapter 1- Olivia's Story

The last customers of the night were sitting in the back of the restaurant, dousing their food with nearly viscous red stuff. It was 12 O’clock but they didn’t seem to notice or care. The only thing that needed to be done was put up their dishes and clean their table and floor. But they didn’t leave. Olivia could tell there was something odd about them, they were very pale, very attractive and there were three men and one very beautiful woman. Her eyes were huge and the color of honey, her long hair the exact same color. Around her neck she wore an elaborate collar of twisting silver that wound down between her breasts. Olivia glanced at them from the kitchen as she whispered to the cook, every one had gone. The woman cast her eyes at Olivia, giving her chills and they wouldn’t look away. An icy sensation rushed down her spine and spread deep into her body but she shook it off, concentrating on the warmth. “Why do you keep looking at each other?” Francisca asked in a hushed Mexican accent. Olivia turned back to her, “I have no idea. She’s creepin’ me out though. How long have we been waiting?” She looked at the clock, “Two bleeding hours… Fucking ridiculous.” Francisca laughed. Olivia knew the people at the table could hear but she didn’t care. The woman stood up abruptly her stony face turned toward them, a harsh light in her eyes, the aura around her shifted manically and two of the men followed her away. The third walked up with a handful of cash. He had a menacing look on a white, rectangular face. He handed her the check and the exact amount he owed. He smiled at her then, showing his fangs as she took the money from him, “Thanks. Have a good night.” His smile dropped suddenly and he walked out like he had a pole stuffed up his ass. As the bell above the door chimed she ran to the table carrying as many dishes as she could, scanning the table for a tip. Not a goddamn dime. “Fucking vamps.” By the time she made it home she was in a horrible rage, so she just walked through the damp streets to the bar. It was down the quiet road, she knew she was close when laughter and music filled the chilly air. Happy Hour, some guys singing “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” and doing a shitty job but people cheered and laughed, having a good time, not caring if it even was the end of the world. As she walked in she scanned the room and found that there were mainly humans. With a sigh of relief she walked to the bar, pulled up her hip hugging black jeans and slid onto a stool. “Hey, hey, how’s it going? You look pissed. Want your usual?” The bar tender was a very thin gal with a huge rack and a wide smile. Her long brown hair was curled in such a way that the eyes were drawn down to her shirt the color of Scope mouth wash and the first two buttons that weren’t there anymore.

“A glass of Mudslide, Kalua, Vodka… And a shot of Canadian Whiskey.” She placed her face in her hands and rubbed at her eyes. She wasn’t hip to the bar lingo but Kari knew exactly what she meant. “Bad day?” She grabbed a glass under the counter and walked a couple of steps to a cooler. “Whiskey first?” She came back and poured a bit for her, her hips swaying like seaweed in a tide for all the men on the stools to get a good look at what waits under those tight black pants. “I fucking hate people some times. No! Not even people! They’re fucking leeches!” Olivia slammed her drink in one gulp and cringed as she set the glass back. “Vamps again?” She chuckled sweetly, “They’re not that bad, you just gotta meet the right one.” her hand pulled at her collar to reveal her bite marks, about three sets. “No. I cannot do that. It’s gross, they’re dead! God, that’s so wrong!” She felt the power of a gaze on her and she turned her head to a few stools away, he looked at her through the mirror behind the counter. A vamp with a thin face, dark circles around his hazel blue eyes and very pale skin. He looked away from the mirror and at her, his face unreadable and his blue eyes locking with hers. “What the fuck are you looking at?” She raised her eyebrow in a bitchy fashion. He smiled, showing lots of teeth, fang, and his eyes flashed brightly at her then faded. He turned back to his glass of clear liquid, raised it to his lips and said, “A very fine-looking vamp hater. But like your friend said, you just gotta meet the right one and you’ll change your mind.” He swigged it then lightly set the glass on the counter with a soft click. Olivia scoffed, “You think you’re the one for that?” and looked at Kari, “Can I have the Kalua please?” Kari gasped and Olivia turned quickly, her breath caught in her throat as the blue eyes were right up close to her, the pupils almost nonexistent leaving the irises intimidating like a birds eye view of the thrashing ocean. She could feel the cold radiating off of him and goose bumps work their way into her skin. He was clearly amused, not bothering to hide it. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m spoken for but, I can introduce you to the idea.” His eyes turned white and his smirk was mischievous, his fangs seemed longer but perhaps that was because he was so close. Olivia could tell he needed to feed but it wasn’t going to be her. She decided to ignore him and drink her Kalua. He kept staring at her taking in her scent, the orchid perfume and strawberry shampoo. Her hair was a medium brown that only came down to her shoulders, her white shirt made her usually pale face look flushed. Kari was off wondering around and doing her job, making Olivia feel 13 years old and alone with the boogey-man that lives in the closet.

It seemed like forever before he paid for his drink and left. “Aren’t you going say something rude about him?” Kari handed Olivia her shot of vodka and started to make a shake for another customer. “What’s the point?” She took the shot with lime, set the glass down softly. “Thanx, Kari.” She set down about twenty five bucks on the counter and made her way out. Weaving her way through the crowd of dancing drunken people her mood began to lift. She felt lighter, only a little but enough to make her want to bob her head to the music. The outside was chilly but her cheeks and stomach were plenty warm. There were a large group of people hanging out around the corner, smoking cigarettes and chatting. A couple of them were some sort of were-animals. They caught her gazing at them and they watched her back so she smiled and turned away to continue down the sidewalk, her feet slapping against the shallow puddles. It was dark beyond the lights of the buildings but she knew the way; left down the alley a way then turn right; two houses down is hers. The problem is that those two houses before hers are spaced pretty far apart. The only thing she could see more than a few feet in front of her were the silhouettes of trees and the white fog line beneath her feet that stretched out down the straight away until it gently curved and faded into nothing. The first house on her road had a light on its garage so she could see a bit better. Finally her house beckoned to her from the other end of the driveway, its white color bright in the dark and the small porch light offering her relief. The lock clicked as she turned the key and the door made a slight protesting squeak. She felt along the wall for the switch to the living room, found it and shielded her eyes from the blinding light. The living room only had a dog lying on the carpet, no other lights were on. “That’s right. Montana.” Her roommates went to Montana for something she couldn’t remember. She sat down, her dull, black work shoes up on the table. She leaned back and closed her eyes, took a deep breath and got a small head rush. She giggled a little, savoring the warmth in her stomach. Opening her eyes, something seemed odd to her, the breeze that seemed to suddenly flood the house, the small dogs’ ears at attention. “What is it Loki?” He jumped and ran up stairs, Olivia following, flicking on the light as she made her way up. He ran to the room at the end of the hall, and waited at the door, pawing the carpet in front of it. Olivia realized her steps slowed, muscles tense and her heart beat harder than usual but not quickly. “Liz? Are you home?” She knocked on the door, the light was off and no sound came from within. Liz hadn’t called about being home early but she turned the knob

slowly and peered in. Nothing but dark and a spot that looked darker than the surrounding dark, so she flipped the light right next to the door frame. She gasped when a streak of something dashed its way toward her but she jumped back out of the room turned and ran. She made it down four steps and was turning to the second, small flight of stairs when she was jerked back. She writhed against the brown hands that had a death grip on her shoulders, tearing at them with nails, trying to turn so she could kick at the intruder. The right hand clasped itself across her face, palm on her lips and fingers stretched wide, covering her eyes and reaching to her forehead. She opened her mouth as wide as possible and sunk her teeth into the cold flesh, biting until the metallic taste of copper flooded her senses. The blood was cold and didn’t seem to faze the assailant in any way. A muscled arm wrapped around her waist and squeezed a sound of protest from her. She struggled to breathe but didn’t have enough room for air. Already her lungs began to burn and she clawed at the arms, causing more of the freshly dead blood to slowly flow. She elbowed his side but he held still, like hitting a wall. Panic hit her hard, heart beating rapidly, eyes wide and her fight-or-flight instinct nagged at her to try harder. She pulled foreword trying to go down the steps, tugging at him. He lost his balance and fell against her but not letting go. He straightened up and lifted her into the air while she wildly kicked her feet and jammed her heels into his shins. Nothing seemed to slow his pace as he tried to carry her down stairs, so she held her feet up to the wall and pushed off sending them tumbling backwards, she rolled to the right causing them to careen down the hard wood stairs. He flipped over her. The momentum kept him going forward, wrenching her away from him, and he rolled down another flight of stairs into the basement. She jumped up as fast as she could and went for the front door, that same dark streak blurred its way in front of her and sent her flying backward into the living room. It felt as if her organs collapsed in on themselves, pushing all breath into the atmosphere. The world shifted around her like she was a bell inside a cat toy. She couldn’t keep her eyes open and they fluttered close. A rush of panic struck her, jolting her whole body like electricity and her eyes shot open. A man stood over her. He was pale for a black guy, tall, oval face, high cheek bones, puffy lips and large black eyes. He glared down at her and Olivia felt as if she were being forced down against the floor, her body refused to move. The man was very young, only about nineteen and he radiated anger like the morning mist comes from the ground. “Adora was right about you.” Suddenly that fog dissipated, just melted into the air, his eyes softened and his lips loosened themselves from against his teeth. “I am Jeremy. I will be your escort to my mistress.” The pressure let up a little, just enough to catch her breath. “What mistress?”

“Adora, the vampiress you waited on earlier today. She awaits you at her home and I am to bring you there, kicking and screaming if I have to.” “Why’d you jump me?” He shrugged, “I would have had to do the same thing if I had just knocked on the door.” Olivia took a deep shaky breath and sighed, “Fair enough.” Jeremy held a hand out to her. She didn’t take it or move, just laid there looking at him. He shook his hand a bit, showing his impatience. Still she wouldn’t grab it. “We can do this easy and mildly unpleasant or easy and very unpleasant. Your choice.” She still didn’t reach out to him and shook her head slowly side to side. “Fine.” He lashed out quickly and gave a hard tug on her arm and yanked her to her feet. She gave a harsh cry and tried to pull away but to no avail. She tried to drop back to the floor and wrench herself free but his grip was solid like he was welded to her. “Stop it.” His voice was reflecting irritation. Olivia punched him in the diaphragm with her left fist, she felt his muscles tense and his breath evacuate with a gruff grunt of pain. He didn’t let go. “Damn it!” Next thing Olivia knew she was falling, vision fading rapidly and her mind was wiped clean.