Dark Side Of Love

Dark Side of Love Love is Evil, Love is Angelic. It is controlling, yet it is patient. Love is Hate, Hate is Love. Love is unpredictable, but you know how it ends. What is Love if Love is undefineable? - Original quote by CassandraVamp "((quote for later) :When I touch you i start to freeze, and it seems, I can't warm your heart cause it's frozen." )IGNORE BRACKETS FOR NOW Raine's POV: I've been starving myself for weeks now. I don't exactly know what took over my thirst, but I've been moping around in my darkened room. I sat on my large, king sized bed and put my head in my hands. Ben has been cross with me and I repeatedly have no answers to give him. What am I supposed to say to him if I don't have any answers? For centuries I've been happiest when I fed, but now I can't bring myself to do it. Something deep down inside of me keeps roaring at me and it's harder to ignore than the burning in my throat. I sighed and brought my pale face to look around my room. Is this really what I've been facing these past few weeks? Dark red walls, with no pictures. A window covered with black drapes. A large king sized bed with black and scarlet sheets and pillows? This room was perfect for me. Perfect for my kind. Yet at this moment, I wanted to be different. I loved this room. If I knew what love was, I would think this was it. Feeding for my strength and pleasure, laying on this bed, living with my coven. I had all the company someone like me would need, yet I was still lonely. When I looked at Ben and Elaine, Ray and Lanetta, and Travis and Launna, I wondered why I never found anyone that struck my fancy. Is another Vampire really what I desired? Or was I looking for much more? I stood up and walked over to the mirror on the wall. Vampires do have reflections. I laughed at all the silly superstitions. Yet no one would really know what a real vampire was like because we do not reveal to humans what we are. Foolish humans. They think we sleep through the day and stay awake at night. We do not sleep. Bed's for us here are merely for charade. Not that we would need the charade because we never got any visitors. People were too nervous to enter our homes. We weren't trusted. Humans were foolish, but somewhere in the back of their mind, they would know when they were in danger. I glared into

the mirror. My red eyes glittering from the wetness in my eyes. My venom wet my tongue aswell. Venom coursed through my veins and contaminated my blood. It was greater to a vampire than any human and their water. For an inch of a second, I saw my human self staring at me with the frightened eyes I wore the night I was changed. My blue eyes streaming with tears at the fear of the bloody creature stalking towards me. I shook my head and blinked my eyes. I forced my grimace onto the mirror once more and my face changed back into a glare. Maybe I missed my human life. Maybe, quite possibly. But I still knew that I was lonely. If I couldn't change one, my immortality for instance, than I was going to change the other. I ran my fingers through my dark brown hair and jumped at the sound of Ben's cough. "We're going out of the country today." He said. I nodded and turned back to the mirror, focussing on my bone structure and dimpled cheeks. "Raine." He sighed. I lowered my eyes. I knew what he was going to say. The same thing he's been saying for the past few weeks. "What's wrong. You don't want to hunt humans in this country anymore so we move to the next." He shrugged and invited himself into my room. I wished I took back his invitation. Vampires could only enter a room if you invite them to. "It's not that. It's..." I sighed. "Nothing." I could never admit to him what I was feeling. Vampires weren't supposed to feel like this. Our heart never beat, why think it worked now? He made his way to my window and opened the curtains. The sun was behind the clouds. It was a rainy day. On days like these, we could make our appearances known. Of course many people thought we were strange, others were intrigued by our way of living. To cease suspicions, we stopped hunting in our neighborhood and decided to live here. "Raine. Son. I know what you're going through. I know you're lonely." He said as he stared seriously out of my window. He didn't sound angry at all at those words and I whipped around to look at him. He turned around looking like he was angry at something. A confused, yet hopeful expression crossed my face. "It's true." I confessed. His eyes pierced mine, but his expression softened. My mind took over my body and next thing I knew I was infront of him clutching the front of his night robes. "I've never felt like this and it's torture. Father. I need to find something far beyond this world to help me." I let him go after taking in his bewildered expression. Ben was handsom in his human days. Becoming immortal made him even more spectacular. He had blonde hair and a well-defined jaw line. Many women who saw him paused to look and were possibly momentarily dazzled. All vampires were built like this. We were all enhanced. We were all beyond beautufil, beyond strong, beyond fast, but we were also beyond human, beyond evil. If we weren't we wouldn't be killing humans. Vampires were built evil, and that made human interaction something we weren't allowed to do all too often in this family.

I blinked, trying to clear my thoughts. Deep down I hoped my red eyes would turn blue again. I hated wearing contacts while going out in the public. But I knew I had to do that soon. "It's okay." Ben said, clearly trying to clear his thoughts as well. "I've been through it too." He sweeped past me and sat himself on the side of my bed. He patted the spot beside him. I swiftly went to sit beside him. It was hard to control my speed. "I felt the same way as you did. After two centuries I thought I had gone crazy." He explained. I folded my hands on my lap and started twirling them together. Humans usually had sex talks with their parents. But I, a vampire, was having a different kind of talk with my creator. He was like my father. I called him my father. I loved him like my father. And he treated me like a son. "I met Elaine after I moved around a little on my own and we decided to create children." He said indifferently. "You, and Launna and Ray." He added, as if to remind me. I heard this story before, but never had I known he was lonely. I never would have thought that vampires cared. I thought it would make me a coward for making me feel like this. "And as you know, they found partners, we were all lonely. You just need to search for the one." He finished. He stared at me. I looked up at him, greatful. Although he was centuries old, he looked barely in his thirties. "Thank you." I said as he pat my back and made his way to my bedroom door. He nodded and turned to leave. "I'm coming with you." I added. He turned around and beamed at me. *** The rain poured hard as the seven of us, Elaine, Ben, Lanetta, Travis, Launna, Ray, and I, made our way down the alleys. We were dressed casually. I wore dark jeans with a black baggy hoodie and my favourite black fitted, and black and white Nike's. I liked to dress like all the kids I see on t.v or in the streets. Lanetta dressed too well for hunting. Her bleach blonde hair made her blue eye contacts pop, along with the bright red, tight dress and matching high heels. Her black umbrella stopped the rain from ruining her hair. I smirked at her priorities. She would rather have blood ruin her clothes, but the rain couldn't ruin her hair. My 'newly' brown eyes shifted over to Ray, who wore a tux, Lanetta's bidding. He wore a red tie to match her dress and a white dress shirt under it. His black dress coat and pants brought out the contrast of his skin. Ray had in green contacts and his hair was black. Everything about him brought out the contrast of his pale skin. Travis reminded me of a weight-lifter. I looked over at his curly black hair and hazel eyes. His tone was rather large and his skin wasn't as pale as ours. He, like I, wore dark baggy jeans, and a baggy black sweater. We looked like brothers, other than the size of our tones. Elaine wore an elegant faux fur coat that she surely could replace after all these years of working, we built up enough money to supply every country for years. Her black hair and black contacts stood out from her white skin and white coat. She looked the most fragile. She was the

oldest after all. Ben wore a long brown leather coat that went with his brown italian leather shoes. I laughed at all the good clothes they were going to ruin today. Launna was a little different than the rest of us. She dressed differently from us. She stood out the most. It was clearly cold out side from the freezing rain, yet she wore short shorts and a loose white t-shirt. She didn't mind the rain. She didn't carry an umbrella like the rest of us. Or wear a hood like me. Her golden brown hair looked beautiful in the wetness from the rain. Her grey contacts standing out from her pale skin also. She smiled at me at the realization of my gawking. "Feeling better?" She asked hopefully. I nodded with a smile and shifted my eyes quickly to Ben and then back to the ground. My family cared for me. Why couldn't we care for human beings? I slipped slowly back into my depression at the thought of killing another human life, but it was what we had to do. If we didn't feed when we needed to, we could lose our minds and expose ourselves. None of us wanted that to happen. The ancient Vampire family, Hepta and Olento would destroy us. Hepta and Olento controlled the vampire world. They kept everyone in line. Of course some vampires wished for death, and took their punishment as a privallege. I fell deep into thought and lost track of everything around me. We entered the forest and began running as soon as we walked some ways into it. We ran for what felt like hours until we made it to our destination. We made our way into an alley. "Raine. Are you sure you're up for this?" Ben asked me. The group turned their looks towards me. They were eyeing me suspiciously. "Yeah, you look sort of pale." Ray joked. I chuckled, gave it a thought and then sighed. "I'm in." I smiled my dimpled smile as everyone clapped my back and gave me encouraging comments. "I knew you'd be back to normal. Maybe you'll catch yourself a virgin." Came Travis' voice, as he stalked off the end of the alleyway with Launna. My stomache clenched. I hoped I wouldn't take an innocent person's life tonight. I would rather take someone's life who killed previously. Elaine gave my hand a little squeeze as I made my way with Ben up the other end of the alleyway. "I can smell it already." Ben said excitedly. He licked his lips as the smell became stronger. We turned the corner and there were two drunk men with arms wrapped around each other. They were singing loudly and laughing at each other's stupidity. I hid in the shadows and waited for an appropriate time to approach them. "You see Bill! Aren't you glad you left her?" Said on of the men, clearly trying to cheerup the one known as Bill. He swayed on the spot. "Yeah! She was-hiccough-A real female dog if you know what I mean?" They both broke into a chorus of laughter. "Even in times like these Bill you're hilarious! Let's sing some country!" The other

man who was very plump started singing some country song Bill seemed to not have known the words to. Instead he hummed along. They started walking up the street again, when Ben left my side and caught up with them quickly. They turned around, startled. "Ahh, but don't go, I was under the impression you were entertaining me." Said Ben in a fake sympathetic voice. The men just stared into his eyes completely stunned. I ran quickly to Ben's side. I was clearly a blur to them. Their eyes widened as they took in how fast I ran. "Man we're really drunk!" exclaimed the chubbier of the two. He started to quiver as Ben licked his lips. I bared my teeth at them, and they had no time to scream as Ben and I grabbed one. I sunk my teeth deep into his pulsing artery on his neck and began drinking from it. His mouth began to fill with blood as he was gurgling his friend's name. I couldn't stop myself, I couldn't pull away, even when there was nothing else to drink I craved more. Ben was at my side trying to pull me away from the body. "There will be more." He reassured me. It took me a minute to consider that, and I pulled myself up into a standing position. I looked hungrily over at the body and wiped my bloody mouth with my sleeve. As we left the bodies to waste, I suddenly felt the remorse that bothered me so much, but I kept hunting, looking for more people who could satisfy my hunger. Tamara's POV: Rain is pouring, I can hear it on the windows, but where's the water? My heart is beating, I can feel it on my shirt, And it's getting harder. There's a storm going on inside you, but you won't let it loose. I can't see it, but I feel it too. Invisible rain. Even the dark has to show it's ugly face too, so if you can show me the darkness inside you, I promise I'll show you the light. Invisible rain. - Quotes from song, Invisible rain. Here I am. Sixteen. Single. And in a new house. I was greatful for not being close to anyone back in Little Hangleton because it was hard enough for me leaving my favourite room. I was still in tears. My mother wanted to be spontaneous and try some place new. Curse her adventureous ways. I was sprawled out on my bed, ignoring the piled boxes in my room and staring up at the newly painted baby blue ceiling. "Ugh." I muttered and turned on my side to look at everything else. The room was cluttered, not because of all the boxes, but because it was small. This house was small. It had two floors and everything about it was small and bright. Everything about this place just seemed so perky. "Tamara!" I heard my mother say my name five times and only decided to respond now. I rolled my eyes and sat up pretended to go through the things in my boxes. She banged into the room. "You haven't even started!" She accused. I got caught red handed. She sighed. "I know you don't like it here yet, but you

will." She said confidently with her hands on her hips. I looked up at her with a quizzical expression on my face. "Oh come on, mom." I said desperately. "I miss my old room, this place is so small!" I looked around and then back up to her. "Well we're already here." She said in an understanding voice. "Let's make the most of it." She added. I picked up a heavy box and placed it on my bed. "Okay." I sighed. She sat beside the box on my bed and handed me the knife to cut the box open. "You're going to need this." She said. She smiled up at me and I gave her a weak smile back. "This place isn't so bad." She sounded like she was trying to reassure herself more than me. I laughed at her words. My mother was tall and thin with shoulder-length brown hair and bright brown eyes. She was 'hot'. All the boys in town preferred her over me. I was curvy, but not fat, with long curly dark red hair, that looked almost brown, with green eyes. I looked like my father, which used to bother her a lot. But she must have gotten used to it. My mother was always the one who could adjust to things well. I ,however, took more time. I pulled out all of my books and one by one, put them on my new bookshelf that seemed to take up a lot of the space. I took a step back and examined everything. "It's perfect" My mom said as she kissed my forehead and left the room. I wiped the kiss off of my forehead as she closed the door. I sighed and emptied a box full of clothes and packed them neatly into my dresser. Soon I would have to face school. I was glad I had the weekend to prepare. It was evening time, so the next day I would go out and buy my supplies. Emptying box after box suddenly made me tired. I walked over to my bookshelf and pulled out my diary hidden behind two of the fattest books. I had to find a new hiding place for it. I threw the book onto my bed and went to the next room, known as the office, to find a pen. This room was bright yellow with a computer by the window that had brown curtains, which was directly across from the door. There was an extra bed in here, which was not made yet, and I sat on it for a second. I wished I got the new bed, it was bigger than my twin bed and more comfortable. I bounced on the seat for a moment and then made my way to the big brown dresser. I pulled out a couple of pens from the drawer, just incase a few didn't work and dragged my feet back to my room. I hopped on my bed and lay on my stomach. I opened to a fresh page and tested out the first pen. It worked, so I began writing. Friday, November 11th, 2009, How hectic is this? I move into a new house, completely alone and I'm expected to just make new friends just like that? My mother has completely lost her mind this time. I love her and all, but does she really expect this house to bring great things? The best thing I've discovered so far is the bed in the office, and this working pen. 'Sigh'.

I hope monday will be fun. Because today, the funnest thing I've done all day is write in this diary, and unpack a bunch of things that I would have just left in the box! Tamara Rayes P.s I hope school is way better I finished with my diary and hid it under my mattress for another time I felt like it needed to know what was going on. I walked over to my window and look out over the new small neighbourhood we now lived in. My new home, I thought. As I was gazing over pouring rain, which had no effect on this bright little house, I noticed a few big mansions over in the west area. I was startled to see such a small town capable of houses like those. They were gorgeous. I stared in awe for a few seconds at one particular house. It was bigger than the rest and in the wet sunset, the house looked dark. The outside was white with lovely carvings here and there, but something about the inside was dark. I noticed movement in one of the windows and my eyes quickly drew their attention to it. I felt like a stalker, but I was just curious. I just wanted to see who lived there. Maybe I would make friends with them. A blonde man who was beautiful to look at was staring out the window. I stared, trying to get a better look. I was pressed up against the glass and my breath fogged up the glass. I wiped it quickly, so I could get another glance at the good-looking occupant of the house. As if he could have noticed my sudden movement, he was staring in my direction. He glared at me from the window and turned his back on me. I turned away quickly, blushing at my stupidity and closed my curtains shut. I wondered if he had really noticed me. I lay on my bed overwhelmed by what had just happened and closed my eyes, thinking about the house and the gloom it held. Something about that gloom seemed comforting still. "Tamara! Dinner!" My mom called. Relieved by her intrusion I got up unconciously and made my way down the stairs still dazzled by what happened. I sat down across from my mother in our circular table. She laid out a big pot of spaghetti infront of us. "Well dig in!" She said as she began eating. I shook my head, back to normal now. But the house still haunted me. "What's wrong sweetie?" She asked as I slowly ate my food. "You love pasta, I thought it would cheer you up." Her brows furrowed as she tried to understand my expression. "Nothing. I just.. noticed some mansions. They're really nice." I said indifferently. She took a drink of her milk. "You know we can't afford a mansion, hun." She piled some more spaghetti onto her plate. "I know, mom, but there's something about them." I said. I sounded creeped out, but the real emotion I was feeling was intrigued, facinated. I wanted to find out more about the habitants of those houses. Well, just one house in particular.

"Yeah, I noticed that too." She said as she shuddered. "The owner of the house looks creepy, too! Gorgeous thing, she is though." She said. Oh, so more than one person lived there. One more thing to know about the house. "A little suspicious looking if you ask me." She got up and put her dishes in the sink. "I seen a man." I said as I got up too. "He must be her husband." I added. I handed her the dishes as I went back to wrap up the spaghetti and put it in the fridge for left overs. "Yeah, I seen him too." She shrugged. "Cute." She giggled. I laughed too. "I left you some money in the living room for some school supplies." She said over her shoulder. "Thanks mom, need help with the dishes?" I asked as I made my way over to her, after I put the pasta in the fridge. "No there's not much to do." There was only two cups and two plates and two sets of cutlery. I laughed at her even doing the dishes and I walked out of the kitchen. "What? I have an obsession with keeping new things clean!" She laughed back. I smiled as I ran back up to my room. I was desperate to have another peek at the house. I slowly pulled the curtains apart, pretending I was looking around at the neighbourhood, when my eyes slowly drifted to the mansion again. This time, it was completely dark, all the streetlamps were on. I strained my eyes to see more clearly into the wet night. When I looked down infront of the house, I noticed seven slight figures rushing through the night. The one in the back wore a black baggy sweater and his hood was up, trying to avoid the rain. The girl infront of him wore shorts and a loose t-shirt. I wondered if she was crazy. She definately stood out from the rest. But they all stood out. From what I could see they were all pale. I tried to see the boy in back, to see what he looked like, but the rain and the darkness were blocking me from doing so. The blonde man looked in my direction again and then turned back to his wife, the one my mother must have seen. I didn't budge this time, I stood there, planted in my spot. Watching their bodies disappear into the darkness. *** I woke up that morning as the sun poured into my room. I yawned stiffly and ran up to my window. I was hopeful to see better on this sunny day, but nothing, not a movement in the house caught my attention. All the curtains were closed, and everything inside appeared to be still. I looked away, discouraged and closed the curtains to change in privacy. I threw on my black long sleeved shirt, and grey skinny jeans and ran to the washroom, to brush my teeth and style my hair. I was, afterall, going out today, and who knows who I'll meet today? Possibly someone who would attend the same school as me. I wanted to make a good impression. I wore my hair in loose curls and put on my black converse shoes. I

hurried to the beige little living room and grabbed the 100 dollar bill off of the table. "Bye Mom!" I shouted up the stairs. She must have still been sleeping because I never got a reply. I turned to the house and got a good look at it so I would remember which one I lived in when I returned home. I made my way to the nearest store to ask if they could point out a walmart to me. I trudged around the corner and looked behind me to see if the mansion was still in view, then I bumped into someone. "Oh, Sorry!" I exclaimed. I bent down to pick up the person's bags that had dropped. To my surprise, they said walmart on them. "Oh, it's okay." She said as she took back her bags. As she smiled kindly at me, she turned to continue on walking in the opposite direction. "Excuse me!" I called after her, and I jogged to catch up. "Yes?" She smiled. I wasn't very confident in meeting new people, the lack of friends in my old neighbourhood showed that, but in this case, I needed to talk to her. "Do you know where to find a walmart around here?" I asked her feeling a little selfconcious. She giggled. "You're new aren't you?" I smiled shyly. "It's okay, I'm Sunny." She held out her hand for me to shake. "Hi, I'm Tamara." I shook her hand nervously. But she kept her expression bright, like her name. She had bright blonde hair, it looked natural, and blue eyes. She had glowing skin aswell. No wonder her name was Sunny. She reminded me of a sun. "Well, welcome!" She said cheerfully. "Thanks." I said kindly and blushed at how kind she was to me. "Well, there's a walmart just around that corner there. And the school is two blocks down Thorn Ave. Are you going to Thorn High?" She asked hopefully. I looked towards the direction she pointed at, to keep it in my mind. I considered myself to have a photographic memory. "Yeah, I think so." My mom never mentioned the name of the school before, but she said I was going to the closest school to our house. "Well, I'll see you on Monday then. I gotta babysit." She smiled and then turned around yet again to go do as she said. I followed her directions and went around the corner across from Bridge St. and found what I was looking for. The walmart wasn't as big as the ones back home, but it was sure to have all the supplies and more, that I needed. I entered the store feeling very nervous. In a small neighbourhood like this, I was sure to meet some people that would be attending my school, like I had on the street just about five minutes ago. Sunny was a nice person, but not everyone is alike, maybe the rest of them would be mean. I sighed internally and walked down the isles looking for school supplies. I never needed a new backpack because I carried a big purse. I tried to be more

fashionable. Hopefully people would like me better if I had good fashion sense. I brought the things I wanted to buy up to the front. Barely managing to hold them at all without frequently dropping something. I dropped everything and groaned aloud. Someone immediately rushed to my safety. "Here." He said as he handed me a blue basket. "No, wait, let me." He began picking up all my stuff up from the floor and putting it in the basket. "Thanks a lot. I should have thought of this before." I laughed. He chuckled too. He was tall, dark, and handsome. I laughed to myself at the assumption I had made of him. "No problem." He said as he laughed again. He probably thought I was laughing at what had just happened. He had dark brown eyes, black hair. He directed me to the line where his friend was holding his place. "You can go infront of us." He said politely. "Oh no, it's okay." I said quickly. "Thank you, but I can just wait." He ushered me infront of his friend. "Whoa." His friend said, defending his place. "It's alright, I'm letting her." The boy said to his friend. "I'm Jerome by the way, and this is Larry." He introduced himself and his friend. His friend was a head shorter than him, and he had fair hair and light blue eyes. I smiled at him and introduced myself. "I'm Tamara. I'm new." I said, but I expected they new. "Yeah it's kind of obvious." Larry joked. I laughed. I was becoming a natural at meeting new people here. Maybe the house did bring good things. "So what school you going to?" He asked. I thought about what Sunny said about Thorn Avenue. "Oh, I think I'll be going to Thorn high, or something like that." I said expecting corrections. "Awesome!" Jerome said excitedly. Him and his friend were beaming at me. "Meet anyone lately?" I moved forward in the line and the cashier began scanning my things. "Well, I met a girl named Sunny, she's really nice." I said. And I smiled at remembering her cheery behaviour. "We hang out with her" Larry said. "So you basically just met half of the crew." "Cool." I said as I took my bags. "Well, I'll see you in school then. Bye!" They waved at me politely as they poured their stuff onto the counter for the cashier to price. "Bye!" I heard Jerome call to me. I left walmart triumphant. *** I woke up that Monday morning, after a long night of sorting through my new school stuff on Sunday, quite stiffly. I never slept well, I was too excited for school. And I stayed up for almost an hour, just staring at the mansion. I knew something was odd about it. Last night, I noticed a boy staring out his window.

Looking. Hoping. Then he noticed me and I turned red with embarassment and quickly looked away. After about five minutes of looking around somewhere else, I still felt him watching me. I turned my head slightly, to see him wave. I awkwardly waved back. He smiled shyly and something about his expression showed he was battling something in his mind. He looked half-angry, half satisfied. I looked at him in confusion and he stared back at me with the same shy smile. His smile faded quickly as he whipped his head around and quickly closed the blinds. After that I waited for him to open the curtains again, but nothing happened. I gave up and went to bed really late. I realize now, that that wasn't a good idea. I was still sleep-deprived, and was looking forward to coming home to a nice cold bed. I liked my sheets cold. Pictures of the boy flooded my mind as I brushed my teeth. He had a strange eye colour. They almost seemed red. And he had dimples, which made him look so adorable and vulnerable, yet his well pronounced jaw line made him look brave and strong. His messy dark brown hair had a sort of a badboy look to it and that confused me even more. He was everyone's dream boy in one. Well, from what he looked like. I couldn't tell his personality just from looking at him, but I knew something about him was different from most boys. After changing, I opened my curtains to find another cloudy day. My mom said it was always cloudy and rainy here. Once in a blue moon we would get sun, and two days ago seemed to be the blue moon. I ran down the stairs and out the door, hoping to see the boy on his way to school. I must have missed him because there was no sign of anyone really. I walked quickly, thinking I was late, to Thorn High. I didn't want to be late on my first day because I wanted to meet up with some people that I had met. I didn't want to have to ask new people for directions. Luck was on my side on saturday, maybe that was only once in a blue moon aswell. I noticed the big brownbricked building. It reminded me of a private school. It was huge for such a small town. I was surprised I hadn't noticed it from my house. But then again it was two blocks away and covered by some apartments. I suddenly felt self-concious. I looked down at my feet, noticing that a bunch of people were still in the front of the school. I heard my name being called. My head snapped up to Jerome, Sunny, Larry, and three other people. One was a tall muscular boy, he had black eyes and long black hair. He was holding the hand of a tiny skinny, girl. She had black hair with blonde highlights and she had black eyes aswell. There was another girl with them. The only one that wore glasses. She had her hair pulled back into a curly black ponytail and she dressed sort of like those fantasy school girls. I noticed larry looking at her appreciatively. I waved at the three I knew and walked swiftly over to them. I smiled at everyone else. "Hey." I said to everyone. "Tamara this is Brett." He pointed to the muscular boy. "Gina." He pointed to the

short skinny girl. "And, Crissy." He pointed to girl with the glasses last. I waved at all of them. "Welcome!" Gina exclaimed and pulled me into a hug. "Thanks." I said as I hugged her back nervously. "Hey, Tam." Gina said, as she looked up from her book. I smiled at her and waved. "Wuddup." Brett shook my hand. He had a firm grip. "Hi." I said, flexing my fingers. The bell rang and dissappeared, everyone except for Jerome. "I got your papers for you." He gave me my time-table. I suspiciously got all of his classes, but I shrugged it off and walked with him to our first class. The lunch bell rang after my first two classes finished. "How did you like it?" Jerome asked. I yawned playfully and he laughed. "Yeah, I know, but it's pretty fun once you get to know everyone." He said. I smiled politely at him as he led me to the cafeteria. It was big and full of students. In my previous school, you were allowed off the school grounds to go buy lunch, but people seemed to not be allowed. I sat down with him beside Crissy, who smiled at me warmly, and he was on my other side. Soon the table started filling up. Summer came slipping in, with Larry not so far behind her. Then Brett and Gina came in holding hands yet again. Crissy offered to take me to the place to help me by lunch. She wanted to tell me the good stuff from the bad stuff. I bought a slice of cheese pizza and a can of coke. Clearly more than any other skinny girl in the school, and walked over to the table. Everybody was deep in conversation and Crissy couldn't help but join in on the conversation by rushing over with her tray full of apples and diet coke for every girl there. I stopped dead in my tracks as I whipped my head to the spot where the corner of my eye seen something familiar. So familiar. It felt like my heart stopped beating. The boy from the window was now gliding across the room to the center where four people sat. He caught their attention and they, too got up and followed him. The four people he summoned from his place seemed to never notice me watching. They were all so elegant and pale looking, like him. He looked at me then and his eyes widened. He blinked and then turned his head to catch up to those four people. He looked back at me. I was still watching him in awe. He smiled swiftly and let the room. I wanted to follow him. But I couldn't stop staring after him. Surely he was gone now. "Tamara!" My new friends call. They were looking at me with worried expressions. "Are you okay?" Crissy asked. "I-Yeah." I stumbled on my words. I could never catch up to him now. "I just thought I knew that boy." I said silently as I sat down. Jerome seemed to be the only one that heard. "What boy?" He demanded. He coughed as he realized how he said it. "I mean, what boy?" He asked more calmly. Gina giggled.

"Well, that boy with the green eyes." I pointed to the table where he had recently took four people from. I pictured him in my mind again. But there was something different about him than before. He didn't have green eyes, that's for sure. His eyes were sort of reddish. And he seemed more alarmed than yesterday. "Oh, Raine?" Crissy giggled. "Finally making an appearance." She said sort of cold-heartedly. Everyone at this table seemed so calm and cheery. Maybe they knew something was odd about him, and they thought the odd thing was bad. But I knew otherwise. "Yeah, he misses a lot of school. Why bother coming?" Larry said. They all seemed to dislike him. Jerome was sort of glaring at me. "Do you like him?" He sounded cold too. "No, I just thought I knew him." I said quickly. I looked away trying to hide from his glaring face. "Good, cause he's no good." He said calmer now. I raised an eyebrow at him and then began eating. "Well, I seen him smiling at her." Gina said. She smiled at me. I smiled at her too. She seemed to believe that I liked him. But I couldn't possibly after one day. And night. Jerome grunted and I continued to stare at the table they abandoned. Something about that family, or those friends, or whatever they were to each other, bothered me. I wanted me to look deeper into what was going on with them. Raine's POV: When we came back from hunting, I desired nothing more than to be locked in my room. My chamber. My get-a-way. I needed solitude. I wanted to be alone. I knew that the four people I killed today would never be able to see their families again, return to their jobs, walk their pets, sleep and eat as they wished. I envied humanity. But humans were so transparent, predictable, and weak. I liked my strength, I like the taste of their blood. But I knew that they didn't deserve to be taken away. As the sun began to rise, I knew I wouldn't be able to be seen. I laid in my bed with the curtains closed and lights off , like the rest of my siblings. Except they were probably thinking of the good meal they just had, while I was thinking about the life I just took. They probably thought I was good hearted and that I cared. Maybe I did. But I didn't want it to be held against me. Who ever heard of the vampire who cared? Not in any story or movie anyone has ever heard of, I'm sure. I was becoming different from everybody else. Downstairs I heard Ray and Lanetta arguing about me. "He's lost it!" He said as he sat down on the leather couch. I could hear the little scrunching noise it made. Lanetta sat beside him. "No he's not. He's just lonely that's all." She argued back.

Ray snorted. "My brother has lost his mind, no question about it!" He tried to keep his rising voice hushed. "Oh, Ray, you stupid animal!" She shouted at him. "How could you be so insensitive?" She asked angrily. "Easy." He said mockingly. I heard her storm out of the room and slam the door. I pulled the pillow over my head. Praying for sleep. I believed in God. I was a christian. I was a church boy. And now I killed people and I am too dangerous and evil to be any of those things. Even people at school know something's wrong with me. Even my family, who are all alike as I am, know that I am completely different. I hated sunny days. But I remember when I used to love them. I remembered the time when I was 16, and human. My last remaining human days were almost over. I was about to turn 17 in June. The sun was shining and my friends and I were throwing the ball around. I remember laughing and sparring with my friends. Getting tanned from always playing sports outside. I raised my arm in the dark to see that it was flourescently glowing. I sighed and closed my eyes. Maybe I could sleep. But I wasn't tired. My body was, but my eyes were wide awake. I turned on my side, wishing I could open the curtains and just stare out into the night, as I always do. Praying. Hoping for the one. Elaine curteously knocked on my door before entering. "Raine." She said sympathetically. "I know you feel terrible." She sat on my bed and put her hand on my shoulder. I sat up so I could face her. "I wish I could sleep it off." I admitted. She laughed. "I guess I forgot about sleep." She chuckled. I smiled weakly. Elaine looked like she was in her early thirties, yet she was over three centuries years old. I laid back down and put my arm over my eyes. "I heard Ray saying I've lost my mind." I began. "Have I?" I finished. I waited for the 'yes'. "No. You haven't. Vampires need partners Raine." She told me seriously. I sat up, surprised at her answer, and she hugged me. "Thanks, mom." I sighed as I got up to go downstairs. I decided to read a book that I memorized the words to. I sat on the couch and turned off the t.v nobody was watching. "I was listening to that!" Travis shouted from the second floor. I grudgingly put the t.v back on and slumped into the basement. Ben was down there. I sighed. Of all the rooms in this house, the most peaceful one was taken. I made to leave when he called to me. "Come here, Raine." I rubbed my venom filled eyes. I didn't know why I did it. I guess I just wanted to pretend to be human for a second. That's what any normal human would do when they were tired. "Yeah?" I answered. I stepped into his work office. It had a computer down

there, along with a faxing machine and a printer/scanner. Ben has been running his own home business here, pretending, every now and then, that the business was passed down from generations. "Here." He pulled something out from the desk. It was a picture of me and my birth mother. I had baby blue eyes and dark brown hair then. I felt the venom flood my eyes. I was a baby and me and my mother shared the dimpled smile. She had black hair and brown eyes. I probably had my father's eyes. He wasn't in the picture though. My human memories started to fade away, taking him with them. "I thought you would like to have that." He smiled at me in encouragement. I took in my mother's beautiful face. She was never to fade from my memory ever again. "How did you get this?" I asked astonished. "Well, I went to your second generation neice's house, they've been handing down this picture for years. Because you didn't have any children and your sisters and brother did. The picture was black and white and slightly tattered. "How are they?" I asked curiously. I thought it too dangerous to go and visit, incase they would recognize me. They had plenty of pictures of me growing up after all. "They are unharmed." He confirmed. "I wasn't thirsty." He reassured me. I nodded seriously and looked back down at my picture. "Thanks for this." I said again, as I put the picture in my inside pocket. I turned to leave again, to have another look at my mother and I. *** Sunday came along. It was finally raining and I could leave the curtains open safely. I looked around the neighborhood. People must have still been sleeping, or they had better things to do, either way, I didn't care. I had my favourite activity to do. I took out my mother's picture too, hoping that maybe I could see her some day. But I realized, with a sharp pang in my dead chest, that she wouldn't be alive. I sighed down at her picture. I knew my mother was worried sick when I dissappeared. I saw on the news how devastated she was. And my two brothers and one sister were worried as well. I couldn't really picture any of them, the memory of them was blurry now because it was a human one. My vampire memory was sharper and I knew that I would never forget this picture. I felt like asking Ben to go and get me some pictures of my brother's and sisters and of me in my older years, but they would notice if those pictures went missing, and maybe Ben wouldn't be as thirst-satisfied as that night. I stared out the window for hours. It was around midnight and everyone I noticed outside had gone back in. Nobody gave me a second glance. How was I going to find the one when everyone was afraid of me? I tried to be more human looking, if that were possible. Nobody could really tell my eyes were red, so that was a plus on the human side. And I smiled at everyone. But nobody smiled back. I thought this town was friendly. Maybe my actions weren't so deserving of

kindness from these humans. And why was I looking for the one in a human? Did I think I could just turn her into one of me like that? No. I couldn't. We'd have to move her away from her family, and I've done enough of taking human lives from other places. Not this place. I wouldn't want to take any lives from here. We were suspicious enough, and I sort of liked this place. It brought a sort of hope to me. Once I started realizing that I needed something or someone to make me happy again, I knew that I couldn't give up on this place. Maybe some vampire would show up one day like they often did. Maybe I'd fall in love with her. So here I stood, Hopeful, and Searching for her. I noticed eyes on me coming from across a few houses. The houses were little, but that one was by far the biggest. It was small, though, and only one light was on. The light on the front of the house on the second floor, which was also the top floor. I looked at the girl. And as if my mouth had it's own mind I smiled at her. She looked away quickly. While she flushed I could see the blood on her cheeks. I smiled at her embarassment. Her long, curly, reddish-brown hair curl around her face and tangle with the wind. Her eyes stared around at the little houses. The streetlamps below made her green eyes glow. Her pink cheeks and full, pink lips stood out to me aswell. I wondered who she was and why I was so curious to know her. After five minutes of staring at her, waiting for her to look back at me, she finally looked up. I smiled at her shyly. In my mind I knew I've found a piece to this puzzle I had no idea I was putting together, but on the other part of my mind, I was bewildered and confused. The emotions danced on my face as she waved and smiled back. My mind stopped thinking at that moment and I just stared, smiling at her. She was wonderdul to look at. "Raine!" I heard Ben call. "Have you seen my black italian shoes?" I whipped my head around and quickly closed the curtains. leaving the girl safely at her window. Hopefully she would get angry at me and go back to sleep. "No." I shouted, but he was right behind me. I started breathing rapidly. "What's wrong?" He asked seriously. "N-n-nothing." I panted. I didn't want him to find out my fondness for the girl. I didn't want her in any harm. And I didn't want to be in trouble or laughed at. If anybody found out that I have fallen for a human, then they would really believe that I lost my mind. "Okay, Raine. School tomorrow. But come home in the afternoon. We're hunting again." I sighed at his words. "If you're going to be around humans, you need to hunt." He reminded me. "I know." I said, annoyed. As he made his way out of my room, I laid down on my bed and thought about that pretty girl. She was human. I needed to stay away. But I knew I found somebody that would make me happy when I see them. Someone that rose my butterflies from the dead. Someone to make my heart pound.

It was monday morning and it was cloudy outside, yet again. I was pleased to see this. I could go outside. And possibly see the pretty girl more closely. Feel her heat, smell her blood. I got ready at seven and left. Of course I was too early, but I didn't want to leave too late or I might have missed her. I walked slower than usual to school, just incase I seen her on the way, but she must have still been sleeping or getting ready. Nobody was in the front of the school when I arrived, so I just sat on one of the large rocks that people used as benches. I glanced at my watch every five minutes and looked up at every path that people came on. I started getting anxious when people started arriving. Everybody I seen looked like her for a moment and then I blinked and it wasn't her. I was feeling obsessed. I needed to see the girl again. If I didn't, I would sneak to her window and ask her to invite me in. Or, introduce myself manually, by knocking on her door, or introducing myself to her when I see her coming to school. I started to feel nervous. I never felt like this before. Vampires weren't really accostomed to feeling anything but feelings for themselves. I looked up and after a few blinks I realized it was really her. She stared down at her feet, passing by me. I stood up and was about to call to her when somebody I knew as Jerome already did. "Tamara!" She instantly looked up and ran to him and his friends. He seemed more than happy to see her, and her the same. I felt embarassed and humiliated. How did I know the one would already have someone to love? I felt lonely and sick. I sped into the school, not caring if people noticed that I wasn't walking at a human's pace. I wanted so much to kill Jerome. To drink his blood. But I wouldn't be able to live if I knew she hated me for it. That wasn't a good way to win anyone's love. I walked angrily to my first class and sat at the very back. Hoping nobody could see past these annoying contacts and into my blood-red eyes. The bell to lunch rang and I stayed behind in class. I knew I had to go home and I had to get the others, but I couldn't face it if I had to see her again. "Mr. Venna?" The teacher called to me. I glared at him. He swayed back. "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind." I said through my teeth. "Cer-certainly." He stammered. He was always afraid of me. I could taste his emotions in the air. The way his blood rushed when he looked at me, the way his heart pounded when I looked at him. The way he seems to almost faint when I glare at him. I was going back to my hard-headed, angry self. I hated this life. I wanted to be a human again. I wish I died when I was supposed to. A hundred years ago. I stormed out of the classroom after twenty minutes of deep thought, and rushed down the stairs and into the lunch room. Many people looked at me in fear, in awe. I ignored everyone. Even the little gossip I heard didn't effect me. It never effected me. Things that the horny girls were saying, things the jealous boys were saying. I didn't care. I didn't know why they cared about what I did.

Foolish humans. I thought again. I found Lanetta, Launna, Travis, And Ray, at our usual table and rushed over to them. "We need to hunt." I said urgently. "What's with you?" Ray grunted. I glared at him, and they all hurried infront of me. I stopped at the feeling of someone watching me. Not the usual stare, but the curious stare, like the one from last night. I turned slightly and noticed Tamara standing there, looking at me in shock. My eyes widened. I couldn't believe she saw me so angry. I regretted being angry in the first place. I knew she would never look at me the same ever again. And her boyfriend Jerome would definitely get hurt trying to fight me. She continued to stare at me as I, her. I knew I had to hunt if I was ever going to talk to her, so I made the first move to leave. as I made it to the door of the cafeteria, I turned around, one last time, to see her still looking at me. I smiled briefly at her once more and left. "What took you so long?" Travis asked, as he was standing infront of the school doors. Everyone else had gone home, comepletely outraged at the way I had acted. "I got distracted." I told him the truth at least, not the whole truth, but the truth. "Distracted?" He asked sarcastically. "She's a human?" He asked bewildered. Trying to keep his voice down. "That's why you've been acting weird?" He started laughing. "What are you talking about?" I shot at him. "You love a human." He replied. "Don't deny it," He continued. I sighed. "I KNEW IT!" He shouted. People turned their heads to look. I shushed him. "Whatever you know, is a lie." I said as I walked ahead of him. "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. You go ahead and deny it." He chuckled. "But I know that look anywhere. You've just been dazzled by a human. Let's see how long it lasts before you get too tempted and drain her blood. Then we'll have to move. Then you'll have to find another victim, I mean, another 'ONE'." He laughed even harder. But I kept my fast pace, trying to block him out. The house was empty. Everyone had left without us. I was stuck with Travis, who would surely get a few good laughs in during our hunt. How long would it be before the whole family knew? How long would it be before I was disowned? How long would it be before they ordered us to move? I knew we would have to leave. She was in danger of my feelings, of who I am. I knew I would hurt her, physically, emotionally. She probably didn't even like me anyway. When I thought this my heart gave a little jump. At least that's what it felt like. Whether my mind was playing tricks on me or not, I knew my heart was coming back to life, even if it meant killing hers. I've been a selfish 'person' for years, why become thoughtful now. I only just started feeling remorse for my victims. Was that practice for when I found the one? Did my destiny know that I would find the one in a human? I wish I had more answers. Humans and Vampires. They

just didn't mix. I was the oil, greasy, smelly, oil. And she was the water. Pure, soul-reviving, water. Was she the water that brought me back to life? Or was it my hopes? In the background of my thoughts, I could hear Travis snorting about my fancy for a human. "HA! Raine. The almighty human lover!" He joked. I rolled my eyes and concentrated on the pedestrian filled sidewalk across from us. We were distant from any part of civilization and liked the keep that way. Who was this silly human girl to change my feelings on that. I knew I needed to think on how I could resolve this. Either go through with it, or try to forget about her. Being a vampire made it hard to forget things. I broke into a run before Travis had time to finish his sentence. "Wait!" He called after me. He was twice my size, and I was twice his speed. The forest was thick with animal life and trees and bushes of all sorts. I took in the scent of each one, distracting myself from everything else. Trying not to think about her. I stopped suddenly, and sniffed the air. A disgusting, yet thirst satisfying smell drifted into the air. I followed it instead. "Where are you going? You're going to lose track of their scent!" Travis shouted as he chased after me. "Look, I'm sorry about making fun of you, but you gotta admit dude, a human?" I stopped and held out my hand behind me, signalling him to stop aswell. "Wha-", he began. "Sh!" I shushed him. The smell was becoming more prominent. "Do you smell that?" I whispered. He sniffed the air and scrunched his nose. "Yes. Ew. It's just elk." He told me as he attempted to drag me back to our original track. "What if we drank that instead?" I asked nervously. Now I've really done it. He began laughing so loud, that the elk broke off into a run. I could hear their pounding hooves off into the distance. I knew I could catch up, but why waste time now when I even thought I've gone mad. "What are you? A vegetarian?" He laughed and slapped my back. Shaking his head he said, "Come on, they wouldn't start without us." And he ran infront of me. I stayed close behind him, staring in the direction where we had just come from. I shook my own head at the realization of my madness. I was going mad. What was making me change? Would I go back to normal? We caught up with Ben and Elaine, the rest had left on their own. "Ah. Alas." Ben held out his welcoming arms to us. We were at the edge of the forest. Still hidden by the gloom of the day. "Raine had a little run in with some elk... And a human!" He smirked, trying not to laugh. "What are you talking about?" Elaine asked alarmed. "You ate in our town!" She half-shrieked. "Our suspicions do not need to rise!" Ben hissed at me. "No. You don't understand." I began, but Travis took control.

"Yeah, he wanted to drink blood from the elk, and found love in the human." He added mockingly. I glared at him and made to leave. Ben was infront of me at once. Elaine had gasped and covered her ears. "What is this? A vegetarian for a vampire, and a Human Right's activist?" His eyes scorched mine. I stared back with as much force. "I can't believe this." He finally said. I looked down, ashamed. "Father-" I started. "You call me BEN!" He shouted and then walked away from me, leaving me to stand there alone. Even Travis' smile faded. "But, you don't understand!" I shouted after him. Elaine followed with her head held in the air. "If you were ashamed of what you are, then you are ashamed of us!" She called to me. Travis stood in his spot while they walked off. "I never knew they were going to act like this." He shrugged and smiled weakly at me. I glared into his face and he turned away without another glance back at me. I should have know they would have acted like this. I should have done my best to keep everything private. I blew everything. I laid down on the grass, ignoring my torched throat. It burned for thirst and it was slightly painful. I sat up and looked behind me. I could find some elk. Why not let the transformation happen? Maybe I would be happier this way? With, or without my family. I sat up wearily, took one look in the direction where my family departed and broke into a swift run after the elk. *** I returned home that night alone. The rain had stopped, but the air was still misty. I looked up at my house to notice they weren't home either. I glanced up at my house and then towards hers. She sitting on a chair by her window, not looking outside at my house, or at me, but writing in a book. I watched in fascination. I suddenly had a brilliant idea. I tore into the house, like any normal excited human, ran up to my room. I had to change my contacts because the venom began dissolving it. And when I took off my contacts, I gasped. My eyes were a nice honey-brown colour. I blinked repeatedly. What was in the blood of the elk? It changed my eyes to a normal human colour. Well, not really normal, but it could pass for normal. I rubbed my eyes and blinked again. Maybe changing myself, was a good idea after all. With another long glance at my eyes, I ran to my closet and pulled out a new set of clothes and ripped off the bloodstained ones. I needed to look presentable if I was going to visit a human. I looked at the clock and it was 9:30. Hopefully, it wouldn't be unusual to visit at this time. I ran down the stairs and composed myself at my front door. I took a few deep breaths and opened the door wearily. I walked slowly towards her house, trying not to draw any attention to myself. I knew that Ben and the others

wouldn't be happy with me when they returned, but I didn't care anymore. If they were going to be...Vampires about this, then I had no choice but to be human. I stepped into the little shop infront of the house, it was about to close. "Wait, can I buy something real quick?" I asked anxiously, as he took out his key. The owner grunted and opened the door for me. He took his usual spot behind the counter. "Make it quick, I'm late for the game." I nodded, not completely sure what he meant about the game. Perhaps he meant football, or basketball was playing on t.v. I searched the isles quickly, wondering what a perfect gift was for welcoming people to the neighborhood. I started to become doubtful I could make it to any other store if I didn't find anything here, so I re-searched the isles, over and over again. "What are you looking for?" His voice was sharp and annoyed. "Well, I was hoping to find a good welcoming gift." I glanced out the glass walls and up at her house. She was still writing in her book. I smiled at her and I returned to earth when I heard the old man talking again. "Well, get her flowers?" He looked up to the spot I was looking at. He chuckled to himself. "You like that girl?" He asked pointing in her direction. I nodded sternly, and stared back up to her window. Would she like flowers? The girls in the movies always did. "Alright, how much?" I asked as I dug in my pocket for the smallest bill I had, which was a fifty. "15 bucks for a dozen." He said as he got his cash register ready. "Here, keep the change." I handed him the fifty and he took it greatfully. I scooped up the roses and left with him by myside, he pocketed the money, not bothering to open the cash register. I crossed the street, and wiped my forehead, not that I had any sweat there. "Good luck!" He called to me. I looked up at the window once more, and she wasn't there. My dead heart gave another great leap as I rushed to the door. I hoped she hadn't fallen asleep. I rang the doorbell twice, anxiously waiting for her to come down the stairs and open the door. I suddenly heard footsteps, and my anxious heart went back to rest. It took her a second to start unlocking the door. Maybe she was looking out the peephole. The door creaked open and she peaked at me from the corner of the door. I smiled shyly at her. There was beautiful Tamara, staring at me in what seemed to be confusion. Her cheeks were flushed with red. I took in the smell of her blood, and skin. She smelt lovely, and so mouth watering. I cleared my mind and smiled widely. "Welcome to the neighborhood!" I said happily as I handed her the roses. Her eyes widened in shock and a smile spread on her face. She opened the door fully, and took the roses and sniffed them. "Thank you!" She said just as happily as she examined the roses. "Do you like them?" I asked hopefully, examining them from my spot. She

giggled. "Yes, thank you so much." She looked at my eyes then, like she was trying to fit a puzzle piece into a place where it couldn't fit. "Do you want to come in?" She asked. I knew I couldn't put her into too much danger by entering her home. And I knew I was in enough trouble for one night. "It's okay, it's getting late, my..uh..parents will be expecting me." I said nervously. "Oh." She said. She looked rather disappointed. "Maybe another time then." She smiled warmly at me and then looked down at her feet like she was shocked she about something. I followed her eyes. She was wearing purple slippers that had bunny ears on them. She must not have realized she was wearing them. I chuckled at how human she was and then answered, "Maybe." I said, and took off down her porch and along the street. I turned around to see her staring after me in more confusion. As our eyes met, she lowered hers and closed the door, with the same smile on her face. I smiled to myself. I knew she liked me, as a friend at least, or else she wouldn't have invited me in, or else she wouldn't have stared after me, or else she wouldn't have blushed like that. I braced myself for what I would face at home. They would know I was around a human by the way I smelt. They would know I was around her by the way I looked so drunk. Love drunk. I was just like a human. They've witnessed many accounts of human love, and they would witness it with me. I tried to sober up as I entered the house quietly. Sure enough when I entered the house, Ben was right there. Anger flaring on his face. I tried to brush past him but he blocked me with an iron strong hand. "You're only putting our kind in danger. What are you going to do with her when she realizes what you are?" He asked angrily. I've never really took that into thinking. I only thought I would have to change them. But I wanted to leave her human. Could I leave her human if this got carried away? Tamara's POV: I chewed my now cold food slowly, ocassionally listening to the crowd around me talk away. Once or twice I heard my name being repeated, only to find that they were trying to talk to me. I had to snap out of this trance that took over my mind. He wasn't going to come back into the lunch room and I had to wait until after school, or worse, tomorrow, to see him. I sighed and joined in on the chatter. "Yeah, Launna, that's her name." Larry had said. I tried to keep my focus. I didn't want to pay attention to anything that wasn't about Raine. "Well, she has a boyfriend. I even think I seen a ring." Crissy said girlishly. She didn't seem like the gossip-type, but the way she was talking now, did. "Rings don't mean anything Criss." Gina said, looking down at her from her high seat on the table. "Oh come on, they have lots of meanings. Promise rings, Marriage rings,

engagement rings. And those ones that make you promise you won't have sex." Crissy said smartly. "Well, I think Raine scored a hot chick then." Larry said, giving in. My heart jumped, and my head snapped up to Larry. Nobody seemed to have noticed, which was a good thing. "No, It's Travis, I think Raine and Travis are twins. But you can tell them apart from their size." Summer corrected. I looked down then, disappointed. The bell rang, signalling that lunch was over. Yet again, Jerome walked me to our next class. "This class is fun, I promise." He winked at me and I half-smiled at him. Jerome was nice, but he seemed like an overprotective friend. He bullied a scrawny boy out of his seat so he could sit beside me, which I found appalling. "Why did you do that?" I asked with wide eyes. "Well, he would have moved, if I asked." He replied indifferently. Nobody but me seemed to be surprised by this. Jerome, the nice, kind, protective boy, actually turned out to be the big bully of the school. I hoped I didn't get the wrong reputation."Don't worry about it." He told me with a huge grin. My brows furrowed together in frustration and I turned around gave the scrawny boy an apologetic smile. He gave me an understanding smile and returned to reading when he saw Jerome turn around too. "Okay class, welcome the new girl. Hi new girl!" Came a handsom man's voice from the front of the class. He was a teacher who was barely in his thirties, and dressed like he was in his twenties or less. I smiled shyly as everyone turned to me. "Hi." I whispered. He smiled at me approvingly and called me up to his desk. I got up nervously approached his desk wearily. "What's your name?" He pulled out his attendance sheet and glanced for names he might not have known. "Tamara Rayes." I squeaked. He chuckled. "Don't be shy Tamara! None of us bite." I blushed slightly, then nodded. He rummaged through his desk to pull out some papers. "You can catch up with these." He smiled pleasantly and then gestured for me to sit down. I willingly went and sat down quietly. "Alright everyone, attendance." The teacher called to the class. Everyone immediately shut up. They must have really respected this English teacher. "Jerome Aarons?" Jerome rose his hand slightly and continued doodling on his notebook. "Rasheed Ahmed? Oh, you're here." He noticed a chubby boy sitting in the middle of the room. He was hard not to notice. I ignored the rest of the attendance, waiting for the lesson to begin. "Raine Venna?" He called and then repeated again. "Not here?" He called after three calls. I looked around the classroom, also looking for Raine.

"He's never here." Jerome said almost angrily. What had Raine done to anger him? I continued wondering about him for the rest of the class. Wondering if he would show up the next day. I've heard he wasn't one for attending school. Hopefully he would tomorrow. At 3:05, I rushed out of the classroom, barely waiting for Jerome. I was disgusted with how he treated the scrawny boy known as Teddy Bonne, according to the attendance. "Hey, wait up!" He called to me, after he finished throwing everything into his bag. I stood at the door waiting for him. I looked around anxiously for a sign of Raine, but I was foolish because it was the end of the day and he would definitely not come back to this torture chamber just to look for me. Sometimes I wondered if I was even human for how my brain worked. How I looked at the world made me different from the rest, and deep down inside, I felt like Raine could relate. Or maybe he knew that I was different. He seemed kind enough to me. But to everybody else, they seemed to have a bone to pick with him. "Hey look, I was wondering.." Jerome began nervously. I looked at him expectantly waiting for him to take the first step. I gave up after a few seconds and began walking. He followed me quickly and then blurted out whatever he was holding in. "There's this theatre opening up on Foster street...and I was kind of wondering if you would like to watch a movie with me." He sighed happily, relieved he finally mustered up enough courage to say it. I looked away from his face to hide my shock. No wonder he was so protective. "When?" I asked. I didn't really want to, but I didn't want to be rude. "Tomorrow? After school?" He asked hopefully. I suppressed a sigh. I didn't want him thinking I liked him, But I didn't want him thinking I didn't like him friendwise, either. "Sure." I said solidly. I hoped he couldn't detect the part of me that tried to hold back that answer. "Great! Well, I'll pick you up at 8!" He left cheerfully, and sprinted off the hall. He jumped high and pretended to shoot a dunk. I laughed at how silly he was acting, and so did many people staring. I mean, it was just me. Why go all crazy for me? I laughed to myself again and walked down the hall and out of the school. I walked into the house, cheerful, yet regretful. I wish I hadn't said yes, but overall I had a good day. "Hey hun. I baked cookies!" Mom said proudly. "Okay, I burned the ones I made and bought some better ones at the baker around the corner." She admitted. I laughed. "I'll have a dozen" I was starving after giving up on my cold pizza today. I threw my sweater and purse on the sitting bench by the front of the door and walked lazily to the kitchen. "Smells like someone burnt rubber." I giggled. She shrugged

and gave a sympathetic sigh. "Oh well, I bought fresh ones!" She pulled out the cookie jar which was now full of yummy baker's cookies. "The best in the city!" She said enthusiastically. I took a huge bite and went to the fridge to get some milk for both my mom and I. "Mmm." My eyes popped in excitement. "Delicious!" I exclaimed. "You see? Uh huh. Am I the best mom or what?" She asked with a huge triumphant smile on her face. I grabbed a few cookies and decided to pass the remaining time of the day by chatting with her and eating all the cookies. "How was school?" She asked a little wearily. "Gloomy like those houses?" "No," I took another bite of my cookie."Not really. But there's this boy-" She cut me off. "Boy? What boy?" The questions flew out of her mouth. I decided to sit down at the kitchen table. The overwhelming day and the famish from not eating, was making me feel a little weak. "It's nothing, he just never comes to school. He lives in that big mansion." I said pointing my nose in the direction of the gloomy houses. "Oh, and you like him?" She rested her elbows on the table and laid her head on her hands. She looked like a childish teenager looking for the latest gossip. "No." I said too quickly. But she smiled and nodded her head in an understanding matter. "It's okay, I seen his father, if he got his looks from him then, he must be a hottie" She wiggled her perfectly done eyebrows. "He's alright." I shrugged indifferently, but inside of my mind, I was thinking about his dimpled smile, and green eyes. Or whatever colour they were last night. The kitchen stayed quiet for a while, while I deliberated on his eye colour. "What are you thinking about?" Her brows furrowed together as she studied my face. "Nothing, just homework." I lied. At times I was a good liar, but my mom was a good detective, and I knew she could tell I was lying. "Okay, you better get started then." She winked at me knowingly. She knew I was lying, but I didn't bother coming clean with the truth. So I grabbed a few delicious cookies and my glass of milk and departed for the stairs. I closed the door, happy to have some time on my own. I leaned against my closed door and paused to think. I bit my lip. Maybe just one look. I walked slowly and casually to my window and opened up my curtains. I couldn't see anything. Nothing at all. I tried to look for an open window or some movement, but I got nothing. I sat down in my puffy pink beanie chair and put my glass of milk on the window sill. I stared still, even though I never really had anything to look at. But it was interesting. How the house lingered in my memory, how he

lingered in my thoughts. I wondered if we thought alike. When I saw him last night, he seemed to be looking out his window, hoping and searching. Like I had been for him. Nobody in my past neighborhood stole my attention the way he did. I was sort of a loner, offbeat. And he was so spontaneous, like he didn't care. Just like me. I was the type to be drawn to the odd, type. I was drawn to someone just like me. After about an hour or so, I decided to pull out my homework. It was getting dark already, due to the season, and halloween was coming up. This seemed like a perfect time to write in my diary. And I would do my homework straight after. Monday, October 14, 2009 Dear diary, I know it is cheesy and predictabke for a girl to have a diary, but I've been writing in you for a lot time now. I feel like I can confine my deepest most secretive thoughts in you, and even though it may seem foolish, I know I can trust you. I know, I know, "How the hell is a book going to blab about what I say?" But still. You seem to be apart of me now, and I have something in my chest I can't hold in anymore. I think I fell for the boy next door. Not the typical boy next door, and he's not really next door, a few houses down, maybe. And he's not a pretty boy. I mean he's a pretty boy, with those adorable dimples and a shy smile, But he's somehow dark and mysterious, and even dangerous looking to a point. And he seems to be just like me. I'm not dark and mysterious in anyway, but I think we would understand each other. Corny. But that's what I feel. Ugh, I feel so 'betty barbie' right now. But I can't help it. I have a crush. Tamara Rayes. I read it over, feeling idiotic about everything I've written, but I had to get it out. I needed someone to tell, and who better to tell than my diary? The one 'person' that stayed by my side in my most terrible moments to my best. If I couldn't tell anyone else, I could tell my diary. I sighed, relieved I had that off my chest, and locked my diary shut. I hid it under my new hiding place under my mattress, and sluggishly walked down the one flight of stairs to retrieve my purse. I grabbed it quickly before my mom would catch me in my own lie and have a reason to flood me with questions, and ran upstairs again. I threw the purse onto my bed and went to rummage through my dresser. I wasn't impressing anybody tonight. I officially gave up on spying on Raine and his family for the rest of the day. I felt like such a peeping Tom. But when your impulses controlled you, they were very hard to ignore. I was glad I had enough strength to ignore them tonight. I slipped on my purple bunny slippers that

matched my purple pyjama tank top, and silk black pyjama shorts that had little purple bunnies, that resembled my slippers, on them. I pulled my hair up in a messy ponytail, and decided to get to work. I pulled my purse onto the blue chair with me, and crossed my legs, completely ignoring the outside world. I sat here for the breeze to sweep through my high-temperatured room. For autumn, and all this rain, my room seemed to be off-season. I fanned myself with my hand and then quickly began my homework. The sooner I finished, the better. I had missed a whole units worth of everything, and was facing a bunch of homework. But I could finish the first unit of spanish in a blur. I spoke it perfectly and I could finish anything in five minutes or less. I took out my spanish homework and began working. I even decided to time myself, just to be cocky. It was 5:00. I would have to eat dinner late today. Time passed as I scribbled my answers messily and quick. I glanced at the clock smugly. 5:05. I would have finished earlier, if it wasn't for me being such a perfectionist. I hated writing messy, but I had to do it if I wanted to eat dinner before midnight. Time passed by, and I finished most of my homework. I was starting to get a kink in my neck for concentrating so hard on my work. Mathematics always got the best of me. I glanced at the clock. 9:30. I flipped through the pages of the stapled sheets. There sure were a lot. I had about five more hard questions to go. I sighed in relief, knowing it should only take me ten minutes to finally finished. I answered question after question with satisfaction. I felt a huge burden lift from my shoulders. I got up stiffly, stuffed my homework into my purse and trudged hungrily down the stairs. "Mom." I called. She was in the living room, watching t.v. She peeked up at me from her bundle of blankets and blinked a couple of times. She must have fallen asleep. "It's cold." She yawned. "I'll heat it up." She offered, as she sat up and started stretching. "It's okay, I'll do it, I was just wondering where you were." I told her quickly before she got up. Then the doorbell rang. Two hurried rings. She raised her eyebrow and checked her watch. "Who would come at this time?" She asked quizzically. I shrugged and stared in the direction of the door. "I'll get it." I walked cautiously to the door and looked through the peephole. I stifled a gasp. I wrestled the locks on the door and then opened the door a little, peering around the corner. I didn't want him to see me in my shorts. Or my purple bunny slippers. I stared at him confusedly, blushing a deep red. Why would he come to my house? To welcome me to the neighborhood? His family sure didn't seem like a welcoming comittee. He smiled shyly at me, and a spasm of emotions crossed his face. It looked as if he were smelling the air. Was I wearing perfume? Did he smell the burnt rubber cookies that possibly still lingered in my house. But he seemed to be enjoying whatever he was smelling

because his smile became more prominent, and then he shook his head for a fracture of a second. He seemed to be composing himself. "Welcome to the neighborhood!" He said happily. He looked overjoyed as he handed me a bouquet of roses. He was actually giving me flowers? My eyes popped out of their sockets at the sight of the beautiful red roses. "Thank you!" I said surprisingly, perhaps overjoyed myself. My heart felt like it was beating out of place. I began touching the petals and smelling them. There were a dozen of them, and they were all fully bloomed and beautiful. "Do you like them?" He became serious and looked almost hopeful as he eyed the roses, looking for a flaw. I giggled nervously. "Yes, thank you very much." I looked up from the roses and into his eyes. His eyes were a different colour yet again. I tried to calculate everything in my head. They were unknown the first night I got a good look at him, then green the next, and now honey-brown. He stared back into my eyes knowingly, like he knew what I was doing. Or maybe he was trying to do the same. Figure something out about me. I distractedly removed my eyes from his and brought myself to smile warmly again. "Do you want to come in?" What a stupid question. Of course my mom would wonder why the heck I let a boy in the house. But I couldn't bring myself to let him go. "It's okay, it's getting late, my..uh..parents will be expecting me." He seemed to stumble on the words. I wondered if he was actually nervous to go home. I didn't want to pry in his business like I had everyday of my living here, and I suddenly felt ashamed for asking. Maybe he thought I was weird. Maybe that was an excuse. "Oh. Maybe another time then?". I looked down, trying to hide my expression and to my horror, I noticed I was wearing purple bunny slippers. He must have noticed them too now because he gave a little chuckle. "Maybe." He said warmly. Maybe I didn't frighten him that much. But he left rather hurriedly. I hoped with all my heart he wasn't making fun of me. He walked quickly down my porch steps and glided flawlessly down the street. I stared after him in awe. Hoping I hadn't ruined anything. Wondering about his mystique. And blushing at the embarassment of him noticing me staring at him. He smiled again at me and I lowered my own eyes, and casually closed the door. Behind the door, I lingered on the locks, trying to catch my breath. My heart suddenly felt very light, yet the pounding was thunderous and taking over my chest. I could almost see my chest beating. I glared at my stupid slippers for making me mess up and look like an idiot, and I kicked them off angrily. But my emotions softened as I took another sniff at the flowers. "Ahem." My mother was right behind me. I spun around quicky, trying to steady my heart's pace again. "Who was that?" She asked a little accusingly. "Uh...um." I knew I should tell the truth, even though I knew my mom would bother me about it. "Raine, you know the boy I was talking about? Yeah he gave

us flowers." I said shrugging indifferently. Trying to play it off like it wasn't a big deal. My mom raised her eyebrows and a sly smile spread on her face. "I think he gave you flowers." I shook my head at her and then passed by her to find an empty vase in the living room. I brought it to the kitchen with her following closely behind me. "You like him don't you?" She asked suspiciously. In my head I screamed yes. But I casually answered, "I don't know him," and began filling the vase with cold water. "I know that look anywhere." She said meaningfully. I shrugged, and I felt her eyes on my face as she leaned on the counter beside me. I brought the vase to the kitchen table, and placed it there, avoiding eye contact with her eyes. "I knew it!" She squealed. I tried to keep my composure and play it off indifferently, but I couldn't hold the smile the spread on my face then. I noticed a hot plate of lasagna in my spot and began to dig in. "Well, I'm going to bed, I'll leave you with your flowers." She said in a satisfied tone. She was happy she had finally gotten the truth out of me. And I was happy he thought of me. As I ate my lasagna, I wondered what he was doing. Hoping he was thinking about me now, too. Raine's POV: I sneered at him. "Why would you care what I do now? You're not my father." I said sarcastically. His hand that was gripping my arm suddenly flashed to my throat. "I care for this coven's sake. We're already odd as it is! Do you really want Olento and Hepta finding out about this?" His nostrils flared. "Cause if you are putting any of us in harms way, then you can leave!" I knew when his hand was enclosed around my throat that I wouldn't die from suffocation. But I would surely die from entrusting a human with my secret. I lowered my eyes from his, ashamed of what I was doing. How could I be so stupid? Changing my vampire nature for something drastically different than I am. He softened his grip as he realized he won. " I don't know what got into me." I said with a small weak voice. "You can't be what you're not." He said sternly. "I know." I sighed. A look of satisfaction crossed Ben's face. "Go and wash the human's scent off of you..Son." A small smile spread on his face then. I was half greatful for having earned Ben's respect again, but the other half of me was shattered. I knew I couldn't just not love somebody when it was too late. And it was too late indeed. I gave him a weak smile in return, and then sped up the stairs before anybody could tell that I've been around her. I walked in nothing but a towel to my room and walked over to my window to shut it forever. But I couldn't resist one last communicational stare at her. I noticed her smelling the roses with a long smile on her face. I watched her

wonderful silhouette walk back and forth holding the roses in a vase, like she was looking for a place to put them. Then she looked up at her window. She didn't notice me, she just walked over, opened it, and put the flowers on the window sill. From what I could see, she gave a little happy sigh at the sight of them. I leaned over on my window sill and opened my window as well, then leaned my elbows onto the windowsill, and rested my chin against both of my hands. She was so irresistable. Perhaps this little bliss could last for a little while longer without anybody noticing. Happily, her eyes drifted into my direction, and then away, and then back again, suddenly alarmed. She seemed to have swore. Her perfect full lips mouthed the word 'shit'. I laughed at her and she laughed at herself too. I studied her perfect shaped eyebrows, perfect lips, long wavy red hair, which seemed to be brown. And her body. She wasn't like most girls. She had a nice shape to her. She waved at me, and then disappeared. She must have went to sleep. She did have to get her sleep, which I hated. I could have stared at her for all of eternity. Forever. I lingered in that spot for a while, trying to single her scent out from the rest. Her blood smelt delicious, and her skin smelt like shampoo and roses. My roses. I smelt a little trace of me coming from her house, and I knew that if I wanted to keep her safe from Olento and Hepta, or even possibly me, then I was never to get invited into her house. Or even go near it. * * * I sat up with a jolt as soon as my alarm clock went off. The truth was, vampires didn't need an alarm, we didn't sleep. I sped unnaturally to my dresser, excited about seeing the human girl again. Tamara. Tamara. Tamara. I said happily in my head. I finished faster than everybody else and went to leave. I was at the front door when Ray stopped me. "Early aren't we?" He asked a little suspiciously. "It's 7:00." He raised his eyebrows. "Well, I like being early." I shrugged, and made for the door handle once again. "Why don't you wait another hour, and then you can walk her to school." He sighed. "What do you mean?" I turned around to face him. "We all know. Except Ben and Elaine, of course. You can't just give something up. Like we can't give up blood." He explained. He glanced into the mirror at his red eyes, and then back at my golden ones. "How does it taste anyway? You know, animal blood." He shivered. I ignored him. "What are you talking about?" My brows pulled together in confusion. "We all know you ate animal blood, too. Your eyes prove it, even if we didn't hear Travis laughing about it." He laughed. "No, I meant about walking her to school." I corrected him. Many things started flooding in my mind. Was it proper to do that? Would she like that? I sat my bag

down on the floor by the antique coat hanger. "We won't tell, just do it." He smiled at me. And I knew he was serious. He smiled at me as if he loved me like a brother. And I knew he did. He would have my back, even if he did think I was going crazy. "Thanks." I smiled widely at him. "Where's Ben and Elaine, what if they heard us?" I asked in a whisper, nervous they might have heard. "Hunting." He reassured me. "Don't worry, you're covered. I'm just glad there's a remedy for the depression you went through, even if it is a human." He chuckled. I laughed too. "Thank you." I said again, with all seriousness. I could persue my dream. "But if they find out. I know nothing!" He warned, and then sighed. "I can't believe I'm doing this." I walked over and clapped my hand on his back. "Cause you love me, little bro!" I gave him a noogie and then ran away from him chasing me around the house. Laughing. Having fun. Knowing I could still see her. Knowing everything would be okay...for a while. I sat on the couch glancing at the clock every five minutes. "I think it's sweet." Launna said. swishing her long golden brown hair behind her shoulders. I gave her a meaningful look. Travis tried not to laugh. I rolled my eyes at him. And decided to check the clock. "Almost eight!" I gasped. I jumped up and left the others alone in the living room. Of course they would argue and talk about me while I wasn't there, but that didn't matter because Tamara was going to become my second priority. My first would be to conceal this love I havd for her. I walked swiftly up to her house, and thought twice about ringing the doorbell. I didn't want to wake her if she was still sleeping. And I didn't want to disturb her if she was getting ready. I sat on her chairswing I hadn't noticed before, and waited patiently. I started thinking of things I would say. It never really crossed my mind before. What happened last night just came naturally. How was I going to talk to her now? What if I told her I was a vampire? If I were human, I would have been sweating from nervousness, but my forehead stayed smooth as a rock. I heard shuffling upstairs and low humming voices. "Your purse?" I heard a woman ask. I didn't need to strain my ears to hear the conversation. "Yeah, I got it. Got your keys?" She asked her mother back. They must look after each other carefully. What a strange mother-daughter bond. They were both the mother of the family. Well, from what I just heard. After about five minutes of listening to shuffles and low remarks, I heard a "Goodbye!" Come from Tamara. My dead heart jumped, and I jumped to my feet, pretending I was just walking up to the door. The door opened and she went flying into me. "Umph." She made a little noise as she flew back. I, however, didn't budge, and I felt nothing really. "Are you okay?" I reached my hand out to her, hoping that was the right thing to do. "Yeah." She snorted darkly at her self, and she took my hand. As soon as she took

it, I felt excruciating heat. It felt like I was dipping my hand into something boiling at one thousand degrees. Ad she stood, I pulled my hand back so quickly she jumped. Rubbing it softly, she examined my hand. "Did I hurt you?" She asked, concerned. "No." I flexed my fingers. The frozen temperature of my own skin was coming back to me, and I started to relax. She looked a little hurt. "Sorry, I..uh..burned myself today, and it's still a little tender." I lied quickly. She seemed to buy it. "Oh." She nodded. "Do you want some gloves, your hands are freezing!" She exclaimed. I widened my eyes. Never did I think she would notice my temperature. I mean, it was just fine to me, but I always knew it was far lower than human temperature. "No, it's okay. Thanks." I said too quickly. "My hand still hurts." I said a little calmer. She smiled softly and nodded. "Okay, then." She whispered. I yearned to touch her again, to apologize. I knew everything was blowing up in my face. But if I did, I didn't know how I would react. Everytime we took a human life, we barely touched them. I only felt the warmth of their blood filling my body. My mouth started to water as I turned to look at the pulsing artery in her neck. Luckily, she wrapped her scarf around it in time. I swallowed the venom that had produced in my mouth. She started walking and I followed. Behind her I was shouting at myself in my head. Why was I so stupid!? The way I reacted, I should have just wore a shirt that said 'I'm a vampire!' I was trying hard not to quicken my pace so I could remain beside her. I needed to act normal. Human normal. "What class do you have?" I asked, trying to make conversation. She smiled up at me, greatful for the beginning of a conversation. "Math." She made a face at the word. "I'm not good at it at all!" She admitted angrily. I wracked my brain quickly for something to say. "Well, maybe all you need is a tutor?" I suggested. She shrugged. "Yeah maybe, but people usually expect money." "I don't ask for money." I said obviously. "Are you saying you'll tutor me?" She asked, a little shocked. "Sure." I shrugged. My smile stayed put. "For one little thing in return though." I knew what I was getting at now. "What?" She grimaced. "Don't tell me I'll have to pay attention?" She said in mock horror. "Well, I think that part is sort of accostomed." I laughed. She laughed too. "True." She smiled at me. Her eyes never leaving mine as we walked. A few times, she would look down to watch her step, but I didn't need to watch my balance. I kept staring, waiting for her eyes to meet mine again after the little brief periods of her looking away. "Well, I was sort of wondering..if you would..like to accompany me to the movies? Say, today after school?" I shrugged.

This time, I did the looking away. My humanity must have still been with me. Vampires were supposed to be bold, and I was shy, and cowardice. I peeked up at her to see her smile fall. "I'm sorry, but this guy named Jerome already asked me to go today." I was suddenly outraged. We reached the school now, and I took a good look around for him. I spotted him at the front doors with his group of friends. I glared into his direction, and I felt my body shaking with rage. I knew it! I knew she had a boyfriend. Why did I let that memory escape me! I thought I had a chance. Foolish Vampire! Humans have outsmarted me this time. I composed myself and shakily said, without looking at her, "Okay." And walked away, leaving her standing alone. As I passed by Jerome, I glared at him. I could feel my fangs ready to grow into their normal size. Ready to strike. It felt like they were shaking angrily as well. But our teeth were just as strong as our bodies, and nothing could make them move an inch. His eyes widened in horror as he took in my ravenous expression. I moved my glare from his eyes to his neck. Looking away quickly, trying not to expose myself for what I was. Right infront of Tamara, infront of hundreds of humans. My family would definitely disown me then. They would probably flee, and leave me here all alone to be taken care of by Olento and Hepta and their henchmen. I walked into the school and sat down in my first period class angrily. Several students watching me, quickly turned away as they saw my face. I wanted so much to snap everyone's neck. To watch the blood flood this room. My dessert. I wouldn't have to feed for months after I drank about a hundred people's blood, but I would continue just for the fun of it. I glanced around the room at all the blood filled humans, and then back at my venom filled self. I hated humans at this moment. They broke what was left of your heart. Was I being oversensitive because I have never felt like this before? Or was this how all humans felt. Excuse the drinking of the blood part. Humans probably felt like murdering, but I doubted they would ever drink blood. People would really fear me if they knew what I was. Maybe I could make Tamara fear me by telling her what I was. And she'd be forced to like me. My anger at her flushed away as my anger in myself grew wildly. What the hell was I thinking? I was so stupid. So much for vampires being beyond smarter. I could never do that to Tamara. Right then I realized I couldn't stop liking her. Human relationships never really lasted that long, especially teenaged ones. I was the mature one to wait. I smiled to myself, cause a lot of people to give me confused looks, and then pass on those looks to friends. After my boring second class, the bell rang. Lunch had started. Let the battle for Tamara begin. I swooped up my books, usually the last to leave, now being the first. I gave a saluting nod to the teacher and left. I knew he was holding his breath, and as soon as I left the classroom he let it out roughly. I gently walked

down the stairs, like any other human, and focussed on softening my expression. A bunch of girls sitting on the stairs, suddenly stopped talking about how cute I was as I walked by them. They started giggling as I passed. I ignored them completely, feeling their stares on my back as I walked on. As I entered the lunch room, I noticed Tamara laughing with her new companion. Her companion's name was Summer. Summer was a nice girl, and often she was too kind and cheery. I stared at them, craning my neck as I slowly walked to my usual seat at the other end of the room. Tamara and Summer happily walked towards their lunch table, happily discussing human matters. I reached the table and nodded to each and every one of my brothers and sisters. They nodded back a little too happily. "We seen what happened today." Travis chuckled. I sat beside Launna, sitting diagonally across from him. I had a free space to stare at Tamara and her friends. "Oh yeah? And what exactly did you see?" I said absently. Summer nudged Tamara and she immediately looked up at me. Summer rolled her eyes and whispered to her. I seen a perfect 'O' form on her lips. And she looked away quickly. Was her friend telling her not to look at me? I felt angry for that. I tightened my grip on the lunch tray we never ate from and a part of it turned to dust. I heard the grains fall to the floor as I continued to glare at Summer. Summer glanced at me, and her smug smile, suddenly turned into a wince as she shifted her eyes back onto her plate. Launna, who was sitting beside me. Took the tray out of my grasp. I looked at her, totally out of it. "Did I do that?" I asked a little shocked. Travis burst out laughing. "What?" He asked as Ray slapped the back of his head. "It's funny." Everyone just rolled their eyes at him, including me. "Anyway. Raine are you coming with us?" I heard Ray talking to be, but I had no idea what he was talking about. I was too busy smiling at Tamara everytime our eyes met. She returned the smile, occassionally biting down at her lip. My perfect vision traced the dents her teeth made on her lips as she bit down on them, and the way her cheeks flooded with blood as she blushed, and the way her long eyelashes casted shadows onto her cheeks when she shyly looked down. "So are you going?" He asked again. "Where?" I released my eyes from Tamara, trying to focus on Ray. Lanetta answered for him. "Hunting, where else? A bon fire?" She said sarcastically. "Oh, well, I can hunt on my own. I've got some things to do." And then thoughts of crashing a date started overpowering me. I could picture Jerome boring her to death. Her rolling her eyes and sighing every now and then. And then I come into view. My lips saving her from such a disaster. Jerome trying to fight me off. Me lunging for his neck. Drinking his blood. "Raine!" Launna tugged on my arm. I was standing, half crouched, and facing

Jerome. I sat down quickly and began picking at my food. "What were you thinking?" She whispered frantically in my ear. "Nothing." I said casually. "Just thinking about ripping someone's throat off, that's all." I laughed darkly to them, but while they laughed along, I smiled lovingly in Tamara's direction. She wasn't looking, which made it easier to look at her without feeling nervous. She was twirling her hair around her finger and laughing at her friends' jokes. I got up and left my 'siblings' at the table, so I could get to class early. I glanced at Tamara quickly, before I made my escape. "Hey, Raine." I heard a feathery voice call my name. I turned around, annoyed. It was the girl who was trying to hit on me for years. "Hi." I said simply, and then continued walking. She followed, trying to keep up. I picked up the pace and she struggled a lot more to keep up. "I just wanted to ask you something." She said innocently. I could almost see the pout she was wearing on her face. And sure enough when I turned around, there it was. It quickly faded, though. It dissolved into a huge grin. I smiled back, but it turned out to be more of a grimace. "Fine." "Yay!" She squealed. "Well, the movies are going to be open to day-" My thoughts cut her off. Movies? That's where Tamara's going to be! "...so I was wondering if-" "Yeah, I'll go." I said a little too excitedly. My mind pictured Tamara asking, but then reality closed in on me. Lydia's eyes were widened with surprised and delight. "Okay then! Pick me up at 8!" She clapped her hands together and skipped down the hall to tell one of her closest friends.