I was running late again. It was way past ten thirty and Uncle Ross and Aunt Samantha were going to kill me. I would've called to let them know that the movie had run late, but my phone died. I was so dead.
Suddenly, I hear a shuffle in the bushes and look around. There's no one else on the sidewalk except for me. I pick up my pace, walking toward the house. I look behind me once more and there's no one following me. I turn forward and almost run into someone. I look up and my eyes cloud over.
Vision:
Ethan, Benny and Sarah battling this stranger in front of me, souls flying everywhere, some sort of box that he holds captures the souls, the last image I see is him biting Ethan on the arm.
Finally, I look up at him and back away. He senses that I'm wary of him, and takes advantage of it. He follows me as I back away. He starts to smile.
"Is there something wrong?" his voice is menacing. He knows I know what he is. I take a few steps back and he follows in pursuit.
"You're…" I whisper. The vampire that caused all of the death and destruction in Whitechapel.
"Jesse," he finishes for me. "And you are?"
I knew that I probably shouldn't have told him who I was, but he was mesmerizing, and so good-looking that it just came out.
"Kate Morgan," I blurt out.
"Any relation to Ethan?" he asks causally.
"I'm his cousin, visiting for the summer," I volunteer willingly, and totally under his spell. I'm scared out of my mind under the surface, but Jesse's charm blocks it out.
Realization flashes in his eyes as he takes in what I just said. He looks me over, trying to decide what to do. He snaps his fingers and two more vampires appear behind him. I start to slowly back away again and the vampires are all of a sudden holding my arms, so I can't move.
"Do you like vampires, Kate?" Jesse asks with a hint of dark humor in his voice.
"Um…" is all I can seem to get out.
"I'll tell you what, you don't tell your dorky cousin or any of his friends, that includes Sarah, that I'm in town, and I won't kill you, I'll turn you. Deal?"
I just nodded, speechless.
"But just as a reminder not to," Jesse warns. "I'm going to mark you."
"How are you going to do that?" I ask, confused. He couldn't bite me, because that meant turning me.
Then, Jesse took my right wrist and turned it over, exposing the veins. With his other hand, he takes his fingernail and draws an X, drawing blood. The mark burns, it felt like there was a small fire on my wrist.
"Now," Jesse says. "What are you going to do?"
"N-not tell Ethan or any of his friends, including Sarah, that you're back in town?" I whisper.
"Good girl," Jesse praises. He looks up at his two vampire flunkies, "You can let her go now."
The two vampires let go of my arms and I start walking away quickly, towards the house.
"Wait," Jesse calls to me. I turn around to see him coming towards me.
"What?" I asked, wary.
"I'll walk you home. You don't know who or what could be out at this late hour," He says with a hint of humor in his voice.
We walk the two blocks back to the house in silence. Jesse's arm was around my shoulders and the closeness made me uncomfortable. We get up to the door, and Jesse is still beside me. He takes my wrist and kisses the X. Then he leans into me and whispers into my ear, "Remember, don't tell anyone that I'm in town. They don't need to know yet."
I watch him leave, just to make sure he's actually gone. I look in the driveway and the car is gone. Whew. Uncle Ross and Aunt Samantha aren't home yet. Dodged a bullet there.
I turn the knob, grateful that I was safely home, and that I hadn't become a vampire's dinner.