When I woke up, I could see the stars. Where am I, I thought, what happened? My head ached, my neck throbbed, and my mind was clouded. The stars were clear, though; so bright that they hurt my eyes.

I heard a soft chuckle.

I sat up so fast that I startled even myself. I looked around. I was inside a warehouse, full of huge wooden boxes. The stars peeked in through a hole in the ceiling. My eyes continued to scan, and then I saw him.

He was blond, looked about eighteen, three years older than me. His skin was so pale; it practically glowed in the dark. He was extremely handsome, yes, but I wasn't paying attention to that. I could only stare at his eyes.

His eyes were red.

"Hello, Bree." he said in a smooth voice that made me recoil. How did he know my name? I blinked in surprise.

"Who are you? Where am I? What am I doing here?" I shouted, sliding back on the floor the whole time.

"Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?"

"Close your eyes and try to remember."

Now, I didn't like the idea of closing my eyes in front of him, but I reluctantly did. Then I thought; I waited for my memories to come back. After a few moments, they came.

I remember walking down the street at night, coming back home from studying at my friend's house. I remember walking past an alley, seeing those red eyes. I remember running, and I remember being grabbed from behind. I remember him, and a sharp pain in my neck. I remember fainting, and I remember pain.

But I never remembered being dragged in here. I never remembered meeting him before, either, yet his face was oddly familiar. I took me a few minutes, but then I placed it.

"You're that guy who disappeared over a year ago! What's your name, Roland, Regan, Ronald…"

"Riley." he responded curtly, the softness in his voice gone. I backed away, gasping for air.

"I saw your story on the news. Your parents were worried sick, and they still are. And you're alive! How could you do that to them?" I asked.

"Don't speak unless I tell you to, and do not ever mention my life before! I have authority over you, I created you!" he yelled.

"Excuse me? You created me? What is that supposed to mean?"

He ran over in a blur, and grabbed my shoulders hard. I struggled as he led me outside to a store with a window out front. He spun me around so I could see my own reflection. I yelped out of fear.

My eyes were red, too. My usual plain brown hair had grown a tint darker, with long curls that had never been there before. My skin, a sickly pale white. A beautiful kind of evil.

The longer I looked, I realized my throat was completely dry.

"I need water." I rasped.

"No. You need blood." Riley replied. I gaped at him open-mouthed. I couldn't even respond to that.

"I am a vampire," he explained, "and you are a vampire, too. I will train you. Welcome to the Army."