Pick me! Pick ME!

Many people crowded in the large hut, eager to know who all was accepted and who wasn't. Only a small amount of these loud, noisy humans and mythical beings were to be a large part of this story. But let me, Cat's Eye, explain what the hubbub is about. You see, this is the one and only Slayer Camp 1, led by the Mr. Van Helsing himself. But this isn't the normal, old dude Van Helsing you think of. He is young, vivacious and lively, and teaches the young innocents to respect mythical creatures instead of hurting them. Unlike...the Hunters.

A group only intent on harming all that is pure. A vicious band of scoudrels who would kill at first sight. Sounds like a kid's story, doesn't it? Some tough bad guys these goons are...Pft! You don't know the half of it. Of course you think this story is a happy, skip-through-the-roses-like-an-idiot story. Because that's how most stories are nowadays. Boy, you sure didn't find that kind of story. You found the one where misery and pain are the constant embracers of this group of human and inhuman teenagers. You may have heard Jane's painful part of the story. But what about everyone else? Diana? PJ? Abram? Aaron, for crying out loud?! This is the tale of Corinne, the loyal, cat-like sweetheart who you have come to know and love. This is where it all starts.

The noise was almost too much to take, but it didn't succeed over the euphoric buzz in the one girl's head. She was intent on seeing if she and her American friends made it. Much of the 7th grade of a South Carolina school tried their best to enter the Slayer Camp 1. Where everyone would be trained individually and as a group by Van Helsing. They all knew of the danger, the pain, the rigorous training...But that's why they even bothered! Who wanted to stay home in America fiddeling with their thumbs while they knew their friends and accuaintances got all of the action in Transylvania? Just the word danger and scary got mostly anybody interested...Did I mention danger?

The girl's shoulder-length, shining blond hair bobbed up and down as she tried to jump over all of the tall people to see her friends. I love you people...But you Europeans are making me feel like a midget now! she thought with humor as her attempts turned out to be fruitless. One instant she was thinking that, the next she was falling backwards. Now only she could see just pants and shoes as she twisted with extreme speed and landed roughly on her hands and knees.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry! Are you okay, Miss?"

Ignoring the dull throbbing sensation in her palms and knees, she looked up to see a boy of about 14 or 15 leaning over her with a guilty look in his eye. Must be the one who knocked me...

"I'm fine," she cheerfully mumbled and sprung upright to land on the balls of her feet. She laughed as he jumped back half a foot. It always took a little while for people to get used to her agile abilities. The girl wasn't a mythical creature or anything, she just trained hard and went through a lot of pain to get where she was right now.

"Are you sure?" he asked, throwing a uncomfortable look in her direction. He turned his torso to look the other way as if someone said his name.

Ignoring his question she smiled and said: "Name's Corinne. Your's?"

"Brian," he mumbled. Corinne studied him very subtley. He was a few inches taller than her, with long lanky limbs that reminded her of any baby animal that was growing through its growth spurt where the limbs grew first. Now she was just noteing what he looked like out of curiousity, not because of hormones. She hadn't reached that stage where she wanted any relationship yet. Curiousity killed the cat. Back to what he looked like. He had copper, almost red hair that was in a neat cut. He had fair skin, obviously because he didn't look like he went out in the sun much. The opposite of Corinne, though she did prefer to stay in the shade. The heat and light was almost unbearable for her during the Summer.

"Nice to meet you, Brian. Did you get accepted?"

He smiled a small smile and took her waiting hand and let go almost immediatly. His smile then faded when she asked if he got accepted. "No. I didn't want to anyways. My parents only sent me here because they thought Van Helsing would find my 'inner wolf.'" He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

Inner wolf? What the heck is he talking about? "What do you mean by 'inner wolf?'"

Just then, Jane, Diana, Katie, and all of Corinne's friends and accquaintances came up and crowded around her. Cutting off all contact from Brian.

"Heya, guys! Did you get accepted?"

"YES!" they all chorused at the same time. Brooke snuck up behind Corinne and slapped her on the back. "You did, too!"

Corinne felt her heart soar with joy and she hugged everyone in turn. Even PJ, Abram, and Jacob. "Give me a high five, ma peers!" exclaimed Jane. Everyone laughed and did as she said, except for Abram who wacked her on the forehead and said: "Could've had a V-8!"

Corinne laughed yet again but the giggle that was bubbling in her lungs died away as she looked around to see Brian nowhere in sight. He had disappeared. But that feeling quickly died away as she and her friends made their way to their separate huts. She was a Slayer. She was now Slayer Corinne. Training was going to start tomorrow. Might as well get some sleep.