People like me are... well, different. Not unique as in looks or feelings. I mean different from your average, everyday school girl. I'm Kata. I'm what people call a Scanner — I can scan people's thoughts, checking for lies or flaws, information or common sense. Many of you foolish humans may call it mind reading. The mind is not a book; it will not open at will to be read with the eyes, it is no ink on paper. I am not human, although I disguise myself well. I'm a vampyre, a race that is slowly dying out all around us. We are easily the most hated of all the races — myths and legends have treated us wrong. They accuse us of unspeakable things, such as drinking the blood of a human, and burning in the sunlight. Yet, we eat as humans do, even though we don't get hungry as often, and we may be pale white, but we can still stay in the sunlight for a limited amount of time.

The day I found out that I was a vampyre was more shocking than any other day of my everlasting life. Let me bring you back to that clear, starless night.

• • • • •

I was walking home alone, as always, looking through people's heads, thinking it perfectly normal. Of course it wasn't, but how was I supposed to know at the time? I had managed to successfully learn how to block my mind, just in case somebody fancied a look inside my head. I was kicking aside rubbish when I felt it — an almighty lurch in my head; I felt like my head had turned upside-down. I grasped the bench beside me to steady myself. I tried to clear my head, but felt my thoughts zooming around, being either headlines in the newspapers that haunted my dreams, or my own thoughts... mother and father gone... sister of Kata Rushmore, daughter of the deceased Mary and Robert Rushmore was found dead —

"NO!" I yelled, panting. I looked around, and saw one single soul looking at me through the eyes of a boy. I looked down at my shaking hands then looked back up at him, scanning his own thoughts. I felt him struggle to compose himself, but he was weak, caught off guard. I broke through to his personal thoughts, as he had done to mine. I didn't understand at the time that we were both vampyres — something I had never heard of. He glared at me, walking my way. My eyes widened in alarm, as I tried to back up, but instead I bumped into the rubbish bin beside the bench.

"I'm Ace," he said, sticking out his hand as he reached it. I took it, then snatched my hand back with a gasp, as I felt my skin burn. "You'll get used to it," said Ace, chuckling as I rubbed my hand.

"I don't trust you," I said, glaring at him. "How do I know that you aren't some... some murderer or something?"

At this, he chuckled, kicking a piece of rubbish that had gone astray. His sharp blue eyes scanned the ground, as if looking for something. Suddenly, I figured out how handsome he was. He had short, dark brown hair and icy blue eyes that reflected the moonlight, as it had now become very dark indeed. He was tall and was skinny; he wasn't too muscular, but I could tell that he was strong. The only thing that looked out of place was his ragged clothes, and the fact that his eyes were bloodshot so that horrible red veins showed.

"Have you ever... thought everyone could do the same thing as you? You know," he said. "like that scanning thing?"

I looked into his eyes, and he stared back. I nodded slowly, realizing what he was about to say. Not everyone could do it....

"Well, you were wrong. Sit," he said, more as an order than a question.

I put my hands on my hips and stared at him, disbelief shining in my eyes. "I don't take orders from you! You're... you're just a... a filthy piece of scum!" I exclaimed, glaring at him.

At this, he took hold of my elbow with a strong grip. I struggled to free myself, but I couldn't.

"Kata, you're a vampyre...."