"You got any jacks?"

We sat opposite of each other, our eyes shifty and narrowed as we looked at the cards we had been dealt. This was it. The moment of truth. When all would be revealed. Life or death. This would change everything. I smiled coyly as I glanced down at my cards and then back at her.

"Go fish."

"FFF—"

She jumped up from her cushion and flipping the table in a fit of rage, sending our cards and drinks flying.

"Blaze, why would you do that?!" I screeched. "What a mess!"

She snorted. "Because it's hilarious!"

"You won't be laughing when it's your turn to clean the bathroom," I snapped.

She wilted. "Aw."

Knock knock. Who's there?

"Huh, I wonder who could that be?" Blaze ran over to the door, pulling it open with her pale hand, and was promptly tackled and sent flying clear across the room with a great crash.

"Blaze!" I shrieked, by her side in an instant. "Blaze?! Blaze, speak to me!"

My attentions were drawn away from Blaze and a blond girl stood on the carpet to the loud chatter by the door. There was a sharp gasp as Blaze sat back up, resuscitated.

"Maria!"

The girl with a blonde half-ponytail squealed as they hugged each other tight.

"Zeira, I'd like ya to meet my friend from Transylvania!"

I chuckled nervously. "And what do I owe the pleasure of having you today?"

"You don't mind, do ya, Zeira?"

"Of course not! Come right in—well, you're already inside, so uh, make yourself...comfortable..."

Day turned to night, the sun dipping into the horizon. A full moon rose high in the sky, a sea of twinkling stars blanketing the world as people all over the town took to their beds, drifting off into peaceful slumber. When darkness fell, Transylvania became something else.

I had left my door ajar, so as to mask the squeak of the doorknob or the creaking of the hinges as I slipped into the hallway, holding my breath.

Careful now, Zeira. Watch that loose floorboard.

My eyes flicked back and forth shiftily. I craned my head, sidling up against the wall adjacent to Blaze's bedroom door as I listened.

That feeling in my chest, what was it? The fluttering of my heart as I heard the woman toss and turn? Right, I needed oxygen.

I gasped, sucking in air, and slowly pressed on her door with my hand, using my other hand to manipulate the knob. With a squeak and a graceful trip, I tumbled in, surprised, rolling head over heels into Blaze's domain with a painful thump. Moonlight poured into the room, casting eerie shadows all over the place. I stood up slowly, eyeing the sleeping lady on her bed, taking a step forward. As my hand connected with the carpet, it was met with the hair-raising sound of a roach being crushed underhand. I pulled back, disgusted, before pressing on, cringing.

I was finally at the foot of her bed. I crawled, peeking up above her mattress. She slept on her back, her head facing away from me. Blaze continued to snore loudly. She turned her head, and I saw that she did wear her purple shades in her sleep.

It was time to find out what she really looked like.

I lifted myself onto the bed, the mattress shifting with the new weight. She snorted and smacked her lips. I swallowed, my hands above her face as I grasped her lenses, lifting them off the bridge of her nose to find...

...that she also wore a sleep mask.

I resisted the urge to groan.

Blaze turned again, this time facing me. She snored, breathing through her muzzle. At least she brushed her teeth. Her hands wandered, searching around until they found me. I squeaked, freezing. She pulled me into an embrace, murmuring to herself.

"Mmm, Zeira," she cooed deliriously, still sleeping.

Is she dreaming about me? Should I be flattered? Or worried?

I rasped and struggled for air as her hands tightened their vice around my neck. Can't...breathe! She nuzzled me, combing her hand through my hair. I blushed furiously, my face heating up. I squirmed as she continued to press against me, holding me close. Too close! Way too close! Personal space officially violated, and in so many ways I couldn't even begin to describe—oh sweet God, please let me go.

It feels...nice.

No, it doesn't feel nice, Zeira. You're about to smothered to death by your roommate!

But she's so...warm.

No, no, she is not! She is not adorable when she is sleeping and her skin doesn't feel like silk rubbing against yours and you don't feel woozy when she pulls you close!

Liar. You feel it, don't you? Opposites attract. The butterflies in your belly when she brushes up against you in the street. Your heart racing...

I can't stand her! She's a slob! A mess! She is rude and rowdy and—

—I was oh so very attracted to her.

There are things in life you cannot choose, like how you feel. I couldn't possibly have affections for her. It was unheard of. I couldn't possibly be in love. Call it denial. I wanted to get her to stop drooling on me. I wanted to remove all doubt from the equation. Make my problems disappear. Not have to worry about the ramifications, the social stigma, the impact it would have on my vampire hunting career.

What would my mother think?

Life knows two miseries. Getting what you don't want and not getting what you want. The trouble with wanting something is the fear of losing it, or never getting it.

Finally she loosened her grasp on me and I slipped away, undetected, slipping beneath my covers and shivering.

A beautiful melody. The sound of harmony. We were a well-oiled machine, in sync—

I cringed as I snapped into reality.

"What? What?"

My three companions glared at me.

"You've been kinda distant lately, Zeira."

"Sorry everybody."

"I vote that we end rehearsal today," Luna suggested, idly tapping a key.

I slumped and packed up my things and left. I had been distracted. Thinking about what I tried and failed to do last night. So far, I wasn't any closer to finding out whether or not Blaze was a vampire. At that point, my mind was focused on other things: my feelings for her. That cursed woman. It was all her fault. It had taken a while for me to come to terms with it all. I'd brushed off the signs as nothing more than Blaze being overtly friendly. But I knew, oh yes, I knew. I knew that she wanted me, wanted me to want her.

I was in love.

Was I really? I couldn't even grasp the concept. I had never loved before. Never kissed a person. Never had a relationship, intimate and open. But I knew this was love. When somebody, no matter what the cost, shows you there was a choice.

You can't pursue this relationship, you stubborn lady. It's career suicide. Social suicide. You're going to risk everything for her?

I silenced that voice in the back of my head indefinitely. Maybe I was over-thinking things. She liked me, and I liked her. Wasn't that enough?

If only things were that simple.

Of course, fate would not leave me be, and as I tore open the fridge to grab some sparkling water, thinking I had all the answers to the mysteries of life, I spied something, hidden behind some orange juice and some leftovers. I reached in deep, feeling around with my hand, until I grabbed onto something cold and lumpy.

I pulled the object out and screamed at the top of my lungs.

A blood pack.

Oh nononono...

I shut my eyes and tried to will it all away, pretend I was seeing things. I wasn't. There it was, laying on the kitchen floor, cold, crimson blood inside the offending plastic package with a clear label stamped upon it stating the blood type.

I swallowed.

What do I say to her? What do I do? What kind of person brings home blood bags? I certainly didn't bring them home and that meant that she had.

I felt woozy. I felt sick.

Blaze Fahrenheit was a vampire.

Unless she has to give herself her own blood transfusions! What about that, Zeira?

That voice inside my head, the voice of reason, had stopped making sense. Even it could not dissuade me from the truth. Logic told me that there was a reasonable explanation. Logic was such a liar. This was undeniable proof. Now what? Nobody would believe me. What could I do, call the guards? Try and slay her myself? Leave. Disappear. Make myself scarce. That would have been the smart thing to do.

I guess I wasn't that smart.

I wanted to ask, confirm my suspicions, see if they were true. And again, probably end up lying in a pool of my own blood for asking.

It was time to invest in some silver, garlic, and a wooden stake. Maybe some holy water.

I heard the door open. I gasped and grabbed the bag with my slender fingers, trying not to think about it, and tossed it back into the fridge.

"Zeira, I'm ho-ome!"

I slammed it shut and turned around, grinning nervously, my grin stretching wide. If she found out that I found it, then they would find my body in a ditch, or a dumpster! I was too young and beautiful to die!

Play it cool, Zeira. Be cool. Just pretend that you didn't see anything. She's still your friend, she's still Blaze Fahrenheit.

How am I supposed to be cool when my best friend is a blood sucking monster?!

"Hey Zeira, you got some mail."

"Mail?"

"Mail. Yeah."

"For me."

"Yeah, Zeira, could you move? I wanna drink."

Blood! She's going to drink the blood!

"Ha-haaaa, I've never gotten mail before!" I sidestepped her awkwardly, never taking my eyes off of her.

"Are you alright? You look nervous."

"Me? Nervous? Of course not! Let's just see who this mail is from." I read the return address and recognized the stamp immediately. "Mother?"