Chapter 1
I stared at my ceiling through the dimly lit room. I glanced at my clock. 2:45am it flashed. I couldn't
sleep. Never do. Not since I become one of them. I closed my eyes. It was all so vivid. Even though it had
happened 4 months ago, it replayed over and over in my head as if it had happened only mere seconds
before
I paced back and forth as I waited impatiently for Lacey to finally get down the fire escape. I was
frustrated that she took so long. The night was beautiful and the city was so lit up, it made New York
seem like a mere cell phone glow. Lacey was finally down, but she lost her balance and crashed into
some trash can. This of course made a sound as loud as thunder. I heard her swear under her breath.
I giggled but I was still worried. If someone caught us, we'd be in so much trouble. You see, it was the
summer of our senior year and our school decided to take us on a class trip to Europe. This was the last
week and we were in Italy. The smells, the music, the sights, they all just made my senses go crazy. So as
you can see, we had to sneak out. Beside's it wasn't like we were the only ones. Everyone had snuck out
at least once. As we walked the streets, I felt like I was in a movie. One movie in particular came to
mind. Suddenly a flashback from the Lizzie McGuire movie played in my head. I remember seeing it in
the 4th grade. I was recalling when she snuck out to go be a big superstar. Just thinking about it made me
chuckle.
"What?" Lace asked.
"Nothing. Just this is so Lizzie McGuire movie."
Lace laughed in response.
"Yeah, except she snuck out to be a superstar singer," she added.
"Hey we just got here. It could happen,"
Lace snickered and gave me the you-are too-pathetic look.
"Okay little miss Disney Channel. This way. I was talking to Katie Blanch and she said there was an
exclusive club around here."
We turned the corner and walked onto a busy street. There were so many things, and too little time to
look at them. I did happen to see a restaurant with candles in the window, and a violin player singing to
a couple, who were enjoying a romantic evening under the stars. Note to self. Before we left, I was
going to have to eat there. It smelt amazing as we walked past. I followed Lace as we zoomed in and out
of people passing us by. We finally turned into an abandoned street. It was dark and sent off a
mysterious vibe. Sure, I've been down my fair share of dark alleys. I lived in New York after all, but this
one was different. I could feel it. It just screamed Go away fast! Before it's too late.
"Are you sure this is the place?" I asked
But before she could answer, I heard the faint sound of music.
"Does that answer your question?" she remarked
As we reached the end of the alley, there was a big set of doors, with this giant man standing outside.
He wore a black jacket with an ear piece that immediately made me think of the mob. We walked up to
him, and he hardly gave any indication that we were there. Lace reached for the handle, and his arm
blocked her. He stared down and sharply said,
"NO ENTRY"
I grabbed Lace's arm.
"Come on. Let's just go"
Suddenly, his expression changed.
"Oh, Americans. My bad. Here go on in,"
He opened the door and the music blasted. Lace smiled and walked in. I was skeptical. This place
seemed. Maybe we should just go back. NO. We were going to have fun tonight and nothing was going
to stop us. I followed Lace down the foggy hallway. Different colored lights flashed on and off. Giving us
a florescent look. When we reached the end, we noticed we were on a balcony. Below us, was a dance
floor, bar, some tables, and of course, a small stage with a D.J.
"Home away from home," I chuckled. Lace nodded in agreement as we descended down the stairs.
We found a table and dumped our jackets.
"Want a drink?" I asked
"Nothing alcoholic," she said snobby
"I wouldn't dream of it," I joked back.
When I reached the bar, the bartender had his back to me.
"2 diet sodas please," I asked
As he turned around, I noticed so many things. First, he was pale. I mean like albino pale, and it wasn't
because of the black light either. Second, his eyes were black. Pure black. It was odd. I had never seen
anybody with eyes like that before. Probably just a club trick. Lastly, he was beautiful. Absolutely
gorgeous. Like some roman statue. I couldn't keep my eyes off of him. He smiled and handed me two
glasses. A chill ran down my spine as I touched his hands. They were cold. It wasn't just any cold. It was
the type of cold you get when you die. I took a deep breath. I was just trying to scare myself. They were
probably just cold because he just handled two cold glasses. I paid for the drinks and returned to the
table.
"It's about time," Lacey said as she grabbed a glass and started to slurp it.
"Slow down,' I said. But Lace just started at me.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
That's when I realized she wasn't looking at me. I turned around and saw a guy staring at me. Well
actually he was gazing at Lacey as if she was something to eat. That's not all I noticed. He too was pale,
with black eyes, and insanely beautiful. I looked around. Most people here were normal like me, but
there were a handful that was different. Pale, gorgeous, and night black eyes.
"Um… I'm going to go dance," Lacey shuddered out.
She walked over to the mystery man and struck up conversation. Now I was alone, and I felt left out.
"May I set down?"
I heard a voice say from behind. I turned around and noticed the bartender.
"Sure, go ahead. I need the company,"
He chuckled.
"So you not from around here?" He asked my curiously.
"No, I'm here on a senior trip. You?"
"My brother owns the place. He gave a job as the bartender. I'm really not old enough to be handling
alcohol, but I won't tell if you won't,"
I stared at him for awhile.
"So how old are you?'
"19," he said blankly.
19? Just in my age range
"So do you enjoy the nightlife or you just a tag-along"
"Tonight, I'm just here with her," I made a gesture over to Lacey.
"So you said you were just visiting, huh? What do you like the best so far," His eyes shone bright
behind the blackness.
"Well, I do love the stars. You don't see very many in New York,"
His face lit up with animation.
"Do you mind if I show you something?" He smiled and there was no way I could say no.
He took my hand, and led me past a hidden hallway and up some stairs. He pushed the giant door open
with his fingers, and stepped out to a small patio on the roof. It was beautiful. The whole view of the city
was completely amazing. But what got me the most was the sky. I felt like I could reach up and grab a
star. We sat up there and talked for what seemed like years, but I didn't care. I was falling head over
heels for this guy I hardly even knew.
"Why are you doing this? Do you always go up to lonely girls and sweep them off their feet, or is
this something new you're trying," I leaned closer to him. I started to shiver. The cold radiating from his
body swept over me, but I hardly noticed.
"Maybe a little of both. If it helps, I've never taken anyone up here before".
He leaned close to me till we were only inches apart.
"You smell like Jasmine and lilac," he whispered softly, and before I knew it, we were kissing. But
seconds later, he pulled away fast. His face was panicked.
"You need to leave. Get your friend and get out," he said coldly.
"I sorry, I didn't mean to kiss you. I really didn't"- he cut me off.
"I wasn't you. Trust me. You need to leave. I'll help you, but you need to get away and fast"
He picked me up and ran back down the stairs. I looked around a found Lace.
"Come on, we're leaving," I grabbed her and ran toward the door.
"What the hell?" she screamed.
"I'll explain later. We have to leave,"
My new friend showed us to the door. We heard screams coming from the dance floor and froze.
"RUN," he screamed and lace and I took off.
Lace made it to the door. She pushed it. It wouldn't budge. After a few pushes. It opened a bit and she
slipped out. I was right behind her, but then I tripped. I tried to get back up, but something knocked me
down. I looked up and a creature with black eyes stared down, baring its teeth at me. This was the guy
Lace was talking too. He hissed in my face and then bit hard on my neck. The last thing I remember was
my new friend pushing him off of me before everything went black.