It was a beautiful night, when I was conceived. I was born in the cool autumn, with the leaves changing colors and the sky turning grey. But that night it was clear and starry, at the beginning of a surprisingly warm spring. Depending on which of my parents you ask, it was under a tree in the Mansion's backyard, or in a room at the Coffin Club. However it was, I had ended up here. A full blooded, teenage vampire. Today's age was lame, especially in Dullsville, where all of my mother's friends live. She drags me out there every weekend. Here in Hipsterville, things are much more, well, hip. Especially at the Coffin Club. I have a special pass to get in even though I'm not eighteen yet. I will be in a few months. While my sister whined about wanting a new purse, I got dressed. Scuffed black combat boots, black tights, and a black Renaissance Festival coin belt, with silver coins, a black neck tie shirt that boldly stated Wicked in blue on the front, and a pair of awesome green-lensed steampunk goggles resting on my head. "But if Ember can go, why can't I?" Ferris asked in a whiny voice. "Ember is older, and she knows what she is doing. Maybe on a weekend, honey…" my mom tried to hush. "You always say that, and you always take her with you everywhere on weekends, so I never get to go! I want to go!" "Not yet," my father said in a stern voice. I grabbed my green, blue eyed bat backpack and went to my sister's room, where she was still sitting in her open coffin in her pajamas. My parents each gave me a hug. "Be careful, honey," my dad said softly. "As long as you and Mom don't have another complaining child, sure," I said with a wicked grin and a shrug befitting the description on my shirt. I changed to a bat and dashed out the window before my father could comment. In the alley behind the Coffin Club, I hid behind a dumpster to return to my vampiric form, then I ran out to the front of the club. As usual, there was a huge line to get in. I went up to the bouncer, Lin. I showed him my pass as usual, a my eyes caught on a guy towards the front of the line. "You can go on in, Ember. I've told you you don't have to show me your pass anymore." I kept staring at the guy. He was talking to a buddy of his, but he was hot, and unlike any of the other guys I'd seen around here. "Ember, you can go in," Lin said more impatiently. "You seem distracted today. I thought you wanted to dance." "Yeah…" I said, exactly what he said I was: distracted. Lin followed my gaze and laughed. "His name is Hinder, a new regular." "Since when?" "Since he moved here with his parents about a month ago." "Who are his parents?" "Jagger and Rena Maxwell. He doesn't have any siblings." "Where does he live?" "That, you would have to ask him," Lin said with a grin. "Mind if I bring him in with me on my pass?" "Not at all, if he comes willingly." I grinned, and his smile didn't falter at seeing my fangs. Here, almost everyone had fangs. I practically skipped all the way over to Hinder. "Hi," I said softly. At first, it seemed like he hadn't heard me. Then he turned around. "Oh, hey! I've seen you inside before, but I don't think you ever saw me. My name is Hinder, Hinder Maxwell. And you are?" "Ember Sterling." Hinder gave me a fanged grin. Unfortunately, that didn't make him like me. "So, why do you come here?" I asked, curious. "Well, I first came to find a hot girl to talk to," he said, looking me up and down. "But I think I've already found that, so now I'd like to go dance. They have some killer music, including the band I was named for." "Yeah, I was wondering about that," I said, my own toothy grin flashing. "Then let your wondering cease." "You want to dance with these guys then?" I asked, gesturing at the couple of guys he'd been talking to before. One of them had a girl under his arm, and she looked pretty nervous. She was also not goth or vampire in any way, shape or form. "Nah, I kinda suck," he said, his eyes flicking to mine. "They don't." I stared at his eyes. One was mossy green, the other icy blue. Behind his piercing gaze, the meaning of his words were obvious. He was a vampire. I laughed. "I suck too," I said, my own silver, red flecked eyes gleaming knowingly. He grinned. "So, why don't we see if we can teach each other a thing or two?" I asked, showing him my pass. "Okay with you guys if I leave you to sludge through the line?" The guys grinned, and the girl nodded anxiously. One of the guys caught my gaze and winked at me. I glared back, and he looked away. "I guess I'm yours for the night," Hinder smirked as he turned back to me. I raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. I don't normally like good little boys who do whatever their parents and friends tell them." "Trust me, you won't be meeting any good boys tonight," he growled playfully in my ear. He grabbed my hand, and we ran back to the door. "Guess you convinced him after all," Lin called after us as Hinder led me into the club. "You come here often?" Hinder asked over his shoulder, a question in his eyes. "Not with anyone," I said. "Well, perhaps we can change that." "Let's start with tonight." "Alright, I can start with tonight." The song changed, 'In The Shadows' by The Rasmus. Hinder spun me onto the dance floor with the hand he had tugged me in here by. We joined the mostly thrashing crowd. But he put my arms around his neck, put his hands on my waist, and we slow danced. My attention was completely focused on Hinder. He had bold, angular features. His hair was white, with fiery orange tips. His skin was only a little less pale than my own. He was decked out in beaten up Doc Martens, black jeans torn at the knees with chains hanging, a plain hunter green t-shirt, and a worn black leather jacket. "Admiring something?" he asked slyly. "Yeah. A really hot guy I just met," I shouted in his ear to be heard over the music. "Yeah? What's his name?" he asked, both of us now playing coy. "Hinder Maxwell." "What do you know about him?" "Nothing. But I plan to find out a lot about him." "Well, I'll tell you, I just met this gorgeous girl." I couldn't help a slight flush that came to my cheeks. He hadn't called me hot, or pretty, or cute or any of those other things guys say that are used too much. Gorgeous. "Well, for such a compliment, she must be absolutely stunning." "She is. I could hardly make myself talk to her when I first saw her." "What's her name?" "Ember Sterling." "What do you know about her?" "Next to nothing. But I plan to learn a lot." The song ended, and I was a little breathless. It was too hot down here with the crowd, and I could barely hear myself think. "Come on!" I yelled and pulled him behind me upstairs. I found a secluded corner with a cozy loveseat and a coffee table, but a couple was already snogging there. "How about downstairs?" Hinder asked in my ear, referring to the vampire specific underground of the club. And since only vampires knew about that place, Hinder really did have to be a vampire. "Lead the way," I said, a grin lighting my face up again. He pulled me back down to the dance floor, then pulled a key with a skull handle out of his back pocket, and put it in the lock of a coffin shaped door. It opened, and we slipped through, the door shutting behind us. No mortals followed us in. "That's much more like it. I can hear you better," I said. "Come on." He tugged me along, deeper into the underground. We came into the main room. There was a small dance floor in the center, and a bar to our right. A couple of jacuzzis were scattered on the left and in the back. A few tables interspersed. Hinder led me to the bar. "What would you like?" London, the bar girl, asked. "A Bloody Mary, extra bloody," Hinder said. "And you, Ember?" "I'm not quite sure." I glanced at the menu. "How about a Nightmare?" Hinder gave me a look of surprise. "Make that two instead of the Bloody Mary," Hinder said quickly. London oggled him for a moment, then looked at me again. She turned back to making drinks. "So, you like your drinks." "If they're good." "What do you think of the Dungeon?" "It's alright. I'm kind of lonely, though." "Lonely? How can a girl like you be lonely? You must have, like, nineteen boyfriends." "No. Not even one. Too many people around here are intimidated by the fact that my dad owns this place. I have a double sized coffin, and no one to share it with. What about you, what do you think of this place?" "Like you said, it's alright. But I'm looking for a love to last an eternity. My coffin is lonely, too. Why do you have a double size if you're alone?" "Because it's what my parents gave me. I didn't ask for it. What about you? There must be tons of girls waiting for you back wherever you came from." "I'm from Romania. And, there isn't. The majority of girls there aren't looking for a goth guy." "I was wondering about the accent. But you're hardly just a goth." "Well, why don't you have any boyfriends? You live around here." "Alright, I see your point." London set our drinks down next to us, and Hinder paid for both before I could say or do anything. He picked them up and led the way through some of the tunnels to door made out a blood red blanket hanging like a curtain. Hinder pushed it aside with his arm, and I looked around the room empty of people. It was a sparse bedroom, with a dark wood dresser, a stereo, a door that probably led to a bathroom, a gaming corner with a comfy looking couch, a tall stack of movies, and a tower of CDs, and in the corner to our left from where we came in, a black coffin adorned in band stickers. "This your room?" "Yeah, my parents' room is next door." "You have a nice place." "You haven't seen all of it." I gave him a curious look and he grinned. He set the drinks on the coffee table in front of the couch and took my hand, giving me a tour. The door I'd assumed led to a bathroom actually led to what amounted to a play room, with arcade games, an air hockey table, a foosball table, and another stereo. The next room he showed me was an extra bedroom, spare coffin and everything. "Who's this for?" "Guests, of course." "What kind of guests do you have?" "Normally, the dangerous kind," he said, grinning over his shoulder at me. The last room was a bathroom for the guests, but it didn't seem personal to Hinder. He led me back to his room and showed me his entire room, and a bathroom by his coffin that I hadn't seen. Then he opened and sat in his coffin. "What are you doing?" I asked. "I said I was lonely. Help me not be lonely for once." I tentatively sat beside him in the coffin. He laid down and pulled me down with him. The coffin lid closed over us. "It's too quiet," I whispered softly. "Your coffin is not silent as the dead?" "No. I have a little sister, and she and my parents fight a lot." "That so?" I nodded in the gloom. "Well, why do you come here, if you have a family that cares about you at home?" "Because my parents are obsessively overprotective, and my sister is annoying and bratty." "Ah. Now it makes sense." "What about you? Any family?" "Just my parents. They're not anything special, and they don't really seem to care about me, just what I could end up doing for them." I rolled over so I faced him. His mismatched eyes stared back at me even in the dark. "What could you do?" "I think you'll learn soon enough." I inched away from him, and pushed against the lid of the coffin. It opened, and sounds met my ears again, from the hallway and neighboring rooms. I got up, and went to the door. "Really, I've had a great time, but I have to get back to my house." "Let me come with you." "I don't think so. Not this time." "I'm sorry if I frightened you," he said, frowning as he sat up and got out of his bed. "I have to get some things for my family, and I have to make a quick run to the store. I've really got to go." "At least let us have our drink. Please?" I looked between him, the coffin, and the couch with the drinks on the table. I sat on the edge of the couch. "Don't be nervous. I don't bite, much." "Yes you do. You're a vampire." He smiled wanly, and reached into his mouth. The fangs came out in his hand easily. "You're...human?" "I'm eighteen, so I'm allowed to do what I like. My parents are vampires, and they do live here, but I'm human." "How did that happen?" "I'm like my aunt, with the same blood tie to some great grandmother that was human turned vampire." "So, you're just a goth?" "No, I'm a vampire wannabe," he said, grinning. I rolled my eyes. "What?" "You're weird." "Thanks," he said. We were silent a moment, while I sipped my drink. "You must really be a vampire though. I mean, you're drinking that thing without any thought to it." "I was born a vampire." "You're lucky." "Why?" "Your family doesn't hate you." I shrugged uncomfortably. "Now would you be willing to have me over?" "I don't know. My parents would still have to allow it. Besides, I don't really know you yet." "I just shared with you the biggest secret of my life. You're the only person who knows about me besides my parents." "You must say that to all the girls," I teased. When I had finished both drinks, since he was obviously not going to have his, I got up to leave. "Must you go so soon?" "My family is expecting me, and sunrise won't be far after I get what I need to do done. He nodded solemnly. "Perhaps we can dance again tomorrow?" he asked. I considered the idea. "I might not be able to tomorrow." "I'll be on the roof." "I'll be here if I can be." I pushed aside his curtain door and left before he could say anything else. Back upstairs in the mortal club, I got a package from Romeo. He gave me a wink, and sent me on my way. I headed for the store. It didn't take long, but all the while, Hinder stayed on my mind. Back home, after a short, difficult flight, I put the groceries in their places around the kitchen and stuff the package of blood amulets in the freezer in the garage. "Is that you, Emby?" my mom called. "Do you have to call me that?" I replied. "Welcome home." "Hi, Ember!" Ferris screeched. Man, it was annoying when she did that. "Hi, Ferris. How was your night?" "Creepy," she said, grinning. "Yeah? What was so creepy about it?" "Momma is doing flight training for the next few months!" "That's great! Maybe we can go catch mice together." "Really? Would you?" "Yup. Soon as you're ready." "Ember, you know that we-" "Mom, it's be fun. Besides, real bats do eat mice, so we'll just be eating dinner of a different kind." "Yes, but what about-" "There's blood in mice, Mom." She gave me a look. She didn't know how to make an arguement against it, but she didn't want us to go off together by ourselves. She really didn't like me going to the club by myself. Both children off without parents equaled B-A-D. She sighed. "I guess there's no stopping you. I don't see a problem with it." "Yay!" Ferris shouted with glee. "Oh yeah, and Mom." "Hm?" "There's a new guy in town, moved here with his parents. Apparently he's a new regular. Vamp parents, human kid. He hides it pretty well." "Yes? What's his name?" "Hinder Maxwell." She froze. "Alexander!" My father was there faster than he ever could have been as a mortal. "What is it?" he asked. "We have to go." "Is it them?" She nodded once. "Ember, go pack a backpack and a suitcase. We're moving." "What! But, what about-" "Do as I've asked." I walked out. When my parents rushed to their room, I followed, and stayed hidden by the door to eavesdrop. "I will not let them terrorize our children as they terrorized us." "We only know one of them is back." "Where one goes, the other follows, and I can guarantee she has more children than he does." "Where will we take them?" "They want to be here, then we'll go back to Romania. They will not harm Ember and Ferris." "So what? Our lineage will just be hiding from theirs forever?" "Yes." I glared at the floor. I couldn't believe this! I'd never see Hinder again. I snuck back to my room, and packed as my father had asked. I never did see Hinder again, but my father, Alexander Sterling, was right. Our families had a long feud, and that feud continued. The Sterlings continued to hide from the Maxwells for generations. That was when my great grand daughter, Anya, was born. ********** I was seventeen, like my great grandmother before me, when I met a Maxwell. My name was Anya Sterling, and my parents, Jonah and Eriel, were worried about how much I took after my great grandmother. "Anya, be careful. You know what to do?" "Of course, Mom." She gave me a weary look. "We should have named you Ember after you great grandmother." "You always say I'm like her, and you've told me stories about her, sort of. But you've never told me how I'm like her." "Nothing you need to worry about. Just remember, if you hear the last name Maxwell, come straight home and tell us." "Yes, Mom." I had been born a vampire, like my great grandmother. I changed into a bat and flew to the Coffin Club. My parents had been the first Sterlings to move back to America in ages, but all of my living family was now sharing the Mansion in Hipsterville with us. My great grandparents down to my little brother and baby sister. I slipped out my window as a bat and flew to the club, appearing as myself upstairs of the club. The human security officers knew of our presence and did not take us out unless we caused problems. They were the only ones in the Coffin Club that knew. However, the Dungeon was a different story. I went downstairs to the basement door, shaped like a coffin, and pulled a key out of my back pocket, all white, with a skull for a handle. The door opened for me, and I slid inside, closing it tightly behind me. I followed the tunnel to the main room, and went to the bar. Aunt Dinelly handed me a decent sized box of blood vials. "How are you going to get that home all by yourself?" "I walk." "By yourself?" "I can take care of myself, Aunt Denelly." She shrugged and went back to work. I went back upstairs, and walked outside, heading home. On my way, I caught sight of a boy. He looked about my age, and he was hot. Jagged white hair with twilight blue tips hung in his eyes. One blue eye and one green eye each met my black eyes, green rings around my pupils. Those hypnotic eyes widened, and I took in the kid's surroundings. He was on a roof. At the edge. Standing with one foot over empty air. He was going to commit suicide. The boy opened his mouth as a glare took over his features. He was also human. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I arrived home breathing heavily. When I had calmed my racing heart, and I could speak properly, I called upstairs, "Dinner!" My little brother, James, and my sister, Vitika, were down first. They were followed by everybody else. I handed each of the adults an amulet to start with, then got some Vienna Sausage down from a cupboard. I mixed a vial into the juices and handed the tin to James, who sat on the couch in his regular spot and started eating them. Vitika's blood got mixed into extra cheesy mac-n-cheese. She sat on the opposite end of the couch from James. The adults took seats around the dining room table. I set second and third vials on the counter, and went out to the garage, where I stored the rest. I mixed my blood vial with a glass of milk, which I gulped down greedily. I wiped my mouth to get any excess of my lips, then went out into the living room and sat between my younger siblings. James is ten, Vitika is six. We watched cartoons until each of my siblings had to go to bed like good little vampires. I made sure they put on pajamas and brushed their teeth, and then I got an hour to do whatever I wanted. Except I had nothing to do. And everyday was like this, since I had been eight. I went up to my room, climbed into my coffin, hidden away behind a secret door, and slowly closed the lid. I could still hear my family downstairs, talking, laughing, enjoying time together. But I hadn't experienced anything. I knew very little about things outside my daily life. Things were about to change. The next day, I got up. After the usual reminders from my mom to be careful and watch out for Maxwells, I headed out. Jeesh, you'd think those Maxwells were some kind of cult or something. When I got to the club, I decided to detour from my normal schedule. Why did I always have to get the blood vials, and carry the heavy box home? I certainly didn't ask to not have a life of my own. "Anya. Nice to see you coming in instead of leaving." "Yeah. It's been a while, huh?" "Indeed." I glanced back at the line behind me as I took out the pass in the same back pocket as my Dungeon key. I froze. There he was. "Who is that?" I asked quietly to the bouncer. Ben, I think his name was. "Hinder Maxwell. He stopped coming here for about a month. Apparently he's back. He's eighteen. No one knows anything else about him." "Nothing?" Ben nodded. "Anyone tried talking to him?" "Sure. But he only responds with minimal answers." "I'll persuade him." I walked back to the guy. He was talking to a girl behind him. She was on the arm of a guy that was just like most of the wannabe goths that came here. Boring. "Hi." "Hey." He didn't even turn to look at me. "That wasn't very polite." "I don't know what you're talking about." "You're being extremely rude." He sighed, exasperated with my insistence. He turned around. "What do you wa-" His voice trailed off when he saw who was bothering him. "You!" he shouted with disbelief. My eyes widened with surprise. It was the human guy who'd spotted me yesterday. "I was right in thinking this is where you were coming from. Who are you?" My creepers weren't so sneaky when I ran away from him. "Hey, wait a minute!" Hinder Maxwell chased me towards the front of the line. I held up my pass for Ben, and he didn't comment. I thought he'd stop Hinder, but when I turned around just inside the door, Hinder was showing Ben a pass an awful lot like the one I was holding. I switched the pass for my Dungeon key, and ran inside. I stayed by the door. The handle turned slowly, creaking like an actual coffin lid. "Are you done running yet?" Hinder's voice asked. He stepped into the light, so I could see him. "Who are you?" he asked. I ran again, down into the main room, and through a mess of tunnels. I came to a dead end. "No where left to go. But if it's seclusion you want, we can go to my room down here." "You're a...then why were you…?" "Just let me explain, alright? And you can explain yourself, too. Come on." He grabbed my arm and dragged me back through the tunnels, into a different branch, then stopped in front of a door made out of a blood red blanket hung like a curtain. When I stepped in, the room was just like a place my great grandmother had described to me once. "Wait, what's your name?" "Hinder Maxwell." "Are you named after somebody in your family?" "My great grandfather. Why?" The world spun as I sat down hard. My great grandmother had known his great grandfather for a day. A lost romance. A love that had to be forgotten. "Are you okay?" "Fine," I said gruffly. "Come on in." The room was exactly like what she had described. "Does every guy in your family end up having this room?" "Only the oldest sons, and only once they've turned fourteen." "Who are your parents?" "Tanner and Felicia Maxwell." He walked further into the room, through a door, and vanished. He poked his head out when I didn't follow him. "Come on. Would you like something to drink?" "Depends." "On?" "What kind of drink you'd give me." "You're not getting anything from my throat." My eyes widened. "I'm not kidding. You're not. I may have invited you in here, but you're not going to have my blood. However, I can give you a drink with blood in it." "So you are a vampire." "No." "Then?" "Then what?" "What are you?" "Human." "What?" "Yeah. I'm human. First human born in my family since my great grandfather. That's why I'm named after him. But, I like to think I'm named after the band. He was." "Why do you have drinks with blood in them if you're not a vampire?" "For when I have guests like you over." "Ah, so you automatically assume I'm a vampire." "You haven't said you aren't, nor given me any reason to think otherwise, so, yeah." "Fair enough. No alcohol, please. Just put some blood in a Breakfast Essentials, if you have any." "No problem. Chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla?" "Chocolate." I sat at his breakfast bar while he got out milk and packets of the mixture. He also grabbed a baggie of blood from the fridge. He mixed the drinks, and handed mine to me when he was done. "Would you like to stay in here or go back to the first room?" "Um, I saw a massive CD collection. Definitely back there. Is it okay if I pick out something to listen to?" "Go for it. Honestly, I'm curious to find out what kind of music a vampire listens to." "What do you listen to?" I asked as he led me back to the first room. "A lot of stuff. But my favorite genres are rock and heavy metal." I perused the tower, not searching for anything in particular. My eyes landed on a Led Zeppelin case. I put that in his stereo, cranked the volume, and started rocking out in his room. Hinder just grinned at me. I stuck my hand out to him, and he got up like a lazy cat. "Fine, you want to dance? Let's dance." We moved to the beat around the room, and somehow, he knew exactly what he was doing, and what I was doing. We studied each others movements like a piece of art. When we'd figured out each other's rhythms, we danced together. It wasn't until we reached the end of the disk that I realized the time. "Crap! I've gotta get home!" Hinder glanced at a clock, then cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was so close to sunrise. I'll drive you home." "You drive?" "Yeah. Don't you?" "Vampires normally fly." "Really? I always thought that was a myth." "No." "Guess I haven't really talked to my vampire family." "Well, maybe you should." "Yeah. Maybe…" "By the way, what were you doing on that roof yesterday?" I asked as he led me back to the main room to get the blood vials. "Oh, uh…" "You really were trying to kill yourself?" He didn't respond, just rubbed the back of his head and kept walking. "What made you not do it?" He still didn't answer, or even look at me. We arrived at the bar, and Aunt Denelly got out the usual box. Hinder picked it up for me without a word. It didn't even seem to be heavy for him. We went upstairs and out to his car. He drove me home, got the box out of his trunk, and set it on the porch for me. He left without another word. I turned to wave, but he was already gone. "Strangely quick for not being a vampire…" I mumbled to myself. My cheek sizzled. I scooted inside, put the blood away, grabbing an amulet to drink real quick, and ran upstairs silently in my heavy creepers. I tossed the amulet into the trash. No one kept these. No one liked the designs. I blew out the candles in my room, and fled to the comfort of my hidden casket. In there, I lit a single candle, opened the wooden container, and sat morbidly inside, my legs dangling over. I let my toes touch the dirt that encircled me. The soil from the backyard relaxed me. I slipped my sock and shoe back on, and curled up in a ball, only a piece of my face visible in the slight light peeking in through the cracked open door. I rolled onto my side, and brought down the lid. My life had just taken an unexpected turn. Hinder Maxwell had entered my life, and I didn't know what to make of him. I lay awake in total dark. I could hear my restless great grandmother downstairs. She had never loved anyone. She got a donor in order to have my grandmother. She was strange in our family, but she was my favorite person in the world. Sure, my great great grandparents, Raven and Alexander Sterling were still alive and roaming around somewhere, but I'd only met them once. They were kind of boring. Okay, a lot boring. I stirred. I couldn't get thoughts of Hinder out of my head. I continued to toss and turn all day. When night finally came, I hadn't slept. "Anya, time to get up! Up, my flower!" My coffin lid creaked open, and candlelight flickered in. My overly perky grandmother stood there, looking about fifteen years old. I sighed and got up, rubbing at my eyes. I slothed around my room, changing clothes. I glanced down at myself. I had ended up in torn up black stockings, a dark blue pair of shorts over them. A purple long sleeved shirt with a burnt orange short sleeved shirt over it covered the top half of my body. Lastly, I put my black and green creepers, and put on thick, dark black eyeliner. I mussed my hair into messy spikes, and headed out. "Anya!" my mother called. "Yeah?" I asked, sticking my head back in. "Why were you back so late yesterday?" "Because I'm going to start doing what I want. How did I get stuck with the job of getting blood every day? I'm a teenager! I want to live!" "Well, unfortunately, we're all undead here." "Mom!" "Alright, alright. I'll start having you grandfather pick it up. Go, explore. The night is yours." "Love you, Mom!" "See you before sunrise." I closed the door and walked to the club. It wasn't far, and I enjoyed the pleasure of walking on cool Autumn nights. A full moon hung heavy overhead, and the stars seemed bigger than the leaves around me. The trees rustled in a breeze, and leaves and branched created lurking shadows. The creepiness gave me shivers of delight. I arrived at the club and was able to bypass the line again. I didn't see Hinder anywhere. Ben let me pass, and I entered the club. A mob of human teens and young adults thrashed to lame music. I headed upstairs. If Hinder was here, or London my aunt downstairs would have seen him. "London!" I yelled to get her attention. When she saw me, she smiled. She was my only friend outside of home. She was a vampire, too. The human clubsters didn't need to know that, though. London was wearing an outfit reminiscent of the rock band she hadn't started yet. Her chocolatey hair was edgy and crazy, and she had a pair of very cool sunglasses on that hid her eyes. She was wearing a one strapped tanktop and black jeans ripped at the knees. Her feet were covered in black and red converse. "Loving the look! I was wondering if you'd seen somebody." "Depends on the somebody doesn't it?" she called over her shoulder as she mixed drinks like mad. She was like me, a seventeen year old vampire trying to make a way into the world. "Well, actually, it's a boy." "Well, then!" She finished the latest round of drinks, collecting several tips. "Mandy! Take over for a few minutes, I have to talk to Anya." "Okay, no problem." The very preppy blonde bounced into her place behind the bar. At this club, the fewer the preps, the better, but we had to get somebody to understudy London. Thankfully, our dark ways were beginning to rub off on Mandy. Her pink Skechers had been switched for a pair of pink, black lace covered combat boots. Black eyeliner instead of her old clear shine. Burgundy lipstick instead of sparkly gloss. "She's getting better, I see," I commented to London. "The day she goes from prep school uniforms and dresses to black jeans and metal band shirts will be the day I be a prep." "Just for that day though, right?" "Right. Now, tell me about this boy you're looking for." "Okay, well, his name is Hinder, like the band. He has white hair with blue tips, and mismatched blue and green eyes. He's a human goth!" "What? Get out!" "Anyways, I've seen him twice now, the first time just for a few moments, and yesterday he took me down to the Dungeon with him, and told me about how his family members are all vampires and he was human." "Are you seeking to turn this guy?" "I have to get to know him better, first. And to do that, I have to find him." "I haven't seen him, but make sure to ask your aunt downstairs. I have to get back to work. I'll talk to you later." "Okay, later, London." I took out my key and hurried into the underground. "Aunt Denelly!" "What is it, sweetie?" "Do you remember the boy I was with yesterday?" "Yes. Very cute together. Is he your new boyfriend?" "No. But I'm looking for him. Have you seen him?" "I did see him, about twenty minutes ago, actually. He was leaving in an awfully big hurry. Couldn't even stop to talk to me. I wanted to ask him if the two of you were dating, but, you know how boys can be. How-" "Thanks, Aunt Denelly!" She kept rambling even after I ran out and went into the secret room for vampires to arrive in. I changed into a bat and flew as quickly as I could along my path home, looking for the building. There it was! I landed on the roof and changed form behind a satellite dish and peeked from behind it. Hinder stood on the edge of the five story building. I don't know how I had seen him a couple days ago, up so high, but I'd felt his eyes on me first. "Hinder!" He freaked out and scrambled back from the edge. "Hinder, don't do this," I said, running towards him. "What do you care?" "I care to get to know you. You feel alone in the world. Well, my closest friend is considered an acquaintance to most people. My family doesn't know me, and I don't know my family, except for my great grandmother. She's gone most of the time." "The only person I connect with is my great grandfather, the one that I'm named after. He's rarely home, like your great grandmother." "I think they're looking for each other." "Wouldn't that make you and I hanging out weird?" "No. The line I come from in my family would be different from the line they might possibly create between the two of them. Neither of us are related to each other in any way. We have different blood." "Alright, I see your point." "But you still shouldn't do this." "Why?" "Because you may find yourself sharing a connection with somebody else." He stared at me for a long time. "What happened?" "Huh?" "To your cheek. Just there," he said, brushing a finger to demonstrate on his cheek, just below his cheekbone. "Oh, that. It doesn't matter." "No, tell me." "Will you get off the roof if I tell you?" He considered it for a moment. "Alright, deal." "Well, I turned around to wave bye at you yesterday, but you were already gone. The sunrise caught me. I had to run inside before anymore light hit me." "Really? I'm sorry. What else is true about vampires?" "Like?" "Will garlic kill you?" "Yes." "Stake to the heart?" "I don't see what's so special about that. It could kill anybody." "Silver?" "No. I mean, if someone cut my head off with a silver knife, sure. But do we have aversions to silver? No, not really." "Sunlight hurts you, you sleep in a coffin. You drink blood, obviously. Can you change into a bat?" "Yep. I love flying, except today I was a little busy tracking you down, and before that, since I was eight, I've been busy. I'm not busy anymore." "Cool." Hinder stood up and walked to the door that led back downstairs. "Where are you going?" "A promise is a promise. I figured you'd like to dance again, since you enjoyed it so much yesterday. Actually, I have a specific dance to teach you. Do you like the Renaissance era?" "Seriously? I'm fascinated by that time period." "Good. Then, come with me." I followed him downstairs, and we started walking back towards the club. "So, why that building?" "It's the closest building that's tall enough to likely kill on impact." "So, no special connection?" "No. Well, now it does have a special connection for me. But, no, before it didn't." "Okay. Now you get to ask a question." "Favorite color?" "Care to guess?" "Black?" I laughed. "No, but a close second." "Green?" I nodded. "What's yours?" "Deep, dark, twilight blue." "Like the tips of your hair." "Yeah. What's your favorite food?" "Orange Blossom Cheesecake." He gave me a strange look. "It's a Romanian dessert. What's yours?" "Chocolate Lava Cake." "Yum. What's your favorite movie?" "Grease 2. You?" "Musicals rock, but I like the Narnia movies." "What's your favorite book? Mine is the Eragon series." "I like Rick Riordan's mythology books. Any of them. They're all really awesome. Favorite song?" "It used to be Highway to Hell, but it's beginning to change. Deepest Cut by Get Scared sounds better everytime I listen to it." "Maybe you find it applying to your life more each day. I'll have to check it out sometime. My favorite song is Deer in the Headlights by Owl City." "That's a good song." "Yeah. I'm just waiting to find a love like that." "You will. I can promise, you will." "How can you promise something like that?" "I just know, okay?" I gave him a curious look and shrugged. We'd arrived at the club, and Ben let us by without a word. Hinder took me down to his quiet Dungeon room.
Author's Note
Hey guys, thanks for being patient. I'm glad to have finally figured this out. So, enjoy reading without troubles. Thanks for sticking by me. :) -Etsuke Hansamora