I never understood these weird visions I got from time to time. I'd see a woman spill her drink, and ten seconds it would happen. Or, I'd see a man and a woman living a happy life together, and in an instant, I'd see the woman sitting alone by herself. I was never sure of anything of what I saw; it could disappear as easily as it had popped into my head. But the first two visions, my first "sight" as a vampire, I knew would come true. They had been so clear, vivid and real, unlike anything I had seen since that day. The first vision was of a handsome man, with eyes and skin like mine. I saw him walk up to me, take my hand, and smile in a way that made me think he hadn't smiled in a very long time. I didn't know anything about this man, except that he was vampire, but for some reason, I knew I loved him. From the moment he appeared in my mind's eye, I felt a closeness to him, and have felt incomplete without him ever since. The second vision was of a family, vampires again, who were living peacefully among humans. I saw the father figure and his wife open their home to us; then, I saw me, the man from my first vision, and three other vampires, all of whom were about the same age as me, living together as a family. These images were so clear and so real, I knew there was no way they couldn't come true. I had only seen the images once, but I played them in my head over and over again everyday.

It had been too many years since I had first seen those images. With only pictures, I had no way of knowing when I'd find my family, the missing pieces of my soul. Depending on how close I was with the subjects of my visions, I could gather more information; but these strangers whom I loved remained a mystery to me. So, I survived day after day knowing somehow my journeys would help me find them.

My travels eventually led me Philadelphia. It was a cloudy day, and it would eventually turn into a rainy one, so I was window shopping, looking at some new designs in the boutiques. By the time I reached the end of the street, the rain had started to pour out of the sky. The unexpected rain (to everyone else…I had an umbrella) forced people to find shelter inside the nearest cafes and shops. I was planning to walk back home, until a voice from a café forced me to stop.

"Miss! Excuse me miss!' a man in the doorstep of the café waved about, attempting to get my attention. I paused.

"Shouldn't be out here, you'll catch your death in this storm," he said, flashing me a smile. "It's nice and warm inside!"

I smiled. "Thank you, but I'm fine."

He looked at me with a mock sternness. "Now miss, I must insist you take shelter from the rain in this particular café. It would be a waste for such a pretty girl to catch a cold."

I laughed quietly, and made my way towards the café. There was no need to cause unwanted gossip about a crazy lady in the rain.

The café was crowded; apparently this was a popular place to take shelter, whether that be from the rain or the general monotony of life. I took a seat by the bar. The rain would stop in a little over a half hour, and I could make my way home. I was staying with some friends in a cottage in the woods, as I made my way cross-country. I had heard a lot of my kind stays in the upper northwest, because of the lack of sun. Maybe if I made my way up there, I would find at least one missing part of me.

I waited for the rain to stop, and listened to conversations around the bar. One man was spending his last dollar on a pint, and another couple was arguing over their daughter's impending marriage. I loved to people watch, especially in situations like this. It made the time go faster, and was a definite entertainment. I had been in the bar for about twenty minutes, when the image of him, the handsome man, hit me. This wasn't the normal seeing him, when I pulled his image into my head several times a day. This vision was stronger and clearer, even more so than the first time I'd seen him. I saw him walk through the doors of this café, and look right at me, his eyes red and black. I saw his smile, and could almost feel the warmth of his skin on mine. The image slowly faded, and I was snapped back to reality.

"He's here!" I thought. "He's here, he's here, he's finally here."

I felt like I was in a romantic movie, like the ones I saw in the theaters I took refuge in on sunny days. It was just like the ending of almost every movie, when you know the two characters are going to get together and live happily ever after, if only they could be in the same room together at last. All the years I had waited for him seemed like nothing compared to how time seemed to stop, now that I knew he was almost here. I wanted to run in the streets and find him quicker, but I was frozen to my seat. My visions tended to come and to go so quickly, I was afraid one slight movement would set us farther apart than we had been before. I had waited so long for him, and I wasn't about to lose him when he was so close.

I kept my eyes glued to the door. Every tick of the clock seemed to last an eternity. Finally, the door opened.

The young man stepped in, and quickly shook the rain out of his wild blonde hair. My heart dropped in my stomach. I was actually seeing him. This wasn't a vision or a memory. This was real. He looked around, presumably to find a place to sit, and his gaze fell upon me. He looked as if he had been waiting for me as well. Suddenly, it seemed as if all the people in the café, in the whole world even, disappeared. All I saw, for this moment, was him and me. We were finally together.

I stood up and walked over to him. His eyes were filled with wonder as I stepped towards him. I smiled, eleated at finally seeing him. We stared at each other in silence and awe. Finally, I spoke.

"You've kept me waiting a long time." He smiled, never taking his eyes off of me, and tipped his hat.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting ma'am." His voice had a slight twang to it. I took his hand, feeling such a strong sense of relief, as I was finally touching him. I had imagined being with him for so long. I could barely believe that he was really here beside me.

The rain had just about stopped now, and I led him out of the café. We walked together on the damp streets quietly, our hands intertwined.

"I'm Alice, by the way." I said finally.

"Jasper," he replied, looking down at me, the smile still on his face.