I'm back, baby :D Haha sorry for the ridiculously long and inexcusable absence! I had to get this out there, but I'll be updating my other stuff too don't worry(: Enjoy!

I've always loved the woods - it gives me a sense of peace, of belonging, a place to run to. I know it will always be there, regardless of everything else going on in my life. My mother warned and prohibited me from coming here lately due to missing hikers, but with her screaming at me all the time about everything I do wrong, where else does she expect me to go?

I walked through the twigs and low-growing vegetation around me, deviating a few feet from the trail. Something - probably my good sense - was telling me that this was a bad idea because of everyone going missing lately, but I honestly didn't care. At least going missing would be a break from the monotony.

Okay, I'll take it back. Things weren't that bad. I just need escape every now and then, which is not something my mother and step-father really understood. Ever since Dad died and my older brother ran off with his stripper girlfriend, Mom wasn't the same. She married some rich, uptight fake who felt he was better than everyone else, including me, just because he lived in a big house in Vermont. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, figuratively. I was seventeen, and I was going into my senior year of high school. After that I'd be leaving for college, and I'd be free.

I was thinking about that freedom – sweet, glorious freedom – when I noticed the cloudy sky getting darker above me.

I hadn't realized exactly where I was going, but I knew that I was in a part of the forest I wasn't quite familiar with. Panic fluttered in my chest briefly, but I attempted to think around it – I would just pull out my compass and find my way back-

My inner attempts at reasoning with myself were cut off but a deep, menacing growl. I froze, my eyes darting around restlessly, trying to find the source of the sound. The sun had set faster than I had expected, and my night vision wasn't as sharp as I wished. I heard something that sounded vaguely like voices followed by laughter, and I ran toward the sound, happy at the fact that people were nearby and I wasn't too far from the trail, apparently.

I followed the sound cautiously, not wanting to attract the wrong kind of attention. When I found the source of the voices, the people they belonged to were so... different that I staggered to stop and hid behind the thick trunk of a tree, grateful for my uncanny ability to blend in. I peeked around the tree. There were three women, one blonde, one brunette, and one black-haired. The brunette, who was facing away from me, was in a strange stance, almost a crouch, except it was oddly defensive and... anamalistic, even. The other two women were glancing between her and each other. The blonde's expression was annoyed, and the black-haired woman's was somewhat smug. I quieted my breathing and listened.

"I told you not to goad her, Eva," the blonde said, shooting a glance at the other woman.

Eva rolled her eyes. "It's not my problem Annie needs anger management therapy, Lydia."

Lydia sighed and turned to Annie. "Annie, please..."

The growl that came from Annie was so inhuman I involuntarily staggered backward, snapping a twig under my foot. I was taken aback – it sounded like the exact same growl I had heard not too long ago. Intrigued and afraid all at once, I kept listening. This group of pale women were fascinating me.

A few things happened at once, then. First, Annie straightened up out of her crouch in a movement so fast it was a blur. Then, the three women turned and stared at me. Thirdly, their eyes were red... as red as fresh blood.

I gasped, frozen in shock. Raw terror slithered through my veins like poison, for reasons I couldn't explain. I turned and ran.

Before I could get very far, I tripped and fell over a log. A stick found its way into my palm and drew blood, which stung a little. I couldn't focus on that now, though. I scrambled to get off the ground. I turned around, and was faced with the three women who had obviously chased me. I noticed then that they were extremely beautiful. Their features were flawless, and I felt my mouth drop open.

The brunette, Annie, dropped into a crouch and snarled at me, baring her teeth. The blonde was regarding me with a seemingly curious expression, but her frightening eyes were guarded, yet considering. She placed a hand on Annie's shoulder. Annie turned, confused, but Lydia shook her head. "Not this one," I heard her murmur.

"But she's seen too much! And I haven't fed in a while..." she complained. She was gazing at me like a predator staring down its prey.

Her words startled me. I was too paralyzed to move, even though I still had the overwhelming urge to get myself the hell out of there.

"I know, but I have a good feeling about her."

Annie stood up straight and met Eva's eyes, then Lydia's. Slowly, they both nodded.

"What are you?" I blurted. My voice was little more than a whisper.

Lydia met my eyes then; her expression was somewhat sad. "First things first. What is your name?"

"Kristin," I answered.

"Well, Kristin, I wish I could tell you differently."

Before I knew what happened, everything went black.