March 1823

Rachel ducked her head under a branch as she walked into the clearing. Rachel had always been told how dangerous it was in the woods but she never felt afraid. It was a commonly known fact that people had a tendency to disappear from time to time, animal attacks and the such but Rachel felt that if that were the way she would die so be it. This was her favorite place to be, alone with nature, her thoughts and occasionally a good book. She was always home before dusk made its descent and never after dark. She wasn't stupid but on beautiful days under the a full sun, she felt no fear here.

Rachel did not meet societies standards of what she should be, she was a perpetual outsider. She was 20 years old and the only definite in her future was marriage and babies maybe a job as a seamstress or a nanny. But Rachel wanted more, she wanted her own life and that caused friction at home. Her family wanted her to step up and behave as a well raised women should. Rachel found herself spending a lot more time sequestered away in the woods, dreaming of a life outside of the rolling farms of Western Ohio. There was a world out there that she wanted to see and experience.

Rachel removed her bonnet from her head and hiked her dress up as she made her way through the thick undergrowth to the clearing. This was her special place, she loved to sit in the filtered sunlight and dream. Sometimes she would sing, her angelic voice carrying across the empty space, her audience the trees and animals. They were the perfect audience, she always had them captivated.

But this day was different, Rachel was only in the clearing for a short time when she felt a foreign presence. She looked up to see a young man standing across the field. Her body tensed up, she never saw people in the woods, she was always alone out here. The man was unfamiliar to her, he was average height but his dress was peculiar. He did not look like he was from around here. Before she could move he was towering over her and fear ran through her veins. How did he get across the field so quickly, what did he want with her? He pulled her to her feet by her shoulders and she let a scream escape her lips, but there was nobody around to hear it.

"Shhh" his eyes bore into her.

She tried to fight against him but he was so strong he simply held her in place. He was smiling at her with an almost sinister tone. Her back was up against the tree, his broad shoulders blocking her path before her. She screamed again, her powerful voice rocking out of her small body.

"Shut up" he hissed at her staring deep into her big brown eyes.

Her eyes were locked with his, her mouth clamped shut.

"Please let me go, I'm just out here to think, I mean nobody no harm."

"The woods are dangerous, hasn't anyone ever told you."

"I've heard about the animal attacks, but I have a connection with nature out here.

"Foolish" his voice was thick.

"Excuse me?"

"Animal attacks are what I would be afraid of least" his laughter was cold.

She just watched in horror as fangs replaced his canines and he smiled at her. She had heard stories, about the demons who roam the earth but had always attested it to legend. I mean vampires aren't real she thought but the man before her would attest the them existing. And it was daylight.

"You will do just fine" he laughed, his voice thick with a British accent, before bending his head and sinking his fangs into the soft flesh of her neck and she was helpless to stop him.

Her first conscious thought was that she was on fire, a burning feeling shooting from every inch of her frame radiating out to her extremities. She hesitantly slid her eyes open despite the pounding in her head, things coming into focus, she definitely was not on fire in a literal sense. The room was dark but she could see well, she had no idea where she was but it was cold and damp against her skin. She wasn't alone, she could sense others around her though she could not make out anything other than darkened frames. She moved her arm to her neck but felt nothing but cold smooth flesh under her fingers.

She didn't know what was going on, the last thing she remembered was the sun glistening off the fangs of the young man in the woods. She remembered the pain and unexpected euphoria as the fangs sank deep into her neck. As he drank her life from her, the last thought in her mind before she blacked out, of her family. She felt as though she was burning alive and couldn't shake it, every move she made sent excruciating shocks through her small frame. She sat up against the wall, pulling her knees to her chest. She began to asses herself. Running her hands over exposed skin feeling for injuries. Her eyes scanned over her arms, when she noticed a dark black sun marked on her wrist. She had seen tattoos on men who had been soldiers but never on a women. She rubbed it with a finger and cried out as pain shot up her arm, it was defiantly real.

Rachel was scared, she had no idea what was going on. What had happened to her, where she was and who these other people were. Rachel didn't want to draw attention to herself, so she sat silently against that wall in agony. How much time had passed minutes, hours, days, a week? We're people out looking for her? Had they even noticed she was gone?

And she was thirsty, god was she ever thirsty. The thirst actually burned deep down inside her. She felt like she was loosing her mind and her body felt like a foreign vessel. Across the room she heard shuffling and scraping. Part of wanted to call out a hello, the more logical part wanted to hide.

Her body tensed as a dark shadow approached her slowly, coming more into focus. He was moving cautiously through the dark room, observing as he moved. The tall framed man came to a stop when he was looking down at her. His eyes were dark and expressive as she flinched under his gaze.

"I'm not going to hurt you" he said sliding down the wall beside her.

"You say that" she regarding him cautiously but didn't stop him or move away.

They both sat in silence for a short while, neither making a move or an attempt to speak. Finally he turned his head to look in her direction holding out his hand, her eyes flitted over his hands, landing on the tattoo on his wrist.

"Finn Hudson" his voice was smooth almost velvety.

Rachel was taken a little aback by how stunningly handsome he was. Tall, lean but broad shouldered with this brown hair that seemed to stick out from all over.

"Rachel Berry" she responded taking his hand briefly.

She had questions, so many questions but she could not get the words to form. It took an effort just for her to speak. She was so thirsty her throat was burning. He didn't say anything else, waiting for her to speak. He would occasionally look over at her, appraising her.

"I'm so thirsty" she finally gasped out, her voice rough.

"That will pass, or at least you will learn to control it better" he said.

"Control the thirst?" she questioned.

"Yeah, it doesn't get any easier but your will power will get stronger"

"My willpower?"

"Yes, you can control it"

"What is happening to me?" she whispered her head pounding with each word.

"Your being reborn" he said simply stretching out his legs.

"Pardon?" she asked angling her body more towards his.

"The pounding headache, the stiff muscles, the way your body feels like it's on fire. The unwavering thirst and scattered thoughts. What is left of your human life is being killed off" he tried to explain running a hand through his hair.

"I'm dying?" she gasped

"No Miss Berry, you have already died."

She gasped at his words "I'm dead."

"Technically"

"Did you kill me?"

"Nope"

"Is this hell? How am I still here?"

"Hell? Not in the physical sense but the demon is taking it's residence, you are being reborn, you are becoming one of us" his words made no sense to her.

"One of what?"

"Vampire"

"Vampire" the word seemed so foreign.

Vampires were legends, subject of myths. Despite what she remembered she knew that could not be true. They were not real things but metaphors for all that was wrong in the world. Or at least that was what Rachel had come to believe. But sitting here in this dark basement the reality hit her that maybe everything she had believed had been wrong. Maybe there was a lot about her world she didn't see.

"You didn't do this to me?"

"No" he said simply.

"Why are you here then?"

"Welcome committee?" He snickered.

She stared at him not finding him

humorous. After a brief pause he continued "they are building an army."

"A vampire army?" she began "Mr. Hudson that sounds completely absurd."

"What is stronger than an army of newborn vampires" he asked her bending a piece of metal on the floor near them.

She didn't really know the answer to his question so she just shrugged running her fingers over the tattoo. He noticed her action

"Daywalkers" he said simply.

"Daywalkers?" she asked

He nodded to the tattoo on his own wrist "The ink they made to mark us was cursed by a witch which allows us to walk in the sunlight. We are their secret weapon, Vampires who can walk in the daylight. Who would ever imagine?"

"We live down here?"

"No, just while your turning."

"So you are new too?"

"No, not really but they didn't want you to wake up alone, so..."

Then she began to laugh then and he looked at her puzzled "I'm a Vampire, I have fangs and drink blood and have a tattoo that allows me to walk in sunlight. And you are here to help me believe all this. Mr. Hudson are you crazy? Are you an insane person?"

"I am completely sane Miss Berry" he said evenly

"You want me to believe that I'm, we are vampires. Vampires created to build an army to..."

"They want their territory back, from the humans, they are tired of living in the darkness"

She chuckled.

"A supernatural turf war."

"Yes"

"Prove it" she sneered "prove that you are some supernatural demon and not just a crazy kidnapper."

"Seeing is believing" he said.

He turned to her and she watched in awe as fangs slid down to replace his canine teeth. She reached a finger in his direction, her muscles burning with the movement. She placed one finger against the sharp point of his fang. It dug into her flesh but didn't break the skin. She pushed harder but drew no blood.

She could not believe this was happening, she had to be dreaming, she must have fallen asleep in the woods. She willed herself to wake up, to come back to reality but nothing happened. When she removed her finger his fangs slid up and he spoke again

"This is our reality Miss Berry" it was like he had known what she was thinking.