THREE

"What's wrong?"

"The buck is back." Lizzie pointed. "You know Lina if you've got a phobia of deer you should tell us."

"Huh?" I looked at Lizzie. "Didn't I just faint?"

Lizzie gave me a look before patting me on the back and gave a laugh. "Good one, Lina."

I could have sworn that I fainted. I remember being in a room and that voice in my head. Telling me that I've been chosen for a gift. Well I hope it's tickets to the Placebo concert I've been dying for them to come to the states. I highly doubt that's the gift he was talking about. My head swam with questions. Why me? And why did he insist on following me whenever I went? And when were these answers coming? The temptation of the police slowly crept it's way into the part of the brain that's suppose to trigger the reaction, but that part was on vacation. I opted for the easy way, to forget that it happened and enjoy the rest this gorgeous day.

A faint voice sounded its call over the lake. One of the teachers held a mega-phone, announcing that all paddle boats and canoes were to return. Apparently we were being inconsiderate by not using the canoes. Showing our thanks we saluted the teacher's turned back.

Once back at the dock they turned up the volume to tan by. With only having a hour left at the park, before returning for the Senior Run, Lizzie and Syndie accompanied me on a nice walk down the bike paths. Blue birds and robins chirped in the branches well above our heads, avoiding us. I wouldn't blame them, who wants to be put in a cage and leisurely glanced at. The sun's rays played upon the leaf covered ground, the fractured light captured the dust swirling them around. Syndie picked up a stick and nonchalantly poked Lizzie in the behind, pretending it wasn't her and blamed it on me. Occasionally we would blame things on our imaginary friend Bob.

Bob was created in middle school, as every twelve year old knows. Bob is the reason why your homework was incomplete or looked like World War III flew over it. Of course it was Bob's fault that we didn't get that snow day a few years back, and we thanked him for the blizzard our freshman year.

Lizzie about had enough of the poking and walked ahead of us. Syndie and I snickered as she picked up a exceedingly longer branch proceeding with the poking. The muffled sound of Lizzie's radio could be heard even from where we were in the bike path, which meant it was insanely loud now. I wondered what they could possibly be doing. Singing like a bunch of drunks to the tune or dancing like one either was a wise choice.

"Lina?" A voice called. Syndie's.

"A-yeah?" I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Space Cadet." She rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, did you want something?" I asked.

"Actually Lizzie wanted to know if you were going to introduce us to Erik." I looked at Lizzie who was walking backwards, waving to me.

"If all goes well, I promise, that you'll all meet him. I'll even invite him to our Graduation." Okay the last part was a lie. I smile though, making them believe it to be true.

"How's the poltergeist?" She asked once Lizzie turned around.

"Following me." I looked behind me just in case the buck was there, which it wasn't.

"What do you mean?" Syndie looked as well. "I see nothing."

"The deer we saw earlier, that was him."

"That would explain you freaking out on us." She screwed up her face. "And how'd you know it was the presence?"

"Well for one thing the buck had bright green eyes, how many deer have bright green eyes?" I pointed out.

"It didn't have green eyes, Lina." She gave me a worried face.

As unpleasant as the bus ride was I paid no attention to the unsteadiness or the stench of lake water. What caught my thoughts in a paralyzing grip were Syndie's words and the imprint of her face. She looked at me as if she'd seen me for the first time, confused as to why this person was standing in her way. Why was it that I, and I alone, witnessed the deformity? I recall fainting and dreaming about the table with the sole candle and those same eyes. I should be locked up in an asylum, obviously, by now I'm officially crazy. My thoughts drifted back to the dreamscape, those piercing emerald eyes. Like the eyes of the deer. The deer and the presence had to be connected, but how? The deer can't be following me in and out of the walls or watching me as I slept. Even though the slight pain of a head ache came upon me I continued with my thoughts. Maybe the deer was a pawn of the presence, in that it was a puppet on it's strings, pushed and pulled this way and that to set me up for that moment. I had seen those eyes before, I saw them in the book-HONK! I jumped so high I fell out of my seat and into the aisle.

"What was that?" I yelled embarrassed.

"Someone in the front has an air horn." Syndie extended a hand to me. Perfect timing too, I was having a break through but now it's gone. The jolt sent a shock through my system, any previous ideas were lost.

Or so I thought.

The Senior Run. The name implies all that it is. As soon as the buses pulled back up at the school we leapt out and making a dash for the halls. See Seniors run. Hear Seniors scream and set off fire alarms. But that's not the extent of it, oh no, we proceed to add banging on lockers and windows, leading to damage. The Senior class broke five windows, set off three fire alarms, smashed two exist signs and one injured boy. Being an idiot he put his fist through a window resulting in a bloody mess. He walked down the hall mumbling that it didn't hurt and it wasn't his fault. The damage we had caused cost the next year Seniors their run. What were we to care? We had our run. And we enjoyed it. THE END.

I hadn't been home for five minutes when the phone rang off the hook. It rang for hours. Every call was a different friend and each time I let it ring. The messages which were left on the answering machine consisted of tips for my date and corny pick-up lines that I should be aware of. Clearly the use of pick-up lines were to get someone to go out with you, I was already going to dinner with him. The tips, however, were to detailed for my taste. Too many romance novels and Cosmopolitan magazines have been consumed for our own good.

My parents had decided to venture out for a night for themselves, which I believe, to be a shopping spree for my graduation gifts. I took this as my advantage, telling them I was going over to Aggie's for a movie night. My sister on the other hand I had to convince with a twenty not to let slip my date with Erik.

Now let me say this about my style of clothing. I'm not a girl that pays the amount equal to that of a newly released video game just so I can wear brand name items. My jewelry contains of simple chains of silver decorated with dragon pedants. I wear baggy clothes to hide certain parts of my anatomy I dislike and my color of choosing is black. Looking into my closet I knew I had nothing proper to wear for dinner. To compensate for my casual attire I took out a pair of black dress pants and a favorite band tee. Casual dress, good enough for me. I took one last look in the mirror and went downstairs to wait.

Flipping through the channels I skimmed the surface of a scary movie, in turn, bored me to pieces. Horror nowadays has taken a turn for the worst. All the ideas have been taken by the classics or advanced 3D graphics have made them too good to be true. Although Hollywood has made great movies to scare children into nightmares, the plots are all the same. One, if not all the people in the movie, must die. And what really pinches me the wrong way is the fact that the special effects guys put too much blood in the human body, I mean a guy who gets slashed in the throat is not going to bleed an Olympic sized pool. I turned it off.

Car lights slithered across the wall.

Looking out the window I saw a car come up the driveway. I yelled up to my sister that I was leaving and that she should do her homework. I grabbed my purse and waited for the knock. That's when I realized how excited I was, my heart was racing and my stomach was aflutter. I took a smiling deep breath to gain my composure before the knock sounded. I unlocked the door and opened it. Standing there was not the man Syndie had described. Jet black, long hair flowed down his shoulders, his face was a perfect shape, fitting his nose, mouth, and eyes well in their rightful places. He wore black leather pants, not skin tight but just perfect, he had a matching jacket as well, underneath a white button down dress shirt. I took a well noticed glance at his chest and stomach, his skin was creamy white in color, I know this because three buttons were undone, two at the bottom and one at the top. And his eyes, those emerald eyes.

I froze and then took a step back.

"Judging by your stance, you've figured out who I am." Velvet, just like I remember, from the dream. "I won't hurt you, that I promised. Please…" His extended hand was welcoming, yet I stared at it.

"Don't you want your answers?" He gave a smile that could have melted even the coldest of hearts.

"You promise not to hurt me." I forced my voice not to sound frightened.

"No harm will come to you, I promise on the soul of my Beloved."

I nodded and took his hand. "Where are we going?" Might as well start now.

"To dinner unless you want to skip." My stomach growled. " Dinner it is then." He smiled angelically, flashing unusual teeth.

His car was a black jaguar and from what I could tell all the windows were extremely tinted. My first thought was that he's filthy rich, but when I looked at him he seemed too young to be, himself, rich. Must be his father or something, or I could be all wrong about him. The interior of the car was all leather, do I sense a fetish? The car purred to life and we were on our way.

"Tell me why you've been following me."

"I'll tell you all in good time." He didn't look at me. "First we have dinner than I'll tell you."

"How about we do this my way, like I have told you, I'm impatient. Lets get drive thru and we talk while we eat."

"Clever, I knew I was right about you."

"Now you must answer that one." I turned in my seatbelt to get a better view of him.

"Companions of mine think poorly of my actions, they believe that you have nothing to do with-" He searched for the right words. "Our problems."

"So you need me for something. I can't fathom what you'd need me for, I'm not exactly the brightest light on the corner." He gave a chuckle.

"I've been told that on a few occasions." We pulled up to a fast food restaurant and ordered our food. We pulled off into park somewhere to eat and I hoped that he would tell me all that I wished to know.

"Is your name really Erik or is that a code name?" I shoved a fry into my mouth. My stomach thanked me.

"It's really Erik, I'm guessing you called me and you got my machine. Figures you'd call when I wasn't aware." Erik took a bite of his burger, he seemed to be savoring it.

"Sorry." I paused before continuing. "What is this gift you are to bestow upon me?"

"Let me begin by telling you who I am." He took another bite swallowed and set it down. "My name is Erik and I'm a Vampire."

"Vampire? Now that's funny." Laughing I took a long drink of my soda, when I realized that he wasn't laughing. "You're serious, aren't you."

"I have no reason to lie to you. Like I've said, I will not harm you."

"If you're a vampire, then how are you able to eat human food?" I waved a fry in his face.

"Although our appetite is only for blood, we were once mortals, we can eat human food we just don't crave it nor do we need it anymore." He took the burger in his hand. "This has been my first cheese burger in, at least, fifty years."

"That long huh? Good isn't it?"

"It's good but I could live another fifty years without ever tasting it again. Like I've said I no longer need this for strength." He looked at me after taking another bite. "You have another question?"

"How'd you know?" Erik gave a "lucky guess" shrug. "You were the man that carried me to Syndie's car and you were also the deer at the picnic and the freaky eyes in my dream so tell me this, why is it that you had blonde hair and the body of an animal?"

"Why don't I make this easier for you, I'll tell you everything, no interruptions until the end of my tale." I nodded my head. He began. "As you have questioned me before I am the one who has been following you but I'm not the only one, you see, there is another vampire on the hunt for you. I've been protecting you for a long time, only until now has my proximity, to you, has made itself known. You sensed me watching you, day after day night after night. Your intuition is strong, the strongest, in a mortal I've seen in years. I was amazed how you were able to pick up my presence so quickly, your instinct told you to be on your guard but deep down you failed to feel anything dangerous about me. What dangerous feeling you got was from the other vampire, his name is unknown to us, he's a fledgling that turned on his creator and has learn that with drinking other vampire's blood he gains their strengths and knowledge. I believe you have hidden powers that can be drawn out with the blood, why else would he track you down. To keep him from you I've kept myself closer. Last night you came within inches of this vampire but thanks to my quick thinking I possessed the body of the neighbors dog to divert him." He stopped to ask me if I was alright. I had gone pale.

"He was at my house…" I felt my eyes water with fear. Not only could he have harmed me and my family but Syndie as well.

"He has no desire for your friends or family, don't fret over that." I nodded but still kept the thought in the back of my mind.

"I made myself known to you at the mall because I felt you needed to be informed of all that was coming to you. Unfortunately, at that moment, I found that you are sensitive to the 'unknown'. My power was too overwhelming for an inexperienced medium so you fainted. Now like the dog the night before I repeated that effect with the young buck, the vampire stirred clear. As for the dreamscape it was nothing but a simple trick I've learned to produce over the years, to stop time, and bring your spirit to another realm to break the ice so to speak." He looked at me, signaling that I was free to a questionnaire.

"You use possession to walk in the daylight?" He nodded his head. That would explain why the man in the bookstore and the deer but what about the other times? He must have possessed birds and other men on the streets to follow me around town. As if he knew what I was thinking he nodded as well.

"Tell me more about this possession thing." I munched on some more fries.

"I have a feeling you're referring as to why my eyes stay with me, and I can't fully understand that concept either. I can, however, guess that it's because the eyes are the window to the soul and my soul is entering that particular body." He cocked his head giving a croaked smile.

"And why is it only I can see your eyes? Syndie didn't see them when you were a deer."

"Just an ice breaker, I manipulated your friend's sight just for that moment. To put it simply I projected an image of a normal deer into her mind's eye."

"That would make sense, but you still haven't explained the gift."

"Ah yes, that." He straightened himself up before continuing. "The gift I'm offering you is to become an Immortal."

"You're asking me if I want to become a vampire?" He nodded. "Could I ask for a rain check?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Rain check?"

"Yes, to get back to you on that, I mean I'm only eighteen I can't just become the Undead."

"In the back of your mind it sounds like an offer of a life time."

"No pun intended, right?" I looked out the windshield, a swing moved in a slight breeze. "Can I at least graduate first? I mean I've worked too hard to not to experience it."

"Fair enough." He turned the car on.

"Aren't you going to finish your burger?" I asked putting my trash in the bag.

He shook his head then added, "I'm hungry."

Erik walked me to my door, not like I could have done it myself, but he insisted that he do me the honor. I, on the other hand, believed that he was hoping I would change my decision on his offer. The answer I gave was diplomatic and true, I wasn't going to have to explain my sudden pale appearance at the ceremony. I took the spare key out of my purse and put it in the door, an absurd idea came to me.

"Would you like to come in?" It came out really before I could filter it.

"If you don't mind having me in your house." He politely answered.

"It's not like you haven't spied on me in bed." I twisted the knob letting myself in then holding the door for him.

"In my defense it was for protection, I don't know what this vampire can dish out." He looked at the many pictures on the hallway walls. He seemed to hover over the one picture of me with a boy I knew from school. I stood next to him mocking his stance, wondering what could be so special about this picture. I didn't exactly look that great in it, we had gone to the county fair, and riding so many rides my hair was a mess. He looked great though, of course, he didn't have long hair like I did. That was the summer his family decided to abandon the house and leave town. I'll always remember that phone call, before he left.

"Lina I'm moving." Hiding his sadness from me.

"Where are you going, why?" I frantically tried to get an answer from him.

"My mom won't tell me why she just told me to pack." He sniffed. "I don't want to go Lina, it doesn't feel right."

"Come live with me, I'm sure my parent's won't mind."

"I would love to come live with you but I have no choice." I could hear the rustle of clothes being put in his suit case and another sniff.

"Don't forget about me." I said in the place of what I really wanted to say.

"I won't…" His voice fell quiet like he to wanted to say something else. I then heard his mother yelling from the doorway. Telling him to hang up with me and finish packing. "I'll call you when I get to my new house, I promise."

"I'm going to really miss you, Alex."

"I'm going to miss you too, Karolina."

That was the last time I heard his voice. His mother had hung up the phone before we could say goodbye.

Alex had been my friend since the day I moved here, we were twins separated at birth, or so we joked. Alex and I shared all of the same interests, fears and opinions. We had never fought a day in our lives, not even over who was to get the last piece of pizza. We started High school together but finished it separately and sometimes I wonder if he still remembers me.

"You miss him?" Erik broke the silence.

"Of course." Obviously he had read my mind. I felt a tear run down my cheek, I hadn't realized that I had been crying.

"He looks like someone I know, but I doubt it's him." Erik looked over at me. "What was his name?"

"Alex, I use to call him Alexander the Great when we were in middle school. He moved three years ago and I haven't heard from him since." I adverted my eyes having them fall on another picture, one of all my friends at a recent gathering.

"This is a picture of me with my friends at Laser Tag, any of them look familiar to you?" To make me feel better I was cheeky with him.

"They're the ones you were with at the picnic." He mocked my tone and made a face.

"I have a random request but, would you like to come to my graduation?" Not meeting his eyes as I had asked him.

"So I can change you after you get off the stage?" He chuckled.

"No! So you can meet my friends. They wanted to meet you and I kind of gave them the idea that I was going to invite you, kill two birds with one stone." I made the peace sign to symbolize the two birds.

"Why not, I've never been to one." He shrugged. " I guess I'll get going, after all you need to get to bed, I on the other hand need to satisfy my stomach." He smiled, flashing his fangs. The sight of them made me shiver, in a good way. "If you want to call me, do it at night, I'm a sleep during the day."

"Come tomorrow night at eleven, I'll let you in." He gave me a strange look. "I have more questions."