This chapter was a bit hard for me to do, because I didn't have a clue how to write it. I also just added the Spanish bits for fun. I didn't know what else to do there. Next chapter will be better and longer, but anyway. I hope you like my chapter better than I did. Please REVIEW!

Chapter Three-Who &What

I protested and struggled against my captors grip. He had informed me his name was Lucas. I watched him with curiosity as we sat at the park. He combed his fingers through his blonde mop, and it was obvious he was distressed. I was surprised by how much courage I had being around him. For all I knew he drank human blood! I noticed his violet eyes were lighter today. "So I suppose you want to know what happened the other day", Lucas's voice was pained.

I nodded meekly. My fear had returned. "I was doing what you think I was doing. And she did die", he added quietly. I couldn't resist the shudder that shook my body. "What are you"? I whispered, partially to myself. Lucas looked up at me. He stared at me for a long moment, and I was convinced he wouldn't answer. But he eventually did. "I guess your kind would call me a vampire of sorts", he answered flatly. I swallowed hard, self-consciously letting my hair fall over my shoulders, hiding part of my neck.

"You won't eat me, will you"? I asked quickly. Lucas's head snapped to look at me with bewilderment, but then he burst out laughing. "Eat-you"? He gasped between chuckles. "I'm sure you find my death very funny, but I don't", I snapped. How could anyone be so merciless? "I don't eat people", he chuckled. I narrowed my eyes. "Drink my blood then, whatever", I added.

But this stopped his laughter.

"I won't eat you or drink your blood. I would, however, ask that you let me take you to get something to eat", he grinned. I stared at him in disbelief. "You're joking, right"? I laughed. I don't think he heard the fear behind it. He looked almost hurt. "You're the only human who knows what I am. It's not often I get to spend time with humans", he answered. I realised he was serious. But go to get dinner with a vampire? "Um…okay", I answered desperately. I didn't know what he was planning on doing to me, but for some reason I felt that he wouldn't hurt me.

"McDonald's"? He teased. I couldn't help but laugh. In a sick, twisted sort of way it was sweet. He remembered that I liked it from the day he'd first seen me. "Sure", I tried to smile but I imagine it would have looked more like a grimace. I simply followed Lucas, half asleep. I was aware that I should have been on my guard more, but I was too worn out. It was fairly late. I barely noticed when we arrived at McDonald's. The big yellow M illuminated the car park.

I went in and took a seat at one of the booths, thinking about what to order when I realised Lucas hadn't sat down. I looked around, but I couldn't see him, so I just rested my head on the cool table. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I must have fallen asleep for a minute because I was woken with a start. But I couldn't focus my eyes properly. "Come with me", a raspy voice said. "Ok-ay", I yawned pushing myself to my feet. I felt a tight arm go around my waist. I breathed in through my nose and smelt alcohol.

Fear gripped me instantly, but I was still too tired. I tried to break away from the arm. "Hey, where do ya think ya goin, prutty gurl", a voice slurred. "Nowhere", I sighed, drifting to sleep. But I became fully awake as a horrific snarl ripped through the air. My drooping head snapped up, and I stared at a shaggy, homeless looking man. He had his arm around my waist still. I saw Lucas standing about five metres away.

"Let. Her. Go", he growled. His perfect teeth were bared, his lip curled back in a snarl. "Nup", the man chuckled drunkenly. "Lu-cas", I groaned. I watched as he stormed towards us and grabbed the man's wrist, ripping it from my waist. I whimpered as he slowly twisted it in a Chinese burn. The drunken man howled with pain. "Stop it", I cried softly, falling to my knees. I felt my jeans tear. Lucas came to my side. "Are you okay"? He asked, scooping my up into his arms.

"Yeah", I sighed. I let myself fall into a deep sleep.

I walked through the park. It was a beautiful sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, or a ripple on the pond. I stripped off my shirt and jeans to reveal my red bikini, and I dived into the water. I laughed splashed, floating on my back in the water. And then I saw Lucas cross the park, coming out of the dark trees. I laughed and called to him. "Lucas! Lucas, over here"! I squealed. But as he walked towards me, dark clouds started tumbling across the sky. The water turned black, and rain began to pour down. I couldn't see through the mist. "Lucas"! I shouted, anxiously. And then a shaft of light opened through the clouds. It touched the ground, and shone down on Lucas. There was no rain or darkness where he was. I wanted to be there, with him. "Lucas! Lucas, help me"! I screamed. I realised I was sinking. The water became thicker, like tar. I couldn't push my arms above the surface. I sunk, up to my neck, jaw, mouth, nose. And then I sunk so my eyes were no longer above the surface. The last thing I saw was Lucas's perfect face and his halo of light. The beautiful angel and the pained look that had been on his face. I screamed under the tar, but it filled my mouth and lungs. I cried and screamed, but my pleas for help were muffled.

"No"! I screamed. I woke up, panting and crying. But this time, when I looked up Lucas wasn't staring down at me. I rolled around in the bed. Where was Shannon? She surely would have woken up from my screaming. Then I heard the door creak open. My breath caught in my throat. I prayed it wasn't Aunt Terry. But I saw the silhouette of a boy, and a limp girl in his arms. "Lucas"? I whispered. I don't know why I longed for it to be him. "Yes"? Came the reply. I let out my breath. He approached the bed. "I bough your sister home", he explained, and the bed creaked as he added the wait of my sister.

"Thankyou", I smiled in the darkness. There was an awkward silence after that. "Why were you screaming"? Lucas blurted. "What"? I demanded, but then he slipped out the door and closed it behind him. I was too tired to follow, so I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. His random visit had just added to the fear of my nightmare. I closed my eyes and let myself fall asleep again.

The next morning I didn't wake up quite so quickly. I stumbled out of bed, and made my way to the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes. I showered first, and the feel of the hot water coursing over my body relaxed me. I saw the red and purple water go down the drain, and I knew my streaks were gone. When I was done with my shower, I changed into a denim skirt and v-neck black t-shirt. Then I scribbled a note on paper to Aunt Terry and Shannon, and quickly headed to the park. As I expected, Lucas was there. He was lying back on the grass, his eyes closed.

"Hey, Lucas"! I called. He sat up immediately and grinned when he saw me. I glared, and he let out an amused laugh. "Nice to see you, too", he chuckled. "Yeah, whatever. I only just met you yesterday, so you can't expect me to act like we're best friends", I snapped. But he only smiled wider. "But I can hope, can't I"? He asked, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged. "So, why are you here so early"? Lucas asked. I put my hands on my hips stubbornly. "Don't you mean why am I here, at all"? I asked. He smiled. "No. I know you would come. I just didn't think you would come this early", he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. "You think of yourself quite highly, don't you"? I mused. He grinned impishly. "Of course I am. With my stunning looks and simply charming personality, why wouldn't I"? He wiggled his eyebrows playfully. How could I not smile back? I don't think he realised how right he was with his stunning looks and charming personality. As far as he was concerned he was only mucking around. He didn't know that it was the honest truth. But despite that, I had to remind myself that he was a dangerous creature. I decided to press matters on the 'vampire' thing a little more.

"So, how does the whole thing work"? I asked casually. Lucas glanced over at me. "How does what work"? He asked warily. I motioned to him. "The whole vampire thing. How does it work"? I let a mild irritation seep through my tone. Lucas looked instantly cautious. "What exactly do you want to know"? He was definitely hesitant. I paused. What did I want to know? "Were you born a vampire"? I asked. It sounded like a reasonable question. "Thankfully, no", Lucas chuckled. That surprised me. "So…how are you, I don't know how to put this. Hmm", I paused, frowning.

I had no idea how to phrase my question without potentially hurting Lucas's feelings. He seemed to understand. "How did I become this way"? He supplied. I nodded numbly. "I was changed by another vampire". And so followed a string of questions and answers.

"How were you changed"?

"Vampires have venom. When we bite the venom is injected, and if we don't drink the victim and the venom is left to spread, they become a vampire".

"How old are you"?

"I'm not as old as some vampires. My body is sixteen. I was changed the day before my birthday, but I'm really only sixty years old", he shrugged. This made me choke on my next question. "Your…immortal"? Lucas nodded. I scrunched up my face. "So you can't die"? I assumed he was invincible. But Lucas just snorted. "Not…exactly", he admitted. "What do you mean, not exactly? It's a simple question, simple answer"! I scoffed. I expected him to blow up at me, because I could tell this wasn't easy for him, and I knew I shouldn't have been asking so many questions. But once again, he surprised me by laughing. "You're a curious little critter, aren't you"? He shook his head in amusement.

"Yeah well, humans are naturally curious creatures. I however, have enhanced abilities in that area. Sometimes too enhanced for my own good", I added huffily. "I have enhanced abilities too", Lucas instantly cheered. I could see the excitement glowing in his dark eyes. "Can I show you"? He asked, grinning. "Well, anything that doesn't involve you drinking my body fluids sounds reasonable to me, assuming you don't put my life at risk", I shrugged. But Lucas got an evil smile on his face.

"After this experience I'm not so sure you'll agree to do anything with me so eagerly or quickly again", and then I was cradled in his arms. I gasped as I felt him lifting me up with ease, and I was frozen into sheer terror when he through me up slightly and threw me across into the trees. I let off a string of curses and bunched myself up. But as soon as I was off I was across the park and back in Lucas's arms again, and we were speeding through the forest. "No, no, no, no, no"! I screeched and beat my fists against Lucas's stone chest. He came to an abrupt halt. I felt myself shaking and trembling. My fear turned to rage. I grabbed his shirt collar as hard as I could and dragged his face close to mine.

"Don't you ever do that to me again", I hissed. My voice was dripping with venom. Lucas nodded quickly, and I could see he was trying not to smile. But he couldn't resist, and the amused grin that flickered across his perfect face only annoyed me further. "Why do you smile so damned much"? I scoffed. That only made him smile wider. "Maybe because I'm happy. Or because you're incredibly amusing. Or maybe it's just because I enjoy spending time with you", but his face became sad. "Much more than I should", he whispered. With that he set me on my feet. "I'm sorry. I upset you", I said, silently cursing myself.

"No, it's okay. So, do you have any more questions"? He asked. I grinned. "Yep. How do you keep from burning in the sun"? I asked curiously. "I thought you might ask that. We don't burn in the sun, instead we…sparkle". But I wasn't interested in the answer anymore. "We"? I answered flatly. Lucas winced. "Yes, there are more of us. Many more, in fact", he admitted. "And you all drink human blood"? I asked, trying to keep my voice even. Lucas shook his head. "Not exactly. I don't know how true this is, but I have heard that there are others, who drink animal blood. However it is much more difficult to control themselves", he said, deep in thought. "So, you want another run through the park"? He asked quickly.

But he certainly hadn't caught me off guard. "No, thankyou", I said firmly. "I should probably get home for breakfast anyway. Terry and Shannon are probably wondering where I am", I added. Lucas nodded. "Probably. I'll walk home with you. You can ask me any more questions if you like", he said, starting off across the park. I quickly caught up with him. "I only have a few more. How come you don't start feeding off animals"? It was the best possible way I could phrase the question. Lucas frowned.

"I have thought about it, you know. But it gets much harder to control the needs for the first few years, and living in New York, with so many people…I just couldn't afford to stuff up", he sighed. But I still didn't understand. "So leave New York", I suggested. Lucas chuckled. "I couldn't. It's the perfect place for feeding. Not many people really notice if someone goes missing, and it hides my cover well", he pointed out. It did seem fair enough, but I still didn't understand. But finally we were outside the apartment and I had to say goodbye. "I-guess-I might see you later", I stumbled. Lucas laughed again. "You will", he waved, and turned and walked off.

For some reason I really did hope I would see him again. But as soon as I walked into the kitchen of our apartment, Shannon attacked me. "I'm not an idiot! Who was that guy you were with he was sooooooo cute"! She cried. "His name is Lucas", I eyed my sister carefully. She sure was in a good mood. "Ooh! Oh, and um, Lydia and Erin called. So you'd better ring them back", she chuckled. "Kay", I mumbled, reaching for the phone. My fingers hovered just above it, and then it rang. I snatched it up. "Hello"? I asked.

"¿como se hace tú no me llamó detrás?"! Lydia's angry voice boomed over the phone. "qué te tienen conseguido decir para se"! I knew what that meant. "I'm-", I stopped quickly. Knowing Lydia she would have thought it more thoughtful if I apologized in Spanish. "Soy así que apesadumbrado, perdonarme por favor"! It wasn't the first time I had to use this line. Lydia was Spanish, and she had taught me quite a bit of the language. All of my friends had fairly interesting family backgrounds. Like Kimi, who was Hawaiian.

"Oh, okay then, you're forgiven", Lydia laughed. "So, what have you been up to"? She asked. "Not much, really. I can't wait to see you guys again. Have you heard from Kimi"? I asked. Kimi was spending her holiday's back at home when the rest of her family lived, not including her brothers and sisters and parents. "No, no tengo. Kimi is still in Hawaii. She won't be getting home for a few days now. But have you met any individuos lindos"? She asked. I knew this meant 'cute guys'. "I met one guy. But he's more just a friend, I think. His name is Lucas", I said. "Ooh, decir dicen! Tell tell"! Lydia giggled. And I launched into the events that had happened so far, leaving out the parts about vampires.

Vocabulary

¿como se hace tú no me llamó detrás? – How come you didn't call me back?

qué te tienen conseguido decir para se – What have you got to say for yourself?

soy así que apesadumbrado, perdonarme por favor – I'm so sorry, please forgive me

No, no tengo – No, I haven't

individuos lindos – cute guys

decir dicen – Tell tell!