I kept running and tried not to look back. I passed the warehouse where I had my first kiss and remembered there was a hidden door that lead to the basement. I threw open the heavy door and tore through the darkness that was in front of me. Once I was well inside, I slowed down to a jog. There was another exit that lead to the river somewhere to the right. Where was it...?

The sound behind me jolted my heart. "You're not running fast enough, Cassandra." I could hear the smile in Brianna's voice. Why was she coming after me? What had I done to her?

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I shouted into the blackness that surrounded the both of us. She chuckled and I started to feel sick. It wasn't her old joyus laugh that I knew and loved... no, this one was hateful and laced with venom.

I stumbled on the door handle and without hesitating, swung the door open so fast that it slammed into the wall and knocked something over. Daylight flooded the warehouse as I started sprinting to the river. I tripped and fell on the gravel in the parking lot that belonged to the gas station next to the river. A hand was extended to me but it was too bright to see who it was. I took it and stood up awkwardly.

"My beloved, you shouldn't be so careless." Creighton caressed my face and bent to place his lips on mine. For a moment I melted into him. His lips were warm and soft but yet his body was so cold. There was a shriek from behind us and I was torn apart from my Creighton. My Creighton...?

Brianna was over me in an instant. "I warned you, sister! I told you I would kill you when we met!" She let out a deafening howl and began to shift. I lifted my arms over my head just before she lunged and slammed into my-

"NO!" I bolted upright, clutching my chest. It was only a dream... only a dream. I tried to slow down my breathing as I leaned over to turn on the lamp. The clock read 10 A.M. and I groaned. I only had six hours of sleep. What did I have to do today...?

I rested my head against the wall and started making a mental list of everything that had to be done:

One: Read up on mythological creatures and their behaviours.

Two: Search Brianna's room of anything... suspicious.

Three: Look into this Creighton guy and find out how he knows me.

And, finally, tell Scott what I am. I rubbed at my eyes and sighed. I didn't want to tell him. What if he didn't accept me? We've been friends for so long, I don't want to risk losing any of that... Scott was different, right? I'm sure he would understand that my family isn't human and my sister is out to kill me. Yea, he'll be ok with it.

Not.

I stretched and forced myself to get out of bed. Light streamed through my curtains and danced across my skin and I peeked outside. A pebble hit my window and I, of course, screamed like a little girl. Shaking my head, I looked down to the sidewalk in the direction I assumed the pebble came from.

It was Scott. "What are you doing here?" I called from my window. He was waving like an idiot and motioning for me to come outside. I rolled my eyes and tossed the house key out the window. He caught it and before I knew it, was downstairs calling for me.

"I'll be down there in a minute, Scott. Let me get ready and," I looked down at my frog pajamas. I didn't remember changing last night, "throw something decent on." I laughed and went to the bathroom to fix my messy hair and brush my teeth. I looked up in the mirror and kept myself from gasping. Ugh, I looked like crap. My hair was a complete mess, my eyes were all red and puffy - most likely from the nightmare, and I had eye boogers. The longer I stared at my reflection the more my mood depleted.

I splashed water on my face and ran a brush through my hair. I started brushing my teeth when I heard something crash downstairs followed by an apology from Scott. I rolled my eyes and walked to the railing. He had knocked the magazine rack down and was scrambling to pick everything up. I giggled and walked back into the bathroom to finish getting ready. I threw on the first thing I had in my closet and made my way out my room and towards the stairs. I passed Brianna's half-open door and came to a hault. I would have to remind myself to check that out later.

I had that punched-in-the-gut feeling when I remembered that I would have to tell Scott my secret today. Today I had to reveal to him something I had been hiding since I was four years old. I threw on a pair of flip-flops and walked down the stairs to meet Scott, who was munching on an apple.

"So, why are you over here?" I questioned him, getting an apple for myself.

"Well, you had to leave yesterday so I figured I'd come pick you up and we'd go hang out at the mall or something." He took a huge bite of his apple and I laughed as the juice ran down his chin and he nervously wiped at it.

"Wait... YOU came to pick me up? As in you drove here? By yourself?" He looked all proud now, even though he still had traces of apple juice on his chin.

"Scott..." I eyed him carefully.

"Yes?" He was still grinning like a fool and I couldn't help but smile.

"I am NOT getting a car with you behind the wheel." I grabbed a paper towel and wiped what was left of the apple juice off his chin. He rolled his eyes and pulled away and I shrugged.

"Oh, please, Cass. You know I'm a good driver!" He started to imitate driving down the road when he backed into the magazine stand sending it crashing to the floor. Again.

I laughed so hard that tears started to roll down my cheeks. He turned red and started picking them all up as quickly as possible. "Gee, Scott, if you're like this out of the car then I'm sure you should have your license taken away." I continued to giggle as he set them back up and moved to the opposite side of the counter.

He grunted. "Can it, Cass."

I looked at him, sympathetically. "Oh, Scotty, please don't be mad at me! I don't think I could bare it!" I did the dramatic soap opera move and put the back of my hand on my forehead. He broke out into giggles and played along.

"Cassandra, I'm..." he paused, trying to make it as dramatic as possible, "I'm sorry but.. I'm seeing someone else!" He looked away and did a move much like mine and then sarcastically took a bite of his apple. We exploded into laughter and woke my parents up in the process. It wasn't until then that I noticed we were the only ones awake in the house.

I smiled at my mother who was the first one to come down the stairs. She sleepily looked around the room before spotting the two of us. "Oh, hey, Cassie. What time is it?" She rubbed at her eyes as my father walked up behind her and snaked an arm around her waist.

"It's..." I took my phone out of my pocket to check the time, "Quarter after eleven." I looked back up at her and she nodded before leaving to make some coffee. My father walked up and gave me a kiss on the forehead before ruffling my hair. I grimaced, but kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh, well, good morning Scott. How have you been?" His eyes weren't even fully open but he was trying to make conversation. Geez, my parents were so... awkward.

I left them to their pointless chit-chat as I slipped up the stairs and into Brianna's room. I just knew there had to be a clue she left behind; a journal, or something...

Quietly, I began to sift through the countless papers she had on her desk: old magazines, unfinished sketches, random articles printed off the internet. Nothing. I snuck across the room and began to look around her bed.

I was just about to give up when I spotted the corner of a notebook sticking out from underneath her pillow. I sat down on her bed and began flipping through the pages. They were dated and signed but all that was in it were pictures. I sighed and continued looking at it. After a few pages I found an actual journal entry.

May 6th

I've been ripping out the pages from here. They contain too much information. He came to my window again last night. This time, though, he wasn't hungry... He told me that he needs my sister. He told me that I have to help him get her. What do I do? The change really started to take effect last night. I can feel myself becoming stronger. The burning sensation in my throat is agonizing, though. I could do without the constant hunger. My family still doesn't know. Tonight's the night. I have to get my sister to the woods. He said he'd be waiting there. Wish me luck?

Brianna

I reread the words over and over. May 6th... that was two days ago... the night I found father in the street with Creighton.

I felt sick to my stomach. She was planning this. She knew about everything. What happened to my sister? I shook my head and continued to turn the page. There was one unfinished entry...

May 7th

Damn it all! I was so close! He was right there and so was she! Why did father have to be there? She even came out in the woods to get me... Why didn't he snatch her then? WHY? He even punished me by taking my blood! When Cassandra showed up I had to pretend I fought him. Heh, as if I would harm My Creighton. I still don't get it, though! The opportunity was righ-

That was all there was... I knew she stopped when I walked in her room that morning. I wanted to cry. I wanted to just curl up and bawl my eyes out till I couldn't cry anymore. I didn't want to believe what I just read. It just didn't seem right. This was my little sister! The one that I grew up with for thirteen years! She's always been there... always so... amazing.

"Cassie? What are you doing?" Scotts voice came from the doorway, haulting my depressing thoughts. I clutched the notebook to my chest and shook my head before answering him.

"Oh... I just..." I paused. He didn't know. He didn't know Brianna was gone. Most importantly, he didn't know that I was a-

"You were just...?" He prompted. I looked down at the notebook, pressed against my body, and gave him a nervous smile. I knew I had to tell him but I couldn't do it now. Not just yet.

I stood up, still holding Brianna's journal, and walked up to him in the doorway. "Let's go to the mall. I need some fresh air." I gave him my best smile and walked past him, heading towards the front door. We exchanged goodbyes with my parents and finally, we hopped in his dad's truck and left for the mall. I exhaled in a huff and glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He looked so focused on the road that I couldn't help but giggle slightly. Geez, Cassie, are you sure you can tell him this?

It felt as if I had been holding my breath the entire ride there. When Scott parked the truck, he turned to me, "Ok, Cass. I KNOW there's something wrong. What's going on with you?"

I bit my lip and closed my eyes. Maybe if I shut them tight enough, all my problems would just fade away. I was wrong.

"Cass?" Scott leaned closer to me and looked me dead in the eye. I could feel myself starting to tear up. He realized and immediately started to fumble around for a kleenex. I laughed, half-heartedly, when he handed me an entire box. I wiped up the few tears that managed to escape and mumbled a quiet thank you.

"Scott... there's something I've been keeping from you." He continued to stare at me with those big blue eyes of his as I kept on talking. "Something I've been keeping from, well, everyone. My family, Scott, we're not like you and your dad. We're different." I could no longer meet his gaze and looked down at Brianna's journal.

"You see... I'm not human." I looked up at this point to see his reaction. He stared at me for a moment before exploding into laughter. He began to shake his head and wiped at his eyes as he continued to laugh.

"Oh, geez, Cassie. You had me worried for a minute! I thought you were serious!" He laughed a little more before returning his gaze to my awestruck expression.

I blinked a few times before answering him. "I am serious." He smiled and ruffled my hair before hopping out the cab. I jumped out and followed him, still holding onto the journal.

"Don't walk away from me, Scott!" He froze. I hadn't meant to sound malicious, I really didn't, but I could tell by his posture that I had startled him. He turned around to face me but didn't move any closer. Scott cocked his head to one side and furrowed his brow. I took a deep, calming breath before continuing.

"Listen to me, Scott. Listen to what I'm trying to tell you. I. Am. Not. Like. You." I searched his eyes for any hint of recongnition. "I am not human."

Scott cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head. "Alright, Cass. I'll bite. What exactly are you?"

"Uhm... well..." I slowly met his gaze with as much seriousness as I could, "My entire family... We're something known in the magick world as..."