CHAPTER 1

WATER PUDDLES on street corners. Careful feet, in an attempt to avoid the newly formed lakes, found themselves soaked up to the knee. Shop lights dimmed, and then blinked out for the night while cars illuminated the road with their dizzyingly bright headlights. Their engines chugged lazily down the road before eventually fading like everything else.

One set of footsteps remained. It was a wandering pair, apathetic and wearied. It went unevenly down the sidewalk, alone.

The rain picked up again. Drip, drip. It began slowly, as rain always does. The rain and the footsteps persisted as they began, demanding no attention, until one had stopped and the other raged.

Bang! A new, unpleasant noise filled the space that was left. The rain protested, pelting the street with angry water droplets. Something damp and heavy accompanied the water on its fall to the sidewalk. A silent scream was issued, and filed away as nothing particularly noteworthy.

Then a new set of footsteps emerged.

Deliberate and airy but still weary, one would find it hard to believe they originated from the first set.

Cody was confused.

She was always confused but she could have sworn—this time was different. She didn't understand why she ended up in her old bed at her parents' home when she had a dorm at college. She couldn't figure out how she managed to get back here after wandering the opposite side of town last night. In fact, she couldn't even tell what had happened to her last night, as she was pretty sure she passed out on the sidewalk. For what reason was also a major source of confusion.

Most of all, she was absolutely puzzled at how she woke up under a My Little Pony blanket three sizes too small.

She shrugged the covers off, expecting to unceremoniously roll out of bed, which was a little ceremony in it of itself given how often she performed it. Instead, she bounded to her feet with such energy she nearly hopscotched into a tan wall.

Weird, she thought. She blinked and somehow ended up in the bathroom. She shook her head and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, although she could have sworn she felt more awake than ever. She threw her eyes open and swiftly pushed her arms forward, twisting them so her wrists faced the ceiling. She remembered she had a dream of a pain that pierced her arms. But as she inspected her wrists, she found nothing. Not even a vein.

She was about to give in and return to bed, reasoning she was just having another dream when she heard a knock on the door.

The sound was faint, she knew it for a fact, yet she had heard it. In a flash she was down the steps and unlocking the door. Without sparing a second thought, she opened it.

"You died," the words were offered in lieu of greeting. They were issued by a petite girl, whose eyes were razor focused on the occupant of the home. A bandana framed her face, keeping brown curls at bay. Her lips pulled into a straight, firm line that resembled a disappointed mother. If she crossed her arms and had a little more than twenty years on her, she might have just been a mother for all this stranger knew. She might have been a ghost, her body long decomposed beneath a grave stone in a field of gravestones.

She wasn't here for pleasantries.

Bam!

The door swung shut. Cody was certain she was dreaming. However, she couldn't force herself to sleep when she tried. So, she dragged her feet and returned to the bathroom, convincing herself that the woman outside was a hallucination. Maybe she drank too much coffee last night. Coffee, especially the triple shot mixture she was so fond of, always made her head and heart buzz. The only thing was, nothing inside her buzzed. She was half certain she couldn't even feel her heartbeat.

Having no no choice but to move forward, Cody brushed her teeth, splashed her face, and lazily brushed down her short black hair (which she did without any water, so the result was even more messy than the beginning). She rummaged through her closet for a change of clothes only to remember all her clothes were at her dorm. She would have to make a trip back.

Groaning, she tiptoed down the stairs, stole a couple of quarters from the spare change box her parents kept under the sink, and walked out the door.

"Oh, you're real," she said.

"So are vampires," she delivered with no ounce of care. Her voice low, almost a whisper. It was as if she was letting this stranger in on a secret that only they were allowed to share.

"Cool," Cody responded just as blankly and strolled past the girl. She wasn't in the mood to entertain a crazy person.

"Cody," an exasperated sigh. If she'd given more effort, the words would've been a growl.

Cody felt an involuntary shudder go down her back. How did this stranger know her name? But what really made her freeze was the tired that enveloped the voice and how she could practically feel it. Cody did not like that. Maybe if she ignored it, the young woman would magically disappear. Or get run over by a bicycle. Whichever one worked. But she could tell it was a week day morning, because there were no kids on the street. So maybe no bicycle accident today. She walked faster.

The girl set her sights on her target and refused to lose focus. She shuffled, her short legs keeping pace. She was beside Cody's shoulder in mere seconds.

Cody allowed her to follow. Perhaps she was just a university student like herself. Perhaps this girl was a theater or psych major who zeroed in on Cody as a research specimen. That didn't excuse the stalking, but it did allow Cody to place this situation in a neat little box inside her head and kick it under the bed. "You got a name?" She asked after they reached the bus stop and stood there for a few minutes.

She figured she might as well get familiar with this person. She didn't want to know anything about her, to be honest, but she had empty pockets. No phone, no MP3 player. Just a useless pair of broken headphones. She wondered vaguely if this girl stole it, because those three objects were definitely in her pocket last night. But that didn't make much sense, unless she was a stupid thief. Somehow Cody doubted this girl was anything besides intelligent.

"Gwen," she laughed, short and quick. She placed her fingers before her, noting them into a nervous twist. Usually, she'd be occupied with some small device. A towel to clean her always stained palms, or a hammer to set the nails into place. If she carried a hammer, she could knock some sense into this ignorant post-teenager. But alas, the general public would think it as a murder weapon instead.

Cody nodded in acknowledgement. She realized she had nothing else to say, for she rarely engaged, or actively sought out conversation any longer than the words they already passed. So, she allowed silence to create a heavy gap in between them. She kept her back to Gwen, who stood behind her, and wondered idly if that was even her real name. As the quiet between them perpetuated, the rest of the world grew louder.

She heard the rustling of leaves, picked up by the wind and deposited against their will. She heard Gwen twisting her fingers together behind her in a knot that sounded like at least one bone should have cracked. She heard insects yards away, buzzing freely, landing perfectly on flowers and flapping their tiny wings against the breeze. She heard bushes rustle to her left, and she knew if she turned her head she would count three squirrels fighting for a piece of tree bark they mistook for food. She knew if she stayed quiet for any longer, she'd start to feel the world in addition to hearing it scream in her ears. Her clothes suddenly felt heavy on her body. She needed this sensation to end.

"What do you want?" She demanded, bluntly breaking the silence.

"You're a vampire," Gwen said casually. Her eyes scanned the unfamiliar area. A few steps further and they'd enter an open mall. In all her years of living, half of those stores were not ones she frequented or even knew existed. She guessed that was the charm of each town-they had their different take on how to lure people into consumerism.

"Sure." Cody agreed indifferently. She chewed on her lower lip and had to stop when she felt a sharp pain. Her teeth were sharper than she remembered. In fact, as she inspected them with her tongue, she noticed that they were also straighter than she remembered. "So is there a vampire club? A membership fee I have to pay to get in?" She clicked her tongue. "'Cause I spent all my money on school." To demonstrate, she flipped her pockets inside out. Her bus money was thrown into the streets. Before it even collided with the asphalt, Cody winced, and correctly predicted the way the ringing of the coins pierced her ears.

Gwen curled her fingers. The unmistakable creak of bones as they lined up echoed in her ears. Newborns were always difficult when they transitioned. This one was determined to make a joke out of her. "You paid with your life and now you're a creature among humans.

Cody rapidly turned around, and in the blink of an eye, she was leaning down, prying Gwen's hands away from each other. She stared into Gwen's pale blue eyes, the top right corner of her mouth pinched upwards and her teeth bared slightly in clear indignation. She saw Gwen's face entirely for the first time. Pale, just like everyone else in this dark town. Thin, messy eyebrows raised in shock. An open thin mouth indicated the same emotion. Cody noticed how clear her skin was. There were no new blemishes, no red spots, only old minor scars in random places and a couple of freckles. She noticed the tiny hairs on the side of her checks, forming small sideburns. She noticed what she had done, and lamely dropped her hands.

Cody plopped onto the seat besides her. She vowed never to drink coffee again, knowing full well that was a lie. "What do you want?" She repeated. "Honestly. And entirely."

Gwen took a long, deep breath. She wished she had brought Jazz with her. Unlike her, her companion of almost a century had more experience tucked under his belt. Having been turned with the purpose of controlling newborns for necessary evil, he would get Cody in line. Not to mention, he acquired the gift to read and manipulate emotions. If Cody showed anymore signs of being erratic, it would have been nice to know someone can tame the opponent.

Gwen herself was defenseless, having no other skill then the need to get tactical. Physical fighting wasn't a familiar trait. She abhorred violence. Instead, she settled on using words. She gave the truth.

"It seems that a greedy vampire has decided to turn humans into one of us," she began slowly, trying to ease Cody into this idea-into this world. "Right around the same time a "vampire law" was passed, claiming that no more vampires were ever allowed to be made-unless they are documented. Last night, they targeted you as the next victim. You were turned last night. I'm here to..."

She cut herself off. Out of everything she was certain of, her purpose wasn't on that list. How can you assert the importance of something if you're never sure of where you stand on the topic yourself?

"Document me?" Cody continued impatiently. She had given Gwen a chance to explain herself, and yet the girl persisted in her fanciful notion about vampires. She was really dedicated to her story, and talked about it as though it was real. Every passing minute, Cody grew more and more convinced Gwen was bonkers. The bus pulled into the stop. Cody boarded it and sat in the very back, believing she would lose Gwen during the long walk back. She didn't.

Gwen didn't have difficulty matching her pace. Cody might have been the newborn, but Gwen had a long time to get used to her body. She smiled warily as she tucked herself into a row across from Cody.

Cody made a face at Gwen. She rested her legs on the seat besides Gwen and sunk into her own, crossing her arms while doing so. She spent the whole ride staring out the window, trying to wake up from this dream. At least it wasn't as bad as the dream she had the night before. Cold wind blowing, lashing at her bare neck like a whip. Shoes squelching with every step. Whispered words from behind her, words she could not hear but stung nevertheless. The sound of something gliding on water. And then she was flying. Backwards, without warning, without pretense. A shock against her back, her feet gave out, and she slipped into a pool. Shivers went down her spine while icy water crawled up her back. Then, a sting. No, it was more than a sting. It was a piercing, a violation of her wrists in two precise spots simultaneously. A warm liquid oozed down her arm, the water was blotted with red. And then, she woke up.

She couldn't help but notice how much her dream sounded like a vampire attack. Maybe Gwen had a point? No, that was impossible...she checked her wrist in case. There, she found two tiny little holes.

Her heart hammered in her chest. Rather, she waited for the sensation she knew accompanying panic to appear but it never came. She pressed two shaky fingers to her wrist and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Nothing.

Cody swallowed. That was impossible. She couldn't—it doesn't—maybe she was doing it all wrong. She wasn't a doctor. She noticed Gwen shifting in her seat. The girl had seen everything. Cody wasn't about to give in to her game. Schooling her face into an unreadable expression, she stood up, and stood at the front of the bus until it stopped. She clumsily fell out, and ran to her dorm.

There was no way she was going to let Gwen in there.

Patience was a survival tactic. If Gwen had to endure other people pushing their expectations on to her, then the newborn was easily another test. One she wouldn't fail. She perched herself on a tree right outside the building Cody disappeared into. Her presence might have scared a bird (she snarled at a squirrel when it drew closer), but she happily swayed with the wind.

Prey can only hide for so long until they need to see the sun.

Ten minutes later, Cody emerged with a messenger bag on her shoulder and even baggier clothes over her body. She walked by Gwen's tree and froze. With her back to the tree, she could smell the girl, about thirty feet above her. This girl was really gonna commit, huh? Theatre kids were on an entirely different level.

She hoped if she kept walking Gwen would think she didn't see her. And when she rounded the corner, she could sprint away and never see her again. But Cody already ran once today. That was more than enough for one day. She heard a boy pick up some stones and hurl them at Gwen, laughing. The self-proclaimed vampire leapt from the tree and landed right besides the boy, who let out a shriek and ran away. Cody knew Gwen caught up to her and currently stood three paces behind her.

Guess she had a shadow today.

Cody listened to the Professor drone on and on about the economy of the United States during World War II. Instead of describing any of the interesting bits, the man had opted to lecture the class about inflation, deflation, escalation, and another thing Cody couldn't be bothered to remember. She toyed with her wrist watch and avoided eye contact with Gwen, who sat left of her and spent the whole class looking in between the professor with an offended look, and Cody impatiently.

"I don't see how you think I'm a vampire." Cody told her during lunch after class. They had gone to an outdoor cafeteria with about a hundred other students surrounding them with their expensive take-out food. Cody wasn't hungry. "It's sunny." She pointed to the sky. "Shouldn't I be melting?"

"Myth," Gwen said almost too cheerfully. Cody was willingly talking to her so she'd take her chance. In one hand, she held a screwdriver. In the other, she held a small device. Both were stolen from the engineering building, but no one had to know. Hopefully, if she knew what she was doing (which she didn't at least 50.999% of the time), she would be able to create a monster capable of eliminating teenage boys.

"The sun isn't so bad, garlic is more of an allergy than a cause of death, and I'd rather not be doused in holy water despite it being just like normal water," she tried to debunk as many false accusations as she could. Her eyes narrowed. "And we are undead after all. No heartbeat. But you already figured that one out, huh?"

Cody snuck a glance at her wrists, remembering how oddly still they felt beneath her fingers. "Can anything kill vampires?" She asked, playing along as she eyed Gwen's screwdriver. She had no idea where that came from or when she snuck off to get it or what she was planning to do with it. Cody decided she didn't want to know. "Seems to me they're just about invincible."

"Some of us-undead or not-like to think we are," Gwen said honestly.

Five minutes until the end of literature class, Cody felt hungry. Ridiculously so. She heard the scraping of skin against a stray piece of metal from the chair. She heard a hiss in response. She watched as the blood seeped through the cut, a single bulbous droplet gathered on the surface on the skin. She smelled the metallic tang waft through the air and into her nostrils as the drop became too big and rolled onto the floor. She licked her lips, something unlocked in her head.

And she was hungry.

"Class dismissed," someone announced, but Cody was already on her feet. She licked her lips and tried to run. Run towards the food. Towards the feast. She felt something hold her back, a tough grip by cold fingers. She raged against the attack, and struggled to be free. She kicked her captor and tore away from the grip, desperate. She leapt on a desk, and was promptly tackled. She felt a tug on the back of her shirt and her surroundings blurred. She was thrown into a cool patch of grass.

Gwen stood over her.