Trent's P.O.V.

The school bell rang out, ending the day. I packed my things up just like everyone else and walked over to the door. "Can you believe what we have to do in science class?" Elias, my classmate and next-door neighbor, asked me. "We have to dissect frogs! Gross!"

"No kidding," I agreed. "Doesn't help that I get squeamish easily."

"Yeah. You nearly hurled when we watched that horror movie. Hmm...maybe while we're cutting the frog, I could pretend to be ready to puke, and when the teacher comes over, I toss some fake puke on her!" I could only roll my eyes. Elias was known for being a joker, and sometimes his pranks got him detention. Still, he means well, and he's my bud. "I wouldn't try something like that," I advised him. "Your last joke ended up getting you to scrub the guys' locker room as punishment."

"Don't be such a worrywort, Trent," Elias shrugged off. "It won't be too drastic. I honestly think I would be an excellent comedian once I graduate middle and high school. And you'll be rocking in the music world with your guitar."

"Can't say I'm that good, man. I'm planning to go home and practice some more. Besides, if you keep up the pranks, you'll stay in the eighth grade until you're twenty!"

"Oh, ha, ha. I'll take my bike home, dude. Want a lift?"

"No, I can walk." My home isn't too far from where the middle and high school buildings were, so I usually don't mind walking home. Elias just shrugged before pedaling away on his red bike. "See you, dude!" he waved. I just waved back as I started to walk down the street. The sun was starting to set a little earlier than usual, so I started to pick up the pace a little so I wouldn't be walking in the dark. As I walked, I thought about the upcoming science project and what Elias had planned. The idea of cutting a frog open was nausea-inducing enough, but throwing fake puke, at least I'm hoping it's fake, into the mix? My stomach churned at the thought. I was probably going to flunk the assignment.

The wind started to blow a bit, sending chills down my spine. I noticed some robins flying up in the sky, along with a stray dog running down the street. Huh. For a second, I could've sworn the lab's eyes had a red tint to them. I shrugged it off and kept walking home, but I couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes staring at me. I turned around and took a glance around, but the streets were completely bare. My imagination must be playing tricks on me. I continued to walk down the street, though I just couldn't shake that weird feeling off.

Just then, I felt a cold hand being put around my mouth and a sharp pain in my neck. I tried to let out a scream but found I couldn't find my voice. It felt like my life was being drained right out of me. I suddenly felt faint, and I quickly passed out.

I don't know how long I was out, but by the time I came to, it was dark out and the streetlights had come on. I groaned as I got to my feet. My head was throbbing like crazy. "What the heck just happened?" I muttered. I put a hand to my neck and felt something liquid on it. I pulled it back and gasped when I saw the red stains on my fingers. B-blood? I quickly put my hand back to stop the bleeding and started to run home. I burst through the door and found my mom and dad right in the hall. "Where have you been?" my mom scolded. "I was about to call the police when you didn't come home. Are you okay, dear?"

"I'm...I'm fine," I found myself saying. "I, um, took the long way home. I ran back when I saw how late it was."

"I tell you to take the bus home," my dad nagged to me, "But no. You always insist on walking home. If you're trying to get more exercise in, why don't you take some extra credit in gym class?"

"I-I-I didn't mean to worry anyone," I gulped.

"We were just worried about you, honey," my mom assured me.

"But no more taking the long way home," my dad sternly told me. "Or you'll be grounded for a month, young man!"

"Yes, Dad," I told him. "Um, I'll get cleaned up." I rushed towards the bathroom. I grabbed a washcloth to clean where the wound on my neck was and gasped when I saw my reflection in the mirror. The wound and all the blood had somehow disappeared like it wasn't even there in the first place. "You okay up there?" my mom asked me from downstairs.

"Uh, yeah," I answered. "Uh, I'm just heading to bed now."

"But you haven't eaten supper."

"Not hungry!" I raced to my bedroom and closed the door behind me. I then collapsed on my bed and stared out the window. What happened just now? Did...did it really happen? Was the stress of the upcoming school project making me imagine things? I mean, there wasn't any wound where I felt the pain at. I soon fell asleep, shrugging it off.

I winced at the bright sunshine that flooded my room as I woke up. Oh, man, don't tell me I overslept! I quickly got some fresh clothes on since I slept in my outfit from yesterday. I just tossed on a pair of jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. I then grabbed my school supplies before rushing out the door. "See you later, Mom and Dad!" I yelled behind me as I closed the front door.

"Attaboy!" my dad yelled back. "Showing more initiative! I like that!" Okay, I was caught off-guard. My dad hates being late, and yet he's still here? As I ran outside, I quickly figured it out. The sun had just risen in the sky. It couldn't have been later than 7:10 at most. But when I saw that sunlight in my room, it felt like it was past noon. As I looked at the sunrise, it still felt unusually bright, and it was only the beginning of April.

Oh, well. I was already wide awake and fully dressed. No point heading back to bed. I dragged myself towards the school building. It was a quarter to eight when I arrived at my locker. To my surprise, Elias was already there and fiddling with something in his backpack. "Didn't take you as an early bird," he chuckled.

"I thought I was running late," I admitted. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready the ultimate prank. It takes a little prep to perfect it."

"I still think it's a bad idea," I told him.

"Yeah, you would think that. You're even getting pale at the thought of it. Fortunately I have a stronger stomach than you." Huh? Pale? I took a look at my hands. They looked normal enough. "Are you overreacting a bit?" I asked him.

"Look who's not the worrywort," Elias teased back. "Hey, there's this scary movie playing on TV tonight. We could watch it together after we get our homework done. Cool?"

"Yeah, man." The school day went by pretty quickly. The only news that caught me was that we were dissecting frogs tomorrow. Gross. I began to walk back home after the school bell rang. I squinted at the setting sun. Was it me, or did it seem brighter than usual? I'll have to remember to start carrying a pair of sunglasses. "Hi, Mom," I greeted as I opened the door.

"Hey, sweetie," my mom replied. "Dinner's about done. You have a good day at school?"

"It was fine, except for the fact that I'll have to cut open a frog for science class tomorrow. Hey, is it okay if Elias comes over in a little bit? We were planning to watch a movie together."

"That's fine, sweetie. Just make sure everything's done first." After dinner, I made sure all my chores were finished and my homework was completed. Once I finished the last arithmetic problem on my sheet, I heard a knock on the door. I rushed downstairs and opened the door. "Hey, dude," Elias greeted. "Ready for that movie?"

"Sure," I shrugged. A little while later, we were watching Reptilian Purge, this horror flick where these huge mutant lizards with these huge bat wings were terrorizing a town. A scene soon came up where the monster opened its jaws to reveal its sharp fangs. "I can't watch!" Elias squeaked as he covered his eyes. Somehow, I couldn't manage to peel my eyes away from the screen. As the screen flashed red with the blood, I didn't feel any bit queasy like I usually do. In fact, I felt my throat go dry. Before I knew it, the movie had ended. "Pretty creepy flick, huh?" Elias asked me, snapping me back. "You know, I didn't hear you puke even once."

"I was just holding it in," I told him as a put a hand to my throat. "Uh, I'm getting something to drink." I walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a soda. I opened it up and began to take a sip. At least, I thought it was a sip. "Wow, man," Elias suddenly said to me. "I think you might have beaten the record for the quickest time to down a pop."

"I guess I was thirstier than I thought," I slowly replied as I held the now-empty can in my hand. I looked up at the clock and saw it read 9:20. "Looks like the movie ran longer than I thought," I told Elias.

"Yeah, my mom will probably start yelling if I don't get home and make sure our dog had its nightly walk," he sheepishly answered.

"Don't worry, dude. I'll help you out." We ran out the door and towards Elias's house. Elias opened the door, and a ball of fur tackled him to the ground. "Down, Jokester!" he laughed as the Pomeranian licked him. Elias sat up and petted the dog's light-brown fur. "You're supposed to be more of a lap dog," he chuckled, "Instead, you're a ball of energy!"

"He gets it from you," I joked as I walked over to them. To my surprise, the pooch was growling and snarling at me. Elias has had Jokester for five years, and the most he did was bark a whole bunch. He never growled at anybody, let alone me. Elias must've been as surprised since he tried to hold Jokester back. "It's just Trent," he coaxed the dog. "What's gotten into you, boy?"

"I'd better head home," I told Elias. "Night, man." I quickly walked back home, puzzled. A sweet dog like Jokester suddenly becoming vicious? As I thought about it, I felt my throat suddenly becoming dry again. Huh? I practically downed a soda in a few seconds. I shouldn't be thirsty. Maybe it's my nerves making my throat so parched. I soon walked inside my own home and into my bedroom. I twirled with the toy train I have on my dresser. I gotten it from my grandpa when I was little, and on the day he passed away, it lost one of its wheels, leaving it with nine. I considered nine my lucky number since then. I twirled the train nine times before setting it back on my dresser. I then collapsed on my bed, still a bit confused. I tried to shake it off as I fell asleep.

I suddenly woke up to the sound of crows cawing. I groaned as I opened my eyes, but what I saw completely stunned me. I was somehow outside and hanging upside-down from a tree branch. I soon slipped off the branch and crashed onto the ground below. "What the-?" I muttered as I rubbed my head. I took a look around. It was still dark out, probably around four in the morning. But I could make out the farm up ahead. It belonged to a classmate of mine, named Crimson. She and another student named Ennui were the local goth kids in town. They were a bit eerie-looking, that went without argument, but they seemed like decent people. I noticed Crimson stepping outside the house. I quickly hid behind the old tree, hoping she didn't spot me. How could I explain to her how I got here if even I didn't know the answer? Fortunately, I saw her enter the barn, and I took this chance to make a break for home.

As soon as I reached my house, I noticed my bedroom window was wide open. Weird. I never remember opening it yesterday. I slowly opened the door and crept upstairs, hoping I didn't wake my parents. I breathed a sigh of relief when I entered my room without being noticed. I looked at the window before closing it shut. I was still puzzled about how I ended up hanging upside-down from the old tree by Crimson's place. Maybe I could've sleepwalked there? But that means I must've left by the window, since I clearly didn't open it earlier. But the ground is pretty high up from the window. If I had jumped down, I probably would've twisted my ankle. Wouldn't the pain had jolted me awake then?

I figured there was no point in me going back to sleep after what happened, so I got some fresh clothes out for the school day. I pulled out a pair of black jeans and a light-green T-shirt and put them on. I then gathered my school supplies and slipped them in my backpack. I squinted my eyes as I saw the sunlight pouring in from my window. Man, that light was bright! I made sure to slip a pair of aviators in the pocket of my jeans. As I walked out of my bedroom, I felt my throat burning like it was on fire. I grabbed a glass and poured some milk in it. I quickly drank the entire glass, but my throat still felt like it hadn't gotten a drop of liquid. "Trent?" my mom groggily asked as she walked into the kitchen. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Mom," I answered as I saw her pour a cup of coffee. "Sorry if I'm up a bit early. I couldn't sleep."

"That's alright, honey. You didn't wake the house up or break anything." I noticed her staring at me. "Sweetie, are you alright?"

"Uh, what do you mean?" I wondered.

"You're as pale as a ghost." She put a hand to my forehead. "And you're clammy, as well. Are you coming down with something?"

"No, Mom. I don't think so."

"Trent, you sure? If you aren't well, you need to stay home and rest."

"I'm fine, Mom! Really!" I started to walk out the door. I saw Elias walking his dog around his yard. "Morning, Trent!" he greeted. Jokester greeted me with a growl. "Seriously, buddy?" he asked the pooch as he tugged on the leashed. "Again? It's just Trent. Hang on, Trent. Let me put Jokester inside." I waited until Elias dragged the Pomeranian in his house and jogged up to me. "Ready for today?" he asked me.

"Dissecting frogs," I moaned. "How lovely." We soon reached the school buildings. As we opened the door, the buzz of the other students echoed in our ears. "Did you guys see that weird thing flying outside last night?" I heard one student ask another. "It looked like it came straight out of that horror flick!"

"Impossible," another student said. "The only places lizards can fly are in fiction."

"But I saw it with my own eyes!" one student claimed. "It had a pair of dark bat wings and scales all over its body!"

"Oh, really?" the second student wondered, not believing the guy. "If that's the case, then surely you would know where this so-called 'flying lizard' is right now."

"I saw it fly by that goth kid's place!" That piece of information caught my attention. The goth kid's place...did he mean near Crimson's farm? But I was there a few hours ago and I saw nothing like that. "Looks like everyone's trying to gain attention with some bogus story," Elias muttered to me. "At least what I'm planning isn't a work of fiction."

"Are you sure you wanna do this, man?" I whispered back. "You'll get in serious trouble."

"I've come too far to quit now. About a minute after the frog's on the table, I'll act all sick-like. When the teacher comes over, I'll pull the string and BLAM! She's covered in puke!" I could only roll my eyes. Once Elias has an idea, it's impossible to make him change his mind. I started to walk to class when I bumped into two students. "Sorry," I apologized, "I didn't mean to-" I gulped when the two people turned around. Just my luck. I bumped into Crimson and Ennui. "Oh, hey," I nervously said to them. I felt my throat burning as I saw them staring at me. "So, uh, what do you guys think about the upcoming science project? Cutting up dead frogs?"

"I couldn't be happier," Ennui monotonously answered, his expression not changing.

"Um...glad you're happy. Uh, you guys hear about that lizard thing everyone's chatting about?"

"Crimson was just telling me about it. She said she could sense a darkness across her farm. I'm so jealous."

"I would feel the same way in your shoes," Crimson said in a bland tone. "The dark energy that soul was emitting...I can't...it's just..."

"Careful. You almost got color in your face."

"Uh...yeah," I nervously commented. "I'll just leave you be."

"I was even fortunate to see the creature sleeping in the dead oak tree," Crimson blandly said. Wait. The old oak tree? That...that was the tree I found myself hanging from. Ugh. All of this is making my head hurt. As I continued down the hall, I noticed a weird smell coming from the room for science class. I followed it until I saw a box laying on the teacher's desk. I don't know what the smell was exactly, but I just felt...drawn to it somehow. I opened the box up. A bunch of frogs, live frogs, suddenly jumped out at me. I stumbled back as the frogs covered my face. I ended up tripping on some rope lying on the ground, and I ended up crashing into the hard ground as what looked like puke got flung at me. "What is all the ruckus?" Ms. Fieldings, the science teacher, demanded as she stormed into the room. She screamed as she saw the mess I created. "I-I'm sorry, Ms. Fieldings," I tried to tell her, though the burning feeling in my throat made it hard to speak. I then saw Elias peeked his head in the room. "Crud," I heard him mutter. "Trent fumbled right into my prank."

"What was that, young man?" Ms. Fieldings asked as she whipped her head towards him. "I'll talk to you in a minute. Trent Dellson, you better have a good explanation of what happened here."

"I...opened the box up," I explained as I felt my voice going hoarse. "I had no idea that there were live frogs in it, honest!"

"Trent, are you okay? You sound like you're losing your voice."

"I'm fine." I winced as I felt my throat burn again. "Nurse's office," Ms. Fieldings ordered. "Right now, young man. And you..." She pointed to Elias. "You've earned yourself a day of detention."

"Me?!" Elias protested. "I didn't do anything!" I could hear him arguing with the teacher as I walked towards the nurse's office. "Hello, there," Ms. Delilah, the nurse, greeted as I walked inside. "What brings you in here?"

"My teacher sent me here," I weakly explained.

"Oh, my. That voice sounds bad. Sit down while I grab my first-aid kit." I sat down on the chair as she went to grab the first-aid kit. Man, am I having the worst luck. Stumbling right into Elias's prank...what are the chances of that? I felt my throat burn again. Seriously? Just what is making my throat hurt so much? Maybe my mom was right in saying I was coming down with something. I saw Ms. Delilah coming back, so maybe I'll get an answer. "Okay," she told me, "Open wide." I did as she asked as she shined her flashlight down my throat. "Odd," I heard her mutter. "It doesn't look inflamed."

"But my throat's been sore all day," I told her as I rubbed it.

"Well, I'd better give you a thorough check-up." And she did, from taking my temperature to even checking my blood pressure. Afterwards, she just had a perplexed face. "I don't get it," she muttered as she paced back and forth. "You definitely came down with something, and yet the checkup shows a clean bill of health."

"What are you going to do?" I wondered.

"I'm going to call your parents to come pick you up for today. Since I'm not sure what you have, I think the best course of action is to make sure it doesn't spread to the other students and get them sick." A few minutes later, my mom picked me up and drove me back home. "I told you something was up," she told me.

"But I felt fine," I told her. I felt my throat burning once again. "I suggest that you rest that voice, young man," my mom sternly told me as she pulled the car into the driveway. "You head to bed, mister. Now." I dragged myself to bed like my mom asked. I squinted my eyes as the sun kept shining. I groaned before closing the curtains up. I soon collapsed on my bed. How could I have gotten so sick so quickly? My memory quickly went back to when that...that thing attacked me and practically pierced my neck. But that couldn't have happened, right? There wasn't anything on my neck to prove it attacked me.

I could hear my mom calling different doctors and asking what exactly is wrong with me. But I'm not sure if it would do any good. If the school nurse gave me a clean bill of health, the doctors probably would, as well. I felt myself drifting asleep, even though it was only 10:00. But my mind just couldn't shake the thoughts of that evening.

Sky's P.O.V.

If there was a word describing how bored I was, I think it would be twice as bad. Right now, I was pacing back and forth down this street in the middle of the night, waiting for a vampire to attack. Now I know you're probably thinking 'Sky, there are no such thing as vampires.' Then I guess my best counter to that would be 'If that's true, then how are you able to talk to me?'

I'm not lying. I am actually a vampire. But don't go jumping to the idea that vampires are blood-sucking beasts. I happen to be a vegetarian vampire, and most other vamps either get their blood from drinking small animals such as squirrels or drinking this blood substitute that was created by this vampire guy during the first World War. It's the vamps that decide to drink human blood that gives vamps a bad name. They're known as Dark Bloods, and they're dangerous in the supernatural community because not only do they risk exposing themselves to humans and creating panic, but it's always been suspected that vampires can sometimes turn humans into vamps, though it's still unclear exactly how. Unfortunately, it was suspected that a Dark Blood was in the area. My father, Dr. Vancree, happened to be called to investigate and to make sure no one was turned. He decided to set a trap to lure the Dark Blood out of hiding.

Which is why I'm standing in this dark street right now. I did volunteer for the task, so I couldn't be too sore. I was mainly sore that the plan was taking so long. Basically, I was the bait. My dad and some members of the Vampire Counsel, which is basically the governing body of vampires, were waiting in the shadows for the Dark Blood.

I then saw a black Lab walking down the street. Crud. Dogs can sense a supernatural presence, and I was afraid the mutt would give the trap away. Surprisingly, it didn't snarl or growl or even let out a bark. As it walked closer to me, I could see that its eyes were blood-red, the tell-tale sign of a vampire. "Dog!" I shouted, hoping that the others would notice the odd dog. My dad understood at once, and he started to corner the pooch. The dog tried to run but he and four members of the Counsel blocked any escape. "Dark Blood!" one of them boomed. "Reveal yourself!" The black Lab quickly changed into a person, who scowled at being caught. "Why did you stop me?" he hissed. "I am only doing what was natural to my kind."

"You almost tried to go after this young girl," another member scolded.

"There is no reason to attack people," my father told him. "You will now face consequence for your actions." He nodded to another member. His eyes flashed red, and he, the Dark Blood, and the rest of the Counsel members disappeared. "Man," I muttered, "I wish I had a cool power like teleportation."

"Your power is just perfect," my father assured me as he hugged me. I could feel myself glowing with embarrassment. No, literally. Every vampire can summon a pair of wings to fly with, but each one has a different power. Most vamps can shape-shift into animals, like the Dark Blood, but some can have supersonic screams or can teleport or can create illusions. My power? I can glow like a firefly. Lame, I know. "Come on, Sky," my father told me. "Our work isn't complete just yet. We need to check to make sure the Dark Blood didn't turn anyone."

"Right," I sighed. "But could we first get something to drink?"

"Of course, dear. You earned it for helping out so much." I really didn't mind helping out with Dad's 'cases', as he calls them. We went over to a store that was open at the late hour, thank goodness, and grabbed a drink to keep our energy up. "So," I spoke up after I took a long sip of the tomato juice I bought, "How will we check the damage the Dark Blood did without raising any alarms?"

"It will definitely be tricky," my father replied while he took a sip of his soda. "A vampire's bite heals rather quickly, usually in just a few hours. But I think I know where to start. Someone called last evening asking if I could examine her son that had fallen ill, and it seems to be displaying the signs of turning, I'm afraid."

"Really?"

"I have to see for myself to make sure it's not a false alarm." I really hope it's a false alarm. My dad and I drove up to the house the next morning. Two people answered the door. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Dellson," my dad greeted with a bow. "I hope to assist however I can. May we come in?"

"Of course," Mrs. Dellson replied. "Any help is greatly appreciated." She turned to me. "And who might this young lady be?"

"Sky Vancree," I answered. "I wanna help out, as well."

"You don't exactly look like you're qualified in medicine," Mr. Dellson told me. "How can you help?"

"Well..." A barking noise suddenly rang in my ears. I saw a light-brown Pomeranian run up and began to growl and snarl at me and my dad. "Jokester!" I heard a boy shout. A boy with a red shirt, brown shorts and curly brown hair ran up to us and scooped up the dog. "I'm sorry," he told us as he struggled to hold the dog back, "Jokester's been acting off since yesterday. Uh, I'm Elias."

"Sky," I told him.

"Sky, go check on the kid," my dad instructed. "I need to ask Mr. and Mrs. Dellson a few questions."

"Hey, mind if I check on my pal Trent?" Elias asked.

"Just don't try to pester him," Mr. Dellson sternly replied. "He was resting in his room, last I checked."

"I'll show you," Elias told me as he sat down the snarling pooch and dragged me upstairs. I could hear the dog's growls start to fade as the boy led me to a door. Elias opened a door up and led me into a darkened bedroom. I could make out Trent lying on the bed. Even in the darkness, I could see his skin was pale and clammy. Not a good sign. "Poor guy," I heard Elias mutter. "I can't believe he got so sick so fast. Feeling better, dude?" He started to walk towards Trent but I tried to hold him back. "Careful," I warned him. "You might catch what he might have." That wasn't entirely a lie. If he wasn't careful, he could get bit and turn into a vamp himself. Elias just tried to pull away from me. "I know what I'm doing," he told me.

"Still..." I pointed out, not letting my grip loose.

"Hey! Let go!" He tried to tug loose and ended up tripping and falling on the floor. "Ow!" he cried out as he rubbed his arm. Suddenly, a pungent smell entered my nose that nearly made me gag. A smell all too familiar to vampires. And a glance at Elias's arm and seeing the thin stream of red liquid only confirmed what it was: blood. "It's just a little scratch," Elias told me but my worry wasn't just on him. I turned back and saw Trent moaning in his bed. "Trent?" I asked him as I quickly went to his side. What I saw made me freeze. I saw Trent's teeth lengthen to a pair of fangs, and as he opened his eyes, his eyes became red like blood. He suddenly leaped out of bed and pinned Elias down to the ground. "H-hey!" Elias stuttered with fear. "This isn't funny, man!" Trent just hissed at him.

I could feel every bit of my body become paralyzed with fear, but I knew standing still wasn't an option. I needed to stop Trent quickly without harming him or Elias. I rushed towards the curtains on the window. While sunlight can't destroy a vampire like they say in the movies and books, it can weaken them and make their skin burn. More than a dozen sunburns taught me that. I opened the curtains up, letting the sunlight in. Just as I thought, Trent couldn't take it. He hissed in pain and raised his hands to shield himself from the sun. Elias immediately ran off as soon as Trent released his hold on him. I wasn't too surprised he panicked and bolted. I returned my attention to Trent. He seemed to be trying to keep himself from giving chase. He quickly passed out. "Trent?" I asked him as I tried to shake him awake, to no avail. Since I figured he would be out cold for a bit, I decided to get my father to check on him. I began to walk out of the room when I heard some voices. "Don't go creating bogus stories," Mr. Dellson sternly demanded, "Especially not now!"

"But it's true!" Elias protested. "I saw Trent with a pair of red peepers and freaky fangs! If I didn't know better, I'd say he turned into a vampire!"

"Ridiculous!" Mrs. Dellson told him. "There's no such thing as vampires!" If only she knew. I soon saw my father climbing the steps and walking towards me. "You'd better check for yourself," I quietly breathed out. My dad entered Trent's bedroom and saw him lying on the floor. He moved him back to his bed and began to examine him. "Clammy and pale skin," he muttered, "And sharpened incisors...one more test to perform." I saw him pull out a small vial and poured a few drops on a piece of cloth. He then dabbed it on Trent's neck, and two small dots showed up. A vampire's bite. "The Dark Blood got to him?" I nervously gulped.

"Unfortunately," my father somberly told me. "We can't change that." He pulled out a thermos of blood substitute from his bag, making me gag a little. "Sky, I want you to give him this once he comes to and explain everything to him."

"I hate telling people this," I sighed.

"But you have the easy part. Try telling their family and loved ones." My dad rubbed my hair before going down the stairs. I could only sigh as I looked at Trent. Oh, this will be fun to do.

Trent's P.O.V.

I slowly opened my eyes up. "You're awake," I heard a voice say. "Good." I squinted and saw a girl with dark hair holding a red container and looking at me. "Wh-who are you?" I managed to stutter out.

"Sky Vancree," the girl answered. "I'm with my dad to help you out. Right now, he's busy explaining things to your parents."

"So...you guys know what's up with me?" I clutched my throat as I felt it burn again. "Throat feels like it's on fire?" Sky asked me. "I can help with that." She passed the red container to me. "My dad told me to give this to you once you woke up. Just take a sip of it and you'll start to feel better." I opened the lid up and saw a red liquid bobbing inside. It looked really familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Drink," Sky repeated a little more sternly. I slowly started to drink the weird liquid, bracing myself for the foul taste. To my surprise, it wasn't anything I was expected. It tasted like both the sweetest thing and the most bitter thing I have ever tasted. Before I knew it, the container was empty and my throat was no longer burning. "Feeling better?" Sky asked me.

"Yeah," I breathed out. I felt my heart racing, like I had just finished a marathon. I put a hand towards my mouth to wipe any of the liquid that may have spilled, but when I pulled back and saw the stains on my hand, my heart felt like it stopped beating. The red stains...and why the liquid looked so familiar. It...it was...blood. "Was that stuff blood?!" I panicked as I put a hand to my throat.

"Technically, it's a blood substitute," Sky explained in an oddly calm tone, "But it's supposed to be like the real thing, from what I heard." Like the real thing? Blood substitute? "What are you even talking about?" I demanded.

"I guess I should quit beating around the bush," she quietly replied. "My dad was in here a while ago and he figured out what you had." She then muttered something under her breath. "What was that?" I asked her, hoping she'll repeat it.

"It's...vampirism," Sky finally told me, a few tears in her eyes. I could only stare at her in silence. I wasn't sure whether to laugh it off or not. "But...vampires don't exist," I explained to her. "They're just a part of fiction." But yet a part of me is telling me she's right. It explains why I thought the sun was brighter than usual and why I haven't been queasy around blood lately. Still...

"I know you're doubtful," Sky told me, "But it's the truth. Though in your case, it's not natural. You must've been bitten pretty recently."

"B-bitten?" I stuttered. My memory flashed back to when that thing attacked me and pierced my neck, and the wound suddenly vanishing. Could it have actually been an actual vampire? "N-no," I breathed out. I could feel the panic and anger starting to rush through my veins. "Im-impossible. You have to be lying!"

"Please, Trent, don't panic," Sky said. I suddenly found myself pinning her to the wall. "Tell me the truth!" I demanded, my fury numbing any logic I might've had. "Now!" Sky just reached a hand to her pockets and pulled out a small mirror. "If you want the truth," she breathed out as she held it up, "Then look for yourself." I loosened my grip on her and held the mirror in my free hand. One look made me freeze up. It was my reflection, but I had red eyes and a pair of fangs. I could only gasp as the mirror fell from my hands, which Sky quickly scooped up. I felt to see if I really had fangs, to make sure I wasn't imaging things. To my horror, I could feel the shape of sharpened teeth from under my lips. "It's...it's true," I managed to squeak out. "I'm...actually...a vampire?" Sky just nodded her head. I just collapsed on my bed. "What...what am I supposed to do now?" I wondered out loud.

"Trent, calm down," Sky told me.

"C-calm down?! How can I?! Look at me. I'm a monster, and there's nothing I can do about it!" I could feel the tears burning at the corners of my eyes. "It's not the end of the world," Sky told me as she sat down next to me.

"Easy for you to say," I spat back. "How would you know?!" Sky blinked a few times, and I just stared in shock as I saw her eyes changed from black to red. "You're..." I stuttered.

"Both myself and my family are vampires," Sky answered as her eyes returned to their original color. "It's partially how we were able to tell you had turned. But a vamp's life isn't all gloomy. There are upsides and downsides."

"B-b-but aren't vampires suppose to...drink blood?" I gulped.

"Most vamps either get their blood from small animals or drink a blood substitute, like the stuff I gave you earlier."

"Oh, man. What am I gonna tell my parents?"

"My dad's handling that part right now. Speaking of which, we should probably check in with them right about now." We started to walk out of my room and down the hall towards the stairs. I looked down the stairs and saw some man (Sky's father, I presumed) talking to my mom and dad, though it looked like they didn't believe a word coming out of his mouth. "We asked for help from a doctor, not a quack!" my dad angrily protested as he paced back and forth.

"I understand if you're doubtful..." Sky's father told them.

"Oh, it's more than just doubtful," my mom spat back. "You're just giving us some ridiculous story about our son being a...a vampire?! Have you gone off the deep end?!" I could only watch in a tense silence. Sky just nodded to me, trying to tell me to go face them. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and began to slowly go down the steps. "Hi," I nervously greeted them as I walked down the steps. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. My mom was the first to rush to me. "You feeling better, honey?" she asked me.

"Depends on what you mean by better," I gulped as I felt a lump in my throat. "I...overheard what you guys were talking about, and-"

"It's just a cockamamie story, Trent," my dad sternly interrupted me. "Pay no mind to what you heard."

"But-" I tried to tell them. My mom walked back with her coffee mug. "What matters now is that you're better," she assured me. As she walked over, she accidentally tripped over the rug and her mug went flying. I jumped up and tried to grab it before it could break on the floor. At that moment, I felt lighter than air. I managed to grab the mug with my hands. "Got it," I breathed out. I noticed that everyone was staring at me, with my mom and dad looking surprised. I soon figured out why they were staring: I was floating above everyone. I then panicked and started to fall, but a hand grabbed my arm before I hit the floor. "Please be careful, dear boy," Sky's father told me as he held my arm. "You might injure someone by accident."

"But-but-but how-?" my dad stammered out.

"I did explain it to you, Mr. Dellson," Sky's father told him. "But you did not believe me." He set me down on the floor. I noticed that a pair of dark-green bat wings had appeared on my back. "Wings?" I wondered.

"Yeah," Sky said as she knelt down to me. "Vampires can summon a pair of wings to fly with."

"What you were saying was...true?" my mom breathed out as her face went pale. "That...but..."

"I'm guessing in your haste to help your son, you didn't look much into my resume." My mom just gave a bashful look, which seemed to prove his point. "I happen to be a cryptozoologist, with vampires being my area of expertise," Sky's father explained.

"You mean...monsters?" my mom gulped.

"To use the term loosely, yes."

"But how could this have happened?" my dad sternly asked.

"Trent probably got bitten and turned no less than a week ago," Sky spoke up.

"Can't you fix this?!" Sky's father got a solemn look. "I'm afraid I cannot," he answered. "But the least I can do is make dealing with this easier." He then turned and faced me. "I'm sure my daughter gave you something to help with your throat." I nodded my head. "She said it was some sort of...blood substitute," I nervously explained. Sky's father nodded his head in response. "The blood substitutes will help control any...cravings you might have," he explained. I could tell what he meant by 'cravings', making me feel a bit weak. "I understand it's a lot to take in," he continued as he knelt down so he and I were eye-to-eye, "But you won't be alone in this. I'll come by weekly to make sure you're still okay. And you've got your parents here to stand by your side."

"Don't worry, honey," my mom assured me as she wrapped me in a tight hug, "We still love you no matter what." I noticed my dad muttering under his breath. "He's still in disbelief," Sky's father explained to us. "Can't fault him, really. But I must advise you to keep a lid on all of this."

"Sure," my dad scoffed, "Like anyone at work will believe any of this."

"Um, why do you say that, sir?" I asked, feeling puzzled.

"I'm sure you can recall the Salem Witch Trials from your history class," Sky's father explained. "How the people of the town panicked when they thought there were some people performing witchcraft, leading to the deaths of innocent people...It's the reason why the supernatural is hidden from the population. If people found out about things such as vampires, there would be panic and history will just repeat itself."

"It-it can happen," I heard Sky meekly agree as she rubbed the back of her head. In a way, I guess it makes sense. "Sky, go grab that bag from the car while I finish things up with Trent here," Sky's father ordered her.

"Yes, dad," Sky answered. She quickly ran out of the door, and came back a moment later with a black bag with pull-string straps in her hands. "This is about a month's supply of blood substitute," Sky's father told me as he passed the bag to me, "I wouldn't go too long without it, or else you'll have another episode like you did with your friend."

"Y-y-yes, sir," I stammered as I clutched it tightly.

"And like I said before, I'll come by weekly to see how you're doing." He nodded to my parents before he and Sky left. "Bye, Trent," Sky said with a wave, "Maybe we'll see each other again soon." She closed the door behind her. Once the two of them left, I felt my legs give out. "I've got you, honey," my mom assured me as she hugged me again, though I could feel her burning tears as they dropped onto my shirt.

Oddly enough, the time seemed to fly by. Sky's father, who I learned was called Dr. Vancree, kept his word and visited me weekly to help me adjust to my 'new normal'. He helped me control my appetite for blood, showed me how to summon my wings, and I even discovered I could change into any animal, which explains what that creature everyone in school saw was. (Though I will admit I prefer reptiles over stuff like bats when it comes to that.) After a few months, Dr. Vancree decided I could handle everything by myself, though he recommended a yearly check-up like your average doctor.

Flash forward some, and I was soon 16 and in high school. I saw my buddy Elias running up to me with a paper in his hand. "Hey, Trent!" he called out as I closed my locker door. "Look what I found! It's a flyer asking for teens to audition for a reality show called 'Total Drama'. Wouldn't it be great if we got on there?"

"Um, maybe..." I replied. Honestly, I was a little unsure about going on TV. It's hard enough concealing my vampirism from the guys at school, and I felt bad lying to Elias about what happened three years back by telling him it was 'just a cruel prank' but I didn't want to frighten him anymore. He passed me the flyer. "I get it," he told me, "Your folks might not be hip to it. Well, talk it out with them and I'm sure they'll let you audition."

"Perhaps," I nervously answered. As I put the paper in my pocket, I spotted Crimson and Ennui walking down the hall with...a rabbit? "Are you two doing a magic show with Fluffy there?" Elias asked the duo. The rabbit, which had dark fur and goth makeup, growled at us. "Easy, bunny," I said. "We're nice." The rabbit gave us a few more growls as it pointed at us. "Yeah, I'm going," Elias decided as he backed up. "Don't forget about that flyer!" I saw him running off. "Um, that bunny's new," I spoke up as I faced Crimson and Ennui. "I thought you didn't like fluffy and cute animals."

"This is Loki," Ennui explained in his monotone voice.

"He's named after the dark Norse god because he destroys lives," Crimson added.

"He's also super low-key, not cute." Loki sniffed at my pants. "Uh, so I see," I nervously replied as he started to climb up. I gently picked him up. "Go back to Ennui now, Loki."

"Loki's also highly intelligent," Ennui said as he stroked the bunny's ears. "He could tell you were a servant of the darkness."

"Don't call me that!" I told them as I felt my cheeks heating up. "I'm nothing special!" Ever since I got turned, the goths seemed to...know about it and now consider me a 'servant of darkness'. They're fairly friendly enough, but I'm not comfortable being called that. "Uh, I'll let you get back to your stuff," I told them as I walked off. "See ya." The rest of the school day flew by. I grabbed my stuff from my locker and headed home. "How was your day, Trent?" my mom asked as I closed the door behind me.

"Fine," I shrugged. "Is Dad still at work?"

"Yeah. One of his cases requires some extra time from him, so he's staying late. Not easy being a lawyer, you know. I'm making some steak and baked potatoes for dinner tonight. I'm leaving one of the steaks extra-rare for you."

"Thanks, Mom. Hey, there's something I wanna show you." I pulled the flyer out of my pocket. "My buddy Elias showed this to me today. It's to audition for a show called Total Drama." My mom looked over the flyer with a thoughtful expression. "Well, it would be nice for you to meet some new people," she said. "Plus, the prize money could really help out around the house. I'd better discuss this with your father first, but if you want to audition, I don't see too much trouble. But don't your hopes up too high."

I started to feel a little more relieved about this. After dinner, I went to my room and looked over the flyer again. Wanna be famous? it read. Then audition for the hottest and newest reality show to air on TV, Total Drama Island! Stay at this luxurious resort at Lake Wawanakwa, in Muskota, Ontario. Compete in challenges and you might end up leaving the island with one million dollars! Send your audition tapes in soon! Only so many spots are available! I hung upside-down from my bed as I gazed at the flyer again. I don't know if it's a vampire thing, but just hanging like this is a bit relaxing to me. The show did seem tempting, and it would be nice to meet some other people.

I suppose it wouldn't be so bad.

This is basically a backstory on Trent from my Island story, so you might have to read that to understand this. And yes, I did include Crimson, Ennui and Loki here. Why? Well, why not?

Elias is an OC created by LaCuevademisgustos.

And well, nothing else to add. Until next time, this is Dunsparce519 saying enjoy and have a happy Halloween!