Slowly, the streets began to empty of people. Around 10:00 every night, most of the humans would filter out of the main shopping districts and walk or drive back to their homes – in some cases, their hotels. The local teenagers would roam the streets at night. Some knew of a few hole-in-the-wall places to shop and eat, but most just wandered around. Either it wasn't late enough for them to go home, or they had to get out of the house for whatever reason. Very few traveled in groups – a bad habit from rebellion of their parents' wishes – a deadly mistake in some cases. For a vampire, food was abundant in the excess amount of loners.

As I leaned against the side of a building, I caught sight of a girl, probably no more than 13 or 14 years old, walking down the sidewalk across the street. Her blonde hair was tangled and she looked too skinny for good health. An old, dirty backpack hung off one shoulder; a runaway. No one would notice her absence. I slipped my hands into my pockets and crossed the street.

She must've been on her own for awhile; her face was smudged with dirt, and dark circles sat under her eyes. She was shivering under her light jacket, hugging herself in a feeble attempt at keeping warm. She hadn't bathed in awhile; I could smell the body odor and stench of garbage from halfway down the sidewalk. Suddenly, I pitied her. It was obvious she wouldn't last much longer on the streets. The least I could do was get her some food before I got mine.

The girl had stopped in the light of an open diner. Her expression was one of longing as she gazed into the windows, no doubt watching fat men inhale their dinner and waitresses dump plates half full of food down the trash. "Hey." The girl nearly jumped out of her skin. She watched me with wide eyes, thoughts of what I could do to her probably running through her mind. She had no idea…

"Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?"

She gripped the strap of her backpack and glanced back into the windows of the diner. "I don't plan on raping you or anything," her head whipped back in my direction, "It's just… you look like you could use some food."

She hesitated, obviously unsure if she could trust me. "Well… my mom," her voice faltered and the pained expression was quickly swept away from her face, "I thought you're not supposed to accept stuff from strangers?"

"My name's Aries, and once you tell me your name, we won't be strangers anymore."

She swallowed and paused, still hesitant about trusting me. I sighed. I'd be damned if she didn't get any food, even though she'd be dead in a few minutes anyway.

I gazed into her eyes, willing her to trust me. Almost immediately she relaxed. "C'mon," I said, taking the backpack from her shoulder, "you need to get some food in you." I took her hand and led her into the warm diner.

The girl must've forgotten about everything and everyone once the food was set down in front of her. I was a bit worried; she'd do herself in before I had the chance if she kept eating at that speed.

Once every crumb had vanished from her plate, she sat back against the padding of the booth. "Thank-you," she murmured, head down and watching her lap.

"You're welcome…?"

"Amber."

"You're welcome, Amber." I nudged the coffee I'd ordered towards Amber. "Want some coffee?"

Amber grabbed the mug and immediately began sipping the warm liquid. When she was done, she set the cup onto the table and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

Amber took a long last look at the diner before she looked back at me and nodded. I set some money on the table and led her out the door. Once we left the diner, Amber asked me to walk with her. I knew she would. They all did. I fought with myself while we walked. Part of me wanted to spare her. She's only 13! She's just a kid! Someone might come to get her. She might have a chance to go back home…

But another part of me knew I had no choice. She's alone. She ran away. She chose this life. She won't be missed. You need her blood. She won't live much longer. Stop her suffering…

"Amber, can I show you something?"

I half-hoped she would refuse. She nodded. The street was empty; Amber and I were the only people around. I locked my eyes with hers. Amber stiffened then relaxed, concentrating only on my eyes. My gaze never left hers as I made the small cut on her arm. The thirst was suddenly at the back of my throat as the smell of the blood wafted through my nostrils. I raised Amber's wrist to my mouth and wrapped my lips around the cut. The salty, coppery liquid flooded my mouth and throat, launching my predator instincts into action. After a few moments, Amber began to struggle. Her pulse raced as I held her still. She screamed – her last resort – but I covered her mouth with my free hand. Soon, Amber's heartbeat began to slow. It would all be over soon.

Amber's limp body was weightless in my arms as I laid her on the sidewalk. I made another cut on her other wrist. Whoever found her would think she'd committed suicide; they'd never suspect the truth. I wiped the trickle of blood from my mouth and walked away from the lifeless body. The thirst was still in the back of my throat as I walked back to the shopping district. I'd need more blood before the night was over.

I was standing in front of a Starbucks when I saw my next victim. She was walking past a designer store, lost in thought. I didn't care if she was wanted or not, I needed blood more than anything. The girl would be walking past an alley in a few seconds. It wasn't my best choice, but it'd have to do. I'd moved into the shadows in a second, giving the girl plenty of time to walk into my trap.

Just as she stepped into my line of sight, a small breeze blew her scent in my face. It was the most amazing smell I'd ever known. It was sweet – vanilla mixed withsomething another fragrance I couldn't place. My throat burned with thirst and I grabbed the girl and held her up against the brick wall.

She was thin, but not unhealthy, and of medium height. I could see her hair in the streetlight; a dark brown with the smallest bit of red mixed in. Somehow, her face was familiar to me, but from where I couldn't remember. Her pulse thundered in my head, and every thought left my mind – every thought except for the thought of her blood flowing down my throat.

Suddenly the girl shoved me away, and I fell back against some trash cans in shock. She was strong, very strong. She tried to run from the alley, but I pulled her back into the shadows, away from the safety of the light. I shoved her back against the wall and held her in place. I leaned in towards her neck – perfectly shaped and enticing beyond belief – when a flash of silver stopped me in my tracks.

A thin chain hung around her neck, glinting in the streetlights. I cocked my head and reached for the chain. The girl made an attempt to block my hand, but I just held both her wrists in one hand and lifted the necklace out from underhershirt with the other. A small purple gem hung from the chain. I glanced at the girl's hands, and then slid the fabric of her jacket away from her wrist. Flesh-colored markings wrapped themselves around the skin of her wrist, connecting under her palm. My eyes shifted to hers. They were so familiar. Light brown, outlined in a darker shade around the outside of the iris and the pupil. They were hard and unfeeling, but then she faltered and the wall crumbled. For a second her eyes were filled with a sadness I'd only seen once before. But then, the wall was rebuilt, and her eyes were as hard as ever. I tilted the girl's chin up and to the side. A thin, light pink scar trailed down to her chin, just under her jaw line.

"Neesha?"

A/N: Okay, so... obvviously, this wasn't in Neesha's point of view. And... yeah. That's really it. Oh! And there's no disclaimer because... I pretty much own everything in this chapter... except Starbucks.