I shot up in bed, sweat soaking the surface of my skin. My breath came out in ragged gasps as I ran a hand through my hair. I found myself back in my bedroom with my alarm clock reading 5 PM.
A second later, the memories of the night before came rushing back in. Brenda coming over, the concert, and David giving me that … drink.
"Did I blackout drunk?" I whispered to myself.
I tried to remember what happened after the drink, but it was all blank. How did I get home? Did Brenda drive me or … was it one of the others? These questions and so many more came rushing through my mind when I decided I needed answers.
I pulled the comforter off to find I was still wearing the clothes from the night before. I rose to my feet as a throbbing headache pounded in my temples, my eyes hurting at the sunlight that was coming through the blinds.
I stumbled over to the nightstand and pulled the drawer open, rummaging through the contents until I found a pair of old sunglasses. I slid them on, lessening the pain in my eyes, if only a little.
I made my way downstairs, one step at a time. I went up to the phone on the counter and dialed her number, which I memorized by heart. It rang and rang until finally, someone answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Mrs. Sand, I was wondering if Brenda's home? I'd really like to ask her something," I replied quickly.
There was silence before a sniffle could be heard on the other end of the line. The smile on my face vanished as the words left her lips. "I'm sorry but Brenda never came home last night."
The color instantly drained from my face as I almost dropped the receiver. "What do you mean she never came home?"
"She was supposed to be back by midnight, but midnight came and went without any sign of her. We called the police and they found her car in the boardwalk parking lot. Do you know where she may have gone?" Her mother asked in a pleading tone.
"We were hanging out at the concert and Brenda was getting close to this boy but…" I began, swallowing the spit in my throat. "I left early because I wasn't feeling well. I wanted Brenda to come with me but she didn't want to miss out on the concert, so I walked home. I hope they find her."
"I hope they do too."
The line went dead. I placed the phone back on the hook with shaky hands, missing the holder a few times. I lied, but it was better than telling her I had no idea how I got here. The idea of Brenda not coming home made me angry. I told her we shouldn't separate and then I let David pull me out onto the beach, getting me blackout drunk instead of protecting her. What if someone hurt her … or worse? I wasn't sure, but I knew something for certain … I had to speak to David.
I made my way to the door, only to realize I was wearing the same clothes as yesterday and that I had no idea where David lived. I got discouraged until I remembered where the group hung out each night on the boardwalk. So, I made my way upstairs, showering and changing into something more my style.
As I got dressed, I peered into the mirror to find my reflection wavering. I finished sliding my sweater over my head as I leaned close to the mirror to find my reflection fading in and out like a flickering light. I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but the same thing continued to happen like my reflection was slowly disappearing.
I decided whatever David had given me last night was still messing with me and I ignored the oddness of what just happened. Once I was dressed, I left a note for my parents and decided to walk down to the boardwalk to get some fresh air. As I neared the boardwalk, more and more people were out and about.
Families heading to the amusement park, couples to the beach for some nighttime swimming, and teenagers doing whatever they pleased. As more people surrounded me, the more my stomach twisted in knots with hunger. Not just any hunger, but the starving kind. Like I had never eaten in my entire life.
It made no sense for me to be this hungry and yet I was. The more people that came to walk by, the more hungry I became. My eyes traveled to the people as they came and went, licking my lips as they did.
When I caught myself doing this, I swore under my breath, shook my head, and pushed that hungry feeling away. I was here for a reason and I could … would not get distracted. I needed answers and David was going to give them to me.
I found the group in their regular hangout spot near the end of the boardwalk. When they weren't tormenting local businesses, they hung around this one corner talking about whatever those types of people talked about. As I approached, the one named Dwayne saw me and whispered to David, who turned to me with a smile.
"Ah, it's Dawn, isn't it?" David asked.
"Where's Brenda?" I asked, coming to stand before the group with crossed arms.
"Brenda who?" Paul asked with a shrug.
I came to stand before Paul, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling his face down to mine. The small one, Marco, tried to step in, but David placed a hand on his chest and shook his head, telling him to no.
"Brenda was my friend. You know the girl you were macking on last night. You two were basically the same person," I snapped, meeting his gaze intently. "Ring a bell?"
Paul put on an overexaggerated thinking face before it lit up with recognition and a smile. "Ah, yeah, I remember her."
"Where is she?" I asked, gripping his collar a little tighter. "She didn't come home last night and last I saw she was with you."
"Why don't we calm down a little," David said, appearing beside us and placing his hand on mine. "Talk like civilized people."
"Tell me where she is and I'll gladly calm down … David," I sneered, glaring toward him without loosening my grip on Paul's shirt.
"I'll tell you, but you have to let go of my friend. Don't want to cause wrinkles," David said.
I looked from David to Paul and back again. What I wanted to do was punch Paul's face until he told me, but I knew his friends would step in and I didn't have the strength to fend them all off. So, reluctantly, I removed my hand and stepped back.
He rearranged his shirt as David whispered to him. Paul nodded as he headed back to the others. David motioned for me to follow as he took a set of stairs onto the beach. I followed, running to walk beside him.
We walked a good distance to a part of the beach no one ever went to, covered in seaweed and garbage that washed up on shore. David stopped walking and pointed to a giant pile of seaweed. I looked toward him with confusion as he motioned me to take a look.
I shook my head with a sigh before making my way toward the pile, trying not to trip on whatever else covered the beach. About five feet away, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a hand sticking out from under the pile. I squeezed my eyes shut before running forward and crouching down by the seaweed. With a single hand, I pushed some of it away to reveal the person beneath; Brenda.
She was laying on her back beneath the pile, her skin a shade of light blue. She was soaked from the rising tide, her lips a deep purple. Other than her coloring, she looked like she was merely sleeping, but no breath came.
Warm tears made trails down my face as I felt for a pulse I knew wasn't there. After doing so, I noticed puncture marks on her neck that looked almost like teeth.
I rose to my shaky feet and turned back toward David who had not moved since I ran for the seaweed. I was scared and sad and above all else angry. I walked back toward him, my firsts squeezed so tight my skin started turning white.
"Did you do this to her? Did you kill her?!" I screamed, using my hands to push David back a step.
"No, Paul did the honors," David admitted.
I used all the strength I had to slap him, the sound echoing across the empty beach. I went to do it again, but he caught my hand in midair, shaking his head slowly.
"Why did he do it and why the hell did you show me? Is your plan to kill me next so I don't talk?" I asked, keeping my anger at the forefront so my fear didn't sink in.
David sighed, letting go of my hand. "The original plan was to kill you both last night, but I saw something in you … something special … and I wasn't going to squander it by ending your life. So, I made you one of us."
"One of us?" I asked, my hands flying into the air before slamming back down against my thighs. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Last night on the beach you said you felt like an outlier as if you didn't belong. My crew and I understand that feeling better than most. You deserved something more and so I made you into one of us," David explained.
"What do you mean one of us?"
"You're immortal, Dawn. You're a vampire."