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Disclaimer: I do not own Instant Star. Me, and Jessica Wolf do own the song Late Nights.

Chatper 8: The Cold Ones

I held on to the side of the green jeep as we went up down the dunes on the beach. I swear I thought I was going to fall off. When it finally settled we all stepped out. Jamie set up a fire as everyone sat on the logs surrounding the flame. I was wearing my new Roxy green swimsuit that I bought last Saturday. Over it I had a black fishnet over-the-head shawl and blue shorts with green flip flops. Jamie grabbed his guitar and sat next to me. I smiled at him and Kat as she sat next to him too.

The sky was beautiful. The sun was just setting. The sky seemed like some kind of abstract painting. The clouds were painted with a tip of orange on the side of them. I breathed in deeply smelling the salt water in the air. I missed the beach. For once it wasn't raining, though it was a little chilly with the breeze. "Does anyone know a song?" Jamie asked looking around. My ear perked up when I heard him say that.

I loved singing. It was one of my many passions, but it was definitely number one. It's weird for me. I hate when I'm the center of attention except when I'm singing. It's like I'm in another world, and it's just me and the melody. I shyly raised my hand up and got Jamie's attention. He nodded and I whispered in his ear the notes. He nodded again and started to play the opening. I took a deep breath as I felt eyes watching me intently. Soon, I started to sing.

Walking along, side by side
Loving the feel of your hand in mine
The moon is shining and I see the stars dusts
As the fireflies dance all around us
And I'm hoping, and I'm praying
That this will last to the very end

Late nights
Walking on the beach in our bare feet
Holding hands standing side by side
Late nights
The waves splashing in the air
I love these late nights

Laying on the sand and you smile at me
Funny how you're the only thing I see
There could be a million people around
But your soft voice drowns out the crowd
And I'm hoping, and I'm praying
That you were my heaven sent

Late nights
Walking on the beach in our bare feet
Holding hands standing side by side
Late nights
The waves splashing in the air
I love these late nights
Whoa
I love these late nights

I ended with a smile on my face. Everyone looked at me in disbelief and astonishment for a moment. They looked completely dazzled. Then finally they all started to clap. I nodded my head and smile at them. I guess no one knew there was a singer in me. We saw a couple of boys walking over to us. I squinted my eyes to see if I could make it out. I saw a boy with surfer brown hair. He was wearing a Nirvana shirt and board shorts. He came and sat next to me.

"Um, hi?" I said wondering why this boy was sitting next to me.

"Hi, Jude, long time no see," The boy said. How in the world did this kid know my name?

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I asked as Jamie went to cuddle with Kat on a blanket.

"Of course you do. I'm Billy's son."

Realization hit me. This was the kid that pulled my hair when I was little. "Oh, Vincent, right. Sorry about that."

"Actually, call me Spiederman. I hate Vincent."

"So you want me to call you by your last name?"

"Yep."

"Um, okay, whatever you say."

We started to talk a little and I realized something. He wasn't the annoying kid I use to know. He was actually very intelligent and he was my age too. I could've sworn he was younger than me though. We started to walk the beach and I was telling him about Tommy.

"Oh yes, Tommy Quincy, he has quite a story," Spiederman laughed.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"The Quincies; my dad told me about them," he responded as we stopped by a rock.

We both sat down and I looked at him. Maybe this was my chance to figure out who Tommy really was. "What did he tell you?" I requested.

"Well, I would tell you but it might scare you a little."

"Oh, I love scary stories. Please tell me." I fluttered my eyes a little. Maybe a little flirting would help. He smiled and laughed.

"Okay fine, but I warned you. First, there's a legend that says our people descended from wolves. That's why we don't kill them. It would be like killing one of our brothers. Now, there's this ridiculous legend," he rolled his eyes, "about these people called the cold ones."

"Who are they?"

"They are beings that are neither dead nor alive. The legend says that my great-grandfather met them once. But he didn't trust them at all."

"Why not?"

"The cold ones are natural enemies to the wolf. Actually, not wolves, men who turn into wolves." He laughed.

"Turn into wolves? You mean werewolves."

He nodded. "Exactly, and the werewolves have only one enemy. That's the cold ones. So it was hard for my great-grandfather to trust them at all, let alone let them be on our land. But they said that they were different. So, they made a treaty. As long as they stayed off our lands, we wouldn't expose them."

"Okay, back up a bit. How were they different from other of their kind?"

"Oh, they didn't…feed off humans. Somehow, they only fed off animals. But you can never trust the cold ones. It's still really dangerous, but there more…" he searched for the right word, "civil."

"So, what does this have to do with the Quincies? Are they related to the cold ones somehow?" I asked.

Spiederman put on a wicked smile. "The Quincies are the cold ones. It's the same clan from my great-grandfather's time. Darius is said to be the leader."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "But that's impossible."

"Not for the cold ones."

"And what are they? What are the cold ones?"

"Blood drinkers," he said in a low tone. I looked down and then looked up at him a little confused. "Your people would call them vampires."

I took in a sharp breath as the word repeated in my head. 'Vampire'. I turned my head to the waves. I didn't know what kind of expression was on my face. Speed started to laugh. I forced a smile and looked at him. I shook my head and laughed with him. "Scared you?" he asked as his laughing subsided.

"Yea, a little," I smile charmingly at him. "So, you don't believe in any of those legends?"

He scoffed. "C'mon, vampires? Werewolves? They only exist in Hollywood," Speed replied getting up from the boulder and walking towards the bonfire.

"And maybe in Forks," I whispered to myself, and then followed him. We talked for the rest of the night. But my head wasn't in our conversations half the time. Could it be possible that Spiederman's tribe legends could be true? Of course he didn't believe in them. They did sound pretty ridiculous. Still, something in my head was telling me that it wasn't as farfetched as it seemed.

I finally got home when Charlie was already asleep. I went to my room and got dressed quickly and laid in my bed. So many thoughts were running through my mind that I didn't know what to believe. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to go asleep. I was actually almost at the brink of sleep when I heard a 'thump' in my room. I shot up quickly and looked around. No one was there. I slowly got out of my bed and turned the light on. I saw nothing. I could've sworn I heard something.

I suspiciously turned off the light and walked back to my bed. I was about to climb in until I heard footsteps. I turned around swiftly. I couldn't have been imagining things. I gazed around my room. I was the only one in there. Again, I climbed into my bed and pulled the sheets on me. I took one more look around and the put my head down on the pillow. I closed my eyes again hoping to get some sleep.

I had another dream about Tommy (surprise, surprise). But this one was different from the ones I use to have. Kat and I were at the beach in Palatka and we were talking. Then we heard a growl and some footsteps. Kat ran away but I stayed frozen in my spot. I heard another growl, and it seemed louder. It was getting closer. Soon I saw two yellow eyes in the darkness. It was a wolf. The beast stood in front of me protectively. I looked up from it to see Tommy standing in front of me. He smiled at me and I could see that his teeth had turned into fangs. I gasped. "Come with me," Tommy's soft velvet voice echoed through the sky. It was as if his voice ricocheted off the clouds.

"Um…" I responded and the wolf in front of me growled louder at him and then barked. I jumped back and yelped in surprise. Tommy held out his hand to me. I looked at it cautiously and I was about to take it until the wolf launched at him. I could see both of their fangs heading for each other. They were ready to rip each other apart. "No!" I yelled and woke up. I was gasping for air. I felt a breeze hit my face. I looked at my bay window, but it was closed. I looked around my dark room. No one; no one was here except for me. I figured my mind was playing tricks on me. I looked at my clock and it said 10:00am. I looked out my window again. It was raining hard. I sighed and got out of bed. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and dressed casually.

I went downstairs thinking I would find Stuart. I went into the kitchen and saw a note on the fridge.

Jude,

Got called in early. Do me a favor and pick up some groceries today?

Ordering Chinese tonight too. So you don't need to cook. Be home at six.

Love,

Dad

I crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash. I looked in the fridge to see what we needed. We needed milk, bread, lunch meat, eggs, and some fruit and vegetables. I sighed and grabbed a pop-tart from the box on the table. I went back up to my room and turned on the computer. I decided to do some research on…vampires. I still couldn't get it through my head. The Quincies; vampires? Could it be? Could the legends be real? I thought about it as my computer loaded up. I did come to one conclusion. Whether it'd be Spiederman's scary stories, or my comic theory, there was one thing I was certain about. Tommy Quincy was not…human. Far from it.

I signed on my screen name when my computer finally loaded up. A message popped up saying that I had one saved message. I clicked on the window and it was the e-mail that I never opened. It was from islandoflostsouls. It was Tommy's e-mail. I figured that out when he text messaged me. I stared at my screen for a while, debating whether or not to open it up. Before I even made my decision, I clicked on 'Open' and the message popped up. I read it carefully.

Jude,

I know I've been acting like a complete vermin. There are reasons for my behavior and reasons why I didn't tell you what I promised to tell you. Truthfully I don't even know why I'm writing you right now. I still can't tell you anything. But I can tell you that saving you was not a mistake. I don't regret saving your life.

How did he know that I thought that? The only one I told was Jamie. Jamie wouldn't tell him. He hated Tommy. 'He's not human,' I reminded myself.

I know you have no reason to, but I'm hoping maybe you could forgive me somehow. I just…want to be friends. I'll tell you now, we shouldn't be friends. I'm dangerous…I'm one of the bad guys. It would be for your own good if we weren't friends, but I can't stay away from you. I've tried and tried but it's not working. Just meet me tomorrow at school, please. I hope that you forgive me. Have a good day Jude.

From a lost soul,

Tommy

I couldn't bear to close the window. I kept reading that one line over and over again. 'But I can't stay away from you.' Butterflies entered my stomach and my heart raced up a bit when I read that. I sighed and saved it. I went to and typed in 'Vampires'. 4, 076 results came up. This is going to be a while.