Cameron:

My mother was talking to me. Her eyes glowed as she spoke, but I couldn't hear her. The sound of screaming covered her voice. We were on a beach, but in the center of some old village. Tents were set up everywhere, and I could tell they were Indians.

And still the screaming. Nobody seemed to notice, or care, that someone was obviously in pain. Slowly, I realized the screams were forming words… a name. My name. Everything changed then, focus zoomed and expanded. I was above the town, floating, and as I watched, something, just a flicker, could be seen in the trees. It was too fast, too unfocused. But I could tell it was danger.

Suddenly, the screams were replaced with another sound, laughter. I was by the water again, closer this time, almost touching it. There were people all around, but in the center I could just make out the beginning of a fight.

This is so weird… I thought as I crept closer… and froze.

Jacob, kneeling on the ground in tears, was hovering over a body. A girl. She was so pale compared to him. Almost dead looking, and I realized- she was dead. The blood drained from her body. She had been beautiful, almost too much so. Her hair was dark and wavy and gave her an unearthly look combined with her pale skin. I was beyond jealous of her.

I figured out where the laughter was coming from… a boy, a little older than me, with copper hair and skin just as pale as the girls- almost more so. His eyes were gold but flashed red in the light. And when he smiled, glistening fangs sparkled with blood.

Then his eyes locked on me-

And I woke up, sweating and panting. It took me a moment to recognize my bedroom. I still wasn't used to the tope walls and single window. It was too dark in my room, to sleepy. Which I guess is the point, right? You sleep in your bedroom.

The sun peaked through the light curtains hanging limply over my window, but it felt wrong somehow… off a little bit. The sun. That's what it was. For the past couple weeks, it had rained and rained and rained. I hardly ever saw the sun behind bloated storm clouds. And I realized I had missed it.

I also remembered what had happened last night, and why my sneakers were tossed in the corner, muddy and damp. Trying not to think about my nightmare was hard, the image of Jacob's hurt face and his tears pulled at my chest, but I did my best.

The sun was out and Jacob wanted to see me- but choice, not because he had to. I was determined to make this day a good one.

I jumped in the shower, not caring that it was too hot, and threw on the only clean jeans I had within in reach and an old Ramones T. I combed my hair and let it air dry straight. Looking in the mirror, I decided it was the best I was going to get. I've never been big on fashion or appearances; there was only ever my dad around. And I'm pretty sure he couldn't care less what I looked like.

Grabbing my damp sneakers, I practically skipped down the hall and down the stairs into the kitchen. It was ten a.m. and I knew my dad liked to sleep late on Saturdays, which was fine with me. He'd probably call a therapist at the sight of me being all chipper and happy in the morning. Any time before noon on any day and I was not a happy camper. But today was different.

For an hour I killed time by eating breakfast, slowly chewing each bite 25 times, then blow drying my shoes individually. I combed my hair again, changed my top and finally gave up and waited in front of the t.v. as I began to doubt myself.

Of course he isn't coming! Why would he want to see you? You're nothing special, just some loner weirdo who turns into a dog sometimes… again, nothing special.

But just when I began to feel utterly hopeless about myself and had crept into the kitchen for some ice cream, the door bell rang. I froze for a split second before leaping for the front door, traveling down the front hall in record time.

Relax… could just be the mailman or something, I thought and opened the door, butterflies dancing in my stomach.

There he stood, tall, dark, and handsome, with a sweet smile playing at his lips. He was fully clothed this time, in dark jeans and a casual t-shirt, as if it were 80 degrees instead of 30.

"Hey… I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up" I said, and blinked at how readily I told him what I was thinking.

"Why wouldn't I?" Jacob asked as his sweet smile became confused. His eyes met mine for moment that seemed a little too long for comfort. I looked away first, down at my scruffy shoes as I cursed the blush creeping across my cheeks and neck.

"I don't know…" I murmured and desperately changed the subject. "So where are you taking me?"

Jacob's eyes lit up for a moment. I closed the door behind me and followed him off the porch. Everyone around here has porches it seems like, but you can't ever use them cause of the rain. Except for a day like today, the sun shining on every surface, drying the thoroughly drenched world. I could feel the excitement bubbling inside me.

"Well, it's nice out- for once- so I figured we'd just… walk. If you want to do something else, that's okay with me. You choose"

So we walked. Side by side, feeling the cool air that would be freezing to any other person but a light breeze to us and the winter sun on our backs. It was awkward at first, to me anyway- he seemed perfectly at ease- but eventually I lightened up.

He asked me questions, wanting to know everything about me from the normal stuff to the weird stuff to the just plain embarrassing stuff. I realized that Jacob wasn't shy, not at all, and blunt about some things. He told me to call him Jake since he called me Cara, it seemed more personal that way. Favorite color, flower, tree, season, holiday…. Eventually though, he got to boyfriends. Blush after blush rolled across my face and I wished it would start raining so we'd have to cut the day short.

Jake noticed my sudden silence and stopped with a surprised laugh.

"What? Haven't you ever had a boyfriend?" He looked at me like I was insane or a liar.

"Well… we move around a lot and… I dunno, boys just never really talked to me or anything so, no" There. I said it, was he happy now? It was so humiliating. I had always figured I was just too weird, too ugly and too much of a total geek for any boy to like me.

"I find that hard to believe" Jacob wasn't smiling anymore, but his eyes were so warm, if I had been cold I wouldn't have been anymore.

"Well, what about you?" I asked, as yet another blush lit my face.

"Sorry, but no. I've never had a boyfriend myself" He was laughing now and I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Come on… You know what I mean"

His laugh cut off with a strangled sigh. He looked haunted and crushed. I instantly regretted turning the question onto him; it was obviously a touchy subject. His eyes lost all the warmth and turned distant.

"Jake?... I'm sorry, you don't have to answer" I looked down at the ground, shoved my hands into my pockets and kicked at the ground. This was ten times more awkward then before.

"No… no, I never had a girlfriend. She was something more to me… I waited for her to see it, but she never did… she loved someone else. And no matter how- how hard I tried to show her, she always went to him and his promises. I just wasn't good enough" Jacob whispered those last words, more to himself, his eyes never focusing on the world around him but some past place, a place that left him broken. And the pain in his eyes broke my heart.

"What happened to her?" I kept my voice low too, afraid that I'd ruin the air around us some how. I wanted to reach out to him, wrap my arms around him, but I couldn't make myself do it. I felt strangled.

His eyes darkened- if possible- even more and his voice flattened to a dead tone. I could almost feel the anger boiling off him.

"She died"