A/N: Yet another chapter for you! Hopefully updates on my other stories will be on the way soon as well! Um, if you hate this still I am sorry. Any good quality is most likely credited to my fantastic beta, Rebarbative! Thanks go out to the Vampaneze Saiyan princess, Rebarbative, Orange- haired Vampiress, and Gracey Alexa Bonasera for reviewing!

Disclaimer:

Saph: "I... don't own... Darren... Shan... Wish I did... but... I don't"
Harkat: "Why are you... speaking like me?"

Chapter 3

The next morning I woke up and began my usual routine of a morning shower. I dressed myself, clasped my silver locket onto my neck and slathered on some makeup. Feeling too lazy to do anything elaborate with my hair, I decided to simp

In the kitchen, my dad was sitting at the table eating, and my mother was cooking eggs at the stove. After having a bowl of my favorite cereal, I glanced at the clock, which was mocking me with calm, green numbers, the exact opposite of the way they made me feel.

"Shit! I'm gonna be late!"

After being chastised for my language, I ran outside and started my walk to school. I walked briskly, my knee high converse making light thud, thud, thud, thud, sounds on the sidewalk. I shivered slightly at a gust of wind making a mental note to take a jacket tomorrow. It would be winter soon. I loved the winter, even if it did make my trek to school a bit difficult. Winter was always so pretty; the way the barren tree branches were layered with white… how in the early mornings, right after a snowfall and right before people came out of their houses, the lawns of the houses looked as if someone dumped a thick layer of sugar on them… how the snow caught the morning light and glittered different colors. By the time I was done fantasizing about winter and snow, I had arrived at school.

Near the front, I saw Charlie standing with Jimmy. Merrily, I waltzed over to them.

"No, not again, she's happy and smiling. Something is defiantly wrong," Charlie said upon seeing me. "Hmmm let me guess, a guy? No, that's not it. URGH JUST TELL MEE!"

"Charlie didn't we have this conversation yesterday?" Jimmy asked her.

"Yes," she said, sugary sweet and dripping with sarcasm, "we did. And it's NOT THE SAME!"

She ended her remark shouting.

"It could be," he contradicted.

"But it's not."

"It could be. I mean, with everything that goes on around here?"

"OH, WHY DON'T YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP!?" I yelled at them both.

I was fed up with Charlie being so god damned secretive.

"CHARLIE WHAT ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME? JIMMY STOP RUBBING WHATEVER IT IS IN HER FACE! And I can promise your secret is nothing like mine, okay? My secret is much more secretive."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Saph," said Charlie, rolling her eyes.

"You never know Charlie. You shouldn't ask her to tell her secret if you won't tell her yours," Jimmy said.

"GUYS, CAN WE JUST GET TO CLASS WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"

I was sick of fighting over this. And none of us needed to be late again.

"NO, OK? I CAN'T HELP NOT KNOWING!" Charlie screamed. "SO I'LL TELL! OK? Saphire, you might not believe this, but I'm a vampire. I know how ridiculous it sounds but I can prove it if you give me a chance to."

"Wait, you're a vampire!? So am I!"

"No you're not…" Charlie looked at me hurt and angry, insulted that I would suggest such a thing.

"I am"

"Are you wearing contacts?" She leaned in real close trying to inspect my eyes.

"NO! What does that have to do with anything?"

"Vampires have either red or topaz eyes."

"Bull shit!"

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! I THINK I WOULD KNOW, BECAUSE I AM ONE!" Charlie screamed at me, now fully enraged.

"EYE COLOR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH VAMPIRES!" I yelled right back, just as enraged.

I mean eye color? That's insane!

"YES, IT DOES!"

"NO IT DOESN'T! MY EYES ARE BLUE AND I'M A VAMPIRE! SO OBVIOULY IT DOESN'T!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT A VAMPIRE! I AM!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"Can't you both be vampires?" asked Jimmy, standing there watching us scream back and forth.

"NO!" we both shouted at him simultaneously.

"You three get to class!" said a teacher overhearing our fight.

We all mumbled our yeses and Okays to the teacher and went our separate ways, all angry.

When I got to homeroom, I apologized to my teacher for being late and sat down in my seat. My mood lightened instantly upon seeing my friend's face among the sea of students.

"Juliet! Where have you been?"

She had been out for nearly a week, and I had been getting worried about her.

"I've been sick. It was awful, but never mind that! I heard from Charlie and Annabelle that some psycho guy went after you in gym. Is that true?"

"Yeah, but it was nothing," I lied.

I mean, what was I supposed to tell her?

"It sure didn't sound like it!"

"Well I'm fine aren't I?"

"True," she laughed.

"OK, class dismissed," my teacher said finally, much to the relief of her students.

"Anyways, see you at lunch, Juliet."

"Yeah, bye."

UGHH I DON'T GET IT! STUPID HISTORY TEST! WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE TODAY?! I can't believe I forgot to study! Can you blame me? I've been trying to figure out all this vampire crap. How am I supposed to remember such trivial things as test dates?

"OK class, time to hand your exams in," Mr. Robern, my history teacher called out to the class.

I passed up my horrendously blank looking test sheet up knowing I was utterly screwed.

The bell rang and the students started to file out of the class.

At lunch, Charlie ignored me, Jimmy told me that she would calm down eventually, Annabelle was Annabelle, and Juliet asked what she had missed.

"I mean why would she do that? It's pointless! Make us spend a week working on some lousy project, only for her to decide that she doesn't want to grade it!" Annabelle complained, taking a bite of her pizza.

"I know! How stupid is that? Wow, Annabelle, you always get stuck with the teacher who gives the most pointless work," I said, barely believing what she had told me.

"That's crazy," Juliet said, echoing our sentiments.

"Yup," Charlie said, glaring at me.

"Wait what happened? Why are you guys fighting?" Annabelle asked.

"It's fine. Just girl stuff, I think. It happens," Jimmy said shrugging the issue off.

If only it were just girl stuff.

When I got home I had to discuss a few things with my mother. There were still things I didn't understand.

"Mom, can we talk for a minute?" I asked.

"Sure, what about sweetie?"

"Even though you knew what dad was, you still loved him? Most people wouldn't."

"Well I'm not most people."

"I know but still why?"

"Well, when I met your father, I was a freshman in college. We ended up sitting next to each other in history. We both ended up in class early the first day. I was listening to my music player and drifted off. By the time I woke up, the teacher was half way done with the syllabus. I copied down the other half, but after class ended, your father came up to me and said that he had noticed me sleeping through the first half and gave me his notes for it. I was so thankful. From there on, we became friends. And then I really started to like him. When I asked him out, he looked so happy but then he looked like someone had just killed his puppy. I asked what was wrong but he said he had to go. He wasn't in school for the next three weeks. I was so upset at this point and I was sure I had scared him off and he had left. But the next week he was there and he asked me out. When I asked him what happened he said he had to think and that it was a family situation and he decided I was more important to him. I was so happy. One day we were just hanging out around the city and these thugs tried to mug us. They were closing in on your father and me. He stood in front of me and protected me. He told them 'you'll have to get through me to get to her'. It was cliché and stupid of him to think that he could take on those brutes alone. I tried convince him that he was going to get killed if he didn't just give them the money, but he told me that' they couldn't kill him even if they wanted to' and that 'he would like to see them try'. One of the thugs made a grab for me but your father sprung at him. He was faster than anything I had seen before. Next thing I see is the thug lying on the ground unconscious. The other thugs went for you father at that moment and then they were unconscious. After that he grabbed my arm and we both ran away. At the moment, I had been extremely confused, but once my head had cleared up and he had asked me if I was OK, –for the one hundred and fiftieth time– I asked him how he did that. He put his head down, ashamed. Not just because he was lying to me, but also because of the answer. He then explained everything to me and said that he understands if I thought he was crazy or a monster, or if I hated him. I told him that I didn't care what he was or where he was from, because I had loved him before, and he was still the same person he was five minutes ago. We have been together ever since."

"Wow, I never knew."

"That's because your father doesn't like to mention things like that."

"I've noticed."

"Anyways, how did your test go today?"

"Don't ask."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! There is a piping hot delicious bowl of bat broth waiting for you!