Well, it's been rough but we'll be just fine

We'll work it out, yeah, we'll survive

You mustn't let a few bad times dictate

So come along, it won't be long 'til we return happy

Shut your eyes, there are no lies in this world we call sleep

Let's desert this day of hurt, tomorrow we'll be free

,~V~,

A jolt of what I could only describe as energy shot through my veins. My mind was suddenly more than on, it was racing. I flailed under what I sensed to be dirt so I began breaking myself free of it. Movement next to me told me I had company. As soon as I reached the surface I snarled and pounced on the one responsible for the fucked up wake up call. She shoved me back but I tackled her again until we were struggling in the freshly turned dirt we had arisen from.

"What the fuck did you do to me?!" I yelled in her face.

"I turned you," she answered, eyes hard and mouth held in a firm line.

"What? You bitch!" I screamed, my jaw aching until I felt them, fangs sliding forth to maim and tear. I snapped at her but she threw me off and then held me down.

"Cool it, rock star. Relax," she soothed me. I didn't want to admit it but it was working.

"Don't let it overrun you. I know, it's a rush, but don't go feral on me. Take a moment and you'll be able to focus," she instructed. I relaxed under her strong grip and did as she said. I didn't have to breathe anymore but I still took calming breaths. All it served to do was inform me of my surroundings. Scents of all kinds entered my nose, my ears picked up the slightest noises far off and up close, and when I opened my eyes everything looked so detailed. I focused my gaze on her, seeing her clearly for the first time. Fuck, she was good looking.

"Are you fine now?" she questioned. I nodded and she let me go to stand. I pushed myself up and brushed some dirt off me absentmindedly as I glanced around.

"Where are we?" I asked her.

"Some park or other. I couldn't be too picky seeing as you didn't have much time," she answered. I raised a hand to touch my neck and then drifted onto my shoulder. I could smell blood but there weren't any wounds.

"This is what you call saving me?" I inquired, my voice hanging dangerously low. I glared at her and she stared back with mixed emotions running across her face.

"I never would have wanted to turn anyone. I planned never to do it actually. But you were just…there, and I'm tired of seeing both humans and vampires suffer over the conflict between us," she explained, her eyes averted. I grunted and my hands clenched before I began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Away. I'll keep walking until the sun comes up if I have to," I answered.

"Stop! Dammit. As your maker I command you to stop!" she yelled at me. My body tensed and I stumbled to a halt. No matter how hard I tried to deny the pull I couldn't move. She walked over to me and grabbed me by the chin.

"Don't make me order you around. My maker did it to me but I don't want to do it to you. I want us to have an understanding. You're my progeny and I want you to be free to do what you want to a certain extent. That includes no running off," she told me. I nodded and she took a step back. The strange force on my body relaxed and I rolled my shoulders.

"What the fuck was that anyway?" I questioned.

"I'm your maker so you must listen to me," she replied evenly.

"And if I don't want to?" I challenged, getting in her face. She remained calm.

"You have no choice," she responded. I shoved her away and then advanced to do it again.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill myself the next time I get a chance?" I threatened.

"Your life isn't over. A new one has just begun. I'll be there to guide you and do what my maker failed to do for me, teach me what it is to be undead," she stated, reaching out to grip my arm. I resisted the urge to yank away from her and frowned.

"Give me a run down and I'll be fine," I continued, unwilling to accept what was happening.

"No. Two out of three newborn vampires die within a year without proper guidance from their makers. I was lucky to have friends. You'll be on your own. Please, just let me teach you," she implored, her soft voice practically music to my ears. I realized I couldn't turn her away.

"Fine, but I'll feel better if I knew your name," I muttered, glancing at her before looking away, arms crossed.

"Willa Burrell," she introduced.

"Jade West," I replied, glancing at her again but not giving her any more of my attention.

"You're a stubborn one. Leave it to me to pick a pain in the ass," she taunted. I bristled but didn't take the bait. I only glared at her.

"Hmm, but you have a degree of control and you're perceptive," she analyzed. I opened my mouth to stop her little examination when a smell unlike any other took all of my attention. I sniffed at the air and groaned longingly.

"You smell the humans too? Their blood calls to you, but don't be stupid. I'll glamour one for you while you wait here," she told me. I whined my displeasure but did as I was told. I didn't want her forcing me to listen again. She suddenly took off and was gone.

"Vampire speed. I have to admit I can't wait to try that," I mumbled to myself. I didn't have to wait long before she came back, towing a human behind her.

"We got ourselves a donor," she announced with a smile I came to like more and more. The guy she held by the bicep looked me up and down but a pointed glare from me discouraged him.

"Y-you're-" he tried to say, but Willa cut him off.

"Yes, we know. Now hold out your arm," she told him, her voice like liquid as she gazed at him. He nodded and mechanically held out his right arm.

"You have to teach me that," I said.

"All that and more. And you wanted to run away," she teased. I rolled my eyes and scoffed.

"Whatever," I sneered. I stepped forward and grabbed his wrist in my left hand while my right held under his bicep. The minute I leaned closer to his arm I could smell the rich blood flowing just beneath his skin. My fangs slid out and I didn't waste any more time digging them into his forearm. He flinched slightly in my hold which tightened a little. I drank in the warm liquid eagerly until I was pushed away, a hand on my stomach. When I tried to advance Willa shoved me further.

"Enough," she sternly commanded. I was breathing heavily and my eyes focused on the blood leaking from his arm. All I wanted was to have more.

"Hey," Willa called to me sharply. I shook my head and looked at her.

"Reel it in," she told me before stepping up to take some from him as well. When she was finished she looked into his eyes.

"Go straight home and clean yourself up. If anyone asks, you don't remember anything that happened here tonight," she stated, persuasive. I watched her with an interested smirk. The guy nodded and walked away.

"There. Feel better?" she asked me. I nodded and she returned it.

"Let's find some shelter before the sun comes up," she commented while looking up at the almost starless sky.

"Can't we backtrack to my tour bus? It's practically a mobile home. The windows are bullet proof and tinted," I suggested.

"I don't want attention drawn to us. That bus just screams rock band. And who the hell would drive during sunlight hours? I don't want to be stuck in the open like that unless we constantly stay on the move," she dismissed.

"Then by all means lead the way," I said with a grand gesture of my hand. She frowned at me but began walking. We ended up fighting over where we would stay during the day, if we were going to find some new clothes or at least wash the ones we wore. I attempted to get her to let me feed off humans more than New Blood but she denied me permission. I made sure to complain the whole way. Yeah, it was stupid and juvenile, but I had to test her patience. It was a way for me to get an idea of the kind of…person, she was. I did it to everyone. By the time we were safely hidden in shelter from the daylight I felt I knew Willa Burrell. She had the patience of a saint and only snapped back when it was worth it. She chose her battles, which showed her intelligence. She was a peaceful person who didn't enjoy violence but also didn't hesitate to fight when the moment called for it. I thought back to the pack of vampires that tried to bully me for being newly created.

I killed one as a warning not to mess with me and Willa killed another that tried to attack me. The others wisely left us alone. She was protective of me and explained that she had only been a vampire barely a year, but as a human she never hated vampires and wanted to help them. It brought her to where she was today. I was beginning to believe that I was pretty lucky to get a maker like Willa compared to the other douchebag vampires out there. Speaking of which, Willa's own maker, who she was now free of, sounded like a fucking asshole. So, I guess it wasn't all bad. I grumbled irritably under my breath after finishing off another bottle of New Blood. I craved fresh blood but I caught on that Willa would reward me after a week if I behaved so I stopped whining over drinking the synthetic blood. My maker took a seat next to me at our spot in a seedy bar and chuckled at my permanent scowl.

"Cheers to my cranky newborn," she said, holding her own bottle up. I picked up the third one I ordered and clinked it to hers before we both chugged it. When we were done we headed out and back on the road again. Willa promised we would visit New York since that was where I had been heading. After that was a mystery to me. We decided to travel on foot with occasional vehicle transportation. Our speed made it effortless to get from one place to another without much use from that. I missed my old life, but with days passing into weeks, and weeks passing into months, and months into a year, I didn't really mind anymore. I embraced my new life and planned to make the most of it. In a way, I felt a sense of freedom that I never had before.

,~TB~,