It was the middle of the night when I heard scraping noises outside. I ignored it and tried to go back to sleep. Then the window was thrown open and two figures jumped into the room. Quick as a flash, I jumped up and whipped out a scalpel that I had stolen from a doctor on the way in. my eyes popped out of my head when I recognized the voice of the bigger figure.

"Vanessa, put down the scalpel before you kill somebody." My mentor snapped. I placed the scalpel on the table as he moved around towards Steve. I looked at the smaller figure. Darren Shan. I gasped. "Mr. Crepsley, you didn't just do what I think you did." I whispered. He sniffed and ignored me as he spoke to Darren and took out a small vial that I have seen many times before—the antidote to Madam Octa's venom. Then, it all clicked.

"Darren, you did this for Steve?" I whispered quietly as Larten swished the liquid around in his mouth. He nodded. I nodded as anger and depression took my heart. He wouldn't heal Steve for me, but he'd do it for some poor kid who now has to leave everything he's ever known and loved? I sighed. Then I heard a fourth heartbeat in the room growing, subtly, louder. I inhaled sharply. Then Steve's eyes fluttered open and a nurse rushed in, freaking out about Darren and Mr. Crepsley.

Mr. Crepsley took the bed sheet and threw it at the nurse, who got tangled up, and dashed to the window. He turned back to Darren, who was looking from him, to the open door of the hospital room, and back. Mr. Crepsley smirked.

"You are thinking of double crossing me Master Shan?" he asked. Darren hesitated and Mr. Crepsley laughed. "You cannot escape from what is part of you; you will come crawling back, eventually. I just hope it shall be before anyone is hurt." He shouted as Darren turned and ran down the hall. Then, he jumped out the window and I rushed to Steve's side. He looked confused and by then, the nurse had run out of the room, getting all the other doctors about Steve getting up.

I smiled shakily. "Hey sleepy head." I said quietly. He looked up at me and smiled weakly. "Vanessa…" he said, trailing off. I didn't ask what he meant because he lost consciousness again and fell asleep. I smiled and kissed his forehead. "Sleep well, my love." I murmured. Then I sat down, took his hand, and feel asleep as doctors rushed in, whispering. The last thing I heard was, "It's a miracle."

Two weeks later…

Alan, Tony and I had just walked into Mr. Dalton's classroom when we saw Darren sitting in our spots with someone else…Steve. I ran over to my seat next to his, put my stuff down, and gave him a big hug. He laughed and hugged me back. "How can you miss me this much? You just saw me yesterday." He laughed I grinned. "Yeah, but you were stuck in the house, now you can go out." I said happily. He smiled and then frowned. "Vanessa, not that I'm not happy about it, but why are you still here?" he asked. I exchanged a quick glance with Darren and shrugged. "Well, the whole Romanian transfer student was only a small lie." I said with a smile. He grinned and we sat down as the bell rang.

The beginning of class went well, and then Alan mentioned Darren's improved soccer skills. I winced on the inside. He seemed a little worried. Steve raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Really?" he asked. Darren shrugged. "Not really." He said, trying to get the subject done and over with. "Are you kidding me? You're amazing!" Tony said as they started talking about Darren. We looked at each other out of the corner of our eyes. Then the bell rang. I sighed and went to the rest of my classes.

Lunch. This was when Darren realized he was no longer human. He was a vampire.

He had been playing down his soccer skills when, at the end of the game, he decided to score a goal and didn't care if Alan got hurt a little. No biggie, right? Wrong. I didn't see what happened, but I suddenly heard a quick shout of pain and surprise. I whirled around to see Alan on the ground with a gashed knee…and Darren staring at him. The look on his face…it was like he was under a trance…mine was too. I took a step closer to Alan as someone stole the ball from Darren. I took another step. So did Darren. Then, he dropped down next to him and started sucking his blood.

Everyone stared at him. Then he realized what he was doing. He stood up, looked at them all and cracked a vampire joke. All the guys laughed, some girls did too. The bell rang and everyone started heading back to class, then I noticed one figure behind, just as Darren did.

Steve.

He knew.

After school, I quickly left the building and flitted to the old theatre when no one was around I got to the cellar, freaking out. I paused, threw my stuff on the ground and flitted to Darren's house, hoping Steve wasn't there. I was in luck. I scaled the side of the house and jumped into Darren's room through the window just as he walked in. he froze and then slowly shut the door. I frowned.

"Darren, that was really close today, and I'm not sure that your little trick worked on everyone." I said, referring to Steve. He frowned. "I know I just…I don't know what came over me." he said quietly. I came closer to him. "Well I do. It was hunger. It was your instinct." I said.

He frowned. "What instinct?" he asked. I flicked him in the face. He glared. "Darren, you're not a human anymore, you're a vampire so you better start acting like one before you get us killed." I hissed. And with that, I jumped out the window and went to the market to get ingredients for Mr. Crepsley's favorite food.

When I got back to the usually cold, dark, damp cellar, I noticed something. It wasn't dark. There were candles lit. I frowned. It probably meant that Larten had known Darren would come all along. I sighed and went to the corner where all the mini pots and pans that Lady Evanna had given Mr. Crepsley were.

I immediately started a fire and listened carefully. Then I heard it. I concentrated on the sound of dripping water and pulled it towards me. When enough was in the room to fill the pot, I swished it through the rock walls to clean it, having learned earlier that the walls were limestone. Then, I put it in a pot and started throwing stuff together to make stew.

I sighed. "I don't think I'll be able to go back tomorrow." I said sadly. I heard a sigh behind me and a soft creak in the wall as Mr. Crepsley straightened up and walked out from behind me. "Why not?" he asked me, scratching his long scar. I frowned and looked into the stew. Then I groaned. "Did it have to be Darren? He's so…so…not right." I said finally. He raised an eyebrow, amused. "Not right? How is he not right? I admit he is a little young, but I see the true makings of a vampire in him, do you not?" he said. I frowned.

"Seriously, he might have those traits and of course he's too young, that's most of my point. He can't control his thirst, he sucked from one of his friends today and no doubt will he accidently kill one his family. He's not ready; he isn't strong enough for this." I said quietly, suddenly concerned for the little idiot who, as I then knew, was my best friend.

Mr. Crepsley sighed and put an arm around my shoulder. "Vanessa, do not forget you are the same age as him, and you are full blooded as he is only half—" he began, but I cut him off.

"It's not the same! I was born this way, Darren wasn't. I know what you're going to say, if I'm strong enough to be one at my age, then why isn't he? Because I was born strong, a vampire. It's flowed through my veins since the moment I saw the world, but Darren…he wasn't." I shouted, ending quietly. He was silent.

"Vanessa, I know you are just upset for your friend, but he will move on, as is the way of vampires. I also know that you are lonely and that after he heard that his friend would leave everything behind to become a vampire, his life would be different." He said.

Silence.

The stew was done. I took out a couple bowls and filled them, handing one to Mr. Crepsley. We ate in silence. When we had finished, I had this gut feeling that we wouldn't be here much longer.