"Fine. Come in Alyssa" Eric conceded, stepping back to allow us into the office.

The interview had gone well and I was giddy with excitement as I made my way back into the main area of the club. He had told me to come back the following night at sun down for 'skill testing'. I was fairly confident that I would pass his test. I considered ordering a drink while I was there but decided against it. It would be better to get home and make sure I was ready for tomorrow.

I met a small family in a park just outside of town. We had decided on the location when they had initially booked the appointment. The parents didn't look much older than I was, perhaps 25 or 26. Their two children were under five, a boy and a girl. They looked like a picturesque family, all smiles as they waited for my on a park bench.

I introduced myself and started down the list of familiar questions that I asked at every appointment. Some of them we had covered briefly through the series of emails we had exchanged but I always found I could get a better feel for what they were looking for in person. When I had my ideas sorted and had an image in mind of what I wanted, I directed the family into a series of poses.

"Just a little bit closer together, this is the last set" I instructed.

The family moved accordingly and I snapped several pictures, changing the angle slightly with each one. Finished, I stood and approached them "We're all finished here. There are some great pictures here. I'll take them home and edit them a bit like we had discussed and then bring you the copy of the cd in about a week" I informed them, letting my camera drop to hang around my chest.

"Perfect. And here is what we owe you." The father, Jason, held out a small envelope to me.

I flipped it open and quickly counted to make sure I had the right amount as I said "Thanks, you guys enjoy the nice day!"

The family said their goodbyes and walked back the way they had originally came.

Evan had supper ready by the time I got home and we sat down at the little table together.

"Are you all ready for tonight?" Evan asked before taking a bite of a meatball.

I finished chewing the food in my mouth and shrugged "I think so. I wish there was something I could do to prepare but it's not like I can study at all."

Evan nodded "yeah, I guess you're right. Do you know what you're going to wear at least?"

I didn't. But I took a minute to think about it. I should probably dress like the employees, so that Eric could see how I would look behind the bar. But not too skimpy or I might give the wrong idea. I wanted to look professional- but not too professional I reminded myself. I wasn't interviewing for an office job or something. I hummed as I thought "No. not really" I finally admitted "a black skirt and maybe a red t-shirt. That's pretty much the color scheme of the entire place."

Evan thought about it for a second before agreeing that it was probably a good choice. "You could wear your leather jacket there as well, keep up that Goth look. Are you leaving your hair down?" she checked.

We continued to discuss what I should wear and things I should ask Eric as well as questions he might ask me until I realized it was close to sun down.

I got dressed quickly and spent a bit of extra time with my makeup than I usually did. The red shirt showed off my cleavage nicely and the tight black skirt complimented my hips and ass. Heels followed suit and my hair tumbled down my shoulders. The black leather jacket had sat in the back of my closet for the longest time. Evan had convinced me to get it, spur of the moment at a thrift store. I was glad I did because it certainly completed the outfit. Evan wished me luck as I left, reminding me to not be too nervous not. I tried to keep telling myself that as I made my way to Fangtasia which was a couple blocks in the opposite direction I was used to going. The sun was just dipping below the top of the building as I reached Fangtasia. I took a moment and leaned against the side of the building in an attempt to compose myself. Several deep breaths did little to dispel the knot of anxiety that had formed in my chest. A strand of hair was blown into my face by the wind and I pushed a hand through my hair with a huff. That was why I rarely let my hair down, the wind or simply moving tended to push it into my face where it would get into my eyes or mouth and be a general nuisance. I had considered on more than one occasion cutting it all off and trying out one of those cute pixie cuts that a lot of girls were wearing lately but I didn't think I could pull it off. Not to mention how long it would take to get my hair to grow back if it didn't.

Shaking my head, I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. I pushed off the side of the building and made my way towards the door. Eric, Sookie, the blond from the other night, and two other people were sitting on plush chairs in the corner that I hadn't noticed my first time here. They all looked up when I came in, eyes trained on me as I walked nervously over to them.

One of the people I didn't recognize was an older looking woman who also looked like she was on drugs or had been at some point in her life. Her artificially blond hair, her makeup was caked on, in addition to the way she stumbled in her too high heels and short skirt gave me the impression she wanted to look 'easy' along with looking younger than she was.

The man sitting with Eric was a whole different story. He had short dark hair that matched his dark eyes. Those eyes bore into me as I stood in front of them. He was dressed in light clothing both in terms of the colors which were a pale grey on his shirt and tan pants, but they were also made of lighter fabric. They were airy in a way that made me think he would stay cool in the sun despite the long sleeves- if he could go out in the sun that is. He had a relaxed, quiet air about him that was so different from the charged energy of Eric who sat beside him.

"Hi! You must be Alyssa! I'm Ginger!" The fake blond introduced holding out a hand with long fake nails.

"Nice to meet you Ginger" I smiled back at her. She motioned me to a chair in the small cluster the others were occupying.

I sank into the soft fabric of the chair and took a deep breath. I had expected to only be dealing with Eric and Sookie for the training, not a small audience. But this was good, I reminded myself, I did well under pressure.

"Ginger is our day human. She readies the bar before we rise for the night and takes care of the building. This is my child, Pamela. I believe you have already met" Eric motioned to the blond who had been at the door the previous night.

Her tone was very bored as she corrected him "Pam."

I nodded "nice to actually meet you Pam."

She scoffed and went about cleaning her nails. Pam seemed like she was generally in a bad mood. I had gotten the same impression when she had checked my ID.

Eric continued introductions motioning to the man to his side "and this is my maker, Godric."

Godric nodded to me in a formal manner. It made some small part of me feel like I was supposed to curtsy to him. Instead I smiled politely, "it's a pleasure to meet you."

My exposure to vampires was minimal but I had a vague idea that a 'maker' was like a parent figure. It obviously meant they were the vampire that made the other vampire but it had always seemed like it was more complicated than turning someone. The three sitting before me seemed almost like a family but not at the same time. I wasn't sure what to make of it.

"So, Ms. Bennett. You have two years' experience bartending?" Eric asked, glancing down at what I realized was my resume.

I nodded "yes, I was a bartender there up until recently."

"Why aren't you now?" Pam questioned, not looking up from her nails.

I flushed, looking down at my lap "I was let go because I don't have any formal training. All my knowledge is from experience." This had been what I was worried about, trying to get a job after they realized I hadn't taken a course.

Pam scoffed, her eyebrows raised incredulously. If it had been up to her I knew that would have been the end of the interview.

Eric considered his next move for a moment. "Have you served vampires before?"

I nodded again "occasionally yes, there were a couple that came in on a regular basis."

"So you don't have much experience" Pam huffed, glancing up at Eric with her eyebrows raised.

I thought for a moment about how to respond "I would imagine that it isn't too different from serving any other patron, aside from what they drink. But I am a quick learner."

Eric rose from his seat and motioned to the bar "we will see, wont we?"

And thus the skill testing began. Eric gave me a moment to look around and figure out where things were kept. It was a similar layout to the bar I was used to so it wasn't long before they started firing drink orders at me. As I was mixing Eric and Pam asked me about different drinks and policies along with standard interview questions.

"A vampire comes up to order a drink and asks if you are on the menu," Eric stated, sipping blood from a wine glass.

I placed the last of the drinks he had asked me to make onto the bar and shook my head "no, I'm not."

Eric nodded, pleased with my answer "I don't care what you do on your free time. And if you want to fuck someone, do it when your shift is over. If you want to be on my menu, on the other hand…" Eric trailed off with a smirk.

Ignoring his last remark I beamed at him "does that mean I have the job?"

Eric's eyes flicked to Sookie, who nodded encouragingly at him, Pam who glared at him as if she was daring him to say yes, and Godric's passive expression. With a shrug Eric turned back to me. "You start Thursday night. Pam will go over the dress code with you while you clean up. I will return with paperwork for you to sign" Eric instructed.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed happily.

Eric didn't respond, just turned on his heel and walked back towards his office.

Pam acted as put out as she could as she explained the dress code which was pretty simple. Dark colors, shorts or a skirt and t-shirts/camisoles or midriff tops. Heels were also expected.

I nodded as she explained, filing away the information. I would most likely have to pick up some new clothes with the tip money I had saved. Now that I didn't have to worry too much about a paycheck it wouldn't be hard to buy a couple of new clothes.

I was placing the bottles back in their proper location when Eric's voice directly behind me made me jump. I was so surprised that I stumbled back, knocking two bottles off of the ledge. I cursed and went for the closest one, accepting in an instance that one was going to break. Eric went for the same one, and his instincts being much faster than mine, snatched it out of the air and returned it to its place.

My face was beet red with mortification "I am so sorry. I'm not usually this clumsy, I swear! I can't believe I did that. Thank god you are fast! I can't believe you grabbed both bottles. I'll understand if you don't want to hire me" I spewed, not meeting his eyes.

Eric was silent for several minutes and I peeked up at him. He was staring down at me with a perplexed expression. I glanced around the room expecting Pam to be glaring at me but she too looked startled and confused.

"I only caught the one bottle Alyssa" Eric commented, tapping the bottle I had seen him grab.

My eyebrows came together in confusion. I was sure I had knocked two off of the shelf. I had felt my elbow hit one as I stumbled back at the same time my hand flicked the one I had been putting back. "I thought I knocked two off" I admitted shyly. "I'll be more careful in the future Eric, I promise."

Eric's expression turned stern "I expect you to be. Now go sign these. You can use the table over there" he pushed the stack of papers into my hand along with a pen and motioned back to where we had originally been talking.

Grateful that my mistake hadn't meant that I had lost the opportunity I hurried over to the table and skimmed over the paperwork I was signing. It was all fairly standard paperwork for a new job and I didn't give it much notice. I did notice however that Eric was offering me a full two dollars more than what I had been earning. That had been one thing he hadn't asked about and I supposed it was because he didn't think it mattered. Eric would more than likely offer me the same amount despite what I had been earning and it would be up to me to take it or leave it. I certainly wasn't going to turn down more money. The other paper that caught my attention was a nondisclosure agreement. I wasn't allowed to discuss in specific terms anything that happened at Fangtasia with anyone other than the three vampires that were present and the other employees. I wondered if Sookie was also considered an employee. That was what it had seemed like.

I could hear the four of them talking in low tones and wondered if it was about me. I assumed it was, since they were going to trouble to speak quietly. It made sense, I reminded myself, I was a new employee that Eric had only just decided to hire so of course they would be discussing things. There was no reason for me to feel self-conscious.

When I had finished signing the papers I approached the bar and handed them back to Eric. A moment later I was walking down the street headed towards home. Evan was waiting for me when I got back with a tub of ice cream. She was practically bouncing on the couch while she waited for me to change into more comfortable clothing and dish out ice cream for the both of us.

I rehashed the entire interview over our bowls of ice cream and Evan filled me in on drama at the grocery store.

My first few shifts at Fangtasia passed smoothly. The other bartender, Atticus, was intimidating and standoffish. He didn't want anything to do with me and I was more than happy to stay out of his way. Sookie visited often with a brown haired vampire she introduced as Bill, her boyfriend. He seemed a bit odd but I hadn't gotten much chance to talk with him as I worked. Sookie seemed more than happy with him, at any rate so that counted as a point for him in my books. She was a smart girl and had a way of reading people that seemed to be the reason Eric brought her around.

I learned that Eric was the sheriff of the area and that meant that all the vampires in Shreveport had to do what he said. Part of his orders were that they had to spend a couple nights a month at the bar to keep up the image of a vampire bar. Some came even when they didn't have to however, it was an easy spot to pick up humans who wanted to be bitten. Several of them had offered or insisted, depending on the vampire, that I come home with them or even just down the street. Eric didn't allow any feeding on his property since it was technically against the law.

Godric seemed to float around the bar though he never ordered something to drink and never took any of the many humans that offered themselves to him. The vampires seemed to treat him with a nervous respect giving him plenty of space which made me wonder what it was about him that made them act like that. Surely just being Eric's maker couldn't be the cause. I wondered why he stayed at the club when he seemed so uncomfortable there. He could have just as easily gone anywhere else that he wanted.

"Hey sweet cheeks" the deep voice of a man down the bar called.

I sent him a smile and finished making the round of drinks I was on. After collecting their money I walked down to him and leaned on the bar.

"What'll it be?" I asked him.

The man flashed fangs at me and grinned wickedly at me. "You on tap girly? You smell tasty" he leered.

I wasn't sure if he meant it as a compliment. No one had ever told me I smelled 'tasty' before. "No luck, I'm not on the menu. I can get you a bottle of tru blood or royalty?" I offered instead.

The man 'tsk'-ed and shook his head "I was really hoping I could get a bite of you. You sure you aren't up for a little fun? Or is it the boss? I can wait till you get outta here" he offered with a sly look.

I shook my head and leaned away from him. "Sorry, no. I'm not going to be your midnight snack. If you would like something else though I would be happy to get it for you."

The man huffed in frustration and met my eyes "You want to let me bite you. You will leave the bar and wait in the parking lot for me" he ordered, his voice dropping to a calm tone.

My eyebrows came together. He really wasn't taking no for an answer "like I said, sir, I'm not on the menu. If you don't want to order something, I have other customers."

His eyes widened in surprise like he had actually expected his pushing to work on me. His mouth opened and closed several times while he tried to figure out what to say. Finally he slid off of his seat and headed for the exit, glancing back at me every couple of steps. "Weird" I mumbled to myself before shaking the experience off and moving to the next customer.

By the time Eric told me to go home I was practically falling asleep standing up so I thanked him and got out of there as quickly as I could.

It was a fairly warm night so I hadn't bothered to put on my jacket. Instead it was draped over one arm with my purse tucked underneath it. I had only reached the end of the street when a blur came out of nowhere and I was suddenly up against the brick wall of the alley.

"You little bitch" the vampire from early was pinning me to the wall, fangs out and snarling at me.

I struggled to get out of his grip but even I knew it was pointless, he was so much stronger than me. "Please just let me go," I begged him, wondering if he intended to kill me. Drain me was the likely way to go. But there were all kinds of other things that he could do before or during that. If he even intended to kill me. He could just kidnap me, no one would know where to look I was sure. Evan would be the first to look for me but who knew who this vampire was? He could disappear never to be found again.

"How the fuck did you do that early?" He demanded, shaking me so that my head whacked against the brick wall.

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes "I don't know what you're talking about. Just let me go."

The vampire snarled at me making me flinch back and start to struggle again "my glamour you dumb bitch. Why didn't it work on you? What are you?" His fingers dug into my arms painfully hard no doubt leaving bruises.

"Please" I begged "I don't know what that is! I promise!"

He cursed and backhanded me, sending me sprawling into the dirt. I screamed for help and tried to crawl away from him, towards the mouth of the alley but I hadn't made it two feet before he grabbed my hair and yanked me back. I cried out and clutched at his hand in an attempt at keeping him from tearing my hair out. He yelled at me to shut up and back handed me again. I begged him to stop, tears pouring down my cheeks. Horrified I watched as he brought his hand up to his mouth and licked my blood off. He groaned in satisfaction and pulled me up to my feet.

"You taste as good as you smell human" he leered pulling me close to him.

Hand still in my hair he yanked my head to the side to expose my neck. Before I could react he was biting me, sharp teeth ripping into the thin flesh of my neck. I screamed again and tried to get away but his arms were like iron. The hand in my hair loosened and slid down my side to grope at me.

I was beginning to feel dizzy from the blood loss but tried weakly to fight his hands off. My eyes were fluttering shut and I thought I was probably going to pass out. The sound of my shirt ripping open didn't surprise me but my eyes opened sluggishly in a final attempt to fight.

I noticed then, that I was facing the opening of the alleyway and a figure was walking by. I had meant to yell but instead it came out as barely a whisper "please help me." There was no way for the person to hear me and even if they did there was little they could do to save me. This vampire would probably kill them too.

But to my surprise the figure stopped. A moment later the vampire attacking me was gone and I crumpled to the ground. My vision was going spotty and everything sounded like it was underwater but I heard a distinct snapping sound and then there was a face hovering over mine. It took me a minute to realize it was Godric kneeling over me.