I make it to within a few steps of the exit before falling over. Whatever I just did, it drained a lot of energy; I’m breathing heavily, and my legs feel like they’re made of lead. I can hear slow footsteps behind me, and I can tell both of the vampires are on their feet, and closing in. A pair of feet walks into my field of vision, and their owner bends down to help me onto my feet. A young man, barely any older than me by the looks of it, checks me over with his soft brown eyes, and asks, “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine,” I answer without hesitation. I don’t have any idea who he is, but this new stranger doesn’t seem to view me as a potential food source, so I let myself relax a little. His eyes linger on mine, drinking me in as if he’ll never see me again, then looks over at the two vampires across the lobby, and steps in front of me protectively. “I need you two to back off,” he says quietly, “the girl is off limits,” and I would normally object to being called the girl, but I think better of doing so since I’m apparently being saved.
The smaller of the two vampires throws back his head and laughs. “You can’t be serious. Move out of the way, pretty boy, before we break you in half.”
“Have it your way.” The strange boy unzips his coat, and motions for me to stand back as he throws it to the ground. I’d figured he would be more muscular because of how his coat fit around his shoulders, but he’s actually leaner than I’d expected. I only have a moment to move out of the way before the two homeless vampires converge on him, moving almost too quickly for my eye to catch. I can only pick up on brief flashes of movement, partially because I’m starting to have trouble keeping my eyes open. I’m vaguely aware of several punches being thrown, but then I blink for what feels like less than a second, and the fighting’s over. One of the vampires is lying unconscious on the ground, and the boy is holding the other against the wall.
“I’ll kill you,” the homeless vampire moans out, and I notice the black blood pooling in his mouth, the gaps where his fangs used to be. “I swear, I’ll kill you for this.”
The boy holding him says, “Shut up,” and slams his victim’s head against the wall, then lets the body slump to the ground. He then turns to me, and for a moment, neither of us speaks. He seems to be glaring at me, but then his face softens, and the rage from just seconds ago fades away. He looks unharmed for the most part, and now that my life isn’t in danger, I can appreciate how attractive he is. He’s a few inches taller than I am, and slightly wider because of his broad shoulders. I’m not the biggest fan of his thick eyebrows, though, or the way his nose hooks ever so slightly upwards at the end. Otherwise, he’s pretty easy on the eyes. He runs his fingers through his wavy, light brown hair, and asks, “What are you doing in a place like this?”
It takes me a second to remember, but eventually I answer, “I was on my way to the 2 train. I thought cutting through this dump would be quicker.”
“Alright. Let’s get you out of here.” The boy steps around the bodies on the ground and reaches down to pick up his coat. He offers me his arm, and I loop mine around it, more to help keep my balance than because I want to be any closer to him than necessary.
With our arms linked, we cross the lobby, and finally make it to the exit on the other side of the burnt out building. Before I push open the door, I ask, “You didn’t save me just so you could eat me yourself, did you? That would kind of ruin the moment.”
“No,” the boy responds, “that’s the last thing on my mind. But if I weren’t trying to abstain from human blood, you’d be high on my list.”
“Comforting.” I’d suspected that the boy wasn’t normal when I noticed he could move as quickly as the homeless men that attacked me. Just to make sure, I ask, “Do most vampires go on a non-human diet?”
“Not exactly. But then again, I’m not most vampires.”
I look him up and down, and decide that he’s nothing like the ugly creature with pale, yellowing skin that I’d once imagined vampires would be. In fact, he’s downright beautiful by comparison. I get the feeling that I should be at least a little scared of him, but I’m guessing that if he intended to hurt me, he would have done so by now. As we step out into the biting winter air, I notice his coat is still open, and he’s wearing nothing but a short sleeved shirt over his chest. I ask him, “Aren’t you cold?”
“Shit,” the boy mutters as he pulls up his zipper. “Sometimes I forget. The coat’s just for show; I don’t really feel the changes in temperature.”
“Lucky. I’m on the verge of hypothermia.” I let go of the boy’s arm since I’m feeling a little steadier than before. We walk side by side towards the train station, and after a few seconds of silence, I say, “You still haven’t told me your name, stranger.”
“Sorry! I’m Nick.”
“Well, hi Nick. I’m Heather.”
“Hi, Heather.” Nick flashes me a gentle smile, and for some reason, it’s one of the few that makes my heart beat a little faster than normal. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” I’m terrible at thinking of things to say to people I’m not used to, and apparently, so is Nick, because the conversation stops for a while. I take a moment to reflect on what just happened, and decide that I’m not exactly giving him the best first impression. I don’t want him thinking I’m the kind of girl that needs to be saved all the time; I’m capable of taking care of myself, for the most part. So as we come to a stop in front of a flight of steps leading down to the 2 train, I say, “Thank you for saving me back there, Nick, but don’t get the wrong idea about me. I’m no damsel in distress.”
Nick shrugs, and replies, “That’s alright. I’m no hero.”
“Oh, really? Then why did you save me?”
“That’s a story for another day.”
I nudge Nick playfully, and ask, “Are you implying that we’re gonna see each other again?”
In response, Nick smiles that smile again, and I notice that he’s only got one dimple, on the left side of his face. I can’t help but wonder how he can be both the ferocious vampire warrior I saw moments ago, and the normal-looking, handsome boy standing in front of me. Quietly, he says, “I’m implying that I hope we do.”
Chapter 3
I’m always astounded by how early the sun sets in the winter; it’s only about four in the afternoon when I finally make it to Rachel’s neighborhood, but any trace of daylight is already long gone. The frosty air’s turned even colder than before, but I hardly even notice. In fact, I don’t notice much of what’s going on around me, engaged as I am by reflecting on what just happened. I’m still a little rattled by the fact that vampires exist, and surprised by the strange power I used to defend myself against them. I’m not sure if I’m telekinetic, or secretly one of the X-Men, or if I’m even human at all. The thought of me being anything other than human is unnerving, though, so I try to quell that line of thinking as much as I can.
The walk from the subway station to Rachel’s house only takes a few minutes, but those few minutes are always my least favorite part of the trip. Granted, the Bronx isn’t quite as bad as people make it sound, but I still can’t help feeling unsafe walking these streets alone, especially at night. I follow the elevated train tracks heading north for a while, then turn down a side street lined with apartment buildings. Rachel’s building stands in the middle of the block, just barely distinguishable from the other buildings by the boarded up windows on the first floor. After a brief elevator ride, I step out, find her door, and knock on it a couple of times. Rachel’s father lets me in shortly after. I remember to take off my shoes as I enter; Rachel’s mom works hard to keep their carpet clean, and wigs out on anyone stepping on it with dirty shoes.
I turn left into the living room, and find Rachel sitting on the couch. She looks like hell, just as I expected. She gets like this once a month; she spends all night howling in pain, and either skips school to sleep, or comes in looking like she just went six rounds with Muhammad Ali in his prime. I guess her cycle hits her
much harder than it does most girls. Jenna and I make fun of her for it sometimes, but I’m secretly glad I don’t have to deal with the kind of cramps that could keep me from coming to school. There are dark circles under her eyes, and her normally tame crimson curls hang lifelessly from her head, puffing out at odd angles. In lieu of a greeting, Rachel says, “I was starting to think you got kidnapped or something.”
I take a seat next to her on the couch, and I immediately have to resist the urge to lean back and fall asleep. Whatever that power I used on the vampires was, using it twice really took a lot out of me. I force myself to sit upright, and put my bag on the floor, before replying, “Yeah, right. Who would want me?”
“You’d be surprised, you’re pretty kidnappable.”
“I’m sure… Funny you should say that, though. Something almost did happen on my way here.”
Rachel looks shocked, and she urges me to explain. Part of me wants to tell her everything; getting attacked by vampires, discovering my weird power, meeting what might be one of the hottest dead guys ever. I even consider telling her about the incredibly awkward moment before Nick and I went our separate ways, where I asked for his number, only to find out that he’s part of the very small group of people that doesn’t have a cell phone. (His explanation: “I only make enough money to afford my share of the utilities, or a phone bill.”)
As much as I trust Rachel, I don’t want to give her the impression that I’ve lost my mind. So, I give her the Disney version of the truth: “I almost got mugged by a couple of homeless people, but this guy stepped in and saved me.”
“Holy shit. Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just keep thinking about it, you know?”
“Yeah. Thank God that guy stopped to help you, though. Most people would have just turned up their iPod and walked right by.”
“I know…” I think back to my conversation with Nick, and I wonder again why he bothered saving me. He claims not to be a hero, yet his actions say otherwise. He could have a hidden agenda, or he could be a genuinely good person. There’s no way to tell without getting closer to him, and who knows if we’ll ever actually bump into each other again?
As it turns out, Rachel really does need help with her math homework, and I’m the only person she can invite over without feeling obligated to get dressed. In an odd way, I’m actually honored; not many people get to see Rachel in her natural state, without the makeup and thrift store clothing. We put our heads together, and surprisingly, we manage to struggle through four pages of trigonometry problems that she couldn’t handle on her own in her current state. By the time we’re done, it’s pitch black outside, and we’re both starving. On any other day, I’d stay and order Domino’s, but I figure going home is a better idea. It’s been a long day, and I want nothing more than to lie down and sleep.
The trip home, while uneventful, isn’t a fun one. It’s just late enough that some of the crazies are riding the subway, and one of them just happens to be in my car, singing off-key at the top of his lungs. My headphones aren’t the best at cancelling out the noise around me, so I turn my music nearly all the way up to drown out his rendition of “Somebody That I Used to Know”. When that fails, I pull out Looking for Alaska, hoping that it’ll be enough to distract me from the insult to musicians everywhere that is this man’s voice.
A few pages into reading, my mind starts drifting back to the incident in the “abandoned” building. I close the book for a minute, and look down at my hands. Aside from the fact that they’re starting to turn blue from the cold, they look the same as they always have. And I feel the same as I always have, albeit more tired than usual. Does that mean that strange sensation, and the power that came with it, was a one time thing? I try to recapture the way I felt in that moment, but I only manage to give myself a slight headache. I sit back in my seat, and groan; I’d been hoping for more interesting results.
It doesn’t take long for me to start thinking about Nick as well. I can’t help it; in the short time we’d spent talking, he had somehow become lodged in my mind, a feat that very few guys have been able to achieve. Something about the deep, gentle tones of his voice and that smile of his has me intrigued. I wonder if we really will ever meet again. Even though I know it’s unlikely, a large part of me hopes that we do. I want to know more about him; where is he from? How does he feel about being a vampire? What does he do during the day?
And that’s when it hits me... Day. When I was attacked, there was still enough sunlight left to burn any vampire to a crisp. Unless the sun doesn’t actually effect them, meaning I could be in danger at any moment during the day. And not just from vampires, as I’m sure they’re not the only creatures to exist. Werewolves, zombies, ghosts, shapeshifters, demons… what if they’re all real as well? And if so, what’s keeping them from ripping us all to shreds?
Thinking about Nick has suddenly lost its appeal. I don’t think I can allow myself to feel that way about someone that isn’t human, at least not anymore. I stuff my book back into my bag, and step off the train as it reaches my stop, trying to shake the feeling that I’m nothing more than an item on some monster’s menu.
***
I jolt out of bed, panting heavily, my covers drawn around me tightly. The same recurring dream from the last few nights lingers on the fringe of my consciousness, slipping away too quickly for me to take away many new details. One of the few things I do retain, the reason I’m freaking out a tiny bit, is a blue flash of light firing from my palm. I look down at my hands again, and they’re trembling, though not with fear. No… I’m more excited than anything else. I’d been starting to think I might be doomed to normalcy forever, but these dreams – or are they premonitions? – are leading me to believe otherwise.
Once my heartbeat returns to its normal pace, some of yesterday’s fatigue washes over me again, and I find it difficult to get out of bed. In fact, my whole morning routine is plagued with a sluggishness that I’m not accustomed to. If I were a coffee drinker, I’d drain a few cups and get my day started, but I make do with a bowl of Cocoa Puffs and a bottle of Pepsi to wake myself up. My mother wouldn’t have approved of this breakfast, but she’s still dead asleep, understandably; she got stuck working a double shift at the hospital last night. I start waking up a little in the shower, but it isn’t until I’m fully dressed, and out the door that I feel fully alert and ready for the day.
Thankfully, I don’t have long to wait before the bus arrives, and the ride is short enough that I make it to the stop near my school with plenty of time to spare. I’m starting to feel sluggish again, so I decide to buy another bottle of Pepsi at the corner store before heading to my first class. Along the way, I notice a familiar face, leaning against a streetlamp and flashing me a familiar one-dimpled grin. My heart stops for a moment, before I remember that I’d promised myself I wouldn’t develop feelings for him.
Nick pushes off the streetlamp, and walks a few paces in my direction, but he doesn’t get very far before someone grabs him from behind. Nick’s lifted off the ground entirely, and then both he and the man holding him seem to vanish. I highly doubt vampires can vanish into thin air, though; I focus on my surroundings, and sure enough, I just barely catch a large figure darting into the building where Nick and I first met. Without hesitation, I take off after him.
It takes me nearly a minute to reach the building’s open door, and the familiar, yet still unpleasant scent of garbage assails my nostrils when I do. A chorus of jeers and insults can be heard from within, and as I step past the threshold, I can clearly see the source of the commotion. A small crowd of homeless men (all vampires, I’m assuming) has gathered in the lobby, all of them concentrating on the action going on in the center. Two of them are holding up a struggling Nick, while the others take turns punching him in the stomach, or striking him in the face.
For a brief moment, I can see Nick’s face clearly through a gap in the crowd around him. His hair is plastered to his face,
which is slick with black blood gushing from a gash above his eyebrow, and his lip is split down the middle. In that moment, his eyes meet mine, and he mouths something to me that looks suspiciously like RUN, but I don’t consider that an option. After he risked his life to save me yesterday, I can’t very well leave him to his own devices.
I can feel something welling up inside me, the indescribable sensation that came over me when I was attacked yesterday. It’s more intense than ever, but I do my best to contain myself until the time is right. One of the vampires, I think the one whose fangs had been ripped out by Nick, orders the others to stand aside as he approaches Nick with a sharp length of wood. I wait until he’s holding the stake high in the air to strike.
Time slows to a crawl as I hold my palm out towards the vampire in front of Nick. A weird energy flows down my arm, gathering in my palm until I can’t hold it in any longer, but just before I release it, I realize what it is that I’m feeling.
For the first time in my life, I feel truly powerful.
My palm flashes bright blue for a split second, and a huge surge of energy fires from within, leaving me completely drained. Whatever it is that I’ve done, I never get to see for myself; my vision flickers immediately after, and my body slumps to the ground in a languid heap. I’m only vaguely aware of someone calling my name, and then silence as the world around me turns dark.
Chapter 4
When I come to, I barely have enough energy to lift my head. From what I can tell, I’m no longer in the lobby of the abandoned building near my school, but lying on someone’s couch. I try to sit up, but all I can manage to do on my own is roll onto my side, my limp arm grazing the deep red carpet. I’m surrounded by dark wood furniture, arranged against white walls, which are unadorned save for the paintings hanging from each one. Since I don’t have it in me to move just yet, I focus on each of the paintings in turn; some are abstract splashes of vibrant color, while some seem to depict scenes from the artists’ life, and still others are simple paintings of fruit, or mundane objects. I’m a little envious of them, truth be told. This person’s work shows more skill than I’ll ever have in any field.
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