My face became wet as blood-filled tears poured from my eyes.

“Let her go!” another man snapped.

I squinted and blinked, turning to move my head around enough to make out their faces, but I couldn’t. The blood that was pouring profusely out of my eyes blurred my vision.

“She’s a vampire, Eli! We can't just let her go,” the man that trapped me growled.

“She’s weak; you said so yourself. Give her the serum and let’s go,” Eli replied.

I flinched as a slight injection was administered into my neck.

What is it? Was it a tracking device or a poison that was going to kill me? My worry jumped up a scale as my vision started coming and going in waves, it must be some kind of sedative… that or I’d just go to sleep and never wake up.

I put all of my strength into my legs but I couldn’t stand. My face met the solidity of the concrete and I blacked out.

I opened my eyes and squinted around a room that was familiar; my room. I was at home, in my own bed. I looked down at my wrists — no burns, not even a scratch. What happened? Normally, a human would first assume it was all a dream. Oh, how I long for simplicity. No brief relief for me; vampires don’t sleep.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialled Camilla's number. Instead of answering the call, she barged through my door, her mother in tow.

“How are you feeling?” they said in unison.

I shrugged my shoulders. How should I be feeling? I was attacked at school by some delicious smelling strangers who may or may not work for the man that slaughtered my mother and turned me into a monster. I feel fantastic.

“School said you fainted; they called me and wanted to send you to the hospital, but I told them it was normal and I brought you home,” Camilla explained. “Did you really faint?”

“Yes, I fainted,” I lied. “Sometimes the sun becomes uncomfortable and too much to handle.”

Camilla's eyes narrowed; she knew I was lying, but Aunt Jen believed the story, thankfully. I felt horrible lying but if Aunt Jen knew what happened, she would kick me out. Camilla was her top priority, and if people were hunting me, it put her in danger.

“Well, as long as you’re okay and have no injuries, then I’ll let you rest up. If you need anything, let me know,” Aunt Jen said, relieved.

She left the room and I relaxed. I didn’t think Aunt Jen would believe that. I mean come on, a vampire fainting?

“What really happened?” Camilla asked.

I was skeptical about telling Camilla the truth. I knew she would follow me everywhere and try and confront those guys on her own if they showed up again. The last thing I wanted was for her to be involved in my business and get hurt, or worse, killed, but at the same time, I didn’t want to go through this alone.

“I was attacked, near the girls’ toilets,” I explained. “I was trapped with silver.”

“Was there only one?” Camilla asked.

“There was another guy there. I couldn't see their faces really because I had hit my head and then he pinned me against the wall.”

“And you couldn't break free?”

I shook my head. If only she knew how painful it was when that silver touched my skin. It definitely rivaled being bitten. Camilla wrapped her long arms around me.

“I'll let you rest. I'm so glad you’re okay.”

“Cam? Did the school say anything about blood? I cried, and you know how it is when I cry.”

“No. They didn’t say anything.”

She handed me a bag of blood from the fridge. I distinctly remember crying, they must have cleaned the blood from my face. What did they want from me?

“I have to go, but I’ll see you later.” Cam left me alone.

I sucked back my meal and pondered the fact that I was such a shitty vampire. I'm nothing like the others or like you see on TV or in movies. I go out in the sun, I don't have see-through skin, and I’m nowhere near as fast, strong, or as bloodthirsty as the rest of them. I'm weak; I might as well be human.

I couldn't put what happened at school behind me, my mind kept obsessing over it. Could they be working for Hank? No. They couldn't be, the man made it very clear how he felt about vampires. I was at a loss. I sat in my room alone, depressed, and scared for the rest of the day.

Taken

I watched from my bay window as the sun rose over the trees, its light sent a glossy gold shine around the room. I hadn’t really moved from this spot all night. I sat obsessively watching the surroundings for any movement.

When the sun was high enough in the sky, I heard noises coming from the kitchen; I changed out of my casual jeans and white tank top from yesterday and into a pretty yellow knee length summer dress. I didn't think it was possible, but somehow it made my skin look even whiter.

Today, I planned to focus on pushing yesterday's events out of my head. I tried hard not to watch over my shoulder or glance nervously out the window. It was easier to do during the day; everything seems so much scarier at night. Forgetting all about yesterday was easier today because it was, after all, my birthday.

“Happy Birthday!” Camilla screamed, bursting through my door.

I didn't spoil her surprise by revealing that I heard her before she even opened the door. She wrapped her arms around me tightly and squeezed.

“There’s nothing like a birthday bear hug.” Aunt Jen chuckled, entering moments after.

The hug was a little awkward; there was no doubt Camilla could feel how cold my skin was, I sure felt her warmth. Venom flooded my mouth and my throat burned. In this moment, my craving for blood was as strong as a dope fiend's yearning intensity for that next hit. My craving consumed my mind; a vast psychic parasite devouring any thought of anything but the steely sweet relief of another's life force. I was due for my morning blood and my body was constantly reminding me, but I didn’t want to rush the moment. Who knew if I was going to get another?

Camilla released me from her embrace and handed me a little red box tied tightly shut with a pretty rose colored bow.

“Open it!” she urged.

I pulled the ribbon open slowly and pulled off the lid.

“Oh my god…”

It was a beautiful gold necklace with a big red heart-shaped pendant. I tried to say something about it but I couldn't. It was so beautiful. I looked up from the gift to Camilla's face; her facial expression told me she was satisfied with my reaction.

“Thank you so much,” I managed to squeeze out after several long seconds.

“You are more than welcome. After everything that has happened in the past year, you deserve something nice. It's a ruby for Ruby!”

Her melodious laugh echoed through my room. At times like this, I was so lucky that I had a best friend like her and just as lucky she was a part of my family.

“There's something else,” she said.

“Oh no, Cam, please, this is more than enough.”

“This one is from Camilla and me,” Aunt Jen exclaimed, pulling a red dress from a long bag.

I gasped at its beauty. If words could describe perfection, this would be it. I was itching to try the halter neck on. Suddenly, I felt excited. I tried to picture myself in it, at my party, my new necklace hanging from my neck. I marvelled at the way the knee length fabric flowed so elegantly.

“It’s something to wear to your party.”

“It is so beautiful, you have both overdone it today, I would have been happy with just a card.”

“You deserve more than just a card,” Aunt Jen chuckled.

I took the dress from her hands and laid it gently on my bed.

“Come on. Let’s have breakfast,” Aunt Jen suggested.

“I’ll meet you in there.”

They left my room and I opened the mini fridge that Aunt Jen had concealed in my dresser. The bags of blood, I had to drink cold. Even thought they were in a fridge, they still felt warm against my cold skin. The donated blood does the job, but it still doesn’t quench the burning desire of taking it forcefully from a human. Feeling the pulsing of their heart through the thick liquid as I sucked it from them was exquisite. It’s sweetest right before they die, when their pulse slows down. In my mind, I pictured Camilla and Aunt Jen’s pulsing arteries, so thick and juicy. The acidic venom tickled my mouth as I swished it around, contemplating their death. Quickly, I pushed my teeth into the bag of blood, slurping back the D-grade red liquid. I needed to calm the constant desire for human flesh before I kill the only family I had left. The hunger, the blood lust, it made me want to tear into human flesh with my ridiculously sharp fangs. I never knew if I'd be able to hold myself back the next time a human walked by. The smell of their blood wafting by my nose, put them in more danger than they realized.

After breakfast I helped with the last adjustments and additions to the party decorations downstairs, which surprisingly took me to lunch. I guess time goes quickly on your birthday.

I was hungry again. Whilst Aunt Jen and Camilla were eating their lunch in the kitchen, I drank mine in the perfect solitude of my room. I would join them, but Aunt Jen isn’t as comfortable with it as Camilla is.

Licking my lips and retracting my fangs, I joined them in the kitchen.

We sat around talking in between making food and drinks for the guests, and before we knew it, it was five-thirty and the party was scheduled to begin in half an hour.

“Shower time,” I mumbled to myself as I pulled my blue fluffy towel from the hook behind my door and transferred it to the hook on the wall in my bathroom. I didn’t have to shower, I have no bodily fluids. I only shower because I was accustomed to my human routine. I turned on the hot water and steam filled the bathroom, blurring my mirror. I inched on the cold tap, reducing the steam slightly. It didn’t matter whether the shower was hot or cold, my body barely noticed the difference between the two.

I was out almost as soon as I started. I did, after all, have less than half an hour to get ready. I didn’t want to waste my time on something I didn’t need.

The soft fabric of my dress welcomed my body as I pulled it over my head. I felt like Angelina Jolie in Mr and Mrs Smith, except my dress was red and knee length, but just like hers, it clung to all the right places. Once I did my hair and applied minimal make up, I dare say I looked just as sexy as Ms Jolie herself.

I needed a full stomach if I was going to be surrounded by sweaty teens, especially drunken sweaty teens. I pulled two bags out of the hidden fridge. My fangs popped out by themselves as I brought one of the bags to my mouth and pierced it.

“I knew it.”

I retracted my fangs and dropped the bag. It hit my carpet with a light thud, leaking blood everywhere.

“Darren! The party starts in ten minutes.” I cleared my throat, trying to sound friendly. “And it’s downstairs.”

“I know,” he said, striding over to me. The smirk that had spread across my face made me want to kill him where he stood.

“If you touch me, I will kill you.”

“You can try, but we both know how pathetic and weak you are.”

“You don't know anything about me. I gave you a pretty good warning at school today, don’t make me repeat myself,” I snapped.

“I know everything about you. It’s my job. And that ‘shove’ you gave me at school, you caught me off guard.”

“Your job is working front counter at McDonald's.”

Darren’s dark eyes narrowed in on me as he smirked; once again, it made me want to kill him.

“You're a vampire, and my 'profession' will soon be to hunt your kind.”

I tensed my muscles as Darren circled me, coming to a stop behind me. I cringed as I felt his warm breath on my ear.

“You are a vampire in my jurisdiction, which means I have to kill you… Unless, we can make some sort of temporary arrangement…”

I shook under his grasp as his grimy hands slid around my waist and then down to my thigh.

Grabbing the base of my dress, he began to slide his hand upwards, lifting the fabric as he went. He kissed my neck, unflinching at its temperature. I could no longer bear the thought of his touch. I turned fast and pushed him, my bed thudded against the wall as he slammed into it.

I didn't run, I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to involve Aunt Jen or Camilla, or ruin the party they worked so hard on. I was going to have to take care of him myself.

“Lucky shot. Normal vampires are hard to kill, extremely hard, but you, you’re like killing a child, so weak and defenseless.” Darren chuckled as he climbed to his feet, putting a hand in his back pocket.

I felt more and more frustrated every time he called me weak. I had done a good job at defending myself against him, so far.

I stood in an attack stance, just waiting for him to jump at me. From his pocket, he pulled out a wooden object and he lunged at me. I didn't move, not because I couldn't, I'm faster than Darren. I didn’t move because I didn’t want to. What was the point in living like this? I couldn’t even go a year without being hunted down. If I let Darren kill me now, it would save me having to wait for the next people to come. When would the two strangers from school attack me again? What if I came across another vampire and they saw how weak I am? What if I want to die? I want to be freed from this awful state. Is it selfish of me to want to die, to end my suffering?

Glass hit my face and Darren was knocked into the wall, he didn’t move. He was out cold. A hard object hit my chest and I was pinned to the floor. The smell and the feel of it made it obvious, it was another vampire.

Hank? No. this vampire was an old one. The older vampires get, the stronger they are.

“Hello, half cast,” he whispered.