Sometimes I wondered why I was still in this stupid town. I'd noticed that despite being somewhere that held nothing for me, I still couldn't bring myself to leave. Maybe it was because I was afraid of finding something out there worse than what I already had. I guess like everyone else in this world, I was apprehesive of change. Sure, change was good sometimes, but when it came to leaving behind the only thing you knew, the only place, the only people you knew, it was arduous, even when you couldn't stand most of those factors. If it's what you know, what you're brought up into, then it's where you feel most comfortable.

One day I'd find the courage to do it, even if I had to force myself. I wanted better, I needed better, and by now, I think I most definitely deserved better.

It was about ten at night as my best friend and I worked another graveyard shift at the local diner. I'd been there about a year and that didn't seem to get any better either. Our wage was pretty bad, the building was falling apart, business was somewhat slow and our boss was the biggest moron humanly possible.

"Hope Kenai is having more fun than us" My best friend Clora mumbled, breaking me from my thoughts of myself on a sunny beach somewhere along the coast as the sand crunched beneath my bare toes.

"He's probably at the mall buying more shoes, I swear the boy has a bigger obsession than girls with style" I flatly spoke, my head leaned on my hands

"I think that's a good thing, girls prefer a guy with style" She mused

"Not better than her own, imagine being out-done by your boyfriend?" I smiled as she thought about it and screwed her face up with a short shake of her head.

"I can't think of another day as boring as this one, honestly" I sighed, leaning on the bench at the deserted diner

"I agree. But I seem to rather prefer it this way" Clora replied, as she danced around the empty diner to the pop music being played on the cheap speakers on the red rusted walls.

I giggled in amusement, sighing as I watched her use a broom as a microphone head.

Most teens our age were at home studying, or out at the movies with their friends, but of course, not us.

I watched Clora stop dancing as the Lady Gaga song ended. She looked alluring even in her work uniform, which consisted of long skin tight black leggings, and tight red bloused collared shirt, lightly topped off with a mandatory black waist apron. I wore the same, but never pulled it off quite as well as she did.

"Come to think of it, I've changed my mind" Clora began as she walked towards me, leaning herself opposite me on the bench

"What do you mean?" I asked her

"You know. The 'rather preferring the no people this way' comment" She smiled, resting her head on her hand. "It is really boring here" She continued.

I gave her a small smile and stood up straight, stretching my back out. "If nobody comes in within the next 10 minutes, I'm leaving" I stated as I untied my apron from my waist and threw it into the small cupboard nearby.

"Me too" She smiled protestingly as she slammed her apron in with mine, winking at me as she twirled her auburn hair around her fingers.

Clora was a stunning girl. Always was from as long as I'd known her. Her auburn hair lightly curled and shaped her oval face, complementing her light blue eyes. My hair was a deeper darker brown, and hung long and dead straight, pulled back into a low ponytail, loose strands falling around my ears. My eyes were a golden brown and matched my olive skin.

"That's it. That's it. I'm leaving!" I spat, slamming my open palmed hand into the bench. I began to storm from the diner that paid me nothing worth what I was enduring.

"Whoa, what happens if Charlie finds out?" Clora panicked - Charlie being our over aggressive boss, stumpy with the resemblance of a hillbilly serial killer, all the man needed were a pair of overalls and an axe.

"How on earth will he find out Clora? No one is even here. I highly doubt he himself will even come down here tonight" I told her as I stopped at the front door. She seemed to think to herself for a moment before agreeing.

"You're right, he's a jerk anyway" She laughed as she followed me out.

I stepped into the cold outside, hugging myself in search of warmth while Clora mumbled the Lady Gaga song and locked the front doors with her key, shoving and pulling

"I've been meaning to ask you by the way, how's things with your mother?" She started as she finally jammed the front stained glass doors shut

"Don't even ask"

"Not good then I take it" She mumbled

"It's never been good, nor will it ever be" I sighed "I gave up on that hope a long time ago"

"You never know, maybe one day she'll realize. Might take something big to snap her brain into reality you know?" She shrugged as we reached our parked side-by-side cars.

Hers was a 2010 Barina, red and caked full of dirt at the lack of care, then again, mine was no better, a 1990 Chevrolet, the bad yellow paint peeling and creasing in most corners.

"Big as in last year when she was admitted to hospital cause I found her choking in her own pile of vomit? Or the time I cut my hand on a broken beer bottle in the lounge room and needed eight stitches?" I threw out with obvious anger

She gave me a sympathetic smile "I'm sorry, I know how much things suck for you right now, but it'll get better, I promise, and you've always got me Rose" She winked, lightly punching me on the arm

"I know" I mumbled, shuffling my feet in the dirt

"So, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow bright and early?" Clora smiled

"Yeah, can't wait" I told her, my voice dripping with sarcasm as we laughed

"K, see you then" Clora waved with a little hand before jumping into her car.

She was quick to drive off with the skid of her tyres. She was a dodgy driver, her booming music slowly fading in the distance as I smiled to myself.

While I watched her drive off, I felt the cold breeze nipping at the skin of my arms. I shivered, jumping into my car and starting the ignition turning my heater on, rubbing my hands together in front of myself. I scanned the area around the diner, noticing just how creepy and alone it was this time of night. The neon red sign above the diner flashed like a burlesque house attention-grabber. It was eerie.

On weekends the Diner was beaming with people, weekdays were more or less like a Christmas tree in August, naked and shoved in the nearest corner.

I pulled my car into reverse and when I thought it was warmed up enough, I slowly watched in my revision mirror, backing out despite knowing nothing was around for miles.

But the mere second I moved my eyes from the mirror and pulled out onto the road, something slammed hard against my car behind me, causing it to jump to a halt, my neck gaining whiplash. I froze, both shocked and confused.

For a minute, I couldn't move, and then instincts told me I needed to look. I turned my head in all directions, but there was nothing in sight.

I held my foot on my brake for a moment, debating whether or not to get out and check more thoroughly. I had too, I needed too. Despite my fear, I put my old rust-bucket into park, and hopped out.

Slowly taking one step at a time towards the back of my car, the cold wrapped my skin up in Goosebumps.

I reached the back where I'd ran forcefully into something, but my eyes found nothing, not even a small dog or cat sprawled on the ground.

My eyebrows creased in frustration as I looked around the area, empty and alone just like it had been all night

"What the hell?" I muttered to myself, turning back around to surrender into my warm car

It was as I reached the door that suddenly something slammed into my back, hard. It caused my front to slam into the side of my car, my face hitting it with a thumping amount of force. My nose became numb, and I quickly felt a trickle of warm blood seep down from my nostril. I lightly fell to my knees, dizzy and in shock. The force on my back then re-appeared, but this time keeping my face pushed up against the side of the cold metal of my car.

My breathing became heavy, and I tried to scream, but no sound came from my terrified mouth. Then, against the side of my face, was a mans face, his lips lightly brushing against my ear.

"I could smell you from a mile away" The deep dark male voice whispered beside my left ear.

I shuddered.

"W-what do you want?" I stuttered, hoping this was just a mugging. He could take my car, he could have my change.

"This" He whispered again, his voice seemingly amused. He softly ran a frozen cold finger along my top lip as it caught a drop of blood from my nose

"Please, just don't hurt me" I tried, struggling with my arms to loosen his grip of my wrists behind me

He just laughed, one of his hands lifting to my face to brush my ponytail from one side of my shoulder to the other. I could feel his breath lightly move from my ear, against the side of my neck. I continued to struggle, hoping to break free.

"G-Get off me!" I half yelled, half whispered, wriggling viciously to no avail

The man remained amused, chuckling when yet another male voice beamed towards us. He sounded angry. Was this his partner or my saviour? I winced.

"Damn it Ryde!" The voice snapped as it neared. Unfortunately before this stranger could intervene, a sharp stabbing pain collided with the exposed skin of my neck.

I screamed in pain, closing my eyes tightly as the pain worsened with every pull of pressure.

This had to be a dream, this couldn't be real.

I wriggled my body viciously only causing the pain to intensify

"Ryde, you idiot!" The man with unknown intentions barked

What felt like an hours' worth of pain was suddenly ripped away, and I fell to the ground in a heap.

With a frantically shaking hand, I placed my fingers over the spot I felt pain and wet warmth. Looking down, sure enough, it was covered in my own sticky hot blood.

I felt myself become nauseous, and fought the urge to heave. I needed to regain my feet, and run, run fast for help.

Stumbling badly, with blurry vision, I caught sight of my attacker and the man that had ripped him off of me.

I attempted to stand, but fell straight back down into the dirt. Blood violently seeped from my neck and I wondered if this would be the lonely place my life would tragically end.

Watching on, my sight swaying, I could see the man that had saved me holding my attacker - now known as Ryde - by the throat, almost lifting his feet from the ground.

Ryde's mouth dripped, stained with my blood.

I closed my eyes at the sight, begging my brain for reality to return.

Despite the proof, despite the sight in front of me, I continued to deny the idea that this man could have bitten into my throat with his bare teeth like some mythical creature.

I coughed and spluttered, now tasting my own blood in the back of my throat. I was going to die.

Watching on in disbelief and horror, another two blurry men came running towards the scene from across the street. They were just as tall as the man that had saved me. But again, their intentions were unknown, so my panic remained.

"I outta kill you for this!" The man who held Ryde spat, fiercely gripped his throat

"Duke, let's go! We'll deal with him elsewhere!" One of the new men spoke beside them.

Duke - as I now knew him - hesitantly complied, slowly releasing his grip.

I held my head down, and could feel my body twitch and shake, my sight beginning to fade in and out of darkness.

This was it, I was going to die here, alone.

Suddenly, I could feel and hear someone move close beside me, a cold hand similar to Ryde's slowly reaching out to my wound. I flinched and tried to move away, but the man gently sh'd me, attempting to soothe my fear.

In the dim light, I managed to catch small glimpses of his defined features. He had shortly trimmed sandy blonde hair and deep emerald eyes that pierced into mine.

"Relax, just relax" He soothed, his voice smooth and soft

Relax? He had to be kidding..

I watched through whatever vision I had left as the man licked his fingers and leaned in closer to my neck. He then pressed them against the stinging pain surging down my jugular.

He pushed fast circles around the area, only burning with more pain as the shooting throughout my body grew.

I winced in agony and screamed as my body fell limp in defeat.

Finally, my eyes closed, and I became light headed. I now waited for my last breath to end my shortly lived life

"Seth! Duke! It's not working!" I could hear the man beside me yell towards the others

"What are you talking about it's not working!?" One roared back

"It's not healing!" The man beside me yelled back

What was he talking about not healing? I needed a hospital, not spit.

I could feel my breathing become slow and shortened as a pair of arms held onto me, raising my head from its drooped position.

"Move aside! Let me do it!" I heard a sigh before another set of fingers circled around my wound.

Like before, I winced with the pain it caused, squeezing my eyes tightly closed as sobs escaped my mouth along with a trail of blood dripping down my lips.

"I told you, it's not working!" The unnamed man repeated, his voice confused and worried

"I'll take Ryde, you fix his mistake before we have to dump another body" One ordered, my skin shivering at the word 'body'

Yet again another pair of hands reached me. The circling repeated, only prevailing in the same outcome of pain.

I felt myself give in, my body could no longer stay awake. My eyes were heavy, fading to black. My limbs grew weak, and I fell lifeless.

This was it.

The voices around me faded, "...We don't have much more time..."

And that was all I heard before surrendering to the darkness.

●

I expected to wake up in heaven or something, my dad running towards me as he picked me up into a hug.

I knew my dad would be in heaven, along with my grandparents, and I beamed at the thought.

But I didn't make it to heaven. I always seemed to have a knack for not getting what I wanted. The odds were always against me.

"What are we supposed to do with her now?" A familiar male voice questioned as I felt myself enter reality for a second chance.

I dared not to open my eyes in fear of what I might face, and the fact that I could feel a bright light against my lids, burning.

"I'm not sure Riley, I've never come across someone I couldn't heal before" Another deep voice sounded, also familiar, but not in a good way.

I had hoped I'd just wake in my own room and smile that it was all just a silly dream.

But I now doubted that.

I now wondered what I was going to do, run? Play dead?

That's when I remembered my neck, and instinctively I lifted my hand to inspect it.

"I think she's awake" A voice spoke as I felt my neck bandaged up, the stinging still remaining as I moved slightly.

I groaned and decided to bravely or stupidly open my eyes, greet my fate and take it as it came.

Prying open my eyes, it took a few seconds for my eyes to completely adjust to the new light.

I wasn't in heaven, or my own home.

My gaze came to meet the very same people I'd bizarrely come across last night when I was attacked. I froze in panic and considered screaming, but my body denied it, feeling the burning sensation in my throat.

I was lying in a large wooden bed, a deep red quilt covering my bottom half, my head propped up on a matching pillow.

The room was like something you'd expect to see directly out of a newly renovated house. The floor was polished wood, the ceiling cathedral wood on a wide angle. There was a small sitting area to my left, lined with pristine white royal furniture. The walls were a dark crimson and many framed pictures hung from each side.

My eyes fell back onto the two figures in the room standing at the end of the bed. One of them I recognised as Duke, the man who had somewhat saved me. The other I was not sure of, but by his tall stance, I assumed he was the one who urged Duke not to kill my attacker.

Duke was at least 6 foot tall and the first thing I noticed were his honey golden eyes. He had deep brown disheveled hair messed around as if he had been standing in front of a fan. His features were carved like an ice sculpture, his muscles intense and defined.

The other man was about a head shorter and carried the same colour hair as Duke, only more lengthy and shaggy as it swooped close to his dark ocean blue eyes.

"Where am I?" I asked groggily as I pushed myself up, wincing at the pain that shot through my body

"Take it easy" The man beside Duke soothed; he was by my side in less than a second

Duke remained at the end of the bed, his arms folded across his chest as he spoke

"You're in my home" He answered simply, his eyes hard and focused on me

"Why?" I asked again, croaking like a frog

"Because you were injured, do you not remember?" The other continued, narrowing his eyes at me.

"No... I mean... Yes, I remember, but I should be in a hospital" I spoke

Duke let out a small sneer, earning a glare from the man beside me.

"Would you care to explain or shall I?" He shot towards him. Duke's face turned cold.

"You do it" Duke shot back, giving me one last once over before leaving the room abruptly uninterested.

In the blink of an eye, the man I was now alone with swiftly pulled out a chair from the sitting room, and perched himself beside me.

Meanwhile, my brain still argued, run or stay? Run or stay?

"You know, usually if someone has gone through what you have, I expected them to be screaming, fighting, and crying their eyeballs out by now" He spoke, a small smile playing on his lips.

I simply stared, shocked at how calm he was about all of this.

"Do you want me to do that?" I asked after about thirty seconds of staring, my voice trembling

He just laughed but seemed also stunned by my question while he stared at me suspiciously.

"My, my, you are a strange one" He smiled, his eyes still narrowed on me

"Me? The strange one?" I spoke, watching his handsome face for a reaction

"Ouch" He faked, holding his heart. I just stared absently as his smile faded

"I guess I should explain to you what's going on" He sighed, composing himself

"What happened to you last night..." He stumbled, looking for the right words "Well, there's really no good way of putting it" He continued, watching me carefully

"Why did that man?..." I tried

"Bite you?" He finished my sentence with a sideways grin.

I slowly nodded.

"He isn't like you, like the ...humans you know"

"He isn't a cannibal is he?" I hoped giving me any other excuse for the same mythical creature popping up in my mind like it had last night

"No. Much worse I'm afraid" He smiled again with a grin that somewhat frightened me

"I don't understand" I fidgeted

"Ever seen Dracula?" He scoffed, eyes intent on my reaction

Mythical creature it was.

I knew what he was implying and I didn't like it. But, it didn't stop me from wishing and hoping that I'd soon wake up from this bizarre dream that vampires actually existed.