text: Connor was having an average day. Not too exciting, not to dull, just your normal, run of the mill day. He had just found a book on vampires at the library that looked interesting, and was in a hurry to get home and fall into it. Having a great love for books was his anti-drug. He was six months sober, and books are what kept him from falling into old habits. Reading got him through the day, and sometimes through long nights when he couldn’t sleep and the cravings for heroin hit him the hardest. He was waiting to cross the street when a gorgeous girl stepped beside him. She was about 5’8, with black hair down to her shoulders. She was wearing a Red Hot Chili Peppers top that revealed a little too much, but he wasn’t complaining. “You’re Connor Waters, aren’t you?” She asked him. When he turned to look he saw she had the bluest eyes he had ever seen, like twin sapphires. “Do I know you,” he asked. “I was in treatment with you not so long ago,” she said vaguely. “I’m Cynthia.” Now that she said so, Connor remembered her. She had left treatment before graduating. In fact, they had been close. It was weird that he hadn’t recognized her right away. Maybe it was her clothes, he seemed to remember her be slightly goth before. “How have you been?” He asked as the light turned and they started walking. “Oh you know, trying to figure life out. Sober 63 days, and it sucks. How about you?” “I’m doing good. I’ve been off the needle for six months, and it’s a struggle but I’m maintaing.” “It’s really good to see you. Do you want to go do something? For old times sake?” “What did you have in mind?” “We could go to the Hanging Gardens. I hang out there a lot. It’s really serene.” “Sure, why not. I haven’t been there in years.” They chatted as they walked, catching up on each other’s lives. Apparently when Cynthia had left treatment she had relapsed hard and ended up running away to New York. She hadn’t lasted long and came back after a month. She bummed around homeless for a while until she decided to clean up. Now she was doing theater, playing minor roles in stage productions. Life was going good for her right now, and she was in a good place, just rocking it. They got to the Hanging Gardens and it was even more beautiful than Connor remembered. The philodendrons hung from the top of towering alabaster columns. Silk spider plants ringed the central marble structure, which had stunning blue wisteria blooming atop it. It wasn’t the biggest garden, but it was dazzling in its intensity. Cynthia led Connor to a bench up on a high terrace that was surrounded by tiger lilies. From here there was a great view of the whole Hanging Gardens. He glanced at Cynthia and was amazed by what he saw. She seemed to be glowing, almost translucent. He blinked and the vision, or whatever it was, passed. They talked some more, Cynthia going into details about her dreams and aspirations. They weren’t what Connor thought they would be, what with her current dive into acting. In fact, they seemed to eerily mirror his. She wanted to write a book, the next great American novel, which was something he had wanted to do since he got sober. The strangest part was that she wanted to write on the same subject that he did, which was a vampire novel. They kicked around ideas for a bit and Connor found himself getting more excited about the idea of writing. Maybe this was what he needed to get himself started. “I know,” Cynthia said out of nowhere. Connor hadn’t said anything so he didn’t know what she was referring to. “I’ll tell him.” She was looking to the right, at the empty spot at the bench next to her. “So Gregory says vampires are real,” Cynthia said. Connor was perplexed. “Who’s Gregory?” “Gregory is my best friend, he’s sitting right here,” she said, gesturing towards the seat next to her. Connor decided not to press the matter, obviously Cynthia was experiencing something because there was no Gregory sitting on the bench. She started talking more to this invisible Gregory, like Connor wasn’t there at all. He was starting to get a weird vibe. “I don’t think he’ll go for that,” she was saying. “Maybe, I don’t know. Let’s not. Really, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Stop pushing me. Fine.” She turned back to Connor as if just realizing again he was there. “Gregory wants me to take you to meet somebody.” Connor didn’t have a good feeling about this at all. Seeing Cynthia had been nice, but he needed to get away before this situation got worse. He just had to think of way to leave without hurting her feelings. “It’s getting late,” he said. “I think I should be getting home.” “Come on,” Cynthia said. “It’s not far, and it will help you with your novel.” Maybe he could just play along, and find a chance to ditch her later on. As long as she wasn’t taking him to a dealer he didn’t see anything terrible happening. “Alright, let’s go.” They left the Hanging Gardens and walked down some back streets. Eventually she led him down some alleys. This is turning shady fast, he thought. They came up on a house with paint peeling and a window boarded shut. Connor hadn’t noticed before, but it was getting dark, so now this whole environment had an ominous feeling. Cynthia knocked on the door in a pattern. One knock, pause, two knocks, pause, one knock. A woman answered the door. Connor thought Cynthia was beautiful, but this woman was ethereal. She could have been a goddess come to Earth to tantalize men. Long red hair, and bright green eyes that seemed to gaze right into your soul. She looked him over, and seemed to approve, gesturing them inside. “Welcome young ones,” the woman said, with a voice as smooth as silk. “Its good to see you Cynthia. Who is this?” “This is Connor Waters. He wants to write a vampire novel.” “How fitting,” the woman said, offering her hand to Connor. “I’m Alexa Lightborne, and I happen to be a vampire.” Connor was speechless, this was a fantasy beyond his wildest dreams. He wanted to bow down and worship this dark creature of beauty. She turned from him and walked to the next room, motioning for them to follow. The inside of the house was a lot nicer then the exterior. The living room had plush couches and a crystal chandelier. “Please, have a seat,” Alexa said. Connor sat nervously on the edge of one couch, Cynthia relaxed into another and Alexa reclined right next to Connor. She leaned closer to Connor like she was trying to get his scent. She sat back as if intoxicated. “I’ll be honest Connor, it’s been a long time since I’ve fed, and you smell amazing.” Alexa said, pulling him into her eyes. “Would you mind terribly if I bit you?” Connor never wanted anything more in his life, and he told her so. She smiled, and her fangs gleamed in the light of the chandelier. She leaned in towards him, Connor’s anticipation growing. He closed his eyes and waited for the moment for the fangs to pierce his skin. When it didn’t happen, he opened his eyes. He wasn’t sitting on a plush couch, and there was no chandelier. He was alone on a broken futon, no vampire, no Cynthia. And worse of all, on a coffee table in front of him was an unused needle full of heroin. He had the strap around his arm already. He ripped it off, and threw the needle across the room. His schizophrenia had taken ahold of him. He had hallucinated Cynthia like he had in treatment, but this time his mind had taken it a step farther. It had splintered.