Vampires Like Me

It was the last week of her summer break; she always liked starting new classes but she knew she would miss her family, especially her sister. She comforted herself with the fact that she wouldn't be far from them. She choose a local college so she could stay home but her parents insisted she get an apartment and enjoy some freedom. Reluctant to be away, she only agreed to please them.

Her parents, were planning there annual trip to the lake, one last hurrah before school started. She was looking forward to it, she liked the lake, it was quiet and secluded, she could be herself there.

She had already put in her notice at the animal shelter; she tried not to think about leaving all the animals, it always made her sad. Worried that they wouldn't be given the attention they had grown used to receiving while she was there she spent most of her free time writing detailed instructions on what kind of care specific animals needed. They were for her best friend, her only friend; they had graduated high school together and worked together during the summer when she was home from school.

"Emily," her friend called interrupting her train of thought.

"Hey Britt," she replied never looking up.

"What are you doing?" Brittany asked pronouncing each word as she studied the note pad in front of her friend.

"Making a list of things that need to be done here while I'm gone."

"Seriously?" Brittany's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yes, seriously," Emily finally looked up. "Henry has that ear condition that needs to be checked regularly, he's gaining weight so he needs more exercise. Wilson needs more temperament training with strangers or he's never going to be adopted." She paused to see if her friend was paying attention. "Are you listening to me?" she asked realizing she wasn't.

"Yes, of course I am," Brittany smiled. "They're going to be fine, I promise."

Emily considered her friends promise for a moment and then returned to her list. "Did you see that new cat they brought in this morning?" She asked while she jotted down a few more notes.

"The white one? Yeah he's gorgeous."

"Yeah I was thinking about asking my landlord if I can have pets, I'd like to take that crazy female in Isolation and that incoming male."

"I'm surprised you didn't ask before you signed your lease."

"I didn't even think about it," Emily remembered the day she agreed to move out. "You know moving was more for my parents anyway."

Brittany shot her friend a look, "Which I still don't understand? I would kill to get out of my parents house."

"How much more do you need to save before you can start looking for a place?"

"Five hundred," Brittany frowned, in such a small town working for a little more than minimum wage five hundred dollars would take several more months to save.

Emily wished she could offer her a place to live, she liked Brittany's company, she never asked her about the way she looked or some of the seemingly odd things she did but it was too dangerous to have her that close all the time, she had too many secrets to keep.

"We better get back to work," Brittany said as she stood from the table they were sitting at. "Kerry's gonna start looking for us soon."

"Yeah," Emily agreed closing her notebook.

Emily was tired when she got off work that night, one of the dogs had gotten out of his cage and she spent three hours chasing him in the field behind the shelter. The road to her house was lined with trees on both sides, the ground was covered in emerald green moss and ferns. Her house was on the outskirts of town, which was essential for her family, a simple white sided a-frame. There closest neighbor lived two miles away. She recalled the day they moved in and the musty smell that took her sister several months to get used to. Her family's arrival turned out to be a big deal; they added four more to the very low population and it took almost a year for their novelty to wear off.

When she got home she found her mom cooking in the kitchen and her sister at the table reading the last of her required books before school started.

"Hello," Emily greeted as she set her stuff on the table.

"Hey Em," her sister replied as she put her book down, grateful for the distraction.

"Hi sweetie," her mom called over her shoulder. "Keep reading Ashley," she said as she turned her attention back to the dinner she was preparing.

Ashley let out a groan causing Emily to laugh.

"What are you reading?"

"Wuthering Heights," Ashley moaned as she picked her book back up.

"Aw, Ash, that's a great book," Emily insisted.

"Then why don't you read it?" Ashley mumbled so low her mom couldn't hear but nothing could get past her sister.

"I have," Emily replied, "several times." She crossed the room and pulled a chair out to sit next to her sister. "How far are you?"

"Heathcliff just heard Catherine say it would be degrading to marry him," she frowned.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just so depressing," Ashley admitted.

Emily nodded in agreement, "Yeah it's not a happy story, it's a tragic romance, try if you can to let go of the need for happy endings that might help."

"Yeah, okay," she sighed.

Emily kissed her sister on the head and stood to leave her to her reading. "Let me know if I can help," she offered.

"You know how you can help," she whispered.

Emily just shook her head, "that would be cheating." Ashley was very young when Emily realized what they could do together. It had always been there little secret, and on several occasions came in very handy.

Ashley just huffed and went back to reading.

Emily gave her mom a hug before she headed up to her room. She stopped off in the bathroom at the top of the stairs. It was small, quaint, and the only one. Emily didn't mind; it took very little to please her. She took a quick look at herself in the mirror confirming what she already knew. Her ivory skin looked like marble; she pinched her cheeks to bring out some of the little color she had. Her eyes were darker today, greener than normal, big and oval. She had dark wavy hair that was piled on the top of her head like a birds nest. She was athletic in build with defined muscles that helped to make her strong and fast.

Once she was in her room, she sat down on her bed and took a nice long look around, light carpet, beige walls, and stacks of boxes lining her walls. She got up to inspect her closet, everything that could be packed had been. So she opened her window to let in some fresh air then turned on her computer to check her email.

Another one of her paintings had sold and she was tracking it to make sure it got to the buyer. She had a natural talent and learned early on that she could utilize it to bring some money into the house. She used several different aliases so that no one could track her down, most of the time she drew what inspired her but occasionally she drew what was popular at the time. She had to laugh at the irony of her latest collection, goth-inspired and influenced by Anne Rice they were her best sellers.

When she was done she changed out of her work clothes and pulled on her favorite blue jeans, torn from use not fashion, and a white t-shirt. Emily heard the phone ring downstairs and could tell it was Brittany; she picked up the phone in her room before her mom had a chance to call up to her.

"I got it mom," she said into the phone.

"Okay." Her mom hung up the phone.

"Hey Britt what's up?"

"Did you hear?" Brittany's voice was excited, but this didn't surprise Emily, it took very little to excite her friend.

"Hear what?"

"You know that house up on the north side of town that was having all that work done to it?"

"Yeah."

"Well the people that bought the house just moved in over the weekend."

"Really?" Emily kept up her enthusiasm for her friend's sake.

"Yeah and, you know who, already paid them a visit." Brittany's voice turned mocking.

Emily laughed, "Your mom should get a job with the local newspaper."

"I know! Then at least she would have an excuse for being so damn nosey."

"So what did she find out about this mysteriously wealthy family?"

"Well first, they all look like super models apparently. My mom has been complaining about how old she looks since she got back." Brittany laughed.

"Rich and good looking, looks like we're off to a good start," Emily added.

"Right? So the dad, he's a doctor, he's working at the hospital, I don't know what the mom does but I'm guessing he makes enough money for the both of them. Their oldest son, he's in college, their younger son is gonna be a senior in high school this year."

"I'll have to keep an eye on Ashley," Emily joked.

"Oh but I haven't told you the strangest part, ready for this, the older son's girlfriend, moved here with them. She's living in the same house. Can you believe that? Man, I wish my parents were that cool."

Emily couldn't control her laughter, "And who exactly would you want to live with?"

"I don't know," Brittany screeched, "but it would have been nice to have the option."

Emily just rolled on her bed consumed in amusement.

"Hey I don't see anyone banging down your door, missy." Brittany squealed.

"I didn't say there was," Emily defended.

"Well anyway, so you're not the new kid in town anymore."

"Britt, I haven't been the new kid for five years."

"Hey, it's a small town and nothing interesting ever happens, only living here for five years means you're new."

"Well I'm glad to pass the torch."

"So I was thinking," she paused, "why don't we go up to Star Gazer's to check out the new comers."

"Ew, that's creepy."

"Oh whatever they'll never know."

"I think I'll pass."

"Your no fun," Emily could hear Brittany's mom call her in the background. "Hey I gotta go."

"Alright I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright, bye."

Brittany was waiting anxiously for Emily to get to work the next day, when she saw her pull into the parking lot she went outside to meet her. She waited for Emily to turn her car off before she pounced.

"You won't believe what I did!" Her voice was high with enthusiasm. "Last night, after we got off the phone I went to check out that new family."

"Brittany!" Emily was shocked.

"I know, I know, but I couldn't help it. You should have seen them, my mom wasn't kidding they are absolutely gorgeous."

Emily was always about fifteen minutes early for work so this gave Brittany plenty of time to fill her in on what she saw before their boss got there. The words flew out of Brittany's mouth in a jumble, none of it interested Emily..

"I only saw the kids, the girlfriend is beautiful; her hair is golden blonde, she looks like a porcelain doll. The older son was big, muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark hair and light skin." She paused as she remembered the second boy. "The other one," her voice cracked slightly when she spoke of him, "he was more boyish, he was tall and lean, with messy dark hair."

"Sounds like he peeked your interest," Emily stifled a laugh.

"Only in my dreams Em, only in my dreams," Brittany breathed, "anyway I'm too old for him and the other one is clearly taken."

"Come on, let's get to work." Emily pushed hoping the onslaught of gossip was over.

The rest of Emily's week went by relatively normal, Brittany continued to inform her of anything the new comers did. By the end of the week she was relieved to be going away, she didn't mind gossip but it was getting out of control, especially when her sister found out about them.

The weekend at the lake was exactly what Emily needed; she spent most of her time swimming something she loved to do. Although they had seen her speed before it always amazed her family when she swam, Ashley loved to keep time for her.

When they got back they had to turn right around and pack Emily up to move. It only took a day and when everything was in her new apartment Emily faced what she had been dreading for weeks, saying goodbye.

"You come home whenever you like, okay?" Her dad insisted giving her a hug goodbye. He was a tall well built man in his thirties; he had dark hair and brown eyes. When he smiled you could see the young man he used to be beam through. Emily bared no resemblance to him, there would be no reason for her to, he wasn't her real father, but she loved him like he was and he returned the sentiment.

"This is exciting Em, you call and tell me all about your first day," her mom embraced her and kissed her goodbye, holding on a little bit longer than necessary. Her mom was average height and had brown hair and lighter eyes, after a full day in the sun you could see the green in them. Emily spent months analyzing her features trying to find something they had in common, it was their eyes and smile they shared the same green eyes and bright smile. She only had pictures of her biological mom to compare too, the woman who was hugging her now, who had raised her since birth was technically her aunt.

After some time Emily and her mom broke their embrace. Her parents left to give their girls a moment alone.

Ashley fought back tears. Emily sat down beside her sister on her new couch in her new apartment. She reached out with one hand and took her sister's in hers; she compared the difference in tone, texture and temperature. Ashley looked like her father, dark hair and dark eyes; she was shorter like her mother but she shared the same brilliant smile.

Emily had so much to be thankful for but one thing she was most grateful for was that her family never recoiled from her touch, never shied away from her embrace. Emily had been raised by this family and the burn in her throat was just a part of her life, something she had grown used to, almost immune to.

When Ashley had been born Emily struggled at first, she smelled incredible, better than anything Emily had ever smelled before. She took extra precautions around her, making sure her eyes were as light as they could be at all times. Emily loved her cousin, her sister, from the moment she saw her. That love overpowered any other feeling, even her instinctual one's, and it wasn't long before the two girls were inseparable.

"You're going to be fine," Emily said trying to comfort her sister.

"I'm going to miss you," Ashley whimpered.

"I'm going to miss you too, but I'm not that far away and you know you can call me anytime."

Ashley nodded.

"I want to hear all about tomorrow and on the weekends when I don't come home you can come here and we can hang out, okay?" She smiled attempting to cheer Ashley up.

Ashley took a deep breath, wiped away her tears and hugged her sister. "Okay."

They held onto one another, their heightened emotions flowed between them swirling together until they couldn't tell who felt what. Feeling awful and wishing she could make her sister feel better she offered her the only parting gift she could think of.

Ashley gasped pulling away from Emily, "That's horrible."

Emily smiled, "I told you it was not a happy story." She watched as Ashley rolled what she'd just learned around in her head. "So, what do you think?"

Ashley hesitated at first, "I think I'm going to go home and finish reading it for myself."

Emily smiled and pulled her sister close, they hugged for a few more minutes before Ashley finally turned to leave.

Emily spent her evening unpacking, she moved at a snails pace in order to make the work last longer but it wasn't long before everything was in its place and she realized she had several hours before her first class. So she did what she always did when everyone around her was asleep, she drew.

It was Emily's second year; it took her the entire first year to convince the swim coach that she was not going to join the team. Emily was always the first one at the pool in the morning, she knew she could get in a few good laps before anyone else arrived, one morning the coach saw Emily swimming at her moderate speed and begged her to join the team. After several months he stopped asking, but would shot her disappointed glances every now and then till finally he gave up completely, he never looked at her anymore. Emily felt bad but she knew it was better if he didn't base all his hopes for championships on her, the other girls on the team deserved a chance to win.

The boys on the other hand were more difficult to discourage, especially the new freshman class. Emily was young when she realized how appealing she was to the opposite sex. As a little girl she would always win her father's approval despite what her mother had said, it took them some time to teach her that she shouldn't use her natural beauty to manipulate people.

It came naturally, her perfect skin, the flow of her hair, her striking eyes and perfect figure. She never did anything intentionally; even the sound of her voice seemed to increase her lure. Emily did everything she could to make her lack of interest clear, usually she gave off just the right amount of danger to keep them at bay, but there would always be one or two that felt her cold shoulder was a personal invitation. After awhile she just realized that men loved the chase.

She was still taking her required courses, they were monotonous. Some of her professors adored her while others disliked her intelligence, at such a small school word spread quickly and professors that had never had her knew who she was.

She spent most of her day thinking about her sister, wondering how her first day as a sophomore was going. Emily was very protective of her family but more so of her sister. It took her a long time to accept that Ashley was a normal teenage girl who needed freedom; she hated it when she started dating. Emily was anxious for the end of her class; she was looking forward to her sister's phone call.

"Emily!" her sister's voice was slightly alarmed. "Call me when you get this, its important."

Emily's class had been let out a few minutes late, unusual for the first day, and she missed her sister's call by seconds. She was on her way to her car when she heard her voicemail ring; she ended the call without erasing the message from her sister and dialed the familiar number, anxious to find out what was wrong.

"Ashley?" Emily's voice was concerned but calm.

"Emily! Wait hold on." There was a moment of silence as Ashley went to her bedroom. "Okay."

"Ashley what's going on, what's the matter?" Emily was starting to become more worried.

"Shhh, calm down, nothings wrong it's just…I don't want mom and dad to hear."

"Hear what?"

"I saw that new kid today in school," she whispered.

Emily could tell her sister was trying to reveal something in the way her voice wrapped around her words but she couldn't figure it out; she hoped this was not about how good he looked. "Gonna need a little more than that."

"He wasn't like," she paused. "He looked more like," she paused again, "more like you."

Emily was parked outside her apartment, she felt her muscles tighten, she had encountered others like her before and she could usually reason with them. But each time she had been living at home and could be there to protect her family, she regretted moving out even if it was only a couple of miles away.

"Okay Ash, tell me what happened." Emily's voice was composed; the sound eased her sister.

"Well Melissa saw him in the morning registering for classes; we didn't have morning classes together so I didn't see her till lunch. She started to tell me what he looked like when he walked in and I saw him for myself."

"And?"

"And he looks like you, well not quite, he's whiter, if that's possible," Ashley snickered.

"Very funny," Emily scolded gently.

"Okay, okay, so he had really white skin, perfect skin actually, and the most amazing smile though it seemed like he was trying very hard not to smile, and dimples too. Oh and his eyes, they were piercing blue with this flash of gold in the center. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw him."

"Ashley you've just described a good looking guy with a pale complexion, please tell me you have more than this." Emily was becoming slightly annoyed.

"Look I know what I saw," Ashley snipped. "I'd just feel more comfortable if you came home and checked things out, I don't want to worry mom and dad for no reason."

Emily sighed, "Okay, my classes are over by noon tomorrow how about I come pick you up from school, you can point out this new kid to me."

"Thanks, Em."

"No problem, now how did the rest of your day go?"

Feeling more at ease Ashley flopped down on her bed and told her sister about how she stayed up late reading the rest of Wuthering Heights, and how hard it was to get up for school the next day, she hated almost all of her classes but was glad she had lunch with her boyfriend, she swooned over him for awhile describing in unnecessary detail what he wore and how his hair looked. Emily disliked him from the moment Ashley introduced them, he had this way about him that made Emily worry for Ashley's safety. Ashley finished up with an on going stream of complaints about all the homework she had to do.

When they got off the phone Emily went upstairs to her apartment, she threw her things on her couch and when straight to her kitchen, she needed to take the edge off. She opened her refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher filled with a thick red liquid, she poured some into a glass and heated it up in the microwave, she hated this part of her life but counted herself lucky; thanks to her mom's connections she could live a relatively normal life. She was working very diligently to wean herself off completely, but it took an exceptionally large amount of control and patience.

The next day Emily waited outside of the high school for her sister as promised. She leaned against the passenger side door scanning the area for anyone who looked out of place, she kept her sunglasses on although there was little to no sun, she had never gotten used to the glare and didn't want to make eye contact with anyone. Thanks to the Goth subculture, pale complexions didn't stand out as much so she relied more on her other senses. She could hear the bells ring from inside the classrooms and watched as the first few students emerged from the buildings. She saw her sister but continued to scan the crowds for the new comer.

"Emily!" Ashley called as she got closer.

Distracted for a second she didn't see when he walked out the double doors. She smiled at her sister and then returned to her surveillance, when she looked back toward the doors she saw a very attractive young boy walking towards the parking lot behind her. Emily stiffened, Ashley had been right.

Ashley saw her sister's body harden and followed her gaze to the beautiful boy. "That's him," she whispered when she got closer, she was smiling despite herself.

Emily just nodded as she watched him. He was different than the others she'd encountered. Clean, well dressed, he walked up to a conservative two door car, parked as far away from the other cars as possible.

"He's acting like," Emily whispered to her sister, "like a student."

"Yeah," Ashley said, talking louder now.

Emily shot her a look to keep her voice down.

"His name is William Croft."

William looked up as a reflex reaction to the sound of his name; his eyes locked for a small portion of a second on a pair of girls standing next to a silver two door coupe. One of the girls was staring in his direction though he couldn't tell if she was looking at him through her dark glasses, the other girl, younger looked away when he looked up, embarrassed.

Emily and William stared at one another for what seemed like a fraction of a second, he recognized her features. Feeling as though she had lost control over her faculties Emily slowly took her glasses off never breaking her gaze. She felt an overwhelming sensation run through her body but knew not to trust it; she knew her kind came with many talents.

Her eyes held William's curiosity, brimming over with silent secrets, blazing green. He could tell by the shade that she was not there for any of the students. As he stared at her William noticed a fascination growing inside him, he instantly wanted to know more about her. He pushed it aside knowing that these feelings could not be his entirely.

"Get in the car," Emily commanded to Ashley.

"Ash," a young boy called from behind them.

Ashley turned beaming towards the sound of her name being called, ignoring her sister. "Hey Matt," she blushed.

Emily rolled her eyes at the sight of her sister's boyfriend.

"Hey Emily," Matt greeted, "I didn't know you were going to be here today." He said glaring at Ashley.

"Oh," Ashley stuttered, "she…"

Emily kept a close eye on the pale faced boy as he stared at her. "My fault Matt, I thought it would be a nice surprise." Emily wanted to get her sister home but keep an eye on the new boy at the same time; she realized Matt was her best option. "Why don't you take her home and I'll meet you guys there."

Ashley's eyes darted between Matt, her sister and William. "Are you sure Em?"

"Yeah, positive," sounding confident. Emily turned to face Matt. "Just do me a favor and take her straight home, okay?"

"Sure no problem," Matt agreed. He had always had a big crush on Ashley's older sister Emily, though she'd never given him the time of day. So he settled for the younger version. Matt threw his arm around Ashley's neck and led her to his car.

Emily waited to leave, she watched as Matt and her sister drove away. William was still seated in his car, still watching Emily. After a moment he turned his car on and pulled out of his spot and was out of Emily's sight. She, just as quickly, jumped into her car and headed home.

When William got home, he went straight to his father's study. When he got inside he saw his brother sprawled on the sofa flipping through twenty channels a second on the flat screen, his mom was upstairs humming over a new painting she had purchased online, and his sister was on her computer working on her wardrobe.

His father was waiting for him, his eyes on the door rather than the thick book on his desk.

"I heard you pull up," he said, and smiled.

William was relieved to be with him, to see the compassion and deep intelligence in his father's eyes. There was no resemblance between them; there was no reason for there to be. Ethan was not William's father in the biological sense. They shared no common features, the similarity in there coloring was a product of what they were. But Ethan was his creator, his mentor, his father in all the ways that counted.

"I have something to tell you." William began.

"Okay," Ethan sat back in his chair.

William explained his afternoon, the girl at school, what she looked like and how he felt when he looked at her. He realized the feeling didn't subside now that he was not near her and wondered if they were truly his. A jittery high swept through him, he wanted to know where she was, he wanted to see her face. He thought of her face, her dark hair tangled and wild around her face, wearing a thin green long sleeved shirt with black sweatpants, her features tight with curiosity, the way her full lips slightly parted when she pulled her glasses off, she took his breath away, or would have, if he'd been breathing. He didn't realize he had stopped talking and his thoughts were interrupted by Ethan's wide, unexpected smile.

"You seem interested in this young girl?" Ethan asked not waiting for an answer. "Don't worry; we'll take care of it." Ethan smiled again and then began to gather the family in the dining room. The room was, of course, never used for its intended purpose. But sometimes it was necessary to discuss things in a calm, seated manner.

Ethan sat in his usual seat, William sat beside him. Katherine, his mother approached the table and stopped behind William and stroked his hair and squeezed his shoulder. His brother and sister sat across from him.

William took a deep breath to begin, "Today after school I saw a young girl who resembled, who looked like us." He stopped, imagining her face again, unable to find the words he needed.

"It seems as though we've picked a popular place to inhabit," Ethan began, seeing the trouble his son was having.

"What?" his sister's piercing shriek broke through William's concentration.

"Easy Lizzy," his brother whispered.

William finally gathered his strength and told his family about his encounter with the girl, what he'd witnessed and saw.

Elizabeth's palm smacked down on the table with a loud bang. "We can't allow the girl a chance to say anything. This doesn't have to be a big production."

"Elizabeth, this girl is innocent." Ethan said.

"Its not personal Ethan," Elizabeth said through her teeth. "It's to protect us all."

Ethan nodded, "I know you mean well Elizabeth, but… I'd like very much for our family to be worth protecting. We risk loosing the essence of who we are by murdering an innocent girl in cold blood."

Elizabeth scowled. "It's just being responsible."

"It's being callous," Ethan corrected.

Elizabeth sighed heavily and her lower lip pouted out.

"The question," Ethan continued, "is whether we should move on?"

"No," Elizabeth moaned, "we just got settled."

"Well, we certainly don't have to decide now. We can wait and see if it becomes necessary." Ethan replied.

The family asked questions and aired their concerns and finally all agreed to first contact this girl before making any definite decisions. William volunteered to speak to the young girl he saw standing beside her; he recognized her from school and hoped she could provide him with the information he needed.

For a long time after their conversation, William stood in his room, thinking of the mysterious girl. For a moment, because he was alone and hurting no one, William allowed himself to feel the excitement that came with the knowledge of there being someone out there that could capture his attention.

When Emily got to her house she saw that Matt had not left yet, she let out a tiny growl. She saw her sister and her boyfriend were still sitting in his car; she pulled up beside him giving him enough room to leave and shot her sister a look as she got out of her car. It was only a matter of minutes before Ashley joined Emily in the house.

"Well?" Ashley asked.

"Well from what I can tell they're not here to harm anyone," Emily started. "I've considered everything that Brittany and her mom have found out since they moved in and the way he was acting today it seems like their trying to blend in. A killing spree seems unlikely considering all the effort they've gone through."

"Do you really think its safe?" Ashley trusted her sister's judgment but needed more convincing.

Emily thought about that for a moment, "I don't know if I would use the word safe, but I don't think you or mom and dad are in any danger."

Ashley let a sigh, "okay."

"Do you have a lot of homework?" Emily asked changing the subject.

"Of course I do," she replied in disgust.

"Well why don't you go get started so that when mom and dad come home we can all sit down and talk." Emily needed some time to sort through her thoughts and make sense of her feelings. "I'm going to take a quick walk and make sure everything is in its place."

Ashley's eyes widened a bit but felt confidant in her sister's decision.

Emily made her way down a tiny trail in the woods beside her house. She forced herself unwillingly to focus on the most vital questions she had to answer. She knew what he was, what his family was. Emily remembered William for a moment, she thought about asking him and his family to leave. She was suddenly gripped with an unexpected agony of despair as she considered this option.

She considered doing nothing, after all, if he was like the other's she'd encountered he had done nothing to prove that to her so far. Suddenly Emily had her answer, realizing that there may never have been a choice. She knew what he was and there was nothing she could do about keeping her frightening secret. Because when she thought of him, his eyes, she wanted nothing more than to be with him. This was different than before, from the moment they locked eyes she knew he was different; her heart was pushing her in instead of pulling her out.

When she got back to her house her mom was just setting the table for dinner, Ashley was downstairs and already told her mom why her sister was home. Emily sat with her family but didn't touch the food.

During dinner everyone waited to hear what her thoughts were on the matter. They all knew moving was an option but hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Emily began by explaining what she'd heard about this new family and what she saw today at the high school. Carefully choosing her words Emily began to explain her unexpected feelings towards this strange boy. Ashley couldn't help but giggle, she was excited for Emily, she had never heard her sister talk like this.

When Emily was done there was a long silence; her parents shared several anxious glances between one another before they spoke. It was her father who spoke first.

"Well then," he began in a collected manner. "I think I speak for all of us when I say I can't comprehend how you could possibly feel that way in such a short amount of time."

"It's called love at first sight dad," Ashley insisted with a massive grin.

Emily felt a sudden warmth on her cheeks and she realized she was blushing, she was comforted by the fact that she knew it would be too light for anyone to notice. "I don't think its love, Ashley."

Her dad rubbed his hands together slowly as he considered his next words carefully. "Well, that aside, I also feel that because of everything you have been through, and everything our family has been through, that I trust you would never make a decision that could potentially put any of us in danger." Pausing again, her mother took the opportunity to speak.

"We love you completely and trust you unconditionally." Her mother began solemnly. "And no, I don't completely understand your feelings for this boy…" She shot her daughter Ashley a look. "But we trust you and if you truly believe that this boy, this William, and his family are different from the others and if you whole heartedly believe that we are safe than your father and I will continue living our lives the way we have been allowing you to live yours however you see fit. God knows you deserve some happiness Emily, your life has never been normal, and it seems it never will be, despite our attempts to make it that way." She paused and when she spoke again her voice was stern. "But rest assured if we think for one second that your safety or our safety is in jeopardy, without question or complaint we will snatch you and your sister out of this place faster than you can blink an eye. Is that part clear?"

"Yes," Emily answered, "of course." She could feel the tension in her muscles release, just having her parents know what was going on was enough, but to have their understanding on top of that just solidified her decision. She would do anything for her family, and they for her. She would be careful and always keep her families best interest in the forefront of her mind.

"I think it's great," Ashley chirped. "Do you want me to get his phone number for you?"

The room erupted in laughter. "No Ash," Emily replied after regaining her composure. "I would actually like you to keep your distance for awhile, I still plan on finding out their intentions I just haven't decided on how I'm going to do it. So for now, go about things the way you were just be cautious and call me if you see anything out of the ordinary." She insisted.

The rest of the evening went by slowly, no one spoke much after there dinner conversation. When it got late enough, Emily said goodnight to her parents and sister and drove back to her apartment. Once there she felt more relaxed, more at peace with her decision. She knew her parents would worry despite what she told them but she felt better knowing that they trusted her.

Ashley was on edge the moment she got to school; her attention was focused on keeping William in her sight. She didn't have to try very hard he was waiting for her in front of the school. He was leaning against his car staring at her; they locked eyes for a moment, he motioned with his finger for her to come to him. She hesitated for a moment; he was beautiful, dark black hair, perfect pale skin, with those distinguishing purple circles around his crystal blue eyes. His face looked like it had been chiseled out of stone, she was paralyzed.

William reacted to her hesitation with apprehension; he understood it and felt almost bad for the girl. The air blew around him, keeping the smell of the other students away from him. He had no interest in any of them but it had been too long since his last hunt and he could feel his hunger today.

Regaining her self-control Ashley took a step towards him, she moved slowly with caution, her eyes were fixed to the ground. When she was within a few feet the wind changed direction and a wave of her scent flew straight towards William.

Her scent hit him like a wrecking ball, like a battering ram. William let out a low hiss, Ashley looked up, their eyes met. His were full and dark, raging with fury, hers were wide with fear. A quiet war raged between them that the rest of the arriving students were unaware of. In that instant, William was nothing close to the human he had once been or pretended to be, no trace of humanity remained. He was a predator and this young innocent girl was his prey. William was a vampire and she had the sweetest blood he'd smelled in a long time.

Thirst burned through his throat like fire, his stomach twisted with hunger, his muscles coiled to spring. Not a full second had passed; when their eyes met William could see his reflection in hers. The shock from the face he saw saved Ashley's life for a moment. Ashley didn't make it easier for him, as she processed the expression on his face, blood flooded her cheeks, turning her skin the most mouth-watering color William had ever seen. William tried to focus on the face he'd seen in her eyes, a face he recognized with revulsion. The face of the monster in him, the face he had beaten back with decades of effort and uncompromising discipline. How easily it sprang to the surface now! The scent swirled around him, scattering his thoughts and nearly propelling him towards her. Ashley could see the fury in his eyes, no longer blue, black now. He turned his face away from her, as a sudden fierce, unreasoning hatred washed through him.

Just then the wind changed its course sending ordinary unscented air across his face, and for one short second he could think clearly. In that precious second he saw two faces, one was his, the black eyed monster and the other was the girl.

William leaned back against his car; the sky above him was hazy with cloud cover. He had never doubted his courage before or his ability to face difficulty, until this moment. Between him and the grey sky a pair of bewildered green eyes stared back at him. As William stared into Emily's tea green eyes, he realized the hatred was evaporating.

William was torn on the decision; he didn't want to push himself too far, but he wanted to know who those eyes belonged too. He didn't want to uproot his family, knowing none of them would thank him for that. It was his curiosity that decided for him. With a heavy sigh, William took a deep breath and held it, then refocused his attention on the girl in front of him.

Emily kept her phone on vibrate throughout her classes, she had spent most of the evening trying to figure out how she was going to approach this family, she was still undecided when her phone vibrated in her pocket. In a flash she had gathered her things and left her literature class, the professor was in the middle of a lecture she had already heard several times.

Ashley's voice was hysterical; Emily couldn't tell if it was panic or excitement. It took her ten minutes before she could calm her down enough to find out what had happened.

"I thought he was going to kill me," Ashley breathed.

"What!?" Emily was already in her car on her way to the high school. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, it only lasted a split second but the way his eyes turned black and the look on his face…" She trailed off as she remembered it. "But everything's fine, he apologized."

"I'm on my way, where are you?" Emily wasn't convinced. She had specifically told her to keep her distance, what was she doing that close to him, she knew how good her sister smelled to her kind and didn't want her anywhere near him until she knew for sure he wasn't there to harm anyone.

"Em, I'm fine, seriously. I didn't call because of that; I called because he asked about you." Her voice went up an octave. "Em, he is so gorgeous, and his voice, I must have sounded like an idiot, I couldn't even form a sentence. I'm pretty sure he laughed at me under his breath a few times, it was so embarrassing."

"Ashley!" Emily screamed into the phone having lost all of her composure. "Could you please for one second stop acting like a fourteen year old and tell me exactly what happened."

"Geez Em, chill out." Ashley's tone was hard; the silence that followed told Emily she had offended her.

Emily sighed, "Ashley, I'm sorry, I'm just really worried."

It took her a minute but she finally accepted her sister's apology. "There's nothing for you to worry about, I'm fine, I promise." Ashley took a breath and told her sister about her conversation with William, she left out any part when she made a fool of herself or when he captivated her with his smoldering good looks and stuck to the facts. "I'm serious about the danger; I'm in more trouble for skipping first period than I am for getting that close to him."

"Well I'll be there in a minute, I'll take care of the skipped class and we'll talk more about your little stunt when I get you home." Emily made the turn onto the street the high school was on faster than she needed to.

Emily walked straight to the bathroom her sister was in and told her to go wait in the car. She went to the nurse's office and informed them that her sister had called her during one of her classes from the ladies room.

"She was afraid she wouldn't make it to the office, she's really sick." Emily said in a quiet voice she used to make humans more comfortable, forming a polite smile with her lips.

"Oh dear, does she need a pass?" the nurse fused.

"That would be great, and if you have anything I can give her in case she gets sick in the car." Emily added.

"Of course, of course," the nurse bustled around her desk and handed Emily a pass to excuse Ashley for the rest of the day and a bag in case she got sick.

Emily took the pass to the main office and gave them the same story she gave the nurse, they were convinced before she had even finished her lie. On her way back to her car Emily saw William in one of his classes. She couldn't help herself and stopped for a moment to watch him. He looked bored, she could see his features were defined and muscular; he looked like he had just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel, and had she not known that he had almost killed her sister just a few hours earlier she would have stayed to talk to him.

William glanced up just as Emily turned to leave, catching a glimpse of her profile. He pushed up from his desk abruptly and approached his teacher. He was too late; by the time he got to the hall Emily was gone. He followed her scent outside but it stopped suddenly at the curb, he went back to his class unhappy.

"Ashley what were you thinking?" Emily barked as soon as she was in the car. "You could have been killed, I told you to stay away from him."

"I'm fine Emily, I told you nothing happened, and he even apologized for being so rude."

"I don't give a shit what he apologized for, this isn't a game Ashley!" Emily was loosing her cool.

Ashley only ever heard her sister curse when she was on the verge of rage; she realized nothing she said would calm her down so she sat silent until they got home. Once they were in the house Emily called her mom and told her the same lie she told the school nurse, she didn't want her to worry. It took Emily a few minutes to calm down before she approached her sister again. Ashley had gone straight upstairs to her bedroom.

"I told mom you were sick," Emily said as she walked into Ashley's room, her tone was much more relaxed.

Ashley just nodded.

"Okay, I've calmed down," Emily confirmed. "Why don't you tell me what happened."

Emily joined Ashley on her bed while Ashley told her about her conversation with William in more detail.

"He asked me how he could contact you, I gave him your phone number," Ashley admitted. "He said he would call you tonight." She couldn't hide her excitement; Ashley wanted nothing more than for her sister to be happy and she hoped William could provide it.

Emily left her sister at home in order to make it to her last class of the day. "Enjoy this," she told her sister. "You won't have another day off like it for awhile, and don't forget to act sick when mom and dad get home."

"Yeah, yeah," Ashley already had the TV on and was tuning into one of her favorite day time shows.

William looked for the young girl, Ashley, at lunch but she was no where to be seen. He chose a seat closer to a group of girls he had seen her with the day before in hopes to overhear where she was, but they were too overwhelmed by his presence that their conversations consisted of mostly giggles and sideways glances at him. The rest of his day went by slowly, it was torture.

When Emily got out of her last class for the day she checked her phone, there were no missed calls, she sighed. It was dusk when her phone finally rang but to Emily's slight disappointment it was her sister calling.

"So? Has he called yet?" Ashley was quiet but excited.

"No Ashley, he hasn't called." Emily tried to stifle her disappointment.

Ashley on the other hand had no problem expressing her disappointment. "Oh, well call me when he does, I don't care what time it is, promise?"

Emily had no intention of calling her sister past a certain hour but promised her anyway.

It was around nine o'clock when her phone rang again, this time she assumed it was Ashley but to her surprise she didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" Her voice was hesitant.

"May I speak to Emily please?" A low beautiful voice sang into the phone.

"Speaking," Emily's voice cracked to her surprise.

"Hello, my name is William Croft," he said, though he knew she knew that.

"Hello."

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, your sister gave me your phone number." He was being very polite.

"Yes, I know and no you're not disturbing me." Emily was reminded of the way he behaved with her sister.

William sensed some anger in her tone; he softened his voice in response. "I wanted to call you to ask if we could speak in person," he paused realizing he hadn't asked a question, "If you're available, of course."

"I'm available tonight." Emily said suddenly eager to see him.

"Would you like to come to my home?" William asked. "My family is eager to meet you as well."

Emily thought about that for a moment, there were five of them and one of her, she didn't like those odds. "Actually if it's alright with you I'd like to meet you alone."

If his heart could beat it would have been racing at the thought of being alone with the girl who obstructed his thoughts. "Of course that would be fine, did you have somewhere particular in mind?"

Actually she did, "Yes, I'm sure you and your family have noticed some curious townsfolk parked up on the hill behind your home."

William laughed, they had been joking about it for days now, "Yes we've noticed."

"I'll meet you there," Emily checked her clock, "eleven o'clock alright?"

"That's perfect; I look forward to meeting you."

"As do I," Emily lied. "Goodbye William."

William exhaled, his breathing began to accelerate he liked the way she said his name. "Goodbye Emily."

Emily considered the time and debated on whether or not she should call her sister. She didn't want her staying up all night wondering how her meeting with William went but she needed to make sure she didn't wait up all night wondering if he'd called her. She decided to tell her he'd called and set up a time to meet the following day that way she could get some sleep. Ashley's excitement was almost more than she could contain.

William waited for Emily in the spot she designated, he listened carefully for her to arrive, he was anxious. Emily left her car parked in front of her apartment and ran to her meeting with William; it would be faster that way. William was leaning up against a tall tree to the right of the clearing, Emily walked between two trees on the opposite side when they saw one another.

Emily's eyes were full of questions; it was this same expression that had been clouding William's vision. He took a step towards her to introduce himself.

"Hello, I'm William," he smiled as he approached her, "you must be Emily."

Emily was caught off guard by the crooked smile on William's face. She looked away; when she looked back her expression was guarded, distrustful.  
"It's nice to meet you William."

His breath caught at the sound of her voice. "Likewise."

He walked towards her and stopped when he was within a few feet. Emily walked past him and sat on a bench closer to the tree he had been leaning against. William smiled and sat down beside her, there was a faint sound he couldn't place until he was seated next to her; it was a heartbeat, faster than any normal humans but a heartbeat nonetheless.

Emily flipped a strand of hair behind one ear and smiled, distracting William from the sound. He stared at her, she looked radiant. Emily suddenly realized that she had never once noticed what he was wearing. She made herself look now, focusing. He had on a black leather jacket; underneath he wore a white shirt and a pair of blue jeans. The shirt fit him snugly, emphasizing how muscular his chest was.

He smelled amazing; Emily inhaled, trying to identify the scent. She shook her head in an attempt to focus, sending a concentrated wave of her scent to the back of William's throat. It was familiar but not as potent, there was no pain involved, he simply enjoyed the aroma.

Emily took a deep breath to begin, "What happened this morning? Between you and my sister." Before she could get anywhere she needed to make sure he was not a danger to Ashley.

William sat still for a moment remembering the genuine pain the smell of her sister caused. He took two deep breaths and then smiled apologetically.

"I am so very sorry," he hesitated. "Emily," his velvet voice unintentionally seductive, "please don't be afraid, I promise…" he hesitated. "I swear my family… Don't be afraid," he whispered again as he leaned closer, with exaggerated slowness. "Please forgive me," he said formally. "She caught me off guard. But I can control myself and am on my best behavior now."

The little warmth coming from Emily's body was like a physical touch against the left side of William's body.

Emily stared at William she could see his eyes were dark; "You're hungry."

"It's been awhile since my last hunt, yes."

"You should be more careful, especially around my sister."

William nodded in agreement; he understood the necessity of being cautious, especially around her sister. "Does she not tempt you?"

Emily smiled, "She used to, but my love for her is stronger than my thirst for her." She couldn't help but laugh, "She does smell good, doesn't she?"

William smiled his crooked smile. "She does in deed, but you know," he leaned in slowly towards Emily, "you smell pretty good yourself. Tempting in a different way."

Emily felt her cheeks warm. William's eyes narrowed a bit as he examined the color spread over her face.

"You're blushing," he asked more than stated.

Emily's eyes widened, "You can see that?"

"Of course I can." William stated confidently, he was intrigued by this new revelation and was instantly thinking of his father. "Emily how were…were you bitten?"

"No," her voice was quiet. She didn't want to talk about this, it was too personal, too intimate, she remembered why she'd come. "You said something a moment ago; I'd like you to clarify on. You said something about your family. I need to know if you or any of your family is a threat to mine."

William looked down at Emily with watchful eyes. "My family doesn't hunt people, we only hunt animals." He admitted. "We try," he explained slowly. "We're usually very good at what we do. Sometimes we make mistakes, me, for example, allowing myself to go so long without feeding."

They were both silent then. Emily gazed at the stars. "Tell me why you hunt animals instead of people?" she asked intrigued.

William looked at her, "Because I don't want to be a monster," he muttered.

"Animals aren't enough though, are they?"

He paused. "Animals don't completely satisfy the hunger, or rather thirst. But they keep us strong enough to resist, most of the time."

"I need to make sure my family isn't in any danger, William, I need you to guarantee their safety."

William turned so he was facing Emily; he stared into her eyes and with the most solid voice assured her that her family was safe.

Emily took a moment to internalize his promise, when she decided she believed him her thoughts turned to less serious topics. "So I'm curious," she said her voice composed.

"What are you curious about?" He asked considering there were only minor details left to discuss.

"How old are you?" she asked.

Williams answer was automatic and ingrained, "Eighteen."

Emily smiled, "And how long have you been eighteen?"

He tried not to smile at her patronizing tone, "A while," he admitted. "And you?"

"Nineteen," Emily laughed.

"And how long have you been nineteen?"

Emily did the math in her head quickly, "Twice."

William's eyes revealed his confusion causing Emily to laugh out loud. "Emily," William's voice was softer now less humor in it. "How were you…?"

She sighed, "I was born this way."

"And what do you…how do you…"

Emily smiled, "My mother is a nurse for the red-cross."

William was stunned, amazed, "That's incredible, brilliant actually."

They spent the rest of the evening discussing simpler things, William learned so much about Emily, he was enjoying unlocking her secrets. William noticed the unselfishness and bravery that set Emily apart from others. He heard the abnormal maturity in her spoken thoughts and the patience when she feigned interest in her sisters rambling stories, and guessed at the kindness behind that patience.

Through there conversations, William was able to compile a list of Emily's qualities. She was kind and modest, unselfish, loving and brave, all adding up to a very simple description. Emily was good, through and through.

It was getting later and Emily could see William's hunger was increasing. "You need to eat, especially if your going to be around my sister tomorrow." She insisted.

"So, when will I see you again?" He asked quietly.

"Whenever you'd like to?" She replied, surprising herself.

"How about this weekend," he asked.

She paused for a moment, remembering that the weather was going to be nice over the weekend. "Well the weather will be nice, so I'll be staying out of the sun…you can stay with me if you'd like to," leaving the choice up to him.

He nodded, "That sounds nice." He couldn't fight back the smile that was forming on his face.

"William," she said to get his attention. "Tomorrow in school, my sister doesn't know we've spoken."

"It can be our little secret."

Emily sighed, "I wish it were that easy, despite my requests she may approach you, please be careful around her."

"You have my word."

Emily stood to leave and hesitated, trying to prolong the moment.

"Emily?" he said in a gentle voice.

He was leaning towards her, his pale, glorious face just inches from hers. Her heart stopped beating.

William was, as well, overwhelmed by their proximity. "I look forward to seeing you again," he whispered, and then leaned away before the very new and strange urgency in his body could make him do something ungentlemanly.

The others were scheduled to hunt tomorrow, but William couldn't afford to be thirsty now. He overdid it; he was so full now he was uncomfortable. When he was done it was still a few hours before the sun would rise, he had been preparing for the next day, but he longed more so for the weekend.

He argued with himself the whole way, but his less noble side won the argument, and he went ahead with his indefensible plan. He only wanted to know where she was, he would keep his distance, he just wanted to see her face. William followed Emily's scent all the way to her building.

It was past four in the morning and there was only one light on in a third floor room. He recognized her car parked against the curb. He watched the building for a moment from the blackness of the forest that bordered it, she lived above a lawyer's office both the first and second floors were dark and silent. He crossed the quiet street and scaled the face of the building in half a second. Dangling from the eave above the window, he looked through the glass, his breath stopped.

It was her. He could see her on the lying on the floor, a blanket draped over her legs. She was propped up on her elbows drawing. William was repulsed by himself as he watched her. He glanced at what she was drawing before he relaxed his fingers to let himself drop and realized he recognized the figure in it. His breath caught, it was him, Emily was drawing him.

William's curiosity flared, overpowering his self disgust. He looked around and saw a better vantage point on the roof of a neighboring building. He eased himself down and perched himself on the edge of a fire escape.

Over an hour passed as William watched, page after page Emily turned and drew, each one was a different perspective of him, his profile, his eyes, his slight smile, on and on until the sun slowly rose behind the clouds.

Emily noticed the change in light and closed her sketchbook, she rose and stretched. She reached up and let her hair down from its nest, it flowed over her back and shoulders in a wave of blackness. She ran her fingers through it.

William was frozen staring at her, he struggled to find words to name the feelings that swelled through him, but there were no words strong enough to hold them. He drowned in them. When he surfaced he was not the same man.

His life had been an unending, unchanging midnight, how could it be possible that the sun was rising right there in the middle of his midnight. At the time that William had become a vampire he had truly been frozen. His body and his self had been frozen as it was, his personality, likes, dislikes, moods, and desires, all were fixed in place. When change came for one of them, it was rare and permanent. Love had changed his father and brother in an eternal way, a way that never faded. It would always be that way for them, and now for William too. He would always love this mysterious green eyed girl, for the rest of his existence. He gazed at her face, feeling this love for her settle into every portion of his body.

Emily started her day feeling as though a large weight had been lifted; she picked out a nice outfit for school today. She wore a deep green v-neck shirt that if possible brought out even more green her eyes and set off the red tones in her hair and a nicer pair of jeans. She skipped swimming, she already felt like she was floating.

William returned home to change into a fresh outfit for school. He was eager to see Emily's sister, they had similar features and he hoped in her absence Ashley would keep him composed. He was embarrassed to reveal that his entire world had suddenly become empty of everything, but Emily.

Emily wasn't to her car after her last class when her phone rang; it was Ashley, anxious to find out when she and William were meeting. Emily informed her sister that they had already met and that everything was fine, she knew that would not be enough to appease her sister but she hoped. It took her an hour to answer all of Ashley's questions, regarding what William looked like, what he wore, what he said, every minor detail of the event broken down to be analyzed.

"That's why he kept smiling at me today," Ashley realized. "So can I talk to him now?"

"No," Emily snapped. "I'm taking his word on this but I'd like you to give him some more time to adjust before you go bombarding him."

"Whatever Emily," Ashley breathed.

When William got home after school he was eager to tell his family about his meeting with Emily.

"You deserve happiness," Ethan said after William explained his fascination with Emily and the concern he had for her family. "I'm sure everything will be fine, and no one will harm her family."

"Love doesn't always come in convenient packages, William," his mother added as she listened to the joy in William's voice as he described Emily. Katherine was full of delight that William's heart had finally been touched after all this time, no matter the potential for tragedy. She'd thought he would always be alone. "She'll have to love you back," Katherine said suddenly, catching William by surprise with the direction of her thoughts. "If she's a bright girl," she smiled. "But I can't imagine anyone being so slow they wouldn't see the catch you are." Katherine had complete faith in William's charm.

"Stop mom you're making me blush," William joked, he couldn't help but chuckle, it was contagious and the room erupted in laughter.

"Now," Ethan's voice was full of intrigue, "you said that she had a heartbeat."

"Yes, and she blushed too," William explained. "I asked her about it but she seemed hesitant to talk about it."

"Of course she was," Elizabeth shot her brother a look, "that's personal and you two just met."

Garrett laughed, "Personal? What's personal about that?"

"How she was created." Her voice was higher now, "What if it was tragic, what if she didn't know or didn't like thinking about it." She turned to William, "Try to pick less serious topics to talk about when you see her again. Remember you're a gentleman."

William nodded.

"When do you think we'll meet her?" Katherine asked excited.

"I'm not sure, but you'll be the first to know."

They all laughed together.

The next day went by as the previous one had, when William got home from school he hunted again as a precaution.

It was Friday, one more day till the weekend, till she saw William. Emily couldn't fight the feeling of excitement she had when she thought of them spending the day together. When her phone rang it took her by surprise.

"Emily," Ashley's voice sounded like she had been crying.

"Ashley, what's wrong?"

"Matt and I got into a huge fight."

Emily was glad she was on the phone, she was free to roll her eyes as often as she liked when her sister talked about her boyfriend. "What happened?" She asked less enthusiastic.

"He just gets so jealous and over nothing." Ashley paused, "Hey can I come over?"

"Sure do you want me to come get you?"

"Do you mind?"

"Nope, I'm on my way."

When Emily got to her parents house Ashley already had a bag packed to spend the night. Her parents were home so she decided to stay for a little bit to visit with them.

Her dad called from the living room, "Emily?"

"Yeah, Dad, it's me." She walked in to see him. He was watching the news.

"Hey sweetie," he greeted her with a smile. "So what's going on with Ashley?"

"Fighting with Matt," she told him, "again."

He just shook his head, "So your mother told me that you had a meeting with that new kid in town," he pressed.

Emily huffed, "guess Ashley told mom." She sat down on the other end of the sofa from her dad. "It went fine, they seem harmless."

"Okay," he accepted. "Keep me posted, please."

"Of course," Emily stood, "where is mom?"

"She's upstairs folding laundry, I think."

Emily turned to head upstairs.

"Hey mom," she greeted her.

"Hello," her tone slightly agitated.

"What's the matter?"

Her mom stopped folding a piece of laundry and looked up at her daughter, "Why didn't you tell me about William?"

Emily was slightly shocked, she hadn't thought about either one of her parents caring if she'd spoken to William. "I didn't think it mattered."

"It does," she said her voice becoming sterner. "What if something had happened to you? We would have never known."

"Mom, everything's fine. I'm sorry I worried you." She paused to see if her mom was calming down, the look on her face said she wasn't. "William was very nice and we worked things out between us regarding Ashley and you and dad, his family isn't like the others that have passed through town. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry, but it seems like you did that anyway, so again I'm sorry."

Her mom stood there for a moment, gauging her daughters face. "Well then," she said more calmly. "Sounds like you've taken care of things."

"I think so," Emily said laughing. Then she composed herself and informed her mom that they had made plans to spend the day together tomorrow.

Her mom nodded in apprehensive approval, "Will we be meeting this young man?"

"Eventually, but not tomorrow," she replied, "If that's okay with you?"

"Whatever you think is best," her mom approved.

"Mom…" Emily pleaded.

"I know baby, I know he's different." Her mom said understanding the silent plea from her daughter. "We'll keep our distance until you tell us otherwise, okay?"

Emily nodded and then grabbed a shirt from the pile of clothes on her parent's bed and started folding, as she helped her mom she told her all about William and how excited she was to see him again. Her mom smiled and listened, realizing how grateful she was for this boy, no matter what he was, he was making her daughter happy and that's all that mattered right now.

"Can we go now?" Ashley asked annoyed.

Emily just shook her head. "Yeah we can go." They said goodbye to their parents and left for Emily's.

"So?" Emily asked once they were in her apartment, "What happened between you and Matt."

"Nothing, he's just got some jealously issues," Ashley shrugged, "I don't actually blame him this time, considering…"

"Considering what?"  
"Who he caught me talking to," Ashley flopped down on Emily's couch.

"Caught you?" Emily snapped, "What do you mean caught you?"

"I don't mean it like that, just that he saw me talking to another guy and got upset."

"And who were you talking to."

Ashley hesitated, "William," she said sheepishly.

Emily sighed loudly.

Ashley shot up and put her hands out to stop Emily, "he approached me."

"For what?" Emily was agitated.

"Just to say hello, he apologized about the other day again, it was sweet. He asked about my day and that was pretty much it. But Matt said it looked like I was flirting with him. I told him I wasn't," she looked up at her sister. "I wasn't, at least I wasn't trying to. Anyway I told Matt that William was interested in you and for some strange reason that made him madder and then we just got off the phone."

"Why did you tell mom about my meeting with William?" Emily remembered she was annoyed about that.

"Because she was bugging me, she kept asking me if I saw William, if I saw anything that seemed out of the ordinary minus the fact that there is a vampire attending my school." Ashley laughed at her own little joke. "Then she started throwing around the idea of putting me in a private school, so I told her that you met with him and that everything was fine."

"Let me guess, you panicked that she was serious and that you wouldn't be able to see Matt if she pulled you out of school?" Emily was being snide.

"You don't understand," Ashley was becoming defensive.

"I don't get it, you call me after one of your many fights and ask if you can hide out here," she paused to see if she was right. The look on her sister's face revealed she was. "Ha guessed right again, then you get all defensive over him. Why is he so important to you?"

"I love him Emily!"

Emily closed her eyes and pressed her finger tips to her temples, trying to push the frustration out of her head.

The girls spent the rest of their evening listening to music and gossiping. When William arrived he was surprised to see Ashley, he felt despicable watching and turned to leave when he heard Ashley say his name, once again his curiosity beat out his good manners.

53


End file.
