
The Vampires Next Door

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Copyright (C) 2016 by Elle Klass/ Lisa Klaes

All rights reserved

Cover art created by Elle Klass

Thank you Sipa from Pixabay for your creative talent (Alison on the cover)

Editor Dawn Lewis Bookmarks Editing

For more information go to <http://elleklass.weebly.com/>

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Twitter- @elleklass

Author's Disclaimer

This book is entirely fictional. Any characters or events are purely figments of the author's imagination. The city of St. Augustine isn't fictional and is in northern Florida. Many of the businesses and locations mentioned in the book can be found there. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or redistributed either in its entirety or in part without the author's express written consent.

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# Table of Contents

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Prologue

St. Augustine, 1823

Cara shivered, the stone cold floor beneath her. Shrieks sliced through the air above her, echoing through the stone walls. A moldy stench, thick in the surrounding air, drifted up her nostrils. The temperature dropped several degrees as a breeze touched her head. She dared to open her eyes and stare into the darkness surrounding her, peeling one eye open and then the next.

"Cara," sounded a soft voice, almost a whisper. A warm touch caressed her hand, a shadowy figure flashed before her eyes. "You need to leave." The soothing voice didn't elicit fear but warmth and love. Her eyes searched for whom it belonged to. A breeze brushed against her and the voice whispered in her ear. "You need to go. I can lead you."

She tilted her head and gazed upon a transparent woman, no more than twenty. Her flaxen hair fell across her shoulders, circling her heart-shaped face. "Who are you?" Cara stammered.

"I'm Alda, once like you. They've been here for centuries, before the pirates, before the first settlement. The true first inhabitants of this continent."

"Who are they?"

"They are Bloodseekers. Come now!" The urgency in her voice resounded inside Cara. She jumped to her feet and followed the apparition. Alda's white bodice hugged her torso, the black hem grazing the stone floor.

Light from candles illuminated the darkness as they wound through a narrow passageway, as one candle lit ahead of them, the one behind went dark. The brightness of each light cast a glow on the shadow beside it, lighting the faces of each ghost. One apparition after another, men and women, blood drenching their shirts and bodices from the fang marks in their necks. The chilly air sent waves of shivers spiraling through Cara's body. She lifted her arm to touch a girl, no more than twelve, but her hand went through the child's face.

They came upon a fork in the passage, Alda motioned for her to stop. Quickening footsteps sounded from the right. "Plaster yourself against the wall, into the shadows. They see heat, our lack of it will protect you."

Cara did as asked. Not questioning Alda. She knew the footsteps belonged to a Bloodseeker. One had come into her home and killed her family, draining them of every drop of blood. She tried to escape, to run, but he was too quick. His dark eyes bored into hers. And a voice inside her head commanded her to stop. Her body froze in place. She tried to move but his mind controlled the core of her brain and she collapsed, waking up on the stone floor.

Her mind swarming back to the present, she pressed herself against the wall, the shadowy apparitions swarmed around her, blanketing her in darkness, shielding her from the Bloodseeker. His footsteps halted at the fork, as if deliberating which direction to go. He turned and followed the corridor leading to the room she'd left, he halted. His black eyes glowed through the shadows surrounding her. She closed her eyes tight, to avoid his mind commands and held her breath. Cara stayed as motionless as possible, controlling the tremors threatening to shake her body.

Her sense of hearing heightened with her eyes squeezed shut, she heard his footsteps walk away from her and continue through the corridor. She popped her eyes open and watched his form through the corner of her eye. When he disappeared around the corner, Alda motioned for her to follow. He'd know she wasn't there. He'd look for her. The apparitions parted as Cara moved away from the wall.

Alda floated up the stairwell as Cara followed with gentle footsteps, careful not to draw his attention. A wooden door appeared before Cara as she reached the top of the stairs. Alda motioned for her to open it, the hinges creaking as she pushed it.

Moonlight from the crescent moon streamed through the parted heavy curtains, bathing the room in enough light that Cara could see. Dozens of ghosts swarmed the room. Now, able to see them clearly, she gasped. Their skin tones and origins varied - black, white, and varying shades of brown. None older than her. Their styles of dress told her many lived centuries before her. A young black ghost hovered in front of her, clothed in a thick graying dress. Her gentle brown eyes sent a burst of warmth through Cara's quaking, goose-pimpled body.

Alda soared towards a bookshelf and pointed to a nondescript brown leather book. "Pull it."

Cara hurried towards the shelf and lifted the book, the shelf easing back to reveal another room.

"Take the book inside the room. The door will close behind you."

Cara didn't argue. Thundering sets of footsteps pounded the floor behind her, only moments from catching her she dived into the room. The book case closed, leaving behind all the ghosts except Alda. A Bloodseeker rushed towards it, catching it with his hand. He forced the heavy door open. Cara scooted away from his grasp.

A bright red light flickered from the corner of the dark room. "Grab the light!" Alda yelled. Cara scurried towards it, dropping the book as she reached for it. She held it firmly in her hand and tugged, but the object was caught on something she couldn't see in the dark.

The Bloodseeker dived for her, catching her other arm in his firm grasp. A blast of white light diffused through the room from the object Cara clutched in her hand. He pulled her towards him. She tightened her grasp as the object and the nail it was stuck on slackened from the wall. The Bloodseeker, too late to stop her, screamed in agony as the light blasted him against the door, his body engulfed in flames.

The light enveloped Cara, pushing its way through her body. She burst into fire, the flames licking the walls, then eddying into nothingness. Her ginger hair now crimson red, her amber eyes shining as garnets in the darkness. Beneath her skin, muscles exploded to the surface.

"What's happening?"

A smile widened on Alda's face. "You're the one. We've waited for you."

"What do you mean and how come I can see you and they can't?"

"You are a Slayer, that's why you see us. As long as you wear the amulet you will be indestructible and invisible to the Bloodseekers. They won't be able to harm you. Your job is to find others like yourself and slay every last Bloodseeker. Don't ever take it off and keep it protected beneath your clothes. Should it fall into their hands they will use it against you. You see us because you are special. All the answers are in the book. Take it, place the amulet around your neck and leave now!"

Cara leaned over and grabbed the book. She then pulled the glowing amulet over her head. "What about you and the others?"

"You have freed us. We are forever grateful but you must leave."

Cara hurried towards the door, stepping on the Bloodseeker's ashes. The door opened for her and she ran through the house, ghosts guiding her way. She dodged the Bloodseekers, their dark glowing eyes searching, fangs sharp as daggers protruding from their upper gums. Their blood covered mouths saturated the air with the scent of iron. Claw-like fingers sliced through the air, scratching her clothes as she sprinted past them, hurdling tables and furniture with skill and agility unknown to her.

Finally, reaching the front entrance, she twisted the golden knob on the large, chunky door and ran into the morning's first light. Dawn. The sun rising just above the horizon. She stepped onto the porch, Bloodseekers on her trail. Stumbling down the steps, she landed face first in the dirt. Scrambling she lifted herself upright and quickly turned towards the house.

A tall, thin Bloodseeker hissed, shielding his face as he sank into the house, flames licking his hands. The sun's light rose bigger and brighter in the sky, immersing the house in radiance. The ground shook. She sprinted.

Reaching the relative safety of the tree line, she turned in time to watch the ground part around the house, swallowing it. Thousands of lights glowed as the ghosts swirled into the atmosphere, rising high into the sky as they disappeared. Screams reverberated in the air surrounding her as the Bloodseekers were burned and buried.

She cupped her ears and knelt, curling her head towards her knees to muffle their death screeches. Unable to stifle the noise, tears rose to her eyes from the pain in her throbbing ears. As soon as the screeching began, it stopped, and the earth filled in above the house. The ground appeared undisturbed. The sun shone high in the sky, erasing the dreadful night.

Cara lifted the amulet hanging against her chest, a large red stone set in the center surrounded by, and hanging on, a silver chain. She clutched it, the book tucked beneath her arm, and marched down the road. Not a soul peered outside their windows or took notice of the event.

The house was wiped from existence and erased from St. Augustine's inhabitants' minds. Cara's secret.

Chapter 1

Alison

Music surging from the apartment next door startled Alison awake. Her body rolled off the couch with a soft thump, landing on an assortment of throw pillows she'd kicked off during her nap. She pulled herself off the floor and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Mouth dry as the Sahara, she headed towards the kitchen for water. A shrill female scream vibrated against her eardrums, causing her to jump and drop her empty tumbler. It crashed to the floor with a loud thunk, mimicked by the shattering glass outside her front door.

The apartment complex was always quiet, especially after dark. It had to be the new neighbors. After sunset, they'd moved into the adjoining apartment. As a lonely girl in a new city, she'd watched them with admiration. Two women, neither over the age of twenty-five, single women living on their own. One with long, brown wavy hair and eyes bluer than any she'd seen before. A surreal blue. The other girl had blonde highlights throughout the light brown hair, framing her flawless face and intense green eyes. Both had curves in the right places.

Self-conscious, she had compared her still developing body to their mature ones. Her gut swelled over her sweatpants and her chest had barely sprouted. She wore an A-cup to make herself feel better, but really she didn't think anyone noticed when she went braless. At the moment her admiration for them plummeted; beautiful or not, they were an annoyance!

Two voices, one female the other male, argued in the breezeway, the open air hallway between the apartments, upsetting her, but also piquing her natural teenage curiosity. She peered through the peephole hoping to catch sight of someone in the breezeway between the apartments but all she saw was the apartment across the hall. Her own front door blocking the view of the adjoining apartment.

"I hate you!" Then the door slammed so hard it made the walls tremble and the door shake. Alison's face pressed against the door, she yelped from the jolt against her nose. Rubbing it, she moved away and strolled back to the kitchen, picked up her tumbler and poured filtered water into it, drinking it all in several successive gulps. Catching her breath she considered her options. She could knock on their door and ask them nicely to lower their music or she could wait it out.

Home alone, as her mother worked as a nurse at Flagler hospital, and hundreds of miles from her father and best friend, she was unsure what to do, but didn't feel knocking on the door was the best choice. Actually, the idea freaked her out. Instead, she padded to the coffee table, picked up her tablet and checked the time. She was overly dismayed when her tablet screen displayed eleven p.m.

A tad scared but nosy and irritated, she slid the patio door open and listened, maybe they were wrapping up the party. All she heard was murmuring half-drowned by the music. Upset, lonely and slightly frightened she sent her BFF in Virginia a message: I hate my life. New neighbors are crazy. I miss you. She knew Vicky was asleep like normal people and wouldn't see her message for several more hours.

Alison laid her phone on the table and gazed towards the heavens. A chunk of moon peeked out from the surrounding clouds. Always interested in lunar phases as most paranormal books she read featured the moon was an important piece of the story, and each phase having a specific meaning. The most well-known were the werewolves who morphed during a full moon, but red moons and blue moons had meanings too. Her body shuddered as the party next door continued, but the steady purr of a familiar vehicle kept her plastered to the chair.

Within seconds an emerald green Charger hugged the road as it passed her screened patio. Her eyes moved with it as the driver swung around the curve. She jumped from the plastic patio chair, grabbed her phone, her heart beating fast within her chest, and with a sigh, stepped inside. Almost forgetting her troublesome new neighbors. She slid the heavy glass door closed, bolting all the locks and tugging to be sure.

She raced toward the dining room window and parted the blinds, a large breezeway with philodendrons planted in the middle separated the apartments. She recognized the emerald green Dodge Charger and its driver, Rodham. To her, his chiseled body screamed for every teenage girl in a fifty mile radius to pay attention. He lived kitty corner to her apartment and directly across the hall from the new, loud neighbors.

He rounded the corner of the building, keys jingling in his hands, eyes shooting a glance across the hall towards the partying neighbors' apartment. Well defined muscles on his forearm bulged as he twisted the key in the lock. She imagined herself wrapped in those arms, his full lips kissing her neck and drifting behind her ears. Still a virgin with no prospects or past boyfriends, thoughts of Rodham filled her waking and sleeping mind. Under no circumstances did she think a hot, dreamy creature like Rodham would date an ordinary, overweight, ginger like her because she lacked the talent and looks to suck men into her web. Rodham closed the door and her moment of teenage lust ended.

Dropping the blinds, she sauntered to the fridge and lifted the papers hung on the fridge with magnets, searching for an emergency number for the apartment complex. Her mother was organized, down to every detail. As the thought brushed through her mind, she glanced at the pillows still lying on the floor and made a mental note to pick them up before bed.

With a triumphant grin, she found the number and lifted it off the fridge. Loud neighbors at eleven p.m. was an emergency in her book. She dialed the number and it directed her to leave a message. What if I was dying? What if someone broke in and I was shivering in terror in my closet? Whatever, she shrugged and left a message, tossed the pillows onto the couch and crawled into bed, drawing the comforter over her head, and sticking in her earbuds. She turned up the volume, attempting to drown the commotion next door and opened her tablet to her current book, City by the Bay.

Thirty minutes later a pounding on the front door interrupted her reading, and a shudder ran down her spine. She curled further under her covers like a frightened turtle inside its shell.

Rodham

A bottle cap skittered across the cement breezeway as Rodham rounded the corner. It landed in the dirt next to a philodendron leaf. A shattered glass bottle twinkled in the lights, its contents sprayed across the cement wall, puddling on the concrete beneath. The heavy beat from the music across the hall thumped against his eardrums.

When he drove past the apartment, he captured a glimpse of the new neighbors. Several people stood on the patio, each holding drinks in their hands. The sliding glass door open, he saw into their apartment, where a woman with blondish hair danced against a dark haired man. Her back rubbing his chest, she slid down him, her flowing hair trailing across his torso. Her partner leaned his face towards hers as she grabbed a handful of his dark hair.

Rodham fumbled with the lock, aware the apartment across the hall was empty when he'd left with his friend, Adrian, for Daytona to surf. Now, new, annoying neighbors partied and littered the breezeway. He wondered how the quiet ginger next door was faring against the noise. Always aloof with her tablet in front of her face - at the beach, the pool, slung in a hammock on the shore of the manmade lake at the apartment complex.

Her amber eyes mysterious and deep, ginger hair trailing her back with gentle waves falling across her shoulders, freckles kissed her porcelain cheeks. Intent on her tablet, she always twisted stray strands between her fingers. From the corner of his eye he caught her amber eyes peering from her parted blinds, biting her natural cherry colored bottom lip, watching as he hurried and closed the door, locking out the new, annoying neighbors.

One finger pushed against his ear, his cell phone meshed against his other, Rodham's father acknowledged he was home with a quick flash of his eyes, then he squinted and bent over talking to the person on the other end of the line.

His mom sat, feet propped on the coffee table and plugs in her ears. Her back against the soft cushion of the sectional. Closed captioning jogged across the TV screen. She waved at him as he disappeared into his room. Beach sand stuck to every part of his body, he gathered clean clothes and rushed into the shower.

He allowed the warm water to wash the sand down the drain, the cute ginger filling his thoughts. Fully focused on her, a set of dagger-tipped fangs interrupted his thoughts. A single drop of blood hung in the air as it fell from the point of a fang. A thunderous knock blasted him out of the vision. Catching the shower's side handle to keep from slipping, he knocked the back of his head against the tile wall, hard enough to give him a temporary headache. He scurried out of the shower, both his parents' were watching something through the parted blinds.

Chapter 2

Alison

Alison yanked the earbuds out of her ears and listened. The knocking stopped, the music stopped, and muffled voices drifted through the wall. Throwing off her covers, she hurried towards the dining room window, attempting to catch a glimpse. All she saw was the black-clothed, burly back of a police officer scolding her neighbors.

"We've had complaints. This is a residential area and we're going to have to ask you to keep your music down," the officer said in a deep voice.

Across the hall, Rodham's ebony face appeared through parted blinds. His sable eyes met her amber orbs locking them in a gaze. He noticed me! Thought Alison, the ambiguous girl whom he hadn't paid one ounce of attention to all summer. Warmth tingled through her body and she all but forgot about her matted bed-head, and Tinker Bell pajamas. The expanded-second locked gaze ended, and he dropped his blinds back in place.

She twirled her body away from the window and, in a dreamy state, leaned against the wall, thoughts of the day she followed him to the beach, flitted through her head. She'd poised her chair under an umbrella, sprayed SPF 130 over her entire pale body, placed a floppy hat on her head and watched him with stars in her eyes from behind the pages of her book while pretty girls with dream bodies in their bikinis flocked towards him like bees to honey. His brown skin velvet beneath the sun. She pushed her book, Beyond the Hidden Sky, over her face and read, catching glimpses of Rodham. In her one-piece with a baggy T-shirt to cover her jelly stomach she didn't think she compared to the other teens.

She peeled herself off the wall and strolled to her bedroom. He noticed me! Sinking into her bed she savored our moment in her mind, silence next door - she fell asleep.

Sun filtering through her window awoke her the following morning. She crept towards her mother's room, peeking around the corner of her opened door. She lay on her bed, burrito-wrapped inside the covers, feet poking out the end. Alison sighed relief that her mother was home. She'd grown used to her absence at night and had felt safe enough until last night.

Her stomach grumbling for food, she strolled into the kitchen, poured a bowl of cereal and ate while she turned on her tablet and continued reading her current book.

Hours later, her mother stretched her arms as she exited her bedroom and ambled into the kitchen. With a yawn she said, "Good afternoon, sweetie."

Peeling her eyes from her tablet and current fictional world, Alison acknowledged her mother from her prone position on the couch and lifted her eyes responding, "Hi, Mom. I fixed lunch, frozen lasagna and garlic bread."

"What did I ever do to get such a wonderful daughter?" She spied Alison's tablet. "I love all the reading you do. It helps the mind grow, but I hate seeing you inside all day, every day. That's why we bought you the car so you could get out, explore your new surroundings, meet new people. This is St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S., there's more than enough to keep you busy and entertained." She gently pushed Alison's legs towards the back cushion of the couch and sat, pecking her on the cheek.

Alison's parents had bought her a 2000 Corolla, not a bad first car. In fact, she thought it was an excellent first car - everything worked. The problem was they lived in Florida and she detested starting the car and setting the air conditioning to full blast for ten minutes before she could sit in it without melting or touch the steering wheel without second degree burns.

Her next problem was the friend issue. As an introverted book nerd, it took her years to build the relationships she had - Vicky, she was it. Her only friend. She anticipated she'd be spending the two years left of high school alone.

Alison's phone vibrated and she glanced at the message, Vicky responding to her late night text. Miss you! Talk later, school shopping. She wished she was in Virginia shopping with her, the way they'd done the past few years, since their parents deemed them old enough to wander the mall without 24/7 parental supervision.

"I miss Vicky, my high school, the mountains, the cooler night air."

Her mother sighed and brushed her hand through Alison's hair. "Honey, I know this is difficult for you. But your dad travels a lot. I was offered a job here. This is our home now. School starts next week, try and make friends."

"I know. I'll try." She bit her lower lip. "And when the weather gets cooler I'll explore the city." After her parents' divorce, her mother, who'd spent sixteen years as a stay at home mom, dusted off her nursing degree and sent her resume all over the U.S., hoping to land a job. She did, in St. Augustine, to Alison's bad fortune.

Her mother stood and wandered towards the kitchen, cutting a slice of lasagna and placing it on a plate, then sighed as she popped it in the microwave. "I've been working a lot, paying moving expenses. Once they're paid up we'll do more exploring together."

Facing away from her mother, Alison rolled her eyes and shrugged, the only exploring they'd done together was watching an IMAX movie at World Golf Village. And it was an excellent outing but, other than that, her mother constantly worked. Alison was old enough to understand child support didn't pay everything. She also understood her parents continued an amiable relationship if nothing else than for her, and her father would do more to help them out. Her mother, proud and stubborn, refused any money other than the court dictated amount.

She contemplated telling her mother about the neighbors but chose against it, assuming it was a one-night thing.

As soon as the sun went down, the neighbors' thumping music and partying began, growing louder as the night progressed. She built up the nerve to walk to her front door, replaying what she would say in her mind. As she turned the knob she chickened out, her anger inside recoiled and she stuck her earbuds in and read instead.

After midnight a thump hit her bedroom wall, she leaped off the couch in response. The decorative Asian fan above the couch shifted. Several more thumps followed, sounding like a body thrown against the wall. She stood in the doorway, expecting someone to burst through the wall any second. A shrill banshee scream shuddered through the air, piercing her eardrums, and vibrating through her head. In pain, Alison crumpled to the ground, holding her head between her hands.

Frozen in pain, she gripped the floor and dragged her body along it to the couch, reached her hand onto the cushion and fumbled for her phone. Then the noise stopped. Her fingers brushed against her phone and she snatched it up. Poised on the floor, she scrolled through her short phone log and redialed the emergency number then buried herself into the couch, encasing her fear-shivering body in a throw blanket.

Rodham

At the same moment, in his room playing Wii, a primitive wail sliced through the music, ringing in Rodham's ears. He doubled in pain, and curled into a ball, dropping the video game controller from his hand.

When the noise subsided, Rodham collected himself. Unable to shrug it off, he contemplated where the noise originated. Thoughts of his strange neighbors and the odd events, including his strange visions, circulated in his head.

In the living room, he joined his parents. Their eyes fixed on the TV as they watched a movie, closed captioning scrolling across the screen. Noticing her son's befuzzled look, his mother asked, "Everything OK?"

He shifted his eyes to hers. "Did you hear that?"

His father chuckled. "Two nights in a row. I've already called the sheriff and will make a complaint at the office in the morning."

Rodham shrugged and leaned back into the recliner, convinced his parents didn't hear the shrill scream or couldn't hear it over the pulsating music. In science class he learned that young adults were capable of hearing frequencies adults ears couldn't.

Within a half hour a police officer knocked on their neighbor's door, read them the "be quiet" act and the noise stopped.

The following two nights, the neighbors' partying after sunset continued. Determined to understand the strange sequence of events, Rodham slipped upstairs to the second floor balcony, found a dark corner and waited. He wanted to know, see everything. His visions and the noise told him something was very wrong. No matter how absurd it sounded, even inside his own head, his curiosity drove him forward.

The crackle of the police radio hummed before he saw the two officers. Within moments a female officer with a blonde bob cut and wide hips, along with a male, his paunchy gut swelling over his pants, rounded the corner. The man slipped a piece of chewing gum into his mouth, stuffing the wrapper into his pants and chomped, his high and tight hair style moved up and down with the motion.

They knocked on the door and a woman with blonde highlights contrasting against her brown hair opened it. She leaned against the door frame, her long legs flowing like silk from her short denim skirt. "Hello officers."

"Ma'am, four nights in a row we've been called to this location for the same reason. I think we need to have a discussion with you and your roommate." His head bobbed as he glanced around her at the inside of the apartment. From Rodham's position he couldn't see inside but not willing to give away his position, he stayed put.

A crooked, sinister smile crossed her oval face, and she waved the officers inside. Her eyes darted right then left, scoping the breezeway before she closed the door.

In the dark corner, Rodham waited. The music stopped, but he never saw the police leave. Fear rushed against his spine, and he leaped down the stairs, taking two at a time, and thrust his front door open. His parents looked at him wearing identical expressions of puzzlement. He ignored them, locked the door, and parted the blinds enough to peek out with one eye.

"What's going on?" questioned his father, as he walked towards him.

"Police are here again, two of them tonight. They went inside the apartment."

"Young, irresponsible, spoiled girls is all. Their parents probably pay for the apartment to get them out of their own home." He harrumphed. "Now that the noise has stopped we're heading to bed."

"Goodnight, don't stay up too late," called his mother as she trailed to bed.

"Goodnight," answered Rodham, his eye still fixated on the apartment across the hall.

He knew from the tone in his father's voice he questioned his actions, but not enough to figure them out after four near-sleepless nights.

Their neighbor's blinds were parted slightly, allowing him to see the woman with highlighted hair, the one who opened the door, stared into the male officer's eyes and brushed her fingers against his neck. She opened her mouth, fangs erupted from her gums. Rodham's eyes widened as he watched the man's blood vessels bulge from beneath his skin and pulsate as his blood pumped through his arteries. She tilted her head and sunk her fangs into his flesh, a drop of blood trailed down his neck, and under his shirt.

Her eyes shifted towards Rodham, who stumbled backwards and blinked his eyes, the blinds falling into place. His heartbeat steady and fast inside his chest and he struggled to catch his breath.

Chapter 3

Alison

A quiet, rhythmic knocking stirred Alison from her sleep. Her mind floated for several moments in the in-between before her brain registered the knocking was someone at her front door. She bounded off her bed, pushing her purple, feather comforter aside, and rushed to the door before the racket woke her sleeping mother. Worried it might be the horrible neighbors, she peered through the peephole. OMG! It's Rodham. She raked her hand through her knotted hair and swallowed, getting a gulp of morning breath.

Forgetting about her sleeping mom and more worried over Rodham seeing her ragged morning state, she scurried to the hall bath, splashed water over her face, ran a comb through her gnarled hair and gargled with Listerine. She glanced at her pajamas and considered changing clothes, then the knocking stopped. By the time she opened the door Rodham stood closer to his door than hers. The quiet creak of her door caught Rodham's attention, he tilted his head then turned on his heels and walked towards her. Alison's heart pattered at a quickening pace at the prospect of actually talking to him.

"Hi, I'm Rodham. Your neighbor across the hall." The deep tone of his voice played a melody in her ears.

After untying the nervous knots in her tongue, she squeaked, "Al-i-suun." Dork Alert!

He scrunched his eyebrows, his forehead forming a slight valley. "Alison, would you like to meet me for a smoothie in an hour?"

A date. He asked me out? She took a deep breath and thought carefully about her response. "Yes." Her head bobbed up and down as the word spilled from her lips.

"Cool. Did I wake you? Because Tinker Bell has water puddling on her head."

Did he just say that? She glanced at her top, Tinker Bell's head was on her chest. Alison's face turned thirty shades of red, each one brighter than the next. Embarrassed, her first reaction was to slam the door shut, run to her bed, whip the covers over her head and not move for a week. She couldn't do that. Her eyes shifted towards the ground where shards of glass littered the cement catching the sun's rays as light filtered through the open top of the breezeway. She searched her brain for a silly comeback so he'd think her "cool", but darned if her mind went blank. She nodded.

He smiled, a dimple poked his right cheek. She closed the door and burst into the bathroom. Tinker Bell's head was soaked and hid nothing. Her budding nipples poked through like headlights. The thought of curling up in her bed for a week still tarried on her mind. She was indeed a wimp, but one with a date.

She rushed into and out of the shower, flipped through the clothes in her closet, searching for something sexy. All she owned was T-shirts, denim and sweaters. Like I'd need sweaters in Florida. Might as well donate those to needy teens in Wisconsin. Disappointed, she settled for a pair of denim shorts, a plain pink T-shirt and flip-flops.

She tip-toed past her sleeping, snoring mother into the master bath and sifted through her lipsticks, holding each one to her lips, looking for the perfect color, then tried on the red. Uhh, too bright. She wiped it off and smeared on the frost pink, squished her lips together, bit down on toilet paper and puckered, mimicking her mother. She settled on the frost pink. Against her ghostly white skin it brought out her amber eyes, and the red highlights in her ginger hair.

There was a smoothie shop in the strip mall beside the apartment complex. She guessed that's the one he meant, after all she wasn't going to embarrass herself further by knocking on his door to ask.

She stepped into the bright afternoon light, shoved a pair of bug-eyed sunglasses over her eyes to avoid the blinding sun, and jumped into her car. A royal blue Chrysler 300 with gold pimp rims parked in the corner of the lot caught her eye, she'd never noticed it before. It must be the neighbors'? She started the engine, wiped the sweat crawling from her forehead and blasted the air. After the approximate ten minute wait, the steering wheel was cool enough to touch and drive the car without third degree burns. Rodham's emerald green Charger was parked outside the smoothie shop.

A ding resonated in the air as she pushed open the door at Smoothie Fresh, he turned his head and motioned for her to join him. Butterflies did sky-dives in her belly, fear gripped her head and she hyperventilated for a second before gathering her courage. Breathe, walk slowly. With careful steps she stumbled towards him. The room grew smaller with each step until his six-foot sitting form loomed in front of her. She dropped onto the seat opposite him at the table, the butterflies flapping against her insides. Breathe. I made it.

"Are you OK?" His voice stressed with concern.

She nodded a yes.

His eyes shifted and the valley in his forehead returned. "What would you like?"

You! And to not be such a scaredy cat. "Like?"

"To drink?"

Her amber eyes shifted to the menu boards behind the front counter, scanning the smoothie list. "Strawberry Delight," she said in a barely audible voice.

He nodded and strolled towards the bar, the muscles on his legs dancing with each step. She couldn't take her eyes off him as he ordered. The young woman behind the counter wore her blonde hair in a French braid that lay firm against her back, her navy eyes fastened on Rodham, only removing them when she fixed their drinks. Stabs of the green jealousy monster thrust into Alison's heart. Her first date and already someone was flirting with him! She pushed her feelings aside, as she had no claim to him, and he clearly wasn't flirting back.

Returning, he placed the smoothie on the faux wooden table in front of her and slid into the opposite seat. "Thanks," she muttered.

One eyebrow lifted just above the other, he said in a questioning tone, "You don't say much?"

"I'm new." She slapped herself mentally for her dorky response.

"I know, remember I live across the hall. Never saw you in school before, either. Where did you move from?"

She forced her brain and mouth to work together, afraid her one and two word answers would make her first date her last. "Um... I lived in Virginia."

"So what brought you here?"

Her mind drifted home to the green covered mountains, and flowing streams with year-round chilly water. "My parents' divorce and my mother's new job."

He nodded. "I've lived here most my life. I know everyone at school. I'll introduce you."

Home in Virginia faded at the idea, maybe she'd have friends and Florida wouldn't be so bad after all. His small talk helped her body ease. "Thanks. That'd be cool." She sipped at her smoothie, a chunk of fruit getting stuck in her straw.

He twisted in his seat. "I asked you here because... Oh no! This is it. He isn't interested in me, false alarm she thought. "...the neighbors across from me, there's something, I dunno, not normal about them. Besides the music and parties."

Tipping her straw upside down she tapped it against the table to loosen the fruit chunk. She was sure all the neighbors had noticed the weird women living next door to her, and wasn't sure where he was coming from. "What do you mean?" The fruit chunk drifted towards the opening of the straw as she sucked it out.

Rodham's eyes followed her curious movements then he pushed his smoothie to the side and leaned across the table, closer to her. The smell of his aftershave drifted towards her. Distracted, she struggled to hear his words. "Last night, two officers showed up. Neither came out. I watched and waited all night. Their curtains were parted and the one with highlights bit the male cop. She bit him!"

Taken aback by his words she was confused. The neighbors partied, but biting people seemed over the top, even for them. "How do you know she bit him? Maybe she was kissing his neck or giving him a hickey."

His eyes turned into chocolate saucers. "Hickeys and kisses don't draw blood. It streamed down his neck."

She thought for a minute about how they emerged after sundown and went quiet after sunrise and the immobilizing cry of terror. A bonafide bookworm, she knew everything about fictional creatures. The bloodsucking, fanged creatures that popped into her mind were vampires. And vampires had ultrasonic hearing! A thought bubbled in her brain. "Three nights ago, did you hear that high-pitched shriek?"

His face stern, he answered. "Yeah, but my parents sat on the couch watching TV. Oblivious, like they didn't hear it. And the neighbors, they sleep all day - dead silence."

Their eyes locked in a gaze, and their thoughts merged as they spat out simultaneously. "Vampires."

He leaned back in his seat, and blew out a breath of air he'd held in. "I'm relieved. I was sure you'd think I was crazy."

"Hmm... Vampires next door?" She paused for a second. "So if they're sucking blood, where's the bodies? Vampires don't eat flesh. OMG! They're turning them!"

He chuckled. "You go from one word answers to several sentences. Are you a vampire expert?"

"Yes and no. I read a lot. I mean a lot. I've read nearly every vampire book ever written. Each author has their own story, but some things are always the same. Vampires suck blood and on occasion turn their victims. There are so many ways they do this - like I said each author is different." She rambled, aware of it, "Most vampires don't want to draw attention to themselves, but ours party. That part doesn't add up."

Mesmerized by the movement of her sensuous lips and the intense flame in her eyes he asked, "Your eyes are fire. Anyone ever tell you how pretty you are?"

She flushed and dropped her eyes towards the table, her pointer finger twirling a loose strand of hair hanging from her pony tail, unsure how to respond. Having her parents and relatives say 'You're pretty' is nothing like having the hottest guy on earth say it. And she didn't feel pretty - never. "Uh... Thanks."

Sensing her uneasiness he backpedaled to the vampires. "If they are what we think, then who says fiction portrays them correctly, maybe real vampires are hardy partiers. So if they are vampires and they're real, how do we prove it?" He lifted his smoothie and took a large gulp.

Alison had no idea how to prove it and the danger terrified her. It's not like either of them could knock on their door and say, 'Excuse me, but I saw you bite that cop, are you vampires?' They'd become their next meal. "Maybe we're wrong and they're not vampires."

She sucked on her smoothie and realized music was playing, Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift. If she hadn't been so nervous over meeting Rodham she'd have noticed earlier. The smoothie shop looked like something from a teen Disney show. Pale colors, chunky pictures and faux wood tables. "So what do we do?"

"I have a plan, but need help implementing it." His eyes narrowed and a devious expression spread across his face. "They can't stay inside the apartment all the time. Sometime they gotta leave. We go inside." He shifted his back towards the window and set his smoothie down.

The drifting sun shone directly on them through the huge glass windows, causing Alison to squint her eyes. His earlier position blocked the rays. She twisted in her seat away from the sun. "And how do we get into their apartment?"

He slurped down the last of his smoothie, lifted the top and ate the chunks of fruit at the bottom. With a mouth stuffed with unidentifiable fruit bits he said, "We get the key."

"Could you be more specific?" She sucked slowly on her smoothie, lingering over the fruit party happening in her mouth.

He leaned towards her, twinkles of emerald light sparkling in his brown eyes, his dimple moved with each word. "In 2008, my dad lost his job, we lost our house, and he got a job working at the apartment complex. That's when we moved in. He only worked for them a year, but that's how I know where they keep the keys." Rodham stood and grabbed a pen from the bar then sat down next to her. His scent filled her nostrils, a mix of aftershave and him. Delightful!

He drew a crude map on the napkin then pushed it towards her, using his fingers to direct her eyes. "You go in the office here, the resident computers are to the left, here. If you go straight through the office to the back and turn left, the wall is filled with keys to every apartment and they're labeled by unit number. On Sundays, there's only one person in the office. My plan is you distract her and I'll snatch the key."

She wasn't sure about the plan. Why me? Alison was much smaller and less noticeable. He, on the other hand, was outgoing, personable, and hot, he'd make a far better distraction she thought. "I'll do the key snatching, no one will notice me. I'm a book nerd wall-flower. I'll come in, pretend to use the computers, you do something to get her attention and I'll sneak into the back and grab the key. A wall full of keys can't be hard to find."

He raised his palm to his chin. "OK. Tomorrow is Sunday. We do it then."

"What time?"

"What's your phone number?"

Her mouth dropped into her lap as the words rolled off his pink tongue. He wants my phone number, even if it's not because he's madly in love with me, he wants it, asked for it. She picked her jaw off her lap and placed it back onto her face while the numbers floated from her mouth. He typed them into his phone and called her. "Now you have mine." He smiled as he slipped out of the booth.

Rodham

He shuddered as the vision of the vampire across the hall replayed in his mind. He couldn't be sure whether it was real or not, but the vampire's sly gaze through the window implied reality. One way or the other, he needed to find out.

His plan to get the cute girl with hair that reminded him of the beach at sunset worked like a charm. Rodham was more impressed with her inner spark as it ignited when he mentioned his thoughts about their neighbors being vampires. Her fire detonated, she exploded into a vampire book rant. A book worm - explained all the time she spent glued to her tablet. The intensity in the motion of her soft, cherry lips made him long to kiss her.

Their plan hatched and her number in his phone, it was a good day. He wasn't sure he actually believed in the existence of vampires, but the clarity of the visions was like none he'd experienced before. The blood dripping off the fang moved in slow motion as it fell. Normally, he viewed small, fuzzy glimpses - flashes - in his visions. Sometimes he heard words in his head not his own, but never anything that made sense. He heeded their warnings, unknowing if they meant anything. A secret he kept to himself.

His parents both at work, Rodham sank into the soft couch, and searched for the remote. His hand hit a hard device under a blanket. He removed the layers hiding the device, and clicked the power button. The TV screen turned blue for a few seconds then the cable engaged. Flipping through the channels, a sudden blast of gunfire reverberated through his eardrums.

Chapter 4

Alison

When Alison returned home her mother was gone. She'd left a note beneath a magnet on the fridge.

Went grocery shopping, be back soon.

Love you,

Mom

The apartment empty, she tested the vampire theory. The brilliant afternoon sunlight filtered through the open patio blinds. In most vampire books they were literally dead from sun up to sun down, and nothing would wake them. She turned on the TV, popped in the movie Red Baron, assuming the noise from the fighter planes would wake any living person, and turned the volume to high. Alison didn't worry about her other neighbors as they all worked in the afternoon. A combination of gunfire and music burst from the surround sound speakers. The vibration caused the pictures hanging on the walls to dance. She covered her own ears to save her eardrums from the noise blitz. After ten minutes she lowered the volume, momentarily deaf from the onslaught of gunfire and fighter planes. A light blinked on her phone, a message from Rodham: open your door.

She slid the blinds over and Rodham in all his glory stood outside her door. Scrunching her face, she unlocked the door and shrugged her shoulders as she motioned for him to enter. "I was testing out the vampire theory."

His jaw tight and face stern, he asked, "And?"

"And I don't hear a peep next door," she replied, shouting as her hearing hadn't returned to normal.

"Your surround sound was loud enough to wake the dead - and your shouting."

She ignored his comment and padded towards her bedroom, signaling for him to follow. "Normal humans would be awake from the bombardment of racket." Placing her ear to the wall that separated her apartment from the vampires', she listened - silence.

A bouncy ball lay on the nightstand beside a purple feathery lamp, giving her another idea. She grabbed it and threw it with all her gusto against the wall. It bounced. She threw it again and again. Rodham joined in, the force behind his hits causing a louder noise than hers. They hurled the ball back and forth, taking turns for several minutes before she caught it and they both positioned an ear to the wall.

"Nothing. I wish at the least the noises would have caused them discomfort," Alison lamented. After suffering four near sleepless nights because of their partying, twenty minutes of payback hurt her ears, causing the vampires no distress. Defeated, she plopped onto her bed, bouncing from the force.

Rodham sat beside her. His lips turned upwards in a smile. "You're cool."

Her own mouth curved into a smile as she met his gaze. "So are you."

His eyes met hers then shifted to the colorful plastic butterflies clinging to her walls, a few crooked from their impromptu game of wall ping pong.

"If they aren't vampires than they are deaf humans," he joked, hoping to wipe the disappointment off her face.

She glanced at him, and chuckled.

He stood, slipping his hands into his nylon short pockets. "I need to get home, but I'll see you tomorrow." Alison watched his cute butt and strong, sexy legs leave the room as she followed then closed the front door behind him. She'd met her dream guy, succumbed to his charming ways, now she was his partner in crime. How did that happen? She didn't care. Instead, relaxed with hearts in her eyes, and laid on the couch, propping her feet on the back and took a nap.

"Honey, I could use a little help." Her mother's words woke her from a dreamless sleep. She spied the position of the sun. It was dusk and she knew that meant the vampires would wake soon, rise from their coffins or whatever they slept in, and party. She jumped off the couch, ran to the car, and lifted two bags of groceries in each hand, noticing the sun was drifting below the three story apartment buildings.

While her mom unpacked the groceries, Alison hefted more from the car trunk and carried them to the kitchen. The sun growing lower with each load until it sat just above the Earth's surface. Fearing the neighbors, she rushed inside with the last bag and locked the door. According to vampire legend they had to be invited inside a residence. She wasn't taking any chances on that being false.

"What's the rush?" asked her mom, her back to Alison, and her hands filled with canned goods as she stuffed them into a cabinet, labels facing out.

She shrugged. Never good at lying, she attempted to avoid the question.

"I can't see shrugs, what's up?" She turned, eyes fixed on Alison.

Thinking quickly, she used her book addiction to avoid the question and change the subject. Saying, 'the neighbors are vampires' was too absurd. "The book I read today, Reliquary, freaked me out. This lady goes under New York in these subway tunnels and finds creatures without any eyes living inside them." She racked her brain trying to remember since she actually read the book a couple years previous.

Her mother nodded. "You weren't home when I left. Did you go to the library?"

"No, I met a neighbor. We hung out at the smoothie shop for a little then I came home and read. We're going to hang tomorrow, too."

Her mother's eyes grew round and her mouth formed an O as she craned her neck backwards. "Tell me about her. Why haven't I heard about her before?"

At that moment blackness fully enveloped the outside. Within moments, music from next door screamed through the air. Saved by the neighbors. She wasn't ready to tell her about Rodham. Her mother jumped while her face went from smiling to serious in less than a half-second. She shouted, "What is that?!"

Alison, feeling a tinge of guilt over not saying anything about the crazy neighbors earlier, moved closer and leaned towards her left ear, "The neighbors."

"What, honey? I can't hear you." She nodded her head and pointed towards her ears. A pad of paper lay on the counter beside Alison, she dragged it towards her, pulled a pen from the holder and scribbled. The neighbors.

Her mother scribbled. I'm going next door to give them a piece of my mind.

"No!" Alison shouted. Thoughts of them dragging her into their lair and exsanguinating her lurched in her mind. Her mother either didn't hear or ignored Alison's pleas. She followed her to the door, pulling her arms, trying to make her stop. She'd have serious explaining to do if they didn't get eaten first, something she weighed that as less significant than saving her mother's life. Her mother turned towards her, scrunching her eyes as she wiggled her arm free of Alison's death grip.

Alison waited beside the concrete wall that jutted out between the apartments and peeked around the corner, her heart thumping like a rabid kangaroo inside her chest. After several knocks on their door with no answer, her mother huffed and turned towards home. Alison scrambled inside the apartment and jumped onto the recliner, sinking into its fluff as if she'd not waited outside. She drew in a deep breath.

Her mother yanked her phone off the kitchen counter and dashed outside, exaggerated movements and the fire in her eyes said everything. She was infuriated. Alison let out her breath and trailed her outside, peered around the corner of the concrete building as she watched her mother pace the sidewalk; the phone to her ear. She marched towards Alison after hanging up and slipping her phone into her back pocket.

Her mother's eyes fixed onto Alison's as she approached. Alison gulped, she knew the look in her eyes too well. "I called the police. They're sending someone right away. It seems this has been going on for a few days. Why didn't you tell me?" Her soft eyes held only concern for Alison's safety.

She shrugged her shoulders. "When you're home, you sleep. I didn't want to bother you."

Grabbing her hands, her mother curled her fingers around Alison's. "How are you going to get your homework done and rest when school starts? And noise that loud is against the lease. It's a nuisance to all who live here." She didn't wait for a response to the question but continued talking, using her over protective momma bear tone.

"I know." Alison dropped her eyes.

The noise quieter in the parking lot, she continued. "I'm stopping at the leasing office in the morning to have a chat with them. This needs to stop. And look at the trash outside their apartment," she said, grabbing her phone and snapping pictures of the glass bottles and cigarette butts littering the ground as they walked towards home. Her red-headed mother was a force to be reckoned with, not someone who Alison ever wanted upset. She looked innocent with her bobbed auburn curls and amber eyes, but when she got mad her inner dragon surfaced and flames billowed from her mouth.

Twenty minutes later, the police showed and her mother had a long chat with the officer, getting up to date on the situation. Alison's mind drifted to Rodham and their plan. How are Rodham and I going to sneak the key out if mom goes to the office? If I steal something under her nose. I'll be dead or grounded forever when she finds out!

An hour or so after the police left, so did the neighbors. Alison peered out her bedroom window, light from the large gibbous moon streaming through. Tomorrow will be a full moon. Werewolves turn, but what about vampires?

Rodham

The vampires climbed into their car, and squealed out of the parking lot. Through the dining room window overlooking the breezeway, Rodham watched them leave. On impulse he snatched his keys from his dresser.

Walking past his mom in the kitchen, who alternated between frying chicken and flipping waffles, he leaned against the granite bar and said, "Going to the gym."

She twisted her round figure to see him. "Dinner's almost ready."

"I know, but I want to get in a quick workout." He reached over the bar and grabbed a piece of chicken off the plate.

She shook her head and smiled.

He considered knocking on Alison's door as he devoured the last bit of meat off the chicken bone, then decided it'd be better to follow them alone - without distraction.

He eased his Charger out of the parking lot, spotting them just ahead waiting to turn left onto Highway One, several cars between them. They turned, knowing how long it took to make a left turn, he slipped his car to the right instead, made the turn, then darted into the far left lane making a U-turn, determined not to lose them.

Keeping a few cars between them, he tailed them into historic St. Augustine. They turned onto M.L. King Ave. No cars stood between them as he made the turn, so he crept slowly through the residential roads and drove past them as they pulled into the drive of an older home. He cruised around the corner and stopped in the narrow road. Motor running while he watched them exit their car and stroll up to the house.

Rodham contemplated getting out of his car and walking by the house, but his instincts urged him against doing so. He shifted into drive and made left turns on the narrow one-way streets. His car crawling by the house as they stepped inside. He saw their backs, clothed in miniskirts and loose tops. A man closed the door behind them, penetrating jade eyes stared Rodham down. He sped his car up and peered into his rearview, in a matter of seconds the jade-eyed man stood in the middle of the road behind Rodham's car, glaring in his direction. His heartbeat quickened as he hadn't seen the man move. He simply appeared.

Chapter 5

Alison

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the apartment. Alison inhaled deeply then pulled her body upright from the comfort of her bed, slipped her feet into her fuzzy purple house shoes and strolled to the kitchen. She poured a half cup, added three spoons of sugar and filled the rest of the cup with French Vanilla creamer. Cup in hand, she padded through the apartment searching for her mom. When she didn't find her she hoped that meant she was paying the leasing officer a visit and she wouldn't have to go into stealth mode under her nose.

A text from Rodham shot across the screen of Alison's phone: Be ready at noon. She glimpsed the message and typed back: My mom's going to office today. Can't go till after she does. Laying the phone on her dresser, she sifted through her wardrobe for burglar-black. Remembering the blazing Florida heat she changed her mind and settled on denim shorts and a T-shirt.

Her mother's voice outside and steady thumping on the neighbor's door carried through the walls of the apartment. She parted the blinds to see. Both her mother and the leasing lady stood in the breezeway. With a sigh she raked her fingers through her hair and texted Rodham: Change of plans meet me in parking lot now. With the leasing office on the other side of the complex, the equivalent of a couple blocks, it would be a while before she got back, providing an opportunity they couldn't pass up.

Scribbling a note for her mom, she stuck it on the fridge under a magnet, grabbed her keys and scurried to the door. The apartment next door stuck out two feet further than her own. She gently opened and closed the door so as to not make a sound, her eyes darted towards the sound of her mother's voice but she couldn't see her. She twisted her key in the lock and skirted the building, staying close to the inside wall.

She hadn't gotten further than a few steps when a door opened and Rodham appeared. He glanced her way and parted his mouth as if to speak. Before he could get a word out, Alison lifted a finger to her mouth signaling for him to be quiet. He nodded and shifted his eyes towards her mother and the leasing lady, "Good morning!"

In unison both women responded, "Good morning." He was already around the corner.

Alison stood beside his car, he saw tufts of her ginger hair, then two amber eyes just above the top of the car. Laughing at how silly she looked, he asked, "Was that your mother?"

"Yes, let's do this now while they're busy." The door locks clinked and she climbed onto the passenger seat.

"OK," Rodham responded, lifting one eyebrow, amused at her behavior.

His engine roared, and Alison slunk down in the passenger seat so her head fell beneath the window.

He chuckled, "You don't need to duck - she can't see you."

"My mom has eyes everywhere. I'm not taking any chances."

Once they left the parking lot, she lifted her head and pulled her body into an upright position. They cruised past the lake and waterfall and turned into the main parking lot. He whipped his car into a parking space.

"I'm going in, keep the car running," she ordered, leaping out of the car.

"Aye, aye matey," he said in a pirate voice. So sexy!

Alison darted through the parking lot and up the brick steps. Planters of colorful flowers stood beside the double doors. As she pushed the door open she ogled the inside, checking to be sure she was alone. A huge ceiling fan, the blades shaped like palm leaves, swished above her head. The guest computers blinked in unison and the lounge area was empty.

Sucking in a lungful of air to rid her stomach of the mass of butterflies flying around inside it, she tiptoed straight to the back, dodging desks and waste baskets, to avoid making noise, and made a left. To her relief, keys to every apartment lined the wall, like he said. They were ordered numerically. She found #1106 and yanked one set off the peg. Ready to bolt, she glanced back at the peg, and thought the extra set may come in handy so she skated it off the peg too, then slid both into her pocket.

The bell on the door rang as she stepped into the hall. Fixing her body alongside the wall, she slid back into the room. Heels clicks on the tile floor drew closer, and her heart thumped hard inside her chest. A trickle of sweat dripped across her forehead as she scanned the little room for a place to hide. In a fit of panic, she pressed her back against the wall and hoped for the best.

The footsteps halted at the small desk in front of the door. She held in her breath, too afraid the sound of her breathing would capture the lady's attention, and squished her eyes shut, hoping the leasing lady didn't turn around. Unable to watch with her eyes, she listened with her ears as the lady fumbled through a stack of papers on the desk then the click of her heels moved further away. Alison's eyes popped open and she let out her breath, relieved. She poked her head around the corner of the key room and stared towards the lobby.

Rodham stood in the front of the office. His brown eyes flashed at Alison, then he walked with the leasing lady towards the open lounge area filled with floral wicker couches and glass tables. Alison's heartbeat returned to normal as she scurried down the hall and out the large double doors. Before she let go of the door she glanced towards Rodham - he winked. Without further hesitation, she ran-walked through the lot and hopped into his car, sinking into the black passenger seat.

A few minutes later, Rodham strolled out of the office with a huge smile on his face and his dimple teasing his cheek. "I got your back. Did you get it?" His eyes flashed with intrigue as he slid into the driver's seat.

"Yup." She dangled the key in front of him.

"The vampires aren't home. I watched them leave. What do you say we go there now?"

"In broad daylight!" Her eyes grew huge with fear.

"They're vampires. When else do we go?" he asked, snickering.

"But my mom is home. I live next door! OMG, I'm so gonna get caught."

"No you won't. I'll go in, you keep watch in the breezeway. Text me if you see anyone walking towards the apartment."

Alison moaned with anxiety, but resigned herself to assisting him with the escapade. The dimple nipping at his cheek, and his silky chocolate eyes melted her strength to resist. The most she could do was warn him what to look for. She'd read enough books to have all the vampire folklore memorized. She blinked a couple times then started her spiel. "Vampires don't like mirrors and their reflections don't show. They also don't like garlic. Silver and crosses can be used to ward them off. Oh, and holy water burns them, along with sunlight."

She touched his arm as he entered the apartment, her eyes shifted to meet his, and whispered, "Please be careful." Alison finally had a friend, a hot friend, he had to be safe. She planted her butt on the steps outside their door and leaned back. The concrete wall offered little comfort for her back as she stared through the gaps between the steps, noticing the bottles, caps, and butts outside the apartment were gone.

A short time later, a young man dressed in flip-flops and knee-length nylon shorts walked past her up the steps. She shifted her body as close to the wall as she could and pretended to text. He continued up the steps and disappeared into an apartment.

Five minutes passed; ten minutes passed; anxiety manifested in her gut as she waited. Tempted to call him, she stared at her phone, her foot nervously tapping the cement stair. Sweat from the high humidity and extreme summer heat dribbled down her face. Visualizations of sharp movie vampire fangs digging into Rodham's soft, ebony complexion, draining him of the very blood that kept him alive coasted through her head. She shook her head to rid them but the thoughts clung to the back of her mind like superglue.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the suspense killed her inside. He'd come to her rescue, maybe now she needed to come to his. Lifting herself off the concrete step, peeling her back off the stiff wall, she scrambled down the stairs. When she reached the bottom step, the door opened and Rodham appeared.

Rodham

Rodham entered the vampires' apartment with caution. The inside was mostly dark, except the thin light slivers through the slight part in the heavy window coverings. The rows of light stretched across the carpet as bars. The layout of the apartment being identical to his, he knew exactly where the light switches were and which one turned on what lights. He flipped the dining room switch and the gentle glow of the recessed lights bathed the room.

To his immediate left was the laundry room and directly in front of him was a coat closet. He contemplated which to open first. Even with the vampires gone, he wasn't entirely sure the apartment was empty. Each closet had to be checked to avoid surprises before he moved further into the apartment. Since the door to the coat closet opened towards the laundry room he could use his strength to hold the coat closet door against the laundry door in case his presence awakened anything.

He took a deep gulp, clutched the door knob and twisted. Poising his legs in a fighting stance, he threw the door open, lodging it against the other door and hoisted his weight against it. He took in every inch with his eyes. It was bare, no dead bodies, not even a coat or umbrella. He closed the door and opened the laundry room with less trepidation.

Several bags filled with empty beer cans and alcohol bottles filled the space, instead of exsanguinated bodies or a washer and dryer. Relieved, he moved through the dining room and into the kitchen. Fear resurfacing as he opened the refrigerator, expecting to see pitchers of blood or fresh human hearts, but it was empty. He rummaged through every cabinet and drawer, every one of them empty, encouraging his belief that they were vampires.

The dread he'd felt exited his body and he relaxed, that's when he noticed a steady emerald light shining from the master bedroom. Trancelike he proceeded, drawn to it. The steady glow beckoned him, words forming in his mind: Rodham, find me, untrap me from the beasts of night, the immortal creatures of the dark.

He continued through the living room, paying no attention to the single fuchsia couch and rattan chair with matching fuchsia cushion. As his hand brushed against it, a single drop of red stained the cushion beneath his fingertips.

Inside the master bedroom, glowing beneath the closet door, the light continued to call for him by name.

Rodham.

With each step he grew closer, until he slowly opened the closet door. A simple wooden box with gold clasps loomed from the top shelf, emerald light spilling through the cracks which began to pulsate. He reached towards it and pulled it down.

Open the box, the emerald light commanded. He lifted the lid. Inside was a timeworn leather book laying flush against the bottom of the box, the light beaming from inside it.

Take the journal, it's yours.

Rodham lifted it from the box. Warmth emanated from it and a tingling sensation passed through his body as he opened the book and stared at the object from which the light originated - an emerald amulet on a silver chain. He reached inside.

Not yet!

He paused, knowing intuitively he had to take it with him. Having no pockets, he stuffed the journal and amulet into the waistband of his shorts. Suddenly he remembered he was in the vampires' apartment and caught his first glimpse of the closet's contents. Clothes, dresses, blouses, skirts and racks of shoes.

An unmade king-sized four poster bed sat in the middle of the master bedroom, not against any wall but in the middle of the floor. He walked around it, gawking at the thick drapes surrounding it, covering the top like a canopy. The frame solid, dark wood. The room lacked any other furniture.

Get out! The light demanded from his waistband.

Why? What will I find? He knew it was crazy, but if the light talked to him maybe it had some type of intelligence and could carry on a conversation.

He waited for a response, but got nothing. Pressing his hands against his forehead, he sighed and moved into the other bedroom. It spoke again: Nothing. You will find nothing. At this moment he realized the voice was inside his head. The light sent messages directly into his brain. With a renewed sense of urgency to show Alison what he'd found, he hurriedly left the room, returned to the living room and thrust the front door open.

A couple steps from the door, she scampered to his side and wrapped her arms around him. Surprised, yet enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his, he hugged her back, then she jumped backwards as if bitten by a snake and dropped her eyes to the walkway. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He cupped her chin in his palm and lifted her head. "Were you worried?"

Oh gosh. I'm not answering that question. "What took so long?"

"I'm curious." He sauntered towards his apartment. "My parents are gone. Come inside - I'll show you what I found."

Chapter 6

Alison

Come inside. Of course, Rodham, because I want nothing more than to be alone with you. Her dream coming true - only it was about vampires not him professing his undying love for her.

When he dipped his hand into his waistband, she noticed a green light shining from his shorts. Relieved he was OK, or more because she was off the hook, she hadn't noticed the mysterious light. He pulled an old, worn leather book emanating an ethereal emerald beam and set it on the sleek granite kitchen counter. "The radiant light led me to this. It was in a closet, buried inside a wooden box."

Alison's eyes shifted and fixed themselves on the glowing book. "You don't think they'll notice this missing? What does it mean to them?"

"I left the box where I found it and I think they stole it, but the book isn't as amazing as what's inside." He opened the book and an emerald amulet surrounded by and attached to a thick silver chain lay inside the book.

"What is it?" Her question drifted to deaf ears as both their eyes were stationary on the glowing stone. As Alison's eyes adjusted, she read the print beneath the amulet.

If you can read this and have the glowing amulet than you are a Slayer. Put the amulet around your neck. Its power will bind with you.

They gazed towards each other, eyes doubled in size, and said in unison, "We're Slayers?"

Almost too astounded to believe in vampires, and now Slayers, she asked, "What is a Slayer? It's a glowing stone, probably battery operated." She picked up the amulet and turned it around in her hands. There was no battery compartment or power button.

"Umm... can you hear it?" Rodham asked, curious if it spoke to her as well.

"Hear it? No, I see it."

Rodham stared at the book and turned to the next page. "It says here only Slayers can see the light, but not every amulet works for every Slayer."

"I think it's a hoax and, furthermore, I don't think our neighbors are vampires." She proclaimed this not truly believing it, completely overwhelmed by what she was learning about the supernatural world she'd previously thought only existed in books and imaginations. And a Slayer of what? Or who?

In four days she had gone from lonely bookworm, drooling over the hot boy across the hall to having vampires living next door, to say nothing of illegal activities with said boy across the hall. At the moment she desired nothing more than her toughest decision in life to be which book to read next. She knew which book she was reading next and it was leather, worn and not on her tablet.

She placed the amulet on the counter and reached for the book. "I'm going to read this tonight, but you can keep the glowing amulet. My mother wouldn't appreciate the bright light."

"Someone's got a bossy side." He tilted his head, placed his hands on his hips and chuckled. "Unless she's a Slayer she'll never see the light."

"Like I believe that. It's probably a magical vampire amulet that gives them the ability to day-walk or something," she jested.

He decided against telling her how it spoke to him. If she couldn't hear it then maybe the amulet was meant for him and he was the Slayer.

She set the book on the counter and picked up the amulet up by its chain. It twisted and turned. "Instead of being a smart ass, we need to hide this thing so your parents don't see it. Or worse, whatever is living beside me. I'm sure they won't appreciate it being stolen from their home."

"If the warning in the book is correct they won't see its light, but you're right, we need to be cautious," he said, leading her to his bedroom. If her mind wasn't so preoccupied she'd be daydreaming of his touch and kiss. They chose the closet to hide it. She wrapped it inside a sweater and stuffed it into a shoebox. After that Rodham piled blankets on top and closed the door. The light still glowed but not as bright.

He dropped onto a black leather computer chair and rolled towards her. "I don't know why we're doing all this. According to the book no one else can see the light. Remember the deafening scream the other night? I told you my parents never heard it. They heard the music but not the scream."

She planted herself onto the corner of his unmade bed, resting her hands on her lap. The plain baby blue comforter bumpy beneath her rear, and let out a deep breath. "You believe all this. I mean, I don't know... it seems too fantastic. Like something I'd read in a book."

He scooted his chair towards her knees and grasped hold of her hands. His sable eyes speckled with emerald green - or maybe it was the glowing light making them look greenish. "I don't know, but I feel drawn to it." His eyes drifted towards the floor then shot towards her. "Since the day they moved in I've started... You already think I'm crazy. Never mind."

She squeezed his hands. "No, I don't. I'm scared. All of this. It really scares me and I don't want to believe any of it."

The green in his eyes danced against the brown as if trying to free itself. "I didn't really see one of them bite anyone. Not with my own eyes. I saw it in my mind. I've been seeing and hearing stuff - thoughts. I answered my mom's question today before she asked it. She gave me the weirdest look. I shrugged it off. Then that amulet, it talked to me, inside my head."

She drew in her lips, the way she did when deep in thought and sucked at her bottom lip as she contemplated his words. "So if this stuff is real it might explain your visions and thoughts."

He nodded yes.

"I don't feel drawn to the light, nor have I experienced any telepathy lately. The answers are maybe in the book. It said not every amulet works for every Slayer. So each Slayer has their own amulet and power? Didn't it say something like, 'its power will bind with you?'"

"It did. You're the reader. Take the book, read it and we'll meet tomorrow." He let go of her hands, stood, and walked towards the kitchen table where they'd left the book.

Alison's mom wagged her butt singing Happy by Pharrell Williams while stirring dinner on the stove. She stopped as Alison came through the door and turned towards her. "Have you been with your new friend?"

"I have. He's pretty cool." Big mistake. The word "he" alerted her "my daughter has a boyfriend" button.

"He. A young man?"

"We're friends mom." Under other circumstances she'd be happy for her mom to think she had a boyfriend and not a homely nerd for a daughter, but at the moment she wanted to get her nose into the mystery leather-bound Slayer book. The Rodham conversation would have to wait. "Did you go to the office today?" She stuck a finger into the fresh salsa and sucked it off.

Her mother swatted her hand. "Get out of the food until its ready. Jeez!"

Alison smiled, mission accomplished, she forgot about Rodham.

"Yes, I went to the office and they're going to talk with them. Hopefully the noise problem is over."

"Hope so," she said, strolling to her bedroom, where she pulled the book from her shirt. Its worn cover soft beneath her fingers, the pages inside yellowed with age.

Engrossed in the brown leather book, she jumped when her phone rang. Vicky's picture flashed across the screen as she swiped it to answer. "Vicky! You aren't going to believe everything I'm going to tell you." Alison didn't attempt to hide the excitement in her voice. "Hit the video button, I want to see your face when I tell you everything!" Vicky's face popped up on the phone, brown eyes set against caramel skin. Her BFF swept her dark, thick hair away from her face.

"Al, wow! I guess things are better. OMG! Did you meet Rodham?"

Alison peeked out her door. Her mother was in the kitchen setting the coffee pot for morning. She closed the door for privacy. "Yes! But there's more." She had to tell Vicky everything, they were best friends who never kept secrets and this was huge. "We broke into our neighbors' apartment. No, actually we stole the key and Rodham went in. He found this old book, and glowing emerald amulet. It's so bright we hid it inside his closet, under a bunch of stuff, but it still glows from around the door. He texted me, his parents don't even notice it. According to the book, we're Slayers because we see it. So I started reading..."

Vicky interrupted, "You've got to slow down."

Alison took a deep breath and repeated the part about the amulet.

"Wicked! His parents don't see it. What about your neighbors? Won't they be upset when they find it missing and why did you break into their apartment to begin with?"

She caught Vicky up on their vampire suspicions. "We were right. The book calls them Bloodseekers. Slayers have the power to destroy Bloodseekers. They each have an amulet and a leather book, it's a journal of each Slayer who wears an amulet and this Slayer has the ability of telepathy. I think it belongs to Rodham. He's been hearing other people's thoughts, seeing things, and the amulet speaks to him."

"That's heavy." Dead silence across the phone, then Vicky said, "You go to Florida and find a supernatural mystery, special powers, amulets, and I'm here in Virginia and nothing. Tell me more?!" Her brown eyes saucers.

"Only Slayers can see the print in the book."

"Show me the book. I want to try."

Alison held it to the phone. "Are you ready?"

"The suspense is killing me, open it!" Her voice rang with excitement.

To tease her, she slowly opened the book, the printed words clear to her eyes. "Can you read it?"

She sighed, the twinkle in her eyes dulled. "No. I see blank, old paper."

She put it down. "I'm sorry, Vick."

"Tell me more, what kind of special powers do they have."

"Garnet red is invisibility, Agate orange is empathic, I already said green, Beryl yellow is telekinetic, Topaz blue can see the future, Onyx indigo is a teleporter, and Violet Amethyst is a healer, the strongest of the Slayers. Red is the weakest."

"What started it? Like, how does someone become a Slayer?"

Alison flipped backwards in the book. "Hold on, here it is. The society of Slayers came together in 1385 in Spain. The Bloodseekers were created through the magic of a dying sorceress in the late eleventh century, in an effort to achieve immortality. In order to live, she needed the blood of others. She was the first, and made more and more in her likeness. The ability to skate by death cost them. Their finger nails became claws under a full moon, their teeth daggers, and they burst into flame in the sun's light. Their eyes no longer saw daylight, but heat from living things. During the new moon when the sky holds no light they are the strongest and most deceptive. These nocturnal creatures lived in the night, seeking and feeding on the blood of others, and grew stronger by number. An opposition group of seven formed and, through the use of a magic spell on seven different stones, one for each color of visible light, the Slayers were born. Their journals and stones can only pass on through a direct descendant, one who can read the journal and see the glow of the amulet."

Vicky's eyes grew huge, and her mouth gaped. "Oh my..." She raked her fingers through her hair and held it back in a hand ponytail. "This is soo interesting!"

"It says that when the Slayers are separated they have to find one another and destroy the Bloodseekers..." At that moment a blinding white light swept over Alison's room. The full moon's light muted by the brilliance. She'd read enough of the book to know Rodham just activated the amulet. A blank screen on her phone stared back at her, and she guessed the burst caused a disruption that disconnected the call. She dropped it on her bed, ran to the living room and skidded towards the front door, then pushed it open and rushed to Rodham's.

Chapter 7

Rodham

Rodham, Rodham...

He pulled the pillow over his head to drown the amulet's call, but the voice was inside his head. No matter what he did, he couldn't ignore it. Tired of the battle and sure the amulet was his, he opened the closet door, knocked the blankets off the box then picked it up. Light radiated outside the seams.

Put it around your neck.

In a hurry, he opened the box and stared at the glowing amulet, now Rodham, now! He grabbed the chain and lifted it above his head. As soon as the amulet touched his flesh, a brilliant white light encompassed his body and shot out at every angle. His body lifted off the ground and spun, his muscles prickled and exploded beneath his skin. Emerald flames erupted from his body, lapping the room and penetrating the window screen.

Two sets of eyes stared at him from outside, one set amber, the other a surreal green. The amber set ducked as fire blazed over her head, the other set belonging to a creature were engulfed as it burned, turning it into a pile of ash, then the flames curled inside Rodham.

In a panic, seeing Alison nearly become a vampire meal, he rushed towards the window to pop out the screen, it was cool to the touch and unsinged. Alison sat on the grass, her head turned towards the pile of ash.

"Are you hurt?" Concern filtered through his voice.

She turned her head and lifted her eyes towards him. "I never saw... I didn't hear it."

He pulled the screen up then dropped it beside the apartment. "Take my hand."

Still in a daze, she grabbed his hand as he gently pulled her up, draping her arms around his neck as he slid her inside his apartment and sat her on his bed.

Alison

Suddenly aware of the danger she'd put herself into, her heartbeat quickened to a steady thrumming as blood pumped like a racecar through her body. She dropped to the grass, staring at the ash pile as the flames curled inside Rodham.

Alison remained in a daze as Rodham pulled her through the window and set her on his bed. His scent aroused her senses, jerking her out of the stupor. "You saved my life."

"The amulet saved you."

"I was talking with Vicky when white light burst through my room - that's when I came outside." She took in his new, greener appearance and placed her hand on the amulet hanging from his neck. "The amulet isn't glowing any more, but you are."

He stepped towards the mirror. "I look like an oversized green elf!"

A beautiful oversized green elf.

"I heard that."

Her eyes shifted towards the carpeted floor. "You're telepathic, that's going to take a little getting used to." Not thinking dirty thoughts about Rodham would be a challenge for Alison.

He walked towards her. "Dirty thoughts. What kind of dirty thoughts?" A coy smile on his face.

"It's rude to poke around in people's minds." Her body at ease and feeling a bit flirtatious, she smiled demurely.

"I hear streams of thought, not just yours, and I don't know how to control it so, unless you want to share your dirty thoughts with me, don't think them."

His muscles exploding more than usual, she swiped the thought from her mind and used all her energy to concentrate on more important things. "You need the book. It will teach you. I've just spent the last few hours reading it and I'm not halfway done. Every emerald amulet Slayer's experiences make up that book. It's a journal."

"It called to me from the closet. I couldn't ignore it. You touched it too, and you can see it, but it's my amulet. That's why it didn't do anything when you touched it."

She nodded, listening to him put the puzzle pieces in place. They chatted for the next hour and she relayed all the information she'd learned from reading the journal. She touched his emerald head. "Our biggest problem is what are we going to do with your green hair?"

"It's late, I'll come up with a solution in the morning." They tiptoed through his apartment so as to not wake his parents. He slowly opened the front door and walked her across the hall in case any more creatures were hidden outside in the blanket of night.

At her door, which she'd forgotten to lock in her rush, she turned towards Rodham and twisted her lips. "Wait here." She scanned the breezeway searching for vampires. "On second thought, come inside." She skipped to her bedroom and brought him the journal, placing it in his palm. "This is yours, and thank you."

He nodded and shuffled his feet in response, unsure how to accept gratitude that didn't belong to him but to the amulet. Rodham left without further comment.

Alison lay in her bed, exhausted, yet thousands of thoughts streamed through her mind. Which Slayer am I? How will I know? How did the Slayers get separated? When sleep finally took her overactive mind she dreamed of vampires.

The following day, she went to Rodham's with the answer to his hair dilemma. He opened the door before she knocked. Creepy.

"I stayed in my room until my parents left for work so they wouldn't see. The razor is ready. I'm ready. Shave it." He couldn't help it, but the mind reading thing was getting on her nerves. She dismissed it and followed him into his bathroom. He took a seat on the toilet.

"Are you positive?" she asked, running her hands over the soft curls, streaked with green that covered his head.

"Do it."

"OK." She turned on the razor and ran it across his head. His curls fell on the floor surrounding him, changing from green to brown as they drifted to the tile floor. Ten minutes later, his head was smooth and void of hair. A vanity mirror lay on the countertop. She placed it in front of his face.

He turned his head to the left, then the right. "Not bad. At least my head doesn't have dents."

"You're welcome. How much did you read?"

He stood, walked into the living room, dropped onto the couch and perched his feet on the coffee table. "Quite a bit. It says when a Slayer first touches their amulet a white light signals all other Slayers."

"The radiation burst hangs up phone calls too," she said as her phone vibrated, remembering her dropped call with Vicky. Alison pulled it from her pocket.

"Hey Vick."

"Hey Alison I tried calling you back several times. What the heck?" Alison placed the phone on the coffee table in front of her and Rodham. "Oh girl. You don't lie, what a hottie!" That's Vicky, she's not shy.

His dimple depressed in his cheek as his lips curled. "I try." He smoothed his shirt, puffing out his extra buff chest.

As gorgeous as he is, we have more important things to talk about, thought Alison, trying not to look and think dirty thoughts. "Rodham, this is Vicky my bestie in Virginia. I was talking with her last night when your light disconnected our call. I told her about the book, and the Slayers, and the vampires. The book calls them Bloodseekers."

"That light was Rodham?!"

He leaned towards her. "You saw it?"

"I saw a bright light when our call got cut short. I thought it was a radiation burst." All three sets of their eyes glanced back and forth to each other.

Alison remembered how Vicky couldn't see the book yet she saw the burst. Puzzled, she asked, "How? I mean, no one here noticed it but me and Rodham. You couldn't see the print in the book?"

"I... I... don't know, but I saw something, maybe it came through the phone. Phones use microwaves right? So maybe it was our connection," Vicky responded, stumbling over her words.

Her explanation made a certain amount of sense to Alison. "Look into his eyes, what do you see?"

Vicky squinted and studied his face. "I see brown, no, there's green in there too."

"You don't see them glowing?"

"Glowing, no. Should I?"

"No. According to the book, when a new Slayer is born their burst of white light sends a message to all other Slayers. So I thought, maybe..." Alison realized maybe shaving Rodham's hair was an overreaction.

"I'm a Slayer," Vicky finished Alison's words.

She turned to Rodham. "Can you hear Vicky's thoughts?"

He squeezed his eyes closed in concentration and sat still for several seconds. On the edge of suspense, Alison held her breath, realizing it, she exhaled.

"Alison's thoughts are strong and I hear streams of other thoughts but I'm not sure if I hear yours. There's too many," he said, defeat written across his face.

Wanting to change the subject, and excited over their or Rodham's first slaying, Alison jumped in. "After our phones disconnected I ran to Rodham's window. I didn't think about the vampires, and I crouched below his window. Green flames jumped from his body, skipping over my head and fried a vampire standing right behind me! I didn't even know he was there, now he's a pile of ash!"

"No way! That is too cool!" responded Vicky, excited over her friend's experience.

"Right! Listen Vick, we gotta go. If he's going to be any use killing more vampires and helping me find my amulet then we need to work on his telepathy."

Vicky puckered her lips and blew a kiss. "I love you! Call me later. This stuff is too good."

While she hung up with Vicky, Rodham grabbed the Slayer book from his room. He flipped through several pages to a spot he dog-eared. It was titled, Controlling Telepathy. They spent the rest of the afternoon practicing the exercises until he could disseminate more thoughts than Alison's. He still needed work at not peeking into her head, although he liked being inside her head.

The twosome sat on his patio as the sun set, trails of color drifted across the sky and the street lights flickered on. A blue car turned into the parking lot. Alison glanced at the emerald amulet hung over his shirt. Reading her thoughts, knowing the blue car contained the vampires, he dropped it beneath his shirt, hiding it in time.

The vampires, or Bloodseekers or whatever they were, stepped out of the blue vehicle. Their eyes drifted towards Rodham, then Alison. Frozen in place, chills spiked up and down Alison's spine. They swept past them in slow motion and rounded the corner towards their apartment.

Rodham

The amulet secure around his neck, its power coursing through his body, he saw them for what they were. Their faces looking more alien than human, long oval spheres with vibrant eyes set deep into their sockets, long finger-like, razor-sharp claws, and elf-pointed ears.

He opened his mind to allow their thoughts in, but they didn't come to him like humans'. So he closed his eyes briefly to concentrate, something was there, but it was fuzzy.

Chapter 8

Alison

Alison finally got a decent night's rest as the vampires remained quiet. In fact, she heard nothing from their apartment, although the eerie quiet made her wonder what evils they were plotting. Her mom bustled through the house as Alison readied herself for school. At sixteen she was capable of getting ready without her, but her mother wouldn't have it. Alison's first day at a new school, everything had to be perfect and organized in her world.

"Al, I made breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day. Eat."

Not hungry, but not wanting to listen to her mother's nutrition speech, she ate the orange slices, nibbled at the eggs and ripped her toast, stuffing a bite into her mouth. The thought of her only child going to school, brought out her overactive mother-nurse instincts. Alison imagined the stress her first day of kindergarten had brought her mother. She knew her mother well. Thus, once she made it home in the afternoon, fed her the details of day one, she'd calm and after a week she'd be getting herself ready for school alone.

Pouring her metal thermos-cup with steaming hot coffee, Alison's mother said, "Your Gran called yesterday. I'm picking her up from the airport tomorrow. I have to work, so you'll have her all to yourself for a few days." Gran, her mother's mom, was the coolest grandmother on earth. She and Alison had a tight bond and unspoken language. Simple glances between them said more than words.

"Really! I love Gran. How long is she staying?" Alison said, excited enough she stuffed another torn piece of toast in her mouth.

"You know Gran, spur of the moment, and who knows. She comes and goes on a whim." Gran was a free spirit and full of energy. At seventy, she acted like twenty.

"She'll be here when I get home tomorrow?"

Her mother nodded and kissed her cheek. Alison grabbed her empty backpack and scooted out the door. She walked past Rodham's apartment and realized somehow she'd avoided introducing him to her mom. In fact, she'd skated past telling her anything about him. That wouldn't last much longer. At some point she'd pry it out of her.

Rodham's shiny green Charger was parked outside his apartment. It wasn't a lime green or the ugly olive green car makers used in the past but a shiny emerald. The same color as his eyes and the amulet. She wondered if the amulet hadn't spoken to him when he purchased the car. Coincidence? She gazed towards her silver Corolla. Silver wasn't even a Slayer color. She chalked up his green car to coincidence.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear Rodham sneak up behind her until her body was floating off the ground, held in his firm grasp. She recognized his scent as soon as his fingers touched her waist, subduing her immediate fear. "Good morning to you, too."

He set her down and spun her around to face him. "Why don't we ride together?"

Ride with him. Now that would make an awesome first impression at school. "Sure."

His emerald eyes beamed towards Alison, his active mind once again reading her thoughts. "Don't worry about being the new kid, I know everyone."

Reading my mind again. He couldn't yet help it, she reminded herself. The bond between them was extra strong.

She climbed into his car and texted her mom, hoping she wouldn't need to explain later: Riding to school with neighbor. Her finger hovered over the send button. If she didn't send the message, her mother would wonder why her car was in the lot still. She pushed the send button and watched as the message status changed to sent.

When they arrived at school, expensive cars and well-dressed students cluttered the parking lot. Alison looked at her own clothes, a pair of jeans, probably last year's style as they'd bought them at the St. Augustine outlet mall, and a mauve geometric cotton blouse also bought at the outlets.

Don't be intimidated. Their parents have money but there's other kids here like us. Instead of speaking it, Rodham planted the thought in her head.

The message took her by surprise. Implanting thoughts was more powerful than listening in on private thoughts. How did you do that? she asked through her head, knowing full-well that he was listening.

I've been practicing. He turned towards her, smiling wide with pride at his new ability.

Alison thought of all the ways planting subliminal messages might help them with the vampires, although, at this point, neither knew if his mind reading ability stretched to them.

She glanced at Rodham in his denim shorts cut just below the knee and simple blue T-shirt. The sleeves tight around his swelling biceps, and doubted his clothes were designer label.

They maneuvered through the parking and he telepathically asked her to take out her schedule. She found the talking in her head thing cool but a little creepy at the same time.

He gave her a quick tour of the school, walked her past all her classes. She knew she wouldn't remember them all - the school was huge, much larger than her high school in Virginia - but was thankful for his help and his company. Until meeting Rodham, she imagined her first day very differently, more like her twisting the map all directions to figure out where on it she was and the path she'd take to the next class. And she certainly hadn't expected any friendships.

Every couple minutes, they stopped as Rodham clutched hands with a buddy or returned a hug from a girl. He introduced Alison to more students than she'd known throughout her entire school career.

"What's up with the shiny head?" came a male voice from behind them.

They turned and Rodham clutched an Asian boy's hand in his. "Trying something different."

"See you at practice?" the Asian boy asked. His brown-black eyes twinkling in the daylight. Alison observed his fine features and thought him almost as beautiful as Rodham.

Rodham shook his head. "Not this year." He turned towards Alison. "You meet Alison yet?"

Sheepishly, she peeked up at him through her ginger bangs.

"Hey Alison, Adrian." He passed her a crooked smile, his eyes shooting to Rodham then back to her. "See you at lunch then."

The bell rang and the group went their separate ways. She drifted from class to class, each one the same; review rules, get assigned a large heavy book, and listen to the other students talk about their summers, exotic places they visited, and overall catch-up. Alison sat quiet, scooted into a seat in the back, and made herself as small as possible.

Third period, a blonde girl took a seat beside Alison. She turned to her and smiled, exposing beaming white teeth. Her dazzling sapphire eyes locked onto Alison's amber ones. "You're Rodham's friend. I'm Lacey."

"I'm Alison."

"So you're new. You're going to love it here! I moved here two years ago when my dad's job transferred him. I hated it at first, then I made friends." Her bubbliness effervesced and comforted Alison.

They talked for a few minutes until their teacher cleared his throat. The discussions around the room lessened until everyone stared at the teacher. He introduced himself as Mr. Tucker. His dark hair streaked with gray hung just below his ears and his brown eyes intensified as he spoke. He wore a blue-striped dress shirt tucked into a pair of tan slacks and a solid baby blue tie. A beard of dark brown-gray hair was trimmed into a stylish goatee. Instead of the usual rules spiel the other teachers made students suffer through, he asked a series of 'what if' questions, calling random names from his roster.

"What if you fell into a black hole?" Mr. Tucker scanned the roster then looked directly at Alison. Oh crap, she thought, wishing she was invisible. "Alison Parker."

Put on the spot, she tried not to misplace her voice or stutter her words - she'd lose any chance of friendships. An automatic response to public speaking, or speaking to an unknown crowd, she scrunched downward in her seat. Lacey smiled at her, and mouthed: "There's no wrong answer."

"Umm..." she stammered, afraid to speak, but she knew enough about black holes from reading sci-fi to answer the question. Nervous, she bit her bottom lip, looked at Lacey's sweet smiling face and began. "A black hole is created from the death of a supergiant. Once nuclear fusion inside the star makes iron, the process stops, unable to fuse into heavier elements, then the star supernovas sending elements into space and the core of the star implodes causing a black hole. Its gravity is air tight. That's why it's called a black hole. The gravity is so strong I'd be squashed before I actually fell into it."

Her answer triggered a stream of thoughts about Slayers, each Slayer a color of visible light. When they all got together, did they produce a rainbow? How did the ancient witches harness the power of light? And what are the consequences of Bloodseekers getting their hands on the amulets?

Mr. Tucker lifted his chin and shifted his tie, then nodded his head. "Impressive." He then shot off another question and called another student's name. Alison's anxiety lessened and she relaxed, returning a smile to Lacey.

At the bell, Lacey asked her to join her during lunch. Like every school cafeteria the mixture of sweat, food and body spray lay heavy in the air. They scooted through the lunch line, talking. Lacey loved reading fiction too, and Alison relaxed even more, deciding school in St. Augustine might be better than school in Virginia, except for missing Vicky. They discussed their favorite books and movies, and took a seat at a table filled with other girls.

Rodham leaned over her shoulder, his familiar scent tingling Alison's senses. The girl sitting next to her scooted over a seat, giving room for him to drop his tray onto the table and plopped onto the chair beside her. "I see you've all met Alison," he said, then took a bite of his apple.

A girl across from Alison, with thick onyx waves tousled over her shoulders, narrowed her eyes and threw visual daggers at her. "She just sat down, nobody knows her yet."

He smiled at her. "Veronica, how was your summer?" He ignored the tension in her voice and her comment.

"It was great." She stood, grabbed her tray and stalked towards another table filled with guys with tight haircuts and designer clothes - jock types. She took a seat, and flashed her steel eyes, glancing at Rodham then Alison.

Veronica is full of herself, she's bad news. The thought streamed into Alison's consciousness.

During their thirty minute lunch break, Adrian joined the table capturing Lacey's attention. Alison, curious and intimidated by Veronica, glimpsed her a few times from her peripheral vision, she flirted with the jocks in an exaggerated fashion, like she wanted to cause tension.

By sixth period, Alison was ready for home, then Rodham walked in and took a seat next to her. They mindtalked for a few minutes until Veronica walked in, swaying her hips as she shot blades at them with her steely eyes.

Why does she hate you and me? She doesn't even know me, Alison asked with her mind.

She chased me all year, last year. I took her out once, hoping she'd leave me alone, but she gave me bad vibes. I felt something dark inside her.

Some people are just evil.

All day I've practiced differentiating streams of thought. She's a void. It's like she's cloaked.

Alison chewed his thoughts inside her head, knowing he was listening. Do you think she's one of them?

No, it's daylight. They burst into flames.

Just a thought. We know supernaturals exist, but maybe there's more types than we know.

Their conversation was brought to a halt as the health teacher introduced himself. By the time the bell rang, Alison bolted out the door, ready to get home. Instead of socializing she urged Rodham towards his car. Piling inside it, they drove home.

Alison walked through the doorway to observe her mother waiting on pins and needles for her to get home and relay her first day at the new high school. She hoped she'd get over the protective mommy thing by the time she reached college, but doubted it. Being an only child was a blessing and a curse.

To ease her mother's tension and make her life a little easier, she told her about her day and Lacey, leaving out the Veronica part. In her mother's excitement over Alison making a friend on day one, she forgot to ask about whom she rode to school with. Alison sighed as she was off the hook again and didn't have to explain Rodham. Their relationship growing more complicated by the day, she didn't know where to start, so was pleased she didn't have to.

She savored not having homework yet and disappeared into her room, ready to bury her head inside a book, and ignore the Slayer/Bloodseeker thing. Two chapters into her book, a steady tapping against her window interrupted her peace. She glanced towards it, not surprised to see Rodham standing outside.

Alison sauntered towards the window, relieved he was there instead of the front door. If he'd showed up at the front door, her mom would have driven her crazy with questions. She smiled and hoped Rodham hadn't heard that thought.

That's why I used the window, he sent to her brain. As she lifted the heavy glass, St. Augustine's hot, humid air rushed through the screen.

"I know you need to practice your telepathy, but can we sometimes have conversations where we actually speak?"

He tilted his head. "Sure. Meet me in the parking lot in five. Wear sweat shorts, a T-shirt or tank, and sneakers with socks - no flip-flops."

His words jiggled in her head like gelatin. All she wanted was to read. "Where are we going?"

He leaned his side against the building, but kept his head facing hers. "Surprise."

She succumbed, curiosity piqued even though her body protested going back out in the heat plus her mind objected to putting her book down. She rummaged through her drawers until she found a pair of shorts, not sweat shorts but nylon gym shorts from her middle school. She hadn't grown much, so they still fit. She hollered, "Leaving for a few minutes," to her mom as she slipped out the door.

He waited inside his car, the radio blasting 93.3. She threw open the door and slid onto the passenger seat. "Where are we going?"

"I've been thinking. If we're Slayers you need to learn fight moves and tone up your muscles. I stay in shape, and because of that my muscles are twice the size they were before I bonded with my amulet."

In the excitement over the past few days she'd forgotten her insecurities, but he brought them back. Is he suggesting I'm flabby? He's right, books are brain food not muscle food.

"You're not fat, but you need to tone your muscles, especially if we're going to be slaying vampires, and you may not have your amulet when we start."

Err... Stop reading my mind!

"You're right, and I've learned how to stop the flow of others' thoughts, a little. I'm still working on it. I promise I'll try harder. I wouldn't want someone in my head, knowing my darkest secrets." He turned the key and his engine roared to life.

"Thank you."

He winked, then backed out of the parking space. Several minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of a gym.

"The guy that runs this place is a friend of my dad's, he lets me in free."

"So this is how you stay fit?"

He half-smiled. "That and sports."

They walked past rows lined with treadmills, exercise bikes, and Ellipticals. More TVs than in a sports bar crowded the walls. Punching bags, benches and weights were set up against the back wall. Her nose wrinkled from the odor of sweat that grew more pungent as they moved closer to the weights and further from the door. She lifted the neck of her T-shirt over her nose, unable to handle the armpit smell anymore.

"You'll get used to it." he chuckled grabbing a sanitizing cloth and wiped down the weight machines.

He started her with baby weights as he called them, doing reps until she felt the burn in her upper torso and shouted no more. Rodham ended the workout with Alison on the treadmill. He stepped onto the one beside her and ran while she walked.

That wasn't so bad?

She eyed him, disdain written over her face, each freckle bearing a frown. My body hurts.

It should, tomorrow we do legs.

My Gran's going to be here. It'll have to wait. She lacked any desire to spend time again in the sweaty-armpit gym of doom so she used Gran as an excuse.

We'll bring her with us.

Err! A part of her knew he would say that.

Evening approached and the sunset descended as they drove home, neither saying a word. She mostly tried not to think, especially about him and how watching him lift weights made her juices boil. It wasn't until they pulled into his parking space that he turned towards her, shifted into park, and broke the silence. "My being inside your head isn't fair so I'm going to let you inside mine. I have something to confess."

She met his gaze. "I'm listening."

His voice gentle, he continued. "The moment I first saw you, I felt drawn to you. I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. You wore a loose cotton T with a butterfly on it, denim cut-offs, purple flip-flops with rhinestones, and your hair was pulled into a ponytail. A few strays fell against your neck, you twirled them between your fingers."

She stared into his emerald eyes, stunned at his confession. "Me?"

"Yes." He wrapped his hands around hers, a warm tingle raced from the touch of his hand throughout her body, then he pulled her closer. Scooting, he filled the gap between them, and tucked the hair falling over her eye behind her ear. His lips brushed against hers, placing a simple kiss on them. Alison's whole body swarmed with activity and desire as it processed his proximity and touch of his lips.

He rested his forehead against hers, flecks of brown skipped amongst the emerald green sheen in his eyes. His thoughts swarmed her mind as he transferred his memories from his mind to hers. His thoughts of her an open book. She glimpsed herself at the beach, the day she stalked him, he wished for her to take off the baggy shirt covering her suit. The day they met, in her Tinker Bell pajamas, he tried to keep his eyes focused on her face, but they wandered over her body.

Her cheeks grew flush from the intensity of his emotions and the glimpse inside his mind. Overwhelmed, she pulled away. "It's too much. I've never... been with... a guy." She glanced away from him.

"There's flames behind your amber eyes."

That's random. "Flames?"

"Yeah, I don't know how else to explain it, but every time I look at you, my eyes are met with fire."

A knock on the hood of his car startled them both out of their moment, they jumped and looked towards a large, dark-skinned man. He strolled towards Rodham's window. Rodham unrolled it. "Hi, Dad."

He pressed his elbows against the open window, his dark eyes smiling, and asked, "Are you going to introduce me?"

"This is... Alison." He stumbled over his words, the parking lot lights blinked off then on as the vampires sashayed past his car. Time slowed as their surreal eyes sucked them in, freezing on Rodham. Time sped and they were inside their car, exiting the parking lot.

Rodham

Streams of thought coursed through Rodham's head. The vampire's eyes unwavering from his. He felt them trying to poke inside his head, attempting to implant ideas that bounced off his brain like a rubber ball. At first their thoughts were fuzzy, he couldn't listen to them as he did humans - who were as clear as if speaking to him. To hear them, he had to relocate the mind-fog out of the way and zero in, then their thoughts flew at him, vibrant and strong with pictures.

You're the one who stole the amulet and hold its power. You killed Lacopo. Her blue eyes darted to the ashen remnants of the vampire Rodham killed, then narrowed and reverted to him. You will pay! I can't see your light but I know your signature. Are you listening? Can you hear me?

Rodham didn't return the thought, as he decided the less they knew the better. He was confused by the signature. What signature? Do vampires see auras? Or was she taunting him to trick him, to find something out.

While he deciphered Blue Eyes, Green Eyes' thoughts also burst through his head. Little girl, look at me, into my eyes, you see me, look at me! Alison's eyes darted from the vampire's to Rodham to his father who continued speaking, his voice distorted with time's deceleration, unaware of the threat lingering behind his back.

Their gaze couldn't penetrate him but somehow they manipulated time. He wondered if they could only do this on a small scale for a few seconds or if they possessed the power to influence large amounts of time.

Alison, I hear them! They know I'm the one who killed their friend. Be careful, they use their eyes to control others. Don't look at them.

Chapter 9

Alison

Alison sat in class, her mind stuck on the moment in the parking lot, Rodham's kiss and glimpse into his private thoughts. The Vampire's eye-lock with him and his warning. How do they know it was Rodham? She tapped her finger against her cheek. How do they know? Then a bomb fell from her brain. Duh, they can't use their eyes to control him!

Rodham, are you listening? No response. Her thoughts returned to the previous night. In an effort to appear normal and not alert his father, they had stepped out of the car and walked towards their apartments, his father inviting Alison and her Gran to dinner tonight. She agreed, unsure what else to say. Gran wasn't in the moment's equation. She hoped she'd be good with it.

Time zoomed and sixth period came quick. Alison couldn't wait to get home and see Gran. Unfazed by Veronica's malicious grin and steel eyes stabbing at her, she sauntered towards her seat. Prickles of pain poked at her face. She glanced at Rodham who offered a warm dimpled smile, and the memory of their kiss last night from his perspective, and she turned her head from Veronica. The needlelike pain in her face disappeared.

What else did you learn about them last night?

Rodham shot her a telepathic message as he kept one eye on Veronica. They see my signature? I don't know what that means. I didn't try and speak to them because I think the less they know about us the better. I am only one of seven Slayers and I don't fully understand my power yet.

She remembered the passage she'd read in his journal 'Their eyes no longer saw daylight but heat from living things.' A heat signature? she asked him.

He rolled his eyes. Could be? They can't take sunlight and are nocturnal so what good is visible light to them? Instead they see our heat signatures. But how is mine different?

They're advanced creatures who see infrared, like the Predators from the movie. She giggled at the thought then straightened up, remembering how lethal the Predators in the movie were. They were hunters, seeing infrared gave them an advantage.

Maybe each of our heat signatures are slightly different and it gives them an advantage over humans. Our blood is their sustenance, so it makes sense that they see each of us differently.

The bell rang on her last thought. She stuffed her books into her bag and zipped it closed. Rodham snatched her backpack, tossed it over his shoulder, and clutched her hand. Warm tingles raced up her body with his touch. Veronica threw a murderous glance Alison's way as she gathered her materials, cut past them exiting the class, then bumped into Alison, pushing her backwards as she flew out the door.

Rodham caught her in his firm arms.

Once home, Alison raced through her front door, dropping her bag in the entryway, and rushed towards Gran who smiled warmly and stretched her arms for a welcoming hug. They held each other tight for several seconds.

"I'm off to work. I wish I could stay," said her mom, joining them. Alison wrapped an arm around her mom, inviting her into the hug.

"I know, Mom. Love you."

She kissed Alison's head. "Love you too, sweetie." She turned toward Gran, "I'm glad you're here." She squeezed her hand and walked to the door, pausing and throwing one last smile their way as she opened it, then disappeared out the door. Gran and Alison sat on the couch, catching up.

Gran's ruby hair was peppered with white, her garnet eyes, more radiant than Alison remembered. She'd always glowed but today she shined like Rodham, no doubt from her excitement. "Gran, umm..." She wasn't sure how to break the news they were going to the neighbors' for dinner.

Gran's expectant eyes searched Alison's. "Yes?"

Alison scrunched her nose and bit her bottom lip. "The neighbors across the hall asked us to dinner tonight, and I told them yes."

Are you ready? Rodham shot Alison a question.

Spider webs ebbed from the corner of Gran's eyes. "Sounds delicious, Ally." Gran always called her Ally instead of Al or Alison. It was her special nickname.

"And I've been working out with my neighbor. He's waiting for me now."

Gran raised an eyebrow. "He?"

He, the magic word that triggered all mothers, including grandmothers. "We're friends. That's whose house we're going to for dinner."

She squeezed Alison's hand and gave her a wink. "Go work out, I'm tired from the flight so I'm going to lay down before dinner."

"OK. I love you, Gran." She hugged her again and ran out the door.

During the workout, Rodham talked with her instead of sending telepathic messages. He made her push baby weights with her legs and finished again with the treadmill. His muscles bulged throughout his regular routine, making her feel extra puny next to him.

At home, she showered and changed, then she and Gran went across the hall for dinner. Rodham opened the door and a bolt of electricity shot between his and Gran's eyes. In disbelief, she stole a second glance. A static bolt of electricity bounced between their eyes.

What's going on between you and Gran?

He ignored her question as he introduced them to his parents. His mother's creamy skin was extra white, framed by her sable hair. His father's complexion was as dark as she remembered from the night in the parking lot. He stood every bit of six foot with muscles bulging from beneath his sleeves.

Barbequed burgers and baked potatoes sat on the table. Alison's mouth salivated and her stomach growled. She couldn't wait to dig in! But she wanted answers about the static bolt that bounced between Rodham and Gran to which his parents were oblivious to. Her mind occupied, his dad said a prayer and they passed the food and condiments. She watched the sizzle between Gran and Rodham as she chewed her burger loaded with mayonnaise, cheese, bacon, and onions on a grilled bun.

Gran shot Alison a glance as she loaded her baked potato with butter, cheese and sour cream. The electric beam swerved with Gran's head but stayed locked on Rodham's eyes. Something very strange was happening and if he wouldn't talk now, she'd pry it out of him later.

After dinner, they strolled home across the hall. Alison, sidetracked by the electricity between Rodham and Gran, forgot about the vampires. The blondish vampire opened her door and shot a death glare at Alison, sending a fluster of chills throughout her body. Her blue eyes locked onto Alison, entrancing her. Come inside, don't be afraid. Alison stood frozen in place, her eyes and the rest of her body refusing to move. Gran clucked her tongue and parted her mouth as if to speak, then closed her mouth and shuffled between Alison and the vampire, lacing her fingers through Alison's. She shook her head, then realized her Gran stood between her and the vampire's deadly gaze.

Alison's instinct was to grab Gran and push her away from the morbid death beast only feet from them, but she couldn't move. Gran smiled at her, radiating warmth through Alison unfreezing her. Blinking away her trance, she remembered the door and fumbled with the lock, neither of them saying a word until the door was closed and locked behind them.

Alison dared not say anything to Gran. She'd read enough books to know vampires used their eyes to control people. She lowered herself onto the edge of the couch. Gran sat beside her.

"What a lovely family, and Rodham is hot." Alison's mind, still in shock and absorbing the strange moment in the breezeway, pushed everything else out of the way. Gran had a way with words, often coming across much younger than she was. This was nothing new to Alison.

Hot. Most people wouldn't expect that terminology out of the mouth of a seventy-something woman, but most people didn't know Gran. "Yeah, I've had a crush on him all summer." It was always easy for Alison to tell Gran personal stuff that she couldn't tell her parents. Pulling a throw pillow from the couch over her legs, Alison sank into the couch. "He kissed me last night."

Gran's gaze tightened and stoic garnet eyes fixed on Alison's. "Ally, I'm not here just to visit you. I have something for you and only you. Since you were a baby I knew you were the one. There's no time to waste." She lifted a silver chain from beneath her blouse, a large red, radiant stone wrapped in silver dangled from it.

Alison's jaw slacked, and her eyes increased to twice their size, her Gran - the garnet Slayer. Not for a second did she realize what that meant for her. Instead, her mind buzzed with every reason Gran couldn't be the red Slayer. She was Gran, not a vampire killer. "How... you. Uh, you're not making sense."

"I know you have questions, so did I, but I had to find the answers myself. You don't because you have me. Ally, I know you and Rodham are attracted to each other, but it can't happen. You saw the electricity between us. Once you put this amulet on, it will transfer to you. There's always a price to pay."

Alison's brain blew a fuse, it was too much to process at one time - especially the part involving Rodham. There had to be a way for them to be together, and she'd find it. Mentally, she put that on the backburner as she reached out to touch the amulet, whispering, "You're invisible to them. That's why you stood between us." The brain-fuzz cleared and a thought tarried on Alison's mind.

Gran slipped the amulet beneath her shirt. "Not yet. Yes, when I took your hand my invisibility shielded you from their eyes. They have a powerful gaze. Once you get caught in it, they can control your mind." She stood, strolled to Alison's room and came back with a journal, it looked similar to Rodham's only it was faded red.

Gran lowered herself onto her spot on the sofa, the cushions still mashed. "August 3rd, 1823, a couple days after the new moon, I awoke to screams within the walls of my parents' home. I ran toward the stairs then stopped. In the darkness I made out a bulk at the bottom of the steps. Cautiously, I took each step until I reached the bottom. My older brother lay at the foot of the stairs. I leaned toward him and pushed him over, blood ran from his neck and pooled beside him. To keep myself from screaming I covered my mouth then stepped over his body, tears streaming down my cheeks and grabbed the fireplace poker."

In disbelief Alison listened. She knew Gran was orphaned, but hadn't heard this version of the story.

"A gurgling sound caught my attention. I tiptoed towards it, and peeked around the corner. My mother lay in the doorway, blood puddling on the floor beneath her. The gurgling stopped. I looked away from my mother's body. A man held my father, blood, the blood of my family, dripping from his mouth. His black eyes shone like marbles. I willed my legs to move but they were stuck. A voice inside my head stopped me from moving. I struggled against it and lost."

"A vampire?"

She nodded yes. "Only their true name is Bloodseeker. I awoke on a cold stone floor and a ghost, Alda, she guided me to the amulet. I never feared her, only the creatures. Thousands of ghosts lived in the house, killed by the Bloodseekers. The house and their deaths were their prison. When I reached for the amulet, a lone Bloodseeker grabbed my arm. A white light from the amulet bathed the room, lighting him on fire. Alda urged me to leave. 'You have freed us. We are forever grateful but you must leave.' I didn't understand what she meant."

Alison curled her knees to her chest, listening, anticipation building inside her.

Gran continued her story, using Alda's words. "'You're a Slayer, that's why you see us. As long as you wear the amulet you will be indestructible and invisible to the Bloodseekers. They won't be able to harm you. Your job is to find others like yourself and slay every last Bloodseeker. Don't ever take it off and keep it protected beneath your clothes. Should it fall into their hands they will use it against you. You see us because you are special. All the answers are in the book. Take it, place the amulet over your head and leave now.' Those were her words and with them, I left, running past Bloodseekers, their claws reaching out for me. Once I made it outside the house, the ground shook, opened, and swallowed the house. The screeches of the Bloodseekers deafened my ears. I walked away, in my nightgown, ripped from their claws. Not another soul stood outside their door or acknowledged the incident. I was the only one. I didn't get it then, but one by one I found the other Slayers and it all made sense."

"How? What happened to Alda and the ghosts?"

"The ghosts were freed, their souls left the house, each a single light, and rose towards the heavens. When a new Slayer is born by grabbing hold of their amulet, a burst of white light shines forth. The purpose of the light is to kill Bloodseekers near the newborn Slayer, as they have much to learn. This gives them time to escape the clutches of death. The light also serves to alert all other Slayers, a new Slayer has been born, and the light, unseen by common mortals, wipes their minds."

"You saw Rodham's light?"

"Ally, that's why I'm here. It's time to give you the amulet, but first I want you to know everything I learned. It's not only about fighting. It's about using the skill the amulet gives you wisely."

Alison rested her back against the cushion. "Did you find all the other Slayers?"

Her warm eyes smiled. "Yes. I did. It took over a century until we all united but once we did we were able to defeat every Bloodseeker on the surface of Earth and any hole where light could find them. We gathered in a circle and held hands. Electricity, like lightening, shot between our grasps and through our eyes until a white ball of light enveloped us and spread across the face of Earth. That was 1933. With the Seekers destroyed, we went our separate ways."

"You're over two hundred years old. Why haven't you aged? Is it the amulet?" Alison asked, her voice rising with anticipation of the answer as she brushed the tiny wrinkles in Gran's face.

"So long as Bloodseekers roam the Earth's surface, you won't age."

"Alda told you if the Bloodseekers got hold of our amulets they can use them against us. We found Rodham's inside the vampires'... err, Bloodseekers' apartment next door."

Gran carefully sidestepped the question. "The emerald amulet was stolen. When one of us passes away we are to gather together and retrieve the amulet if it hasn't yet been passed on. He died early, but his amulet was nowhere to be found. Now we know who stole it."

"If the Bloodseekers had your amulet, why didn't they kill you?"

Gran yawned, and looked at her watch. "Tomorrow. I'll tell you more tomorrow. It's time for me to go to bed and you have school in the morning."

"Gran, you know I won't be able to sleep."

She placed the tattered leather journal on Alison's lap. "You have a lot to read."

Chapter 10

Gran took Alison's bed and Alison took the couch, lowering the lamp so it wouldn't shine into her room, she sank onto the soft cushions, brought the journal to her nose and inhaled the worn leather scent. She ran her fingers over the tattered cover, then opened the ancient journal. Every Garnet Slayer was part of it, their thoughts and battles. One day a descendent of hers would look upon the book with wonder in their eyes as she did now.

Each page a treasure of its own, she skimmed towards the back, searching for Gran's entries. The names and dates ran together until one name popped off the page, Alda, dated 1703.

St. Augustine, September 5, 1703

We found the house, a modest dwelling, with three floors. The waning crescent moon shone above us. Tomorrow would be too late, as their powers were strongest during a new moon when the sky was black. The others hadn't yet caught up, but there was no time. The town would be a blood bath tomorrow. I climbed in through a window and used my invisibility to sneak through the house. Their claws distended already, dagger teeth hung from their gums, their eyes marbled with the lack of moonlight.

Returning outside, I informed James, the Beryl Slayer, of their positions. He concurred and we developed a game plan. We had plenty of wooden stakes and a silver sword apiece, enough to take out the six Bloodseekers inside the house.

We nodded to each other, readied our weapons, and entered through the back door I'd left unlocked. Sliding against the wall, two Bloodseekers, a male and a female, turned the corner. Their eyes glowed as they spotted James, food on their minds. They rushed towards him. Without breaking a sweat, he lifted two fingers and pushed them forward, sending wooden stakes plunging into the Seekers' hearts. They dropped to the floor, inches from our feet. The thud of their bodies against the hardwood floor sent a flood of Seekers in our direction.

I rushed forward, sword in hand, slicing through the neck of one, then another. Their heads fell to the ground and rolled.

"Slayers!" roared a large male Seeker. "You come into my house! You will not survive!"

James lifted his hand, the large Seeker rose to the ceiling. Our eyes focused on their leader dangling above their heads. James curled his hand, distorting the Seeker's body, then flung him forward. His body thunked against the wall and slid to the floor. James was a show-off, he enjoyed playing with his power. With the use of his hands he plastered the Seekers against the wall. They cursed and struggled against him, but he held them firm as I plunged wooden stakes into their hearts. I took a second to look at James, sweat rolled down his face, his shirt was soaked. He wouldn't last much longer. I sunk the last stake into another Seeker's evil heart.

Exhausted, James dropped to the floor. It would be another day or two before our Healer reached us. "James, I'm going to check the rest of the house."

He nodded.

I pushed my way through the bodies and blood, towards the staircase and through the halls, checking each room. A whimper resonated in my ears. It sounded like a small child. I stopped to determine which direction it was coming from, exploring left then right. I felt along the walls - no secret room. But where was it coming from? The whimper stopped, making it impossible to find, and I had to get James to a safe place to rest and regain his strength.

I returned to James, wrapped my arm around him, lifting him to his feet. He stumble-walked beside me to the tree line where I let him down to rest. We continued that way until reaching our lodging.

I laid him in bed. The power drain on him was so much that, without our healer, it would take him a full couple days to recover.

Once he was fed and settled, I went back to the house.

Alda

Alison laid the journal on her chest. Alda was the Garnet Slayer before Gran, she didn't make it out of the house after going back. Alison stared at the ceiling fan, spinning in circles above her head. This stuff is better than fiction. Her becoming a full-fledged Slayer still hadn't sunk in.

A chill prickled her spine. She lifted her eyes toward the screen door. Green eyes silhouetted by a female form, bathed in the moon's light, stared at her through the open patio blinds.

She pulled the covers over her head, heeding Rodham's and Gran's warning, and too scared to move. The blanket, heavy and hot over her face, made it hard to breathe. She lowered it beneath her nose and glanced towards the sliding door. Blank, dark night stared back at her. In fear, she jumped from the couch, scurried into her room and leapt into bed beside Gran.

"Gran, are you awake?" Gran lay curled on her side; Alison gave her back a gentle push.

"You nearly bounced me off the bed when you frog-leaped into it."

"What happened to Alda?"

"You will know in due time."

"She went back to the house. She found someone." Alison kept on, determined to pry the story out of Gran.

Gran rolled from her right to left side and faced Alison, then took a deep breath. "Nobody knows and nobody knows how her amulet made it to the secret room. At first, I thought it was strange the amulet stayed under the Bloodseekers' noses for over a century, but once I learned they only see heat I understood. They were blind to it. To the average human eye all they see is a stone on a silver chain. The average Bloodseeker is nearly blind to it as it emits very little heat, if any at all"

"We see its brilliance." Alison thought for a second. "But they had Rodham's so they must see them."

"In their most human state they may see the stone and, yes, a Slayer sees it shine. So, James woke up and realized she was gone. He took a guess and went back to the house. She'd found a secret section, the door to it open. He walked in on a battle between Alda and a female Bloodseeker. Alda, invisible to her, the Seeker thrust a long sword through the air searching for her. It caught Alda's amulet and flung it across the room. Without it she started aging immediately and became visible to the Seeker who preyed upon her, sinking her sharp fangs into Alda's artery, gulping her blood. Weak but angry, James rushed towards the Seeker, a wooden stake in his hand. He plunged it into the back of the Seeker, destroying her. Alda lay on the floor, her loss of blood great."

"But what about the amulet?"

"After destroying the Seeker, James crawled to the spot where it landed, but it was gone."

"How did James get out of the house?"

"You're full of questions."

"Gran, please?" Her amber eyes begged her to continue.

"I guess we won't sleep until you hear more." She sighed then continued. "The other Slayers were close enough for communication. Emerald made mental contact with James and Alda, whose brain waves had nearly ceased. So Indigo teleported them out, Amethyst did everything he could to bring Alda back, but it was too late for Alda. Her body left the house but her spirit never did as she died in the house, therefore becoming trapped until I released her spirit by taking possession of the Garnet amulet and killing the Bloodseeker inhabitants inside it. The Slayers carried her aged, withered form outside St. Augustine. The low, soggy ground made the trek difficult so Indigo transported them to the watchtower. Today the place houses St. Augustine's Lighthouse. They buried her between the trees symbolizing she would forever watch and protect the city from Bloodseekers."

Sniffling, Alison wrapped her arms around Gran and buried her head into her chest. Tears drizzled from her eyes while her intestines wound into a knot. Awareness of who and what she was settling in her body. "Oh Gran. I don't think I want to be a Slayer."

"Ally, you don't have a choice. It's almost time for me to pass the amulet to you."

If Alda's body withered displaying her true age when she lost the amulet, what would happen to my Gran once she passed possession of the amulet to me? "I can't lose you Gran."

Gran caressed her hair. "Ally, I've lived over two hundred years, slayed thousands of Bloodseekers, and raised a family. It's almost my time."

Alison lifted her head and sniffled. "You'll die?"

"Ally, we all have to die. Alda didn't die because she lost the amulet and aged, she died because the Seeker took too much of her blood. He rushed her aging process. Her ghost was still a young lady."

More afraid of losing Gran than becoming a Slayer, she hugged her tight and fell asleep in her arms.

Good morning! Rodham implanted the thought in Alison's head.

Morning.

You're not very perky today.

Was I ever perky? she wondered. I had a long talk with my Gran last night. She suddenly felt enraged that he hadn't answered the question she asked him telepathically last night, instead he carried on a conversation with her Gran and disregarded her. I'm ignoring you.

He sent her a chuckle. Err... she didn't respond and tried her darnedest to mask any thoughts she was having.

The coach called last night after you left. He asked me to join the team. I was the number one tight end last year, so I'm staying after school for practice. Be by around six for your workout.

She didn't respond to him. Squeezing toothpaste onto her toothbrush she brushed her teeth with more vigor than usual as she was upset, ignoring his comments inside her head. Drops of blood mixed with the paste as she spat in the sink and rinsed several times. She pulled a comb through her hair. It caught in a tangle and she yanked, furious. She squealed as the hair pulled from her scalp, causing pain. Alison dropped the comb and grabbed her keys, accepting the day was a bad hair day.

Gran sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee. She set her mug down, and flashed a smile at Alison. Her garnet eyes carrying the secrets of her past. The thought of losing Gran still lingered in Alison's mind. She would do anything for her and that meant harnessing the power of the amulet, yet at the same time as losing her. Full of emotion, she darted towards Gran and folded her arms around her. "I love you."

"I love you Ally." She kissed her cheek. "Now get. We'll talk more, later."

Ignoring Rodham, Alison drove herself to school. It wasn't simply his snubbing her last night, they couldn't be together. The electric tingle that raced through her body every time he touched her was more than attraction for each other, it was their magic connection. Is that all our attraction is? she wondered.

Third period, Lacey greeted her with a smile. "What happened? I didn't see you with Rodham today?"

"He has football practice after school." It was the truth, even though it wasn't the whole truth. Alison didn't know her well enough to engage in conversation about Bloodseekers, Slayers, and magical amulets, so football practice was the best excuse.

Lacey's wavy golden-blonde hair fell across her shoulders, and cerulean vibrant eyes smiled at her. "Are you going to the game Friday?" She stuffed a stick of gum in her mouth and held the pack towards Alison.

Alison slid a stick out of the pack and crammed it into her mouth. She hadn't considered going to the game. Heck she knew books, not football. "I don't know, maybe."

Lacey rotated her pink glossed lips sideways. "Do you have a car?"

"Yeah," Alison answered, not sure where this was leading.

"Give me a ride to the game and I'll pay your way in return."

That would make her mom all kinds of happy and even though she was still giving Rodham the silent treatment watching his muscled body run across the football field would be a treat. "Deal."

"Cool! What's your number?"

She punched it into her phone and called Alison who saved her number.

"I'll text you directions." She turned around as the bell rang.

Alison's brain was thought central, she had so many questions. 1. Why didn't the Topaz Slayer, the one with the ability to see the future, see Alda was going to perish? 2. Did she/he know my Gran would be the next Garnet Slayer? 3. Should I call them Bloodseekers or vampires? 4. What other supernatural creatures exist? 5. Can the spell binding Seekers and Slayers be reversed? 6. Why are Bloodseekers...

Mr. Turner's words became background noise as she jotted down the questions inside her head instead of taking notes. She'd get those later from Lacey.

"An archaeologist from Flagler College has been digging in St. Augustine. They've found houses... buried under St. Augustine." Alison jerked her head from her paper to his face with such force she strained her neck, causing a dull ache. Houses buried under St. Augustine? Now, Mr. Turner had her attention.

The original Bloodseeker spelled herself to gain immortality. The seven Slayers' light combined, killing the Bloodseekers on the surface of Earth. When Gran accepted her amulet, an entire house of Bloodseekers sank below the surface of the city. They've been trapped beneath. The archaeologist, unknowingly, has dug up the house, releasing the Bloodseekers trapped inside it! She put a line through question three, answering it in her thoughts: Bloodseekers. Vampires were the stuff of folklore, but Seekers were very real. She penned more questions.

7. Is the original Seeker still alive?

8. How will I find the other Slayers?

9. How do we kill them underground?

10. Is he only attracted to me because of the magic? She hoped not.

Sixth period, both her favorite and most loathed class of the day. Normally, she enjoyed mindchatting with Rodham and watching his full lips and dimple when he smiled - that made up for the boring subject matter, monotone voice of their teacher and Veronica's daily visual assault. That, combined with her physical assault, such as brushing past her so closely that her huge backpack hit Alison in the face, stepping on her foot, or any other abusive action she could think of that looked like an accident.

This day, sixth period was torture, Veronica didn't abuse her physically, but watched her with a devilish smile across her face. Alison assumed she noticed the tension between her and Rodham. Rodham attempted to talk with her, but Alison did her best to ignore him, not think about him, and listen to the teacher drone on talk about living a healthy lifestyle.

Alison's safe world of fiction was becoming nonfiction at an alarming rate, and she wasn't ready for it. When the bell rang, she bolted from the class and ran to her car. Tears streaked her face as she drove home, thinking about Gran, and her and Rodham never being together. It wasn't fair, she'd never had a boyfriend, or experienced her first kiss, now she had to give him up. Her world was crashing fast, too fast.

She parked her car and wiped away her tears. Entering the apartment, she ran to her Gran and hugged her as hard as her puny arms allowed.

"Ally, we have plenty of time left," she whispered into her ear.

"Do we? You know this for sure?"

"Yes, once you take the amulet I will age faster, but not so fast that I'll wither and die immediately. Sit."

Alison sat on the couch, Gran beside her. "Your mom left early to cover part of someone else's shift before starting her own. We have the evening to ourselves. What do you want to do?"

"Spend time with you, no Slayer or Bloodseeker talk - just us. Can we forget it all for tonight?"

Gran smiled. "Yes, Ally. We can. But you have to know we can't avoid it forever."

Alison relaxed as she and Gran played blackjack and poker, using candy as money. Alison felt the amulet's pull. It didn't speak in words as Rodham's did, it was more an urge that she stifled. At some point she knew the urge would be more than she could resist.

Rodham knocked on their door a little after six. Alison peeked her eye out the little hole, then pulled the door open. He immediately shot out, "I'm sorry Alison. Your Gran was passing on knowledge to me. I shouldn't have ignored you, but her thoughts are so strong, I couldn't control it."

"Is that Rodham?"

"Yes, Gran."

"Invite him in."

Alison slid the door open and moved to the side. He brushed past her, his hand grazing against hers causing electric tingles to dance through her body.

You think it's the amulet, but I liked you before all of this, he said telepathically.

She liked him, too, before they knew about Slayers and magic. Maybe he's right, it's not the magic but something more.

Gran joined them and they gathered around the coffee table. Rodham took the chair, Gran took the couch and Alison stuffed a couple throw pillows beneath her butt and took the floor.

The electric current between Gran's and Rodham's eyes sizzled and sparked. Gran dropped her hands to her lap and sighed. "The emerald amulet disappeared twenty years ago. The Slayer it belonged to unexpectedly passed away. When that happens, we retrieve the amulet if it hasn't yet been conceded to the next descendant in line. The Amethyst Slayer and myself showed up, but the amulet was gone. We searched and our hands came up empty."

"My great uncle Maurice died almost twenty years ago, before I was born. Was it him?"

"No, her name was Hannah." She cleared her throat. "In 1827 we found her, half white, half black. We bargained with her master. He conceded her for a pretty penny. She was his daughter."

He sat quiet for several minutes. "How come I never heard of her?"

"Records weren't always kept real well. She was pregnant when we found her, and gave the baby up. His skin was so white, a wealthy family took him in. Many decades later your mom was born. The black nearly bred out of her." The crackle between their eyes the only sound in the room.

The silence gnawed at Alison, she couldn't take it anymore, and sought to change the subject. "Tell us more about the moon's effects on the Seekers?"

"They are strongest during a new moon and look most human. As the moon moves away from the sun, during the waxing phase and closer to a full moon, they appear least human-like and become foolish bloodsucking creatures of the night. They go crazy."

Alison thought back to the night the Bloodseekers moved in. The moon was in a gibbous phase. During the full moon they disappeared. Their boisterous partying made sense.

She glanced towards Rodham, his face devoid of expression. He didn't appear as though he heard them talking, staring, eyes blazing towards a blemish on the wall. Alison reached into his mind. Are you there? I'm ready for my workout.

He blinked and shook his head as if waking from a dream. "Let's go." He cleared his throat and stood, his eyes meeting Gran's with a charge. "Thank you."

She nodded in response as they left.

Throughout the drive they mindtalked. After ignoring him all day, she realized how much she relished and missed conversing in private. He saw the story unfold through Gran's words as she listened, the non-magic human way. Last night, Gran filled his head with pointers, since he had no mentor of his own. Guilt and jealousy crept over Alison and she acted selfishly foolish. She apologized.

When they arrived at the gym, she pumped more baby weights and jogged on the treadmill, all the while carrying on a telepathic conversation with Rodham.

Bloodseekers are more difficult to read. It's like their brains work on a different frequency. When I close my eyes, I hear them better and get visions. Last night, one stood outside your window - watching. She can't see your Gran but she knows she's there.

I knew it! Can she get inside?

No, they have limits. That's what my power is for, seeking their weaknesses. They know we took the amulet, that I have it and connected with it...

How did they get it?

That part is still a mystery. I'm getting better at listening to them, but it takes more concentration. Your Gran says St. Augustine is the paranormal hub of America. He ran on the treadmill beside her, not breaking a sweat.

She stopped and wiped her face, perspiration trickling down her cheeks and chest. Did she tell you I can stop working out once I take possession of the amulet?

He cracked a smile. No. But the good news is the other Slayers will be drawn to St. Augustine.

They finished their workouts and headed home. Plenty of lights lit up the parking lot, but that didn't change the freaked out sensation she experienced walking towards the building. When they reached her door, he leaned in and sent a thought: I want to kiss you as much as I can before you put that amulet on. His lips played against hers, gentle and soothing. She melted into the kiss, savoring its sweetness and sparks of electricity. Heels tapping against the pavement interrupted their private moment.

Alison tilted her head towards the sound. Two sets of eyes glared at them from a few feet away. The Bloodseekers moved forward, surrounding them. The blue-eyed one cocked her head, and placed her hands on her hips. She hissed, "So you're it, not much to look at. If we kill you now it might be another hundred years before your replacement is born."

Green Eyes licked her lips, edging closer. Rodham and Alison had no weapons and Gran was inside, probably asleep. Dread and helplessness crept up Alison's spine.

Rodham tucked her closer to him, pushing her head towards his chest. She dreamt of standing this close to him from the day they met, although she fantasized very different circumstances. Energy pulsed inside her as she took in the bulk of his chest, and the steady thump of his heart.

"You won't kill us yet," Rodham spat out.

Blue Eyes cackled and brought her right hand to his face, cupping it. "You stole from us, you will pay."

From the corner of her eye, Alison caught movement behind Green Eyes.

Chapter 11

Rodham

You're mine, both of you! We will drain every last drop of your sweet blood.

Rodham pulled Alison close to him as the Bloodseekers surrounded them, looking far more human than the first time, he saw them for what they are. Their ears had a more rounded appearance, and their faces weren't as long and droopy, but their eyes still gave him chills, set far into their eye sockets with color instead of glowing black marbles.

Hold her still, voiced Gran telepathically, as a bone-chilling scream bombarded his ears and echoed throughout his body. He couldn't tell if it was only in his head or if everyone else heard it too.

The tip of a wooden stake erupted through Green Eyes' chest, ripping her flesh and puncturing her heart. Alison gasped and tightened her grip on Rodham. Green Eyes collapsed backwards into Gran's arms and slid towards the ground where Gran placed her in an upright position, putting her foot against her back and slipped out the bloody stake. She took a few steps in reverse. Green Eyes fell backwards, her head hitting the cement.

Claudia! They will pay!

Walk towards Gran, said Rodham telepathically as he unwrapped his arms from Alison's and took a step in front of her, shielding her from Blue Eyes. Alison stepped away as directed.

Blue Eyes' pupils enlarged as she lunged toward Rodham. In that second, Gran slipped the stake into Alison's hands. Alison jumped between Blue Eyes and Rodham, holding the stake with both hands in front of her. Blue Eyes reached for his neck, grasping Alison's instead, her mouth open, fangs pronounced as they plunged for her pulsing vein.

Rodham grabbed Alison's arms and shoved the stake upwards to avoid the dull end plunging through Alison instead of the Bloodseeker's heart. A surge of noise unleashed inside his head, and he heard the ocean lapping against the shore, a car alarm buzzing, flutters of birds within the trees, and the chattering of many voices. He closed his eyes, focusing on one sound at a time. A distorted male voice floated inside his head, the voice familiar yet too twisted to understand.

His feelers reached out and stretched across the vast landscape. The noises curled inside him, he scanned the area searching for the voice - he knew it was close. It disappeared into heavy breathing and the rhythm of weighty footsteps moving further away until they vanished. Killing the Seeker made his senses more acute, his Slayer power would increase with each kill.

Alison

Alison's sixteen years of life flashed through her mind as Rodham grabbed her hands, pointing the tip of the stake upwards, jarring into Blue Eyes as she lunged for her. A jolt of electricity from Rodham's touch buzzed through her body as the tips of her fangs grazed Alison's skin. "You little witch!" were her last words as the stake went through her heart, sounding like a thousand smashed large bugs.

Her head fell against Alison's shoulder. The only thing keeping the edge of the stake from plunging through her was Rodham's firm grasp on it. It gouged further inside Blue Eyes as he pushed her away. Gran rushed towards her, and eased her to the cement, softening her fall.

The three stared at each other, then at both dead Bloodseekers. The only thing on Alison's mind was how Rodham saved her again from the wrath of a horrible creature. Rodham sent her a message. Do you still have their key?

Yes.

Go get it. They decompose quickly, we're going to put them inside their apartment before any neighbors notice what's happened.

Without hesitation, she jumped over Blue Eyes' body, unlocked the door, sprinted towards her room and grabbed the key from her jewelry box. Within seconds she unlocked their door, and Gran and Rodham dragged their bodies inside, tossing them like trash bags across the floor.

Gran's strength and agility took Alison by surprise, she'd never thought of her as a warrior until this moment. In time she'd take her place and Gran would lose her abilities. Her body would age at a quick pace and... she shook the thought from her head, unwilling to think about it.

The rush of the event pulsed in Alison's veins. She and Rodham killed someone, something, only seconds from taking her life. Gran lifted the hair falling across her neck.

"It's only a surface wound, she barely broke the skin. A band aid and you'll be fine." In the excitement Alison forgot about the graze from the Bloodseeker's fang.

"What would happen to me if..."

Gran interrupted, "You wouldn't turn into one, but we don't have a healer here so you would suffer great blood loss and illness but it would pass in a few days."

She sighed, touching the broken skin. "What does it take to become one?"

"You have Slayer blood and cannot become one. Regular mortal humans can, when a Bloodseeker drains them and replaces their blood with their own. Most humans they drain, sucking the life from them, they don't turn them. It's not known why they choose someone to become Bloodseeker and why others they suck dry."

As they exited the Bloodseekers' apartment, a rustling from the bushes beside the building caught Alison's attention. Gran's arm around her, she looked over her shoulder, but it was merely a man walking his dog. The dark hair with gray strands reminded her of Mr. Turner. She giggled at the thought, then remembered he'd given them homework.

The three walked to Alison's apartment, locking the door behind them. Gran's sober expression said more than words could. She sucked in her breath and searched their eyes, electricity crackling between her and Rodham.

"You both have Bloodseeker blood on your hands. They will find their dead, who will be nothing but bones by the morning, and seek you out." Her eyes shifted, meeting Alison's. "Ally, at the new moon you have no choice but to take this amulet." She lifted the object from beneath her top. "They will wait until then to seek their revenge and destroy you - both of you. That's when they are strongest, and most human in form. They hold no fear, but when you place the amulet on your neck, the light will destroy every Seeker on the surface close enough to burst, and beneath. As long as light can get to them they will burn in flames, turning into a pile of ash."

"I saw that outside Rodham's window, the night he bonded with his amulet."

Gran nodded. "Rodham told me the danger. The amulet spoke to him, now it allows him into the minds of others. You put yourself in danger."

"I saw his white light. I knew what it was and..."

Rodham finished for her, "The fire jumped over her, burning the Bloodseeker. But how did it know if she didn't come until seeing the white light? That happened as it touched my skin."

Gran scrunched her eyebrows, puzzled. "Hmm... Topaz intervened."

Alison's mind sifted through Gran's words, focusing on "most human in form", she'd said this before but they appeared as human to Alison, with the exception of their vibrant eyes. Rodham passed the answer through her head. Once you wear the amulet, you see their true form. You have to do this Ally. It was a full moon and they were in hiding when I took possession of my amulet. I only killed the one...

He'd read her mind, answered her questions, but couldn't stop the sinking feeling in her gut of losing Gran.

Chapter 12

Alison shifted in the plastic seat, last night playing through her mind, the scrunching sound of the stake penetrating Blue Eyes as it sank into her heart echoing in her mind. Magnified by the thought of losing Gran - her rock and mentor. The new moon only a week away, and tonight the football game. Lacey tossed a smile her way and Mr. Turner's voice hummed beneath the surface of her thoughts.

She drifted through lunch and her classes. Rodham's usual jovial humor didn't appease her as he talked in her mind in an attempt to wipe away the glum and doom.

I will be your rock. We, the seven, have each other's backs, we are one - family.

She pulled her lips into a strained smile, appearing constipated instead of happy.

A small thump hit her back, and a tiny ball of paper rolled to the ground beneath her chair. Alison glanced downward as the paper ball came to a stop beside her foot. Her first thought was Veronica. She craned her neck to see around the tall, dark-haired kid that sat between them.

Veronica leaned over her desk, dark eyes concentrating on tiny pieces of balled paper littering it, one rose and hung in the air. No fingers, no strings, it hovered over the others. One by one, each elevated above her desk, and danced in the air, then dropped when her eyes shifted, meeting Alison's. Like a child caught stealing candy, she gathered the tiny paper balls and stuffed them into her backpack.

Did you see that? Alison asked Rodham.

See what?

Veronica. She made paper wads dance over her desk with her eyes!

No way! She's weird, but how could she do that?

I don't know. Maybe she's some type of evil supernatural creature.

He chuckled out loud, catching Veronica's and their teacher's attention. They were taking a quiz, although he'd turned his in, noise wasn't permitted until everyone finished.

"Something funny Mr. Winters?" asked their teacher, as he stood and strolled past Rodham's desk.

"No."

Veronica flashed dark eyes, void of pupils, toward Rodham. Alison's pencil lifted off her desk, and hovered over her hand then plunged into her notepad, centimeters from Alison's thumb. She watched with a mixture of disbelief and horror.

Rodham watched the entire episode while their teacher didn't see a thing as his back was towards Alison. Rodham's eyes grew into green saucers, sparking light, watching the twenty second episode. There's no light in her, only darkness. I can't read her mind, but sometimes I see broken images. I don't know what she is, but she's not one of us.

As if worrying about her new found responsibilities, and Bloodseekers, wasn't enough, she had a new, profound, confessed enemy - Veronica.

After school, Rodham had football prep for the game, so Alison rushed home to Gran, anxious to tell her all about her experience with Veronica. She flung the door open, discovering the apartment empty. A note on the refrigerator said they went out for a late lunch. She'd lost track of time and mom's schedule - she was off today and tomorrow. That'd make talking with Gran about Slayer stuff difficult.

She relied too much on Gran, who didn't have a mentor but learned it all through the journal and experience. If I am to take possession of the amulet on the new moon, then it is high time I learned on my own. The journal lay inside her nightstand top drawer. She pulled it out, curled on her bed, tucking a pillow beneath her head, and opened the first page. It had to contain something about other supernatural creatures with the power of telekinesis and who knows what else.

All her bookworm years served her well as she dug into the meat of the journal, quickly reading through hundreds of Alda's and Gran's experiences. I'm a third generation Slayer, as are the other Slayers of my generation. But where are they and how soon before we find each other?

The original seven were made to rid the Earth of Bloodseekers. The amulets created and spelled were scattered across the globe, as a test of their commitment they each had to find theirs. As a group, they sought their lights, fighting Bloodseekers along the way, taking possession of their amulets as each was found. To speed up the search, they separated into groups of two and three, one Slayer with their amulet per group. Alda and James were one group. Once each possessed their amulet and power, all seven were to rendezvous in St. Augustine.

James and Alda were the first group to reach St. Augustine. Alda was killed before the others reached the city. The original seven never had the chance to combine their light. It was over a century later when Alda guided Gran to her light. And nearly another century before all seven combined for the first time, each with their amulet, finally joining their lights and sending a burst of white light across the globe, destroying every Bloodseeker on the surface.

A Bloodseeker-free Earth prevailed and the seven split. Alda and Gran wrote of witches of the darkness and light. Descendants of the original Sorceress who created the Bloodseekers are called witches of the night, a black void inside them, and a tricky mind to read which served to protect the Seekers. The witch descendants of the original witch who spelled the amulets for the original Slayer seven are called witches of the light, they fight alongside the Slayers, balling and creating light within their fists.

Is Veronica a witch of darkness? Remembering Rodham's words, I can't read her mind but sometimes I see broken images.

She read on further. There are three ways to kill a Seeker; slicing off their head with a silver sword, plunging a wooden stake through their heart, and white light. The legends of Holy Water, crosses, and garlic do little but slow down a Seeker. To rid the Earth forever of all Seekers is to destroy the original Sorceress, the mother of all Bloodseekers and witches of the night.

The seven silver swords can be found hidden beneath the Cathedral Basilica in St. Augustine. Alison didn't recognize the name, so she grabbed her tablet and did an internet search. The church is located inside the city, across from Flagler College. She'd seen the college. A black chain fence with spiked balls that reminded her of cannonballs surrounded the college. And a statue of Henry Flagler stood outside the front as if guarding it. Bloodseekers won't go inside a Catholic Church. Maybe there was more to Holy Water or Holy entities than the Slayers realized.

"Al. We're home." Jolted from her thoughts, she slipped the journal into its drawer.

"Hi Mom, Gran." Mom wrapped her arm around Alison's back and gave it a quick squeeze. "Gran's been trapped inside this apartment so we went for fresh air. Tomorrow we'll all do something together. How was your day?"

Alison sent Gran an eye smile, she wished for Rodham's gift so she and Gran could carry on a telepathic conversation. Gran returned an eye smile of her own and a knowing nod.

"It was normal, but tonight I'm picking up Lacey and we're going to the first football game. It's a home game."

"Sounds fun, happy to see you making friends."

"Where are we going tomorrow?"

"I thought we'd go to the Fort, maybe learn a little history. I've read that it was built in the late 1600s to protect the city from pirates. It's made of coquina, a shell native to the area... "

Alison's mind wandered as her mother continued the history lesson. She absently interrupted, "Can we see the Cathedral Basilica too?"

Gran shot her a glance with eyes narrowed. Mom didn't notice as she waltzed into the kitchen, stuffing their doggie bags into the fridge. Alison mouthed to Gran, "I've been reading."

She nodded a yes and mouthed, "Don't involve your mom. She can't know."

She scrunched her eyebrows. Telling mom wasn't part of her plan. Why not tour the church? What was going to happen?

Gran waved Alison towards her bedroom. She plopped on the edge of her bed as Gran closed the door and scooted in beside her. "Ally, you can destroy the Seekers with your light on the new moon, only after possessing your amulet can you acquire your sword."

"I didn't see that in the journal."

"You haven't read it all. After you put the amulet on your neck, you can possess the sword. It's heavier than you can hold and, like the amulet, it will bind to you when it's time. The garnets in its handle will spiral into a red light, connecting it with the garnet in your amulet, giving you the ability to wield the sword."

The door creaked open and mom's head poked through the crack. "This is where you two went. I was in the living room talking to myself. Is there a secret here I'm missing?" She chuckled a little, then studied their faces for an answer.

"Just a little grandmother/granddaughter bonding." Gran kissed Alison's cheek then stood.

Mom pushed the door open wider and pulled a $20 bill from out of her pocket. "This is for the game."

"Since I'm driving, Lacey is paying for our tickets."

"You may get hungry." She tucked the money into Alison's hand.

Her first high school football game. In Virginia, Vicky and Alison spent Friday nights watching movies and indulging on popcorn, pizza, and enjoying the sugar rush of soda.

The parking lot was a mess of wandering teens and bad parking jobs. Thankful her car was small, she squished into a tiny spot between a brand new SUV and a convertible. They maneuvered through the teenaged crowd to the open gates where Lacey bought their tickets, and instead of sitting they mingled with the crowd. She barely knew anyone. A few she recognized from her classes, but they all knew her as "Rodham's Girl".

The title made her feel special, until she remembered that title would be short lived once she accepted and bonded with the amulet. Her stomach twisted and churned with the thought, losing her first ever almost-boyfriend and Gran. There was no escaping destiny, no matter how much she wished she could.

Rodham caught each pass thrown his way and ran in for a touchdown before half-time. His firm legs and agile feet pounding the grass with each thrust. A few minutes before the half, Lacey leaned towards her ear, "The refreshment stand and restrooms will be crazy. Why don't we go now?" Alison nodded in agreement and followed her lead. Teens stood alongside the bleachers, yelling and hollering as the two squeezed through and down the steps.

Lacey handed her $10 and asked Alison to order while she veered towards the restroom. At the snack vendor, she ordered a large basket of nachos and two sodas. When Lacey arrived, she handed them off to her, along with her change, and bee-lined towards the bathroom.

The bathrooms and food vendors were located on the same side of the field as the home seats. The parking lot behind them. She reached for the bathroom door when a flash of light from the parking lot beyond blinded her for a second. The light wasn't like Rodham's, but stronger than the average flashlight.

Without forethought she walked towards it. The light flashed again. A female form stood at the edge of the parking lot, the tree line behind it, her hands outstretched as a ball of light balanced on her fingertips. A few feet from her stood another female form, her feet poised to run and hands extended in front of her. The light ball erupted from the girl's fingertips, meeting the other form in her face. From Alison's position she identify either female. Were they students? Bloodseekers? A witch of the light? She accepted that her mind was distracted and not everything strange was supernatural in nature. Crossing her fingers she hoped for nothing more than teens causing trouble, but she needed to get closer.

There was a small hole at the bottom of the chain-link fence separating her from them. She got down on her hands and knees and forced herself through it. The movement caught both females' attention, their faces turned towards her. And she instantly recognized the one who held the ball of light. Veronica. The other rushed towards her, faster than any human, teeth bared, her face melting like wax. A Bloodseeker.

Chapter 13

Rodham

Rodham sat in the locker room as the coach mapped out the second half plays and the team manager gave them each a bottle of water. His mind was only half focused. He'd seen Alison in the bleachers with Lacey, and Veronica a few rows over and below. After Veronica's display at school with the paper wads, it worried him that on the field he couldn't protect Alison.

All he could do was use his gift to listen in, still not able to penetrate Veronica's barrier. Her mind was a void, a deep, dark abyss filled with nothing. The journal talked about witches cloaking their minds. Watching her today, he was nearly positive she was a dark witch or a witch of the night as the journal called them.

The voices he'd heard tonight both helped him with the game and made it difficult to concentrate. He didn't consider it cheating that he knew the opposing team's plays. It was his firm grasp that caught the ball and his powerful legs that carried him over the line into the end zone. Focusing on the game took his attention away from Alison and other voices. Bloodseekers had a unique signature to their brain waves, very different from humans. Still fine tuning his telepathic ability, he had some difficulty separating streams of thought in crowded areas, such as the football game.

Jogging to the field, he searched the bleachers for Alison's ginger head. When he couldn't find her he sent out his telepathic feelers that had a channel for her only. Alison! he called with his mind. Alison, where are you? Something was interfering with his communication, blocking him like a thick wall.

Alison

Alison froze, her body halfway through the fence. Within a few seconds the Bloodseeker closed in, blocking her view of Veronica. She tried to scurry back through the fence but the edge of her blouse caught on a sharp piece of broken chain-link. The Seeker's melting face healed as it grew closer to Alison, then something caught the Bloodseeker from behind and flung her into the air and crashing into the trees surrounding the parking lot, landing on a wooden fence post. It gored her insides, smashing through her heart, leaving her impaled body face down, unmoving, on the fence post.

Veronica stood in full view. She lowered her arms, shot Alison a disdainful glare, and strode away. Alison wiggled free of the chain-link, leaving a small rip in her shirt and chased after Veronica. Originally she thought she was a witch of the night but the light ball she held in her hand and her slaughter of the Bloodseeker changed her mind. If she was a witch of the night, her job would be to protect the Seekers, not kill them. No, she was a light witch.

"Veronica, wait."

She halted, her back to Alison.

Alison jogged up to her and Veronica turned and faced her. "I can't wipe your mind. What are you?"

Wipe my mind, what am I? That was precisely Alison's question. "We're on the same side."

Veronica narrowed her eyes. "What are you?"

"You just killed a Bloodseeker and you're asking what I am?"

"I'll do the same to you unless you answer. Now." She folded her arms across her chest.

If she wanted answers from her then she needed to provide her some too. "I am the next Garnet Slayer."

"What the heck is a Garnet Slayer?" Her voice mocked the words.

"You're a witch of the light, right? So you should know."

"What I know is you and Rodham carry similar auras. His is brighter than yours and green. Yours is reddish."

"Because I'm the Garnet Slayer."

"You still don't make sense."

Unsure if she was trustworthy, but with little choice, Alison told her the basics of the story. Veronica glared at her, then her eyes grew soft.

"I've never heard any of that, and have always thought of the beasts as vampires. " She sighed. "When I was very little, my parents died in a car wreck. I was adopted and don't remember anything about my parents. At twelve, I learned I could make things happen through magic. I guess that makes me a witch, but I don't know if I'm what you call a witch of the light."

"You create light in your hands, that's what they do. And your job is to protect, and fight alongside Slayers like me and Rodham."

"That doesn't mean I like you."

"I don't have to like you either, but we need to learn to work together."

"Blah, blah, blah. We can start with hoisting that thing off the fence and moving it further into the foliage."

She tossed the Bloodseeker on the fence post, now wants us to use physical labor to move it? Alison walked towards it, Veronica snickered.

"You thought I was serious. Move out of the way and watch." She caught Alison in the stomach and pushed hard, almost knocking her to the ground. She weebled, then caught her balance enough to stay upright.

Veronica's pupils grew black and she lifted her hands, palms upward. The Bloodseeker's body elevated from the fence post, and lingered above it. She moved her hands to the side, thrusting it deeper into the woods. It thumped as it hit a couple large branches then thunked to the ground. She wiggled her fingers, leaves and loose foliage covering the body. She shrugged. "She'll be bones by the time anyone finds her body."

They walked towards the bleachers, "When did you first start killing Bloodseekers?"

"When I was twelve. I spent most my time levitating objects, but when I first came face to face with one - I didn't even know they existed. This thing charged me, its teeth sharp and pointed. A surge of light went through me, extending to my fingertips. A ball of light burst from my palms. I rolled it in my hands and it got bigger and bigger, electricity sparked from it. I used my power of levitation to throw it towards the vampire. I'm sorry, Bloodseeker." She cracked a smile. "It hit him in the face and melted his skin. Then flames sprouted within him and toasted him from inside out."

Veronica stopped and pulled a phone from her pocket. "I don't like you, remember. So we need to split up or you'll ruin my reputation. What's your number?"

They exchanged numbers. She flipped her dark hair away from her right shoulder and strolled off as if the whole scene in the parking lot never happened.

Alison was left wondering what had happened. She and Veronica had common ground, and within those few moments she began to like her.

Lacey found Alison, the nachos basket almost empty. "What happened to you?"

Lying was not one of Alison's skills and she hoped the darkness of the night would mask her facial expression enough to pull off an innocent white lie. "I left my phone in the car. I should have said something first. I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "That's OK. We need to get back before we lose our primo seats."

They both chuckled as they headed for their "primo seats" on the last row of the bleachers.

Alison! Answer me!

What are you brain hollering for? I'm right here. She waved at Rodham from her "primo seat".

I got nervous when you didn't answer and I couldn't find you. Something blocked us.

This made Alison think. She was with Veronica. Does she have the ability to cloak? He can't read her thoughts... Then she remembered her words, 'I can't wipe your mind'. She has some type of telepathic abilities.

After the game, Rodham scoring the game-winning touchdown, Lacey and Alison stopped for a Smoothie before she took her home. She'd sent a message to Rodham to meet them there. He brought another player on the team, and one of his best friends, Adrian. It was clear through Lacey's actions that she held a huge crush for him. She stumbled over her words, batted her eyes, and dragged Alison to the bathroom to "freshen up". Alison didn't blame her, he was teen man candy.

Once the door sprung shut behind them, Lacey grasped Alison's shoulders. "I can't believe we are sitting with the two hottest guys on the team!"

And they were. Adrian's straight, dark hair fell over his eyes. He'd shake his head and it flopped into place, moments later drifting over his eye again. An uncovered, piercing, brown-black eye stared, hair-free from the other side of his face. His sleeves tight around his chiseled arms. The fine features of his Asian ancestry made him a teen girl's dream. Alongside Rodham, they were a dream duo.

Turned out Lacey carried a crush on him since he'd moved to the area midway through last year. A year older than her, they had no classes together, but he played sports and was well-known around school. He and Rodham, also an insatiable athlete, became friends.

The girls returned to the table to walk in on the guys talking about the game. Rodham sent Alison a telepathic message. What happened earlier? I got flashes of light, a dripping Bloodseeker face and something about Veronica, but it was masked. I wanted to run out of the game and rescue you.

I'll tell you later. We need to fix up Lacey and Adrian. She has the hugest crush on him.

We don't need to do anything. I can read minds. They got this covered. He winked, and his mouth twisted into a dimpled half grin.

Alison tilted her head to face Lacey and Adrian, their eyes glued to one another.

After dropping Lacey off, she went home, exhausted. Gran was asleep in her bed and she didn't want to wake her, instead she sank into the couch, stuffing a pillow under her head.

Fill me in. Rodham demanded.

Now? I'm tired.

Now.

She rubbed her eyes and explained the events of the evening and her thoughts of Veronica being a witch of the light.

Are you sure?

I'm sure she made light in her hands and killed a Bloodseeker. Isn't that enough?

Maybe. She's still a void. Her head is a dark pit and she cloaked your thoughts earlier. She's a powerful witch, but I'm not sure she's good. His questioning attitude was evident, even in their head communication.

Her phone buzzed. What now? She looked at the ID: Veronica. Speak of the witch she's on the phone. I'm going to answer, stay tuned through my thoughts.

"Hi, Veronica. I uh... forgot to thank you earlier for saving my life." Veronica couldn't see the sheepish expression on her face, but she was embarrassed. Caught up in the moment, seeing Veronica use her witchy power, she stood ready to interrogate her after the incident instead of thank her.

"All in a day's work. I've been killing these things for years. Most go down easy. I like to toy with them, watch their faces and bodies melt. Some take a few blasts or wood through the heart."

Alison wasn't sure how to respond to her nonchalant Bloodseeker-killer attitude. To her, they were toys for her enjoyment. She questioned the light witch thing too, except she saw it. "Besides light and levitation, do you have other skills?" Alison's head still positioned on the pillow, she twisted its tassels with her free hand.

"I can pierce their eardrums with sound waves no one else hears. That only stops them for moment. Listen, can you and Rodham meet me tomorrow night? I want to show you something."

Veronica was to the point, if nothing else. Let's do it, Rodham prompted. We'll bring your grandmother's stakes just in case.

"We can meet you. Where?"

"At the flag pole in front of the Tradewinds Lounge, across from the Lion's Bridge." Without a goodbye, the phone went dead.

She's direct and rude. I kind of like her though. The thought drifted through Alison's head and didn't go unnoticed by Rodham.

He responded. Tactless and bossy.

Goodnight, Rodham.

He returned her goodnight and sent a mental picture of them kissing. She didn't need the reminder, as she thought of little else when not entangled with Bloodseekers and witches, but she welcomed the memory from his point of view. Their lips locked, his creamy tongue entwined with hers.

Through the partially open blinds, the light from the third quarter moon washed over the room, reminding her she had one week before taking over the family legacy of the Garnet Slayer.

Her mother's presence denied Gran and Alison time to talk as she hurried them out the door to spend the day window shopping on the streets of historic St. Augustine. The Cathedral Basilica was close. So close she felt its pull on her like the amulet. A desire that burned inside her growing more difficult by the day to ignore. She heeded Gran's warning and didn't mention touring the Cathedral again, because she may not be able to control herself and didn't know how it would affect Gran.

They crossed S. Castillo Dr. to get to the fort, Castillo De San Marcos National Monument. The bright Florida sun burned against her pale skin as she weaved through people. She'd rubbed in a heavy duty SPF before leaving the house, and wore a floppy hat. None of that made the sun any less intense.

The fort amazed her and was worth risking her life to get to. Built in the 1600s out of coquina, a shell native to the area, the age and rough edges of the structure made her realize how very old her grandmother was. Born in the 1800s, half the age of the fort. She envisioned her staking and slashing the heads off Bloodseekers as they lunged towards her, razor sharp teeth bared, claws out as described in the journals. Gran and Alda's stories made them real through graphic imagery.

"Are you hungry?" asked mom, images of the creatures fading within Alison's mind.

"I'm starving."

Mom jerked her sagging purse onto her shoulder.

"I know the perfect place," announced Gran. She winked at Alison.

After a long day, the sun sinking low on the horizon, sweat embedded in their brows, they blended into the jungle of people and crossed back over S. Castillo Dr. To Alison, everyone became a supernatural entity. The tall, flawless lady an elf, the hairy-chested man a werewolf, the short older woman a sprite, and so forth. Now that she knew creatures not completely human existed, she was leery of everyone and the many fictional creatures she'd read about came to life, the onlookers assuming their personas. By the time she reached the stoplight and crosswalk that led across the street, she'd had tagged all the possible supernatural creatures walking the streets of St. Augustine.

Back on St. George Street, a large white two story building stopped Gran cold in her steps. The aromas permeated the atmosphere surrounding them. Alison glanced at Mom, who was nodding a yes to Gran.

Yes! The grumbling in her stomach turned up several notches, awaiting something delicious inside. A white sign with the word Columbia written in squiggly letters welcomed them. Inside was far more spacious than it appeared from the street.

Alison settled into her seat and ordered, her impending responsibilities weighing like the pressure of the Pacific Ocean on her mind. All day she struggled to keep the new moon and acceptance of her Slayer duty in the corner of her mind, and enjoy the time she had to spend with Gran. Halfway into her meal, Rodham sent a question.

I'm here, meet me outside.

Every ounce of her soul wanted the day to last forever. Small webs creased Gran's face as she laughed at Mom's story. Her crimson hair streaked with snow bounced when she laughed.

"You're quiet today?" Mom's question snapped Alison from her reverie.

Caught off guard, she twisted her mouth, and ran her upper teeth along her bottom lip. "I was just thinking how cool this place is."

Mom's warm smile eased Alison's tension. Crisis averted.

Alison?

I can't carry on two conversations at one time. Did you get the stakes?

Of course.

Her days of private thoughts ended the day Rodham bonded with his amulet. Most of the time she accepted it, and loved its advantages. But today she wanted to savor her thoughts and memories of the day, not share them.

She fed Mom an excuse that she was meeting a group of friends to hang out. The fib dripped off her tongue with an ease she didn't expect. Gran narrowed her eyes, tuning into the lie. She didn't know about Veronica, but Alison knew what she saw, and felt safe enough, having seen her kill the beast.

Mom stayed oblivious, elated that she had friends - plural. She wrapped an arm around Alison, slipped another twenty into her hand, clueless to the evil lingering in the approaching night.

A melody of colors filled the sky and the nocturnal air created a moist blanket around her. Street lights blinked on, glowing in muted shades of yellow, casting shadows on the road beneath them. The moon a sliver in the sky.

Rodham stood against the building across the street, a knapsack over his shoulder. Gran's eyebrows formed a V, tossing Alison instant disapproval, wrapping an arm around her she whispered, "Be careful."

Chapter 14

The flagpole outside Tradewinds Lounge surrounded by construction tape, Veronica.s thin frame slumped against the lounge's salmon colored concrete wall. She turned towards them as they approached, loose raven curls spread over one shoulder.

"About time," she mumbled, a hair band hanging from her mouth. Gathering her tresses into her hand, she slipped the band over them and twisted three times.

Rodham stared her down. "So, what is it we need to see?"

"Pushy aren't you?" She shoved off the wall, and sauntered past them towards the road, and kept walking.

Alison followed, it was safer to have her as a friend in close proximity. Rodham shrugged and caught up, clutching Alison's hand in his. Tingles swarmed through her fingers and arm.

I hope you're right and this isn't a trap.

Me too. In his knapsack were Gran's stakes. Alison had slipped her key under his welcome mat as they left in the morning. The stakes were good for killing Bloodseekers, but probably not witches of the night.

Veronica's ponytail swished as she turned left, then right, then left. Alison stumble-walked to keep up with Rodham's long strides. His hand grasped firmly around hers, squeezing her fingers together in his overprotective, manly way. They dodged crowds of people until catching up with her.

Older style homes lined the streets, and the hordes of people disappeared. Bushy trees and hanging branches brushed against her shoulder, Rodham switched sides with her to avoid them walking in the street.

Without turning around, Veronica announced, "We're almost there."

Rodham's long arm reached out and his free hand grabbed Veronica's shoulder, electricity buzzed through him, crackling against Alison's hand scrunched inside his. For a second their combined power ran through her body, jolting it like lightning.

"What the..." His face went white and he dropped his death grip on her hand.

"Combination of powers, hon," she said with a tilt of her head. "That's why you two can never be together." A shrewd smile swept across her oval face. Her steely eyes flickered white twinkles in the darkness.

Shuffled footsteps and scraping against the dirt made Alison's heart flutter. She spun around to watch an older man pulling his trash can to the front of his yard.

Rodham ignored her comment. "How much further?" We'll find a way, Alison.

"It's around the corner. Come on."

A chill ran up Alison's spine as they turned, and a pungent odor assaulted her senses. She clutched Rodham's hand for security. Veronica halted, and slid behind an unkempt tree, she motioned for them to join her.

In a whisper, Veronica asked, "Do you feel it? The chill. Malevolent forces live here. Sometimes I see them walking the night."

"What is that smell?" Alison wiped her eyes as the odor crept towards them, causing water to bubble in the corners.

"Death." A simple enough word, only five letters, but the ring in her voice and the meaning of the word made Alison want to hide her tail between her legs and run.

"You brought us here, at night, to their home?" Rodham's quiet voice grim, his face stern. This was the same area he'd followed his Bloodseeker neighbors.

She rolled her eyes. "Ok, the smell isn't death. It's their pheromones. Lighten up." She rolled her eyes. "Didn't she tell you what I can do?"

He nodded and shook his knapsack. "I'm not helpless."

"They won't do you any good in there."

She had a point. He slipped the sack off his shoulder, dug his hand inside, pulling out a stake, and handed it to Alison. Then pulled another out for him.

Rodham closed his eyes in concentration. "They're everywhere, preparing for the new moon when they... feast." The word lingered on his tongue.

Alison's phone wailed inside her pocket. "Crap!"

Veronica and Rodham's eyes dug blades into her as she yanked the phone from her pocket and turned it off, but it was too late. A figure, tall and lanky, loomed behind Rodham. He turned on his heel, both hands on the wooden stake in front of him.

The figure moved closer.

Behind you, Al. Another crept towards her. She lowered her torso, the stake in her hands. Several bodies skulked from out of the shadows, surrounding them.

"Look what you've done, Al," said Veronica with a sigh as she dusted off her fingertips.

A male, average height with a thin muscular build, ambled towards them through the darkness. His face silhouetted by a sliver of the moon's light. A long, rectangular face, evenly set eyes and a straight nose. From where Alison stood he looked like a hunky male human. One of them spoke in a low throaty voice:

"Those weapons won't do you any good."

His words hung in the humid air. With each step, they moved closer. From the corner of her eye, Alison saw light, no bigger than a keychain flashlight.

"Move away," said Veronica, her feet crunching the thick blades of grass. "This light gets much bigger."

The light cast a glow on the one in front. His cobalt eyes stared into Alison's. Walk with me, he commanded inside her head. She knew better, the journal and Gran warned about their eyes, and now she was under his spell. Her legs and feet moved but not under her power. Drifting towards him, she tried to close her eyes and stop it, but she couldn't. It was too late. She heard and saw no one else but him. Part of her wanted to panic, scream and run, the part under his control was relaxed.

Suddenly, he doubled over, clutching his ears. Alison's senses came back online, voices rushed at her. "Run!" Run Alison. Her feet pounded the Earth, away from the Bloodseekers. Lights flashed behind her, illuminating the sky. She didn't look back as she sprinted several blocks before realizing she'd abandoned Veronica and Rodham. Ogling her surroundings, she was lost, nothing looked familiar.

Out of breath, her heart racing like a Nascar driver, she slowed to a walk, her hand still clutching the stake. Houses surrounded her, but in the distance were bright street lights, downtown - business - life. She ran towards them, focused on getting back to humanity.

People milling the streets was a welcome sound as she skirted past St. Augustine's nightlife. A couple walked towards her, nipping each other's lips. She turned away from them and slipped the stake into her waistband, pulling her shirt over it.

Horse drawn carriages clopped against the road; pirates in full costume mingled outside the local taverns. She sighed at the relief.

Safety, a relative word at the moment. The security she felt wrapped inside the night life of St. Augustine brought forth a new fear. Rodham. Is he OK? Where is he? How am I getting home? At the moment, she hoped he was OK and tuned into her private thoughts, but she didn't hear him - only silence.

Lost in her thoughts, panic setting in, and a car slowed to a crawl behind her. The headlights beamed against her back. Panic times three. She escaped Bloodseekers, lost Rodham, and now was about to get kidnapped. Her eyes darting everywhere, searching for options. She could go straight instead needed somewhere the car couldn't follow.

It pulled up beside her and someone shouted from inside it. "Alison?"

Rodham

Alison sprinted out of harm's way. The Bloodseekers recovered quickly from the ear-splitting noise and rushed towards them. Fangs bared and pointy tongues licking their lips. Deformed, wrinkly hands, sharp claws distended from their fingertips instead of nails, and onyx eyes devoid of pupils. Rodham held the stake, combat ready, to gorge whichever dared approach first.

Thoughts of rage emitted from the strands of their vile brains. You will pay, you're mine, ricocheted in unison as each carried the same thought.

Veronica and Rodham stood back to back, moving in slow circles. An abrupt burst of light erupted from behind Rodham. The Seeker closest raised his yellowed, weathered claw over his elongated face. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Rodham thrust the stake into his heart. It crunched through his frame, along his ribs, and gurgled as he pulled it out, poised to spar and take them all on.

Crimson dripped from his hand, Veronica grabbed it. Electricity diffused through him, expelling through his fingertips in a web of lightning, detonating against the Seekers, penetrating their cores. Like wax, their bodies melted, puddling on the trampled grass.

Rodham's feet levitated off the ground, and his head jerked backwards, his mind entering the dark cave of Veronica's mind. An overpowering sorrow filled him as the wail of a small baby screamed through the gloom. An obscure light, no bigger than a pin, opened through the blackness of her mind.

He floated through as an onlooker, having no control over his extremities. The baby's cry continued as he drifted towards the light. The pitch blackness was too dark for him to discern if anyone or anything was close by, or to see the baby.

The pin-light enlarged as he glided towards it, shielding his eyes from its blinding glow. His body shifted and squeezed through the light portal. Its intensity forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut. The baby's wail changed to joyful coos.

"We gotta go now!" echoed inside Rodham's head, jerking him out of her mind and into the present. Veronica's eyes bored into his as she released her grasp and sprinted around the corner. Dazed, he shook it off and followed her. His long strides allowed him to catch up to her quickly and his stamina gave him the ability to pace himself with her. They raced through the darkness, following the same path they took into the subdivision of Bloodseekers.

When they reached the parking lot, Veronica bent over, hands on her knees as she took several deep breaths. The magic of the amulet allowed him to stroll alongside her, breathing light and easy.

He gave her a minute to catch her breath, then blasted her with a question. "How did you know to take my hand?"

She brushed the bangs out of her eyes and lifted her torso. "I didn't. When I touched you earlier we sparked. I took a chance." She shrugged her shoulders. "It worked. My light spread through you, fusing with yours, and we baked them inside out like a microwave dinner."

After that description he wouldn't be eating any microwaved foods until the vision cleared from his head - maybe never. "What are you?"

"Alison calls me a witch of the light, but I don't know. I pursue Bloodseekers, and toy with them mano a mano, or two on one, making them suffer before pulling their plug in a gruesome death. This is part of me, and I can't stop it. Another part of me feels great sadness when I look at their dead, decaying bodies, like I've killed a sibling. I'm two parts of a whole lot of messed up."

She sighed. "I couldn't take them all on, not the ten or so that rushed towards us, and your stake wouldn't have been enough. But together our energy compounded into a small nuclear blast."

Alison. Where is Alison? He reached out to her through his mind, but couldn't find her signature, the cord that contained her string of thoughts was severed. He pulled up nothing, his eyes darted back and forth, scanning the flagpole and surrounding area. "We need to find Alison."

She rolled her eyes. "I guess we do."

He'd had all of Veronica's perky sarcasm that he could handle for the day. "My car's not far. Do you need a ride?" He hoped she'd say no, yet knew he needed a second set of eyes searching for Alison.

Ignoring his question, she marched towards a bush and dug through it, pulling out a bicycle. She steered it towards him. "We can put this in your car and hunt for your girlfriend."

They walked in silence to the lot where he'd parked. Once they reached it, he beeped the car locks and her eyes lit up. "Oh, I get to ride in your shiny green Charger. Every girls dream." She jumped up and down and clapped her hands, mimicking joy.

"And if you play nice maybe I'll let you sit in the front seat."

"Oh boy, oh boy!" She did an eye roll as she opened the door and took a seat - shotgun.

They cruised slowly up and down the city streets, their eyes peeled, as Veronica jeered, 'Slow down, I think I see her. No, sorry, not her.' Each time he bought it, desperate to find Alison.

After the fourth time he took her home, his heart thundering up and down the tracks of a never ending rollercoaster. She lived in the same subdivision, only further back. The lawn was manicured to perfection and a string of bushes shaped like boxes against the house.

He pulled the Charger alongside her driveway and she tilted her head towards him. "I'm sure Alison is fine."

He nodded and unlocked the trunk. "You can get your bike."

She stepped out of the car, went around the back and lifted it out, strolling up the driveway towards the house. Resting her bike against the garage she formed a tiny light ball in her hands, carving her lips into an O she blew it towards him.

The small lightning bolt hit the vehicle, grounding through the tires, and Veronica's voice came through the speakers, "Thank you."

Alison

The female voice was familiar. Alison stopped and turned on her heel. Through the windshield she recognized the blonde tresses and blue eyes. "Lacey?"

"Get in the car." She stopped, allowing Alison into the passenger seat. "What are you doing?"

"I... umm... it's been a long night. Whose car?"

"My mom's. She sent me to pick up food from her favorite restaurant. I'm her errand girl." Her familiar smile warmed Alison and the aromas of the food wafted towards her. In the back seat were four white, sealed Styrofoam cartons.

"I was here with Rodham and we got separated. We were with Veronica, walking in a subdivision I guess, but the homes were old. A gang of guys surrounded us. We ran and that's when we got separated. I don't know where he is and don't know how to get back there." The fibs came easily now. Enough practice, anyone can become a pro at whatever their heart desires. In this case, the fibs were necessary.

Lacey raised an eyebrow. "Veronica. She's bad news, there's something creepy about her."

"You're right, but I thought I'd give her a chance. This isn't her fault." It was my fault for not turning off my phone.

"Forget Veronica. You're on foot. We must be close."

"You have food to get home. I'm grateful you found me."

She shrugged. "My mom will get pissed, but why don't we take a short drive around before going home? I'll just tell her traffic was bad."

"You'd do that?"

"It's no big. It's what friends do, help each other."

Alison searched every face, turning her head twice when she saw someone resembling Rodham. A bouncing pony tail caught her eye, giving her hope that it was Veronica. As they cruised past, the pony tail belonged to a face much older. Her hope vanished and worry ate at her insides, snaking around her heart.

The city vanishing behind them, Highway One opening before them, she imagined Rodham home when she got there, his cute dimple teasing his cheek, and emerald eyes searching hers.

When they pulled into the parking lot she craned her neck searching for his Charger. Her heart sank deeper inside her chest when it wasn't there.

"He's OK." Lacey turned to Alison as she shifted into park.

"Yeah, he's probably looking for me." She forced a smile. "Thanks, Lacey." She climbed out of the car and ran-walked to the apartment, searching her pocket for the key. Empty. She groaned, remembering she'd slid it under Rodham's doormat. She hoped he'd put it back. The night gave her the creeps, and every sound made her jump.

She pushed her foot under the mat and tipped it, the key was there. She picked it up and scampered to her door. Chills chasing her spine as she fumbled the key into the lock. Footfalls walking towards the breezeway hurried her process. Hurry up! She got the door open, her heart thumping like a rabid hyena, when a hand touched her shoulder, electricity blazing through her body.

"You're OK."

She turned and wrapped her arms around Rodham's brawny middle. "And so are you. I thought..."

His arms folded around Alison, resting his chin on her head. "I couldn't read you for almost two hours. Your thoughts came back when you were with Lacey, almost home."

"What happened tonight?"

"Hmm hmm..." A familiar throat clearing. "Mom." Alison's eyes and arms dropped as she faced her parental unit. Rodham tucked his arms to his sides.

"Al, are you going to introduce me?" She forced a smile. Alison had avoided Rodham conversations, now she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"This is Rodham. He lives across the hall." She bit her bottom lip.

"Hi, Ms. Parker. I was just bringing her home."

"She's home. Thank you." Mom grabbed the side of the door. Her way of saying the reunion was over and Alison had explaining to do. Having a boyfriend wasn't the problem - keeping him secret was. On the bright side, she still had the twenty dollar bill her mother gave her earlier.

Rodham nodded and walked across the breezeway to his apartment, turning once as Mom shut their door. His face vanishing from her sight.

"A boyfriend, Al?"

She bit her bottom lip. "Yeah, kind of." Several lies waltzed across her mind, but none that sounded realistic enough that her mom would be gullible enough to believe.

"Sit down." She motioned to the love seat, and followed Alison to it, taking a seat beside her. "Al, you can have a boyfriend, but why haven't you told me about him?"

Time to spill her guts. She dodged the crazy Bloodseeker/Slayer stuff, choosing her words carefully. "At first he wasn't. He was just the hot guy across the hall, but we were both so annoyed with the crazy neighbors we started talking. And well... we kissed. We're not... going steady, like you and dad did."

She nodded, a wide smile stretching across her round face. "That's old terminology, 'going steady'. Al, just talk to me. Don't leave me in the dark."

"I'm sorry, Mom." If she knew what was really going on and how close Alison had come to death three times in less than a week, she'd freak out. Alison knew that. A boyfriend was the lesser of the evils and easier to explain.

She threw her arms around Alison and squeezed. "I love you!"

She returned her hug, the scent of her lavender body spray and beat of her heart soothed Alison. "Love you, Mom."

"Now get to bed."

She debated on taking the couch again, but had too many questions for Gran. She'd be upset too by putting herself and Rodham, another Slayer, in unnecessary danger.

She tiptoed to her room, lifted the covers and crawled underneath. "Gran?" she whispered.

"I'm not sleeping. What you did was dangerous."

"But you don't know what I did."

She raised her torso, folded her pillow and leaned against it. "I can read your body language. So tell the story."

Alison burst like a balloon and told her everything; Veronica killing the Bloodseeker at the game, how she and Rodham met her tonight. Every bit of it.

When she finished, Gran sat quiet for a moment in contemplation. "You are convinced she's a witch of the light?"

"I've seen her light. Is she?"

"There's a legend about two witches, one of the light the other of the dark. They fell in love, shirked their responsibilities and ran off together. A spell was cast on them and they died a gruesome death."

Alison licked her lips, considering Gran's words and the tale. "I shouldn't trust her."

"Be careful. Bloodseekers and Slayers alike were created by witch spells. They have been around since the beginning of time. Witches of the dark arts are descendants of the sorceress and original Bloodseeker, they protect the Seekers. Those of the light protect us. But never forget who started it all. Witches always have their own agenda."

Chapter 15

Mom flipped the pancakes bubbling in the pan, and gave the scrambled eggs and grits a quick stir. Gran strolled out of the bedroom and took a seat beside Alison on the couch while the TV hummed in the background. Gran leaned towards her. "We're going back tonight."

Dread surged through Alison's body, recalling her near death experiences and thinking Rodham was gone. She narrowed her eyes and nodded no. She didn't ever want to go back!

"We have to. It's good Veronica showed you that place. We need to know where they live in the highest concentrations, that's where your light will have the most impact. Its radius is only so far."

Alison bit her lower lip. Suck it up, be brave, she told herself. To be a Slayer I need to be strong, instead of a big chicken. "OK, I know." Fear pulsed in her gut as the words dropped from her mouth.

A network of fine lines graced the corners of Gran's eyes as she smiled.

Alison's mind drifted to Vicky, it wasn't Vicky's fault her call gave away their location. Alison wore that on her shoulders and really needed her bestie right now. She lifted herself from the couch and padded outside, closing the sliding glass door for privacy. She missed Vicky and her quiet life in Virginia.

"Hi, Al!" beamed Vicky's voice after a single ring.

Warmth carried away the anxiety resting in her gut. "Hey, Vick. You won't believe what I'm going to tell you. It keeps getting crazier."

She filled her in on their Bloodseeker slayings, Veronica, and their near death experiences.

"You're going back? OMG, this is so exciting!"

Maybe for her, safely tucked in her A-frame Virginia home. For Alison it was a living nightmare, but her friend's excitement eased the heaviness hanging inside her. It started cool with the journal, the amulets, the mystery evolving into something much more. Reality plunged through the intrigue settling into 'This is really happening'. "I don't think I can do this unless bravery comes with accepting the amulet. I have five more days and I wipe out the Bloodseekers. That means Gran and I need to be central in their dark, rotting, pheromone-smelling world."

"You can do this, Al. The amulet wouldn't pass to you if you couldn't."

"You sound like Gran. That's the other part. Once I accept it, she'll start aging rapidly. Her days are limited. I don't want to lose her."

"I know." Sorrow filled her words. "You and Gran are close, but she's part of that amulet. So she'll always be with you."

"I hadn't thought of it that way. You're right - and Alda. I will gain their knowledge. Gran said it's not in being strong but in being wise. I have to use my invisibility wisely."

"I'm a little jealous. Everything is so boring here. I've been looking at Flagler College. I want to live closer to you." Vicky was a year ahead of Alison in school and a senior in high school.

"Really? You think your parents would go for it?"

"I have powers of persuasion Al, they'll buy it and like it!" She chuckled. "You're my bestie, we need to be together."

Mom slid the door open. "Breakfast is ready."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Gotta go, Vick." She touched the off button and stared at the phone with a smile on her face, rejuvenated, her fears wiped away momentarily. With Vicky close she felt as though she could do anything, unfortunately she had to get through the next year before that'd happen.

After Mom left for work, Rodham, Gran and Alison piled into his car, as they neared Bloodseeker territory the fear inside Alison surfaced. Her mind sat on the plain of wanting to run and wanting the amulet. Gran always kept it tucked beneath her blouse. She didn't need to see it to feel her attraction to it and its glow. The buzzle-crackle between Rodham and Gran's eyes was the only noise in the car for several minutes.

Rodham broke the silence, filling them in on his and Veronica's exploits, and the contrast of dark and light within her mind. "Is she both good and bad? You know, like Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker?"

Gran chuckled. "Darth Vader. I hardly think so. Witches are never to be trusted fully, keep an open mind, and trust your instincts. They won't fail you". She operated on her instincts and, because Rodham accepted his, they killed several Seekers. "But the others will come for you. Remember - they know their blood is on your hands."

The rank odor of their lair drifted through the crevasses of the car, filling Alison's nostrils to the point of holding back dry heaves. She covered her nose with her shirt to drown out as much of the stench as possible. Gran shifted her eyes towards Alison. "The pungent odor tells us we're close."

"Why didn't you or the journal ever mention how bad they smell?"

Gran's lips pulled into a line. "There's a lot of them, a lot."

Great!

Rodham slowed the car to a crawl, and Alison glanced at the darkness blanketing the street, looking for shadows. He pointed. "That's where it happened, by that tree."

The street lamps emitted enough light for Alison to see the leaves on the tree hung dry and limp as if scorched by fire, and a black ring in the grass circled the spot where they'd stood.

"Why are we here, Gran? What are we looking for?"

She cleared her throat and pulled her arm over the headrest, her stoic eyes searching Rodham and Alison. "My assumption was you found them here. This is the area I sealed 200 years ago when I gained the amulet. My burst locked them underground, but something has disturbed their lair and they've resurfaced."

She paused for a second. "We will be here on foot during the new moon. If Rodham and Veronica pair with you when I place the amulet around your neck, the three of you may produce enough light to destroy all Bloodseekers in St. Augustine."

She narrowed her eyes, focusing on Rodham. "You have to wipe the minds of all the residents. They can't remember the blast."

"How do I do that?"

"Read the journal. Humans live inside a bubble of safety believing that supernatural creatures are a thing of legends and interest but not real. They haven't a clue this battle of good and evil has been raging for centuries, and they must never know. Especially with social media, it would reach every corner of Earth before you could blink an eye."

Rodham nodded, accepting his position as the Emerald Slayer, the telepathic one. He shifted his eyes to the right in thought. "I didn't wipe anyone's mind when I merged with my amulet. Do you think people saw my light?"

"It's not your light we need to worry about - people don't see that. It's Veronica's light and the destruction that'll be caused, especially if Veronica can channel your power through her."

Alison interrupted, "Gran, where are the other Slayers?"

"We parted ways a century ago. We're old, and it's time for the new generation to emerge. They'll feel a pull to this city."

"But where are they?"

Gran's face softened. "Ally, it's not their time yet. But soon, very soon."

Over the next few days, Rodham and Alison woke early and worked out. Gran's plan was for Alison to learn discipline, training for her mind. It was more important to be smarter than stronger than the Seekers. Rodham worked her hard, him right alongside her. He urged her on, coaxing and persuading her with his charm. When she was ready to drop he'd give her a kiss. The jolt gave her a second wind, but it also served to motivate her.

She wasn't going to give up on being with Rodham. The thought fueled her brain and she'd forget the fire burning in her muscles. She'd think of the nasty blood seeking beasts and blame them for the inevitable loss of her Gran.

At school, Veronica continued to shun them, smirking and teasing them to keep up appearances and her nasty reputation. After school, she met with them and Gran showing off her abilities, creating light balls and moving objects. Gran wrapped her hand around Veronica's and the other around Rodham's, the shine of their light making Alison wince and shield her eyes with sunglasses and her hand.

When Veronica went home, Gran, Alison and Rodham dug into their journals, learning the secrets of the Slayers, losing themselves in the stories of the past.

Rodham worked on focusing his telepathy and wiping minds. A few innocent people lost brief memories as he worked to perfect his talent. His parents and Alison's mother were his favorite victims. They all lost small chunks of daily memories, simple stuff, but it amused him. He couldn't hide his smile when Alison's mom made dinner, stepped into her room and walked back into the kitchen. She scratched her head and asked, 'Did you make dinner, Al?' Alison choked her laugh down, but the corners of her lips popped into a smile. Mom's eyes rolled upwards as she worked hard to remember observing the stir-fry and rice on the stove.

Gran showed Alison how to clutch the wooden stakes most effectively. Rodham, being athletic already, had a great arm and thrust well with a wooden stake.

"Sound is your biggest enemy. They won't be able to see you, but they have ears like animals and will hear your every move. You must be silent and quick in your actions, and always aware of your surroundings," warned Gran as she worked with Alison on tightening her moves, while soundlessly stalking through an environment with a stake in her hand.

The training helped to build Alison's confidence, but the sorrow of losing her Gran weighed heavy on her heart. And the amulet's pull grew stronger by the day. Its light reached out to her in her sleep, at school, during workout sessions. Along with her abhorrence for Bloodseekers, she managed to push her terror away, replacing it with contempt. A beast lurked inside of her waiting to break free. Each day it edged closer to the surface.

Chapter 16

Darkness surrounded them as the sun took its leave, settling beneath the horizon. Alison's fear took a back seat to the fury building inside. Her eyes rotated side to side as she scanned the area for shadows lurking behind the trees. Every noise, even the rustle of a leaf, made her body jump and her heart quicken.

Inside her mind, she replayed the proper way to hold a stake and plunge it into a Bloodseeker. The past few days they'd decided on a plan to meet in the center of the area infested with Bloodseekers and find their underground lair. The radius of her light would kill every Seeker and seal holes in the Earth beneath them. Rodham, to her right, glanced at her and smiled.

Gran, to her left, squeezed her hand, giving her comfort and strength. Alison was ready to take out the beasts that ruined her life, who would cost Gran hers, and keep her and Rodham as never being more than Slayer partners. She would never feel his soft, full lips on hers again or his firm body against her.

A crunch of leaves from behind made her head twist abruptly to the side. Two glowing eyes stared at her from the silhouette of a dog perched on his haunches. His eyes followed their movements, but he didn't move or chase after them.

In their plan, Rodham would hold Alison's hand and Veronica her other hand, so she could use her witchy magic to channel their energies and light for amplification. Slayer light and fire turned Seekers into ash, but Veronica's light microwaved them and melted their skin. Using a witch to channel light had never been done. No one had thought of it until the night Veronica took Rodham's hand, frying the Bloodseekers. So no one knew if it would be a success and cause a blast strong enough to cleanse the area of Seekers.

The first waft of the Bloodseekers pheromone-stench drifted towards her nostrils. She wrinkled her nose in response. Her loathing for them grew and developed inside her. She reached her hands out, feeling for Gran and Rodham, giving them each a squeeze. Electricity hummed through her core, building her own strength.

A figure, tall and lean, walked out from the shadows, its eyes glowed in the night. Bloodseeker trouble. From behind trees, several more pairs of glowing eyes showed themselves. The creatures didn't move, but more and more showed themselves until they were surrounded on every side. The books always painted werewolves as pack creatures and vampires as loners, but that wasn't the case. She'd never witnessed a Seeker alone, except the night Rodham bonded with his amulet, and there may well have been more Seekers close by that she hadn't seen.

The creatures stood like statues, their bodies flawless in the night, giving her the impression they were surrounded by a team of vengeful, crazed supermodels.

"You won't leave here tonight," said a male one in a deep, calm voice. "We've been expecting you."

Alison dropped her eyes to avoid their mind games and hypnosis.

Rodham slipped Alison a stake, Gran clutched one in her hands, each in a stance for fighting.

Now would be a great time to bond with my amulet, Alison sent the message to Rodham.

Not yet, he responded. The amulet's glow and its pull nearly made her rip it off Gran's neck. She looked towards Gran, who was gone. Alison twisted her head, searching, until she spotted Gran slipping through a small gap in the Bloodseekers' circle. She wanted to holler and chase after her, but that would alert the Seekers and might mean Gran's death. Her pulse quickening inside her veins, blood rushing through her body, hate fueling her fire, interrupted by a feral cat's tormented cry.

The animal rushed between the legs of a Seeker and into the circle, a pack of dogs on its heels. They leaped onto the backs of the Seekers, and slipped through the gaps between them. Hurdling their bodies as the cat slipped through the mess and disappeared.

Now, Al!

Rodham didn't have to say anything. She let the fury inside her free and ran full-steam towards a Seeker who was grasping at a dog, peeling it away from his body, a chunk of Bloodseeker flesh in its mouth. As the Seeker flung it away, Alison jammed her stake into the Seeker's chest than yanked it out, twirling it in the air like a pro and moving onto the next. Alison's moves smooth and fluid like ribbons in the breeze.

Alison didn't think. She allowed her body to take control, moving and dodging flying dogs and angry Seekers. From the corner of her eye, a Seeker lunged towards Rodham, too quick for him to drive the stake into his chest. The tip of another stake plunged through the Seeker. Blood ran down his chest as he collapsed to the ground, revealing Gran. She pushed him over and twisted her stake from the Seeker's chest.

An intense light soared through the air, slamming into a Seeker and microwaving his guts, the skin on his face melting, giving Alison a lighted glimpse of the dogs - at least ten of a similar breed, thick silky fur covering their bodies, their jaws snarling and teeth clenched towards the Seekers; thick, silky fur covering their bodies. As if cued by the light, they ran, leaving Alison, Gran and Rodham staring at the mass of dead Seekers and Veronica who blew the tips of her fingers as if they were a smoking gun.

"Good thing I showed up or you'd all be dog and Bloodseeker food."

"We had it under control," said Alison, feeling proud. Human power surging through her body, each vein and artery pulsing rapidly. Warm Seeker blood covered her hands and dripped from her fingertips.

Veronica harrumphed and swiveled around, beholding the mass of destroyed Seekers covering the street, their bodies aging before her eyes. Once tight flesh wrinkled and sagging against their bones. Bites, bloody and jagged, over their torsos and appendages. "Ah, not bad."

"I'm glad we met with your approval but we need to go before more show up," announced Gran with a sense of urgency.

Alison's intuition working on overtime, she felt more Seekers were close, waiting them out, planning and strategizing against them. The group divided, sticking to the trees for cover, Veronica in the lead, Alison and Gran in the middle, and Rodham following behind.

As the group closed in on their final destination, the area where the Seekers congregated in large numbers, Veronica halted and motioned for the group to move behind the trees. Alison and Gran crouched behind a bush looking onward, but Alison saw nothing, only their stench let her know they were very close and in large numbers.

They know we killed their brothers and sisters. That group was sent to test our strength, to find how many Slayers they are up against. They know we are two, plus a witch and a human. Just ahead is another group, larger than the last, and beyond that is their lair. Their plan is to let us enter, surrounding us from a distance, and swoop on us as we enter their lair so they can trap us and take our amulets. Rodham mindspoke to the group. With the full collection of amulets they trap the power of light, and night will fall upon Earth permanently, trapping the moon between the sun and the Earth, an everlasting new moon. The Bloodseekers don't want our blood, they want our power! Rodham sent the message telepathically to the group.

Gran motioned for Rodham and Veronica to join her and Alison. They didn't speak with their mouths, but through Rodham's mind. He opened a channel, like four way calling, and channeled their thoughts through him.

They are far stronger than us. If we do this now, we get the element of surprise. Are you ready? asked Gran.

That's chicken. I'm not scared. We can take them, urged Veronica. Alison admired her bravery but would rather do things smart than take the chance.

Rodham, they had your amulet, do they have other amulets in their possession? asked Alison, using smarts over muscle as Gran had taught her.

I don't know and they don't know which Slayers we are, responded Rodham.

The dark of night suddenly got darker. The air around them turned pitch black. They couldn't see shadows - or each other, even huddled close. A heated goo, sticky and jelly-like, covered their bodies, encasing them.

"Disgusting!" said Alison, her face scrunched.

"What is this crap?!" shouted Rodham, jerking his hands attempting to de-goo himself.

A small light grew from Veronica's hand, but quickly extinguished in the goo.

"You're a tricky little witch, Veronica," said an ominous female voice, somewhere outside the darkness and the goo.

"Nice to see you again, too. Oh wait, I can't see!" roared Veronica.

"No need, you're trapped inside my Glubble Bubble. I could - I should - take you to the Bloodseekers, but I'm not. You're my toys," said the ominous voice.

A witch of the night? Rodham asked Gran telepathically.

Yes, and one with her own agenda.

"I got lucky. Veronica, you're the one I want. The rest of you the Bloodseekers can have, so I'm taking you with me."

In a flash, Veronica and the ominous witch disappeared, words in a foreign language echoing in the air. The goo puddled to the ground, remnants dripping from their clothes and exposed skin. The threesome stared ahead at the group surging towards them - a group of Bloodseekers, fangs displayed, leaving them no time to figure out what just happened, how they would get Veronica back, or why the Bloodseekers were suddenly changing their plan. Gran grasped their hands and concentrated on shielding them from the vision of the Bloodseekers.

"Where'd they go?" questioned a female Seeker.

Alison held tight to Gran's grasp, and listened as Rodham connected them in a three way telepathic chat. Run with me! shouted Gran in her mind. Don't let go of my hand. They jetted through the trees and skipped through people's yards, making gains away from the Bloodseekers.

"Arhh... Garnet!" roared a male Seeker, echoing through the neighborhood. His voice deep and filled with anger.

The group didn't look back, and finally stopped a few blocks away, hidden inside a shed. "We need to regroup, Veronica is gone. We can't use her light to help us. It's just us. We need to get back to the house and inside it. Your binding light," Gran shifted her eyes to Alison, "will do the most damage there."

High-pitched shrieks resonated through the air, forcing Alison to curl in pain.

Rodham opened the door. "We need to go. We have Slayer back up."

Gran's eyebrows arched. "We do?"

"Indigo," answered Rodham.

Gran eyed him with curiosity, then smiled.

Cautiously, they slipped out of the shed and proceeded towards the house, halting behind a set of bushes viewing the Seeker bloodbath. He'll hold them off. Rodham shot his green eyes towards Alison, wrapping his arms around her and brushing his lips against her mouth in a kiss. This is it. I'm fighting the battle, get inside and turn them to ash!

Alison melted in his grip and wrapped her arms around him in return, enjoying the slight electric tingle. As he moved away from her and towards the Seekers she gulped, her anxiety piquing, yet ready to take on her role.

A Slayer with an indigo glow barely visible in the night tossed a shining silver sword with a glowing emerald handle towards Rodham. Alison cringed as she watched. Rodham caught the handle and a short quick burst of light ashed the Bloodseekers in his proximity. More and more Seekers flooded towards them. Swords slashed through the air and stakes crunched into their dark hearts.

"He is an old and strong Slayer, but not strong enough to hold off the Seekers forever. We need to move." Gran grasped Alison's hand and concentrated as she guided her towards the house. Alison's eyes wide as saucers as she watched the battle in front of her.

Gran and Alison went to the back of the house, hoping it would be empty. The house's white paint was peeling and cracked, a fenced skirting surrounded the foundation. Alison took ginger moves up the three steps on the backside of the house. A small creak as she touched the third step made her stop and listen. When she heard nothing, she continued and lifted her second leg onto the step. Grasping the door handle, she twisted it, slow and calculated, avoiding making more noise. When no Seekers rushed towards the door she pushed it open, an empty room before them.

A touch on Gran's shoulder sent tingles through her arm and made her jump.

Rodham

Rodham kept Alison's channel open. Listening in as he wielded his sword in one hand and clutched his wooden stake in the other. He sliced clean through the neck of a Bloodseeker, her head dropped to the ground while he thrust his stake through another's heart. Surrounded on all sides, he fought with the skill the amulet gave him, slashing and stabbing, Seeker blood oozing from their bodies and covering his hand. No matter how many he took down, hordes more rushed towards him.

As he slashed through the neck of a Seeker, another grabbed his stake and ripped it from his hand. She clutched his arm and, with incredible strength, pulled him towards her. Pointed fangs seized his neck as he kicked her away and lunged his sword into her neck, pinning her to the ground. He placed his foot on her chest and withdrew his sword. The Indigo Slayer dropped his sword across her neck, severing her head.

A brilliant light enveloped his body. The Indigo Slayer inside the light with him, holding onto his hand.

We're teleporting outside the circle of Seekers, there are too many, said Indigo's voice inside Rodham's head.

The next thing they knew, their bodies were outside the Seeker sphere. Teleportation is instant, they haven't noticed we're gone. Contact Garnet, let them know to keep going. There is an underground room, they need to find it. Now, we're going use our position to our advantage as we rush in from the outside. And I will teleport us around their cluster, it confuses them. Ready?

Let's do it! agreed Rodham.

From outside the sphere they attacked, swords drawn, wielding their swords and teleporting to various spots outside the Seeker cluster. Indigo's skill made it possible for him to teleport to a Seeker, slice off its head and teleport out before any others caught on. They kept this going, buying precious time.

Alison

The slight electric shock on her shoulder made Gran turn around. A young blonde girl stood behind her. Gran twisted Alison's hand as she turned around. Keeping her voice low Alison said, "Lacey? You need to get out of here. It's not safe."

Lacey smiled and whispered, "I'm here to help." She lifted a velvet bag out of her pocket and pulled the drawstring open, a shining beryl amulet inside.

"What... how..." Alison stumbled over her barely audible words, utterly confused.

"It doesn't matter. Take my hand, Lacey, so I can cloak you," ordered Gran.

The three walked inside, holding hands, forming a train, Gran in the lead. They slipped through the near empty room and proceeded around a corner, gauging the direction of Bloodseeker voices and avoiding them. Finding a hallway they slid along the wall, hovering close to each other. Gran slipped her head inside the open rooms, searching for Seekers and stairs leading under the house. Crashing footsteps sounded in front of them and Gran pasted herself along the wall. Alison and Lacey did the same.

A large Bloodseeker walked towards them. Alison held her breath as he passed. To her, he looked like a large-built man with a beautiful face, his size menacing but otherwise not scary. Gran motioned for them to move again and pointed towards the room the Seeker exited at the end of the hall.

I hear you. Keep going. Look for a room that goes underground, we'll meet you there. The sound of Rodham's mindtalk soothed and comforted Alison as they continued through the long hallway towards the direction from which the large Seeker came from.

The door open a crack, they listened, hearing several mumbled voices. Gran slipped through the crack in the doorway, holding tight to Alison's who slipped through next. Lacey and Alison held hands in near death grips, as they were both nervous and scared.

They maneuvered around the sparse furnishings, no stairs obvious before them. Two doors were poised on either side of the room. Gran motioned towards the one to their left and eased it open, the closet was empty. Gran nodded towards Lacey and pointed towards the other door. They drifted towards it and Lacey pushed it open. Another closet with wood shelves from the floor up.

The girls looked towards Gran, who twisted her lips, then proceeded towards the first closet. Once there, she went inside and pushed the walls, one at a time. The second wall moved and stairs spread out before them. She put her finger to her mouth, motioning for them to continue as quietly as possible. Then she pointed down the stairs. As they eased forward, one step at a time, the Seekers' voices grew louder.

Lacey tripped on a step, plowing forward into Alison. Gran looked backwards, hearing the tussle, and the Seeker voices became quiet. She pasted her body along the wall, the girls did the same. Seekers flew towards and passed them as they stood stock still. Once the horde passed, Alison moved, Gran squeezed her hand and pushed it against her leg, forcing her against the wall.

Several seconds later, the Seekers returned, sniffing the air around them, searching. Alison closed her eyes, unable to look at the Seeker standing inches from her. After a few seconds, the Bloodseekers traipsed down the stairs, still searching, noses in the air.

The girls waited for Gran's lead, too scared to do anything else. Minutes later, when the Seekers were out of eyeshot, Gran moved away from the wall. Hands still clutched, the group moved slowly until they reached the bottom.

We're here, Alison said in her mind, hoping Rodham was listening.

Gran directed them beneath the stairs. In a whisper, she said, "We do it now, right here."

Rodham are you there? Please say something! No response.

Alison and Lacey nodded their heads at Gran's request. Lacey withdrew the velvet bag from her pocket with her free hand. Gran let go of Alison's hand, the girls no longer cloaked. She lifted the amulet from her neck.

Lacey grasped the silver chain of hers, and Gran motioned for her to drop it over her head on the count of three. The girls clutched each other's hands as Gran motioned one... two... Within a split second Seekers were on them, rushing towards them. Three... Another hand grasped Alison's vacant one as the amulet fell against her chest.

She turned her head to see Adrian on one side of her and Lacey on the other, Rodham holding tight to Lacey's hand. A surge of electricity charged through her body and red, yellow and indigo light engulfed them. It spread throughout the room, swirling into a partial rainbow, morphing into an array of colorful flames that lapped across the room, licking at each Seeker trying to escape, and ashing them. More Bloodseekers came at extraordinary speeds but not quicker than the speed of light. The Bloodseekers' screams ricocheted throughout the room as their bodies disintegrated, covering the cement floor in ashes.

Alison felt her muscles bulge inside her skin, rippling throughout her body, power surging through her, not only hers but Adrian and Lacey's too. Her thoughts on Gran as she searched through the eddying flames for her, panicked when she couldn't find her. The ground around them began to shake, and a light opened up, dragging them inside it. She felt Adrian and Lacey's grasps as they all got sucked into the hole.

Chapter 17

Abruptly, Alison's body dropped to the ground, thick grass padding her fall. Gran, Adrian, Lacey, and the Indigo Slayer collapsed on the grass beside her. Clutching her chest and jumping to her feet, she folded her arms around Gran with relief, then noticed Rodham wasn't with them. She took in the length of the field. They were at the high school football stadium. Confused and worried, panic worked its way into her soul. Rodham!

She'd grown used to his presence and their mind conversations. The only presence within her mind was her. She continued to call him, hoping he was somewhere on the huge football field, but she knew in her gut he wasn't with them. He hadn't made it.

Adrian clutched his face, dragging his hands across it while confronting the Indigo Slayer. "No, no. You said if we all hold hands and I think of a place and concentrate, everyone would make it! Where's Rodham?!"

The Indigo Slayer placed his hands on Adrian's shoulders. "He must have let go."

Enraged, that Adrian the "new" indigo Slayer didn't bring back his best friend, and frustrated that something as important as teleportation was left to a newborn Slayer, Alison charged towards them. In unison Alison and Adrian asked, "How do we get him back?" Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Their eyes pleading with him to make everything OK, and bring Rodham back.

The Indigo Slayer licked his lips. "Adrian, the power has passed to you."

"What are you saying? Is he trapped? He's still inside that morbid house!" Alison's voice spanned several octaves as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Alison, he's my best friend and I don't know how to get him out!"

"You have an ex-Indigo Slayer standing beside you and a journal, start reading and take a few lessons!" She huffed off, needing to regroup her thoughts, leaving Adrian to bear his guilt alone.

Lacey strutted to Adrian's side and rested her palm on his shoulder. "She's upset, it wasn't your fault. We'll get him back, but we aren't going to do it standing on the football field." She did her best to lift Adrian's spirits.

Gran took a seat next to Alison on the bench. "Ally, it's not that boy's fault and we'll find Rodham."

"We lost Veronica and now he's trapped in that house." She stood and wiped her tears. "I can't help Veronica, but I can help Rodham. I'm going back!" Running towards Adrian she shouted, "Teleport me to the house. I'm going back to find him." The directness in her voice startled her.

"Take my hand," said Adrian.

"No, wait. You're putting yourselves in danger. Someone needs to be the voice of reason so I'm going to be it," chimed Lacey.

"Hold up!" The ex-Indigo Slayer raised his hand to halt them. "I'm Gile, Adrian's great uncle. Cara and I have done this for years. You can't go in there half-cocked. Bloodseekers are about as smart as Zombies and move in Zombie hordes but they are quick, especially under the new moon and they have ultrasonic hearing. You have to use the power the amulets give you wisely."

"You know already if you hold hands you can share your powers. You can all disappear, teleport, talk and move objects. Individually you can only use your own power, but you're baby Slayers, all of you." Gran's stern eyes searched each of the new Slayers.

"Be wise, be careful. The Seekers left alive are buried in the house, don't go in there without a plan." Gile urged. "And don't go in there without your swords." From the heavy leather belt across his waist he handed a silver sword each bearing the appropriate stone. Light curled from the swords as each clutched the hilts and claimed it as their own.

Alison clenched hers inside her fist, electricity buzzing through her body. "How did you get these and how did you know which swords to get?"

"The magic of teleportation." Gile looked towards Adrian. "One day, you will be as skilled as I was, but right now you have much to learn. Be wise, and go get your fellow Slayer."

Adrian glanced at his Slayer family, all brand new and none had had the chance yet to let it sink in that they were Slayers, destroyers with the power to obliterate Bloodseekers. The three clutched hands and disappeared in a blazing light tunnel, leaving Gran and Gile on the football field.

The newbie Slayers landed outside the house, crashing to the cement street. Alison stood, rubbing her buttocks. "Adrian, you need to work on these landings."

With a sheepish grin, he stood and took Lacey's hands, lifting her from the pavement. "No kidding, Adrian. Two crash landings and I feel like my body was dropped from a twenty story building."

Ignoring the girls' comments, Adrian wasted no time in getting down to business. "Here's my plan. We split up, Alison you go around back since you're invisible, Lacey, you head left and I head right. Lacey, how well can you use your powers?"

In a telekinetic display, Lacey wiggled her fingers above her head and the branches in the tree above them stirred. She moved her pointer finger down and a single branch moved towards Adrian's hand, wrapping itself around his arm.

Uneasy about being tied up in a tree, he said, "OK, you can let go. I'm convinced."

Lacey dropped her hands and with pride in her face said, "I've had a year to read my journal. I know all about harnessing my power."

Alison gasped. "While you're playing games, I'm going around back."

Adrian nodded in response. He and Lacey split up as they searched around the front of the house and street.

The house stood, although it looked like it should be condemned. It leaned to the left, the columns holding the roof on the porch were cracked. The eerie sight made her gut ache, she shoved it down and moved around the side as directed, calling Rodham inside her mind.

Alison traipsed around the house, conscious of every crunching branch beneath her feet. Not one street light shone from above her, instead she used the light from her amulet to guide her. Something sticking out from beneath a leafy bush caught her attention.

As she drew closer, she recognized it was a hand. Her gut screamed for her to rush towards it. Every cell in her body propelled her forward. Her mind chanting Rodham. But her Slayer instincts warned her to use caution. It could be a trick. Edging closer, the hand didn't move.

"Rodham," she whispered. She pulled the branches away from the hand and gasped, covering her mouth. The hand was attached to a severed appendage, pulled from its body at the elbow, caked blood covered the rest of the arm. She stumbled backwards, falling onto someone.

Immediately she withdrew her sword and spun.

"Jeez, Alison. It's me--Lacey."

She gulped and sheathed her sword. "I... uh..." the words stuck in her throat, she pointed to the bush.

Lacey walked towards it. Alison, working up her courage, followed. The two teens stood above the severed hand. Alison knew she needed to look at it again. The bloody image flashing through her mind wasn't enough to determine if it was Rodham's.

Lacey bent down, tilting her head as she studied the hand. Then she pushed the bush away from it. "This is a Bloodseeker hand."

Alison bent on her haunches and joined Lacey. Looking at it a second time, Lacey was right. The exorbitant amount of decay, it had to be a Bloodseeker. "I freaked, I thought..."

"You thought it was Rodham."

She nodded in agreement. "I saw the hand, the blood and my mind... We need to get inside that house. Rodham's in trouble. I feel it."

They stood, matched glances and strode towards the back door. Alison grabbed Lacey's hand, a large surge of electricity buzzed through them, and focused her mind, hoping to make Lacey invisible too. One step at a time, they drew closer to the back door. Lacey moved a finger on her available hand towards the door, and it creaked open.

Alison felt the sweat between her and Lacey's wrapped fingers, telling Alison that Lacey was every bit as scared. One step at a time, they climbed to the open doorway. A rustling bush halted them in their steps.

Rodham

Surrounded by dark, damp air Rodham stirred, slowly opening his eyes. Silence surrounded him everywhere. The constant babble of thoughts broadcasting through his head was absent. After two weeks of listening, the quiet was the first thing he noticed. Horror settled in his gut and he clutched at his chest for the amulet, all he felt was his budding chest hair - no amulet.

Panicking, he sat up and hit his head on something hard. A sharp pain cannon-balled through his body, down to his toes and he collapsed into blackness. His hand resting on his amulet-bare chest.

Chapter 18

Lacey

The girls' huge eyes stared as a glow, much like a black light, barely seen in the darkness, except for the white glow around it, turned the corner. Adrian came into view and each girl let out the breath they were holding in. He joined them, grasping Alison's free hand. Jolts of electricity buzzed through her neural networks. She concentrated as hard as she could, praying they were invisible. With luck, they destroyed all the Bloodseekers and it wouldn't matter.

The group stood in the doorway. The wooden kitchen floor slanted at a downhill angle. "Stop. We don't all have to go in there. I can teleport."

"We don't have Rodham. We can't communicate without him. We can't pull you out if you run into trouble," voiced Alison, her voice cracking in fear.

Lacey, the voice of reason suggested, "If you go in alone, if you find Rodham, can you get him out? We haven't heard him, so there's a possibility he's knocked out or..."

"We need to stick together," Alison interrupted, unwilling to hear more speculation on Rodham's fate.

Adrian let go of Alison's hand and raked his own through the chunk of dark hair covering his eye. "I can do this." As quick as the words left his mouth, he disappeared in a flash of light.

"Arr..." grumbled Alison, kicking the cement beneath her feet.

"We can't get there as fast but if we slide across the floor, we can get down there." Lacey squeezed Alison's hand. "And I can move objects."

Alison twisted her mouth and bit her bottom lip. "Let's go."

Sliding on their bottoms, they skated across the floor, their swords tucked beside their legs. Lacey, in front of Alison, their hands still clutched, used her free hand to grasp the wooden frame of the hall and she skimmed towards it. Alison slid past her, and around the corner of the hall. She pushed her foot out in front of her, stopping her momentum, then stuck her other foot against the opposite wall so her legs formed a V.

The long downward slope of the hallway was dark and menacing. Neither knew what lay at the end. Alison scooted one foot against the baseboard, then the other while wiggling her butt. She continued this while Lacey did the same until they reached the room at the end of the hall.

Alison, in front, reached for the doorframe with her vacant hand and pulled while scooting against the floor, using her feet for leverage. Soon both girls were inside the bedroom. The floor tilted towards them making it easier to walk. They padded against the wall, one step at a time, until the only thing separating them from the underground was the stairs.

Peering into the black nothingness, their Slayer light offered enough glow for them to see the stairs had shifted and fallen. Alison stared at the expanse beneath her and a quiet moan echoed towards them.

"Do you hear that?" Alison asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lacey nodded.

"Wait, is it Rodham and Adrian or a Bloodseeker?"

Lacey scrunched her eyes and, without answering Alison's question, said, "I can get us down there. Don't let go of my hand." She closed her eyes, and focused.

"Lacey, what are you do-o-ing?" asked Alison, as her body lifted off the ground and floated in the air above the fallen stairs.

A proud grin spread across Lacey's face. "We have to get down there, whatever it is."

Alison scrunched her eyes shut. She'd never been fond of heights and couldn't watch her body drift several feet above solid ground. Feeling weightless, she hovered. Even with her eyes closed, she felt her body sinking into the smelly air. Instead of Bloodseeker pheromones, the smell of burnt flesh drifted up her nostrils.

One of her feet landed on the ground, then the other. She let out a sigh as she opened her eyes, Lacey standing beside her. The moan sounded again. Their eyes met as each pointed beneath the stairs.

A glow from across the room caught the corner of Alison's eye. She pulled Lacey's hand to get her attention and pointed. An emerald glow radiated, then the moan sounded again. Unsure what to do, Alison's instinct was to find the moan and come back for the amulet.

Lacey let go of her hand and with her eyes told Alison to chase the amulet. One cautious step at a time Lacey walked towards the moan, louder with each step she took, until she saw someone slumped over a pile of fallen debris. Squinting her eyes in the darkness, she shone her amulet towards them and gulped when she recognized Adrian.

His chest lay across a pile of debris and straight, dark tufts of his hair fell across his cheek. She'd recognize him anywhere.

Wiggling her fingers, she scattered the obstacles in her way and reached for him, grasping his hand as she pulled her body over his and whispered, "Adrian, Adrian."

His face tilted towards her as he stared into her blue eyes filled with specks of Beryl sunshine. "Laa-cey?"

"Yes." She snaked her arm around his middle, pulling him off the rubble and setting him beside the wall.

He spoke for a minute before the sound caught up to his mouth, "Rodham... is under... the pile."

She eyeballed the mound of fallen two by fours and, one by one, moved them out of the way until she could get to him. Pressing two fingers against his neck she checked for a pulse. Then it hit her - Adrian wasn't glowing! And their bodies hadn't sparked with a volt of electricity when she touched him.

She jerked her head back and scanned the room. The emerald glow was still emanating from across the room but Adrian's Indigo-infused white light was nowhere.

"Looking for this?" came a voice, and out of the shadows walked a girl, no older than she. Her silver hair fell across her shoulders in loose waves, and violet eyes peered from beneath thick bangs. In her hand she dangled Adrian's amulet. Lacey knew instinctively that she was a night witch.

"That doesn't belong to you," insisted Lacey.

"Now it does." She clucked her tongue. "Oh, I'm keeping the green one too. What the...!" The silver-haired witch screamed as Rodham's amulet flew through the air towards Lacey. "You can't have that!" Curling her fingers she fought against Lacey, the amulet hanging in the air between them.

Alison

Alison spied Rodham's amulet, flung across the ground, its silver chain coiled loosely above a mound of ash. Eww, gross, dead Bloodseeker, she mumbled in her brain as she leaned down and reached for it. A crack in the frame of the house caught her attention. Instead of grabbing the amulet, she felt along it. It didn't feel solid. She pushed and it gave a little, dirt crumbling through the crack, then a familiar voice from across the room stopped her mid-movement. "Looking for this?"

The witch of the night, Veronica's nabber. And Lacey. The emerald glow lifted above her head and floated across the room. She couldn't let her have it and had to help her fellow Slayers. Sighing, she slipped along the wall as quietly as possible, hoping for the element of surprise.

Trapped in a battle of magic, the amulet swayed in the air, edging closer to the witch, her power stronger. Lacey didn't give in. She concentrated with every ounce of power surging through her. Alison's red light glowed as she drifted towards them, Lacey trying to hold on until she got there to help.

Adrian stood and lunged for his amulet. The witch moved her hand and he lunged towards her middle. "Silly boy. I told you it's mine!" She held her hand in front of her chest, forming an invisible barrier and Adrian fought against it, giving up when he realized he didn't have the strength.

That second that the witch shifted concentration allowed Lacey to get the upper hand. The amulet suspended, almost in arm's reach.

"Not so fast. I want them both." As the words left her mouth, a silver sword, with a shining garnet handle, slashed towards the witch, catching only air as she vanished with both amulets.

"And I'd take yours, but I don't feel up to the fight today," echoed through the room.

Alison sheathed her sword as Lacey collapsed to the floor. Adrian and Alison dashed to her side. Adrian, reaching her first, cradled her in his arms. Alison tripped a few paces from Lacey and fell onto her lap. Familiar sparks ignited her body as electricity rushed through her veins.

A long, muscular body lay to her left, level with her eyes. "Rodham!" She crawled to his side, folding her arms around him. A slight tingle, only a fraction of what she should feel, rushed through her. "She has your amulet. I'm sorry."

Her lips brushed across his, tears falling across her cheeks, dropping onto Rodham's face. "I'm so sorry. I tried. Lacey tried."

His body shifted beneath her and a silent moan escaped his lips. She kissed him again and an arm snaked around her back while his lips met hers. As her tongue mingled with his, she felt happy he didn't have his amulet. Then slapped herself mentally for her selfish thoughts.

She looked towards Adrian and Lacey - who was waking up - then to Rodham as he lifted his torso upwards, leaning on his elbows.

"We need to get out of here and I think I know how. The foundation is cracked, but there's a gap. If we work together and use some of the busted wooden beams we can get out of here."

Chapter 19

Her head against the window, Alison stared at the trees and houses as they drove home. They managed to break the wall enough to find a hidden staircase taking them upwards to the ground. It was worn and rickety, probably a part of the original house, but they climbed the stairs one person at a time. After a short breather, they walked to Rodham's car.

Lacey, still weak, rested her head against Adrian in the backseat. Rodham kept his eyes on the road, except split-second glances to Alison.

The darkness was quickly becoming light as dawn approached. Exhausted, nobody said a word with their mouths, they spoke with their eyes instead.

One by one, Rodham dropped everyone off. The last stop, home for him and Alison. He turned the corner to the apartment complex and they roared past Alison's apartment. She noticed the light was on and never felt happier to be home.

Thank you for taking the time to read this story. I hope you enjoyed it. It would mean a lot to me if you left a short review.

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# The Monster Upstairs

Prologue

The blitz of light blasted through the darkness and traveled over Mandy's bed, moving at the speed of light. Her blue eyes popped open and shifted towards the window. Climbing out of bed, she shuffled to the window and smoothed back the curtains. The light, now gone, left a feeling of unease nagging at her guts.

The air surrounding her suddenly grew muggy and dense trees and brush sprouted around her. Spinning in circles she couldn't see through the thick vegetation yet she knew she hadn't left her room. Confused more than scared, she reached out where her window had stood only seconds earlier. Now she felt damp air.

A faint sound like water rushing against the ground caught her attention, then the form of a woman. Her hair hung in long brown waves around her oval face. She wore a light blue slip dress. Her red lips mouthed something that Mandy couldn't determine, then the woman faded.

"Wait, don't go!" Mandy said as she lunged for the woman. Her face planting against the window as the muggy air and woods vanished.

Discombobulated, she stood for several seconds attempting to determine what had happened. Then a whisper in her ear said, "St. Augustine."

Mandy brought her hand to her ear then twisted her head. The room was void of life except for herself standing disoriented in a long purple T-shirt and sports underwear.

Who was St. Augustine and why do I need to know him or about him? What just happened? She stumbled backwards, falling atop her bed, and stared at the fan blades whirring above her head. Unable to sleep, she grabbed her phone from the white bedside dresser and yanked it off its charger. She plugged St. Augustine into the search engine and several links popped up; all indicating a city not a person.

She clicked on images and glanced through them. A coastal city in Florida. The oldest in the U.S. and surrounded by dense vegetation. Was I there for a moment?

She tossed her phone onto the bed beside her, her heart thumping steadily in her chest. The pictures played across her mind and a small voice echoed inside her head: follow the light.

Chapter 1

Two Days Later...

Mandy coasted her bicycle around the corner of her street. The large aspen tree marking her childhood home now in sight. Its broad shade and leaves always brought her comfort. She peddled up her driveway and toward the back fence and applied the brakes. Slipping off the seat of the bicycle, she opened the gate and walked the bike behind the fence, resting it against the house. This was her usual routine. As a star volleyball player she spent hours practicing after school, but today had been a meet so it was later than usual. Black clouds loomed in the evening sky, making it much darker than it should be, and the air was cool. Mandy shifted her blue eyes upwards and the first rain drop hit her face and ran down her cheek.

She enjoyed the steady rain falling on her as she walked toward the back door, a denim school bag hoisted over her right shoulder. Her heart stopped when she noticed the sliding glass door wide open. Her mother left it unlocked for her, but never open. The aroma of dinner hit her nostrils but turned her stomach as it smelled burned. She halted, her heart thumping inside her chest. Something was wrong, it was more than the door. A feeling crept into her guts and clung to her bones. Mandy wasn't the bravest of souls, but she wasn't a coward either. Sucking in a deep breath and scanning the yard and house she walked towards the open door.

A gust of wind blew from behind, pushing her dark hair over her face. She pulled off one of her many colorful wristbands and wrapped it around her shoulder length dark hair creating a messy ponytail with several chunks of her dark hair askew. Many thoughts fluttered through her brain as she moved closer to the back door. A few nights previous she'd awoken to large blasts of white light that lit up the sky like a fireworks display, only it wasn't a holiday, and then the whisper and voice in her head - St. Augustine and follow the light - she'd been uneasy since.

When she'd asked her mother, upstairs neighbor Joel, and friends, no one had noticed it but her. How is that possible? It was possible and she'd seen it. Mandy believed in the otherworldly and almost everything odd and supernatural. Her mother laughed it off saying, 'It was probably testing in the desert. You know they're always doing strange things out there.'

They didn't live in Area 51 and her mother's body language--the shift in her eyes, tapping of her fingers, and tilt of her head--told Mandy her mother wasn't being straight. No, there was something she knew but wasn't talking about. The feeling the light was meant for her hadn't left. She'd even had vivid dreams about bloodsucking beasts every night since. Their pointed fangs dripping crimson while their dark eyes called out to her, passing on a subliminal message: you're ours. Her body shuddered at the thought, yet she couldn't shake it. Was it aliens? Were they at her house? Did they abduct her mother?

She stood in front of the open doorway with one foot resting inside on the tile floor. Her eyes focused inside the room and her ears strained to listen. A faint choking sound forced her into action. Forgetting the aliens, bloodsuckers, and her fear, she dropped the denim bag off her shoulder and ran towards the sound. Careening around the corner to the kitchen, not watching where she was going, she slipped on the floor. As her body fell, her eyes widened as she saw her legs splayed before her in a scarlet puddle.

At first, confusion clouded her mind as it sorted through the red splotches across her pants. After a few seconds and more choking noises it clicked and her eyes shifted towards the weak sounds. Her mother lay only a few feet from her in a pool of blood, choking as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Mom!" she cried as she crawled across the floor toward her. Her mind completely focused on her mother, the idea of an intruder and possible danger didn't even register.

"Man... dy," she gurgled.

Mandy grabbed her mother's hand and wished with her entire soul for her to be whole. "What... what happened?"

"No t-i-m-e. Go... the drawer," she swallowed hard, "beneath our picture." More gurgling. "Ta-ke it out, turn... it... over," she spluttered with every ounce of her being and her eyes closed.

"Mom!" Mandy shook her gently and rested her head upon her mother's chest. Her tears fell in a heavy stream. "You can't die. You can't die," she chanted. Lifting her head, she placed her hands over her mother and concentrated. An overwhelming surge of power rushed through her body.

Her mother's eyes opened and her torso shot upright. "Mandy, do it now. Leave me!"

Mandy bolted skyward, flabbergasted at her mother's second wind then sobbed, "I can't. I love you."

A large hand touched Mandy's shoulder as her mother slumped back onto the floor and a deep voice she knew well said, "You have to, but not alone. I'll stay with you."

Mandy turned her head and looked at Joel. She hadn't heard him come into the house and he wasn't wet. It gave her a shock, then his warm brown eyes, filled with shards of gold, rested on hers. His dark hair combed back with the usual unruly lock above his left ear, otherwise not a hair out of place. He moved his hand from her shoulder and grasped her right hand. He lifted her up and, as if in an out of body experience, she walked with him to the drawer.

"Open it. Go ahead," he said, reassuring her as if her face belied her insecurity and confusion.

She choked back her sobs and peeked at her mother lying on the floor. Slowly she opened it. Pens, a stapler, a hole punch, phone book, and a small notepad - the one they used to message each other - lay inside it. She grabbed the notepad and stuffed it into her back pocket then flipped the drawer upside down.

There was an envelope labeled Mandy taped to the bottom. She peeled it off and held it to her chest.

"We need to go now," Joel said, his voice firm.

There was a part of Mandy, somewhere deep inside, that knew this day would happen. And the unusual display of lights a few nights previous was a call for her. Not only was it odd but it stirred something inside her. Sniffling, she rushed towards her mother who was now lying still, her hazel eyes glazed. They looked like fall grass, mostly green with specks of brown. "I love you," she whispered as she kissed her mother for the last time.

Lifting her head, she glanced at her mother's face - her left cheek against the floor--and spotted something she hadn't seen earlier - two puncture holes in her carotid artery.

To read the rest click here.

Can't get enough of the series? The Ghost Within is now available. Grab it here!

Message from the author

I have lived near St. Augustine for two decades and immediately fell in love with the city. It's the oldest U.S. city, located on the Atlantic coast in North Florida. Its history is steeped in suspense and paranormal activities; ghost, pirates and more. So why not vampires?

When the idea for the story seeded itself in my mind, I found an article online about vampires in St. Augustine. After much research, I never learned if it was fact or fiction, but lean towards fiction. But the seed sprouted a stem and gave me an entirely different idea.

After more research, I discovered an archaeologist at Flagler College has been digging up St. Augustine, finding buried treasure; houses, subdivisions, skeletons and much more. Read the article here. My idea blossomed and the prologue to The Vampire Next Door was born. This is the first St. Augustine Novella, the Bloodseeker series.

Take a tour of St. Augustine and visit the places noted in this book. The first stop is the cover. It is the window at the St. Augustine Lighthouse and the bright light you see is Alda's. Lighthouse picture not taken by the author. All other pictures were taken by, and are the property of, the author.

Tour St. Augustine

Avenida Menendez - where Alison finally finds people after getting lost.

The Lion's Bridge - connects Anastasia Island and Historic St. Augustine

Castillo De San Marcos National Monument

Matanzas Bay from Castillo De San Marcos National Monument (fort). The Lion's Bridge is in the background.

The Columbia House - Love their food!

Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine - where the Slayer swords were hidden.

St. George St.

Flagpole outside Tradewinds Lounge.

Smoothie Fresh

Statue of Henry Flagler outside the front gates of Flagler College.

About the Author

Elle Klass is the author of mystery, suspense, and contemporary fiction. Her works include As Snow Falls, Eye of the Storm Eilida's Tragedy, and the Baby Girl series. Her work Eye of the Storm Eilida's Tragedy is a Reader's Favorite Fiction-Paranormal Finalist in the 2015 Reader's Favorite Awards. Baby Girl Box Set received Official Honors in Young Adult through New Apple Indie Ebook Awards. She is a night-owl where her imagination feeds off shadows, and creaks in the attic. Visit her website at <https://elleklass.weebly.com>.

Other Books by Elle Klass

In the Beginning Baby Girl Book I \- FREE

Young Adult Mystery/Suspense

Other Books in the Baby Girl Series

Moonlighting in Paris

City by the Bay

Bite the Big Apple

Caribbean Heat

Return to the Bay

Prison of the Past - coming June 2017

Baby Girl Box Set - includes books I - IV. Also available in audio.

Eye of the Storm Eilida's Tragedy Volume 1 in the Ruthless Storm Trilogy

Book Trailer

Available in audio - Audio Trailer

Adult Psychological Thriller

Other books in the Ruthless Storm Trilogy

The Calm Before the Storm Evan's Sins - also in audio

In the Midst of the Storm Tommy's Deception - audio coming soon

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

# Don't miss out!

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