Chapter 2

            I’ve only been a vampire for two years, which isn’t very long to everyone else, but I’ve learned a lot since that night at the party.

            It was a warm night in August and my friends were going to some new club in the city called Red Raven. It was supposed to be one of the hottest clubs in downtown L.A. and attracted a lot of guests.

            Including, of course, blood-sucking vampires.

            Jerry Niel, my best friend since grade school, knew the guy who owned the club and got us on the VIP list. Now, being a fresh twenty-one-year-old from Connecticut, I wasn’t used to the whole “big-time” scene. The people were different and it was just a completely different world.

            “Relax man. This is your first outing, might as well make it memorable.” Said Jerry.

            The night was definitely memorable. I was dancing with women who were way out of my league, knocking back drinks and laughing with some high rollers. At one point, some local band dropped by, and before I knew what was happening, I was on a VIP list to their next show.

            It was amazing.

            At around midnight, I had a pretty good buzz going and my confidence was through the roof. The night couldn’t have been going any better, or so I thought.

            Then I saw her.

            Across the dance floor at the bar was a stunningly beautiful woman with long, dark red hair. She had on a sleeveless black dress with a shiny necklace. I could hardly catch my breath. She had some nice curves that I couldn’t help but notice and she looked content just sitting there. Jerry sees me looking at her and gives me a grin.

            “Well, looks like you’ve got your eye on someone. Go talk to her.”

            “What? Are you kidding, she’s totally out of my league. She’s smokin’ hot and I’m just… me.”

            “Man, don’t look at it like that. You might get turned down, but so what? This is Los Angeles dude; there are plenty of women here. Just go over, introduce yourself, and ask her to dance. If she says no, it’s okay.”

            I take one look over at her, and when she looked in my direction and smiled, I made up my mind.

            I walked over to her.

            It was kind of weird because it felt like some invisible force was pulling me toward her. Her eyes stayed locked on mine and her smile was still there.

            When I finally reached her and looked into those amazing green eyes, I felt more confidence than I ever had in my whole life. Her eyes mesmerized me because they had a sort of glow to them. There definitely weren’t any women like her back in Hartford.

            “Hi, my name’s Aden. I thought I’d come over and say hello. You probably get a lot of guys hitting on you every day, so I’ll understand if you reject me.”

            “Why would I reject you, Aden?” her voice was like smooth silk.

            “Um, well, I’m not from around here. L.A. is cool and all, but I don’t think I fit in very much.” I was shocked at how honest I was being.

            “Well, I think it’s kind of cute for you to come over here, no matter how nervous you are. I do get hit on a lot, but you’re definitely different,” I give her a weird look, “In a good way. I’m Vanessa Love, born and raised in L.A.”

            “Cool. Can I buy you a drink?”

            “I don’t drink… alcohol. But, it is kind of crowded in here, so, do you maybe wanna get out of here? We can go back to my place and talk.”

            My mind completely froze over. Did she just ask me to go to HER place? To talk? I’d seen enough TV and movies to know what she really meant, and the truth is I didn’t know what to do. I’d never done anything beyond kissing in my life, except maybe once. I look back at Jerry and he’s smiling so much, I assume he knows what’s going on.

            “Uh, sure. Could you excuse me for a second? I just have to tell my friend, and then we can, um, go to your place.”

            “Okay. I’ll be waiting.” she said.

            I walk back over to Jerry and he’s grinning ear-to-ear.

            “So, what happened? Did she seem nice? Do I need to stay away from the apartment for a little while?”

            “She wants to go back to her place… to talk?”

            “Talk? About what?”

            I shrug and Jerry’s face suddenly lights up like a Christmas tree.

            “What?” I ask.

            “I don’t think she wants to ‘talk’, at least not all night.”

            “Well what else can we do? I hardly know her, and I’m completely freaking out. Let’s just leave, I’ll tell her there’s an emergency or something. I just can’t go through with this.”

            “Look, Aden, when is the last time you let yourself enjoy life? You’re always so hung up on school and everything, you never go out and have fun. All I’m saying is that you need a little excitement in your life, and tonight’s the night.”

            It was hard to deny that Jerry was right. I never let myself enjoy anything, especially fun things. It was time for a change, and soon, before I ended up regretting my whole life.

            “Alright, I’m gonna do it. What’s the worst that can happen, you know? So we don’t talk all, there’s plenty of other stuff to do, right?”

            “Yes! Now you’re talking, my friend. Now you go over there and make me proud, alright, and then we’ll talk tomorrow. And remember, don’t be nervous, just do what comes naturally to you and I promise, you’ll be okay.”

            “Thanks, Jerry. I always knew I could count on you.”

            “Hey, this is gonna be the best night of your life.” said Jerry.

            I straighten up, turn around, and walk toward the person who would change my life forever.

 

            Vanessa and I talked about everything: our goals, high school, what we want in the future, our hobbies, everything. She was so interesting. She’d been to Europe like ten times and even liked the same bands I did. Talking to her made me see a different side of L.A. that’s more than just the glamour and what you see on T.V. Vanessa was smart, funny, charming, she had it all. She would gaze deep into my eyes, down to the pit of my soul, and make me feel like I wasn’t an outsider.

            Her lips kept taunting me every time she talked, and it was getting extremely warm. I couldn’t stop staring at her beauty, and I soon lost track of our conversation. My heart was thumping like crazy, and suddenly, she stops talking and leans in close to me. I could feel her breath on my face as her lips moved closer, and closer, and closer, until finally, our lips meet.

            It’s like an explosion in my mouth and all my senses come to life. I feel her body close to mine and pull her closer. It’s almost like we’re suffocating each other, but neither of us seem to mind. Her hands push me down onto the couch and she climbs on top of me.

            Her lips move from my mouth, to my cheek, to my chin, and ends on my neck. My mind goes blank and I just try to do what comes naturally to me. I try to switch with her, but she’s so strong I just let her lead the way. The points of her teeth brush my skin and send tingles through my whole body. I didn’t know it was a sign from my body to run. I was too high to think.

            “Aden, this may hurt a little.” said Vanessa.

            “What might hurt a lit…?”

            I feel a sharp pain and open my eyes in shock. Her face is stuck to my throat and I can’t believe what’s happening. Vampires aren’t real, I kept telling myself, but it didn’t help. Darkness closes around me and I can feel myself slipping, falling lower into the depths of death. The last thing I remember thinking is how much I just wanted to be home.

            My vision fades, and darkness takes me into its arms.

Author's Note

a little longer than I planned, but I'm feeling good about it.

Reviews

[J.N.R.]

NICE!
it was a good opening
cant wait to read more.
very interesting.

[Dakota]

Great start! Can't wait to read more!

[WriterSki7]

This is actually a very balanced chapter. It goes back and covers what was introduced in the prologue. In my opinion it could be better expressed as a flashback (and maybe it is, too soon to tell). I was hoping to see one of the Knightmares you were talknig about, though*

PS make them sparkle and I will strangle you with my power cable*