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Author's Note: So here we go again. Anyone who thinks that this story might look a tad familiar is right because it is. I tried posting this a while ago but I didn't really like it. My Ego got in the way a tad bit but more than that I wasn't really sure where to take it after I wrote this first initial chapter. After giving it some time and a lot of thought though, I managed to write Ch.2 the other day. So I'm happy to report that things are back on track. I'm grateful to everyone who read it the first time and who got on my case after I pulled it. For those of you who haven't read it, know that this is the third story featuring my vampire heroine Kylie and that you should read Life is Precious and Waking Dream before hand. Once again I'd like to thank djkauf for the wonderful editing.

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Previously in Death is not the End by Maggie Finson:

I looked her in the eyes and saw Kyle looking back. A frightened, confused, and angry Kyle, but it wasn't Katie watching me so carefully. “Good, you've broken it. Now, come with me. We need to talk.”

“Talk about what?” She asked warily.

“Oh, secrets, deep dark secrets.” I said softly while leading her to the stairs that would take us to my rooms. “Curses, things needing done, and a mutual adversary. Interested?”

She nodded, a bit stiffly, but I could feel her curiosity and drive to be free of the thing Wisteria had replaced her own psyche with.
“Then walk with me, and we'll speak of these things.” I promised.
Once in my rooms I waved her to a chair then quietly thought about a few things for a moment. “You should have been one of mine. Wisteria stole you from me when she killed Degna. Then she stole you from yourself by creating Katie.”

“Are you sure you can trust me right now?” She asked point blank.

“You should know that Katie is still in here.”

As she tapped her head, I nodded. “Yes, I can feel her, raging, plotting, hating you even now. But Kylie, or whatever name you should decide on, you are far stronger than that construct, and much stronger than your maker suspects. I should be able to teach you a few tricks to help keep Katie at bay during the bad times.”
“That would be much appreciated.” She tilted her head then followed up with a question. “What will that cost me?”
“Quid Pro Quo.” I chuckled and nodded in real pleasure at her perceptiveness. “In return, I want you to do a bit of spying on our eldest for me.”

“She'll know that I'm not Katie.”

“Not if you don't wish her to know that.” I answered simply then waited for her to work it out.

“Point taken.” She nodded. “I know how Katie acts and responds to things, but even acting like that bloody minded bitch isn't a very pleasant thought.”

“Your survival depends on it. That should give you some incentive.” I smiled for a moment then let my expression turn pensive.

“Truthfully, more than yours does.”

“How so?”

“I'm old, Kylie, oh not so old as Wisteria, but old enough to know many things.” I shrugged. “One of those is that there are older, more powerful beings in the world than either me or Wisteria.
“Our Mother angered one of those a hundred years ago and since then we've been stuck in this town. Oh, our children are able to leave after ten years or so, or things would have become very uncomfortable in Ravencrest, but the older sisters are chained to this one small town.
“What I need from you is who or what she pissed off, and what exactly that curse is.” I finished.

“If she hasn't even told you, then I would imagine there would be little or no information available.” Kylie thoughtfully answered once her shock had faded. “I couldn't guarantee anything out of something like that.”

“All I'm asking is that you try.” I let out a sigh. “I am not so old that one place appeals to me for more than twenty years or so.

Ravencrest palled on me long ago. I want my freedom back, Kylie.

“In return, I'll help you gain yours.”

1:

I snapped awake, screaming. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest, my body drenched in sweat. My long black hair clung to my new delicate form and for the longest time I was confused as to where I was. Darkness surrounded me and for a moment, I thought I might be back in the Void, back where the fake me and Wisteria’s spell had forced me to live. Slowly the world came back to me in color and I realized I was in her room. I say her room because this life wasn’t really mine, not at the moment anyway. This was her life, the life of a psychotic bitch called Katie. The very same psychotic bitch that another equally psychotic individual created when she stole my life, my gender and any hope of leaving this place.

I ran my new fingers through my hair. I was grateful for the hair at least because thankfully it was still mine. It felt strange though, silkier. Well, a lot less silky now because of all the sweat. I moved my hand from my hair and onto my chest. I tried to ignore my breasts for a moment. I also tried to ignore the fact that though there might have been some thumping a moment ago---ok so maybe it was my imagination before----because there was none now. It was gone, all of it. Every bit of me that had once been alive, once been human, was gone. Kyle was dead, washed away in whatever lies were told and was now another unfortunate statistic somewhere. I’m not sure how they explained my untimely death to my family and frankly, I didn’t care.
All I cared about now was trying to get some of that life back.

Sitting up I let the sheet slid down my body, ignoring the curves it took to do so. I also ignored the sheer black nightie I was wearing. I’m not sure where my former self got her sense of style from but most of my new clothing was on the darker side of black. It wasn’t even the good kind either. She was going for this Chic trendy goth look that frankly made her look a bit trashy. I was always a bit into the Goth scene but I wasn’t a poser like this girl. I had spent years perfecting my look, getting it just right. I was on the wrong side of androgynous and used it. Whoever Wisteria tried to create was on the wrong side of everything.

Thankfully, all of that was in the past.

“Katie” was gone now. Well as gone as she was going to be. She was still there---just like Carmilla said. I could fell a bit of her in back of mind, locked up tight where I left her. She was silent right now, pushed so far into my subconscious that she was barely a speck but I could feel her nonetheless. I’m not sure if that scared me or made me feel triumphant. Sure, I did battle with a crazy psycho bitch; I got the upper hand and locked her up. News flash though: that bitch was me---or rather---a small part of me. A part that everyone in this sorority house was expecting come morning when I went down to breakfast with the rest of them. If you even want to call whatever it was breakfast.

I forced that last little bit away as I threw off the rest of the covers and stood up. You would think that one would feel different changing genders. Before I didn’t really have time to process it. What with the battling for my life and all of that but now, I couldn’t help but feel fine. I was scared of that a bit. I was always a bit on the feminine side but I never went so far as to cross that line. I liked girls, I liked them a lot but I never actually wanted to be one. I just had fun playing with people’s expectations. Like that model guy. He’s so androgynously beautiful that he can pass 100% as female even though he’s fully male in every way. I was that guy. I liked being that guy. I liked fooling everyone and making them do double takes wherever I went. My friends used to like it too.

Steve had a bit of a problem with it from time to time. He’s my roommate---correction was my roommate. Like I said that was over now. A few hours ago----seven to be premise----I nearly killed him. Well it wasn’t really me I guess, it was the fake me “Katie”. Apparently, Steve and another guy kind of started putting two and two together. I’m not sure how they managed to come up with vampires but they hunted “her” down and managed to capture her. Somewhere in the middle of them trying to kill her, I got free. I fought her off as best I could and found Steve. Things kind of rushed out there. Suffice to say he knows who and what I am now. It would be great if he was my only problem but I actually had a few more.

My thoughts were interrupted when the door opened. I froze in my tracks. If my heart could actually beat, it would be pounding like a drum right about now. A girl walked into the room. She was dressed in something tight and skimpy. Her most distinguishing feature though was her hair: it was mostly blonde but it was streaked with blue in the front. It was kind of cool actually. If I could pull off the look, I sure as hell would try.

“Oh my God Katie” she said, rushing into the room and throwing her arms around me.

The hug was tight and quick. A bit too tight actually. Man vampires were strong.

“Ummm hi” I said.

It sucks when you’re supposed to know someone and you have no idea who they were. I felt like I’d just walked into a movie theater and the movie on the screen has been playing for days. I racked my brain trying to come up with a name. It finally clicked when I remembered the hair. I’m so glad I had a little cram session with Degna.

“Charlotte right?”

She sighed. “Look I might have deserved that. I’m sorry about kind of disappearing earlier but I thought you had things under control. I didn’t think you’d go all AWOL on me over it. You know Theresa and I spent half the damn night looking for you. “

“Sorry” I said, trying to sound sincere.

Charlotte gave me a strange look. “You ok?”

Oh right, I’m supposed to be a mega-bitch now.

“I got bored,” I said, trying to impersonate my former self. “There was no good pickings so I decided to go find some.”

“Without me?” I shrugged, she sighed. “Fledglings aren’t supposed to wander off on their own like that.”

“Sorry” I said, sounding annoyed. “Won’t happen again.
”
She smiled and yawned. “Well I’m heading to bed, might be able to get my few z’s now. You heading there too?”

I shook my head. I was done sleeping. “I’m going to take a shower I think.”

She nodded. “Good because you’re covered in ick. I’m not sure who you had tonight but he sure worked up a sweat in you.”

I gave her a lopsided grin before sliding past her and into the hall. As soon as she shut the bedroom door, I let out a huge sigh. How in the hell did Degna think I was going to do this. I mean this was all her damn idea to begin with. First she tells me it’s too dangerous to go back to the house and then she wants me to go back there. Not only that but I had to pretend to be someone I wasn’t: me, well ok the fake me. This was getting really complicated. Only yesterday---well yesterday for me---I was a normal 19-year-old college freshmen and today I’m some sexed up, drop dead gorgeous vamp babe who had her mind wiped, her personality replaced and who apparently can see and hear ghosts. Two things were totally wrong with all of that of course. The first being I didn’t actually know if I was hot or not because I haven’t taken a look in a mirror.

The second being the whole ghost thing of course.

The last time I saw Degna she was trying to get me to leave this very same house. It was Halloween night, Steve and I got roped into going to a party at the sorority. One thing led to another and somehow I ended in a room with Degna. The original plan was her turning me into a vampire, the girl that I was currently but she flaked. She decided I was better off being me and I wanted to get me as far away from this place as she could. Her plan backfired though when Wisteria---Queen Vampire Bitch---busted into the room and staked her. Degna turned to dust right before my eyes and the last thing I could remember was Wisteria straddling me. The next thing I knew everything was dark and I couldn’t figure out where I was. When I finally gained control of myself, my good buddy Steve was trying to slice my throat.

Where does Degna play into all of this? Well she’s dead now, well more dead than before. She’s a ghost I guess. You see vamps have powers and apparently, mine has something to do with seeing ghosts. So out of all the cool powers and I get to see Dead People. Degna had apparently been following the new me around for days, trying to reach her. She had nearly given up when I saw her in the park tonight. I think I was a bit freaked, I mean the girl did die in front of me. When she figured out that I was now in control, I’m not sure who was happier. After our quick reunion, she got a bit frantic. She threw a lot of info at me before making sure I went back to the sorority.

Easier said than done.

I made my way to the bathroom. Well what I hoped was the bathroom. I checked the doors in the hall, twisting the knobs. Most of them were locked. When I got to the fourth door and turned, it opened. I found the switch and flicked on the light. I didn’t even flinch from the dark to light transition. How cool is that? I slipped into the bathroom quickly, closing and locking the door behind me. I found myself staring at the pristine white room, amazed that there wasn’t blood all over the place or that it wasn’t decorated like something out of Friday the 13th. Then again, the whole house looked particularly normal. It didn’t look at all like a den of vampires. Not that I knew what one of those actually looked like.

I found myself wandering into the room, heading right to the mirror actually. What I saw reflected back at me was a bit of a shock. First of all shock because I thought vampires had no reflection and secondly, there a gorgeous older version of my sister staring back at me. Ok so my hair was longer and darker than hers, my skin a few shades paler and my eyes a pale, piercing blue, but I was definitely my sister. I turned my head left and right, amazed at how much I looked like her now. I felt a bit sad too because now every time I looked in the mirror I was going to be reminded that I could never go home again. I sighed heavily, finally turning away.

Someone knocked gently on the door.

“Katie you in there?”

“Yeah” I said, leaving out a name because I had no idea who was on the other side. “Just going to take a shower.”

“You got like twenty minutes before breakfast.”

“Ok” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic about it.

I couldn’t help but feel a little sick to my stomach actually. The thought of drinking blood made me want to hurl. Degna said I needed to pretend to be Katie whenever I was around the girls from the house but I’m not sure how I was ever going to pull it off. The sight of blood made me want to faint. The thought of drinking it, well that was a whole new bag of sick. Whoever thought I’d make a good vampire apparently didn’t do their research very well because they definitely picked the wrong guy for the job. The only one who apparently saw it was Degna and what did that get her. I shuddered just thinking about it.

I stripped out of the nightie as quick as I could. I tried not to peek. After all the only naked women I’d ever seen were in the movies. I closed my eyes as I turned on the shower and stepped inside. I prepared myself for that first moment you stepped into the shower. You know the one where the hot water hits your skin and you flinch. Well it never happened. The shock of it never happening made me open my eyes in surprise and I finally got a good look down. I got the second shock of the morning at the sight of them. They were huge, at least a C cup and very firm. I know its clichéd but I actually cupped both of them, surprised at how heavy they were. Ok so maybe I’m not quite like my sister after all---she was barely a B.

After getting over that initial shock, seeing my new body didn’t really phase me anymore. I showered as quick as I could, washing off all the grim and sweat. It’s funny now that I think about it. I knew when I woke up what had caused me to sweat and snap awake so suddenly but I’ll be damned if I remembered It now. I think it had something to do with all that time in the Void but I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that it felt good to wake up again and I definitely didn’t want to be sleeping away any more of my life.

I only spent about ten minutes in the shower before finding a towel in the linen closet and wrapping it around my body. I did all of it as if on autopilot. I think I’d seen women do it like a hundred times in the movies. I picked up my nightgown and slowly made my way back down the hall. When I got to my room, Charlotte had the light on and was waiting for me. I was surprised to see her awake. She smiled as I entered.

“That was a quick sleep,” I said, trying to find something to say.

She gave me a strange look. “I don’t sleep as much as the others, you know that. Besides I’m supposed to keep a schedule with you….You’re my Sis for the next month or so.”

I think Degna mentioned something about that. Charlotte was Katie’s----I mean---my Mentor. She was supposed to keep an eye on me while I made the transition. Charlotte would be my roomie and resident guide into the life of the vampire for as long as she deemed it necessary. Which was going to make things really difficult considering the mission I had.

“Sorry just a bit in a fog this morning” I said as I walked over to my bed and sat on the corner of it.

My side of the room was fairly bare. I guess Katie wasn’t one for expressing herself through decoration. There was a bed, a dresser and a desk. There were some basic things strewn about, but there was no personality in any of it. Wisteria must not have put that into her programming. Whoever this Katie was---whoever I was pretending to be---I really was starting to hate her. I’m not sure I could do this for a single day, let alone however long it took for me to finish here.

“You ok Sunshine? You’re a bit off today.”

I frowned. “A bit tired actually. I was thinking about just taking the day off, laying low you know. Maybe loaf around here or go for a walk. Something like that.”

“Sure we can do that.”

I bit my lip. “Is there any way I can do that alone?”

Charlotte gave me another strange look before frowning. “You sure you’re going to be ok on your own?”

I laughed. “I’m not a pyromaniac; I’m not going to burn anything down.”

Charlotte laughed. “You’d be surprised. You still don’t know what your thing is so you might just be one. I know this girl…” Her voice kind of trailed off. “Well, never mind that actually.” She smiled and nodded. “I think I can give you a day or so just as long as you don’t let anyone else know.”

I smiled. “Are you referring to a certain vampire who shall remain nameless?”

She nodded. “A smart one you are.”

I don’t think that was going to be a problem. The further I stayed away from Wisteria, the better.

Charlotte gave me a quick hug, not minding that I was all wet. “You stick around here for a bit. I’ll tell the others you’re not feeling well and then you can sneak out after they’ve gone to class.”

She left the room after that. I waited a minute or two before getting up and going over to the dresser. The top drawer had all her intimates. Most of it was some of the skimpiest stuff I’d ever seen. It was all pretty slutty, too. I’m not sure why girls insisted on wearing thongs, they looked so damn uncomfortable to me. Finally, in the back of the drawer I found a pair of panties that looked wearable. I slipped them on before finding a bra that matched. I went through the other drawers hoping to find something partially wearable. I found a pair of skinny jeans and a tank top. The rest of her clothes I wanted to burn. I’m not sure how anyone could think any of that was college appropriate. What the hell kind of person did Wisteria turn me into?

After dressing in shirt and jeans, I went to the closet hoping to find something appropriate for the middle of November. Thankfully, I found a nice gray hoodie. I guess even slutty Goth Katie had a comfortable side too. I pulled it on and waited. I decided an hour was enough time before I took a chance to escape. I thought about going out the window but that might have been a bit drastic. Instead, I crept out into the hall and slowly made my way toward the stairs. I took a peek down making sure there was no one around. When the coast was clear, I made a mad break for the front door. I felt like a spy the whole way, I didn’t feel safe until I was outside and on the sidewalk. I started away from the house at a brisk walk, my heeled boots tapping on the pavement as I went.

I looked toward the college, finding my old dorm building amongst the others. Last night Degna and I promised to meet there. Hopefully she had a couple of answers for the questions currently dancing about in my head.

I wandered the campus for hours looking for Degna. I actually walked by my old dorm building several times in hopes of finding her. I felt a little weird about the whole thing though. Here I was a former boy turned girl looking for a former vampire turned ghost. I couldn’t help but feel like I was being watched, too. Everywhere I walked, I scanned the faces of people I walked by, hoping that one of them didn’t suddenly jump on me out of excitement or something. Hey, if I could see ghost Degna then it stands to reason that there are other ghosts out there that I might be able to see. There was this one movie a few years ago about this dentist who could suddenly see ghosts and when the ghosts realized it, they started to pester him nonstop. I definitely didn’t want to be that guy. So as hard as I tried, I made it a habit not to look directly at people just in case.

At noon or so, I found myself back at the Student Center. It was a large modern looking building, probably built in the last couple of years or so. It was pretty standard looking as far as newer buildings went. It stuck out a little bit around here though. A lot of campus buildings were on the older side, especially the old manor house that was now the administration building. It once belonged to the guy who built this town apparently. I’d only been in the place once or twice and to tell you the truth it kind of gave me the creeps.

I started walking to the Center. There was this little food court inside that I used to hang out at with Steve. We even had our own table. I longed for that table now, wondering if Steve sat there without me. As I was walking toward the center, I couldn’t help but take a strange look at the fountain in the middle of things. There were a bunch of animals on it, which always seemed pretty damn strange to me. I was paying too much attention to the fountain and not enough to where I was going. Which sadly didn’t work out in my favor when I nearly ran over this girl. It’s not like she was paying much attention either. She was sitting on one of the benches nearby, lost in thought. Strangely, she was one of these girls that was hard to miss what with her bright red braid locks and alternative look.

Suffice to say she didn’t see me either.

“Crap, I’m sorry,” I said, after untangling myself from her.

My face got dangerously close to hers as I pulled away. For a split second, my mouth was an inch from her neck. I felt this sudden urge, this drive. I flinched, pulling away quickly.

“You ok?” she asked. “I don’t smell or something, right?”

I laughed. “No, its not you, its me. Got a bit of personal space issue is all.”

This time she laughed. “I have a roommate like that. Well had one actually. That’s the excuse she used when she transferred rooms. Between you and me, I think she didn’t like the smell.”

I gave her a funny look. The only think I could smell on her was cigarettes.

“She not a smoker?”

“Wow good nose” she said, setting aside the book she had been reading. “I haven’t had one in a couple of days.”

I shrugged. “It’s only slightly there.”

It was a lie of course. I could smell it all over her. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was one of those freaky vamp powers Degna briefly mentioned last night. Besides super senses, I was supposed to be stronger and faster than Norms. In case you’re wondering, Norms are regular. Who knew Vamps had a name for their food.

“I’m Scarlet by the way,” said the girl, who seemed surprisingly friendly for someone who was dressed like her.

I was supposed to say my name was Katie but somehow it came out wrong. “I’m Ky…lie.”

Hey, that’s partly right. Carmilla called me that last night after all. Somehow it fit now. It was definitely better than calling myself Katie. I wanted nothing to do with her. Scarlet wasn’t one of the Sisters so there was no need to pretend with her.

“You sure about that” she asked, giving me a funny look. “You looked a little hesitant there for a sec.”

I laughed. “Just getting used to it.”

“Your own name?”

“No” I said, thinking up a quick lie. “Its just back home I didn’t have a lot of friends, so there was not a lot of chances to introduce myself.”

Scarlet laughed. “Bizarre….I like bizarre. I think you and I can be friends.”

I smiled. As strange as this was, I didn’t think that would be such a bad idea. Scarlet invited me to sit with her on the bench which I had no problem doing. It’s not like I could find Degna anyway. I noticed a sticker for a band I liked on her folder and somehow the two of us got talking about it. It was cool that she was into that whole indie punk band scene. She and I were kindred spirits. It kind of sucked that I couldn’t have met her as Kyle. I think after some time the two of us might have been able to be something. As it was now, I’m not even sure which way I swung anymore. I tried to think about Steve then tried to think of him in the way that a girl would think. Sure, he was kind of easy on the eyes but I kind of thought that before. I guess I’ve always been a little bi-curious. I definitely had a thing for Degna and Scarlet was nice to look at, too.

We talked a bit more about music. That’s when a big smile crossed her face. “Hey you ever been to The Pit?”

The name sounded vaguely familiar but I shook my head.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” she said, enthusiastically. “It’s this really bitching nightclub here in town…well the only one actually. Anyway my band is playing there this weekend and it would be really cool if you could come.”

“I would love to” I gushed.

She smiled, her face turning a couple shades lighter than her hair before she turned her head away and rummaged in her bag. She pulled out a green flyer, handing it to me. I looked at the name on it---The Poison Tongues---it sounded really cool.

“What do you play?”

“Lead guitar” she said smiling.

Hot and she played the guitar…I must be in Heaven.

We talked a bit more about her band before she had to go. She had a class in about fifteen minutes and it was on the other side of the campus. She gave me her cell number; I told her I’d give her mine as soon as I got one. Then we parted ways. I couldn’t help but watch her go. Hey I have a thing for girls in short skirts and fishnets. As I watched her walk away, I finally caught sight of a certain specter. She must have caught sight of me too because she waved. It would have been a perfectly normal greeting except a second later, some guy walked through her. It was the strangest thing I’d ever seen and cemented the fact that nothing about my life was going to be the same ever again.

“So you’re working for Carmilla now?” she asked as soon as we finally got settled.

We both decided talking at the college probably wasn’t the best idea in the world. So Degna led me to this nice secluded spot by the lake. It a quiet place where one could come and talk. It was away from everything too, which was a real plus. Walking there was a bit of a hassle but I soon discovered as a vampire I no longer got tired. I also no longer got cold which was plus considering how cold it appeared to be out. We found this nice spot under a large maple; I looked around to make sure there was no one about before I started to talk. Hey, I’m still new at this whole “my friend is a ghost” thing.

“How did you know that?” I asked.

She smiled real big. “I talked to Mother today!”

I was floored. “How is that even possible? I mean I thought no one else could see you?”

“It’s my ability actually. When I was alive….well more alive than now….I could transfer my consciousness into other people.”

“Oh like Ino from Naruto”

She smiled, nodding. “Something like that.”

Degna was cool like that. I dropped a nerd reference and she got it instantly. If only things had turned out differently.

She quickly explained her gift after that. Then she went on to explain her conversation with her Mother. I was kind of surprised that Carmilla took it all so well. Then again, she seemed like the kind of person that wouldn’t be fazed by something like that. When she was finished with her explanation, I started in with my questions. She was all for answering them at first, but she eventually started trying to steer the conversation to Wisteria and how we were going to go about Carmilla’s mission.

The mission was the last thing on my mind though.

“How important is it?”

“You’re kidding right?” she asked, I shrugged. She groaned. “She’s a tyrant. I know you haven’t known her for very long but trust me when I say this….she’s bad news. I mean besides staking me, she’s done some pretty nasty stuff over the last hundred years or so. I'm honestly surprised she didn't kill me sooner.”

“A hundred years? How old is she anyway?”

Degna shrugged. “Over three hundred at least.”

Damn. She looked maybe twenty-one, twenty-two tops.

“That’s beside the point,” Degna continued. “She’s seriously crazy. She needs to be stopped. You don’t realize how important you are right now. You’re an insider in all of this. You’re someone who hasn’t been fully put under her influence and you can move about amongst her Girls without drawing suspicion. You’re the perfect person for the job.”

Only problem was I’m not sure I wanted it. Sure, I agreed to help Carmilla when she told me about it last night but I was still a bit confused. I was also a bit afraid. Carmilla was just as scary as Wisteria. As far as I knew, both of them needed to be staked. I thought a bit about it last night after I left Carmilla’s room. I knew the kind of situation that was going on here. Carmilla told me all about their curse and what not. I felt pretty bad for all the girls here but it really didn’t concern me. Sure it was something that affected me but I wasn’t really one of them. I’ve only been a vampire for a few weeks, hell only truly myself in the last twenty four hours or so. Whatever crap going on here has been going on for decades now.

I’m not sure I wanted anything to do with any of it.

Degna seemed to detect my reluctance. “Why don’t you sleep on it for a day or two, let it sink in. Get to know your Mother and Sisters a bit. When you’re done being horrified then you and I can start our mission.”

“Horrified? Charlotte seems really nice.”

Degna nodded. “She’s the only one.”

Why didn’t that sound very comforting?

We sat under the tree for a little while longer but there wasn’t much else to say. I tried asking her some more vampire questions but it was clear her heart just wasn’t into it anymore. I think she was a little annoyed at me because I didn’t immediately jump into the fray and join the War. After another twenty minutes or so of silent awkwardness, I decided it was time I headed back.

“I definitely don’t want them coming here looking for me.”

She nodded. “Tomorrow, meet me in this very same spot?”

I nodded. “I’ll be here.”

She smiled. It was a sad smile, one of longing and hope. I felt kind of bad as I walked away. Degna had given everything to help me and all I gave in return was disappointment. I vowed then and there to try my hardest to see what she saw, to really find out the truth behind my new Family. If anything, I’d do it for her.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF

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Author's Note: Here's Ch.2 of my crazy vampire story. Everyone is going to finally get to see what's been going on in regards to Wisteria's side of things in the house. In this chapter, we finally get to meet her girls. I think everyone is going to be surprised. I'd like to thank djkauf for the expect editing :)

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2.

I snapped awake again, soaked in more sweat. The covers were thrown about me, tangled around my body like a white snake. I unraveled them quickly, instinctively putting my hand to my chest to feel my heart. It wasn’t thumping though; it was never going to thump again. I ran my fingers through my damp hair and groaned. What the hell was going on with me? Two nights in a row, two nights of waking up in a sweat, scared to death of my dream. Unlike last night though, I actually remembered what scared me so much. There was a girl in the woods, a girl about my age. I’m not sure how she got there but she was scared. She was running from something, running fast and hard to get away. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest and whatever it was that she was trying to escape from was fast. I couldn’t see it, I couldn’t really see her clearly either but whatever it was, it was something she definitely didn’t want to get her.

Sadly, the dream didn’t end so well for her. I snapped awake before I saw it but I know it got her. There was this feeling inside of me that told me that that poor girl was gone. I sighed heavily thinking about it. The hot, wet feeling of tears rolled slowly down my face. I reached up to wipe them away, not even realizing I was crying. When I brought my hand away from my way, the first thing I noticed was the blood. I smelled it a second later. It was sweet like sugar. It sent my nose into a twitch and made me instinctively lick my lips. I shuddered at the thought. It was my blood, my own blood and yet a small part of me craved it more than anything.

The thought made me cry more. More blood tears ran down my face, I didn’t bother to wipe them away. Instead, I pulled my feet up to my chest, wrapped my arms around my knees and sat there. I sat there for an hour or more, scared of everything. First, it was for the girl in the dream then it was for the thing chasing her. I knew it wasn’t real but it felt real. After a while, I realized the thing I was truly scared for was me and what I might become. I wasn’t even human anymore and I cried blood to prove it.

I’m not sure how long I sat there crying. I tried not to think about it actually. I just know when I finally stopped, I didn’t feel much better. I tried not to think of the dream but it started to haunt my thoughts again. I couldn’t help but wonder if the girl was me---she had my black hair after all. The monster chasing her, could it have been the monster inside of me? I shook my head, that was nonsense. It wasn’t really that kind of dream. It was more like I was watching the incident as it unfolded, not actually as if it were happening to me.

A rapping on the door drew me away from my thoughts. I snapped my head toward it but made no move to leave the bed. A second later, the door opened and Charlotte slipped inside. Her silver eyes shone slightly before she flipped on the light.

“Oh good you’re awake” she said, sauntering into the room.

Ok, so she didn’t really saunter but she might as well have.

“Been up for a while actually.”

Charlotte frowned. “You ok, sugah?”

Her accent was there again. I had a vague recollection of it through Katie’s memories. They were only small flashes really. Strangely enough, I couldn’t remember hearing it yesterday. Almost as if Charlotte could turn it, off at will. How strange was that?

“I’m still a little off.”

Charlotte walked closer to me. “You look a little pale honey. You get anything to eat last night?”

My stomach grumbled but I was repulsed. The idea of chugging blood like some freak made me want to puke. At least in my head anyway. The rest of me though, that was a different story.

“I’m not really hungry.”

Charlotte gave me a look. “That’s not up for debate around here actually. Get dressed then come downstairs, I’ll have something waiting.”

She patted me gently on the cheek before turning and leaving our room. As soon as she was gone, I cursed. How in the hell was I going to pull this off? There was this whole other side of me, a side I only had fragments of. Katie was somewhere locked in the back of my mind now and I was going to keep her there. The idea of trying to pretend to be her though, it was horrifying to say the least. I knew what kind of bitch she was and let’s face it; I didn’t have a mean bone in my body. I shook those thoughts away, deciding it was finally time to get ready to face the day.
I slipped out of bed, slowly stripping off my clothes from the day before.

I made my way over to the dresser before realizing that it might be wiser to shower. Finding a towel, I wrapped it around myself before making my way down the hall to the nearest bathroom. I moved quietly, in hopes that my path would go unnoticed. I dreaded running into someone that Katie was supposed to know and not remembering who they were. That, along with a few others, were some of my biggest worries about this place. While I turned on the water and stepped inside, I tried to think of ways around it. I closed my eyes as the water slowly cascaded over my body. I couldn’t feign amnesia because there was no precedence for that. People just don’t spontaneously forget others out of the blue. I could lie my way through it but I was never a very good liar.

“You’re pathetic you know that” said a cruel voice.

I snapped my eyes open and peeked around the shower curtain, annoyed that someone actually came into the bathroom with me. There was no one there though.

“Hey stupid, you’re not going to find anyone.”

The voice spoke again and I suddenly realized there was something vaguely familiar about it: it was mine. Ok, not fully mine---it was definitely a lot angrier sounding and there was a certain bit of annoyance in it as well. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was talking.

“Katie?”

“And here I thought I was going to have to shout until I was blue in the face.”

Shit. How was that possible?

“You’re locked away, you can’t be here.”

“And yet I am princess, kind of shocking huh.”

“What do you want?”

“To help you.”

I scoffed at that. She didn’t want to help. She wanted to be free again. The bitch nearly killed me when we fought last time. She was pure evil, a twisted construct of Wisteria’s creation, one that was supposed to take control of my life. But I defeated her. I locked her up in the back of my mind, never to return again. How she was here now, talking to me was a complete mystery.

“I can hear your thoughts you know. I take offense to being called a bitch. As for how I’m talking to you now, I’ll be damned if I know. One minute I was just minding my own business, chained up where you left me and then I felt this tug.”

“I don’t need any help.”

The last thing I needed was to give her power. Even the slightest bit of it and she’d use it against me. I couldn’t have that.

“What if I promised not to fight you anymore?”

“I don’t trust you.”

I shut off the shower, slowly stepping out of it. I grabbed my towel and went to the sink, turning on the water and splashing it in my face. When I shut off the faucet, I looked into the mirror. I jumped, nearly slipping on the puddle of water I left on the floor. My reflection was different. It was still me but I was wearing dark makeup and cruel smile.

“Much better” said my reflection. “Now you and I can talk face to face.”

“Holy shit…how…”

“No clue” she said, stretching.

Strangely enough my own arms didn’t move. I was thankful for that. This only meant she was just a reflection, nothing more.

“Look” she said, picking up where she’d left off. “I wouldn’t trust me either but I don’t’ want to die.”

“Die? No one is going to kill you…I mean me…I mean us…”

Shit that’s confusing.

“Maybe not yet but what’s going to happen when they find out you’re not me. You think they’re going to let you wander free. The Boss Lady tried to suppress you once and thought she succeeded and yet here you are, in charge of my body.”

“It’s my body.”

“Potato, potahto” She smirked, her cruel black lips twisting as she did so. “Regardless of that, as soon as they find you out, they’re going to kill you. I don’t want that to happen. You die, princess, I go with you. So we either work together and I help you be me or you die just like your little ghost friend.”

“You leave her out of this.”

Katie shrugged. “Look, you can’t do this without me, princess. You’re not strong enough.”

“I was strong enough to kick your ass,” I said, getting a little angry.

Katie’s face twisted into anger. “You got lucky.”

I felt her fade slightly. I’m not sure how to describe the feeling. One minute she was pretty strong, I could almost feel her tugging at the chains but now it was clear her strength was waning. Whatever she was doing to talk to me was taking a lot out of her. The fact that I was arguing with her seemed to be taking more from her. I’m sure she was genuine about wanting to help, at least in her own selfish way. I knew the stakes of what might happen if I was found out but there was no way I could trust her. She tried to kill me and she would like nothing more than to be in charge again. I couldn’t let that happen.

“I can do fine all by myself” I said, confidently.

“No you can’t. I know you Kylie” She said my name with contempt. “You’re not strong enough to handle it. Sure, you might be able to fake it for a time but you’ll slip up eventually. When you do, Wisteria will skin you alive and torture you for the hell of it. You wait and see. Without me you’re nothing.”

“I guess I’ll find that out for myself.”

I closed my eyes and pushed at her with my mind. I’m not sure if it was going to work or not but I heard a blood curdling scream. When I reopened my eyes, my reflection---my own face---was staring back at me in the mirror. I let out a huge sigh of relief before quickly leaving the bathroom. I ran into no one in the hall and quickly made it into my room. As I was trying to find something to wear, I couldn’t help but think about what she said. She was partly true. If I didn’t pretend to be her flawlessly then they were going to find out.

I went to the dresser, opening the top drawer. I tried to avoid all her racy, trashy stuff but my hand hovered over them. Without even thinking about it, I grabbed a black thong. I slowly stepped into it before putting on a matching bra. I even adjusted myself, trying to make my boobs stand out more. It was a second or two later before I realized I even did it. I cursed as I looked down at myself. Instead of stripping them off though, I went to the closet and found a pair of pants. They were leather and looked skintight. I knew they were the kind of pants Katie might wear and I also knew that I wanted to wear them as well. I pulled them on without thinking about it, topping off the look with a black t-shirt. When I found myself putting on a pair of her boots, I knew that somehow, some part of her was guiding my hand.

Was this what she meant by helping me?

Finishing with the boots, I sat at the vanity and slowly started to put on my makeup. I did it flawlessly. When I was done, I saw Katie staring back at me. It was the same reflection from the mirror. I smiled then practiced sneering. It took me a few tries but I managed to get her smirk down. Ok so maybe I could at least look like her. I took a deep breath as I stood up and made my way for the door. Now the question was, could I act like her as well?
Time to find out.

I opened the door and went into the hall. I stopped myself before stepping into the hall. A certain part of me told me to sex up my walk, add a sway to my hips but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I knew it was something Katie might do but the thought of it made me sick to my stomach.

According to Degna, I’d been “put away” for nearly two weeks. Knowing today was in fact the sixteenth of November told me that I’d only been Katie for a few days. I kept that in mind as I made my way around the house, hoping no one would notice how lost I really was. It helped thinking about being lost though. If Katie had only truly been here a couple of days, then that meant no one truly knew her, no one except Charlotte and Wisteria of course. That bit of confidence stayed with me as I wandered down the hall. If they truly didn’t know her then that meant I didn’t have to act like her or dress like her. I stopped to look down at myself and suddenly felt really embarrassed. Here I was thinking all these girls would think it weird if I dressed differently. I should have remembered what Degna said two days ago.

I guess my mind had been elsewhere.

Cursing, I seriously thought about turning around and going back to change.

“Katie” said a familiar southern drawl. “There you are.”

Shit, too late now. Charlotte came down the hall. She was dressed normally in a t-shirt and jeans. Why did she get to dress like a human being?

“Darling, you’re going to wear that to breakfast?”

“There wasn’t much else in my closet.”

For a moment, I thought I saw her scowl. It disappeared quickly though, turning into a smile. “Why don’t we go shopping later?”

“Yes please.”

“Well then” said Charlotte, taking me by the hand. “Let’s go meet the girls.”

I let her led me down the hall. I had one of those feelings of dread that went from my head to my toes. Strangely enough, it went back up my body and stayed mostly in the pit of my stomach. I felt like I was going to puke. Of course, I needed food in my stomach for that to truly be possible. I tried not to think about what my body was really craving and thought about what I really wanted. I would kill for some pancakes and sausage like Mom used to make. She made the best breakfast. Thinking about it, I couldn’t help but feel a tear roll down my face.

“Honey” said Charlotte, stopping when she noticed. “You all right?”

I nodded but I knew I was anything but. “Just thinking about my mother.”

She squeezed my hand. “Sometimes it’s hard to forget we were all human once. It’s never easy. I’d like to say it gets better but sadly I’d be lying.”

“Do you miss your family?”

She got a distant look on her face before she said. “All the time.” The look evaporated a second later, replaced by her cheery smile. “That was a long time ago. I know they’re happy, whenever they may be.”

Something about the way she said that last bit made me feel sad.

“Now no more tears” she continued, wiping my face. Then she bit her lip. “You want to skip the meet and greet again?”

Again? Did that mean Katie skipped it before? I shook my head. I wasn’t Katie; I wanted nothing to do with her. I was going to prove myself---especially her---that I could do this without any influence whatsoever. If Katie didn’t want to meet them then I definitely did. Besides, I needed to get to know them, didn’t I? I promised Degna---and Carmilla---that I would find out all of Wisteria’s secrets. What better way to find out about the Mother than through her Children.

“I’m good,” I said, hoping it was sincere sounding.

We started down the hall again. I was surprised when we passed by the dining room though. I thought we were going to eat. Charlotte caught me looking and smiled. We continued on, down another hall before we got to a nondescript looking door. She knocked before opening it. Inside I found a modest size room with lots of furniture and dark drapes. It was an elegant looking boudoir, the furniture was old, looked to be from the turn of the century actually. In fact, it looked a lot like the room from the Halloween party. The room where I…just thinking about that night made me shudder. I forced it from my thoughts and smiled at all the faces that turned to look at us.

There were seven girls present.

Unlike the elegant room though, they were all dressed pretty normally. I looked from one to the other, trying to read them individually. The closest girl to me had long silky black hair and looked vaguely familiar. I couldn’t quite place her though. She smiled and waved. I waved a bit too, before looking to the girl sitting next to her. This one I was bound to remember again---her short, blood red hair a perfect reminder. Next to her was a pair of twins. They were sitting in a chair together, both nearly identical. Their hair was brown and straight, their bangs cut an even length. When they stared at me, it was almost as if one person was looking instead of two. It was kind of creepy. Next to them was a blonde girl, her eyes were a vibrant purple color. Next to her was a girl with a pageboy cut, who seemed less interested in me and very attentive to her long nails, filing them like they were the most important thing in the world. The last girl was African American, she smiled but it looked forced, like she could care one way or another about meeting me.

Seven girls, seven distinct vampires.

“Hi there” said the first girl, the one with the long black hair. She jumped to her feet, a bundle of energy. She took my hand, shaking it happily. “I’m Lucy, you must be Katrina. Charlotte told us all about you.”

“Katie actually” I said, smiling.

“It’s nice to meet you Katie”.

“Same here” I said, meaning it too.

I was expecting fire to spurt out of her mouth at any second now. From what Degna was saying, these girls were all supposed to be the devil.

“Oh where are my manners?” said Lucy, giggling slightly. She pointed to the girls, starting with the one next to her. “That’s Annalyn, the Twins, Reese and Regan, Violet, Cordelia and finally that’s Ronnie over there with the sour face.”

“How many girls does Wisteria have?” I asked, before catching myself.

‘All together, hundreds sugah” said Charlotte, taking over a bit. “In this house, there are eleven of us, you make twelve. Wisteria and Carmilla like to keep the numbers even.”

“Where are the others?” I asked, before catching myself.

That sounded a bit rude.

“Wisteria likes to keep Maxine close to her,” said Charlotte. “Theresa goes where she pleases; she doesn’t socialize well with others and as for Suzanne, well let’s just say she’s not welcome here.”

“I don’t know why Mother just doesn’t replace her” said Violet, annoyed. “I mean she’s not one of us, not really.”

“Mother’s business is her business,” snapped Ronnie.

“I didn’t mean…” Violet acted like a child who was being scolded.

“Yeah, yeah” said Annalyn, getting to her feet. “Is this meet and greet over with?”

Lucy nodded. “But we got some things to talk about.”

“Send me a memo,” said Annalyn, getting to her feet rather quickly.

She pushed past Charlotte and me to leave. When her shoulder brushed against mine, I felt cold. An image flashed in my head, disorienting me slightly. I saw Annalyn standing outside, smoking a cigarette. Then a blonde came up to her, the two of them started to make out. It was there for a moment but disappeared just as quickly. I staggered before righting myself. Thankfully, no one else saw it. What the hell was that? I looked at Annalyn as she started down the hall, watching her as she disappeared out of sight. I turned back to the others but none of them seemed to notice my discomfort.

“Sorry about that” said Lucy, pouting. “Annie is a sour puss. She’s always been that way. She…well…let’s just say she didn’t have a god change and leave it at that.”

Change? Oh yeah, I forgot. Everyone here used to be a guy like me. I couldn’t help but find that a little hard to swallow. All of them were so gorgeous, super model hot in fact. It was hard to fathom that at one point all of them used to be guys. That was Wisteria’s thing though, according to Degna. She took boys who wanted to be girls and granted their wishes. From the way things sounded, she’d been doing it for a long time. Maybe even hundreds of years. Though it would seem I was probably the only one in the whole house who didn’t really want it.

“Hey Bubbles” said Violet, addressing Lucy. “Can we get this over with please?”

Lucy giggled. “Oops sorry” She giggled some more before taking my hands, smiling. “On behalf of Wisteria, I’d like to officially welcome you to Delta Beta Zeta.”

Lucy pulled me into a tight hug. As soon as she did, I got another flash. I saw her sitting in a room, her knees pulled up to her chest, sobbing, repeating the words “She Hates Me” over and over again. The image so was intense and it lasted a lot longer than the one I got from Annalyn. In fact, it lasted as long as Lucy was holding onto me. As soon as she broke the hug, the image disappeared. What in the hell was going on? I pushed away from Lucy quickly, even shoving her slightly. The look of pain on her face was apparent. Shit, now I was being a bitch.

“Sorry” I said, feeling bad.

Lucy nodded but sniffled.

“Are we done now?” asked Ronnie, clearly as annoyed as Annalyn had been a moment before.

“Yes” said Lucy, a bit distant. “You can go.”

“Thank God” gasped Cordelia, getting to her feet just as quickly as Annalyn had. “I know it’s tradition but after you’ve done this over and over again, it gets kind of redundant.” She started for the door, nodding to me before leaving. “Nice meeting you, love the pants.”

She left after that. I turned my body ever so slightly, making sure she didn’t bump into me as she left. I did the same for Ronnie and the Twins. Neither of them said anything as they slipped by me. I watched the Twins out of interest though. They held hands as they walked down the hall together. Something about them creeped me out. Violet and Lucy were the last to leave. I tried to apologize to Lucy again but she brushed me off. Violet gave me a cold look while trying to comfort her friend. As the two of them started down the hall, I couldn’t help but overhear Lucy say, “She Hates Me.”

What the hell?

“You ok?” asked Charlotte, touching my shoulder.

I flinched, expecting another strange image to flash in my head but nothing happened. I sighed before turning toward her. “I’m fine, just a little tired.”

Charlotte nodded. “You gotta be a little wary of Lucy, she’s a bit sensitive.”

“I didn’t mean it, it just…”

“I know” said Charlotte “its rough being her. She’s a nice sweet girl and yet she’s very lonely. She was a bit of an outcast before, very shy and quiet before her Change. It’s not easy for her to make friends so she does a lot of overcompensating for it. That’s why Wisteria made her the greeter. It’s supposed to help her socialize more.”

The Greeter? I suddenly remembered where I’d seen her before. She was the girl at the door, the one greeting people at the Halloween party.

“She’s really nice, should I apologize again?”

“No, she’ll get over it soon.”

I nodded but for some reason I just knew she was crying in her room right now.

“Now then” said Charlotte in a more cheerful tone. “Time for some libations.”

She took me by the hand again, leading me out of the room. Once again, we went down the hall, this time toward what I could only assume was a kitchen. There was no stove though but there was a large walk-in freezer. Charlotte opened the door with ease before stepping inside. I took a step closer, seeing the cold as it escaped the large interior. I was surprised when I couldn’t feel it though. I stuck my head inside but still nothing. Charlotte was in the back, pulling red sacks from the metal shelves.

“You want A or B this morning?”I shrugged. “A it is then.”

She carried two of the sacks---the blood bags---out of the freezer. She slammed the door with her foot before depositing the blood on the counter. My body tingled at the sight of it. That repulsed the hell out of me. I couldn’t help but stare at it though. I knew it was blood, I knew it should have been the most disgusting thing in the world and yet I wanted it more than anything. I couldn’t fight the need for it, no matter how much I tried. As I stared at it, there was a little vein in my neck that kept pulsating and I felt the prick of my fangs as they touched my lips. I reached up, feeling them for the first time. I was wondering where they’d been. Apparently, they must only come out when I was ready to feed.

“Oh you’re hungry, I can see it” said Charlotte, returning with two mugs. One had a kitty on it. “This is Lucy’s but I don’t think she’ll mind.”

Charlotte ripped open the bags, pouring them into the mugs. She tossed the leftovers into the sink before turning and handing me the kitty mug. I took it without comment. I tried to force myself not to drink, it was blood after all. I might have been a vampire but I was human too. Ok so I was human but there was just no way I was going to drink this crap. I felt my hand quiver and shake, the mug rocking gently. My willpower---which had been so strong only moments before---collapsed quickly. I tried to fight, put everything I had into fighting but in the end, it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t stop myself as I brought the mug up to my lips and drank. I felt disgusted by it but couldn’t stop. I was drinking blood. I was drinking blood out of a kitty mug and I was enjoying it.

I sighed in ecstasy as it slowly rolled down my throat. It tasted like red licorice actually, which surprised me. I loved licorice as a kid. I sighed at the memory, grateful for it. I was grateful for the blood too. I’d been a fool to deny it. How could I---a vampire---ever think that this was wrong? It blood, I was meant to drink it.

“Chug it all bitch,” said a voice in my head.

As soon as I heard Katie speak, I knew. I knew that it wasn’t me enjoying it so much, it wasn’t me who yearned for it, who craved for it. It was her. As soon as the realization dawned, I quickly stopped drinking. I set the mug on the counter, surprised to see it empty. I groaned, feeling a pain in my gut as I did so. Ok, so maybe there was no real pain but I felt like there should have been.

“What the matter Princess, can’t hold your liquor.”

Katie started laughing.

“Leave me alone,” I said, louder than I would have liked.

‘What was that?” asked Charlotte.

I completely forgot she was in the room. I inwardly cursed. I opened my mouth to speak but when I did, it wasn’t my voice. Ok it was mine but I wasn’t speaking. “I said that was really good.”

It was her. I’m not sure how but somehow she spoke for me.

“How did you do that?” I asked, with my thoughts.

“It’s the blood, princess,” she said with triumphant. “The more you drink, the more I feed. It’s invigorating and you know the best part, you can’t resist it. Every time you drink, a little more power comes my way. You might be in charge of my body for now, Princess, but I’ll gain ground every time you feed. Remember that the next time you’re hungry.”

She started laughing, her laughter slowly faded away until she was deep into my mind once again.

I clutched my stomach, groaning.

“You sure you’re ok?”

I nodded. “I guess A isn’t really my type after all.”

Charlotte laughed. “Not really mine either. I’ll get us some A Negative tomorrow; it’s a little less spicy.” She gave my shoulder a gently squeeze. “Don’t worry, it gets better from here.”

Easy for her to say. Every time she drank, she didn’t have a psychopath slowly gaining control of her body. I smiled at her encouragement, trying to keep up the charade. Charlotte excused herself after that, told me she’d meet me for dinner. I had the rest of the morning and afternoon free to myself. Katie---I mean me---didn’t have a class until later in the evening. So now, I had to figure out what to do with the rest of the day. The only problem was I had no idea what vampires did. Surely, there was something. I got an idea after that. I’m not sure why I hadn’t thought of it before. I rushed out into the hall, quickly heading back to the room we were in before.

When I opened the door, I found Lucy. She gave me a pleasant look.

“Lucy” I said and sighed. “Look I’m sorry about before. I was…well I’m still a little freaked about all of this vampire stuff.”

She smiled and I quickly got to her. She rushed over and hugged me. I prepared myself this time but no images came. I sighed in relief. I’m not sure what that was before but I was glad that it didn’t happen again. We hugged normally before she pulled away.

“Its ok, it’s not easy.” She giggled. “It took me a whole day to get over the fact that I had boobs.”

I smiled at that, looking down at mine. “I know the feeling.”

“But it’s what we wanted.”

I nodded. “Yep” I lied. “A dream come true.”

“So” she said, running her fingers through my hair. “You wanna braid each other’s hair?”

I smiled. “Maybe some other time. I was actually wondering if there was some place I could go to learn more about vampires.”

Lucy smiled real big. “Of course there is silly. Ravencrest has a library.” She took me by my hand, pulling me to the door. “C’mon, they have the biggest selection of books ever.”

I never met someone so excited to go to the library before. But I let her take me by the hand anyway. Out in the hallway, she let go of it though. I think she finally realized she was being a little overenthusiastic.

“Sorry” she said, blushing.

“It’s ok,” I said, smiling.

We started walking down the hall, side by side.

“I like your pants by the way” she said with a giggle.

I wanted to cry instead I groaned. “A…thanks.”

She laughed as we walked. I tried to keep up with her energy as she practically bounced down the hall. Me, I had a slight swagger to my hips. I didn’t notice it until we got to the front door; as soon as I did, I felt a chill. It scared me that I didn’t notice. Just like the makeup this morning, it was almost as if I did it without thinking. Shit, did that mean what I thought it meant? Was she gaining control again that quickly? I shook it off, promising myself to just fight back harder.

“Everything ok?” asked Lucy, concerned.

“Sure” I said, lying.

Everything was fine.

For now.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF

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Author's Note: I'm BACKKKKK....I bet you thought I fell into a hole or something, right? Ok so it wasn't a hole per se but it was definitely something like that. I kind of wrote this chapter to a stand still. I got 90% done and stalled. I just couldn't figure out where to take the damn thing. Then I decided to give myself a deadline. I sat down this morning and decided I was going to pump out the last scene and finish this no matter what. Thankfully I succeeded. I'd like to thank djkauf for the expect editing and all of you for your patience :)

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3.

I flinched as soon as the two of us walked out of the house. The midmorning sun beat down on my face, tingling my skin. For a split second, I thought I was going to burst into flames like in the movies. I knew that to not be the case though. If I was going to burst into flames, I would have done so yesterday when I was out and about. Regardless, it was still a bit disconcerting. Only a few weeks a vampire, only a couple of days myself and I was already burdened with worries. It didn’t help that Lucy noticed me flinch. She didn’t say anything of course but she gave me a strange look.

“This your first time out in the sun?” she asked, standing a few feet away.

I shook my head. “It’s strange. I’ve been in the sun hundreds of times and yet…”

She nodded. “For weeks after my Change I thought I was going to crisp right up. It takes time but you’ll get used to it.”

“How much?”

“Well I’ve been here since 1983 and I still only try to spend a few minutes in the sun when I can.”

1983? I looked closer at her, marveling at her beauty. She looked pretty good for someone who was almost 50.

“How do the people not notice?”

“Not notice what?”

“You guys” I said, hoping that was enough of an explanation.

She smiled. “It’s not really all that difficult. We try not to be noticeable. Sure, there might be a few heads turned, some people who recognize us but it’s not really all that hard. We make it a rule not to get involved with the Norms. If they don’t grow too attached then they don’t remember us. It’s easier to blend in that way.”

“And that works?”

“There have been a few problems,” she said in a soft tone, looking toward the school.

The way she looked and spoke made me think she had some experience with it. I could only imagine what it must have been like for her and the others. She had only been a vampire for what, maybe thirty years. I knew there had to be older girls here. It must be hard not being able to truly interact with people. Sure, we had our sisters---our eternal family---but not being able to get close to others, it must have been hell.
“That’s kind of horrible.”

She shrugged. “You get used to it.” Her voice was still soft though, there was clearly sorrow there. It didn’t last long though.

A moment later, she was back to her perky self.

“Enough of that though” she said cheerfully. “We’re on a mission, remember.”

How could I forget?

Without saying another world, Lucy led the way. I couldn’t help but realize that Degna might have been wrong about them after all. Sure I got a bit of a cold shoulder from a couple of them but overall, my Sisters didn’t seem like the monsters she made them out to be. Sure, they were a bit eccentric but there was nothing overly evil about them. Besides the fact that they were bloodsucking vampires. If that made them evil then what was I? Looking at Lucy as she bounced down the sidewalk, I tried to see the supposed monster she was hiding within. All I saw was a girl who had problems, problems that extended well beyond the fact that she was a vampire. It was clear she a broken person and that this flighty exterior of hers was to mask something else---something damaged inside of her.

After a block or two of walking, we left the college behind us. I found it kind of strange how easily it blended itself in with the rest of the town. Sure, I’d done some exploring when I first got here back in September and it still blew my mind. At first it looked as if the town was built around the college, after all the administration building was old man Ravencrest’s house. However now that I looked at things, I realized it was just the house. That though the college was central in the town, it seemed the entire town was centered around the house. That was strange too, because as houses go, it wasn’t the biggest and it definitely didn’t stand out like the others.

It was just there.

I tried not to think about it too much as we made our way onto Main Street. I found myself walking a familiar path again. It was hard to imagine that only a few weeks ago, I’d been human walking down this street. I’d been a guy too. That life though seemed years ago, another lifetime almost. I’m not saying I’d forgotten it but it didn’t seem like it was nearly as important now. Sure, if I could go back in time---stop myself from going to that house----I’d do it in a heartbeat. But something like that wasn’t possible so I was going to have to live my new life, as it was preordained for me. This was it now and though I dreaded it greatly, there was nothing I could do to change things.

Lucy stopped walking as we passed by a bar. She bit her lip, lingering. “Ummm, are you hungry?”

I shook my head. Just thinking about blood now made me queasy. Besides there was that whole blood makes Katie stronger thing to worry about. If I could get away with it, I’d never touch the damn stuff again.

“I just ate,” I added, hoping it would keep her from asking.

Lucy fidgeted. “You don’t mind if I stop in there for a quick bite do you?”

“What about the library?”

She turned and pointed. “Continue down this road and take a right at the corner. Big stone building, you can’t miss it.”

“Sure no prob.”

She smiled then made her way toward the bar, leaving me alone on the street. I watched her disappear inside, before starting toward where she pointed. I didn’t get very far though when I noticed something a little strange. I caught sight of a girl sitting on a bench, looking a bit out of it. Curiosity got the better of me and I wandered over. When I got closer, I could see she was clearly stressed. That wasn’t the strangest thing though. The strangest thing was that she appeared to be dressed like a hippy. She was a tie dye t-shirt and bellbottoms. Her long blonde hair hung limply around her face. She looked overly pale too; her eyes had this hollow, vacant look.

When I approached, I dropped onto the bench next to her.

“You do know that Halloween was a couple of weeks ago right?”

As soon as I spoke, the girl’s head quickly snapped around to me. I saw the look; it was the look of someone who had not spoken to anyone in a long time. It was more than that though; I saw it the split second before she opened her mouth. There was a transparency to her skin, a slight shine that I didn’t notice from the distance but was very apparent now.

“You can see me?”

Shit.

Another one.

“Ummm, hi” I said, cursing myself under my breath.

The girl broke into a huge smile. “Oh thank god. I’ve been trying to get the attention of people for days now but no one seems to notice me. You’re the first one. You have no idea how hard that’s been.”

A couple of days?

The girl started to cry but there were no tears rolling down her cheeks. I wanted to reach out to comfort her but didn’t want to look like an idiot doing so. It was clear she didn’t know she was dead. It was also clear that she didn’t notice the fact that her wrists were clearly slit. I didn’t notice it myself until she moved her hands. The marks were as clear as day though. This girl had killed herself and now her spirit was left lingering. My family had never been overly religious but I still believed in God, Heaven, Hell, all that jazz. Seeing this girl sitting here next to me and talking to Degna yesterday, made me completely rethink the whole idea. If there were ghosts wandering about, did that mean there was no Heaven? I shook my head. That was too insane and definitely something I didn’t want to debate on a park bench next to a crying dead girl.

“So you said you’ve been here a few days?”

She stopped crying. Her lip curled into a cruel sneer. “You think I’m lying,” she snapped, her body taking on a more intense shine. “You think I’d make up something like that!”

I raised my hands up defensively, trying to show her I mean no harm. “Of course not. It’s just that you look like you’re from the seventies that’s all.”

Her anger seemed to subside. “Of course I am. It’s 1973.”

She gave me the strangest look. I sighed. This girl really didn’t know she was dead. Damn it, what the hell was I supposed to do now. It wasn’t like there was some kind of manual for this kind of thing. The best thing I had to go on was The Sixth Sense and I didn’t even like that movie all that much. It bothered me that all those stupid moviegoers didn’t realize Bruce Willis was dead. It was so damn apparent right from the get go. From that moment on, the movie made the perfect sense to me. Now I was living it. I was the creepy vampire girl who could just so happen to see Dead People. Yay me.

“Of course it is,” I said, not wanting to make her mad again. “I’ve been a little out of it lately.” She smiled and I continued talking. “So why do you think people can’t see you?”

She shrugged. “I think they’re ignoring me because of what I did.”

“And what did you do?”

She looked really confused. I looked at her wrists. It was clear that she was talking about her wrists but for some reason she didn’t realize it. I could feel her pain. Ok, so not physically feel it but I knew what she felt. I wanted to reach out and give her a big hug, instead I felt extremely awkward just sitting here talking to her.

The girl started to fidget before getting to her feet quickly. “I gotta go.”

“Wait? What?”

She got up without saying another word and began to wander off down the street. Shit. I jumped up and began to follow. She was a lot faster than I thought. Then again, it was almost as if she were gliding. I quickly got in front of her though, holding out my hand.
“Wait up a second” I said and she stopped.

Her face lit up.

“You can see me?”

Huh? I’d just been talking to her?

This time though she didn’t wait to say anything else. Instead, she just continued walking, passing through me as she did. As soon as her body connected with mine, I was a seized by an overwhelming sense of cold and dread. I got a series of flashes, all too quick and insane to make much sense of. The clearest one was at the end, showing the girl in a room crying as she took a razor blade to her wrists. I felt an intense pain in my own wrists, grasping them slightly. Then all of it was gone, passed away just as quickly as it came. My wrists were still slightly sore though. I looked at them to make sure there were no slashes there, then sighed when they looked normal. Well, as normal as they could look.

I stood there for a few moments afterwards though. I’m not sure what the hell just happened but it was clear that Degna was not the only lost spirit wandering the streets of the city. I sighed heavily and made a quick mental note not to talk to anyone who looked like a reject from an era long gone. With that silent promise, I quickly moved down the road toward the library.

I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into the public library. What I wasn’t expecting was how normal it looked. I’m not sure why that surprised me so much, after all this town was supposed to be normal. The monsters and things that went bump in the night were supposed to be just that, things of the night. Creatures that lived in the shadows were the normal people couldn’t see them. At least that’s what Degna told me. She didn’t talk much about how the town worked but she gave me the basics---Unseen, Norms---that kind of thing. It was a little hard to swallow to say the least. Even now---knowing what I was---I still had a hard time grasping it.

That was the least of my problems now, though.

I took a deep breath and walked into the large room. The library was fairly open. There were stone pillars lining the large foyer, leading from the entrance to a large circular reception area. I headed toward it, finding only one person present. The old woman sitting there gave me a cold look as I approached. There was something about it---the way her eyes barely followed me---that kind of creeped me out. It didn’t help that they had this glassy look to me as if she was dazed.

“Hi” I said, remembering to be polite. “I was wondering if you could help me.”

I looked at the counter, saw her nameplate there: Mrs. Irene Beck.

“I can try dear,” she said, her tone betrayed her manner. She was pleasant and cheery except her dead eyes continued to stare. “What is you’re looking for exactly?”

I didn’t skip a beat. “I’m doing a paper for my abnormal psych class on vampires. The school library has crap on them, I was wondering if you had a bit more.”

Just like I practiced on the way over. Nice and simple.

She smiled thinly. “You’re not looking for those Twilight books are you? We don’t have those at the moment. Some over eager girl your age checked them out a month ago and hasn’t bothered to return them.”

I shook my head. “God no. I’m looking for real books, not crap.”

She smiled again. “I think we might have one or two.”

She turned to the PC on her left. I couldn’t help but watch as she typed. Her age made it almost impossible for her to type like she did. It was kind of surprising. A moment later, I heard the printer whirring to life behind her. She spun in her chair, not missing a beat as she slid over to retrieve the sheet that came out of it. Returning just as quick, she handed it to me.

“That was fast.”

“It’s a strange town. Believe it or not, you’re not the first young lady that’s asked for this list.”

I took the paper from her, thanking her as I did so. I looked at it quickly, finding about six books. Thankfully, they were all in one section. I’m not sure how good any of them might be but I was hoping one of them was going to be legit. After all, if Wisteria and her brood had been here for over a hundred years I was pretty certain one of them must have written about it. Hopefully one of those books was on this list. I quickly scanned the list again, looking for names that might pop out to me. There were only two female authors, neither of them sounded that familiar to me though.

Maybe they’re aliases.

I wandered away from the reception area, toward a dark corner that looked fairly promising. The light there was dim, provided by an ancient looking fixture on the wall. Most of it was contained in the corner as well as in part by the tall bookshelves on either side of it. I checked the numbers on the shelves, sadly it wasn’t my destination. Moving on, I went from section to section. I couldn’t help but glance at the statues lining the walls. They were cut off by book shelves, each one as strange as the next. Where did the library get the money to afford such lavish decorations? First, there was the pair of griffins outside and now there was all these ones on the inside. Not to mention the really nice marble floors and all those columns. Whoever built this place it must have cost him a fortune.

“You looking for books?” asked a tiny voice, drawing me from my thoughts.

I looked around, not seeing anyone until it occurred to me to look down. I found myself staring at the cutest blonde girl I’d ever seen. She had bright yellow hair pulled to side in a braid and was wearing a pink dress. She couldn’t have been more than five or six. Her blue doe eyes stared up at me in awe.

“Are you lost?”

She shook her head. “Nope, I live here.”

“You live here?”

She nodded. “Grammy is here.” I looked where the girl quickly pointed, seeing it was toward Mrs. Beck.

So this was her granddaughter. It was kind of sweet of the old lady to bring the girl to work with her.

“So what’s your name?”

“Chloe” she said happily.

“Hi there Chloe” I said, sticking out my hand. “I’m Kylie.”

The little girl reached out to shake my hand but stopped before she reached it. I caught sight of a pretty ring on her finger. It was silver with a pink jewel, matching the pink dress she wore. I’m guessing she thought she was a princess. Before she could shake my hand though, she squealed with glee and ran off toward the reception area. I couldn’t help but look. There were two girls there now. One was short and mousy, kind of cute in her own way. The other was tall and awkward. She was very pretty but for some reason she didn’t have the confidence to show it.

“Maggie” Chloe said happily, barely loud enough for me to hear.

She then latched herself to the girl’s legs.

I heard her say, “Did you come to play with me?” before I decided not to eavesdrop any longer.

I went back to my search, moving this way and that. It wasn’t going so well though. I’m not sure where these books were, but they better be something when I finally got there. As I was passing another section, I saw the two girls approach a table with some guys. They all looked to be high school age except a younger boy in a wheelchair. He had a sour disposition, especially when looking at the awkward girl. I only caught a snippet of their conversation as I passed by.

“Hey guys,” said the mousy girl. “Sorry we’re late.”

“It’s about time” said wheelchair boy.

The dark haired kid made a snide comment before the other boy said something that I wasn’t really expecting.

“Dude Charlie, you said Kelly was a boy.”

A boy seriously? If she was a boy, I was Santa Claus. I moved on quickly after that. I didn’t want them to see the freaky goth chick spying on them. I turned the corner and found myself looking at more bookshelves. I let out a low groan. How many damn books were in this place anyway? Sure, it was a library but it was already twice as big as the one back home. Sighing heavily, I continued my search. I found what I was looking for---finally---about ten minutes later. I was glad that vampires didn’t get exhausted because I definitely would have before. As soon as I found the right section, it didn’t take me long to get the books I was looking for. I pulled them all quickly, one after the other. I stacked them in my arms and made sure no one was watching as I quickly found myself a secluded table. I made sure it was in another dimly lit corner. There were actually quite a few of those. I dropped them on the little table there with a loud thud, a cloud of dust followed.

Not too clean, this place.

I dropped into the seat and grabbed the first book. After only reading a few pages though, I had to stop. It was rather dry, read more like a textbook than anything else. I knew it was the book I was probably looking for but I set it aside anyway. I would be bored to death later. The next book was just as dry but it didn’t have anything I wanted. It was more about the myth of the vampire. The third book was pretty much the same. The fourth book was sadly about vampire movies. The fifth was actually a romance novel. Why in the hell did she give me that one anyway? The sixth book was a lot like the first but unlike the first; it was refreshing to say the least. I flipped to the cover; it was one of the ones written by a woman. I couldn’t help but think that there was definitely something worth reading in here.

I found myself lost in the words. I read for a good while. About a hundred pages in, I stopped to stretch. I didn’t really need to but it was a force of habit that I was pretty certain I was never going to break. Besides, I could turn it into something useful. I grabbed the four reject books and decided to return them back to the shelf. I was lost in a daze as I slowly walked back to where I got them. I was putting the third book back when she snuck up behind him.

“Hey” said a familiar voice, almost causing me to drop what I had in my hands.

I snapped around, ready to pounce and found Scarlet standing there. She was beaming at the sight of me. I felt myself beam a bit too. Hey, she was cute.

“Hey yourself” I said, putting the last two books back.

“You playing hooky again?”

Hooky again. It was Saturday. I looked at her and realized she had to be kidding. The way she was smiling told me she was definitely flirting. I decided to play along.

I laughed. “Guilty as charged.”

“My mother would so totally kill me if she found out I even attempted to do something like that?”

“You don’t skip class then?”

She shook her head. “Of course I do. I said if she found out.”

We both laughed. I know I’d only met her yesterday but was it possible to meet your soul mate after only two meetings. There was just something about her that made me want to tear her clothes off. I’m sure only half of that was hormones talking too.

“So you like to spend your days off snooping about the library?” she asked, pulling a book from the shelf, one of them I put back. “And its vampires huh?”

“A bit of a hobby” I said then quickly added. “You’re one to talk.

You’re in the library too.”

She held up her hands. “On business only”.

She reached into the pack slung on her shoulder and pulled out a sheet of neon paper. It was bright green and seemed to scream, “Look at me”. She handed me the sheet. It was a flyer for her band the Poison Tongues, the same one she handed me yesterday.

“You’re hanging these in the library?”

“Advertisement, baby” she said.

Hearing her call me baby sounded kind of nice.

“You’re coming tomorrow right?”

Tomorrow? Oh right, she was playing.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

She smiled big. “Excellent. I’ll make sure I have a table for you up front.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Of course I do, that’s where the VIPs sit.”

VIP huh? Scarlet moved fast, faster than fast. I guess I couldn’t blame her. It was kind of refreshing to meet someone who wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted. It was just a shame I couldn’t have met her a few months ago as Kyle. Sure, I saw a chance now but I’m not if I could control myself around her. She was a Norm after all and yesterday being close to her drove me nuts with hunger. Hell, it was the same reason I was avoiding Steve. I just couldn’t trust myself around humans.

Scarlet took a quick look around, making sure we were truly alone. “You wanna go someplace a little more secluded?”

Oh, God did I ever but I sighed.

“I can’t, I’m supposed to meet a friend at noon.”

She huffed. “I’m jealous of the bitch already.”

“How do you know it’s a girl?”

“Is it?”

“Yes” I said, laughing.

“See, totally jealous” she said, running her fingers gently through my hair.

Boy this girl didn’t waste any time did she. Then again, it didn’t help that I was definitely giving her all the right signals. I’m not sure what it was that came over me. I’d never been this forward before with anyone. With her though, I wanted to jump her so bad. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was the vampire in me.

“Sure it is princess,” said a snide voice.

Shit.

“You’re doing this?”

“She’s so yummy looking; I could just eat her up.”

“Stay the fuck out of this.”

Katie scoffed but she stopped talking.

“You ok?”

I sighed but nodded. “Just zoning”

“Definitely bizarre” she said with laugh. She looked at her watch and cursed. “Shit, I’m supposed to meet my mother for lunch. Too bad you’re busy; she’d absolutely flip if I brought you with me, especially wearing those pants.”

She gave my butt a little pat before saying good-bye and disappearing. I watched her go. She put a little sway in her hips, making sure I got a nice long look at her legs as she did so. Damn that girl was going to be a problem for me. I watched her until she disappeared then returned back to my table. I scooped up the remaining books and took them with me to the counter. I didn’t have a bag with me but Mrs. Beck was nice enough to lend me one that the library had on hand for such an occasion. Chloe was there so she took it and handed it to me. I thanked them both as I took the bag from her, making sure I didn’t touch her.

No more freaky flash things for me today thank you very much.

“Can you come back and play again?” asked Chloe.

“Sure sweetie” I said, giving her a big smile before I turned and walked slowly toward the door.

Degna was standing where we agreed to meet yesterday. It was strange really because looking at her, standing there it was hard to imagine that she wasn’t a real girl. Well she was real but she wasn’t alive. Ok, so technically she wasn’t really alive before being a vampire but now she not only wasn’t alive but she was invisible to everyone else too. Talk about getting screwed out of two lives. I tried not to think about it as I smiled and started to wave. I stopped myself halfway though, just in case someone saw me waving to nothing and thought I was crazy.

I put a little bounce in my step as I approached. My wonderful encounter with Scarlet still dancing about in my head.

“You’re glowing,” said Degna with a sly smile.

Shit. I thought that was only in those stupid movies.

“I thought you said we didn’t sparkle?”

She laughed. “It’s a figure of speech.”

Oh, that kind of glowing.

I smiled. “Just had a happy encounter with a friend that’s all.”

“Oh? Anyone I know.”

I shook my head. There was no way I was going to sit here and discuss Scarlet with her. I’m not even sure what she was to me. Sure, there was potential for something more and it was clear Scarlet was interested but I was a bit confused by the whole thing. Besides, I didn’t want to bring it up with Degna. She was cool and she’d definitely understand but it felt kind of awkward too. Only a little while ago, I’d been crushing on her and talking about another girl just felt too weird for me.

So instead, I made a gesture toward a bench where the two of us sat. I made sure to put my bag at my feet, trying to keep it from tipping over. The last thing I needed was the library books to get covered in crap and then be held responsible for it. Degna’s eyes drifted to the bag for a split second before they went right back to me.

“School books?”

“No just some light reading.”

She smiled. “So how did things go?”

Things? What things? Then it occurred to me that she was referring to our talk. Specifically she wanted to know if I was going to help them. In truth, I hadn’t really thought about it. Sure I’d met Wisteria’s girls, well most of them anyway. It was strange though. I just couldn’t see the evil witches that Degna seemed to make them out to be. Sure they were a little cold and a tad bit strange but there was nothing vile about them. Charlotte and Lucy were the nicest people ever. I was certain the other girls could be too---given the chance of course.

“They’re all right,” I said, trying not to sound too excited about any of it.

“All right?”

I shrugged. “I’ve only briefly met them. They seem decent enough. At least none of them tried to stake me or something.”

Shit, that totally came out the wrong way. I quickly looked at Degna’s face, wondering if there was going to be a reaction. What better way to let someone know they’re dead then by stupidly mentioning their second death. Maybe if I was lucky someone would stake me and put me out of my misery. Instead of anger, Degna’s face remained impassive. It was almost as if my comment had no effect on her whatsoever.

“Sorry” I said softly.

“It’s ok. You’re right too; none of them would go out of their way to attack you. You’re one of them and you’re supposed to be Sisters. They’re dangerous though. Anything that comes from that witch is dangerous.”

Now I was offended. “I came from that witch, am I dangerous?”

This time it looked as if she had put her foot in it. “I didn’t mean that.”

“You meant something or else you wouldn’t have said it.”

Degna sighed. “They have a way of getting to you that’s all. You can’t trust them.”

I think that was the rivalry talking more than anything. I’m not sure what Carmilla’s beef with Wisteria was but whatever it was it was affecting both our sides. Degna clearly had a problem with Wisteria and for good reason but so far I have yet to see the evil that she spoke of. I’m not a big fan of Wisteria of course but I wasn’t ready to burn her at the stake. I wasn’t quite ready to condemn her either. Did I want to help Carmilla, sure? Did I trust Carmilla, hell no. I didn’t trust any of them actually. Well maybe Degna but she was the only one who truly stuck her neck out for me and look where that got her. If this situation had taught me anything, it was to trust myself and make my own decisions. So far those decisions were keeping me neutral in this stupid turf war.

“I’m sorry I just don’t see it.”

Degna looked a little sad. “Don’t worry, give it some time. You will.”

I needed to change the subject. If we continued down this road, one of us might say something we both regretted.

“So can you see other ghosts?”

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t know what to look for if I could.” She paused for a moment. “Wait, have you seen other ghosts?”

I bit my lip and nodded. “Earlier. I ran into one when I was leaving the house. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking at first until I started to talk to her. I think I freaked her out because after a few seconds of talking she kind of went nuts. Then strangely it was like the two of us never spoke.”

I saw a look on her face that I’d never seen before: fear. She was quiet for a few moments and when she spoke again it was in a soft voice, barely above a whisper.

“You think that will happen to me?”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure but I’ll do everything I can to make sure you never forget.”

She smiled weakly at that.

I made to reach for her hand in a comforting gesture but stopped when I realized I couldn’t do so. Damn this whole thing sucked.

“So what do we do now?”

She shook her head. “I have no clue. I was hoping you changed your mind but seeing as that’s not the case, I’m not sure what to tell you. You know how I feel. I guess the only thing we can do is wait. Heck, I’ve got nowhere else to go at the moment.”

I could hear the pain in her voice, see it on her face. I let her down.

“I’ll try,” I said quietly. “I know it’s not much but I promise I’ll try to figure this out. If Carmilla wants me to poke around I guess there’s no harm in that.” Degna’s face lit up a bit. “I’m not promising anything more than that though. There’s still a whole bunch of stuff I’m trying to figure out, including my own powers.”

“Powers? As in plural?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I mean it’s not rare for us to have two is it?”

“Ummm yeah” she said, giving me a quick once over. “I mean it’s kind of unheard of. You sure there’s two?”

“I think so.”

I quickly told her about the strange images I saw when I touched people. Then there was the whole seeing ghosts thing. That was two powers right? At least I was pretty sure it was. It was kind of freaking me out now though, knowing that vampires could only have one power.

“Wow that’s a total mind blower” Degna looked shocked but recovered quickly. “You want me to take a look inside your head, maybe figure it out?”

I shook my head quickly. As fun as something like that sounded---not---I didn’t want anyone else in my head. It was bad enough that I had Katie in there.
“I think I’ll pass for now, thanks though.”

“Ok but you can’t tell anyone about this,” she said quickly. “Not Charlotte, not Carmilla and definitely not Wisteria.”

“Why not?”

“It makes no sense that’s all. There’s something going, something about you that doesn’t feel right.” She got off the bench. “Let me see if I can’t find something out.”

“How?”

“Hello Ghost girl” she said, waving her hand in front of her body. “I can go places you can’t. Maybe there’s something in the Archives.”

“Archives?”

“You let me worry about that. You worry about trying to blend in. You need to see these girls for who they really are and to do that you still need to pretend to be Katie.”

That’s what I was afraid of. I nodded my head slowly.

Degna and I decided to split up, cover more ground or whatever. She had a mission now apparently and so did I. I made a move to hug her but realized how futile that was. Instead I gave her a quick smile and agreed to meet her here again in a day or so. We didn’t really set a specific time because she had things to do as well. She did promise to contact me if she found something important though. I made sure to walk away as if it was natural to do. I kept my eyes forward and my mind focused on other things. The last thing I needed was to run into another ghost.

Thankfully, I managed to get back to the house without a problem. It was pretty quiet as I made my way up the stairs and back to my room. Charlotte was out which was a good thing because I really didn’t want any company right now. Sighing heavily I threw the bag onto the bed. It only half made it, tipping over as it landed. The books spilled out onto the floor. Cursing, I rushed over to pick them up. Instinctively I counted as I did. It was then that I noticed that I counted too high. The last book was in my hand, the foreigner that didn’t belong. It was a red leather bound tome, looked pretty old too. It definitely was not one of the books I picked up.

Where the hell did it come from then?

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF