Tristen.

She walked down the eerie sidewalk of her neighborhood. It was around midnight. The full moon was out, but you could barely see it through the draping trees surrounding the area. Austin, Texas was covered in trees and forests, so if something out of the ordinary happened, no one paid much attention. Quote the saying "Keep Austin Weird", so any legends or stories were taken lightly, as a joke by some neighborhood kids. Only a rare few believed any of the legends, one happened to be Allie. She wasn't easily scared but she did have and overactive imagination, which lead to her believing anything supernatural. One of her favorite legends included Werewolves and Vampires, and how they joined forces to become the scariest creature alive.

She stood at a stop sign, there was a bench sitting next to it. She plopped down on it and took out her cell phone. There was a new message from her best friend in Oklahoma. She quickly replied, asking if he was still awake. Putting her phone on vibrate, she stuffed it into her black hoodie's pocket. She looked up the street to where she saw a park, she'd used to have great times there, but they quickly ended once her best friend moved. It's never the same they always say. Turning her head to the other end of the street, she saw nothing but houses and trees. "What a boring neighborhood..." She whispered to herself. Seconds later her phone vibrated. She pulled it out and read her text aloud, "Yeah I'm awake, what's up? - Andrew". Texting at the speed of light she replied to him, wishing he was just sitting right next to her instead. "Been so long since I've had a hug from him. About three years now," she sighed. Her phone vibrated again, another text. She began her story about how she was on another midnight walk as she stood up and started on her way home.

She passed many houses, and underbrush of all kinds. About ten minutes later she was home. As quietly as she could, she unlocked the back door and tiptoed inside. She walked by the couch and saw her father passed out, or sleeping she couldn't tell, a Miller Light can in his hand. "Idiot." She whispered, grabbing a blanket from the closet and setting it over him. "Do I have to do everything around here?" Turning off the television, she left the room and followed the hall next to it to her own room. She opened the door and gazed upon her freshly updated room. Her walls and ceiling were navy, the closest color to black she was allowed to paint her room; her curtains were white with navy outlining. Her bed was just a box spring on the floor with a mattress on top. The window was next to it with a large windowsill, where she would just sit and think while staring out at the open abyss. Her closet was next to her old brown dresser that held as much clothes as it did stories typed up and printed. A Mac laptop stood on the night-stand next to her bed.

Pulling out her phone once more to reply to Andrew, she opened her window and sat on the windowsill. She stared out and saw a teenage boy walking down the street; he looked about her age with black hair, and a black hoodie just like hers on with blue jeans. She looked closer, wanting to know what his eye color was, but his head was down and he was close enough that she could yell out his name, but white cords hung down from his eyes. There was no point in waking up the whole neighborhood just to have a friendly conversation with a stranger, she thought. She shrugged her shoulders and went back to texting, not paying attention to the stranger.

The boy looked up at her, noticing her sitting at her window. He climbed through the bushes more quietly than a mouse, and crouched down to her height, without her even noticing.

"Hey," He said casually.

She took her attention from her phone and jumped, almost falling from her position on the windowsill at the boy who was now sitting right next to her. "Dude! That's not cool, what if I had screamed and woken up everyone?" Allie replied, slightly angry he had snuck up on her like that, but all in all excited he had come up to talk to her.

"Well, I'd just walk away and laugh at you." He smiled.

"I see your a real gentleman," She snickered, examining his face. His eyes were a piercing green that stood out against his black hair. His nose was normally sized, and his lips were a pale pink and looked very soft.

"Well, nice guys finish last don't they?"

"Not in my book." She countered.

"Ah, so you like 'em nice I see? Well, let me just say your eyes are gorgeous," He smiled, leaving Allie not sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

"Why thank you, no one's told me that before. Everyone likes to say I have poop brown eyes, or boring eyes. Unless of course you’re using sarcasm," She tilted her head giving him a look to make him tell the truth.

"Oh, you caught me," He winked then stood up and walked away, then over his shoulder, "The name's Tristen, see you around," and he disappeared into the trees across the street. Allie was confused, but not complaining, weird stuff is always bound to happen in this town, and she liked her fair share of it. She looked back at her phone, seeing a new text from Andrew. She contemplated telling him about Tristen, "Nah, I'll just keep this one to myself for now." She looked back out where Tristen had disappeared and smiled to herself, then she got up and laid down on her bed, falling asleep instantly.

---

The next day she woke up at about two in the afternoon. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed she was wearing the same jeans and hoodie as the day before. She shook her head at herself, this wasn't the first time it had happened. She left her room to her bathroom down the hall. She looked into the mirror. Brown hair fall from her head until a little past her shoulders, the same color as her vacant eyes. Her face was a little tan, but not dark enough to cover the light freckles on her nose and cheek bones. She washed her face, then brushed her teeth and hair. After she walked back to her room, and pulled out some black sweatpants and a short sleeved neon orange shirt, she undressed and covered her slim figure with the clean clothes. Applied deodorant and left her room to the kitchen for lunch.

Her dad sat at the table, another beer in hand. "Your mother called." He simply said. She lived in Katy, a small town next to Houston, with her younger sister. Her parents were divorced, and Allie was old enough to choose who to live with, and she decided with her dad because she could not part with her hometown. She nodded and pulled out a Lunchable from the fridge and sat down next to her father.

"I'll call her back in a little bit. Hey is it okay if I go bowling with some of my friends? They can pick me up and drop me off." Allie asked, though she knew the answer.

"Sure, just check in once in a while." He said, taking a swing of his beer, then crushing the can.

"Okay dad." She quickly ate the mini hamburgers, but just brought the chips and mini water bottle up to her room. She closed the door and went and sat on the windowsill again. Pulling out her cell phone, she texted Jordan that she could come and asked for a ride. Soon, he replied that he could give her a ride and would pick her up at four. They were meeting up with their friends Skylar, Melody, Brandon and Grayson. Thankfully, they were all grown up enough that they didn't have any crushes on each other, or else being friends would be difficult. Allie truly believed boys and girls could be friends and nothing more.

She stared out the window, thinking about Tristen. Who is he? When will I see him again? What music was he listening to when we were talking? Questions ran through her head. She suddenly jumped over to her bed, and took her laptop and got onto Myspace. In the search bar she typed "Tristen". A bunch of kids from all over the world of all ages came up, but not the kid she saw yesterday. "Damn."

Then she heard a tap on her window. Setting the laptop down, she crawled over to the window and saw a note taped to the other side of the window. She looked down the street, but saw no one. She cracked open the window just enough for her to grab the note then close it.

It read: Meet me at the park at midnight - Tristen

Allie smiled to herself, Wow, this kid really puts himself to do something. She checked her phone, and it was almost three. To kill some time she got back onto the computer, but her mind kept thinking about Tristen. Soon it was nearly four and she went downstairs, to find her father passed out on the couch, again.

"Ugh I'm really getting sick of this..." She complained. She took the beer from the floor, which had spilled onto the rug. Getting stain remover she got the nasty beer stain out just as the doorbell rang. She did a mental back flip, no one knew her father was an alcoholic except Andrew. She ran up to the door, barely opening it she slipped out of the house and locked the door. Jordan stood there, not paying attention by staring at the cobwebs above. "Ready to go?" Allie asked.

"Oh yeah." He replied, taking his eyes from the cobwebs to Allie. He walked up and gave her a hug. They walked out to his red sports car. She jumped into the shotgun seat, and they were on their way. He turned on the radio to 94.5 The Buzz, their favorite station. They began talking about what music was playing, and before they knew it they were at the bowling alley.

Melody ended up not showing because she was grounded, otherwise they had a great time. After two games, Brandon winning both, they went to the pizza place across the street. By nine they decided to go over to Skylar's house, since her parents were the least strict. Allie called her dad when they were at the pizza place, but as usual, he didn't pick up. By eleven everyone was forced to go home. Hugs for goodbyes, Jordan and Allie left first. Again, they listened to the radio, not as loud this time as to not wake up the neighbors. When they got there, he walked her to the door, and gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead, something normal for Jordan to do since he was such a sweetheart.

"Be safe now ya hear?" He laughed.

"Oh I will darlin'!" Allie giggled back, "I'll text you tomorrow, bye." And she let herself into her house. Her father wasn't on the couch anymore, thankfully he went to bed. Allie though, cleaned up all the mess he made, chip bags and other snacks on the table and the floor, and beer cans everywhere.

She checked her phone, it was almost midnight. "Shit!" She almost forgot about meeting Tristen. She threw the cans she held in the trash, and hurried out the door. She pretty much ran the whole way there, but was still a little late. She saw a figure sitting on the bench on the outskirts of the park. Thanking the Lord she played soccer so could run and not get tired or sweaty, she walked up to the figure.

"Hey, someone's late." He snickered.

"Sorry kid, I had better things to do, your lucky I came," Allie teased back, pulling his black hood back so she could see his face. His eyes made her want to melt into pudding.

"Oh, so I'm lucky now?" He smiled. "I'd be more lucky if you would sit down next to me."

"Oh really?" She raised her eyebrows, then took a seat next to him. He nodded with a smile on his face. "You don't even know my name, yet you act like this."

"Well then, can I know your name?"

She thought a minute, "Maria," She smiled.

"That's not your name, your lying!" He caught her.

"Fine, I'm Allie." She laughed. "How'd you know?"

"I just know these things," He said cockily. "But what I don't know, is why you smell like alcohol, underage drinking?"

She froze a minute, remembering how she had thrown away those beer cans but forgetting to wash her hands to get the scent off of her, "Oh, no way. Just cleaning up a mess my dad made..."

He looked at her with a face, saying 'You’re joking, right?’ But he dropped the subject.

After almost an hour of them talking and biting sarcasm, Allie realized she should be getting home. "Hun, I think I need to be getting home now, I've had a great time with you though," She smiled, not lying this time.

"I see," He sighed, and then he thought for a minute almost fighting with himself, about what, Allie never asked. But then, just before she stood up, he leaned in close, and so did Allie. Their lips touched for a moment, then they parted. She stared into his eyes. Her lips craving for more, but her body stood up instead.

"Will I see you soon?" She asked, slightly nervous for his answer.

"Whenever you want."

"How will you know when I want to?" Allie questioned.

"I'll know, trust me." He gave her a little smile that sent shivers up her spine and butterflies in her stomach. And though it usually took a century to earn her trust, within an instant, she knew she could trust him.

"Okay, see you soon." She turned and walked back to her house, thoughts of him running through her head.

---

She laid in her bed, not able to sleep. By four in the morning she was fed up. Grabbing her laptop, she signed onto Myspace. Of course, no one was online, but she had a comment from Brandon from earlier that day, asking her about bowling. She didn't bother to reply, it already happened.

She pulled up iTunes and plugged in her headphones and began playing some of her favorite music, then copied a survey from one of Jessica's bulletins, and began filling it out. This took her thoughts from other things, or people.

After that she checked her email, and then shut down her laptop. Not able to sleep yet, she pulled out her seventh Harry Potter book, and her ipod. After three long chapter, she was out, the book still in her hands, the headphones still in her ears.

---

The next morning, well afternoon, Allie woke up to yelling. At first she was confused, and walked into the living room to see her dad screaming at the computer, about losing money from gambling. He turned around and saw her, Allie's eyes got wide. She slowly walked to the front door, not taking her eyes of her angry dad's face, and got out of the door without him taking his anger out on her. It had never happened before, but it came close at certain points.

She walked down the street, looking down and realizing she was still in her pajamas. "Shit." She uttered. Luckily, Melody lived close by and could lend her something to wear, and she wasn't the nosey type either, thankfully.

She got there in about ten minutes, and dang the doorbell. Melody answered the door. "Allie! What are you doing here you know I'm grounded!" She laughed and gave her a hug.

"Long story, just could I borrow something to wear?" Allie asked.

"Sure sure, gosh you’re lucky my parents aren't here right now. Come on in." She led Allie up into her room, and threw her a pair of jean shorts and a tight fitted black tank top. "You can keep the shirt, I have like a zillion of 'em."

"Thanks Mel, you’re the best, and hey...Can I borrow a bra too?" Melody turned around and burst into laughter.

"Yeah yeah sure, Allie." Not stopping from giggling, and she threw a pink laced bra at her face.

"Oh thanks for your laughter!" Allie spit her sarcasm. "So mature."

Melody fell to the floor laughing.

"It's not funny!" Allie said, but eventually laughing too. Wiping away tears from the extreme laughter, she started to get dressed into Melody's clothes. Melody stared blankly at the window; Allie was just about to question it when Melody spoke.

“Did you see those gang of kids? And that creepy new neighbor? I think one of the kids is his son or something because they always seem to retreat back there…”

“Mel, what are you even talking about?” Allie asked, utterly confused.

“That middle-aged man who moved into the house next to mine, you can see it from my window. I think he was a doctor, there are syringes and needles all over the place…And there are about five kids who are always seeping back to there.”

Allie cocked her head at Melody, disturbed. She shook her head, then walked over to the window to see if what Melody was throwing at her was true. Her eyes widened as she saw a man staring at her from the other house, a syringe full of red liquid in his hand. He starred at her with cold eyes, and then pulled the blinds. Allie turned back to Melody, now believing her wild story.

“That’s weird, just strange.” Allie admitted. Melody nodded, she was now clutching her legs and biting her knee. She wasn’t one for anything scary. When she heard a car pull up in the driveway she jumped.

"Oh my gosh, my parents! Sneak out the window!" Melody pointed at the window next to her closet. Allie rushed over and opened it, feeling lucky that Melody had a one story house. She hopped out the window and mouthed a thank you, and ran until she was out of site of Melody's house.

Slowing down, she pulled out her phone and sat down on the nearest bench. She had no new messages, but one missed call from Andrew. She dialed her phone and held it up to her ear. It rang a few times until she finally heard Andrew's voice. They talked for a while, then Andrew had to go, he was taking his girlfriend to the movies and he hung up the phone.

She sat in her seat, now bored out of her mind. She couldn't go home, Melody was grounded, Grayson Brandon and Skylar made plans with Jessica. Jordan? She thought, and then sent him a text. Within the minute, he replied, telling Allie he was being forced to go to Corpus Christi for a week to visit family.

"God, everyone is busy!" She screamed out loud.

"I'm not." Someone said behind her.

She about jumped out of her skin, then turned around and saw those familiar green eyes. "I should have known by now," Allie laughed at herself silently.

"You should have!" Tristen raised his eyebrows.

"Oh don't flatter yourself hun," She sarcastically remarked.

He came around and sat on the bench next to her. "What are you doing out here all alone in the middle of the day? I thought you would be one with friends?"

"Oh well they are all busy..." Allie sighed. "But you know, I'd rather be here with this goofball." She giggled at his facial reaction.

"I am no goofball," He poked her side, trying to see if she was ticklish.

"Yes you are, and I'm not ticklish!" She poked him back, feeling his abs of steel. "Woah, muscles much?"

"Oh yeah," He flexed just to show off.

She felt his arm, it was cold and hard as stone. "Wow. I'm actually impressed." Before he could respond, Allie's phone rang. She picked it up, "Hello?"

"Hey, where are you?" It was her dad.

"Oh I'm just at the park."

"Okay, come home in thirty minutes." And he hung up.

"I have to go soon," A frown crossing her lips.

"Don't frown, I'll make it all better," He leaned in for the second time within 24 hours, and again Allie leaned in back. They were at it for a long time, barely coming up for air. They lost track of time, and once they finished, it was already time for her to be home.

"I really have to go now," She frowned, "I'll see you soon?"

"That’s a positive," He gave her a quick goodbye kiss, and she hurried home.

---

She opened the door to her house, seeing her dad on the couch watching the television. She sat down on the chair next to the coffee table, and pulled out her phone. No new messages. She leaned back and started to watch what was on TV. It was the local news. It said that in a nearby neighborhood, there was three bodies found in different locations. An autopsy showed they were drained of blood, but there was no marks on the bodies as to where they were drained.

Allie’s eyes got wide. Would they be able to find an injection from a needle? Wanting more time to think it over, she scuttled back to her room for some alone time.

She sat on her bed, just staring at the ceiling, until she heard another knock on the window. She fell off her bed and scrambled to the window to find another note.

It read: Same time and place as last night. - Tristen.

Allie’s heart fluttered as she read his perfect handwriting. She folded the note and hid it under her mattress, the same place she hid the other note and any other personal belongings. She sat on her bed and pulled out her laptop, and began typing a story about a teenager fallen for a new kid.

She was writing until it was time for her to meet Tristen at the park. She saved her story, and then snuck out her window. Walking slowly to the park, she started to think about what Tristen was going to tell her about the people who died.

It was almost midnight and Tristen wasn't there yet. Allie, still wearing the shorts and tank top shivered in the cold breeze that tickled her bare skin. All of a sudden felt a hot smote of air on her neck, quickly turning around she saw no one. "Tristen? I know it's you." She said into the darkness. She felt a breeze against her face, and saw Tristen pass and sit down next to her.

“You were surprisingly right,” He laughed and gave her a kiss.

Seconds later Allie heard footsteps from behind them; she pulled away from the kiss and shot her head around to see a group of five teenage boys walking towards them. “So those are the boys Mel was talking about…” Allie whispered under her breath.

Tristen stood up, “What do you want?” He spat, obviously angry they had interrupted them.

“Nothing from you pretty boy,” The tallest said. He was clearly the leader, and clearly the ugliest. His face was covered in pimples, and blonde hair was spiked at the top of his head. “But that girl you got, we could definitely use someone like her in our group,” And he turned his head to Allie, winking.

Allie shivered. The one thing that scared her had to be used against her.

“Too bad, she’s mine.” Tristen defended.

The main guy nodded his head to the other guys behind him, and they started to approach Tristen. “Not for long,” The main guy laughed, the others joining in.

Tristen stood his ground, no fear showing in his eyes, though Allie cowered behind the bench, searching for her voice to call out for Tristen to stop being and idiot and not fight these boys.

Only two of the boys actually got within reaching distance of Tristen, and they happened to be the two biggest besides the leader. One was brunette, the other blond. The blond was the first to strike, he tried a punch to the gut, but Tristen stood there, unchanged by the blow. He grabbed the boy’s arm by his stomach and twisted it, the blond kid squealing in pain. He put the boy’s arm behind his back and threw him to the ground.

The brunette tried a surprise attack from behind, but Tristen was too quick for him. He turned around, and gave him a punch to the jaw. There was a popping sound, and blood ran from his mouth. He fell to the ground, and tried to stand back up, but Tristen kneed him in the face as he did.

The two were on the ground, unable to fight anymore. Tristen looked towards the leader, giving him a look of confidence. The leader moaned, “Let’s go guys,” He knew he was beaten. The two on the ground scurried away, still afraid of Tristen’s strength. Tristen brushed his hands on his jeans for there was blood on them, and then walked over to Allie, her eyes in awe.

“Wow Tristen, that was amazing! And all for me?” Allie sputtered.

“All for you,” He smiled. He put out his hand and she took it, standing up and flowing into a deep kiss. Their lips worked as Allie put her hands around his neck, him placing his hands on her waist as a gentleman would.

---

Allie lay on her bed, thinking, a smile never leaving her face. Her thoughts were filled with Tristen, she never thought she could like anyone as much as she’d liked Andrew, but Tristen was proving her wrong.

Her thoughts were broken up by deep voices outside her room. She crawled over to the window and barely stuck out her head, she saw the group of boys walking to Melody’s house. Allie gasped, thinking they were going to rob her friend’s house, or possibly do unspeakable things to her friend, but they turned and walked into the new neighbor’s house.

She raised her eyebrows, wondering what was going on in that house. Seconds later, they came back out, but they were one short. The brunette kid who Tristen beat up never came back out. He was the only kid who was bleeding… Allie thought.


Among the next few days, if she ever saw the group, it was during her nighttime visits with Tristen, and they would leave as soon as they saw him. Allie noticed there were only four of them now.

Allie sat on the bench next to Tristen, she was laying her head on his shoulder. They just sat, enjoying the silence and each other’s company when Allie popped out a question.

“What do you think happened to the other member of that group?”

Tristen didn’t answer for a moment, “Um. I really don’t know.”

Allie sighed, “After you beat him up, I saw him go into that creepy new guy’s house and he never came out…Do you think that’s the guy who killed those women on the news? He’s got lots of equipment, syringes and everything, maybe he sucked the blood dry of that kid.”

Tristen let out a low laugh, “Allie that’s crazy.”

“But Tristen, come on! What else happened to him then?”

“Who cares,” He mumbled.

“Tristen! He’s a human! Might not be the nicest but he is still a human! We need to know if he’s okay!”

“Allie, just shut up,” Tristen said, getting angry.

She looked at him, now her getting angry too, “Excuse me?”

“I said, SHUT UP!” He yelled in her face, spit flecked in her face.

She filled up with rage, and just on a burst of it slapped Tristen across the face. The instant her hand collided with his check, she regretted it. His neck was turned to the side, a huge red handprint on his cheek. He turned around, his eyes flashing red. He grabbed her head and turned it to the side. She felt a sharp pain in her neck. Tristen had bitten into her flesh, and she could feel the blood being sucked away from her body. She struggled to her him away but he held her tight. The pain was immense, and she was losing feeling, but she kept fighting. She threw her arm up and punched him in the face. He instantly let go, and Allie fell of the bench and onto her knees. She quickly got up and saw him walking towards her.

She put up her fists and was prepared to fight, and she looked into Tristen's eyes, they looked more like the eyes of a monster. He took a few steps closer, his eyes hungry for her blood, that was now running down her neck and staining her clothes, until there was a bright light shining on his back. He quickly turned around, then darted into the forest.

Allie squinted as the light shone upon her face. She began to walk towards it, when a policeman was holding her by the arm. "What are you doing out here this late at night? We have a killer on the loose."

Allie breathed slowly a moment, thanking the Lord the police had saved her from a terrible death. "Sorry, I didn't know."

He sighed, "Well now you know. What's with all the blood on your shirt?!" He panicked at the site of the deep red blood on her white shirt, falling from her neck.

"I don't know," She lied, placing her hand on her neck, then looking at her fingers covered in thick blood.

"I'm taking you home right away." He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. She placed it on her neck to help stop the flow of blood. Then she gave him her address and he led her to the police car, she rode in the backseat where there was no door handles. She peered out the window, and she saw Tristen take a step out of the forest, staring at her with eyes of evil.

Hatred rose up in her, and she wished she could stab him with a butcher knife. Pain hit her in her heart, she was falling for him, and in the end he turned out to be a Vampire, just there because he liked the smell of her blood. The hatred came back, remembering now that he had probably passed on the curse to her through his bite in her neck. The pain was faded because her neck felt numb, and the same feeling was slowly starting in the rest of her body. She was surprised she was still conscious. She laid her head against the cold window, and her house came slowly into view.

The car stopped, and the door was opened for her. She got out and walked straight to the door, and just slammed it open. She saw her dad, somehow still conscious too, watching the television still. He looked up and saw the cop walking into the living, and he stood up.

"I found your daughter at the park. You might want to teach her that there is a curfew in this town, plus there is a murderer loose."

"Yes sir." He said, putting the beer in his hand on the table.

"And she is bleeding from her neck," The cop announced.

"I'm fine..." Allie protested, walking into the kitchen. She cleaned the handkerchief and washed all the blood that had fallen on her shoulder and below that. She looked into a nearby mirror and saw that there was no more blood flowing from where she was bitten, and not even a mark to show she was bitten. "What the..."

Her father and the cop were talking about something for a few minutes, then the cop left. Allie rushed to her room, just wanting to be alone. She walked into her room, the first thing to catch her eye, another note on her window. She stomped up and tore the note from the tape holding it and read it.

It read: I’ll finish what I started you filthy human.

"Screw you Tristen, you don't scare me." She laughed. Ripping the note into little pieces. Groaning, she pulled off her damp shirt and bra and put on a pajama shirt, then pulled off her jeans. She put on some long soft pants, then fell onto her bed, extremely tired. She thought about what just happened, and the burning red eyes Tristen suddenly had, and fell asleep full of rage.

---

She was running. Running through the forest. She hit a rock and fell flat on her face. She flipped over onto her back and saw a figure with bright red eyes staring at her from above, she screamed but no sound came out...

She sat up, sweating and panting. She looked at her phone; it was three in the morning. She groaned and fell back onto her pillow. Tears fell from her face, dampening her pillowcase.