A Fresh Face Chapter 2

The sunlight pries my tired eyes open. My mom must have come in and opened my dark green drapes, a recent addition to my bedroom. I just told her that I get a headache when the sunlight comes in. I'm really not lying though. I roll over, grab my sunglasses off of my nightstand and stumble over to close my drapes. Sleeping during the night is getting a little easier, but I still wake up at least twice and walk around my house for an hour or two. I'll watch some TV, surf the net and smoke a bowl then go back to sleep. Holy shit! No wonder my mom opened my drapes. It's almost 1:00!

"Twyla," my mom yells down the hall, "You up yet? It's past lunch time. I made you a sandwich, ham, cheese and ranch. It's your favorite."

"Thanks, ma. I wish I could eat it" I mutter, then answer, "Yeah, I'm up mom. I'm just really tired. I don't sleep that great anymore."

She peeks her head through my doorway, "Take a melatonin, that's what I do when I can't sleep." I don't think all the sleeping pills in the world would help me, or kill me.

My mom looks like me with chin length, wavy red hair and a big smile. Her honey eyes are comforting.

I stagger into the bathroom and take a brush to my long, tangled hair, then run my flat iron over it to smooth out any waves that snuck back while I was asleep. I thought Italian food gave you horrible dragon breath, blood is ten times worse. Luckily I didn't feed last night so it isn't too bad. I make sure I get every centimeter of my mouth clean with my spin brush, wash up and freshen up yesterday's makeup, then head back to my room for a clothing change.

"Today's outfit will consist of my favorite pair of light blue jeans, a hot pink Roxy beater and my, let's see, my green Vans." No, I'm incapable of skate boarding and surfing. I just like the clothes associated with them. Most of my clothes come from Target anyways. God, I love that place! My phone chimes at me from my dresser, a text message.

"Come over asap! It's important!" Jesse texts.

"You alright?" I text back. I hope nothings wrong. You never know with Jesse. He's accident prone, police prone, disaster prone...

"Yeah, yeah. Just get here." he texts back.

"Ok, cya soon." I text. I hurry and pull on my clothes, hopping around like an imbecile.

Running through the kitchen I grab the sandwich my mom so nicely prepared for me, interrupt her reading the paper and kiss her goodbye. My dad's at work.

"I'll see you later?" she yells out the door.

"Yeah, love you!" I yell back.

"I love you too!" she closes the front door.

Driving to Jesse's I notice that the trees are starting to get tiny little yellow, green buds all over them. Yay, Spring! It's about time. Winter seemed to drag on forever. I hate snow. It's pretty the first time it falls then after that it's just annoying and hazardous. One day I'll move somewhere where it stays warm all year round, like Texas or California or Florida. As I'm day dreaming I pass Jesse's house and have to make a driveway turn around. I always feel embarrassed about doing it because I think the people who live there are going to come out of their house just as I pull in their driveway. Do you pretend like they aren't there or crookedly smile at them and wave like a dumbass? I'll let you know when it happens.

Jesse is sitting on his porch laughing at me. I just smile and shrug my shoulders.

"Forget where I live for a second?" Jesse jokes.

"You're that stoner that lives down the street right?" I smile brightly.

Jesse scrunches his eyebrows at me, "Come inside, now!"

"Alright, alright..."

It's quiet at Jesse's house as usual and no one's home. Jesse rummages through his fridge and pulls out various sandwich-making paraphernalia. I'm sitting on the island in the middle of his kitchen watching him prepare his lunch, capturing images in my mind of how his golden blonde hair reflects the sun pouring in through the small kitchen window.

"So why was it ever so urgent for me to run over here?" I question.

"I just wanted to see you, that's all." He turns his head slightly towards me, grinning.

Jesse slows down his sandwich making process. The scents of oven roasted turkey, gouda cheese and chipotle mayo fills my nostrils. My stomach growls.

"That's all," I repeat.

"That and I wanted to know if you'd be my girlfriend," he says ever so casually.

It caught me off guard, "You're what?" My heart just sank into my stomach.

"Yeah, I've been thinking," he says with a mouthful of sandwich, "We've known each other for such a long time and if you haven't noticed a certain tension has been rising between us. You look at me differently then you did a year ago. And I can't deny that I definitely have more than just a crush on you anymore. I want to be with you, Twyla, possibly forever." Jesse winks at me. Gulp, I could actually make that happen..

After that speech how could I possibly deny him. "I feel the same way, Jesse."

"So, that's a yes?" he puts his sandwich down, hope gleaming in his eyes.

"Yes, I'll be you're girlfriend!" I giggle. Jesse walks up to me, placing his long, lean body between my thighs.

"Good, I don't think I could handle the rejection." We laugh, foreheads touching. I graze my lips on Jesse's and he pulls me closer to him, locking me in a most passionate kiss, a kiss I've been waiting a while for. He runs a warm hand under my shirt, along my side. I place my hand on the back of his warm neck, letting my fingers entangle themselves in his soft hair. Goosebumps rise on the back of Jesse's neck. His heart begins to race and he holds on tighter, kneading and pulling me closer. I can hear it pulsing in my head, feel it on his lips. The mouth watering smells from the sandwich and Jesse's tantalizing scent make my stomach gurgle again. My gums begin to sting, that horrible, familiar sting. I lightly pull out of the perfect kiss, and grin. Great job, Twyla! Jump into a relationship after you've been turned into a blood sucking fiend! Didn't think about that, sorry... Oh, what have I gotten myself into. I guess I could try to hide it. Even the slightest touch from him sends me souring and then my blood lust kicks in. Shit...

"Your skin is so cold," his warm hand rests on my cheek. I nuzzle his large hand, noticing how soft the skin is.

"Yeah, my mom says I'm cold blooded, like a lizard." I pretend to laugh.

Jesse laughs with me, "Do you want a sandwich? I heard your stomach before."

I'd like to bite into you're perfect hips and taste your sweet blood, "No, thanks. I had lunch already."

"You sure? You look a bit pale. Are you sick? If you're sick you better not get me sick!"

"No, Jesse, I'm not sick. I guess you could say I lost some sun." I chuckle.

"Like losing your tan, I get it." he's so clueless. Maybe I can get away with this.

"Hey, I promised Kylie we would go shopping together. I should get going. It's a girl thing."

"Okay, that's cool. Call or text me later." he says with another mouthful of sandwich.

I jump down from his kitchen island and Jesse turns into a gentleman and opens the front door for me. He wipes off his lips, making sure no mayo is detectable and leans in for a goodbye kiss. His scent lures me in, salty with a hint of Axe body spray. His soft lips pucker against mine and I swoon. My hands stabilize myself on his hips.

"If I'd had known I did that to you I would have kissed you a long time ago," Jesse smirks.

"Go finish your sandwich," I push at him. "I'll text you later." He smiles and closes the door softly.

"Shit!" I gotta call Kylie, right now! I slink down into my driver's seat and click through my phone book.

"Twyla, what's up?" Kylie answers on the first ring.

"I did something really stupid, man. Are you home?" I'm just pathetic.

"Yeah, yeah. Come over, no one's here."

"Alright that's awesome, I'll see you soon. I'm leaving Jesse's house."

"Are you now?" a sparkle of intrigue lights up her voice.

"Oh yeah... see you soon. Bye."

"Peace."

The whole drive to Kylie's, all I could think is, "Why did I say yes?" I'm such an idiot. I walk up to Kylie's door and before I could knock she opened it, excitement oozing from her face.

"Were you, like, waiting at the window?" I laugh as I walk through the threshold.

"So!? What happened?" she'll likely burst if I don't tell her.

"Jesse asked me out!" I throw myself on her couch.

"Oh no, what did you say?" she sits down next to me, concern shifting her face.

"I said yes, like a moron! And while we were kissing my fangs came out! This isn't gonna work." I sigh.

"Not unless you turn him too."

"Sheer brilliance we have here with this one. I can't turn him! Are you nuts?"

"Calm down, calm down. Here, hit this." Kylie hands me the red and gold bowl I gave her. "Freshly packed. You sounded flustered over the phone. It's the least I could do."

We both laugh at each other and I shake my head. I stare at the tantalizing bright green bud in the bowl for a second, then take my hit. As if my head wasn't spinning enough right now. I focus on the little black and white birds eating seeds out of the bird feeder from the back porch. My head fills with three tiny heartbeats. Kylie's heartbeat slows as the THC courses through her blood stream. My heart no longer beats physically, but emotionally it beats very hard for Jesse.

"What am I gonna do, Kylie?" I ask her, puzzled.

"Well, there's three things you could do." Kylie starts.

"Three.. not helping.." I whine.

She squints her eyes at me in a "Just listen." kind of way, "One, you could break up with him and say something like, you aren't ready. Two, you could tell him like you told me. Three, you could eat him! Rawr!!"

"Kylie!"

"Okay. Three, you could keep it a secret and use it as an opportunity to strengthen your weaknesses."

"You're really smart sometimes, you know?" Kylie bobs her head up and down, smiling, thanking me.

"You know what else I'm really smart with?" she asks me.

"Not getting caught in these stupid situations?"

"Well, yeah, but not that." she smiles.

"Then what, love?"

"Shopping! I still have that money you gave me." she bounces around like a little kid that just got handed a Popsicle.

"Sweet. Hopefully that'll take my mind off of shit." I open up my running bag and take a small purse out. I throw $400.00 in my wallet. That should last me a while. I hide my running bag under Kylie's bed and head out the door.

The mall is packed, as usual, with an array of shapes, sizes and silhouettes. My head pounds with heartbeats! Maybe shopping isn't such a good idea. Now I know how dogs feel, not all people smell good. A large goomba type fellow walks by, "Nasty garlic!"

"What?" Kylie turns her head to me.

"People really smell," I say, disgusted.

Kylie laughs, "I have no comment for you on that one. I use good deodorant."

"I know, I can smell it! Peaches..."

"Hey, you should sign up for the police force. You could sniff out drugs and dead bodies!!" Kylie actually sounds serious.

"Not funny." I glare at her. I pick up a different scent, something familiar. "Hey, what's that?"

"See I told you!"

"No, seriously! What is that smell? It's like a moldy, earthy smell." I follow my nose. The scent pulls me into Hot Topic, my favorite place on earth, not really.. As I walk through the door a young woman, maybe a few years older than me with reflective black eyes and long chestnut curls whips her head around to look at me.

"It's coming from her," I whisper to Kylie.

This woman grins and walks over to us. She's fairly tall and model-esque, with movements so fluid she doesn't seem to stir the air. Kylie's heart beats erratically. The woman leans in and inhales mine and Kylie's scent.

"Interesting pair. Does she know?" she speaks as if Kylie wasn't standing an inch away from me.

"I'm not invisible, and yes I know! Twyla is my best friend!" Kylie steps up. If only she had that valor with Grant.

"I am sorry to offend you," she looks at Kylie in surprise. "My name is Madeline." her voice wraps around my body, like velvet.

"This is Kylie and I'm Twyla, as you already know," I introduce.

"You must be new among the damned. You still mostly smell like your friend. You must belong to a prestigious bloodline. Tell me, young Twyla, who is your maker?"

"I don't know who it was. I was mugged by some guy in an alley," I say quietly, head slumped.

"You're lucky to be alive, well, undead. He could have left you there, drained, but instead returned this cursed life to you. You must be terribly confused, poor child. You should come with me. I'll introduce you to more of your kind." Madeline walks out of Hot Topic. No one seems to notice Madeline as she walks through the mall as if it were a cat walk. She looks like she could be on the cover of Vogue, bouncy curls and a flower print summer dress. Yellow espadrilles bring out little yellow flowers throughout the silky cloth. We reach the mall entrance.

"My car is just over there. See that blue Cobalt?" I point out.

"Ah, yes. I'll pull up in front of you so you can follow me." And then she's gone.

Kylie and I walk to my car. Before I hit the unlock button on my key Madeline screeches to a stop a few feet away from us.

"I guess I'm going with you?" Kylie shrugs.

"I guess. You made it pretty clear that you aren't afraid of me or her. Will you be alright in a whole room of blood-sucking vampires?" I pinch at her sides making chomping sounds with my teeth. Kylie giggles.

"Just tell them not to eat me, okay?"