Chapter 1

Christmas eve. It was snowing outside. I was in my brother - Mason's - bedroom. Our parents were in the living room watching TV and we decided to watch a movie. I was 10 and Mason was 14. Nothing was really unusual about that night, until we heard an explosion of glass. Mason ran to the living room and I followed him, not wanting to be alone. What I saw stopped me in my tracks, two windows were smashed completely, my dad was bent over the breakfast bar with a strangely handsome man, probably in his early 20's, holding a knife to his throat. Another handsome man sauntered towards me and Mason, the look on his face made me cry out in fear. Just then my mum ran around the corner, covered in blood and stood protectively in front of me and my brother. She was screaming at the man but I couldn't take in the words, I was still looking at the chaos that the two strangers had caused to our normal life, but one word shocked me out of my train of thought - Vampire, no wonder they were so pale - I thought I was going crazy, but found out that it wasn't the case, when the stranger growled - actually growled! - and his eyes turned a deathly red. I looked over to where my dad was cornered and saw the knife plunge into his stomach, I screamed as the man dived in for his neck and drained him dry. He came to join his friend and they lunged for my mothers neck too, but they didn't drain her, as I thought, they snapped her head right off her shoulders and threw it across the room. I was paralyzed with fear. Apparently Mason wasn't because suddenly I was being dragged out the back door and we were running through the streets - trying to run I should say, because I kept tripping over and slowing us down. I couldn't hear them behind us, but it didn't stop us from running. Somehow we made it to the town, where it was crowded, and we sat down in a pool of light created by a coffee shop. I let my head rest on Mason's shoulder and closed my eyes, I prayed for a dreamless sleep.

>>> 4 Years later <<<

Mason was a hunter now. A vampire hunter. I would have been too, but Mason had insisted that he wanted me safe. I argued and argued but never got my way. We had been living with a foster family ever since our parents had 'committed suicide', no one believed us about the vampires. Maggie was nice, but she was hardly ever around, and her husband slept most of the day anyway. I was sitting in my room, doing my history homework - who cares how Anne Boleyn died anyway? - when Mason came in.
"Hey! Don't you ever knock?" I protested, looking up from my text book.
A huge grin spread across his face and he plonked down next to me on my bed.
"No, never. Anyway since it's my birthday tomorrow, I was thinking we could go out tonight, it's still light so why not?" he asked playfully.
I couldn't help but grin back. "I'll just get ready" I replied
And with that he sprung from the bed like a little kid and ran out the door.

20 minutes later and we were walking through the park, arms linked.
"So, where were you thinking of celebrating your 19th birthday?" I asked
He shrugged and smiled at me. "I was thinking we could go to that new club called Sammy's, that cool with you?" he checked
"Yup, but you better not ..." my sentence trailed off as my brother was grabbed from behind. I was about to scream when my mouth was covered by a big white hand.
Shit! Vampire. Another strong hang went around my waist and stopped me from struggling. Mason was fighting with another vampire, I was suddenly struck with a feeling of recognition. Yes! I knew that vampire, he was the stranger who murdered my father, so the one holding me must be the bastard who got my mother. I was worried for my brother, he wasn't doing too well, and even if I wasn't trapped by this asshole I couldn't help him myself, I wasn't trained to fight anyone, let alone a vampire 20 times the strength of me. In one second the vampire was on top of Mason and had pinned him down. The next second he was lunging for my brothers neck, and all I could do was watch and cry silently.

I don't know why but they didn't kill me. I ran over to my brother and knelt down beside him, I knew he was dead, but I still had to check. I wasn't crying silently anymore, my sobs were coming out in loud choking gasps. And once one was out, they came on their own and I had no power to stop them. They'd taken everything from me. My whole family, and now I was truly alone.