Sarah Dessen & the Vampire

Introduction to the Vampire

Sarah Dessen was sitting in front of her laptop, minding her own business (which was currently writer's block) when the vampire walked in.

She was tiny in stature, but possessed an aura of confidence and worldliness that belied her actual height. She moved with the stealth and silence of a predator, and Sarah didn't even realize she was in the room until she eased onto the wooden chair beside the desk, generally reserved for drafts but currently bereft of paper, and flashed a toothy smile.

"I don't want to be rude," Sarah said, her Southern lilt belying the invasion of privacy she keenly felt, "but this room is my private space, where I do my writing. No one is allowed in here. Also, I have no idea who you are."

"My name is Steve-eh-knee," the vampire began.

Sarah's eyes widened.

"I know," Stevenie said. "The perils of being the fifth daughter of a man who only wanted sons. If I had grown up in an era during which parents gave sex talks, I shudder to think of what his would have consisted. A box of condoms, perhaps, thrown haphazardly in the room, as if the unrequested gift of a health-obsessed ghost?"

Sarah just looked at her.

Stevenie sighed. "And I know this is your writing nook; that's why I'm here."

After a few moments of silence, Sarah said: "I'm sorry? I don't quite follow. Why are you in my writing room?"

"The vampire community has heard of your refusal to include us in your novels."

"Um... it's nothing against you personally, particularly since I didn't think vampires really existed, but it's just not my thing."

Stevenie stood up, abruptly. "I knew you would be impossible. We'll be back, Dessen, and we will convince you to write about us yet!"

"Wait — are there more people in this room?!" Sarah asked indignantly, noting that Stevenie's skinny jeans sheathed her legs like sausage casings.

Stevenie did not answer.