Love That Bites

Chapter 1: A strange encounter

     Dusk began to fall onto the town I am so familiar with. With a sense of urgency, I rush along the cement sidewalk, passing bakeries, shops, tattoo places, and more. I clutch the black straps of my backpack, eyes darting everywhere around me. My long brown hair flowing behind me from the speed I was walking in. Every human was advised to be home before dark, and I had gotten lost in studies with my best friend Kayce.

"You're an idiot Nova, you should have just stayed there for the night, ugh I am such an idiot, but it's too late to turn back now," I scold myself in my thoughts.

     I continue my rushed walk, keeping an eye on my surroundings, but in front of me. I bumped into someone and stumbled back and caught myself before gathering my bearings.

"Why hello there..." his voice was soft, and creepily comforting.

      Before me stood a teenager around my age. He looked to be about 6 feet, he had brown side swept hair, and hazel eyes. He had a small grin with pearly white teeth. He was wearing denim jeans, black sneakers, a white tank top that perfectly captured his fit build. He had on finger-less black leather gloves, and a gold chain around his neck. My eyes kept gazing to the abs that showed through the tank top. I must have been staring for a while because he let out a soft low chuckle.

"Can't stop staring can we, hmm?" He teased, voice low and enticing.

     I quickly came back to my senses and shook off the feeling. I looked up to him, slightly embarrassed and decided not to answer his question.

"Sorry, though I have to rush home before..." my sentence trails off, wondering whether or not I should finish the sentence.

     As if he read my mind, "They awake from their slumber?" his question was more of a statement.

     I nodded my head in hesitancy as I look around once more.

"Then you should be off. Be safe, don't let the vamps bite."

     His last statement about the vampires sends a shiver down my spine. The way he said it, gave me the creeps. I couldn't quite pin the tone, but it was low, emotionless, and menacing, as if he knew something I didn't. I shake off the feeling; I could have misinterpreted the tone. I walk past, and I feel a tug on my bag, I turn to see what the stranger wanted, but he was already gone. This freaked me out a little more but shoved it away as a coincidence. On my way home, I was confused about the encounter.

     I walked up the steps up to my porch, towards the dark brown door in front of me. I grabbed the key to the front door out of my pocket and clicked it into the lock. As I open the door, I watch as my parents drop everything, they had been doing to swarm me. My mother grabbed my faced and checked around my neck. Next came the swarm of questions, "Nova, are you okay? Have you been bit? Do you have your amulet on? Do you know what time it is? Why were you out so long?"

     I tried to keep up with my mother's swarm of questions, being as truthful as possible, "Yes I am, Nope, Yes I do it's in my shirt, it is 5:30 pm almost dark, lost track of time studying with Kayce."

     My mother and father both let out an audible sigh of relief as my mother caressed my cheek.

"You scared us half to death," she said worryingly.

"I understand and I am sorry Ma..."

"We are almost finished with dinner."

     My parents walk back to the kitchen to finish off dinner and get it plated. I took off my black sneakers and tossed off my bag when I noticed a piece of paper in my side pocket. I took it out, confused, and read the contents inside.

"I'll see you soon.

-Valence"

     I have a genuine shiver go up my spine. What did he mean by that? A swarm of questions flooded into my mind, but I was quickly snapped out of it when my mother called me to the table to eat. I sat down and ate the steak and green beans in silence. My parents exchange a worried glance before my father spoke up, "You alright Star? You look like you've seen a ghost."

     I look at him, and with a reassuring smile I nod. He stops and they don't push the matter farther, as I would talk to them about it in time. After finishing my dinner, I excused myself to wash off my plate, setting it into the dishwasher after cleaning off the residue. After I cleaned off my plate, I headed up to my bedroom.

      I look at my queen size bed and jumped onto the red covers. The questions flooded my mind again, "How does he know me? Why had he vanished? How is he certain our paths will meet again?" I took a moment to process my thoughts and try to piece together the encounter. I grab the ruby amulet from inside my shirt and looked at it.

     This ruby amulet has been passed down in my family bloodline for years, everyone alive in my family has one. It was engraved with the blood of a vampire to repel any hungry wanderers. We are told to keep them on 24/7, because vampires don't have a schedule to feed. Although, throughout the decades vampires have learned how to adapt and blend into our world, but as they have gotten smarter, so have we.

     As I think about this and the conversation with this "Valence", I start to get a sudden suspicious feeling that this teenager was really a vampire, but it wouldn't explain how he was so confident we would meet again. I shudder the feeling away and picked up my phone. I dial Kayce, and her immediate question was "Nova, did you get home safe?"

    I giggle softly as I replied, "Yeah, just had this strange encounter on my way home."

"Explain," she said bluntly.

     I talked about this encounter with Valence, and how it sent me on edge. After explaining my suspicions, she replied.

"That is really creepy."

"Yeah, but that's my update, I'll talk to you at school tomorrow!"

"Sleep well Nova."

"Sleep well Kayce."

     As I hung up the phone, I couldn't shake off this feeling of being on edge. I struggle to fall asleep, unable to shake away the encounter. Luckily, I do end up finally falling asleep, going into a deep dream-like state.