( Rena's Story Gallery )(ch. 4 up)

[rena921]

going along with Golden's idea, this will be where i will be posting all my stories, but at the moment, I have none. sweatdrop  

[rena921]

okay! I started working on this new story, one i hope I am going to stick with. my other stories i did not plan out too well in my head, so they really odn't end up going anywhere. I actually took the time to plan this one out and really exited about writing it. so please, enjoy. ^^

~rena  

[rena921]

Diary of a Blood-Sucking Demon

Ch. 1

“Sam!” A voice called. “SAM!” it called more sharply in a shrill voice. The object of the voice’s inquisition merely rolled over in a drowsy attempt to drown it out. But she knew it was coming. She groggily counted the footsteps as they ascended the wooden staircase. Each foot fell with the precise click of high-heels. No doubt her early-morning riser of a sister, Abigail. Sure enough, the high-heels clicked to a stop in front of her door, and perfectly manicured fingers pushed it open with little remorse for the one curled up in an almost-peaceful doze. “Sam! It was time to get up an hour ago! You promised!” She demanded of her sister, still lying in bed. Her perfect blonde curls bounced in frustration. How she managed to get them so straight every morning was an eternal mystery to Sam, who responded to the rude awakening with a grunt and a pillow over her head. Abigail was not dissuaded in her quest to drag her sister out of bed at bright and early 7:00 in the morning. She marched her prim and proper butt to the heavy black curtains and threw them open, letting light flood the dark room. Sam groaned louder and dug herself further in the blankets. Abigail did what usually followed and threw the covers off her sister. Sam responded with a good smack with a pillow. That oughtta teach her, or so she thought. Abigail caught her feeble attempt at a pillow fight with a practiced ease. Sam finally sat up. Her pale skin shone out against her messy black hair. She was almost the exact opposite of her sister. Abigail was blonde a tanned; the perfect image of a teenage American girl in California. “What?” growled Sam grumpily. Abigail clicked her toe impatiently. “Remember? You promised to come to the mall with me! Come on Sam! Mom only said I could go if you went. Get out of bed and get dressed!” Sam groaned again and flopped down on the bed. Abigail sighed and left her alone in her once-dark room. Sam lost no time in shutting the curtains, putting her room back in its natural state. The glow in the dark stars still shone brightly, though it was morning. Sam groaned again, knowing today she faced the one place her kind feared and hated the most; the mall.

An excruciating hour later, Sam was downstairs finished a bowl of Cocoa Puffs cereal. “Ugh, how could you eat that stuff?” Abigail asked across the table, content with her small apple and glass of water. Abigail was always watching her perfect figure, while Sam couldn’t care less. Abigail was mature in a lot of ways for her age, especially in the chest area, while Sam had small round breasts just visible from the tight shirt she was wearing. Abigail always taunted her as being ‘flat as a board,’ how original. Sam never cared about what she ate, but somehow, she was still skinny. Her black and red shirt hugged her chest tightly while her black cargo-Capri’s hung loosely on her legs, held up by her studded black belt. A chain hung from her side, matching the black boots on her feet. Sam’s favorite outfit, but one she needed to be rid of according to Abigail, who only wore something after it had been carefully considered, scrutinized, and inspected down to the last detail to make sure it was top of the line fashionable. Sam was amazed she could be related to someone who was such a blonde.
Sam took a big gulp of cereal and let the milk run down her chin just to spite Aby. “What’s the big deal? Why’re we going to the all anyway?” Sam asked, wiping her mouth. “Were going because we both need a dress for the dance,” Aby responded matter-of-factly. Sam groaned inwardly again. “Don’t you already have like what, 5?” she asked. “Uh! Duh! I can’t wear the same dress to different dances! And besides, Mike and Is’ outfits need to match. The sooner I get my dress the sooner we can pick out his suit and tie.” Sam felt bad for Mike, just this once. Sam gulped down an entire glass of orange juice as her mom walked in. Almost a carbon copy of her daughter, Elaine Connors had the same blonde hair, blue eyes, tan skin, and slim figure as her daughter. The only difference was her taste in fashion. Elaine preferred pastel sweaters and dress skirts, complete with a sweater professionally tied around her shoulders, pearl necklaces, and only the finest perfumes her husband could buy for her. Sam felt so different for the rest of her family, like such an outcast. In all the family photos, she was always the black sheep. She did resemble her father, thankfully. His black hair and wild amber eyes matched her own. He was away at work the entire week, leaving Sam alone with the Barbie’s.
“Samantha, mind your manners, please,” Her mother said, walking in the room with the same perfect posture and clicking heels. Sam rolled her eyes and wiped the orange juice from her chin. “Tell me again why I have to go with Aby?” Sam asked. Her mom didn’t turn from the counter “Your sister needs someone to shop with and besides, you need a dress too, don’t you?” Sam inwardly sighed. Her mom couldn’t let this dance go without making sure Sam had someone to go with. She’d opted out to go with her guy-friend since kindergarten, Cael. She hadn’t asked him yet, but she was sure he’d agree. “Mom…It’s no big deal, I can just wear that one I have in my closet,” Sam tried. Her mom gave her a look that said, “Oh really?” Sam looked back down at her cereal and concentrated on draining the now-chocolate milk. “You mean the one you wore two years ago to your aunt’s wedding? I don’t think so. Honey, just try to have fun today, okay? You might be surprised.” A car honked outside. “Oh! There’s Rachael! Hurry up Sam!” Aby squealed as she rushed to get her purse, coat, and money from her mom. “That should be enough girls, don’t overdo it,” Their mom warned as Aby rushed outside and Sam scooted from the chair nice and slow. Sam waved her mom goodbye and slung her black bag over her shoulder. Aby was already sitting in the front with her two friends, Rachael and Cassie. Rachael, being the oldest, had just received her driving license and never missed a chance to drive around in her new car. The three girls were giggling in the front, messing with the radio when Sam slumped into the back seat. This was going to be a nightmare. Just as she predicted, the girls finally settled on a hip-hop song that made Sam’s ears bleed. Luckily, she’d thought of this and pulled out her own headphones and jammed them in her ears before the music could get stuck in her head. In seconds, E Nomine was screaming in her ears.
They were finally at the mall after an excruciating half hour of listening to their girly chit-chat after her batteries went dead. They roamed the up and down the shops, going into various dress boutiques and stopping at all matter of accessory stores. Wanting to make this as painless as possible, Sam chose a small black dress at the first store they went to. Her sister’s friends too longer though, a lot longer. It seemed as though they were mocking Sam each time they squealed and goggled at a new store, went in, and spent an hour or two sorting through the clothes only to leave the store occasionally with one or two items, but most often nothing at all. Sam tried waiting patiently outside for them, but after the fourth store they’d promised they’d leave right afterward, she ditched them for the food court. It wasn’t as if her sister, who was the same age as her; only 9 months apart; couldn’t handle herself, and besides, she was with friends, right? And Sam didn’t exactly need someone with her as she was ordering her lo mien and egg rolls. Sam sat down at a near-bye table just as her phone rang. Flipping it up she saw it wasn’t someone she knew. Intrigued, she pressed “talk” and put the phone to her ear. “Hello?” No one answered. “Hello?” she tried again, but still no one…and then... “My you look lovely today…,” a scratchy, wheezing voice said, sufficiently creeping her out. “Oh my God, who is this?” she looked at the number again, starting to think she knew it from somewhere. “Who are you? Where are you!?” she demanded. After a few seconds… “Look behind you…” She could hear the voice in both the phone, and right behind her. Her blood ran cold as she spun around madly. Only to come face-to-face with her best friend Cael. “Cael you jerk!!” she yelled at him as he burst into laughter, clearly amused by the fact he’d scared her half to death. “You should’ve seen you face! Classic!” he said, wiping a tear from his eye and sitting down. “So what’s the deal? I never thought I’d see you hanging out at the mall…unless someone is paying you for it?” he asked with an amused look in his eye. She gave him a dead serious “yeah right” look and he shut up. “I was here with Aby and her cronies, but I ditched them in Claire’s,” she explained as he stole a shrimp from her plate. “That explains a lot. I didn’t think Ms. Queen of Goth, Samantha Connors would dare be seen in such a human-populated place,” he said with a mock air of royalty in his voice. She rolled her eyes, unable to resist smiling. Cael tossed his over-grown blonde hair out of his eyes and continued, “So, what’re we doing tomorrow?” She looked up at him with questioning eyes and a mouthful of rice. “You’re birthday? Come on, you’re seriously telling me you’re turning 15 and not doing anything? Sam had considered it though. She thought of going to the big dance tomorrow night, which was the only reason she was here with Aby. It was a huge deal at the school, they had even let school out today to prepare for the following Saturday night, which also happened to be her birthday. “Well I was going to the dance, but I’m not so sure anymore . . .” Cael held up a hand. “Wait, wait, wait, so you’re telling me you were going to go without a date?” Cael’s voice was laden with disbelief. Sam blushed a little. “Well yeah. I mean, no one’s asked me, so why not?” Cael shook his head, stealing another shrimp. “I could’ve gone, stupid,” he said over a mouthful. Sam looked at him funny. “I meant as friends!” he blurted out as soon as he saw his mistake. Sam tried not to laugh. “Well, I got the dress…” she didn’t ever finish before he cut her off, “Great, I’ll meet ya there then?” Sam shrugged, why not? “Sure,” she said simply before slurping down more noodles. Her phone rang just as he was about to say something. Sam gulped down the food in her mouth and fumbled through her pocket for it. By about the 5th ring she managed to get it to her ear. It was Aby.
“Where are you? We’re leaving!” Sam swallowed her food and answered, “The food court, I’ll be there in a minute.” She hung up and passed the rest of her food to Cael. “Seeya tomorrow, then! And oh yeah, see if you can stay thing night afterward. I just bought a whole buncha movies,” she said over her shoulder as she grabbed her bag and went to find her sister. “Sure thing!” she heard him as she left the food court, and finally left the mall.

 

[rena921]

Ch. 2

Sam pulled up the top of her dress again, still uncomfortable at how low it was on her chest. Aby had liked the way it showed off her small breasts, but that only caused Sam more grief. What’s more was that their mom insisted on taking hundreds of photos. “Oh come on Samantha, dear, you look lovely!” she complimented her daughter. Sam gave her a fleeting smile, which was all she needed. Sam finally agreed to give her mother a good picture or two. “Oh Sammy, you look so beautiful!” her mom just wouldn’t give it a rest, making Sam blush again. Aby insisted on helping her get ready. Sam had her promise not to go too heavy on the make-up, but to make up for it she went all out with the hair. When Sam looked in the mirror, however, the picture she saw wasn’t half-bad. Aby had her hair in an elegant up-swirl which stayed in place with a ridiculous amount of hair-spray, but somehow looked natural. Small ringlets fell around her face, twirling every time Sam turned. Small black and silver jewels adorned the top of her head and held everything in place. Aby had gone light on the make-up, but she still did an amazing job. Sam’s eyes some how had taken on a wild, dark look, and the red lip-gloss made her normally small lips pop out. “Oh honey!” her mom exclaimed again, still unable to get over it. Sam sighed again as the doorbell rang. Expecting it to be Mike coming to escort Aby, she was thoroughly surprised to see Cael standing in the doorway wearing a nice black suit complete with a vest. He just stood there for a few moments before snapping back to himself. “Oh my God, the Queen of Goth looks actually nice!” Sam gave him a good slap on the shoulder. He was smiling his goofy grin, but she could see him blushing. “You’d better not make fun of her, I worked hard on that,” Aby said, coming gracefully down the stairs in a frilly, yet nice orange and pink dress. The sleeveless top started our a deep and rich orange and started fading out to pink in the middle. Patterns of stars in rhinestones covered the dress, making her sparkle. A shawl of gauzy pink material hung around her arms and a silver tiara was clipped at the base of her curled pony-tail. Her lips shined pink and a light dusting of gold glitter surrounded her eyes. Her mom started taking pictures immediately. “Cael, I thought we were meeting at the school?” Sam turned her attention back to her friend. “Well, I decided to swing by and drop my stuff off, my mom said I could spend the night. Plus, I got you a present and I doubt you wanted to lug It around at the dance.” Sam only noticed now he had his customary sleep-over backpack with him and a present in his hand. “Cael! You know you didn’t have to get me anything.” His smile held a certain look as if to question her. “Okay fine, yes I would’ve killed you if you didn’t.” They both laughed as he handed her the small package. She untied the silky red ribbon and carefully opened the small white box. She gasped. “What is it, let me see,” her mom walked over, sticking her head over her daughters shoulder to take a peek. “Oh Sam,” she whispered. From an elegant silver chain hung a small glittering rose. “And that’s real diamond.” Cael nodded toward the necklace. “Cael, I can’t accept this! This must have been extremely expensive!” She made to give it back, but he held up his hand. “Actually it wasn’t. I’ve got a friend who has a brother in the jewelry business. He hooked me up in return for a special gig.” Sam hugged him, making him stop mid-story. “Thanks Cael, I love it!” He offered to put it on for her, which she gladly accepted. “Well when you guys do perform, do you mind if I bring a couple friends?” Aby asked. Cael nodded, “sure, why not, we’ll even give you a discount,” Cael smiled to Aby. “Oh come on, I’ll bet you’re letting Sam in free!” Aby protested. “Don’t be silly, my dear Aby, I’m charging her full-price. I still did have to pay for that necklace.” They all laughed, and Sam hit him on the shoulder again. A car horn honked outside, letting them know their ride was there. Their mom took a couple dozen more pictures, gave them each a hug as best she could, and told them to have a great time but be safe. Eventually, after a half dozens more pictures, they were all finally piled in the car and took off toward the school.  

[rena921]

Ch. 3

The music inside the gymnasium was blaring as they two couples arrived. They paid for their tickets and almost as soon as they were in the door, Aby and Mike were lost to the crowd. A couple people were as surprised as Cael had been, and she managed to get a few compliments from classmates she’d never really had an entire conversation with. Sam was amazed at how much a little lip-gloss could do. As they moved toward the walls, searching for a place to crowd observe, Sam got several more compliment on her dress and a few Happy Birthdays. It wasn’t until ten minutes later when Sam and Cael finally found seats by the bleachers. Then, their ritual began. At every dance they’d ever attended the first thing they’d do was watch the crowd and pick out select individuals they thought deserved ridicule. For example, someone who wasn’t attempting to fit into a skinny people-dress, or the occasional teacher trying to dance with the students, to the common sight of people who looked as if they were having sex on the dance floor. For a good while that was all they were content with doing.
They had just spied a couple being busted making out in the corner when Aby and Mike walked up, apparently taking a break from dancing. Aby was still giggling at something Mike had said when she sat down in the chair beside Sam. Mike smiled at her again and walked off, disappearing into the crowd. “I asked him to go get punch for the both of us, he’ll be a couple minutes,” Aby explained. Cael perked up. “Speaking of which, I myself am kind of thirsty, Sam, you want me to get you some?” he asked, standing up. “Sure, thanks,” she replied, in a sudden daze. She felt so light headed . . . “Okay, Sam, don’t look now but Michael has been looking at you this entire time. I think he’s gonna ask you to dance!” Aby said, exited. Sam was confused for a moment. “Wait….Michael as in your date Michael?” Aby rolled her eyes, “No of course not! Michael Noland! As in one of the most crushed-on guys in the school!” Sam scanned the crowd, looking for him. She spotted him in the dark corner hanging with his usual gang of shady-looking kids. She had to admit, he was pretty cute. Almost as if on cue, he turned and looked straight at her, right into her eyes and she was sure it wasn’t a mistake. He started walking toward her, and Sam snapped her head away. “Aby! Tell me he’s not coming this way, please!” Sam asked frantically. “Oh my god! Sam he is!!!” Aby was exited, but Sam could feel herself blushing a million shades of red. In almost no time, he was standing right in front of her. She could hear Aby giggling beside her and see a hand as pale as her own extend before her as she tried to focus solely on the confetti-covered floor. “May I have this dance?” His voice was dark and mysterious making Sam blush even more, if possible. When she finally gained the courage to, she looked up at him. She was immediately captivated by his eyes. Deep and black, they sparkled in the bright strobe lights. Any and all traces of the known English language were stolen from her mouth at the moment. His smile sent butterflies by the hundreds through her stomach. “Yes! She’d love to!” Aby said beside her with every ounce of excitement as though she had been asked to dance herself. Sam’s mind was blank but somewhere in the farthest recesses of her mind some voice was telling her to say no, just say no. But as these kind of things usually go, she disobeyed and took his hand anyway. He led her through the crowd with an un-earthly ease and she barely noticed Aby shouting something. “I’ll tell Cael where you went!” Her sister’s words were swallowed up by the music almost instantly and Sam was let alone with Michael. “There’s no need to be nervous, I’m not much of a dancer myself.” It was almost as if he’d read her thoughts. “Well, I-I’ve never actually danced before,” she said something, finally. He chuckled, noticing her embarrassment. The song switched to a slow tune; a dance for couples. Her face was redder than ever before and she was incredibly thankful that the room was dark. He put a hand on her waist and took her hand in his. Almost as if someone was whispering tiny instructions in her ear, she put her free hand on his shoulder. “Now, just move with the music, like this.” He moved her back and forth in long sweeping steps, unlike the ones she’d seen the other kids dancing like before. She assumed it was the type of song for everyone seemed to be dancing in the same fashion. He twirled her around and she somehow was able to make it look graceful. Dancing with him seemed to open up this new side of her, the side that happened to be a great dance. In minutes she lost herself and became enticed in the world of the dance floor. Her heart soared he spun her again. She could feel her feet moving beneath her exactly how they should be. They moved with such grace it was hard to believe this was actually happening. As he caught her on the last spin, the song ended and the moment was broken. She could feel herself blushing still, but not so much as before. “You lied, you said you’d never danced before,” He said with a calm voice. She looked up, but he was smiling. She returned the smile and replied, “You too, you said you weren’t much of a dancer.” He chuckled and she managed a laugh. “Happy Birthday, by the way,” he said. She felt embarrassed, but thanked him. Suddenly, reality snapped back. “Um, I should probably go back to my sister, and thanks, for dancing with me I mean.” He let her slip through his arms and walk back to Aby. In no time she could no longer see him. Aby practically jumped up and ran to Sam’s side when she was within sight. “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!!!” Aby squealed, grabbing her sister’s hands. “We saw you guys dancing!!! Oh my God Sam!! I didn’t know you could dance like that!” Aby let her sit, but was persistent to squeeze all the details from her now light-headed sister. Cael and Mike had obviously returned. He handed a punch to her. “I didn’t know either,” Sam confessed. “Well you two looked great. Better than great in fact; the whole room was watching you. You two looked like such professionals out there!” Aby went on but the rest of the world seemed barely more than a dull roar to Sam at the moment. She could still see Michael, and he was staring straight at her. He winked at her and she snapped herself awake. Sam tried to listen to what Cael and Aby were discussing, but her head was beginning to throb. “Hey Aby, do you mind of we head home? I’m getting this massive head ache, I don’t really want to stay,” she asked her sister after Cael said he was cool with it. “Sure, I guess, but Mike and I are going to stay a little while longer,” Aby said as Mike led her off to the dance floor. After a fight to get to the door and a phone-call home Cael and Sam were in her mom’s car and driving home. “So, how was it Sam?” her mom asked. “It was cool I guess, “ Sam answered, not really wanting to talk at the moment. Her head was really starting to hurt. It seemed the soft country music her mom had been playing was blasting in her ears and every street light they passed burned holes in her eyes. “Cool? To say the least. The hottest guy in school, according to Aby, asked her to dance and they were like, super good!” Cael told Elaine. Sam wanted to ring his neck; her mom would never let this go uncelebrated. “Oh Samantha!! Oh I’m so happy!” her mom was even more exited than Aby had been. “Look, mom can we just get home, please? My head is killing me.” Sam rubbed her temples, unable to shake this sharp ache slowly spreading through her head. Now ever her mouth was on fire. Her jaws ached, especially around the tips of the gums near the front of the top and bottom. “I’ve got some pain-killers in here, you want some?” He mom fished out a bottle of prescription pill and handed them to Sam. As soon as her mom stopped at a red light, she swallowed them down with a bottle of warm water the found in the back of the seat. The capsules worked fast, in minutes her head was dulling down, but her jaws still ached. She was thirsty, but no matter how much water she drank her tongue always seemed to be yearning for more. When the car finally pulled up in their driveway, Sam got out slowly. Stepping out onto the pavement, she almost fell down. “Whoa there,” Cael said, catching her from behind. “Honey, you okay?” her mom asked, putting a hand on her forehead. “You don’t feel hot, are you feeling okay? Maybe Cael should go home and let you get some rest.” Sam shook her head. No stupid headache was going to stop her from enjoying her birthday. “Well if you’re okay, can you go around back and let Maxie in, I believe the door’s unlocked.” Sam nodded and regained herself. She headed across the lawn to the backyard where they put their big German-shepherd dog Maxie when they left the house. Cael followed behind her. “You sure you’re okay? You don’t look so good. I can always come back for a movie night some other time, you know,” Cael tried, but Sam shook her head again. “No, I’m fine, really. I just need a little time for the medicine to kick in. I’ll be okay.” Maxie barked loudly as Cael and Sam came through the wooden gate. “Hey buddy!” Sam said, petting the big fur-ball. He jumped up to them, unaware of his own weight and licked their faces. He even managed to nock Cael flat on his butt. Sam couldn’t restrain his laughter. “Yeah laugh it up Connors,” he said rue-fully, rubbing his butt. Maxie ran ahead of them up the garden path and to the back door. Sam pulled the screen door open and finally let the dog inside where he went straight to his water dish and began lapping it up. Sam switched on the lights and was immediately greeted by an unexpected scene. “Surprise!” her mom shouted, standing over a big cake that read, “Happy 15th Birthday Sam!” in big purple letters. Sam gawked at the sheer size of the cake. She knew her mom was extravagant whenever it came to her girl’s birthdays, but the cake was huge! A brightly colored bag was handed to her by her beaming mother. Sam took the bag and tore the tissue out. She pulled from it a big book decorated with constellations. The title was intertwined in the various stars. “Big Book of the Night Sky,’ thanks mom!” Sam gave her mother a big hug, and her mom gave her a kiss on the head in return. “Oh I can’t believe my baby is 15!” Her mom looked on the verge of tears but she shook them away. “Now the TV room downstairs is all set up, and you’re welcome to bring the cake down there, but I don’t want you two staying up too late you hear?” her mom warned, giving them one final farewell before the both of them disappeared into the basement, both with enormous mounds of chocolate cake on their plates. The TV room, like the rest of the house, was huge. Two rows of plush couches sat in the middle of the sound-proof black room directly in front of the huge projection screen. Cabinets line the walls, all cleverly hidden behind thin speakers, filled with all kinds of assortments of blankets, pillows, movies, remotes, and her father’s collection of music. Behind the sofas was a bar stocked with freshly popped popcorn, a soda fountain, almost every kind of the family’s favorite candies and an ice-cream counter. “You gotta love having rich friends.” Sam gave him a light-hearted shove. She set her cake down on the counter and went to the movie cabinet. She pulled our all her favorites and the new ones a friend overseas had just gotten her. Cael was already scooping out ice-cream and filling bags of popcorn for them while Sam put the disk in the projector. They got settled on the front couch, popping the foot rests out and piling soft blankets on top of each other to make a bed for them to be able to watch movies on all the better. After all their drinks and candies were in order, Sam grabbed the remote and pressed play.

After a couple hours of zombie-slaying action and ghost thrillers, Sam was ready to turn in. Cael lost no time in getting to sleep, wile Sam, on the other hand, was having trouble. Her head throbbed ever more so than before and she was just so thirsty…eventually, after much tossing and turning, she was able to drift into a fitful doze. But, it seemed as soon as she fell asleep she awoke. But something wasn’t quite right. Instead of soft blankets beneath her, Sam felt cold, wet concrete under her bare feet. Her head throbbed, sending pain coursing throughout her entire body. She clutched her hands to the side of her head and bit her teeth down as the pain pulsed again. An incredible urge overtook her, she needed something, and she needed it now. The only problem was she had no idea what she needed. She heard, or rather felt foot steps coming her way. With her hands still on her head she spun around to see a woman on a nightly jog coming her way. She was focused on the path ahead and keeping her feet in a rhythmic pattern to notice Sam step in her path before it was too late. Sam looked the woman up and down, seeing past her physical features to the blood pulsing beneath her skin and through her veins. Sam could smell each new wave the heart produced and new instantly that was what she was yearning for. Almost as if she was back on the couch with Cael, watching a horror movie, Sam watched from somewhere deep inside herself as she attacked the woman. Fangs extended from her mouth, easing the pain if only a little, as she bit down into the woman’s neck. Sam could hear her screaming, but she was powerless to stop herself. The blood welled up from the deep gashes in her neck and Sam sucked it up eagerly. The little voice in her head was telling her to stop . . . to leave the woman alone, but it was too late; the woman had stopped struggling long ago and Sam knew she was dead. As soon as her hunger was satisfied, Sam snapped back to herself. She backed away from the woman as her fangs shrunk back to a normal size. She stared in horror at what she’d done and wrapped her arms around herself. The woman’s blood covered her chin and ran down her neck. The front of her shirt was soaked. “I’it’s just . . . a-a bad dream . . .,” Sam tried to comfort herself. All of a sudden, she was overcome by a wave of exhaustion, and fell to the ground unconscious. “It’s . . . just . . . a bad . . . dream . . .,” she muttered. Sam once again felt the soft blankets beneath her and snapped awake. “It was just a bad dream,” she said with more than an air of relief in her voice as she found herself back in the movie room. Something made her neck itch, and she made to scratch it. Her hand came away red. She was still covered in blood.