A Fresh Face Chapter 1

I've been forcing myself to sleep at night lately, but it's hard because that's when I want to run around and kill people. I'm still going to school though, for my parents sake. I'm in my senior year so it's not that bad. I haven't told anyone about what happened yet, but my best friend Kylie will be the first to know. It's been a little over two months since I was turned. All my friends were busy on a Saturday night and I wanted to go out so badly that I just went by myself. I was walking past where I used to work in the South Side of Douglas, a little coffee shop called Moonlight Cafe when I felt like I got hit by a Mack truck. A tall scrawny kid with messy brown hair knocked me into an alley and pinned me up against the wall. I figured he was gonna, you know, rape me and take my wallet. I never would have imagined I would end up like this when I woke up at the break of dawn the next day. What didn't make sense to me was that the kid bit me on my side, above my hip bone. It's like he didn't want anyone to find out, like he was ashamed. To a certain degree I feel shitty when I have to kill someone, but if I don't I get the worst cramps and the dry heaves because I need to feed. I definitely don't want to make anyone else like me so I just finish them off. Too bad he didn't give me the same treatment.

I'm sure the people at the school library think I'm strange because I've checked out numerous books on vampires and other blood sucking creatures of the night. Before this I tried to avoid the library, but you wouldn't believe what kind of books they keep in them now. Freshmans are far from innocent these days, but there are many books in here that are highly inappropriate for 14 and 15 year olds. They don't need to know that kind of stuff yet. Shit, I still don't need to know all the things I do. The media is no help there and neither are movies. Since when has sex been in a pg-13 movie? It's Friday and I'm in economics class.

"Miss Davis, are you paying any attention at all to this video?" I look around and see other heads on their desks.

"Looks to me like I'm not the only one that doesn't want to watch what happened in the stock market in 1920 either," I whisper to my buddy John that sits next to me. Mrs. Keif stands and looks around the room, stomps to the light switch and turns it on.

"You'll all have a quiz on this tomorrow! I'm not kidding!" I hate Economics class. Funny thing is I hear every little thing that's going on from this classroom to the one at the other end of the hall. I could take their human anatomy quiz tomorrow and still ace it. Everyone in the class groans and looks at the TV.

My phone vibrates in my Sublime hoodie pocket. A text from Jesse. He probably wants some bud. I only deal to a few kids I'm cool with in this school.

"Got any of those funky nuggets?" Jesse texts, just as I suspected.

"You're so predictable. I'll give you some after school dude." I text back. Jesse and I kind of have a thing for each other. It's complicated. He's got this perfect chin length blonde hair and bright blue eyes that just make me melt.

"Miss Davis!"

"Please, call me by my first name woman! It's Twyla!" I snap at Mrs. Keif.

"Twlya, you will not speak to me in that manner and you will give me your cell phone!"

"Why are you so uptight? You're only, what, 27? Can't you get laid? You're thin, nice rack, pretty face, blonde hair. You don't even want to know what most of the guys in this school say they'd like to do to you. And if I'm not mistaken you have a cell phone too."

"Twa, Twa..." Mrs. Keif stutters. By this time I've got the classes attention. Mrs. Keif just stares at me with tears welling in her eyes.

"I think you broke her dude," John says quietly.

"It was bound to happen," I whisper back. The bell rings. Yes, freedom! If Econ was any other time than the end of the day I think I'd die. Oh, wait, I fuckin can't! I grab my book bag and head to my locker. The dismal grey and dark blue walls of Rengerson Highschool always seem to be closing in on me. There's nothing joyful and sunny about this place at all and it's a constant reminder of my dreadful new unlife.

"Hey babe!" Kylie glomps me. She's about 4 inches taller than me, about 5'5'', with long blonde hair and a thin frame. Her blue eyes seem to glow out from under her golden bangs. She's beautiful and crazy, she's my bfff. That's best fuckin' friends forever. It's intense.

I move my red bangs out of the dried corners of my mouth and tuck them behind my ears. My lips recently get chapped when I need to feed, so I carry a 100% cocoa butter stick with me at all times. It's good for the rest of your body too!

"What's crackin' chick?" I smile at her.

"Just glad to get out of Trig!" Kylie sighs.

"What is it?" I poke at her.

"Grant wasn't in Trig today," her crush, a lanky brown haired kid. I think he has one blue and one green eye. I don't have any classes with him, but he's been in my schools for my whole life.

"Kylie, if you don't tell him you like him he'll never know!"

"You know I'm too shy," she looks down, fumbling with her fingers.

"You're only too shy because you let yourself think you're too shy. Tell yourself that you're a confident person and you will be." I put my hand on her shoulder. Now if I could only listen to my own words of wisdom...

"Why are you so god damned smart?" she laughs.

"Cuz that's how I roll." I joke.

I throw my green hemp book bag in my locker and replace it with my running bag. They look identical, that way I'm less conspicuous. I slip on some big red shades. The sunlight gives me the worst migraine imaginable, and guess what, I can't take anything for it. All I can do is get high. It's annoying sometimes, really.

"Duty calls," I wink at Kylie.

"You savin' any of that for us?" she looks hungrily at my bag.

"Hell yeah!"

Jesse's at my car waiting already. This kid doesn't waste any time. He walks up to us, giving each of us a warm, welcoming hug. He always hugs me a little longer. With that extra time I let his hair eat my face and take in it's strawberry scent. I feel this hips through the thin white beater before pushing away; total eye candy.

"Jump in, man." I say to him. I never deal at school. I only started because I quit my job after my unfortunate twist of fate. My parents don't know I quit either so I have to bring some kind of money home. This just makes it easy. I might ask for my job back once I get my situation under better control.

In these little duplexes on the other side of Douglas is where Jesse lives. They're pretty nice duplexes actually, upstairs, downstairs, basement. The walls are papered in some places, painted in others. We go up to his room and I throw my bag on his bed. The blue and green tye-dye comforter is very tranquil and snuggly. The tye-dye carries on throughout his room. Of the four walls only one is actually white. The other three are light blue, bright green, and bright yellow. The ceiling is covered with tapestries of Bob Marley, Alice in Wonderland, The Grateful Dead, and more tye-dye. It's a hippy's wet dream. Jesse takes a seat on his bed with his acoustic, strumming a few chords.

"You might want to put the fan on and light a few candles, maybe open a window. This shit is funky. I can assure you." Jesse does as I say.

"I love you! You're the best. May I kiss your feet madame?" Jesse goofs, grabbing at the green laces on my new brown Vans.

"Get out of here!" I laugh. I crack open the first of three zip lock bags and you can already smell it.

"Damn!" Kylie yells, wafting the air towards her face.

"Since you're the coolest dude I know I'll only charge you 40 for a cut."

"You're awesome, Twyla!"

"You ready?" I open the other two bags and his room fills with the lovely stench.

"Oh shit, Twyla. I hope you got more when this is all gone. It might not last me too long!"

"I think I will, Jesse. Don't you worry." I only sell the really good stuff to Jesse. Everyone else gets all shitty middies I find.

"Here's 40 and," he leans to whisper in my ear, "I need to talk to you about something at another time without her."

He's smiling at me, "Al, Alright." I feel my face get hot. I still blush, I hate it.

"See ya later Jesse," Kylie walks out the bedroom door and winks at us. Jesse gives me another hug. His thin, muscular body feels nice against mine.

We pull up to a medium sized white house with a grey roof and light blue trim, Kylie's house. I did a lot of my growing up here. Kylie digs around her brown book bag for her keys and lets us in her house. Her mom paints the walls all kinds of crazy colors and changes them about every 3 years, so you really don't know what the house is gonna look like when you come home. Kylie's dad really doesn't care what the house looks like because her mom does all the work, but she likes it that way. We drop our bags at the front door and head into her room.

Kylie's room reminds me of a flowery meadow on a bright summer day. About 4 years ago she ripped the carpet out of her room and painted the concrete a grass green, the walls a sky blue, and the ceiling a pale yellow. Her mostly white furniture has small flowers detailed randomly about them. She painted them herself and a lot of her other art is hung around the house. I fall back on Kylie's white comforter and feel at home. Kylie sits next to me and flips on the TV.

"Why's it always go to the stupid news channel," she mumbles to herself.

"Keep it on. There's been some weird shit going on lately. I wanna watch." I protest.

"Two more bodies have been found. Police Officer Robert Kajynski was found mauled 20 feet from his car in the Downtown Douglas area. He was on duty at the time, but not on a call. We haven't an explanation for what happened to him. The only information we were given is that his throat had been ripped out. We're guessing the murderer could be a dog or a large cat, only guessing.

Also, Rashad Johnson, a small time drug dealer, was mauled last night in the backseat of his Escalade. This is the 4th victim of whatever beast is prowling the Downtown Douglas area. An odd part to the story is that there was no identification on the man. By chance, Rashad's girlfriend, who wishes to remain anonymous, filed a missing persons report when he didn't return to his home. We're not quite sure what to make of this yet, but as for the people of this big city, we'll be looking out for any person walking a large dog between 12:00am and 4:00am. Reporting to you from KJKW, Channel 9 News, this is Bryan Holmes."

"Shit!" I say under my breath, paranoia setting in. I threw his wallet in my bag. I haven't stopped at the apartment yet.

"What's wrong, Twyla?" Kylie looks at me with concern. I can't hide anything from her.

"Nothing, I just remembered some homework I forgot to do in Study Hall. I gotta run."

"You sure you can't stay?" she knows I'm lying, her eyes studying my extra pale face. I guess it's now or never.

I take a deep breath, "Oh, come on. I have to show you something," I grab my running bag and put my shades on.

We take the bus to the North Side of Douglas. I'd drive but it's too risky.

"We both have cars. Why are we taking the bus?" Kylie looks around at the grungy bus folks, with an incredibly disgusted frown.

"I would just throw you on my back and run there, but it's daylight out." I think out loud.

"What? I think you're loosin' it, Twyla. Where are we going?" she looks worried now, eyes shifting to the strange bus beings.

"The North Side. I have something really horrible to tell you, but it's not that bad."

"That doesn't make any sense Twyla. What's going on?"

"I'll tell you once we get there," I put my ear buds in and enjoy The Ataris. Kylie looks at me oddly and does the same. About five or six songs later the bus arrives at the North Side.

"We're here," the bus stops. Kylie is out before anyone else.

"Those people were creepy, and they smelled bad." Kylie pulls a hand sanitizer from her purse as if the bus folks stench made her hands dirty.

"Yeah, that's bus riders for you." I start walking down 23rd Street. This desolate part of town is home to some of the saddest people I've ever seen in Douglas. Young kids running around with no shoes or shirts. Broken families fighting over what to spend their diminishing funds on. Tough times are everywhere and these people are seeing the worst of it.

"So, you still haven't answered me. Where the hell are we going?" Now she's just annoyed.

"Just follow me. It's just a few blocks from here," I turn down Dunbar Ave. The cheerless atmosphere and the overcast skies almost want to make you cry when you walk around this place. There's crooked cops flirting with hookers on one corner and drugs deals on the next. I can't stand this place, but that's why I picked it. It's cheap to live here and no one would even fathom my being here.

"Seriously Twyla, where are you taking me? This place is scary. I want to know right now!"

"I'm taking you to my secret apartment," I say bluntly.

"Huh? How'd you get an apartment? You aren't even 18 yet." Now she's confused.

"I have my ways. You'll find out soon." I stop in front of an old yellow brick complex and pull a key out of my running bag. A rush of warm moldy air chokes out our breath.

"I don't like this place. It's really eerie and dirty." Kylie stays close to me. I can smell her blood, thick and sweet.

"You shouldn't eat so much candy, Kylie. You're gonna wind up with diabetes one day."

"What? Where the fuck did that come from? You're saying a lot of weird things lately.." she knows it's true.

"Never mind. I'll tell you when were inside."

My apartment is small, not too much larger than an efficiency. It just has a door on the bedroom and a wall between the kitchen and the living room.

"This place is pretty nice despite the building's decrepit appearance," Kylie looks around with approval. She takes a seat on the small, green with yellow flower print couch.

I put a good bit of money into this place. The carpet is cleaned and white and I painted the walls a light yellow color to make it delightful and homey. I got most of my furniture from second hand stores but it's all in great condition. I have a nice TV and a stereo system, even bought a set of dishes for the kitchen, though there's no food in the cupboards. I'm just trying to make it feel normal in my abnormal situation.

"So what's going on Twyla? Why did you bring me here?" Kylie asks pulling a fruit roll up out of her purse.

"I know you're going to wind up with diabetes from eating all the candy you do because I can smell your blood." I admit.

"People can't smell blood. You're nuts," she says with a full mouth and an uneasy expression.

"You're right, people can't, but I'm not exactly a person anymore."

Kylie's eyes tighten and her brow wrinkles, "What in god's name are you talking about, Twyla?"

"I.. I'm a vampire." I hang my head in disbelief of myself. A few moments of aweful silence pass. I feel my body sink deeper into the couch.

"Um, I don't think I heard you right," Kylie scratches her forehead.

"No, you did," I look up at her with tears in my eyes.

She puts her arms around me and holds me tight, "Oh, Twyla!"

"You aren't afraid? You believe me?" I sniffle.

She wipes the tears off my steaming cheeks. "I know you would never lie to me, Twyla. I knew something was wrong with you, but I wasn't expecting this. And no, I'm not afraid. You're my bfff! I love you. I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"Are you serious? You don't think I'm crazy? There's more." I sit back. "Remember the guy on the news? The one that got killed by a dog or something." I take his wallet out of my running bag and hand it to Kylie. "That was no dog attack."

"You did that?" she sits up, rigid. "How many others?"

"Dwayne makes 21 now. Half of them were bums. I'm so ashamed of myself Kylie." I cover my face with my cold as ice hands. It's soothing.

"Gross, man.." Kylie cringes.

"You really aren't freaked out by all this?" I question her.

"Well, yeah, but I know you wouldn't hurt me. You don't wanna eat me do you?"

I laugh at her, "No, not really. I'll get a sugar high from your blood."

Kylie laughs and hugs me tightly again. "So what's in all these plastic bins?"

"Go ahead and open them." I tell her.

She lifts the lid to the first container, "No wonder you can always get us high. Look at all this! There's like enough bud in here to last 2 years!"

She opens the next one, "Why do you need all these guns and knives?"

"I don't know. I figure it's better to keep them than to leave them. I know I'm not gonna use them. Open the last one."

"Holy shit, Twyla!" the last bin is filling with loose, stacks, and rolls of bills. I take all the money off of everyone I kill.

"We should go on a shopping spree." Kylie's aglow with excitement.

"There's gonna be about $17,000 there. Dwayne contributed about three grand last night. These thugs roll big!"

"You got like the perfect job, dude."

"It's really not," I shake my head. I take out the contents of my running bag.

"More weed? And guns, and money?" Kylie yells.

"Settle down there, cowgirl. There's other people that live here!" I hand her a stack of twenties. "Now don't spend this all in one place alright?"

Her mouth opens but nothing except little high pitched squeaks come out.

"You can thank me later." I throw the guns into my weapons bin and one bag of weed in the weed bin. The good stuff comes with me.

"Check out these bowls, dude." I show her the three gorgeous bowls. "Dwayne was out selling this stuff. Most people don't realize how many drug dealers there are in this area. They deal Downtown, where I hunt."

She shoves the money in her purse and plops down next to me, "That's crazy! We're lucky not to be in these people's position. Those are fuckin' awesome bowls!"

"Which one do you want?" I ask her.

"Seriously?" her eyes almost popping out of her head now.

"Yeah, pick one."

"I want this one," she picks the red and gold bowl. "It's beyond perfect! Thank you so much!!" she glomps me again.

"Alright let's go," I zip up my running bag. "Take the ID out of that wallet or anything else that gives away who's it is and throw it in the garbage, will you?"

"Yeah, sure," Kylie says, still bewildered by my gifts. She throws the whole wallet in the kitchen trash and walks out the apartment door. I lock up behind her.

"We'll burn that somewhere later."

"Alright. This is pretty cool, Twyla. I have so many questions!"

"Not really. I hate it." I say as we walk back to the dreary bus stop.