Chapter Eight

December first crept up rather quickly. The morning of the day I was supposed to have dinner with Raven, I lay in my coffin, unable to sleep. What if she thought I was a freak and left? I don't think she'd go telling everyone in town about me, though I wasn't sure. I was too nervous. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. Eventually, I drifted to sleep.

After rising from my coffin at sunset, I quickly hopped in the shower. My nerves were shot. What if she didn't like the meal Jameson had prepared for her? What if she somehow found out I was a vampire? That concerned me the most.

At close to eight, everything was ready. Jameson had unlocked the gate so Raven wouldn't have to climb over. In doing so, he told me of the 'Go home freaks!' painted on the side of the gate bricks.

"I'll clean it up tomorrow," he said. "Do not worry."

I had a sneaking suspicion at who'd done it-the blonde boy who had already tried to vandalize the mansion once before. But I wouldn't worry about it now. I had other more important things on my mind.

Dinner was done, and Jameson was preparing the dessert. I'd picked up flowers from the flower shop. Now all there was left to do was wait. I paced the floor, until Jameson told me to sit down.

"You're making me nervous, and it's not even my date," he joked.

I cracked a smile. "Sorry." I went upstairs to my room, once again glancing over everything, making sure nothing would give away who I really was. The door to the secret room which held my coffin was securely locked, a stuffy armchair placed in front of it. You couldn't even tell it was there unless you knew to look for it.

I'd guessed that Raven had a curious nature, having caught her breaking into the mansion, so I wanted to cover all my bases. The blood cellar was locked. Nothing was out of place that screamed 'vampires live here!'

There was a knock on the door.

"So glad you could come," I heard Jameson say, as he shut the door.

At the last minute, I decided to cover up my art. Throwing a sheet over them, I put them in an empty corner of my room, along with my backpack. Thankfully, when I'd gone to retrieve my stuff from the cemetery, the old caretaker hadn't found it.

After one more glance over, I left, shutting the door behind me. I slowly made my way down the stairs, trying to calm my racing heart. I'd dated before, of course, but this was a whole new level of nervous.

As if she'd felt my presence, she turned when I entered the drawing room.

My breath caught in my throat.

She was wearing a black spandex dress, which showed off her curvy figure like a dream, a black lacy under top, tights and combat boots.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," I apologized. "I was getting you these." I held out the wildflowers to her. Thankfully I'd remembered to grab them.

I caught her scent as she reached out and took them, and I momentarily froze. It wasn't her perfume that was making my mouth water.

I realize she'd asked me something, so I swallowed hard and replied, trying not to breathe too deeply.

We chatted for a few minutes, until Jameson appeared to tell us dinner was ready. Well, dinner had already been ready, but I suspected he was just giving us a little time to get to know each other better.

"Thank you, Jameson," I told him, for both putting her flowers in water and for giving me a moment with her. He winked at me.

"I hope you are hungry," I said, as Jameson appeared with two goblets of water.

"I'm always hungry," she replied, smiling at me. She had a beautiful smile. "And you?" Was she flirting with me?

"Rarely hungry, but always thirsty," I flirted back. At least, I hoped I was flirting. I was a little rusty. Though I'd had my pre-dinner goblet of blood before Raven had come, I could still smell her. The talk of being thirsty didn't help, so I quickly changed the subject.

We sat at opposite ends of the table, her vase of flowers blocking the view. I was glad for the fresh air away from her mouthwatering scent, but also sad because she was so far away, like a stranger.

It was hard to keep from laughing when she tried the Hungarian goulash, one of Jameson's best dishes. It was also one of the spiciest. When she finally set her goblet down, her eyes were still watering.

"What do you do all day?" she asked as we ate.

"I wanted to know the same thing about you," I told her truthfully.

"I go to school. What do you do?"

School. I could picture her surrounded by people in the hallways, talking with friends, playing sports, going to dances. Kind of like the ones I've seen on TV. I wondered if they really had lockers.

"Sleep." At least I was being truthful. Then I realized maybe in doing so, I was fueling the vampire rumors. I didn't care. I wanted Raven to know me, and that meant being truthful with her. As long as she was truthful with me, in return.

"You sleep? Really?" she asked, eyebrows raising.

I brushed away a few strands of hair that had gotten in my eyes. "Is there something wrong with that?" I asked. Teenagers slept during the day all the time, even human ones.

"Well, most people sleep at night," she rationed. This was true, however, while she slept, I was awake. Her night was my day. We were living in two different worlds, but never have I wanted to join hers more than I do right now.

"I'm not most people." Being truthful again.

She made a joke, of course, about being related to Dracula. I laughed. I had an uncle who looked like Dracula, though I haven't seen him in years.

"You are a whacky girl," I told her playfully. "You certainly give life to Dullsville."

Her eyes lit up. "Dullsville? No way, that's what I call this town!"

I grinned back at her. We really did have a lot in common. She was one of the most interesting people I've ever met.

After Jameson had served our dinner, I picked up my plate and moved closer to her, sitting right beside her. I hoped she didn't mind. The wildflowers were pretty, but I hadn't invited them to dinner. Plus, they couldn't hold up a conversation very well.

Her leg was gently touching mine, and the feeling was electric. I didn't want to freak her out by moving closer, though, so I stayed still.

We questioned each other, back and forth. She was as eager to know about me as I was her. Finally, I asked the one question that I had been dying to know.

"Raven, why did you sneak into the house?"

She looked away. I waited for her to answer, but she didn't.

Worry gnawed at me about that, but I pushed it aside. I didn't want to force her, but I also didn't want to jeopardize my new life here.

"Flambé!" Jameson announced, officially ending the conversation.

...Line Break

After finishing our dessert on the gazebo, I blew out the candle. Raven quickly grabbed my hand. That electric feeling was back. I savored it as we lay on our backs on the grass, watching the stars.

We laughed, talked, and played for what felt like an eternity. I never wanted it to end. She shared her life with me, and I her. As much as I could, anyway. Looking back later in the night, I realized I made a lot of small jokes pertaining to my being a vampire, though Raven didn't know that. I'd told her I wanted someone to accept me for who I was, and that was true. For one moment, I entertained the thought of telling her my secret. Would she accept me, or would I scare her away?

She said she'd told her teacher she'd wanted to become a vampire, but she was a child then. She didn't even know vampires really existed. What would she do if she knew the truth? Was that what she was after? Was she just using me to find out the truth, if vampires truly did exist?

I discarded the thought. Or maybe, just maybe, she liked me for me. I certainly liked her.

Leave it to a mosquito to ruin the moment.

Holding her neck where the mosquito bit her, I led her into the kitchen and put ice on it. I was extremely glad there was no blood.

Having thought that made me realize how close together we were standing. Being so close to her, the smell of her blood was intoxicating. I found myself leaning closer.

The grandfather clock in the living room suddenly chimed, breaking the spell. I leaned back.

"I've got to go!" she suddenly said.

"So soon?" I asked. I could hear the disappointment in my voice. I wasn't ready for this night to end.

She explained about having to be home by midnight, when her father called. I brought her jacket, holding it out for her so she could slip her arms through. She grabbed her flowers, and her purse. I walked her to the truck, the same one that had nearly run me over. Raven had told me it was Becky's, her bestfriend who had been with her that night. One of the only friends she had.

"Thank you for the flowers, and the dinner and the stars!" she said, digging in her purse for her keys.

"Thank you for coming," I said full heartedly. I was already wondering when I would see her again.

"Would you like me to invite you again, or would you rather sneak back in?" I teased.

"I'd love to be invited," she said, smiling.

"Wonderful then. I'll call you." I mustered up the courage and, careful not to breathe in too deeply, kissed her on the cheek. Her skin was warm. My throat ached.

I watched her drive away. She hadn't answered my question about why she had snuck into my home, but for the moment, I didn't feel as alone. I'd finally met someone who was just as out of place in this town as I was.