Greendale is a place where fantastic, out of the ordinary things happen every day. This seemingly sleepy little place is home to strange occurrences and even stranger people. So strange, in fact, that an entire subset of people exists that we refer to only as mutants. Due to a chemical spill that left part of the town with strange mutations and abilities. Since then we have seen the rise of heroes and villains, as well as groups that wish to see all of their kind dead. The social climate here has definitely changed as a result, with neighbors and friends existing on opposite ends of the debate. Greendale has a lot of problems now.

Another thing that Greendale has is a high number of disappearances. Within the last year, there have been at least twenty people and even more pets that have vanished without a trace. Many try and blame this on the mutants and use it as even more fodder for their hate-filled campaigns, but the disappearances started long before the chemical leak. The mutants are not the only strange thing about Greendale. There is something else, something much more sinister hiding below the surface.

I was walking home from Eliza's house one night after eating dinner with her and her father. He had made some overly complicated vegetable dish so that he could show off how fast he was at working with his four arms. I often went over there to speak to the pair of them about their adventures as the town's superhero pair, being the only one that knows their secret. It was just after eight when I decided it was time to walk home. My parents had a strictly enforced nine o'clock curfew in place for me, especially with all of the crazy occurrences that have been happening lately.

I was walking down Jefferson Street, just past Chuck's corner store when it happened. Jefferson Street is a long narrow street filled with nearly identical homes, all with their own fenced in yards. Usually, the Davis' dog, Roscoe, can be heard barking long before I turn the corner, but tonight all I hear are crickets chirping in the darkness. I continue my trek up the street towards the Davis' house ready to see my favorite little buddy jumping on the fence in greeting. But when I get there Roscoe is nowhere to be found. Instead, I see little patches of blue fur lining the grass and sidewalk. Roscoe's fur.

Walking home alone suddenly seems much more dangerous than it did a few moments ago. I try to ignore my concern for the little mutant dog and continue up the street towards home. I still have several blocks to go before I reach my destination. Every sound I hear makes me jump and quicken my steps. A cat screeching in the dark makes me want to jump out of my skin. I finally hit Main Street and my fear starts to wane as more and more street lamps click on. That's when I hear it. In between two small businesses is a barely lit alleyway, and coming from it I hear the sound of whimpering. Common sense tells me to just leave. To go home and lock the door. There's blue fur on the ground in front of me. I go down the alleyway hoping that my mind is just creating worst-case scenarios and that I'll find that stupid dog unharmed. Down the alley, there is a dumpster with a small pile of boxes beside it. The whining and whimpering seems to be coming from the stacks of cardboard. I begin to move the boxes to get to the source of the sound and soon I have found him. Roscoe. Except he is not unharmed as I foolishly hoped. There, where his collar used to be, are two small holes. His blue fur is streaked with blood. He continues to look at me as he whimpers, obviously in pain. I have to call for help!

I take out my cell phone and begin to call Eliza. Having a flying superhero for a best friend can come in handy in an emergency. I could just hear the dial tone when suddenly I am thrown against the wall by an unseen force. My phone is ripped from my hands and I suddenly find myself staring into a pair of red eyes. Red. The color streaks his face and stains his lips. His skin is pale and his hands, which are pinning me against the walls, are cold. I barely hear Roscoe whimpering from his place on the ground over the sound of my own heart racing. Is this what it feels like to stare death in the face? I hope not.

He stares down at me with a look in his eyes that almost looks like fear. What does he have to be afraid of in the situation? I'm the one being held against a wall by an actual vampire while his most recent victim lies on the ground near my feet! This is definitely not how I envisioned my own death. I planned on being old and grey holding the hand of my husband, Daniel Winters, as we fade out together like in some cheesy romance movie. Instead, I'm going to die in a dirty alleyway beside a dumpster. A blue dog as my only companion. On the plus side, if I die tonight I don't have to take the geometry test tomorrow. Silver linings.

He opens his mouth to speak to reveal sharp fangs and more blood drips down his face. I cringe and look away, unable to handle the site.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he says in a frantic whisper. My eyes are screwed shut as wait for the piercing feeling of his fangs entering my neck. Maybe I have seen too many horror movies, but considering the situation I am currently in I feel my assumptions are accurate. I hear him sigh, and his grip loosens slightly. This is my chance! Using every last bit of courage and strength I have, I kick him away and take off running away from the alley leaving Roscoe and the terrifying creature behind. He doesn't follow.

The next day I find myself sitting in class, a test in front of me with numbers that seem to swim across the page. I did not sleep last night for fear of him coming to find me. Geometry is even more impossible than usual. I look around the room, seeing Matt concentrating on his test at the desk beside me. He was really chipper when he entered class today and if I had even an ounce of energy today I probably would've asked him, instead his peppiness is annoying. How can he be so happy when vampires are apparently roaming the streets, ready to suck our blood? I want to ask, to tell him what I saw but I'm afraid he won't believe me, or worse that he'll assume I ran into a mutant and started crying monster. It happens and is a real problem Greendale faces and I don't want people thinking that I believe that rhetoric. For all I know that was a mutant I saw last night, but most mutants do not go around drinking the blood from little doggies in back alleys. If he is a mutant, then he is a dangerous one that needs to be stopped. I plan on telling Eliza later. If anyone can do something to fix this it will be her. She fights wayward mutants on a regular basis so a vampire should not be much of a challenge. Maybe she will even use a wooden stake to do it?

The bell rings and I realize that I had drifted off and left over half of my test blank. Great. Well, there goes my GPA. I gather my stuff and shuffle to the door to walk with Matt to our next class. He's talking animatedly with Georgie Kline about the test, apparently, he actually feels good about this one. Is this what it feels like to want to stab your best friend? He looks at me and tries to get me in on the conversation, which is honestly the last thing I want right now.

"So how do you think you did?" Matt asks with a smile. I want to smack it right off of his face. Instead, I just groan. Maybe I was attacked by a zombie last night and not a vampire because I certainly feel like one right now.

"That bad?" he says with a grimace, Georgie wearing a similar expression beside him. "I'm sure it will be okay. Mrs. Womack is usually pretty nice about these things and I'm sure if you ask you can get some extra credit or something."

"Yeah! And it was only one test so it'll be fine" Georgie says. I just groan again. I need sleep, not a pep talk. Georgie excuses herself as we approach the lockers. Matt and I are lucky to have ours beside each other. He quietly opens his and begins digging around while I stare blankly at my combination lock. This is going to be a long day. I hear the rattling of a pill bottle beside my head and turn to see Matt grinning with headache medicine in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. Forget what I said about wanting to stab him, he's the best friend a girl could have!

"I figured you could use these, seeing as you are half dead today," he says while handing them over to me. I take them from his hands and quickly swallow them. Matt has begun fiddling with my lock and within seconds it swings open. Normally I would question how he knew my combination, but today I am just grateful.

"Try to wake up please, I have some amazing news to tell you but it's no fun if you can't get properly excited for me," Matt says as he gathers his things and walks away, heading to his next class. I quickly get what I need and follow. Hopefully, the pills kick in soon.

Classes continue in this manner until lunch time where we join Eliza and the others at our usual table. I have managed to wake up a little but now I keep remembering all of the little details of the attack last night. The way the blood dripped down his pale face as his blond colored hair seemed to shine even in the darkness. Maybe that one author got it right, maybe vampires do sparkle? I find myself actually smiling at the thought of the one I encountered last night covered in glitter. That would definitely make him less scary than the covered in dog blood look he was rocking last night.

Once everyone had gathered at the table Matt stood up and cleared his throat, making everyone at our little table stop and listen. "I have an important announcement to make! So hear ye hear ye!" he says being as dramatic as possible. He pauses in an attempt to increase our anticipation. Everyone turns away and goes back to their own conversations instead. "Fine. Fine. I won't make you wait any longer! Over the weekend I, Matthew James Garrett, met someone!"

"That's great Matt! Where'd you meet him? What's his name?" I say excitedly. This is a big deal for Matt. He has had a hard time in the very limited dating pool he has here in Greendale, so for him to find a guy he's willing to talk about means that he's actually serious about this one.

"His name is Evan and I met him at Gina's, you know the little cafe that stays open all night? Well, it was like ten and I decided to go get some coffee to help me get through the literature homework. Mom was still at work so she wouldn't notice if I left. I walked in and there he was! Pale, blond, and gorgeous with brown eyes! I decided to drink my coffee there and we ended up talking until after midnight. By the way, I'm grounded for a week, but once the week is up we agreed to meet up for an actual date!"

"That's great Matt! He sounds great!" I say but I also feel the need to reprimand him for being out so late, especially after last night, "Just try not to go out so late at night by yourself, you never know who or what is out there." He gives me a strange look before laughing at what I said, the rest of our friends joining in. Of course they wouldn't take me seriously, I habitually stay out much later than I should. Things are different now though and I want the people I care about to be safe. Honestly, now that I think about it, it's strange that we haven't all been given stricter curfews and more rules since the factory incident. A guy set half of the town on fire a few weeks ago! What are our parents thinking letting us go out alone at night?!

The bell rings and we all gather our things to leave the cafeteria. Matt and Eliza are staring down at his phone and talking in hushed tones. I walk over and look at the phone, noticing that it is open to someone's online profile. My eyes take in the picture and I feel my blood run cold. There on the screen, beside the name Evan Doyle, is the vampire. His eyes are brown in the picture and his skin is less pale, but I know it is him. I guess the myth about vampires not showing up on film is a lie, or maybe he really is a mutant. Either way, one fact remains: My friend has a date with a vampire.

School had finally ended for the day and I am headed back to my house with Eliza. I need to tell her about the vampire and about how much danger our dear friend Matt is truly in. I know she will listen to me and help me come up with a solution. Matt was so happy at lunch and I don't want to take that away from him, but his safety comes first. I just don't know how to tell him without seeming crazy. Why do all of my friends have to end up in crazy situations like this? One's a superhero and now the other is dating the undead. This is not normal!

I quickly lead Eliza up the stairs, not even stopping to greet my mom on the way up. I need to talk to someone before I burst. I secure the door behind us and press my back to it. Eliza is staring at me like I've gone insane. Hopefully what I'm about to say doesn't confirm that I have. "Okay. Are you going to explain why you are acting so weird and why you made me come all the way over here instead of going home? I've got like a million assignments to catch up on, so this better be good."

I stare at her for a moment, trying to find the words. I can tell she's getting irritated with me. She huffs and starts to walk towards the door. Prepared to push me out of the way so she can leave. I understand her irritation, as a superhero, her time is very limited. As she's about to turn the doorknob I find myself shouting, "Matt's new boyfriend is a vampire!"

She pauses and turns to stare at me. "What are you talking about?" she says coldly. She doesn't believe me. I soon find myself babbling, recounting all that happened last night while pacing around the room. She listens intently, only interrupting when I mention the fate of poor Roscoe. When I finish my story I collapse on the bed and she walks over to sit beside me.

"Are you sure that it was the same guy?" she asks hopefully. I wish I could give her the answer she wants.

"Yes. I'm sure. His eyes are brown in the picture but that's the only real difference that I see." She sighs and leans back to lie beside me. "What do we do?" she asks. I wish I had an answer.