"I've been living six feet down. Baby, I'm alive right now." -Zombie Love -Bohnes

Damien may be a vampire, but I don’t want him returning to his home where his psycho father can beat him again.

“You can stay here tonight,” I say. “Go back to your family when they’ve calmed down.”

“I don’t think they will,” Damien says as I lead him upstairs. “But I’d feel better guarding you tonight. Where’s Lee?”

Now he asks where she is?

I smile and shake my head. “Lee’s with her boyfriend for the week.”

“I see.” Damien doesn’t sound very approving of the news.

Behind us I hear the cell phone ring downstairs, beckoning me to answer it.

“Your phone is-”

“Let it ring,” I interrupt, throwing open Lee’s bedroom door and flipping on the switch.

“Looks just like my room,” Damien jokes.

I laugh and push him onto my sister’s bed. I always thought it was big but with Damien on it, it looks like a pillow.

“Can I sleep in your Mom’s room instead?” Damien asks. “Her bed must be bigger.”

“No one is allowed in there,” I tell him.

Damien raises his brows in interest. “And you’ve never wanted to go in there before?”

“I’m warning you, Damien, if you so much as touch her doorknob-”

Ding, dong!

I whip my head around.

“I’ll come with you.” Damien shoots to his feet.

“No, stay right here,” I order. “I’ll be fine.”

I shut Lee’s door before he can argue and hop down the stairs.

“Who is it?” I ask.

“Us, duh.”

“You weren’t supposed to come until yesterday,” I say as I open the door, seeing two girls holding umbrellas under weeping weather.

“Yeah, change of plans.” They waddled into my house.

“We’re leaving tomorrow.” Payton pouted. “I get home this morning, right? And bam! They say that our flight was changed and we’re leaving tonight. How lame is that?”

“Pretty lame,” I agree nervously.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

I walk ahead of them and kick the bowl of red water under the couch with the dirty rag.

“Why didn’t you call me?” I ask, turning to them.

“We did. Three times.” Payton drops her umbrella.

“In a row,” Izze added for dramatic effect.

“I must not have heard you,” I lie, bouncing on my toes. “So, what are we doing?”

“Well,” Izze beams, slipping off a green backpack. “I’ve got your favorite horror movies. Vampire, of course. And Pay and I stopped by a gas station for your favorite treats.”

“Oh,” I blink. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Payton’s eyes soften.

“How are you feeling?” Izze asks. “We didn’t want to leave but my parents were nagging me about coming home and Payton had to check in on her paranoid parents and show them that she was alive and it wasn’t a serial killer that texted them.”

“I’m fine,” I assure. “Better. I’m glad you gave me some space.”

“Of course. We understand.” Payton paused. “I just hope this isn’t too sudden. I would’ve had us come over tomorrow, but I’ll be gone and I wanted…”

“To make me feel better.” I smile. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

“Now that we’ve got the “Okay”, let’s set up the party!” Izze begins to unload her mountain of junk.

A black shadow appears out of the corner of my eye and I tense. “Let me be right back. I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”

“Sure,” Payton answers.

“If you’re not fast I’ll pick the movie!” Izze warns as I run off.

I meet Damien at the top of the stairs and shove him out of sight. Normally he would have been too strong had he not complied.

“What are you doing?” I hiss. “I told you to stay in Lee’s room.”

“I heard voices,” he replied. “But it’s just your friends.”

“Yeah, and they don’t know you’re here so go back upstairs and be quiet.”

“Why?”

“Because,” I sigh, “look at you. How will we explain this? Now go!”

I give him a slight nudge.

“Can I go check out your room?”

“You’ve already seen it. Go to Lee’s room.”

Once Damien was placed safely back in his confinements, I find Pay painting her nails a neon pink with Izze starting Interview with a Vampire.

“The girl is so creepy,” Izze comments as we sit in our places, “but I still cry every time she dies.”

“You wouldn’t cry if you knew her in real life,” I point out as I snatch some apple Sour Punch Straws.

“Good thing she doesn’t exist in real life.”

Thump, thump.

I close my eyes. No, Damien.

“What was that?” Pay asks.

“Probably the neighbors.” Izze shrugs.

Thump, thump, thump.

This time I was prepared. I cough hideously, gagging on my own spit.

“You sound like your coughing up a hairball,” Izze snickers.

“Do you need some water?” Payton glares at Izze, reaching over to pat me on the back.

“Y-yeah. I’m just going to get a water. Turn up the volume. I can’t hear anything.”

“What? Really?” Izze turns up the sound.

I sprint up the stairs and fling my sister’s bedroom door open, seeing Damien strip her bed bare and throw the blankets onto the floor.

“What are you doing?” I choke in frustration.

“I’m making a bed,” he explains. “Lee’s is too small.”

“But you’re being too loud!” I walk over and rip the fluffy pink pillow from his hands. “Can you please be quieter?”

Damien hesitates. “On one condition.”

“Which would that be?” I tap my foot impatiently, softly, so as not to attract attention downstairs.

Damien kisses my left ear and whispers. “You be my girlfriend.”

Something inside me explodes. It can’t be my heart or I would be dead by now. It can’t be my brain or else I wouldn’t be able to reply, “You’re not joking?”

“Why would I?”

Well, something is damaged inside of me.

There’s no reason for me to protest. After all, I’m willing to spend an eternity with him. Being his girlfriend should be expected.

“Okay,” I answer nonchalantly. “I’ll be your girlfriend. But promise to be quiet and not get caught.”

“Of course.” He bows slightly.

I shove the fluffy pillow back into Damien’s arms and smirk because it looks so ridiculous with him.

I kiss him on the cheek as I suspect any girl would do to her boyfriend and float downstairs on cloud nine.

“Why’d you go upstairs?” Pay asks. “The kitchen is that way.”

“I wanted my water bottle.” Then I add, “But I drank it all upstairs.”

“Guys, please shut up,” Izze snaps.

I climb onto the couch, Pay wiggling her toes while I wait for Damien to make any sound. But keeping true to his word, Damien remains silent.

….

The movie comes to it’s end, the interviewed vampire’s ancient frenemy riding the car of the interviewer and living the high life.

“He’s so hot,” Izze sighs for the dozenth time as she ejects the DVD. “What next?”

“Underworld!” Payton chimes.

“It’s Page’s decision,” Izze argued.

When I open my mouth to respond I hear a sound that could beat the sound of an elephant’s stomping, echoing over and over.

From upstairs.

Izze looks at me smugly. “Something’s up there.”

“No,” I protest. “There’s not.”

“I say, Watson, we have a mystery to solve.” Izze stands.

“I agree, Sherlock.” Pay agrees.

Before I can say reply, they’re already halfway up the stairs. I tried to catch up but I stumble. They reach Lee’s door at least ten seconds before me and even if they hadn’t, I still wouldn’t have been able to prevent them from opening it.

Izze’s hand grasps the knob and I suck in my breath.

Damien, get out. Do what vampires do and disappear, Damien. Please.

“Five, four, three, two,” Pay and Izze chimed, “one!”

They swing Lee’s door open and to my amazement everything was as it should be. My sister’s bed had returned to it’s original form before Damien threw all her blankets onto the floor. Even the fluffy pink pillow sat neatly in the middle of the bed, smoothed and seemingly untouched.

Pay opened the closet as Izze peeked under the bed.

Where was Damien?

Izze pulled herself to her feet and stared at me, trying to read my mind before asking, “What’s going on?”

I shrug. “Nothing.”

“I’ve been really patient with you, Page. I didn’t ask what happened last night, I don’t ask about a lot of stuff, thinking maybe you’ll open up. But you just close off more. Why don’t you tell us anything anymore?” Izze looks as if she’s been burnt.

Payton closes the door and avoids eye contact.

“There’s something on your mind. We know it. So, tell us, please.”

I reluctant to answer. I mean, of course I want to tell them. Have someone to confide in. And why can’t I?

I think about the creepy vampires that have tried to kill me. How terrifying it was. How right now, vampires are fighting to either kill or protect me so a cure can be completed. A cure that will do no good for the world.

I can’t have my friends entangled in this knot of evil.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

Izze sighs, folds her arms and nods. She’s withdrawing from me.

“Fine. I guess we’ll see you later then. Pay, let’s go.”

I’m not sure how long I linger in Lee’s room after I hear my front door slam shut.

Am I alone?

I wipe my eyes and turn out the light. I kneel on the floor because it hurts too much to stand.

“Page,” I hear a voice murmur in my ear.

“Mmm?” I sniff, feel myself being scooped like a child. “Where were you?”

“In here.”

I feel myself sink into an extremely soft cushion. I open my eyes slowly.

“We’re in my mother’s room,” I observe, looking around.

The room is dark and I suspect Damien, being a vampire, wouldn’t need to turn on the light. That’s okay because tonight the full moon is on my side, making it easier to see.

There are cobwebs in the corners and a vanity with nothing on it. I know if I open the closet, it will be empty. I lay back in a huge pale and satin king-sized bed.

My mother’s room is pretty, large, and lifeless. It’s eerie.

The perfect place to find a vampire.

“I told you not to go in here,” I sigh, too tired to care.

“Your friends would have found me if I had not.” Damien lies at the far end of the bed, avoiding body contact.

I choose to say nothing and crawl underneath my mom’s blankets. The aroma is a bittersweet nostalgic.

My eyes ache and I don’t think I can handle shedding any more tears but I don’t have the strength to hold back.

“What happened?” Damien whispers.

I shake my head and shove it into a fluffy pasty white pillow.

“Page…”

I feel one of his ice hands reach forward and graze my shoulder, shooting bolts of an unknown sensation through my body.

Fear? Relaxation? Love?

Without thinking I slide across the bed and ram into him. Damien must’ve been surprised because he’s paralyzed.

I nuzzle my face against his chest, healing and returning to it’s beautiful formation.

His hands grab my shoulders and pull me up. I moan in protest.

He kisses me on the forehead and I sigh, thinking this is just as good.

“This is wrong,” Damien says. “I’m going back to Lee’s room.”

“No,” I protest, half asleep. “Don’t.”

“Page.” Damien leans forward and pecks me on the lips. “I can’t stay here.”

“Why not?” I scowl, opening my eyes.

“Because I don’t trust myself.”

Oh please. I feel like rolling my eyes.

“But I do. I do,” I say immediately, reaching out. “So, don’t leave me. Don’t leave. Don-”

Damien presses his left index finger against my lips.

“Okay,” he sighs. “But go to sleep.”

“Promise you won’t leave?”

“I promise.”

“Okay.” I smile and snuggle close. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” is what I think he says, but I wasn’t lucid enough to tell.

…

Damien probably stroked my hair all night with his beautiful long fingers, twisting and kissing the strands, because when I woke my head was clear and pain-free from an incredible massage.

I awoke with a jolt, as if sensing that I was alone, and the empty space beside me confirmed it. I was disgruntled but understood. He had things to do. A cure to stop, lives to save, everyday things like that.

I hopped out of bed in yesterday’s clothes of jeans, black socks and black long-sleeved shirt and shuffled to the kitchen where I prepared me some high-class Strawberry Special K cereal. I almost drank Simply Cranberry, but the color reminded me too much of last night’s ordeal. Before I forget, I abandon my breakfast and retrieve the pot and rag of blood and rinse them out in the sink. I have no idea how I’d explain myself if Lee found this while vacuuming.

Once my cover up was finished, I grabbed my cereal and slinked into the living room.

My face softened when I entered and saw Izze’s Underworld DVD forgotten behind.

Knowing Payton is probably on En Route in the sky and Izze’s length of resentment, I know neither will answer my call. What would I say even if they did?

Resisting the urge to at least leave a voice message, I flop onto my couch and flip on the television with my remote.

It makes me happy to watch an ancient episode of the unbearably dumb SpongeBob SquarePants. It makes me happy to not have Lee come in and whine about me changing to the predictably depressing news. But it makes me happier to remember Damien holding me close, comforting me until I fell asleep.

Also, the fact that I’m his girlfriend he’s my boyfriend is another reason to bring out the glow in my soul.

Knock! Knock! Knock, Knock, Knock!

I set my bowl on the ground and shuffle to the front door, my heart soaring even further.

“Wait a minute!” I yell as I reach the coat hanger for one of my hoodies. “You know I can’t just open the door without-!”

My hands are still on the lock when it explodes backward, throwing me to the floor. I fold my arms across my face in instinct and peek between them.

Squinting I can barely make out two, then three black cloaked figures literally fuming.

“Uh, you’re not Damien."