It was hours later, and night had already fallen by the time Amanda snuck out of her window in the pitch black. Fumbling, she reached into the darkness and found herself grabbing hold of a very firm, human arm.

“Oof!”

“Shh!”

“What the hell?”

“Amanda?”

“Isaac?”

“What are you doing out here?”

“What are you doing out here?”

Amanda’s eyes adjusted as she took in the sight of her neighbor standing in their conjoined yard, a six-pack hanging from his hand. She gasped and let go of his bicep. “You’re sneaking out for the bonfire!”

Amanda had spent the past few hours debating whether or not to attend. When she arrived back after her unsettling tour of Hathaway, she had intended to unpack her easel and bury herself in artwork. Instead, she had opened her laptop to a friend request and message from Vincent:

“Hope Syd didn’t scare u too bad earlier.”

She had responded, heart racing:

“Only a little haha. It’s a lot to take in”

A minute later, he messaged her again: “I promise we’re not all like that”

And then: “ Albastru Lake, around 11. There will b other humans too. Would love 2 c u there.”

Amanda had shut her laptop, biting her lip. Something about being invited to a party by a sexy vampire was so ridiculous, she couldn’t help but giggle. And after everything she’d been through, it was nice to have a distraction...even if that distraction had fangs.

There were a few problems, though: Parker and Sydney had both warned her not to go out at night. As the clock neared 11, Amanda paced her tiny room, pawing through potential outfits from her still full suitcases. But when Luiza wished her goodnight, Amanda made up her mind: screw it. Sure it was probably dangerous, and sure she was being impulsive, but if her parents’ deaths had taught her anything, it was that life was too short to waste.

Now she just had to figure out where the hell Albastru Lake was.

After her not-so-smooth exit out the window, Amanda now stared up at her sheepish-looking neighbor.

Isaac winced. “You probably think I’m such a douche after what I said about the Hathaway kids. I realized it when you didn’t show up at my school today.”

Amanda laughed. “I should have said my uncle’s the headmaster.”

“He’s the headmaster?” Isaac scratched his neck, clearly flustered. “Okay, so biggest dick award goes to me.”

Amanda raised her eyebrows.

“Not like that! Jesus. I’m making the worst first impression here. Can we start over? My name’s Isaac.” His embarrassment was kind of endearing.

“Don’t you mean hypocrite?” she teased. “Why are you going to the bonfire if you don’t like Hathaway?”

Isaac sighed. “It’s not just them. A bunch of kids from Lunovia National are going, too. My friends are dragging me out.”

“Mind if I tag along?”

Isaac gave her a crooked smile, causing her pulse to rise. “Let’s get out of here before we wake everyone up.”

As they hurried down the quiet street, Amanda cast a nervous glance back at the house. Hopefully Luiza was a heavy sleeper. Is this a bad idea? she wondered. This is definitely a bad idea.

Before she could think about turning back, they had reached the end of the block, where three other people were waiting for them.

“My friends,” Isaac gestured with the six-pack he had been carrying. “Tatiana, Iacob, and Gabi. This is my new neighbor, Amanda.”

Tatiana, a pretty girl with bright red lips and fluffy bangs, stepped forward to yank out a beer. “It’s a good thing Isaac’s dad is an alcoholic.”

“Tati!” Gabi, the other girl, scolded. She was wearing a pink vested parka and had wide blue eyes that turned kindly to Amanda. “Isaac told us about you moving in. How do you like Hathaway so far?”

“It’s...well…the students are a little…” Amanda struggled for the right words, remembering her uncle’s warning that the village didn’t know about its vampire population.

“Snobby?” Tatiana offered.

“Yeah but the guys are so hot,” said Iacob. He was on the thin side, with olive skin and an elegant undercut.

“And they can afford the best weed,” Tatiana added.

Amanda noticed that each of Isaac’s friends spoke with Romanian accents. Luiza had told her English was a requirement in the local schools, and for that she was grateful. Amanda hadn’t had any issue at Hathaway either, which was full of international English-speakers.

“Do you guys go to a lot of bonfires with Hathaway?” she asked.

“Some,” said Gabi. “It’s not a huge town, so word spreads about any big party. I heard about this one from my boyfriend.”

The gang started making their way past an archaic stone church and up the road into the dark woods. The moon was particularly bright, she noticed, bathing the dirt path in a hazy sapphire glow.

As the others dug into the six-pack, Isaac fell into step with Amanda.

“Are you going to be warm enough in that?” He glanced down at her outfit, which was admittedly lacking compared to the others’.

“I didn’t realize nighttime in April would be so chilly,” she confessed. The farther they got into the dense foliage of trees, the lower the temperature dropped.

“Here, take this. I’m used to the weather.” Isaac pulled off his thick denim jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold went down her spine as he brushed against the exposed skin at her collarbone.

“Thanks,” she murmured, cheeks flushed.

They continued up the path until they had been completely enveloped by the dark forest. Even with the laughter and excitement of her new friends, Amanda hoped they would reach the party soon. The distant creaking branches and rustling leaves reminded her they weren’t alone in the woods.

Finally, after 20 minutes of walking in the dark, Amanda heard the unmistakable sounds of a teenage gathering.

“Wooo!” Tatiana shouted as they neared a clearing in the trees. Amanda could make out a sprawling lake glistening under the moonlight. On the pine needle-covered shore crackled a tall bonfire that flickered across the faces of about a hundred partygoers, dancing and laughing. Someone was blasting trap music out of a portable speaker.

Amanda smiled, remembering the suburban house parties back at home. She almost pulled out her phone to text Jessica but remembered she didn’t yet have service in Romania.

“Shots, anyone?” A lanky redhead approached with an open flask in his hand. With a start, Amanda recognized Nicolae, Vincent’s friend. She had almost forgotten there would be vampires here, too. But why did he seem to know Isaac’s friends?

“Hey babe!”

Amanda’s jaw dropped as Gabi stretched up to kiss him hello.

He must be the boyfriend Gabi mentioned…but does Gabi know she’s dating a vampire? Is Gabi a vampire?

From behind Gabi’s curly blonde bob, Nicolae winked at Amanda. She kept her mouth shut, not sure what to say. If none of these people knew about Nicolae’s true identity, she didn’t want to be the one to expose him.

“Gross. Let’s ditch these monogamists.” Tatiana linked arms with Amanda and pulled her towards a picnic table, where a keg and a bunch of red solo cups had been set up.

Amanda scanned the crowd of humans and vampires alike, smoking, drinking, and hooking up. With a pang of disappointment, she realized she didn’t see Vincent anywhere.

“Can I offer you some of my finest selection, a 2018 Natural Ice?“ Isaac asked Amanda in a ridiculous British accent as he filled a cup.

“Why thank you, good sir,” she giggled.

With Isaac’s friendly group, she was starting to feel glad she had ignored Parker’s warning… until she locked eyes with none other than her bloodthirsty cousin. If looks could kill, Amanda knew she’d be dead on the spot.

Sydney immediately stomped over to the picnic table. “I can’t believe you had the nerve to show up,” she hissed, pulling Amanda away from the others. “Especially since it’s a blue moon. How stupid can you be?”

The cheap beer doing its magic, Amanda stepped up bravely to match her cousin’s glare. “What’s a blue moon?”

Sydney flipped her fiery mane over her shoulder. “Whatever. You’re not my responsibility. Just stay away from Vincent.” With a withering glance, she melted back into the crowd.

Amanda made her way back to the picnic table, fury mounting in her veins. She knew her cousin was just trying to scare her.

“Sorry about that,” she muttered to Isaac, who was now only with Iacob by the keg.

“Tati is already on the hunt,” Iacob smirked. “She just took off with a hot sophomore from your school and – oh my god, it’s Tariq. How do I look?”

Amanda followed his gaze to a handsome, tawny-skinned vampire in a wheelchair that she recognized from her tour at Hathaway.

“Go for it, bro.” Isaac pushed his friend towards his crush. “We’ll be fine.”

Alone with Isaac, Amanda shyly tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I hope I’m not keeping you from your classmates.”

“I don’t mind spending time with you.” His freckled cheeks turned upwards into a warm smile that she couldn’t resist returning. “My friends can be a little wild. It’s nice to have someone normal to talk to.”

“Hey, I can be wild too,” she joked. Isaac’s oversized jacket smelled like sandalwood and vanilla, and it made her want to lean in closer. Why had Parker warned her not to go out? This was totally fun. “You should have seen me in-”

“You came,” a smoky voice murmured behind her. Amanda spun around into Vincent, who was leaning casually against the table as if he had been sculpted there by Michelangelo. He steadied her with a cool hand against her waist, sending a flurry of sparks up her back.

“Want to dance?”

“She’s a little busy,” Isaac cut in, glaring up at the dashing newcomer who towered over him by several inches.

“Are you busy, Amanda?” Vincent purred.

Amanda stared between the human and the vampire sizing each other up. Her mind raced. What was she supposed to say?

Before she could answer, a bloodcurdling scream echoed from across the lake.