Somewhere in San Francisco, at a bar, two women are on a date.

“They say that vampires walk in the dark. Cursed by God from ever seeing the light. The light here being sunlight, y’know.”

One of Leora’s dark eyebrows arched. A frown teased at the corners of her lips. She sucked in her drink with a straw and momentarily pushed a strand of her black hair away from her deep brown eyes. She squinted at the speaker, who sat across the table.

The speaker was Leora’s date, a woman with blonde hair and sapphire colored eyes. For the moment, her date’s name escaped her memory, but she kind of recalled it started with a “G.”

“I-It’s true,” continued G, words starting to stagger. G’s skin, usually a creamy white, had a blossoming red flush that ran from the cheeks and down the neck.

Nearby the pair was the bar heavily filled with patrons. Above the bar was a sign. Pink and green neon lights flashed across twisted metal that formed the words, “Peacock.”

Leora stared at one bartender who was mixing drinks in hopes their eyes would meet and they could read the desperation in hers. Alas! They turned around to change the channel of the flat screen tv hanging over her and her date.

“I-I saw one,” said G in a huff, noticing Leora’s gaze was not at her.

“Did you?” said Leora, half hardheartedly returning her attention to G. She arched her other eyebrow.

“Y-you don’t believe me?” accused G.

Leora shrugged.

“I saw it. It was at that place. That place... hmm.” G tapped her lips, trying to remember.

Leora sighed. Her date looked like she would fall over at any moment from being stuck on that thought or something. So she decided to watch the flat screen tv above them instead as she waited for her date to continue.

“And now we interrupt with breaking news. The Diocese of San Francisco was found dead in his office at 2pm in apparent attempted robbery—” The channel flipped as a bartender changed the channel again. Lions moved on screen while a British voice narrated what was being observed.

“Don’t tell me you are drunk?” said a dark-skinned woman carrying a tray of empty glasses and bottles who approached the pair. The woman had a purple-haired mohawk and hazel-green eyes that danced with amusement. She jutted her chin at G.

“Vampires, Telera. I. Saw. One,” said G.

“Uh huh, of course you did. You need to go back to your apartment now,” said Telera.

“Telera,” protested G.

“You are drunk as a wolf on a full moon,” said Telera. She shook her head as she picked up a couple of glasses that laid between Leora and G. “You are so wasted. I bet your date here is not happy.”

“C-c’mon, Telera,” whined G.

“What’s your name, cutie?” Telera grinned at Leora.

“Leora.” Leora’s eyes thanked Telera for saving her from her disastrous date.

“Leora, can I ask you a favor?” said Telera.

Leora hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she should agree to doing things out of the blue considering how she ended up on a date with Ms. Drunk across from her. Then again, Telera was indirectly helping her.

“W-what are you doing?” interjected G.

Telera ignored G and kept her attention at Leora. “Take her back to her apartment? I would not forgive myself if something happened to her.”

“I would be a terrible person if I didn’t,” smiled Leora. That didn’t seem like too bad of a favor. She rose from her seat and let out a hand for G to take. At that moment, Leora remembered her date’s name. Sorta. She internally winced a little and hoped what she was about to say was correct.

“Shall we, Georgie?” said Leora.

Georgie looked at the hand and bit her lower lips. “I-I’m sorry. I am not usually l-like this,” she said as she took Leora’s hand.

“Nah, it’s fine. At least you weren’t passed out,” sighed Leora as she guided the blonde up to her feet. Their height discrepancies were clear. Leora was barely over Georgie’s shoulder.

They left the Peacock and headed to Georgie’s apartment, which was a few blocks south. The night sky was particularly dark tonight. The moon was just a wafer thin half circle, and the stars were all blocked by the night clouds that rolled across the sky.

“Y’know, I wasn’t kidding about the vampire,” said Georgie who was now much sobered up, but still tipsy. “I saw it kill someone. That homeless man that used to be in that corner other there.” She pointed to a poorly lit area where a major street intersected with a small street that led to a dark alleyway.

“Yeah…,” said Leora. She wanted the date to end quickly.

“No joke! I saw him. He came swooping up the homeless man and dragged the fellow into that alley,” said Georgie as they stopped at the footsteps of a double green ornate door of her apartment complex. “Next day I went to go look in the alley but I only saw blood stains.”

“Um, we’re here. So...,” said Leora. She smiled through her teeth. In her mind, she was trying to figure out a way to end the date nicely without letting Georgie think they would have another one. This one would be tricky considering Georgie was a customer at her job. She cringed inside and made a mental promise to never date customers again.

Georgie leaned toward Leora. She bent down and in a low, husky voice she said, “Do you want to go into my apartment? Netflix and chill?” She started to run her hand up one of Leora’s arms suggestively.

Leora instantly narrowed her eyes. What a pig! she thought. She held Georgie’s hand, stopping it from going further up her arm. Before she could yank Georgie’s hand away and tell the taller woman off, she felt it.

A prickly sensation at the back of her neck.

Immediately, Leora pulled Georgie toward the complex’s green ornate double doors. “Quick, we have to get inside now!”

“Whoa, no need to rush,” smirked Georgie. She stopped them from taking another step. “I’d like to take my time, but I don’t blame you if you want me that bad.”

Leora’s eyes went wide. “Really?” she snapped.

A man in a dark hoodie stepped out of the shadows of the apartment complex.

“Fuck,” said Leora under breath.

It was too late.

“I thought someone was watching me,” he said. He smiled so broadly that in the dim streetlight his fangs glistened.

“Shit!” said Georgie as she scrambled for something in her purse.

“Aww, looking for your pepper spray?” He licked his lips. “It isn’t going to work on me--”

The hooded man suddenly flung backward. He landed in the middle of the street. In his old spot stood Leora.

“Damn it, how do they punch in movies and not hurt?” said Leora as she rubbed the knuckles of her right hand. She looked back to see Georgie was staring at her. She awkwardly smiled.

“The fuck!” said the vampire as he got onto his feet and rubbed his jaw. He was a little dazed, but he was more in disbelief. How did a human punch him? He growled when he looked onward and saw a smile with two fangs poking out. “You hid your scent,” he snarled.

Leora groaned before turning to the hooded vampire. “Look,” she said. “Just go hunt somewhere else. She’s mine already.” Internally, she winced at the mine part. She did not want Georgie—even as food—as the woman was the most awkward and pig-headed person she has met so far. She hoped if she claimed Georgie that maybe the hooded vampire would just go away?

“The fuck I won’t!” The hooded vampire flexed out razor-sharp claws that had been his hands.

“Oh, for pete’s sake! There’s so many people around you can go feed on. Just let me have her for this one time and I’ll just be on my way,” pleaded Leora.

“You are trespassing,” growled the hooded vampire. “Do you know who we are?”

“Umm….” Leora meekly shrugged her shoulders. “Kinda?” she said as she stuck her hands into the pockets of her jacket. It was a lie. She knew who they were and was just trying to distract him so he would not notice her feeling for her phone in her pockets.

“House Eagle, bitch,” he spat.

“House what?” said Leora.

“Eagle. Y’know, Elizabeth?” said the hooded vampire.

Leora shook her head. She spied Georgie with the corner of her eyes. Georgie was standing still like a statue, watching them.

“You must have heard of her. Elizabeth the Rebel,” The hooded vampire noticed that Leora was staring at him blankly, but he continued. “Elizabeth the Revolutionist? The Breaker of...” He made a face of disbelief. “How can you not know?”

“Car,” said Leora.

“Car? She’s not a fucking car--”

Barreling down the street, a blue car smashed into the hooded vampire. He flung again and landed in a heap of jumbled flesh down the street. A short, stout man exited the car. “Oh, my god! I couldn’t see!”

Georgie was still standing. She watched as the driver of the blue car approached the unconscious vampire. A few people exited from her apartments and others to see the commotion. Then she felt a strong grip leading her into the apartment building.

“For once, I am glad for bad drivers. That would have been really messy,” chuckled Leora, leading the way. “Hey, what floor is your apartment?”

Georgie didn’t speak. Instead, she looked down at Leora. Her eyes focused on Leora’s mouth and the two fangs poking underneath the upper lip.

“Um, floor?” repeated Leora squeakily. Perhaps what she had said before scared Georgie? “Despite what I told that asshole, I will not drink you, kill you or what not,” she assured. Then she mumbled quickly under her breath, “Definitely not sleep with you.” She continued. “I just said that so he’d go away. But, uh, he got hit by a car. So lucky us! Yaaay. And what did you say your floor was?”

“Top floor... room 646,” said Georgie finally, her eyes never wander from Leora’s mouth.

“Okay, let’s go,” said Leora as she led Georgie into the apartment complex.

The apartment complex’s lobby was empty except for a security guard. The security guard’s attention was glued to the screen showing the accident, and he didn’t notice the two women. Quickly they took an elevator. Once they were inside the elevator and the doors closed, Leora finally let go of Georgie’s arm.

Leora pulled out her smartphone momentarily and grimaced at the message she read.

Georgie leaned back against the wall of the elevator. “Are you a vampire?”

Leora cringed again.

“Are you?” repeated Georgie.

“Yes, but you won’t remember it,” said Leora. A red glaze reflected off of her eyes, catching Georgie in a hypnotic stare.

In the most smooth silky voice, Leora spoke. “You will forget everything that has happened. You will only remember we just went on a normal date despite me being so utterly hot and I appreciate your feeble attempt to bed me,” she grinned at the cleverness of her sudden solution to her predicament, “however, I was super boring and that killed your vibe. You don’t want to go on a second date. Or ever after. Oh, and you will never visit the Golden Arches I work in. Got it?”

Georgie nodded.

The elevator door dinged and opened up. They exited and headed for Georgie’s room. When they stopped in front of room 646, Leora patted Georgie on the shoulder. “Alright, see you never again.”

Then Leora, in a blur of shadows, went out of Georgie’s sight. For a moment, Georgie stood in front of her door. Then, a smile curling, she took out her keys and entered her apartment.

***

When Leora exited the apartment complex, a nineteen-year-old man was waiting for her. He leaned against a mustang that parked at the curb where she had punched the hooded vampire. She looked over to where the hooded vampire had landed and could see the ambulance speeding away. A police officer was there and was conversing with the owner of the blue car and a few other people who had witnessed the 'accident’.

She stopped in front of the young man. He wore a studded collar, and a purposely torn sweater with a white skull on the front and skinny black jeans that also had the knee caps torn. Despite leaning against the black mustang, he was still taller than her. Though he was shorter than Georgie, she noted.

“Hey Elijah,” greeted Leora. “I thought you’d hit him with your car or something.”

“And having to explain that to my insurance and mom? No, this was better,” said Elijah through gritted teeth. He opened the door of the driver's side.

“Well, couldn’t you blast him with your magic?” asked Leora. She went around to the other side of the mustang and entered the car from the passenger side.

“Too flashy and, well, you weren’t specific, anyway. Mostly a bunch of gibberish text,” answered Elijah and took out his smartphone. He showed Leora her mumbled text. “See? So I just hexed that blue car to crash into him.”

“Hard to text by touch only,” defended Leora. “I thought you don’t do hexes because you’d get the same thing times three? Or was that times ten back?”

“That was not a hex. It’s more like a sped up karma. Besides, I cast on a non-human so either way it will not affect me. Anyway, didn’t I warn you not to get seen by the other vamps?” said Elijah. “Last thing I want is an all out war between the West Coast Coven and House Eagle.” Especially in this day and age, he thought. Since the founding of this city, there has been a precarious peace of sorts between the witch covens, the vampire houses and the werewolf packs.

“It just happened. I was on a date on the other side of the city and next to the church. I didn’t think they’d hunt there,” said Leora, and wished really hard that she didn’t agree to go on the date in the first place.

“What’s done is done. I made sure he wouldn’t remember any of this.” Elijah started the engine and began driving off. “How did your date go?”

“Eh, boring,” said Leora. “She got drunk.”

“That sucks. Maybe you should try not dating at all…” Elijah’s voice trailed off as he drove them down the street.

On a rooftop, on the opposite side of Georgie’s apartment, a shadowy figure with billowing, wavy white hair and eerie light blue eyes jumped to the next rooftop.