A chilly wind breezed through Sarah's hair, the color of which appearing to be a rusty red under the streetlights. It fell over her shoulders, ending just under her them. Lampposts were the only thing illuminating the streets. Sarah jumped over the cracks in the pavement as she walked down the sidewalk. She shivered and hid her hands in the pockets of her blue parka. Clouds formed when she breathed. Under the dim light her skin seemed to be even paler than white marble.

She took out her left hand and pulled the hem of the sleeve up just enough to reveal a watch. Thankfully, the digits and pointers glowed in the dark. That way Sarah could see that it was 10:30pm. At that she cringed. If she weren't home in ten minutes, she would be grounded for sure. For a person like Sarah, this basically amounted to torture. Spending so much time over at her friend's house made her forget about that.

So, to be home at that time, she took a shortcut and walked through the park. Snow covered the normally colorful area in white and crunched every time she took a step. Sarah's thoughts began travelling. A memory of her and her friends participating in a snowball fight popped up in her head. It brought a smile to her face. The last fight had only been a few days ago and yet it felt like an eternity passed since that exact event.

All of the sudden, a crunching noise hit Sarah's ears. Instantly she stopped in her tracks. For a moment, the sound continued. The feeling in her gut told her to run. Listening to it, Sarah staggered forward into a sprint. She didn't dare looking back or else she would probably stumble over her own feet. Just a few more minutes and she'd be home. Sarah simply had to outrun the one chasing her, and everything would be fine.

But her escape was cut short. Someone grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her back. A thousand thoughts crossed her mind. Every single one was too fast for her to grasp. In less than a second, the stranger had a tight grip on her. Their arms were wrapped around her torso. Warm air hit her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "Oh, how wonderfully sweet you smell, darling", the stranger breathed against her ear. Her eyes widened as the stranger nudged her. That voice may barely be audible, but Sarah knew it belonged to a man. Her breath got lodged in her throat as the man squeezed his embrace tighter.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I hope you don't mind me taking a sip", he whispered.

This sentence hauled Sarah back. She realized that her limbs had been free all this time. Using this to her advantage she flailed her arms around. Whoever this guy may be, she wouldn't let him have his way. She was not in one of those shows or films where the girl was a damsel in distress. Sarah kicked her legs back. This resulted in her hitting the man's shins. Or at least Sarah assumed they were. In the self-defense class she learned that this was a weak spot for everyone. But either way, the grip loosened. After that she sprinted forward and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. "Just a little bit longer", Sarah thought as she dashed towards her home.

Suddenly she was pushed which caused her to fall face-first in the snow. She propped herself up with her arms and ignored the stinging cold on her face.

A tight grip on her neck made her tense up. Her heartbeat pulsated against her skin as her wide eyes darted around. There, only a few feet away, was her home. She had been so close. "I have to say, you're the first one to try and fight back", the guy whispered against her ear, genuine glee clearly audible in his hoarse voice, "That makes you interesting". He stood up and dragged her up with him. In one swift motion he turned her around, so his grip was now on her throat. That was the first time Sarah could see her attacker's appearance.

His alabaster skin contrasted against the dark brown of his disheveled hair. Bright blue eyes with slitted pupils stared into her soul. This couldn't be. Only snakes had those kinds of pupils. His lips curled upwards into a smile, showing off his prominent fangs.

Sarah brought her arms ups and grabbed the man's wrist. Her legs meanwhile tried to kick him like they had done before. This elicited an even broader smile from the man in front of her. "Struggle all you want. I won't let you go again". She gritted her teeth and knitted her brows together in an attempt to look at least a little bit threatening. Sadly, it didn't work. "Let me go", she wheezed as the grip on her throat tightened. It was meant to be louder, so her parents or siblings would hear her. Her nails dug into his skin, drawing the tiniest amount of blood.

The chuckle that came from the man was nearly drowned in the ringing in her ear. "You're quite feisty". With the man shutting of her windpipe, Sarah struggled to retort something or even speak. "I will drink your blood once you're unconscious. That won't hurt you." Once again, Sarah's eyes widened and she raised her brows, pulling them together. Tears stung in her eyes while dark spots entered her vision, dancing around like fireflies.

There had to be something she could use against this guy. She just had to find out what it was. But the more she tried to think, the hazier her thoughts became. Giving up wasn't an option. Yet, what other possibilities did she have?

Then it hit her like a bag of bricks.

She let go of the man's wrist, allowing him to let her dangle in his grip like a hapless bird. Through her blurred vision she noticed the smile on the man's face growing. "That's right, just give up." Sarah reached for her back pocket, getting ahold of the thing which would help her. It took every ounce of her willpower to stay conscious, but she refused to give up now. So, she raised her arms again.

Instead of gripping the man's wrist again, she flipped the switchblade and stabbed him in the shoulder. He groaned and let go of Sarah who landed with her feet on the ground, like cats always did. Unlike a cat though, Sarah stumbled over her feet. She caught herself just in time.

The guy removed the blade from his flesh and the squelching noise made Sarah cringe. Her eyes widened when she realized, the wound healed itself. It took less than a minute and it was like the wound had never been there in the first place. Only the blood on the blade indicated, he had been injured.

He glared at her. Then, in the blink on an eye, he had a tight grip on her wrist again. "You know, as much as I'd like to kill you for this..." While he spoke with a voice devoid of any emotion, Sarah tried to get away. "Stupid. I'm such an idiot", she thought, "Why didn't I just ran home? It's right there!" The black-haired guy lowered the switchblade until it just hovered over the unblemished skin of hers. She stopped moving, for if she did, an injury would sure follow.

"I think, making your life hell, would be payment enough", the guy stated, his lips forming a sly smile. Before Sarah could wonder what those words meant, he sliced into her skin, drawing blood. Her gaze switched between the cut and the grin of this stranger. Then, he let go of her wrist. "I hope you enjoy it", he said, a childlike glee in his voice. It sounded like the man had given her a present.

She just stood there and watched him leave. Her heart pounded against her ribcage while her pulse thrummed under her skin. She was half-inclined to shout and run after him, demanding answers for his words which made just as much sense to her as algebra to a five-year-old. But she didn't move. Instead looked over her shoulders. Lights were still on, which meant her parents hadn't gone to sleep yet.

Sarah blinked a couple of times, trying to process the whole event. Her attention turned to the wound the guy had inflicted on her. The blood dripped down her wrist and fingers. "What... what is this guy", she asked herself.

Unlucky enough, someone interrupted her train of thought. "Sarah!" Normally she would cringe when her mother used that tone. In this moment though, her mother being angry at her was the last of her concerns.

She turned her head to meet her mother's gaze. Her brows were furrowed, and her arms were crossed in front of her chest. "Sarah Eldritch! You come in here right now!" There was no question, her mother would ground her.

Sarah trotted towards the front door, feeling like her legs would give in any moment. As she closed in, her mother seemed to notice, something wasn't right. Nonetheless, Sarah walked past her, entering the hallway of her home. Her mother closed the door. "What happened? You look even paler than usual." For a moment she thought about what she should tell her mother. There were already theories forming in her head about the words the man had said to her.

Once Sarah slipped out of her parka, her mother's green eyes widened. She reached for Sarah's wrist and examined the cut. "Oh no", Sarah thought, "Hopefully she doesn't think that-" "Did you harm yourself?" Immediately Sarah shook her head before explaining what happened. When she mentioned a stranger attacking and chasing her, the mouth of her mother gaped open. What she didn't tell her mother were the words of the man. She also left out her assumption of her attacker possibly being a vampire.

All of the sudden, the woman in front of her enveloped her in a tight hug. Before Sarah could return the gesture, her mother pulled away. "Are you okay? Are there any other wounds?" As she asked those questions she scanned over Sarah, looking for other kinds of injuries. Again, she shook her head. "No mum, I'm fine. Just this cut. Guess I got lucky." The last sentence was meant to assure her mother. Even though, Sarah was sure, bruises would soon form on her neck and throat. But she didn't want her to worry about her so much.

"Come on, I get you bandages", her mother said and gestured for Sarah to follow her. The teen did as she was told. Only a few steps later they entered the kitchen. Sarah didn't need an instruction and sat down on one of the chairs while her mother took out the first-aid kit. While she applied the bandages, Sarah asked her where her father and brother were. Without looking up, the older woman replied: "Your father is asleep. Elijah is in his room, probably playing games."

Despite Sarah's attempt to loosen the tension, it was still palpable. She thought about what else she could do. But once again, her mother broke through her flow of thought. "Now get a hot shower, you're freezing." Sarah looked at her bandage. "But what about-" "It's okay. That thing is waterproof." Not knowing what else to say, she stood up and walked upstairs. Even with her back to her mother she felt the piercing gaze. She sighed.

After a few minutes she entered her room. Pillows laid on the ground, the blanket was draped over the bed half-heartedly and a few wool socks were strewn across the floor.

She made it a game to jump over everything on the ground as a mean to get her mind off of the situation earlier. Then she opened the closet and took out her pajama's as well as a fluffy pair of socks. Once she had everything she made her way towards the bathroom. While she did so, her gaze wandered over the pictures which hung on the walls. They depicted various events, ranging from Elijah's winning his first medal in ice hockey to Sarah's last year's Jack-o'-lanterns.

Sarah went in the bathroom. The white and teal tiles made it look bigger than it already was. In fact, all four of them fit in this room with room to spare. To this day Sarah asked herself why they had such a big bathroom.

Before she slipped out of her clothes, Sarah took off her necklace. For a few seconds she looked over the intricate design depicting some kind of flower. Maybe it was a Lotus, Sarah didn't know but the form reminded her of this plant. Then she laid it on the counter and undressed herself.

She hopped into the rain shower and turned on the water.

It took only a couple minutes until Sarah deemed herself to be heated up enough. She grabbed the towel nearby and dried herself. A glance in the giant mirror showed her, at least the color had returned to her face. She smiled at the mirror before slipping into her pajamas. They consisted of long and striped pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Then she put on her necklace again.

After she was dressed she picked up her previously worn clothes and threw them into the washing machine. Right now, she didn't care if the clothes had to be separated.

Sarah went back to her room and let herself fall on the bed which creaked under the sudden impact. As soon as her face hit the soft surface of the mattress, she closed her eyes. A yawn escaped her lips as she dragged the blanket over herself. No thoughts swirled in her head while consciousness slipped away from her grip.