Rolling over to silence her alarm, Myra Chamberlain fell out of her bed instead. Groaning, she pulled herself up with her nightstand and silenced the annoying machine. “I really think I need to move my bed against the wall or something,” She grumbled to herself as she ran her fingers through her long straight dark brown hair.  Slowly she found her way to her dresser and pulled out her favorite sweater and a well-worn pair of jeans. After dressing she stopped and looked into the mirror to evaluate her appearance for the day. Her porcelain skin contrasted well against her bright sweater and her jeans hugged her thin curvy frame. Smiling to herself she picked up her toothbrush and began to carefully clean her pearly white teeth. After rinsing her mouth she inspected her teeth especially the elongated canines that were the pride of the vampires.

 

Glancing down at her cell phone, she quickly rushed out of the bathroom to gather her things for work. After pulling on her boots she double-checked that she had her bus pass and then exited her small campus apartment. She had just started attending Park’s University about a month ago so she hadn’t quite gotten used to her new routine yet. She made it to the bus stop just before the bus arrived. Proud of herself for not missing the bus this time she quickly found her seat and pulled out the game pad her brother had bought her for Christmas. Unable to concentrate on her game, she put it away shortly after the ride began and dozed on the bus. She was thankful that being a vampire only required her to sleep four hours a night but today was Sunday and she would have really preferred to spend it sleeping than working. Her mind flashed to her brother with his early morning job and decided that she couldn’t complain to him. She was considering pulling out her cell and messaging her best friend Rebecca when she realized that the bus had just passed her stop. Pulling the stop cord along the side of the bus, she flew down the aisle and past the annoyed driver to make the short trek back to the Library.

 

As she entered the building she checked her phone again, and found that she had actually made it on time this morning.  She found her way to the employee locker room and stashed her purse before heading to find her supervisor and find out what her assignment was for the day.  “Myra! Over here! Glad to see you made it on time today!” Her co-worker William called to her from across the room, getting a dirty look from their boss for his disregard for the library rules. Laughing to herself she joined the two behind the service desk.

 

“I need both of you working the reference desk today,” Their supervisor started seeing the predicted crestfallen expressions of her underlings, “It may be Sunday but we are approaching mid-terms so research papers are abound! So be good my minions and help your fellow students achieve their education goals!” Myra sighed and turned to head to the reference desk, her boss was scary for a human. As she got a few steps away she heard her boss call in an overly sweet sounding voice, “Oh and Myra? I am glad to see you made it on time today, lets make this a habit, shall we?” Her tone made Myra’s spine tingle.

 

“You aren’t good with mornings are you?” William asked.

 

“No not really but that really isn’t my problem with getting here on time,” She replied thinking about last week when she fell down the stairs on her way into the Library. William Hill was fairly short for a man, only being a few inches taller than herself. He had messy blonde hair, blue-grey eyes, a medium skin tone and an addiction to cargos. He also seemed to always be wearing a shirt with sayings on them, today’s shirt said, ‘What you see is what you get.’ His odd tastes in clothes aside he was a reliable co-worker. The next few hours passed quickly and soon it was time to leave and meet up with Rebecca at the café that her brother works at. As she was leaving she waved good-bye to William who was working a full shift today instead of their usual three hour shift. He always seemed to be picking up longer shifts when he was able to.

 

 

 

Walking across the plaza to the student union, she spotted Rebecca and called her over, “How are you today?”

 

“Good! Do you think Xander is working right now?” Her friend asked cheerfully.

 

“You know he should be home right now,” Myra playfully reminded her absent mined friend.

 

“That man! I don’t know how he lives off so little sleep! He goes into work at 4am, gets off at eight, goes home sleeps until one and then has classes all evening. You are his sister! Make your brother take better care of himself!”

 

Myra sighed, “I promise you he is fine, but if you are so worried why don’t you make him?”

 

“Don’t you think I have tried?! You siblings are terrible! Neither of you seem to understand how to take care of yourselves! You are both going to die young at this rate!”

 

 “I doubt it,” Myra muttered under her breath.

 

“Don’t think I didn’t hear you missy!” Rebecca scolded before realizing something, “Have you eaten today?”

 

Ignoring the question, Myra just started to walk towards the café again, “Come on, wasn’t coming here your idea?”

 

After a debate at the food counter, Myra settled down at the table with a muffin that Rebecca had forced on her and a cup of tea.

 

“You really should eat more than that you know, but I’m glad to see you eating something,” Rebecca smiled while unwrapping her sandwich.

 

“I told you that I’m not hungry right now besides, Xander and I are going to go get something to eat later anyway.”

 

“I wish you two didn’t live on take-out food,” Rebecca grumbled. The rest of their time in the café passed quickly and the two of them decided to head back to Rebecca’s dorm to hang out.

 

Rebecca Townsend and Myra had been friends since the beginning of junior high school. Many of their classmates thought that Myra was the prettier of the two but she personally believed it had more to do with her vampire charms than her own appearance. Standing at 5’4” Rebecca was shorter than Myra by a few inches with long, wavy dirty blonde hair that reached about halfway down her back.  Looking at Rebecca always made Myra a little jealous; Myra’s eyes were dark brown and her skin almost transparent whereas, Rebecca’s eyes where a vibrant green, her skin was also fair but nicely so and to top things off-her bust was a full size bigger. The only thing the two really shared was their love for sweaters.

 

“Is that a new skirt?” Myra asked looking at her friend’s outfit, trendy as ever.

 

“Yes! Well…not really but it is new to me! I borrowed it from my roommate.”

 

 Myra smiled, “So you two are still getting along well?” “Well yeah but both our schedules don’t match up well, so we don’t see each other much. I don’t know why you didn’t want to room with me, it would be so much fun! And I could make sure you were taking proper care of yourself.”

 

Hearing a man chuckle the two looked up to see Xander leaning against Rebecca’s door, “Maybe that is why she didn’t want to room with you.”

 

Rebecca pouted, “Xander that is mean, let me into my room.”

 

Stashing the game pad he had been playing he stepped aside and let the girl unlock her door, “Am I an unwelcome guest?”

 

“That depends,” Rebecca replied sternly, “Did you get plenty of sleep or are you skipping out to hang out?” Myra sighed, she adored her friend but she could really beat a dead horse into the ground with her obsession over their health, if only they could tell her why they barely sleep and eat.

 

“Fully rested,” Xander promised.

 

Stepping aside to let her friends in, Rebecca smiled big, “Then get your butts in here.”

 

Alexander was a year and a half older than his sister but the two looked remarkably alike. His dark brown hair reached his jaw and had a tendency to hang in his face; he was considerably taller than both girls at 6’ and was built athletically for someone who seemed to spend all this free time playing video games on his game pad. Like his sister, he tended to dress super casually in worn out jeans and long sleeve shirts. Myra knew he wore long sleeves to protect his skin with the minimal amount of sunscreen but Rebecca always teased that Xander wore long sleeves to perpetuate a cool look. The biggest difference between the appearances of the siblings is that Xander perpetually looked angry. He had a tendency to scare people even when trying to be friendly, this was the main reason that he was a dishwasher and not allowed anywhere near the service desk at work.

 

Following the two into the room, Rebecca locked up her room and then sat down on her bed next to Myra. Xander hijacked Rebecca’s desk chair, dragging it over to the girls before straddling it and resting his arms on the back of it. “How are you liking the game pad I got you?” He asked Rebecca.

 

“I haven’t played it much, unlike you, I have classes to study for. I don’t understand how you get such good grades while always playing those games. I thought engineering was hard!”

 

Xander laughed, “How are your classes going?”

 

 “I’m really just taking general education classes right now, but I have to do well in them to get into the nursing program.”

 

Myra patted her friend on the shoulder, “Don’t worry. I know that you will do fine- you just worry too much.” Rebecca smiled and gave her friend a hug. She may be a little air-headed at times but Myra knew her friend was more intelligent than she appeared. Rebecca was in the top ten of their graduating class, Myra wasn’t sure where she herself placed but it certainly wasn’t in the top thirty. She glanced over at her brother, who although he acts as a total slacker was the valedictorian of his class. Sometimes she felt like the stupid one in their trio.

 

Rebecca looked over at Xander, “So, Mr. Smarty-Pants, how is it having your sister join your club?”

 

Both siblings froze for a moment before Xander answered, “Doesn’t make a difference, how is your club?”

 

Myra snatched up the conversation switch, “Why would you join something like Homemaker’s club anyway? Shouldn’t you have joined a pre-med club or something?”

 

“I love crafts, besides like you are one to talk, what does the Classic’s club have to do with Art History?”

 

Myra watched her brother sigh and pull out his game pad, leaving her to deal with Rebecca on her own, “Literature is an art form as well you know.”

 

 

            William finished putting the last of the used reference books back on the shelf and then headed off to find his roommate, Elijah, for dinner. He didn’t have to go far, standing in the middle of the library foyer was Eli performing magic tricks for a small crowd of people. His roommate was exceptionally good at performing magic tricks and although he was studying theater, claimed that he was going to become a first class stage magician after graduation. William was pretty sure that Eli was just an attention hog, though. The mischievous man was always showing off and flirting with others. An inch under 6’ with sandy blonde hair and a slender build, the only really standout feature of Elijah Ramsey was his gold eyes. He even dressed blandly, usually opting for baseball tees and jeans or shorts. He more than made up for it though with his charisma.

 

           

            William walked past the crowd, grabbing Eli by the back of his shirt on his way by, “Quit flirting, some of us worked all day and need food.”

 

“Goodbye ladies and gentleman! My friend needs me, but don’t worry I’m single and available anytime.”

 

“I said, come on,” William tugged harder on his shirt.

 

Eli stumbled a bit before turning and throwing his arm over William’s shoulder, “Don’t be jealous. You are the best roommate a guy could ask for but we both could use some ladies don’t you think?”

 

William shrugged his friend’s arm off of him and continued towards the cafeteria, “If you want a girlfriend you should stop flirting with men in public.”

 

“Hey, I am an equal opportunity man besides, you and Montel hate it.”

 

“Gee, I wonder why.”

 

The playful man smiled before grabbing his friends arm and running off toward the cafeteria, “Come on man, I’m starving! Performances always drain me.”

 

William sighed but allowed himself to be dragged along.

 

 

 

            “Oh good! The line isn’t very long!” Eli exclaimed excitedly.

 

“Yes,” William agreed. “So how are things going with the co-worker girl?” His roommate prodded.

 

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” William responded while picking up some cake to go with his burger and fries.

 

“Oh come on, you are always talk about this girl, who is she? Get her number yet?”

 

“She is just my co-worker but I do have her number, I have all my co-workers numbers,” William frowned while finding a seat.

 

Elijah sat down across from his friend and continued to prod, “Oh come on dude, why wont you tell me anything. What is her name?”

 

“Calm down lecher, there is no need for you to know about her. Leave the poor girl alone.”

 

Acting offended Eli whined, “I see what you think of me.”

 

“Aren’t there some cute girls in your club that you can harass or something?”

 

“Well there are three girls that I’d really like to get to know better but they don’t seem to like me very much.”

 

William laughed, “I can’t imagine why.”

 

 

            “We should get Xander to wear a sweater, don’t you think that he would look handsome in one?” Rebecca asked.

 

Xander just snorted while the two girls giggled at the idea. Myra’s laughter was cut short by the growling in her stomach.

 

Xander having heard it as well decided it was the perfect opportunity to escape while he still had his dignity, “Time to go Myra.”

 

Rebecca pouted, “Do you really have to leave now or are you just trying to run away?”

 

Myra laughed again, “We do really need to go, I’m really hungry.”

 

Instantly her friend brightened, “Well then, go get something to eat but try to get something healthy. What kind of food are you getting?”

 

Xander chucked darkly, “Ah whatever catches my eye when we get there.”

 

Myra shot him a scathing look, “Well we better go, have a good night.”

 

           

After leaving their friend’s room Myra punched her brother in the arm, “What was that about? She already thinks we are really weird about food.”

 

Xander just patted her head, “Lighten up a bit, she has known us for four years. Learn to have a sense of humor.”

 

“I have a sense of humor it just isn’t dark like yours.”

 

“I don’t have a dark sense of humor, we both know that dad is the one with dark humor.”

 

Myra thought of the number of times her father made dark jokes that thankfully went right over their friends head, “Don’t aspire to be dad.”

 

“Are you kidding, sometimes dad even gives me the chills.” Myra laughed and thought of their parents.

 

The two walked to the bus stop and waited for the next bus. “Why don’t we just go on foot?” Xander proposed.

 

“I’d rather take the bus like a normal person, look here it comes.”

 

Xander looked at the metal box with distaste before pulling out his wallet to get his bus pass.

 

“If you hate the bus so much why don’t you bring your motorcycle to campus?” His sister questioned.

 

 Xander cringed, “Have you seen the price of campus parking?”

 

Myra smiled and boarded the bus. Both her and her brother could afford anything they wanted but both had refused their parents help with campus life aside from their tuition. Instead they both opted to get part time jobs to pay for their own expenses. They didn’t have many things they had to pay for: Xander was just a penny-pincher.

 

            They rode in comfortable silence while Xander played games.  When they reached downtown, they climbed off the bus and scanned the area.

 

“I will meet you back here- be good,” Xander stated before walking off in the direction of a nightclub.

 

Xander wouldn’t even enter the club, Myra knew he would hang out behind the club and wait for smokers or drunken stragglers.  It was barely past nightfall so she doubted the effectiveness of his method, but then again, he had been living here for a year longer than she had. Either way she preferred to hunt away from him. She turned and headed towards the large shopping strip, figuring that it would be rather busy tonight.

 

            Myra browsed the wares on display while keeping her eyes open for a potential target. While exiting a small boutique she noticed a young man who seemed to be watching her. Smiling she waved the hopeful man over. “I noticed you looking at me, is there something you need?”

 

He shook his head and she could tell that he had already been drinking tonight, “Would a pretty girl like you care for a drink?”

 

Myra continued smiling, when they already found her attractive it was way easier to bend them to her will. Narrowing her vampiric charm to only affecting him, she led him away to a nearby alley. She chatted idly with him until far enough from the street that they wouldn’t be seen. Turning to face him, she tripped into his arms instead. Using her clumsiness to her advantage she bit into his neck. Instantly he froze, a vampire’s bite paralyzes an unsuspecting person and fogs their brain. Careful to only take only about a pint of blood, she backed away from him and wiped the blood from her mouth and his neck before waking him from his daze, “Thank you for catching me but I hurt my ankle, can you take me back to the street?”

 

Smiling the man led her back out of the alley before taking his leave.

 

“Okay,” she said to herself, “one down.” Most vampires these days tried not to kill unless they had to, to prevent drawing unnecessary attention to themselves but it had the downside of making hunting a tedious process.

 

            As she stepped away from her last victim, she suddenly heard Xander’s voice, “You’re being sloppy. Someone could see you.”

 

Scowling at her brother she wiped the blood from the young woman’s neck and her own mouth, “Only if that someone is a ninja like you.”

 

“I’m not a ninja, you just lose track of your surroundings when you feed.”

 

Myra grabbed the disoriented girl’s hand and led her out of the alley, “You need to be more careful ma’am. Something dangerous could be lurking in the alleyways. Try to stick to the main roads next time.”

 

“Thank you,” the confused woman mumbled before stumbling off.

 

“Like you are one to talk,” Xander scolded.

 

“Oh come off it already,” Myra groaned.

 

“Learn to be more aware of your surroundings and I will.”

 

“Whatever, lets head home.”  Just as the two were about to reach the bus stop, both of their cell phones went off. In unison they pulled out their phones and looked at the message.

 

From: Demetrius

Emergency Meeting-Now!

 

Looking at each other they stashed their phones and darted off into night, bus long forgotten. Myra preferred not to use her vampiric speed but wouldn’t trade it for the world in situations like these. She knew, though, that Xander preferred traveling on foot whether it be at human speed or vampiric. The only exception seemed to be his motorcycle. Reaching the clubhouse building, they jumped up into the second floor window that had been opened for certain members.

 

“Dramatic entrance, guys. Have a seat,” Demetrius calmly greeted, while gesturing to the almost empty table.

 

Xander instantly complied but Myra went over to the club president and asked, “What is going on?”

 

Demetrius smiled faintly at her and again gestured for her to take a seat, “I’ll tell everyone at the same time so please be patient.” 

 

Frustrated despite understanding it would be easier to address them all at once, she sat down near her brother. Demetrius greeted each member in turn as they poured in.  He appeared to be around 5’10” with a slender build, a Mediterranean skin tone, blue-green eyes and dusty brown hair that went to just past his ears. Myra didn’t really know much about him yet since she had only recently started attending Park’s university. He was the only senior member of the club and no matter when there was a meeting he always seemed to be dressed business casual. Myra was unsure on whether it was because of his personal tastes or out of habit as a business major. After about twenty minutes every member had gathered and the room was alive with noise. 

 

Standing in front of the room, Demetrius looked around at the other fifteen members of the club and commanded, “Attention everyone.”

 

 Suddenly the entire room fell silent and turned to their president, Mr. Demetrius Capriccio. “A hunter has been sniffing around campus recently and today he got too close for his own good.”

 

Myra felt her chest tighten at the news, she knew things like this happened from time to time but this was the first time since she had joined the club that they had to deal with a threat like this.  Secretly she wished that she wasn’t an adult right now so her parents could take care of it for them.

 

“Xander, Xel,” Demetrius looked at both men in turn, “I think this one is going to require you both. Work together and eliminate him quickly.”

 

Myra looked over at her brother, she knew he was one of the club enforcers but she couldn’t help but worry about him. She turned her attention over to the other enforcer, Xeleanth Taxus. Xel looked completely unthreatening to an unsuspecting person. He had flawless tan skin, messy shoulder length brown hair, dark forest green eyes, and a feminine build. A sophomore fitness education major, he was the star of the schools Mixed Martial Arts team but could easily be mistaken for a woman, despite being right under 6’ in height. He usually wore a short sleeve shirt layered over a long sleeve one and jeans but tonight he was wearing his team uniform and his hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Myra figured that he had been at practice when he got the message. Both men rose and went to talk to Demetrius for the specifics. As they were discussing things, there was a knock on the door before it opened and William walked in.

 

 

As soon as he stepped into the room, William wished he hadn’t.  The room felt tense and unwelcoming- foreboding even. He glanced around the room. He had expected the Classic’s club to be a small club full of book nerds but instead he found a room full of people with seemingly nothing in common except for the glares they were sending his way.  He saw members of the track, wrestling and MMA teams; the shy girl from his humanities class; a goth; a member of a local punk rock band; a cutesy girl that looked like she belonged in elementary school; the campus beauty queen; Elijah; and to his surprise, Myra and a very pissed looking man that could be Myra’s male clone. He had always thought Elijah would stand out terribly in a literature club but now he felt that his roommate might have been one of the most fitting people in the room. Awkwardly he walked over to his friend.

 

“Um, you left in such a hurry for the meeting that you left your bag at the cafeteria. I was just going to take it back to the room but I realized that your book was probably in the bag. I thought you would need it. I guess I was wrong, though. I feel like I interrupted something important, so I think I will just leave now. Here is your bag,” William rambled.

 

Eli gave his friend a sympathetic look as he accepted his bag, “I think leaving would be a good idea. We were having a heated discussion about Macbeth. It’s a warzone in here.”

 

 William nodded his head and allowed himself to be lead to the door by his friend.

 

“This is my fault for forgetting about the meeting tonight,” Elijah lied, “I will see you at the room. Thank you for looking out for me.”

 

Standing on the other side of the door, William tried to calm his heart.  His body had been convinced that he was about to die. There was definitely something fishy about the Classic’s club and it was terrifying. William slowly began the trek back to his room.