SmartGirl Internette presents...

When I got home from the party, I laid down in my bed and began to think. I remembered how my dad and I used to play out in the yard. He would jump out of trees and scare me every time. Once I tried doing it to him, planning on jumping on his back and growling in his ear. When I did leap, he spun around, caught me in his arms and spun me in a circle until I was dizzy and put me down. The floor shifted below my feet and I fell down, watching the images spin before my eyes. Those were the good times.

Then there was the day Daddy left. I was sitting in the driveway as he packed up the car with some belongings and supplies. It looked like he was gonna be gone a while, and I asked him where he was going. He knelt down in front of me and I stared innocently in to those piercing green eyes, clutching my rat, Lucius.

"Anywhere I can find," he had said. "Africa, New Orleans; Australia if I have to. I'll be gone a long time, sweetie. It's to keep you safe. I'll be back one day, so don't forget me, okay?" He smiled softly.

I had nodded, my lips trembling. Fighting back tears, I have him a hug, then watched him drive away until he was no more than a small black dot in the distance. He never returned.

We wrote to him every day. Sent him pictures. Mailed him cards with funny faced dogs on them. Then there was the time he never wrote back.

Momma held me and told me he was all right. Told me he would come back. But the officers found no leads. They searched all across the country. We put up signs with his picture. I wanted to try milk cartons like in the movies, but it was too expensive. In the end, it was declared a cold case. To everyone in the world, my father was dead.

Only we knew what might have happened to him. Why he had left. Why he never came back. Those monsters took my father, and I will never forgive them.

Shifting in my bed, I stared at the cage in the corner of my room. Lucius was peering at me through the steel bars, a look of pity in his eyes. I smiled at him weakly. He always knew when I was upset. Unlike most animals, he never clawed, never bit. Dad had told me he was special, but for what reason he didn't know. Lucius has been with me for as long as I could remember. I stood up and took him out of his cage. He was sleeping in my bed tonight.

"Get me another beer, Martha," says a tired man sitting on a bar stool at The New England pub. A hood was drawn over his face, concealing his eyes, but the bartender could see a scruffy chin and a small scar across his cheek. The stranger had been there for an hour, claiming he was waiting for some friends, drinking often. The beer he had asked for was his thirteenth. Normally Martha would refuse, but the man wasn't drunk at all. She had tested the man upon request after his ninth, and based on the results, it looked like he had not had anything to drink in months.

As she turned around and refilled his tankard, she heard the door open and close behind her. A group of burly men had come in and seated themselves a little away from the stranger. Hastily Martha reached out and grabbed seven more glasses, filled them and passed them out. The men ignored them and began talking to themselves.

"Three this week, boss. They keep popping up like weeds. I'd be surprised if we didn't catch another one by the end of the day. Pay up." Six gold coins were tossed to the speaker, and grubby hands caught them and held them close, as if they might grow legs and try to run away.

That's nothin'!" Spoke up another man. He had blue eyes and blonde hair that looked like it could be stained with - wait, was that blood? "Nine and a baby. Little snot clawed this scratch on my arm, he did." He pointed to a long gash on his forearm, wincing proudly. The men drew impressed breaths as the tallest of the men drew out a small sack of money and placed it on the counter.

The man in the hood, having listened in, clenched his fists, knuckles white. Martha didn't know what they were talking about, but by the conversations, they were hunters. The man must be a vegetarian, thought the barmaid, weak little soul must like animals. Odd little thing, that poor man.

The hunters, having finally noticed the beer, took long swigs, burping rudely and eying the woman hungrily. Martha, used to drunk men by now, turned back to the stranger and asked him when his friends were going to show up. He looked up for the first time, with an odd expression on his face. The room lapsed into silence, and one of the drunken men jabbed a thick finger into the man's side and said, "Well, answer the little lady, boy. Don't wanna be rude, now, do ya?" He grinned, showing yellow, crooked teeth. The stranger didn't reply, and the hunter frowned and pulled back the guy's hood.

Instantly, the room exploded with noise. The hunters attacked the man, pulling out knives and daggers. The stranger hissed and jumped up, backing slowly into the corner as they advanced toward him. Newly revealed emerald green eyes flashed, looking for escape, but to no relief. A blade glinted as it soared across the room, striking the green-eyed man just below his shoulder. He slumped to the ground.

"What did I tell you, Redclaw? I knew we'd get one!" The young boy smiled evilly. He had thrown the knife. Spitting on the ground, he looked at the tallest one of the group for praise.

Never mind that, you idiot." growled the leader. "These monsters breed, you know. We'll have to wipe out the family. You!" he pointed toward the yellow-toothed man. "Search the body. See what you can find." Obediently the man knelt and shifted through the monster's pockets, pulling out a photo of a little nine-year-old girl with the same black hair as the corpse. The leader of the group took the picture and grinned. On the back was a poorly handwritten note.

Dear daddy, I've grown a whole inch sinse
 you left! Her's a pictur. Dont I look lick
 a big girl now? Come hom soon, I mis you.
Lov,
Robin

Redclaw tucked the photograph into his jacket and gestured for his men to leave. They all filed out, leaving the unconscious Martha, who had fainted sometime during the fight, on one of the tables. Redclaw took one last look at the dead man and smirked. “Well, don’t worry, Robin. You’ll see your daddy soon enough. Be patient, little one. One day vampires will disappear off the face of the earth. Now don’t hate me; I’m just doing the world a big favor.” He kicked the bloody corpse and strode out of the room.

"1785, 1787, 1789!" I counted the address numbers down the street as my mom pulled the car into the huge driveway at Jessica's house. It was the day of the party. Alexis told me about how big the mansion was, but nothing could have prepared me for this.

Stepping out of the car, I stood in awe of the huge vision before me. It looked like it came straight out of a painting. The front yard had at least three fountains surrounded by a colorful array of tulips and daisies. Meanwhile, the mansion was beautiful. The light colors of the house contrasting with the dark green of the bushes and pines made it stand out even more.

Suddenly, the door to the mansion opened, and I caught sight of Alexis running toward me. "Glad to see you made it!" She exclaimed cheerfully. She grabbed me by the elbow and dragged me toward the doors she had just come out of.

Once inside, I was once again stopped short by the enormity of it all. Hundreds of students were crowded around in huge clusters. But Alexis instead pulled me toward the staircase and all the way to the fourth floor. Passing many doors, we turned left and right and went through many hallways until she came to a stop at an entrance way that did not seem to have any different characteristics than the others. I silently wondered how she didn't get lost in here.

She began knocking with a strange beat that for some reason reminded me of "Yankee Doodle". Then a voice came from inside the room. "Good, you remembered the knock! You’re not so brain dead after all!" I was right. I assumed the voice was Jessica's. I glanced at Alexis, but she didn't so much as flinch at the snide comment. "She's here!" she replied as if it were just a common greeting.

Jessica snorted. "Well, it's about time! Come in already! This party is such a drag. I could use a little entertainment!" I frowned. Humans have such attitudes. I thought. They think they are the most intelligent species in the world? My pet rat is more clever! Lucius can run around on four feet in a plastic ball. I bet they can't do that!

We walked inside and I glanced at the hideously purple room. The curtains were beaded strings with pink plastic monkeys on them. Posters of the latest teen dream sensation covered the walls, and a silk, glittery bedspread was laid neatly on the bed. Yuck.

A girl with brown hair was sitting on the bed observing me. I glared at her and thrust my chin up. I wasn't going to let her think I would be as easy to scare as Alexis. She caught my meaning and smirked, as if to say we'll see about that.

"Hm, I see your point, Alexis. She is kind of good looking for a freak. What kind of girl has such a pale face? Get a tan, loser. Let's get back to that party. She won't be a challenge at all," she sneered. "Guess people at your old town must have pretty low standards if they think you're gorgeous. I'd hate to see what everyone else looks like."

This infuriated me. I didn't know what she meant by challenge, but she just flat out insulted me! I strode up to her and glowered down at her face. I was a good 6 inches taller than her, and I could tell I intimidated her. A flash of fear crossed her face before she recovered and smiled. "Enjoy the party, Robin." she said, emphasizing my name. She left the room, with her sidekick trailing along behind her looking nervous.

Walking through the double doors of West Fargo High, I examined my schedule with distaste:

     Student ID: D9671 - Soprano, Robin
     Birth Date: 4/30/93
     Ethnicity: Caucasian
     Grade: 9
          Homeroom: Ms. Jackson Geography Room: 187
          2nd Hour: Coach White Girl's Gym Room: Lower Gym
          3rd Hour: Mrs. Gerred Choir Room: 109
          4th Hour: Ms. Ellis Geometry Room: 256
          5th Hour: Mr. Mason Spanish Room: 138
          6th Hour: Mrs. Kheddar Creative Writing Room: 602
          7th Hour: Mr. Turner Native American Culture Room: 129

What on earth is geography? I wondered. I didn't know what half the schedule meant. Oh, drat! I'm doomed!

Still frowning, I looked around at the crowd of humans clustered around their lockers. Some, I saw, had too much eye liner on and wore dark black outfits that most of the time did not go very well with their skin at all. Others, however, wore bright colors and heavy, flashy earrings that barely stayed on the lobes. Jocks and cheerleaders also wore their uniforms and a lot of hair gel that smelled awful. None of the groups, I noticed, suited me.

Reaching my locker, I struggled with the combination. Luckily, I managed to open it without too much difficulty.

I stuffed my schoolbooks and folders in the small space I was assigned. Closing the door, I caught a human boy cutting right past me. I growled and bared my teeth, catching him off guard.

He stumbled and fell. "Oi!" He yelled. "What the heck's your problem, lady?" Glaring, he scooped up the books he dropped and jogged away.

Everyone stared, suddenly quiet. Spitting angrily, I turned to my left towards my homeroom. Stupid humans, I thought to myself, they have some major space issues. But I was overreacting. I can't just go hissing at people like that, it'll blow my cover. I need to act normal. But what is normal to them?

I walked into a brightly lit room with brick walls a very dull gray. Thick curtains were drawn against the windows, preventing all light other than from the ceiling fan to enter the room. Five rows of already occupied desks filled the room, making it look uncomfortably crowded.

Forcing a smile that no doubt looked fake onto my face, I greeted the room with a hasty "Hi" and sat down in the only empty seat. Of course, all I got in return were more stares. I looked down, embarrassed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the redhead sitting next to me give me a curious stare. I ignored her.

The teacher, who I hadn't seen yet, stood up from her chair and said, "Good morning class. I am glad to see you all made it here on time. As you know, I have over a hundred students whose names I need to memorize, so when I call your name, I would like you to stand up and say a little bit about yourself. Try to keep it short, as I would like to go over rules and procedures with you as well today."

I imagined standing up and saying, "Oh, hello! Name’s Robin and… I would like to suck your blood!" in a thick Transylvanian accent, and I suppressed a grin. That would be hilarious! The humans might even laugh, too, at that one. Shame I can't, though.

"Hey!" I heard someone whisper. I looked around and saw the redheaded girl slip an envelope onto my desk. "Here, this is for you. It's an invite to Jessica's back-to-school bash. Only the raddest kids in town are there. If you want to be one of them, you'll be there. You look like you have promise in you to be popular. Jessica thinks so, too. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity that you won't want to miss. I'm Alexis."

Now it's my turn to stare at her. "Who's Jessica?" I ask. Alexis' eyes lit up. "Jessica's the most popular girl in school. The cute guy you were hissing at? That's her boyfriend. Her dad owns a million-dollar spice industry. Her mom's a well known fashion designer. She lives in a mansion in a private neighborhood. She's amazing!"

I suddenly got the feeling she idolized her. I looked at the envelope. This could be a good chance to study their behavior, I thought. I faced her again.

"Alright, I'll go." I said, tucking the envelope into my jacket.

"Good girl," she smiled sweetly. "See you on Saturday!"

I wasn't sure if that was sarcasm, so I replied just as sweetly, "I'll be there!" That wiped the grin off her face and she looked away.

Yeah, it was sarcasm, all right.

"Hey, what's up?" Jessica asked Alexis as she opened her locker and began applying shiny brown lipstick that she very well knew was against the rules at West Fargo High but clearly didn't care.

"Okay, I've got some major dirt today," said Alexis, sounding very excited. "There's this new girl at school, and they say she's really strange."

After checking her face in the fuzzy pink mirror on her locker door, Jessica slammed it closed. Then she turned to her red haired friend. "Dish."

Alexis and Jessica had been friends since Pre-K. They were an odd pair to begin with. Jessica had curly brown hair that fell to her waist, while Alexis had short, strait hair. They were the richest girls in school and liked to show it off with expensive clothes from famous designers.

“Well, they say she looks extremely exotic, her face is chalky white, and her lips are a really dark red but it doesn't look like she's wearing make-up. And she keeps scowling at everyone and muttering under her breath. Some people say that she hissed at Jake Mathews when he tried to get to his class by walking near her. Poor guy. But apparently she's gorgeous. Prettier than you, if you can believe that--I don't," she added quickly, as if shocked that those words had come out of her mouth.

Jessica frowned, looking angry. "No one can be prettier than me! They just can't!" Then she smiled deviously. "But, if they are, then we're going to have to claim her first. Why don't you give her an invitation to my party I'm having on Saturday? After all, she needs someone to show her around the school. We don't want her to feel left out, now do we? Not at all! In fact, I thing she and I will be the best of friends." She strutted away, leaving Alexis feeling extremely confused.

"Mom, this totally bites! You want me to go to school with humans? What did I ever do to you?" I complained. I was so sick of humans. First, they burn people because they like wearing pointy hats and have a liking for collecting brooms. Not to mention they kill animals for food, kill cute innocent whales for a nice coat, turn horses to glue and dog food, and then they have the nerve to come over to us because we need blood to stay alive! I mean, yes, we do, but they need meat. Us vampires didn’t kill the animals like they do; we’d knock them out, only drink enough not to kill them, and move on. How are we so horrible? We don't do even that anymore. The only thanks I can give to humans is for inventing the Blood Bank.

Sheesh, what a miracle! A building stocked with blood for the ones with lack of such. That's where we come in, in case a human like you doesn't have the brains to guess that. Hey, no worries! Us vamps might return the favor with a brain bank. Anyways, back to the conversation.

We were in the kitchen and my mom was placing the dishes into the cabinets while I sat on a bar stool at the counter drinking my favorite blood type: O negative.

"Yes, Robin. I'm sorry, but the Council for the Human and Vampiric Alliance and I need a vampire to blend in with the humans to see if we would get along together peacefully," said my mom.

I groaned. "Mom, I told you from the start that I do not want to be a guinea pig of the Council. I hate the humans and negotiating peace is impossible."

I could tell my mom was one step away from biting my neck off (Just an expression! Jeez, do I have to spell it out for you?). She tried to force a smile to her lips. "Honey, I know how much you don't like the humans, but--"

I interrupted. "Don't like? That's the understatement of the century! Try despise. They killed my father." I froze, and I heard the sound of a platter break. I knew I was going to have to clean that up later.

"Go to your room. You’re going to West Fargo High and that's final." I clenched my teeth and went. I hate the way she acts when she’s in one of those moods. It isn’t fair.

I was nine when Vampire Hunters had tracked down my dad and killed him. His memory was small but I still remember a man with dark green eyes and black hair just like mine. Mom tried hard to forget him and move on so much that I'm beginning to wonder whether she ever really loved him.

Well, that settles it. I'm going to have to go to a school for humans next week. Great. Just great.