One Of A Kind

It was fairly cold out that night. The first real chill of autumn, the time where everyone unwillingly digs through their closets to unearth fuzzy sweaters and winter coats. I was all wrapped up, prepared for the chilly walk home from the cozy, warm library. Thick curls of white mist rose from my lips while I jammed my hands deeper into my coat pockets. Frosted leaves crunched beneath my shoes, some scraping the concrete as the frigid breeze blew them around. I tucked my chin deeper into my woolen scarf. Being what I am, I had poor circulation, making it very important that I keep warm on icy nights like this.

The wind picked up, blowing my hood off my head and causing my long dark hair to whip back, carrying the scent of my lavender shampoo away with the breeze. I quickly re-gathered it and yanked up my hood. My ears, cheeks and nose were cherry red, contrasting sharply with my pale complexion. Even though sunlight didn’t set me ablaze, it still hurt my sensitive eyes so I did my best to stay in the shade. I’ve always been on the alabaster side of the skin tone spectrum.

Leaves crunched a few blocks behind me and I instantly perked up my ears. It was someone walking to their car, I could heard their seat belt buckle and their car start up. As hard and lonely as being a half vampire may be, I have become fond of my super senses. No one can sneak up on me and I never have to squint at small or distant writing. The smelling can sometimes be a problem though. Once I hit puberty, my blood craving sharply rose. I started salivating in class from the smell of the other students and started to keep my distance from my classmates.

Foot steps caught my ears’ attention. They sounded maybe a block behind me, going at a slow and steady pace. I swept a lock of hair behind my ear and slightly turned my head to take a peek from my peripheral. A tall man in black non-descript clothes was following the same path, his long strides slowly closing the gap between us. I kept my ears perked but continued on my way, mild anxiety making my hair stand on end.

One of my greatest fears was meeting a vampire. It haunted my nightmares... sometimes I’d wake up in a cold sweat, my heart pounding in my chest. My mother never told me the details of what happened to her, so my subconscious filled it in with horrors. I spent the majority of my time looking up vampire lore on the internet, feeding my fear. I listened closely again. He was only a few yards behind me now, his shoes barely making a sound on the sidewalk.

My heart hammered a little harder, as I realized the only person who stepped that quietly was me. I bit my lip, careful to do it with my front teeth so I didn’t pierce my lip. My canines were slightly longer than normal peoples, but it looked more like a dental problem than actual fangs. They were razor sharp regardless of their size, as I’d found out from chewing too fast.

The man was only a few feet behind me now, his soft steps probably soundless to a regular human. I slowed down and begged in my head that he would just pass me and go on with his walk.

I head the flap of clothes in the wind and quickly turned to look at him. Panic coursed through my veins when my eyes met an empty street. My eyes darted around, looking for where he was hiding, my ears focused to detect the tiniest of sounds. I heard a leaf crunch behind me and I whipped around again. I almost let out a scream, his pale face was only inches from mine.

My heart practically stopped. The man’s lips parted in a wicked grin, his fangs instantly catching my attention. My nightmare had come true. It was actually happening and my body was just as frozen as it was when I dreamed it. The man’s grin widened, obviously taking great pleasure in my over whelming fear as he reached forward slowly.

My instincts kicked in when his cold finger touched my rosy cheek. My fist instantly tightened and I clocked him dead in the face before turning and booking it in the other direction. I had always been pretty speedy due to my vampire half, but I had no idea how quickly vampires could move. I had run about fifteen yards before something tackled me to the ground.

My forehead smashed into the concrete and for a second I was too stunned to do anything. The vampire flipped me around to face him, fangs bared at my throat. I lashed out at him with everything I had, punching and kicking and scratching every inch of him I could reach. He only chuckled at my attempts, amused with my struggling. I gritted my teeth and socked him as hard as I could in the jaw. He grimaced in pain and fury, blood welling up from his busted lip. Then, he pinned my down by the throat with one hand, drew back his other fist and punched me square in the face. I didn’t even have time to see stars. I was out like a snuffed candle in a fraction of a second.