The Vampire's Moon

I had made it back with plenty of time, it was a good thing I was a fast runner. I had made it up the hill, changed back, gotten dressed, packed up my tape measure, and sat to look up at the moon, before they had even made it to the bottom of the hill. I chuckled, remembering how Benjamin had thought I was a boy.
"What's so funny?" said Benjamin behind me.
"Nothing, Benjamin. Hello, Ricky," I said. I had sensed them coming up, so I wasn't surprised.
"You don't seem surprised to see us," he noted. Well, wasn't he perceptive. He sat beside me on the grass and I moved away from him.
"Nope, I knew you would find me eventually after I lost you in the woods." I hadn't looked at him this whole time, and now I only glanced at him. His eyes glimmered in the moonlight, and an odd, fleeting butterfly feeling passed through my stomach for a nanosecond before dispersing. What had that been? "You really need to work on your tracking skills."
He grimaced. Ricky came up and nuzzled my neck, sniffing.
I pushed him away. "You may be in wolf form now buddy, but I know you're Ricky. I'll have none of that. Wolf form or not, I don't want either of you near me." I regretted the words the instant they were out, because no sooner had I clamped my hand over my mouth than Benjamin had a hold of my wrist and was pulling me down the hill. We rolled in a heap together down the hill, and he landed on top of me at the bottom.
"You jerk! I'll-" I said, but when I looked up at him, the wind suddenly left my lungs. His beautiful blue eyes stared back down at me, laughter, joy, and pure happiness filling their depths. His hair was in a sloppy mess, with grass and twigs stuck in it. His hands were settled on either side of my head, and one leg lay carelessly between mine as he kneeled over me. I was alarmingly aware of the heat his body gave off as it pressed against mine. Pale moonlight framed him, so when I looked up at him, he seemed to slightly glow, and the stars in the clear night sky framed his glorious face.
"Michelle?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips-which looked so soft, warm, and sweet that I had the most outrageous urge to nibble on them.
I was unable to answer, and just continued to stare up at him. He cocked his head to the side, looking deeper into my eyes when I didn't answer, as if looking for the reason in their depths. When what seemed quite like a flash of lightning passed between our connected eyes, I think he found it, because suddenly the smile vanished, and something else filled his eyes. Something primitive, primal, possessive, and shockingly intimate. There was also a great deal of affection shining through, and slowly he moved one hand to brush across my face from temple to jaw. It felt like fire was brushing along my skin where he touched me.
"Michelle," he said my name again, but this time it was softer, almost like a caress to my ears. My heart rate sped up, and I felt heat flooding my face-a first for me-as a blush colored my pale, pale cheeks bright red. He leaned in, and I instinctively knew he was going to kiss me. And the thing was, I wanted him to. I WANTED him to.
And that scared me more than anything else.
I shoved him off, suddenly angry that he had done that. That he had made me feel something he had no right to be making me experience. I could feel my fangs starting to grow with the anger, but they were also growing with the other emotion I had felt. One I had no name for yet, and didn't want to analyze too closely.
I walked back up the hill, deep breathing as I did so. Ricky was at the top of the hill, grinning his sharp toothed smile. It took Benjamin a moment to gather himself, but he trudged up after me.
I sat by the picnic basket, and Benjamin sat beside me.
"Sorry," he said, eyes back to normal and filled with laughter, "I couldn't resist pulling you down."
"I bet," I mumbled, noticing he didn't bring up the surprisingly intimate...I didn't know what to call it...thing...that had passed between us a moment before. I could feel my teeth beginning to recede, but they weren't back in fully yet.
He gave me an odd look. "You've got a bulge in your upper lip, is something in your mouth?"
Panic seized me, he must mean my fangs. I shook my head fervently. He reached out and was about to grab my lip, and seeing as how they'd been aching for his just moments before, I didn't want him to do that. I reached about me, searching for anything I could use. I found an apple that had fallen out of the basket, and quickly held it in front of my mouth. I sank my teeth into it, so he couldn't see my fangs as they receded the last bit. When I pulled the apple away, the only thing to see once I was done chewing was a regular set of teeth. I smiled, displaying them.
"Oh," he said, "I thought I saw something."
He almost had.
I sensed Ricky coming up on my side, ready to pounce. Once he jumped, I ducked, and he hit Benjamin instead of me, as I'd planned. Ricky and Benjamin lay sprawled on top of each other, and I laughed. I couldn't help it, I laughed.
Benjamin and Ricky righted themselves, and stared at me.
"What?" I asked, and even my voice was bubbling with laughter.
"It's just that I've never heard you laugh out loud like that before. It's nice," said Benjamin, a hint of the former emotion back in his eyes.
A normal girl would have blushed, but I wasn't a normal girl. Yes, a moment ago I'd blushed, but who wouldn't in that situation? Plus, I didn't like it when he complimented me. It was weird, and made me feel that odd emotion again, and I didn't want to feel it. I was used to taunts and rude names. Not to mention the fact that he was a vampire, something I was supposed to hate. Instead I found myself enjoying his company. Something else I wasn't used to with anyone. I was only used to enjoying myself like this when I was with my parents, so many years ago. Suddenly I hated myself for having a good time without them, and especially with people of the same races that had killed the only people I had loved. I was even angry for enjoying me, for I too, was of the same race that killed them.
I frowned. What was I doing here talking to them?
Abruptly, I stood, gathering all my things. I began to walk down the hill, and I could feel tears forming in my eyes. God, I hate guilt.
"Where are you going?" Benjamin called after me.
"Home, I shouldn't have come here in the first place. I'm such an idiot," I yelled back.
"Why do you suddenly think you're an idiot? Do you hate yourself?" I could tell he was being sarcastic, and didn't realize the irony of that statement.
I just continued walking, and once I was in the darkness of the trees I let the tears flow.
"If you were made of the same stuff as the things that killed your family, you'd hate you, too," I whispered.