• Lumina sat on one of the many school benches while reading her favorite book, Salem’s Lot , by Stephen King. The hot night air was suffocating the sixteen-year-old girl to the point where she just couldn’t take it anymore. She had to return back to her air-conditioned house, back to her abusive step father. Back to hell.
    She unzippered her messenger bag and lightly placed her book in with the many others, including Bram Stroker’s Dracula , Stephen Mayer’s famous book Twilight and Interview with a vampire by the talented Anne Rice. As she zippered up her messenger bag for the final time tonight she lugged it over her shoulder and began to walk down the dark road to what she should be able to call a home. She took a couple of shortcuts through the woods here, a playground there until she escaped the school portion of her walk home. She came upon a small shopping area, terribly close to her home, which held eight different shops. Seven of the eight were useless. The eighth shop was Paula’s Potion’s - the place where her aunt made a living and the only place around town that actually held a stack of tarot cards. A light was on the second floor of the shop despite how late it was. Lumina made her way over to her reliable Aunt, hoping to stay the night at her place.
    Lumina knocked on the door and waited for a response. She knocked again, this time harder, but still no answer. Desperately clinging to the idea that she could go somewhere else other then her home tonight she went over to the window. Maroon curtains blocked her from seeing what was going on inside the shop. She knocked on the window with her knuckles several time before she gave up and laid her head against the cool window. Where is Aunt Paula when I need her?
    She raised her head. Someone was staring at her through the window’s reflection. Ready to strike, Lumina turned around quickly: a boy about her age stood a yard away from her, grinning. Her heart slowed down a bit: at least it wasn’t an old man.
    “You scared me!” She admitted, laughing a little.
    “I apologize,” his soft voice told her.
    “If you’re here for a palm reading or something you’ll have to come back later. This shop is closed for tonight.”
    “No, I am not here for a palm reading. Is that what you’re here for? A palm reading?” He asked.
    “Nope, I’m not either. This is actually my Aunt’s place and I wanted to see if she was up. I guess that light upstairs is just lying,” she said with a faint smile.
    He frowned a little. "Do you actually believe in palm readings?"
    Lumina shrugged. "Do you actually believe in ghosts?"
    He laughed. "No, but vampires are another story."
    "Are you a fan of vampire's too?" She asked.
    "I guess you can say that." He sighed and turned around, his back facing her. “I didn't come here for a conversation, you know."
    "I didn't come here to chat either. We have a lot in common." Am I trying too hard?
    He glanced over his shoulder. "I’m going to take my leave unless..."
    Lumina raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Go on."
    "Unless you take a walk with me."
    “Why would I go for a walk with a stranger in the middle of the night?” She questioned.
    He chuckled. “There’s a simple answer to that. I don’t get out much in the day and I haven’t seen such a pretty girl in a long time.”
    She blushed. His words nuzzled against her cold heart, melting away barriers. “I don’t hang out with strangers.”
    The boy turned around, taking in her features against the moonlight. She was a skinny little thing with large brown eyes and hair that resembled a rats nest. “You sure can hold conversations with them though.” He held out his hand for her to take. For a moment Lumina wondered if going on a walk with this stranger would be dangerous but he was so handsome and her age, too. It was too good of an offer to pass up. She took his soft, pale hand without a second thought and the two began to walk through the night together.
    An hour filled with laughter and happiness past before Lumina got a call from her step-dad. Luke, the boy, stood back and watched her argue with her step-dad. It was obvious that he was furious with her and she, on the other hand, didn't care. They hung up. She ran her hands through her hair: it was obvious she had to leave now before all hell broke loose.
    “Look, I really need to go. Can we see each other in school?” She asked.
    He shook his head no and took a step towards her. “I don’t go to school.”
    Lumina leaned against a large oak tree, wondering how she managed to meet someone so… perfect, without a catch. Too good to be true almost. “Wait. You don’t go to school? Then how do you-”
    “Home schooled.” He came closer to her until they were only inches apart. The boy’s gaze dug deep into her soul: she felt vulnerable and afraid but for some reason couldn’t find the strength to speak. Is this the power of love? She wondered.
    Luke placed both of his hands on her warm shoulders and smiled. “By the way,” he leaned in towards her neck, “My name isn’t Luke. It’s Roxas.” His smile morphed into something monsterious: fangs grew in replace of two perfect teeth. She tried to push him away: he only got closer.
    Before she could even scream he bit deep into her throat and started to suck away not only her life but the chance at what she thought could be happiness.