First Date

A short story

" Can you stop following me?" Regina snapped angrily as she reached for the locker and tossed her books inside.

Behind her, Josh stopped dead in his tracks; obviously surprised that Regina would respond to him that way. No girl in school was as hard to get as Regina, and everyone knew that.

" I will, when you agree to go out with me," Josh replied.

Regina sighed. No boy in school was as stubborn as Josh, and everyone knew that.

" Josh," she sighed. " It's not that I don't want to go out with you, I just…can't. My parents would flip!" she exclaimed. Which was true, actually. Her parents had always been overly protective over her, with her being the only daughter that they had. But of course, there were other reasons why they didn't want her dating. Those reasons…were just the kind that you couldn't discuss with other people.

" You always do what your parents tell you to do?" Josh sneered.

Regina shook her head. She shoved him aside as she walked away from her locker.

" Leave me alone, Josh. You don't understand me at all," she said. But what Josh didn't realize was that, inside, Regina was screaming at herself for passing up this opportunity.

She'd been staring at Josh ever since she'd arrived here a month or two ago. She couldn't explain it, but there was something about him that made her believe in love at first sight. I mean, what wasn't there to like about him? He was cute, charismatic, and funny.

Most importantly, he was normal.

And God knew just how much she yearned for that.

" I don't understand you?" Josh shouted. " I would if you'd just tell me more about yourself, damnit!"

Regina stopped in her tracks.

' Think about it. You'll never get this opportunity again. You pass it up and Josh will never ask you again.'

She turned around and looked at him. Their eyes met.

' Is it possible…that he feels the same way too?'

Josh walked up to her, obviously still not keen on giving up.

" Look," he said. " I'm sorry. I shouldn't…shouldn't have forced you like that. I mean…God." He sighed, looking down at the floor for a while. " Damn it I'm just so stupid…I should have thought about you. I can't…force you to like me."

Tears began to fill Regina's eyes.

' If only you knew!'

Quickly, she blinked them back. She wouldn't have anyone else look at her weak. She wouldn't have it. She never cried, and she most definitely not going to make this her first time.

" Look…Josh…" Regina muttered.

' Go for it, you idiot! Ma and Da don't have to know!'

When she thought about it, all her life, she'd been listening to her parents. Never once, had she thought about breaking the rules. And where had that landed her? In her old school, and in this one, it seemed that she seemed to be the only 16-year old who'd never been on a date.

Well, now it was about to change.

" It's not your fault, really…it's mine," she sighed. " Maybe I'm just…wound too tight."

Josh nodded slowly. " I guess…you'll be wanting me to leave you alone now." And he turned around to leave.

Quickly, she caught his left hand.

" I'm not done talking yet, actually," Regina smiled. " I mean…when I think about it, I guess its about time I make a change for myself. I…guess I could sneak out."

Josh smiled back. " Tonight at eight, then? Let's meet at the park."

Regina nodded. " Deal," she said. " I've ahh…got to go to class now. See you later?"

And she walked away, not wanting Josh to notice how excited she was.

' Finally. A date. A normal date. Screw what Ma and Da are going to say. They won't find out.'

" Regina!" a voice shouted suddenly from behind her.

Upon recognizing the voice, Regina rolled her eyes. ' Him.'

She turned around to watch as another student, a boy standing a bit taller than her with short, brown hair and dark green eyes walking up towards her hurriedly with a look of disbelief on his face.

" I can't believe that you accepted!" the boy exclaimed. " Regina, in case you haven't forgotten, your parents said-

" I know what my parents warned me about, damnit!" Regina snapped savagely. " Leave me alone, Brad! I don't need a babysitter." If having no-fun parents wasn't bad enough, they'd had to assign Brad to watch her. She hated how they were always controlling her life. Thinking about it made her feel like doing this more often, as in, break more rules behind their backs.

Of course, breaking rules behind their backs was all fine and dandy, as long as they didn't find out. But now that Brad had found out… how'd he know about the whole dating thing, anyway? He'd probably been eavesdropping on her whole conversation with Josh!

And if he told her parents, she'd be so screwed.

" Yeah? Well based on your actions with Josh, I'd say otherwise," Brad said firmly, his eyes narrowing. " Regina, what were you thinking? He's a human! And we're-

" Werewolves," Regina sighed. " Right. And I know, I know, mom and dad said they're dangerous, and prejudiced…blah, blah, blah. I know he's a human, but he has no idea what I am. All I have to do is don't transform in front of him, and we'll both be happy."

Brad shook his head.

" You're putting the whole Pack in danger, Regina."

" Well maybe I don't want a Pack, then," Regina said bitterly. " Maybe I'm better off as a Stray…"

Brad gritted his teeth. " You have no idea what it's like, being a Stray, Regina. You should be thankful-

" Well I supposed you'd know, Brad, wouldn't you? I mean, you were a Stray yourself just months ago. If my family hadn't moved here…"

" Yes, then I'd still be a Stray," Brad admitted. " But I'm not anymore."

Regina smiled triumphantly. " The thing is, Brad, that you're new. You're the lowest in the chain of command. I am above you, meaning that you have to respect me. So get lost."

And she walked off before Brad could say anything else.

Regina had lived her whole life as a werewolf, watching other normal humans her age have fun, party and enjoying all the good things in life that she could only wish she could have. Being a werewolf meant strictly minimal social contact with humans, in order to conceal your true identity. Plus there was the fact that her parents both detested humans, no thanks to the fact that a human werewolf-hunter had killed her grandfather.

She didn't know if other Packs were as strict as hers about human contact, but she knew for sure that her Pack sucked, in addition to the fact that being a werewolf sucked. Werewolves were monsters in the eyes of just about everyone else. She'd grown up watching movies again and again where the werewolf will always get killed in the end. Werewolves don't have happy endings, as far as she was concerned. Hell, they'd almost always get killed by some hero. Not even the good werewolves ever ended up happy.

All she'd ever wanted was to be normal.

Fat chance at that ever happening.

But then, that was why she wanted to go on this date. If she couldn't have a normal life, she'd settle for a normal love relationship with a normal person. Would God be so cruel as to rob her of that tiny morsel of content?

And so it was, that later that night, for the first time ever, Regina found herself preparing for a date, instead of another lame night of running in the moonlight with the rest of her Pack or lazing in front of the TV. She lived in a huge mansion on the outskirts of town, with the rest of the Pack- consisting of her parents, two uncles, one aunt, a few cousins, some distant relatives, and well, Brad of course. Brad was the latest addition to the Pack. He'd been a lone Stray living in town when the family had just moved here. Her father had been the one who'd insisted on him joining.

Frankly though, she'd wished that they'd killed him or drove him out of town. The fact that he was the same age as her and attended the same school was just too much for her to bear. Brad had become an unwanted shadow, following her around almost all the time. He'd been asked to keep an eye on her by her parents, which, now that she thought of it, was probably the only reason why her father had bothered letting him join in the first place.

Well, she wasn't about to let him spoil this night! He could tell on her if he wanted. Frankly, she didn't care.

She'd told her parents that she felt sick tonight, excusing her from joining the rest of her family for a tour of the local woods with Brad. Now she was alone.

Perfect.

And at eight, she found herself waiting at the park, as promised. It was dark. Disturbingly so. Didn't normal people go on dates at more fun places, like malls, bowling alleys or restaurants?

Maybe Josh found privacy romantic.

Either way, she kept on waiting.

The first ten minutes or so were bearable. She passed the time by waiting on a nearby bench, humming a song she heard on the radio earlier yesterday. The following half an hour felt like forever. Were human boys supposed to have problems with keeping promises when it came to time?

And then, he turned up.

He approached from the darkness behind her, dressed all in black. When she saw him, she felt her heart beating faster. Somehow, now when she saw him, he looked hotter than he did at school, for some reason. When their eyes met, he she smiled nervously. Finally, things were starting to go right for her!

Her eyes were so focused on him that she didn't notice the two figures behind her creeping up on her.

" What took you so long?" she asked loudly.

" Sorry," Josh smiled. " I'm not really famous for punctuality. I got caught up with some stuff at home."

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain run through the back of her head.

As she fell to the ground, the whole world fading to black, she heard Josh say, " Yeah, and sorry for that too."

She woke up to find herself lying on the grass, staring up at the crescent moon up in the sky. There were chains round her legs and hands, keeping her from getting up. She was no longer near the bright side of the park where the lampposts were. Now she was somewhere a whole lot darker.

As her vision adjusted to her dark surroundings, she found herself looking at Josh, kneeling beside her with an evil grin on his face.

" Regina? Again I'm sorry for doing this to you. I'd say that I'm being forced to do this, but then I'd be lying." Josh stood up and backed away slightly to reveal two men dressed in black, one with short, spiky white hair and crystal blue eyes, the other had longer black hair with dark brown eyes. Both had pale skin, and, more importantly, both had fangs.

Vampires.

" Sorry for having to do this now, with you being new in town and all," Josh sighed. " This town isn't really all that normal, to be honest. And the residents aren't really normal. I'll let you in on a little secret, Regina. The people behind me are vampires."

Regina's eyes narrowed. " I can tell," she said through gritted teeth.

" I know it may be hard for you to accept, but yes, vampires exist," Josh said. " And I'm working for them. They're sort of hungry, you see, and well…you're the main course."

' Damn it, so much for normal.' Of all the luck. Of all the demonic, dark creatures of the night, why did it have to be vampires? Regina hated vampires. Other beings could normally be bribed. Vampires wouldn't take anything from her but her life, seeing the fact that werewolves and vampires were mortal enemies.

" What's in it for you, Josh?" Regina asked. " Why haven't they drained you yet?"

Josh smiled. " I'm working for them, Regina. In return, I get to live forever. You see, when humans drink vampire blood, it increases their longevity. Plus the fact that it gives you quite a rush! I'd suggest for you to try it, if it weren't for the fact that you're about to die."

" Yeah, fine," Regina replied. " Except that now you're hooked. Addicted. Vampire blood prolongs a human's life, yes, but it also numbs your free will. You're a puppet, Josh."

Josh's eyes widened with slight surprise. " Looks like you know a lot about them. Fine, I'm a puppet, then. But I'm a happy puppet."

' You wish,' Regina thought to herself. ' The only reason he thinks he's happy is because they want him to think he's happy. Stupid human. Of course, this means the date's off…plus the fact that I'm going to die.'

" That's it," one of the vampires interrupted suddenly. " Enough talking."

Josh stepped aside, allowing the two vampires to close in on her.

' Damn. I can't transform- the chains are holding me in place!'

Was this what it was like to be human? Weak and powerless? Even if she weren't chained, as a human, she wouldn't stand any chance at escaping or fighting. Maybe being a human wasn't such a good thing after all...

Suddenly, going out on a normal date didn't seem like such a good idea. Everything would have been fine if she'd only listened to Brad, or went out with the rest of Pack tonight. If only she hadn't considered breaking those stupid rules.

And now she was going to die.

' Ma and Da are so going to flip. Of course, when Da loses it he's going to totally lose it and start a big vampire hunt. These two fellas are dead meat. He'll rip their eyes out and impale them on nice, long wooden poles out in the open, where he'll sit with them, torturing them slowly until the sun comes up. Da always was the most artistic one in the Pack.'

Of course, that wouldn't change the fact that she was going to be dead when by the time it all happened.

Oh well, at least she wouldn't go unavenged.

And that was when one of the vampires, the uglier one with black hair exploded into a cloud of dust.

Josh and the vampire's partner backed off quickly, their eyes widened with surprise as they saw the figure standing behind the spot where the dead vampire was a few seconds ago.

It was Brad, standing with a sharp piece of wood in his left hand and an annoying grin on his face.

" Stake," he smiled. " A vampire's last meal."

" Who the hell are you?" the white haired vampire asked loudly, obviously not amused by his partner's sudden demise.

" Your worst nightmare- a die-hard fan of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'," Brad announced in reply. And at that, he knelt beside Regina, her eyes changing color to acid yellow. As he grasped the chains around her hands, she noticed claws and fur growing on his hands- he was beginning his transformation.

With enhanced strength, Brad yanked the chains loose before setting Regina's legs free before she began her own transformation, dropping down on all fours, letting free the beast she kept caged inside herself.

Transformation had never felt so good!

The vampire watched on with horror as the two werewolves advanced on him. All he could hope for was a quick and easy death like his partner.

No such luck.

Regina and Brad decided to have their fun, ripping his limbs off one by one before using him as an oversized chew toy. By the time they were done having fun, they were both drenched in blood, and the vampire…didn't look like much of a vampire any more.

' Now this is fun!'

Violence was probably the best part of being a werewolf. Throughout the whole thing, Regina suddenly realized just how much fun she was having. When she thought about it, maybe being a werewolf was better than being a normal human after all.

Finally they shifted back into human form. Brad passed her his stake, which she happily drove into the mutilated vampire's heart just as the vampire was beginning to heal. The vampire had time for one last scream before he exploded, leaving only enough remains to be scooped up in a dustpan.

And then there was Josh.

Josh was down on his knees, staring at the two of them with horror.

" Y…you killed them!" he gasped. " Masters…" And he started sobbing uncontrollably.

Regina advanced on him slowly. By next morning, the hold the vampire blood had over the boy would fade and he'd be free. She knew that the Josh she was looking at now wasn't the real Josh.

But that didn't make her hate him any less.

Once he regained his senses, he'd probably be hating himself for what he'd done. Who knew how many other girls he had led to the same fate?

She wasn't about to give him the chance to hate himself, or to let anyone else know about what he'd seen tonight. She was a werewolf. She had her duties. The Pack had rules.

No witnesses.

" I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Josh," Regina whispered in his ear. " I'm a werewolf."

And, morphing back into werewolf form, she went straight for his throat, cutting off his sobs completely.

Once the deed was done, she shifted back to human form and turned to face Brad.

" You came to save me," she said. " Even after I acted like a jerk towards you at school. Why?"

Brad shrugged slightly. " Your parents would kill me if I let you die, for one. Plus it's my duty as a Pack member to keep an eye on you, regardless of what my position is." He inched closer towards her.

" Besides, I didn't want your night to go to waste. We can still make it your first date, if you want."

Regina smiled. As obnoxious as Brad was, now that he'd saved her life, plus the fact that he somehow looked better when he was drenched in blood…

" Alright, wolf-boy. But don't get your hopes up. First dates don't necessarily mean that others will follow."

Brad nodded, his smile widening. " Well then I guess I'll have to make a lasting impression. Come on, let's go hunt some deer!"

And he led her off into darkness of the night, on her, and his, first date.