Ripley looked in the mirror. She finished applying her lip gloss and was obsessively crunching her black hair to perfect the wave that was flowing through it. Up or down? Up? Down? Up? Down? She heard a nock on the door.

“Braxton! Will you get that?!”

She heard the nock again.

“Braxton!” No response. Ugh. Men. She thought as she went down the stairs. She opened the door as she flipped her hair and gave a shocked expression to the man on the other side.

“Braxton?” she questioned as he walked in. He was the picture of beauty. He looked as though he had tried to tidy up his unkempt mahogany hair, the dark circles that were normally under hisocean colored eyes were gone. He wore a pair of dark blue jeans with dress shoes and a black dress shirt. He looked as if he had just come off the runway, and the black contrasted nicely with his pale skin.

“Miss Warrington” he murmured as he handed Ripley a bouquet of roses just as red as her crimson eyes.

“Braxton? What are you doing?” She had agreed to go to dinner with him, and had assumed it was a date, but for Christ’s sake they lived in the same house. He didn’t need to go outside and knocked on the door.

“You look lovely” he whispered to her, leaning in slightly. He fingered her shirt. “Matches the color of your eyes” She smiled. She wore a red short-sleeved top with lace around the edges. A recent purchase because of her significant lack of a wardrobe. With it she wore a black boho-style skirt and a pair of black flats. Normal she wouldn’t have worn a jacket in early September, but the white coat she wore was to cover her from the abnormal chill in the weather.

“Whats with the door?” she eventually said.

“Well,” he began slowly with a sheepish grin, “you told me you had never been on a date before, so I took the liberty to make it as legitimate as possible.”

“That’s sweet… I guess” she walked over to the kitchen and took out a long vase to preserve the roses. She might dry them later, to save this moment for future generations of daters. Vic and Carmen were out with their wedding planner. Their wedding wasn’t until after the apocalypse (or so it seemed) but Carmen was still determined to make everything perfect, right down to the insignificant water droplets that would adorn the lilies, her flower of choice. Asher on the other hand was at another one of his stupid soccer practices.

“So….” she drifted off.

“So?”

“Where are we going?”

“Well I was thinking dinner then maybe a walk in the park”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah” he eyed her suspiciously, “why?”

Her hand grazed her neck. Whether to be sultry or to protect her pulse, she wasn’t sure. “Can you eat?” she eventually muttered.

Braxton laughed. His perfect white teeth showed of the pointed canines. The hand that rubbed along Ripley’s neck stopped over her throat.

“Let me just grab my purse,” she said quietly as she turned to go upstairs to her attic room.

“You wont need it” Braxton announced as he grabbed her hand. He yanked her to the door as he pulled out his house keys. He could hear her heart pounding as he did. The sound was enticing, although he wasn’t sure why she had become so nervous all of a sudden. Ripley did know of -- his condition, as he called it. Maybe the thought hadn’t sunk in until just now. He shook the thought away. Ripley was a half. He knew that. She wasn’t more afraid of him then she was herself.

He pocketed the keys after locking the door behind him. Ripley was already standing by his car, holding herself for warmth. Sirens went off somewhere and a neighbor was bellowing wildly about something. They both wished the flat was located in a safer area. Braxton held the door open for Ripley as she slid into the passenger’s seat. He was in the drivers side in a flash, starting the car and taking off.

“Buckle up” he ordered. Ripley obeyed and glanced in his direction as he started the car. A soft jazz melody played on the radio. She took a deep breath in attempt to calm her heart. Okay Rip, she thought, you can do this. You’re half remember. All you need to do is relax. She glanced up again. Oh but he’s so beautiful, isn’t he? How can this type of guy be interested in me? I mean come on he looks like a male model, and I’m just so normal.

“You okay?” he murmured softly. She turned to him and met hisdeep blueeyes. His gaze was mesmerizing. For a moment she stopped breathing. That amazing look in his eyes that burned into her soul, she began to lean towards him without a thought. Her head arched back, showing him her neck.

“Ripley please stop” he snapped. The words brought Ripley back to reality. They were driving down the highway. Last thing she remembered was being closer to the house.

“Stop what?” she said eventually, completely confused.

“Looking into my eyes”

She gave him a puzzled look. Was looking into his eyes bad?

“Oh” was all her voice was able to say “I’m…sorry?”

Braxton huffed “Don’t be sorry. Just try to avoid looking into my eyes for too long”

She was extraordinarily confused. “Why?”

“I’m a predator Ripley”

There was a pause.

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t want to draw you in for the kill?”

“The kill?” she was more curious then afraid – even though she probably should have been more of the latter.

“Yes” he glanced at her, careful not to hold eye contact for longer then a moment “I don’t want to frighten you”

“About what?”

“I’m a vampire Ripley”

“So am I”

“No Ripley, your half” He said in a patronizing tone, “but you still have a lot of human qualities. Its probably because you’ve never really been around one of us until you met me. Its not your fault. You’re just more human then vampire.”

Ripley paused. She had never really considered why she didn’t fit in to well the the full-vampires she had met recently. She just assumed it was because she actually had a heart that pumped blood and it was too hard for vampires to be close to that. She had never really considered that it might be, even though she was half vampire, that she just had more human qualities. She pretty much would have been human if not for one, no two, major differences. One, her eyes were crimson instead of blue or brown or green. This fact attributed to the reason she really didn’t have any friends before she left her foster home. Second, although she didn’t really drink blood, she did need some to survive. Which also was why she left her foster home. Ripley shuddered at the thought.

“Ripley, I’m a predator. I need to be appealing to my prey. Do you find me attractive Ripley?”

“Gorgeous actually” she said without even thinking. She immediately blushed. Braxton tightened his hold on the steering wheel. She sudden rush of blood to her face had drowned him in the sweet smell of the thick, juicy, hot fluid. Her blood was sweet. Sweeter then most humans, even if it was half. It shouldn’t be that sweet. Braxton assumed it was because she was innocent of evil deeds. Still, so sweet.

“That’s how I’m supposed to be” he said not taking his eyes off the road, “vampires draw their victims with their beauty. If you find me attractive its only because I’m made to kill you.”

Ripley felt a twinge of fear. She wrapped her arms around her body, somehow hoping that would shield her from Braxton in case he decided to pounce.

“My eyes happen to me more intense then other vampires, or so I’ve been told” he said as he parked the car at the side of the road. They were at the restaurant.

“What does that mean?” she asked as she turned her head to his. Their eyes locked for the second time. That beautiful aqua blue color that haunted her. She in took her breath and felt her heart pound. The sound made Braxton grip the wheel harder then before.

“Touch your nose Ripley”

What? That’s stupid, she thought not even making the connection that she had already obeyed his orders.

“Come closer” he said as Ripley inched herself closer, finger still atop the tip of her nose.

“Now put your hand down” his words were smooth and gentle. Why put my hand down, Ripley thought, when I haven’t even put my hand up. But her hand dropped.

“Lean into me” he whispered as his hand brushed her cheek. She leaned in willingly, still locked in his gaze. She could hear his deep breathing, the sweetest scent came off of his skin. Her mouth watered and her lips parted. They were going to kiss and she, for some reason, didn’t know how she got there and had no idea why she couldn’t stop herself.

Braxton’s hand lingered on her face. Gently. She sucked in a breath and her pounding heart quickened its pace. His lip twitched. His stomach turned and his throat tightened. Grab her, the blood thirsty monster inside told him, she’s so close. Grab her now. She’ll blush and all that blood will flow to her face. You can sink your fangs in while her pulse is quick. No one will come to her rescue; they’ll all think you’re just to lusty teenagers. Normally Braxton wasn’t one to pass up this type of opportunity. If her innocent blood was just there for the taking, why shouldn’t he take it?

But still. What if her blood was too sweet? What if he accidentally killed her? Could he possibly live with himself?

“Grab my shoulders Ripley” she obeyed silently, leaning in closer to him. His mouth watered. Either she needed to get away from him or he was going to drink every last drop of sweet innocent blood in her body.

The human buried deep inside him said to let the girl go. He closed his eyes and obeyed.

Ripley blinked rapidly.

“Wha—?” She whispered.

“That’s why” he said as he leaned back in his seat and took the keys out of the ignition “that’s why I don’t want you looking in my eyes.”