It was cold. She’d long ago given up on trying breaking free of the shackles. Her hands were caked in blood and her spirit was all but broken. She heard a cheery whistling echoing from the halls outside the dungeon. Her heart felt like it had dropped to the pit of her stomach. She knew what was coming; she knew what he’d do to her. He swung the door open and smiled at her. There was no warmth behind the smile, nothing but cold and dark promises.

“Well then my pet what shall we do today?” he asked her as if she didn’t already know.

“Please…please let me go?” She sobbed.

“Now why on earth would I do that? We’re having so much fun aren’t we?” He grabbed her hair, “You ARE having fun aren’t you.” She whimpered.

“Y-yes I’m having fun.” She forced a smile.

“Good…” He ran his hands along her naked body. She closed her eyes trying to block out the touch, trying to block out where she was and what he was going to do to her. She didn’t want to watch his fangs descend as he feasted on her again and she didn’t want to watch him touch her afterwards…

“Mmmm you look good enough to eat.” He laughed loudly at his own joke and then bit into her young flesh.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tabitha stirred at the sound of someone’s cell phone buzzing. She groggily opened one eye and then the other. It was bright and sunny outside and she cursed the position of the window. With a deep breath she jumped to the window and pulled down the shades. She let out a hiss of pain and looked at welts across her skin.

“Tabitha?” The werewolf asked with concern sitting bolt upright.

“The sun…” Tabitha trailed off. Lyra jumped out of bed and hurried to her friend’s side.

“Are you okay? Why didn’t you wake me? Do I need to get a bandage? Is it dark enough now? Do…” Tabitha laid a finger on Lyra’s lip to shut her up.

“I’m fine. It’s a small amount of exposure and look it’s already healing. I heal quickly remember?” Tabitha smiled.

“But…why didn’t you wake me?” Lyra asked, “I could have closed the curtain and…”

“You, little miss stubborn, need to your rest after what you went through yesterday.” Tabitha said with her hands on her hips.

“I’m okay now. Fast healer remember?” She grinned. Tabitha rolled her eyes.

“I need a drink.” The vampire muttered. Lyra chuckled.

“A or B positive?” She quipped. Tabitha grabbed a blanket and threw it over her shoulders like a cape.

“I think that I vant to suck your BLOOD!” Tabitha exclaimed with a mock Transylvanian accent.

“No miss vampire please don’t hurt me!” Lyra said in her best damsel voice. “Whatever will I do?”

“You are mine now!” Tabitha ran over to where Lyra was standing with a hiss. Lyra dodged out of the way and ran into the kitchen. Tabitha chased her.

“You can never escape me foolish mortal! BLAH!” She chased Tabitha around the house until suddenly she couldn’t find her friend anymore.

“Hiding will do you no good I can smell your fear!” Tabitha nearly chuckled. With a growl Lyra jumped out from her hiding spot and tackled Tabitha to the ground. She had a wooden spoon in her hand.

“I shall drive this wooden…” she looked at her “weapon” and shrugged, “steak into your heart and end your life of villainy!” she proclaimed laughing.

“Curses! How could you know my only weakness!” Tabitha laughed.

“This is your end!” Lyra proclaimed. She gently pressed the wooden spoon again Tabitha’s chest. Tabitha let out a hiss and writhed as if in pain then she slumped to the ground with a quiet “blegh.”

“People of the living room! Have no fear I have defeated the creature that has terrorized you for so long…”

“That’s nice to know.” Rex said with an amused smile.

“Dad!” Lyra exclaimed with a slight blush.

“I heard a racket down here and…why do you have your mother’s soup stirring spoon?” He asked. Tabitha opened one eye from her “deathbed” on the floor and started laughing hysterically. Lyra joined in and in a few minutes both girls were laughing so hard tears rolled down their cheeks. Rex shook his head and went into the kitchen to get some cereal. When they finally calmed down Tabitha noticed her stomach growling.

“Really though,” She said as she wiped the tears from her eyes, “I need to eat or we’ll have a real problem.”

“Ok, ok,” Lyra said, “Come on, I need to get some breakfast too.” Lyra led her friend to the kitchen where her father eyed them suspiciously and shook his head again. Tabitha laughed again and grabbed some blood from the fridge. She sipped on it quietly as she watched Lyra ravenously devour an enormous stack of waffles that she’d pulled from the freezer and not bothered to cook.

“Hungry?” she asked with a hint of amusement as Lyra went to get more waffles.

“No,” Lyra replied sarcastically, “my transformation doesn’t make really hungry because it doesn’t use any energy at all. In fact the only reason I eat this much is because I really love waffles.”

“Smart ass.” Tabitha muttered with a slight grin.

“Anemic.” Lyra said sticking out her tongue.

“Dog breath.”

“Fang face.”

“GIRLS!” Elizabeth interrupted. Both girls giggled and continued eating.

“You’d think you both were five years old.” She sighed.

“Nuh uh!” Lyra said with her best pouting face.

“Yuh huh!” Tabitha replied with a grin.

“Ok that’s it, both of you out of the house until you mature to the point where boys’ no longer have cooties.” She insisted. She herded them out of the house and closed the door.

“We’re in our pajama’s where are we supposed to go!” Tabitha asked.

“And no matter what you say boys really do have cooties that’s why I’m a lesbian!” Lyra shouted to her mom. They sat on the porch and rested their backs again the door.

“Of all the reasons you could be to be a lesbian and you choose that?” She smiled.

“Are you kidding? I’ve always thought boys were icky. I guess sometimes you just don’t grow out of it.” She grinned.

“They’re just so…boxy.” Tabitha said with a sigh.

“Men you mean?” Lyra asked.

“Yes. No curves. How are you supposed to cuddle with a box?” She asked.

“Beats me.” Lyra shrugged. They fell into an easy silence.

“You know…” Tabitha said after a short while, “this is the most fun I’ve had in a long while.”

“You know what…” Lyra said with a grin, “me too.”

“And also…I wanted to know if…well you’d want to maybe go with me to the Halloween Dance…” Tabitha asked blushing, “I know it’s a little sudden…”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll probably have a hard time finding an outfit…”

“Tabitha I said yes.”

“And it is expensive so I understand if you don’t…what did you say?” Tabitha asked looking into Lyra’s eyes. Lyra took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“I said yes. I’ll go with you to the dance. Do you have any ideas for a costume?”

“Well I thought it’d be amusing if I went as a vampire and you went as a werewolf.” Tabitha smiled.

“That sounds like fun.” Lyra said with a smile, “One thing though, I don’t want to wait that long.”

“Wait that long for what?” The Vampire asked.

“I don’t want to wait that long to kiss you.” Lyra said with a slight blush, “I want to go on a date before we go to the dance, a real date.”

“I’d love to…when though?” The blonde asked.

“How about tomorrow?” The werewolf suggested.

“Will you be recovered enough?” Tabitha asked with concern.

“Yes I’ll be fine.” Lyras gaze softened.

“Where are we going?” The blonde asked.

“It’s a surprise.” The brunette’s eyes sparkled.

“I like surprises.” Tabitha replied in a low voice. Lyra blushed.

“Tabitha?” Elizabeth called from inside the house, “I think that your phone is beeping.

“Oh I must have a message from my dad wondering when I’ll be home.” Tabitha replied, “Are we allowed in yet?” There was a pause from the house.

“Will you two behave yourselves?” She replied.

“Yes.” Both Tabitha and Lyra said with crossed fingers.

“Okay then.” The door opened with an irritated Elizabeth standing in the doorway. The girls tried to look ashamed but they couldn’t hold back their smiles as they dashed into Lyra’s room and locked the door. They both chuckled.

“Wanna watch Saturday morning cartoons?” Lyra grinned.

“Sure just let me tell my dad that…” Tabitha trailed off and her face seemed to get paler than she already was.

“What is it Tabitha?” Lyra asked.

“There’ve been indications of a vampire attack.” She replied.

“Oh…you need to get home don’t you.” Lyra asked. Her voice betrayed her disappointment.

“I swear if you had ears right now they’d be drooping.” Tabitha replied. She walked to where Lyra was pouting and gave her a warm smile.

“There’s nothing for me to do right now. Dad takes care of most of the tracking. He’ll let me know when he needs me to come with him. He just wanted me to tell you to be careful.”

“Why? I can take care of myself.” Lyra asserted.

“I wasn’t joking when I said that werewolf blood was a delicacy.” Tabitha said, “If one of them is hunting and gets your scent…” she trailed off with tears in her eyes.

“Hey…” Lyra softly said she tilted Tabitha’s chin up so she could look her in the eyes, “I’ll be careful okay? I promise.”

“Stop it…” she said quietly. She swatted Lyras hand as her face got redder, “I just want you to be safe.”

“It’s me you’re talking to.” Lyra smiled, “Remember I am the slayer of the greatly feared vampire from the living room. I’m a proper hero.”

“Heroine.” Tabitha corrected.

“Never touch the stuff.” Lyra deadpanned. Tabitha smiled.

“There’s that smile.” Lyra grinned.

“You said something about cartoons?” The vampire asked. Lyra nodded and turned on the television.

“Yep…oh and tomorrow wear something you won’t mind getting dirty.” Lyra remarked. Tabitha raised an eyebrow.

“As in dirt dirty or as in smutty dirty?” She grinned as Lyra blushed and gave a small cough.

“Uh…dirt dirty. Who the hell says smutty anyway?” She asked. Tabitha gave her a playful shove. Not to be out done Lyra shoved back. The shoving match dissolved into a tickle fight. Lyra ended up on her back on the floor trying to catch her breath and Tabitha was hanging off the side of the bed laughing even harder. When the vampire finally regained control of her breathing she walked to where Lyra was still chuckling.

“Here let me help you up.” She offered her hand. Lyra took it and pulled herself up. Not realizing the vampire’s strength she found herself inches from the blonde. Her breath caught. She felt the heat in her cheeks and noticed the flush on Tabitha’s face as well. A loud noise from the cartoon on the TV made them both jump and the moment was shattered.

“Um…we should…” Tabitha stammered.

“Watch…the…” Lyra tried to form a sentence.

“yeah…” they both said. They sat on Lyra’s small bed trying not to let the awkwardness get to them. Lyra was acutely aware that had no idea what they were watching because she was so nervous being near Tabitha. Just as she tried to calm herself by reciting all the names of werewolf movies she could think of she felt Tabitha rest her hand on top of her own. Gently Lyra laced her fingers with the vampires and neither of them pulled away.