Author’s note: This is one of my newer stories. I will be putting a few of my older ones up, but for now, this will have to do. I only have a couple of chapters on this, but they are longer chapters. Basically about vampires and werewolves, though I won’t give too much away. I like to think that Artemis is a bit of a take off of myself. Please R&R, it may make me work on this story more, rather than one of the other millions I have stored away in my brain :D.

Chapter 1

I hate being sick. I always get restless after an hour or so, then, I’m too weak to do anything. I rarely get sick, so when I do, it’s pretty bad. Usually it gets worse, cause I won’t tell anyone, just continue on with my day. But this has to be the worst sickness ever, and I don’t even know what it is. God, I don’t even know what caused it.

Apparently, I had been asleep for about a week. There’s not much I remember before the darkness. Only two things, a man’s cruel face, and a boy’s horrified one. Who were they? What part do they play in my illness? The boy looked about my age, but the man seemed to have an ageless look about him. I could not say if he was forty or twenty.

I haven’t told anyone of the men, they have enough to worry about with trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. Plus, I don’t dwell on them too much myself. I, too, have other things on my mind. My mother comes in suddenly, with a tray full of food. I look warily at it as she sets it down on my lap, and then settles herself by my bed.

“Thanks, mom.”

I pick up the sandwich, and sniff at it. Grilled cheese. It used to be my favorite. Before the sickness, anyway. I take a small bite, hoping that it won’t- I suddenly throw up on the tray. Yep, same as yesterday. I can’t stomach food anymore, not even the merest taste of it. My mom sighs, and takes the tray.

“Maybe later, dear,” she says as she leaves the room.

I silently weep. What is happening to me? I can’t eat food, but every time someone comes in I get this feeling. Like I want to rush over and-and. I can’t think it. I won’t give in to these urges, whatever they are.

I’ve been trying to convince my mom into letting me go back to school. She said that if I can eat for a week without throwing up, I can go back. But I can’t and she sites beside me, so I can’t fake it.

I look over at the clock, 9:23. She’ll accept it if I go to sleep now. I have troubles sleeping too. Seems that the illness screwed up my time. I want to sleep during the day and I wake in the night. So I have large gray circles under my eyes. I need to find a way to fake eating.

I am not so sure that this illness is indeed an illness. I seem to act differently. I even think differently. I feel that I am meant to be in Renaissance or Shakespearian times, from the way I think. I’ve been using flowery words. I never even knew these words before I fell ill.

That’s all I have to say. Now I must find a safe hiding place for this, else mother will find it, and I don’t need her worrying more.

Love,

Artemis

Artemis got out of her bed, and pried a loose board off of her floor, stuffing the notebook in the space. She crawled back into the bed, exhausted from the movement. She soon fell asleep.

Her dreams were plagued with the two men’s faces, and her family, lying dead beside her, in puddles of blood. There was a glow on her face, and she realized she had blood on her chin. She awoke in a cold sweat, covers tangled around her. She broke free, and got out of her bed, her feet making little sound on the floor. She crept over to the window, wishing to look out.

It was a clear night, and the moon was full. She felt more revitalized than she had in a long while. Since before the illness. She opened the window, relishing in the cool night air. She looked out for about an hour, and then went back to bed. Her sleep was peaceful.

She awoke to the sun shining in her face. It was Thursday, dad’s day off. Sure enough, her father burst through the door, carrying a plate of food, a big grin on his face. Her father was 6’5’’ and very bulky. He say the plate down in front of her, and sat on the edge of her bed, ignoring the disapproving looks her mother was giving him.

Artemis looked at the plate in surprise. A big slab of meat, red and bloody was sitting there. She cut a small piece off and stuck it in her mouth, praying she wouldn’t puke it back up. Surprisingly, it went down with ease, and stayed there. It even tasted good, so unlike everything else she had been trying to eat. She hungrily sawed off a larger piece eating quickly. She finished the steak in record time. Her father grinned at her, then her mother.

“See, I told you. I went through the same thing when it happened to me.”

“What? What am I going through?” she asked, wanting to know what she was dealing with. Had her father gone through this before?

He only smiled knowingly at her, “You’ll see in your own time. But this means you can go back to school.”

“Yay!” She leapt up and gave him a big hug and kiss.

Her mother came over, frowning, “Lay back down. You can’t, of course, go back today, or tomorrow. So you should rest until Monday.”

She looked pleadingly at her father, “Can I go outside later? Please?”

“Sure, kid.”

Artemis smiled and settled back into her bed. Later would not come for a while, under the jurisdiction of her mother, and it would come sooner if she behaved. Wait a second, she thought. Where did the word jurisdiction come from? She dismissed it, after all, her father said he had gone through this too, and he didn’t talk any differently than she had before all of this.

She was uneasy in bed for most of the day. Her mother finally granted her freedom to go outside, and Artemis jumped at the offer. She got dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt. She ran outside, breathing the fresh air in deeply. Heading for her favorite place in the woods, she waved goodbye to her parents.

She ran there, full of energy. Where the energy had come from, she didn’t know, but she exalted in it. She calmed herself, silently meditating on a rock. She had been feeling giddy. Now she was calm and very ready to explore a little more.

Before she could, there was a rustling, and a boy entered the clearing. Artemis spun around. The boy looked her up and down, a disapproving look on his face. She got defensive and demanded a question of him.

“Who are you? What are you doing in my clearing?”

The boy smiled. “Your clearing? I was unaware that this clearing was property of anyone but of the state. And might I inquire who you are? You have not visited this place in a long while. Have you not thought that it might have been taken over by other beings?”

Artemis glared at him. “Doesn’t matter, I was here before you were.”

The boy laughed, “Yes, you can obviously see the two hidden within you. That shall have to be taken care of soon. I shall have to tell him of his success. Hopefully, I can convince him.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing that you need worry about yet. Now, I must take my leave. I will be in trouble if I tarry too long.”

He turned and disappeared into the trees. Artemis stared after him, she hadn’t even found out his name. And what was he talking about? Two hidden within her? She shrugged it off and started exploring, in the opposite direction that the boy had headed. She didn’t want to have any more run ins with him for right now. He already had her head spinning.

It got dark quickly, and she had to return home. She had another meal of medium rare steak. Afterwards, she dropped into a deep sleep, unperturbed with dreams. It was the most restful sleep she had gotten in a while. She even slept till noon. When she did awake, it was to an empty house. A note was on her mirror from her mother.

I had to go to Auntie’s house, but I’ll be back in a few hours. Be good, and try to rest. We don’t want any relapses.

Love,

Mom

As if, she thought. She headed back out for the clearing, taking her sketchbook with her. She half wanted to meet the boy again, if for no other reason than to learn his name. She sat down on one of the rocks, and pondered over what she should draw. She had many half drawn things she had tried to draw while she was sick. It had been hard to concentrate then, she was too restless.

A flower popped out at her, a lily of the valley. She became completely enthralled in her drawing, and did not notice the boy entering the clearing again. He watched her for a time, pondering over what he should reveal to her. How much could she even begin to understand yet? He finally cleared his throat, which made Artemis jerk up. She immediately started asking him questions.

“Who are you? And what were you talking about yesterday?”

“My name is Narodemus, more commonly known as Naro. Might I inquire your name?”

“Artemis. Hey, wait a minute, you speak a lot like how I’ve been-” She stopped.

“Been what? It couldn’t be that you were going to say thinking, were you?”

She glared at him, then went back to her drawing. Naro stayed silent, watching her draw. He sat on a rock a few feet away from her to wait. He knew that she would be asking more questions soon. She tried to ignore him, but it was a vain task. Curiosity killed the cat, she told herself. But then again, didn’t the cat come back?

She sighed as she set her sketchbook aside to ask questions. No doubt the consequences would be dire for even talking to him. There was this feeling about him. She sighed heavily when she realized that she was thinking in that weird way again. Naro raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

“What is happening to me? I know you know something at least. Actually, you look a lot like the boy from before I was sick.”

Naro straightened, “Boy?”
“Yea, there’s only one thing I remember before the blackness, a man’s face and a boy’s face. The boy looked eerily similar to you.”

Naro leaned back on the rock, and fished a paper out of his pocket. “If you want answers, come to the party tonight. The directions are on the invitation. Make sure you have the invitation, or you won’t be allowed in. Find me as soon as you get there, we don’t want any . . . one to . . . persuade you differently.”

Artemis took the paper, after which, got her sketchbook. “Thanks, I’ll be there. I’d better get home though, I’m still ‘sick’ according to my mom. She’ll kill me if she finds out I was in the woods. Let alone if I was alone in the woods talking to a guy.”

Naro’s face darkened. “Probably more so if she knew who I was. Please do not tell your family my name. It would be better that way.”

She shrugged, what did it matter to her if he didn’t want his name told? “Sure I won’t tell.”

Naro nodded curtly as he left. She took one last look after him, and then headed home. Her mom was still not there when she got there, so she decided to get on the computer. She logged on to Yahoo, to check her mail. Nothing. Not one of her friends had emailed her. Weren’t they the least bit worried about her? She hadn’t been to school for nearly a month now. Then, an im popped up from one of her friends. Wolfluva79, Carrie.

Wolfluva79: Hey Artemis!! Heard what happened, having fun?

Ladyofthenight: Of coarse not! I have just gotten over being sick.

Wolfluva79: Oh, he hasn’t told you yet…..well, you’ll find out soon enough.

Ladyofthenight: Find what out? Carrie, you know I hate surprises. Just tell me.

Wolfluva79: No way, Jose. Your dad’ll kill me if I tell you, besides, its more fun finding out on your own. I will give you a hint, it has to do with a LOT of hair :D Any way, I’ve gotta go. TTYL

She stared at what her friend had written. A lot of hair? What in the world did that have to do with her illness? The front door opened and slammed shut. Artemis jumped up and fled downstairs. She stopped in the living room, waiting for whichever of her parents to come in.

“Oh, hey Mom.”

Her mother eyed her warily, “what do you want?”

“When will dad be home?”

Both of them glanced over at the clock, “Soon, he said around 5:30”

She nodded and ran back upstairs to her room. She took the invitation out of her pocket, she had never read it. For all she knew, it could be nothing more than algebra homework. There was little on it, just directions and when it would start. Hmmm, I wonder when it will end, she thought.

The front door opened and slammed for the second time that night. She grinned at the sound. Dad was home. And hopefully he would let her go to this party. She desperately wanted to know what was happening to her, and meeting Naro wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing either. From what she remembered he was very cute. But, then again, she hadn’t exactly studied him too much.

“Artemis? You awake?” her dad hollered.

“Yea! Hey, you mind if I go to a party tonight?”

“Whose?”

“Not for sure, but I’ll give you directions to the house.”

“Don’t worry about it, I can always hunt you down if I have to.”

She quickly changed her clothes into something a little less old. And what was hopefully appropriate. She came down the stairs slowly, not wanting to face her mother. She was never allowed to do anything for the week after she was sick, her mom was always afraid that she would have a relapse.

“I’d better get going if I want to get there on time.”

Her dad peeked from the doorway of the kitchen, “want me to give you a ride?”

“No, I’d rather walk. See ya later.”

“Love, you. Be safe.”

She shut the door behind her, and glanced up the street. No nosy neighbors peeking. That was unusual, there was usually at least one out. She pulled out the invitation and started to following the directions. It took her about an hour to find the house. When she did, she gasped in awe at it. The house was a beautiful old mansion, complete with vines running up the walls.

She approached to doors to find two burly men standing at the doorway. “Invitation?” One of them asked rudely, holding out his hand.

She handed out the crumpled piece of paper. He scrutinized it for a moment, which resulted in his friend punching him hard. She was then escorted into the house. She immediately started searching for Naro, but could not find him within the sea of people. For one, she could not remember what he looked like. And two, every one here seemed to be beautiful. She finally stopped a woman, a tall brunette with hazel eyes and a pretty tan.

“Do you know if Naro’s here yet?”

The girl smiled, “What business do you have with him? Too sentimental for my taste. Still, I hear he has his bad side too.”

The woman pointed her to a corner that she had passed several times. She walked over quickly, she wanted answers. She found him brooding on a couch, by himself. She sat in a chair beside the couch while she waited for him to notice her. She did not have to wait long, he soon looked up, surprise in his eyes.

“You came.”

“I want answers.”

“I did not doubt that. It was your father that I doubted.” Artemis looked at him with an odd expression. “It does not matter, you are here, and you want answers. Come.”

He got up and led her upstairs, to an empty bedroom. He sat down on the bed, indicating for her to do the same. She sat several feet away from him, crossing her legs indian style. They watched each other warily for a time, during which Artemis studied him. He had spiky blond hair, which came to just about his ears. His eyes were a fierce green, and he had a paler complexion. He reminded her of an acrobat, the way his body was shaped. He looked lithe. He finally opened his mouth, which interrupted her of her studying.

“What do you wish to know?”

She pondered over this for a second, then said, “You said that you could see both of them hidden inside me. Both what?”

“You start with the hard ones right away, don’t you? Anyway, both of the races, werewolf and vampire.”

That caught Artemis by surprise. “Whoa, wait a minute. Werewolf and what again?”

“Vampire,” he responded coolly.

“As if, I know very well that they don’t exist, and you’re an idiot to think that I would.”

“Would you like me to show you?”

Before she could answer he jumped at her, and was suddenly on top of her, pinning her down. His face was in hers, and she could see the fangs there. After a moment of struggling, he let go of her, and she straightened, and put a few more inches between them.

“Believe me now?”

She nodded shaken. “So, how am I both?”

“Your dad’s a werewolf, and a vampire bit you about a month ago. Normally we don’t go after dogs, but you hadn’t turned yet, and he wanted to see what would happen. Apparently it triggered your turning, and you are now a mixture of the two, though the werewolf is more dominant in you.”

“What if I wanted to only be one?”

“There is no way to get rid of the vampire blood within you, but the werewolf is easier to be rid of.”

“Good, if anything, that’s the way I would want to go?”

Naro looked questioningly at her, “And have your family shun you?”

Now it was Artemis’s turn to be confused. “What do you mean?”

He smiled, “You don’t know? Werewolves and vampires are mortal enemies. If you were to be turned into a full fledged vampire, your dad would probably kill you.”

The door busted open and two teens came in, kissing each other passionately. The girl pulled away and looked at the both of them sitting on the bed. “Sorry, thought the room was empty.” She took the boy by the hand and left, shutting the door behind them.

Naro stood, “We should be leaving this room, it will be needed. Besides, the other questions can probably be answered down there.”

He left quickly, leaving her no time to respond. All she could do was follow him downstairs. He retreated into the corner she had found him in and sprawled on the couch. She sat hesitantly beside him, and waited for him to speak again.

“No more questions?”

“Not now, but I will later.”

Naro looked as if he were about to say something else, but was interrupted by a beautiful blonde who was approaching them. “Naro, you rascal! You showed! And I was just beginning to think that you didn’t like me.”

He grimaced as the blond sat on his lap. “I would not have, save that I had business to take care of.” He ended by pushing her off his lap. “Let me be, Megan.”

Megan looked over with disgust at Artemis, and tried to approach Naro again, only this time sitting beside him. “Come, come now Naro, you know you love me.”

Naro looked over at her in disgust, took Artemis by the arm, and led her out of the building. He walked into the woods, heading away from the house. He would not respond to anything that she said until they were well away from the house. He finally stopped and sat down on a rock. He sighed before he addressed her.

“What else do you wish to know?”
“Who was she?”

He stared at her, which made her uncomfortable. “You always choose the hardest questions. A vampiress, one who wishes certain things that will never come to be, no matter how hard she tries to sway my mind.” She opened her mouth, but he continued on, “You should be going home. She did not take well to you, and she may choose to eliminate you, since you are a half breed. She will not harm you around your father.”

“But it’s not my fault I’m one. It’s not like I chose to be either one of them.”

Naro shook his head, “That will not matter, you are part werewolf, and there fore, to her, a threat. You shall have to make your decision soon; else one or both races will try to destroy you.”

She shook her head, “My father wouldn’t-“

“Wouldn’t what? Kill his daughter because he believes her to be a threat to his werewolf family? He wouldn’t hesitate. Be careful until you make your decision. Have you changed yet?”

“Changed?”

“Apparently not. It would be best to make your decision before you do so, most vampires dislike the blood of werewolves, and you would be hard pressed to find one that will change you fully into one of us. That is, if you choose our side.”

“Well, I don’t have much of a decision to make.” Naro stared at her in surprise. Before he could say anything to contradict her, she went on. “I’ve always been fascinated with vampires. Every time I took a test on the internet, I would want to come out as a vampire. Most of the time I was, too. Werewolves don’t interest me at all. They’ve always seemed . . . uncivilized to me. I mean, changing no matter what on a full moon? No thanks, I’d rather just be stuck to nighttime.”

“A myth.”

“What?”

“Both of those are myths. Werewolves change at any time, and the full moon only strengthens their powers. And we can go out in the daytime.”

Artemis nodded. He came over and put a hand on her arm, which made her shiver. His hand was so cold. He smiled apologetically as he removed his hand. He got up and stared at what they could see of the sky. The moon was slowly waning back to a crescent moon.

“I will escort you home. There are many threats to a young half-breed. Especially a pretty young girl like yourself.”

She blushed as she got up as well. “Well, then, we might as well start heading back now.”

He turned his piercing stare back onto her, “What, do you not trust me?”

“No, I just figured that you would want to go back to the party, and I don’t want to be a burden on you.”

He laughed, “Thank you for the kindness, but I shall not be going back. I hadn’t even wanted to go. Still, your father might be worrying about you. So,” he started as they walked. “Are you going back to school Monday?”

“I am indeed. Why, do you attend there now?”

“I do.”

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

She was silent after that. She didn’t want to know if that was the age he was when he became what he was, or the age that he still was now. That he had possibly only been turned a few months ago. Or maybe a year. She herself was sixteen, and couldn’t wait until she could drive herself. She still wasn’t allowed by her parents. She was brooding on this when Naro suddenly stopped in front of her, causing her to run into the back of him.

“Sorry,” she mumbled.

“Here you go, sleep well.”

She turned as he started to retreat back into the darkness. “Wait!”

He stopped, and looked at her expectantly. “Oh, um, will I see you again?”

“Yes.”

She left it at that as she watched him disappear. He would come back around in his own time, since he was coming back. She took a glance at her home, bathed in the light pouring out from within, and turned away from it. She needed a little time to think before she had to face her parents. She went to the clearing where she had first met Naro. She looked around until she found an old sketchbook that she kept out here for times just like this. She pulled out the bag of pencils, picking out a good one. Settling in, she searched for something to draw. Finding nothing, she retreated to her memories, trying to find something there.

Suddenly, inspiration took her, and she set her pencil on the paper, drawing an oval. Three lines were lightly placed in even spacing on it. She set to drawing, and did not stop until she was finished. By that time, the moon was high in the sky, and clouds were beginning to for, high above her head. She studied at what she had done, and gasped. She had drawn Naro’s face, complete with the sadness that seemed to lurk in the recesses of his face, behind his placid mask. She would have to color it later, when it was daylight, and perhaps not so chilly. She hid her things back away; making sure the bag of pencils was sealed shut. Then she headed back to the house, which was dark now. How long had she sat outside, lost in her drawing?

She opened the back door quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone. She turned to find her father standing behind her, a frown upon his face. She jumped, and then relaxed. He was her father, and he wasn’t going to hurt her no matter what she was. But Naro’s words continued to run through her head, and it made her keep a small portion of doubt in her heart.

“You’re getting back in late,” he growled at her.

“Sorry, ran over what I thought it would. I had fun though.” She tried to walk around him, but he wouldn’t budge, and there was not enough room for her.

“Nothing out of the ordinary happen?”

“No, just an ordinary party. Why are you behaving so oddly?”

He shook his head, “Sorry, just a little worried about you. I’ve heard a couple of things from Daryl.”

“What?”

“Nothing you need to worry about. Now go to bed.” The gruffness was back again.

She nodded and headed upstairs. She immediately got into bed, not even bothering to change into night clothes. What was with her father? Did he know what had happened to her? No, he still thought she was fully werewolf, else he would have mentioned it. What was happening to the world?

No, what’s happening to me is more like it. Now I believe in werewolves, vampires, and god knows what else. And I’m a mixture of the two! She pulled out her journal, she needed to write some of this down. She turned on a mini light, and set to writing.

So much has happened these past few days. I have found out much. I am no longer sick, I am happy to say. That was taken care of by my father, who gave me a nearly rare steak, which seemed to do the trick. But why did it? Perhaps I shall ask Naro when I see him again. Oh, I did not introduce him into this journal. Well, I guess I must, but where to start?

I met him the day I got over being sick. I had gone outside to draw, and he came barging into my clearing. Well, not barge, he came in quickly, and nearly silent. He said some cryptic words and then left. That was the beginning of all of this confusion. There is one sentence that even now stands out to me. ‘You can obviously see both hidden within you.’

At the time, I had no idea what he had meant. I slept peacefully that night. The next morning I awoke to find the house empty. I left, once again retreating to my clearing, only this time, with my sketchbook. I half wanted to see him again, and half didn’t. I mostly wanted to know his name, and what he had talked about the day before.

He came while I was in the middle of drawing a lily of the valley. It was then I found out his name, and was invited to the party that was this night. I cannot believe that all of this has only happened within the past two days! Any way, I found out two things, one, vampires and werewolves exist, and two, I am a mixture of the two.

Her door busted open, and her father came flying through. “Didn’t I tell you to go to bed?”

Artemis quickly hid the journal under the covers, hoping that her father didn’t notice. “Sorry, dad. I thought you wouldn’t mind if I stayed up a little bit.”

“Go to bed.”

She nodded and crawled underneath the covers, biting her lip to keep from crying. What was with her father? She turned over, and settled in. She heard her father’s heavy feet padding their way towards the bed. Soon he was above her, and he said goodnight. Then he turned and left, trying to shut the door quietly, but without success. Artemis lied there, waiting until she heard the front door shut. Where was he going, she wondered as she got out of bed. She crawled beneath the bed and hid her journal away again. She would have to finish her entry later.

She got back into bed, and fell asleep. Her dreams were more troublesome than ever. She was sitting on a rock in her clearing, and was having to choose between two people, her father and Naro. Her dream self frowned. Who was she going to choose? Before she could, the two started fighting. Naro looked the part of a vampire, fangs present. Then her father growled and turned into a big hairy brown dog. He overcame Naro quickly, having the advantage of being larger. Naro was lying on the ground, eyes shut, and he was bleeding heavily from his side. Her father lumbered over, still a dog. He changed when he was right beside the boy. He held a wooden stake in his hands, about to plunge it into Naro’s chest. Artemis’s dream self screamed and rushed over to them, defending Naro. Her father slowly lowered the stake, and turned away from her. He turned back to a wolf, and lumbered away, not looking back at his daughter. Artemis turned to look at Naro, he was still bleeding heavily, but his eyes were now open, and were looking into hers with gratitude. Then, they were surrounded by dogs, larger than the normal size. She saw her father’s dog-like form hanging in the back, head turned away from her. The circle slowly closed in on them, all of the dogs’ eyes familiar. They had this look in their eyes, one that said they were willing to kill the two teens. The first dog had snapped at them when Artemis woke up.