1

I could feel the faint metal taste of blood on my lips as I looked up. My eyes were dazed from being knocked out. I faintly remembered getting smashed on the back of the head. I was outside; I could feel mud under my stomach, rain on top of me. My arms were limb but I struggled to my knees. I looked up to the sky, rain pouring down into my eyes. It felt like one of those horror movies where the person is about to get killed or realize a certain truth, like an epiphany. It felt like it was going to happen, but the constant staring at the sky told me otherwise.

I wiped my mouth and stared at my hand, the blood dripping down to the mud. So I was bleeding, or it was someone else’s blood. I looked once more to the sky then looked around me.

A graveyard.

I started to get to my feet but collapsed back down and gave up the idea. I glanced around me, at the overwhelming tombstones. How did I get here? Was I here to begin with or knocked out and brought here? I couldn’t remember which. I held my head, my other hand resting on the mud. My eyes suddenly widened and I flipped backwards to my butt, my mouth wide open, breathing fast. A puddle of blood lay under me. I looked ahead to see Lizzie on the ground, the blood coming from her.

“Liz!” I screamed, climbing to my feet but falling once again to only crawl towards her. “Liz! Liz, are you okay?” I demanded, shaking her limp body but getting no response. “LIZ!” Her limp body suddenly moved.

“Jen?” Liz muttered, I had to lean in to hear her speak. “Where?”

“I don’t know. Some sort of graveyard. Are you okay? You’re bleeding.” I asked, helping her get to her knees.

“I think so. My head hurts.” Lizzie muttered. I checked her head, a small cut on the back; minor all head wounds bled a lot. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. What do you remember last?” I asked.

“Nothing… really. I remember getting into the restaurant. After that, nothing.” Lizzie answered, her voice weak and fearful.

“Me too. Something happened.” I looked around us; and suddenly stopped. My eyes widened in fear, the vision of the person wavering as I stared. “You…”

The boy, my date, stood in front of me, his hand resting on his hip as he stared down at us; a smile spread across his face. “So you’ve finally noticed me?” he said, his voice jolly and vibrant, as if he enjoyed watching our confusion. His hair was different then the day he asked me out, it was a vibrant red, tied back into a ponytail; as long as his hair was. His eyes seemed to literally glow the bright blue that he possessed.

I stared in awe.

“How strange this must be for you both. Waking up in a graveyard, and the only thing you remember is walking into a fancy restaurant. You can think this is a dream, but it really isn’t. As much as you want it to be.” He smiled his canine poking out from his top lip. He looked at his hands and picked out dirt from the finger nails. “You remember me looking different, or at least you’ve never seen me like this. You must be wondering why.” He burst out laughing; a laugh that sent shivers down my spine. “I’m not going to kill you both. That would be mean. But they might.” He said, pointing behind us, past the rows of tombstones to the fence that surrounded the graveyard.

I glanced behind me and saw nothing. I squinted and gasped as I noticed slight shadows pacing along side the fence. Did he mean those people? I waved my arm, maybe they could help?

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Jeneva.” He said. I suddenly turned my eyes wide. How did he know my real name? “Don’t wave to them. Even though they’ve already caught your scent ever since you entered this half of earth.” He burst out laughing again.

“Make sense already!” Liz shouted, struggling to get to her feet. I noticed then that he was taller then before, way taller.

“You want to understand me? How about a riddle? Mary had a little lamb… little lamb.”
He burst out laughing and hit his knees in his laughter. “Here’s my metaphor…. I’m Mary, and you’re the pitiful little lambs that can be easily eaten by those people you see by the fence. They aren’t friendly wolves, and I don’t bring you to school.” He wiped his eyes of his laughter tears and started to walk around us, bare feet clapping against the cobblestone ground. “Wondering how I know your real name Jeneva? When you always address yourself as Jen? Trying to hide something, hmm? Won’t work. Not in this half of life.”

“Tell us the truth! What’s going on?” Liz demanded.

With blinding speed, he was in front of her, towering over her like a skyscraper, he bent down so that his face leveled with hers, their noses barely touching. “You can’t handle the truth… but if you insist. I will tell you the meaning to my ramble.” He leaned back up, towering over us once again and started to step backwards, his eyes fixed behind us where the people crept along side the fence.

“This isn’t the world you remember so fondly. Your friends and friendly are still here, but it is not the same. You have crossed the line.” He stopped, his bare feet now on grass and standing beside a tombstone. He gently placed a hand on top of the stone. “Can you count how many stones are here?” he laughed. “I can.78 graves here. 78 people dead. Do you know how they died? I do. This one.” He patted the stone and bent down so that his cheek rested against it. “Died in a fire. Poor thing, his house caught fire from an unattended stove. He fell asleep. Not very smart. Humans are never very smart. Especially you two.” He closed his eyes and kept his cheek rested against the cold stone.

“That moment that you stepped through the door of that restaurant your crossed the line.”

“What line?” I demanded, I was on my feet now too. If this was a dream, I at least wanted answers.

“The dividing line between my world and yours. The only way to cross the line in a certain action. And you two preformed so fantastically! I’m so proud! I feel like a father when my daughters graduate from high school. And you two have graduated, for sure. Oh where was the line when I wanted to find it? Welcome to my world my daughters; the one where all those things behind that fence want to rip out your heart and eat it. How good it will taste to them, I even want a bite.” He laughed and smiled, both his canines suddenly enlarging and reaching to his bottom lip. “Do you believe in vampires? It’s about time that you do. Cause I want to be your friend.” He opened his arms, wanting a hug; the boy that was to be my date, Kane.