A/N: Okay, so my sister jnl94, has challenged me to write a story following her rules. I won't tell you what the rules are, but I'll just say that they are going to be very hard to follow. You see, we sort of got into an argument about whose writing style was better and it ended in us each giving each other a story to write. She gave me the character names, the synopsis, the name of the story, and a scene that has to be in the story somewhere. Everything else is all my ideas. I'm supposed to take it where I want and it is going to be the hardest story I've ever written. Oh yeah, did I meantion that there has to be a sequel? Enjoy the ride, because it's going to be a bumpy one!
~KML92

P.S. I decided to rewrite this story in first person. It suits my purposes better.

Summary

Lailie lives alone with her father, not that he's ever home. Her mother was killed three years ago by a vampire. And now there's a new guy in town and Lailie strongly suspects he's one of Them. With no way to keep this away from her longtime friend Graham, Lailie has no choice but to include him. Talon will get the surprise of his life when the game he's played for hundreds of years suddenly changes and the predator becomes the prey. But will the line between the two become blurred when something bigger than the two of them descends on the town?

Prologue

"Lailie, honey, I want you to go hide in the closet until it's all over and he's gone. Do you understand me?" My mother told me sternly. She seemed nervous.

"Sure, but why? What's happening?" I asked, trying not to let the panic creep into my voice unsuccessfully. At fourteen I really didn't understand what was happening.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Just promise me you'll stay hidden no matter what you hear or see." My mother pressed. I sighed and nodded.

"I promise." I said. I hugged my mother, but for some reason I felt as if this was going to be the last time I hugged her. As promised, I crawled into the closet and pulled my knees to my chest.

Minutes later, there was a demanding knock on the door. My mother straightened herself up and walked over to the door, pulling it open for a man.

"Hello Sara." The man said coolly.

"Keenan." My mother said in a tight voice.

"You tried to kill me Sara. I barely escaped with my life. Did you know that leaving me in the sun without my ring would kill me?" he asked in a controlled voice. I had no idea what he was talking about. Who would need a ring to survive?

"I don't know what you're talking about. I did no such thing. Why would I steal your ring to kill you? You have done nothing to me." My mother shrugged nonchalantly. I was getting an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep quiet. Obviously there was a reason my mom wanted me to stay hidden.

"You know exactly what I am talking about you bitch. What have you done with my ring?" he snapped. My mother simply shrugged again.

"You will get no information out of me. I do not know where your precious ring is and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you where it is. Your kind should not exist. It's against nature. You should be dead." my mother said, sounding dangerous for the first time in my life.

"Fine then; you are of no use to me now." Keenan shrugged. Then he smiled at her, but I noticed right away that it wasn't a normal smile. Keenan had fangs! He was a vampire! I was practically suffocating myself to keep from screaming. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.

I watched as Keenan grabbed my mother roughly and drove his fangs into the base of her throat. Seconds later, he dropped her to the floor and stalked out of their house. I squeezed my eyes shut and counted to fifty before I crawled out of the closet and over to my mom.

"Mom?" I whispered.

"Lailie." She said. It was obvious that she was dying, but she seemed determined to hold strong until the end.

"Mom, please don't die." I begged.

"Listen to me. The ring he spoke of is vital to his survival. He can't go out in the sun without it or he will die almost instantly. The ring is in the top drawer of my jewelry box. I want you to keep it safe. Don't let it near any vampires. They cannot be trusted. Your father knows nothing of vampires and I want you two to stay close." Mom instructed quickly. Her voice was very weak and she was close to the end of her rope. I had tears streaming down my face and I couldn't speak, so I just nodded.

"I love you Lailie." Mom said as she closed her eyes. I started sobbing.

"I love you too Mom." I said through my sobs. I noticed the exact moment when my mother stopped breathing. I felt as if I were going to be sick. I pushed myself off the floor and ran into my mother's room. For whatever reason, my mom had a ring that was vital to this vampire's survival and I didn't know why. I opened the top drawer to her jewelry box. As she said, there was a ring nestled in the folds of the velvet case. The ring was silver and it had a single jewel cut in an oval on top- A purple amethyst. I put the ring on my left middle finger and ran out of the house.

I couldn't bear to look at my mother's dead body, so I went out the back. I sprinted down the street three blocks over to my best friend Graham's house. I banged on his front door until he answered seconds later. His green eyes went wide at my appearance.

"What's wrong Lillie?" he asked, using his favorite nickname for me.

"My mom was just murdered by a vampire." I whispered brokenly. I knew the words sounded rediculous coming from my mouth, but I knew I never could have imagined what had just happened. Graham's green eyes got wide and he pulled me into a tight hug.

"It's going to be okay Lillie. Everything is going to be fine." He promised me. I buried my face in his chest and cried right there on his front porch for hours. He let me stain his shirt and snot all over him. Never once did he accuse me of being wrong, or crazy. He just let me cry and tell him everything I had seen. Somehow, even without proof, Graham had understood. He was my best friend and he didn't judge me like a normal person would.

"He's going to pay for this." I vowed to Graham. "He's going to pay for taking my mom away from me." I said with finality.