A/N: O.K. I like this pace a lot better (Janelle actually woke up and went back to sleep within the same chapter!) and as long as it is (compared to other chapters) I like it. The next one should be shorter as there shouldn’t be any flashbacks. Please review and let me know what you think!

Summary: Mysterious deaths are happening all over the place and a new guy has shown up for second semester. What happens when he takes an interest to Janelle?

* * * * *

It’s been a week since Drake told me he was a vampire and I have gotten fairly used to Drake’s house. It’s huge! There are three floors, a basement, four washrooms, six bedrooms, a huge kitchen and dining room combined and a very comfortable living room. There is also an entire library!

Anyway, I dragged myself out of bed and rubbed sleep out of my eyes before entering the adjoining bathroom to take a shower. Drake hadn’t been around much, but he had taken some time to explain some things about vampires to me, to sort out what was myth and what was true.

Flashback

I entered the house and found myself in a hallway. To both the left and right were doors. Later, I would discover that the door to the left was to the dining room which joined directly with the kitchen and to the right was a sitting room. In front was a staircase which led both up and down and before that were two more doors. With a small slam, Drake closed the front door and walked down the hallway, gesturing for me to follow. He led me into what looked like a sitting room.

“Would you like something to drink?” he asked somewhat mechanically. I guessed that he had guests often and the comfort of guests always came first to him. I declined and he asked me if I was hungry. Once again, I declined. He busied himself with making a drink for himself and this gave me time to look around. All around the room were shelves of movies, CDs, records and basically electronic entertainment. There was a 72' wide screen tv and the couches were very comfortable - almost as if waiting for the person on them to spend the night, watching movies.

Drake turned back towards me holding a cup of dark red liquid. Seeing my revolted look he laughed. “It’s only cranberry juice.”

I gave a shaky laugh and started twiddling my thumbs.

“So, what do you want to know?” Drake’s voice was gentle and was the same one that had had me mesmerised yesterday.

“You can drink stuff besides blood?” I asked. I remembered Twilight where the Cullen’s had only been able to drink blood.

“Yes. I can drink anything I want to. I can eat anything as well.”

“Oh.” I had asked that question first because it was important to me to know what he drank and ate - I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of dinner. “What happened with Professor Birch?”

Drake looked at me suddenly in a way that made me wish that I hadn’t asked. “I don’t think I can tell you that,” he said calmly but without the gentleness that was there before.

I didn’t heed his warning though. I wanted to know what was going on. Why had Professor Birch attacked him when he was a vampire as well? Didn’t vampires get along long enough to have a conversation or at least make negotiations. “Why not? I won’t tell anyone. I think I should know. After all, I was there and he almost attacked me when he saw me. Why?”

Drake sighed. “You know all these ‘mysterious’ deaths that are happening?” I nodded, remembering the countless newspaper articles that I had read and the reports I had watched and heard. “Well they’re the work of vampires. The blood that disappeared. When we found that body, I could sense that there was someone else nearby. Another vampire possibly. The reason I didn’t want to get too close was that I didn’t want to act on instinct which was to kill the three of you for your blood.

“Anyway, I’m pretty sure it was Professor Birch. When vampires are thirsty, we start to look sick and pale. That’s why I thought it was him. Earlier, I asked you about him and you said that he looked sick about once a week. We can build up our endurance but only gradually and for a new vampire or a vampire who hasn’t bothered with resistance, one week is about all they can go without blood.”

“How long can you go?” I interrupted. I was relaxed around him now, but I was still weary.

Drake grinned. “I was wondering if you would ask that. I can go for about a month.”

I furrowed my brow. Three weeks? “How long have you been a vampire then?”

Drake’s grin grew even bigger. “I like the way you think. So you’re not a total ditz like that chick from Twilight. I’ve been a vampire for about five hundred years.”

I mouthed the words. Five hundred years? That was amazing! “Do you age?”

“No,” said Drake. He didn’t try to go back to Professor Birch and I was sure that he would start volunteering information on his own if I didn’t go back.

“So back to Professor Birch...” I said. Drake sighed.

“He attacked because he thought I was there to take him in.”

Drake stopped so I asked, “In where? Why?”

“I guess you should know. There’s a vampire war. The two of us are - were - on different sides.”

“What’s the war about?”

“It’s all on who should take the throne next.”

“You have a monarchy system?” I was astounded.

Drake looked amused. “Yes. The vampire I want to win the throne, Diatama, has a vampire safety project in mind. We want to stay hidden from vampire slayers. This includes trying to kill less humans to avoid detection. The vampire that Birch wants to sit on the throne, The Contessa, is all for human hunting and making a sport out of it. This would result in thousands of deaths every year for humans and vampires alike. The more humans we kill, the more the vampire slayers want to slay us.”

I nodded, trying to take everything in. “How long has the war been going on for?”

“Only for a few months actually. We don’t expect the war to end soon either. The sides are almost equal in numbers and strength.”

“How many vampires are there?”

“A few thousand. Our numbers are diminishing because of this war and because the vampire slayers are always trying to get rid of us.”

I chewed on the inside of my lip. I couldn’t imagine there being a few thousand vampires walking around everyday. Then another question occurred to me. “Why are you able to walk around in daylight? Even the sun?”

Drake shrugged. “None of us know. The vampire slayers don’t know either. All that matters to us is that we can lead relatively normal lives. Our skin is still warm, we still blush and we bleed. That’s because of the blood we drink.”

“Do you sleep?”

“No. No, that’s something still denied to us.” Drake looked sad about that.

“Do you miss it?”

“Sleeping? Yeah, quite a bit. I miss being able to dream about things and fantasising. I can daydream of course, but it’s not the same.” He looked at a clock located on the wall opposite the door. “Will you be okay here? I need to go out and grab a few things. There’s food in the fridge and drinks as well.” He grinned. “Just don’t touch the alcohol. I’ll be back soon enough.” I nodded. “See you soon.”

Drake had disappeared before I could say “Goodbye,” and I still had a thousand questions.

End Flashback

I stepped into the shower and let the water beat down on me. I had phoned Kathy last

night just to tell her that I was okay. I didn’t even know why I was still here. Drake hadn’t exactly told me that. I washed and then stepped out and got dressed. After blow-drying my hair and making my bed, I went downstairs to get something to eat. Drake kept his food stock quite high considering he was a vampire and considering that he lived way out here where there was almost no chance of visitors. Despite my earlier assumption, there had been no visitors here since I had arrived.

Entering the kitchen, I found Drake at the stove frying bacon and scrambling eggs. As soon as I saw this, my stomach growled. Drake laughed. Of course, with his super-hearing he would hear that easily enough. I went over to the stove and looked at the food. It looked delicious!

“Do you want any help?” I asked, eager to do something. He hadn’t been around much but I owed him for letting me stay here and for saving my life.

“Nope, I’ve got it all under control. Thanks though. Just have a seat.” I turned to the dining room as there was no table in the kitchen and found it already set with plates, cutlery, glasses and juice. I was slightly surprised at the assumption that I would drink juice but then realized that I had had juice in the morning every day since I had arrived. I grinned. Maybe he had been around more than I thought. I sat down and stared around, not knowing what to do with myself. I was used to making my own breakfast and sometimes Kathy’s too.

Drake walked in with a bowl filled with the eggs and a plate with bacon. He set them down on the table and then went back into the kitchen, returning with a plate of toast. I looked on the table and discovered that it already had butter on it. Drake smirked upon seeing my look and I blushed.

“And how are you this morning?” Drake asked.

I smiled slightly. This felt so normal actually. “I’m very good. How are you?”

“Very well, thank you. Eggs?” And that was how we ate breakfast. We were polite to each other and we kept our distance, occasionally asking if the other would like something or to pass something. Once we finished, he began clearing the table. I jumped up quickly to help and he accepted. We did the dishes in silence (him washing and me drying) until he took some of the bubbles from the dish soap and blew them at me.

“Hey!” I exclaimed before scooping out some bubbles and blowing them at him. He laughed and splashed some water at me. This resulted in an all out water and dish soap fight that left us panting with laughter and the kitchen soaking wet, not to mention us. Still laughing, we finished the dishes and then went to change into dryer clothes.

I came out of the bedroom and came face-to-face with Drake who was bare-chested. I froze, staring at his muscle-toned torso and then shook myself out of it, looking up at his face instead and straight into his eyes. I felt my breath hitch and my mind went blank just like it had during class. I couldn’t look away either, I was completely zoned out. I finally became aware that he was staring at me as well, making perfect eye contact. I don’t know how long we were standing there for but the moment dissipated when a sudden knock on the door brought us back down to earth. Or, at least it brought me back to earth, I don’t know about Drake.

Drake looked suddenly panicked. He looked at me as though he didn’t know what to do.

“What? What’s wrong?” I asked him, feeling a little frightened.

Drake looked at me as though I was crazy. “Didn’t you notice how far away this place is? The only visitors I ever get are vampires!” he said, his voice going slightly higher.

Now I felt as though I was suffocating. Would I end up dead today? I then noticed that Drake was still talking.

“...and whoever it is will know that you’re here as soon as you enter the door so there’s no point in trying to hide you...”

I blanked out again. There was no solution. I was going to die here.

“No, you’re not going to die. You’re going to stay close to me though,” said Drake and I realized that I must have said the last part out loud at least. “Come on. If you’re behind me, you’ll be safer. I’ll try to ward off any attacks if they happen.”

Drake led the way down stairs and I followed, scared. Going down the hallway, I had thoughts drifting through my mind, ranging from a nice, easy visit to a cruel, painful death. Drake stopped and I crashed into him, so intent on my thoughts. “Just relax. Everything will be fine,” he assured me. I nodded. He opened the door and on the front step stood a man. Or at least, I thought he was a man. He might have been a vampire. He probably was.

“James,” Drake said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Drake! My boy! What do you mean “what are you doing here?”! I told you I was going to come visit soon!”

“I didn’t think it would be for a little while yet,” said Drake. He now sounded relieved.

“Heh. Well, you never know. Are you going to invite me in or are we gonna stand here all day?”

“Come in, come in,” Drake said hurriedly. James entered and then stopped. He seemed to sniff the air and then he looked up and noticed me for the first time. “What the-! A human?” He turned to Drake. “What’s a human doing here?”

“There was a problem. Birch was one of her professors. We met him on the street and he and I fought. She saw the whole thing and he tried to attack her. I think she may be in danger.”

My eyes widened in surprise. So that was why. It made sense, really. I mean, why else keep me here? He hadn’t tried anything on me and I was pretty sure he was holding me for ransom but now hearing the reason, I felt oddly better instead of scared that whatever I was in danger from would get to me.

“Well, that is a problem. No matter.” James turned to me. “I’m James. Friend of Drakey here.” He held out his hand and I reached forward tentatively.

“Janelle.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” James said. He held onto my hand for a moment and then brought it up to his mouth, kissing the back of it. It would be an understatement to say that I was shocked. But maybe I shouldn’t be. After all, Drake didn’t seem to be affected by me staying in his house. I made a mental note to myself to ask him about that later on.

“Good, good. I’m glad you two know each other,” Drake cut in quickly, looking at James angrily. “But James, we need to talk.”

“Yes,” James said somewhat distractedly. “Yes, we do.”

“Upstairs, in the library,” Drake said. Then he turned to me. “Sorry, but you can’t come up with us. This is stuff that even more vampires aren’t supposed to know, never mind humans. You could always go out and explore if you want, since we’re in the library. Just, don’t go too far and try to keep the house in sight.” The two vampires disappeared up the stairs before giving me a chance to disagree or refuse. Sighing, I went out the back door in the kitchen and onto a large, wooden deck complete with a futon, barbeque and table and chair set. Walking past all that and down past the pool (honestly, why did he have all this stuff?) I went into the woods.

The woods were peaceful with only the birds and other wildlife to make noise. I really liked the quiet and I set out for a long walk. I walked through the brambles and such, making my way randomly through the woods (Drake’s warning to keep his house in sight was long forgotten) until I came to a rough path. I quickly followed it, curious to see where it would go. I had been walking for about fifteen minutes when I reached the end of the path and a large clearing with a cabin in the middle. I grinned, glad to see a sign that there was more to civilization around here than just Drake’s house and rushed into the clearing to peer in one of the windows.

I gasped in surprise. Completely organized and sitting on shelves and such were weapons. A massive amount of weapons actually. They ranged from guns to swords, bombs to maces. Everything. I stumbled away from the window, sure that whoever owned this place would not want me to know about it, and ran to the path. I started walking down it briskly, not aware of my surroundings, just concentrating on getting as far away from that cabin as I could. Ten minutes later, I was feeling much better as I was away from that cabin and I began to breathe more easily. That was, until I realized that I had no idea where I was and that I had no way to call for help. I started panicking, my breathing became ragged and my thoughts jumbled. It was only now that Drake’s warning for me to stay near the house came to mind and as soon as it did, I started berating myself for not paying attention to that.

Think rationally. Don’t panic. I started to tell myself and gradually I calmed down. The logical thing to do would be to go back along the path to the clearing and then walk about fifteen minutes back the way I had come from. I dismissed that idea almost immediately. I didn’t want to go anywhere near that cabin. Maybe if I just start walking in the direction of the house? That idea wasn’t a good one either but I had nothing else so I started walking through the bush. I kept walking. And walking. And walking. I walked until my legs hurt and the sun set to the west so that I couldn’t see anymore. Now I was really afraid. I wasn’t panicking though, I was trying to keep myself calm so I could think of what I could do to get someone’s attention.

By now it was completely dark, I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. I laid down on a fallen log, figuring that I wouldn’t be able to do anything until sunrise the next morning. I think I fell asleep because the next thing I knew, I could hear voices calling my name. I sat up groggily and then alert as I realized I really could hear my name.

“I’m here! Right here!” I shouted as loudly as I could.

Suddenly I was pulled from the log I was standing on and crushed into someone’s chest. “Janelle, oh gawd, Janelle,” was all I could hear and I was pretty sure that it was Drake’s voice. No one else had a voice like his.

“Oh you found her,” came another voice. James. He sounded a little disappointed but I would worry about that later. Now I was just glad that I had been found. “We might as well get her back to the house,” James continued.

“Yes, yes. I know,” said Drake. “Get on my back, Janelle,” he said gently. “We’ll get you back to the house.”

I got on his back, too tired to care about anything except the fact that I was going to be okay because Drake had found me. I sighed.

“Hold on,” Drake said. I did and before I could really think about it, we were back at the house and Drake was carrying me up the stairs and into my room. “Here, sleep. We’ll talk about this in the morning, okay?”

“Mmm,” was all I could come up with before I was fast asleep.