Children of Darkness

"He called me a vampire," AJ said, slowly exhaling the cigarette smoke from his lungs. "He called me a fucking vampire. Can you believe that shit? And on M fucking TV of all places. Everybody in the entire country either read it or heard it. That soundbite has been on Inside Edition, Access Hollywood, and every other tabloid show there is."

Rhiannon sat across from him, staring at him through her blue tinted sunglasses. She smiled a little. He was so beautiful, this new one. This new object of her desire. His dark hair was cut very short, and his round brown eyes were fringed with the most incredible lashes she had ever seen. His lips always looked so soft, too. What she wouldn't give to kiss those lips just once. She tossed her long dark hair and reached across the space that separated them, taking the cigarette out of his fingers. She took a draw from it and handed it back.

"He was upset, AJ," she said, exhaling the smoke. "I'm sure he just wasn't thinking clearly. You know, it was just as stressful for him as it was for you. I know you don't believe me, but I was with him. You didn't see how much it affected him."

"He was being a jerk," AJ said, laughing bitterly. "A vampire. If that isn't the damndest thing I've ever heard. I wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for him."

"Too late for regret now. What's done is done."

"But..."

"You can't blame Kevin. You asked for it. No, let me rephrase that. You begged for it. He just gave you what you wanted. You can't deny that you wanted it."

"Yeah, but I didn't know what I was asking for. He should have..."

"He DID, AJ. He warned you. He tried to talk you out of it. You know he did, so don't try to pin this on him. At least you had a choice in the matter." Rhiannon always had a way of knowing exactly what AJ was thinking. He had always wondered how she did it. Now he knew. Along with the gift came a certain amount of telepathy. His gift was weak now, and he could only catch bits and pieces of people's thoughts here and there. Rhiannon told him it only got stronger as he got stronger. She could hear anything she wanted. Some nights, it was hard to tune it out. She sometimes heard things she didn't want to hear.

"I'm scared," AJ said quietly. "I don't know what to do now."

"It's ok to be scared. We were all scared at first. But you get used to it. The fear does eventually subside, then you're just left with the gift. Then you can start thinking about what you're going to do with... eternity"

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1 YEAR EARLIER

Kevin laid on the bench in the gym, lifting the weighted bar repeatedly, exhaling loudly each time. The sweat ran down the sides of his face into his hair, and his face reddened under the strain. He could feel the strain in his chest and in his arms. Pain. He liked it.

"...Forty-nine, fifty," he said softly, replacing the bar on the stand. He sat up and wiped his face with his towel, and looked around at the other people in the gym. Not too many people, he thought. But then again, this was his favorite time to work out because there weren't very many people around. It was just before midnight when Kevin climbed onto the treadmill and began to run. He glanced over at the girl beside him. She was truly beautiful. Long blonde hair. Pale skin. Striking green eyes. She looked over at him and smiled. Her smile was beguiling. He felt a tingle run down his spine. He smiled to himself and shook his head as he turned his attention back to the television on the wall. As he continued his run, he kept feeling compelled to look at this girl again. Every time he would glance at her, she would smile. Or was that a smirk? He couldn't tell. After thirty minutes, he slowed his pace, then got off the treadmill and walked toward the locker room to shower.

He stood under the warm water, allowing it to course over his tired, aching muscles. It had been a good workout. Kevin loved to leave the gym a little sore. It always let him know he had pushed his body a little further than it was used to being pushed. He stepped out of the shower and dried off, then put on his clean clothes. He grabbed his bag and walked out the door of the gym. He saw her... the blonde... leaning against his car. He smiled slightly as he walked closer.

"Hi," he said, running his fingers through his wet hair.

"Hi," she responded, biting her bottom lip a little. She was so beautiful. Her eyes... there was just something about her eyes... Kevin couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something in her eyes was drawing him to her.

"I'm Kevin."

"I know."

"Are you going to tell me your name?" he asked, laughing.

"Lorelei."

"Nice to meet you."

She nodded, then tilted her head to the side. "So... are we going? Or not?"

"Going?" he said, laughing.

She nodded. He smiled and unlocked the door, then opened it for her. When she sat down in the passenger seat, he closed the door, never suspecting that this would be the biggest mistake of his life.

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