Chapter 2

In the morning, Althea woke with a pounding headache, which was made worse with the streaming sunlight that was coming in through her open curtains. Moving swiftly Althea closed them and fell back onto her bed. Her hair was almost completely black and pooled around her as she closed her eyes. Hiding under the covers, it was obvious just how much she avoided the sunlight. But in a way it made her quite attractive since her naturally pink lips added to her beauty. Off in the distance, came the shrill sound of the phone, and Althea groaned in complaint — she wouldn't get it, she'd let the machine pick it up. Hearing the click Althea ignored the message; she'd listen later.

She laid there for what felt like an hour longer, but casting a glance at the digital alarm clock it was really just fifteen minutes. Rolling over onto her stomach, her blue-grey eyes fluttered open. Stretching her mouth wide in a yawn, revealing pearly white fangs, Althea licked her lips and looked around, her face tight with that nagging pain still behind her tired eyes.

"Time for a shower…" Althea spoke to herself and crawled off the bed and slid face first to the floor with a heavy thud.

Althea climbed to her feet, using the bed, wall, and even her bedside table as support to get to her feet. Slowly with one hand out in front of her, rubbing her eyes, Althea slowly made her way into the bathroom. Feeling the flooring change from her fuzzy carpet to laminate flooring, and then into bathroom tiles, she slammed the door behind her; which caused a small flinch to rake her body. A little more awake, she started to strip, dropping her shorts and panties to the floor and stepped out of them while she removed her shirt and then dropped that with her shorts. She looked into the mirror as she stared back at herself.

Althea didn't feel as though she was ugly, nor was she full of herself, not thinking she was the most gorgeous creature to walk this earth. She stretched her arms high over her head, arched her back, locked her knees and even spread her toes as far as they could go. Dropping her arms she ran her hands over her average sized chest, over her waist and stopped on her hips. She sighed again and stepped into the shower closing the curtain.

Althea spent twenty minutes in the shower – most of it just waking up. She stopped the onset of water, moving the curtain aside and she stepped out. Grabbing a towel from the cabinet by the window, she wrapped it around herself. She moved back to the sink and to the mirror and slid her hand over the fogged mirror to clear it. She grimaced in disgust, not because of how she looked, just mostly how she felt. Pausing a moment, she leaned closer and moved her top lip aside — she fell asleep with the caps in. Rolling her eyes at her forgetfulness she removed them carefully and just left them on the counter there in the bathroom and quickly made her way back to her room to get dressed.

She came out a couple minutes later in an oversized black hoodie, baggy navy blue pajama pants and bare feet. In one hand was a hairbrush and in the other was a red scrunchy. Walking past the phone and the answering machine, Althea pushed the flashing red light and listened to the messages.

The first one was just her mother checking up on her. She had moved out of her mother's place just a couple months ago, and her mother was a worried wreck.

The second, was just some telemarketer asking about something or another and if she was interested. Yeah right!

Lastly was Cassandra, asking if Althea was all right and if she'd call the second she got out of bed or the shower or wherever she was when she called.

"Poor Cass," Althea mused to herself "Probably feeling worse than me."

She picked up the phone and hit 1, for the speed dial and waited until Cassandra answered the phone with a groan "Hello?"

"Yeah, you sound worse than I feel" Althea answered forcing herself not to yawn

"Oh, good," came Cassandra's groggy voice from the other end. "I just wanted to see how you were doing, and if you wanted to go back Friday night."

Althea didn't answer right away. A sudden flash back flooded her memory of last night. A man in the dark, a muffled scream and something about forgetting; obviously she didn't forget.

"Lea, you there?" Cassandra asked, and Althea nodded. "Althea!?"

'Oops, right, she can't see me' Althea smirked to herself before she answered, "Yeah, I'm here, and yeah sure. I think I can handle another night partying, and I get paid this week too."

"Cool, so we meet at the corner around the same time as last night?" Cassandra asked.

"Sure, sounds alright. I might be a little late, not sure yet," Althea answered with a little bit of enthusiasm.

"Well, just be sure to let me know if you're going to be really late"

"I'll try! See you tonight at supper,"

"See you!" There was a small click as Cassandra hung up and Althea set down the receiver and looked around. Her stomach was yearning for food!

"Food…" Althea groaned like a zombie after brains. She trudged stiff legged to the kitchen and started to find something – anything – to eat and satisfy the beast that was her growling stomach.

}-

A bleach blonde male wearing a blood red bathrobe, around six feet tall, stalked the halls of a very dark house. A plush black carpet ran the length of the hall muffling his footsteps. Torches lined the wall casting his face in an eerie glow, he was very handsome, his eyes where a very deep and piercing brown. He didn't seem happy though.

As he stormed through the hall, the house started to look more and more like a mansion. All the windows were covered with heavy, thick dark drapes leaving no chance of the sunlight to seep past them. A clock chimed from somewhere, letting those whom would hear it know the time.

Reaching a door, the blonde flung it wide open, banging it against the wall, causing a young woman in a plain black dress that flirted with her ankles to jump. A white apron was tired around her waist. Her hair was pulled up and tucked under a bonnet of some kind. His gaze did not go to this fair face, but rather the one that sat across from her.

"Damien, what are you doing up at this Godly hour?" he snapped.

"Afternoon, to you too Garrett," Damien answered, smiling at him.

Damien was wearing a pair of worn black jeans, and a dark navy blue plain T-shirt. On his feet were black moccasin slippers. Before him on the table was a red mug, with steam coming from the liquid inside. His hair was a rich black with what looked like blue under tones, while his eyes were a sharp shade of gold with flecks of green within them.

"Oh, so then you do realize it is twelve in the bloody afternoon!?" Garrett yelled, red rimming the perimeter of his irises. This caused the little maid to skidder from the room in fright "What the heck are you doing up?!"

"Yes, I realize the time," Damien answered, taking a sip of the contents of the mug. Setting the mug down, there was something like a red mustache left behind on his top lip. With a quick sweep of his tongue, the blood was gone. "And as for what I am doing up so early… or late depending on how you look at it, I had a little trouble sleeping."

"Trouble sleeping?" echoed Garrett. "You had trouble sleeping? It is because you let that little snack get away?"

Damien looked at Garrett, like he had grown a second head. He remained silent for a few more moments before he nodded "You might just be right. But not for the reasons you are thinking. She seemed… different somehow."

"Well, you know there is only one cure for that," Garrett spoke, having calmed down. He took a mug of his own and grabbing the coffee pot filled the mug with blood. Damien raised an eyebrow at him in slight confusion as he listened "It is one of two things. One, either you kill her to get her out of your head. Or two, kidnap her, and turn her into a pet!"

"Knowing you, you would probably kill her," Damien smirked showing off one of his fangs taking another mouthful of the steaming blood.

"No, by the way she smelled, I would probably keep her around for a while too," Garrett smirked, drinking down the blood in one gulp. "But come on Damien. We should get back to bed – if we are going to find this mystery woman of yours, we are going to need as much rest as we can get,"

Damien nodded, finished his mug, left it there on the table, and followed Garrett out of the kitchen and back to their rooms.

Meanwhile, Althea was trudging back up the steps of her apartment. "Damn elevator," she groaned to herself, "Why did it have to be broken?" Althea had gone shopping after a quick breakfast of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. She had kept her hoody on, but changed into a pair of baggy blue jeans. As Althea walked, her heavy boots clunked which accompanied her constant groans.

"Hey, do you need some help?" a voice asked from behind her. Althea looked back and blinked a little. It was the guy that lived next to her, a blonde with a number three buzz haircut, black-eyed sweetheart – as some of the girls on their floor had said. True Althea thought he was a really nice guy, but he wasn't her type.

'Then again… what is my type?' Althea asked herself, as a quick flash of the dark silhouette flooded her vision for the umpteenth time that day. Althea smiled turning side ways so he could stand beside her "That, would be great!"

He smiled and took a couple of the heavier bags from her. Since they lived on the same floor, Althea let him walk before her and she followed behind him. "So… what's you're name?"

"Pardon me?" Althea asked, looking up having not heard him clearly.

"Your name; I don't know it." He smiled softly at her. "We've been neighbours for the last month and I've never heard your name!"

Althea laughed a little. He was completely right. She didn't even know his name "I'll tell you, only if you tell me your name!"

"Oh, well my lady" He smiled brightly at her as he stopped in front of her door. "I am the infamous Charley Brown!"

"Charley Brown?" Althea tried her hardest not to smirk and laugh in his face "Are, you being serious?"

"No, my name is Charley," Charley answered with a shrug. "My last name is James."

Althea started to giggle, and Charley seemed to grin in triumph at this. "My name is Althea Hudgens" She set the grocery bags onto the ground, and extended her hand to him "You can call me Lea if you like – everyone else does."

Taking a moment, Charley set the bags on the ground with the others, wiped his hand on his pant leg and took her hand. Instantly Althea felt a tug and a small kiss on her knuckles "It's a pleasure Lea."

The way her nickname rolled off Charley's tongue, caused Althea to shiver and got this weird feeling down her spine and pooled in the middle of her gut. She tried her best to hide it and smile at him "Well, Charley, thank you for your help." She unlocked her door and set all the bags inside before she turned back to him "I hope you have a nice day," Althea scooted inside and closed the door and locked it behind her, not giving Charley a chance to say anything else.

"That was creepy," She sighed and started to put the groceries away. Once she was done, the phone went off again and Althea dashed for the phone, picking it up at the last second "Hello?"

"And just were have you been?" came Cassandra's voice from the other end

"It's called shopping," Althea answered well naturedly. "I kind of had to jump over the bags to get to the phone you know."

"Right, that kitchen is so small," Cassandra answered. "Anyway, I just wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight."

"Of course we are. Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know!" Cassandra sighed a little. "You know me, I like to check and make sure. But yeah, don't forget because it's October, so costumes are a must if you want to get into the clubs half price!"

"I know Cass, I know," Althea sighed and rolled her eyes a little. "You've been dragging me to clubs, since we were of legal drinking age."

"Yeah, yeah," Cassandra replied, like she was trying to dismiss the subject. "So see you soon."

"Right – see you Cass," Althea hung up the phone as Cassandra did and she went back to putting her groceries away.