As they approached the alley, they noticed the sun was setting. He looked at her with his blood red eyes and his fangs were showing. It was time and she moved the collar of her shirt and showed her bare skin. He stepped closer, licked the spot, and then he sank his teeth into the gorgeous red flow. She winced in pain but only for a short time. When he was done, he licked the mark and it stopped bleeding. He licked his lips and grinned and then vanished into the darkness.

She fell to her knees and was lost in thought. Why, she thought, I hate him but I love him. She placed her hand on the bite mark, got up, walked back home, and went up to her room. She fell on her bed and looked up at the ceiling. She clutched a pillow in her arms, closed her eyes, thought back to the time she first met him, and fell into a deep sleep.

Soon after he came into the room where she was sleeping and looked at her. Then he walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams," he said quietly, and then disappeared.

© 2009 Genevieve S. Original for CCF. Genevieve S. grants CCF first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology.

* CCF does not publish students' last names on the work they submit for publication.