I inhale deeply through my perfect porcelain nose, drawing in the faint scent of blood and igniting my hunger once again. A clawing and growling erupts buried far in my belly. I abandon what little humanity I had clung to until this point. I know that there is no returning now. It is too late. Too late to stop the hunt.

If only I was like other teenagers. Normal. I yearn to have mortal concerns; to worry only about my measly allowance and the upcoming algebra final. Instead, I find myself contemplating my next meal and becoming increasingly distressed at the fact that I am yet to find another person like me. Abnormal.

Alas, that is not the case. I hide these thoughts in a corner of my mind, and focus on my main objective. Tracking the sweet aroma of freshly drawn blood, I tread silently through the colorful layer of September leaves on the forest floor. I pause frequently, to ensure that I am alone beneath the cover of the night sky.

My entire body tenses as I near my destination. Something is not right. My heartbeat is racing. Is this what I think it is? Could it really be? No, no, I mustn’t raise my hopes. Surely that will lead to disappointment. I continue cautiously, and soon reach a small clearing.

I quickly locate my prey- a small doe lying in a bad of tiny blue wildflowers. One of her hind legs has been broken; possibly by another predator. I edge towards the doe, stopping to stand a few feet away from her. The hunger is nearly unbearable now; I can barely resist the delicious temptation of her warm blood. I take one last step and kneel beside the doe, closing the gap between us.

“Isn’t this rather public to be feeding?” A voice shatters the silence that I had worked so hard to maintain. I flinch involuntarily and pivot gracefully to face the speaker. He is standing much closer than I expected. And more good-looking.

“It is now. I had meant to finish this quickly and be on my way, before you interrupted me.” I make a conscious effort to keep my voice even, although my brain is spinning. It is. He is. He has to be. It’s the only explanation I can think of.

“I apologize. I hadn’t realized that doe was already spoken for.” He says nonchalantly. “I am curious, though. Who are you? I thought I knew every vampire worth knowing.” My mind is now reeling. What is he talking about? What does ‘vampire’ mean? Why does it matter who I am? How should I respond?

My tongue decides for me. “I’m Rhona.”

“Rhona.” He repeats my name slowly. “It means powerful. Are you powerful?” He meets my gaze with his deep purple eyes. He has to be like me.

I consider this for a moment. “Very.” I respond, my green eyes glinting dangerously. “And you are?”

“Lorcan. I’m a senior at the Academy. I don’t recognize you. What grade are you in?” I stand speechless. Should I answer truthfully and tell him that I haven’t the slightest idea what ‘Academy’ he’s talking about?

“I’m seventeen.” I tell him as honestly as possible. Hopefully he’ll take this as an answer.

“You’re a junior?” Lorcan doesn’t wait for a reply. He frowns slightly. “Why aren’t you at the Academy, then? Freshman through juniors begin school a week before seniors.”

He gives me an expectant look. “I don’t attend the Academy. Quite honestly, I’ve never even heard of it before.” I say embarrassedly. The way he talks makes it sound like I should know everything he’s mentioned.

“You . . . don’t . . . attend the Academy? That’s impossible. All vamps under age eighteen are required to. You’d have to be an Illegal if you don’t.” There is a long silence.

“What’s an . . . Illegal?” I ask nervously. It doesn’t sound like a good thing to be.

Lorcan seems to have an epiphany. “You’re completely clueless, aren’t you? Do you even know what a vampire is?” I shake my head. “This is more serious than I thought,” He mutters to himself.

Lorcan appears to be deep in thought. I busy myself with the hundreds of questions flying about my head. Vampire? What’s a vampire? Am I a vampire? What’s an Illegal? Am I one of those too? Will I go to the Academy? Is-

Lorcan takes three strides towards me and wraps his warm hand around my thin wrist. He meets my confused gaze. “I think you’d better come with me.”