2 Chapter One

"It's getting dark, I should probably head home. Don't wanna be out past curfew." I explain to Zack, my best friend since birth, as I get my Green Day hoodie on. The early Fall whether caused quite a chill once it hits 4:30pm.

"Awe man, do ya really have to go? Why don't I just ask Moma if you can stay the night." he suggests.

I'd love to spend the night, but I hate being a burden to people. It's also such short notice, I don't want to cause any trouble. "Nah, its fine. I don't wanna trouble Donna with it. Besides, we have school tomorrow....I should go now, before, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 come out."

Zack sighs, "Yeah, i'll see ya at school."

"See ya. Bye." I open the door ready to walk out.

"Bye." with that, I left. The air around me sending shivers throughout my body. It seems as if everyone has already locked up for the night. Belleville is like a ghost town after 6:30 when the sun starts to set. A gust of wind flows through the trees, making their multi-colored leaves rustle and fall. It is peaceful though, but dangerous. The nighttime has always been my favorite, but I can only enjoy it from my window. Sometimes, I wish we didn't have to live in fear of these creatures. I don't even believe they're real. I think someone made them up to decrease the nightly crime population. Although, if you think about it, it really doesn't, because the vampires are murdering people. So, technically, it doesn't do shit. It's all pointless. I cant help but to think that, I'm an over thinker, its what I do best. Besides, why would I actually believe in an immortal being with better abilities, than the human race, that tries to kill people for their blood. Who the fuck would believe that, well apparently this whole fucking town. Vampires are something from horror films, they don't actually exist. It's all stupid. I take my time walking home, but I cant move too slow or else my mom will bitch about how the creatures could have got me. Blah, blah, blah. My house comes into view and I sigh to myself.

As expected, the moment I walk through the door, my mothers worry filled voice echos through the living room, "Ohmigod! Frankie, where were you? I thought those-those things got you!"

She engulfs me in a tight hug. She's always so overdramatic. I stand there stiffly with an un-phased look upon my face, "I'm fine. I was at Zacks and vampires arent real Ma. It's just a stupid lie they tell us so no one causes crime or vandalism at night."

"Frank, it is not a lie. They are real and will getchya if you're not careful." she scolds.

"Whatever, So tomorrow Andy's having a little group get together at his house at 5. Can I go?" I ask.

"Frankie, you know I adore all your friends but that's late and you guys are teenage boys who, despite age, are very irresponsible. I don't know. And a group get together? Really? You don't have to lie to me. If its a party, just say its a party." she responds.

"But its not a party Ma. It really is only a get together." I explain. It's really not a party. We have a small friend group and we all decided we were gonna hang out and play truth or dare.

"Fine, you can go, but you have to promise me that you'll be careful and you wont go out after 6." she bargains.

"I promise."

She sighs, "Don't make me regret this, Frankie. Now head on up to bed, you got school tomorrow."

"I know. Goodnight Ma." I call down to her as I trek up the stairs.

"Goodnight, Frankie. Love you."

"Love ya too." I shut the door to my room and flop onto my bed. Setting my alarm to 5:30a.m., I put my phone on my nightstand and try to go to sleep. After tossing and turning for a half hour, I decide to just get up. I walk over to my window and open it, taking in the cool air. It's the nice cool air flowing into my lungs that make me feel at peace with thoughts. I lean over the window sill and look down. The ground over 20 feet below me. Looking up, the starry sky, littered with the bright orbs that is burning balls of gas millions of miles away.

I sit there for about 15 minutes trying to find the Big Dipper when I hear someone say something, "Ya wont find it lookin that way, Sugar."

The voice scares me half to death as I look around trying to find who it belongs to. After not seeing anyone I call out, my breath making a cloud of smoke, "Who's out there?" No sound. I go with the most movie-like choice of words, "Show yourself."

A guy emerges from the shadows under the Weeping Willow that resides in the far back corner of my backyard. "Boo." he says as he stalks out of the shadows.

"Are you crazy? Do you have a death wish or somethin? Being out this late is dangerous." I warn, despite my lack of belief in the creature we call vampires.

"Not really. I'm alive aren't I? There's nothin to be afraid of out here. I know you think so also, I can see it in your eyes." he says.

"How can you possibly see my eyes from that far?" I cross my arms.

"That is a rather fair point, but aren't I right though?" I can barely make out a smirk on his lips.

"Strangely, yes." I furrow my eyebrows. "Why are you in my yard? Isn't this technically trespassing?"

"You should come join me. Its a rather nice night for a walk. Not too cold, not too hot. Just right." He completely ignores my questions.

"I'm fine right here, looking for the Big Dipper." I say, trying to avoid him. He seems too calm for someone out way past curfew in a dangerously contaminated city.

"Well you're not gonna find it looking that way. You like star gazing? I know a great spot. We can go there and I can show you where the Big Dipper is, along with other constellations." hes persistent.

"How do I know you're not a mass murderer?" I quiz.

"Do I look like one?" He smirks.

"I mean you did just walk out of the shadows beneath my Willow tree in the way back of my backyard." I point out.

"That is rather strange of me I suppose, but I am no murderer. I'm only 17, I wouldn't want to throw my life away with the chance of being caught and thrown in prison for all eternity. Plus, I don't like death, it makes me uncomfortable." his excuse seems adequate enough. Maybe I can trust him.

"Okay, I guess I can go with you for a few." I make up my mind. How dangerous can this guy be. Carefully, I climb through my window, grabbing onto the inside of my window to prevent me from falling. It takes a minute, but eventually, I manage to get down, having mini heart attacks everytime I almost fell. When I reach the bottom, I turn around to see the stranger standing right behind me, making me jump in fright. "Jesus, don't do thay."

He smirks, "Don't do what? All I did was walk over to you."

I glare at him before asking my question, "So, you gotta name or am I suppose to just magically know it?"

he chuckles, "It's Jared. Jared Sharp and yours?"

"Frank Airo, but its spelt A-I-R-O, not A-E-R-O." I respond. "Now, where are you taking me?"

"To look at the stars of course. Thats what you were doing to begin with." he informs like I don't already know what I was doing.

"I know what I was doing." I sass.

"Well you're the one who asked." he shrugs. "Now c'mon before all the talking wakes your mom. Shes a very light sleeper."

"How do you know that?"

"I know things." he begins to walk away. I follow not thinking too much of it. If there really are monsters out here then he would be dead. I cant believe I'm doing this. I'm sneaking out to go somewhere, I don't even know where, with a hot stranger. Take me away prince charming. He leads me to an old abandoned house in the middle of a forest, hidden away from the town. Is this the part where he murders me?

"What are we doing here?" my voice on edge.

"We're gonna go star gazing like I said we were." he smirks, inching closer to me in a predatory way, "What's the matter? Scared? What you think I might murder you?" he jumps at me. All I do is flinch from fear. My response to fear will one day get me killed I swear. He starts laughing, "I'm just joking. I'm not gonna kill you. I like you. You will make good company soon."

Despite, those words sounded threatening and my brain telling me hes dangerous and to run, I stay, "Okay?....but outta all the places we could've gone, why here?"

"Because there's a great view of the stars from my bedroom window." he explains walking towards the old, unstable looking building.

"You live here?"

"Yep, its comfy for me. It just gets lonely sometimes." he says, wedging the raggedy, wooden door open enough to slip through.

I follow in after him, "You live alone?"

"Yeah."

"What about your parents?" I watch as he closes the door back up.

"Don't have 'em anymore. They're dead and I'm not sad about it." his tone gets darker at the mention of his parents.

"Oh." I mumble. "So where's your room?"

"This way, c'mon." he leads me up some rickety stairs that make a horrible squeaking sound with every step. We reach the top and I see that there's a giant hole in the corner of the upper roof. "We gotta go through there and climb up." he points at the hole.

"That doesn't look too safe." my nerves are a bit on edge with the fact that I have no clue who this guy is, yet I followed him out to an abandoned area in the middle of the night to go star gazing. 'Smart'.

"I do it all the time, you'll be fine. It's not like imma push you off." he heads over and begins to climb effortlessly. I sigh in defeat and follow after him, struggling in some spots. He made this look way too easy.

It just occured to me that this guy said he's 17. "Hey, how come I never see you at school if you're 17?"

"I never went to school to begin with. My parents began homeschooling me since I was born. I knew everything I needed to know by the age of 6. And I mean everything, even college math. They were very strict and abusive assholes. That's why I'm happy they were murdered. They deserved it, they wronged alot of people and thought they were untouchable. Clearly they weren't." the last part he says with an empty laugh. That was a bit much on the over information side, but okay.

"Oh. Well, do you always stay here. I mean what do you do in your free time?" I ask.

"Just hang around. I don't really have anywhere important to be.....We only have a few hours left 'til sunrise and the stars disappear." he lays down on top of the roof and gazes up into the starry sky. I nod and copy his actions.

Sometime into star gazing, I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up to someone shaking me. "Mmm." I grunt.

"Sugar, the suns comin up, don't you have to go to school?" I hear Jared's voice ring through my ears. I remember where I'm at and quickly sit up.

"Shit." I mumble. "I fell asleep. When did I fall asleep?"

"About....10 minutes into looking for the Big Dipper." Jared answers.

"Why didn't you wake me?" I rub the sleep from my eyes.

"You looked peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you." he shrugs. "We gotta get you back home before your mother realises you're gone. C'mon." He jumps down into the hole and ushers me to hurry. I get up, stretching quickly and hurrying down into the barn. He leads me through the woods and back into my backyard. "If ya ever wanna hang again or need me. I'll be in the barn. Just follow the tree scratchings and the creek. Bye, Sugar." I wave to him before he turns around and disappears into the darkness of the forest. I rush back over to my house, climbing up the way I came down and slipping back through my bedroom window. As soon as I plop onto my bed my alarm starts going off. I turn it off and sigh, getting off my bed to get ready for school.