Chapter 1: The Necklace

Mara spangled up on her feet as she dashed to where her towel was lying. She picked up the towel, wrapped it around her neck and take a quick look at her friend who was still enjoying her sleep and pelted out of the house shutting the door quietly behind her. She has made it a daily routine to always go out for jogging every morning since she came to New York.

Today made it four months since she ran away from home in pursuit of her dreams. Her family owned one of the biggest hospital in Canada where she came from. Because she was the first child, her parents had persuade her to study medicine so she could take over the company later on. Whereas, she wanted to become an actress which her parents are not in support of.

She left Canada for New York when she realized how her parents always bedeviled her plans of becoming an actress. She moved in with her best friend, Asa. They both grew up in the same environment but Asa family moved out some few years back.

Still ruminating on how her parents never bothered to check up on her after leaving for the past four months. She bumped into someone and dropped the towel around her neck.

"I am sorry," She muttered as she bend down to pick up the towel.

"Are you blind? Do you need eye glasses? Do you have an eye defect?" A masculine voice yelled at her.

She picked up the towel and promised to swore an hell for whosoever the person is. She just apologized, so why the insult?

She snapped her head up still squatting and was about to open her mouth, but not a single word could come out of her mouth.

Standing Infront of her is a tall handsome man. He had an appearance which could make him stand out in a crowd. He was fair, almost pale white. His unfathomable golden eyeballs matched with his light toned face. His copper black hair, making him looked like a Demi God. His narrow and pointed nose, his thick eye brows all add to his elegancy. He looks so handsome from the depth of his eyes to his bare and broad chest. A necklace was dangling down on his neck. It's looks so old yet fashionable and valuable.

"Are you done staring?" The man fired and his coarse voice jolted her back to reality. She draw herself up slowly and muttered another, "I'm sorry."

"You are jogging, right?" The man asked as his eyebrows plunged into frown.

The only thing Mara could do is to nod in affirmation.

The man chuckled softly and said, "I wonder who go out this days jogging. Are you that poor that you can't go to a gym? Why are you even jogging? You are so thin, are you trying to loose weight? You will become thinner and uglier."

"I just apologized," Mara said bleakily.

"Really?" He laughed. "Maybe you should learn how to apologize in a more proper way."

Mara was pissed off already. She was calm and tolerating this man running mouth because he was handsome. Now, she realized that he is handsome with no brain cell. Still, she couldn't find the exact word to say to him, so she decided to walk away.

"Where are you going?" The man questioned.

"Your business?" She retorted.

"So you are leaving without apologizing properly?"

"Are you this dumb or you choose to be dumb for a day?" Mara fired at him. She need to give him a taste of her poison.

"Are you insulting me now after bumping into me?" He asked, each words laced with anger.

Mara scoffed, "You should be thanking your star that I only insulted you. I would have beaten you to pulp on a normal day."

The man let out a smirk, "Beat who to pulp? you are just so thin like ..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Mara launched a punch at his cheek and he staggered back.

His eyeball cloud with anger as his cheeks swells up.

"I hope you learn how to talk like a handsome man that you are," Mara bellowed as she hit him again before walking away. She couldn't believe that the man didn't attacked him back. He just stood at the same spot caressing his swollen cheeks.

"Mr Vlad, are you okay?" She heard someone and she turn to look. A man in suit was standing beside the man she attacked few seconds ago. The man in suit was observing his face.

"Ooh! So his name is Vlad. So garrulous for my liking," Mara murmured to herself and continue heading in the opposite direction.

She tucked her hand into her pocket to bring out her phone. She wanted to check her schedule for the day. She has a party to attend tonight by Seven O' clock in the evening.

Her friend Asa, also her roommate had gotten her an invitation to the party. She heard that many movies directors will be present at the party. So, she might get lucky, if she talked to one of them and she was given a role to play.

She decided to head home after getting a cup of coffee from a nearby canteen. She dragged her heavy feet to the canteen. She stood Infront of the canteen's door for a while to checked her reflection. The door was made of glass.

"Am I that thin?" She inhales and walked in to make her order.

After waiting for a few minutes, the waitress came with her order, she did the payment and head for house.

She got home and met her roommate, Asa twisting a key in the keyhole of a small bedside shelf. She had never seen her opening the shelf before.

"Hi Mara, you returned early today, what's up?" Asa scoffed as she pulled the key out of the keyhole and tucked it in her pocket.

"You won't believe it, I met a man today. He was so rude. I only bumped into him and he called me thin...." Mara paused.

"So what do you do?" Asa asked. She knew her friend won't let anyone to insult her and go scot free.

"I punched the hell out of him. But damnit he is handsome," Mara smiled.

"Aww... Tell me about him," Asa said as she plopped down on the couch beside her friend.

"He is tall...." Mara paused. "Are you not going to work?"

"I took the day off, don't forget we have a party to attend tonight," She replied.

"Awww, you are such a darling."

♣. ♣. ♠. ♣. ♣

After waiting for few minutes on the queue. It got to Mara and Asa's turn. Their invitation code was scanned and they were ushered inside.

The party was held in one of the biggest auditorium in the country. It is G & D Arena. The auditorium was filled with people. Everyone is in group of two or three. The dress code is navy blue. All men are in navy blue suit and ladies in navy blue dinner gown. Chatting and sounds of clinking glass cups can be heard as music was played solemnly in the background. The lighting in the auditorium made it looked like it was daytime.

Mara clinged to her friend arm as the latter dragged her to a spot where they could get a better glimpse of everyone in the hall. Asa picked up two cups of wine from the tray of a server.

"Here," She said pointing a cup to her friend.

"Thanks."

"Don't be nervous girl," Asa said pushing her slightly by her shoulder. "You have go through the piece of information I sent to you, right?" She asked.

"Yes," Mara exhaled nervously. She glanced through the crowd. Everyone in the hall put on an expensive outfit. Almost all their outfit is from G&D brand except hers and Asa's own. She was scared that the Directors might not grant her audience because of her cheap outfit.

"We will talk to Director Mark first. Let find him," Asa whispered.

"Director Mark," She blurted. They looked across the hall if they could see him. Their eyes moved from one person to another. As they were looking, Mara eyes fell on a tall man. He was standing a mile away and his back was facing her.

"He looked like that rude Vlad," She mumbled.

"Who?" Asa asked.

"The rude man I told you about," Mara said shooting a disgusting look at the man's direction so her friend could follow her gaze and see him.

The man turned his back when someone tapped him from behind. He flashed the person a smile showing off his dentition as he offered his hand for a handshake.

"Ohh, he is the one," Mara spat.

"Is he putting on a necklace?" Asa asked drawing each word.

"Yes..... Is he not handsome? I wonder if he is also an actor, no, that can't be. I would have seen his videos. Maybe he is model," Mara muttered.

"Asa," Mara called when she noticed that her friend has zoom out. She was staring at the man without rolling her eyeballs.

"Asa, Asa," She called again waving her hand Infront of her face.

"Ooh, sorry," She faked a smile.

Mara smirked, "Don't tell me that you zoomed out because of his cute face."

"I need to use the restroom. I will be back," She lied and rushed out placing the cup in her hand in a server's tray. She plucked out her phone from her hand bag and dialed a number.

"That necklace," She mumbled and placed the phone on her ear.

"Hey daughter, you remember me today," The receiver said at the other end.

"Hi Dad. Do you remember the ancient necklace?"

"What ancient...."

"The one Grandpa showed us his picture last year."

"What about it?"

"Someone wears it here. I have the feeling that he is a vampire,"She said bleakily.

"Where are you?"

"I will share you my location."

"Okay. I will be there in few minutes. Keep an eye on him," The receiver instructed.

"Okay Dad," She said and hanged up the call. She quickly shared her Dad her location before putting the phone back in her bag. She peeped through the window to see if the man was still there, but couldn't find him.

She decided to go to the second floor to check if he was there. She pressed the button beside the elevator door and the door crept open. She walked in and pressed the button for the next floor and watched the door closing.

Just before the door close, a hand stopped it and the door crept back open. The man from earlier walked in twisting his neck tie. He shot her a deadly look before pressing the close button.

Asa stared at the man's broad back. He was standing Infront of her. If only she had come with her gun and silver bullets, she would have get this bloody vampire Infront of her face down. She thought vampires are nothing but fictions even though she was born into a vampire hunter family. She had never seen a vampire before.

Her father said the last time he set his eyes on a vampire was fifty four years ago. He was ten then. The necklace wore by the man Infront of her convince her that there are vampires. The necklace is an ancient necklace known to prevent the harsh effect of sunlight on vampire skin. Since vampire can't move about during the daytime without getting burned by the sun radiation but any vampire that has the necklace on could walk around like a normal human being in a broad daylight.

"If only I had my gun here with me," She thought.

She heard the man smirked and speaked, "You should always take your gun with you."

She was shocked. "Can he hear my thought," She asked herself.

The man turned to look at her with a wicked smirked displayed on his face. He moved towards her while she dragged her feet back till her back hit the elevator's wall. She was sweating profusely and her heartbeat quickens. Now that a vampire was standing Infront of her, she couldn't remember any defence skills that she was taught.

The man draw closer and smiled, "It's been awhile since I have taste Human's blood."

"Don't..." Asa screeched at the top of her voice pushing him away. He grabbed her hands and pushed her back to the elevator's wall. His golden eyeballs changed to red and Asa closed her eyes. She was shivering with fear.

The man snapped out his fangs and held her neck violently. He was about to dig his fangs into her vein when he heard his name.

"Mr Gordon Vlad," the voice called again.

He stopped what he was doing, draw in his fangs and his eyeballs changed back to golden. He was still holding Asa by the neck and he could heard her heartbeat slowing down in relieve.

Asa snapped her eyes open, pushed him away and ran out of the elevator trembling with fear.

"Mr Gordon," the voice called for the third time. He turned to look, it was his manager. She was standing Infront of the elevator looking puzzled. "Did her boss just assaulted a lady?" She wondered.

He finally walked out of the elevator. "Tell Peter to look into that lady," He ordered and walked away.