• After Mina closed the door he stood outside for a few minutes before heading home. Rick thought back to earlier how she told him about what she had seen when they first kissed. His insides twisted to the point where he was certain he would throw up. He felt so many different emotions it was sickening. Rick out of all of them he mostly felt love and betrail.
    Just then a shadow formed by his side. Jack his best friend apeared and began walking along side him.
    "So Ricky baby what's bugging you this time?" he asked.
    "None of your buissness!" Rick stated.
    "Come on, who's the babe? What's her name? Does she have any other hot friends?" Jack asked.
    Jack was a good friend but sometimes he didn't know when to shut up. Rick had met Jack twenty year ago. He remembered how he stumbled upon the homeless boy on the side of the street.
    Rick was visiting his old friend in Romania that year. He was walking down an alley way returning from a job interview at a welding factory when he noticed Jack, who at the time was human, was no more than a homeless boy with pnuemnia. He felt sorry for the boy so he picked him up and brought him back to his apartment that he rented. He tried to nurse Jack back to health but it was no use. The doctor told him that there was no way of saving him that it was only a matter of time. Rick refused to let the boy die. He was convinced that the boy had more to live for. So after the doctor had left he asked the boy what he wanted.
    Sitting down by Jack's side he asked him.
    "If you could would you want to live?"
    The boy looked up at him with his weak eyes and smiled.
    "Boy would I! But it's not possible. You heard the doc, he said that it's only a mere few days til I'm done." He looked away a few tears filling up in his eyes.
    "What if I told you that I could save you?"
    Jack looked up at Rick with a little interest.
    Rick went on, "Well I'm.........alright before I tell you anything at all you must be promise to remain calm and quiet."
    Jack nodded.
    Rick showed Jack what he truly was and he talked about how he could save his life. The boy stared at him intrigued at the thought of living forever.
    "Can you?" he asked Rick.
    Rick told the boy to seariously think about it before he answered but Jack was persistent. He didn't want to think about it because by the morning he could be dead. Rick nodded and stuck his teeth deep into the wrist of Jack. Jack winced in pain and then drifted off into a deep sleep.
    In the morning Jack's olive skin was a tad bit fare and his teeth grew sharp and pointy.
    "Hey Rick?" he asked.
    Rick looked down at the boy waiting for him to spit out what he had to say.
    "Why the wrist?" he began, "Why did you bite me in the wrist? Isn't it normally the neck?"
    Rick smiled and shook his head.
    "No you see the neck is where we would suck the blood out of you. It's how we kill the prey. If I were to bite you in the neck, not that it would work, but if it did we would end up snapping your neck with our powerful bite. We bite your wrist because it's just a broken wrist. Plus it heals by the next day."

    "That was Mina. She's well I guess you could call her my girlfriend." Rick answered.
    Jack punched him in the arm repeatedly, while jumping up an down and saying "you go dog!" Rick laughed at his friends over joyed reaction.
    "It's about time you found someone! It's been what ten years? I almost thought you were going gay on me!" Jack joked.
    Rick stopped and his smile fell. Jack stopped smiling too and asked his friend what was wrong. Rick began to shake his head and then his eyes watered up.
    "Remeber that night the old group when after those two vampires? The crazy ones that wanted to tell the world what they were?"
    Jack nodded, "Yeah! Those two were freaks. What about them?" he asked.
    "Those two vampires were her parents!" Rick fell to the ground pain stricken.
    "Now come one man that's nothing to be ashamed of. They deserved that and I bet this chick understands. Besides you were just a witness you never touched them."
    "I could have stopped it though. I just I was panicked and..........I never thought they were going to kill them! They were just suppose to talk to them. That's what they said."
    Jack shook his head, "They never were trutful, does she know? That you were there?"
    Rick shook his head as he stood up. "Can we just go home?"
    Jack looked over at his friend. "Rick you have to tell her."
    "I know. I know. But the first time she told me about it I thought nothing of it. I mean I thought that I could just go on without saying anything to her. Then after she told me about those visions and what she saw of me, that's when I realized that I have to do something. I might just as well move. I don't need to cause her any more pain."
    Jack stopped and slapped his friend. "You love her!"
    "What!?"
    "You love her! Admit it!"
    "Yes I have feelings for her but I don't think it's love." Rick said.
    "B.S! Come on man! You know you love her or you wouldn't be all freaked out about this. That's not the type of guy you are!" Jack hissed.
    "Okay! I love her! Happy now?"
    Jack smiled at his friend. "So why are you so worried about the visions and stuff?"
    "Because if we kiss again there's a chance her visions might become more distinct. Like faces of people.....of me!"
    Jack and Rick continued walking into town. They past the various shops on the sidewalks and veared right at the second intersection. They walked half a mile down the street until they reached the boarding house they lived in. Jack held the front door open for Rick and both the boys headed up the stair case to the second floor.
    Once inside the apartment Rick went off to take a shower while Jack crashed on the couch. Rick finally came out in nothing but a pair of boxers. His six pack shimmered from the light that hit his body. The muscles in his arms flexed when he went to the fridge and got out a bottle of water. The kitchen was big even though the room was three in one. On one side it was a kitchen which held the latest cooking wear. In the middle of the kitchen was a table which held four people. On the other side of the room was the living room. It too had the latest furniture. There was a couch, a loveseat, then across from the loveseat on the wall was the plasma screen. The decor in the house consisted of black and white photos from both Jack and Rick's various trips. Rick then went over to the loveseat and took a seat. He turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels. He stopped when his favorite move, "Pretty in Pink". Though Rick was too distracted to watch the movie.
    "hey! Jack.....Jack wake up!" Getting no response Rick threw a book at Jacks head.
    "OW! What the hell man!"
    "Jack....am.......am I a monster?"
    "What?!?"
    "Am I a monster?"
    "No! of course not dude! Why on earth would you think that?" Jack asked.
    "Because you didn't see the way Mina looked at me and screamed in horror. You weren't there to see what she saw of me!"
    "But that's not you she saw! Rick, what she saw was something else it wasn't you!" Jack said as he moved over to where Rick was sitting.

    The next morning Rick woke up on the coach. Jack wasn't there so he figured that he must have headed off to his own room after Rick fell asleep. Rick went down the hall to his room and pulled out a pair of jeans and his favorite band Tee. He then went to the bathroom to brush his hair and his teeth.
    Once out the door he zoned into his own world, putting his earbuds in his ears. The song last played was Something by Escape The Fate. Rick began a steady pace toward the park. He figured that Mina would be there under the willow scince that seemed to be their meeting place.
    Mina stood there in a pair of faded blue jeans ripped at the knees. Her purple shirt was bright and noticeable. Rick stopped to take in her beauty. She pulled her hair up in what appeared to be a messy ponytail but he wasn't sure because it looked almost perfect. Her eyes shimmered in the light that peeked through the willow's curtain. His mouth hung open for a moment before he started walking toward her.
    Mina came up to him and threw her arms around his neck. She kissed his lips softly and then just watched him smile at her.
    "Hey" she bagan, "I thought I'd meet you here!"
    "Yeah, this spot does seem to keep drawing us together," he giggled.
    "So what will we be doing today?" she asked.
    "I thought we could take a trip up to the beach," he suggested.
    "Sounds good to me. Um....can we stop at my house I will need to get a swm suit and stuff."
    "No prob. 'cus I need to get a swim suit as well. So, how about I pick you up in half an hour? That'll atleast give you time to get ready."
    She nodded then before they parted they both kissed. Rick watched her leave to make sure she got out alright. Then he started toward the apartment.
    He went to his room and grabbed a pair of swim trunks, and a towel. Then he went out into the hall and turned right toward the kitchen. There is where Jack was already stuffing his face with some left over cake.
    "Yo dog! Wanna hang today?" he asked.
    "No. I'm sorry dude but I'm taking Mina to the beach. Your more than welcome to come though," he gestured.
    "Nah cuz I'd just be intruding."
    "No seariously go grab a pair of trunks and let me just pack a lunch. I have to pick her up in half an hour."
    Jack was up and heading toward the bedroom before Rick even finished his sentence. Rick laughed at Jack's actions. At heart Jack was just that mear boy in the streets. He got so excited over the smallest of things. Rick knew Jack didn't really care much for doing stuff unless someone else was with him.
    Rick knocked on the door and a tall woman opened the door. She resembled Mina a lot with her green eyes, golden hair, and fare skin. Her smile wasn't as beautiful though. She looked down at him and smiled.
    "So you must be Rick? Hello. Please come in."
    "Thank you. You must be Tiffany. It's a pleasure to meet you. This is my friend Jack."
    Tiffany shook hands with both boys and then invited them into the living room while waiting for Mina. The living room was painted a dark orange brown, the couch, lounge chair, and chase were all the same greyish white color. Their TV wasn't asextravagant as Rick's. Rick and Jack took a seat on the couch while Tiffany chose to sit in the lounge chair.
    "So where shall you two gentlemen be taking my sister?" she asked.
    "Well I thought that it would be a nice day to take her up to the beach. You can come too if you would like." Rick smiled.
    "Oh no. I couldn't. You kids wouldn't like me tagging a long. Just go on and enjoy the day." she smiled at him with reassurence.
    Mina finally came down with a small backpack hanging off one shoulder. She smiled at Rick and shook hands with Jack. Rick saw her bikini strap peeking out around her neck. He smiled and then after saying goodbye they all headed out to his truck. Rick held open the passenger door for Mina as Jack got in the back. The drive was about an hour and the whole way there Jack and Rick told Mina about their life adventures.
    At the beach Jack ended up ditching Mina and Rick for a group of good looking girls. Rick was pleases that Jack left because now he could just spend time with Mina. He loved every moment being with her and so did she.