Vampires

I laughed lightly and shook my head. "No not intimidating, I just tend to speak without thinking first." I said and giggled. I re-adjusted my hands around his neck so that the fingers were laced together and they were hanging loosely and placed on his neck instead of being completely clasped together, I wasn't touching skin though because the collar of his shirt and his hair covered it. "So..." I murmured, wondering what I should say. Suddenly a raindrop splattered down on my cheek, I shivered when it did. "Looks like a storms coming..." I said looking up, still dancing though.

I glanced up at the sky when she pointed the storm out to me and nodded. "Yeah, looks like it. I think we could finish the dance though." I added in with a wink and a grin. It wasn't but a few moments later that I was harshly proven wrong. A second drop hit my nose, then another on my head and a few landed on her face. Before I could suggest that we head under a gazebo, the downpour began. The rain tapped loudly against the already-soaked dock and darkened the top of my jacket and Ivy's dress almost immediately. I took my hands off of Ivy and, still smiling, motioned toward an empty gazebo with my left hand. I started walking, knowing that she'd be hurrying as fast as she could in her high heels right behind me.

I was about to nod and agree when the downpour began. "Oh great!" I said and looked down at my dress, I looked up at him as he motioned towards the gazebo and I started hurrying along behind him, trying to use my arms to keep my hair dry, but it was futile because my hair was already soaked and the few strands that had been curled around my face were now hanging limp. I continued to jog, my highheels clacking on the wood as I did, at one point my highheel got stuck in one of the cracks of the wood and I had to slip my foot out of it and start pulling. Once it was out I took my other shoe off and continued jogging barefoot. When we finally reached the gazebo I examined my dress, it was wet, but not too wet, which was good. I sighed and placed my highheels on a bench and turned to looked out at the rain. "Wow.. that was really sudden." I said.

I ran a hand through my now-damp hair as we got under the dry cover of the gazebo. "Gotta love it when it sneaks up on you like that." I added to her comment and smirked. The music went silent then and a few staff men ran out to throw tarps over the speakers all around the site. I glanced outside the gazebo and watched the cover of rain pour straight down, making it hard to see anyone else or even the other gazebo. The water-proof lights still glowed through the blanket of rain. I looked at Ivy and took a step toward her, then offered my hand just as I had minutes ago. "Shall we continue?" I asked, open to the fact that she might reject due to both of us being dampened by the rain. I still hoped.

I chuckled. "Yup." I said as I nodded and stared out into the rain, the lights continued to shine brightly and were the only things that could guide you out, because it was practically all you could see through the rain. I turned to look at him as he stepped towards me and offered his hand. I felt myself blush for what seemed like the millionth time today as I reached out and took it. "Of course," I smiled and stepped closer, "I'd love to." I said, despite the fact that we were both now really damp.

I smiled and took her hand, in a different way this time. I laced her fingers with mine and lifted our hands about to the height of my stomach, holding them between us, and placed a hand gently on the small of her back. A less high-school but still simple way of slow dancing. I smiled gently and waited for her to place a hand on my shoulder. I wanted to say something, but couldn't think of any words to live up to the situation.

I smiled as he last my hand with his and I placed my other hand on his shoulder. I glanced up at his face then looked back down again. Without thinking much about it I stepped a little bit closer as we danced. Now this was definitely one of those romantic movies scenes, to think it was actually happening to me. I smiled a little bit and looked up at him, meeting his gaze, not sure what to say.

Just like I had been before, I swayed back and forth and slid my feet on the wooden floor of the gazebo. I stared down at our feet as we silently danced for a few moments. At that moment, I wished that I was human. So I could dance without covering up as much skin as possible, and kiss her just like I wanted to. Without her thinking she was being kissed by a statue. I looked up and into her eyes, through the mask, and found myself wondering what to say. "I probably should have said this earlier, but you look beautiful tonight." I said in a low voice, close to a whisper, and smiled softly at her.

We danced in silence for a little while and then he looked up and spoke. I felt a smile tug onto my face as he complimented me and this time my cheeks burned. "Thank you." I said shyly. "You don't look bad yourself," I said and smiled, "Quite handsome." I added and looked down. I immediately looked back up and met his gaze. I felt like a magnet was pulling me closer, and closer as I leaned in, standing up on my tip toes now that I had lost a few inches from taking off my heels and was no longer almost his height. Before I could even think about what I was doing my lips met his. I was shocked on contact at how cold they were, they weren't warm like you would expect, and they were... kind of hard.

I smiled wider at her compliment and looked down again. I saw it coming when she leaned in to kiss me. Just like when I was on the bench, I knew I should pull away and stop her. And once again, some unfamiliar part of me didn't want to. I was too late though. By the time I could muster up the strength to pull away, her lips had pressed against mine. I could almost sense her shock at the touch of my skin. I didn't move, kiss back, or pull way, instead just closed my eyes tightly. What else could I do? She now knew that my skin was as hard, and cold, as a rock. I pulled away after a few seconds and opened my eyes to look at her, trying to gauge her reaction.

I was still shocked as I pulled away and stared at him for a few moments. Okay that was really strange, he was cold an hard.. He didn't kiss me back either, but then again I did just kiss an almost stranger, I mean I didn't know his name. "Uh..." I said stupidly and looked down. "Sorry." I mumbled as I kept my head low, I pulled my arms from around his neck and took one small step back, a blush formed on my cheeks from the embarrassment of it all. After feeling those cold lips, and how hard they were, something was telling me that I needed to go, get away from him, that wasn't normal for any human being. A shiver ran down my spine and I bit my lip, the nerves and the cold were setting in at the same time, causing me to shiver lightly. I tried desperately to rub some warmth back into my arms, but it was futile.

I took a half step back away from Ivy and tried to smile. "Don't be." I whispered, then added in a slightly louder voice. "Do you always attempt to kiss strangers?" I chuckled and pulled away from our embrace, placing my hands carefully behind my back. A fresh breeze, laced with the scent of the falling rain, blew toward us. And feeling sure that I could safely breathe in, I did so. However, I'd only taken half a step back. We remained close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from her body. I even could faintly hear her heart beating, blood pounding.
I could also smell it.
Like inhaling white-hot spikes straight down my throat, so came that one fatal intake of air. I felt a sort of monster inside me, raging. A part of me that came only during this new life, and never seemed to leave. It was that one instinctual part of me that thrashed at the chance to give up the charade of this "vegetarian" life and just be the way I was meant to be. A killer.
I took a full step away from her, battling the monster as it infiltrated my thought processes. I began contemplating just slipping on my willpower this one time. We were hidden by the rain, I could make it painless. She wouldn't even have time to notice that I'd moved.
But a second step back made the monster cringe, then gnash it's teeth at my attempts. So I used whatever control I still had over my body and turned around, running away from the temptation. I forced my legs to keep going, and before even a few seconds had passed, the masquerade was long behind me and I was dashing through the murky woods.

I attempted a small laugh but it came out sort of choked. There was no doubt that I felt really stupid at the moment and I had probably made a big mistake. I looked up at him and there was as weird expression on his face, like he was having a mental argument with himself and was somehow loosing? You don't see that very often. I stumbled back and away from him as I saw a different kind of expression in his eyes then before, then, he was gone. He turned around and ran. Disappearing seconds later into the downpour. I felt my hopes drop and shatter on the floor. Wow, I think I'd just scared him away. I let out a short sigh and shook my head, whatever, I would never see him again, good riddance.

I picked up my shoes from the wooden floor of the gazebo and was about to step out into the rain and head towards the entrance, but a voice rang through the darkness and I saw flashlights. "Ivyy!!" Called Katie's worried voice.

"Oh my gosh Katie I'm over here!!" I called, feeling a little less down. "Sorry I didn't head out earlier.. I ah. got distracted."

Katie wiggled her eyebrows at me once she got under the roof, "Oh really now? Or were you swept off your feet by some handsome stranger?!" She laughed lightly.

I blushed and decided to ignore her question as Josh, Joey and Jen followed behind her, all carrying umbrellas, and they were all changed. That's what I had forgotten, a spare change of clothes for after the masquerade, because we were going to go neon bowling, because it was open all night tonight. I mentally facepalmed and sighed. "Lets get going.." I said and took an extra umbrella that they offered me, and we all headed out into the rain. I took a few steps then looked towards the woods where the mysterious stranger had ran. A strange stranger... very strange indeed. I then took one last look at the gazebo then turned around and continued to walk.