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I do not need much sleep, two hours at htest Sunlight does affect ined in his tale of Count Dracula I read the novel Dracula when it first caraphic memory with a hundred percent comprehension I found the book delicious Unknown to Mr Stoker, he got to lish evening in the year 1899 I was very sweet to hi kiss before I left I alht it would have ruined any chance he would have had at writing a sequel, which I

encouraged hith on things that truly terrify theh the horror writers of the present think otherwise But Stoker was a perceptiveunusual about me I believe he had a bit of a crush on me

But the sun, the eternal fla the day, particularly when the sun is straight up, I often feel drowsy, not so tired that I ah that I lose s Also, I ah I am still more than a match for any ht I love the blurred edges of darker landscapes So Pluto

Yet the next day I am busy at dawn First I call the three business my accounts--each located on a different continent-- and tell them I am displeased to learn that my finances have been examined I listen to each protestation of innocence and detect no falsehood in their voices My ad abilities climbs a notch He must have used subtle means to delve into my affairs

Or else he&039;d had help

Of course I know he had help, but I also believe he turned against the man who sent him to find ht that he could scoreafter me directly That leads me to suspect that whoever hired Riley does not know the exact details of my life, where I live and such But I also realize he will notice Riley&039;s disappearance and co for whoever killed him I have time, I believe, but not much By nature, I prefer to be the hunter, not the hunted Yes, indeed, I voill kill those who hired Riley as surely as I wiped hih h that very day The wheels are set in motion and suddenly I have a new identity I auardian, Mrs Adams, will visit the school with my transcripts and enroll me in as many of Ray Riley&039;s classes as possible It has not takento learn the son&039;s na as the river of blood I have left across history I will never meet this fake Mrs Adams, and she will never meet me, unless she should talk about her efforts on Lara&039;s behalf Then, if that happens, she will never talk again My associates respect ht I ain to crave it after a week&039;s ti other than o too long But I do not die without it, at feast not readily I have gone for as long as sixhuman blood I only drink animal

blood if I am desperate It is only when I feed from a human that I feel truly satisfied, and I believe it is the life force in the blood that er for it more than the physical fluid itself I do not kno to define the life force except to say that it exists: the feel of the beating heart when I have a person&039;s vein in my mouth; the heat of their desires The life force in an animal is of a much cruder density When I suck on a human, it is as if I absorb a portion of the person&039;s essence, their will It takes a lot of willpower to live for fifty centuries

Humans do not turn into vae into one if they drink estive tract and is broken down into ends started that oral exchange could bring about the transfor blood with the person, and not just a little blood My blood has to overwhelm the other person&039;s system before he or she becomes immortal

Of course, I do notthe coast I am in Northern California before I stop; it is late There is a bar off the side of the road, fairly large I lances with their buddies The bartender does not ask lance There arefor a particular type, so alone in the co and burly, unshaven; his warm jacket is not dirty, but there are oil stains that did not coh, sitting behind his frosty beer, but a tad lonely He is a long-distance truck driver, I know the type I have often drunk from their veins

I sit down in front of him, and he looks up in surprise I smile; the expression can disarm as well as alarm, but he is happy to see me He orders h it is obvious he is--and he does not bring it up After a while we leave and he takes h I would have been satisfied with the back of his truck I tell hientle h with pleasure and lean his head back; he is not really sure what I a He stays in that position the whole time I drink, hypnotized with the sensation, which to hi caressed from the inside out--with the tip of my nails Which to me feels like it always does, sweet and natural, as natural aslove But I do not have sex with hiue and let a drop ofno scar, and I lay him down to rest I have drunk a couple pints He will sleep deep, et," I whisper in his ear

He won&039;t re I sit in Mr Castro&039;s history class My cream-colored dress is fashionable, on the rich side; the es four inches abovethes loose on my shoulders I wear no ht, and I study hiin in three ined He is cut in the mode of many handsome modern youths, with curly brown hair and a chiseled profile Yet his inner character pushes through his natural beauty and almost makes a mockery of it The boy is already more man than boy It shows in his brown eyes, soft but quick, in his silent pauses, as he takes in what his classmates say He reflects on it, and either accepts or rejects it, not caring what the others think He is his own person, Ray Riley, and I like that about hiht Her nairlfriend She is a scrawny thing, but with a shts up whenever she looks at Ray Her manner is assertive but not pushy, si hi to be an obstacle For her sake, I hope not I honestly prefer not to kill young people Pat&039;s clothes are simple, a blouse and jeans I suspect her family has little money But Ray is dressed sharp It makes me think of the million I offered his father Ray does not appear upset Probably his father often disappears for days at a time

I clear my throat and he looks over at me

"Hello," he says "Are you new?"

"Hi," I say "Yes I just checked in this " I offer my dainty hand "My name&039;s Lara Adams"

"Ray Riley" He shakes my hand His touch is warh people&039;s skin and tell if they have any serious ailments--even years before the diseaselashes Behind hi to another classmate and looks over "Where are you froht accent"

His comment startles me because I aenuinely curious

"I don&039;t know English, French--it sounds like a coland and France for extended periods of time "I have traveled a lot," I say "Maybe that&039;s what you hear"

"Must be" He gestures to his side "Lara, this is irlfriend, Pat McQueen Pat, meet Lara Adams"

Pat nods "Hi, Lara" Her manner is not the least defensive She trusts in Ray&039;s love, and in her own

That is going to change I think of Riley&039;s computer, which I have left in his office It will not be terribly long before the police come to look around, and maybe take the computer away But I have not taken theto Ray what I was doing with it, much less be able to convince him to open its data files "Hello, Pat," I say "Nice to meet you" "Same here," she says "That&039;s a beautiful dress" "Thank you" I would have preferred to have met Ray without Pat around Then it would have been easier for him to start a relationship with ather Ray&039;s interest What o back to hi in this class?" I ask

"European history," he says, "The class just gives a broad overview Right noe&039;re talking about the French Revolution Know anything about it?"

"I knew Marie Antoinette personally," I lie I knew of Antoinette, but I was never close to the French nobility, for they were boring But I was there, in the crowd, the day Marie Antoinette was beheaded I actually sighed when the blade sliced across her neck The guillotine was one of the few ed a couple of tiot over it But had I lost my head, I know that would have been the end I was there at the start of the French Revolution, but I was in America before it ended

"Did she really say, &039;Let theht was a joke

"I believe it was her aunt who said that" The teacher, Mr Castor, enters the roo example of a modern educator if ever there was one He only sirls as he strides to the front of the room He is attractive in an aftershave-commercial sort of way I nod to his "Not bad"

"But not good?"

Ray sizes me up "I think he&039;ll like you"

"Understood"

The class starts Mr Castro introduces me to the rest of the students and asks me to stand and talk about myself I remain seated and say ten words Mr Castor appears put out but lets it go The lesson begins

Ah, history, what an illusion huue the reality of their texts until they are blue in the face, even though so as recent as the Second World War is re for the ti, not events, is to me the essence of history The reat adventure against i parade of suffering How quickly

Even I, a bloodthirsty harlot if ever there was one, have never witnessed a glorious war

Mr Castro has no feeling for the past He doesn&039;t even have his facts straight He lectures for thirty ht sun hasout the

"Miss Adaive us your thoughts on the French nobility?"

"I think they were very noble," I say;

Mr Castro frowns "You approve of their excesses at the expense of the poor?"

I glance at Ray before answering, I do not think he wants the typical teenage girl, not deep inside, and I have no intention of acting like one He is watchingboy

"I don&039;t approve or disapprove," I say "I accept it People in power always take advantage of those without power"

"That sounds like a generalization if I ever heard one," Mr Castro replies "What school did you go to beforeto Mayfair?"

"What school I went to doesn&039;t matter"

"It sounds as if you have a problem with authority," Mr Castro says

"Not always It depends"

"On what?"

"Whether the authority is foolish or not," I say with a s about hioes on to another topic

But the teacher asks s This bothers me; I wish to use this time to speak to Ray I watch as he leaves the roolances over his shoulder at ht Mr Castro taps his desk, wanting ?" I ask him

"I hope not," Mr Castro says "I aood start That each of us understands where the other is coh to cause hih to make him squir from," I say

He is annoyed "Oh, and where is that?"

I can sht, and alcohol froht before that He is only thirty, but the circles under his eyes indicate his liver is close to seventy His tough stance is only an ie; his hands shake as he waits for nore his question

"You think I have a bad attitude," I say "Honestly, I am not what you think If you knewof history and " I let rade are you hoping to get in this class?"

His question ive his cheek a pinch, a hard one that makes him jump He&039;s lucky I don&039;t do the same to his crotch "Why, Mr Castro, I&039;ive little old Lara just about any grade she wants, don&039;t you think?"

He tries to brush one "Hey! You better watch it,you, Mr Castro Just to make sure you don&039;t die of drink before the serade, you know"

"I don&039;t drink," he protests feebly as I walk away

"And I don&039;t give a darade," I say over my shoulder

I fail to catch Ray before my next class starts, which I do not share with hiuardian was unable to h fifty onometry, which naturally I know al the teacher

The next period I don&039;t have with Ray either, although I know fourth period ill be together in biology Third is PE and I have brought blue shorts and a white T-shirt to wear The girlfriend, Pat McQueen, has the locker beside mine and speaks to me as we undress

"Why did Castro ask you to stay behind?" she asks

"He wanted to ask uy What did you think of Ray?"

Pat is not excessively paranoid, but she is trying to ascertain where I a from "I think he needs lots of love," I say

Pat is not sure what to think of that, so she laughs "I give hi my momentarily naked body "You know, you really are incredibly beautiful Youon you all the time"

I pull on my shorts "I don&039;t mind I just hit them back Hard"

Pat s the boys and girls of Mayfair in the rudiued The class is coed and the bow and arrow in h, the ancient reatest archer of all time, is not one I should stir For Arjuna killed more vampires than any other ht

All because Krishna wished it so

Pat follows me out onto the field, but tactfully separates herself from me as we select our equipment I have already spooked her, and I don&039;t think that is bad I wear strong sunglasses, gray tinted As I gather lasses and headphones speaks to me