Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Uzi stumbled down the dark sidewalk, a few flickering streetlamps and the full moon above lighting her way. Her stomach ached with every movement she made, and her breath reeked of alcohol. She had been feeling pretty out of it lately,so Thad had invited her to a party he was attending.

“'Just let yourself go for a night' he said, 'It'll clear your head' he said.” She repeated in a mocking tone. She had gone hoping for a night of fun, and left with a blistering headache and a belly full of cheap food and even cheaper beer. Thad was a nice guy, but she really has to think twice when he invites her to party with their inane classmates.

The sound of crunching gravel caught Uzi's attention momentarily, and she slowly tuned her head to see a black sedan idly cruising along the road, headlights off and windows heavily tinted, completely obscuring whoever was inside. Uzi scoffed, shaking her head. Shouldn't consider them weird if she was out at almost eleven o'clock at night. It was probably just one of the freaks from the party, although she didn't know anyone from her school who drove such a black car.

It was going slow, coasting along side the sidewalk across the street. A little suspicious, but she could think about that in the comfort of her bed with an ibuprofen chasing away her headache.

As she thought about the events of the night, she suddenly felt a wave of nausea roll through her body, accompanied by a growling stomach. Uzi doubled over, clutching her stomach as her free hand flew to her mouth. The girl quickly began to regret her decision, the taste of bile beginning to rise in her throat. Quickly, she stumbled to brace herself against a wall as her arm went limp, sour vomit spill it from her mouth and forming a puddle on the concrete. The scent mingled with the odor of an open dumpster and a puddle of unknown liquid, forming an even more nauseating scent.

Uzi moaned, wiping her mouth with her elbow as she slumped against the wall, sliding to the floor and pulling her knees to her chest. Her eyelids fell shut, the world blurring around her as her own presence became fuzzy. It wouldn't hurt to rest for a bit.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling her back to the reality as her heart sank like a stone. Oh god. It was him.

With a disgusted grunt she pulled out her phone, turning on the screen and seeing a new text from her dad. There were several actually, but she had missed the last five while she was at the party.

Dad - 10:32

UZI! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN??? I'VE BEEN TRYING TO CALL YOU FOR THE PST TO HOURS ARE YOU STILL...

The rest of the text was cut off. Uzi's stomach ached, and not just with alcohol. She knew how paranoid her dad could get when he didn't know where she was. It was a habit of his. Sometimes it was helpful, like when she had gotten lost on the way home from the theater and he came to pick her up. But most of the time it was painfully obnoxious. Like when he was screaming at her through text to know where she was.

She opened the app, scrolling through the tall blue boxes and skimming by the messages. The earliest one was sent at five thirty, and was the only one that wasn't several paragraphs long.

Dad - 5:30

You having a good time? Make any friends :)

Uzi scrolled back to the bottom, preparing to send a reply, but before she typed, she took a second to think. She had to choose her words carefully, otherwise she'd just send him into and even worse breakdown. She couldn't just say “yeah I got drunk and probably mad out with a few guys at a party full of basically strangers” without expecting a lecture when she got home. Finally, she figured out what to say, typed out her message, and pressed send.

Uzi – 11:08

fine just got lost. one my way home

It was only a few seconds before the reply came. A smiley emoji. He was such an idiot.

Uzi slipped her phone back into her pocket, taking a slow, deep breath. It smelled like old oil and acid, but it was calming nonetheless.

She looked around, placing a hand on the ground and preparing to get up, only to spot something that made her skin crawl. A man standing in the alley. Most of his features were obscured by the shadows, although she was able to make out the glint of a meal object in his hand. A knife.

The man was on top of Uzi before she even had the chance to shout. The attack was enough to snap Uzi out of her drunken stupor, as she kicked and scratched at the man. Despite her athletic build, the man trumped her in overall size, pinning her against the brick wall. She could feel his grip falter as she landed a kick to his waist, and for a second she thought she'd be able to escape, only for him to pull a white rag from his back pocket and press it against her face, basically stuffing it in her mouth. Uzi tried her best to scream, but she was choked by both the arm against her chest and the cloth in her mouth, a cloth which smelled vaguely sweet.

Her vision began to darken as the cloth was pressed to her face, and she knew she was loosing the fight. Her kicks grew slower and she was unable to dig her nails into his skin. The man snickered, his lip curling into a smirk as let he dropped her, her body slumping against the floor. She didn't quite ache, but she felt a dull throb radiating through her body. She was barely able to make out the shilloute of the man reaching down towards her and gently stroking her chin, raising her face to look into his. Slowly, the man pressed the knife to her neck, cutting into the soft flesh of her throat.

A dull pain radiated from her neck, causing her to gasp softly as she struggled weakly against the attacker. Blood spilled from the wound, running down her neck and staining the collar of her shirt, and it grew difficult to breathe. She never should've accepted that invitation.

The man chuckled darkly, grabbing her shirt and twisting it as he dragged her along the pavement.

“You girls are too easy,” he chuckled, the last thing Uzi heard before the world went dark.

Chapter Text

Uzi was rudely awakened to the feeling of someone licking her neck. She shouted, shoving the person off of her and jumping to her feet. Ready for a fight, but only finding a tall, muscular man with fluffy brown hair and sandy-toned skin. He seemed significantly less threatening then the man that had previously attacked her.

“Sorry! Sorry! I wasn't trying to be creepy, just, trying to clean you up!” He panicked, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace. Uzi couldn't help but be on edge, she had already been attacked once tonight, she wasn't letting herself fall victim to someone else.

“Who are you?” She asked, fists raised and prepared to attack.

“Uh...” He stopped, as if simply asking his name had broken his brain. “I'm Nathan, but my friends call me Nate. But you don't have to! I mean, if you don't wanna be friends...”

Uzi's fists lowered slightly, this boy didn't look like he had any intention to harm her. He'd probably cry at the sight of a puppy.

“What, are you doing here?” Uzi questioned, more confused than concerned.

“Oh well, um, please don't freak out, but, you were dead.”

“What.”

This man had to be lying, he was licking her neck for gods sake. She had just passed out because she was drunk, or he was drunk. Either way, she didn't want to stay here longer.

“Okay, um, well, bye.” She continued, stiffly waving and walking away, hoping the conversation would end there. Only for Nate to jump in front of her, holding out her arm to stop her from leaving the alley.

“Wait! Yo-you can't go.” He blurted, Uzi holding back a growl. At this point, she didn't know whether to be worried or exasperated. 

“Why not?” She replied, turning to look at the boy, noticing his eyes. They were bright red, the irises looking as though they were making their own light.

“Because to save you, I had to turn you.” He answered, his tone growing more serious.

“Turn me... into what?” Her blood ran cold.

He answered, his previous goofy tone having been lost in exchange for the inflection of a doctor delivering a grim prognosis to a patient.

“A vampire.”

Uzi stopped, unable to believe what she had heard. Vampires were just myths. Monsters that made for young adult romance novels and Halloween haunted houses. But she couldn't ignore those eyes.

“Let's say you were telling the truth, what should I do then?” She asked, trying to hide her concern.

“Come with me.” He ordered, although some of his previous voice had returned.

Uzi looked around , finding her phone laying screen-down on the concrete, which she swiftly grabbed. The screen had a single crack streaking across it, but thankfully it was still functional.

“You can take your phone, but come on.” He insisted, sounding more panicked. Uzi looked back, seeing if there was any escape from the turn this night had taken. But all she saw was a dirty old alley, complete with a single flickering light and the puddle of her own vomit. This was real.

Uzi continued over to Nate, the man resting his hand on her back and gently ushering her through the alley. He took her down the street and to a lot, where a single dark emerald green SUV waited. He brought her to the book, opening the door and allowing her to get inside. It was spacious, although her small size probably exacerbated that fact.

Nate got in the driver's seat, turning on the engine and pulling out onto the road. As Uzi settled into the ride, she leaned over to look at the woman in front. She was large, with dark skin and even darker hair, tied back into twin tails. She was staring out the window, her head resting on her hand as she scanned the rolling landscape, seemingly not taking anything particular into account.

“Uuurgh, are we there yet?” Another woman moaned, causing Uzi to suddenly take notice of the fellow passenger off the backseat. Out of the three, she looked the most like a traditional vampire. With pale, almost white, skin and platinum blonde hair that framed her face with a short bob. She had the most unconventional outfit of the three, while the other two were wearing generally casual clothes she was wearing a red, sleeveless, strapless dress that hugged her body tightly and showed a fair amount of cleavage. Her eyes were unfocused and a line of drool strung from her mouth, nearly ready to drip onto the floor.

Uzi stared at her blankly, her mind still racing from the events of the night, only for the dazed vampire to lazily sit up, and take notice of the new girl in the backseat.

“Hey gorgeous,” she slurred, leaning across the seat and landing right on front of Uzi's face.

“Um hey,” Uzi replied, waving briskly as she tried to shrink back into the chair, hoping to avoid the unwanted encounter.

“That's Victoria, just ignore her, she's drunk.” The woman in the front chimed in, calming Uzi somewhat. If this was how she was when she was drunk, she couldn't be any real trouble.

“You can call me Vicky, nice to meet you,” she greeted, raising a red-painted nailed finger to graze Uzi's cheek. “What's your name?”

“Uzi,” she replied, flatly. As Vicky's hand approached, she winced, gently pushing her hand away. The limb crashed limply against the car seat. 

“Oh don't worry I don't bite.” Vicky continued, smiling wider to intentionally reveal her fangs. “Unless you want me to.” she giggled.

Uzi groaned, grabbing onto Vicky's shoulder and gently pushing her back to her side of the car, where her body quickly went limp as her eyes closed, her breathing evening out as she entered a fitful sleep. 

“Victoria here ran off to a club without telling us,” the woman in front hissed, “we had to drive halfway across creation to find her before she got herself killed, and that's how Nate found you.”

As the lady spoke, Uzi's remembered the events that lead to her ending up in a car with a trio of vampires.

“Yeah, um, by the way. How did you find me?” She asked.

Jay had offered to take Vicky back to the car when they found her, Nate being forced to stay behind and clean p the mess of broken glass she made made. That girl didn't know when to stop. Now, he was back out on the streets, heading back to their car.

He scanned the signs plastered onto buildings, making mental notes of places to check out next time they had an outing, before he stumbled onto a strange sight.  

A black sedan was parked by an alley, the trunk popped and the, presumed, driver hunched over a limp body. Hoisting it by the armpits and he, seemingly, tried to stuff it in his car. The event on its own as already odd, but the strong scent of blood in the air alerted Nate to the fact this man wasn't up to any good.

“Hey!” He shouted, hoping to confront the individual, only for the man to gasp as he took notice of the vampire watching him.  In an instant, he had dropped the body and slammed the trunk, jumping into the front seat of the car and speeding way at a pace much faster then what had to have been legal. But, that wasn't his most pressing issue.

Nate quickly made his way to the body, kneeling over and looking down at it. The victim was a woman, smaller then average but clearly a teenager. Her hair had been dyed a bright violet, a rather flattering shade for her dark skin tone, although the part that intrigued him most was the nasty wound slicing across her neck.

He traced the would gently, the still-flowing blood staining his fingers. It was red. Fresh. She had been killed very recently.

He could save her.

It would be easy, just a bit of his blood in her mouth to revive her. But, what if she didn't like being turned. What if she'd rather die then be a vampire? 

But, her life had been taken so violently, she deserved a second chance.

He raised his wrist to his mouth, and bit deeply, wincing slightly before letting go, holding his, now-bleeding wrist to her mouth, gently lifting her head with his other arm to ensure it gotten it. One he felt he had done enough, he pulled his wrist back, licking it to clean the blood and seal the wound. It would heal soon, not even leaving a scar.

Quickly, the wound on the girl's neck healed, the flesh sealed up, leaving only a faint line of ragged scar tissue. It was nasty, but it would smooth out after some time. Once she healed, Nate noticed that her neck was still coated, in blood, her shirt collar having been stained from pink to crimson. Well, it would take a little while for her to wake up.

Uzi sat in silence, slightly in shock from what she head heard. The fact it was a complete coincidence that Nate had stumbled across her was chilling.

“But why?” She asked.

“Why what?” He replied.

“Why did you bother to save me?”

'Why did you pass up free food?' She thought.

“Well, your blood was still fresh. I knew I still had the chance to save you.” He answered, but Uzi felt he was hiding something.

“But why waste your time, why not just... leave me behind?” She insisted, her voice more firm. Nico's grip on the wheel tightened, although she could notice his eyes softening in the rearview mirror.

“Because... because I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I passed up the opportunity to save a life.” He answered, his body relaxing and his eyes softening.

Uzi sighed, propping her head on her hand and staring out the window. Watching through the dark glass as the buildings grew smaller and thinned out, eventually giving way to lush countryside. The concrete road faded into dirt, and Uzi could feel the car tilting to go up a hill.

Curious, she leaned to try and look over the front seat, but she was only able to make out the faint shape of a large house. Defeated, she slumped back into her seat, pulling out her phone and gently tracing the crack. The sky was beginning to turn purple as the sun started to rise, she wondered what her dad was doing right now.

Just before she lost herself in a spiral of thought, the car jerked as Nate killed the engine, them having finally reached their destination.

Chapter Text

“Welcome to your new home.” He greeted, opening the door and exiting the car. Uzi opened her door as well, jumping out and observing where they are. They were on a large, grassy hill far from the city, the twinkling lights of windows and streetlamps visible in the distance. However, it didn't take long for Uzi to notice their proper destination. An opulent townhouse, with stark white siding and dark green shingles.

“This is where you live?” Uzi asked, the woman who had been sitting in the passenger's seat scoffing in response. Uzi jumped, turning around and spotting the woman carrying Vicky bridal-style, the pale vampire giggling softly and caressing the others cheek.

“Call me Jay.” She stated flatly, brushing Uzi off as she walked past her and into the home.

“Do you like it?” Nate asked, gliding over to stand by Uzi.

“Yeah,” She breathed. It was definentally larger then any house she had seen before.

“Come on in, the sun will be up soon.” He continued, lightly patting her on the back. Oh yeah. If these guys were anything like the vampires of legend, and she was one too, it probably wouldn't be good to be caught out during the day.

Uzi and Nate walked to the entrance together, Nate stepping in front to open the door for her.

“After you.”

Uzi couldn't help but feel a spark of affection as the gesture. She walked past him and entered the house, the vampire entering and closing the door behind them. Jay was nowhere to be found, probably having taken Vicky to bed to sleep off the alcohol, and Nate walked over to the kitchen, opening the fridge.

“You want something to drink?” He asked, Uzi noticing the fridge had a much larger variety of foods then one would expect for vampires.

“Would I have to drink blood?” She asked, trying her best to use sarcasm to hide the slight waver in her voice. Instead, Nate giggled, grabbing two bottles of water.

“Don't worry, it'll take a few days for you to be able to tolerate blood and a few weeks before you start to crave it.” He explain, causing Uzi to relax slightly as he set a condensation-laced bottles on the counter. Uzi picked up one and unscrewed the cap, bringing the bottle up to her mouth and letting the cold water fill her belly.

Nate drank from his own bottle, walking over to and dropping the empty bottle in the trash when he finished. When Uzi was done with hers, she walked over to the trash and dropped her own bottle in, her and Nate's eyes meeting for a second.

“Let me show you too your room.” Nate offered, giving an affectionate gesture for her to follow. As he head through the house, she tried to commit as much of it as she could to memory. The sitting room that consisted of a futon and armchair, with a coffee table that had seen its fair share of stains and spills.

Nate led her up the stairs, the walls being decorated with photos from a bygone era.

A few were clearly older, with yellowed paper and cracked edges, and they told an interesting story. Most of them featured a child-aged Jay alongside a teenage girl, with the faces of the presumed parents having been cut out. As they ascended from the stairs the older figures disappeared completely, instead showing Jay and her black-haired friend growing up together. However, there was a point where Jay's appearance stagnated while the other girl continued to age, growing older before disappearing from the photos entirely.

It told an oddly humanizing story for the seemingly standoffish creature.

Eventually, the two made their way to the top of the stairs, ending up at the beginning of a hallway.

They headed down the hall, Uzi taking note of the several cracked and open doors. Suddenly, Jay emerged from one of them, stoppng just short of body slamming Uzi.

Sorry short stuff, didn't see you there,” She remarked, causing Uzi to give an indignant grumble “Vicky is asleep, if her whining was any indication she'll have a heck of a hangover tomorrow.”

With that, the walked past them, entering what Uzi assumed was her room. Nat shrugged, flippiantly waving his hand.

“Don't worry, you'll get used to her.”

With that, they reached the room at the end of the hall. Nate holding the door open to let her in. The room was medium sized, with dark green wallpaper and a four-poster bed, decorated with white sheets. It was sparsely decorated, and didn't feel like home.

“We'll get you some decorations soon, it'll feel like home in no time!” Nate chirped, causing Uzi to internally sigh.

“Thanks.” She muttered, her eye roll being hidden by her turned back.

“No problem! You stay and get comfortable while I'll find something for you to sleep in!”

And with that, he shut the door, leaving Uzi alone in what was now her bedroom.

Was he blind? Naïve? Or simply that stupid?

.

.

.

Stupid. It had to be stupid.

Chapter Text

Uzi stretched her arms above her head, the new moonlight streaming through the window. Uzi moaned, looking down at the analog clock on the nightstand. It was ten o'clock. She groaned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She desperately hoped the events of the night would reveal themselves to be a twisted dream and that she would wake up to a hangover splitting her skull in two.

With a sigh, she threw off the covers and slung her legs over the side of the bed, getting up and walking over to the vanity mirror, looking herself over in the dusty glass. She was wearing a grey, oversized tshirt and black drawstring shorts that just barely clung to her waist. These were the smallest clothes Nate had managed to find for her.

She smoothed down her hair, trying her best to look presentable even if it was just for her new housemates. Just as she was about to leave, she noticed something uncanny. Squinting, she leaned forward, taking notice of the color of her eyes. Red.

She really was a vampire.

She took a deep breath and smoothed down her shirt, trying to clear her head. Having done her best at feigning calm, she headed out of her room, through the hall and down the starwell. She stumbled as her feet hit the wooden floor, the scent of blood wafting through the room.

She headed to the smell of the blood, her mouth watering slightly at the scent. As she stumbled down the trail she ended up walking into the dining room, where Nate, Vicky, and Jay were eating breakfast.

“Good morning sleepyhead,” Vicky taunted just before a slice of dripping meat entered her mouth. Uzi simply groaned in response, rubbing her eye and taking a seat at an empty chair set next to Nate.

“You hungry?” Nate asked. Uzi nodded idly, trying her best to focus her eyes on her surroundings.

“Good,” Jay deadpanned, getting up and walking over to the stove, where a plate of grilled steak was waiting. She grabbed the meal, bringing it over to the table and setting it down in front of Uzi. “I figured you wouldn't be able to stomach blood for now, so I cooked it for you.”

The scent of cooked meat was just enough to fully wake her up, allowing her to take full consideration of what was happening around her. The three vampires were all eating raw stakes, the blood pooling on the plates and dripping from the meat. Uzi shuddered, swallowing and looking down at her own food. At least it was cooked.

She took the knife and fork from the sides of the plate and cut a slice, slowly bringing it up to her mouth. The scent reached her mouth, her stomach growling eagerly in response. Swiftly, she shoved the fork into her mouth and swallowed. It was slightly overcooked and tough to chew, but otherwise palatable.

“You like it?” Jay asked, looking up from her own food. Uzi nodded slowly, Jay shrugging in response.

As they sat eating, Victoria decided to break the silence.

“That's a pretty nasty scar,” she remarked, pointing to the jagged line of pale flesh that stood out against Uzi's skin, “where'd you get it?”

Uzi and Nate exchanged a look, before she took a deep breath and began to talk.

“I- I was attacked.” She began, shrinking away from the gaze of a way-too enthusiastic Vicky.

“So that's why you're here, huh?”

“You catch on quick,” Uzi noted, “Nate brought me back.”

Victoria looked over to the brown-haired vampire, leaning her head on her arm.

“You made a good choice, she's cute.” She remarked, causing Uzi to roll her eyes.

As they ate, Uzi took note of some of the things in the room. Electric appliances, and decorations that looked way to new to come from ye' olde vampire times.

“So how'd you guys get all this stuff? Did you steal it?”

Vicky looked like she was about to choke.

“No, too much risk not enough reward.” The twin-tailed vampire flatly answered.

“Jay comes from old money, several big investments and we're basically set for the rest of our lives.” Nate explained, causing Uzi to become even more curious about the histories of the three she was sharing a table with.

“Investments, huh,” Uzi remarked, taking a second to swallow, “your family must've been pretty rich.”

Jay tensed, her mouth hanging open mid-bite.

“Well, the family I was living with.” She continued. It did explain how different she looked from the other girl in the photographs. “Even though I was never put in any will, I more-or-less inherited everything they owned after the last one... passed away.”

“They were human?” Uzi asked.

Jay barely nodded.

Uzi slowly swallowed a dry piece of meat. She wasn't even properly a vampire yet, she could never imagine what if must've been like for these guys to see the world change around you while you stayed the same.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence.

Chapter Text

The three had spread across the house, each one having taken to do their own thing. Vicky had gone back to bed, hoping to sleep off the residual headache from her time spent partying. Jay had retreated to her room as well, mentioning a book she had been wanting to read. Nate had offered to help Uzi adjust to her new lifestyle, and had taken her out to the woods to practice.

Uzi had already begin to notice just how different the world was through the eyes of a vampire. The moonlight was amplified, reflecting over almost every surface and making the night almost as bright as the day. The rest of her senses were amplified to. The scent of every plant, animal, and even stone was turned up to a hundred, but each was distinct and easily identifiable. She could hear every sound that echoed through the forest, but it wasn't overstimulating nor confusing, it just felt natural.

“How is it?” Nate asked, leaning down to match Uzi's height.

“Strange,” She replied, gently tugging at the hem of the shirt Vicky had let her borrow. Nate shook his head jovially, giving her a pat on the shoulder.

“Don't worry, you'll get used to it. It took me a while to get used to it too.” Nate admitted with a chuckle in his voice.

“Really?” She questioned with an eyebrow raise and curious tone to her voice.

“Yeah, me and Vic were so lost. We probably wouldn't have made it if we didn't find Jay,” He confessed, stopping himself short before he broke into a ramble.

“You and Vicky?” She echoed, suddenly growing more curious about the three's pasts.

“Yeah, after I was turned I found Victoria in the woods. She was still human, and so weak, so frail. I knew she wouldn't make it if I didn't help her, and I couldn't just let her die.” He explained, his voice growing melancholy. Uzi nodded slowly, making sure to commit every word to memory. “She was a bit like you when she woke up, nervous and antsy, but I helped her out a bit and she became my traveling buddy! We helped each other survive and learned about our new powers together, until we found Jay's house. We were worried, at first, but when we saw Jay was a vampire, we immediately started begging her to let us stay. She was a little hesitant at first, but I was able to win her over eventually, and we've been best buds ever since!”

Uzi stared blankly.

“I don't think you breathed once during that entire explanation.”

Nate chuckled, a hearty laugh that echoed in Uzi's ears.

“Yeah, I have a bit of a habit of doing that.” He continued with tears in his eyes.

“During your ramble, you mentioned powers, what powers do vampires have?” Uzi had read some vampire fiction before, but most had conflicting accounts about what they could do, and she wanted the real deal.

“Well we're kinda a mixed bag. Some can shapeshift into different animals, others can compel people, some can turn invisible or melt into shadows, it just depends.”

“What can you do?”

Nate cringed at the question.

“Well, not much. Vampire's abilities are activated and strengthened by human blood, and we haven't had a lick of it in years. I can turn invisible though, that's how I stayed hidden the night I found you.” He explained. Well, that was one question answered.

“What about the other two, do they have powers?”

“Oh yeah, Victoria had super speed, and could be pretty scary with it when she wanted to be. Jay could compel people, and was pretty good at it too. I remember one time there was this guy broke into our house, tried to kill us, and Jay made him walk into a river and drown himself! It was pretty funny.”

Uzi tried to chuckle along, wondering what it would feel like to have magic lead you to your death.

“I wonder what power I'll get.” She asked, a little excited even with the caveat.

“Well to find out that you'd have to drink human blood, and that'll be a bit of a hassle to get if you don't wanna kill anyone.”

Uzi snickered, thinking of a few of the girls at her school it would be fun to bury.

“Well you think you can show me what you can do?” She asked, raising a teasing eyebrow. Nate, accepting the challenge, jumped in front of her and closed his eyes, concentrating. After just a moment, his body disappeared, almost melting out of reality.

“Whoa,” Uzi exclaimed, in awe at what she had witnessed. But the forest did feel colder without his presence.

“Okay, that was cool, you can come back now.” She shouted.

But Nate didn't respond.

A cold wind blew by, sending a shiver up the girl's spine.

“Nate?” She asked out again, shrinking into herself. Until a hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck, right where her scar was.

“Got ya!” Nate exclaimed. A terrified scream ripped from Uzi throat and she reached out, grabbing the invisible arm and flinging him to the ground. Nate groaned as his body popped back into reality, his eyes dazed.

“What the hell dude? Not funny.” She growled, still in shock.

“You're right, you're right, my bad.” He admitted, “Sorry.”

He got up from his spot on the floor, rubbing the back of his head.

“You know, you're pretty strong. Maybe super strength is your power.” He suggested, trying to lighten the mood. Uzi wasn't interested.

“I work out.”

“Ah.”

Chapter Text

Nate and Uzi sat on opposite sides of the living room. Uzi sat curled up on a plush chair, her back to the world, while Nate sat on the couch, twiddling his thumbs as he figured out the best thing to say. He should've thought more about that prank.

A clock ticked away on the wall, the only sound filling the otherwise empty space. That was, until Vicky entered the room with a yawn.

“Hey you two, what's going on here?” she asked, clearly not noticing the tension in the room.

“I, uh, took Uzi out to the woods, told her some stuff about vampire powers.” Nate explained with an awkward giggle.

“That's not the only thing you did.” Uzi grumbled as she rubbed her scar. Vicky raised an eyebrow, looking between the two.

“What am I missing?” She asked, crossing her arms. Nate winced, but eventually spoke.

“When we were in the forest, I showed off my invincibility and... grabbed her neck.” He admitted, shrinking in on himself.

“Oh, he gave you a little scare, huh?” She asked Uzi. Uzi stared daggers to the blonde vampire.

“I thought I was going to die.”

“We've all done that once.” Vicky simple rolled her eyes, sauntering over to where the purple-haired girl was sitting and leaning an arm over the back of the chair.

“You're not getting any older, the last thing you'd want is some bad blood in your system for the rest of your life.” she advised, flicking her eyes over to the brunette. Uzi perked up at Vicky's words. She had a point, she couldn't sulk forever.

With a sigh, she sat up and looked over at Nate, who was still looking like a kicked puppy.

“Hey dude, I know you thought it was funny. But it really scared me.” She explained, causing Nate to stir.

“I'm sorry,” he whimpered, “I just wanted to make you laugh.”

Uzi sighed, getting up and walking over to him.

“Listen buddy, I'm not mad. Just remember that.” She reassured, patting his shoulder. Vicky smiled proudly at the two.

“Well, I guess my work here is done. Catch you later.” She waved, heading back upstairs.

Uzi nodded, still feeling a little shaky from the prank. She took a deep breath and decided to follow Vicky upstairs.

When she reached her room, the door was slightly ajar.

“Can I come in?” Uzi asked, her hand already on the doorknob. She heard some knocking and what she assumed was something sliding on the floor, before Victoria gave her permission.

“Sure, come in.”

With that, Uzi pushed the door open and stepped inside, immediately being greeted with the sight of strewn about clothes and an unmade bed. With the minifridge and fast-food containers lining the desk, it resembled more of a college dorm than a vampire's lair.

“Uuh, you good?” Uzi asked to Vicky, who was currently sprawled out on the bed.

“Yeah, but it gets pretty boring around here.” She admitted, sitting up, “You're one of the most interesting things that's happened in the past few years.”

“Really?” Uzi questioned “I'dve thought the life of a vampire would be more interesting.”

“Not really, most of it is just staying hidden and trying not to die.”

Uzi was a little surprised, perhaps expecting Vicky to regale her with tales of adventure and mystery, until the woman asked her an unexpected question.

“What about you? What's your story?”

Uzi shuddered, she had never enjoyed speaking about her home life. Not even the school counselor was able to coax it out of her.

“My dad's a loser, what more is there to say.” She hissed, although the other vampire simply laughed nonchalantly.

“Ah, daddy issues. Classic.”

“Yeah, hilarious.” Uzi retaliated.

“And what about your mom, she any better?” The blonde asked, rolling over and propping herself up on her elbows. Uzi silently shuddered.

“She- she died when I was a baby.” She spluttered, hugging herself, “I barely remember her.” She lied. She swore she could see a flicker of sympathy on Vicky's face.

“Well look on the bright side, you got a fresh start.” She yawned, slinking off the bed like a cat and walking to the door, ruffling Uzi's hair as she passed. Although, before she could fully leave the room, she shot a hard glare at her, looking more serious then she ever had before.

“Most don't get a second chance, don't waste it.”

Chapter Text

Uzi found Jay in the kitchen, making two glasses of some kind of blood based alcoholic drink. Vicky sat at a stool, texting someone.

“You drink?” Jay asked, looking as though she was already preparing to grab a third cup.

“Not unless I'm forced too.” She replied, making sure to hide the fact she wasn't even legally old enough to drink yet. Jay simply nodded, getting back to the drinks. 

Uzi turned back to the sitting room, finding Nate gone.

“He's asleep, decided to go down early.” Jay explained, causing Uzi to look out a window. Stars were already beginning to blink out of existence, signifying the day was near, “I like to take a drink to bed with me, Vic asked for one.”

With nothing to do, Uzi decided to join the two, taking the stool next to Victoria. Jay up at Uzi, eyeing her up and down.

“You adjusting well?” She asked with a small bottle of blood in her hand. Uzi nodded gently, trying to keep things casual.

“It's could be better.” Uzi admitted, tapping her fingers on the counter.

“Well If you have any ideas to help make it better, just let me know.” She continued, finishing the drinks. She slid one over to Vicky, who eagerly took it and drank greedily. Jay took a sip of her own drink, leaning over onto the counter. Uzi took the opportunity to ask a question that had been eating away at her since the first day.

“Hey Jay, those photos in the stairwell? One of the girls looks like you.”

Jay set her drink down, her normally stoic expression shifting to show a hint of sadness.

“Do you want the whole story?” She asked. Uzi nodded.

“I was murdered, just like you. I had gotten lost, and was looking for my family, when someone attacked me,” Jay began, her hand griping the glass as though she were reliving the experience all over again, “I don't even remember the assault, only waking up in the woods. Scared, lost and alone.”

Uzi leaned over, growing more intrigued with every word.

“I wandered for days, trying to find home or... anywhere. I didn't know I had to drink blood, and every day I got hungrier.” Her voice grew dark and her gaze concentrated on the red liquid in the cup, “It was terrifying, I thought I was going to die. But, one day, someone found me, the other kid in the photos with me.”

“What was her name?” Uzi asked

“Her name was Tessa.”

'Tessa.' Uzi repeated in her mind.

“She brought me back to her home, and took care of me. She gave me food, a bed, and was my... friend.” Jay continued, fumbling the last word as though it was awkward on her tongue.

“But what about your... well... everything?” Uzi interrupted to ask, quickly gesturing to her eyes, the bloody drink, and the quickly fading nighttime outside the window.

“I hid it from her. Vampires weren't known to be in the area back then, so she dismissed those things. Although I doubt she would've cared if she knew.” She smiled and mumbled at the end, causing a curious eyebrow raise from Uzi. “I hid my hunger from her, and tried to find satisfaction in the meals she gave me. But it was torture. Every time I was near her, I could smell her blood, and it took everything to keep me from attacking her. Even though I wasn't dead, it felt like hell.”

Uzi couldn't help but feel intense pity at Jay's words. But not the sort of infantalizing pity you may feel to a wet cat or a kicked puppy, but the pity you feel towards a person who had experienced more in just a handful of years then you had in your entire life.

“It got so bad that one day I just... snapped. It was the dead of night, and everyone was asleep, so I snuck into her parents room and killed them. I didn't even think before I did it, the two were so deep in sleep they didn't even struggle. When I regained clarity I was horrified at what I had done, and terrified at how Tessa would react.”

Uzi tensed, her eyes widening. She had homicidal thoughts towards a few of her teachers before, but the thought of actually going through with it was terrifying.

“I stayed with their bodies the whole night, to scared to leave. When Tessa found me, I was prepared for her to be horrified, I thought she would scream at me, attack me, or throw me out. But she actually helped me. I explained my condition to her, and she was incredibly compassionate and understanding.” She began to smile, her eyes growing glassy with tears, “She even helped me get rid of the bodies.”

Uzi was stunned with the sudden twist the story had taken.

“She was chill with you murdering her parents?”

“Her parents weren't the nicest, they hurt her a lot, and hated me. I only managed to escape the brunt of their abuse because they didn't think I was worth the effort.”

That explained the ripped-out faces.

“She never admitted it, but I could tell she was grateful I had taken them out.” She continued, her voice growing somber once more. “Our lives were perfect. Her family was rather isolated, so no one noticed they were gone. We lived off of inheritance money for years. She hunted animals for me, and I kept her safe from people looking to loot the house.”

Uzi smiled, silently upset she couldn't meet this Tessa for herself.

“But, well, she was a human and I was a vampire. She got older and I was forced to take care of her. One day she got very weak, and I could tell her time was up. It was then that I realized to difference between us... and them.” She continued, taking a sip from her drink and a deep breath to compose herself. “It was like my heart was being ripped in half.”

Jay took a shuddering breath, her voice cracking as she continued to speak.

“I begged her to let me turn her. I wanted to stay with her forever. But, she  had accepted her fate, and wanted to let nature take its course. So I respected her decision, and stayed by her side every day and night, until the day she didn't wake up.”

Uzi steeled herself, trying to keep tears from spilling down her cheeks.

“I buried her body in the yard, and marked her grave with a stone. It's been a while, but I still visit her. And I swear that sometimes, when everything is just right, I can feel her.”

However, just as quickly as the vampire had revealed the human side of herself, she sealed it back.

“We should get some sleep.” Jay said coldly, taking her drink and brushing past Uzi, heading upstairs.

Uzi sighed, still transfixed by the story, and headed up as well. Figuring it was time for some shut eye.

Chapter Text

Uzi looked over Nate's shoulder as he typed away on a small laptop. Her phone was dead and she didn't have a charger, so Nate's computer was their only option for internet, as he opened a few home décor sites. They were rather contemporary looking, featuring muted colors and photos of flower displays and happy families in cozily decorated living rooms.

“We should find some decorations you like to spruce up your room, make it feel more like home you know.” He offered, clicking the search bar, “What do you like?”

Uzi rummaged through her head, trying to find an interest she could reveal that wouldn't change her opinion of him too drastically.

“I like... cats.” she replied, keeping out the parts about religious fanaticism and family drama.

“Ooh cute!” He chimes, typing cats into the search bar. A few things came up: Framed photos of cats, a wireframe sculpture, potted catnip, and an anatomically inaccurate halloween skeleton. Although none of it peeked Uzi's interest.

“See anything you like?” He asked.

“Well I kinda like that,” she pointed to the halloween decoration, “but other then that, not much.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, the whole aesthetic of this sight just isn't... me.” She elaborated, gesturing to herself. Nate looked up at her, taking in the violet died hair and pierced ears and nodded.

“Well what would you like?”

Uzi thought for a second, shuffling next to Nate and hovering her fingers over the keyboard. She pressed a single key, the letter appearing in the search bar, before she turned to look at N, who was staring expectantly at her. Here's to hope she wouldn't regret this.

She typed the query into the browser, pulling up listings for cat plushies and figurines.

“Ooh these are cute.” He commented, scrolling through the page. “They're from a book?”

“Yeah, I've read the series for years.” She replied, already taking note of what she wanted.

“Cool. Maybe I should try reading it too?” He asked, taking in the sights of the stuffed cats and vinyl figures.

“Ehh, it's not for everyone. But you could try.” She offered through a chuckle. “I had a few of he books at... home.”

The memory of her old room make a sudden pang of guilt run through her. Did anyone even notice she was gone? Did anyone even care?

“Hey, Uz? You okay?”

Uzi blinked herself back to reality, not realizing she had spaced out, and turned to Nate.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” She murmured.

“You miss your home.” He noticed, more of a statement then a question. Uzi nodded, still lost in thought.

“I missed my home too. But, you get used to it after awhile.” He reassured, giving her an affectionate ruffle of the hair.

Uzi bookmarked some of the items she wanted, namely a plushie and some figurines of characters she liked, while Nate occasionally asked about them.

“...and he managed to kill the guy in one hit! All nine lives, gone just like that!” She exclaimed, snapping her fingers to emphasize her point. Nate sat transfixed as she explained (what she believed) to be the best moment in the entire series.

“Wow, and you've read all the books?” He asked, expecting her to regale him with tales of library visits and late nights spent curled up under a reading lamp, only for her to give an awkward chuckle.

“Oh hell no. There's dozens of books. No one could finish them all.” She laughed.

“Well look on the bright side, now that you're immortal you'll have all the time in the world to read whatever you want!” He smiled, “What else do you like?”

Uzi smirked as she began to rattle off the various things that had peaked her interest over the years. From movies to books and even the occasional podcast, all of which seemed to intrigue Nate to some degree. He was like a child learning that media outside of nursery rhymes existed, although living isolated in an unchanging existence probably guaranteed you wouldn't be the most caught up on new releases.

“You know, that's probably one of the things I'll miss the most.” She sighed, wiping a tear from her eye.

“Don't worry about that, we have a TV room. It's pretty cozy, we used to snuggle up together to watch old sitcoms.” He smiled, reminiscing on happier times as he checked out and closed the laptop. “Maybe there's something on you'll like.”

Uzi perked up at bit, beginning to feel truly at home in this strange house.

Nate took her out of the room, walking her over to a closed door, which he opened to reveal a small, cozy room. With a plush couch and a small coffee-table, as well as a wide window with the curtains drawn, and a currently shut-off flatscreen.

Uzi got to work making herself comfortable on the couch while Nate grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. He took a seat next to Uzi, draping an arm over the top, as he began to flip through channels. Most of them didn't interest her, cooking shows and commercials, but one broadcast caught her eye. A news report about a missing teenage girl.

Chapter Text

A news anchor sat at a desk, her face solemn as a collage of headshot images and the word MISSING in bright red text materializing behind her.

“...Suzanne 'Uzi' Doorman was reported missing on April 8^th, 2019 at 3 o'clock AM by her father, Khan Doorman. According to him she left the house at 4:30 PM the same day to attend a party at a classmate's house, and last texted him that she was returning home at 11:08.”

The screen flipped to show an image of Uzi taken from her school yearbook. Her hair was messy and eyes shadowed with dark circles. She hadn't been looking forward to picture day, but if she knew the picture would end up on the news she would've made sure to clean up a little more. Underneath the photo was a caption.

“Photo taken on October 18^th, 2018”

The photo then glided to the corner, the news anchor appearing next to it.

“Suzanne is a mixed, black-asian 18 year old female, with dark complexion, brown eyes and naturally brown hair, although she often dyes it purple.”

Uzi mindlessly touched a tuft of her hair, the color having begun to fade near the tips.

“Local business were questioned after the event, and one provided this recording from a security camera outside the building.”

The screen then switched to show grainy, black-and-white footage of the alley. It showed Uzi, who was heavily blurred by the low quality, stumbling down the sidewalk, although she quickly disappeared from view as she stumbled behind the wall. At least her vomit wouldn't be broadcasted on local news.

The black sedan then pulled up and the man stepped out. Although his pixellated features were impossible to make out. He stood at the entrance to the alley, knife in hand, and jumped. The brick wall obscured the events of the scne, but Uzi's breath hitched as her hand involuntarily flew to the scar, which was now just a thin line of white on her neck.

After a moment the man appeared again, now carrying Uzi's lifeless body, as thee footage faded into static and eventually shut off.

“That was probably me,” Nate remarked ”Vampires kinda interfere with digital cameras, silver and stuff.”

A phone number then faded onto the screen.

“If you have any information on her whereabouts please call the number on screen, her father is eagerly waiting for her to return home.”

Nate looked down at Uzi, his own hand shaking as he held the remote. Her eyes were wide and her frame shook as though she were holding back tears.

“You want me to turn it off?” He whispered.

“No.” Uzi stated bluntly. Her image and the number both faded out, and the camera shifted to focus on the anchor once again.

“This marks the latest in a string of disappearances of teenage girls, all snatched during the late night and early morning hours without a trace.”

The screen then shifted to show the images of the girls who were currently reported missing.

Dillan Hall - Missing on January 7^st, 2019

Angela Palmer – Missing on Febuary 12^th, 2019

Kenzie Rivers – Missing on March 12^th, 2019

Lainey Gilmore – Missing on April 1^st, 2019

And now. Suzanne 'Uzi' Doorman. Missing on April 8^th, 2019.

She had remembered hearing about the case, all of the missing girls were from her school, but she had never given it much thought. She wasn't close to any of them, some she hated, but she had never once thought she would be featured alongside them.

“Everyone is hoping for the swift and safe return of all of these girls to their families, and anyone who knows anything should once again call the number onscreeen.”

The phone number appeared again.

“We hope this case will have a happy ending. Thank you and goodnight.”

The station's logo took over the screen, and Nate shut the TV off, plunging the two vampires into darkness.

“Nate?”

“Yes Uzi?” He replied, still in shock.

“Are there any vampire rules against taking revenge?”

Chapter Text

Khan couldn't tell how long he had been sitting by the phone. It was anywhere from thirty minutes to three hours. But he was waiting for, begging for the call. The call that they had found her safe and sound. That she was ready to come home. To come back to him. But all he heard was silence. That, and the news in the background.

He had reported Uzi missing the second she stopped returning his texts. At the time he thought he was being paranoid. That she would come through that door so tired he would have to tuck her into bed himself, like she was a kid again. But now that it had been three days, and she hadn't been spotted anywhere, he knew he was right to call.

The night he realized his daughter was missing, he was nigh inconsolable. Struggling to breathe through tears and mucus as he relayed the necessary information to the police. Even now he sometimes broke into fits of crying. Guilt, fear, and anger coalescing into tears. Even now he was struggling to keep it all in.

“Tonight, we have a rather unfortunate story. Suzanne 'Uzi' Doorman was reported missing on April 8^th, 2019 at 3 o'clock AM by her father, Khan Doorman. According to him she left the house at 4:30 PM the same day to attend a party at a classmate's house, and last texted him that she was returning home at 11:08.”

Khan suddenly turned his attention to the television and bolted across the room, settling on the couch and turning the volume up.

The screen flipped to show an image of Uzi taken from her school yearbook. Her hair was messy and eyes shadowed with dark circles. She hadn't been looking forward to picture day, but if she knew the picture would end up on the news she would've made sure to clean up a little more. Underneath the photo was a caption.

“Photo taken on October 18^th, 2018”

The photo then glided to the corner, the news anchor appearing next to it.

“Suzanne is a mixed, black-asian 18 year old female, with dark complexion, brown eyes and naturally brown hair, although she often dyes it purple.”

Khan sighed wistfully, mumbling that she had picked up the habit from her mom.

“Local business were questioned after the event, and one provided this recording from a security camera outside the building.”

The screen then switched to show grainy, black-and-white footage of the alley. It showed Uzi, who was heavily blurred by the low quality, stumbling down the sidewalk, although she quickly disappeared from view as she stumbled behind the wall. At least her vomit wouldn't be broadcasted on local news.

The black sedan then pulled up and the man stepped out. Although his pixellated features were impossible to make out. He stood at the entrance to the alley, knife in hand, and jumped. The brick wall obscured the events of the scne, but Uzi's breath hitched as her hand involuntarily flew to the scar, which was now just a thin line of white on her neck.

After a moment the man appeared again, now carrying Uzi's limp body, as the footage faded into static and eventually shut off.

Khan involuntarily clenched his hand into a fist, wishing he could reach through the screen and attack whoever had the audacity to take his daughter from him.

A phone number then faded onto the screen.

“If you have any information on her whereabouts please call the number on screen, her father is eagerly waiting for her to return home.”

Khan took a deep breath, preparing to turn the television off, before a new statement caught his attention.

“This marks the latest in a string of disappearances of teenage girls, all snatched during the late night and early morning hours without a trace.”

The screen then shifted to show the images of the girls who were currently reported missing.

Dillan Hall - Missing on January 7^st, 2019

Angela Palmer – Missing on Febuary 12^th, 2019

Kenzie Rivers – Missing on March 12^th, 2019

Lainey Gilmore – Missing on April 1^st, 2019

Suzanne 'Uzi' Doorman – Missing on April 8^th, 2019

He had heard about the case before, but never once that Uzi would fall victim to the same attacker these other girls had.

“Everyone is hoping for the swift and safe return of all of these girls to their families, and anyone who knows anything should once again call the number onscreeen.”

The phone number appeared again.

“We hope this case will have a happy ending. Thank you and goodnight.”

The station's logo took over the screen, playing the closing jingle, and Khan turned the television off, returning the house to silence once more. Khan lay down on his side, curling into the couch cushions and trying to hold back a sob.

He had done research on similar cases and knew that every day that passed her chances of return, of survival, dwindled. And he couldn't loose his daughter, not like this.

As he lay there his mind began to drift to places that were foreign yet comforting to him. Uzi was all he had after Nori died, he didn't want to imagine a world without her. He didn't want to live in a world without her. His family was all he had, and without them he was nothing.

He began to wonder what would become of him if Uzi never returned. He had no desire to remarry, he had no real friends, and his job was a bore. The thought of spending the rest of his life alone was terrifying, but the alternative was even worse.

His eyes drifted across the room, taking in the signs of a once happy family. He took attention to a group of photos in a glass case, each one detailing a moment in his life he would never forget.

The oldest was a photo of their wedding, Nori dressed in a gorgeous purple dress with a crown of blue and violet flowers while he was wearing a suit he had rented just for the occasion. He still had the dress in their closet.

The second they had taken on the day Uzi was born. Nori was laying in a hospital bed, tired yet happy, as she cradled the small, wrinkled bundle that was their daughter. The two had been trying to conceive for years, but most of their attempts ended is miscarriage. To finally welcome a child of their own to the world was something they had been looking forward to for years, and had finally accomplished.

The third was the last photo they had taken before Nori had died. It was a contemporary photo, the two sitting on the couch while an infant Uzi was asleep on her lap. Nori had asked Khan to take the photo, seemingly out of nowhere, and he now questioned if she knew she was going to die, and that was her way of saying goodbye.

His eyes drifted to the kitchen, dirty from neglect, and to a seemingly innocuous drawer. It was nothing special, just a junk drawer where they kept coupons, batteries, and restaurant menus. However, it was also where Nori kept her gun. It was a Glock semi-auto. She had gotten it a few months into their marriage, just after they had bought a house, and claimed it was for self defense. She had used it once to scare off a burglar, one warning shot and he sprinted down the street and never came back.

Khan had never really liked the idea of having a gun in the house, especially after Uzi was born. But Nori had insisted, and after that incident, he had begrudgingly agreed to let it stay. He wondered what it felt like. To hold, to use, to shoot. He imagined the cold metal in his hand, his fingers involuntarily curling the mimic the motion of holding it.

He got up and went over to the kitchen, pulling open the drawer that held the gun and staring down at it, nestled in a pile of faded coupons and metal doodads. Slowly, he grabbed the gun and held it up, pressing the barrel to his forehead. Nori had shown him how to use it. They had even had a little date at a local gun range. He didn't even flinch at the idea of using it on himself right now.

His finger rested precariously on the trigger, and all it would take was a little bit of pressure to end his suffering right there. But as he stood there, contemplating whether to go through with it, he thought of Uzi. If she were still out there, still alive, how would she feel to come back and learn her dad had killed himself?

Hesitantly, he set the gun down on the counter, sliding the drawer shut. He couldn't go through with it, not while there was a chance his daughter was still out there. He had to stay alive, for her.

He slumped onto the floor, burying his head in his knees as he whet. If Uzi didn't return, he had very limited options. He glanced over at a calender, it was April 11^th. With a grim expression he wiped his eyes and pulled himself up from the floor. He walked to a table in the living room and grabbed a marker from a small mug, where he then walked over to the calendar. He counted thirty days from now, his finger landing on May 11, and marked the day with a circle.

He has made his choice. If there was no news on Uzi's whereabouts in thirty days he would kill himself.

Chapter Text

Nate and Uzi followed the black car at a distance, being sure to stay out of its line of sight whenever possible. The last thing they needed was for the man to notice them and ruin their hunt. They had been hiding out around areas of the city that were popular among young people, places where they figured someone like him would lurk and look for victims.

Nate had an innate advantage due to his invisibility, but Uzi was doing pretty well at keeping herself hidden. The car was driving so as to avoid densely populated areas and driving fairly fast, probably a little above the speed limit. Combined with that, and the fact the lights were off, they knew he couldn't be up to any good.

The car took them to the outskirts of the city. Where the buildings were smaller, older, and less maintained. With crumbling walls and fading signs, each one looked to be almost half a century old.

They approached a small, nondescript house, with bleached, peeling paint and a sagging roof. If this was where the guy lived, Uzi almost felt sorry for him. The car parked on the road, the man getting out and swiftly walking over to the back, popping the trunk and pulling out the slender figure of a body.

They were too late.

The man then flung the body over his shoulder and walked to the front of the house, opening the door and going inside, closing it behind him.

“Come on.” Uzi grunted under her breath. Gesturing to Nate to follow her as she sprinted across the road, crouching behind the car and looking through the cracked windows of the house. Nate crouched next to her, squinting to try and find as much as he could. Even from here she could smell blood.

The two to saw the faint, blurry silhouettes of items in the house, and the man at a counter. They crept closer, slowly so as to avoid getting caught, and peered through a dusty window.

The man was standing at a kitchen sink, washing off a knife.

“At least he takes care of his equipment.” Nate joked. Uzi roughly elbowed his side.

The man then stretched his arms above his head, knife still in hand, and set it down. Walking away from the counter and heading to the back of the house. They had to act fast if they wanted to get in.

Uzi sprinted over to the door, her hand gently grazing the wood.

He hadn't locked the door.

Swiftly, she pushed it open, her and Nate rushing inside. Just to be safe, she closed the door behind her, not wanting the man to have any exits.

“I'm going invisible. Okay?” Nate reassured, resting his hand on her shoulder and waiting for her to nod, upon which his body faded out of existence, although she still felt the pressure on her shoulder.

Nate then slinked away. Although Uzi couldn't track his location, she still had the comfort and reassurance of knowing he was beside her.

The man was still in the back, Uzi being unable to see him from her current vantage point.

Uzi didn't want to give this man the pleasure of a swift and painless death. She wanted to make him pay.

With a burst of adrenaline induced determination, she dashed across the house on silent feet, walking down a hallway and ending up in front of a cracked door. She saw the man standing in front of a large map thumbtacked to the wall. The map was marked, with certain areas being scratched, x'ed, or circled, and the man was muttering to himself, with Uzi being able to make out some of his words with her advanced hearing.

“They're catching onto me. I can't risk being sloppy. Where to go... where to go...?”

Now was perfect.

Uzi grabbed the door and slammed it open, nearly ripping it off its hinges as it slammed against the wall. The man shouted and jumped, turning to look at the person who had interrupted him. He had probably expected to see a cop, not a four foot two teenage girl standing with her teeth bared like a dog.

“Tonight, you'll pay.” She hissed, stalking into the room.

The man didn't even flinch, holding up his hands and backing up slightly.

“I don't even know who you are.” He stated.

“You should.” She growled, stepping into the moonlight that streamed through a cracked window, revealing her face. The man stopped short, his breath hitching and eyes widening in terror.

“No, no but-” He stuttered, his hand racing to his chest.

“Oh yes,” Uzi replied, drinking in his misery. It felt so good to be the one in control, to be the one to strike fear into the heart of her prey.

The man then screamed, high and loud, before he bolted to the door, nearly knocking Uzi off her feet. Although she was able to regain her footing and sprinted down the hallway, chasing him. By the time she entered the main room, she was unable to find him again.

She heard something knocking and turned to the source of the sound, seeing a large, empty bottle clattering to the floor. Although, the bottle then picked itself up and placed itself on the nearest table. It was just Nate. Although, she also heard a small whimper.

“...ghosts...ghosts....I'm being haunted by ghosts...I'm being haunted by them.” He muttered.

Uzi listened closer, trying to locate the source of the sound, and found the man curled in the fetal position by the sink. His head was pressed to his knees and he was shielding his head with his hands, as if he were trying to escape an earthquake.

“There you are...” She taunted, flashing a fanged smile.

The man whimpered, standing up and grabbing the knife from the counter.

“I-I'M NOT SCARED OF YOU!” He screamed, pointing the knife at her. Even though it as the same knife that had ended her life just a few nights ago, she couldn't bring herself to feel fear.

Suddenly, the knife flung itself out of his hands, hovering in midair.

“Maybe you should rethink that.” Nate said, still invisible.

The man's face paled and his jaw unhinged, releasing a screech of pure terror as he stumbled back, right into Uzi's grip.

Without hesitation, Uzi gripped onto the man. Her nails dug into his shirt and, based on the howl of pain he released, scratched his skin. The scent of his fear was intoxicating, and with a growl, she bit down on the man's neck.

Her mouth exploded into a barrage of flavor as she sucked, the man struggling against her vice like grip. Blood pooled into her mouth like water, and each swallow tasted exquisite. As she drank the man's body grew limp beneath her, his eyes growing blurry and his struggle weakening. Eventually, his hand convulsed and went slack, the knife clattering to the floor and landing in a pool of saliva and blood.

Finally, the blood stopped flowing and the man's body went slack, Uzi chuckled darkly as she dropped it to the floor. Her mouth was coated in blood, and her teeth and tongue were stained red, even her ruby-red eyes seemed brighter and more alert.

“Wow,” Nate gasped, looking genuinely horrified.

“What?” Uzi asked, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

“I just- I didn't- I never thought a new-turned would be so eager to... y'know.” He gestured to the sprawled out corpse. Uzi suddenly felt pulled back to reality, the gravity of the situation settling in the air around her. She looked down at the body, eyes wide in terror and mouth agape in a silent scream. She had killed him.

“I-I don't know- it just- it just felt so... good.” She replied, her voice hollow.

“Yeah, it's what we call a 'Hunters' High'.” He air-quoted.

“Hunters High?”

“It happen to vampires when they're hunting. It enhances your senses, numbs your inhibitions... it makes you feel like god. In that moment, all you want to do, all you feel like you can do, it hunt and chase down your prey.”

At that description, Uzi looked down at her hands, her fingertips stained with blood. She really was a monster.

Nate must've sensed her anxiety, because he took her hands in his and gently closed her fingers, covering the blood.

“It's okay, it wears off after a couple of minutes, you'll be fine.” He patted her hand.

With that he looked around, walking to the front door and turning on a light switch. They were now able to see the house in all its grizzly glory. The walls were covered in peeling paint, the carpet on the floors was patched and stained with blood and other fluids, and the counters were covered with empty bottles of chemicals.

However, the most disturbing part of all, was the girl tied up and laid out on the couch.

“Oh god, no...” Uzi gasped as the two slowly approached the couch. They both expected to find another tragic scene, another girl who had fallen victim to this awful man, but they were relieved to find she was still alive.

She was slender, with pale skin and long, black hair. Her arms were bound to her side and her legs were tied with thick rope, she was blindfolded and gagged with cloth. Uzi didn't even have to see her face to recognize who she was.

Doll was her cousin. Someone who she was close to as a kid but grew apart after her parent's deaths. The two hadn't spent much time together as of late, but the idea of her cousin's life ending in such a violent and brutal way made her blood boil.

Slowly, the two began to untie her, Nate taking the rope around her arms while Uzi worked on her feet. She could see bruises on her ankles where the rope had dug into her skin, but thankfully she wasn't too injured.

Uzi then worked to untie the gag and blindfold, revealing dilated pupils and a slacked jaw. A line of drool strung down her chin, causing Uzi to realize the cloth that had been used to gag her was also soaked with saliva.

She didn't appear to quite be unconscious, but she was definantally drugged.

“Doll, are you here?” Uzi whispered, gently slapping her cheek, trying to wake her up. Doll mumbled something under her breath, her jaw vaguely moving, before her eyes refocused and she seemingly snapped back to reality.

She screamed, sitting up and burying her head in her hands. Her body shook uncontrollably, and the sound she made was so horrible it caused Nate and Uzi to recoil in fear.

“Doll, Doll, don't worry, it's okay.” Uzi held out her hands, trying to calm her. Doll's eyes ricocheted over to the two vampires, the terror in then not receding but her body noticeably relaxing.

“Uzi?” She breathed, the faintest hint of an accent on her tongue. Uzi nodded slowly. “What happened I- I thought you were-”

“Dead?” Uzi cut her off. “Well I was, it's kinda a long story.”

Doll's attention then turned to Nate, her grip on the scratched-up couch tightening.

“Who is he?” She hissed. Nate waved awkwardly.

“That's Nate, he's been helping me.” Uzi clarified.

“What is he?” Doll asked, her eyes flicking towards his smiling mouth.

“He's a vampire. I man, we're vampires.”

Doll stared in shock.

“You too?”

Uzi nodded.

“When I was... murdered... Nate found me and revived me.” She explained.

Doll stared in disbelief, as though she couldn't fully comprehend what she was hearing.

“Come on, let's get you out of he-”

“Don't.” Doll flinched away from Uzi's hand.

“But-”

“I'll be fine.”

The two exchanged a look as Doll slid onto the floor, drawing her knees up and hugging herself tightly. Her head and eyes were turned to the floor, yet her gaze remained focused on nothing in particular.

Uzi reached out, hoping that she could help Doll come to her senses, only for Nate to grab her shoulder and gently pull her back.

“He's gone, there's nothing that can hurt her.”

Uzi looked back at him, then down at Doll, and sighed.

“Don't stay too long, okay?”

Doll's head shuddered. Whether that was supposed to be her attempt at nodding, she couldn't tell.

The air was musty with the scents of mold, chemicals, and bodily fluids. However, above all was the pungent, tangy scent of blood.

Nate sniffed the air, his pupils diluting slightly as he sniffed.

“We're in a freak's murder shack, of course there's gonna be blood.” Uzi snarked, annoyed and tired.

“It's not just blood. It's meat, bodies.” He replied.

Her eyes widened. That was more than she wanted to deal with.

Nate continued to smell the air, walking in the direction of the supposed bodies as Uzi followed, albiet hesitantly.

He then lead her down the hallway to a door she hadn't recognized before. This one was designed to blend into the wall, with only a small doorknob and keyhole marking it as out of the ordinary. Uzi pushed on it and the door didn't budge.

“It's locked.”

“There must be a key somewhere.”

The two then broke away from the door to search for the key. As they reentered the main room, Uzi took notice of the man's body and the clothing he was wearing. A white flannel overcoat with two chest pockets. She made her way over to the corpse, got on her knees, and began rooting through each pocket, where she pulled out a partially oxidized copper key.

“Got it!” She announced, holding up the key for Nate-who was currently looking through a pile of newspapers-to see.

“Great!” he exclaimed, making his way back over to the door and Uzi following him.

Nate took the key from her hand and inserted it into the lock, turning it with a click. The door creaked open, revealing a staircase that led down into darkness. Uzi's heart pounded in her chest as she peered into the abyss, a cold draft brushing past her and sending shivers down her spine. She didn't know what awaited them down there, but she was certain it wouldn't be pleasant.

Chapter Text

Nate and Uzi made their way down a set of creaky stairs. Each step was precarious, as though the damp wood may give out from under them at any moment. Yet, thankfully, they were able to make it to the basement, landing on cool stone, before being greeted with a grizzly sight.

The room was lined with metal shelves, each one overflowing with bottles of corrosive and toxic chemicals, as well as drugs designed to incapacitate, numb, and even knock out their victims. The walls were scrawled with messages in blood, each one painting the picture of a man who had resorted to these depravities to satisfy a dark hole in his heart.

In the center of the room lay the bodies of the other missing girls, each one defaced and mutilated in gruesome ways.

Nate face had gone pale, his hand hovering over his mouth as his breathing became erratic. He either looked like he was about to vomit, or was on the brink of a panic attack.

“We... we should get out of here.” He whimpered.

“Yeah.” Uzi breathed.

Quickly, the two scurried back up the stairs, both shaken by what they had seen.

“What do we do?” Nate asked, his voice still tense.

“Call the cops, they deserve justice.” She replied, looking back down into the darkness.

“But I don't have a phone, and yours is dead.” He pointed out.

Right. That would make this a bit more difficult.

Nate took a moment to think, his eyes scanning the room. That's when he spotted a landline phone thrown onto the floor.

"The phone," he pointed, voice trembling, "we can use that."

The two approached it and Uzi cleared off space on a nearby table for Nate to place it. It was slightly damaged, but thankfully still functional enough to make a call. With that, Uzi plugged it in, and Nate dialed 911.

The phone rung, taking just a while to connect, before it finally clicked. Nate brought it up to his face and turned away from Uzi, speaking to the person on the other side.

“Yes the recent disappearances, we found them. Unfortunately they were all, um, dead.” He looked back to Uzi.

“The suspect,” He looked over to the corpse “ dead aswell.”

“Our location... um...” He brought the phone down, covering the mouthpiece with his hand, “Uz, could you find the address?”

Uzi nodded and rushed to the door, heading outside to try and find anything. Next to the door were some shapes in that resembled numbers. She squinted, trying to make them out. The shapes were brighter then the faded paint around them, suggest that old numbers were once here that had since disappeared. Which made sense given the general look and feel of the area.

The faded numbers read “679”

She had the house, now she just had to find the street number.

She jogged down to the street corner, reading the old, faded sign. They were on Birch Road.

She made her way back to the house, rushing back to a distressed looking Nate.

“We're at 679 Birch Road.”

He nodded and returned to the phone.

“Who am I? I would, em, prefer to remain anonymous.”

With that, he set the headset down, the receiver clicking and playing a single, monotonous beep.

“They'll be here soon, we should leave.” He explained.

Uzi nodded, turning back to look at Doll. Their attacker was dead, no one would hurt her. But she couldn't help but feel guilty at the thought of leaving her behind.

“Come on.” Nate called, already standing by the open door.

Uzi looked over at Nate, then back at Doll.

“See you soon.” She waved.

Doll grunted.

Uzi then looked back to and followed Nate, ready to head back home.

Nate and Uzi took opposite sides of the couch, each one caught up in their own thoughts.

“Turn it on.” Uzi mumbled.

“What?” Nate asked, his voice dry.

“Turn on the TV.”

Nate whimpered slightly, his hand cringing, before he eventually grabbed the remote and turned on the television.

The events of the prior night were already on, a bright red breaking news banner taking up half the screen, before the image faded to show the anchor. Looking much more distressed then before.

“Tonight we bring you all a disturbing conclusion to our latest case. The bodies of four out of the five missing girls. They were located in the basement of a house in the eastern area of the city.”

The screen then showed several images of the house's exterior, before showing an image of the basement, the bodies having been pelleted. Under the image was a caption.

“Bodies will not be shown out of respect for the victims and their families”

Uzi shuttered, her stomach fluttering. The images of that night would never leave hr head. But at least they wouldn't have their deaths exploited for drama by tabloid vultures.

She was only snapped out of her distress by the feeling of something on her hand. She looked over to find Nate, his own face pale with terror, as his hand gently wrapped around Uzi's. Her face flushed, appreciating the simple gesture.

“The body of Suzanne has not been found in our around the area. However, due to the circumstances of the case, authorities have elected to declare her dead.”

Uzi's heart plummeted to the floor. It was official now. Her death was real, and she was stuck in this new life she hadn't asked for. She gripped Nate's hand tighter, the man wincing slightly. She was dead, and she had to come to terms with that.

“Hey, you two've been pretty quiet up here. Everything okay?” Jay asked. Nate and Uzi jumped, their hands separating as Nate grabbed the remote and quickly muted the television.

“Yeah, yeah,” Uzi muttered, trying to bury the turmoil inside her.

Jay raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced, and walked in to look at the television, seeing the news broadcast playing silently.

“You two actually found the guy?”

Uzi nodded.

“Congrats, that's one less creep on the streets,” She congratulated, eying the news report. Her gaze then shifted from the television to Uzi, and back again. “There's something you're not telling me.”

Uzi's chest tightened as she looked up at the vampire, whose eyes looked like they were boring into her soul.

“It's... my dad.” She admitted, her voice weak.

“Go on.” Jay urged with a wave of her hand.

“I was just... wondering what he's doing now that,” She took a deep breath “Now that-”

“Everyone thinks you're dead?” Jay finished.

“Yeah. How did you-”

“It's a common feeling. You want to let him know you're alive.” She guessed.

Uzi nodded, shocked that she had accurately guessed her feelings.

“I understand, and you should consider yourself lucky. Vampires aren't as feared now as they were back then, your dad would probably accept you if you ever showed yourself to him.” She explained.

Uzi looked down at her hands. The hands that, just a night ago, had been stained with a man's blood.

“You sure?” She asked. Her dad wasn't a harsh person, but he want stupid either.

“If he truly loves you, he'll accept you.”

Uzi looked up at Nate, then back at the television, an image of the man's body now on the screen.

Would her dad really accept her?

Chapter Text

“Hey bro, you okay?” Lizzy asked, snapping Thad out of his stupor with a shake of the shoulder.

“Yeah yeah I'm, good.” He lied, brushing his sister off of him.

“Okay, if you say so.” She replied, distracted by her phone. She was always texting somebody, but he never bothered to figure out who.

Everyone had seen the broadcast last night, it was all anyone could talk about. Even now he still remembered what had happened leading to that night.

He had noticed Uzi was more grumpy then usual, snapping at every little thing and constantly looking like she was on the brink of lashing out, so he had invited her to a party he had heard about. He hoped it would help cheer her up, give her something to distract herself from her issues.

He had driven her to the party, but ended up loosing her halfway through. However, he didn't worry too much. She was resilient, and he figured he could find her own way home. But if he knew what would end up happening, he never would've let her out of his sight.

He hadn't been able to escape the guilt when he learned she had first went missing. Every day without her felt like torture, and every night he prayed she would come home.

But now he knew, she was gone. And it was all his fault.

He made it to his seat just as the bell rang, setting his bag down ans slumping into his chair. He looked around, eying a few of the regulars. Braiden, obsessively cleaning his desk like it was a matter of life or death. Sam, rooting through his bag looking for a vape pen. And Emily, getting caught up on next week's reading. They were familiar faces, and many of them shared classes, but there was one desk that made his heart ache the most.

Uzi's chair remained empty, pushed out at an awkward angle that signaled someone who was too apathetic to care about being neat.

It changed things knowing there was a seat that would never be filled.

Th lesson started, but Thad found it hard to pay attention to the teacher's lesson. He spent almost the entire class staring down at his phone, scrolling through articles about the disappearances. He knew it was unhealthy, that it would only make his guilt worse, but he didn't know what else to do. He didn't even know if he deserved to feel at peace. Afterall, who leads their friend to their own friend to their death?

The teacher must've noticed Thad hunched over his phone, because he quickly cleared his throat to grab the student's attention.

“I know we're all shaken by news of the murders. And I can understand how some of us, especially those of us who were close to the victims, may be feeling. If anyone feels like they need to take any time off from school to sort through their feelings, feel free to tell me after class.”

He then returned to the lecture. Thad once again tuning out his words. He was never close to the other victims, although it reassured him to know that there were people who could share in his pain. That he wasn't truly alone.

However, even then, he couldn't ignore the fact that her body had never been found. She could still be out there.

She could still be alive.

Chapter Text

Uzi fluffed up her hair, wanting to look her best to return to her home. She was dressed the best clothes the vampires had to offer, a black hoodie from Victoria, blue skinny jeans from Jay, and black boots from Nate. She was even wearing some violet eyeshadow for good measure.

Nate had also dressed his best, in a a dark blue coat with a fur trim, white pants, and white boots with a neon yellow trim. Vicky had joked that the long coat made him look like he was a girl.

Uzi paced in front of the couch, Jay watching her with her hands clasped in her lap.

“But, what if he asks about the man! How am I supposed to explain that I killed a guy! I murdered a guy! How do you just go 'Hey dad your daughter is a demon and a felon.' I'm doomed”

Jay raised a hand to silence her.

“Uzi, listen. I know you're excited to see your dad, but you also have to realize the differences between him and you.” She began, her tone more firm then Uzi had heard before.

“First, you can't return to him, ever. Don't lead him on and make him think you're coming back.”

Uzi nodded stiffly.

“Second, don't tell him anything about where you've been. If our secret gets out, it'll be a death sentence for all of us.”

Uzi nodded again, swallowing at the thought of following these rules.

“And finally, if at any point you feel unsafe, you need to attack him. I know it's your dad, but he's human now, and humans are food to you. You can't let your emotions get in the way of your survival," Jay instructed, her voice firm but gentle as she lay a hand on her shoulder.

Uzi rested her hand on the older woman's, her eyes tearing with stress.

“Thanks Jay.”

Jay blinked slowly.

“I know it's hard, but you'll get used to it.”

“Ready to go?” Nate asked, coming down the stairs.

Uzi was stunned, still reeling from what Jay had told her, but put on a forced smile.

“Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go.”

Nate and Uzi wandered down the street, lamps and electric signs beginning to flicker to life as they passed. Uzi's house was in a suburb quite a way's away from the vampire's home, so it would take them quite a while to get there.

The sky was still a faint shade of orange and purple, the two wanting to get a head start to ensure they'd have as much time as possible to get there and back. The last thing they would've wanted was to get trapped in the middle of the city in the middle of the day.

Uzi felt a strange detachment from her body, as though she were watching her own motions from a distance. The last time she had been in this part of town was the night she had died. Or at least, that's what everyone else thought. She couldn't believe she was actually going home.

She and Nate turned a corner, waling down a street with a few businesses. Uzi recognized it almost immediately, it was the street where she was murdered.

She instinctively stopped, her feet feeling like they had been planted on the floor. Nate turned back to look at her, his gaze sympathetic.

“We can find a different way if you want.” he offered, holding out his hand.

Uzi knocked it way, taking a deep breath.

“No no, I'm good.”

Nate nodded and gave her an empathetic smile.

“Alright then, if you say so.”

Uzi felt a sweat break on her forehead as they walked down the sidewalk, her heart racing as though she were reliving the events of the night all over again. Nate noticed her anxiety, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“It'll be okay. It'll be alright.” He reassured, almost chanting.

Uzi leaned into Nate's side, his grip on her tightening. Her eyes squeezed shut, desperately trying to avoid panicking, until Nate snapped her out of her fear.

“Hey look at that,” He pointed out.

Uzi looked up hesitantly, only for her eyes to widen as she was met with a pleasant, unexpected surprise.

A small shrine had been constructed in the alley. With photographs of herself and the four other girls set on small frames. Flowers had been placed around the photos, and a few white candles burned in front of each photograph.

Uzi detached herself from Nate's side, slowly making her way to the shrine. She had to wonder who had made this. It was a small gesture, but an appreciated one.

She kneeled down in front of the shrine, her hand gently reaching out over the flame to touch her photo. She really was dead.

She looked up at Nate, who was holding his hands together in an awkward yet respectful gesture.

She was just about to get up and leave the alley, when she noticed something she had missed. A small, plastic tub with a small notepad and pencil, the bottom of the tub littered with folded and crumpled paper.

“I think it's for people to leave notes.” Nate suggested, kneeling next to Uzi.

“Can we leave some?” She asked.

“I don't see why not.”

Nate then grabbed the pad and pencil and quickly scribbled down his own note, taking a second to read over what he wrote. Uzi couldn't help but feel mildly curious.

“Can I see it?”

Nate jumped, looking over to Uzi then down at the note.

“Umm... I would prefer you didn't.” He whimpered, holding the pad close to his chest. Uzi nodded, respecting his choice.

He ripped out the page and folded it up, placing it in the tub with the other notes.

“Your turn,” He handed the pad and pencil to Uzi. She took them both and tapped he pencil on the notepad, figuring out what she would want to write.

Finally, she made her choice.

I'm very sorry for what they had to suffer. I hope they can all find peace.

It was simple, but it made her feel good. She them folded it up and placed it inside the tub, returning the notepad and pencil as well.

“Ready to go?” Nate asked, standing up.

Uzi stared at the shrine for a few seconds longer.

“Yeah.”

Chapter Text

Uzi and Nate wandered down the streets of the suburb where she grew up, a few flickering streetlamps lighting their way.

“This is Nice,” Nate pointed out, looking around, “If I had been born a couple decades later. I'dve loved to live here.”

Uzi smirked, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

“Yeah, it's a pretty chill place. Nice to grow up in.” She replied, taking his hand in hers and looking out at he houses. Even though it had only been a few weeks since she'd last been here, she already felt nostalgic to return. Maybe it was some vampire magic thing.

She took note of the numbers plastered on the houses' mailboxes. 

374... 375... ah, 376. Her home.

“This yours?”

“Yeah,” Uzi breathed. It was a lot different then she remembered.

The yard was overgrown, with several varieties of tall weeds interspersed in with the grass, and the car was covered with mud. It was never the best looking house when she was living there, but now she would be amazed if anyone even lived here anymore.

Nate elbowed her softly, causing her to look up at him.

“You sure you want to do this?” He asked, looking mildly worried.

Uzi looked up at him, then back to the house. She didn't know why, but something told her that if she didn't go now she would live to regret it.

“Yes,” She replied, walking ahead of him up the driveway.

Her heart hammered in her chest, blood pulsing in her ears. It had been nearly a month since she had last seen her dad. Everyone thought she was dead.

The two now stood on the doorstep, the paint on the door faded and chipped. Uzi and Nate looked to each other, nodding slightly, before Uzi raised her hand, knocking gently at the door.

The two waited for a few seconds, and nothing happened. 

Uzi tried again, knocking on the door once more.

Silence.

Uzi began to grow worried, was her dad okay?

Once again, she knocked on the door, harder and louder. Finally, she heard something stir.

“I'm coming, I'm coming,” Khan groaned through the door.

Uzi's heart skipped a beat. She had though about doing this for weeks, but now it was really happening.

The door clicked as it was unlocked and the knob turned, jiggling a little as it did.

The door cracked open slightly, a single tired blue eye peering through the gap, before the door opened all the way.

Khan looked utterly exhausted. His face with downcast and covered with lines, his shirt was stained with sweat and grease, and he smelled like he hadn't seen a shower in weeks. However, seeing Uzi's face brought a hint of emotion to his dirty face.

“Uzi...” He breathed, his voice thick and tired.

“Y-yeah,” She whimpered, shrinking into herself, “Hi dad.” She waved.

Khan's hand fell from the doorknob, staring down in disbelief. His daughter who had been dead for nearly a month, was alive.

“Mr Uzi's dad? Is everything okay.” Nate called.

“Oh, uh, right. Yes. Come in you two.” Khan replied, holding the door open for the two to enter.

The inside was a mess, with stains on the carpet and couch, fast food containers littering the floor, and the smell of mold and rot. It was like something had crawled in there and died. And given how messy everything was, she wouldn't be surprised if there was a dead body somewhere.

The scent was overwhelming to her enhanced vampire senses, and she had to resist the urge to gag. Based on Nate's expression, she suspects he was feeling the same.

“I'm sorry it's a bit of a mess. I haven't quite been feeling myself lately.” He apologized, picking up a few of the stray containers and piling them on the coffee table, which was overflowing with dirty clothes.

“Oh no worries Mr...” Nate replied.

“You can call me Mr Doorman.”

“Okay, no worries Mr Doorman.”

Uzi looked around the living room, horrified at just how dingy everything had gotten. It was never the cleanest place. Her dad had always had a habit of leaving things to get filthy, leaving them for her to clean. But this was dirtier then she had ever seen, as if he had been intentionally trying to make his life miserable.

She wandered to the kitchen, hoping to find some respite from the putrid scent. She didn't know how her dad could stand the smell, let alone live in it. But, when she entered the kitchen she found something she wouldn't have expected, her mother's gun.

She raised an eyebrow and reached out to touch the cold metal. The gun belonged to her mother, who had died when she was a baby. Her dad had always been adamant about keeping it safe, saying it was for emergencies only, and always kept it in the drawer. She had no idea what he could've been planning to do with it, but the paper next to the gun only made her more curious. And worried.

Hesitantly, she reached over and picked it up, her brow furrowing as she read.

'I'm sorry. I know that this is selfish, but I didn't know what else to do. I have nothing, no one, no reason to stay. I'm just so, so tired. I miss them, both of them. I want to see them again.

Uzi, I love you. Even if I made mistakes. Even if I didn't always show it, I love you. 

I'm coming home.'

Uzi stared in disbelief at the paper in her hand. She looked up at the calender, finding May 11th circled on the calender. Today's date. Her grip on the paper tightened, nearly ripping it as she realized what could've happened.

“Uzi, is everything okay?” Khan called, walking into the kitchen behind her, only to come to a sudden stop when he saw her holding the note.

“Dad,” Uzi breathed, “What were you going to do?”

Khan took a shuddering breath, holding out a shaking hand. For a few seconds the two just stood in silence, neither one knowing how to proceed.

Then, Khan briskly walked over to Uzi and ripped the paper from her hand.

“It's nothing...” He lied, his eyes drifting away from his daughter's face. Before he perked up once again.

“Oh where are my manners, come on, why don't I make you two something to eat.” He said, nearly shoving Uzi into a chair.

“Uh, sure. I could eat.” Nate replied, walking in from the next room and taking the chair opposite of Uzi. Khan walked over to and grabbed the gun from off the table, placing it back in its drawer.

Nate placed his arms on the table, kicking his legs. Khan glided over to the fridge,opening it and rooting through its meager contents. A few empty containers and produce that was more fungus then food was all Uzi was able to see.

“Um I, don't have much. Would eggs be okay?” He asked, looking over his shoulder and the two vampires sitting at the table.

“That would be fine.” Nate replied.

Khan nodded and got to work, pulling out a container of eggs and a nearly empty bottle that smelled like it was at least a week expired. He quickly cracked a few eggs into the pan, mixing in the milk and getting to work scrambling them.

After a few minutes, he finished, scooping the eggs into three plates. He placed two in front of Uzi and Nate, before sitting down with his own.

Uzi glanced over at her dad, then up to Nate, who looked mildly uncomfortable. Then, she grabbed her fork and took a scoop of the gelatinous eggs, scooping them into her mouth. They tasted sour and had a texture reminiscent of wet slime, but she swallowed them anyway, not wanting to upset her dad in his already fragile state.

“So Uzi... who's your friend?” Khan asked, taking a bite of his own food.

Uzi nearly choked.

“Well,” She coughed, “this is Nate. He, um, found me.”

“You've been living with him?” He asked again, his voice strangely calm.

“Yeah, with him and his friends, they're pretty chill.”

Khan didn't seem bothered, simply turning to the other man.

“Nice to meet you Nate. Thank you for taking care of my daughter.”

“You're welcome Mr Doorman,” He spoke through a mouthful of eggs.

“So, what have you been up too? A month is a long time to be away from home.”

Uzi's mind raced as she picked at the eggs. What could she tell her dad? Would he even believe her if she said the truth? Would he even want to believe it?

“Well, stuff. Hanging out, having fun.” She lied through a tense smile.

“What kind of stuff?”

Nate and Uzi exchanged a worried look.

“I've been learning some new things, meeting new people...” Uzi answered, trying to keep her voice steady.

“Well, I know you're basically an adult and I should let you explore your independence but... why didn't you come back?” He asked, a slight wince in his voice, “Nate seems like a nice boy, I would've let you hang out with him.”

“Well, it's complicated,” Uzi began, poking the eggs, “But I'm alive, so it's all good, right?”

“I suppose,” he replied, scooping up a bite of egg, only for his hand to stop in midair as he let the food fall back to the plate, “Will you... will you be coming back?”

Uzi felt her heart race. How could she let him down gently?

“Um... I- I can't.” She whimpered.

Khan's face fell, his eyes growing wide with desperation.

“What do you mean you can't?” He questioned, his voice cracking slightly.

“Look I'm sorry but, I- I just can't.” Uzi pushed her place away, resting her head on her hand.

“Is it... me?” Khan asked, his voice growing more and more desperate.

“No dad, it's not you it's just-” She replied, holding her hands out and trying to placate him. Only for him to nearly lunge from his seat and get on knees, begging.

“PLEASE, PLEASE! I CAN DO BETTER! JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE! PLEASE! TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO DO! PLEASE!” He yelled, causing Uzi to yelp and shrink into herself.

“DAD I, I- I CAN'T!” She shouted back.

“WHY NOT?” He asked.

“BECAUSE I'M A VAMPIRE!” She let slip, causing Khan to stop yelling and gasp. Nico himself tensed as well, slowly getting up, as though he were preparing to either fight or flee.

“What?” He whispered, looking at her with a mix of shock and horror, his eyes wide and unblinking. Uzi sighed and let herself relax, preparing to tell the story.

“On that night, I was killed,” she began, “Nate found the guy before he could take my body, and he revived me, turning me into,” she gestured to her face, showing off her ruby red eyes and newly-grown fangs, “this.”

Khan stared in disbelief, yet gently held Uzi's hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb.

“He, Jay, and Vicky brought me back to their home. They gave me a room and, helped me.”

Her dad remained silent, still in shock.

“I'm so, so sorry. I should've  been responsible. But, I can't come back. It would put me, and you, in danger.” She finished, patting his hand.

Now she just sat, closing her eyes. She expected the worst. To be shoved, yelled at, she wouldn't even be surprised if she was forced to... defend herself. Yet, all she felt was her dad planting a kiss her on the forehead. She opened her eyes to find Khan brushing a lock of violet hair out of her face.

“Oh Uzi... I love you. I'll always love you.” He reassured, embracing her in a hug, “Thank you for coming back, even if you can't stay. I'm so, so happy to know you're safe.”

Uzi, stunned by the sudden turn of events, felt a tear slip down her cheek. Before she knew it, she had begun to cry, leaning into the hug and smushing her face into his shoulder. She almost felt like a kid again, in the arms of her dad being reassured after a storm or bad nightmare.

The two broke away, staring into each others faces. Uzi wiped the tears from her cheeks, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She had feared this night would end in disaster, that she would be forced to leave or worse. Yet here she was, her dad accepting her and loving her even after everything.

Nate cleared his throat, feeling slightly awkward in the room filled with raw emotion. Khan and Uzi turned to look at him.

“Sorry but, uh, we should get going. The sun is almost up.” He pointed out, pointing to a window where the sky had begun to lighten.

“Oh yes. You two probably wouldn't want to get caught in the sun.” He helped Uzi to her feet. “Go on, you can come back tomorrow night to pick up your stuff.”

Uzi nodded, not quite knowing what to say, but she knew she had to leave. She felt guilty, leaving her dad, but she knew it was for the best.

“O-okay, bye dad.” She waved. Khan waved back, a genuine smile on his face.

She and Nate made their way to the front door, closing it as they exited the house. 

Tonight went better then either expected.

Chapter Text

Uzi sat in the passenger seat clutching a black and violet, anime style bat plushie while Nate drove. Her dad had helped the two pack up her stuff from her room, offering to drive her stuff to the vampire's house. 

It felt weird to be driving to a house inhabited by vampires with her entire room stuffed in the trunk. She wondered if other kids felt like this when they moved out to go to college.

Something she would never get to do.

“Hey, Nate,” She whispered.

“Yeah Uz?”

“Do you think Jay will be okay with my dad coming over?”

“Oh she'll be fine. Besides, he's just gonna help us unpack the stuff. He'll be gone before anything can happen.”

Uzi clutched the bat tighter.

“I hope so.”

The car tilted as they drove up the hill, Uzi's heart racing as the car jolted over stones. She remembered the story Nate told her of Jay drowning a man. But... that was because he was dangerous. Her dad was just coming to help them unpack. He'd be fine, right? 

The car jolted to a halt as Nate parked in the driveway, right next to the vampire's own SUV. Uzi opened the door and jumped out.

“This is where you've been staying?” Khan asked, looking up in awe.

“Yeah. It's pretty cozy all things considered.” 

Khan stared up at the house, his hand trembling slightly. He took a deep breath and looked over to Uzi.

“Well, lead the way.”

Nate and Uzi shared a look, Nate smiling while Uzi looked slightly nervous.

Nate led Uzi and Khan up the stairs, pulling out a key and unlocking the door. The three stepped inside, Khan idled by the door as he admired the house.

“Wow, this place is incredible.” He complimented, taking few slow steps into the foyer.

“Yep, it's a real piece of work.” Jay taunted, stepping out from the sitting room. She was wearing a simple tshirt and sweatpants, definitely not going-out clothes, and her hair was down. Yet she still managed to be intimidating despite her loose, almost messy, appearance.

“Oh uh,” Uzi stuttered, not expecting a confrontation with the elder vampire, “Hey Jay, this is my dad.”

Jay looked from Uzi to Khan, her mouth curling into a sneer as she locked eyes with the man. Slowly, she padded over to him, her eyes growing more intense with every step.

“Welcome, I'm Jay.” She greeted, although her face never softened.

“Nice to meet you Jay, you can call me Mr. Doorman.” Khan replied, either oblivious to or uncaring of her anger. “Your house is very nice.”

Jay simply stepped back, her eyes never leaving him as she did.

“Don't touch anything, and get out quick.” She hissed.

Uzi felt her heart rate spike with the tension in the room. Quickly, she reached and grabbed her dad's wrist, so tight it caused him to wince.

“Um, c'mon dad. You wouldn't wanna spend all night out here, would you?” She asked, her words tight and quick.

“Well I guess that wouldn't be idEEAA-” He wasn't even given time to finish his though before Uzi was dragging him upstairs, Jay and Nate still standing in the foyer.

“I'll just, I'll go help them.” Nate pointed, heading up the stairs to Uzi and Khan.

“This is your room?” He asked, looking around.

“Yeah,” Uzi replied, plopping herself down on the bed and tossing the bat aside.

“Well I guess we should get to work making this house a home, eh?” He asked, clapping his hands to accentuate his statement.

“Yep,” Uzi nodded, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Let's start with essentially first, bedsheets and pillows.” He pointed out, turning to head out. Nate leaned closer to her.

“It'll be so fun to decorate this place with your old stuff!” He pointed out, bouncing on his toes.

“I, I guess it will be pretty fun.” Uzi admitted, letting a smirk graze her face.

The three then headed back downstairs, with Nate grabbing a chair from the dining table to hold the door open. Uzi was the last to leave, almost noticing Jay staring from over the couch. She sighed exasperatedly.

“Look, I get that he's setting off your human alarms or whatever, but stop acting all freaky and... vampirish!” Uzi whispered sharply, Jay slinking off the couch and stepping over to her, grabbing her by the shoulder and pulling her just out of the way of the open door.

“Look, I let you visit your dad because I wanted to give you closure I never got to get. That most of us never got to get.” Jay explained, trying to stay measured despite her tightening grip on the teen's shoulder.

“Exactly, and my closure is taking a little longer. He's just helping me unpack, okay?” Uzi sharply asked again, brushing Jay's hand off.

Her gaze grew more intense.

“That's what he's doing now... but what about later. Can we seriously trust him to not spill our secret and put all of us in danger?” She asked, genuine worry lacing her voice.

Uzi sighed out of annoyance, although she couldn't help but admit the idea did frighten her.

“Just look, I'll talk to him. Okay?” She asked.

Jay closed her eyes and nodded, “Okay.”

Khan then reentered the house, carrying a box.

“Hey Uzi, get out here, these boxes aren't gonna move themselves.” He called with a chuckle.

Uzi chuckled lightheartedly, waving her hand.

“I'll catch up.”

Trying her best to shove the prior conversation into the back of her mind, she sprinted outside to the open trunk, where Nate was struggling to get a grip on a large box with no handle. Uzi smiled and rolled her eyes, before walking to the other end of the box and slipping her fingers underneath, lifting up from the bottom.

“You gotta go below.” She advised, Nate mimicking her action. The two slowly carried the box up the stars and through the house.

“Careful, Jay will get pretty mad if we scratch anything.” Nate chided.

“I'm right here,” Jay reminded, her fangs bared in a snarl.

Uzi looked over her shoulder to Jay, shaking her head slowly as she and Nate went up the stairs. When they got to her room her dad was already on his knees with the box. 

Nate looked relieved as he lay his eyes on the bed, directing Uzi over there and holding the box over the mattresses, letting go and setting it down on the sheet.

“Oough,” Nate groaned, stretching his arms above his head with several audible cracks, “That was pretty heavy, what's even in there?”

Uzi smirked, feeling a flutter of excitement in her stomach, before she opened the box, revealing at least twenty books in various stages of use, each one with a painterly image of a cat on their cover.

“Wait... this is the book series you were telling me about!” He pointed out, enthusiastically grabbing one of the books and holding it up to himself.

“Yep,” Uzi remarked, grabbing one of the books herself, “These were classic literature to twelve year old me.”

“Oh I remember those,” Khan butted in, “You would stay up all night so you could sneak out to make it to the bookstore when it opened.” 

Khan and Nate both chuckled, Uzi joining along with a much less jovial sound. It was weird to see her father so upbeat when, just a night prior, he was preparing to kill himself. But, he didn't. So she guessed she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

The trio then returned to the car, each taking another box. Uzi guessed from the size and weight that she was carrying her laptop, and probably the charger too.

They made their way up stairs, Uzi glaring at Jay as they passed, and set the last of the boxes in the room.

“There we go, that should be everything.” Khan sighed, leaning back on the box. He took a moment to look around the room.

“I- I guess this is goodbye then.” Khan said, looking back at Uzi.

Uzi fiddled with the hem of her shirt, trying to avoid crying. 

“Yeah...” she muttered, “But it doesn't have to be.”

“Really?” He asked.

“Yeah, I can visit you. Occasionally.” She clarified, “Maybeee... once a month?”

Khan gave her a warm smile and nodded.

“Sounds good,” he agreed, walking up to Uzi, “I'll miss you.”

Uzi's eyes glazed with unshed tears.

“I'll miss you too.” She hugged, reaching out and holding her dad in a tight hug. Khan stiffened, momentarily stunned, before he returned.

The two stood like that for a while, fearing that letting go would cause the other to disappear. But, they knew they could stay like this forever so, Uzi let go, staring up at her dad with tears in her eyes.

“Oh, Uzi, I'm so proud of you. No matter what you've become, you're still my little girl.” He whispered. 

“Same,” She whispered back.

The two headed back downstairs, where the door was still propped open, and Khan walked back to his car. He waved goodbye just before opening the car door, Uzi waving  back, before he got in and backed out, driving off back to the city.

Uzi took a deep breath of the cold, crisp night air and looked up to the sky, the clear sky full of stars.

For once in her life, it felt like things were looking up.

Chapter Text

“Jay I'm booored,” Victoria groaned, tossing the phone to the couch.

“Well what do you expect me to do!” Jay shouted back.

Nate and Uzi just sat at the couch, watching the back and forth. Nate sat cross legged on his laptop, scrolling through a page of dog videos. Uzi couldn't help but notice how unbothered he felt at the situation.

“Do they normally fight like this?” She asked, keeping her voice down.

“Yeah. Victoria gets a bit antsy when she's cooped up for too long, and Jay doesn't like it when we go out to often... which is how you end up with-”

“VICTORIA! The last time you snuck out you nearly got yourself outed. If it were up to me, you'd be buried in the backyard for the next half a century.”

“Ooooh I'm so scared” Victoria feigned, waving her arms.

“You know what, you should be! You've put us in danger more times then I can count. And to think you used to be the weakest of us.” Jay scoffed, staring down at Victoria as if she were a stain she found on her bedsheets. “Do whatever you want, I don't care. Just don't expect me to go looking for your dead body.”

With that, she stomped upstairs, slamming her bedroom door closed.

“Whaat a buzzkill.” Vicky groaned, picking herself up and bending over to touch her toes. “Wanna go hunting?”

Nate nearly broke the screen with how hard he slammed his laptop shut.

“HUNTING! Victoria you can't be serious.” He exclaimed, Uzi quickly forcing a hand over his mouth.

“Shush, Jay will hear you.”

Nate nodded and Uzi pulled her hand back.

“Are. You. Crazy?”

“Relax, I may be crazy but I'm not dumb. We'll just hunt some animals.” She clarified, causing both Nate and Uzi to relax a little. Hunting animals wouldn't be too bad, and Uzi would need the skills.

“But Jay will get mad at us if we sneak out.” Nate pointed out with a shrug.

Victoria rolled her eyes and gave a condescending smirk.

“Silly, silly Nate. Jay doesn't have to know anything. We'll be back before sunrise and it'll be like we never left.”

Uzi elbowed Nate's side.

“You gotta admit, she makes a pretty good point. It'll be like we never left.”

Nate looked at the two girls, one beaming with excitement and the other staring at him with a challenging grin.

“Okay, okay fine. What the hell!”

“Great, follow me.” Victoria instructed, getting up and walking to the kitchen, where Uzi and Nate followed.

The three vampires exited the back door, the shadowed porch and moonlit yard stretching out in front of them.

It was mostly empty, with a well manicured lawn and a single, lone tree with a simple wooden sting hanging from it. Underneath the tree was a stone placard that anyone could identify as a grave marker.

'Tessa' Uzi thought, remembering the story Jay had told her of her old friend. Nate and Victoria both looked down at Uzi.

“She told you the story?” Nate asked.

Uzi nodded, “Uh-huh”

“She told us too,” Victoria explained, stepping forward.

Uzi looked up at her and shrugged. It made sense she would've wanted to explain the grave marker in her yard.

The trio of vampires walked to the think woods out back, each one stepping with the silence and grace of a deer. The scent of forest plants and creatures entered Uzi's nostrils, making her acutely aware of the surrounding area.

“Step light, and when you find something, move swift and kill quickly.” Vicky instructed, looking back at the two and slicing her neck with her thumb. Uzi and Nate nodded, Nate lifting his head to sniff the air.

“I think I smell a rabbit.” He said, breaking away from the group. Uzi looked up at Victoria, who looked over at her and gave her a silent nod, before turning to follow Nate.

He stalked through the forest swiftly yet silently, following the trail of the rabbit he thought he had smelled. Eventually, the two hunters came upon the creature, obliviously munching away at a blade of grass.

Nate's body tensed as he poised to strike, crouching down with his hands out. Uzi watched intently, careful to be quiet so as to not jeopardize the hunt.

In what felt like an instant, Nate lunged over to the creature, grabbing it before it even had the chance to react and bending it's head back. A quiet snap could be heard as the body went limp in his grip. It was kind of impressive... and kinda hot.

“Wow...” Uzi breathed, the air around her suddenly feeling warmer. Just as Nate was about to sink his teeth into the rabbit's neck and take the spoils of his hunt, he looked up and noticed the unwanted visitor.

“Uzi?” He gasped, confused and surprised, “I didn't even know you were there.”

“Oh, sorry,” she apologized, suddenly bashful.

“No no don't worry, it's fine. Kind impressive honestly.” He got up and walked over to her, dead animal still in hand.

“Wanna bite?” He asked, holding out the limp rabbit.

“I shouldn't, it's your kill.”

“We're a coven, we're supposed to look out for each other.” He insisted, and Uzi took it with a bashful smile.

“Thanks.”

She looked down at the rabbit in her hands, warm blood from the bite wound seeping into the surrounding fur. She had killed a man, why was drinking blood from an animal so hard?

Swallowing her hesitation, she bit down on the rabbit's neck and began to suck its blood. It was warm and revitalizing, like a warm drink on a cold day. Uzi felt her heartbeat quicken and her fingers twitch slightly. When she swallowed the last flow of blood, the sighed and let go of the animal, it's fur drenched in her saliva.

“T-thank you,” She gasped, breathless.

“No problem,” he took the rabbit from her and kneeled down, laying the rabbit's body out and covering it with leaves and moss. A humble attempt at a burial. He got back up and turned to her.

“You wanna get back to Vicky?”

“Sure,” Uzi replied, licking some blood off of one of her fangs.

The two then returned to find Vicky, who was hunched over the body of a deer, it's eyes glazed over as she repeatedly chomped at its neck, spilling blood everywhere.

“Yo Vic!” Uzi called, the blonde woman's head snapping up with blood dripping from the corner's of her mouth.

“Oh it's you two,” She snarked. Wiping some blood from her lips, “you get anything good?”

“I found a rabbit,” Nate perked up, smiling in a way that emphasized the blood on his teeth.

“Really,” Valentina remarked, “Congrats, maybe someday you'll graduate to putting on your own clothes.”

“Ha, ha,” Uzi deadpanned in defense of Nate.

“Well I see you've got quite the catch, why don't we just share it?” Nate asked, shrugging.

“Why the heck not,” Victoria relented, leaning away from the bite mark.

Nate and Uzi approached the body, both kneeling by it. The smell of blood hit Uzi's nose and she began to salivate. Nate leaned down and took the shoulder in his mouth, greedily sucking the blood. Uzi eyed the corpse, undecided where she wanted to feed, and eventually chose the base of the head. Gently, she rolled the deer's head back and sunk her fangs into its flesh. She and Nate drank in silence, while Victoria stood above them looking up at the sky.

“Nice night tonight,” She remarked, crossing her arms and leaning back on a tree. Nate took a break from eating to look up at the sky.

“Yeah, it is pretty pretty,” he replied, wiping his chin with the back of his hand.

Uzi licked her lips, looking up as well. The moon was in a crescent, laying atop a sea of shining stars. It wasn't a view you typically got in the city, what with the smog and streetlights, so it was a nice change of pace.

“Finish up, we should be heading back.” Victoria urged, gently hitting Uzi's head and causing the other girl to grunt in annoyance.

Uzi bit down on the deer carcass harder, sucking fervently the last drops of blood from the animal's body. Nate dropped the animal's body, standing up over it and licking his lips clean.

“Do we... y'know?” Uzi asked, gesturing to the corpse.

“Y'know what?” Vicktoria asked.

“Bury it,” She suggested.

Victoria simply raised an eyebrow, before grabbing her belly and laughing in disbelief.

“It's an animal. We hunt them, we kill them we eat them. Nothing more.” She said, gesturing to each statement.

Uzi felt her stomach do a little flip.

“...fine.”

Victoria began to walk away, turning back when she realized Nate and Uzi weren't following.

“Let's go you two, Jay will have our heads if she catches us out here.” She urged, her voice growing a little tense.

Uzi looked down at the deer, hr heart twisting with grief, before she began to follow Victoria, Nate following suit.

The two made it to the house just before the sun began to crest over the horizon, and Jay was nowhere to be found.

“So, how was that?” Victoria asked, leading them inside.

“It was... kinda fun,” Nate admitting, “It's been a while since I've gotten to hunt.”

Vicky looked back at Uzi.

“What about you Uz, how'd you feel about your first real hunt?” She teased. Uzi tensed up, her mind flashing back to when she and Nate had attacked the serial killer. She could almost taste his blood upon being reminded of the night.

“It was kinda fun, chill.” She replied, rubbing the back of her neck.

Victoria smirked and chuckled.

“Very well,” She turned and began to walk away, swaying her hips, “hit me up if you two wanna do it again.”

Nate and Uzi looked at each other, their eyes locking.

“You were upset about the deer.” He pointed out. Uzi gasped, a small blush creeping onto her face. Her mind rushed as she tried to find a way to lie, to deny that he had been right. But she couldn't lie to him.

“Yeah, I know it's hypocritical considering I... y'know,” She gestured slicing her throat with her finger, “but it's... it's just so much different with a man who- who you know deserved it, and an innocent animal who was just living its life.”

Nate smiled sympathetically, although Uzi could tell there was more then his face suggested.

“I can understand, it was hard for me too. But it, uh, gets easier when you don't have to watch the light leave its eyes.” He joked, gesturing to the fridge, “We don't have to hunt a lot if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Uzi smiled.

“Yeah, I'd like that.”

Chapter Text

Uzi stood in front of her dad's house, waiting for hm to let her in. Tonight was their first meetup since he had moved her stuff to her new home, and she was excited to see what her dad had been up to in the month she was gone. She had noticed that the grass was trimmed, the car clean, and a small bed of flowers had been planted next to the door. It looked like Khan had taken up gardening.

“Uzi! Come on in.” Khan cheered, shuffling Uzi inside. The house was much cleaner then the last time she had been here, the trash was cleaned up, and she could spot a candle lit on a windowsill.

“Would you like something to drink?” Khan asked, already heading over to the refrigertor. Uzi thought for a second.

“Do you have any juice?”

“Sure, would you want orange, or cranberry?”

“Cranberry, please.”

Khan got to work pouring two glasses of juice, one for him and one for Uzi. He and Uzi took a seat on the couch, where he handed the vampire a glass and turned down the television, which had been turned to a nature documentary.

“So, what've you been up to?” Uzi asked with a sip.

“Well if you noticed, I've started gardening.” He remarked, looking rather proud of himself.

“I saw, what are you growing?” She asked.

“Mostly flowers, vegetables are just too picky.” He chuckled.

Uzi snickered.

“Well what inspired you to take up gardening, you never seemed like a particularly outdoorsy guy?”

She expected a typical answer, that he was bored without her around, or wanted a hobby to fill his time But she could see his eyes grow vacant as she asked.

“My, my therapist recommended it. She said that, that having something to take care of may help me with my loneliness.”

Uzi felt a pang of guilt in her heart. Her dad was trying so hard to move on, while she was out there living a life that was basically a teenage goth's dream come true.

“You, uh, you go to therapy now?”

“Yeah. You saw how I was when you were gone and I knew I couldn't get better on my own. I needed help, bad.”

Uzi set her glass down with a clink. She had been so busy running around with a bunch of vampires, she had never really stopped to consider how her dad was coping with her absence.

“So, how's that been working for you?” She asked, although cringing a little.

“Pretty good, pretty good. She's been helping me find things to do with myself now that you're gone, I've been looking into volunteering at the animal shelter. Maybe even get a pet of my own.” He took a sip of his own drink.

Uzi smiled, her dad seemed like the kind of guy that would like a pet.

“What about you? What have you and your.. friends been up to?”

Uzi took a sip, trying to figure out how to answer.

“It's been good, they've helped me out with my powers and we went hunting.”

“Hunting, oh, did you...” 

Uzi felt a lump form in her throat, she swallowed it with a mouthful of juice.

“No dad, we didn't. They don't do that. They're... vegans.”

“Vegans?” Khan asked, legitimately confused.

“They only drink animal blood.” Uzi explained.

“Oh,” He took a sip.

The two spent the rest of the night talking over their drinks, Khan enthusiastically rambling about the flowers he had and had been looking forward to planting. Uzi couldn't remember the last time her father had been so joyful, and it honestly made her a little happy that her father could find joy after a tragedy.

However, the difference in their sleep schedules became palpable as Khan grew more and more drowsy, and Uzi knew it was her time to leave.

“It's getting late, I should let you get some sleep.” Uzi commented, setting her empty cup down on the table.

“Of course,” Khan said through a yawn before picking up the cup, “Same time next month?”

“Wouldn't miss it.” She remarked.

Khan went to the kitchen and put the cups in the sink, before returning to where Uzi was standing and looking down at her. Pride was visible in his eyes, and Uzi's heart couldn't help but swell with admiration. With a deep sigh, he reached down, embracing her in a tight hug.

“I love you, I'll always love you... remember that.”

Uzi felt a tear roll down her cheek.

“I love you too.”

Chapter Text

Victoria skipped through the house, humming brightly. Her hair was neatly brushed, and she was wearing a shirt that seemed uncharacteristically cheery for her.

She skipped into the living room, making her way past Nate and Uzi on the couch watching something on her phone and causing her to look up.

“Hey Vic, what's got you so peppy? Blood bank truck driving by or something?” Uzi joked.

With that, Victoria stopped in her tracks, turning back to look at Uzi with a blush on her face.

“It's nothing,” She mumbled quickly, and a devious smirk formed on Uzi's face. Victoria noticed her expression and scowled at her, shaking her head. Oh how tempting it was.

“I'm going out, don't tell Jay.” She hissed, pointing an accusing finger at Uzi.

“Oh don't worry, I wont.” Uzi taunted back, causing N to look up from the phone.

Victoria nodded and smiled, seemingly convinced, before heading out the back door, slamming it behind her.

“You're gonna follow her, aren't you?”

Lizzy stood in a clearing, texting on her phone. She was supposed to be here soon, and the only part about their meetups she hated was standing in the cold.

According to her phone clock, it was 11:15 PM, much later then Lizzy was used too and much earlier then her rendezvous was.

She heard a rustle in the trees around her and looked up, smirking when she saw a familiar sight. Lounging on a branch was a white cat, it's fur so luminescent it almost seemed to make it's own light, and glowing red eyes staring down at her. Lizzy chuckled and sighed.

“Get down here you, we don't have all night!”

The cat mewed, almost rolling its eyes, and lept down from the tree, landing squarely on the floor. Immediately, the cat's form began to shift to that of a young human woman, with alabaster skin and equally pale hair. The woman who had stolen her heart all those weeks ago.

“You're looking lovely tonight,” Victoria purred, slinking up to the golden-haired girl and wrapping an arm around her shoulder, her fingers grazing against the base of Lizzy's neck. She had made sure to war an extra low top for tonight.

“Not so bad yourself,” Lizzy responded, taking the vampire's chin in her hand so she could get a better look at her face. Her beautiful, radiant face...

“So, you ready to go?” Victoria asked, licking her fang expectantly.

“Of course I am,” Lizzy began. Immediately, Victoria let go and she and Lizzy made themselves comfortable on the grassy carpet of the forest floor. Victoria gripped tightly onto Lizzy's shoulder and bared her fangs, saliva already coating the sharpened teeth.

With a single, smooth motion, Victoria plunged her fangs into the soft neck of Lizzy's shoulder, the other girl tensing slightly before relaxing with a sigh. Gently, Victoria began to suck, her mouth exploding with flavor as the first gulp of blood hit her tongue. He swallowed it with a moan, Lizzy mimicking the sound.

“So, anything been going on with you?” Lizzy asked with a breathy voice.

“Not much,” Victoria said between gulps, although she did itch at the thought of telling Lizzy about Uzi. The two probably went to the same school. She would FLIP OUT if she learned her assumed-to-be-dead classmate had been turned into a vampire.

But, she figured it would be best to respect Uzi's privacy and protect their safety.

Lizzy began to relax more, leaning heavier on Victoria's body. The vampire slowed down the rate at which she drunk, telling their time was almost over. It was only when Lizzy tapped her hand twice did she stop, pulling the fans from her neck and sealing the wound with a lick. Lizzy relaxed with a sigh and shudder, looking up at Victoria with a moony gaze.

“God you're gorgeous,” She remarked, slightly delirious.

“You're welcome,” The vampire replied, carrying her body over to and leaving her up against a tree.

“Are you okay with this?” Victoria asked, smoothing a flock of hair out of the other girl's face. Lizzy smiled and nodded, gently spreading her legs. Victoria smiled down at her, and captured her mouth in a kiss.

The two's tongues pressed against each other, with Lizzy cupping Victoria's cheek and pulling her face closer to hers. Victoria sighed dreamily, her eyelids fluttering open to take in Lizzy's perfect face. For a while it felt like the moment would last forever, like they were the only two people in the world. Until she showed up.

“Whoa,” Uzi remarked, staring at them from the trees, “kinda hot, mind if I watch?”

Lizzy and Victoria immediately broke the kiss, both staring back at Uzi in horror, their faces flushed with lust and embarrassment.

“YOU!” Victoria growled, jumping to her feet, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE!”

“You were being all suspicious,” Uzi shouted back “could you blame me for being curious?”

“YOU'RE PLAYING WITH FIRE BY COMING OUT HERE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT JAY WILL DO TO YOU IF YOU BREAK HER RULES!”

“YOU'RE THE ONE MAKING OUT WITH MY EX-BULLY! WHOSE BREAKING THE RULES HERE?” Uzi clapped back.

At that, Victoria stammered before quieting, crossing her arms indignantly. She couldn't argue with that.

“U-Uzi?” Lizzy stuttered, staring up at the living, breathing girl who she thought was dead... and was a vampire.

“Oh yeah, hi.” She unenthusiastically greeted with a wave.

“You're- you're-”

“Alive?”

“... not dead.”

Uzi rolled her eyes.

“That's what alive means, dummy.”

“But, how!?” Lizzy asked, pushing herself up.

Uzi sighed.

“Long story short, I got killed, and one of her friends,” she gestured to Victoria, “brought me back, I've been living with them ever since.”

“Huh, y'know you should get that story on the air. You'd be famous.” Lizzy exclaimed, much to the chagrin of the two vampires.

“I'm not interested. Plus, I'm sure Jay would kill me.”

“Well you ever change your mind, feel free to check me up on the offer.”

Uzi looked between both girls, before taking a centering breath.

“Let's take a step back. Victora, what are you doing out here? What is... this?”

“Well, long story short, remember the night you died? Nate and Jay were out looking for me, I had gone to a club, and found Lizzy there. I saved her from some creepy guy trying to hit on her and she found me hot. We've been hanging out ever since.”

“And what is the...” Uzi gestured to her neck.

“Oh that, well me and Liz struck up a deal. She would let me take some of her blood provided I... pleasure her.”

Uzi snickered, she couldn't help but find the scene funny.

“You're uh not gonna tell your 'Jay' person about this, are you?” Lizzy piped in.

“Don't worry, I wont tell anyone.” Uzi turned around and headed back to the treeline, “Enjoy your night you two.”

Victoria and Lizzy exchanged glances, both not knowing how to proceed.

By the time Uzi made it out of earshot, she doubled over and let out a loud laugh.

Chapter Text

Victoria smoothed down the fabric of her red dress, smiling enthusiastically as she approached the entrance to the club. It was a frequent spot of hers, a place where she could kick back, relax, and-if she were lucky-get a snack.

She slipped in through the propped open door, taking in the scent of alcohol and sweaty bodies all while techno music rattled her body and echoed in her ears. It was perfect.

Victoria took her place amongst the crowd, swaying idly to the beat. She was never much of a dancer, but the liked to scout out for potential prey. She had made notes of a few targets: a woman who in her mid-30s who was swaying with a beer bottle in her hand, who probably wouldn't even remember the events of the night. An older man busy making out with another man, both seemingly not registering what they were doing. And a teenager, about older highschool age, sitting at the bar with a canned drink, looking down at her phone.

Unlike the other targets, she didn't seem particularly intoxicated. She looked pretty aware of what was happening around her, only taking light sips of her drink rather then guzzling it down like the others. Victoria smirked and turned her head only for an older man to brush past her shoulder. Even the other humans recoiled at the scent of alcohol on him, he was that drunk.

She simply scoffed and mentally brushed him off. Some humans were just so uncouth, but she still kept an eye on him.

Victoria made her way to another barstool, around the corner from the teenager. And it became abundantly clear to her that the man was making his way to her.

Victoria tapped a finger on the counter, attracting one of the baristas.

“Mozzarella sticks, please.” She requested with a polite bow of the head. The barista nodded, heading off to get her food while Victoria kept her eye on the scene playing out in front of her.

The man approached the girl slowly, giving her a friendly wave. The girl seemed uncomfortable, trying to use her phone to block him from view.

Victoria impatiently tapped her foot against the floor, nervously eager to see how this played out.

The man kept trying to talk to her, although Victoria couldn't make out what he was saying over the music.

The girl kept trying to ignore him, although she occasionally did glance over at him.

Eventually, the man took a seat next to her, his hand resting too close to hers for comfort. The girl cringed back, looking back around her shoulder as if begging for help.

Victoria couldn't sit back and watch anymore.

“Excuse me, is everything alright here?” Victoria asked, getting in the way of the two.

Victoria looked back at the girl. She was a blonde with a strapless, pink dress, staring up at Victoria in shocked relief.

“Oh don't worry miss, just having a nice talk with the pretty girl.” He slurred. Well at least he couldn't have been actively malicious.

“Well, if you wanna. You could get a room with this pretty girl.” She taunted, pointing a finger to herself. The man smiled eagerly, his hand shaking in anticipation.

“Well okay,” he stood up, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, “Lead the way lady.”

Victoria smiled, although her eyes made her true emotion clear.

She led the man to the hall in the back of the building, where the music and lights didn't reach and no one would be able to see the events that would transpire.

The man grabbed Victoria's shoulder, causing her to tense.

“Don't worry, I won't hurt'cha.”

At that, Victoria spun on her heels, pinning the man to the wall.

“I will,” She growled. The man just blushed in response.

Victoria rolled her eyes, not even being able to take pleasure in the moment, and sunk her fangs into his neck. The taste of fresh blood exploded in her mouth, causing her fingers to twitch with exhilaration. She would've enjoyed it, if she weren't drinking the blood of a strange man trying to hit on a teenage girl.

The man's eyes rolled back in his head, and he arched his neck up to allow her better access. Victoria felt the man's body begin to go limp, and she let hm slowly all to the ground. When he was finally on the floor, she pulled her fangs from his neck, leaving him in the hall.

She hissed and licked the blood from her fangs, looking down at the man. Unconscious, but alive.

“Oh my god,” She heard someone say. Frantically, she spun to look and saw the same blonde girl, holding up her phone with the camera light on,”Is he- Is he like... y'know??”

“Don't worry, I didn't take enough to kill him. He'll just be out of it for a while.”

The girl stared down at the unconscious man, taking a few steps forward.

“T-thanks, he was really creeping me out.” She replied, “I'm Lizzy.”

“Wow,”

“What?”

“You just saw me drink a guy's blood and you're not, like, terrified?”

“Eh, he kinda deserved it.”

“You're standing in the same room with a vampire who could kill you in minutes and you aren't a little afraid?”

“Well you helped me, kinda hard to be afraid of someone who did me a favor like that.”

“Fair,” Victoria replied, sneering down at Lizzy's phone. Lizzy seemed to get the hint.

“Oh. Oh that. Yeah, don't worry, I'll delete the recording.”

She then held up the phone and tapped on the screen, presumably deleting the video.

“So are you gonna like, erase my memory now?” She asked, the phone-holding hand on her hip.

“Well I can't do that, but if I were Jay she probably would.”

“Whose Jay?”

“She's a friend, an a massive loser though. She'd probably have a heart attack if she saw me talking to you.”

“Really?” Lizzy walked up to Victoria, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, she's a massive loser. Like- we're immortal! Why can't we have a little fun?”

Lizzy giggled.

“Y'know, you're pretty neat. Wanna hang out for the night?”

“Sure, I'm down.”

Victoria looked down at the piece of paper Lizzy had given her, her address written in blue ink. She had told her she could come over whenever she wanted, and that she would keep her window open for her, but Victoria was conflicted as to whether she should go through with it.

Victoria showed no shame in traveling among humans, she found it quite exhilarating, but this was going into someone's home. She new Lizzy would keep her secret, but she had to live with family. What could happen if she got spotted?

Victoria set the paper slip down on her nightstand, closing the curtains to her room and turning off the lamp. A good day's sleep would help her decide.

A sleek, white cat padded down the sidewalk, taking note of the houses she passed. She had the address burned into her memory, and just had to hope Lizzy would remember her promise. When she finally made it to the house, she saw no open windows. Her ears twitched in annoyance, but she wasn't about to give up.

She padded over to the side of the house, still finding all the windows closed. However, she saw a rectangle of light in the backyard, and knew what it had to be coming from.

Enthusiastically, she climbed up the fence tail curved gently as she let herself fall to the ground, looking up to find the single open window with a light on. Quickly, she scaled the wall with her claws, barely managing to grip onto the rough brick. When she pulled herself onto the windowsill, she was met with a bright lit room with multicolored fairy lights strung across the walls, and various posters of bands plastered above the bed.

Opposite the bed was a vanity, where Lizzy sat in pajamas doing her nails. Victoria alerted her to her presence with a meow. Lizzy turned her head, raising in eyebrow in confusion at the strange cat.

“Uh hey, you lookin' for something.”

Victoria then lept into the room, shifting back into human form.

“Victoria! It's you!” Lizzy lept from the chair, wrapping her arms around the vampire.

“I was starting to worry you weren't coming over, nice shapeshifting powers by the way.”

“I'm just fashionably late,” she replied, settling down on the pink bed,”And I probably won't be able to use those powers pretty often either.”

“Why not, it's cool.” Lizzy replied, shaking her hands to dry the pink polish on them.

“We vampires need human blood to sort of 'charge up', that creepy dude at the bar was the last time I had it in a while.”

“I'dve thought you vampires could just, kill people for blood.”

“You'd think that, but Jay likes to keep things on the DL. And going into town every other night to kill randos would be the easiest way to attract attention.” Victoria replied as she idly swung her legs over the bed.

“So what do you do instead, starve?” Lizzy asked, a little shocked.

“We drink animal blood. It's not the best, but it gets the job done.”

Lizzy looked down contemplatively, rubbing her neck.

“Why don't you, take some of my blood.” She sheepishly suggested.

Victoria turned at her in shock.

“I mean, you managed to drink from the guy without killing him, I'd let you do that to me.” She emphasized.

“You'd really wanna go through with this?”

“Well, how much does it hurt?” Lizzy asked.

“My saliva would numb the pain, you'll barely feel a thing.” Victoria explained.

“Well then that shouldn't be so bad then.” Lizzy replied, pulling down her shirt collar to reveal the tanned skin of her neck.

“Right, right now?” Victoria gasped.

“My dad and brother are asleep, why not now?”

“Well okay then.”

Victoria leaned into Lizzy's shoulder.

“Just say when you want me to stop, and I'll stop.

Gently, Victoria forced her fangs through the soft skin, Lizzy tensing slightly in response.

Victoria began to lick the blood from the would, going slowly to avoid causing pain. Lizzy shuddered and moaned, and Victoria began to worry.

“You good?” She asked. Lizzy nodded.

Victoria took a few more sips from the wound, savoring the taste of the girl's blood, before she pulled her fangs away and licked the wound. The taste lingered on her tounge for a few minutes, nearly causing her to dive back in for a second drink. She tasted sweet, more appealing then any blood she had taken before.

“Wow, that was amazing.” Lizzy remarked in astonishment.

“I can agree.” Vicky nuzzled, eliciting a giggle from the teen.

“Hey, this may sound kinda weird but. You think we could do this again?”

Victoria stiffened, nearly gasping, before forcing her fax back into a relaxed smile.

“You're just delirious. I guess I must've taken more then I thought.”

“No I'm serious. I really liked it. Plus you're kinda cool.” Lizzy clarified, pulling away from Victoria and pulling her shirt back up to cover the wound. “I'd hate to never see you again.”

“Well, I don't know,” Victoria teased, tapping her chin, “Jay is pretty strict, and she'd get pretty upset if she caught me sneaking out to visit a human.”

Lizzy stared in disbelief for a moment, before letting out a massive laugh.

“You're such a bad liar. You didn't care about that when we first met, or tonight!”

Lizzy grabbed her phone from her nightstand, ripping it from it's charger.

“What's your number?”

Victoria gave the number, Lizzy's fingers gliding across the screen as she tapped the number into her phone.

“I'll text you. You can call me when you get home.”

Victoria was a little surprised at how open she was, but she smirked and giggled.

“Sure,” Victoria stood up and stretched her arms and back, heading over to the window, “I'll see you soon.”

Victoria let herself fall backwards from the window, shifting into her cat form and landing onto the soft grass. With a purr, she padded through the lawn, heading home.

Victoria plopped onto her bed, phone in hand. The notification of Lizzy's text glided onto the screen.

Unknown – 10:22

Hey girl, you there?

Victoria – 10:52

Right here.

Just a second, lemme add you to my contacts.

Victoria exited the texting app, moving to her contacts and adding Lizzy's member and setting her picture to a fluffy tan rabbit, she gave her those vibes.

Victoria – 10:52

Back

Lizzy – 10:53

Finally

The two continued to text far into the night, until Victoria began to notice Lizzy's spelling and grammar slipping.

Victoria – 11:48

It's almost midnight. You should get some sleep.

Lizzy – 11:51

No waay i can kep tslking tll the sum rises?

Victoria – 11:52

Okay. Well I'm getting off now.

You can keep talking to yourself if you want.

Victoria closed the app and set the phone back on the nightstand. It had been a while since anyone, human or vampire, managed to make her heart flutter like that.

Chapter Text

Uzi and Khan sat on the couch, giggling at a movie Uzi hadn't remembered watching since she was a child.

“I don't remember this happening?” Khan remarked through a laugh.

“That's because you've never seen it before!” Uzi replied, gently elbowing him.

The two continued their movie night uninterrupted, eagerly munching on popcorn, until they heard a doorbell.

Khan tensed, turning his head towards the door.

“You expecting someone?” Uzi asked.

“No.” Khan responded, his voice stern.

Uzi got up.

“Hold still, I've got it.”

Uzi made her way over to the front door, pressing her ear up to the wood. She could hear the sounds of feet shuffling against concrete, and she only knew one person who had mannerisms like that.

She unlocked the door and opened it for Nate, who was wearing a soft pink longsleeve and blue jeans.

“Nate! Come in!” She exclaimed, opening it wider.

The vampire skipped into the house, looking around the sparkling clean space.

“Wow, I love what you've done with the place Mr. Uzi.” He remarked.

“Thanks Nate, it's a lot easier to find the energy to clean when you aren't planning to kill yourself.” He responded with a chuckle. Uzi couldn't help but crack a smirk, she appreciated the dark humor.

“What'cha watching?” Nate asked, leaning over the couch.

“Jurassic Park, it was her favorite when she was a kid.” Khan replied, smiling at Uzi.

“I watched it almost every day.” She exclaimed, plopping back onto the couch.

“Have you ever seen this movie, Nate?” Khan asked, tossing a popcorn into his mouth.

“It doesn't look familiar, but I'd like to see it.” He replied, tossing himself over the back of the couch and sandwiching himself inbetween the father and daughter duo.

The two continued the movie, gleefully enjoying the dino-centric carnage, until the kitchen scene came. This scene always terrified Uzi. Even now, as an adult, she could feel her heart begin to quicken. She almost wanted to cower away and hide in the couch cushions, but she forced herself to power through, the last thing she wanted was to make a fool of herself in front of Nate.

Yet as the raptor lept onto the counter, it's claws clacking against the metal, Uzi's fingers instinctively gripped the couch and her muscles tensed. A strange sensation began to ripple across her body, but she dismissed it as just part of her fight-or-flight response.

But when the dino crashed into cabinet, the bang shot right through her heart. She lept up from the couch, nearly jumping in the air... and disappearing. Khan and Nate exchanged confused glances, the vampire confused and the human worried. Khan paused the movie.

“Uuuuzi.” Nate called, getting up from the couch.

“Do you guys, do that often?” Khan asked, getting up as well.

Nate shook his head, “Never.”

The two looked around, hoping to find some hint as to what happened to Uzi, until a gentle caw directed them to the back of the couch. Cautiously, they both looked around the couch, still hearing the nervous caws. Nate glanced back at Khan before kneeling down on the floor and looking underneath the couch, where he saw the black beady eyes of a small bird looking out at him.

“U-uzi?” Nate weakly called.

“What's down there.” Khan asked, attempting to lean over himself.

Nate reached under the couch and wrapped his hand around the bird, gently scooping it out from under the couch and cradling it to his chest.

“Are you Uzi?” He asked, making sure to enunciate.

The bird nodded, fluttering its wings a little.

“Is that... normal... for vampires?”  Khan asked, cautiously pointing towards his daughter.

“I... don't know.” Nate answered, gently unfolding one of her wings.

“Can you turn her back?” Khan asked, wringing his hands as he began to panic.

“I didn't do this in the first place!” Nate whisper-shouted.

Uzi looked up, confused at the two men and her own transformation. Nate had told her vampires could have different powers, apparently shapeshifting was a part of that list.

“I-I should take her home, Jay may know what to do.”

“Can I come? I think I should be with her.” Khan asked, Nate nodded and the three headed out to the car.

Jay squinted down at the bird on the table, Nate and Khan nervously hovered nearby.

“I don't know, I've never seen anything like this.” Jay answered, looking up to the two, “How did this happen?”

“Well we were watching a movie, but then she got spooked and turned into... this.” Nate explained.

Jay looked back down at the bird.

“Uzi, can you remember what you felt right before this?”

Uzi thought, trying to remember. She recalled feeling scared, obviosuly, and a wave of fuzzy warmth. But it was pretty much instantaneous, one minute she was an 18-year old girl, the next she was a tiny bird.

She cawed an answer, Jay just looked at her in confusion.

Victoria came skipping down the steps, happily munching away on a bag of chips, until she came upon the group in the kitchen. Cautiously, she walked up to the counter, looking down at Uzi's feathered form.

“Is that lunch?” She asked through a mouthful of chips.

“It's Uzi.” Nate answered, holding her up to the woman's face.

Victoria nearly choked, stepping back and doubling over as she coughed up chewed potato from her throat.

“SHE'S A SHAPESHIFTER?” She yelled to the room, “YOU'RE A SHAPESHIFTER?” She yelled to the crow.

Uzi nodded.

“Wha-huh, Victoria? Are you okay?” Nate asked, reaching out to her. Victoria looked up, her eyes wide like cornered prey.

“Yeah-uh... let me see it.” She hastily replied, reaching out to the bird.

“It's still Uzi.” Nate replied as he handed her to the vampire, setting her down gently on her palm.

“Okay, Uzi, now just relax. Try to remember what you were like before. How you looked, felt, even what you smelled like.”

Uzi looked up and closed her eyes, trying to bring herself back to right before the transformation happened. The way she sat with her right leg pulled up on the couch, the way she brushed her hair out of her face, even the cucumber scented shampoo she had found in the bathroom.

The sensations rushed back to her, and in a near instant, she was human again. Being held bridal-style in Victoria's arms. The two women exchanged awkward glances before Victoria pulled her arms back and dropped her with a loud thud, almost a crack, and shout.

“OW! Why'd you do that?” Uzi screeched.

“It was getting weird.” Victoria replied in a similar tone.

“Oh? So you can hold me as a bird, but holding me like this is just 'weird'!”

“You were heavy!” 

“You're a freaking vampire!”

“ENOUGH!” Jay shouted, silencing the two. “Victoria, how did you know how to fix Uzi?”

Victoria tensed up, looking guiltily around the room.

“UuuuUuuuh. Weeell. Uuuuuuh.”

Her eyes kept darting around, as if looking for an escape, before she locked eyes with Jay and sighed.

“Alright, alright. I'm a shapeshifter too.”

Jay scoffed, clearly not believing.

“Alright then.”

With that, Victoria shifted into her feline form, trotting up to and hopping on the table where Uzi once sat.

“Believe me now?” She asked.

“Wait, I couldn't talk.” Uzi remarked.

“It's something you gotta learn.” Victoria replied, beginning to lick her forepaw.

“Well why didn't you tell me?” Jay asked, betrayed.

“You would be weird about it, give me a bunch of rules about not overusing my power. It aint' easy.” She remarked, pointing a limp paw at her.

“If it 'aint' easy'” Jay mocked, “Then how can you do it?”

Victoria's hackles raised. Jay's eyebrow raised.

“Victoria Einar, what have you not been telling me?”Jay asked more sternly.

Victor couldn't respond, she just bowed her head in shame. Jay turned her head to Khan.

“Human. Leave.”

She looked over to Uzi and Nico.

“You too, don't try to look for us.”

Jay grabbed the white cat by the scruff, causing a yowl to rip from it's jaw, and walked up to the room with the feline in hand. A door slammed loudly upstairs.

“Will she be okay?” Khan asked, pointing up the stairs.

“Don't worry Mr. Doorman, she'll be fine. Anyway, you should leave, like Jay said.” Nate began to shuffle him out of the house, pushing him through the door and closing it with a light thud. Nate and Uzi were now alone in the silent first floor.

Uzi tapped her fingers against her arm, unable to proceed.

“I-I downloaded a game I think you might like.” 

Chapter Text

Thad flipped through an old digital camera, filled with photos of him and Uzi as children. The two devouring plates of cake at a birthday party, Uzi shoving Thad underwater at the pool, and the two presenting a project they had worked on in second grade.

Thad sighed with nostalgic grief, memories that were just flashes in the corners of his mind preserved forever in digital memory. He and Uzi had been inseparable as children, to the point they were convinced they'd end up married someday. But, time marched on and they both changed. When Lizzy gained status as a 'popular girl' in highschool that meant he couldn't really be seen hanging out with the 'weird emo girl'.

He always felt guilty about that.

Inviting her to the party was meant to be a way of, fixing it, he guessed? Showing he still cared. But all he got instead was her blood on his hands.

He sighed an turned the camera off, flopping on his back and dropping the camera to the mattress. It had been four months since Uzi's disappearance. Three months since she was declared dead, three months since he got her killed in an attempt to revive their friendship. Three months since his life because consumed by an aching guilt that wouldn't go away.

He took a deep, grounding breath and gripped the bedsheets. How could he make this guilt go away? He didn't want to spend the rest of his life dwelling on her death, even if he felt he deserved it.

“You still sulking over Uzi?” Lizzy asked, leaning in Thad's doorframe.

“Oh-uh, yeah, that.” He stuttered. Lizzy scoffed.

“Dude, winter breaks in three weeks. You can't let your entire life be dictated by one dead girl.”

Thad's hand balled into a fist.

“That dead girl was my best friend for ten years.” He muttered under his breath.

“Yeah well, her life is over now. Too bad, so sad.”

Thad felt his blood boil at the statement. How could his own sister be so brazen about the murder of their classmate? But, before he got a chance to speak her mind, she turned her attention back to her phone and walked away. Who could she be spending all her time texting?

The jock stared blankly up at the ceiling light, tears pricking in the corners of his eyes. If he didn't find closure, the guilt would eat away from him for the rest of his life.

Maybe he could go to her dad? He had probably been miserable since the night. Afterall, he was her father. Khan was probably feeling worse then he was right now.

Yeah, he would do that.

Cold air bit at the boy's skin as he traversed down the sidewalk. His memory of Uzi's house was a bit fuzzy, but he remembered that is was between a house with a large tree and a house with a potted plant on the doorstep. 

He smiled nervously as he approached the tree, both excited and anxious to reunite with the man whose daughter he got killed. However, as he began to cross the threshold of the oak, he heard the door creak open.

He gasped, and quickly jumped behind the tree, hopefully blocking him from being seen from his destination. Warm light spilled out through the open door as a young woman hopped onto the porch. She was short, and appeared to be wearing a loose fitting shirt. Behind her, Khan came out, smiling eagerly as he hugged the shorter person, and closed the door behind him.

The woman stepped off the porch, brushing a strand of hair out of her face and unintentionally turning her head towards Thad's position and giving him a good look at her face.

Uzi.

Without a thought, Thad burst from behind his hiding spot.

“UZI!” He shouted, holding out a hand. 

In a split second, Uzi turned around and got a glimpse at his face, before turning around and booking it down the street at an almost super human speed.

“UZI, WAIT!!!” Thad shouted again, struggling to keep up, but his determination overwhelmed the burning in his lungs as he pumped his legs harder.

He chased her through the neighborhood, struggling to keep up with her, until she rounded a corner and disappeared behind a large bush. When he followed, she was gone.

Confused, he looked around, expecting to find her crouched in some shadowy corner or still running down the sidewalk, only to find a single crow perched atop a flickering lightpost. It's beady eyes stared down at him, with an emotion that could be compared to curiosity.

Thad felt his shoulders slup and smiled tiredly as he looked up at the animal.

“Hey there! You-uh- seen a ghost running by here?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

The crow ruffled it's feathers, and didn't answer.

Thad stared up for a hopeful second before sighing.

“Figures, that's what I get for talking to a crow.”

He looked around the area once more, before turning back and heading down the street where he came, he innocuous crow still sitting on the lightpost.

When she was sure he was far enough away, the crow jumped into the sky, wings carrying it's tiny body through the night and back to its home.

'Oh Thad, I wish you could know.'

“Hey Mr. Doorman? Could I come in?”

“Oh, of course Thad.” Khan cheerily replied, letting the boy in.

Thad stepped out of the cold night and into the warmth of the house.

“I'm sorry it's a little messy, someone was just over.” He apologized, stepping next to him. In the living room, Thad could see a few wrinkles on the rug and a some scattered throw pillows from the couch. Khan walked out into the room, beginning to collect the few pillows scattered on the floor.

“What did you need, it's a little late to be visiting a man like me.” He remarked, tossing a blue, plaid pillow back onto the furniture. 

“I-uh.” He took a deep breath, calming himself, “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“It's about... Uzi.”

Thad steadied himself, preparing to deal with a strong reaction from the former father. Yet, he didn't seem affected by the mention of his departed daughter, he didn't even flinch.

“Of course,” he got up, sitting down on the couch and gesturing for Thad to join him.

“Whatever you want to say, I'm right here.” He reassured, placing a strong hand on his shoulder.

Thad looked down bashfully, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

“I-I have to confess... I got Uzi killed.” H winced, as if simply uttering the admittance would summon some horrible punishment to strike him down where he sat.

Khan creased his eyebrows, gently rubbing the boy's back. “What do you mean?”

“The party she went to? I invited her.”

“I know, I was so happy when I heard she got invited. Thank you for that.”

Thad felt the guilt continually claw at his stomach, he felt like he wanted to vomit.

“But- if I never invited her, she wouldn't have been-”

He couldn't bring himself to finish his statement.

“-attacked...”

Khan continued rubbing his back, giving a strong sigh.

“You had no idea what would happen. You shouldn't blame yourself for something you couldn't predict.”

“But I do blame myself. She's gone because of me. You lost your daughter because of me.”

Khan gave a heavy sigh.

“But I'm not going to hold that against you, and you shouldn't either.”

Thad sniffled and wiped his nose as he looked up at the older man.

“T-thanks, that means a lot. Really.”

“You're welcome, feel free to come back anytime.”

Thad felt comforted by Khan's words, yet as he padded down the sidewalk back to his home, he couldn't help but think about what-or rather whom-he had seen. 

What was that thing? An uncannily similar doppleganger? A figment of his guilt-raddled mind? A ghost?

Or... could it have been her? Could she still be alive? But, if she was alive, why would she be hiding? Why would she go to her dad's house but nowhere else? Why leave everyone thinking she's dead? And that footage from the news report? That had to be real!

Confusion warred with guilt in Thad's mind, and he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets to try and ground himself.

No, he could never be satisfied unless he found the truth. 

He would find whatever the hell that thing was, even if it was the last thing he'd do.

Chapter Text

Thad had been staking out the Doorman's house for multiple weeks, waiting for “Uzi” to return. Most nights however, it was more of the same. Khan moving through the house, leaving to nightly activities before returning, tending to his garden out front, but no sign of Uzi.

He was about to give up, brush it off as a sign of his declining mental state and move on. However one night he felt like something was different, like all of his energy and efforts had been worth it, and he was right.

Uzi walked up to the house, this time with another figure trailing behind her. A tall man wearing a coat.

Okay, now he was starting to feel she was real.

Uzi knocked on the door, and Khan let the two in.

Thad looked up from his hiding spot, debating whether or not to walk up before deciding against it. He didn't want to walk into a situation he didn't know about.

He waited... and waited... and waited.

He checked the time on his phone, 10:15, it had been an hour since they arrived.

For a while, he was beginning to wonder if he should go back home. Formulate a new plan. But he had gone too far to give up now, and would figure out just what was going on here.

Eventually, much to his relief, the two left, Uzi giving her father a hug just like she did the night he saw her. The two then headed down the steps and to the sidewalk, heading off to wherever Uzi had been hiding these past weeks.

Thad trailed behind them, wearing dark clothes that blended into the night. Getting spotted by anyone could spoil the entire operation.

The two were clearly in the midst of conversation, and he strained his ears to catch fragments of it. Something about movies. The casual conversation made him confused. She had been assumed dead for three months, how could she be so calm?

He followed the two out of the neighborhood, and eventually out of the city. They made their way into the woods, with Thad continuing to follow.

Who would wanna live all the way out here?

They made their way through the moonlit forest, Uzi and the strange man navigating easily through the woods while Thad struggled to avoid tripping over roots and debris. The last thing he needed was an infection from cutting his knee or hand on something.

Eventually, the human's eyes began to adjust, making it a little easier to see in the darkness. However, he also found something that made his blood run cold-a woman.

She was standing silently among the trees, staring daggers straight at Thad. He stopped, nearly forgetting Uzi for a moment. What drew his attention the most were her eyes, which were a deep, shiny red and reflected the moonlight like polished glass.

He swallowed anxiously and backed away a step. Was this his mind playing tricks on him? Did she have something to do with Uzi?

Thad was stuck, unable to decide what to do. Until the choice was made for him by the figure rushing towards him with an inhuman speed, elbowing him in the throat, and shoving him to the ground.

“FILTHY HUMAN!” She spat, spittle landing on Thad's face. He would've screamed if she wasn't choking him with her arm.

“You should've stayed in your city, these woods aren't made for creatures like you.”

Thad's mind rushed with confusion. Human? But, she was obviously human?

Thad observed her face, trying to commit as many details as possible to memory, and that's when he saw something that made his stomach drop. Fangs.

'Fangs. Red eyes. Hanging out in a spooky forest at night. Oh god. A vampire.'

Thad wheezed in fear. This was it, he was going to die to a monster that shouldn't even exist.

She opened her mouth wide, revealing a mouth of glittering white teeth. Thad squeezed his eyes shut, preparing to accept his fate. Before he heard a voice he never thought he would hear again.

“THAD!? JAY! STOP!”

Thad's eyes shot open and he maneuvered himself as best he could to look in front of him. Lo and behold, Uzi was there. Standing next to a tall, blonde man. Both had similar eyes to the woman who was currently trying to murder him.

Uzi held her hands out in a placating gesture.

“Jay, just... let him go.”

“I can't,” the woman-Jay-said, “he's already seen to much.”

“He's harmless! Please.” She begged.

Jay made eye contact with her, squinting contemplatively.

“Okay.” She grabbed Thad's jacket collar, twisting it before getting up and holding him off the ground. “Make a good argument, and I'll consider snapping his neck before draining him.”

Thad quietly gasped, struggling to escape her vice-like grip. In response, she twisted further, eliciting a wheeze from the captive boy.

“Jay, he's harmless!”

Jay eyed him up and down.

“He may be harmless, but what about people he tells?” She hissed.

“No one will believe him! No one thinks vampires are real!”

“But what if someone else decides to hike up here because of him?”

“He won't tell anyone!”

“I won't tell anyone!” Thad pleaded, “I swear on my life!”

Jay looked up at him, clearly unconvinced.

“Nice try, say goodnight boy.”

Jay pulled Thad closer to her, pushing his head out of the way so his neck was angled just below her chin. Her fangs pressed against his skin, and Thad winced as he could almost feel his blood rushing to meet her heat.

Uzi hyperventilated, about to panic, until a perfect argument formed in her mind.

“If you kill him, that'll send a whole army of humans up here looking for him!”

At that Jay jerked back, nearly dropping him, before turning to glare at Uzi. Her eyes were hollow with rage, and her breath was heavy. Her eyes flicked from Uzi to Thad, hand shaking, before she sighed and dropped the boy.

Thad fell to his knees and gasped, rubbing his throat and breathing heavily.

Uzi kneeled and placed a hand on his back.

“Hey dude, you okay?”

“Yeah yeah,” he gasped, before looking up to make eye contact with the girl.

“Is it you? I mean... really you?” Thad asked as Uzi helped him to her feet.

She nodded.

Thad brushed the brushed the dirt and wrinkles out of his coat, and used the opportunity to get a good look at Uzi. She was exactly she same, wearing a longshirt and thick jeans, but her eyes were the same red as the other two.

“Soooo what's going on here?”

“What do you mean?” Uzi asked.

“Are you a ghost?” He pressed.

“No.” Uzi replied flatly.

“Are you a zombie?”

“No.”

“Am I a zombie?” He asked, looking at his own arm.

“I don't even think that's how it works.”

“Then, what are you?”

“I'm a vampire.”

Thad stared in amusement, eyeing her up and down. He wanted to deny, to delude himself that she was lying, that this was some twisted joke. He gave her a goofy grin, clearly trying to write it off as a joke, but she just pulled her lip back to reveal a large canine tooth.

“Oh you're serious.” He breathed.

“Yep.”

“But... how?”

Uzi sighed. Telling the story was already starting to get old.

“On that night, Nate found me before the guy could take me away. He turned me into a vampire to save me.”

Thad looked over at Nate in awe.

“You?” He pointed.

“Yeah, me.” Nate sheepishly grinned and waved.

“Thanks, seriously. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she was dead.”

“No problem.” He gave a thumbs up.

Thad looked over at the three awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“So I guess I'll... see you around.” He remarked to Uzi.

Uzi looked over to Jay.

“Jay? Can I see him.”

Jay looked in between the two, giving an exasperated sigh.

“If you promise to keep your mouth shut, and assist whenever necessary, you are welcome to visit whenever you want.” Jay conceded.

Thad nodded, putting his hand on his chest.

“Gotcha, I solemnly swear to not tell anyone about Uzi's survival or the existence of vampires.”

Jay just rolled her eyes.

“Good, now get outta here.”She bit.

Thad nodded bashfully at Jay and gave one last longing look towards Uzi, before turning and disappearing back into the woods.

Lizzy approached Thad in his room, where he sat on his bed flipping through the camera. However rather then looking like he was being eaten away from the inside, he was smiling with nostalgia.

“You're back,” She pointed out, “Did you find your ghost?”

Thad blinked slowly before turning to look back up at Lizzy. He had sworn not to tell the truth and, even if he hammed it up, he meant it.

“No but... I feel better about myself and, I know she's at peace.”

It wasn't completely a lie.

“Cool cool,” Lizzy replied, absentmindedly walking past the room without another word.

Thad looked at where she disappeared to and sighed. It felt fun to be trusted with such an important and dangerous secret.

However, then Lizzy appeared back in the doorframe.

“By the way, I know Uzi's alive too. Vampire thing.”

Thad nearly threw the camera onto the floor.

“WHAT!”