“Really Aria, calm down and focus on the road.”

“How can I focus, when you're yelling at me?” My mother kept yelling and it was starting to irritate me so I cranked up my death metal music so I didn't have to listen to her.

“Aria Diane, turn the music down!”

“I don't want to mother.” I kept driving, not really paying attention, and the next thing I knew my car was spinning and the only thing that stopped me was a tree. I don't remember much after that but my life changed forever on that cold, icy January day; on the outskirts of Holton, KS.

I do remember that at the hospital, I had a blood transfusion to replace the pint of blood that I lost from my head wound and all the little cuts on my body. About a week later I started feeling really sick and when my mom came in to check on me I attacked her, I killed her and my dad, but I swear I was only protecting my sister.
******

Two years have passed and I live in a two story house with my little sister, Isabella, on Tennessee Street in Lawrence, KS. My sister is the only one that knows that I have to drink human blood to survive. The blood transfusion, from after my car accident, had been infected with some kind of disease that makes me have to live like a vampire. I moved my sister to Lawrence to get away from our home town and so she could go to college like she wanted. I got a job at the hospital and even though it was difficult in the beginning to keep from killing someone. I didn't want to move again. I want to live a normal human life and have a guy to spend time with me like my sister does with Marcus.

I went to work and one day a construction worker came in and had a large gash on his arm. The doctor that is my boss came over and said “Aria, take care of his arm for me.”

“Yes sir.” I sighed and walked over to the bed the guy was on. I looked at his arm and then at him. I said “Hello sir, how are we today? What is your name?”

“I'm doin' good, for the most part, I'm Liam Moretti.”

“Well, I'm Aria.”

“Hi, so how bad is it?”

I looked at his wound and said, “You're going to need stitches.” He sighed and I started stitching up his arm. He talked while I fixed his arm, wrapped gauze around it. He made a few jokes about his life and work, so I laughed. When I was done I said, “Alright, you're all fixed up.”

He smiled and said, “Thank you Aria.”

“It's my job.” He smiled and left just as fast as he came. I still smelled his blood, but when I looked down, I was surprised to see his blood on my hands, I was so careful not to touch his skin where the blood was. I could feel the burning in my throat and my fangs starting to protrude. I ran to the bathroom. In the mirror I saw the black eyes, the vains popping in my face and neck, my fangs fully extruded and throbbing with blood lust. I tired to stop myself but I couldn't control the urge to lick the blood off my hands. I licked my hands clean and then looked back in the mirror. I was back to my normal self, just with blood dripping off my lips. I quickly cleaned up, clocked out and ran out to my car.

I got home and when I walked in the front door Isabella said “You're home early.”

“Is anyone here?”

“No, Marcus will be by in a hour.”

“Okay, I screwed up today.”

“Did you attack someone?” She looked at me with her eyes huge and sadness filled, because I could tell she wasn't wanting to move again and neither was I.

“Not technically, but I did taste his blood.”

“Who, do you remember his name?”

“Yeah...” I paused for a few and then said, “Liam, his name was Liam.”

“Okay, just think of him as a person.”

I nodded and went to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and said “Isabella, am I out?”

“Yeah, you said you were going to get some more today.”

“To bad they were running low.”

“So what do you need to do?”

“Nothing, I can go a couple of days without.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I will be okay.” I walked out to the living room and set in the chair. Isabella looked at me and smiled. I smiled back at her and said, “So how are things with you and Marcus?”

“Good, he is taking me to dinner tonight. Unless you want me to cancel I can stay home with you.”


“No, go, I will be fine and it sounds like fun.” She laughed and there was knock on the door. She got up and answered the door.

She laughed and said “Aria, I'm heading out. See you later.”

“Okay.” The door closed and suddenly the big house seemed small. I went up to my room and set at my computer. I deiced that it would just be easier to read. I turned on my stereo and climbed in my bed with a good book. I read for hours before there was a knock on the door. I went downstairs and opened the door. Isabella was standing there I laughed and said, “Forgot your keys?”

“Yeah, shut up.” She gave me a hug and then followed me upstairs. She went to her room and I went to mine. I just wanted to be alone.

All the guilt I was trying to stay away from, about killing my parents, came flooding back after I tasted Liam's blood. I keep telling myself, You killed them to protect Izzy. No one else is going to die. To bad that I was lying to myself. I have slipped and killed people but they were criminals so I don't think anyone would mind. STOP!! I had to quite thinking like that. I knew I had to go to work tomorrow so I focused on not losing control of my urge to rip someone apart.

I fell asleep and when I woke up in the morning I was hurting. Its a pain that makes you wish you were paralyzed. I knew it would just get worse. I felt the twisting and pulling of my muscles. I screamed and Isabella ran into my room. “Aria, what's wrong?”

“It hurts, make it stop, please make it stop Izzy!”

“How?”

“I need blood, god I need it!”

“Do you know if you didn't finish all of yesterday's?”

“I don't know, check my car!”

“Okay.” She ran outside and dug through my car. She brought me my water bottle and said, “Aria, there is a little left.”

I yanked the bottle out of her hand and said, “Leave I don't want you in here!”

“Okay, stay home, don't go outside. I will try to be home as soon as possible after school.”

“Okay, just go!” She nodded and left. I drank the blood that was left in the water bottle. It dulled the pain but I still screamed. I curled into a ball and closed my eyes. I wanted to die once the first convolution came but it soon stopped when the pain came back. I screamed and quickly grabbed my stereo remote and turned my stereo up. I made it so it covered even my highest pitched scream. The pain is horrible, you really feel like you are dying inside and it is just a slow and torture filled death.

Around five my sister came into my room and said, “Aria, how are you?”

I looked at her and the tears trickled down my cheeks. “It hurts, nothing is helping. I need blood.”

“Do you want to try and get you some?”

“No, I will get it as soon as it is dark.”

“Okay.” She left and once it was dark I made my way towards the blood center. I ran and as I was about a block away I smelled a familiar scent. I looked and saw a bunch of construction workers and then I saw him. I knew what trick I could use to lure him to me.

I walked to the edge of the fence and said, “Liam, can you help me?”

He smiled and said, “Of course.” He walked out and as he turned I attacked him. He was too stunned to scream but his blood tasted weird. I started chocking. I pulled away, fell to the sidewalk and passed out.

When I woke up I was in my room. I looked out my window and saw the sunlight trying to pierce through my blackout curtains. I rolled and saw a shadow move. Then Izzy was by my bed.

“Who brought me home Izzy?”

“Liam, he is actually downstairs.”

“Waite, I didn't kill him?”

“No, and he got you some blood from the center.”

“Waite, he is okay with this?”

“Apparently, he said 'This wasn't the first time'”

“Really, well can you bring me a non-see through water bottle?”

“Of course.” She left and I laid on my bed, trying to figure out why his blood affected me the way it did. I was thinking when there was a knock on my door.

“Come in.”

My door opened and Liam walked in with my water bottle in hand. “Here you go.”

“Thank you, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

He set on my bed as I said, “Why did your blood make me pass our?”

“I'm not sure, but I looked up your disease and found a cure that you can take.”

“But from what I know it can't be cured.”

“Well it can and I'm going to help you.”

I climbed out of my bed and walked over to the window. “Why would you want to help a monster and someone that tried to kill you?”

I heard him get up and when I turned away from the window he was right behind me. “Aria, you are not a monster and I want to help because I love you.”

I smiled and said “Really, but you've only known me...”

“Your whole life, my family lived down the street from your family in our old home town of Holton.”

“Wow, I forgot, I had a crush on you in high school.”

“I remember the day you and Isabella disappeared.”

“Oh yeah.” I looked away and Liam leaned down and kissed my cheek. I blushed ans said, “Okay so this cure you talked about, what's in it?”

“Camomile tea, vervain, and a little bit of human blood.”

“That is suppose to work?” I looked up at him, and his smile reached his eyes and his eyes were shinning pools of ice blue water.

“Yes it is.” I smiled and he leaned down and kissed me, I was surprised but it had been so long since I thought it would be safe to fall in love, I embraced this feeling and I was finally happy again.

I hugged him and said “When do you want to try this?”

“Well probably tonight. I have to find everything first.”

“So can I go with you when you do that?”

“Of course, we can make it our first date.”

“Okay.” I drank what was left in my water bottle and said “Let's go downstairs.”

“Are you sure because your sister's boyfriend is here.”

“I will be fine, I've been around him enough.” He nodded and wrapped his arm around me and led me downstairs.

Isabella looked at me and said, “You okay?”

“Yeah, all better.”

“Good.”

Marcus looked at me and said, “Glad, you're feeling better.”

“Thanks.” Liam and I went into the kitchen and I said “This cure thing, did it list any side effects?”

“No, but whatever they are we will get through them.”

“Okay.” I set down at the table and he set next to me. I was thinking about it and said “Where are we going to get this stuff?”

“Well the tea you can get at any health food store, the blood we will use what I brought you and then we can get the herb at the Village Witch in North Lawrence.”

“Okay, but according to the site you left up on your computer, it has to fresh blood taken from a living person.”

“Oh, well then I guess we can use mine.”

“Okay.” I smiled and then said “Let's go get this stuff now, it says you have to let it sit for three hours before you take it.”

“Okay, let's go.”

I got up and as I walked out I said “Isabella, we are going to get some stuff for dinner so we will be back later.”

“Okay sis.” We left and we went to the Merc.

I went up to one of the employees and said “Do you have Camomile tea?”

“Of course, its in isle six.”

“Okay, thank you.” We grabbed two boxes and then paid for it and some pasta Liam wanted to make with sauce for dinner. We went the Village Witch and when I walked in I loved it.

I went up to the counter and said “I'm looking for an herb called Vervain.”

“Really, there are only two uses for that.”

“What are the two uses?”

“Curing a vampire of the diease and keeping vampires away.”

“Oh.”

“So which one are you using it for?”

“If I tell you can't tell anyone.”

“Okay.”

“Its to cure a vampire.”

“Okay, here you go.” She handed me a pouch and then I paid for it and the stones that Liam and I found on our way in. We went back to my house and as we made dinner I started putting the cure together.

Liam smiled and said “So, how much of all of it do we need?”

“We need two and a half cups of Camomile tea, six pinches of Vervain and five drops of human blood.”

“Okay, when do we add the blood?”

“Right before I drink it.”

“Okay.” He finished cooking and right as I was done putting the Vervain and Camomile together Marcus and Isabella came in to get dinner. We ate at the table and when we were done Marcus and Isabella left to go to a movie and I got ready to take the cure.

I grabbed one of my water bottles and said “Liam, pour the tea in here.” He poured it in and waited for more instructions. I said “Okay, now I have to have some of your blood.” He nodded and pricked his finger with the knife blade. I counted and once I got five drops I said “Okay, now quickly stop your finger from bleeding.” He nodded and wrapped a paper towle around it. I read and it said I had to wait till I was in my vampire form. I said “Liam I need to smell your blood.”

“Why?”

“I have to be in my vampire form before I can drink this.”

“Okay.” He put his still bleeding finger near me and I could feel myself changing. I grabbed my water bottle and left the room. He followed me and said “Aria don't leave me, I know what you look like.”

“Go away Liam, I don't want to hurt you.” He didn't leave and once I knew I was fully transformed I started drinking the mixture. I felt light headed and when I collapsed Liam picked me up and carried me to my room. I woke up about three hours later and Liam was asleep next to me. I smiled and then I saw his finger. It was still bleeding and it wasn't affecting me. I smiled and said “Liam, wake up.”

“What baby?”

“I think I'm cured.”

“Really, already?”

“Well at least your blood isn't affecting me.”

“Here...” He held his arm out and said “...bite down and see if you like the taste.” I did what he said and I noticed that I really didn't want it anymore.

“No, I don't want it.” He smiled and kissed me.

“We did it.”

“I know.” The sun was coming through my curtain so I ran out side and laid in the sun for hours.

Liam came out and said “Aria, you should come in.” I didn't respond. He came down and carried me inside.

I looked around when I woke up and said “Hey, why am I inside?”

“I found the side effects.”

“Oh, what are they?”

“You can only be in the sun for a limited amount of time or you will start to get sick.”

“How long does that last?”

“Only a few weeks.”

“Oh, okay.” I smiled and we laid on the couch together and watched movies. I finally realized that all I really needed in my life was someone who cared for me even if I was a monster. Of course I was glad I don't have to a monster anymore but I think even if the cure didn't work I would be still be happy because Liam and Isabella are here for me.