Today was looking up. I’d finally passed my Biology exam and tomorrow was my sister’s birthday, so I had that to look forward to. It was the end of the week and as Erin and I made our way to my car, I couldn’t help feeling happier than I had in a while. The past week had been vampire and hunter free, a far cry from the last few weeks. And even though I knew that the time would come when I would have to continue working with the hunters, I was still enjoying my down time. I almost felt normal. Almost.
It was early afternoon and the sun was shining. Everything felt good.
“Are you sure you don’t mind giving me a lift? My car’s off the road for a week or two.” Erin was pulling her honey blonde hair up into a ponytail. The hair swished as the band snapped. “Oh, well” she muttered letting her hair fall to her shoulders.
I laughed. “What do you expect, when you crash it into a tree?”
“Hey,” she looked mock offended. “That tree jumped out at me.”
“Sure it did. Just like the letter box, and the trash can, and the fence...” I gave her a look, but she brushed it off.
“Okay, fine, whatever. I’m a crappy driver. I’m blonde. Sue me.”
I snorted. “Like that’ll hold up in court”
She poked her tongue out at me.
We were walking down the last set of stairs before the car park, laughing and making fun of each other, when I looked up and my good mood evaporated like a puff of smoke.

There, leaning up against the hood of my little green Toyota was Logan. I hadn’t seen him in days and I had been in no hurry to either. After what happened in the ally I felt a mixture of gratitude and anger towards him. Gratitude, because the more I thought about it, the more I could see that by helping me when I was bleeding, he had in turn saved my life. And anger because what he had told me afterwards, hit home. I had insecurities about being a vampire and it upset me that people, even people meant to kill me, saw me like that.
Other than the cold, hard attitude he always had I was beginning to see that he also had a cocky, sarcastic streak to him. One that I wasn’t sure how I felt about. He kept it well hidden behind the soldier’s facade he projected and I was beginning to wonder just how much more there was to him. How much he kept hidden.
And here he was, at my school, leaning against my car. He had no right to be here, not after last time. De-ja-vu flashed red hot, in my mind. It wasn’t anger though, that was the dominant emotion running through me now. No, it was annoyance. Annoyance, because I knew that as much as I disliked Logan, it was nothing compared to what he felt towards me. He wouldn’t be here if he had a choice, which meant that my peace and quiet and vampire free week was about to end. When I saw Greg and Claudia sitting in another car a few spaces back, I knew I was right.
I knew that it wasn’t Logan’s fault, but that combined with my already dislike for him made me take my anger out on him.
It also didn’t help my annoyance when the first thing Erin said, upon seeing him, was “Oh, my, God. He is so hot!”
I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure what I could say. I really didn’t want to encourage my newly, single friend but I couldn’t disagree; I knew how attractive he was. And I hated that!

As he noticed our approach he stood up straight and took a step away from my car. My eyes, against my will, drank him in.
He was wearing dark, blue jeans and a tan t-shirt that fit him well. It was easy to see just how toned he was. He was well built, but not overly muscled. He had on a brown jacket, but I could tell that underneath he wore a belt strapped with weapons.
He was looking directly into my eyes as we neared and I was struck wondering what exactly, he saw when he looked at me. Was there only hatred between a hunter and a vampire that he felt or was there more? Could we actually survive each others presence, long enough to complete our intended mission? Or was it going to be too difficult?
Erin clutched my arm. “Who is he and why haven’t you mentioned him?” she whispered, eyeing Logan as we got closer.
“He’s no one, just a friend” I nearly choked on the word friend. It wasn’t true, but there wasn’t anything else I could tell her.
“I wish I had friends like that.”
“Trust me, you don’t” I muttered under my breath as we finally reached my car. “What are you doing here?” I asked him between clenched teeth.
His eyebrows rose and he smiled at Erin before turning to me.
Hunters are good actors; they have to be in order to infiltrate the vampire world. It makes sense that a normal teenage girl would be no problem to fool. I wasn’t, not in the least.
When he looked at me now with the same smile he’d given Erin, I could see that it didn’t reach his eyes. His eyes looked grim. “What, you’re not happy to see me? That’s not fair, especially when I brought you a present.”

I was about to tell him where he could stick his present, when Claudia bounded up to my side. She was wearing black jeans and a tank top that had the word ‘Roper’ written in gold on the front.
“Hey, there” she beamed me a smile but when her eyes shifted to Erin it disappeared. “Oh, hi Erin”
I saw Erin’s eyes narrow and her lips formed a pout “Claudia,” was all she said.
I sighed.
Claudia and Erin don’t get along. Like cats and dogs, put them together and you’re bound to get trouble. I honestly don’t get Claudia’s deal. She has no reason to hate Erin.
Erin, I do understand. She knows I have secrets and she knows I keep them from her. She has no idea what they are or how dangerous, but she still knows I have them. And, she knows Claudia knows what they are. That, and Claudia once hit on her boyfriend John. What? It was harmless fun and Claudia would never act on it. But it was enough for Erin, and coupled with jealousy about my secrets, to despise Claudia. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had a voodoo doll of Claudia somewhere to be honest.
I wasn’t about to mediate them now. “Whatever it is that you want,” I told Logan “its gonna have to wait until after I drive Erin home. She has no car.”
“No car?” I could see the evil calculating behind Claudia's eyes. “Someone steal it? Wait, I’ve seen your car. That rust buckets not worth stealing” she smiled sweetly.
I could see Erin boiling over. “Listen, you skank” she took a step towards Claudia, before I stepped in between them and threw my hands up.

“Okay, okay, enough. Lets just get going” I told Erin, leading her towards the car.
“I’m coming too” Logan moved to the passenger seat of my car and opened the door. “Claudia, Greg, take the other car and follow us” he told them.
“Wait, you're not coming with me” I let go of Erin and she slid into the back seat. She shut the door behind her, so I knew she couldn’t hear what Logan and I were saying. Claudia had already walked away.
“Yes, I am” he said calmly.
I slammed the passenger door closed and winced. My car wasn’t I much better shape than Erin’s; I really should be more gentle. “No you're not. What, you don’t trust me to come back?”
He smirked at me and opened the door again. “Something like that” was all he said before getting in.
So much for taking a stand against him, I thought. Taking a calming breath, I got into the car after him. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?” I said, putting the car into reverse. I knew I should be past the issues I had with him and I’ve been trying really hard to overcome them and not cause problems, but sometimes (like now), the guy drives me insane.
He’s so calm and sarcastic all the time. If he acted one way all the time, I could deal with it. I get the feeling that there is more to him than he shows people and having someone vary their personality all the time is very confusing.
“Yes, I do believe I’ve been told that before” he was starting to flip through the cd’s I had stashed in the glove box.

“Hey, hey, hey. Just sit there and leave my stuff alone.” I told him, reaching over and closing the glove box.
“Keep your eyes on the road” he snapped, shoving me away.
“Arrrgh” was all I said, before focusing my attention on the road. Could this guy be anymore annoying? Yes, I knew I had to do what he told me to do and respect what he had to say. But did that include now? Because right now he was pushing the boundary of personal and professional.
“Are you Claudia's friend?” Erin stuck her head in between the two front seats and asked Logan.
I felt a shot of guilt. I’d been so caught up with Logan that I’d forgotten she was also in the car.
“No why?” his brow was wrinkled.
“I thought that because you two,” she indicated to me “don’t get along you must have been one of Claudia's friends” she leaned back into her seat.
“No. I don’t like Claudia and I am defiantly not friends with that Succubus.”
“Succubus? Why do you call her that?”
Even though I was looking at the road, I could hear the intrigue in Erin’s voice. I cast a quick glance at Logan. I was interested to see how he explained that last remark.
“Because she devours men,” he said lightly, shrugging his shoulders “that’s how I see her anyway”
“Oooh, that’s good” Erin smiled “I’m gonna use that” she said evilly.
He turned in his seat and looked back at her, a wide grin across his face “Okay, you do that.”
Erin laughed. “Rox, I like this guy. You should keep him around.”
“Yeah, Roxanne” he said dryly “you should keep me around.”
I ground my teeth, but said nothing.

At this point we were pulling into Erin’s street. I contemplated kicking Logan out, after I dropped off Erin, and driving off. I realised that it would get me into more trouble that it was worth so I decided against it. Besides, looking into my rear view mirror I saw the car Claudia and Greg were in and figured it would be pointless anyway.
“Thanks for the lift” Erin said, getting out of the car.
I followed so I could give her a hug. “You don’t mind if I tell my parents that I’m staying here tonight, do you?” I said as I released her.
“No problem. Do you have any special plans?” She eyed Logan and waggled her eyebrows.
“With him? Not unless you consider smothering him in his sleep plans?” I quipped. I knew she was trying to figure out some answers and I felt sorry that I couldn’t give her any. Still, it was better she be in the dark and safe.
“Trust me, if he spent the night with me I’d never let him sleep” she joked, suggestively. “How old is he anyway? 22?”
“I don’t know” I told her honestly. I’d never thought about it.
“That’s okay, I better go. I’ll see you at school on Monday.” She pecked me on the cheek, before turning towards the car. “Bye, handsome” she waved at Logan.
He held up his hand in a farewell gesture, but said nothing. He waited until Erin walked away before getting out. “Look’s like I’ve made a friend”
“That’s just because she doesn’t know you” I said sweetly.
He gave me a look and I saw his lips twitch. He was trying not to laugh, I could see. Apparently I amused him.
“I have to make a phone call” I said, before he could open his mouth and say something sarcastic. Turing my back to him, I found my cell phone and dialled home. After three rings, someone picked up.
“Hello, mom” I said.