I'm so hungry. Samantha thought as she took a deep breath of fresh park air. She opened her boxed lunch in her lap and the scent of fried chicken tickled her nose. Smells delicious, but it's too bad this barely helps the hunger. Her nose twitched as someone came near. He smells more delicious than this meal...

"Oh, Miss G, that smells so good," one of her students, Jason, stared at her lunch from a few feet away, his mouth agape and practically drooling. "You always seem to bring these awesome looking lunches."

"Have you not had lunch yet?"

"I did, but a growing boy needs more than a sandwich for a meal." He inched closer to her, fiddling with his fingers and biting his lip.

"Fine, I'll share with you, again." She patted the spot beside her on the bench.

"Really?" His face lit up.

"Yes, really; I'm afraid you won't be able to concentrate in class with how hungry you seem."

"Thanks, Miss G." He sat beside her, his eyes glued to the food instead of her for once. She handed him the box untouched. "Aren't you going to eat some? I know you've shared with me before, but normally you've eaten at least half of it by the time you hand it over, and I don't want you skipping meals."

"I'm not..." she trailed off. I am most definitely hungry, but if I tell him I'd rather eat him, I'm pretty sure he'd take it the wrong way. "I don't feel like it today."

Jason's expression dropped. "Don't tell me you're like those other girls who avoid eating to lose weight... I mean, come on Miss G, you're smoking hot and don't need to lose even a pound."

"Jason."

"Yes?"

"I'm your teacher and comments like that aren't appropriate."

"Just stating the facts. And besides, I don't want anything bad to happen to you." He stared at the boxed lunch absentmindedly as thoughts about his little sister who got so caught up in her body image and losing weight, that she skipped meals, hid food and ended up in the hospital.

"Jason?" Samantha lightly touched his shoulder.

He jumped and turned to her, not realizing what he was doing. "What? Oh... Um... Sorry about zoning out, Miss G." He stuffed fried chicken into his mouth, filling both cheeks.

"Maybe you're hungry because you don't pace yourself," she laughed, trying to disperse the odd air around them. There's something else behind his despondent gaze. To pry or not to pry, that is the question.

"I can't help it though; I eat fast when I'm hungry and I'm hungry almost all the time," he swallowed and poked at the salad. "You can have that part," he tried to hand the box back to her.

"Finish your greens and I'll get you something from the sweets cart across the street for dessert."

His face lit up again. "Really?"

"Yup." He feels like a puppy. "Any requests?"

"Anything sweet works for me; I love dessert."

"I'll be right back," she smiled at him and walked away.

He gobbled up the salad in an instant, his eyes never leaving her receding figure.

"Boo!"

"Ah!" Jason yelped, jumping and almost dropping the box.

His best friend and fellow football player, Roy, held onto his belly as he burst out laughing. "Man, you should've seen your face. What were you concentrating on so much you didn't hear me coming?" He wiped away a tear. Miss Gilbert came into view and he smiled. "I see how it is; you've still got the hots for Miss G."

"What? No way! I mean, yes, she is hot, but I ain't after her or anything," Jason waved the lunchbox around. "I was able to secure some delicious food from her again though. I wonder if she makes it herself."

"Well, if you're not going to go after her, should I?" Roy smiled, biting his lip as he watched her.

"You? Hell no; you'd strikeout in an instant."

"I won't know unless I try, and if I get her, everyone else will revere me," he leaned on the back of the bench, thinking about all the attention he'd get. Jason shoved his face away. "Ugh, what the hell dude?"

"You had a stupid look on your face; it was creepin' me out."

Samantha sauntered back over to them holding two plates of mini-cakes. She handed a paper plate to Jason and turned to Roy. "Would you like some as well?"

"Don't mind if I do," he snatched the plate away from her. They both took a bite and looked at each other.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's so good!" they said in unison. "Here, try it," they both held a bitten mini-cake out to her.

She laughed. I'd much rather eat you two... Ugh, I have to learn how to stop those kinds of thoughts before even pass through my mind. "I'll pass; you two enjoy your dessert and try to not be late for class. I'll see you two later," she waved and walked away.

"See, you failed," Jason said, biting another piece of cake.

"Tch, that's only because you're here. If we were on our own..." Roy trailed off as his mind wandered.

"It still would've ended like that," Jason laughed, wiping icing off his face. "Do you know how many students have gone after her this year alone? She's turned them all down, so you might want to keep your expectations in check or you'll end up crushed under her magnificent high heels."

"Her shoes are sexy, aren't they?"

"I swear, you have selective hearing."

"Yeah, I agree, we're so lucky to have her as a teacher..."

"Or you just hear what you want to hear." Jason smacked him in the back of the head. "Let's go; class is starting soon."

Roy grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah..."

Samantha walked into her next class, eyes drawn to her. "Alright everyone, settle down and hand in your homework on paradoxes."

"I'll help collect them, Miss G," Roy eagerly collected everyone's papers and handed them directly to her.

"Thank you, Roy," she waved her hand towards his seat in the back beside Jason. "Now, open your books to the next chapter."

Throughout the class, Samantha caught Roy staring at her with a dopey gaze. She sighed, shaking her head; every year, a few students that gave her that same, lusty look. Some of them even tried asking her out, and she refused every single invitation.

At the end of the class, after everyone else had filed out, Roy approached her. "So, Miss G, do you think you'd ever date a student?" he asked.

Going the roundabout way? "Of course not, Roy; that's unethical and I'd lose my job which I love."

He frowned. "Oh, right... I guess I never thought about that. But what if you—"

"Roy, you're going to be late for your next class."

"Right, I'll see you tomorrow, Miss G." Roy gave her a wave as he left.

"Told you," Jason laughed, waiting outside the classroom for him.

Jason waited outside of his school by his Jeep for his little sister. He glanced at his watch. "Geez, what's taking her so long?" Every few minutes, he'd circle the parking lot looking for her.

"Jason?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin and turned around to face the familiar long-haired brunette. "Miss G?"

"Is something the matter? You're here later than normal," she asked, her brows knitted as she checked her watch.

"Ah, I'm just waiting for my sister; she's normally not late."

"Have you tried to contact her?"

"Right... Contact her..." he pulled out his phone and texted her.

No response.

He dialled his sister's number and it went to voicemail. "Sis, it's me, where are you? Are you okay? Call me back right away." Jason gripped his phone tightly as he rubbed his forehead. "What do I do now? This has never happened before."

"Is there anywhere she likes to hang out? Maybe her phone is off and she's with friends."

"She only hangs out with one girl, who likes going home within a few minutes of school being out. She shouldn't be late at all, never mind how long she's been gone now..."

"Ah!" An ear-piercing scream rang through the parking lot.

They exchanged a terrifying look and took off towards the sound in the school park.  They ran straight through the bushes, their heads whipping to both sides as they checked for the source of the scream. A hunched over man in worn-out clothes came into view and they came to a stop.

Jason's eyes widened. Between the man's legs, he could see a pair of familiar sneakers. "Maggy?" he called out his sister's name. In a fit of rage, Jason charged towards the man.

The man turned to them, hissing, his eyes red and blood dripping from his mouth.

"What the—" Jason recoiled, skidding across the grass as he stumbled backwards and hit the ground.

"Jason, get out of here," Samantha said as she stood between him and the demonic man.

"B-but—"

"Go!"

"No," he got to his feet, shaking. "My sister." He swallowed as he looked around them, down at her limp figure. "I have to save her..."

"Tch..."

The man lunged at them, his hands outstretched.

"Miss G, watch out!" Jason yelled, reaching out for her.

She grabbed the man by his wrists and twisted them around, easily overpowering him. The smell of blood and death on him was overwhelming.

"Jason, grab your sister and go," she commanded, not wanting him to watch. The man struggled, growling at her. She watched him pick up his sister. While she was distracted, the man wriggled free and lunged at Jason and Maggy.

Jason stumbled back with Maggy cradled in his arms. The man suddenly jolted, a bloody hand with sharp nails protruding from the front of his chest, his heart in the hand. The man's skin turned grey and he broke apart, turning into dust.

Jason's legs gave out as he stared at the pile of dust and clothes on the ground with wide eyes. "What... what the hell was that?!" He gazed at the blood on his teacher's hand.

"Tch, why are vampires showing up at school?" she mumbled to herself, staring at the blood on her hand.

"Miss G..." Jason swallowed, hugging his sister closer to him as he stared up at her wide-eyed. "What did you... What was... Did you say vampire?"

"Crap..." She knelt down in front of him and gripped his chin with her clean hand as she stared into his eyes. "You didn't see a vampire. A man attacked your sister and you scared him away; that's all that happened here."

"Are you telling me to pretend this didn't happen?"

"Wait, what?" She turned her head to the side. "It didn't work? Have I really gone so weak?"

"What are you talking about?"

Crap, I didn't mean to say it out loud. I guess I need human blood to be able to hypnotize him... Dammit. "Yes, I'm telling you to pretend that didn't happen."

"I can't do that!"

"Shh! You'll attract attention."

"Oh, sorry. But, what about my sister? Is she okay? She was bitten; will she turn into a... a vampire now?"

She knelt down and took a look at Maggy. She shook her head. "I think she'll be okay. He didn't take enough blood to turn her and I doubt one that's out of control like that used the other method..."

"You... seem to know a lot about them."

She froze. Crap. I can't hypnotize him, and I proved I know about vampires. Besides, he saw me kill a man with my bare hands. What should I do now?

Jason watched as she argued with herself in her head. He took a breath to steady himself and called out to her, "Miss G, if you're worried about me telling someone what I saw, don't; I promise not to tell anyone about it if you tell me one thing."

"Oh? What do you want to know?"

"Why do you know about vampires? And how were you able to put your hand straight through him?"

"That's two things."

"Oh... Uh, so the first one I guess..."

"I suppose the answer to one actually does answer both," Samantha sighed. "Because I am one." How do I fix this? I can't even hypnotize him to erase it! Guess I'll have to move to another town again.

His eyes widened. "You're a vampire?"

"Yeah, but can you not spread that knowledge," she asked, winking as she held up a finger to her mouth.

He took a deep breath, trying to go back over what happened in his mind as he kept his sister safe in his arms. He nodded. "You just saved us, so... of course, I'll keep it a secret."

Not sure how much I trust a teenager to keep their mouth shut, but at least it's Jason. She glanced down at him, still sitting on the ground. He's a good kid.

"Um... what should I do about my sister? Do I go to a hospital? I mean, she has puncture marks on her neck; what do I even tell the doctors?"

Samantha stared down at them, debating with herself.

"Miss G?" Jason stared up at her with pleading eyes.

Damn; those puppy dog eyes are killer. "I... I can heal her."

"What? How?"

She glanced around to make sure no one was near and knelt down in front of them again. "With my blood," she whispered.

"What?!"

"Shh!"

"Sorry... But... Do you mean she has to," he swallowed, taking a moment. "Drink your blood?" he whispered.

"If you want her to heal fast, yes."

"And that won't turn her or anything?"

"No." As long as she doesn't die with my blood in her system.

"So vampire blood has the ability to heal?"

"Well..." It's best if he doesn't get too involved in this. "Not all vampire blood does, but mine is... special. So, do you want me to heal her or are you going to take her home like this?"

"Please heal her," Jason bowed his head.

"Hold her mouth open."

Jason pressed on her cheeks and Maggy's mouth opened a bit. Samantha bit her wrist and held it over Maggy's mouth, letting some of her blood drain in. Maggy swallowed and a moment later, she woke up coughing.

"Maggy?" Jason stared down at her. "Are you okay?"

"Jay?" she mumbled, gazing up at him with lidded eyes. "What happened?" The image of the vampire attacking her flashed through her mind and she yelped, covering her face with clenched fists.

"Maggy?" he gripped her tighter. "What's going on?" he asked.

"She's probably remembering the attack. She's... traumatized..." Samantha pulled out a handkerchief from her purse, cleaned the blood off her hand and her already healed wrist.

Jason frowned. "Reliving that nightmare; it's not fair."

"It isn't."

"How can I help her?"

Wish my powers would work right now. Samantha shook her head. "No one's going to believe what actually happened to her, but you could go to a therapist saying she got attacked." She bit her lip and turned away, mentally cursing herself.

"No... I can't put her through that again..."

Again?

"Any chance you have some special vampire powers to help erase this from her mind?"

"I... can't..."

"You can't? Not that you don't?"

Damn; I was hoping he wouldn't notice my wording... Samantha took a deep breath. Ugh, I've been able to stay hidden for years; why is this happening now? "I haven't... been eating a proper diet for my kind in a long time, so I'm nowhere near as strong as I would otherwise be. As in, some of my powers aren't fully working in my weaker state."

She could see his gears turning as he processed her words. After a moment, he looked up at her again. "So... Um... Are you saying you need to eat blood to be able to erase this 'incident' from her mind?"

"That's... exactly what I'm saying."

A chill ran down Jason's spine and he swallowed hard, staring at his sister, trembling in his arms. "She's so scared; I don't even think she hears us talking..." He took a deep, shaky breath. "How much blood would you need to do it?"

"I don't know exactly... I haven't had human blood for so long..." She thought about the last person she drank from forty years ago – her boyfriend – and felt a wave of sadness wash over her as she missed him.

"Would it be enough to kill me?"

"No; nowhere near that much, but you'll be a bit weaker."

"Can I feed you my blood, and then you feed me yours?"

"I can, but all that will do is heal the wound I would leave by drinking from you. It won't give you back your energy; only proper rest and water will do that."

Jason nodded to himself, mulling things over. "Um... Can you come over to my house?"

Samantha froze. "Can I what? It's not appropriate for a teacher to go to a student's house."

"B-but how else can I give you my blood?" Jason looked around the trees, making sure no one was around. "I don't want to pass out here, and I think the longer we stay here, the higher the chance of us being seen is."

"Oh, right; I see your point. Are you okay to drive?" She asked, helping him to his feet as he kept a tight hold on Maggy.

"Yeah," Jason nodded.

"Okay, I'll follow you in my car then."

They headed into the parking lot and approached their own cars. She unlocked her Pontiac Solstice, ready to get in.

"Miss G," Jason called out to her. "Um, can you unlock my car? I can't grab the keys with her in my arms."

"Oh right, sorry about that. Where are your keys?"

"Front right pocket."

Samantha looked around the parking lot to make sure no one was around. "Excuse me." This feels inappropriate too... She pulled his keys out and opened the back door.

He buckled his sister in. "Don't worry, I'll get you home soon." He gripped her shoulder for a moment before closing the door.

"Here," she handed him his keys.

"Thanks," he avoided looking at her, a blush taking over his cheeks. He never had someone ruffle around in his pocket before, let alone a female he was crushing on.

Samantha followed him in his Jeep for fifteen minutes until he pulled into the driveway of a detached two-storey house with a two-car garage. She parked at the curb and watched him open the front door before going back for his sister.

"Will your parents mind me being here?" Samantha asked as he let her in.

Jason frowned. "They're not home much."

"So you end up having to take care of the house and your sister?"

"Actually, my sister helps. If I was left to cook, I'd probably burn the house down," Jason said as he made his way to his sister's bedroom. He laid her down in her fluffy pink bed. "I'll be right back," he kissed her forehead and she peeked through her fingers at him, tears in her eyes.

"Jay?" Maggy tugged on his sleeve.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

Her brows turned up in worry and she nodded. "Okay."

Jason turned to Samantha. "Okay, let's do this." He swayed his hand towards his room, not wanting his sister to see. She nodded and went into his room, eyeing the sports trophies above his desk and sketchbooks strewn about.

They stood facing each other. The image of her deceased boyfriend overlapped with Jason. They had a similar tall stature and sharp bone structure. She could hear his voice, 'It's okay, Sammy, take as much as you need; you'll be safe with me.' Her throat closed a bit.

"Miss G?" Jason called out to her again.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry... I zoned out... I can take it from your wrist or somewhere else if you don't want me biting your neck."

"I imagine it's easiest from my neck, so it's okay."

She stood in front of him and he stared down at her, his heart beating a mile a minute. "I also don't want to scare you with my fangs and red eyes, so I can bite you from behind—"

"It's fine, Miss G; just go for it. I'm nervous, but I'm not afraid because it's you."

Because it's me? "Can you bend down a little bit?"

He turned his head to the side and crouched down, leaning towards her as he braced himself. He could feel her breath on his neck and her sweet scent tickled his nose. "Is this going to hurt?"

"At first, but it'll feel good after a moment."

His head whipped back, almost running into hers. "What? Does that mean my sister felt—"

"Don't finish that sentence. He was a lesser vampire than me... I mean he was old enough to turn into dust right away, but... I don't think he was drinking long enough for that... Anyway, just never mind that part."  I can't tell him too much.

"I see... This vampire business seems complicated."

"Indeed."

Jason turned his head to the side again, his eyes closed and he took a deep breath. "I'm ready." He tried not to twitch as he felt her breath on his neck.

Samantha held him in place as she bit into his neck. He jumped slightly and relaxed as she drank from him. He tastes... so good... She almost melted at the euphoria of tasting human blood again.

After a few gulps, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him.

What am I doing?! She pulled away, his hands still on her waist. "That should be enough," she wiped the corners of her mouth.

"That was... wow..." he gazed at her with lidded eyes.

Crap. She bit her wrist and forced him to drink a tiny bit of her blood before leaving his grasp. The wound on his neck sealed up in a few seconds. "Okay, I should be able to help her now."

"Your blood... it tasted sweet; I thought blood was metallic," Jason said, still in a daze.

"Don't mind that." She wandered back over to his sister's room and sat on the edge of her bed. "Maggy," she called out to her and held onto her hands.

"W-who are you?" Maggy asked, shaking. She tried to pull away from her, but Samantha kept a tight hold on her hands.

"She's my teacher, Miss Gilbert," Jason said, standing behind Samantha. "She's here to help you."

"Oh," her shoulders relaxed, but she didn't stop shaking.

"Maggy, can you focus on me for a moment?" Samantha ducked her head down a bit to stare into Maggy's eyes. "The last thing you remember was leaving the school and meeting up with Jason like normal. He took you safely home and you laid on your bed feeling tired from a long, studious school day." She backed off and ushered Jason out of her room, closing the door behind them.

"That's it? She's all better?" Jason asked.

"I erased the time of attack from her mind. There is a slight chance something could trigger her memory, but it's unlikely. She should be her normal self by tomorrow I suspect, albeit a bit more tired from the lack of blood."

Jason nodded and grabbed both her hands. "Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it. Um... I suppose it's your turn now."

"My turn?" he backed away. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't need to remember what happened or what I am either."

"You want to make me forget, too?" Jason frowned.

"Of course, I do. You're a normal, human boy; you don't need to know about the world of the supernatural."

"What if I don't want to forget?" he stepped away from her, fidgeting.

"I'm sorry, Jason, but it would be irresponsible of me to leave you with this knowledge." Not to mention I told him about my special blood too.

"But I could be your personal blood bag and keep you strong in case another crazy vampire starts attacking people in town," he took another step away. "If there was one, there might be more and I'd rather have someone around to keep us safe... like a superhero..."

"Jason... This was one random incident." I hope. "This town hasn't had any vampire issues in decades. It's best for you if you don't remember any of this."

He shook his head again. "You don't know if it's one random incident. Hell, since it was at our school, maybe something is after you. Don't you think it's best if you have someone at school that can back you up?"

"Look, it's sweet you want to be there to help if needed, but I can't put you in danger like that. Jason," she stepped towards him and he backed away again. "Don't fight me on this."

"But... You saved my sister and me; I want to reciprocate and help you too."

"Jason." She quickly stepped towards him and grabbed his chin. He tried to push her arm away and move his head, but he couldn't overpower her. She forced him to look into her eyes. "Vampires don't exist."

He scrunched his eyes closed before she could finish a sentence.

"Dammit, Jason, I'm doing this for your own good." She grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder, thumping him onto his bed. Instantly, she was on top of him. "Keep your eyes open," she commanded, gripping his chin from above. He blinked a few times and stared at her with worry. "Vampires don't exist. After school, your sister wasn't feeling well, so you made sure she got to her room to rest. The last time you saw me was in class." She sighed and got off of him. Without another word, she left Jason's house.

Jason stared at the ceiling for a moment. "She... It didn't work?" He went back to check on Maggy, but she was asleep. "I should probably bring her oatmeal or something. I can at least work a microwave," he tried to act normal as Samantha's desperate expression flitted through his mind.