At lunch period the next day, as Jason headed off to eat lunch, someone grabbed the collar of his jacket and dragged him into the janitor's closet.

"Ah!" Jason yelped as darkness consumed him.

Click. The light flicked on and before Jason could yell, a hand clamped over his mouth.

"It's just me," Will said. "Don't scream, okay?"

Jason nodded.

Will stepped away from him. "Were you serious about wanting to help us?"

"Of course; what can I do?"

"I know you might not like this, but keep an eye on your friend, Roy."

"Roy? Why? Did he do something? I mean, I know he hits on her any chance he gets, but—"

"This isn't about his daily attempt at dalliances with my sister. Another letter was dropped off at my house last night."

"In the middle of the woods?"

"Yes, and as you can imagine, we don't normally get mail."

"You think Roy dropped the letter off?"

"I tried to get a scent off the letter, but there was barely one there."

"You have a super sense of smell?"

Will laughed. "All my senses are heightened and I'm stronger and faster than any human."

"So are vampires really like how they're portrayed in the movies?"

"Some things are right."

"What about—"

"It's lunchtime; now's not the time to talk about that. So, will you keep an eye on Roy or not?"

"I will, but I'd like to have time to talk to you about what's really going on and about vampires in general."

"Are you trying to trade information for helping us?"

"N-not really... It's just easier for me to help if I'm in the know, right?"

"Fine, whatever. We'll need a private place for our meetings and I know just the place, but never go there without me."

"Why?"

"Because they'd eat young blood like you the moment you walked through the door alone."

"Oh..." Jason swallowed. "Okay... I get it."

"It'd be better if you could fight against vampires, and while there are humans who do, it takes years of training to get good... which is time we don't have."

"Is something serious going on?"

Will thought for a moment. "I'll tell you later. For now, go find your friend."

"Oh, wait," Jason stopped Will before he could push him out the door. "Are you going to tell me where to go and when? Maybe we should exchange phone numbers so you can text it to me, and so I can contact you if something happens."

Will sighed. "I don't like keeping guys phone numbers, but I'll make an exception this time." They exchanged numbers and Will left him.

"I gotta find Roy..." Jason rushed off to eat lunch and search for his friend.

"How dare you steal my spot?" Jason inserted himself on the bench in between Samantha and Roy.

"Your spot? I don't see your name on it," Roy complained.

"You know I hang out with Miss G here almost daily," Jason glared at him.

"My, my, I seem like a popular teacher," Samantha giggled, carefully watching them.

"Of course you are," the boys said in unison.

"You're like... the most sought after teacher," Roy said. "You're hot, intelligent and great at teaching." His eyes trailed along her.

"I'm glad you think so, but I think it would be best if you didn't comment on my looks; it's inappropriate."

"But he's right," Jason let it slip out. "You're so awesome and caring..." he held back on saying how beautiful he thought she was, even though he thought it every time he saw her.

She eyed him suspiciously. Does he remember? Will said he was going to take care of Jason if he did remember, but... it feels like he does... "It's almost time for class. Let's get going, shall we?" Samantha stood and swayed her hand, waiting for them.

"Let's," Roy wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Hands off, Roy," she removed his arm.

"Aw, come on."

"Move it, bonehead," Jason gave him a shove from behind.

Roy stumbled forward. "Is that how it is?"

"No roughhousing," she warned them before Roy could retaliate.

"Yes, ma'am."

When they got a break in classwork, Jason turned to Roy. "So, you wanna hang out today?"

"No can do, mon frère; I've got a hot date tonight with Emily Richards," Roy smiled widely as he nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Should you really be hitting on people if you have a date tonight already?"

"What? Oh, are you talking about my flirting with Miss G? Are you sure you're not interested in her? You normally don't care who I flirt with unless it's Maggy."

"Well... I..." Jason bit the inside of his mouth. "If I said I was, would you back off?"

"So you are? But I know you, Jay, and I know you're not going to do anything about it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Not only would you never go after someone in her position who has something to lose, but you chicken out when asking a girl out. If it wasn't for Lily asking you out before, you'd have never had a girlfriend before."

"I... Tch... But—"

"Are you saying I'm wrong? I mean, you'll go to parties and hang, maybe make-out with someone, but you don't pursue anyone."

"Even more reason for you to back off Miss G, right?"

"So you're going to go after her then? 'Cause if you are, then I'll gladly back off, bro."

"After I graduate, I will."

"Na, man, that's not a good enough reason right now."

"And again I have to ask, what about Emily?"

"We're going out, but we're not in a relationship or anything, so it's fine."

"Does she know that?" Jason asked.

"She should."

"You know what, Miss G won't have an interest in you anyway—"

"You think you're in a better standing with her?"

"Yes—"

Samantha stood in front of them with her arms crossed. "Are you two chatty Cathy's ready for the next assignment?"

They both froze for a moment. "Yes, ma'am."

After eating supper, Jason got a text from Will. 'I'll pick you up soon. Be ready in five minutes.'

"What? Dammit... Mags, I'm going out tonight, okay?" Jason said as he rushed to clean up from supper.

"Uh... Okay. I can do the dishes if you're in a hurry," she offered.

"No, no, no; I agreed to do the dishes when you started cooking supper. It's only fair I clean up the mess."

"Thanks, Jay," she smiled and hummed as she wandered off to watch TV. "And don't stay out too late," she said as he left.

"He really does know where I live..." Jason muttered as Will pulled into his driveway in a Corvette. "Holy... Nice wheels."

"Thanks, now get in," Will nudged his head.

"If you have this car, why do you get your sister to drive you to school?" Jason asked as he sat down, admiring the luxurious inside of the car as well.

"I already attract attention at school; I don't need more. Besides, I lost one of my cars recently and don't want to take this baby out much unless I have to."

"Oh..." Jason frowned, wondering how he lost a car. "I can drive us around if you ever need it."

"Dually noted."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere private."

"Why?"

"Why do you think? So others won't hear us talking?"

"By the way, thanks for not outing me to your sister. I'm sure she'd try to hypnotize me again—"

"Let's wait until we're there for our chat; I like to drive to either silence or to music."

"Oh, sorry." Jason clammed up, slouching into the seat.

They arrived at an exclusive bar downtown. "I don't think they'll let me in here," Jason said as they walked up to the bar entrance with a guard outside.

"He's with me," Will said as he walked by the guard.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Jason gave the guard an awkward smile, nodding his head as he followed Will. The bar was filled with sketchy looking people drinking and having fun. Music was playing loudly and there was a dance floor with moving lights. His eyes were drawn to one of the booths where a man was drinking from a woman's neck.

"Uh, is this—"

"I'll use my usual room," Will said to the bartender and went into the back area. He ushered Jason into the room and closed the door. "We're free to talk here."

"Here being?"

"You couldn't tell on the way in? It's a vampire bar. That's why I said never to come here alone; you'll be literally eaten alive."

"Oh," Jason swallowed, sinking into the couch.

"Now to start, did you find anything odd with Roy?" Will sat across the table from Jason on another couch.

"Nope; he was the same as always. He hit on your sister, acted like an idiot and has a date tonight."

"With who?"

"Emily Richards, one of the girls in our class."

"Tall girl with long, blonde hair?"

"Yup, that's her."

"Where are they going?"

"To see a movie and probably grab a bite after. You don't really think Roy is up to something, do you?" Jason asked.

"Yes, especially with the interest he has in my sister."

"But he's been like that since the first time he saw her. Well... maybe not as adamant about it, but he did hit on her the first day they met."

"Of course he did..." Will sighed. He used the tablet sitting on the table to order a few drinks. "Well, keep an eye on him still; I suspect he's been hypnotized and will cause trouble soon."

"Is there some reason you think it's him? If you couldn't tell based on the smell on the envelope then—"

"There are only a few people who know where we live." He pointed at Jason. "And I highly doubt you're the one who dropped it off."

"Oh... But you could've been followed and anyone could've done it."

"True, but you two are the only ones I've ever seen around our house and there aren't many tracks around. By the way, if you have something of Roy's I might be able to tell for certain if it was him or not. While there wasn't much of a scent, there was enough that if I had something to compare it to, I'd be able to tell."

Jason nodded. "And it's not like you can just go up and sniff him."

"Exactly."

"Not sure I have anything though... Can I start asking questions now?"

"Once I have a drink."

Knock, knock. Will answered the door and they placed a few drinks on the table.

"Thank you." They nodded to Will and left.

Will pushed a glass in front of him.

"You got me a drink?" Jason asked, looking at the milky liquid.

"It's a milkshake," Will rolled his eyes.

"Oh... Ha ha... Thanks."

"My sister would ring me out if I got you alcohol," Will took a swig of his red drink.

"What are you..." Jason trailed off, wondering if it was blood. "Never mind..."

"So, you wanted to ask some questions?"

"A ton of questions, like... aren't vampires supposed to be allergic to the sun and burst out into flames or something? Or are you two daylighters?"

"We don't burst out in flames by going into the sunlight – obviously – but we aren't special vamps or anything. Vampires, in general, do fine in the sunlight, but it's easier to move around in the darkness of night, so we tend to prefer night time."

"Oh..." he sipped on his milkshake as he thought about his next question. "You said something about a clan, right? How does that work? Are vampires born?"

"Vampires can be born... well, technically, we're born human with vampire blood in our system and when we die as humans, we turn into vampires."

"Wait... so both of you have died? But you're both..."

"So young? Yes, we are. In our clan, when we reach our peak age or the age we wish to stay forever, we're killed through a method that isn't decapitation, staking or ripping the heart out; vampires can survive pretty much everything else... so long as silver isn't involved."

"So you picked to be eighteen forever and she's... twenty-five?"

"We died the same year..." Will took another drink, readjusting himself as he readied himself to talk. "Most vampires choose to be around thirty when they die... Samantha, she didn't choose that age, she was killed while protecting me."

Jason's eyes widened. "W-who killed her?"

"The former leader of the clan... Samantha, she has special blood, which you've had first-hand experience with."

"She healed my sister and me."

"Most vampires can't heal with their blood; she is extremely rare. But not only can she heal others, but she can amplify vampiric abilities with it too. That's why the clan leader wants her."

"They want her so she can feed him?"

"He's been her... betrothed for centuries. But yes, they want her for her blood, but it wouldn't only be him. While he would be her husband..." Will shuddered at the thought, the word like poison on his tongue. "And he would probably be the only one to drink directly from her, he'll regularly siphon blood from her for the rest of his 'noble' group that runs the clan."

"You guys are vampires; why do they need more power?"

"Because they've been fighting the werewolves and losing too many men."

"Werewolves are real too?!" Jason nearly dropped his drink.

"Yes, and are the supposed natural enemy of vampires, but I call that malarkey."

"I guess there must be all sorts of people or creatures around that are real and not just in stories..."

"Indeed."

"Um, I hope you don't mind me asking—"

"Quit with the niceties and spit it out."

"Were you killed too? I mean, eighteen isn't exactly an age most people would choose to stay at."

Will swallowed. He knew the question would come up after he explained things, but it still left an odd taste in his mouth. "I killed myself."

Jason's jaw hung open. "You... committed suicide? Why?"

"Even at eighteen, I was a weak, fragile boy. I couldn't help it. I couldn't stand the clan using me to get to Samantha anymore, and then after threatening to give me a true death... and they were about to, she jumped in the way and was killed. Thankfully she wasn't decapitated or anything, but after that, I was determined to find a way to get stronger."

"And what better way to get stronger, than to become a vampire."

"Exactly."

Jason took a deep breath, a bit overwhelmed. "So... the vampire that attacked my sister."

"He was a useless vampire sent by the clan to stir up trouble. Old enough to turn to dust, but probably a moron overrun by bloodlust."

"But why my sister? She doesn't have any classes with Miss Gilbert..."

"Just call her Samantha when it's the two of us; it's weird to hear her being referred to like that outside of school. And I don't know why it was her. It could have been purely coincidental that it was your sister. Or..."

"Or what?"

"You have a tendency of hanging out with her at lunch, right?"

"Well," Jason laughed, scratching his reddening cheek. "I will admit I've seen her sitting on that one bench and joined her on several occasions... Wait... Are you saying my sister was attacked because I hang out with Samantha?"

"It's possible. Either that or the vamp just attacked her because she was alone... Does she normally end up in the park area beside the parking lot? I mean... you'd have to go out of your way to end up there, wouldn't you?"

"What are you trying to say? She went over there for a reason?"

"Or she was lured away. With that vampire already dead and your sister hypnotized, there's no way for us to find out for certain."

"Mags normally doesn't take long at the end of school because she knows I'll be waiting for her. I have no idea why she went over there."

"Things are getting more... suspicious. Does Mags know Roy?"

"Yeah; he's been my best friend since kindergarten."

"So if he asked her to meet him somewhere, she'd go there without much of a fuss?"

"I suppose... Roy wouldn't hurt Mags though..."

"Not willingly, no, but under hypnosis, it's quite possible."

"But you have no real proof, right?" Jason gripped the glass tightly.

"Don't get angry because I'm suspicious of your friend. You are the only two I've seen around my sister outside of the school—"

"I'm not mad because of that... I'm mad because my sister might have been attacked because of me..."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Jason didn't know what he'd do if it was his fault and his head went dizzy thinking about it.

"Look, if you don't want to help now, I'd understand. Also means I'll have to erase all of this," Will said.

Jason shook his head. "No... Just trying to figure out how to help."

"We're on a bit of a time crunch, by the way; the clan sent a letter about offing her students if she doesn't return, and the Evan will come for her in a week."

"Evan? Is he the clan leader?" Will nodded. "That is... terrifying. Maybe I should tell Mags to stay at home."

"Sure, so long as you don't tell her why. I think I've covered most of it; any questions?"

"How can I really help? And how do you kill a vampire?"

"Stab them through the heart," he tapped his chest. "Or cut their head off."

"Any other weakness?"

"Silver does burn for some reason... but it's only bad if it goes straight through you. And there was some herb centuries ago, but I think it's extinct. I'm sure the witches know a few weaknesses though, but I don't of any in the area. As for what else you can do... You love my sister, right?"

"L-love? I mean... I like her... in a romantic way. She's so amazing... and gorgeous and the best—"

"Would you quit rambling and answer the bloody question with either a simple yes or no?"

The conflicted look on Samantha's face after she killed the vampire ran through Jason's mind, and then how she helped Maggy and tried to keep him safe. She had always been his favourite teacher; she had been his English teacher for all of high school. She was patient with her students and showed she cared both inside and outside of school – to him at least.

"I'm not... I mean... I might be..."

Will's eyes narrowed and he grabbed Jason's collar, dragging him over the table. "Answer the damn question, Jason!"

"I love her! Gah! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Jason shoved his hand away. "Why would you want me to admit that? I'm... no," Jason covered his face and stifled a yell.

"That's a good thing." Will sat down like nothing happened.

"What? I thought you said that I should give up on her? I thought it was a super bad thing and it doesn't work for vampires and humans?"

"It's good because it means I can trust you enough to ask you to give her your blood."

Jason froze. "Um... Do you mean all of it as a sacrifice or..."

Will rolled his eyes. "Of course not, you idiot... Why would I ask you to kill yourself, when you can be a sustainable source of food for her?"

"But I thought she didn't want to drink blood?"

"And she's weak because of it!" Will snapped and thumped his fist on the table so hard he cracked it. "If she wasn't so damn headstrong and hung up on a dead boyfriend, she'd be strong enough to help in fighting back! Heck, if she wasn't so caring, we could've just bailed and found somewhere else to hide, but no, she wants to keep her students safe."

"And as one of those students, I thank her..."

"Ugh... I'm sorry... it's just..." Will took a few deep breaths.

"It's okay... You're just frustrated and worried about your sister. I understand, trust me..."

"I guess you worry about your sister a lot too, hmm?"

"Oh boy, do I worry. So, do you think she'd drink my blood if I offered it to her?"

"Only if she had no other option. The thing about Samantha is that more than just her blood is special. When she drinks blood, she tends to connect energetically to the person she drank from. It's probably one of the reasons she hates blood bags."

"Being connected to some random person?"

"Or a dead one... I don't have the problem myself – most vampires don't – so I can't really say how extreme it gets or how uncomfortable. I think it's like having extreme empathy..."

"Does that mean she felt what I was feeling after she drank my blood?" Jason asked, his cheeks flushed.

"Probably, but only she knows for certain."

"If she's going to drink my blood, then she'll know that I know about vampires," Jason winced. "She really didn't want me involved..."

"Even I'm reluctant to get you involved, but we're in a bit of a pinch."

"So, how do we get her to drink it?"

"I could take some of your blood and slowly put it in her drink, but I think she might notice your energy or something along those lines. Gah, this makes me want to force-feed her."

"I know the feeling..." Jason couldn't help but think of Mags, and how she used to avoid eating and went around hiding food. When they finally noticed what she was doing, he found himself making sure she was eating and couldn't help watching her.

"It's the weekend tomorrow, so the students should be safe... I'll talk her into drinking again; if it's you, she might give it a chance."

"Why would it being me make a difference?"

"She already drank from you once, for some reason."

"To save my sister from a living nightmare."

"No offence, but that doesn't seem like a good enough reason to give up decades of drying yourself out."

"But that is the reason."

Will took a good look at Jason. His messy brown hair and green eyes. His strong jawline. And the look of both determination and worry strewn on his face. "Maybe you just remind her of him."

"The dead boyfriend?" Jason's eyes widened. "Seriously? Are you saying I look like him?"

"Actually, yes; I didn't notice before, but it's been so long I've nearly forgotten what he looked like..."

"And here I thought I might've been special," Jason mumbled, slouching back on his couch. "I guess she'd buy anyone dessert and save anyone in need..."

"She probably would save anyone, but I would've been the one to clean things up," Will said, having done so in the past. "She knows she's not strong because of the lack of blood, and we've had some issues over the... centuries."

"Centuries? How old are you two?"

"Are you certain you want to know? It might break the illusion of the hot twenty-five-year-old teacher."

"Technically, she's a vampire and doesn't age... at least body-wise."

"So you're not afraid to find out her real age?"

"Not really; I've already come to terms with the whole 'vampire' thing, so it's not unexpected that she's super old. That said, she's still a woman and it feels wrong to ask for her age."

"Touché, my young friend. Are you free tomorrow?"

"I haven't made any plans yet, why?"

"Do you remember where I live?"

"Kinda hard to forget that adventure."

"Come to my house tomorrow evening for supper; we'll get her to eat, assuming you're still willing to feed her."

Jason laughed. "So long as she doesn't drain me dry, I'm okay with it... though isn't that exactly what she's trying to get away from."

"Except you're willing; she isn't. That and you would only be doing it for her – whom you love – and not giving blood eternally to a horde of greedy, power-hungry vampires."

"Do you have to keep saying it?"

"Saying what?" Will asked, smirking.

"You know... the 'L' word."

"Love?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Why? If it's the truth, it shouldn't matter."

"But it super embarrassing to fall for your teacher. Damn it, dude, why don't you understand?"

"It's my understanding that a lot of students have a crush on Samantha; no one will notice that it's more."

"You did!"

"I have hundreds of years of life experience; of course, I noticed. By the way, if you had those feelings before she helped you, she might know already..."

Jason paled, his heart racing. "Oh man, how can I face her? There's no way I'm coming to your house tomorrow."

Will's expression dropped. "I guess you were lying about helping then. Maybe I should leave you tied up outside the school for the vamps to feed on."

"You... What?" Jason mumbled.

"I was being nice before because of the whole love thing, but my patience is running thin," Will sighed, tired of his flip-flopping.

"I'll help, promise, just... I can't believe she knows."

"Interesting though; I thought it was the act of saving your sister that made you fall for her past the crush phase."

Jason frowned, not knowing himself when it happened. He did know he liked her the first time he saw her though.

"So, you'll come tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Finish your drink and I'll drop you off at your house."

"Okay, thanks," he slurped on his milkshake.