Meg threw another rock into the river and watched it sink into the black depths before turning to her companion.

"I have this feeling."

"I've heard that line before," Sadie replied, barely glancing over at Meg. "It ended up with a whole lot of fire and a whole lot of bodies."

"I can only hope you're lying." Meg turned, tipping back on the heels of her boots as she did so. They were black, just like the rest of her outfit. Her long skirt rustled in the breeze coming off the lake.

"You're young. I'm not. I've seen things."

"I see myself gnawing my arm off if I don't get food soon... Let's go." Meg was already halfway to her aging Ford Tempo before Sadie pulled herself away from the turbulent dark water.

"I can't believe you..." "Just a burger, Sadie." Meg dug for her keys, glancing one last time up at the blue-violet lights that decorated the twin Blue Water Bridges.

The night was still young.

"You're disgraceful," Sadie muttered, looking over at Meg. Meg didn't reply as she stuffed her second cheeseburger into her mouth. "You're lucky we have no master up here or you'd never hear the end of it." "Human half likes cheeseburgers," Meg slurred, chewing and driving at the same time. They were heading for Marysville park, hopeful to find a couple of willing spooky kids to go home with them. Port Huron was dreadfully boring, so occasional side-trips elsewhere were necessary.

"I'm thankful to not have ever tasted one of those horrid things," Sadie commented as she gazed out the window. The night was cloudy. She didn't like it. She preferred the stars.

"It's good!" Meg retorted, changing lanes just before the one they were in ended.

"Again, should you ever meet a formidable ancient master vampire..."

"Woohoo! I see them!" Meg had a habit of interrupting, and as she turned towards the park and saw the group of teens lounging around the dry-docked locomotive that marked the entrance to the grassy expanse. She killed the headlights and shoved the rest of her burger into her mouth.

Sadie sighed. They'd known each other for three years and so far Meg had shown an almost negative interest in embracing her genetically near-impossible vampiric half. In fact, if she had selected any other girl from the club that night, gotten her plastered and taken her home, Sadie would never have known that she wasn't the only vampire in Port Huron.

Well, technically Sadie was the only vampire in Port Huron. Meg was a half-breed, the one in a million result of errant and most-likely stupid copulation between a vampire and a human. Actually, an exceptionally powerful vampire was the most likely candidate, but Sadie never mentioned that - no exceptionally powerful vampire would ever claim someone like Meg.

Meg claimed that her mother really hadn't told her much, save for a bit about a month she really didn't remember so well where she lived with a blood-drinking cult.

Meg generally thought her mother, who was now living outside Lancaster, PA, in an artists' colony, was quite detached from reality. They no longer spoke.

That void was generally filled by Sadie, too young to be a master or an ancient but too old to be at all naive. Sadie was just finally able to walk about in daylight, preferably overcast and breezy but sometimes sunny and humid was the only option. On those days, she preferred to send Meg to do her bidding.

The car squeaked to a stop beside a couple of other vehicles. One of them looked as though it had been painted black with Aco Hardware Matte Interior Premium. Sadie wanted to snicker. She wasn't really into the whole spooky scene, but that was where the most vulnerable kids seemed to appear. And she had a serious desire for young blood. In a state where sex was legal at sixteen, she had few problems finding those willing to at least share a few drops of their body with her.

It would be wrong to imply that Sadie let every donor live - as a rule she preferred to confuse their memories and leave them, but sometimes it wasn't so simple. She preferred not to talk about it, especially with Meg.

Meg didn't bother locking her car doors - whoever would pilfer things from her car could have them. Especially the molding collection of milkshake containers.

Before either of them made it a foot from the car, Sadie held up a hand.

"Cops," she hissed, motioning towards the road. "If we go now, we'll make it."

So much for the beginning of the night.

They were still driving around as the night reached middle age. Meg was glad she had the night off, just so she could stay out and play with Sadie. They were lost for a destination though.

And before Meg realized where she was going, the twin spans across the river came into view.

"Bridge?" Meg asked. "Or Lakeside? I want to lay on top of the mausoleum again..."

"Bridge," Sadie said. "Now."

Meg had never heard that much decisiveness in Sadie's voice. She drove without asking questions.

Her window down, hair trailing out into the night as she rested her head on the door, Sadie listened. The calling was soft but definitely there. It was not the call of a master, nor of someone equaling her. The voice was young and almost scared.

Sadie did not want to tell Meg anyway - it would ruin the surprise of meeting another of their kind face to face.

Meg was rather useless in that respect - she couldn't hear callings from other vampires, she had exceptionally limited flight, she couldn't wipe minds, she lacked most of the strength and stamina that should have been standard, and she certainly lacked bloodlust ninety-eight percent of the time. All in all, Sadie considered Meg to be a bit of a failure. Yet the prospect of knowing a half-breed was appealing, and the prospect of keeping said half-breed close to her seemed to be downright genius, especially if Meg's literal sire ever showed his face.

Sadie was not stupid, she only feigned boredom and apathy until there was something that she wanted.

"I'm hungry," Sadie snapped suddenly.

"Chill," Meg replied, fiddling with the radio. "I'm not getting pulled over because you need action like yesterday."

"Meg." The tone was low, warning. Meg shook her head. Sadie didn't control her - couldn't control her. It was about the only thing the halfling had going for her.

Meg took it up to five miles over the limit for the last few blocks. They slid into a parking space and Sadie was out of the car before Meg had even shifted to Park.

Sadie could see him, feel him as she approached. He was lingering in the spot where she and Meg normally stood - that's probably how he found them. Perhaps, Sadie wondered, he had crossed from Canada and felt their hotspot as he passed over it.

She forgot totally about Meg, focusing only on the man in front of her. He was indeed young, looking younger than even twenty-five year-old Meg. His hair was pale, a drastic contrast to his dark clothing. Still, he wasn't an eyesore - not a one of the constant summer fishermen seemed to pay him any heed.

They sized each other up, baring fangs that reflected the lights of the boardwalk ever so slightly. Sadie had a bad feeling about the whole situation.

"Learn to wait up, will you!" Meg called, running towards the pair. She overextended a few yards away from Sadie, her skirt binding her legs and causing her platform-heeled boots to go out from under her.

She tumbled to the ground, becoming more tangled in her outfit as she did so.

"Ow..."

"Are you okay?"

"Hey-uh-wha?" Meg flipped her hair back and realized it was the man. Sadie hadn't even seen him move though truthfully she had stopped looking at him and was instead attempting a half-baked death-curse on her counterpart.

Their eyes met and suddenly Meg was hit with a wave of nausea. She flopped back, clutching her stomach.

"Um..."

"Meg!" Sadie crouched down, brushing back Meg's dark hair and feeling her forehead.

"Is she okay?" the man asked, crouching beside Sadie.

"Terminally useless," Sadie diagnosed, waiting for Meg's moans to cease. "Or too many cheeseburgers when she hasn't tasted blood in months."

"So you are..."

"Sadie, the other vampire in town," Sadie said, smirking. "This pathetic excuse for a vampire is Meg."

"She doesn't feel like one," the man commented. "Something is wrong with her."

"Fuck off," Meg mumbled before clutching at her stomach again.

"My name is Andre," the man said as he reached into his pants pocket for something. He pulled out a small silver knife and promptly gashed his wrist open.

Meg felt the blood on her lips, but didn't dare open her eyes. She hurt. She felt like her body was being ripped apart. Finally she darted her tongue out to catch the falling drops, and once she'd had them, she opened her mouth, welcoming Andre's wrist.

"Why are you here?" Sadie asked suddenly, getting up and dusting off her skirt. The children could play all they wanted - she wasn't going to waste time on them.

"I'm running," Andre explained, trying to get away from Meg but failing. She'd wrapped her hands around his arm, holding him close even as his wound healed.

"I don't like that," Sadie replied, giving Meg a boot in the side. "Get up."

"Let me stay a day with you," Andre pleaded as Meg finally let him free. "I can't be out in the sun and I'm sick to... something of sleeping in my trunk!"

"Let's keep him!" Meg chirped, light shining in her eyes as she stood. It was the first time in quite awhile that Sadie could remember even seeing Meg's fangs. The last time she'd even seen Meg near blood had involved hamburger from the grocery store.

"For the day," Sadie replied, motioning that they were both to follow her. "But no longer."

Six months later, Andre still slept his days away in Sadie's basement, sharing her hunting grounds, donors, and Meg. For all the good that Meg ever was, that is. As a poor substitute for human blood, she was occasionally handy. And as a non-feeding vampire, she was generally a wet blanket.

Ah yes, and Andre really didn't like girls, either. Which was fine, as Meg really didn't like anybody. Sadie liked everybody, but that was why she was the leader.

Together, they ruled Port Huron as best they could, meaning no one knew about them and no one felt their actions too strongly.

Every now and then Sadie muttered about the town needing a master, and every now and then, Andre looked nervous at the prospect.

Meg generally enjoyed being oblivious to the pair. Ever since the bizarre incident with Andre's blood, she had felt absolutely no urge to exhibit any bit of her vampiric traits. She even stopped going out with Sadie at night, preferring her more typical job and the more typical people she met there.

Which is why, of course, everything felt the sudden need to change.