Setsuna pulled the blanket she had taken off the back of the sofa closer around her, and snuggled down into it while watching the opening credits. Her mind wasn’t on the movie, though. It was on what her aunt had just given her permission for. Her mom had forbidden her from dating back in Japan. She used to tell her that she was too good for it and all Setsuna needed to do was focus on her career. Dating could come later in life. Setsuna had accepted this because she had never been interested in any boys in school. It also didn’t help that most of the boys at school were more interested in reading manga or playing video games then they were in dating. They rarely ever confessed to any of the girls. It was always the girl's duty to make the confession, and even afterward, most of the guys would just turn them down. Shaking her head, she cleared her mind and finally focused on the movie. She would just think about such things later.

  * * *

  Sunday morning, Setsuna was both scared and excited as she climbed into Faye’s car. The other girl greeted her with a smirk. “Hey, kid. Rough night?” she asked as Setsuna let loose a yawn.

  Setsuna shook her head and sank back into the seat. She had trouble calming her mind after the conversion she had with her aunt. Truthfully, she had never given dating much thought, but now that she had permission to do so she was curious about it. She turned to the other girl. “Faye?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What’s it like dating Declan?”

  Faye momentarily lost her grip on the wheel, and they swerved slightly before she regained control. “What?”

  Setsuna gripped her seat belt tightly. “Never mind,” she whispered.

  “Why? Why do you want to know?”

  Setsuna shook her head. “No reason.”

  “You don’t like him do you?” Setsuna thought she heard what sounded like panic in the other girl’s voice and was quick to assure her that she didn’t want to steal away her boyfriend.

  “No! I don’t want your boyfriend.”

  “Oh…good.”

  They were quiet for a moment, and Faye seemed to settle down. “Why were you asking then?”

  Setsuna blushed. “I think I want to try dating.”

  “You do?”

  She watched as Faye’s grasp tightened on the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white, and realized that it might not be the best idea to have such a conversation with Faye while she was driving. The other girl seemed to react to the topic a lot for some reason.

  “It’s okay. It was just a thought,” she said, hoping to end the conversation.

  “Why? Do you like someone?”

  Setsuna shook her head. “No.”

  “Then why do you want to date? Who are you going to date?”

  “I was just curious about it.”

  Faye frowned. “Do you even know what it means to date someone?”

  Setsuna thought for a moment before shaking her head. “I think I know a little.”

  The older girl sighed. “Just do me a favor.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t come to me for advice on such a subject. I won't be held responsible for what I might do.”

  Setsuna frowned but nodded and turned to look out the passenger window. They spent the rest of the car ride in silence until they reached the high school and Setsuna was quick to escape the tension that had settled in the small space. She couldn’t help the small smile that spread across her lips as she saw Declan sitting on the steps of the school waving them over to him. He stood as they reached him.

  “Ready ladies?”

  “Sure,” Faye growled out.

  Declan turned to Setsuna. “What’s her problem?”

  The younger girl simply shook her head, and Declan shrugged, as a grin spread across his mouth. “Well, hop to it then, we’re burning daylight! Get in my car at your own risk!” He chuckled.

  Setsuna was confused until they reached his vehicle. It was what her aunt would refer to as an old clunker. “Is it safe?” she found herself asking.

  Declan slapped the roof of the monstrosity. “Of course she is! They don’t make them like this anymore. She’s made to last.”

  Setsuna nodded slowly and mumbled. “I wonder why.”

  She thought she heard Faye snort but Declan was already climbing into the driver's seat, so she hurried into the backseat, while Faye took shotgun. Faye turned to Declan with a threatening look. “Don’t drive too crazy. I don’t want her throwing up on me.”

  Setsuna frowned and looked between the two. “What do you mean?”

  Faye looked over her shoulder and simply said, “Don’t puke.” Then she turned forward again.

  Declan chuckled and turned on the engine. “Well, let's get out of here!” he yelled out, as his radio kicked on and loud rock music blasted through what was left of his speakers, along with an annoying buzzing noise, as if they were about to break. Setsuna covered her ears, only to grab her stomach, as the car shot forward a lot faster than she expected such a beat up old vehicle to be able to move. Her stomach lurched, and she quickly understood why Faye had said what she did. Not only was Declan’s car a deathtrap, but he was probably one of the jerkiest drivers she had ever been subjected to.

  He was either always slamming on the brakes suddenly or pumping the gas like a madman! It was all she could do to hold on for dear life and say a prayer to make it to their destination, not only alive, but in one piece.

  * * *

  When they finally reached their destination, Setsuna was the first one out of the car and was considering kissing the concrete when Faye came up beside her and rubbed her back soothingly. “Sorry about that.”

  Setsuna nodded her head shakily. “It’s no problem.”

  “You’re a trooper, kid,” she whispered and gave the younger girls back a gentle pat before she walked forward towards the apartment building.

  Setsuna finally steadied herself after several gulps of air and looked up taking in the sight of the five-story apartment complex. Glancing at the buildings around her she realized that they had come to a rougher part of the town. A gas station down the street had bars on the windows and what looked to be bulletproof glass if the bullet holes littering it was any sign. She jumped when a heavy hand landed on her shoulder, and she looked up into Declan’s grinning face.

  “No need to worry. I’ll take care of you! Or Faye will have my head.” He laughed at his own joke as he walked forward.

  Setsuna took a deep breath then followed. The apartment they were looking for was clearly marked with yellow police tape along with a police officer guarding it.

  “Damn.” Declan cursed as they hid behind the wall at the other end of the hallway.

  He looked back and met Faye eyes before grinning. “Decoy?” he asked, and she nodded.

  “Decoy?” Setsuna parroted.

  Faye grabbed her hand and whispered, “Just follow my lead.”

  Setsuna could only nod as her body heated up and the blood in her veins pumped to the hand that the other girl was holding. She both wanted to pull her hand back and push herself up closer to the older girl. She settled for gasping quietly as Faye pulled her closer and they watched Declan take off running down the hallway. He moved past the police officer but just as he was about to pass the man he reached out and jerked his baton off of his belt shocking the man as he yelled out, “You can’t catch me now! I’m the gingerbread man!”

  “Hey! Get back here you punk!” The police officer took off after Declan, and as the two rounded the corner, Faye pulled Setsuna down the hallway quickly. When they reached the apartment, Faye tried the door and was slightly surprised to find it unlocked. “Convenient,” she murmured as she pulled the younger girl inside and closed the door behind them. The apartment was dark, and Setsuna felt along the wall until her hand came into contact with the cold plastic of a light switch. As the lights flickered on, she released a loud gasp.

  Blood. It was everywhere. The walls. The floor. Drag marks on the floor lead down the hallway and into the living room ending at a white taped outline of what had once been a human. Setsuna’s hand covered her mouth as she and Faye walked around through the rooms. The pictures Declan had copied had been in black and white. When she had first seen them, she just figured that his printer was just a bit heavy with the black ink. Now it made sense.

  Faye’s hand gripped Setsuna’s tightly gaining the girls attention. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so,” she whispered.

  “I should have warned you. Declan mentioned it to me, but I forgot to tell you. I’m sorry.”

  Setsuna shook her head. “It’s fine.”

  Faye looked around the living room where the biggest concentration of blood seemed to be. “I’m used to seeing a lot of blood. I grew up in a place where a scene like this was normal.”

  Setsuna studied the girl next to her. “Where did you grow up?”

  Faye’s pale red met her glowing blue and Setsuna shuddered at the haunted look in them. “I grew up within the House of Roseus.”

  “The feeders organization of government? But why would this be normal there?”

  Faye gave a weak smile. “You are really sheltered, Setsuna.”

  The younger girl frowned and looked down at the blood stains before looking up into the red orbs of the other girl. “I’m sorry.”

  She didn’t know why she was apologizing, but for some reason, she felt like it was necessary. Was she apologizing for the hidden pain in the other girl's gaze or for the fact that Faye must have been subjected to a childhood that was the stuff of horror? Faye frowned. “It’s not your fault.”

  Setsuna shook her head and reached up to cup Faye’s face. “I’m still sorry.”

  Faye smiled softly and leaned into the warm hand of the other girl. “Thank you.”

  Setsuna smiled. For once her blood was calm as she became lost in the other girl’s kind gaze. It wasn’t until she felt her warm breath on her lips that she realized how close their faces had become. Had she moved forward or had Faye? She wasn’t sure but all of a sudden she wanted nothing more than to press her lips against the ones in front of her. “Faye,” she said breathily as the other girl surged forwards and claimed her lips. It started off slow, but the next thing Setsuna knew Faye had her hands resting on her hips and the younger girl's hands were buried in short brown locks.

  Setsuna’s mouth slanted against the older girls as her hand trailed down to rest at the base of her neck where she could feel the erratic beating of Faye’s heart. “Faye,” she moaned, and the feeder slid her tongue into her mouth only to draw Setsuna’s tongue back into her own. The younger girl’s tongue explored the warm cavern taking extra care to slide up and down the two fangs that had dropped. Faye moaned and pushed closer to the bleeder wanting more contact. There they stood, surrounded by the blood of a crime scene, and all Setsuna could think of was how her blood ached to be inside of Faye. It was so surreal. There was even music. Wait, music?

  She gasped when Faye suddenly pulled back. It took her a minute to realize that the music she had heard was actually Faye’s cell phone. “What Declan?”

  Setsuna panted while Faye spoke to Declan for a moment before cursing and putting her phone back into her pocket. “We have to leave.”

  “But we didn’t find anything yet?”

  Faye smirked. “I found something.”

  “What--”

  “Come on. the cop is coming back here and unless you want to be caught, we need to leave.”

  Setsuna nodded and let herself be dragged by the older girl while her mind remained in a daze. It wasn’t until they were outside that she realized Declan had met up with them. He was sitting in his car twirling a black baton. “You still have it?” Setsuna asked as she slowly climbed into the back seat.

  “Finders keepers.” He laughed out.

  “But you stole it,” Setsuna responded.

  “Details.” He grinned as he tossed the baton at Faye and started up his engine.

  Setsuna tightened her seatbelt and couldn’t help the guilt that ate at her when she looked at the boy. She had just kissed Declan’s girlfriend. But hadn’t Faye kissed her back? She shook her head and gazed out the passenger window only to close her eyes. That was a bad idea, she thought. It was better just to keep her eyes closed, so she didn’t have to watch the scenery whip by. Much better this way, she decided.

  * * *

  The car ride with Faye, back to her aunt's house, was made in silence. Setsuna was battling the guilt she felt about Declan, but at the same time, she didn’t regret what had happened. Faye rolled to a stop in front of the younger girl's house and put the car in idle. “We’re here.”

  Setsuna nodded and unbuckled her seatbelt. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  The tension was thick between the two of them when Setsuna cleared her throat. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay," she whispered, and opened the door, climbing out. She was just about to slam it shut when Faye’s voice stopped her. “I didn’t mind it.”

  Setsuna bent down to looked back into the car. “What?”

  Faye met her gaze, but her face seemed a bit flushed, surprising Setsuna. “I said that I didn’t mind it. The kiss, I mean.”

  Setsuna blushed as her heart skipped. “I didn’t either.”

  Suddenly, Faye’s confident smirk spread across her lips slowly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Setsuna smiled softly. “Yes.”

  Faye chuckled. “Get outta here then, kid. And make sure to do your homework.”

  Setsuna nodded, closing the car door. She watched as Faye sped off and couldn’t help the grin that took over her face.

  Chapter Six

  When Monday rolled around, Setsuna was filled with dreaded guilt. She couldn’t believe she made Faye cheat on her boyfriend! She had spent all of her morning classes feeling like the worst person in existence. She couldn’t even look Declan in the face during the only class she shared with him. To make matters worse, every time she passed Faye in the hallway, the older girl would wave or try to speak with her. She found herself ignoring Faye or ducking out of the way to not be seen by her. Even during English class, Faye attempted to speak with her several times, but Setsuna flat out ignored the other girl. By the time the end of the day came, the bleeder was exhausted, and her chest ached for an unknown reason.

  She had just pulled her books from her locker and was closing it while deciding that it would be best to skip their club activity until she could straighten out her emotions when a hand shot out slamming against her locker. The metal groaned. Setsuna whirled around and came face to face with furious pale red eyes.

  “Why are you avoiding me?” Faye demanded with a slight growl.

  Setsuna’s heart began to pound, and her blood reacted. Her voice trembled when she spoke. “I wasn’t--”

  Faye cut her off. “Don’t lie to me. You’ve been avoiding me.” Her other hand came up trapping Setsuna between her arms and against the lockers, caging her in.

  “I wasn’t--”

  Faye pushed her body into the bleeders as her hand trailed across the girl’s shoulder to grip her chin. Her eyes hooded as her nostrils flared. “Don’t ever lie to me again, Setsuna,” Faye whispered, and Setsuna couldn’t help but gasp at both the pained look on the other girl’s face and the immediate reaction her blood had to the husk in her voice.

  The next second, warm but soft lips claimed her own, and her heart stuttered as both her blood and body began to react. Setsuna’s hands buried into the short soft chocolate tresses she had always secretly wanted to touch, pulling the girl closer as Faye bit her lip gently, and slipped her tongue into her mouth. Setsuna moaned as the taste of strawberries filled her exploded along her tastebuds, and the silky appendage slid against her own, drawing her into a battle she was more than happy to lose.

  It felt like something burst in her chest, and where she expected pain, only pleasure prevailed. The cold, wet feeling of blood trailing out of her nose alerted her that she was reaching a line she maybe shouldn’t cross, but the guttural moan that Faye released, when the blood found its way into both of their mouths distracted her from her worries.

  Suddenly, Faye was everywhere. She was all Setsuna could think of, all she could feel, all she could hear. Her warm sunshine smell warmed her, while the taste of strawberries mixed with the coppery spice of her own blood, seduced her. Something had formed between them the instant her blood entered their mouths; it was something old and possibly sacred. Faye’s hands trailed down her waist to her legs, before she pulled Setsuna up, allowing her to wrap her legs around Faye’s waist. Setsuna was so hot as Faye's tongue dominated her mouth, and she groaned when her center came in contact with the rough material of Faye’s cargo pants.

  “Fuck, Setsuna!” Faye groaned, and began to undulate pushing Setsuna back hard into the lockers, and making the other girl moan.

  It was too fast! Setsuna managed to think through the fog that had taken over her mind. But why did it feel so good? She wondered as one of her hands gripped Faye’s polo, holding her closer.

  “Mine,” Faye whispered against her lips when she pulled back for air.

  Setsuna could only nod as she tried to reclaim those warm lips, but Faye began to kiss a trail down her face and neck, ending at her pulse point. With each kiss, she seemed to whisper her claim, and Setsuna’s heart fluttered. The feeders warm tongue slid out against Setsuna’s throat, making the girl gasp, just as the sharp point of cold fangs replaced it.

  Setsuna thrust her chest against Faye’s whispering, “Please Faye.”

  She felt the other girl tremble with restraint, as if she were fighting herself, but Setsuna couldn’t imagine why, then her fangs began to slowly sink into her neck.

  “Hey Dom, what are you doing?” Declan’s jovial deep voice made Faye whirl around, dropping Setsuna in the process, only to slam the boy into the lockers on the opposite wall.

 

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