"Umph!"

"Ouch," Nora cried out. "Oh, gosh. This is all my fault. I'm sorry. I'm so behind today."

If he hadn't of seen it with his own two eyes, Utz wouldn't of believed it was possible. Drexel, a man he'd known for more than six centuries, had not only been knocked off his feet, but he'd also been completely taken aback.

The asbestos-square floor tiles, covered in high school debris of unknown origins, had long ago become an eye-sore but as ugly and dirty as they were, even they couldn't motivate Drexel onto his feet. He sat in a stupor, amidst the gunk, with his bottom jaw hanging on its hinges, wobbling up and down, at a loss for words.

Utz refrained from laughing aloud and bent down to help their little target onto her feet. What an utterly delightful find. She came complete with two little scars on her lip that could only mean one thing, for their saliva wouldn't work on her. She couldn't heal the evidence of an old vampire bite like a human could.

Finally, they had her.

They didn't have to keep chasing their tails after all. She was like a present wrapped with a bow. And, the little Angel had landed right in their eager laps.

"Why, hello," Utz said with a cheshire cat grin. "Fancy meeting you here."

Nora bent over to pick up her copybook and pen, while re-slinging her schoolbag onto her shoulder. "Hold on," she mumbled distractedly. "Let me just get my...what was that?" She asked, brushing her loose hair out of her eyes as she stood up to face them.

By this time, Drexel had regained his composure and was on his feet. He moved his partner-in-crime behind him slowly and then smiled. "My friend was just saying we don't mind. It's nice to meet you, ...?"

"Huh?" Nora blinked. "Oh, Nora. My name is Nora."

"Nora," Drexel repeated to himself. He closed his eyes and sucked on his lips like he was savoring a decadent taste on his tongue.

As she waited for them to introduce themselves a familiar sense of malaise prickled Nora's senses. She had no idea what was going on, but something inside of her was setting off a barrage of alarms. Nora took a tentative sidestep to put some distance between her and these...guys.

At which the taller one, Drexel he introduced himself as, smirked. It was discomforting; the kind of expression that felt oily and dark. Something wasn't-

"And I'm Utz," the shorter guy laughed from behind Drexel. "Like the potato chip; one bite is never enough." He closed his mouth dramatically, chopping his teeth against each another sadistically.

Amused with themselves, the vampires chuckled at their inside joke. "Hey, Nora," Drexel asked. "You like potato chips, Mein Engel? Come a little closer. Get a taste."

To their surprise, Nora didn't respond to their demand. They expected her to move forward and when she hadn't the little one frowned.

Was that a look of concern she saw flash in his eyes?

It was no matter. For reasons unconscious to her, Nora unearthed a sense of fierceness she didn't know she possessed. Her instincts told her that Drexel was the bane of her nightmares. He was the late night terrorizer who was haunting her dreams and agitating her daytime well-being.

And that made her mad.

"Get away from me!" Nora warned lethally. "Move. Out. Of. My. Way," she demanded of them.

Drexel began to roar in glee. "You're giving me orders, Mein Engel? I don't think-"

"Fuck you and your thoughts," Nora growled. "And I am not your Angel. I am Aingeal Fola and I will kill you where you stand if you don't get out of my way."

Nora had no idea where her words were coming from nor the sense of power she felt building within her, but suddenly, Drexel and Utz were airborne. They slammed into the cinder block wall across from Nora's art class before she fully understood what'd happened. Shaking, Nora ran down the hallway without looking back.

4 'o clock was coming early and Kaden had better be ready.

His wife was coming home, and he had a lot of explaining to do.

Norie flew out of her school's exit, yanking on the fire alarm handle as she left, and set off for the nature center as fast as her feet would carry her. She only hoped the vampires were knocked out behind her. If the crumbling cinder blocks were any indication, she might have done enough damage to make a clean escape. Pulling the alarm would provide extra cover for her as well.