I honestly couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic anymore... I know I'm not supposed to take them seriously, but, I can't help it... I was trapped... I am trapped. And i don't mind it what so ever. At least this is a mess I created... I just hope I can get myself out of it.

the smoke twirled around my hand so effortlessly as the candle was blown out... I felt like it was yesterday that dad had captured another one. Since I am of age now I am supposed to catch them and bring them back. They always say that vampire slayers are supposed to learn from the time the are fifteen. But here I am, 20, and unsure of how to pay my phone bill, let alone kill an creature of the undead. Wooden stake, or garlic? Sunlight or graveyard flowers? I am so nervous about tonight. As soon as that sun drops below the horizon anything is fair play and I no longer become the hunted, but the hunter.

"ERICA GET DOWN HERE, IT'S ALMOST TIME!" my father had such a husky voice that anytime he would try to sound normal, it would just make it sound like a dry scream...

"I was trying to find my stake."

"No need for that...Here is some holy water. I suspect the V's you'll be fighting tonight won't give you much trouble. You're finally a woman now Erica. be proud."

He always referred to them as V's, never vampires. Cool nickname I suppose, if you're into that kind of thing.

"Erica, hurry up we need to make the cemetery before sunset."

"Yes father."

Always father, never billy, or mike, or any normal name. I always just knew him as father...

(Montefoire cemetery, Long Island NY 7:50pm)

The stanch of dirt has flown into my nasal cavity, and into my brain making me sneeze several times, great, a vampire hunter allergic to cemeteries thats new....

"Look, over here, a fresh grave"

I admire how much father knows about how to properly hunt a vampire, testing the dirt would have been the last thing I'd think of. I look around searching for some sort of clue as to where a fresh vampire grave might be and then I noticed something...A shift in the air perhaps, a switch in the feeling of the nighttime... I felt like something was watching me, when I should be watching it. I turn around immediately to see a Vampire right in my face. He puts his index finger over his lip to tell me to be quiet.

I was so mesmerized by how calm he was. he knew who and what I am, yet nothing. So still, so prominent. As my brain starts to work again I realized that HEY STUPID, THERE IS A VAMPIRE IN FRONT OF YOU, HELLO? I pin him to the ground,  father must have heard that because he then comes rushing over, and with the biggest grin on his face hit the V straight over the head...The poor creature...

"Good work Erica!!! I knew you could do it, many years of capture are ahead of you."

Capture... yeah, sure. So many years of capture, and not enough time to understand them. I wanted to understand them, I didn't want to capture them. Why did that vampire let father hit him? He let him capture him, what was this?  Did he not care, because surly he will find a way of escaping. I don't get it...

back at the home, Erica sees her father struggle with the vampire, putting him into the basement.

"So why are we capturing these V's? Are we trying to understand them more or-"

"I won't bother you with that information. Now, go get ready for dinner and give this to the V since you are a slayer in training there will be times where you will have to get information from your vampires, and have them as your "willing subjects" since I am busy with work you will be the one to do it, ok?"

I was skeptical but I know my father knew what he was doing so I nodded and carried the type O blood to the basement. Walking down to the celler the stench of mold, blood, and rust overtook me. Dad has been neglecting cleaning this place, even the bugs looks depressed and in need of help.
I turned the light on and heard the crackling of the light bulb flicker. I didn't realize that it was so dark down here... Most of my childhood was spent down here organizing the weaponry, learning from my dad how to work a gun with allot of kick back, even philosophical sessions on how to deal with a loved one turning into a V (if it even happened). I see three doors in front of me, reading the labels of each one carefully as I could barely see down here I swear dad needs to change the bulbs in this place.
The first room read "Armory" the second room read "Library" the third room read "PANIC ROOM" which is where the V is stored. I just hope we don't have a incident like last time...

June 2004
"COME DOWN HERE! HURRY!"
"DAD WHAT'S WRONG!? WHERE'S MOM?" Dad didn't answer he ws just as scared as me. Mom where are you...I hope you're ok...
"Erica, here HURRY!" Father put me into the panic room that he had set up... surely the V couldn't get me down here...
"FATHER, WAIT WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?"
"Stay here Erica. I'm going to check upstairs for your mother."
"Please don't go..."
"Erica you need to stay here. This is the only place you will be safe. Promise me you will stay here?"
"I promise."
There were so many screams that night...After a certain point I don't remember much... It's all so blurry. I don't even remember father coming to save me, or what happened to mom...Its all just one big blur. Which could be for the best...I don't need to have my brain showing me things that are meant to be buried. whilst remembering the dirty details of my past, my body goes into autopilot and unlocks the panic room with on swift motion. I step inside, and se a shadow hunched over in silence in the far part of the room. Why my first thoght was to yell out "hello" I will never understand, but, I slowly walk over to him my hands shook so much from fear that I was surprised the he couldn't hear the bones rattling. I crouch down to put the blood on the floor his gaze locks onto mine.
"What are you doing?" The V gives me such an accusatory look that I felt guilty for reasons unknown.
"I am giving you your blood so you can have some energy."
"But why? I am nothing but a mere toy to you and your "father." He put father in air quotes... what was that supposed to mean?
"We need you for questioning and data retrieval."
"You don't even know what your purpose is do you? Do you know why you are capturing me? or are you a slave to your "fathers" words?"
"Stop doing that, putting father in quotes. What exactly are you trying to say here? You know what it doesn't matter. You are nothing but a V."
"And you are nothing but a human that does not know her purpose in life. Which is worse a vampire that seeks to find life or a human that doesn't know the value of theirs?"
Damnit...He made a good point...What do I do now? Do I stomp out the room like child in who didn't get their way, or talk to the creature sitting in silence before me? I shall do what my father would have me disowned for doing, I shall talk with a vampire.