Darkness falls as the ravens scream into the night. Flames light up the path to my demise, a creature lies dead in the shadows, and my body falls into darkness. My surroundings blurred, and voices from afar startle me, but I can't move. My body lies there, lifeless on the dirt ground.

"She's dead," A voice echoes from the shadows.

"Raven, baby, wake up. Please, I'm so sorry."

"NOOOOOOO!!"

I jump out of bed, searching for my surroundings. I'm home; I'm safe. I shake the thoughts of the boy I've seen in my dreams out of my head. The same nightmares have plagued me for years.

I run my hands through my hair and let the sun hit my face when my aunt starts shouting. "Raven, you need to get off of that bed and get ready."

"I'm up!" I yell back. I stumble tiredly into the bathroom and look in the mirror. I look like hell. Today I'm leaving for college. My best friend Brie has an apartment, and I'm moving in with her. Brie is a year older than me, so I'm glad I will know someone at C.U. who can show me around when I get there. Looking at the time, I quickly jump in the shower and get ready.

As I walk down the staircase, the aroma of freshly whipped eggs, pancakes, and coffee greets me. As I get closer, I can hear her on the phone.

"Regardless of who she encounters, make sure she stays away from them." Aunt Lia advises whoever she is speaking to.

I remain on the staircase as I wait for her to talk in the hopes of learning something. "Don't worry; she will be ready when the time comes."

"Who is going to be ready?" I move in her direction and take a plate. "Oh, nobody, sweetie." She switches the topic. I can sense that she is hiding something from me, but I decide not to push further.

As she attempts to hold back her tears, she explains, "It seems like you were just born yesterday; if your parents could see you now, they would be so proud of you." Since my parents passed away, my aunt has taken care of me as best she can. Despite the fact that she is doing everything right, I have never told her so. It also doesn't help that I've put her through hell growing up, always getting into trouble and breaking every single rule.

My parents' deaths aren't discussed in my family, so I don't know much about it. When I ask, my aunt responds, "I'll tell you when I think you're ready." That's it—nothing more, nothing less. It has always seemed to me that she was hiding something from me; the mysterious phone calls do nothing to alleviate the suspicion.

After breakfast, I run up to my room to grab some more things I need. As we head out, I turn to my aunt and say, "I'm going to C.U." with a smile. She hugs me tightly. Softly, she whispers, "I always knew you could do it."

I imagine college life as being filled with studying, a ton of homework, and attractive boys. I stare out the window while we're driving. The thought of there being more mistakes to enjoy makes me smile. Aunt Lia is looking at me, and the next thing I know, she's ready to have a lengthy conversation. I guess my smirk gave it away.

"Raven, Honey." She starts looking at the road in front of her. "I know we have talked about this before, but I want you to try and be careful, please." She begs. "Especially now that you will be in a school mixed with humans and vampires."

I listen intently as she speaks, and I sit there in silence. I can relate to her concerns. Everywhere I go, chaos appears to be with me. The worst thing, in my opinion, is that I have no empathy for other people's emotions, especially those of boys. Fires are starting where I am, and lights are intermittently going out.

In actuality, I don't believe in love. Although dating is enjoyable, relationships never endure, and their hearts are left crushed. I have no sympathy for how they feel and feel absolutely no remorse for them. My aunt is concerned that if I date a vampire, I would get wounded because I don't feel the same way about them, but vampires are not monsters; they are just normal people.

"I am aware of your concern." I begin to speak. "But I don't get it. We've coexisted with vampires for many centuries, so I don't see the issue. "You understand why." She shouts. I try to understand what she is saying while I carefully observe her, but then it dawns on me.

Oh, No!

Apart from what Brie told me and what I've read, I don't know anything. I was very young when it occurred. Vampires and humans coexist in our society now, but that wasn't always the case fourteen years ago. Numerous vampires went on the rampage, killing hundreds of humans, but these particular vampires all perished; the higher vampires killed them for the devastation they brought to all those people, and society gradually returned to normal with the implementation of the orders. One of them is this institution.

I realise that by their very nature, vampires are hunters, yet after hundreds of years, it seems as though they have begun to resemble humans. Everything you've learned or heard about vampires and the stereotyped garbage attached to them is untrue. They are strong and extremely quick, yet that is all that is truly true about them. They also need blood to survive. Vampires age similarly to humans. Also the burning when in the sun, is just a myth. They've evolved to be able to walk in the light. But when you think about it, there really isn't much of a difference between them and us, especially given that there aren't many of them left. Hell, they even reproduce.

⁂

Before I know it, we are approaching the building. Brie has a wide grin on her face as she waits on the sidewalk. Brie is stunning; she stands at 5'5" and has blonde hair with flaming red highlights that blow in the breeze to complement her stunning green eyes. Since we were young children, Brie has been a part of my life. Her mother, my mother, and Aunt Lia were all friends growing up.

Brie stepped up to be this important sister role after my parents passed away. Only she has a true understanding of who I am. Always having my back and looking out for me. She is there to keep me grounded, despite the fact that I am often called a renegade. She's at my side all the time. She and I haven't seen each other in a year. It was a fantastic summer previously. We laughed so hard about all the trouble we'd get into when we crashed her dad's new car. I wouldn't have it any other way; we both have the same scars.

She would give me a brand-new diary for my birthday every year. She is aware of my passion for writing but is unaware that I haven't written in a single diary in the past 12 months. Other than these dreams, there was nothing to write about. Why bother putting it down when I can just close my eyes and have the nightmares all over again? I'm hoping college will be thrilling enough for me to crack one open once more.

I sprint to give her a strong hug as soon as we pull into the parking lot. She assists my aunt and I as we carry all of my belongings upstairs.

I'm amazed when she unlocks the door to her apartment. The location is stunning, the view is amazing, and there are two floors here. Brie directs the way past the white kitchen's stainless steel appliances, into the living area with two enormous sofas and a big flat screen mounted over the fireplace, and then down a short hallway.

She opens the door and says, "Ray, this is your room. You have a walk-in closet, bathroom, and balcony." The room is more significant than my childhood bedroom. Red pillows and a comforter on a queen-sized bed. A vanity and a desk are in opposite corners. There is plenty of space for all of my stuff and books.

"Oh wow! It's incredible. I greatly appreciate this," I say as I embrace her. After storing all of my boxes and bags in my room, we proceed to the living room. Aunt Lia gently declines Brie's offer of coffee, stating that she must leave and doesn't want to drive three hours in the dark. I give her a final hug. As she exits the apartment, she says,

"You two girls better not get into any trouble." She laughs. "We won't." We both respond with a smirk.

"Raven, you should unpack and then get some rest. Tomorrow I'm taking you to campus to show you around." Brie says, I nod in agreement and start heading to my room.

"If you need anything, I'll be upstairs!" Brie yells, heading up the stairs. "Okay!" I yell back. I look around my room. There is so much to do. I'll be here for hours.

⁂

By the time I'm done, it's 7:00 p.m., and I'm exhausted. When I enter the living room, Brie is not there. So I go collect my shoes and the extra key she handed me and go out the door. Despite the fact that it is late, I choose to go around this town. I'm strolling along the sidewalk as lights illuminate the street; I see a sign that reads CAMPUS AHEAD; and I keep walking till I see a small café around the corner.

I enter and place my order for takeout. One guy in particular catches my eye as I scan the area while I wait. I can't see him properly, but he appears to be seated in the corner of the café. He looks familiar, and then he smiles—the kind of smile that would make any lady fall head over heels for him. When I hear his laugh, something happens, and I immediately smile. I experience something I've never experienced before.

When I see his dimples, I bite my lower lip. I turn to face him after seeing him laugh with his friends. From where I am, he certainly looks cute. His latest smile causes my heart to briefly halt as he turns to face me once more. When I'm about to walk out the door with my coffee, I hear the accent.

"Hey, you, walking out; what's your name?" His voice echoes behind me. I pause and turn to face him. I can feel his eyes on me even though he is standing in the dark light.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." I smile and walk out the door. A tap on my shoulder interrupts my homeward stroll down the street. The guy from the café appears when I turn around.

"How can I help you?" His response piques my interest, and I question him.

"Well, I wanted to introduce myself. I'm..."

"Stop. Your name doesn't matter to me. It's more enjoyable this way, I promise you." I wink and smile, then turn around and walk away before he can say anything further.

"Do you like to play?" He shouts.

"Name the time and place; I love breaking hearts, and I can tell you love playing the game," I shout back, not turning around.

"Is that so? why?" He questions me. Still far away from him, I pause and turn. He smiles at me as I face him. He will make for the ideal toy to play with, and I like his accent. I give him a smile and turn around once more.

Who knew I would love the English? I smile at myself.

⁂

I enter my room as soon as I arrive home. I find myself thinking about my aunt's words as I lay in bed. I don't intend for this to happen, but it does, and I can't help it if I don't care about the people I harm. The boys just kept showing up, all of them attempting to elicit emotions from me that I didn't think were possible. I'm the best dream a boy could have, yet I'm their worst nightmare—breaking hearts for my own pleasure.

Jamie Matthews, the last boy whose heart I crushed, comes to mind. He questioned how I would hurt his feelings, saying that what we had was pure love. My final words to him were, "True love is not real unless it is reciprocated." I stared at the boy pleading with me to stay, who didn't give a damn about how pitiful he looked. I shrugged and moved on from him. How shall I put it? Love is a torturous game, and I enjoy playing games.