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Janessa almost let a faint smile cross her lips as Stacy gave her confidence, then decided to sleep. However, not long after that, Maddie announced she wasn't going to sleep like Stacy. She was going to go to the lobby. Why on earth would she want to do such a thing? Janessa wondered. Had she thought about it more, perhaps she would have known the exact reason. But, the only thing on Janessa's mind at the moment was rubbing off the nightmare entirely.

She desperately wanted to sleep, but in her heart Janessa knew that sleeping meant dreaming. And dreaming could lead back to the nightmare she had had. Ultimately, it would just restrain her from doing her job properly. And she wasn't going to allow herself to face a vampire and hold back because of fear. So, making sure that Stacy was in a deep sleep, she whispered to the air, "I'll go too," and followed after Maddie's footsteps.

Eventually, Janessa found herself beside her comrade. Maddie seemed to be studying the crowds. It was then that Janessa finally figured out why Maddie had left to the lobby. She couldn't back away now. And besides, this was better. After a few moments of breathing and reassuring herself, Janessa worked up the courage and managed to push away the nightmare for a while. "Hey, mind if I join you?" She asked, providing also a light tap to Maddie's shoulder.



Ashton shook his head and made a movement with his upper body, almost as if trying to relocate a dislocated shoulder. "Yeah, I'm..." He trailed off, his eyes gaping at the huge crowds of people. Hissing a sound so low that only the rest of the coven could hear it, Ashton turned his head away. "I'm fine." When he turned back, he breathed a deep breath, even though he didn't need to - they were already dead. Or... undead. Whatever it was.

He looked at the crowds again. Though, this time, he attempted a faint smile. He turned to the rest of the group and said, "So are we going to go out and try to have fun or what?" Ashton was becoming a bit calmer now. His initial reaction had been... unnerving, to say the least. Though after a bit of time, he managed to relax a bit and set his sights straight. When he was with his coven, Ashton felt more comfortable. In fact, in the entire time he had been a vampire, Ashton had never known another group of creatures, supernatural or not, who could have such a good effect on him. He was glad.

Isabella nodded in agreement. "Yeah let's go guys! Enough waiting out here in the bushes and trees. Let's go swimming!" She held a smile on her face. One that was sincere and meant to give others the notion to smile too.



Zac was getting a bit impatient. What, with the grumbling and snarling sounds emanating and seeming to echo from his stomach. "C'mon guys, can we stop fooling around with a stupid bug and just get to eating already? We all know that we're starved. So... let's stop the little side show and hurry along." He made motions with his hands. The type that most people would say when they were pairing it with the words 'C'mon let's get this show on the road!'

Circles were made with his huge bodied arms and he put all the effort of this into the movement. When he finally stopped, he gave a mock grin in the group's direction, as if laughing at the face that they still hadn't moved yet.



Travis watched his friend as she set her things down by the door and walked in. "I've been great! Granted, a little lonely now that summer's here. Been too hard headed to call anyone but my best buds." He gave a grin. After a few second pause he said, "Besides, couldn't remember all the other numbers anyways. Much easier to remember the ones of two people I love to hang with!" He proceeded to noogie Lia a bit before letting go of his grip and laughing.

Usually, Trav only did this with guys that he hanged out with. He never played rough with girls. However, he knew Lia and Nessa better than anyone else. Therefore, he also knew they were tough and could handle a simple little noogie. Besides, it was his way of saying he approved of you. Or... something like that. "How about you? What's been happening these past weeks?"



Carrie grinned a big heavy set thing on her lips. He teeth were showing and all. "Yay, can't wait!" She said, before closing the phone and pumping a fist down in triumph. She was so overjoyed to meet up with one of her friends that she had neglected to remember calling Heather. When she did, she nearly facepalmed herself. "Heather!" She said, and quickly opened up the phone again. She sent her fingers on a speed race to dial the number and before long heard the interminable ringing ahead.

Cale still wasn't certain that Ashton felt completely comfortable around the humans, but he seemed to be calming down alot over the past couple of seconds. Cale returned Ashton's smile, though it was about ten times wider than Ashton's, and Cale brightened immediately when it was Ashton who demanded they go have some fun. Barking out a laugh at Isabella's impatient excitement, Cale shouted, "Fine, but you first!"

With that, Cale scooped Isa up in his arms, tossing her on his back so she hung up-side-down behind him as he ran towards the lake. He weaved through the crowds and jumped over towels with tanning people, managing to avoid stepping on any toes or tipping over any drinks. He pushed through the crowd gathered on the only dock which served as a popular diving board, and called out "Excuse me!" everytime he shouldered past another person. Then, he jumped over the edge, aiming for a spot farther out in the lake where no bodies were, and splashed down deep into the lake.

Cale didn't let go of Isa's waiste until his feet touched the soft, muddy ground on the bottom of the lake. He finally released her and quickly swam to the surface, laughing heartily as soon as his face come up over the water.




Luna rolled her eyes at Andrew, mumbling, "Germaphobe," as she passed Zac and his flailing arms. "You're going to poke somebody's eye out if you keep doing that," she said to Zac with a smirk, stopping for only a moment in her walked before jogging down the side walk towards Rafe, who hadn't stopped walking since he started.

Ignoring the bickering going on behind him, Rafe continued his way to Dainty's, only a few feet from the parking lot when Luna finally trotted up beside him, and he guessed the other's weren't far behind. "What took you guys so long?" he asked teasingly.




Nessa made her way slowly to Travis's house and spotted the familiar house that had become like a second home to her over the past high school years. She took her time crossing the street near Dainty's, pausing when she saw a group of teenagers she had never seen before, and Nessa thought she knew everyone in town. Nessa noticed that most of them had dark hair, and she wondered if they were a new family in town, though they all looked too close to the same age for all of them to be siblings.

The next thing Nessa noticed was that they kind of scared her for no particular reason, but they did look dangerous. The large blonde boy looked like he could take her out with a single swing of his first; the girl next to him just looked like a b*tch; And the other two boys weren't as large as the blonde one, but they still had plently of bulging muscles to cause Nessa to stare a few seconds too long. Next to the boy who looked completely p*ssed was the only one that looked friendly, and Nessa could see her strange dark blue eyes from all the way across the road.

Not in the mood to run into these new people, Nessa turned the volume on her i-pod up another notch and continued down the sidewalk, deciding she would cross over to the other side when she was a bit closer to Travis's house.




Now having actual plans for the day, Jackson quickly gulped down the remainder of his sandwhich as he packed up his sketchbook and pencils, placing the photograph carefully into a folder and packing everything into his bag. By the time his table was cleared off of his mess, his sandwhich had been reduced to crumbs and his drink cup had emptied. As he tossed his trash into the can, his bag slung over his shoulder, he waved good-bye to the waitress sitting behind the counter with her nose in a magazin. Somehow, she had seen his wave and returned his good-bye with a quick one of her own.

Jackson mounted his bike that sat outside of Fresh, unchained and unprotected but still in the same spot he had left it. He pedaled out of the parking lot, riding in the middle of the deserted street on his way home. His bag clunked against his thigh every time he pushed down on the pedal, but Jackson didn't really mind at the moment. He loved riding his bike on a Sunday afternoon, which felt and smelt completely different from any other day's afternoon. Everything was new and fresh and beginning again from the week before. The air brimmed with fresh starts and second chances and new horizons. Just as these song lyrics were forming in his head, his driveway appeared far too quickly, and Jackson was forced to abondon his bike and his song outside, next to the trash cans lined up beside the garage.

When he walked inside the large white house that had been his home since he was born, he was met with a wall of silence which meant both of his parent were out, as usual. Not thinking anything of their absence, he retreated upstairs to prepare for a day out, expecting to be gone until well into the night.

Maddie almost jumped when she heard Janessa behind her. Looking over her shoulder at her friend and forced a friendly smile. "Nope, I don't mind at all." She said, pushing out the chair beside her and patting the seat. Looking away from Janessa, she looked back at the crowds around them, examining each face. Most of the people looked friendly, just like everyone else. Although they looked friendly, Maddie knew how to figure out if someone was a supernatural being. Giving up, she pulled herself to her feet and muttered, "Be right back." to Janessa before walking to the cashier.

"I would like an ice tea, please, sweetened and cold." She ordered and waited patiently as the lady nodded, grabbed an ice tea from the refrigerator and handed it to Madison. Handing over the money, she walked back to the table where Janessa sat and taking her seat once more.



Angela continued to scan the muddy beach until she caught sight of Cale, holding Isa over hid shoulder. Rolling her eyes, she ran behind them and stepped back before she was splashed by the ice cold water. She could feel the heat warming her skin and she looked up at the sun with her eyes closed, happy to feel warm for once. Ever since she had been turned, she had felt endlessly cold and hardly ever warm. Now that the sky was cloudless and the suns rays had nothing to block them, she loved it. Looking back at the lake, she saw Cale come up to the surface and begin laughing.

Wondering what was so funny, she walked over to the shore and slowly waded out into the water. The cold water felt good against her warm skin and she loved the feeling of being somewhat human again.



Andrew narrowed his eyes as he picked up Luna's comment. He opened his mouth to give a powerful retort but Nicole swept past him, grabbing his hand and dragging him toward Dainty's. He decided arguing further wasn't going to stop the irritable werewolf from making him even angrier and he let it go. Nicole broke into a sprint as she saw Luna and Rafe had already made it to the restaurant, running past them and dragging Andrew through the front doors.

Both of them waited a moment for the others to follow, before walking over to a booth with red seats and a mint green table. Nicole sat down and Andrew sat beside her and she watched the door for the others.



Heather stood in front of the cushioned counter where on top stood a miniature poodle. The dog stood still as a board as she blow dried his fur, having just given the dog a bath. Due to the dog's lack of dander and having hair instead of fur, the dog didn't smell bad when his pelt got wet. She smiled at him as she turned off the blow dryer and began to brush out the fluffy curls.

Reaching for the scissors so she could trim his fur, Heather felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Reaching for it, she flipped it open and didn't bother to check who it was before saying, "Hello?"



Ooc:// FINALLY I got it to post. I had to cut it down though, because for some reason it kept cutting off the bottom of the paragraph.

Lia chuckled as Travis gave her a noogie. Pushing him away playfully, Lia shrugged. "It's been a pretty boring summer. I did go on a one week vacation down to Schlitterbahn, though." She said, remembering the vacation her parents had taken her on. It was fun, even though it was dreadfully humid.

"Have you ever been there before?" She asked her friend. Barely anyone she knew had been to the famous water park resort. But she still wondered if Travis had ever been there.

Janessa quickly grabbed at the opportunity to sit down. Her back flexed to fit the form of the chair, and her legs rejoiced at the break of weight. She sighed a deep, relaxed breath. As she turned her eyes upwards to face Maddie, however, she noticed that her comarade's gaze was fixated into the crowd. "Hey, Mad-" She cut herself short when she heard Maddie speak. She tilted her head as she saw the female leave. Though, as soon as she came back, Janessa noticed the iced tea in her hands and shook off the confusion.

"Hey, Maddie?" She continued from a few minutes before. "I think these vampires are smarter than we are led to believe..." she trailed off, not sure how she would take it. After a few minutes of trying to find the right words to explain her theories, she decided on saying, "They're probably living in the city somewhere. They may be blending in with the townspeople. That's probably the explanation as to why no one has noticed anything so far. No one would think of them that way because they know them. Or... they hide so well with people that no one notices them at all."

This was all to inform that Janessa believed the vampires could be actually living in the small town. Usually, the vampires this trio came across weren't smart. They moved from place to place and went on killing sprees in each one. Such a sudden and dramatic increase in murder and loss of blood was obvious. However, this call to this down had been very vague. Her fellow collegues and workers weren't even positive vampires were indeed there. That's how sly this group or one was. They knew not to make it obvious. They knew that staying hidden was their best bet.

And a smart vampire was never a good thing.



Isabella suddenly found her own words jynxed as she was picked up, thrown over Cale's shoulder, and launched into action. He ran with her over his shoulder, and all the while Isa couldn't help but giggle. It was so like Cale there was no way she could stifle the laughter. And it was fun, too!

Soon she found her head under ice cold water, in contrast to the heated sun. She wallowed in the coolness of the lake, and as she surfaced, she dipped her hair back and brought it around her shoulder. "You... you little!" She splashed water all over Cale, in an attempt to seem annoyed. However, Isa was never the type to hold grudges. Cale, Ashton, and Angela most likely knew that already. She kept trying to splash Cale, laughing the entire time as she did.

Watching the whole scene unfold, Ashton couldn't help but at least give a chuckle. Isa letting herself be thrown into the lake and laughing the entire way? So her. Cale being the one to carry and launch her into the lake, making a joke out of it all? So him. Ashton wanted to be apart of it. And suddenly, he found that he had forgotten pretty much all about the humans. He didn't remember any of them were there until he found himself running at full speed into the cold, rejuvenating water.

Taking a leap into it, Ashton formed a canon ball, allowing a faint smile to cross his lips as he made a huge splash. That of which, soaked Cale and Isa even more. As he surfaced, he brought his hands to his now slick hair and pushed it back so he could see. He laughed as Isa gave him a look that sent over a joke. As he turned to his left for a moment, though, he caught a glimpse of Angela. "Angela, over here!" He said, the smile and laughter escaping his face as he remembered all of the people.



Zac laughed as Luna accused him that he was going to poke someone's eye out. "Am I, am I really? What makes you say such a thing?" He said, twirling a finger around his temple to signal to the others watching that Luna was crazy. He laughed a loud, booming noise, and looked around to see who else would laugh too. Probably just him, but hey, it never hurt to see if you made a good comedic act.

Though, when he turned, he noticed a girl with an ipod on the other side of the street. He caught her stare at the group and tilted his head ever so slightly at the sight. He continued to stare back in an innocent type of way until she looked away and headed off forward. It looked like she was in a hurry to get somewhere. And it also looked as if she planned to steer clear of the pack. ...Were they that intimidating? Zac wondered.

Her sudden department brought him to turn back again, and when he did he noticed that Nicole and Andrew had quickened the pace to meet Luna and Rafe. He ran after them, going through the door of Dainty's and breathing in the fresh air of food that came with the restaurant. He walked on over to where he saw the rest of his siblings and sat down in an empty space. "So, where's the menu?" He asked.



OOC: Lia hasn't said anything back to Travis xD



Carrie hesitantly spoke into the phone with what sounded more like a question then a real response. "Hello... Heather?" She grasped the phone with great care, as if one wrong movement could set off a bomb somewhere nearby. Vaguely, Carrie became aware of a few teenagers getting roudy by another side of the lake. One of them seemed to be having the time of his life. He was running with a girl over his shoulder just as he pounced into the lake with a huge splash. Not too long later, another one who looked around the same age as the other two canon balled into the area just beside them.

They seemed somewhat myterious... actually, if Carrie looked at them closer, she thought she could recognize them. Or some of them at least. She remembered seeing the blonde one in the hall. He was always too quiet. He never spoke to anyone and if someone else not in his 'group' talked to him, he'd suddenly earn a look of umcomfortableness and back away from you as if you were an alien. Needless to say, he seemed pretty anti social. The other two, though, were somewhere on the other side of the scale.

Carrie remembered the girl coming up to her once and having a small conversation. It was nothing much. She just came up with a friendly smile, giggled hello and they got into talking about random things. Though, Carrie had been a bit too quiet for her own satisfaction after. The other guy, she remembered as nice enough. She'd never talked to him either, but she did think that he seemed approachable. Definetely more than the blonde and the other girl the group usually hanged with.

People at school rarely noticed them. Carrie was probably one of the only ones who cared. Or... who bothered to see them anyways. They tended to keep very low profile, and since Carrie wasn't too talkative, she tended to pick things up very easily. Aware of the phone conversation at hand, however, she returned her thoughts to Heather. "Are you busy right now?" She asked.

Ooc:// O-o That's strange... I typed a whole two paragraphs for Lia. It must have cut off the bottom of my post I'll edit the post in a sec

Stacy groggily wake up, blinking her eyes a million times a second as she glanced around the empty hotel room. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Stacy noticed a digital clock that announced she had only been asleep ten minutes. Feeling much more refreshed than that time should allow, Stacy dragged herself out of the covered and into the bathroom. Apparantly her roommates had left her alone in the room and could only be a select few places, including the lobby. They were probably serving food down there, so it sounded as good a place as any to search for Janessa and Maddie.

Her reflection in the mirror was scary, to say the least. She gently rubbed the smeared eyeliner from under her eye and applied a new coat of mascara. Not able to be bothered to brush her hair, Stacy merely redid the bun in a much messier fashion. Finally looking alive again, she returned to her bedside to slip on her cream fuzzy slippers. After a nap, shoes were out of the question. At the doorway, Stacy checked the holister hidden under her trousers which held a gun loaded with wooden bullets, the newest and best brand, of course. She tightened the straps, touching the ends of both silver knifes also tucked away next to the gun. Feeling more reassuered that nothing could catch her off guard today, Stacy continued out of the room.

She took her time trotting down the stairs, the thick smell of pool chlorine evident just like in any other hotel. Nothing seemed different from this town other then it's miniature size, which made it odd for the three huntresses to be sent here. Most towns were so ravanged by beasts that one could smell the fear in every inch of the town. Night Shade was completely different. Just a small complaint about missing blood bags, but no mysterious sting of sudden murders or animal attacks. Everything was peaceful, which meant trouble. If the creatures had learned to blend in, they could be anywhere. Or anyone.




Cale laughed even harder at Isa's failed attempts to splash him in revenger. He held his hands in front of his face to block the on-coming water while swatting water back at her every few seconds. All of a sudden, a wave (or so it seemed like) drenched Cale and Isa. Cale froze in surprise at the unexpected soaking, his hands held limply in front of his face. He slowly turned around to find the culprit of the huge splash was Ashton.

Glaring at Ashton, Cale waded the few feet to him, grasping at the opportunity that he seemed distracted as he called for Angela. as quietly and quickly as he could, Cale came up behind Ashton and shoved his shoulders under the water with his hands. He quickly pushed his head under to, pratically swimming over Ashton as Cale dunked up.




Rafe slid into the booth opposite of Andrew and Nicole, and Luna sat beside him. She reached over him for a menu that sat on a stack at the end of the table. Just as she reached her fingers around one, Zac sat down at the end of the table asking about the menus. Already having to in her hand, she tossed one roughly at him, aiming more for his face than his hands. "There you go, Einstien," she said to him, opening her own menu and looking down the list of burgers. There seemed to be hundreds of them.

"Can I start ya off with some drinks?" asked a waitress with thick curly hair and a name tag that read 'Chelsea.' Unlike most waitresses, her smiled actually seemed genuine like she enjoyed her job. Luna wondered what could be so great about working at a greasy old place like this, but she was too hungry to care.

"A pepsi for me. Light on the ice." She pratically growled out that last part, remembering lots of past experiences where that request had been ignored.

"Make that two," Rafe answered the waitress with a pleasant smile. He also passed two menus to Nicole and Andrew, keeping one for himself. He scanned the page for anything that sounded good, but the problem was, it all sounded good on an empty stomach.




Ooc:// Polar, you can just post Lia's response now and I'll hold off on Nessa.




After changing into some trunks and a plain white t-shirt, Jackson packed all the essentails into a small book bag which wasn't anything new or stylish, but it carried his stuff just fine. He tossed in some sun screen and bug spray, one for the afternoon and one for the evening. He tucked in a sweat shirt just in case the night was cold and a flashlight in case he stayed out longer than planned. His travel sketch book and pencils went into a smaller pocket at the front of the bag. Slinging his camara around his neck, Jackson was ready to go.

He hurried out of the desserted house, slipping on a pair of tennis shoes on the porch. He climbed back on his bike and pedaled out to the lake. He pulled out his phone, dialing up Carrie to tell her he was on the way.

As Maddie sat down, she heard Janessa speak beside her about the vampire's low profile. Sure, they had been called to Night Shade to do their job, but how could they be sure that there even was vampires here? Smart vampires were very uncommon and almost every one that her team had encountered was stupid and eager to make a mess. Well, they weren't exactly stupid, but just too lazy to care about laying low anymore. Sometimes Maddie felt as though coming to Night Shade was a waste of time, especially if the vampires didn't seem to be causing too much trouble.

"You're right, Jan." Maddie replied finally, not looking at her friend but glancing around the room once more. She sighed and spoke again, "I just really hope we can find them, execute them. and be rid of this place. I don't know about you, but there is something here that makes Night Shade seem like a bad place to be." She took a long sip of her ice tea as she finished speaking and almost slammed it down on the table.

She didn't exactly hate her job, but she never did like the fact that they had to travel so much.



Angela lifted up her arm to shield her face from the massive splash Ashton had made before scowling playfully at him. She then heard Cale acknowledge her and turned to look at him. The smile and laughter in his face vanished and Angela felt nervous for a moment. He shouldn't be thinking about all the people, but there was nothing she could do to control his thoughts. Hoping he didn't do anything, Angela wadded into the water and smiled as the cold liquid lapped against her toes and legs. She wadded deeper and eventually got to the point where she had to swim in order to stay above the surface.

Angie reluctantly dabbed at the water with her hand, causing a tiny splash that hardly did anything. She felt an urge of mischief and playfulness soar through her body and slapped the water, splashing Ashton.



Nicole watched as the pack helped themselves to the menus and smiled a thank you to Rafe as he passed her and Andrew their menus. Peering down at the laminated piece of paper, she scanned the list of delicious foods. Her stomach rumbled, as though it was telling her to eat anything as long as it made it to her stomach. Just as she had made it to the middle of the list, she heard the sound of the waitress coming over to the table. She waited until Rafe and Luna had ordered their drinks before speaking.

"I'll take a Dr. Pepper." Nicole smiled and peered back down at her menu, her attention now on what she was going to eat.

Beside Nicole, Andrew murmured a thanks to Rafe as his menu was given to him and barely glanced at it before he heard the waitress. Looking up, he felt a cold sense of dread swell in his stomach. The girl looked so familiar, and not in a good way. He had seen her before, and something told him that they had met and she wasn't exactly as friendly as she was being now. Chelsea, as her name tag read, didn't seem to recognize Andrew and asked him what he wanted.

"W-water. Just water." He stammered, trying not to make eye contact. He quickly looked back down to his menu, pretending that he was reading it.



Ooc:// She speaks!

Lia found herself giggling as Travis gave her a noogie. She was glad that he hadn't changed and hoped that she herself hadn't either. Pushing him away playfully, she shrugged and eagerly answered his question. "It's been a pretty boring summer. I did go on a one week vacation down to Schlitterbahn, though." She said, remembering the vacation her parents had taken her on. It was fun, even though it was dreadfully humid. Schlitterbahn was a waterpark/resort down in Texas where her cousins lived.

"Have you ever been there before?" She asked her friend. Barely anyone she knew had been to the famous water park resort. But she still wondered if Travis had ever been there.



Heather was excited to hear her friends voice. She hadn't talked to Carrie all summer and she was happy too now. "Hey, Care!" She responded happily, resting the phone on her shoulder and snipping the poodle's fur with ease. The poodle was very obedient and didn't move except to help Heather finish her job faster. When Carrie asked if she was busy, she peered at the wall with her schedule for the day's events.

She ran a dog grooming facility right out of her own house. Of course, she didn't have any employees but she had fun doing the work herself. And because she didn't have a boss to fire her or get her in trouble, she could have her own hours and take days off when she didn't have any appointments. "I'm working right now but I should be done in about thirty minutes. Why?" She responded, hoping Carrie wanted to hang out.

Janessa nodded. As she thought for a bit, she decided to ask a sudden and unexpected question. Turning to Maddie, she spoke with an inquisitive and curious voice. "How old do you think they are?" After thinking some more, and remembering this question may have holes when it comes to exactly what she meant, she specified by adding, "What time they stopped, I mean."

She was beginning to think that perhaps, if these vampires were blending in so well, they could be older. But the ones who blend in best are the kids. The teenagers. No one would ever expect a teenager of murder. Not on the spot, anyways. As a vampire, they could go to school, make friends, act normal, and never be presumed of anything. They'd get into the hospital easy even without breaking in, just for a quick smile and innocent glance. They were perfect for adapting to the life style. "Cause... I mean... they could only blend in this well if they were young." She looked up at Maddie, with worried, yet somewhat sympathetic eyes. If they were really teenagers, just kids, she wouldn't feel so great about putting them out of their misery...



Isabella was laughing with joy as Cale splashed her back a few times. She made sure to keep up her own fire. This was beginning to seem like an all out water war. A pretty fun one at that. The way Isa saw it, they were always so gloomy and down all the time. The coven was always thinking and scheming and making sure the blood bags weren't found or if there was a body, they disposed of it properly by burning it and burying the ashes. The world always seemed so dark compared to moments like these.

She also made it a point to splash some water Ashton's way. After all, he had gotten her and Cale soaked. Ashton laughed hesitantly, obviously just now forgetting everyone else. When Angela entered the water, joining in the attack on Ashton, Isabella resumed slapping the water mostly at Cale. However, she sent some Ashton's way every now and then. He, in turn, was laughing as if he were a child again. Or if he were still human. He was enjoying himself for once. "So you decided to join us, eh?" He asked Angela in a friendly tone, between laughs and splashes.



Usually, if someone treated a person the way Luna just had Zac, they'd get peeved off and throw back an insult. Zac, however, couldn't really care less. He didn't mind either way if someone hated him or made fun of him or not. He just enjoyed the laughs. And if there weren't any, he made his own. He did, eventually though, throw back some kind of clever pun back her way. "Thanks a bunch, sis." He grinned almost in an idiot's smile, putting emphasis on the word 'sis' because he knew it may or may not annoy Luna since they were around other people. He laughed soon after that.

When the waitress came, he asked, "Hey do you guys have coke?" He was never really a pepsi guy. Coke was always the thing that he craved when it came to drinking something. Though, when he heard the others' responses, he couldn't help but laugh some more. Andrew, always the shy one around people he didn't know. Luna, always the one to growl at the end of her sentences in order to put emphasis on a point or command. They were all too funny, Zac thought.



Travis grinned. "I've been around there. But to tell you the truth, it's never as much fun as Night Shade." He shot her a cunning glance. "I've been here most of the summer. Been having a blast too. Though without you and Nessa I have to admit it's been pretty lonely. Enough talking, though. Let's have some fun!" He proceeded to tickling Lia. He found it fun, laughing, playing around with her. He felt he could be himself around her. And he was exceedingly grateful that he had friends like Lia and Nessa. Of course, he didn't do too badly when it came to being popular.



Carrie smiled as Heather's pretty voice came into the phone. "Hi, Heather!" She immediately lit up, a flush of color coming to her cheeks. "Well... I was wondering if you wanted to meet me here at the lake. I got Jackson already on the way. So, maybe if you're done working, you can come over here too? It's loads of fun here, though I'm pretty lonely by myself," She said.

Stacy reached the ground floor, the stairs still leading down to the basement where she guessed the pool and exercise room were located. More interested in the lobby where food was promised, Stacy exited the door on the next landing, coming out into a narrow hallway. Along both walls were doors that were identical to the door for her own hotel room, so Stacy quickly walked through the hallway and emerged into the lobby, her slippers squeaking on the tile floor. The noise reminded Stacy of how ridiculus she must look to others, walking out into the lobby with wrinkled trousers, a skin tight sleeves turtle-neck, and a pair of fluffy slippers. Mix that in with her lack of usual make-up and excess of escaping hair from its band, she had to look a mess.

Just as Stacy became self-conscious, her gaze fell upon Janessa and Maddie sitting together inside the cafe. Glad to see two very famililar faces, Stacy shrugged off the odd glances she was recieving and strutted to her co-workers. They looked like they were having a deep conversation, probably discussing the vampires that were theoretically in this town. Even though Stacy didn't really want to join in on a conversation about their mission, she figured that they would have to eventaully discuss their suspects.

When Stacy came to the table, she pulled out a chair for herself and sat down. She just heard the last bit of Janess's question. "What time who stopped what?" Stacy asked, folding her hands and leaning her head on top of them in a curious gesture. She glaced between Maddie and Janessa, waiting for an answer from either one.




Cale sent a rather large splash Isa's way, using his whole body to increase its momentum as he also dove under the water. Beneath the surface, the water seemed even murkier, but with Cale's keen eyesight, he could easily see through the mud and the muck. Seeing Ashton's legs turned away from Cale, he grabbed the revenge opportunity. Using a bit of inhuman speed, Cale swiftly moved through the water and jumped through the surface just behind Ashton.

Within the next to seconds, Cale pratically landed on Ashton, pushing his shoulders below the water. Cale shoved Ashton's head in too for a full out dunking. He quickly swam over Ashton to escape a counter attack from Ashton. He sent another splash in the direction of both Angela and Isa as he swam away.




"Sure thing, hun," Chelsea said in response to Zac, walking away to go fill their drink orders. As soon as the waitress had left, Luna stuck her tongue out at Zac for his earlier comment, returning her attention to the matter at hand: food.

"What looks good to you guys?" Rafe asked the whole table, still checking over the burger options and narrowing his choices down to three.




Nessa glanced across both sides of the street even though hardly anyone ever drove in NightShade. Still, she ran across quickly, still glancing down at Dainty's where that strange group of teens had entered. She tried not to think to much about them as she climbed up the porch steps outside of Travis's house. She removed her ear buds, shoving them and her ipod into her bag, before walking right into Travis's house without a single knock or warning. "Hello?!" she called into the house in a sing-song voice. "Travis! Lia!"

Knowing that they probably hadn't gone too far into the house, Nessa only had to walk a few feet before she found them with Travis tickling Lia to death. She laughed at the sight which was all to common before shouting through fits of giggles, "Don't worry, Lia! I'll save you!" Nessa tossed her bag to the floor and made a leaping jump to Travis's back. She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, trying (and failing) to reach his arms with her hands, but her arms where much to short to grab them.




Jackson stayed on the phone, the busy tone on the other line signaling that Carrie was probably on the other line with Heather. Jackson hung-up the phone quickly as his bike rode up into the grass parking lot of the lake. He shrugged his book bag off one shoulder, carrying it on one as he left his bike beside a tree and hiked down the small hill to the lake.

It didn't take him long to spot Carrie set off a little from the rest of the crowd and, as Jackson had guessed, talking on the phone. "Carrie!" he shouted when he was a few feet away from where she was sitting, waving at her as he walked up.

OOC: I was waiting for Polar, but since I don't want this to die...

Janessa shrugged, as if indifferently, even though the matter was bothering her more than it most likely should. Her expression seemed slightly surprised that her partner had gotten up and down so fast, but she shook that face off to answer, "I was just asking Maddie what age the..." She looked around from right to left to see if anyone else was listening. These three women might have known of the existence of such creatures as vampire and werewolves, but that didn't mean nor warrant the fact that the rest of the world knew. The planet would break out into chaos if the general public was in on the secret. After a thorough scan, Janessa continued, "vampires were. After all, they seem to have an extremely skilled talent at blending in. Otherwise, we would have gotten the coordinates by now."

She took out her phone from the pocket and checked for any messages. Usually, if new information was gathered, their supervisor would sent coordinates or a location or whatever the research team was able to find through a blocked number. There was nothing. Disappointed, Janessa put away her cell phone and put her focus back on Stacy. "They would have had to be turned young to fit into a town of this size. It's too small to hide in the shadows forever. They would have been noticed earlier on. They have to be blending in somehow. Perhaps in a school or at work? Is there an easier way we can narrow down the search?" Janessa's eyes were expectant, looking to her colleagues for assistance.



Isa was laughing wildly, letting her hair whip around as the water continued to soak it. She stopped splashing for a single moment as she realized what Cale was up to. She stifled her laughter as best she could, taking both of her hands and wrapping them around her mouth to cover her voice. Her eyes glittered with cheerfulness and as she watched Ashton go down into the water at the same time Cale came up, she finally let her hands slide and allowed her laughter to echo through the air. She suddenly looked concerned for a brief second as she noticed Ashton still hadn't come up. Searching the water with her eyes, she finally spotted his figure. She hurried over to where she believed he was limp in the murky liquid when he jumped out and splashed at her face. "Hey, no fair!" She said between giggles. "Cale, get over here and help me get revenge!" She joked.



Zac pondered the menu, wondering what he should get. Simple is always best, he reminded himself. And so, he put the list down in triumph, bringing his arms behind his head and settling back against the booth. "I know what I want." He let a grin pass his lips as he looked around from person to person. Rafe was always 'so matter of fact' like. He was serious enough at time to bore Zac to death, but he had to admit that the guy had style. He acted as he thought he should and didn't care if someone told him different. That took skill. Zac glanced at Luna, who still hadn't responded to his earlier joke in response. Shrugging, he rested against the soft plush of the chair, exhaling in a very relaxed state. "I'm gonna get two cheeseburgers and a side of fries."



Travis laughed playfully as Nessa came and joined the fun. "Hey, Nessa!" He said, suddenly finding more laughter to escape his throat. "Long time, no see!" He stopped tickling Lia for a moment and whirled around with Nessa's arms still firmly around his neck. He made a full circle, pretty much carrying her around in mid air. He brought her up so that her feet were clear off the ground, joking around and laughing the entire time. When he finally put her down, he gave her a twitching eyebrow expression as if to say, 'I dare you to top that'. He turned back to Lia and started tickling her again, stopping every now and then to turn to Nessa and attempt to pick her up.



Carrie nearly dropped the phone when she saw Jackson a bit further off. "Okay so if you're free, come... like now!" She added, and closed the phone. She threw it as gently as she could against her bag and ran to Jackson, giving him a hug right off the bat. When she let go, she almost blushed, but managed to keep from doing it. It wasn't usually her style to be so friendly and 'loveable', but when she was around people she knew were good friends, she felt comfortable and therefore acted 'unlike herself'.

"How have you been?" She couldn't get the words out fast enough. "I haven't seen you in, like, forever! I called Heather. I think she's coming after work." She gave a slightly titled smile because she remembered how she flipped the phone shut and dropped it on her bag as fast as she could only seconds earlier.

Stacy thought over this new information as she twirled and untwirled a stand of hair around her finger. She glanced around the room, hoping to catch sight of anything out of the ordinary. After all, who was to say the vampires weren't in this hotel at this very moment? No matter how unlikely that was, Stacy couldn't shake off the paranoid feeling that thought caused. Trying not to dwell on the nearly impossible and focus on the logical, Stacy suggested, "Well if they are blending in at a work place or even a school, then perhaps we should look into any night jobs or night schools going on. In a town this small, there can't be many of them."

Still stuck on the fact that vampires burned in the light, all three of them were limited to the night. For a split second, Stacy wondered if the vampires were blending in so well because they could walk outside during that day, but she quickly pushed that thought aside. That was impossible. Right? Then again, she gave a second look at a group of adults about her age exiting the hotel and heading out. Maybe the three women were missing something. Something important.



Cale laughed even harder as he turned around to see Ashton leap up and soak Isa with another splash. "Of course, m'lady!" he shouted in reply to her call of help. As quick as he could, Cale waded over to Isa and Ashton. He made a movement to splash Ashton even though he quickly realized it was too slow to be successful.



Luna glanced over the menu as she tried to find something good. Before her eyes could find a choice that would satisfy her empty stomach, Zac announced his order to the whole table. "You sure that extra burger is a good idea?" she asked coyly. "Everyone knows you don't need the extra calories." She smirked at him over her menu before returning her gaze to the list of food.



Nessa squealed as Travis spun in a circle. She held on even tighter to him, wrapping her arms firmly around his shoulders and chest. She closed her eyes and half screamed, half laughed as her feet dangled down, missing the floor by several inches. Finally, Travis stopped turning, and Nessa finally released her death grip. She stumbled backward a bit from the dizziness, but she recovered just in time to swat away Travis as he tried to pick her up again. She laughed everytime he turned around, but she soon came up with a plan. Wrapping her arms around his waist, Nessa tried yanking Travis back with all her strength shouting, "I got him now, Lia!"



Jackson was catch off guard by Carrie's warm greeting, and he barely returned her hug before she had broken it again. "Yeah, cool. I'll be glad to see her again too," Jackson replied to Carrie's explanation that Heather would be joining them soon. "And I've been good. Got a lot of sketches and stuff done with all the free time and all. How are you?"

Janessa nodded, somehow feeling a similar paranoia related to Stacey's. If the vampires were blending in so well, could it be possible that maybe they'd evolved to the point where the sun wasn't an issue? No, that couldn't be, Janessa scolded herself. Just last month, the trio had headed down a vampire that couldn't take a step out in daylight. Janessa had never seen a vampire who'd gone in the sunlight before, but then again, vampires usually weren't obvious like that. If they really could go out in the sun, then what else were they unaware of?

For now, they should surely stick to what they know. Look for mysterious, young beings who no one knows to well and try to keep a low profile. It couldn't be one, as their colleagues back home were able to tell from the amount of blood and the wounds they'd seen. It was a group... Janessa's mind was racing with the possibilities, and she was desperately attempting to narrow down their search so that more people weren't killed. She turned to Stacey, though, and said steadily, "That sounds like a great place to start." With a pause, she said with finality, "I know we just got here, but I think we should take a quick nap and head to work as soon as possible. The people of this town can't afford it much longer."



Ashton's eyebrows raised quizzically as he realized a full blown splash attack was being raised on him. Now Cale was joining back in the fun, and Ashton quickly dodged his too slow to hit splash. Ashton, in turn, quickly waded around his friend and grabbed his head firmly within his grasp. He dunked Cale for almost twenty seconds before releasing, laughing more than he had in a long time at his sudden enjoyment. A huge smile was plastered on his face when he quieted down, and he suddenly felt a new sense of joy. "This is fun," he said, while his body was still, and he panted for breath. "We should do this more often."



Zac rolled his eyes playfully. "Hey, if I was that fat, you'd be able to tell on a full moon, okay cupcake?" He smiled vaguely, waving the waitress over so that she could take their orders. "Besides, I'm hungry like hell. I haven't eaten in forever. Well, if you'd call yesterday afternoon forever. We're growing teen..." He lowered his voice to a mere whisper, "wolves." He brought it back to his normal tone. "We need more calories. Now, who's going to object to that?" He shrugged his shoulders, still smiling as if he couldn't wipe the grin away. He used one of the hands that had been serving as his head rest for the last three minutes and slid the menu to the middle of the table, giving the others a place to put theirs when they had finished deciding.



Travis' eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. Nessa had him in a tight lock, and he couldn't break free. He struggled against her grip, but it was no use. "Hey, have you been working out or something? Cause dang, girl! That grip is strong!" He tried one last time to wiggle free but eventually gave up. "Okay, do what you must," he said, bowing slightly to Lia with a crooked smile on his face.



"Oh that's good to hear," replied Carrie. "I've been well also. Haven't been doing much during the summer, but that's alright." She paused, looking at the cool water with the strange group of people she'd barely talked to at school. Somehow, the two more anti social ones seemed a lot better off. They were laughing and throwing each other underwater, at least. Maybe school was just a bad place for them. Carrie knew that she herself absolutely despised school, but the people who went there always made things better. "Hey, want to go in the water? It's pretty hot outside," she said suddenly, wishing to be in the cool water and having fun like the group somewhere behind her. She smiled as best she could. It wasn't a huge, gaping grin, like some could produce, but Carrie knew that her best friend Travis would be able to notice she was happy that she had his company.

Ooc:// So what do you think we should do with this roleplay?

OOC: I want to continue it, because I'm so happy with the plot and everything... and Polar is no where to be found. Do you think, perhaps, we could create a similar one with the same characters?

Ooc:// Sure! I think we can do the same plot, maybe add a character or two. I'll post the topic tomorrow and send you a link!