Love At First Bite by J.M. Welch (classic book list .txt) 📕

Chapter 1
The Fair

I sat alone at a table. I was at the county fair. It was the first time I had been here since my father passed away.
I watched the people as they walked beside my table. There was this one boy that really grabbed my attention. He had stunning black hair, butterscotch eyes, and extremely pale skin. He definitely needed to tan!
Before I knew it, I was approaching the boy. What was wrong with me? I don't talk to strangers! Even if the strangers are incredibly cute!
"Hi," I said shyly. The pale boy spun around to look at me. "Hello," he responded. Was he feeling alright? Was he sick or something?
I smiled. "I'm Brooke." He returned the smile. "I'm Bruno."
Now that Bruno was speaking to me, I felt more relaxed. Then, I noticed his family. The family members were standing behind the boy.
"Mother," Bruno told the young-looking pale woman, "this is Brooke."
I blushed. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."
Bruno's mother chuckled. "No need to be shy, dear. Are you a friend of Bruno's?" She put her skinny pale arm around Bruno's shoulder.
I shrugged. "Uh…You could say that, I guess." Bruno and his mother giggled softly. The two sounded like angels from Heaven...
"Maybe you could come over…?" Bruno suggested with a shy smile. I nodded. "Sure! That sounds nice."
Why was I so shy in front of Bruno and his mother? I mean, I've never been a shy person! Nor did I want to be a shy person!
"So, Brooke, where are your parents?" Bruno's mother asked. "I'm just dying to meet them!" Her and her son chuckled under their breath.
I shrugged. "Well, I came here alone," I said sadly. "My dad passed away 8 months ago. My mom lives somewhere in Kentucky."
Bruno's mother seemed disappointed. "Oh. Well…I guess you can live with us!" Did I see her lick her lips?
I shook my head and smiled. "That's a really nice offer, ma'am..."
She grinned. "Just call me Annie."
I cleared my throat. "That's a really nice offer, Annie, but I don't want to disturb your family. And I would feel like a stranger; like I didn't belong."
Bruno's butterscotch eyes turned a rueful black color. "You have to live with us, Brooke, or else!"
I gulped. "On second thought…I think I'll come live with you guys! Who lives there, anyways?"
Annie smiled gently. "Bruno, his brother Pete, his sister Ginger, and me," she told me.
I whistled. "Wow! You have a lot of people living in that house! Where do you live, exactly?"
Bruno laughed. "Don't worry about that, Brooke. We know the way. Isn't that all that matters?"
I shrugged. "Um…I guess…? But what if an emergency happens? What if nobody knows where I am?"
Bruno and his mother licked their pale pink lips. Um…They were beginning to frighten me. Where they hungry? It's not like I was their food or anything!
Bruno's pale hand grabbed my wrist. I cleared my throat. His tight grip around my wrist was sending pain all down my arm and up to my shoulder.
"Bruno!" I shrieked in pain. "Ouch! You're really hurting my wrist! Please let go!"
Bruno yanked his arm away quickly. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled. "I'm going to talk to my mother. Eat something; you probably won't find anything to eat in our house." Then, just like that, Bruno and Annie were gone.
I sat back down at the same table I was sitting at before. Once again, I was alone. But I felt like somebody was watching me. It was definitely scaring me!
"Hey, are you Brooke?" a familiar voice asked me. Without turning around, I said, "Yes."
Then, a familiar looking girl sat beside me. It was my best friend Christy! I hadn't seen Christy since, like, the third grade!
I hugged her tightly. "So, what's going on?" Christy asked happily.
I shrugged. "Nothing much; I just met a real cute boy. He and his mother were really pale. I don't mean like pale when you don't get a tan. I mean, they were so pale that their skin was almost pure white!"
Christy shook her head. "No way," she muttered, smiling.
I nodded. "Way! And they were so polite! Like…Old-fashioned, almost."
Christy snickered. "You're crazy, Brooke. Nobody is almost pure white." Then she paused. "I actually know one person that's pure white. But it's just a myth. You wouldn't believe me."
I rolled my eyes. "Are you crazy? I'll believe just about anything right now. I wouldn't care if it was something that you found written on someone's shoe. Just tell me your theory!"
Christy sighed. "Well, years ago, it was claimed that vampires used to live on this earth. Some say vampires still do live on this earth, but many believe it's just a myth. They are almost pure white or sometimes just plain white, they have pale pink lips, and they have butterscotch eyes when they are calm. When they're upset or mad about something, their eyes turn a terrifying black color. Does Bruno look anything like the vampires I just described?"
I swallowed. Bruno fit the description perfectly! But…Vampires are just a myth…
Aren't they?
"Uh, no," I lied, trembling. "Bruno doesn't fit that description at all, Christy."
She shrugged. "Hey, like I said; vampires are just some stupid myth. Oh, and one thing I left out: The vampires suck peoples' blood."
I shuddered. "Yuck! I hope I never come across a vampire; I want to keep my blood!"
Christy smiled. "I've got to head home. I'm supposed to cook Dad's dinner. If I don't, he gets really upset. Bye." She walked to her car and started the engine.
Bruno, Pete, Ginger, and Annie sat down at the table that I was sitting at.
"Hello," Pete and Ginger said to me, smiling slightly.
I waved shyly. "Uh, hey…I'm Brooke…"
The two nodded. "We've heard. Haven't we, Bruno?" The two winked at their brother.
Bruno sat down beside me. I realized something; Bruno's skin had been icy cold. Was that also something Christy left out of her description of a vampire?
"Brooke, this is Pete." Bruno pointed at the tall vampire who had bronze colored hair. Everyone, except for Bruno, had bronze hair.
Ginger smiled. "Hello, Brooke. I'm Ginger."
I reached out to shake her hand, but I was already cold; I didn't need to touch Ginger's cold hand!
Bruno, Pete, and Ginger looked so much like Annie. I smiled at the four vampires. Yes, I was pretty sure they were vampires.
"Do you have any, you know…Secrets?" I asked Bruno, not hinting towards the vampire discussion in any sort of way.
Bruno glanced over at Annie. "No, I don't have any secrets. What makes you think that I do?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I was just wondering. I have lots of secrets, but I don't want to share any of them. They're all so unimportant."
Pete sighed. "Mother, may I go?" he asked.
Annie shook her head. "No! We're trying to have a decent conversation with this young lady!"
Ginger smiled politely. "Brooke, I think you are simply gorgeous! Are you from California?"
I shook my head and blushed. "Thanks for being so kind, Ginger. I think you're gorgeous, too! Um, no, I'm not from California. I'm from Florida."
Ginger giggled. "Oh! I was so close!"
Bruno cleared his throat. "Um…Could I talk to Brooke alone?"
Everyone stood up and left until it was just Bruno and me.
"I do have a secret," he murmured.

Publication Date: 11-20-2010

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