The piercing rain continued to pelter down on the lonely figure, as it stared aimlessly into the blackening night. Confusion shrouded the frail woman as she wondered how it was that she always wound up standing above the view of the city. She tried frantically to search for a piece of memory that would aid her in remembering the events that which led her to this place. Thunder deafened her ears and a stroke of lightning illuminated the sky. It seemed almost an omen and it startled her feet into flight. She fled down the mountain, down a path she knew all too well, her tears merging with the unrelenting rain.

Gis�e slumped forward, screwing her eyes closed as the tiniest rays of sun found their way through the drawn curtains. She drew her knees to her chest and waited patiently for the remnants of sleep to leave her. A pounding headache loomed as she laboured out of bed.

'What a splendid way to start the day.'

Her eyes fell on a pile of bedraggled wet clothes heaped in the corner,

With a look of mild curiosity, she ambled passed the clothes and sank into a couch in the lounge.

'I'll have some of that too, please!'

'Coffee or my hangover?' the movement from the kitchen retorted.

'I'd prefer the coffee, thanks.. Laughter escaped the kitchen and she forced herself to do the same. She reached for her cigarettes and lit one with the grace only an addict could achieve. Nothing better than a cigarette first thing in the morning, she thought, or was it already afternoon?

The voice in the kitchen was replaced with a body which looked as though mornings were made solely for the reason to see man at its most hideous. At this she had to have genuine giggle. A glare was shot in her direction as he placed a cup of coffee alongside her. In one swift movement he had maneuvered himself on to a couch and had turned the TV on. Somewhere in the far reaches of her mind a little voice was screaming out, who is this man that you have let into your house! But at that moment she was deep in the clutches of sleepy stare and couldn't bring herself to think about the circumstances which had lead him to be living with her, or his peculiar mannerisms.

'You left early last night. Could it have had anything to do with that drunk that followed you out?'

'Is that jealousy I hear, Vlad?' He always insisted that she call him by his full name, Vladislav which meant to mean rule with glory or something, but she resolved to call him Vlad although this risked impaired hearing! She picked up her coffee and stalked off to her room, slamming the door behind her.

'I think that you should just go back to bed, Gis�e!' Vlad added, then leant back and changed the channel.

She was seething. It seemed a little dramatic, going off at Vlad like that, because she knew that she wasnt angry with him. He got the butt of her anger, but he was used to it and probably wouldnt let it phase him. She had started to forget things and it frustrated her not being able to recall important incidents or even a little bit of them. Like last night had she left to come home or was there more to the coffee rendezvous. And then there was her recurring dream (perhaps also reality?) where she found herself on a mountain, staring out into the night beyond, not knowing how or why she came to be there. A chill raced through her body as she recalled the incident and concluded that she would have to be content with the notion that it was all in her overactive imagination. She strolled over to the curtains and pulled them open, sunlight burst into the room with a welcomed force. Once again her gaze fell on the pile of clothing in the corner and she shuddered as she knelt to pick them up. They were soaking. They were also the clothes she had worn the night before, yet she could not recall ever walking in the rain. An absolute mystery. A little shaken, Gis�e decided that a shower would probably calm her nerves a little. The routine of washing and dressing put her in a more optimistic mood, and after putting the suspiciously wet clothing in the wash she was ready to start afresh the day she had so nearly written off.

She expected Vlad to be ready for her down on your knees apology, but he was not there. He always seemed to come and go with incredible inaudibility, so inhuman like? What are you talking about, she thought to herself! Anxiety consumed her and she couldnt shake the feeling that she was being watched. She snatched up her bag and ran out of her apartment. Outside was not much more appeasing. The prior morning sun had been infected with swollen rain clouds, which hung precariously against the citys backdrop. She felt as if she were in some low budget horror movie and kept expecting the pavement to open up and swallow her with cavernous tarred teeth. Silly. So silly. She was so preoccupied in her own thoughts that she hadn't taken much notice of where she was going, nor had she noticed that a drizzle had begun to fall. When she finally realized that she was no longer dry she was standing in front of a cyber caf�

Up until a month before, she used to frequent the little shop, checking her mail, chatting online. She found it took up time she'd have wasted zoning in front of the TV. She had met a guy online who liked to be referred to as 'Graf'. He was more than a little strange. His trademark was that he was thoroughly convinced that he was a vampire. He had even sent her pictures of himself dressed as one. She recalled how the pictures had made her skin crawl, but she didn't have the heart to tell him so, nor did she severe their communication link. She felt that he needed someone to indulge his fantasies, and he in turn, kept her entertained. They wrote back and forth to each other for about three months, where he would give her express details of how he would prey on the innocent yielding enough blood from them to quench his everlasting thirst for blood. And she was his 'Dark Princess'. He would come to her in the dark of the night and drink of her sweet blood this, she reminded herself used to be the most amusing parts of his e-mails. He claimed that he could not live without her, nor was there meaning in his life if she failed to respond to his letters. She always did though, just to keep manic-depressive letters out her inbox.

She was still dawdling outside the shop when a street kid came up behind her. His intentions were innocent enough; probably just begging for money; but she turned round expecting some terrible nightmare and couldn't help as she let out a scream of terror. The child flinched and darted away, leaving Gis�e in a state of shock. She felt eyes burning with curiosity burrowing into her, her face turning a brighter shade of red. She tried to compose herself as best she could and strolled into the shop with her confidence lying on the floor.

She opened her e-mail account, not expecting there to be any entries, but there was. Just one. And it was from 'Graf'. She hesitated before opening it. Why would he write, she asked herself? The last time he wrote was a month before. He had left a message saying that he had to leave his current habitat (he always spoke in this manner) and she was please to keep him in her thoughts, as he would never forget her, nor would he rest until she was made his. He also mentioned that he longed to taste her sweet life-giving blood, and that he needed her assistance in a task he was to fulfill. She had written back and said that she would dutifully help him with anything, as she was his dark lady and was obliged to. Hahaha, is what she had thought when she had typed that to him - he really is a loony! But he had never replied. After numerous attempts, she had given up and decided that he had finally grasped the concept that he was as normal as the next guy, and had found something better to do with his time.

She broke out into a sweat as she reluctantly clicked on 'open'. She had no reason to feel threatened by the mail, but she suspected that it would not be good news.

Gis�e sat staring at the screen. He was so strange, she thought to herself. A giggle escaped her, and she whipped her head around guiltily, half-expecting people to be crowed around her shaking their heads in disapproval. He had always made her feel better. She looked at the date that the mail was sent, and marked that it was two weeks prior, the same time Vlad moved in, she mused. She hadn't the patience to write back, besides, he probably wouldn't answer it, so she closed.

When she got back she found him on the floor with sunken eyes.

'Vlad? Vlad! She knelt over him and grabbed at his shoulders. As weak as he clearly was, he opened his eyes and lifted his head. She couldn't tell what was behind the smile that he gave her, but it made her shudder and in the corner of her mind she almost wished that he had never woken up.

'I am so glad that it's you. I thought that you had left, and weren't coming back.'

It was an awkward struggle up to her apartment. They both looked as though they had scraped through a potentially life-threatening accident, blood trickling down her face where she had hit the step and Vlad looking like death warmed up. She lay him down on a couch and she made her way to the bathroom and let cool water run over her cut.

And that was all she remembered doing until she found herself splayed out in her bed the following morning.

Tears of frustration streamed down her face as she pounded her fists on her bed.

'Why is this happening to me! Why can't I remember!' She realized that she was screaming, but she didn't care. She felt as if she were the only one in the whole world, at least the only one who had huge flaws in her memory. She tried to calm herself down and discovered that she was being watched. This time it wasn't in her imagination it was Vlad and he was standing in the doorway with the smuggest look on his face. It seemed an era had passed before either of them said anything. Words seemed a novelty, its use still unclear to her, and she prayed that he wouldn't open his mouth.

'Having a bad day?' He stared right into her. She didn't have to answer. He was reading her thoughts. Her problem temporarily forgotten, she wandered were that thought had come from. Of course he can't read my mind, she insisted, although not thoroughly convinced. Now Vlad was hovering beside her bed, yet she couldn't remember him walking over there.

'I think that there's something wrong with me.'

'Mmm it can't be as bad as all that. That was quite a bump you got yesterday. You passed out in the bathroom, found you lying on the floor and dragged you to bed.' At this point she was ready to believe anything, even though deep down she knew that he was lying.

'But what about you? You looked like you were ready for a casket! What happened to you?'

'Low blood sugar. It's all sorted out now.' She closed her eyes and remnants of her dream floated through her thoughts. It was always the same thing. She found herself on a mountain, shrouded in confusion. She knew that something terrible had taken place, yet it remained a mystery to her. Then she would flee down the mountain, terror screaming in her ears. The memory of the dream never left her, nor did its intensity and she would go about her daily business with it lurking in the back of her head. When she opened her eyes Vlad was gone. She through back her duvet and dashed into the living room, where he was sitting watching TV.

'How did you do that?' She was reaching the point of hysteria.

'Do what? He answered with such docility she felt like a child.'

'First you were by the door and then you were right next to me, and when I open my eyes you.re gone! How is that possible!' He looked up at her, his face void of all expression.

'It really was a nasty bump you got. Don't you think you're overreacting a little? She felt the energy drain out of her and she collapsed on to a chair. I'm going crazy, she moaned to herself.

'A crazy person never doubts his sanity. And don't get all wierded out, it's just that if I were in your situation I too would've thought I were crazy, so I thought I'd help you out. Besides, you'll never have anything to fear from me. I would never hurt you. You are my Dark Princess.. Gis�e felt her body go numb.

She had felt uncomfortable in his presence. Yet he had never given her the slightest reason for eviction. In one foul swoop he had knocked her to the floor and sat astride her. She grimaced in pain as he nailed her wrists to the floor. A maniacal grin crept across his face, as he seemed to be reveling in her hysteria. Through her flood of tears she noticed that his eyes had taken on a shade of deep crimson and looking into them pained her eyes. She felt herself getting lost in them, they went right into his being and she began to comprehend what he was. He was ancient. He posed in a body that gave the illusion of youth and he fed on the blood of the innocent to maintain it.

'From the beginning I wanted to make you mine, now that I have had the chance to behold your uncanny beauty and interact with your life I am certain of it. Those were not dreams you were having. Each time you found yourself on that mountain you had brought me someone to feed on. I thought it best that you didnt recall the whole scene, hence the fragmented memory. Now I feel that you are ready to have me in you.' His words were lost to her and her expression changed from one of fear to one of exasperation and then gave way to one of uncaring. His face hovered in front of hers, then move moved down to her neck. He opened his mouth to reveal a cavern of teeth and sank them into her succulent skin. Intense pain stampeded through her body and the light began to fade. She wanted to scream out, but her voice betrayed her. The last thing she saw was Vlads face and it was a vision of such horror she surrendered to the fading light.

Gis�e sat up in bewilderment. She felt so alive. She scanned the room for a minute and felt pangs of hunger wretch at her stomach. She felt a little guilty when she realized how long she had been lying on the floor. If I am so starved, how famished must my dearest Graf be! She reached for her bag and strolled out of her apartment. She wasnt completely sure where she was to begin searching but she had to do his bidding, besides, she was hungry too.

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