I was walking through the forest to get to the river, and Nick was walking next to me. I was so glad he was coming along because I would have been too scared to go alone. That vampire had told me to come alone, but I had a hard time trusting him. Could you really blame me though? I just hoped that he would stick to his promise and turn up.

"There must be another way to stop him," I said regretting my idea. My legs wanted me to run away. I had to force them to keep walking and it didn't help that I was scared of the woods.

"There isn't and don't worry I'll be standing near you the whole time. I won't let him hurt you," he said.

We reached the clearing and stepped out on to the grass. There he was still mean looking but he wasn't alone like he promised. He was with a younger looking man who was about twenty-five, but it wasn't like I had stuck to my word because Nick was with me. We walked forward, and he gave us an evil smile.

"You said you were coming alone, but you brought him," he said.

"Well you brought him with you, and I knew you wouldn't come alone," I said.

"Why is he anyway? I thought that you didn't want your friends to be a part of this," he asked me.

"We could ask you the same question. Why is your friend here?" Nick said.

"He is here to help me incase this was a trick. Now why are you here?" he asked harshly.

"The same reason he is, but I am doing it to make sure, Vicky is safe," Nick answered.

"Can we talk about the terms of our arrangement now? How do I know that if we talk this out you won't come and attack us when we least expect it?" I asked. I hoped the police showed up soon.

"Of course we can but I can't trust him," he said.

"Don't mind me. I will let you talk," Nick said and then walked into the woods, but he didn't leave. I could sense him close by. He was just behind a tree watching out of sight, and keeping a look out for the police.

"Alright, let's begin. You have incredible power that I need but you are unwilling to join my team so let's make a deal," he told me just as some people walked out from the trees. "You did set me up didn't you?" He realised it was the police, and I stepped back as they arrested them. Finally, I would be free of him and safe.

"We will return to shut down the school, and they won't be bothering you anymore," the police woman said.

"Thank you," I said, and she nodded pulling the young vampire away.

"I'm so happy that's over," I said to Nick when they were gone.

"So am I. You are safe for now," he said with a huge smile on his face. It suited him, and it made his eyes brighter than they already were. How could anyone hate this handsome, amazing boy? I couldn't, and every time I saw him or when he smiled I liked him even more. I had to tell him how I felt. Emilee was right there was no reason to be nervous. He either felt the same way or he didn't, but telling him would be hard because he made me nervous. I was never good at making friends. Never mind asking boys out. I had to do it though because I would never know how he felt about me.

"Nick I am so glad that you came along with me. You make me feel safer," I started as we began to walk.

"I'm happy you feel safe because I will always take care of you," he said.

"I really like you. I'm glad we met," I said shyly.

"I really like you too," he said and kissed my forehead. His kiss was soft but firm, and the feel of his lips on my skin made me shiver. It wasn't a bad thing, it was because it filled me with happiness. It was sort of like goosebumps but the good kind. "You are my best friend," he added. So that was all he thought of me as? Of course, he did. Why would any boy like me? They never did. I knew he wouldn't like me, but I just hoped. I smiled trying not to show disappointment on my face.

"Do you want to go to the mansion?" He asked me.

"Yes, sure," I answered, and followed him to the castle. I really wished that he would like me back. He was the only boy to ever to like me, and he was the only boy I felt this way about. I had liked other boys before but Nick was the only one who seemed to make me smile none stop. I was happy around him.

At the mansion, we just sat outside and talked for a while about our hobbies. As well as a lot of other things such as music and how we have always kind of wanted to be in a band. I wanted to be in a band but I got stage fright. It seemed fun though, and of course hard. "I think that we did really great at the concert, and if we practice more together we could become really great," I said.

"Are you talking about being a band? Because that would be cool," Nick asked me.

"Yeah, but I don't know if Jess and Kaitee would want to be in a band."

"We could ask them. If they say no we could just be a duo," he said.

That sounded cool but I would have preferred being in a band. "I would like that but let's ask them first," I told him.

"Hey, what's up?" I heard Diego ask. I looked to the door and saw him stood there.

"Just talking," Nick answered.

"Cool but aren't you freezing, it's getting a little cold out here?" He asked.

"Yeah a little bit," I replied.

"We can go inside then," Nick said. I nodded, and we stood up. Then walked into the mansion.

Emma was sat down on the sofa, and Bella was sat on a chair when we entered. I wasn't sure why her and Diego were at the mansion. Maybe they just wanted to hang out there but I couldn't blame them because it really was a spectacular building. I sat down next to my mum's best friend. "We did it, Emma. We stopped them," I said.

"Yes, you did but that isn't the end, there will be lots of other evil people we will have to stop. You and Nick still aren't safe as long as the evil ones are alive," she said.

"If we learn how to use our powers we will be able to protect our self from them," I pointed out.

"You can, but they are older, and you won't know who they are until you meet them," she said. That was true. The evil ones could be any one and anywhere. We could meet them at any moment, and we could not even have been ready, but we couldn't think like that. I had to think positive because other wise I would be living in fear until the day I finally did have to meet them, and besides, we were meant to fight them. We were meant to protect people from them so we must have a chance against them.

"I will go make dinner," Emma said. Apparently, she loved to cook and bake. According to my mum, it was one of her hobbies. When she got up to go to the kitchen, Nick sat down next to me.

"Can we turn the TV over?" He asked.

"Yeah," Bella answered. He reached forward to grab the remote from the table and turned the channel.

A while later Emma came to tell us that dinner was ready, and I was glad because I was hungry. I got up from the sofa, and so did the others. Nick turned off the TV. Then we followed Emma to the dining room. The dining room was a huge room with a giant table. It could seat at least twelve people. It had plates of pie and veg already placed on the table along with a sponge cake filled with cream and jam. Bella sat down at the table first, and Nick went to go sit next to her. "I want, Vicky to sit here," she said.

"I'm having this seat," Diego said as he sat down on the only chair on the other side of Bella.

"Whatever I will sit down here next to, Vicky," Nick said and pulled a chair out and motioned for me to sit down so I did.

"Thank you," I said. He sat down in the seat next to me.

I picked up my knife and fork. Then I dug into the pie, it was chicken. I took a bite. It was really succulent and soft. Once we had all finished we all took a slice of cake, but I couldn't eat it all because I was too full so I left it on my plate and had a drink instead. "Aren't you eating that?" Nick asked me as he pointed to the left over cake on my plate.

"No, I'm full," I answered.

"You sure?" He wondered.

"Yes. You can have it if you want?" I said because I knew that's what he was hinting. It was strange how he was still as slim as he was with all the food he ate.

"What if I want it?" Diego asked. I really had no idea where they put all the food.

"I only have one-half of a slice. Who wants it?," I asked

"Can I have it please?" Nick asked. I nodded, and he took it from my plate to put it on his empty one.

"You can have the rest of mine," Bella said to Diego so he took it from her plate.

After we were all finished we went to go find a room we wanted to stay in tonight. We helped Emma to take the plates into the kitchen, and then we made our way up stairs. Diego opened a bedroom, and I saw that it had a red and white colour scheme. There were two single beds on opposite sides of the room. "Let's share this room. They can go find another room to share," Bella said.

"We do have names you know!" Diego pointed out.

"Yeah, stupid and stupider," she said. I couldn't tell if she was saying it in a joking way because she said it a serious, unemotional tone. Truthly, she didn't really seem like the joking type.

"Hey, I'm not stupid. I'm weird, not stupid," Nick said.

"Oh, I apologise I meant idiot and freak." She entered the room pushing me forwards and then shut the door.

"Why do you call them names, especially Nick?" I asked. I was getting a little fed up with her name calling. She kept calling Nick a freak like the other people in the village, and it made me angry.

"I'm joking," she answered.

"But you are always calling Nick a freak when everyone else does too. Shouldn't you be sticking up for him?"

"I do stick up for him. I stick up for him all the time. He knows I'm only joking. I will not let anyone hurt him in any way. He is my big brother, so don't ever say that I don't stick up or take care of him," she said sounding a little angry.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I just don't like you calling him names," I said.

"I know. I'm sorry for getting angry at you," she said.

"It's okay."

She jumped onto one of the beds so I walked to the other bed, and sat down. Bella laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling There was a pause in conversation as we got ready for bed. When we were ready I laid down in the bed I had chosen and looked at the red wall. "Vicky?" I heard Bella ask from the other side of the room.

"Yeah?" I answered turning to face her.

"Can I ask you for your advice on something?"

"Of course."

"How do you know if a boy likes you?" She asked me, but I didn't know the answer because no boy had ever liked me. The only boy I ever truly wanted to like me only liked me as a best friend so I had no clue.

"I would love to help, but you're asking the wrong person. I haven't had a boyfriend, and no boy has ever liked me so I don't know," I answered.

"You're wrong." I was confused. How could she say I knew the answer?

"What do you mean?"

"You said that no boy has ever liked you, but that isn't true because my brother does," she replied. Oh, if only that was true; I wouldn't feel like a total idiot for ever thinking that he would like me more than just a friend. If he liked me, I could be in his arms now, but of course, that would never happen.

"As a friend," I said.

"No, Vicky. He loves you more than a friend," she told me. She was lying to me I was certain. He had told me that I was only his best friend. I didn't really understand why she would lie to me.

"That's not true. He told me he only loves me as a best friend"

"He doesn't. He is just scared that you won't like him back but he told me how he feels about you. I can see the way he looks at you, and I know when my brother likes someone. You do like him though don't you?" She said.

"Yes, I do, and I tried telling him but he just said that I am his best friend."

"Trust me he thinks of you as so much more than that," she said.

"Why?" It was the only thing I could think of to say, and I really wanted to know why.

"Because you are kind, loving, pretty, friendly, and you treat him nicely. Any boy would be so lucky to have you as their girlfriend unlike me. The boy who I like would never like me back."

"I'm sure he will," I said trying to reassure her.

"Give me a reason why he should? I'm mean, I am horrible to everyone and I like to fight. He hates me I know it," she said.

"You are also friendly, caring and very pretty too." She shook her head before speaking again.

"Diego hates me," she said.

"Tell him how you feel because you never know he might like you too," I said remembering what Emilee told me.

"Okay, fine. I will tell him but if he rejects me or laughs at me, I am blaming you. Deal?" She said.

"Alright," I agreed.

"Alright, good night." Bella turned around and pulled the covers over her. Then so did I because I really need the sleep. The past month had been so tiring and awful. I just wanted to put it behind me even if just for a while. Everything was okay for the time being, the village was safe, and I had more friends than I ever had before. Nick loved me back but was just as scared as me to tell let me know. I had to try, and tell him again but I didn't think I had the confidence. No, you must tell him because if you don't we could go on like this for ever, and we will never be together. I demanded myself. Yes, I will tell him tomorrow, and I will make myself more clear. I will come straight out with it and tell him. Like I really was that confident? I could just keep loving him from a distance. That was all ever really did before, keep my distance from people because I was too shy, and scared to speak my mind. But since I moved here and met, Nick I had become so much more confident. Hell, I even sang and played the guitar to a room full of people. I liked him a lot, and Bella said he felt the same way so what was there to be scared of.

Tell him, Vicky there isn't anything to lose. I will tell him. I have to.