Rebirth
Louise Kirkpatrick

     Louise found a seat in the back corner of the classroom and sat down, the chain on her black tripp pants making a quiet clanking sound as it hit the leg of her chair. She didn't know what to expect, but she did know it wouldn't be like the college courses people had told her about. She wasn't at some nice state college, or fancy private university, she was sitting in a dingy lecture room on the campus of a small community college. People talked about night-school students, the weirdos and poor folks who had to work during the day. How stereotypical of me, Louise thought to herself, a goth in night school, sitting in the back of a History of the Occult class. A small smile turned the corners of her lips.
     She brushed her auburn-tipped bangs from her eyes as a handsome young man entered the room and placed his bag on the desk at the front. Louise was struck by the young man's presence, he seemed very confident, and his suit looked rather expensive for something an adjunct professor at a community college would be wearing. He looked at the clock at the back of the room and waited a few moments before beginning, "I am Professor Chris Kennedy. I have a Bachelors degree in History, focusing on European history, and two Masters degrees in History, one in Eastern European history and one in the Occult. And yes, when I talk about "The Occult" I do mean that we will be looking at the history of legends like those of Chuthlu and Dracula." He smiled around the room, almost as if he was sharing something forbidden with the students.
     "Ever had a class with Kennedy?" The young man sitting beside her asked quietly.
     Louise looked over at him, he was rather handsome, and a goth as well. She smiled shyly, "It's my first semester here."
     "Ah, well, I think you'll like him. You can call me Nocturne." He said, smiling at her through heavily lined eyes.
     Louise smiled back, "I'm Louise." she said quietly, then turned back to listen to the professor.

     "Hey, Louise," A voice called down the hall, Louise stopped and turned to see who it was. As she'd expected, Nocturne was striding towards her. "Hey, what are you doing your research project on?"
     Louise blushed slightly, "Well, I was thinking about doing it on the Dracula legend. I know it's probably rather over done, but I want to study it for myself, you know?"
     "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, actually. Do you want to pair up, be research partners?" There was mischief in the boy's eyes, but the girl didn't notice, there was something about him that she couldn't help but like.
     "Sure, that would be cool."

     "Professor Kennedy," Louise strode quickly down the hall, her books clutched tightly to her chest, "Professor Kennedy, I had some questions about some things Nocturne and I found for your research project." She stopped and looked up at her young professor, she always marveled at the way his mere presence made her want to pay more attention to what he was saying. She pushed these thoughts from her head as she pulled out her notes. "For the most part, I wanted to make sure this source was credible, I'm not certain if some if this information is accurate. The symbolism of the robes and in the seal of the Order of the Dragon, for instance."
     "Well, let me see." He gave her one of his boyish smiles as he took the small stack of papers that she held out to him.
     He scanned the first and second pages rather quickly, seeming to approve of their contents, but then he turned to the third page. There was a third page? She hadn't intended to give him that last page, that was her personal research. "I'm sorry, that isn't for my essay, it was just some things I came across that interested me. I'd love your opinion on it though." She looked up at the young man, his smile had been replaced by a look of deep thought, perhaps even mild concern. The expression on his face worried her, she hadn't ever seen him worried about anything, he was always very nonchalant about everything. "Is something wrong?"
     Professor Kennedy looked back at her, his expression immediately reverting to its usual boyish smile, "Why don't we go get a cup of coffee and talk about your research?"
     Louise smiled back up at him, rather relieved, he had her worried for a moment.
     The young professor and his student sat down in a small coffee shop just across the street from the college. The man held his steaming cup between his hands for a few moments while he watched the girl pull her notes back out of her bag. Louise hung the strap of her book bag over the back of her chair and straightened her papers on the table between them. She looked up to find Kennedy watching her intently, the streetlamp from outside casting a yellow light on his face. She gave him a shy smile and hid her blush by pushing her dark bangs out of her face. "Professor-"
     "Please, call me Chris." He said, giving her a mild smile.
     "Umm, alright, Chris...What do you think of my research?" Louise wasn't sure if she should be uncomfortable or not, she'd been to coffee with Chris several times before, but he'd never acted like this.
     "I see you've found the shadier side of Vampire lore." He said, pulling her small stack of papers over to look at them again. "You know that there are some who hunt people who get too deep into these things?"
     Louise shifted somewhat uncomfortably, "I did read something about that. Cultists who believe that humans must not discover the existence of Vampires in the real world." Her discomfort slowly disappeared as she went on, her curiosity driving her, "There are those who say that Vampires really do exist, and I don't just mean the medical condition, Porphyria, I mean real Vampires who claim to be descended from Dracula." Chris nodded, allowing her to continue, "Even in just the past couple of years people have reported being fed off of by Vampires. There have been attacks that seem to be right out of our text, people sprouting claws, people with animal eyes, people turning into bats or mist. It's all so fascinating. Do you think these things could be true?"
     Chris took a deep breath, "Yes, I suppose they very well could be true." He said slowly, "There certainly does seem to be a lot of evidence supporting the theory, and really only medical evidence—or rather a lack of medical evidence—to disprove it." The look in Chris' eyes should have been warning to Louise, but she was hanging on his every word, determined to learn everything she could about Vampires, if there was any way that they were real she wanted to know, and to know everything about them. "Louise, I'm afraid that you might be getting a little too close danger. I have to be honest, I was afraid this would happen when I saw how interested you were in the mythos. I have to advise you not to pursue your research in this area of the Vampire myth. You're a smart girl, I wouldn't want to see you end up hurt."
     A chill went up Louise's spine at his words, but she ignored it and began to protest. "But Professor-"
     "No, Louise, I'm sorry, but I am going to forbid you from continuing your research. What you have on these first two pages, coupled with what we have discussed before, will be sufficient to finish my research project. I don't want you around that Nocturne guy anymore either, I don't think you should trust him."
     "Well, with all due respect, that's none of your business, sir, you can't control what I do outside of class."
     "You're right, I can't, but I can offer advice and wisdom of superior years."
     Lou refrained from scoffing. Degrees or not, he couldn't be that much older than her. "I'll think about what you said." she said as she stood up to leave.

     Louise slumped down on the couch in Nocturne's small apartment. "Professor Kennedy was acting strange tonight. He wanted to talk about what I'd written, but when we started talking he told me that he didn't want me to continue my research."
     Nocturne gazed at her as he sat next to the girl, his eyes lined perfectly in black, as always, "I never did care much for Kennedy as a person." He said, "But he's a good professor, smart. What did you come across that he wanted you to stay away from?"
     Nocturne listened intently while Louise began to describe some of the things that were written on that third page of notes. She recounted incidents that had been reported and quickly hushed up, rumors of Vampire activity, even within their own city. As she continued a strange, almost frightening look flashed across the young man's face. She paused, "Is...everything alright?"
     "Yeah," He continued gazing intently at her, "I was just thinking, there's something I've wanted for a little while now..." As he spoke he slowly moved closer to her.
     Louise's stomach fluttered as Nocturne slowly circled his hands around her waist and his lips gently met hers. She closed her eyes and slid her hands to his forearms, reveling in the sensations that the kiss brought. When he pulled away he moved his mouth close to her ear, "Just relax, Louise." He whispered before brushing his lips along her jaw and down to her neck, kissing it gently. A shiver went up Louise's spine, her head was fuzzy, she couldn't think. Then, there was a piercing pain in her neck. Her eyes went wide as pain, fear, and ecstasy mingled together. She was unable to move, everything went bright, like a light shining in her eyes, and then there was nothing.

     Louise woke sprawled on the floor of Nocturne's apartment. Her head throbbed and she felt strange in a way she couldn't quite put her finger on. She pushed herself up to her knees and then to her feet and took a stumbling step to keep her balance. As she did, she stepped into a small beam of light cast between the windowsill and the blinds. She jumped back as a burning sensation went through the skin exposed. Her eyes went wide and her hand immediately went to her neck. She shuddered as she felt two puncture wounds in her skin, almost healed, and remembered the intoxicating feeling of Nocturne's lips on her neck. She didn't know what to do, she couldn't leave the apartment... She looked at her phone, 6:45, the sun would be down soon. But where could she go? The girl calmed as she made her decision.

     "Professor," Louise called out in the parking lot as she saw Chris walking towards his car, "Chris!"
     He stopped and turned, but the look of relief on his face disappeared as soon as he laid his eyes on her. Louise paused, there was something different about him, but she didn't know what it was. "Professor, I need to-"
     "You need to come with me." He interrupted her, nodding to his car. She looked questioningly up at him, but got into the car.
     "What is it?" she asked hesitantly once they were pulling out of the parking lot.
     "I was afraid this was going to happen." He said, almost more to himself than to her, "I've had a feeling for a while that that Nocturne kid was a Kindred. He hid it so well. He must be a Mekhet."
     "A...what?" Louise started at Chris, beginning to grow excited despite herself.
     Chris looked at her, "A Mekhet, it's a bloodline, which would mean you are also a Mekhet now. How did you get away from him?" he asked as he looked back to the road.
     "I...He was gone when I woke up."
     He pounded his fist once against the steering wheel, "What was he thinking?! Embracing a girl in the heat of the moment and then leaving her to figure things out herself, just like a god damned Daeva." he spat. Chris took a breath and calmed himself. "This Nocturne, your sire, must be a relatively young Kindred. He should know better than to embrace you and just leave you to fend for yourself, that's how rouges are born. You'll be in my care for now." he shook his head, "You should have listened to me, Louise."
     The girl sat silently, trying to wrap her head around everything Chris was saying.

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