• Life is for the living.
    I repeated the saying in my mind. They'd drilled it into our minds since we could speak, along with so many other things. But I couldn't settle my unease. I'm not sure why I was so nervous. Maybe it was because this was my first real test. No, that wasn't it. I'm not sure how I could tell, but somehow I knew that wasn't the reason. No, I realized. What was bothering me was that there was a very real chance that I wouldn't make it out of this alive. I wasn't nervous, I was scared. Scared for my own life.

    I knew it was selfish of me, concidering that I would spend the rest of my life throwing myself in the path of danger for others, but I couldn't help it. This was my first real field test. It wasn't like all the fake practice missions that the others my age went on. This was life and death, the real deal.
    A chill seeped into my black coat and I pulled it tighter as I waited for my instructions. The stake at my waist felt heavy and I briefly considered relaxing from my crouch. There was a half moon anyway, making a sighting unlikely. But my earpiece buzzed, interrupting my thoughts.
    "Have you spotted anything yet, Sherri?" It was Chris, our mission leader. I brought the attached microphone down to my mouth and replied.
    "Nothing yet," but as I spoke the words I saw something flash a few yards away from me. "Hold that thought." I whispered.
    I slowly stood from my shadowed hiding place and made my way toward the object that had caught my attention. It was some sort of silver sphere. I bent down and picked it up. It wasn't like anything I'd seen before. Turning it over in my hands I saw that there was a symbol on it. A star with an upsidedown cross inside. I knew this symbol well from my lessons.

    My voice was panicked as I spokeinto the microphone, "Chris! The vamp--," but I didn't get to finish. I sensed something behind me and spun around, startled and nearly falling.
    "Well, hello girlie. It seems you've found something of mine," a voice wrought with twisted delight spoke. My eyes adjusted and I saw what I'd been taught to fear and hate. There wasn't just one, but two.

    Two vampires. What was I going to do now?