KATARINA: VAMPIRE (SLAY/LOV)ER

Part I - Situation Normal

As Katarina drove to her internship at the Boeing office in downtown Everett, her heart pounded, a bead of cold sweat teetered on her brow, clammy hands grasping the steering wheel—it was only the most important day of her life. Was it because she was 18, not quite used to driving in the city? Working a prestigious internship compared to her peers? No. Today was the day Katarina was going to take things with Mr. Smith to the next level.

With only one parking spot left less than a mile away from the high-rise building she'd have to parallel park. Blinker on. Throw it in reverse. Check the mirrors. Envision the pedals are eggshells. Perfect fit. Her face gleaming with confidence "If this is as easy as parallel parking," she went over the plan in her mind.

Grab the coffees. Hand-iron her pencil skirt, step over that puddle that will perpetually be the enemy of high heels, and wait in the lobby until the secretary calls her name. Smile. Hand Mr. Smith his dark roast with a shot of espresso, or at least what he thinks is just a shot of espresso. Change both of their lives forever. Simple enough, right?

Ah, Mr. Smith...

"Kat, you good?" asked Kayla.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You were like, spacing out, and just, had this look on your face," she said with a just-saw-a-ghost expression. "I know the cafeteria food sucks, but it's not so bad you need to stare off into space pondering your existence after one bite."

"I guess I'm just tired or something," Kat responded. "I actually don't mind the chicken parm here. It's not their worst creation."

"If you really think so, Kat."

Katarina and Kayla have been friends since either one could remember. Meeting in elementary school, they managed to stay together through middle school and into high school; the inseparable team Ka-Kay.

"And take your headphones out, or at least change it to something a little less likely to scare him away."

"It's not my fault the general populous can't appreciate art," Kat said while rolling her eyes.

"Well that stuff sounds like a drowning cat," Kayla said with disgust. "And it's just not chill." Kayla was your average blond hair, blue eyed, preppy girl who wore pink on Wednesdays. She was always getting the attention of the attractive boys, and girls.

"We can agree to disagree for now," scoffed Kat, filled with admiration for the bands that filled her screen as she thumbed through them. She was the only girl at Everett High who listened to heavy metal that she knew of. "Look – Derrick's coming."

The two girls watched in awe as Derrick LaGrange maneuvered the cafeteria as if each step was calculated to spread his suave aura over as much ground as possible. The gold of his Letterman jacket complemented his bronze complexion while the blue made his eyes pop. All the while his almost curly, jet-black coif seemed to bounce with every stride, in contrast to his solid radiant smile. All the girls in school wanted his attention and all the dudes wanted to be him.

Nobody would have guessed he would be walking towards Katarina's table. Being of mixed descent, her father a black priest for the Church of England, her mother a non-sanctioned love from a missionary trip in the Middle East, with both parents dying in a car crash when she was two, she had a hard time finding her place in the world; her world being Washington state and her godfather turned father. Katarina had softer features, but they were precise in their movement, and her style was often compared to a modern Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She was always trying something new whether it be archery, field hockey, skating, but never stuck, and although generally liked, never one of the "popular girls" like Kayla.