Into Every Stranger Generation

Chapter 1

 "Jesus, how long does it take for one lazy vampire to rise?" Becca sighed, rolling her eyes. She sat on the headstone of Mark Clark. What an unfortunate name. What the hell were his parents thinking when they went with that rhyming monstrosity? Her legs swung back and forth, bored, just waiting to do her sacred duty.

"I mean, it has to be a bit disorienting," her friend Jax said from the next headstone. His hand reached up to run through his sandy hair. "One minute you're a person, then you're a midnight snack, then you're waking up buried in the dirt. It might take a guy a minute to adjust."

"Yeah, well, it's already two in the morning and I have a shift at the bookstore at nine," Becca complained. "If he doesn't hurry up, I am going to be dragging myself into work with bags as big as Alaska under my eyes. And that is not a good look for anyone."

Ivy, long red hair in two braids that fell over each shoulder said, "I think protecting Toledo from another vampire is a bit more important than your beauty sleep."

"Says you," Becca shot back. "Sam might stop by. He often comes into the store on Tuesdays because we get new shipments of books."

"Ahh," Jax yelled, snapping his fingers. "That's why you're in such a hurry. Oh sweet Sam." He clutched his hands together, holding them to his chest. "With your dreamy eyes and your chiseled jaw and your notebook in your pocket and your nerdy love of books."

"Shut it," Becca snapped. "How am I ever going to get a date with anyone when I walk around looking like I spent the day rolling around in a horse stall?"

"You never look like that," Jax said, and his voice grew softer as he added, "you always look amazing."

Becca didn't know how to respond. The three of them had been friends since the third grade. They had been there for her when her watcher, Malcolm, had informed her that she was the one girl, in all the world, who could fight the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. Think high school's hard? Try finding out you're supposed to be some badass superhero that kills monsters when you're fifteen. That was four years ago. No one was supposed to know about her sacred duty, but when she got weird and distant, Jax and Ivy weren't having it. They followed her one night to try to see what was going on and witnessed her slaying. Once you see someone burst into a million tiny pieces and scatter to the wind, there's no going back. They wound up becoming her sidekicks in this insane war she was constantly fighting.

Two years ago, senior year of high school, Jax had confessed that he felt more than friendly feelings for her. He had wanted to take her to prom and had made a grand gesture with balloons and a sign and big boombox. It had been mortifying because the problem was, she didn't feel the same. He was like a brother to her, always had been. He was the guy she went to when she needed to talk about other guys. He was her safe place. She could never see him like that. She was honest with him, and they had managed to move on, maintaining their friendship but occasionally things would get a little awkward when he said things like he just did.

She was saved from having to respond when the dirt below her suddenly exploded. Mark Clark had finally decided to rise from the dead. He grabbed onto her leg, yanking her off the headstone and she hit the ground. Becca kicked out, managing to hit him right in his nose and he roared in pain. Planting her feet on the ground, she flipped herself back upright, grabbing her stake from her waistband.

Just as she turned, Mark had managed to free himself from the earth. He rushed toward her, his arms outstretched. Becca ducked just out of reach and swung up quickly, driving the stake home. Mark's face registered a swift moment of surprise before he exploded into dust.

"I swear, sometimes it just seems too easy for you these days," Jax said, sounding disappointed. "I remember when we used to have to actually help."

"You do help," assured Becca. "You provide company and moral support."