Monsters Are Forever

26. Back From the Dead?

 As soon as it got dark, Anna walked out her front door and made her way to the street. She needed to go out tonight, to do something. Hunting might not be her favorite thing to do exactly, but it was necessary. Besides, it was better than sitting at home, thinking. She might have really been looking forward to going out with Luke this past weekend, but it hadn't exactly been as great as she'd hoped for; there was still a lot of tension between them. She knew he was annoyed at the way she was acting, especially since she never had bothered to give him a reason. She'd kind of hoped they could put all that behind them for the day, but it was obvious that couldn't happen. Anna sighed to herself; at least that made it easier to finally be done.

She might not have really felt like going out tonight, but it was something she needed to do anyway; this would be a good excuse for her to do something where she was in control for once. Somehow, it seemed that hadn't been the case much lately.

She walked through the park that was only a block or so from her apartment, heading to the bus stop. She'd thought briefly about trying her luck there, but quickly thought better of it. The park was just way too eerie – ever since freshman year, she just hadn't been able to bring herself to stay there for any length of time. On the rare occasions she did go through it, it was always at a brisk pace, without stopping. She might see someone there at night every so often, but she let them get a pass. She wondered if they even knew how lucky they were. She walked through the winding paths, carefully avoiding the clearing on the north side where it happened, suppressing a shudder as she remembered.

Three years ago, she'd moved to this town with the idea of finally having a normal life. She'd been in her last city too long anyway; even if she had decided to start being normal there, she knew too many people. She didn't have friends then, of course. But she went to the theater enough, and she'd lived in the same apartment almost six years. She knew there were enough people there that it would look suspicious if she suddenly started attending school. So after picking what she hoped would be a nice, quiet city that wasn't too big, she found an apartment and registered for the local high school.

The first couple of months were great. Anna made friends with a nice group of girls in her class, and she was starting to feel normal for the first time in decades. But then things started happening: attacks that Anna had nothing to do with started being reported in the papers. That's when she discovered Mia was like her. It had been nice to finally find someone who had the same problems as Anna, even if she did secretly wonder if Mia might be a little too careless in her attacks. But then she saw him.

Fredrick, the man she was supposed to marry in the summer of 1724, had shown up at her school – pretending to be a senior. Of course, Anna knew what he really was – he'd been the one who bit her. And it looked like he'd come back into her life yet again.

When he and her one-time best friend found out that Anna lived in the same city as them once again, they were ecstatic. They wasted no time in letting her know that they would be setting her up to take the blame for their out-of-control hunting.

Anna and Mia knew they needed to do something. Unfortunately, neither of them had any real ideas of how to go about it. So they'd recruited Carmine, the school's mythology expert, to help with the plan. Then, they'd lured Fredrick and Jacqueline to that very park and killed them. Anna shuddered at the memory, remembering what a close call that had been. Quickly, she hurried out of the park. She didn't feel better until she was safely on the sidewalk on the other side of the street.

Anna turned back to look at the park. She didn't know why she did it – maybe to reassure herself that everything really was ok. It was just a park, nothing to be afraid of. Besides, hadn't she been the one who'd set that trap? It wasn't like it was an ambush for her. And even though it had been a close call, she'd survived – and so had her friends. So why was she still so nervous?

As Anna looked at the park, she thought she saw something moving just behind the trees. Without thinking, she took a step closer. Then another. Slowly, she made her way back across the street, towards the park.

She didn't actually go into the park – not when she didn't know for sure what was in there. A few years ago, Anna would have almost laughed at her nervousness. She would have known without a doubt that she could handle anyone in there. But now, she knew whoever it was could be so much more than just human. And if she didn't know for sure, it was probably best to be cautious.

She had just about convinced herself that it must have been her imagination – after all, she hadn't seen anyone since she'd crossed the street. But just as she was about to turn around, she saw it again. Someone tall and blond was standing in the trees. Something about him was familiar, and Anna caught her breath. It couldn't be, could it? But she had to know for sure.

Nervously, Anna slipped into the park, making sure to stay in the shadows. Silently, she approached the edge of the trees, eyes never leaving the figure in the clearing. She was still staring intently at the back of his head, but she was almost certain she knew who it was. Finally, when she was only about twenty yards from him, he turned. Anna caught her breath and ducked quickly behind a nearby tree.

Anna stood there a minute, back against the tree. It was Fredrick. How could he be here? But now that she knew for sure, any desire to go out tonight left her. As quickly as she could, she left the park, looping around to the main road. She didn't stop until she was safely back in her apartment with the door securely locked behind her.