Diary of a Newborn Vampire (BOOK #1)

The Doctor

Liv           

I wanted to go after Liv, but I had to find my sister. I headed straight to the hospital, hopping into Angelina's jeep and narrowly avoiding a stray dog. I realized I didn't even know what day of the week it was. A Sunday, maybe?

The streets weren't too crowded yet. I expected some of the population were at the various churches in town. No surprise Liv was out and about. She carefully avoided her mother at all times. That included avoiding any social gathering her mother might attend.

But maybe there were other reasons for her wandering around town on a Sunday morning. Reasons that had to do with the bite marks on her neck.

I wasn't sure what wing of the hospital Val could possibly be in, so I went in through the main entrance up to the girl at the front desk.

"Yes, miss?" she said. "What may I help you with?"

I kept my sunglasses on fully knowing how stupid or hungover I looked. "My sister, Valerie Sumner, I was told she was here this morning. Do you possibly know where I could find her?"

The girl rolled over in her chair to a computer. "Is she a patient here?"

"No." I shook my head. "A visitor, I believe."

I glanced around the vast room as nurses and patients and visitors went there about doing their morning routines almost synchronized. Then the scent hit me. The sterile aroma of a hospital mixed with a hint of blood.

"May I ask who she's visiting?" the girl asked.

Then I spotted a blonde head bobbing as Val marched up the stairs in a hurry. I couldn't see her face, but I recognized the shared pair of jeans she wore and the frayed purse that hung on her shoulder.

"Never mind," I told the girl.

I rushed in the direction of Val, making sure to keep a light human speed. She continued on her determined path, weaving through people and doors. I rubbed my hands nervously together as the smell of blood grew more and more prominent as I entered further into the hospital. This was probably the last place a vampire—especially a Newborn—needed to be. Maybe tied with a war zone.

Suddenly, Val rounded a corner and stopped. I peeked around noticing a dark, abandoned hallway with only a single fluorescent light flickering.

Val stood next to a window at the end of the hall. Her arms were crossed and she tapped her right foot impatiently. She looked to be waiting for something. Or someone.

Finally, a man came out from another door, entering from another stairwell. He stood tall and familiar with his handsome face and blonde hair swooped back. A fuzzy image of this same face flashed in my mind. Along with it came the memory of the man being thrown across a room—all by my hand.

"Finally," Val huffed.

"Sorry, I'm late. I was with a patient," the doctor said. "What so urgent? Did something happen?"

"Yes, Chris. You have no idea," she told him, her tone strained.

He lowered his voice, his face growing pale. "Is it...them? About the people you told me about? The ones you work for? They still want something from me. Don't they?"

"I don't want you in the middle of this, believe me," she said, grabbing the collar of his lab coat. "I asked them not to get you involved, but I am willing to do everything in my power to keep you safe in the meantime. That means you have to trust me. Trust what I say. Trust me when I tell you that this is only the beginning of it. It's only going to get worse from here."