out in the early hours [open]

[Jessica Jackson]

harsh yellow light,
from the street lamps pooled beneath her feet.

[/i]
four hundred and fifty-seven words, open[/right]It had been dark an hour ago. Five o’clock in the morning and Jessica had locked the front door to her apartment, slipping the key into her pocket and took off down the deserted sidewalk for a morning run. Harsh yellow light from the street lamps had pooled on the concrete under her feet as the young woman left the parking lot the complex, down the street like she had every other morning before that.

The brisk December air had caught Jessie off guard. Her black sweat pants and jacket did little against the cold, but it wasn’t long before she could feel her cheeks blushing from effort and there was only the steady rhythm of her tennis shoes against the road to bother her then. It was a nice of morning that Jessica really did value, for the quiet at least. She couldn’t admit it without feeling a tad guilty but it was nice. There would be morning classes at the community college in a few hours, work in the afternoon and her visit home for dinner with her family… Over the past month of living on her own, Jessie had actually taken a liking to the occasional moment of privacy.

The sky had long ago turned violet as the dawn hours waned. She had been circling the same stretch of city blocks for the past fifty minutes of her run - counting her steps, memorizing the house numbers as she passed them. A left at the next street took the girl in a different direction though, further into the city. She had called this small town home all of her life, though there were still so many things she had yet to understand.

Another left, around the corner.

The gardens were deserted this early in the morning, thought it was never really a busy place. Jessica slowed near the cast-iron gate, peering over at the darkened windows of the gift shop and depths of the empty gardens. Even this late into the winter, effort was still put into keeping the place looking nice. She stood for a moment on the sidewalk, her hard breath billowing into clouds of silver smoke in the cold air. Jess brushed away a stand of black hair from her eyes. The place might be nice this time of morning.

She slipped a hand through the cold metal of the fence, pulling at the pin latching the gate shut. A click and Jessica swung the gate open. Gravel crunched beneath her tennis shoes as she took off again at a slow jog, winding her way past the small gift shop and into the quiet shadows of the rose bushes.

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[May]

It had started with the morning light coming in through the window. Today would be a good day, there was enough overcast to go out without any worry. Maybe if it was super bright she would have worried, put on a jacket or something. But the thing about Newport was, you never had to worry. The sun was never an enemy to those who had an allergic reaction to the bright rays. Meaning vampires. Which of course no one really knew existed. There were those that assumed, but there was no proof. Only the vampires knew they were real. And possibly a handful of humans out in the world.

The blond had let out a groan, pushing her hair back into a pony tale as she shook her head. Sometimes, when she managed to get an hour of sleep (rare) she would dream (even more rare). And those dreams would be memories. Memories of her life before this...of her life as a human. Those dreams killed her. Put her into a sour mood. It was never enough, just small memories that she had almost forgotten, it being over 200 years ago.

And on top of the dreams she was hungry. She hadn't had any real food (i.e. blood) in a while. Of course she could go a while without feeding. But it didn't mean she didn't suffer, example, her sour mood. Of course May was always in a sour mood. A cold mood. But you add in the dreams, memories, and the lack of blood...well it was a recipe for a disaster. She was bound to do something she would regret today.

Alright, not regret. But still.

She had thrown on a pair of ratty old jeans, holes in the knees, bleached spots throughout it. She loved these jeans. They made her feel comfy. And today she needed some sort of comfy. Or else she might just end up killing everyone. Quite literally. She was capable of it after all. She was more then just strong too, she had the ability to read people's thoughts. Something that came with age and power. It had a lot to do with her vampire blood line to. One of the oldest and most powerful ones around.

But that was neither here nor there. Today, with her ratty jeans on and black tanktop, hair pulled up tightly, she slipped on her sneakers. Reaching for her ipod, she quickly turned it on, pushing the small buds into her ears. She needed to get out of here, distract herself. Until she could find food. She had promised she wouldn't drain from a human...a bet made with Jason. But she wasn't sure if she could do that for a whole month. She shook her head. She knew she couldn't do it for a whole month. Animal blood was gross.

A song blared into her ears, some guy singing about some tragic event in his life. She put the words out of her thoughts, concentrating on the rhythm of the beat instead. Opening the fridge she glanced in at the pint of animal blood, a disgusted look passing her face. Maybe later...she decided as she closed the door without another thought towards it.

And then, without thinking at all, she was outside, heading down the block. The gardens were up ahead, she would go there. It was December, highly unlikely anyone would be near. That would be just the place for her to distract herself. Ignore the smell of people, the smell of their fear and pumping blood...

Her thoughts trailed off at that. Another shake of her head and she was slipping behind the gate making her way into the garden.

And that was when she spotted the girl. She looked familiar but she couldn't quite place her. She was walking, her back to May. Taking her headphones out of her ear she studied the girl, her eyes following her as she made her way forward. She couldn't help herself, her eyes wondered to the base of her neck...the blood pumping.

So she followed her.

[Jessica Jackson]

harsh yellow light,
from the street lamps pooled beneath her feet.

[/i][/right][/size][/font][/color]The gardens were a work of art… Jessica had moments ago slowed to a walk. Even in the dark she could make out the delicate vines of the rose bushes, bare of their leaves and blood red petals. When summer came, the place would be blooming with life again. It was always a favorite place of the people in Newport. Romantic, peaceful. Even in the lightening shadows, Jess could recall memories of the walks with her family through what had become the town’s closest thing to a community park.

She sighed then, letting out a long breath into the cool air. She had only been out of the house for a month, and there were already moments she missed her old room. Even if her parents and Jon were a mile down the road, it still felt odd for Jessica to be out of a place she had spent the last seventeen years calling home. Even if her little apartment was everything she could be proud of, it still didn’t have that welcoming feel that the white little townhouse she grew up in.

The young woman paused for a moment. Jess glanced either way, forward to where the path branched off to the left and behind her where she had already been. There was such a sense of solitude here, at this moment in time. She reached a hand up to rub the back of her neck, muscles tense from the long run she had put in this morning. The idea of a hot shower and breakfast was something that made Jessica’s stomach twist in delight.

She would turn around and head home soon. Jessica glanced again to the deserted path behind her. Solitude was something that use to bother her, and now it simply confused her. It was nice at moments and frightening at others. Something in the back of her mind might have switched then.

Shoving her fists into the front pockets of her jacket, Jess turned on her heel, gravel crunching under her weight. “Stupid idea,” she told her quietly as she started back up the path, the way she came. It was an easy walk back to the gate, a single path winding its way through the roses. Jessica sighed heavily, taking her seconds slowly as she traced the outline of the gift shop over the shrubs. The sky was a complete new shade of purple now, fading into pink as the sun would begin to rise.
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[Tracey Marks]

“ to be or not to be, that is the question ”

The gardens had also been the most peaceful place to go in winter,
even for a rich girl like Tracey. Her fathers huge house with all
the servants and clients and business partners had also been to noisy for
her in December. She liked calm, despite the way she appeared to
be. These gardens gave her that. She wouldn't be here if the
gardener had completed the landscaping of her mansion,
she thought sourly. But within a moment the thought was
gone. The scenery made her relax backwards onto the bench
she had claimed almost an hour ago.
It had been dark then,but now the sun was bright on her face.
It's warmth keep being interrupted by a cold wind
which was swiftly filling the gardens.

She sighed heavily thinking back to summer when it was
warm and fun and relaxing. Although Tracey didn't have a
favourite season, loving them all for there own attributes,
she did adore summer. It was a time when the girls were
distracted and the boys were gorgeous. It had been in the
summer that she had met Barker. The gorgeous blonde with his toned
body had approached her on th beach, lifted her up and
dropped her into the sea. If he hadn't been so cute,
Tracey would've blown her top. As it happened, he was very cute.
As she sat recalling these memories,
she realised just how long it had been since
she had spoken to Barker. He hadn't be around for days.

She flipped out her cell and looked at it. Scrolling through her
inbox, she found the last message Barker had sent her.
"Er... Dunno, but shud c u 2mz. tlk then. luv u xXx". She
looked up, a look of confusion upon her face. Usually Barker
never let her down. If he said he would be somewhere, there
he would be, waiting for her like always. In fact, in all the time
they had been together he had never let her down. Not once.

She was about to text him when the sound of trainers
padding against the gravel path filled her ears. It got gradually
louder, until the sound was just around the corner. She was
taking a back slightly when a tall girl with dark hair came
bouncing round the corner. Jess had always been beautiful,
even back when both girls were just young. Back before
Tracey's father made them move hundreds of times across
the country. Now however, the girl stood before Tracey was
stunning.

Tracey jumped to her feet "Jess!" She called out, hoping
to grab her attention before she was gone. As she looked
down, she felt quite pleased with what she chose to wear.
Her new black trousers clung to her toned frame, and the
silky material of her top could just be seen underneath her
leather jacket. Underneath her trousers, the tips of her boots
were just visable. It made her feel pretty confident. Jess had
yet to stop running. "Jess, wait up." She called after her
running gently behind, her boots crunching gently against the
gravel path.

[May]

May had watched the girl was far behind, surveyed her as she walked, her eyes falling to her neck more then once. She wasn't close, hardly visible from where she stood. So there wasn't a large change of her being seen. Not that she cared really. She felt her stomach grumble, begging for food. And not just any food. Without noticing she licked her lips...

She had to get out of here. Before she did something she would regret. Well, ok. Let's be frank here. May would not regret it one single bit. But Vi...well, she wouldn't appreciate it much. They couldn't have humans snooping around in their business. And a dead body would be reason enough to snoop. Unless she made the body disappear...this was starting to sound like a plausible idea actually. And the more she thought about it the more she wanted to. Who cares about her silly bet. It had been a few days since a good meal. And she hated going out of town just to feed on soemthing halfway decent.

The girl had been running too. She would bet anything her blood was warm and pumping. Another flick of her tongue as her stomach growled once more. This was torture. Pure torture. Plain and simple. She took a deep breath and her slender hands reached back for the headphones of her ipod. She slid them carefully into her ears, allowing the music to flow through and distract her from her current worries. She would let the girl go. Not matter how much she didn't want to.

The harsh cold of the winter morning didn't phase her, which was why she wore the black tanktop today. Her favorite color, black. Like her mood at the moment. With the girl out of her thoughts she headed over to the closest tree. A huge apple tree. She sat down on the ground, leaning her back up against the trunk. Her black mood...she tried her best to remember those dreams, those old memories. Closing her eyes she let the music drift over her, attempting to recall any little information about her past she could. Nothing.

Damn it.

And then...a sound, a voice. She pulled the earbuds out and listened carefully. Yes. Someone was calling someone else. Oh great. One person she could ignore but two? That was too much blood for the moment. Especially with the strange mood she was in today.

[Jessica Jackson]

harsh yellow light,
from the street lamps pooled beneath her feet.

[/i][/right][/size][/font][/color]She would have thought she was hearing things as first, but when the girl heard her name through the morning air, Jessica found herself skidding to a complete stop on the gravel path. It seemed completely unorthodox that there would be another soul wandering the garden this early in the morning. And someone who knew her none the less? She could feel her heart jump to a pounding rhythm in her chest. She did not recognize the voice until she heard her name called a second time.

Turning back up the path, she cocked her head to one side out of complete shock. The tall, lanky figure hurrying towards her automatically registered in the back of her mind. Tracey Marks. Able to breathe a sigh of relief, Jess took a couple quick steps in the young woman’s direction.

The two of them had known each other for years, from those early days in elementary school. Tracey had always been a decent friend. But it hadn’t been until recent years that the two girls had really gotten to know each other well, after the Marks family had made the move back to Newport. Though childhood had treated them both very different, and even now life had pitched them into terribly different positions. It was still funny how the two of them had held onto a friendship over the years.

She knew that the two of them were really opposites in many respects, especially in the groups they spent time with. It was a game of social status that had been played out in the years of high school, and even now it was hard to shake that sense from her head. Jessie reached up to smooth her hair, quickly pulling at the black rubber band holding her hair back.

“Tracey?”

Anyone could have heard the edge of complete shock in the young woman’s voice. What in the world would she have been doing out there? Jessie’s position was obvious – dressed in her jogging suit, hair back in a messy pony-tail, cheeks red. But her friend gave her little to work with the in the game of guessing. She stopped then, pausing as she waited. Jessie looked down quickly, pushing back the sleeve of her jacket to check the time.

“It’s six-thirty in the morning,” She called, looking up again. There was probably a look of concern spreading across her face now. It wasn’t a displeasure to see the girl, just complete and total confusion. “What are you doing out here?”
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[Tracey Marks]

“ to be or not to be, that is the question ”

Tracey wasn't exactly sure how to reply to that. What was she doing out here in the early hours? It caused a look of puzzlement to cross her face while she tried to determine an answer. Just hours before she had awoken in her bed, in her empty house, still full of unpacked cardboard boxes. As she rolled over the light of her phone caught Tracey's eye. 3.30am. She had growned and turned over several times but it had been no use. After accepting the fact that she wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon, Tracey had risen and stalked around the mansion. She had sat in the spotless kitchen for about an hour, a cup of homemade vanilla latte infront of her.

Still restless she had begun unpacking the hoards of boxes which lay aimlessesly around the house. That had only taken Tracey an hour. It was all organised after all and she knew where she wanted everything to go. She had looked at the clock and growned even louder than before. 5.30am. Would time never speed up for her?

Tired, restless and bored, Tracey had stromed upstairs to her nearly organised walkin wardrobe and picked out an outfit suitable for walking in. Half an hour later she had left the house and walked. With no destination in mind and no sense of direction or location, Tracey just walked towards the lights of the main town. It hadn't been long until she passed the gates to the gardens, pausing for a few minutes before entering.

There she had sat, on that bench until Jess had appeared moments ago. Thinking about it, she knew why she was so restless. So tired. So bored. Barker wasn't around, and hadn't been around for ages. She clutched her mobile that bit tighter at the thought of him. "No reason." She lied to Jess. "Just fancied some fresh morning air, that's all." She added a fake grin to pursuade her friend that she was telling the truth, however she wasn't fully convinced that Jess belived her.

Tracey paused. She turned her head slightly behind her. She had thought she heard somebody behind them. Then again she had been incredibly paranoid recently. Just look at the incident with Barker. It was most likely that he had just lost his phone, or charger and here she was convinced that he was dead in a ditch somewhere.

As she turned back to Jess she smiled broadly. Although her smiles were rarely sincere, they always appeared convincing with people returning them. Jess, Tracey knew however, wasn't easily fooled. Tracey was about to say something when the hairs on the back of her neck tingled. Now she was sure that they weren't alone. She spun a full 180 degrees on the spot and surveyed her surroundings. Nothing. And yet she had been sure. She cautiously stepped forward. "Anybody there?" As much as she wanted to know who - or what - was nearby, she was also ridged with terror.