by Betsy Flak
It met the drowning boy and dying girl.
It swirled around them.
It caressed the girl’s face, her arms, her legs.
She breathed it in.
It scorched her throat.
It saved her.
With more strength than she’d ever known, the girl dragged herself and her unconscious love out of that angry ocean. Where once she delighted in the black sand scraping against her toes and heels, there was nothing. Where once she gazed at the millions of shining stars in wonder, there was nothing. Where once she longed for her next adventure, there was nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Except the blood humming in her lover’s veins, the sweetest of serenades. He was still alive!
The girl crouched over him, her hands resting on his bare chest. It hitched during each inhale and exhale, like every breath pained him. The scent of her love’s blood wafted up her nostrils.
The girl’s incisors lengthened. Her throat burned. A thirst unlike any she’d ever known overtook her every sense, her every thought. Mesmerized, she dipped her face to his neck. Her cold cheek tingled where it brushed against his warm skin. Her fangs throbbed with need.
The girl kissed her love on the lips.
On the cheek.
In the hollow behind his earlobe.
On the neck.
Again, she kissed him on the neck. Her teeth scraped against skin as fragile as cracked parchment.
He shuddered beneath her.
Her canines dug deeper. A drop of blood hit her tongue.
Both sweet and tart, it tasted like a cherry on the verge of being ripe. A breath later, it morphed to buttery with a hint of caramel.
The girl’s body shivered. She needed this. Her fangs cut deeper.
Her love’s blood filled her mouth. It was thick like molasses, yet smooth.
The girl’s every nerve sparked. A gleeful excitement raced through her veins. Her entire life she’d waited for this.
Her hands tightened around his shoulders. Talons sprang from her nails. They bored into his flesh.
As did her teeth.
Blood poured into the girl’s mouth faster than she could swallow. It spilled over her lips, her throat, her chest. With every gulp, she grew stronger and faster. With every gulp, she lost her humanity.
The first vampire was born.
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Character List
Bryce James
Civilian; Assistant Manager of Corner Coffee, otherwise known as your main boss; Sammy’s boyfriend
Davey Dalca
New kid at NFHS; Magda’s twin; secretly a Warrior living a civilian life
Julia Ward
Civilian; one of your close friends
Khan
Vampire
Magda Dalca
New kid at NFHS; Davey’s twin; secretly an above-average Fire Diviner living a civilian life
Ms. Lin
Civilian; NFHS chemistry teacher
Paige Torres
Civilian; your best friend
Sammy Yang
Civilian; fellow worker at Corner Coffee; Bryce’s boyfriend
Glossary
Affinity
Type of Divining; includes Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Floral, Mineral, Animal, Healing, Weaving, Cyphering, Portency, and Empathy
Animal affinity
Type of Earth Divining involving animals and magic
Animal Diviner
One who can work with animals using magic; commonly called a Beastie
Beastie
One who can work with animals using magic; less commonly called an Animal Diviner
Civilians
Those who aren’t vampires, Warriors, or Diviners; can also refer to those Warriors and Diviners who live outside Troupes and Cells
The Clan
Loose organization of those born to fight vampires, whether that’s through supernatural abilities (Warriors) or magic (Diviners); very extended family of vampire hunters living on every continent and consisting of members of every nationality, race, religion, and background; all possess a supernatural drive to kill vampires though it’s stronger for some than others
Corner Coffee
Coffee shop in downtown Fruitvale
Cypher
One who can use the Cyphering affinity
Cyphering affinity (Cyphering)
Type of Spirit Divining the reveals what’s hidden beneath the surface; typically used to assess strength of a newly manifested Diviner affinity and to find Latents
Diviners
Vampire hunters with magical abilities to assist in the fight against vampires; types include Elemental Diviners (Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth) and Spirit Diviners (Healing, Weaving, Cyphering, Portency, and Empathy); have a supernatural drive to kill vampires
Divining
The act of doing magic
Earth Diviner
One who can work with the Earth affinities of Floral, Mineral, or Animal using magic
Earth Divining
Type of Elemental Divining using the Earth affinities of Floral, Mineral, or Animal
Elemental Diviners (Elementals)
Those who work with Elemental Divining affinities; types include Fire Diviners, Water Diviners, Wind Diviners, and Earth Diviners including the Earth subcategories of Floral Diviners, Mineral Diviners, and Beasties
Elemental Divining
Divining involving the elements; affinities include Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth including the Earth affinities of Floral, Mineral, and Animal
Empath
One who can sense and/or control another person’s (or people’s) emotions through magic
Empathy affinity (Empathy)
Type of Spirit Divining involving sensing and/or changing another person’s (or people’s) emotions
Fire Diviner
One who can create, maintain, and control fires using magic
Fire Divining
Type of Elemental Divining using and controlling fire
Floral affinity
Type of Earth Divining involving the magical use of plant life
Floral Diviner
One who can work with plant life through the use of magic
Florence
Closest city to Eversfield and Juniper; almost an hour away without traffic; Florence Cell lives nearby
Fruitvale
Sprawling suburban city without a concentrated downtown; No Cell or Troupe close by
Healer
One who can use magic to accelerate healing
Healing affinity (Healing)
Type of Spirit Divining accelerating healing using magic
The Indestructible
Vampires; undead creatures that must drink blood to survive
Juniper
Town near Eversfield Preparatory Academy; houses Juniper City College; Juniper Troupe lives nearby
Krendley
Shortened name for Krendley College
Krendley College
College located in Fruitvale proper
Mineral affinity
Type of Earth Divining involving the magical use of minerals and metals
Mineral Diviner
One who can control minerals and metals through the use of magic
NFHS
Acronym for North Fruitvale High School
North Fruitvale
Community clustered around the northern end of Fruitvale
North Fruitvale High School
Public high school situated in North Fruitvale
Portency affinity (Portency)
Type of Spirit Divining that reveals potential futures typically in the form of visions
Portent
One who receives Portency visions revealing potential futures
Spirit Diviners
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p; Those who work with spirit affinities; types include Healers, Weavers, Cyphers, Portents, and Empaths
Spirit Divining
All Divining that doesn’t include the elements; affinities include Healing, Weaving, Cyphering, Portency, and Empathy
The turn
When a human dies and turns into a vampire
Vampires
Undead creatures that must drink blood to survive
Warriors
Vampire hunters with supernatural abilities to physically fight vampires (super-speed, super-endurance, super-agility, super-reflexes, super-strength, super-healing, etc.); have a strong supernatural drive to kill vampires
Water Diviner
One who can control water using magic
Water Divining
Type of Elemental Divining using and controlling water
Weaver
One who can combine the elemental and spirit affinities into a spell
Weaving affinity (Weaving)
Type of Spirit Divining that combines the elemental and spirit affinities into more complicated spells
Wind Diviner
One who can control the wind using magic
Wind Divining
Type of Elemental Divining using and controlling the wind
About the Author
As a child, author Betsy Flak spent her free time lost in a book, whether upside down in a cozy armchair, in the bow of her family’s fishing boat in Michigan, or on a bleacher during her brother’s basketball games. This love led her to declare her intentions of becoming an author at the ripe age of ten.
After a few years of writing fantastical short stories, she took a brief fifteen-year hiatus to become an engineer. But she never stopped creating her own unique adventures filled with supernatural abilities, heart-stopping action, the battle between good and evil, and romantic interests galore. Now—when she’s not reading, writing, or editing—you can find her playing roller derby or chilling on the couch with her favorite purple blanket, her two dogs, and her husband.
Want to get to know Betsy? Join her readers group! To get started, go to https://www.betsyflak.com/join
You’ll be added to her readers group and be the first to know about book launches, sneak peeks, exclusive original content, giveaways, and other bonuses. You’ll also receive a free copy of The Impossible Adventure (The Clan-Vampire Clash: Meet Your Misadventure #1) as a welcome gift plus some other goodies!
