To See

Ana Samson loved the warmth of the sun. She loved the heat of it, how it turned her skin golden, and how long the lazy summer days lasted. But most of all, Ana loved the sunlight because it meant that she was safe from vampires.

Ana hadn't always known that the things that go bump in the night were real. In fact, she had only learned just yesterday about their existence, when she saw strange lights hovering near Gram. Gram explained that the lights were actually fairies.

A veil separated the human world from the supernatural one, and only certain humans could see through it. Those humans were seers, and Ana and her gram were two such seers.

Some of the creatures were benevolent, like the fairies and unicorns. Others, like vampires, were not.

Ana opened her eyes and sat up. She watched her two friends, Karen and Frank, play and laugh together in the rolling waves. Why couldn't I see selkies? At least they are supposed to be playful creatures and not try to drain me of my blood. But seers could only see one type of creature.

Ana pressed her hand to her throat. She could still feel Victor grab her. He had brushed her hair back so he could bite her. Luckily, Ana had stopped him by shoving a wooden piece of broken chair into him.

She hadn't stayed around long enough to see if he had died again.

Ana shuddered.

"Ana, come in the water," Frank called. He waved his long arms above his head to get her attention.

She shook her head. "I'm having a good hair day today, don't want to ruin it." A poor excuse, but Ana wanted to be alone right now. Her friends were ignorant of the unseen creatures in the world, and as much as she wanted to talk to them about what she'd seen, she couldn't.

Frank dunked Karen under the water, and Karen squealed when she resurfaced. She splashed some water in his face before she ran to shore. She grabbed a blue towel, pressed it to her face, and plopped down beside Ana. "Spill," she demanded, water drops dripping onto Ana from Karen's short, spiky hair.

Ana opened her eyes wide. "I don't know what you mean," she said, unable to look at Karen.

"You haven't said much at all since we got here. You aren't swimming, and you haven't eaten, even though I packed peanut butter chocolate chip cookies." Karen peered at her intently. "Did something else happen? Beside your flat tire?"

The flat had happened near an old man's house. Ana shivered despite the warm breeze. The last time she had seen him, a large pool of his blood was spreading beneath him. Victor had killed him. Ana brushed the thought away. "I'm fine. I'm just worried what Gram is going to say if we don't bring her car back today."

Karen glanced at her watch. "If we leave now, we can find your car and maybe be able to find a way to make it drivable."

If Victor was to be believed, the spare was too flat to drive on the rickety road. But Victor was a vampire–hopefully a dead vampire–so that made his word more than a little suspect. Ana smiled with genuine relief. If they left now, they were certain to be back to Gram's before the sun set. "Yes, let's please do that."

Karen called to Frank and after a little grumbling on his part, the three were packed up, and Karen was driving back. "Now you have to tell me where exactly the car is," Karen said.

Ana nodded. "I got a little lost. That's why I didn't come this way."

Luckily, Ana was able to remember where the sandy dirt path was and they soon found her car. Ana was completely on edge and hopped from foot to foot, casting sideway glances into the forest, terrified that another vampire would be lurking in the shadows. But no one else appeared, and Frank determined that the spare was fine. He changed the tire while Ana and Karen watched. "There you go, pretty lady." He winked.

Ana threw her arms around him. "Thank you." She buried her head into his chest. Her scared feelings vanished. Maybe her luck was finally turning around and everything would be all right.

After a moment, Frank hugged her back. "You're… welcome."

Ana stepped back quickly. Great, the last thing she wanted was for Frank to think that she wanted to be more than friends. She turned to Karen. "I'll follow you two back into town."

Karen glanced from Ana to Frank and back to Ana. "Do you want Frank to ride with you?"

Ana shook her head empathically. "That's okay. But let's get going."

Karen shrugged. "Okay, Frank, hop in."

The drive back was uneventful. Ana thanked Frank again and told them that she would call them tomorrow. Then she headed inside her gram's cottage.

"Gram?" she called.

"In here," came the muffled reply in the direction of her gram's bedroom.

Ana walked there slowly. Dread filled her, and she suddenly didn't want to confess everything to Gram. She didn't want to burden her. Gram had enough to worry about with her daughter and son-in-law, Ana's parents, being werewolf hunters currently tracking down wolves in Europe.

Gram held the seer's book in her frail hands. "Did you…," Gram asked expectantly, but her voice faltered when she saw Ana's face. "You didn't see selkies then, I take it."

Ana shook her head. Unbidden, tears streamed down her face.

"Come here, child," Gram said gently, and Ana curled up beside her on the soft bed, as she had when she had been much younger and nightmares had scared her. Now Ana had something much more dangerous frightening her.

Gram rubbed her back and murmured soft words into Ana's ear, but Ana didn't hear them. A long moment later, Ana pulled back and wiped her tears away. She exhaled a deep breath and steeled her nerve. This was no way for a self-proclaimed vampire hunter to act.

She clasped her hands in her lap and stared at them. "I know what I can see."

"And?"

"Vampires." Now she looked at her mom's mother.

Gram's only reaction was to raise her eyebrows. "You're certain? It's only dusk now."

Ana nodded. "Oh, I'm certain, all right," she said bitterly. "He stayed within the shadows of the forest."

"He must be a very old, very powerful vampire to be out and about during the sunlit hours, whether in the shadows or not. Ana, promise you will not go back there." Her gram's normally soft voice held a desperate note.

"I won't."

"Ana," her gram said warningly.

"I said I won't."

"You're just like your mother, and I know that look in your eye all too well because she had it, too. Do not try to be a hero."

Ana clenched her hands into tight fists. "So it's ok for my parents to tramps around the world killing werewolves but I can't be a vampire hunter?"

"Promise me, Ana, or else you will not be allowed to leave this cottage for the rest of the summer." Gram tilted her head and tapped a finger to her cheek. "I'm so glad there aren't any known vampires in Pennsylvania."

Gram lived in North Carolina. Ever summer since she was six, Ana spent with her. Her stomach twisted with homesickness. She loved the big house in Pennsylvania, but more importantly, Ana missed her parents. Certainly, they would understand her desire to fight supernatural enemies.

"Promise me, Ana," Gram repeated in a more serious tone.