Dancing past the point of no return.

L E T A

I was asleep. I was asleep, but even in my dreams I was worried.

Typical.

I was sitting on an old wooden bench that was creaking in a slightly alarming way, watching traffic pass by. It looked like I was in New York, because a bright yellow taxi screeched past me, beeping frantically.

I looked around, confused. Why was there a bench on the sidewalk?

Someone sat next to me, and the bench creaked and shook a little. 'Watch out,' I began, and then turned around to see Raphael. 'You know what, on reconsideration, don't watch out. Why are you in my dreams again? It's getting creepy.'

Raphael rolled his eyes. 'The last dream dissolved before I had time to properly explain everything. I decided to come back and try and make things a bit clearer for you.'

I sniffed and turned away. 'Please. You're Raphael, you couldn't explain things properly if your life depended on it. And you're not even alive, so that doesn't even work, does it?'

I felt like slapping him, which was a feeling I was starting to get accustomed to.

'Leta, please.' Raphael leant forwards, his dark eyes gleaming with some emotion I couldn't quite place.

'Hmm.' I sniffed. 'Nice aftershave. Let me guess- psychopathic vampire wasn't available, so you picked bloodsucking maniac?'

Raphael ignored me. He seemed to do that a lot. 'Leta, please just let me help you.'

'I don't need or want your help!' I distantly remembered this afternoon, where I'd spent about three hours freaking out and desperately wanting Raphael's- or anyone's- help, but I pushed that thought aside. 'I'm fine by myself!'

'You're turning into a darkling!' Raphael yelled, standing up- the bench shook- and glaring at me.

I didn't know what that was, but it sounded bad.

'What?' I asked, then stood up too. Embarrassingly, I only came up to the tip of Raphael's nose. 'What's a darkling?'

Raphael looked pleased that I was finally listening to him. 'Once a human has been fed vampire blood, they have to die for the transition to be complete. If they don't die, they start to become obsessed with the vampire who gave them the blood- me- and are drawn back to them. If you leave it alone long enough, the vampire blood's affects will eventually wear off, but...' He shook his head and sat down again.

I didn't.

'The Hotel will come back for you, and this time they'll feed you the blood then snap your neck, not giving you any time to adjust like I have.' He paused, and I rolled my eyes.

'What? Are you expecting a thank you? I don't think so. You tried to turn me into a vampire! But it's not working. I'm not obsessed with you.' As I said that, a trickle of doubt started to flow into my mind.

Hadn't I spent hours on my bed blaming Raphael for all my problems? Hadn't I thought about him for all that time?

Wasn't that a form of obsession?

'How do I stop it?' I demanded. 'How do I-'

I had been standing with my back to the road, and as I'd been talking a car swerved towards the sidewalk, and me. Raphael moved faster than lighting, however, and I felt myself being lifted off my feet and deposited on the bench.

I glared. 'This isn't fair, Raphael! You can't just pick me up and take me wherever you want me to go!'

Raphael blinked. 'I just saved your life.'

'It's a dream, Raphael, you can't save people's lives in dreams!' I spluttered. 'You just- I don't know-'

Raphael rolled his eyes. 'Can't you ever just say thank you?'

I crossed my arms. 'Thank you.'

He looked pleased, and I hastily added: 'Don't get used to it, Raphael.'

He snickered. 'Don't worry, I won't.'

'Can I have my dream back now?' I asked. 'Or are we still having How To Be A Vamp 101?'

'Just remember you'll feel drawn to the Hotel Dumort. You have to go there, or Camille will send someone for you.'

I nodded. 'Right. Okay. Hotel Dumort. Er, how do you spell that?'

Raphael looked blank. 'What?'

'I need to Google it,' I explained. 'So I know how to get there.'

There was a pause.

'You'll feel drawn there,' Raphael repeated. 'You'll know how to get there. Don't worry.'

'How long will it take?' I asked worriedly. 'And what... What if I don't want to go?'

'Bad things will happen,' Raphael explained. 'We want you to be a vampire badly, Leta. Certain humans..' He blinked. 'Certain humans are just made to be vampires.'

'What is this, Twilight?' I grumbled. 'Humans are made to be human, Raphael.'

'Not Twilight,' Raphael agreed. 'I don't look like Edward Cullen. And I don't sparkle. I burn.'

'That's the perfect moment for a 'I'm so hot I burn in the sun' joke,' I groaned. 'And you didn't even make it! I'm disappointed in you.'

Raphael snickered. 'Okay. Edward Cullen sparkles in the sun, but I'm so hot I burn in it.'

'Pathetic,' I said. 'But at least you're trying.'

What am I doing? I thought, suddenly horrified. I'm sitting on a bench, joking with Raphael. Anyone would think we were friends. Oh my God. I'm losing my mind. Nobody told me turning into a vampire made you crazy!

'Goodnight, Leta,' Raphael said, and the bench suddenly gave way, and I was lying awake in my bed at home.

I got out of bed, scribbled a quick message on a post-it note, stuck it on the open window and then lay back down.

The note fluttered for a few seconds before vanishing, and I grinned.

WATCHING ME SLEEP BY MY WINDOW ISN'T ROMANTIC, IT'S CREEPY, EDWARD CULLEN. -L

I rolled over in bed, and this time my dreams were undisturbed.

The friendship is happening, people. This is not a drill.

What do you think of Leta? I'm starting to think she needs to be more badass and rely on Raphael a little less. Maybe that's just me though, because I have a crippling fear of my characters not being independent enough and being too Bella Swan/ Elena Gilbert like.

I love them both but they need to be more badass and less whiny. (Elena gets better though.)

Okay, Charlotte out!

xx