Author's Note: As I'm sure you've been eagerly awaiting, Chapter 2 is here. This chapter was super fun to write, and I enjoyed it. Ironically, as I wrote it, I realized one thing...At eight-years-old, I hero-worshipped Penny Forrester as much as I hero-worship my present-day best friend. Seriously, I could replace Penny, in this story, with a character based on my best friend, and the story wouldn't change.

What does that say about eight-year-old Vampyre? Wow...

Enjoy! I own Abri, who is based on me

The crisp bite of the autumn air was enough to put a spring in the step of young Abri Bennett. October 31st, as always, proved a ghoulish day with decorations littering doorsteps aplenty, in preparation for the coming night.

Abri didn't care much for that; the only thing that proved noteworthy to the girl was the summons from her best friend, in the form of a message, reading.

Meet me at my house. I have a little secret. I've missed you, Abri.

Penn

The text ended in a note-like fashion, with the familiar nickname that Abri remembered calling her childhood best friend. To many, she was Penny Forrester—well-known child actress of TV for people ranged 18-to-35—to others, she was Penelope Bridget Forrester.

To Abri, she was Penn. And she always would be.

Traipsing up the front steps to the modest home with a white, wraparound porch, Abri knocked twice upon the door, in rapid succession, and then waited patiently to be allowed inside.

Silence answered her, when she imagined Bolt would've started barking and running through the house, only to be calmed by Penny or her mother, before Abri would be welcomed indoors. There was no reverberating bark, no thudding of running footsteps, no muffled statements of "Here, boy. It's okay!" or "Calm down, Bolt, it's just Abri." Or "Somebody's excited to see Abri, aren't you, Bolty boy?"

The last statement made the pixie-haired brunette snicker to herself.

Footsteps were heard inside, and moments later, the front door was opened, revealing the auburn locks of Penny Forrester. Deep brown eyes peeked out from the corner, before Penny made herself visible. There was no noticeable difference to her childhood friend, Abri noted, except for the fact that Penny was…a bit paler than she remembered. Brushing it aside, Abri beamed up at her (for her friend was at least a foot and a half taller than her), bestowing Penny with a toothy smile—Abri's front teeth held a gap in-between them, as did a few of her other top teeth; a result of not getting braces at the dentist's after growing her adult teeth in. Penny always felt it gave the smaller seventeen-year-old an endearing charm about her, but never said anything, for she knew it would embarrass Abri.

Penny smiled in return, revealing straight, gapless, pearly-whites that seemed to glisten in the setting sun. The golden light seemed to set the taller girl's hair ablaze in red, and made her brown eyes appear to have a faint, crimson tint in them.

"Hey, Penn," Abri chirped, stepping forward to wrap her arms around her friend, in a welcoming embrace.

Penny smiled warmly, charmed, and gazed down at the smaller teenager. She smelled so sweet, her blood pulsing and singing, rushing beneath warm, soft, tender, delicate skin flushed a faint red from internal blood flow. As Abri wrapped her arms around Penny's torso, for she wasn't tall enough to do much else, and rested her cheek on Penny's stomach, the taller female wrapped her right arm around Abri's shoulders, gently pulling her into a warm embrace. Abri hummed in soft contentment, like a young child being reunited with their big sister or brother, and subconsciously nuzzled her cheek gently against Penny's middle.

Penny looked down at Abri with contented, half-lidded eyes; a fond, protective, loving expression, befitting that of an older sibling or parent. "Hello, my litt—" the sobriquet caught in her throat, and Penny harshly coughed into her left hand, curled into a fist. She coughed twice more, with the same intensity, convincingly (or so she hoped) faking a coughing fit.

Abri parted from the hug, and curiously tilted her head to her left, a soft smile gracing her features, almost as though she was curious about what Penny had been about to say. "You okay, Penny?" she asked, instead.

The auburn-haired female nodded in response. "Yeah, Abri, just had something caught in my throat," she answered, internally kicking herself for almost blurting out her…secret…nickname for Abri.

From where he watched them, around the corner, by the stairs, Bolt rolled his eyes at his person's slip of the tongue.

"Okay," Abri had said, believing her. Penny ushered her inside, shutting the door.

The house smelled incredible, Abri immediately noted. The scent of warm apples, cinnamon, and pie crust drifted through the interior (making the brunette hope and pray a pie was in her foreseeable future). Unable to resist, Abri began sniffing the air, and followed her nose into the living room.

As the pixie-haired brunette had hoped, a single slice of warm, cinnamon-apple pie sat upon a plate on the coffee table, steam drifting off it, a fork beside it waiting.

"I know how much you loved apple pie when we were kids," Penny said, entering the room behind her. "I hope that's still the same."

Abri only managed a nod in positive affirmation, grabbing the plate, and scooping a rather large forkful into her mouth, gasping slightly at the realization that the treat was still partially hot. She held a hand over her mouth, and exhaled through her nose a few times, before swallowing the bite, and taking another forkful, this time making sure to blow on it.

Even Bolt had to smile in amusement at that. Trotting into the room, his tail wagging underneath his cape, the dog sat at Abri's feet, and then inhaled, preparing himself.

Tilt head, eyes slightly up, ears flat against his head. Whimper ever so softly. Just like Mittens taught him. Human food had precious little nutrients in it, and the vampiric canine would have preferred blood, but he had to admit it tasted good, and at least temporarily satiated the gnawing emptiness in his gut.

A fussing whimper greeted Abri's ears as she went to take another bite. Before she could place the forkful of pie in her mouth, she glanced down at Bolt, who whimpered again, giving her the most pitiful puppy eyes she had ever witnessed in her life.

Penny sighed. "Bolt, I just fed you a little bit—"

The chunk of apple pie went falling downward, with a comet tail of pie filling. Bolt snapped up the treat in his maw, enjoying it immensely. The White Shepherd smiled, almost wolfishly, at his owner, and then licked his lips, tasting every particle of pie.

"Ago." Penny finished her statement.

Bolt snickered, in good humor.

Abri took another forkful of pie for herself. "So," she said, chewing, before she swallowed. "What did you want to tell me, Penn?"

Bolt cast his owner a piercing, almost angry look, and Penny glanced back at him with an almost saddened expression. "I have something to show you, Abri."

"What?" Abri asked. Her guileless, trusting nature struck a chord in Penny's heart—so much like a small child, despite her biological age. A child trusting her older sister. She pushed it aside. The more precious little Abri trusted her, the better. Soon…they'd be together forever.

Penny tried to ignore Bolt's piercing glare.

Inhaling, Penny answered. "I have a secret, Abri."

The brunette's attention was finally diverted from her cherished dessert. With a few licks, the fork was clean of pie filling, and Abri had it placed beside her half-eaten pie slice.

"What's your secret? You've constructed a homemade costume for me?" Abri gestured to Penny's cape. "That'd be really neat. We haven't went trick-or-treating together since we were kids."

Penny smiled weakly. My sweet, little… She lightly bit her lip, suppressing her thought, a soft groan slipping past her lips, the sound only caught by her faithful canine companion, who tried not to respond. "Not exactly, Abri. But if you'd like, I can make you a cape, like mine and Bolt's, later. The night is still young. I'm sure some trick-or-treating can be arranged."

Penny rubbed Abri's head, almost in an act of assurance. Abri found her hair sticking up in all directions afterwards. Casting a look of confusion to her friend, Abri turned her attention back to her pie.

"You're acting strange, Penn," Abri's statement was slightly muffled through pie. She watched as Penny reached into her mouth, to remove her plastic vampire fangs.

"Close your eyes, Abri," Penny said.

Bemused, but trusting that her best friend would not hurt her, Abri finished the last of her pie slice, and then placed her empty plate back onto the coffee table. Bolt ambled forward, sniffing at the plate, as though hoping for extra scraps. Penny quietly shooed him off as she stepped around the coffee table, to Abri.

Quietly, the taller girl knelt down, into a squatting position. Her left hand found its place behind Abri's neck. Her other hand brushed aside the back of Abri's hair, which was starting to grow, but was shorter than Penny's own hair. Having a clear view of Abri's neck caused the sweet scent to intensify. Saccharine, warm, thick, slightly tainted with apples and cinnamon—Abri's blood smelled a most enticing treat.

Penny, you can't…This isn't a good idea…Stop this… Bolt's pleading voice intruded into her subconscious.

"Bolt, stop!" Penny ordered, voice raised and booming. "I know what I'm doing! Why can't you—"

Abri jolted, roused out of her daze. Her eyelids fluttered into a half-lidded position. "Penny….?" Came her weak, groggy, half-asleep mutter.

The sudden movement caused her blood to rush quicker through her veins. The pulsing echoed in Penny's ears, and her nostrils were assaulted with the tantalizing combination of O-positive blood combined with the undertone of cinnamon. Penny snarled softly, cuspids elongating.

"Mine," a guttural snarl emanated from the auburn female's throat. Her eyes dilated, turning from brown to crimson, as her gaze zeroed in on Abri's jugular.

Bolt whimpered, cowering down, ears flattening against his head.

"Penny…" Abri whimpered, squirming slightly. Penny growled, and lunged forward, pinning the smaller human down amongst the few couch pillows in the corner of the sofa. Abri, dazed, weakly squirmed.

"Mine…" the demoness snarled into her prey's ear.

Bolt cowering on the rug, beside the coffee table, was the last thing Abri saw, before her vision became hazy, and darkness crept in.