Hello everyone,

I've found a second beta called Chelle6599, she has gone over this first chapter so that is the reason for me replacing it. Sorry everyone but she is utterly fabulous so I just had to add her edited version of this first chapter! To make it up to you all chapter 2 will be posted tomorrow, 10am GMT at the latest!

This is my first ever story I'm writing so please forgive me if it isn't perfect! The story has been playing around in my head for a couple of months now and I finally decided to give this a try. Please let me know what you think via reviews or PM's so I know to carry on or not. Hopefully you will all enjoy it. Lets get this show on the road!

A huge thank you to my beta HerHighnessQueenVegeta and Chelle6599 for helping me and putting up with me lol.

Disclaimer: Most characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I'm just playing!

Chapter 1

It had been two months since my Gran died from her second heart attack in a year and I just couldn't bring myself to spend one more day in her house alone with only my memories of her.

My parents died when I was seven years old and my only brother, Jason, was ten. From that day forward our grandmother raised us in her pride and joy: the 100 year old farmhouse that was built by and has always been occupied by the Stackhouse family. It was left to her when my Granddaddy Mitchell died. Poor man died before his twins, Corbett (my daddy) and Linda were born. Although the house has slowly been falling into disrepair, she took it as a matter of pride to keep it as clean and tidy as possible.

Jason moved into our parent's house when he turned 18. The house had been left to us both in our parent's will, so as soon as he was old enough he moved out on his own. He still came 'round to Gran's house every other day or so for Gran's mouthwatering home cooking. But once Jason moved out it was just me and Gran.

Gran left the house to me in her will on the condition that I signed my half of my parent's house over to Jason. I had no problem doing that because I saw Gran's home as my home for nearly my whole life-not my parent's house. Now it was just too painful to stay in Gran's home without her. I am used to having her waiting up 'till she knew I was home safely from work, either puttering around the house, tidying-up and humming along with the radio, or sitting in bed reading one of her books. I would always give her a kiss good night before I settled in. Now I don't have that and it hurt me every time I came home to an empty house.

I had been extremely close to Gran. I could talk to her about anything and everything and yet she would never judge me. She always gave me the advice I needed even when it was hard for her to say and for me to hear. She was everything to me: my Gran, my mother, my father and my best friend. She was the only person who fully accepted me for who I am.

I didn't have many friends growing up. Everyone in our small town calls me "Crazy Sookie" and has done so since I was a child. You see, I'm cursed with a disability: telepathy. I can hear other people's thoughts. People thought I was crazy because I would respond to things that I heard in their heads rather than what they said aloud. I didn't realize that I was different from everyone else. It became easier to distinguish between thoughts and what was said aloud as I got older, but by then the damage was already done. Of course growing up in such a small town people never forgot what I was like and always thought of me as crazy or were scared to be around me.

Humans are always the easiest to hear. I hear complete thoughts from them and often receive pictures. Then there are shifters and were's from which I mainly get emotions unless I'm in physical contact with them. When I touch them I can get a better read from them, but even then it's mostly pictures and the odd word or sentence here and there. Most people don't even know that weres or shifters exist, but my last boss, Sam Merlotte, is a shifter. I always knew there was something different about him from his brain pattern but never dared ask what it could be.

One night after work I had asked for a private word with him and revealed the secret of my curse. I thought with him being my boss, and as close to what you could call a friend for over 5 years, I could trust him. I also needed to tell him that the new waitress he had hired had been fired from her last job for stealing money and bottles of alcohol. Even though she hadn't taken anything from Sam yet she had thought about it quite often. He immediately had a shocked look on his face when I told him and I was so scared he would think of me as "crazy Sookie" like everyone else did. I was afraid that he'd hate that I could read his thoughts so I quickly told him that his brain was different and that I couldn't get a good read on him. He then went on to tell me why he brain was so different. I was shocked at first to learn of shifters and weres but then I found comfort in it because it meant that I wasn't the only person who was different and had a secret to hide.

So here I am in a run-down bed and breakfast room in Shreveport that I can only afford to rent for two weeks at the most, hoping that I can build a new life for myself away from Bon Temps. With a little bit of luck (well, ok, a lot of luck) I will be able to find a job and a place to rent and not have to spend a full two weeks here. Thankfully they are allowing me to pay on a night by night basis rather than paying the whole two weeks upfront.

The room is just that: a single little room. It has a single bed, a small kitchen top that holds a kettle with a small refrigerator underneath, and a cupboard that has a few mugs, glasses and plates with some old cutlery. There is a door to the right of the room with a toilet, basin and shower that look like they could defiantly use a good scrub with some bleach. Seeing the room only pushes me to find a job and decent place to rent that much harder and hopefully faster. With that thought I grab my purse and car keys and head out to find a local store.

I made it back to the bed and breakfast within an hour with the local newspaper and some basics to get me over the next few days in hand. The First thing I do is dig out the coffee, sugar and milk I bought to make a nice hot cup of coffee, then dig in my purse for a pen and settle onto the bed and start underlining ads for potential jobs in the classified section of the paper. There are three possible jobs in today's paper so I take out my cell phone and ring the numbers. Two of the jobs are for waitressing positions; one is in a restaurant working dinner shifts while the other is in a small café working throughout the day. I have the experience for both because of my last job in Bon Temps working for Sam. I was a waitress at his bar and grill, appropriately named Merlotte's, and the staff used to split the morning, lunch and dinner shifts fairly since most of our wages came from tips.

When I call I find that both advertised positions have open interviews on Thursday and Friday of this week. I then make my third phone call. This Job is for a sales-assistant in a lingerie store called Aphrodite's Closet which is not very far from here. Amelia, the manager, asked me if I could make it for an interview at 5pm. I told her that would be no problem at all and we said our goodbyes.

As soon as I hung up the phone I jumped up, dug out my bag of toiletries, and went to take a shower. Once I was clean and had brushed my teeth, I went to my suitcase and dug out my black a-line pencil skirt and a fitted white blouse. Thankfully they didn't have too many creases in them so that I didn't have to iron them. I paired the outfit with my 3 inch black kitten heals. I then dried my hair, which I decided to leave loose with a few curls to give it some height, and applied minimal makeup to convey a natural look. Once I was happy with my appearance I filled the kettle to make some ramen noodles for dinner. I know it's not very healthy but in a bed and breakfast with only a microwave or kettle I wasn't left with much choice but to go with what was easy.

I arrived for my interview ten minutes early and took a look around the store while Amelia was busy closing up. She looks to be around 26, the same age as me, has shoulder-length dark brown hair with a slight red tinge to it and bright blue eyes. Once the store was empty and the front door was locked Amelia made us both a cup of coffee and we sat on the sofa located beside the changing rooms to start the interview. Amelia explained that the job had been in the newspaper for the last three days and that I was the first person to show for an interview. This was a good sign if you ask me since I needed a job so badly. She asked me about previous jobs and what experience I had and I explained that while I hadn't worked in sales before, I do have good people skills from working in a bar for so many years. I also explained that I handled the cashing up when I was on the closing shift at Merlotte's, so she would know that handling cash wouldn't be a problem for me.

We seemed to click right from the start and conversation was relaxed and easy flowing. We had an instant rapport. At the end of the interview she told me I had the job if I wanted it, to which I of course answered with a definite yes! She asked when I could start to which I replied that I could start tomorrow.

Amelia explained that the hours of the position were 7pm 'till 12am because the shop kept later hours ever since vampires had come out of the coffin. Aphrodite's Closet stayed open late like a lot of businesses in the hopes of gaining the extra business from vamps, which I had no problem with since I was used to late shifts at the bar anyway. The only reason it closed at five today was because they were short staffed. Amelia and I would actually be working the same hours, which I was extremely happy about because I had a feeling we would become great friends. She seems like one of those people who always has a smile on her face. I "heard" that she also felt that we would get on well because she thought I was sweet and easy going.

Amelia had been working this shift alone since the last employee quit to tour different countries with her partner before they settled down to buy a house and start a family. She was desperate for someone to work nights with her because the boredom that engulfed her when it was quiet drove her crazy. I can understand that as she is a friendly, happy person and is much better suited to be around people and chatting. She felt she would have at least have someone to chat with when it was quiet now that I had taken the job.

By the time I was in my car on my way back to the bed and breakfast I started to feel as if my life was turning around and I was feeling optimistic about my future. I was finally beginning to move forward for the first time since Gran had died. With that thought I turned up the radio and sang along to a cheesy song at the top of my voice. Thank God I had my window's up because if anyone actually heard me sing they would think there was a cat being strangled somewhere.

Once back I was back in my room I realized I hadn't phoned Jason yet to let him know I had arrived safely and found a place to stay. So I dug out my cell phone and rang his number to check in and tell him the good news. He answered on the third ring saying "Hey Sis, I was getting worried because you hadn't rang yet. I tried ringing you about an hour ago, but you must have had your cell turned off. If I had to wait much longer and I would have come to search for you in person!"

Hearing the concern in his voice made me feel guilty for making him worry about me, so I quickly replied, "Oh Jason I'm so sorry I forgot all about ringing you. Things have been a little hectic here. Once I got myself a room in a bed and breakfast I went out to grab a newspaper and some groceries and got right into looking for a job."

Laughing slightly he said "No hanging around for you is there Sooks. You know that you could have waited till tomorrow so you could get settled before you started to look for a job"

"I know that was what I had planed but once I got here I still had time to ring around and I'm glad I did because I start work tomorrow! I just got back from an interview at a lingerie store." I replied the excitement clearly evident in my voice. I was also a little proud of myself for finding a job so soon. I thought it would be at least a week before I could start anywhere. I guess luck was on my side today.

"Oh Sookie that's really great!" He enthused. "I'm so pleased you sound so happy even if you are further away. I'm sure gonna miss coming around and seeing you so often but if being in Shreveport makes you happy then I guess it's worth it."

"Jason I really am happy, I have a really good feeling my life is heading in the right direction and I'm only a short drive away from you. Once I have my own place you can visit any time you like and I'm sure to be in Bon Temps often to see you! Anyway, I will let you go Jason. I just wanted you to know that I'm ok"

"Yeah ok. You make sure to ring me once you found somewhere to rent and if you need a handy man, you just let me know and I'll come help you with repairs or with the garden. I love you Sook. See ya later!"

I could hear the sincerity in his voice and it was nice to know I still had my big brother. He was the only close family I had left and after Gran died we had been each other's rock. Other than my cousin Hadley who I haven't seen or heard from in years, our only other living relative is my uncle Bartlett who I truly hope I never see or hear from again as long as I live. It's not really a story I want to get into, but he's one of them people who have hurt others so bad you just don't care what happens to them. My feelings are even worse towards him...I may actually wish him harm.

"I will Jason thanks. I love you too. Bye" With that we hung up and I looked at my watch to see that it was nearly 8pm and I was shocked that it was getting so late.

I knew I had nowhere else to go for the night so I washed off my make-up, brushed my teeth, tied my hair into a ponytail, got comfortable in my cotton nightgown and lay in bed reading the newspaper and the new romance novel that Jason bought me for my last birthday. By 11pm I could feel my eye lids getting heavy so I put my book and newspaper to one side and got up to turn the light out. I fell asleep with a smile on my face looking forward to the next day for the first time in two months.

I awoke in the morning at 8am feeling very stiff from sleeping in a strange bed. It is nowhere near as comfortable as the one back home. Standing up and stretching to my full height helped relax my muscles a lot, but what helped the most was the nice long hot shower I took. Once out of the shower I followed my morning routine of brushing my teeth and then drying my hair which I decided to just tie up in a loose ponytail for today. I applied light makeup and dug my favorite pair of jeans (which hug my curves nicely), a simple spaghetti strap white vest top and my denim jacket from my suitcase. Once I was ready I headed downstairs to the dining room for my breakfast. I must say I was defiantly ready for a full breakfast as I had only had noodles yesterday for dinner. I was served a hot cup of coffee, which I was thankful for because I can't function until I've had my caffeine. Not long after I was given my breakfast of two poached eggs, bacon and sausage, and a side serving of toast with butter and jam. I enjoyed my breakfast immensely, and then washed it all down with a refreshing cold glass of orange juice.

After I finished my breakfast I went back to my room to leave my jacket behind since it was sunny and warm, and I collected my purse and cell phone. I decided to take a walk around the park that was only a couple of blocks away from the bed and breakfast to kill some time until I had to get ready for work. Once in the park I sat on a bench to enjoy the feel of the sun's warm rays on my skin and to watch people pass by as they went about their day. There were parents letting kids run around or kick a football and they seemed to be having so much fun. I must have sat there for about two hours content and relaxed when I decided I should find somewhere to grab lunch before I needed to get back home to have a nap before work.

I found a nice little café just across the road from the park gates and was shown to a table by the window, overlooking the park. The waitress took my drink order of ice tea and left me to peruse the lunch menu. By the time she returned with my drink I had decided to order a chicken salad. While I waited for my lunch, I just sat gazing out the window thinking of the possibilities of my new life. When I was finished I settled my tab making sure to leave a tip and made my way back to the bed and breakfast. I changed into my nightgown and set the alarm on my cell for 4pm which would give me 3 hours to sleep before I needed to get ready. It must have taken me a good hour to finally get to sleep because I wasn't very tired, but felt I really should at least try and get some rest before work.

When the alarm went off I was disorientated for a minute but soon realized where I was and that I needed to get up to get showered and dressed. Once I had showered and dried my hair I looked through the clothes I had with me and choose to wear a pair of chocolate colored slacks with a cream satin halter-neck top that showed my cleavage off nicely and a pair of sensible cream pumps with two inch heels. I styled my hair in a French twist up-do, pinning it in place with bobby pins and applied my make-up in a soft, smoky look. When I had applied my perfume I grabbed my clutch bag, put my cell, cash and lip gloss in and quickly made a sandwich to have for dinner on my break. I then went out to my car and started the drive to work.

By the time I pulled into the parking lot I had to calm myself a little because I was getting that nervous feeling you get on your first day at school. I reapplied my lip gloss, put my "Crazy Sookie" smile on my face to hide my nerves, and entered Aphrodite's closet. As soon as I entered I got a big smile and a wave from Amelia who told me that she would be with me as soon she was finished helping a customer. I went through the staff door into the back office and put my bag in the cupboard that Amelia had showed me yesterday, and then headed to the front of the store again.

"Hey Sookie, it's good to see you." Amelia said.

"You too Amelia. I'm excited to learn the ropes and get started, even if I am a little nervous." I said with a genuine smile. It's hard not to have a genuine smile around Amelia.

"Well let's get you started! You have nothing to be nervous about. I will show you where we keep stock and how to use the till and I'm sure you will pick it all up right away."

She went on to explain everything I needed to know about the job and what I should and shouldn't do, and before I knew it I had my first customer. Everything went smoothly and I gradually relaxed into my new job and was really enjoying it. When things were quiet Amelia and I would chat about our lives and she told me how she had moved from New Orleans a couple of years ago for a change of scenery. But then I heard from her head that she felt the need to move away because her dad always smothered her and wanted her to work for him when she really didn't want to do so. In the end she told him she was moving to Shreveport to spread her wings and grow up to be her own woman. He hadn't taken the news well but had finally come around and they were back on speaking terms before the move actually happened. Amelia was loving living in Shreveport, not constantly feeling under the watch of her father's eye, and being free to do as she pleased. She was truly happy.

I told her about my life back in Bon Temps up (leaving out my telepathy), and then my reasons for moving here.

"So do you live far from work then, Sookie?" Amelia asked once our latest customers had left.

I blushed a little feeling embarrassed that I didn't even have a home here yet but replied truthfully. "Well, I'm actually looking for somewhere to rent. I only got here yesterday, then seen the job advertised in the local paper. At the minute I'm just staying in a bed and breakfast."

With that a customer came in who I went to help and Amelia seemed to go quiet as if she was thinking hard about something so I stayed out of her head to give her some privacy. About five minutes later when I returned to her side after helping the customer she turned to me with a huge smile on her face.

"Why don't you move in with me? I have plenty of room...my house is much too big for only me." Amelia said, and no matter how hard I had my shields in place, she was broadcasting so loudly that I couldn't help but hear her thoughts. She was truly excited with the idea. She was thinking "wow wouldn't it be cool to have a roomie? Especially one I worked the same hours with! We could even car pool to work. I sure am lonely living alone and Sookie seems genuinely nice. We could have movie nights when we're not at work...she would be the sister I never had!"

"Amelia, are you sure?" I answered. "You hardly know me! I mean, I don't mean to sound ungrateful; I would love to live with you! Heck, I already feel like I've known you for months not just two days." I stated totally stunned at her wonderful offer.

Amelia looked a little hurt until I said I would love to live with her. And then I saw the smile return as soon as the words had left my mouth. "Sookie if I wasn't sure I wouldn't have offered it. I feel exactly the same. Yesterday when we met I felt like we just clicked. It would get you out of that bed and breakfast and I wouldn't be so lonely living alone. My dad bought me the house so there wouldn't be any rent to pay. We could just split the bills and share the chores. I'm sure it would be great!" I could see the hope in her eyes and feel the sincerity of her offer when she spoke and I just couldn't refuse. It would be better than where I was now and cheaper than renting my own place. It would also be fabulous to have a friend in a place where I know absolutely no one.

"Well, if you're sure I'd absolutely love to move in with you!" No sooner than the words left my mouth Amelia's arms were wrapped around me and she was jumping on the spot squealing like a child on Christmas morning. After a split second of shock had passed, I quickly wrapped my arms around her and joined in the excitement. My mood soon soured as a thought went through my mind. Amelia took a step back and looked at my face and said, "Sookie what's wrong, you look like you have seen a ghost."

Unsure of how to tell her about my curse, I just blurted it out as fast as I could. "Amelia I need to tell you a secret about myself, something that I have only ever told two people." She just looked at me calmly, waiting for me to continue. I could hear all the possibilities running through her mind, "Does she snore? Sleepwalk maybe? No it must be something more serious by the look on her face… she couldn't be a transvestite could she? No she is to pretty and feminine and those tits are defiantly real. My god she isn't on the run from the police is she? Or maybe people are after her and that's why she only got here yesterday and needs a job so quick!" All these thoughts ran through her head so fast it was almost hard to keep up.

Taking a deep breath I said "I'm telepathic; I can hear people's thoughts." There I said it! Hopefully she wouldn't think of me as a freak like most other people who suspect that I'm different do.

Then she surprised me as she thought at me "Can you hear me now?" I just nodded. Then she thought at me "I have a secret too." I just had a confused look on my face when she thought at me "I'm a witch." I must have looked shocked because then she said out loud. "OH Sookie! Please don't hate me! I'm not evil, and I'm not like what you hear in story books!" I could tell it was the truth from her mind and that she was genuinely worried that I would hate her. Now it was my turn to throw my arms around her, I just hugged her tight and told her I didn't hate her and she hugged me back. She then said how cool it must be to hear what people thought and when customers had come and gone from the shop, she would ask what they were thinking. I was just so happy she took my secret so well so that I went along with her little game. There were no negative thoughts at all; she also realized right away how important it is that she keeps my secret to herself and I was very grateful. Soon enough our shift was coming to an end and she told me I could move in tomorrow if I wanted. I, of course, said how great that would be and told her that I would be there as soon as I finished my breakfast and packing. She wrote her address down and gave me her cell number in case I got lost, and then we finished closing up and went our separate ways.

The next day I woke at 9am, ran through my normal morning routine as fast as I could because I was excited to get to Amelia's, and headed down to the dining room for breakfast. I chose a cup of coffee, pancakes with syrup, and a glass of orange juice today all of which I enjoyed very much. As soon as I was done in the dining room I went up my room to pack my suitcase then sign out of the God-awful bed and breakfast. Once I stowed my suitcase in the trunk of my car I got my map of Shreveport out and looked up Amelia's address.

I'm glad Amelia warned me that the turn-off for her place was discreet otherwise I may have driven right past it. Once I made the turn I drove about 25 yards before I came to two large iron gates with an intercom system. Amelia answered when I pressed the call button and buzzed me through the gates. I went up the rest of the driveway and was surprised by how much land Amelia had. I pulled up in front of a beautiful and charming farm house, got out of my car, grabbed my suitcase and made my way up to the front door where Amelia was waiting. She asked if I needed help with my bags, but I told her all I had with me was my one suitcase. I had left the majority of my possessions in Bon Temps until I found somewhere to settle and would go and collect them over the next few days.

Amelia invited me into my "new home" as she put it, and I walked into a very welcoming and spacious reception hall. When she was giving me the tour she explained,

"My dad gave me this house. He works in construction and bought this to renovate and rent out, but once I told him that Shreveport was where I had decided to move he said he had the perfect house for me. He was right because it is as if this house was built for me! I love it! It's my dream home. It's even more perfect now I have a roomie to share it with!" She said with a proud smile.

"I can see what you mean by a perfect home Amelia! It's absolutely beautiful." I replied.

And beautiful it is! The living area has a relaxing and homey feel to it with a fabulous open log fireplace and two huge sofas with scatter cushions that just yelled out to be snuggled on with Gran's afghan and a big bucket of popcorn while we watch movies all night. I'm sure me and Amelia will do a lot in the future. The kitchen is very modern with all the top-of-the-line appliances and gadgets in stainless steel that you could imagine. The kitchen counter tops are made of black marble as is the tiling on the floor. All the kitchen cabinets are white open grain to finish the contemporary look. The dining room is very elegant and holds a large conservative dining table with enough room to sit ten people. There is another wonderful open fireplace in the dining room that would surely give off a delightful glow for ambiance and a lovely view of Amelia's garden, of which I can see she takes very good care.

The upstairs features three bedrooms, each decorated differently but all with a light and airy feel and a walk in closet. Each bedroom also features an ensuit bathroom. There is another bathroom in the hallway and a small room that could be a bedroom, but Amelia uses that as an extra storage room. Obviously Amelia has the master bedroom but told me I was welcome to choose which room I'd prefer from the others. I decided to take the room at the back overlooking the garden which would get the most natural light from the sun. The room was appointed with soft colors' and delicate textures with lots of flowers which evoked a soft and dreamy ambience. The room holds a queen size four poster bed with a white canopy. The ensuit features an enormous free-standing claw foot bath tub, big enough to easily fit two people, in the middle of the room. There is also a double shower cubicle in the corner and a toilet and basin along the right wall. Once I had chosen which room I was taking Amelia left me to get settled in while she went down to the kitchen to make us some lunch.

By the time I had put my clothes away, organized my toiletries in the bathroom and returned to the kitchen, Amelia was just finishing up making grilled chicken Caesar salad. While she was doing that I poured us both a glass of apple juice and we sat down to eat lunch. Conversation ran easy and we spoke about chores and bills and how we would split them. Once we were done eating I cleaned away our dishes and wiped down the surfaces as that was one thing we agreed on; who ever cooks the other cleans away. After lunch we went out to the garden and Amelia showed me around. Her garden is beautiful with lots of flowers and a part that is fenced off where she has a vegetable patch and herb garden. She told me that a lot of the herbs that she grows are for use in spells when using her magic. I was fascinated when she was explaining the different things she could do with them. I was blown away by the view when she led me to the far end of her land. You could see for miles overlooking Cross Lake. It looked amazing with the sun reflecting off of the surface. I would defiantly be bringing a fold away chair down here with my book to read in the very near future.

We made our way back to the house and I washed what laundry I had and the sheets from my bed to freshen them up because Amelia said she hadn't washed them in the last month or so. The bed hadn't been slept in but it still isn't the same if they are not fresh. Once I had everything done, Amelia and I went to our separate rooms to get ready for work. We decided that we might as well just use one car to get to work since we would be working the same nights and hours. Starting today Amelia would take us in her car for the rest of this week and I would take us the following week. We decided to rotate that responsibility on a weekly basis.

Not much later we pulled into the car park at work and went in to relieve the day shift workers. We were pretty quiet for the first couple of hours, but then something happened that gave me the biggest shock of my life! It was a pleasant and scary shock all at the same time. I met a void! By a void I mean someone whose mind had no noise… no thoughts... no emotions… nothing! Well except for an impression of age. At least I think that's what it was. That was very strange indeed as this was a whole new feeling: something I've never experienced before. That's how I knew that this person must be a vampire. I've never met a vampire before, what with me living my whole life in a small backwater town like Bon Temps. There really isn't anything in Bon Temps that would draw anyone, be it vampire or human, unless of course people from out of town come to visit family. Even then most the locals know everyone's family and friends and none have ever been vampires.

Amelia was already dealing with a customer so I had all of a few seconds to school my face from the shocked expression that I was sure I was wearing to a welcoming smile, but the best I could do was my Crazy Sookie smile. Luckily I have plenty of practice at not showing emotions because of the rude and obnoxious thoughts of the bar patrons at Merlotte's when I worked as a waitress. It is pretty hard to smile and be nice when all you want to do is hit the guy in front of you over the head with your tray for thinking disgusting things about your body, what he would like to do to your body, or even what he would like to watch his wife doing to your body. Yep more than five years of experiencing that kind of thing gives you enough time to learn how to control facial expressions, so thankfully I don't think this vampire noticed my reaction. Giving myself a little mental shake to clear my thoughts I walked over to greet my newest customer.

"Hello there, I'm Sookie. Can I be of any assistance tonight?" I asked with what I hoped was a friendly tone.

Eyeing me up and down carefully (which made my insides shiver) the vampire replied "I'm sure you could, but not in the way you mean… for now I will just browse around and see what you have here."

Well the way I was looked at seemed so rude, so I took what was said to be my signal to leave the vampire to her own devices and I went over to Amelia who was behind the sales desk. I gave her a look that I hoped said "Holy cow! That's a vampire!" while glancing over to where the vampire was standing. Amelia did pick up what I was trying to say, and I'm sure she recognized the little apprehension that was in my eyes because she replied mentally, "It's ok Sookie, just act normal around vamps, and try not to show any fear because they can smell it and it turns them on." I guess she knew this was the first vampire I had ever met and she had a smirk on her lips. I actually snorted at what she said which I tried to disguise as a cough and she went on thinking to me "they have amazing hearing also so that's why I'm saying this mentally. Once the shop is empty I will bring you up to date on the dos and don'ts of vampire ways. Sorry, I should of explained it all to you before your first shift."

As it turned out the vampire choose a couple of very sexy lingerie sets, paid and left without so much of even a thank you, which I thought wasn't very polite at all. Manners are a big thing to me because they were always something Gran made sure I used. She used to say "Manners don't cost a thing so use them freely."

When the store was quiet Amelia explained that vampires don't do things like shaking hands or smile often. They don't feel the need to be very friendly or polite, so they rarely have conversations when they come in and prefer to just be left to shop without assistance. She said the best way to assist them is to welcome them and let them know you can help if needed, but that nine times out of ten they prefer to be left alone. I told Amelia how I couldn't hear the vampire's thoughts as well as how amazing it felt. She informed me that it was a very good thing because if I could hear them it could put me in a lot of danger. She told me that they are very secretive about their ways, which when I thought about it, I understood. After all, they have hiding from humans for who-knows how many hundreds of years and I'm sure that would be a hard habit to break. Once our shift was over we went back home had a light supper with a hot chocolate. I then went straight to bed because I was practically falling asleep on my feet.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Amelia and I really bonded and found that we had quite a lot in common. She loved to lie out in the sun and tan nearly as much as I did, so we did that as often as possible when the weather permitted. She was fond of reading but she wasn't into romance novels like I was: she read a lot of her spell books and did research on the internet. I told Amelia I didn't have a clue how to use a computer or the internet and she promised to teach me one day.

When she was practicing her magic I would watch with much fascination and she was always patient with me, explaining what the different ingredients she was using in her spells were and why they were needed. She told me about her mentor and teacher, Octavia Fant, who was a witch from New Orleans. Octavia taught her just about all she knew about magic in the years they had spent together before Amelia moved to Shreveport. They still kept in regular contact by telephone or email, and Octavia would often send Amelia new spell books or copies of the spells she created. I could tell from Amelia's thoughts that she looked up to and respected Octavia; she was almost as close to her as I had been with Gran.

I had been back to Bon Temps a couple of times to get the rest of my clothes and personal items such as Gran's jewelry and the family photo albums. I went to visit Sam at the bar to see how he was doing and saw a few of the regulars. Everyone seemed to be more relaxed around me now that they didn't see me on a day to day basis. I couldn't really blame them because I think I would be uncomfortable around someone who knew all my secrets without being told them. I'd seen Jason each time I had been in Bon Temps and he had also come to visit me in Shreveport. He came over for dinner and was impressed by Amelia's house. He was very happy to see me moving on with my life. Jason and Amelia got on really good and she told him he was welcome any time because it was now my home as well. I was surprised to hear her say that so easily, but when I thought about it, it really was my home now. I never thought I would see somewhere else as my home when I left the farmhouse in Bon Temps, just somewhere I lived, but I truly did feel at home here.

I thought about renting my farmhouse out to make some extra cash, but even though it wasn't my home anymore I didn't want just any Tom, Dick or Harry moving in, and I defiantly didn't want to sell it. On my latest visit to Bon Temps I'd seen Hoyt Fortenberry, Jason's childhood friend, and he told me that he and his girlfriend Holly Cleary were looking for a place to rent. It felt right to rent them my farmhouse because I had known Hoyt most of my life and knew he would take good care of it. He had been at Gran's farmhouse a lot as a child playing and sleeping over and has always been very sweet natured. I never picked up any hatred or nastiness from his thoughts.

I explained to him that I still had a lot of belongings there that I didn't want to get rid of but didn't have the room to store in Shreveport and that I would have to store it all in the attic. He had no problem with this and said 3 bedrooms was enough room for him and Holly. So I now have two incomes which help a lot because Amelia has a love for shopping and always talks me into going along with her. I had never had a lot of spare cash with it being only me and Gran for so long. We used to just make ends meet when it came to bills, groceries and property taxes, so I've never had the cash to splash on nice new clothes and accessories. Now with the rent from the farmhouse and my wages from Aphrodite's Closet I have been enjoying the ability to treat myself to new things.

I was now fully trained on my job and knew the ins and outs of everything there was to know about it. Amelia even taught me about all the suppliers they used and how to place orders. There had been quite a few vampires in the shop and I had become accustomed to just greeting them and letting them know I was there to help if they needed any assistance. I found that Amelia was defiantly right when she told me that most won't want my help and that they prefer to look for themselves. I didn't think vampires were especially rude and impolite now because I had learnt that the way they greeted and say goodbye to others was a small nod of the head. I think I must of just missed that when I had met my first vampire because I now notice that most do at least nod to me. Most vampires don't speak much except for the occasional reply if I ask how they're doing, or a polite "No thank you." when I offer assistance. Vampires are defiantly not ones for making small talk that's for sure.

Amelia had become fond of one of the vampire customers who came in about once a week since I had started working. I noticed as soon as the lady walked in that Amelia was instantly attracted to her. She was very petite with long, perfectly straight honey blonde hair and blue eyes. Her eye makeup was very dark, and she had blood red lipstick on. She was dressed in a smokin' hot black PVC mini dress with a low cut neckline and extremely short skirt with lace up sides, which was revealing a lot of naked flesh. She had completed her outfit with a pair of thigh-high black PVC boots that had what looked like at least a 6 inch heel. From what I could tell with my new skill she seemed to be around 300 years old.

She looked very intimidating to me. Once she noticed Amelia gaping at her she gave Amelia a smile showing a hint of fang which if going by Amelia's thoughts was a huge turn on. We had both been pleasantly surprised by how much chattier she was compared to other vampires, but she still wasn't as chatty as our normal human customers.

Over the course of a few visits to the store we found out she was called Pam and that she was co-owner of a bar called Fangtasia that was located just down the block from the store. That explained her outfits which were always made of tight fitting leather or PVC in colors of black or deep red. Amelia and I had both heard of Fangtasia but neither of has had ever been there. Most of the customers there tended to be what people referred to as "fangbangers": people who believed that vamps all loved the gothic/punk look like the clothes Pam wore and hoped to have sex with and be bitten by a vampire. The other customers were the tourists who visited the bar for their chance to see real vampires and "live on the wild side".

I noticed quickly that Amelia always tried to serve Pam so that she could talk to her more. Well I wouldn't really call it talk… they were constantly flirting with each other. But it never went any further than flirting, so I always stayed back when she came in so Amelia could greet her.

It's now Monday night and Amelia and I are once again at work. It's a normal night with the usual amount of foot traffic when Pam walks in looking vastly different than she usually does. She was now dressed like your typical young suburban housewife, she must of only been 21 or so when she was made vampire, she was dressed in a beautifully tailored pant suit which was a very pale pink with a cream blouse under the boyfriend style jacket and finished with a pair of cream 3 inch open toe heals with a sling back fastening. It wasn't until Pam sniggered that I realized that Amelia and I were both standing with our mouths wide open and our eyes as wide as saucers. I swear I could faintly hear my Gran's voice in the back of my mind harshly whispering "Sookie! It's rude to stare like that. Close your mouth or you're gonna catch flies!"

I was the first to pull myself together, so with an awkward, shy smile I said "Oh Pam, I'm sorry! It's just a surprise to see you dressed so differently. You look fabulous by the way!" Once Amelia had stuttered a couple of times she was finally able to tell Pam that she thought she looked amazing. Pam then asked Amelia for a private word. As they walked off to the corner I just barely kept the look of surprise from creeping back on my face. On her way back out Pam looked very pleased with herself and said how it was good to see me and she would see me another night. Amelia then came over looking equally as pleased as Pam and told me that Pam had asked her to go out with her next Monday night. Apparently Fangtasia was closed on Mondays and it was Pam's only night off from work. Amelia had sweetly told Pam that would be nice and now she was extremely excited, wondering what to wear and where they would be going.

Chapter 2 is nearly done!