Sequel to Bring Me to Life. Started writing it shortly after Halloween of '05. I'll probably edit it a hundred times or more before I'm finally satisfied with all of this, but whatever. Enjoy.

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Jade Artcel had first met Devin about two months before the end of their seventh grade year at Hedge Middle School in Blackwater, Washington. They'd gone out for a short period of time, but eventually separated. However, they remained close friends through the three years, getting together on holidays and such just to hang out.

Last Halloween, Devin had taken the Amtrak train to Portland, where he met up with one of his best friends, Shiera Lectra. Upon his return the following Saturday afternoon, his conversation on the topic of Shiera was unusually scarce, especially considering his talkative standards. Jade had pestered him the entire bus ride to her house about his brunette friend, who'd only stuck around for little more than half her eighth grade year at Hedge Middle School before moving back to Portland with her dad.
Devin had relayed hardly any answers to her questions before she finally changed the subject to something entirely different a few seconds later.

But now it was a year later, Halloween of 2007. Both Jade and Devin were Sophomores at Blackwater High School, and were still extremely close friends- which would explain why the two were alone in Jade's house that very evening, discussing how to spend the traditional night.

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To be perfectly honest, Jade was not the least bit surprised when Devin produced and suggested an old, worn leather-bound book to read in the dark with a flashlight. She was no stranger to his annual ways of summoning monsters and killing people each year. In the life prior to this one, Jade had actually been partnered with him for a short while ' emphasis on the word 'short.' But then jade had learned to scorn the boy's ways of being too pathetic to kill people on his own without a long, dramatic death scene.

Their partnership had then ended, and Jade took over the role of her twin, not-yet-dead-or-undead sister's guardian angel ' or demon, it depended on how one was looking at the situation. She and Devin's current incarnations then had eventually become rivals, competing each year to see who could kill the most people by January 1st. Much to Devin's incarnation's horror, Jade's death total was almost always higher than his ' despite the fact that he had help from his three summoned 'friends.' She had a secret as to why this was: instead of targeting younger, more difficult victims (like Devin did), Jade went for the older, slightly sour-tasting blood; like those in retirement homes and hospitals.

Wherever she went, Jade always wore a small, glittering pendant on a chain around her neck ' that was the only thing connecting her to her sister's aura, so that she could sense when she gave signs of weakening and arrive in the nick of time to bring her to the world of the undead ' which, under normal circumstances, could only occur sometime on Halloween night.

Unfortunately, her plan had come to an abrupt halt when Devin interfered. Their paths had crossed for the first time in at least half a decade, and he'd chattered Jade's pendant upon catching her once by surprise. Jade had flown into a rage, launching herself at Devin with eyes blazing. She remembered trying to kill him on that day, how they'd fought furiously for hours. Both of them had produced daggers, and were slashing at each other to no avail. She'd actually had a chance of killing him, too, when she pinned him down with her blade to his throat. But then, something had stopped her and she'd left to find her sister.

Unfortunately, the latter part never happened ' she never was able to find the other girl, not even during the transition between that life to this one, in which Jade had nearly given up on finding her sister.

And, amazingly, she was contemplating all this while standing in the bathroom, tightly gripping the marble edge of the counter while staring grimly at her reflection, her breathing shallow. She closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled a slow, shaky breath to clam her nerves She shouldn't be worried'�Devin couldn't possibly know what she was up to ' he obviously didn't recognize her for what she was'�what she'd been when they were partners.

But still, that didn't explain why her stomach was turning violently in her gut, threatening to spill its contents as she thought out what she was going to do: she was going to kill Devin. She'd bite his throat, savor the heavenly blood for a moment or two, then die alongside him ' for it is only too well-known among bloodsuckers that one vampire cannot drink the blood of another vampire without dying shortly after the one they've killed. Jade reopened her eyes, which were now glowing a vacant, dimly glowing blue.

'Jade, are you dead in there or something?'�

She forced back the unsettling vomit rising up her throat and called back,
'�Just a second!'�
Swallowing again, she unlocked the bathroom door and opened it, walking out to the dark hall and turning right into her living room. Devin was waiting, cross-legged, on the floor with the book in front of him and the flashlight's beam pointing upward onto his face.
'�It's about time,'� he said, feigning annoyance in his tone, 'I was starting to think you'd drowned in the toilet or something.'�

Under normal circumstances, Jade would have lashed back with a sarcastic remark. These circumstances, however, were not normal, so she just nodded shortly and sat down across from Devin, inwardly grateful for the lack of light in the room ' he would have no doubt questioned her eyes' strange coloring. He opened his mouth to say something, having hardly any time to react before she acted before him.

In an instant she was beside him, her traditional dagger unsheathed and pressed against his throat. She allowed a shallow cut to appear on the skin there, and slid her finger across the gathering blood, then flicking it onto the open book.
'Death, fire, and serpent divine, allow only one to be summoned this time. Revenge is inevitable, blood shall be shed. By the end of the night, this vampire will be dead.'�

The glow in her eyes intensified at the incantation, a shimmering blue light that almost matched the yellow one of the flashlight that had been dropped to the floor in Devin's surprise. The flashlight then flickered and went out entirely as the room grew and almost deathly cold.
'�You don't remember me,'� she whispered into Devin's ear, the blade of her dagger still pressed against his throat, 'maybe Reaper can convince you.'�

She stood up and took two steps away from Devin, her right hand holding the dagger stretched at arm's length. The blade itself took on a bluish glow as she traced a pentagram shape in the air. The shape remained, hovering, long after she finished and said, 'Come forth ' Reaper.'�

A pair of red, narrowed eyes pierced the darkness in the center of the pentagram. A shadow silhouette formed, too, then materialized into a cloaked female figure bearing the handle of a scythe in one hand at her side. At the sight of Jade, her now-gray eyes widened in a mixture of shock and revulsion.

'Miss me?'� Jade quipped silkily. Reaper's eyes narrowed at her for a moment before turning to Devin and locking her gaze with his. The boy went completely tense while being put under the hypnotic spell of his own minion. His vacant blue eyes were transfixed, the expression on his face belonging to that of some unknown mixture of emotion. Then, just as Jade had found herself beginning to enjoy the hypnotized helplessness, the vacant look in his eyes disappeared and was replaced by one of instant recognition.

'Jade,'� he spat venomously. Jade lifted an eyebrow.
Devin continued, his mouth upturning into a smirk,
'�So, found your sister yet?'�

Anger surged through the female teenager.
'�It's your fault, you backstabbing bastard!'�

Reaper dissolved back into the shadows for her own reasons a Jade lunged at him, once again aware of the dagger clenched in her fist. Though she knew it would do no good even before she'd done it, she plunged the blade into Devin's shoulder yanking it back out and savoring the brutal satisfaction of his screams.

'Oh, stop whining,'� she cooed mockingly, 'it's not like that'll kill you.'�

Unfortunately for Devin, it certainly felt as though he was dying. Pain shot from his shoulder, searing every nerve of his body. Had he been onlooking the scene instead of experiencing it, he might have concluded that half of this was due to his vampiric transformation.

But in the meantime he sat there on the floor, clutching his shoulder even as it began to heal itself, steam rising from the knife wound. Jade looked in disgust at the dagger blade, stooping down to wipe both sides clean on the carpet, keeping her eyes locked on Devin.

When the pain finally subsided, he stared back at her, his eyes burning with fury and hatred. He staggered to his feet, closing his eyes for a brief moment to sense Reaper in the shadows behind him. Already, he was forming a plan to rid himself of Jade's existence for a final time.

'Tell Reaper to move, and you'll be sorry you ever opened that book.'� Jade's voice interrupted his thoughts. He opened his eyes to see her kneeling on the floor with dagger in hand, as though ready to spring at him should he make a wrong move. But for all he knew, she wouldn't know if he did the exact opposite of what he was told. Through weak telepathy, he communicated to his ghostly subject, who vanished from behind him as soon as the communication was complete.

'That's it; I've had it with you.'�
Within the next instant, Jade had leapt from the floor and was beside him with her knife pressed again to his throat.
'�I warn you ' now you're going to pay double for what I've had to endure all this time.'�

Devin, however, had been expecting such a thing; so this time he didn't hesitate to grab her wrist and twist it back with a quick, single motion that caused her to drop the knife in her hand. Then he bent his knees slightly and threw himself down onto the floor, taking Jade with him. The two of them dragged each other along the ground for some time, each doing anything and everything possible to overpower the other. But it was only too obvious, after twenty minutes of snarling, punching, scratching and biting, that they weren't going to have a winner in their fight.

Their strengths were at the same level, each one at the peak of their abilities. Jade had finally had enough. She rolled away from Devin, grasped the handle of her dagger and held it firmly in front of her.
'Sit. I call a truce. I won't kill you, provided you cooperate.'�

After a few furtive glances around the room (as though someone unwanted might be looking on), Devin nodded hesitantly and sat down across from her. Jade carefully sheathed the dagger, then turned her gaze to meet his as she sat down, too.

'Before you say anything,'�
she began, just when Devin opened his mouth to speak. He snapped his jaw shut, as though afraid she might attack him again without warning if he didn't do so. Jade disregarded this and continued,
'�I know what you are and what you do; so there's no denying that. And, also,'�
She paused, her dimly glowing eyes glinting in a way that set Devin at a slight unease.
'�I want you to tell me what you've been up to lately.'�

Devin rubbed the back of his neck nervously, clearing his throat before he said anything.
'�Well, uh'�I haven't killed anyone since last Halloween.'�
He seemed truthfully hesitant to admit anything to her ' and he had good reason, too.

'Who?'�
The glitter in Jade's eyes intensified.

'Some girl I pretended to be friends with ' Shiera, I think was her name. Anyway, I led her on this big wild goose chase, making her think that I had no idea what was going on. Stupid girl,'� he mused, 'put up a little fight before going down, though.'�

Though he seemed rather proud of himself at this, Jade had whitened considerably and was now staring at him with a fierce, ruthless intensity. 'Shiera'�'� she murmured, as if testing the weight of the name on her tongue, ''�What was her last name?'�

Devin pretended not to notice the slight falter in Jade's voice.
'�Lectra,'� he replied slowly, 'why?'�

The look on Jade's face was now one of horrified disbelief.
'You. Killed. Shiera?'�
He shifted uncomfortably. ''�Yeah,'� he admitted, with some unease.
Jade's eyes widened.
'�You. Killed. Shiera?!'� The pitch in her voice rose considerably with each word.

Now frustrated as to her behavior, Devin exclaimed,
'Yeah! Why does it matter?'�

Jade took a few deep breaths, though her voice when she spoke sounded as though she might start screaming at any moment.
'Dude. That's my sister.'�

The color drained from Devin's face.
'Y-Your sister? You're serious?'�

Jade slapped her palm to her forehead.
'Spell my last name backwards.'�

Devin proceeded to look at the ceiling while attempting to think.
'�Your last name's Artcel'�L-E-C-T-R'�oh. Oh, wow.'�

Jade looked skeptical. 'You'�what'd you do with her after you killed her?'�

'I, uh'�I left her at the school.'�

She couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief. 'Oh, good'�they don't cremate the dead people there.'�

He raised one eyebrow in confusion, unable to see what Jade was getting at. Then the pieces in his mind all clicked into place. 'Ohhh'�'� he said, blinking a few times.
'You want to revive your sister and make her undead?'�

'Bingo.'�

After a few more moments of consideration, Devin looked confused again.
'�And how are you gonna do that?'�

As if putting the thought into serious contemplation for the first time, Jade sighed quietly and ran a hand through her hair. She finally spoke after a few moments of prolonged silence.
'We go to Portland, then raid the cemetery for Shiera's grave. I can use a spell to bring her back.'�

'Then she'll be one of us?'� asked Devin. She nodded, a small glimmer of distrust still shining in her eyes.

'But first we need to send Reaper back.'�
Jade looked around the room, expecting to see the deathly incarnation somewhere in a corner ' but not seeing anything out of place. No Reaper.
'Speaking of which, where is she?'�

Whatever color that had come back to Devin's cheeks was now gone again. For the first time, Jade saw genuine alarm flicker across his face as he, too, glanced around.
'I don't know,'� he said, standing slowly as his eyes flitted to the sheathed knife still held loosely in the female's hand to remind him that he still wasn't trusted.

'Come on,'�
She stood up, too, and set off toward the door, looking over her shoulder once to make sure he was following her. Once outside she walked faster, ignoring the crowds of young trick-or-treaters passing by her house.
'We're going to the train station,'� she explained to Devin before he could ask, 'and we're taking my car there.'�

Upon hearing this, Devin couldn't keep silent any longer.
'What?!'� he shrieked, jogging a few steps to catch up with Jade.
'Have you even taken Driver's Ed long enough?'�

The look alone that Jade shot him after that would have sent any normal person flinching back with a whimper. Through clenched teeth she said, 'We're going. In a car. I'm driving. Deal with it.'�

Devin bit back another comment, glaring at the ground as he continued to follow her.
'What's the point of this, anyway?'� He growled to himself as he thought.
'And why does she want me to tag along'�'�

The familiar snap of realization clicked again in his mind. A truly devilish smirk overcame his expression as he stood still, his arms crossed.
'You need my help to bring your sister back,'� he snarled triumphantly, obviously proud of himself for being so clever as to have figured out that piece of information on his own. Jade stopped in her tracks, a sudden gasp sucking air into her throat. Devin could almost feel the building rage radiating off of the female as she slowly turned to face him, her eyes blazing a pale blue.

However, he was (whether by foolishness or sheer bravado) unphased by this. His smirk widened slightly.
'If I turn around and leave now, you won't be able to do anything about it.'�

The sound of her suddenly heavy breathing reached his ears; reminding him of a cornered animal timing itself for the right time to strike. In a movement so fluid it was barely noticeable, Jade unsheathed her dagger.
'I can bring Shiera back without your help,'� she hissed, her low tone dripping venom, 'but it would make things so much easier if you were with me instead of against me.'�

'I'm sure it would,'� Devin countered, a faint glimmer in his eyes, 'but since when are you the one to make things easy?'�

The dagger clattered to the ground as his statement struck her; it was as though she was being reminded of things in the past that she'd been held at fault for because of her stubbornness. Jade's voice was faint and weak when she spoke again; Devin had to strain to hear it.
'If I had a choice, I would leave you out of this. Do you think I want to go through everything I've had to?'�
Her voice was trembling now, sounding as though she was choking back tears.
'�Devin'�I want my sister back. And I need your help.'�

Of all the things whizzing about in Devin's mind, one of them frequently returning was: 'Geeze, she's temperamental. One minute she wants to kill me, the next minute she starts crying about so-and-so.'�
He banished the thought, however, and said,
'�Yeah? Well, that's too bad ' I won't help you.'�
With that he turned and began walking back to Jade's house, his hands jammed into his Jeans pockets. Had he looked behind him, he would have seen that Jade was still watching, a mixture of fury and sorrow on her pale face.

Once inside the house, Devin returned to the living room and began pacing, furiously battling the many thoughts in his mind. Then the thoughts turned to what he'd been doing with his life all those years ' and how he'd been accomplishing those things.
'The book,'� he murmured quietly, his gaze flitting to the floor where the book should have been laying.

The book was not there.

Devin's eyes widened as he gasped, horrified. An idea formed, then, of what could be happening right then if Reaper or someone else had gotten hold of that book'�

He burst out of the house less than five minutes later just in time to hear the sound of a car's engine revving. His eyes narrowed as he broke into a run toward the sound, stopping in front of a sleek red Mustang Convertible. Jade didn't look at him, but he could tell by the slight flicker of relief across her face that she knew he was there. He didn't waste any time throwing the passenger side door open and slamming it shut again once he was inside with the seat belt fastened.

'I'll help you ' but only because I'll need your help after we get your sister back,'� he told her, almost breathless.
Jade acknowledged his statement with a small nod, putting the car in reverse to get it out of the driveway. Within the next moment, they were speeding down the nearly-empty road, being the subject of many trick-or-treater's amazement and horror ('Mommy, mommy, there's a kid driving that!'� 'My God, they're going to run someone over!'� 'Better them than me.'� ).

Devin was somehow able to contain his surprise at how well Jade was able to drive; in spite of how fast she was driving, the trip was uneventful the entire one-and-a-half-hour ride to Portland ' which had been made in complete silence between the two. There are a few situations in this world that one cannot go through without gaining trust for a companion while experiencing, and going off on a mission to revive a vampire's sister before a certain time of night is one of them.

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