October 31st. All Hallow Evening.

Normally I'd be staying away from the streets at this time, our kind prefer to be alone stalking our prey, too many people on the streets dressed up in costumes.

My name is Jasmine of Hangzhou, I'm a walker of the night, and ingesting the blood of people to stay alive ... I am a vampire.

I'm not sure why I couldn't stay in ... wanderlust I suppose? Or something else, I rose from my 'bed' and dressed in my clothes.

John was reading as I entered the house we had rented, he looked up and then took another look as he registered my presence. "You're not normally up at this time." he said simply.

I shook my head. "I'm not sure why I am? There is something out there drawing me and I have to answer it."

John sighed, "Oh dear, I hope this won't be like the last time, should I prepare to leave again Mistress?" He asked.

I shook my head, I've paid for this apartment and I didn't see having to leave it every time someone tried to take over my world. "No John, I'll be back before dawn, have a good night." I said and walked out of the door.

The sun hadn't set a long time ago and the sky was still showing the last rays shining in the sky with a glorious ruddy hue, a few people were dressed up in their costumes, fairies, pirates, monsters and vampires all running from door to door "Trick or treat." sounding in the streets.

I wasn't sure where I was walking to, something out here was calling to me ... not vampire but then not human either.

A scream from an alley pierced the twilight, a scared sound, not happy screaming. It pulled me away from the spell I was feeling I ran towards the sound, the street gangs were out playing with the prey, a young girl stupidly straying from the safe streets, her green and pink fairy costume was now torn from her body leaving her in just panties.

"Well ain't you a treat for our eyes girlie, now we are going to treat you with these." one of the youths said opening his pants and pulling out his member to wave in the girl's frightened eyes.

"Hey what's that for, frightening mice?" The voice came from the other side of the alleyway ... I wasn't alone out here. There was a blur and then she was amongst them, twisting and ducking their blows with supernatural moves, I noticed one of the youths grab hold of the girl and was pulling her away from the action, but his face showed his intentions.

I followed him as he lifted the girl, his hand going under her panties to grope at her young body, he licked her neck. "Jake isn't going to get you ... I am." He said to her as he threw her to the ground, tearing the last garment from her body.

That was when I struck him, "You won't even have that pleasure, I'm going to..." I sniffed his body, the smell of drugs and disease was strong here, he'd been doping himself up that even his blood was tainted with the effects.

I turned him around and stared into his eyes, taking his mind and talking to his soul. "Leave this place, give up your drugs and you might live for six months ... if not" I didn't finish the words, he was beyond any help. I grabbed hold of his head and twisted it round, hearing the snap as his spine was separated, he fell forward, his blank eyes looking up at the sky.

I exhaled and looked at the morsel in front of me, she was rolled up into a ball, so young, so fresh, I could feel the blood pounding through her veins. I took her in my arms and shuddered. I couldn't do it, not after all this. I walked back into the alley with the crying and moaning youths.

"Put her down." The girls' voice sounded loud now after the silence of pain.

"She is unharmed Mary Jane, but she needs to be taken home, where is Rachael?" I said to the Slayer who was positioning herself to fight me.

"I am here, Jasmine of Hangzhou, what brings you out on Halloween, normally your type don't walk tonight." Rachael - Mary Jane's watcher - stepped into the light.

"There is something wrong, another is walking abroad. It's calling to me, can't you feel it?" I asked her

Rachael shook her head, "I couldn't but Mary Jane here does, she insisted that we patrol and that's what brought us here ... where is the other one? Did you..." She didn't finish the words.

"He was already dead without my help, but to answer your question I killed him, without taking his blood, I'm not that reckless. Now this child needs to be dressed and returned to her home. She's untouched but scared." I said to the woman regarding me with searching eyes. "I haven't even touched her mind." I said handing the girl over.

"Rach? What should I do?" Mary Jane asked her watcher, "I mean she's a vamp. But she doesn't feel right, there's something different about her ... but I think I know her."

"You do. You met her some time ago." Rachael said obviously remembering when she first met with me - I had entered the shop to tell her off for leaving her charge hunting alone, when Mary Jane had been injured during a fight with several vampires, I had found her and carried her home, instructing Mary Jane's mother on shielding their house against me. Rachael turned to me, "You say this isn't a vampire that's using the night for feeding?" She asked me.

I shook my head, "It doesn't feel like it. I don't know what it is."

"The call's getting stronger ... you sure you don't feel it?" Mary Jane asked Rachael - I could feel it as well - but the woman shook her head.

"I don't feel anything, so maybe I'm not supposed to." Rachael was watching us both and then made a decision. "Mary Jane go with Jasmine, find out what this is all about, I'll take this one home and get her dressed. Now GO!" She emphasised the last as Mary Jane was going to argue with her, before Rachael turned around and left the alley.

"I don't trust you vampire!" Mary Jane said as she watched Rachael get into a car to drive off.

"That's alright, I don't trust you Slayer, but for the moment our paths travel on the same side, we've been called and must answer." I said this but I didn't know where the words had come from.

We followed the 'scent' of the pull and wandered the streets; again our steps were directed by an unknown force.

Turning into a street we found two men holding a woman who was screaming as a third was thrusting away inside her, without thinking we struck as one person. Mary Jane going after the rapist and I went to his helpers. The first I broke his arms and threw him away from us, the second I grabbed hold of and looked into his eyes.

Feeling him surrender I turned him around and bared his neck, my face changing to its vampire form and then I was digging my teeth into the vein that was throbbing there, taking the blood that I needed, cherished and deserved.

I was deep into the feeding when a blow forced me to drop the man onto the floor; I turned around, the blood lust still controlling my reactions. The female in front of me was an enemy to be fought. I reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards me, only to find that she had ducked and her knee was now rushing to meet my face.

A move to my left and the knee went pass me to bring the girl into my reach, I managed to pin her arms with mine, her legs were wrapped up with mine and I could feel the call of her blood, much richer with the power of The Slayer, this was the prize that all Vampires desired, the blood of a Slayer was like sticking a finger into a plug socket.

I bent forward to sink my fangs into the delicious, soft neck of this girl ... only to find my blood-lust fading, but how? Why? My face was changing back to the oriental set of my real being ... I was going to kill this Slayer for no reason but I was stopped.

I released the girl quickly moving back from her as I knew she would try to fight back, but she didn't! She was struck by the same spell that I had been.

Mary Jane turned slowly to look at me, "What happened just then?" She asked, her eyes flashing around for a target, one that didn't include me.

I shook my head, "I do not know, I was full of blood-lust, my vampire self took over and I couldn't control it, I was going to kill you but then the compulsion was removed. What happened to you?" I said seeing the bodies, unmoving, on the ground.

"I saw them all as vampires, ones that I had to kill without mercy. It was as if the ancient Slayer was in charge of my body, killing all those that are evil in the area..." She paused for a moment and then she gave a sob, "The woman ... she was a prostitute, and I could only see the evil within her." I saw the dead body of the woman lying on the ground.

"We were not the ones doing this ... you are not at fault for any deaths here, the one who controlled us is the one to find." I told her.

"THEN LITTLE ONES YOU WILL FIND ME SOON!" The voice came from everywhere and the dead woman began to sit up her mouth opened but not moving. "I will soon allow you to come to me, and soon you will learn more about yourselves than you have ever known." the body fell back onto the ground.

Back in her bookshop Rachael had started looking through her books regarding Halloween, she couldn't find anything until an arcane tome was opened and she started to read it, and then she went back to the start of the book to re-read it.

"Bloody hell and she's out there with her!" Rachael said she picked up her phone and dialled a number, near her a cell phone began to ring, as she looked at Mary Jane's phone she swore. There was no way to warn her charge.

Taking a journal from a drawer she began to write.

I was in an anonymous street with Mary Jane; we scoured the sides of the street but didn't see anyone.

"Look I'm sorry..." Mary Jane began to say but I stopped her.

"It doesn't matter, somehow our basic personalities were forced out into the open, whatever this thing is it is powerful and supernatural." I told her and to me that finished the conversation, but not apparently to Mary Jane.

"But I've never done that before, to kill without remorse. That's not me!" She protested.

"Yes it is, if it was a vampire then you'd kill it without even shedding a tear." I pointed out.

"But that's different! They're soulless creatures who will..." She looked at me.

"That's true, we have no soul. but then we are creatures of the night, take me for example, while I was under that spell all I could see was a Slayer and blood. It was my right to take both. Normally I would be able to control myself. That is the difference I have control ... do you?" I asked her.

She didn't answer as the pull became stronger, we were dragged to a tenement building and when we approached the door it opened. "Trick or Treat!" The voice said from inside.

We entered the doorway and were struck by a bright light.

Rachael was on the phone again to the Watcher headquarters in London but wasn't having any luck. " ... its impossible my dear woman, if it is who you think it may be then we cannot help you with anything, you should have stayed with your slayer, that is your duty. Why you allowed this Jasmine to order you around is beyond my reasoning."

"I had a child at risk, I couldn't just leave her in the alleyway like that." Rachael protested.

"She wasn't your concern. The Slayer is your main priority always, if you can't do that then perhaps we should consider reassigning you to another place." The man was sounding bored.

"You can't do that, Mary Jane trusts me and wouldn't work with anyone else." Rachael told him.

"She is a slayer, she will work with whoever we send. Now at the moment I suggest you remain there and hope your charge returns. "The man hung up leaving Rachael looking at the receiver in shock.

I didn't know where I was. one minute I was entering a building and now I'm standing in a field, during broad daylight. But it didn't hurt me! ... But where was Mary Jane, I called out to her and then she answered.