Has anyone ever died from Daylight Savings before? I wondered as I raced down the long narrow hallway. Turning the corner, I thudded into a thick wooden door. Regrouping quickly, I opened it and slipped through. The enveloping darkness was a welcome relief. I leaned back against the door and said a silent prayer for my narrow escape. Thought left me moments later as I sunk into my bed.

Hours later, I awoke, hungry once again. I started to leave the room, then paused. My room had recently been disturbed. An assortment of books, some ancient, some new, were strewn across the floor. Papers were scattered everywhere, haphazardly grouped into piles. That was normal.

What wasn't normal was the note stuck on the wall by a silver knife. Carefully I approached it. Written in a dark red ink, to imitate blood, I guessed, were three scrawled lines.

"You've invited many people to dine with you over the years. Now we're inviting you to dine with us. For breakfast."

There was no signature. Like a man picking up a deadly snake, I gingerly reached and pulled out the knife. A sensation of both burning and freezing radiated from the blade and I quickly dropped it. The note fluttered to the ground. I lifted the paper to my nose, but no scent lingered.

Inside, my hunger was growing. Last night I had waited too long to eat. In my rush back, there had been no time to feed. I searched until I found the supplies I wanted, stuffed them into a pack, and headed out the door.

Bells were chiming ten as I entered the small cafe. Choosing a seat across from the bell tower, I waived a waiter away. The last few hours had been spent in a fruitless search for people who had sent the note. I could find no trace of their presence anywhere. Half of the night had been wasted, did I want to spend the other half still looking? I decided to take my chances and finish the search tomorrow.

Looking over at the lone waiter, I issued a silent summons. He walked over to my table. "Not many customers this late, I suppose."

"No," he answered dully.

"In fact," I suggested, "there doesn't seem to be anyone in here."

"Except you and me, that is."

I laughed. "How correct you are. And I am still slightly hungry." Reaching out, I drew him towards me, and delicately sank my fangs into his neck.

Tonight I made sure to retire early. As I passed the lobby desk at my hotel, one of the clerks stopped me. "Miss Angel, did Mr. Cullan find you last night?"

"What? Who?" I asked bewildered.

"Mr. Cullan. He came and asked the desk for your room number last night, about an hour before you normally return. He said he had some business to discuss."

"Business. No, we never did meet. Did he say he would be back today?"

"No, he didn't mention it. You were awfully late last night. Any reason why?"

I looked down for a moment before replying. "I forgot to set my watch an hour forward yesterday."

"Is it set now?"

"Of course it-" I stopped. "No, I forgot again."

"Then you'd better set it right here. Otherwise you'll never remember. If it's important for you to see Mr. Cullan, I can check our registration book for you. He should have checked in."

"Thank you, that would be most kind." In a few minutes he returned with slip of paper giving me the location of my enemy. I wondered who was more stupid, me for not asking the desk, or him for leaving his address. Definitely him. Tomorrow night I would drop in on his party and see what he was up to.

"Hello! Can anyone join this meeting?" I inquired brightly, stepping out from the shadows. Although I was irritated, I hid my feelings amid a show of cheerfulness. What I wanted, to remain cloaked in the darkness and eavesdrop on their conversation, was utterly impossible. In an irrational moment of paranoia, I felt that he had designed the room specifically to prevent a someone like me from overhearing. Harsh lights shone into every corner, illuminating the white interior, the doorway, the ceiling, and everything within a twenty foot radius.

I allowed my eyes time to adjust to the sudden influx of light, while they regrouped. "Well? Can I enter or not?"

One of them brandished a cross at me. "Get back, fiend from Hell!" he exclaimed.

I winced at his use of the cliché. "That's probably a no. You might want to reconsider. Even if I can't enter, none of you can leave." Sitting down in plain view, I prepared to wait, all night if necessary.

Inside, a heated discussion was taking place. One of the men, Cullan I guessed, broke away from the group. Approaching the front in a curious crab-like motion, he proclaimed loudly, "You're bluffing. We just have to wait you out."

I flashed a smile at him. "That's what you think." Shrugging, I added, "You can wait for daybreak if you'd like."

He turned and shuffled back, half convinced by my words. I just leaned back, relaxed, and wished I weren't bluffing. This place was safe enough from the sun, but that wasn't my problem. I thought wistfully of all the times I had heard the myth that a sleeping vampire will react automatically if disturbed. Unfortunately, it's not true.

A sharp sound roused me from my reverie. "Hey!" I shouted. "Are you guys expecting company? Because a car just drove up."

"I told you the police would find us here, and now she's waiting, too," one whispered.

Another moaned, "We're all going to die."

I overrode their comments. "Police? Why are the . . . Hush. Don't say a word," I ordered as a policeman appeared in the hallway.

"Good evening, officer."

"Good evening, ma'am. Have you seen any intruders about, anything out of the ordinary?"

"No," I murmured softly.

"I'm afraid I don't believe you. I'll have to take you down to the station for questioning."

"No," I repeated, this time shading the word with occult force.

"Of course not. I'll be leaving now."

"Good-bye, officer."

"Good-bye, ma'am."

I stood watching him retreat back down the hall, then whirled to face the stunned group behind me. "You will let me in!" I commanded with all my strength. Cullan took two steps forward, before snapping out of my induced trance. "Damn," I swore. "It never works unless I believe it, too."

They watched me curiously. The image of goldfish watching a nearby cat suddenly popped into my head and I started laughing. "Come on. I saved you guys from the police. The least you could do is let me in. You have all those crosses to protect yourself with." I neglected to mention that they wouldn't work. If it made them feel safer and got me in quicker. . .

They nodded, and I felt the barrier drain away. I stepped in and gave the room a rough survey. I felt like laughing again. Piled on a table that had been previously hidden from my sight were a dozen vampire movies. Titles ranged from Count Dracula to The Dark Kiss to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It really was amusing. On the floor next to them was an empty cardboard box which had probably contained pizza at one time. The room reeked faintly of garlic and I sniffed, trying to detect its source. It seemed to be coming from one of the corners. Cullan stepped boldly forward, blocking my path.

Cullan demanded, "How did you find us?"

I looked at him for a moment before replying. "The desk clerk gave me your address from the check-in book. How did you find me?"

He ignored the question and asked another. "Where were you last night?"

"I lost track of the time," I answered truthfully. "That reminds me, I need to set my watch. Do you have the correct time?" My watch was in my hand, turned so I could see the dial.

"I'll ask the questions here."

I couldn't help laughing in his face. "Why? I'm in control. I could kill you quicker than this," I said, snapping my fingers.

"Just you try," he challenged. "I've got protection."

He reached under his shirt and drew out a large smelly object attached to a cross. I stared at it for a moment, thinking it was some type of fungus, then realized that it was garlic. Before I could inquire about it, the clock tower started ringing. I wasn't paying much attention to it, but the thought penetrated my mind that the clock seemed to have rung quite a few times. I checked my watch and realized that dawn was in twenty minutes! I rushed to get out the door, but they moved to block me. Precious minutes were wasted as I fought to escape. Finally I made it and raced down the hall and out of the building.

I stepped outside and froze. It was still dark. But how, what, I thought incoherently. I even checked my watch again. Slowly, I relaxed and let my consciousness range freely. My vampiric sense told me I had another good hour before the sun rose. Somehow my watch, which had been an hour late yesterday, was now an hour fast. And then I remembered. Last night I had reset my watch to the correct time and today I had set it again. Now I had an extra hour to make it home. I glanced back at the building, then started walking forward. Across the road, a street light flickered, drawing my attention. It stood in front of a closed restaurant. A sign in the window read, All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast Buffet. I looked at it for a moment, then turned to face the place I had just left. I checked my watch once more and decided to wait for my breakfast.