Rated: PG-13
A/N: BJ is my OC, the adopted daughter of Mick and Beth. She was first introduced in Milestones, Part 1. It is not absolutely necessary to read that first, but it might help. BJ also has her own Halloween and Christmas stories.
Huge thanks to Moonlighter for being my idea bouncer this time as well as my beta. You would not be reading this if it hadn't been for her.
I update every other night.
BJ’s Freshman Adventure
Chapter 1
Mick glanced over at Beth as she stared out of the car window. Reaching across the front seat, he took her hand and gently gave it a squeeze. “How’re you doing?” he asked softly.
Beth turned to look at him, trying to smile bravely though her eyes were wet with unshed tears. “I’ll be alright,” she said as she quickly swiped at a single escaped tear. “I’m just going to miss her so much.”
“I am too,” Mick answered and looked up into the rear view mirror. The SUV was empty now, having unloaded everything into BJ’s dorm room. Mick had had a hard time believing one 18 year old female living in half a room needed so much stuff, but both Beth and BJ had assured him everything was absolutely essential. The car had been packed to the roof. Mick smiled to himself remembering BJ’s excited chatter on their way up.
“I can’t wait to finally meet my roommate Dana. After all the texting and chatting and Facebooking I feel like I know her already so I hope she’s as nice in person as she seems. Did I tell you she’s in work study? So I bet she’ll be gone a lot working. I wonder if I should get a campus job? What do you think? Well, maybe I’ll wait a term or two and see how my classes are going. I don’t regret giving up basketball, but maybe I can play intramurals. That would be fun. Do you think the professors will be nice? I hope I like my advisor. I wonder if the food is any good? Mom, you’re not going to get one of those “I’m a UC-Berkeley Mom” t-shirts are you? But it’s okay if you want to get a decal for the car window. Now don’t say anything embarrassing in front of Dana or her parents…”
Mick chuckled and Beth turned to look at him. “What are you chuckling about?”
“She sure is excited about going to college, isn’t she?”
Beth had to smile. “Yes, she certainly is. That makes it a little easier for me. But the house is going to be so quiet!”
“We’ll get used to it. And you know what else that means?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “No more having to keep hushed tones or waiting till she’s gone out with friends.” Beth giggled and knew if she still had the ability to blush, her cheeks would be bright red.
MLMLMLML
BJ had been away for about seven weeks. At first Beth got a lump in her throat every time she walked past BJ’s bedroom, but it didn’t happen as much anymore. BJ called and texted often and Beth could tell how happy she was. Her classes were going well and she and Dana had really hit if off. The house went from feeling “empty” to just being “quiet” and Beth grew comfortable with it.
Beth’s phone rang and she smiled when she recognized BJ’s ringtone. “Hey honey, how’s it going? How was your big test?”
“It went fine, Mom. I studied hard and I think I did really well.”
Beth sensed something off in BJ’s tone. “What’s the matter, are you okay?”
BJ sighed. “I’m okay, but well, I think something’s wrong with Dana. I’m really worried about her.”
“Why? What’s she doing?”
“Well, she used to be so happy and energetic. Now she just drags around and wants to sleep a lot. She’s really pale and doesn’t seem to eat much anymore. She’s skipped out on her work study job a few times lately and I’m afraid she’ll lose it and get kicked out of school!”
“It certainly sounds like she’s not doing well. Do you think she’s having a hard time adjusting to being away from home?” Beth asked. “Are her classes too hard? She sounds depressed.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought too. But whenever I try to talk to her about it, she shrugs it off and says she’s fine. But she doesn’t look fine,” BJ said in a worried tone. “And there’s something else. She’s wearing long sleeves all the time now. Even to bed.”
“So what? I’m not seeing the connection, honey.”
“Mom,” BJ took a breath. “I think she might be cutting herself. I’ve found small amounts of blood on some of her shirts and towels when she leaves them on the floor.”
Beth let out a soft gasp. “Are you sure? Oh BJ, if that’s true she needs help. You should try to get her to go to the student health center. Maybe if you offer to go with her she’ll agree to go.”
“I think I will do that. I want to make sure I’m right first, though.”
“And if she won’t go with you, you should go yourself and talk to someone there and tell them so she gets the help she needs. You’re doing the right thing, you know.”
“I hope so. I really like her and it makes me sad to see her like this.”
“Let me know how it goes. I love you!”
“Love you too, Mom. And thanks – I feel better now. Bye!”
“Bye sweetheart.” Beth hung up the phone and just stared at it for a few minutes. She knew how caring and concerned BJ could be about others, but hoped she wouldn’t get in over her head.
MLMLMLML
BJ had been asleep for a couple of hours. She stirred lightly when she heard Dana come into the room and quietly get ready for bed. BJ drifted back to sleep to the now familiar sounds of soft sobbing coming from her roommate’s bed.
Several hours later BJ woke up to use the bathroom. As she headed back to her bed, she looked over at Dana, now sleeping soundly. Noticing Dana’s arm hanging down over the side of the bed, BJ suddenly got an idea. Quietly she searched through her purse and pulled out a small penlight. Creeping over to Dana’s bed, she gently pulled up the sleeve to her nightshirt and peered at her arm with the flashlight. She almost dropped it in surprise and quickly covered her mouth to muffle a gasp. Oh Dana, she thought to herself as she tenderly tucked her arm back under the covers. What have you gotten yourself into?
MLMLMLML
Dana stretched when she heard the door open and sat up in bed. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the tray BJ was carrying. “What’s all this?”
BJ set the tray down on Dana’s lap. “I picked up some breakfast for you at the dining hall. Fresh fruit cup, bagel with cream cheese and a large OJ.” She retreated to her own bed and sat down opposite Dana, watching her.
“Aw, thanks roomie!” Dana said as she started gulping down the juice. She picked up her fork and started in on the fruit when she noticed BJ staring at her. “What? Am I drooling or something?”
BJ took a deep breath. “Dana, how long have you been a freshie?”
Dana’s fork froze in midair for a few seconds and then she continued to eat, avoiding BJ’s eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I saw your arm last night, Dana. I know vampire bites when I see them.”
“What do you mean you saw my arm? That’s creepy.”
BJ’s cheeks flamed red. “I was worried about you!” She looked down at her hands in her lap. “I thought maybe you were cutting yourself and I wanted to take you to the health center, but I had to be sure first. So when I saw your arm hanging off the side of the bed, I looked at it with a flashlight.”
Dana snorted. “And so you immediately jumped to the conclusion that I’d been bitten by a vampire? How crazy is that? There’s no such thing as vampires. You need a reality check, girlfriend.”
“It is a reality, Dana. I know all about it.”
“You don’t know anything!” she shouted and shoved the tray off her lap.
BJ crossed the room and sat next to her friend. “I know a lot more than you can possibly imagine. And I know that this…” She picked up Dana’s arm and pushed up her sleeve, exposing deep gashes and dark bruises. “This is not normal. This is from violent and aggressive feeding. It’s not supposed to be like that. It should be a pleasurable experience, not a painful one.”
Dana looked at her doubtfully then pulled her arm away and put her sleeve back down, covering the ugly marks. “How would you know? I don’t see any bite marks on you. And besides, how do you even know about… you know…in the first place? No one is supposed to know about…them.” She looked around the room as if someone might be listening. “They told us they’d kill us if any of us told! Now they’ll think that I told you!” She sounded panicked.
BJ patted Dana’s leg in a reassuring manner as she struggled with how much to tell her. Her duty was to protect the secrecy of the community, but since Dana already knew about vampires, she felt it was okay to tell her. She took a deep breath. “I’ve never told this to another living soul, Dana. I know about vampires because I have lived with them all my life.”
Dana’s head jerked up and she stared at BJ in disbelief. “What?”
BJ nodded. “My mother was unmarried and only 17 or 18 when she had me. She was killed by a rogue vampire when I was only a few months old. The private investigator chasing the rogue captured him only minutes after my mother was killed. He found no evidence of any other family so he took me home with him and he and his wife adopted me. They are the only parents I have ever known and they are both vampires.”
“Your parents? The ones I met when you moved in? They’re…they’re vampires?” There were several minutes of silence as Dana let that sink in. “They seemed so normal.” She looked at BJ grinning at her. “So do your parents have freshies around their house all the time to feed them?”
“Oh no,” BJ laughed. “They might have a freshie at a party once in awhile, but at home they drink strictly bottled blood.”
“Really?” Dana couldn’t believe it.
“Yep. Now my Uncle Josef... HE keeps freshies around. He lives in a mansion and has a whole dorm wing where his private reserves live. I’m friends with a lot of them, so that’s how I know about vampire bites.”
“And it’s really not supposed to hurt every time?”
BJ put her arm around Dana’s shoulders and hugged her. “It’s really not. Maybe a quick pang at first, but then it’s supposed to be very pleasurable, and sometimes even erotic.”
Dana began to weep softly. “Dana?” BJ said softly. “Tell me how this happened.”
To be continued...
I'm glad you like the beginning of BJ's tale. Stayed tuned for more! 
Thank you for reading and leaving a comment. More on Tuesday night! 
I know how it feels when you're first away from home... you think you have to solve all your own problems, and you don't need your parents to get involved in every little thing. But some things aren't so "little"! I hope BJ realizes that she might need to call in the big guns (or is that fangs?) for this one...? Dana's gotten herself into some very bad company. And if BJ doesn't play this very carefully, she and Dana could be in real danger. 
BJ is a great, caring friend, but she needs to deal with this carefully.
They're really sweet! 
So glad you found this BJ mystery story. I hope you like it!