Vampire rumors haunt Lake Stevens
LAKE STEVENS, Wash. - A vampire attack in Lake Stevens?
That's the rumor going through the halls of several schools - perhaps stimulated by the current popularity of the "Twilight" books and movies, in which vampires rule the world.
Some kids believe a vampire attacked a fifth-grader in Lake Stevens at Catherine Creek Park last Friday.
So KOMO News went looking for the "real" story behind all the terrifying talk.
The Lake Stevens School District admits there was an incident - but not with a vampire.
"This is a rumor. I really don't know where it came from, but it's totally a rumor," says Arlene Hulten, Lake Stevens School District.
The district says a seventh-grade girl hugged a 5th-grade boy from Mount Pilchuck Elementary School.
But the boy's mother, whose name is being withheld to avoid identifying the boy, says it was more than a hug.
"Drug him into the woods, and she hugged him, and she bit him," says the mother.
The district insists there is no evidence the boy was bitten, but his mom is sure she saw marks on his forehead.
"There were a couple of little marks that looked like they could be from her teeth," she says.
All week the rumors escalated.
Kaaitlyn Kurisu, a Lake Stevens student, speculated that the rumors are undoubtedly fueled by the popularity of the "Twilight" series.
"Probably because they read the book Twilight, because Twilight is kind of related to vampires, and stuff," she says.
And stories of blood drinkers weren't the only tales going around.
"There were rumors that two boys were abducted or lured into the woods," Hulten says.
To put a stop to all of it, the district sent home a letter to parents that talks about the unwanted hugging - but that hasn't stopped the churning rumor mill.
"No ... no, things go quickly around here ... small town," says Kurisu.
But at least one student isn't buying the vampire rumor.
"No ... absolutely not," Shalan Brown says. "Maybe they want to be and they think they are ... but, no ..."
Nonetheless, rumors travel twice as fast as the truth.
And, meanwhile, the school district says it's still interviewing several students about the incident that started all the rumors.
That's the rumor going through the halls of several schools - perhaps stimulated by the current popularity of the "Twilight" books and movies, in which vampires rule the world.
Some kids believe a vampire attacked a fifth-grader in Lake Stevens at Catherine Creek Park last Friday.
So KOMO News went looking for the "real" story behind all the terrifying talk.
The Lake Stevens School District admits there was an incident - but not with a vampire.
"This is a rumor. I really don't know where it came from, but it's totally a rumor," says Arlene Hulten, Lake Stevens School District.
The district says a seventh-grade girl hugged a 5th-grade boy from Mount Pilchuck Elementary School.
But the boy's mother, whose name is being withheld to avoid identifying the boy, says it was more than a hug.
"Drug him into the woods, and she hugged him, and she bit him," says the mother.
The district insists there is no evidence the boy was bitten, but his mom is sure she saw marks on his forehead.
"There were a couple of little marks that looked like they could be from her teeth," she says.
All week the rumors escalated.
Kaaitlyn Kurisu, a Lake Stevens student, speculated that the rumors are undoubtedly fueled by the popularity of the "Twilight" series.
"Probably because they read the book Twilight, because Twilight is kind of related to vampires, and stuff," she says.
And stories of blood drinkers weren't the only tales going around.
"There were rumors that two boys were abducted or lured into the woods," Hulten says.
To put a stop to all of it, the district sent home a letter to parents that talks about the unwanted hugging - but that hasn't stopped the churning rumor mill.
"No ... no, things go quickly around here ... small town," says Kurisu.
But at least one student isn't buying the vampire rumor.
"No ... absolutely not," Shalan Brown says. "Maybe they want to be and they think they are ... but, no ..."
Nonetheless, rumors travel twice as fast as the truth.
And, meanwhile, the school district says it's still interviewing several students about the incident that started all the rumors.