For thousands of years I have watched the mortals go about their business without giving a thought of the killer in their presence. It was amusing, really. They trusted me. Their belief was never challenged until I had my victim singled out and alone. It was only then, in the moments before their end came and I fed on them, that they realized the danger I posed. Oh, but my time here was going to end soon. My normal victims, teenage and young adult girls, they were becoming, more wary. They started to learn how to defend themselves and carry around weapons, or, if not themselves, they traveled with several males and or some girls that could easily defend themselves and others, much like those kids that were going into the eighth grade near where I lived. I could take them, boys included, except for, ironically, one of the older girls in the class, not that I would admit it out loud. She was the brains of the class, alongside one of the boys, used to be the oldest until a few others entered their little circle, quiet little thing, small, and weak looking. She was swift becoming the shortest in the class. But, in her case as in many others, size does not matter. She was a swift and true archer, took Karate for a time, and she had a hidden strength in her small arms. Also, I think she's onto me. I avoid people she's close to as my victims. She knew a lot about my kind. She knew how to kill us, how to repel us, how to keep us away, and she knew how to banish us. She would be a terrible enemy for one of my kind, she all ready was. Not that I would hurt her or her friends! They were adorable and hard to not love. Even her, she was a kind person, albeit cold at times. She and her class love me. When they have time, they all find their way to my house or wherever I'm at. That might be because I let them play video games all day and let them do what kids love to do without much restrictions. I glance at the clock and notice that it's one o'clock in the morning. Thunder crashes and I hear a knock on the door through it all. Curious at whom it may be at this hour, I open the door to reveal her. She was trembling, from cold or fear I did not know.
"Ceann Beag, what are you doing here at this hour?" I asked as I pulled her inside out of the rain.
"I came to talk to you about something." She said as I started to make her some hot chocolate.
"At this hour?" I responded shocked.
"It needed to be private. And with tomorrow being a day off of school, everyone's going to be here. Also, now's after my parents went to bed, but only just so." She responded as she peeled off her soaked hoodie.
"It's very important then, isn't it?" I said.
"I know that you're a vampire, Boromir." She said. I immediately stopped and looked at her in her eyes. "You've been responsible for the mysterious disappearances of late."
"I knew it was only a matter of time." I sighed. I bit back a frown as it hit me that something was off about her.
"What do you mean?" She raised her eyebrows.
"You're very perceptive and you have a certain love for magic and mythical beings. And with vampires being one of the most well known creatures, I had no doubt you could identify one and I knew you could deal with one if push came to shove." I smiled.
"What do you mean 'if push came to shove', Boromir?" She said.
"Every race knows about you." I looked out of the window and sighed. "They believe you have a gift that would be beneficial to them. I have heard the rumors and I, unfortunately, know them to be true. My clan wishes to claim you as their own, I separated myself from them because of it, as do the other clans, werewolves, fairies, and a plethora of others. I have been seeing many from the different races watching you, but that does not concern me as much as what will happen if the rumors continue to spread."
"What do you mean?" she asked nervously.
"It is no small knowledge that lone members of each race are the most dangerous. Vampires in particular are very dangerous." I stood up and walked to my window. "I fear for your safety and for your friends and family."
"Will said members come after me?" she trembled.
"I hope not, but chances are, they will." I closed the window. "I will not let him hurt you or anyone close to you."
"I notice you only speak of one." She said as she walked up beside me.
"The one we have to fear the most is Isaac Darkmoon. He is a lone vampire and very, very dangerous." I said through clenched teeth.
"You hate him." She pointed out.
"He killed my baby brother before my eyes." I said. "And then he made Faramir watch as he killed me. I never forgave him for putting Faramir that. I don't like him for killing me, but I hate him for killing Faramir and for putting him through the mental and emotional trauma of him being forced to watch me die." I looked through the shadows and a tear rolled down my face. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I smiled and squeezed her hand. There was another reason why I wouldn't hurt her. She was caring, she never betrayed her friends' trust, and she was still young to the world. She was just a baby to me. Only the cruelest of monsters could hurt her and I was sure as heck not going to let them harm her. If but one cell from her was harmed, those responsible would die the most painful, slow, agonizing, and horrible death ever to be devised.
"What would happen should he come?" she asked quietly.
"Truthfully, I don't know. I would need to make sure you're safe, but I couldn't abandon the others to him." I sighed. She swore very softly. "What is a matter, you never swear?" I asked turning to look at her.
"It's… It's nothing." She hissed while cradling her right hand. I reached over and gently took her hand from her.
"When did you get this?" I questioned when I saw the bite on her hand. It looked werewolf in origin and quickly infecting.
"I cut through the forest and startled a very big dog." She replied as I pulled her over to the sink to wash the dirt and bacteria out.
"Quinn, that was not a dog. That was a werewolf." I sighed as I washed it thoroughly and carefully.
"Do you think it was waiting for me?" she said after a length.
"Perhaps…." I said as I wrapped it up.
"Deartháir níos sine, tá mé scanraithe ..." she whispered. I pulled her into a hug and held her as she let a few tears fall.
"I know, Little One. I won't let them hurt you." I tightened my grip as a wolf howled. I hope she hadn't heard it, but she had.
"Will I become one of them?" she whispered. She had poked in fun about her being a vampire because of a set of scars on her hand that she got during swim practice that looked like teeth marks. But, she had always backed up and said she was to wolfish to be a vampire.
"Maybe, I don't know." I replied wishing that I could give her a straight answer.
"There's no cure for lycanthropy…." She sighed.
"There is one…." I trailed off. "But maybe because I washed the wound, the poison was washed out." I said quickly at seeing her horrified face. The only known cure was death. The howls were getting closer. She curled up closer trembling.
"They followed me…" She realized. There was snarling and muttered curses, before yelping and triumphant laughter. I gasped, ran to the window beside the door, threw it open, and looked out of it. I pulled my head back in, closed the window, threw open the door, pulled my baby brother in, and shut the door.
"Faramir, you fool! What are you doing here?" I breathed as I went over to Quinn and gently rested my hand on her frightened shoulder.
"I came to warn you, Boromir. The council allied with Darkmoon. Darkmoon himself is coming to get the girl." Faramir pulled down the hood on his jacket. Quinn squeaked, not that she would admit to it, and curled up close to me.
"When will he get here?" I growled as I soothed the terrified girl.
"He is still tracking her, so I say a month, give or take a week." He responded. I bit back a particularly colorful curse.
"Why is it always the unpopular ones?" Quinn moaned.
"You're not unpopular." I said.
"Compared to most of my classmates and other friends I am." She retorted.
"You've found her." Faramir stated as he looked Quinn over.
"Yes, Quinn, this is my baby brother Faramir. Faramir, this is Quinn." I motioned to them both.
"Hi, Faramir." Quinn gave a weak smile. Faramir returned it.
"How are we to keep her away from Darkmoon?" Faramir turned to me.
"I think it best to let the wolves take care of her…" I finally managed to get out.
"The wolves care for her?" Faramir looked at me like I was mad, while Quinn looked at me horrified.
"Quinn, the wolves hate Darkmoon with a passion so they will not let him harm you. And, well, if…" I trailed off.
"If the poison hadn't been washed out, then I need to be with my own kind." She finished.
"I could use an explanation." Faramir said.
"On my way over here, I was bit by what I thought was a very big dog, but, as it turns out, it was a werewolf." Quinn said it as if it was everyday that she was bit by a werewolf. Faramir had a look of understanding on his face.
"Then the wolves it is then." He nodded. I nodded at her, who pulled out her trademark notebook and pen and started to make a list of the items that she would need. Faramir and I accompanied her to her house.
"Quinn! Thank heavens you're all right!" Ianthe cried as she ran up to Quinn.
"What do you mean?" Quinn said as she carefully hid her bandaged hand.
"There was this vampire and… and… he was looking for you." The purple-loving girl trailed of as she looked down. "He kidnapped Joan… She had heard something coming from your house and she went to investigate."
"Joan! That ******* will pay!" Quinn held her chin high and disappeared into her home.
"Boromir, what did she mean by that?" Ianthe asked as she watched the red-blonde girl.
"She's going to get Joan back and make whoever kidnapped her wish he was never born." I replied casting an eye around. There was a cry of outrage and sadness from inside the house. The three of us ran inside and saw her standing over the dead bodies of her parents. They had fang marks on their necks, and a black rage spread on my face and throughout my body.
"Boromir, Faramir, Ianthe, remember this day as the day Quinn Maon Fáelán entered the long war between evil and good. I will find no rest here, doing nothing. The grip of vengeance has gripped my heart and I will avenge every last one of the victims taken by evil." Quinn trembled, not by fear or grief, but by power not seen in her before. I couldn't help but feel proud of her. She was coming to terms with what I had told her.
"It will be remembered as the day evil made the greatest mistake it ever did: drawing Quinn Maon Fáelán into this bloody war." I said as I stepped up to her. "The tides have turned for the good of the side of good."
"Faramir, will you stay and help prepare the town for what is surely to come?" Quinn turned to my brother.
"It would be my honor." Faramir nodded.
"I'll help him! So will the rest of the class!" Ianthe chirped. "What are you gonna do?"
"I am no longer human, I can sense this." My heart fell at her words. "I must travel to the home of my kinsmen and train to use and control my new abilities. When you see me again, I shall be a changed person. I will be a fully-fledged, fully-capable, wolven warrior." She said.
"Where is that? Will we hear from you?" Ianthe said. "Your cousins, Bláthín and Murray, what about them?" I remembered the two. Bláthín, the youngest, and Murray, the oldest, second only to Quinn herself, they were quite attached to their older cousin and I didn't want to imagine the looks on their faces when they found out that Quinn had left them.
"I do not know where my kinsmen are, nor if I can contact you. Faramir and Ianthe, please take care of my baby cousins. They are most likely my last surviving family members now, so please take care of them." Quinn pleaded softly.
"We will guard them with our lives." Faramir responded.
"Thank you." Quinn whispered. Quinn and I left for wherever she had to go.
"I know of one place that you could go to find out where you need to go for training." I said as we took a path leading into the forest.
"Go on." She said from behind me as she stepped over a fallen branch.
"It's called Rivendell, the Last Homely House." I told her.
"You are sure they know where to take me for training?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm certain." I said. We walked for several more days and nights until we reached our destination.