That night . . .
Large cinders of snow dashed and flurried about her on the breath of the night wind, hampering the little girl's efforts to peer through the sheets of swirling powder around her. Her bright hazel eyes were wide with fear, for any beauty that the sudden storm could have provided her was overridden by the terror that struck at the knowledge she was lost. Her small boots trudged through the piling snow until she could move her legs no more.
It's cold . . .
Exhausted from wandering, and shivering despite a thick winter coat, the child plopped down in a heap of white. She huddled there in silence for an endless time, and still the blizzard did not let up, and she was no more aware of what would happen to her. Her uncovered pink hair whipped in strands around her face. Streaks of frozen tears on her cheeks glistened in the moonlight, for that light and the wind seemed to be the only forces able to steal through the weather.
Just before she started to believe she would never be free of the loud tempest and stinging snow, a dark figure suddenly silhouetted itself against the unseen backdrop ahead of her. It was a very tall person, the girl realized, and she knew immediately it wasn't someone familiar. She squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe if she did that, the person would disappear. But she wasn't so lucky.
Over the whistling wind she heard the unwelcome sound of crunching footsteps approaching, which made her open her eyes again. She stared up at the man who now stood only a few feet before her. He appeared still taller now that he was close, and his face was not kind. In fact, there was something very wrong with it.
That red glint in his eyes wasn't normal, nor was the way he looked at her with that famished, gaunt expression. The girl's own widened eyes let a fresh stream of tears as that man parted his lips to lick them, revealing a set of yellowed teeth that were too long to be normal.
"Are you lost," he hissed, "little girl?"
He opened his mouth to hiss again, giving her a better view of his sharp fangs. They captivated her as the man took a few shuffling steps forward. If she had been a little bit older she might have known what exactly it was that now snarled at her with blank and hungry eyes, but the word vampire did not come to her mind.
"If you're lost, then," he continued calmly, "I should drink your blood."
He lunged at her.
Her mittened hands rose to cover her small face, as if they proved some sort of protection from the attack. But she felt large hands grab at her arm and head, gripping her too tightly, and his snarling face lowered, and then miraculously, she was released. The man's head was in the hands of someone much smaller than himself. No wait – why was he slumped like that? There was so much blood . . . she realized that the smaller person's hand had gone right through his skull. It had come out the other side. There it was, doused in deep crimson as the person withdrew it, letting the body silently drop in a crumpled heap on the snow.
The boy paused for a minute, glaring down at the man's motionless body.
"You're a disgrace to us all," he said softly.
This new person was young, maybe only a few years older than she was. A kid, really. His skin was almost as white as the snow, and was offset by jet black, tousled hair. His chalk blue coat and white scarf were now splattered red.
She watched as he raised his blood-stained hand to his lips, parting them slightly to lick a blood-soaked finger. When he turned to her with bright, burning red eyes and a stunningly perfect face, she couldn't help but stare. He was simply beautiful.
He knelt down before her and held out his other, clean hand. His eyes faded like coals to a dark onyx as he looked kindly down at her.
"Are you okay?"
She flinched away at first, but his face was gentle and he appeared sincere. She still wasn't brave enough to find her voice.
The boy looked around for a moment, and turned back to the girl with a small smile.
"I can't leave you out here. Come on, let me get you somewhere warm, okay? I know a place nearby"
Her nod was almost indiscernible, but she found herself contently taking his larger bare hand in her small mittened one, and letting him lead her away amidst the blizzard. She didn't think about where they were headed. Her gaze was set fixed on her rescuer as he headed to the nearest place he knew was safe.