Ahem, this is my first story in quite some time. I've decided to delete all my others, excluding "An Unspoken Attraction" because not only did I loose all of them, I've lost inspiration for all of them. I am keeping, and working on, "An Unspoken Attraction" because it's something of HomeSkillitBiscuit.93's, and she's agreed to let me work on it. :D Ah, and also, HomeSkillitBiscuit.93 is helping me with writing this.

The freezing wind howled against Skyler's tiny frame as her legs pumped harder and faster. Shoes squelched in the muddy terrain, while thick, icy droplets spattered against her face, eyes and forearms. Through the rain, the shrieks of sirens and of other people filled the air, becoming like white noise against her ears. With every step Skyler took, her fear of being caught burned in the back of her mind, despite the fact that with every step, she was getting farther away from this dreaded place.

Run, she kept telling herself. Run, and keep going. Don't stop. And don't you dare look back.

Amidst these thoughts, Skyler hadn't realized where she had been going, until she stopped short and took in her surroundings. Her breathing came out in short rasps as she took in the dense forestry that cornered her. Tall trees, a breed unknown to her, were black against the dark blue sky, bending under the thrashing of the freezing winds. Resting her palms on her bent knees, Skyler squeezed her eyes shut and tried to catch her breath and tried to calm the burning in her chest. A twig suddenly snapped behind her, and a flurry of advanced panic thrummed through her veins. Darting to her left, Skyler gathered whatever strength she had left and kept on running.

For what seemed like hours later, or what could have been minutes, she stopped running. Skyler didn't know, or rather, she couldn't care how much time had passed, she just hoped that she was farther enough away to have fallen off of their radar. Her entire body ached, and when the full force of the adrenalin wore off, her body called it quits. Her legs screamed in pain, and burned with such intensity that she couldn't feel her toes. Dragging her near lifeless form under a nearby shrubbery, and made sure to be completely concealed.

Skyler had lost all of what bearings she had. Anywhere could have been north, south, or east or west. Even when she had escaped, even she had no idea which direction she had took of running. Wiping the matted hair from her eyes, Skyler brought her knees up to her chest, and rested her head atop her knees. Her stomach suddenly grumbled loudly, and a weary sigh escaped Skyler's dried lips. Retrieving the small pocket knife from her secret pocket, Skyler needed food, and she needed it now.

The flames of the small campfire licked the air and flickered against Skyler's eyes as she sat and waited. Reaching out, she turned her makeshift skewer of rabbit meat over the flames, and proceeded to wait some more. Stretching her arms and back, Skyler grimaced at her appearance, if only slightly. Her tattered clothes were bloodstained, and she was matted with sweat and dirt, and more than likely smelled awful. Unfortunately, she could not go back home. Or rather, she would not. Nothing in this world could ever get her to return back to that horrid place. Too many memories of that place festered in her mind, and made her hate not only herself, but most living creatures. And perhaps it also desensitized her in some way, which is most likely why she was so readily able to mercilessly kill that poor rabbit with no ounce of regret. In fact, a small part of her enjoyed in murdering a helpless animal, and it made her wonder what killing a human would feel like, if she had the chance to do it again; on purpose this time.

Vancha wandered aimlessly through the dense forest, grinding his teeth at the thorns that had become embedded in the soles of his feet. They stung hard with each step, and he tried his best to ignore the unpleasant sensation. By his luck, he had caught the vampire flu, and a nasty case of it at that. He'd been feeling awful for days now, and was currently on his way to Vampire Mountain; a place that promised rest and a full recovery.

As Vancha squeezed his way through a thick shrubbery, he became temporarily stuck in the thick brambles. Biting back a rather nasty profanity, he heaved himself through, eventually stumbling out rather ungracefully. Once he had become free of the shrubs claws, he dusted himself off and looked around, only to come face to face with a human. It was a female, he noticed; hunched over on a log, gnashing at a small piece of meat in her hands.

For a moment, they both stared at each other. A flicker of silver behind the girl's leg caught Vancha's eye, and he immediately saw that she had drawn a weapon. But, being a vampire, it did not faze him. He could easily fend her off if she attacked him, or better yet, kill her.

"Hey, kid, what do you think you're doing out here?" he snapped, narrowing his eyes at the glinting pocket knife at her side.

The girl ignored his question, and instead, opted to ask one of her own.

"Who are you?" Her voice was hoarse, and wavered slightly as her eyes studied his unmoving form. Gripping the pocket knife tightly in her hand, she took in his attire; oddly enough, he was clad in purple animal hides, along with strangely green hair. The air grew thick with an awful smell, and wondered how long it had been since this boy had bathed. Her grip tightened as a hard glare creased into his features.

Vancha scoffed. "Listen here, kid. This territory you're in is dangerous for a human like you. I suggest you pick up and move on, lest you end up dead."

Skyler threw the piece of unfinished meat onto the ground and took a seat closer to the dwindling campfire. "And what else would I be, aside from human?" she questioned mockingly.

"That's not really any of your business," Vancha bit out.

Skyler thought for a moment. "I see. Well, let's say I've nowhere to go. And you're telling me I should leave, right? So, pray tell, stranger; what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go?"

A growl escaped Vancha's throat. "Not my problem, kid."

Skyler sighed. "Then where are you off to?"

Vancha mentally groaned. Bloody hell, this human was annoying. Why couldn't she just leave him be? "Again, kid, that's none of your business."

Skyler brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and met his eyes. "You must be going somewhere," she replied.

Vancha groaned aloud this time. "I said it's none of your business! Geez! Why don't you just go back to wherever you came from and get out of here before you get killed, hm?" he ground out, flashing the human a hard glare.

"I just told you that I can't go back!" she screamed, rising to her feet to flash him a glare of equal calibur.

Vancha took two steps forward so he was towering over her small frame. "And why the hell not?" he spat. Vancha watched as the girl opened her mouth to say something, but then she immediately slammed it shut. Her eyes quivered, and he saw small tears begin to form at the corners of her eyes. His glare faltered, and he regretfully took a step back.

"I-I—" Her voice broke. "I… I've done s-some things… that I'm n-not proud of," she murmured, trying to ward off the encroaching sobs that threatened to tear their way out.

Silence fell over the two. Studying her form, Vancha realized that her entire front was spattered with blood, and coated with dried up dirt and bits of twigs. Her hair was a mess, and she, too, smelled like she hadn't bathed in days.

"Kid, we've all done things we're not proud of," Vancha muttered as he gingerly grabbed her shoulders and sat her back down on the log. He was about to stand up and leave, when her hand slid over the top of his and squeezed it tight. A sob wracked its way out, and Vancha cursed his compassionate side as he scooted closer to comfort her.

"I… don't have a home anymore," she sobbed. "I have nowhere to go, and no one to turn to."

Vancha watched as she grabbed her sleeves and wiped at her eyes, trying to hide the tears that he already knew were trailing down her dirtied cheeks.

"Why?" was all Vancha could think of to ask.

Sucking in a deep breath through her nose, Skyler wiped at her eyes once more before placing them in her lap and clasping them tightly. Her whole body shook, but whether it was from the cold, or from the crying, Vancha couldn't tell anymore.

"Because," she sniffled. "I-I killed someone."

Vancha blanched. Could this really be? A human killing another human? This was preposterous. Such a thing was unheard of, especially from a young female human. Vancha watched as she continued to sob and sniffle, and his eyes widened at one question that throbbed in the back of his mind: what on earth could have possessed this young girl to kill another one of her kind? He sensed that that wasn't all there was to the story, but he did not care, for now. Instead, he stood up, brushed himself off and headed into the trees.

Skyler sensed his movements, and her mouth opened into a little 'o' of surprise at his sudden departure.

"Wait!" Skyler called out from behind him, her voice echoing off the trees. "Where are you going?"

"Away from here," was the curt reply given by the odd stranger as he kept on walking.

Anger boiled within Skyler as she immediately stood to her feet. The boy still kept on walking, and she found herself running to catch up with him. Her heart began to pound as a thick knot of dread formed in the pit of her stomach. The intense feelings of loss and loneliness sunk deep under her ribcage, and she suddenly felt the desperate urge to not remain alone.

"You can't just leave me here, you asshole!" she snarled as she came up behind him, pocket knife clutched in her hand as she raised it high and ready to strike.

Seconds before the blade could be plunged into the back of his neck, the stranger turned around and grasped her wrist so hard that it hurt. Uttering a yelp, Skyler's hand sprang open and the knife fell to the dirt. The boy's grip tightened, and she writhed under his brute strength, but could not break free.

"Listen here, kid," he spat as he bored his eyes into hers. "This place is not for your kind, so pick yourself up and leave me the hell alone, or by the fires of the black pits, I'll squeeze those pretty brown eyes right from out of your skull, do you understand me?"

The girl's eyes remained wide, and she was unable to answer. Vancha threw her onto the ground with a sharp flick of his wrist, and seconds later she was sprawled in the dirt, choking and sobbing. Vancha glared at her pitiful form, and mentally shook his head, wondering why on earth had he stopped to argue with a dirty, smelly human. Adjusting his clothing, Vancha turned on his heel and continued on with his journey.

He had taken all of fifteen steps before he heard the human girl call out again.

"Take me with you."

Stopping dead in his tracks, Vancha hesitated. Was this human crazy? Was she really that afraid to go back home that she would enlist the help of a stranger—more importantly—a vampire? The consequences were sure to be dire, he mused to himself. Behind him, he heard the human pull herself to her feet and take three steps toward him before stopping and repeating her request.

Turning on his heel, Vancha raked his eyes over the girl's form. She was barely holding herself up, and could not fight to save her life, and Vancha was about to dismiss her once again, until he noticed something in her eyes. Despite her pitiful looking form, her eyes held a strong determination that he had not seen before.

Skyler breathed heavily as she stared at the stranger. He seemed to processing her request, and Skyler's heart leapt briefly before hardening, as the boy suddenly began to walk forward, his eyes hard and his face stoic. Skyler squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for whatever he may dish out again, when instead, he spoke.

"I've got a better idea. How would you like to become a Vampire's Assistant?"