"For the last time, Mom, I'll be fine! I promise." Toothiana chuckled with the shake of her head as she tried to usher her parents out the door.

"It's really no trouble if you want us to stay home though, sweetheart!" Her mother insisted once again, never failing to hover.

"No, no. I insist, really! It's our first weekend in town, the least you guys could do is make friends with the neighbors." She nodded with a smile, hating the idea of ruining her parents fun.

"Yes but it'll be your first night alone in the new house. We're just worried about you is all!" Her dad added this time, slipping a light jacket on.

"Really guys, I'll be fine. I'll just work on unpacking my room or something, it'll be fun!"

"Okay, but if you need anything please call us!"

"Will do!" Tooth agreed, happy she was making some progress, she let out a smile.

"Love you!"

"Love you too! Have fun!" Before they could say another word, Tooth closed the door behind them and locked it. Her parents had been so crazy stressed the past couple of days from moving across the country, she needed them to go have some fun for once, and what better way than spending a night out with the neighbors.

They had been cooped up in their little minivan with almost all their belongings stuffed into a rental trailer for a good five days, the drive was incredibly boring and now that they were here Tooth couldn't have been more relieved. Her family had moved to the small town of Burgess for a fresh start, Tooth had found herself feeling rather lonely at her old school after her only friend moved away and the rest of the kids started to pick on her for being the weird teeth girl. She had perfectly normal teeth, she just also happened to have an obsession with everyone else's and apparently that wasn't socially acceptable. Her parents had been feeling rather sick of their old town too so they made the bold choice to pack up and move away.

Burgess was a rather cozy, little town and she was content with their decision to move. Their neighborhood was small and charming, the narrow, winding streets lined with quaint houses and lots of foliage. Having the house to herself made her happy, she collapsed onto the sofa - which was one of the only pieces of furniture in the entirety of the house - and let out a huff of air. Soon though, she realized how empty the house really was, it felt so cold and lonely and tonight was the first time she had noticed how few lights it had. The eerie feeling haunted her so to distract herself she made her way upstairs to her bedroom and flicked on the light. Cardboard boxes, small and large, filled the space of her room quite well. The idea of organizing her room was an exciting one and it pushed her to start opening the boxes, a task she had been lazily avoiding the past couple days. After an hour of opening a several boxes and moving things around, the pitter patter of raindrops on her window faded into the silence of the room. She smiled. Tooth loved the rain and, in response, she opened the window to let in the sound as well as the cool night air that relieved the heat of her room.

At some point, she had pulled her shoulder length, brown hair out her face and up into a messy ponytail, trying to get it out of her face as she worked. She heaved heaps of clothes from what seemed like bottomless folds of cardboard, and dumped clattering hangers from their depths as well. She worked swiftly to hang up her wardrobe in her new and rather spacious closet, humming a tune as she did so. After a while, her humming was interrupted by a rather harsh yelling. Tooth tilted her head before creeping over to her cracked open window.

"I swear to god kid, if you don't leave I will call the cops!"

At the sound of the next door neighbor yelling Tooth pursed her lips, curiosity piquing her interest. To get a better look she pushed her window open a little more, just barely hearing what the stranger said in a timid response.

"Please," It was a boy talking, though she couldn't see his appearance, only a dark silhouette, outlined by the neighbor's porch light. "I just need a place to stay for tonight."

"This is the last time I'm asking, beat it!" And with that, her neighbor slammed his door shut, locking the boy out.

Tooth gasped, stumbling back from the window a little. She couldn't believe such an event was taking place in her new neighborhood, how unlikely was it that she'd be caught in this situation. She felt sympathy for the boy, she really shouldn't have but it was raining and it wasn't exactly a warm summers night. She brushed both hands through her hair, groaning a bit at the decision she was about to make. One last time she looked out her window, watching the boy as he resentfully backed away from the door and down the porch steps.

"This is crazy.." She mumbled. But her mind was already set on the idea. With a sharp inhale, she pushed herself away from the window and ran downstairs to her front door. She twisted the door unlocked and flung it open in one swift motion, racing out onto the sidewalk.

"Wait!" Her cry was raspy. That moment there was no going back. The mysterious boy turned around, though she still couldn't see his face. "Do you need a place to stay?" She still had to yell over the rain.

As he started to approach her, she stumbled back. Suddenly, she regretted her decision. What if he was a psychopath? What if he was a knife wielding serial killer and she just put herself next on his list. For every few steps he took toward her, she took one back. The thought of running inside crossed her mind, rather being snuggled up in her new bedroom than snuggled up in a morgue. But her curiosity rendered her immobile and soon he was just feet away from her. She could hardly hear her own shallow breaths over the cold rain pouring down and the clicking of his steady pace on the damp sidewalk. "Please, don't come too close." She added quietly, her fears growing with his proximity.

At her words, the boy obeyed her orders and stopped walking. He was a good five feet away from her, his height towering over her small frame, but his face was still shadowed by the hood of his navy blue sweater. Her inquisitive nature led her to take a subconscious step forward, and then another, trying to get a better look. The tips of the drawstrings on his sweater had small indents from where he chewed on them - such a bad habit - he had no shoes on, his feet were scratched and bruised and both his sweater and bottoms had small tears in them. All around, he looked rather beaten up; so much so that when he pulled his hood back from his face she was shocked by his striking features. His face was pale as snow and youthful as her own. But the first thing she noticed was his eyes - god his eyes. They had to be the most crystal blue eyes she had ever seen, not even the ocean had as much depth as those irises. Flecks of dark blue and white streaked the surface of his cobalt eyes, it was stunning. The color outmatched her own eyes and her iris were a dark purplish-brown! Soon after, her attention averted to his icy tufts of white hair that glistened in the moonlight. For a moment she wondered how such a color existed in those untamed locks. It didn't take a genius to see how incredible he was, she was almost knocked off her heels. All words had left her, she just awkwardly gawked at him and he responded with a soft glare. Not really the kind of glare that was judging her but probably one that wanted to know what she was about just as much as she wanted to know what his deal was.

Once she felt she could speak, she cleared her throat then tried again. "If you need a place to stay-"

"Why would let me stay in your home?" She was taken aback by his smooth, cold voice but she recovered more swiftly this time.

"You just seemed like you could use the help is all." She answered truthfully. But the only response she got was silence. This was getting nowhere. Tooth shook her head, "Look, it's cold out here, and I really don't want to stay standing in the rain any longer. Do you want a place to stay or not?" He looked rather shocked at her words and she was too. Being brave and stubborn was her thing but not this brave and stubborn. This kid was a stranger, he could be all kinds of dangerous but unlike all the other rational people on her street, she made the decision to invite him into her home. The weirdest part was the she couldn't figure out why, what was compelling her to help him?

It took him a moment to respond but eventually he nodded and she returned the motion then gestured for him to follow her inside.

"Excuse the mess, we just moved in a couple days ago and we're still unpacking." She apologized as they entered her house, closing the door behind them.

"Don't worry about it, it's a roof to sleep under and that's more than what I've got." His words were quiet, and she wasn't sure but she thought maybe she heard him stifle a laugh. Good to know he had some normal qualities about him.

The first thing Tooth did after sitting him down in the living room was dig her tea kettle out of one of the kitchen boxes and heat up some water. It was a cold night and she didn't know how long he had been wandering around so she decided she'd make him some tea.

Once the water boiled, she poured it into a mug and steeped the tea bag, bringing it over to where he was sitting on the couch. His back was turned to her and his bare feet were propped up on a stack of boxes. A small smile lingered on her thin, pink lips. She couldn't explain it, but something about him was charming in some way.

"I made you some green tea." Once again her voice was quiet, scared to say something wrong to this stranger as she walked over to him. "It's good for your teeth." She took the tip of her pointer finger and tapped her canine tooth. It wasn't a secret to anyone who knew her, that Toothiana had an uncanny obsession with teeth. She had dental posters and professional tools that she used as decorations for her room. She loved sketching incisors and molars and hanging up her drawings on her walls or shoving the piles of papers into her drawers. Her dental hygiene was top notch and someday she hoped to be a dentist.

"My teeth?" The boy seemed confused as to how that was relevant.

"Yep! Green tea prevents cavities, promotes gum health, and freshens breath! It's my go to weapon for fighting those nasty sugar bugs! Other than brushing and flossing of course!" She had gotten carried away, she could tell because his expression showed how confused - and probably uncomfortable - he was. But she couldn't help the fact that teeth made her so excited. "I'm sorry, teeth just fascinate me, i'm an aspiring dentist so sometimes I get ahead of myself… but besides all the oral benefits, it's also just really yummy green tea." She tried to recover from her embarrassing moment and just give him his tea.

It was once she tried to dismiss the subject that he chuckled at her flustered state, shaking his head. "Thank you." He took the mug from her grasp with a smile and her mouth gaped open.

Maybe she was just seeing things but she could've sworn he had the whitest teeth she had ever seen. They sparkled like freshly fallen snow. "Oh my wow, your teeth are perfect!" Ugh, she should've kept her mouth shut, she was being too friendly to someone she didn't know, he didn't care about her teeth obsession or her green tea because he didn't care about her. She needed to stop talking before she made a bigger fool of herself.

"Oh, uh, thank you - again." He nodded, taking a sip of the tea. Instead of saying anymore she just gave a soft smile. After a moment of just sitting there in silence, she sighed and stood up from where she had been sitting on the couch and walked back to the kitchen. Having a random - but really cute! - stranger in her house was a lot of pressure, she wasn't really a weathered hostess and she still had to keep in mind that he might not be trustworthy.

Her nervousness was causing her body to heat up which made her cheeks flush. Why was she going so crazy over this? She pressed her back against the cool wall of her kitchen and closed her eyes, simply breathing for a second.

"It's okay. This is okay, you'll be okay." She whispered her little pep talk to the point that it was inaudible then she poured herself a glass of water, taking a couple sips to calm herself and made her way back to the couch with a new game plan.

"So," The timid tone returned to her voice. "What's got you out on the streets anyway?" His expression twisted a little once she asked her question and it was obvious she had messed up.

"Look, I appreciate your help and all - really I do - but I wasn't exactly looking for a friend to tell all my secrets to. Just a place to sleep for one night. That's all." After he spoke, he turned away from her. Her breathing hitched. She couldn't believe him, it was apparent by her dumbfounded expression that she couldn't believe him! Her expectations of this perfect boy had far preceded who he actually was, how ungrateful of him. She wasn't asking him to confess all his sins and explain his life story, she just wanted to know why she needed to provide him with her home and blankets for one night. Was that really too much to ask?

Tooth shook her head and stood up, making her way over to another one of the boxes and digging through it until she found a throw pillow and a blanket.

"Here. I'm going to bed so take these." She didn't even give him the opportunity to take them from her, she just dropped the items on the couch and started to walk away.

"Hey, I'm sorry alright I just-"

"It doesn't matter," She cut him off, trying to hold her ground so he knew she wasn't afraid to. "Just try not to look a gift horse in the mouth next time. I gave you a place to stay, the least you could do is be civil."

He was speechless again, shocked by how swiftly she could stand up for herself.

"Goodnight." She spoke with the nod of her head then turned to go upstairs, leaving the strange boy on her couch.

That night she hardly got any sleep, the rain wracking on her window combined with having a stranger in her home made it hard for her to get comfortable. She faced her open door, staring down the empty hallway, down the empty stairs, her eyes following anything that moved. Maybe letting him stay really wasn't the best idea. It was too late to do anything about it now but, being home alone with a stranger, in a new, empty house, in a new neighborhood; it was terrifying. Every now and then she'd hear him cough and knew he was still awake too. She thought back to his face, a part of her wanted to creep back down stairs and try to start another conversation with him just to get a look at those teeth and wonderful blue eyes. A soft smiled graced her lips as she recalled his perfect central and lateral incisors, but if she was being honest, it was all perfect. She really wished the boy hadn't been so cold, it could've been fun getting to know him otherwise.

After a while, the aggressive, sporadic rain turned to a soft, rhythmic sprinkle and the noise from downstairs ceased. Her worried eyes grew heavy and her racing thoughts quieted down enough for her to slowly fall asleep.

"Hello!" The familiar voice of her mom echoed through the unfamiliar walls of the house. "We're home!" Tooth blinked the tiredness away from her eyes, yawning and stretching out in her bed. The thud of the front door closing behind her parents entrance stretched all the way to her room and then she remembered.

"Oh god." Tooth whispered, sitting up in her bed. She threw her covers off of her and ran out of her room, down the stairs and to the living room. What she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Woah, good morning marathon runner! How did you sleep?" Her dad joked but she hardly heard him, her mind was elsewhere.

He was gone! How was that possible? Maybe it was for the best, since now her parents wouldn't have to know but - Christ he was gone!

"What's the matter sweetie? You look like you've seen a ghost." Her mom approached her, rubbing a soothing hand on her back.

Confusion swarmed her mind, her eyes darted around the room until they landed on a box next to the couch with a nicely folded blanket and throw pillow set atop it. He had left. But when had he left?

"No-no. I'm fine, sorry, still a little groggy is all." The words left her lips monotonously but it was convincing enough for her parents. They shrugged off her strange behavior and went on to tell her all about their amazing night with their new friends. But Tooth didn't really catch any of the story, their words went over head as her mind wandered elsewhere.

He was gone. Just like that.

She didn't even get to learn his name, or say goodbye, and she supposed that was normal when it came to strangers running away from their past but a small part of her had been hoping they wouldn't have to be strangers. Now she wouldn't see him again, she would never see that snow white hair or those crystal blue eyes, she'd never get to see that perfect smile. How unfortunate that the first person she met in this town was the most interesting one and now he was gone.

Taking a step closer to the blanket, she noticed a small piece of paper resting between the folds, sticking out only slightly. She pulled it out from the soft, fur material to reveal a note, scrawled out in messy handwriting that simply read, 'thank you.'

Tooth couldn't help but smile.

I had this crazy creative burst today, started writing and just couldn't stop. It's not the best start, trust me other authors could've executed this a lot better, but I tried and I kinda like it. If this is something I should continue and build off of let me know! I haven't decided if I love it enough to devote a bunch of time to it but if I get some positive feedback I'll probably find some time in my days to keep writing! Until then!