DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, obviously. And I gotta apologize if the characters are just a bit out of character. This is my first time writing a Darren Shan fanfic.
A girl in her mid-teens stood leaning casually on the wall of the old abandoned church that the Cirque was performing that night. She wasn't very pretty or vibrant; in fact she seemed quite the opposite. It was October, and the air was gelid with frost. And yet here she was, dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting jeans with frayed ends. But that wasn't what caught my eye.
She had black hair that fell below her shoulders and blew in choppy wisps around her face. There were tiny, abundant scratches zigzagging down her left arm and two big ones on her wrist, although they were just nicks in her skin, with no sign of bleeding what so ever. Her eyes were closed and she seemed deep in thought. Her skin was deathly pale, like she was sick or something. I could hear her breathe even from where I stood. She wheezed and her breathing was ragged. It sounded like bronchitis.
Suddenly she leaned her head foreword and let out a quiet moan and a whimper escaped her lips. I narrowed my eyes, contemplating whether or not I should see if she was all right.
She stood back upright, pushed the hair out of her face and slid down to a sitting position, pillowing her head in her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs.
Finally I decided there wouldn't be any harm to just talk to her, so I jogged over. She didn't seem to notice that I was approaching her so I crouched upon my haunches and tapped her shoulder.
"'Scuse me, are you alright?" I asked, trying to get a look at her face. She lifted her head and I got the shock of my life. Her eyes were pure orange. Tearstains formed damp lines down her face.
She just looked at me with a melancholy gaze, her brow furrowed in a pitiful frown.
"What's wrong?" I asked, trying not to show my surprise. She turned her head. I sighed.
"I'm fine. I just got in a fight, but I'm fine." She croaked, her voice broken from crying.
"Yeah, and that's why you were crying." I said in a sarcastic tone.
She ran a hand across her eyes, wiping away her tears. "Just go away, alright?"
I tilted my head to the side. "Are you hungry? You look like you haven't eaten in a while. There's food inside."
"I'm fine, dammit." She hissed, turning away. When I say 'hissed', I mean she literally hissed. Like a cat would hiss.
"Come on, you don't want at least a bite to eat? I'm not offering anything more." I said.
"I am not hungry." She kept her head firmly away from my line of vision.
"At least come inside and take a look around. Maybe you'll change your mind."
She hesitated before nodding. "Fine. I'll have some dinner, but then I'm gone."
"Fair enough." I nodded, standing and helping her to her feet. "Darren Shan." I stuck out a hand.
She stared at it before shaking it impersonally. "Twig." She said and followed me inside the church.
I led her through the crowd of performers. I expected a flood of questions about them, or at least a disgusted look. But she just kept her head bowed and eyes cast down as she walked beside me. We sat down at a table and I handed her a plate of cold pizza. She stuffed it in her mouth like a rabid animal and gulped down her coke viscously.
Within a few minutes she finished and pushed the plate away. "Thanks." She mumbled. "I'll be going now." I pressed my lips together, confused by her mysterious personality.
"Hey Darren!" A familiar voice called. I turned to see Evra. He sat down beside me. "Who's this?"
Before I could open my mouth, Twig quickly introduced herself. Evra cocked a brow.
"Twig?" He murmured under his breath, as if trying to get used to the name, but then shrugged. "Evra." He said coolly. "Are you staying for the show?"
"Show?" Twig's orange optics narrowed.
"Yeah." I said. "The people here are in a traveling freak show, Cirque Du Freak. They're putting a show on tonight, if you wanna stick around." Her lips curled inward.
"A freak show?" She tipped her head to the right.
"You know, like-"
"I know what a freak show is." She snapped loudly. "I thought those were illegal." She folded her arms, lowering her voice.
"They are." Evra laughed. "Why do you think we're performing in a run-down dump like this?"
The corners of her mouth twitched and she smirked in a rotten way. "SO are you two the main attraction?" She asked.
"Yep." Evra said in a 'matter-of-fact' way. Her eyes widened and her pupils constricted in a cat-like way to the point where they had the width of a pinhead. She was about to retort when Mr. Crepsley strode towards me.
"Darren I-" He stopped dead in his tracks, his sights landing on Twig, whose eyes grew even more. "I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting." He said in an unfavorable tone. I knew that voice. He used it when I had attacked him when he was after Murlough. But that was nearly a year ago.
"No." Twig answered in an equally hostile way. "Name's Twig."
As if right on cue, Mr. Tall quickly walked beside his friend. "I'm afraid the show requires you to have a ticket." He stuck out one hand, beckoning her for something. She glared at it like rat poison.
"I'm not staying for the show." She said, pulling her arms behind her back and holding onto her wrist protectively. She was like a feline, furtive, shifty. I could just sense her fear. "I was just leaving."
And Mr. Crepsley did too. "Perhaps you would like to stay? It is a frore night."
"No I'm good." She recoiled slightly.
His eyes strayed across her wounded arms. "My dear girl, you are in no shape to be wandering the hinterland. If you allow, I would graciously lend you a hammock for a night or two."
She cringed. "First of all, I'm not a girl, I'm a woman." She paused. "Second of all, and sorry if I sound a bit rude but I don't sleep in the company of strangers."
I was enjoying watching Mr. Crepsley try to bite his tongue. He was strict as hell, but when it came to females, he knew he needed to be a gentleman. If that were me, I'd probably be dead by then.
"I beg your pardon, my good woman, but I can assure you that you are in safe hands whilst in the company of the Cirque." He turned to Mr. Tall. "Am I right, Hibernuis?"
Mr. Tall looked at Mr. Crepsley for a minute before nodding. "Yes, Larten is right. You need not fear. In fact, I will make it my personal amenability to see to it that you are safe and sound." Twig's brow furrowed again and it was evident that she was distraught. She backed away a little, like a cornered animal.
"I can take care of myself." She snapped, seemingly offended by them. "I'm not helpless."
"And I dare not imply that you are." Mr. Crepsley said, as if talking to a young child who didn't understand. "All I ask is that you allow us to tend to your wounds."
"Why?" She asked, but it sounded more like a statement, a skeptical expression on her doughy features.
Mr. Tall sighed impatiently. "Larten, Twig," He said her name rather curtly. "Would you care to step into my caravan?" Twig's lips pursed with disgust, but she decided that there was no use in arguing and tagged behind the two.
Evra and I exchanged confused looks, but let it go.
That night's show was canceled for some reason and I didn't see Mr. Crepsley, Mr. Tall or Twig for the whole evening.
I lay in my hammock, in the clutches of darkness, struggling to fall asleep. I listened to Evra's deep and even breathing and it began to lull me into a light slumber.
Just when my eyes had closed, someone entered. Judging by the voices, I could tell it was Mr. Crepsley, but the other one I couldn't recognize. The vampire sounded agitated as he spoke in an undertone.
"…Even attempt to escape unless you have a very desperate death wish." He growled.
"And if you tell anyone anything, I'll make sure that you have a very desperate death wish." Twig's saucy voice cooed. Mr. Crepsley grunted in disgust and left her. I listened closely. She shuffled around on the floor for a few minutes before going silent, but she wasn't sleeping.
I opened my eyes, searching the tent, but there was no trace of her. I looked on the ground.
"WHAT!" She seemed to have appeared out of thin air, neon orange eyes scowling at me. I gasped quietly, surprised. Wouldn't you be surprised to see someone's eyes glowing in the dark? "Well?" Twig hissed.
"What did Mr. Crepsley say to you?" I asked in a hushed tone.
"Nothing you need to know." She turned away and stared out into space. For a minute there was an awkward silence.
"Is your name really Twig?" I cringed, embarrassed at asking such a lame question. But there was nothing else to talk about.
"No."
"Then what is it?"
She glared at me. "Why do you care?"
I shrugged. "Dunno. Does it matter?"
"Yes, yes it does," She turned on her side, her back to me. "Now shut up. I'm trying to sleep."
I smiled wryly, itching to annoy her a little more, but decided that she probably had gone through enough and exhaled loudly, quickly slipping into a deep sleep.
"My name's really long." She mumbled.
"What is it?" I turned on my side.
"Exodus Desdemona-Fallon Nephthys." She sighed. "But don't call me that. I hate that name. Too long."
"If you say so."
The next night, Mr. Tall announced that the Cirque's performances had been cancelled until further notice. Upon hearing this news, I went straight to Mr. Crepsley, demanding to know why the show had been postponed.
"There is business that needs to be taken care of." He said, not looking me in the eye, seeming distant.
CLICK. "Does this have anything to do with Twig?"
The vampire cocked a brow but was silent.
I narrowed my eyes. "We agreed, no secrets." I called after him as he began walking away. He halted.
"I am afraid there is not much I can tell you, but may I suggest talking to the girl?" Before I could protest, he swiftly walked away.
I met up with Evra at the tent. Twig wasn't there. "Have you heard?" I asked.
"Yeah, the Cirque's been delayed." He didn't seem to mind too much though. Evra had been complaining lately about how he wanted a break and well, here it was.
"I think this has something to do with that girl, Twig." I was talking in a low voice, hoping that no one would hear.
The snake-boy pondered that for a moment. "But why would she stop the whole show? Nothing has ever stood in the way of a show."
I was about to reply when Twig entered, looking annoyed as usual. Evra and me watched in silence as she huffed and sat down onto Evra's hammock and folded her arms. Her head snapped up to look at us sharply, her cold optics cutting into us. "What?" She growled.
"Nothing." I replied. Pause.
"Well go on. Just pretend I'm not here." She didn't seem to be trying to sound cruel but there was acid on her tongue.
Evra stared shamelessly. "Why are you still here? You're free to leave now, you know."
"Those people, Larten and Hibernius, won't let me leave. So I'm afraid you're stuck with me for a while." Her voice grew softer and she sighed.
"How come?" I asked, intrigued.
"Does it matter?" She barked her voice surprisingly sharp.
"Just curious." I backed away as me and Evra reclined on my hammock.
"Whatever." She rolled her strange eyes. "So, what's the deal with you, Snaky? Is that a costume or just some weird skin disease?"
"If that was supposed to be offensive-" Evra said.
"It wasn't." Twig mumbled.
"I was born like this. I had two normal parents, but they gave me away and I ended up here, to make a long story short." He stopped for a minute. "Wanna see something of interest?"
"Hell, why not." Twig said. Evra stuck out his long tongue and ran it up a nostril. I expected a disgusted squeal but her face resembled a slab of solid ice.
"Huh. That's definitely something." She tipped her head to the side, looking at me in a way that sent shivers up my spine. I was rapidly beginning to dislike her. "And what about you? Are you just here for the ride or are you a freak like Snaky?"
"Actually," I grinned. "I'm a vampire. Half-vampire, to be exact."
Twig scoffed and leaned back in the hammock. "Convince me. I know Snaky's not kidding but you don't look like you're anything special."
"I wish I could but there's really no way to show you that I'm half-vampire. You can ask anyone though, they'd know. Especially Mr. Crepsley-"
"Who?" She interrupted, sitting up.
"Larten." I quickly said.
"Oh." Twig nodded and leaned back again.
"Anyways, he was the one who blooded me, in other words, he's the one who turned me into a vampire. I've been his assistant for four years now. I can't do a lot of the stuff he does, like knock people out by just breathing on them, but I am stronger then the average human and I have extra tough nails."
"Yeah, right. I'm supposed to believe that?" She gave a nasty laugh. "Like I said, convince me." She held out her hand. "Nothing's ever made me bleed, and I doubt that you will, but just for the heck of it, why don't you try?"
I hesitated. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?" Her lips curled into an impish smile. "Don't be scared. I like it when it hurts." She said in a low voice. I couldn't help but blush and looked at Evra. He looked a bit weirded out.
I carefully took a nail and ran it hard and swift across her wrist. She winced, and for a moment I regretted my action, but as I looked, nothing came. No blood, not even a red mark. All that appeared was a shallow gash the same tone as the rest of her arm.
Twig started laughing. "What'd I tell you? Your nails are nothing I haven't seen before. Trust me. And I still don't believe that you're a vampire."
"How… I mean, aren't you supposed to be…" I couldn't form words. To be perfectly honest, I was genuinely dumbfounded for the first time in years.
"My skin is most likely the toughest substance that this world has ever seen. Nothing can cut me. I've never bled in my life. I'll hurt, but I'll never bleed. I'm also immune to any virus. No matter what it is, it won't affect me. But, if you want to know, a few things can kill me." She stopped talking then.
"What?" Evra and I asked, synchronized.
She burst out in a demonic cackle. "You think I'd tell you what could kill me? Do you honestly believe I will let the two of you know the thing that will bring my demise? Do you take me for a fool?" She wiped tears away from her lower lashes.
"What are you?" Evra asked, shaking his head.
She walked over to us and leaned in close, and, speaking in a mellow tone, said, "Do you really want to know?" Seeing her eyes up close, I could tell they were like solid colored glass… they had no reflection. I couldn't see Evra or myself for that fact, in her pupils.
She walked out of the tent, without words, and that stupid smirk on her face.
A/N: Well? Is it good? Bad? Did you like it or did it make you wanna puke? Review, please. It'll help me improve if my story isn't up to par.
