Notes ! : Phew ~ Worked hard on this chapter and hope to get more people to fall in love with it like I have. I haven't seen many other fanfictions with what happens to Darren after he ran into his little person self. He got scared and ran away right? Well what happens next? What happens to the timeline? His journals? I got soooo curious I just got writing and well the first chapter just sort of happen.

But before we start just want to give my readers a little heads up before you jumped into awesomness. I firstly do not own any of the Darren Shan Saga, the plot or characters. Secondly there is and will be some major changes in characters and plots, the whole nine yards.

But enjoy, follow, favorite, forgive bad spelling and grammar mistakes and Review. I'm like any other writers, I love reviews! I love reading them, they just make me know I'm doing a good job in the fanfic world. Don't be shy, criticize me. I like hearing your idea of what I'm doing wrong. Otherwise just tell me you can't live without another update ~

... Chapter One . . . Something Strange ...

My body moved before my mind fully woke up. I jerked up to a sitting position and couldn't help but to gasp for air. The air in my lungs relieved me a bit. It was like I just simply forgot how to breath. Instead of breathing normal, my breaths were short and shallow. I was shaking like a leaf in the wind and covered in a cold sweat. These were my symptoms of one of my strange nightmares.

My room was dark, dark as night. My window on the other hand, showed a painted picture of a beautiful early morning. The clashing of pink, orange and red painted an beautiful sight. Just how early was it? My dark brown orbs looked over to my night-stand where my digital alarm clock sat.

5:27

I've beat my alarm by three minutes. Normally, I would of been excited at this if I was going to school today. But my alarm was off, so I didn't have to go to school. My mom gave me permission to skip today. And being yet another teen who hated school, I was going to take full advantage of it.

I sighed deeply, it was the same dream I've been having for the last few years. Ever since me and my best friend went to that freak show. It wasn't that grey little person that scared me from going to the balcony. It was something completely different and well, scary.

My nightmares have been the same thing, playing over and over again. A figure draped in a dark, long, black cloak, with the hood up, stands before me with his hand extended. Everything within me is telling me to grab the man's white hand. Like it was natural. But there's this little part in me is screaming at me not to grab the man's hand.

I listen to the little part of me, and don't take the man's hand. When I don't accept his hand a very heavy load is taken off my chest. I actually feel lighter then before. But that isn't a good thing. The hooded stranger gets really pissed at me and screams something.

I can't understand it, it's English but still sounds so foreign. When he approaches me, and I take my first step back I some how fall down and I'm peering up at this hooded man, unable to see his face. The man is dark and scary. Scarier then anything I can think of.

When he pulls down his hood, I wake up. I've never seen this man's face, and something tells me I don't want to. That it's better not to see it.

So here I am sitting sweaty and panting, on my bed scared to death. This dream was different. I had no control over myself and reached out for the man's hand. His hand was cold as death and I didn't feel lighter. I instead felt very odd.

The feeling was hard to describe. He didn't take down his hood, and the words he spoke were as clear as these. His words are what woke me, in that dark voice he spoke.

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Shan."

I shivered violently. I would hear those words today, and it would only remind me of him. I looked back at the clock.

5:30

I might as well stay up now, there was no way in hell I was going to sleep. I was up for the day, for my birthday. Because today I was sixteen. It was a big number, but eighteen is what I'm shooting for. But I can wait another two years, I can't stay a child forever. Well, teenager.

I started my day like any other, well that was another lie. My head started throbbing like mad when I turned the light on in the bathroom. At first I thought mom finally got those energy saving lights, something about recycling, and I thought my eyes would adjust.

It only got worse, so I started the water for a nice hot shower, after the shower if my head still hurt, I would take some medicine. The shower did help, my head had mysteriously stopped hurting when I got in, even when I got out.

Maybe I got light headed or something?

I was wrapping the towel around my waist when something in the mirror caught my attention. It looked purplish red, the mirror was to foggy for me to see. But I wish I never wiped the mirror because what I saw was something I didn't want to describe.

In fear I stumbled back and fell on my butt. What was going on?! What the hell was that!? I slowly got up and peeked at the mirror. It was gone. I could only see myself. For the rest of the time in the bathroom I did my best to avoid the mirror.

My room shared no comfort, it seemed even more different then when I left it. Like something changed in it. The light was on and nothing was touched, everything was just the way I left it. I sighed, it was all in my mind. I was just having a bad morning, it would look up later in the day.

I was debating whether I should go to school or not. I mean any kid would love to skip school, but I was already up and, kind of bored. I was dressed in my normal clothes, all my homework was done. I sighed again and decided to play one of my playstation 3 games.

"Leaving your window open? Tsk Tsk Tsk Darren!"

I jumped at the voice and turned around in my computer chair (It was both my computer and gaming chair) to see the guy. I knew by the voice who it was.

"Steve! You ass!" I hissed shaking my head.

Steve crawled through my window and shook his head, and well scolded me.

"You know there are weirdo's out there. What if one of them happened to see that a cute little boy sleeping with his bedroom window open? They could crawl in and bam, need I say more?" He threw his bag on my bed and sat at the edge.

Steve has been weird ever since we left that freak show. I honestly didn't know why. He stayed after the show, I would of have known what happened if it wasn't for that creepy little grey person. Scared the hell out of me and forced me out.

"I don't think a weirdo would want to crawl through my window when they know I have a vampire loving freak who crawls through it almost every chance he gets."

Steve smiled as if I gave him a compliment. That's how it is. Steve has some sort of thing with vampires, and I have a thing for spiders. I guess that's how we became friends, we're both freaks. He's just more violent then I am.

"Very true, I am after all a very scary man." He said grinning like a fool "Plus I would most likely murder them if they hurt my friend." He shrugged.

"Murder? A little extreme?" I asked with a small smile.

There was a sound from my game that said I didn't pause it and died. Groaning I turned back to see that my character, was laying on the ground and the words "MISSION FAILED" written in a blood read across the screen.

"Damn it." I shook my head turning myself back around to see a smirk across Steve's face as if to ask "Is that what passes as extreme now a days?"

Killing people was extreme, and knowing Steve he'd probably do it. After all, when I got into high school things weren't looking up as the best for me. My life turned into one of those ironic movies. (You know the one where the head cheerleader dates the quarter back of the football team?)

For some reason the quarter back has painted a nice red and big target on my back. And him and his team us to pick on me. The team stopped after Steve, my over extreme friend, put his ass in the hospital with a black eyes and a few broke ribs. But the quarter back still has his jabs in, but behind Steve's back.

"Happy birthday Darren." Steve said with a small smile. "Now, come to school Darren."

Steve was in trouble if he missed any more school days. His mother went to court already for the days missed. And so now Steve was forced to go to the one place he hated the most, besides his home, high school. And since his mother's boyfriend was a police officer, Steve had no other choice.

Steve's mom met her new boyfriend after she came to pick Steve up, he was arrested after beating the shit out of the quarter back.

I didn't want to go to school, but what would I do here? Play video games all day? Be forced to help mom with her normal day of being a house wife? She'd probably pull me into helping her with her stamp collection. Something I wouldn't like doing. I would most likely tend to the garden before dad got home and pulled out all the weeds.

"Give me a good reason, and I will."

My voice was soft and barely above a whisper. But Steve heard it as if I yelled it. A smile crossed his face, a 'oh I have a great reason' smile.

"I'll give you the best birthday you've ever had."

"And that would be?"

Steve sighed. "You have to wait till the end of the day. Which you'll only get if you go to school with me."

"You just want me to do your school work."

With that we both smiled and laughed lightly. Steve was passing most of his classes because of me. We were in one class together out of our few. I was in advanced classes with Alan, while Tommy and Steve were in the normal standard classes. Steve wouldn't be passing if it weren't for me.

"No, because if I go to school without you, I will might end up blowing it up or shooting up the football team."

I smiled again and told him I would go to school today, just for him, so he wouldn't blow up the school. I don't think my mother would mind if I didn't take this day off of school, I mean, she should be happy that I want to attend school?

It wouldn't be good if I missed a day. Not with those soccer scouts scouting me, Tommy, and two other guys on our schools soccer team. Steve wasn't one of those people sadly. But he said he didn't mind it. Soccer wasn't his main goal in life. He wanted to be a director of movies. Mostly horror movies. I could honestly say I wasn't expecting that choice of career for him. I mean I could see him in the horror section of movies, but hey, what can you say?

"I think you would like my gift better then anyone else." He promised.

"Mr. Leopard! Are you jealous I might like Tommy's or Alan's gift better?" I pretended to be shocked.

Steve gave me a light glare, seeing through my sarcastic response. Within the few years Steve had lost all the pigment in his hair, and it turned to a silver color. Most people just assumed he dyed his hair. The changing of his hair happened over the summer, it didn't really sit well with the teachers. But they learned to get over it.

"I doubt it. My gift it ten times better!" He laughed walking over to my window. "See you in school." He said and left my out my window. Leaving me there shaking my head lightly, asking myself why he even came in my room in the first place.

He is a fool, and so am I. After those few years away from that place. He was expecting to take me back? At first it was a good idea, but it would soon crumbling the changed future. Exposing things that were meant to stay hidden.