Disclaimer: I don't not own the Cirque du Freak series. This story will be rated M for later sexual scenes, violence, and slight foul language. This is a rewrite of my story I wrote 4 years ago but abandoned. I have the whole story planned out now and I hope to post chapters at least once every other week. I hope you enjoy my story as we go along this adventure of heartache, self discovery, and love 3

Prologue

What is the true definition of beauty? Who really has the right to define it? Beauty isn't defined by a persons appearance, but of what truly lies inside. Deep in the depths lies a girl that contains more beauty than one could imagine.

Ella lives in a small town with her mom. She's only a couple of months away from graduating high school, and in just a few months, she will be living her dream of living in New York and attending Juilliard. She has been singing since she was three and has the voice of an angel. She longs to be a part of the Metropolitan Opera Company. Up until recently, her life had been seemingly perfect. She had good grades and friends everywhere she went. What she didn't notice was the man that has been lurking in the shadows watching her every move for the past month.

This man had been traveling and had stopped in a small town at a theatre to find a victim to feed on when he heard one of the most beautiful sounds he had ever witnessed. He snuck into the back of the auditorium to see what it was, and there on the stage he saw a young girl about the age of 17 singing one of Puccini's famous opera arias. She was a stunning sight to see. She wore a light blue gown that matched her piercing eyes. She had pale skin and dark brown wavy hair that was hanging loosely down to her waist. The man was absolutely mesmerized. He had to have her. She finished her song and the crowd burst into applause. She bowed graciously to the audience and smiled as she looked around at the crowd. He slipped out the back before he could be seen and waited in the shadows until she emerged. About 10 minutes later she came out with a bouquet of flowers in her arms and a group of people around her praising her performance. She humbly thanked them and got into a car with an older woman and drove off.

The man followed them to a small house in the middle of nowhere. Perfect, he thought. That night after watching her every move, he snuck into the house while everyone was asleep and went to her room. He walked over to her bed and reached out and caressed her soft skin. She smelt so good, but for some reason her didn't want to feed on her. He sat and watched her all night until she arose early in the morning to get ready for school.

For the next month he followed her everywhere and became more and more obsessed with this young woman. He knew what he wanted to do with her. He would not feed from her or kill her, but make her his companion and mate. He had many fantasies of being with the girl intimately and couldn't wait much longer. One night when the girls mother was out (he never noticed a man so he figured her father was out of the picture) he snuck into the house.

Ella cooked her a dinner and sat in front of the tv to watch a movie and relax while her mom had gone out on a date. She figured she would be out for a while so she took the time to relax and enjoy being alone. Halfway through the movie, she got up to go to the bathroom. She did her business and went to the sink and washed her hands. As she was doing so she saw a shadow run by the door. Startled, she proceeded cautiously to the door and peered out. She screamed slightly as she saw a man standing in the hallway.

...

The night of her senior recital, Ella was floating on cloud nine. She was the last one to preform and received a standing ovation not just from the people in the crowd, but the representatives from the very school she dream of going to since she was four. Her heart soared as the came up to her and congratulated her on a successful performance and told her they would be in touch. Her dream was finally about to come true! Years and years of practice and hard work was finally about to pay off! Never had she imagined that the staff at Juilliard would think twice about her because of her coming from a small town and not being well known. Her mom had sent in a video clip of her performance in their small community production of the Phantom of the Opera. After tonight, her dreams seemed so close!

One month later, she received a call from the director of Juilliard wanting to know if she could fly there for a live audition and interview. Elated, her and her mom screamed for joy after she hung up from the call. Withe tears streaming from both of their eyes, they embraced as her mother congratulated her only child in coming so close to achieving her dreams. "I hate that I have to go in to work tonight, but tomorrow I promise we will celebrate!" As her mom got ready and left for work, she sang and danced around the house in pure joy, unknowing of the danger that lurked right outside of her door.

That night she cooked herself supper and rewarded herself by watching her favorite movie. After going to the restroom, she was startled by a figure that ran past the doorway and stood in the hallway. This was the moment her world crashed down.

...

Larten Crepsley came to his hometown often. It saddened him in a way to see how much it had changed in the past 100 years. Yet, he always visited. He was on vacation from the cirque this week. One night he went out hunting when he smelled something. Something that smelled of death. He followed the smell and found a dead body, but there was another smell that accompanied the body. It was the smell of the vampaneze! He inspected the body and saw it had been completely drained of blood. What was more disturbing than that was that this body was fresh.

...

"Don't be afraid of me. I do not wish to hurt you. Murlough does not want to mess up such a beautiful face." The man said in a low voice. Ella looked him over and noticed his skin was a slight purple color and his eyes were blood red. He slowly started to approach her. She took a few step back and then was stopped by the wall. She couldn't find words to speak. Chills went down her body as the man spoke again. "I've been watching you. I need you..." He pressed his body again her petite one and brought his thick, burly hand to her cheek. Ella whimpered in fear as he brought his face closer to hers. She quickly turned away only to have him press his lips against her ear. "First, I will blood you. A fragile human would not last long considering the plans I have for you." He growled. His hot breath in her ear sent chills down her spine. So many things were going through her head at this moment, trying to process what the man called Murlough said and it's meaning.

Snapping out of her petrified state, she looked around for an escape. There was no where to run, but she wasn't going to give up. He took a step back and she bolted forward and tried to go past him, but stretched his arm up and picked her up. "It's easier my dear not to struggle." He whispered wickedly into her ear. She tried to beg, "Please no..." She felt tears stinging in her eyes threatening to spill over. He threw her to the ground and pinned her down. "Now this will hurt for a few seconds, but I need to turn you before I take you. I tend to be a bit... rough. This way you will be stronger. Then my dear, we will begin our lives together," he growled. He ran his hands down her body, grazing her small breasts, making his growing erection more and more evident. She was confused by his words, but more terrified by his actions. Panic really stuck her now and she tried begging again. "Don't do this.."

Still on top of her, he grabbed one of her hands and put his finger tips to hers. "Get ready my dear." He then dug his nails into her fingertips. She did not scream out, knowing the worst was yet to come. He did the same to his hand then returned the other hand to hers. She wasn't ready for what came next. Pain radiated throughout her body. She let out an ear piercing scream as the pain reached her heart. This must be the end.

...

Larten had been tracking the vampaneze and followed his scent to one place in particular. A small house in the woods, secluded from others. He seemed particularly mesmerized by the young girl that resided there. He treaded carefully one night, not wanting his foe to know of his presence. Suddenly he heard a agonizing scream. He burst into the house to find the vampaneze known as Murlough on top of a young girl, blooding her. He sprang into action lunging at him and ramming him into the wall. "Crepsley!" The vampaneze gasped. Larten took his razor sharp nails and slashed them across his face. This angered Murlough he grabbed Larten and wrestled him to the ground. They struggled and got a few punches in on each other before Larten threw him across the room. The vampire reacted quickly and flitted to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Murlough froze knowing it would not be a good idea to go against the skilled vampire without a weapon. "We will meet again Crepsley," he sneered. He looked over at the beauty still lying on the floor, "I will have you one day."With that, Larten aimed at his target and threw the knife. It barely missed him as the vampaneze disappeared into the night.

Ella, still on the floor, stared at the man that saved her. She concluded that he was not an ordinary man however. He demonstrated such strength and speed that was impossible for a human. Just then, she was blinded by a searing pain in her head. She cried out in pain as everything around her started to blur and the sounds around her amplified. "Please help me!" Larten knew she didn't have much time until the vampaneze blood settled in her veins.

He ran up to her and calmly said,"I've got to re-blood you." This was all he said because he knew she didn't understand what was happening. He cut his fingertip and placed them against hers as his blood flowed into her. She cried out again, as this would be much more painful than before due to the two different bloods fighting for dominance over each other. Larten tensed up as he knew the pain was coming for him as well. Just as he finished that thought, the pain spread through him and his vision began to slowly diminish as they both passed out.

...

Ella woke feeling dizzy and of course, very confused. She looked around and her eyes stopped on the man who had saved her and was now lying unconscious on the floor. He was a very well built with pale skin and a red crop of hair on his head. He had a long scar that attached to the corner if his mouth that extended up in a way that looked as if he had an elongated smile. She tried to get up, but she had another dizzy spell that sent her right back down. She began to realize her vision was sharper and she could her the crickets chirping outside.

"What is going on?" She asked in a panicked voiced. Larten started to wake up feeling confused. He saw the girl and his memory started to come back. Well, he thought, at least we both survived. She noticed him stirring and became afraid again. He stood and reached out his hand to her. She didn't move. "I won't hurt you." He said calmly.

"What has happened to me?" She panicked. Knowing the other man's intentions were obviously not pure, she found it hard to trust this man either. "Take my hand and I will explain." He replied.

She hesitated but took his hand as he pulled her up to her feet. His hand was so cold yet she didn't want to let go. She knew she probably shouldn't trust the man considering everything that happened, but for some reason, she did. She straitened her posture as he pulled her up and she looked up at the man that was easily a foot taller than her. Despite the scars and rough features, she found a softness in his eyes. Her intuition was telling her that she could trust him. Their gazes were locked and they couldn't find it in themselves to look away. Even though he could see the terror in her eyes, he could feel the calm as well. He noticed that she was not letting go of his hand so he just tightened his grip and let her to the couch. "

My name is Larten Crepsely and I am a vampire."

A/N Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter! All I ask is to be patient with my characters and their developments. Please review and keep me encouraged to post more chapters! Haha! ~Ally