Two hours outside the city was an old manor house that had been turned into a school for 'gifted children'. Children who could never live in the general population, they would never be accepted, never totally trusted. People on a whole don't like someone who is different. These children were definitely different. Magic had been outlawed after the last Great War nearly destroyed the world. Good versus evil. A war that had been raging for as long as anyone could remember. The children at the school were born with magic abilities, some more powerful than even they knew. They couldn't live in the general population because, as magic was outlawed, they would be killed without question.

I had lived at the school for as long as I could remember, from what I had read in my personal file I arrived at the school aged 3 years old. Rescued from a facility where I had been modified by scientists. They altered my genetic make-up. I was born human, with unknowable magical abilities, abilities that I had yet to fully master. I was injected with a substance that turned me into a hybrid. Part human, part Vampire. I looked, acted and felt like a human, but I had the power and supernatural abilities of a Vampire. I also had the eating habits of both. I couldn't survive on human food alone. The scientists at the school created a synthetic blood mix so I didn't have to kill to survive.

None of the children at the school knew what I was, they knew I possessed magical abilities, but they didn't know about the Vampire side. They were taught to believe that Vampires were on the same level of evil as demons, something to be feared and killed. They wouldn't understand that I could have that side of me, but be on the side of good.

Chapter One.

Blood covered the walls, the floors, the ceiling, everywhere. The stench was almost unbearable, it made my head spin, my senses were going into overdrive, and the burning at the back of my throat was driving me insane.

I woke up from the nightmare to a buzzing noise. Opening my eyes, letting them adjust to the lack of light, I slowly got out of bed. Looking at the clock on the bedside table I groaned, it was 10:30am; I had only been asleep for 4 hours. I rolled my neck; it let out a satisfying click. I walked to the door and hit the button on the viewer screen, wanting to know who decided to wake me up after I'd only been asleep for 4 hours. I needed a lot more than 4 hours sleep. I had to smile. The blonde hair and brown eyes were always a welcome sight. I knew that she would not wake me up without a very good reason. I opened the door; she smiled and held out a cup.

"Breakfast." She said with a smile.

"I'm guessing I'm not going to be going back to sleep after this conversation…" I said, taking the cup and letting her in.

"Unfortunately not," she said, apologetically.

"What's going on?" I asked, sitting on my bed, taking a mouthful of the synthetic blood mix.

"Murder," she said, "a multiple murder…"

"Murder is usually a police matter…" I said.

"Not this time," she said, "they called us."

"They called us and I get woken up…" I said, "murder usually isn't my deal, unless it's a drained body, then I'll go to the morgue and deal with it…"

"Drained, but no risk of turning snappy." She said.

I must have looked very confused.

"Be in the conference room in 15 minutes." She said with a smile.

"30…" I said.

"20?" she replied.

"Deal…" I said with a sigh.

She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. I walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as I could stand. My muscles ached, never a good sign. I finished in the shower and grabbed a change of clothes. As it was a simple meeting I decided on jeans and a white t-shirt, instead of the usual work clothes. As I was putting the t-shirt on I winced in pain. I looked down at my ribs and found a large bruise.

I usually fully healed with 10 hours sleep, 4 hours sleep left me with aches and pains, not able to heal. Its times like this I felt nothing other than human. I tied my hair back and left my room. I was running late.

I ran down the hallway towards the meeting room. I spotted one of the kids sitting outside a classroom. It was Anya, a young girl who I had brought to the school after she had been dropped off at a hospital by her terrified parents. She was 6 years old.

"Anya," I said, walking up to her, "what are you doing out here?"

"I got into trouble." She replied.

"Obviously," I said, "but for what?"

"I was going to set Emma on fire." She said matter of factly.

"Right…" I said, crouching down in front of her.

She noticed that I winced in pain.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "rough night is all… why were you going to set someone on fire?"

"Emma is mean…" she said, "she said that you… never mind, you'll think it's stupid."

"Try me." I said.

"She said you were a Vampire…" she said.

"A Vampire huh?" I asked, "And why would she think that?"

"Apparently Mr Donovan said it… she said that he told them that you were no better than the evil bloodsuckers out there on the street…" Anya said.

"Do you think I'm a Vampire?" I asked.

"No," she said, "because Vampires are evil, and you're not evil… I mean you brought me here, an evil person wouldn't do that."

"Right," I said, "if she believes that I'm a Vampire, then let her believe it. Setting her on fire is not a good idea. You do that and you'll be in trouble, and maybe you wouldn't be allowed to stay here, and you wouldn't want that would you?"

"No…" she said, "that would be bad…"

"You ready to go back to class?" I asked.

"Yep." She said.

I knocked on the classroom door, and walked into the room.

"Chris, can I have a word?" I said to the teacher.

"Sure thing," he said, turning to the class, "keep ready the passage about dragons, I'll be back soon."

He walked out of the class with me.

"What's up Bo?"

"I think Anya is ready to re-join the class." I said.

"She threatened…" he started.

"I know what she did, we've talked about it, and she's realised that setting someone on fire isn't a good idea…" I said with a little smile.

He smiled.

"Okay," he said, looking at Anya, "go back in and catch up with the reading."

"Yes sir." Anya replied, she looked at me, "see you later Bo."

"See you later kid…" I said.

She went back into the classroom and I looked at my watch, I was really late for the meeting now.

"Sorry Chris got to run." I said.

"Have fun." He said with a laugh.

I walked off down the hallway to the meeting room.

I walked into the meeting room.

"Glad you could spare the time to join us Bo." Dyson said.

"Sorry I'm late," I said, looking at Trick, "I had to deal with an issue with one of the kids."

"What kind of issue?" Sarah asked.

"Anya threatened to set someone on fire…" I said with a little laugh.

"Who?" Sarah asked.

"Emma…" I replied, I looked at Dyson, "one of your class I believe."

"Yeah," Dyson said, "she's a good kid."

"Can we just get on with this please," Kenzi said, not looking up from her magazine, "I have a hair appointment…"

I laughed and sat down.

"So what was so important that I had to be woken up?" I asked.

"4 hours sleep in a luxury for some of us." Dyson said.

I glared at him.

"I do apologise that you only got 4 hours sleep Bo," Trick said, "but this is important."

"Multiple murder," I said, "not really my area…"

"This one is…" he said.

Sarah handed around a set of pictures, 4 photos, all high gloss print; the most notable colour on the page was red. Blood. Everywhere.

"How many dead?" I asked.

"4…" Trick replied, "A mother, father and two children."

"Even though this looks a mess, I don't see why it involves us." I said.

"We don't believe the killer was human." Trick said.

"So what do you think it was?" I asked.

"My guess would be werewolf." Sarah said.

"You wouldn't have found bodies if it was wolves." Kenzi said, still not looking up from her magazine.

"Maybe it was were-leopards…" Dyson said, looking at me, he knew that would hit a nerve.

"There hasn't been a were-leopard attack in this city for nearly 5 years," I said, "they are peaceful."

"Maybe your little kitty cats have turned nasty." Dyson said.

"It wasn't leopards…" I said.

"I'm inclined to agree with Bo on this one." Lauren said.

"There's a surprise." Dyson muttered under his breath.

"Come on then Dyson," I said, "what makes you think it was leopards?"

"Maybe they remember what human blood and flesh tastes like." He said, "I mean, I'd guess human blood isn't a taste you ever really forget… right?"

"From the look of the bodies, I'm going to have to say Vampire; there isn't enough tearing around the throat area for it to be any kind of animal, were-animal or otherwise." I said.

"Surely there wouldn't be enough blood left to fill a pen lid let alone redecorate the house." Dyson said.

"The throats were ripped out," Trick said, "but like you said Bo there isn't enough tearing to suggest animal, which leaves only Vampires."

"What does the note on the wall say?" I asked.

"What note?" Sarah replied.

"In picture 4…" I said.

"That we don't know," Trick said, "Apparently the police don't think we need to know that."

"Who is going to the scene?" I asked.

"Well not you obviously," Dyson said, "that much blood would send your senses into overdrive."

"It would give you more to chat to your class about wouldn't it…?" I said.

He didn't say anything.

"It's your scene Bo," Trick said, "Get ready to go and I'll get you what you need."