Hello, here comes a new story. I know I should probably wait until I got a little farther in my others but the idea for this story popped into my mind. I think it's going to be about how Rephaim and Stevie Rae first met and how their relationship will develop, but I'm not completely sure yet.

Okay, first things first, to prevent everyone from any kind of confusion: Rephaim is 3 years old in this story and Stevie Rae 2.

Disclaimer: I don't own House of Night.

~ Nessie

Chapter One – Arrival

Many children, so Rephaim knew, would dress up as natives for carnival or Halloween. He wouldn't. Simply because he didn't need to. He was a native by birth and so he tend to look down on those that would use his origins as a costume. People never could get their eyes off the little boy with the raven-black hair, the amber eyes and the dark- almost reddish- skin. His foreign looks seemed to fascinate all the people around him.

Rephaim sighed. He was currently sitting in the car with his father and mother in the front driving him to his first day in kindergarten. His little brother Nisroc had come, too, but that was merely because he was only four months old. He was sleeping. Rephaim would often watch his brother sleeping. Nobody ever wanted him to do anything and nobody would ever get mad at him because he still was a baby. Rephaim had learned that babies were never to blame for anything. He wondered why though. The only thing his parents continued complaining about was that he would always wake them. Rephaim didn't understand what they were talking about. He always slept well. He would go to bed a time his parents called at 6 and seemed to wake up the same time in the morning. It confused him a little that they said that. How could he wake up and fall asleep the same time? One was in the morning and one was in the evening, or was he wrong? He decided he would still figure that out.

His father was driving and his mother turned around, checking on Nisroc and then faced Rephaim. "Now sweetie, don't pull such a face! Aren't you looking forward to go to kindergarten?"

"No.", Rephaim merely responded. He didn't want to go to kindergarten. Who would want to go to a place with dozens of noisy children all around? Rephaim had never liked children- despite being a child himself. He avoided them and stayed in his room most of the time. The only time he would leave the house everyday was Nisroc's daily walk. He would have prefered to go out alone but his parent wouldn't let him. He was only three.

His mother frowned. "Kalona, wouldn't you like to say something to your son?" It was a question but it didn't sound like one. Rephaim knew that his father needed to answer. She would always use the same tone on him when he didn't want to eat his vegetables. He never had a real choice.

His eyes never leaving the street Kalona spoke up. His strong voice sounded relaxed. The man never let anything anger him in the mornings. He'd probably even let the house burn down at this rate, Rephaim thought. "You don't want to go to kindergarten, Rephaim?"

"I don't want to.", Rephaim answered even though he knew his father didn't expect him to answer.

"But you do know you where allowed to stay at home two years longer than you should have? You need to learn about social contacts, my son."

"I don't!". Rephaim knew he sounded stubborn, but he didn't care. He didn't even know what these social contacts were so why would he need them? And, most important, he didn't want to go. Easy! Kalona's voice sharpened as he spoke up again. "You should better appreciate my efforts, Rephaim. This is already settled, you will go to kindergarten."

"Hmpf" The little boy turned his head away, defeated. And so the drive continued. No one talked, only his mother would turn her head once or twice to check on her boys. Rephaim had gotten tired and dreamy from the long drive so that he was really surprised when the car suddenly stopped. They had arrived.

The young native hopped out of the car and shot the colorful building a glare. He thought to see his father rising an eyebrow at him as he did, but he didn't care. When his mother had finally managed to get his baby-brother they all started walking towards the building's entrance. As soon as his father had opened the door a huge wave of chaotic loud voices reached the boy's ears. Rephaim felt the strong urge to flee from the long colorful floor. He didn't even see a child yet but there already was such a noise. He blocked his ears. He fallowed his parents threw half the corridor and stood next to them while they knocked on a door. A woman came out, she was still pretty young and Rephaim knew from the very first second that he didn't like her.

"Oh, there you are!", she exclaimed, and Rephaim wondered why she would be so excited. Facing him she said: "And you have to be Rephaim then. With his best poker-face on the little boy didn't respond. He merely nodded. She was staring at him like the whole rest of the world, and she had pronounced his name wrong. But these were not the things that made Rephaim dislike her so much. She wasn't only staring at him but was also gazing at his father all the time. Rephaim had spend all his life surrounded by adults and had studied their habits, and he knew what that meant. Not aware of any of his thoughts the woman blinked confused.

"So – why don't you go look around a little? I will finish talking to your parents and fallow you then." Rephaim didn't want her to fallow him, and he didn't like how she looked down on him. He remembered that his mother would always tell him he had to eat healthy food to grow up tall and strong. If he remembered he would later ask her how long that would take and if she could help him make that go faster. But for now it seemed he had no choice but to look up to her- not that he would look at her. He decided he would never unless he had to. So instead he looked up to his parents hoping they would decide to take him back home the last second, but both of them nodded, his mother kissed his forehead once more and then set him free. He instantly used his sleeve to wipe his mother's kiss away, but the same time he turned around and began looking around.

So here he was. His first day in kindergarten, his first steps into a knew world, a world that would change him forever.

Hihi. Of course it's not the knew world that will change him. You know whom I mean, don't you? And we're going to meat her next chapter. Imagine her at the age of two. Rephaim will have to deal with a very hyperactive knew friend.

Would you like me to continue the story? Please review and tell me.

~ Nessie