Chapter I - Serafine Aurieux

There were certain things about Serafine's life that she considered normal, but may have been viewed differently by others. For Serafine, she grew up in a very abnormal fashion. She had no recollection of her mother or father; instead, she was raised by her guardian. A man who constantly changed bodies. This man protected her from people who sought to harm her or manipulate her. Serafine couldn't say she understood why she'd be hurt or manipulated by others, but that was what she had been told since she was very little. She took that statement to heart, whether she understood it or not, and became very distrusting of anyone who wasn't her guardian. That was how it was for her. For Serafine, her upbringing, that foundation her guardian provided for her, was normal. Despite all the questions she had, she never voiced them. She thought better of it.

Another normality in Serafine's life were her own differences. The young woman believed that all the abilities she developed over the years were something all people had. Serafine believed all people had telekinesis, and everyone had telepathy, and just a little more strength than necessary. She believed that everyone had mild pyrokinetic abilities, and somewhat heightened senses, and people could go anywhere in the world with just a thought. Those were all things Serafine thought people possessed. Even though her guardian assured her no one else shared the same abilities as her, it was still something she thought about deep down. Those were a few other things Serafine couldn't help but think were normal.

One other part of Serafine's life she never saw as abnormal was her guardian. The man who raised her, who constantly changed bodies. Serafine saw nothing odd about her guardian's mysterious background, his need to look different each and every time they met up. To her, her guardian was doing what he could to provide for her, to give Serafine a decent life. Serafine's life wasn't perfect, she wasn't going to make a claim like that; but she was going to acknowledge the hard work he put in for her. She was appreciative of that, and she couldn't have asked for more. Serafine's guardian was her family, the only person she trusted with her life.

The final part of Serafine's life she considered normal was not knowing who her parents were. Growing up, Serafine had pretty much no mention of her parents. She didn't know if they were alive or dead or if they willingly gave Serafine up or if her guardian took her without her parents' knowledge. All in all, Serafine considered her minimal knowledge on her parents to be completely normal. She saw nothing wrong with it - well, it did bother her somewhat, but not by much. If her parents were worried about her, if they were even alive, they would've done something to find her. Though Serafine wouldn't have made it easy for them. She grew up knowing only her guardian, so she wouldn't have left so willingly.

All those things were common in Serafine's life. She didn't question them, even if she had moments where she wanted to. She knew better than to do something like that. Serafine's entire life revolved around that, and she wouldn't do a single thing to change it.

~8~

"How are your studies coming along?" The question was simple enough, and it caused Serafine to pause where she was in her book for a moment. For a majority of the day, Serafine Aurieux had stayed in her motel room reading the books her guardian provided her. Her bed was littered with Bibles and other religious texts; a few books on the supernatural, plus a few on mythology, were piled near her pillow. Enochian sigils had been painted around the motel room, a form of protection that Serafine had to be educated on. Part of her studies required she know the different symbols that protected, trapped, maybe even exorcised monsters. That was something Serafine had to learn later in life, the knowledge that monsters - real monsters - existed.

"They're going well," she replied, her tone almost emotionless. "I've been going over my Latin. Afterwards I'll be practicing some exorcisms."

"And the religious texts?"

"I've revisited them." Serafine glanced up at her guardian, who took the body of a young woman. "You should know I've read those texts inside and out. I know them like the back of my hand."

"Certainly," he responded. "But it's never too much to go over them again."

"I've reread the Bibles you've provided, plus some their translations," Serafine explained. "I've also gone over the Torah again, plus some of those translations, as well." She looked up at her guardian. "I've also gone over the Quran. I may need to go over that again. My Arabic isn't that good."

There was a moment of silence as Serafine's words were absorbed. It was obvious she was very dedicated to her studies, something her guardian was thankful for. If she were going to survive in their world, she'd have to know the backgrounds of the supernatural and the religions intertwined with it. Plenty of monsters had some kind of connection to various religions, so reading up on holy texts was essential for Serafine's studies. It gave her a proper foundation, so that way she'd be able to properly eliminate a threat should an enemy arise.

"I suppose you're right," was the simple response. "What about your other studies? How are those going?"

"They're going fine," she answered. "I'll be testing myself on the history of vampirism."

"That's good." A long pause. "Is there something else?"

Serafine's eyes went to the form in front of her, the human woman who was hosting her guardian.* Letting out a sigh, Serafine nodded. "Considering how much studying I've done, I was wondering why I can't go hunting," she said. "I think I'd be a good hunter."

"You know why you can't." The response was clipped, a harshness just beneath the words.

"I've remained undetected for this long," Serafine exclaimed, "and I don't even know what I'm hiding from. Why can't I be a hunter? You've had me do all this research for nothing?"

"What you're hiding from are beings just as powerful, if not more so, than me. You're studying so you know how to protect yourself should the situation call for it. Did you honestly think I'd have you learn all this if there wasn't a purpose?"

"Your secrets and overprotective nature are doing just as much damage as any monster would."

"My secrets are to keep you safe."

"From who? Myself?" Serafine threw a look her guardian's way. "If you want to protect me so much, then you'd tell me what I'm running from. You'd tell me why I don't know who my parents are and why I don't what happened to them. Instead, you keep me in the dark on everything. How's that going to protect me?"

"Your abilities are still in development. If I told you everything, it could lead to catastrophic results."

"I have control over my abilities," Serafine snapped. "You're just scared that I might be more powerful than you." Serafine's mouth snapped shut at that. She didn't mean to say that, it just came out. She'd been told by her guardian that he had powers similar to hers, but he had more control, therefore he was more powerful. But in all honesty, Serafine had never seen her guardian use his powers, he said he'd use them as a last result if something went South. But as the years went on, she had practiced relentlessly to gain control over her abilities while trying to juggle her studies. Her guardian knew this, but still saw her as inexperienced. "I-I'm sorry," she muttered. "I shouldn't say things like that. It's disrespectful."

"I expected more from you, Serafine," he said. "To say things like that is unlike you." A brief pause. "I need to go."*

"Wait...," Serafine called. She stopped herself once he disappeared. Her guardian had a bad habit of teleporting at the weirdest times. With a sigh, Serafine rubbed her face in frustration. She would definitely have to figure something out when he returns.

(A/N):

This chapter's overdue, but hopefully you guys can overlook that. It may not be the best first chapter, though. I'm hoping on the story getting better as time goes on. Anywho - what did you guys think? Was it good? Was it bad? Was it meh? Constructive criticism is always welcome.

The SPN fandom does not belong to me. All I own are my OCs and the subplots I put in.

Don't hesitate to let me know what I should improve on!

Have a fantastic day.

Aiden St. Felix