Ann's hazel eyes scanned the hotel before them, calculating with hesitancy. Beside Ann stood her brother, Dan, who seemed to display the same hesitancy. The busy street before them was alive and teeming with cars and ignorant people, but only Dan and Ann stood still. They knew what awaited for them on the other side of the road and in the hotel, but they were not afraid. Or, well, not completely. Dan was brute strength and brawn, he was bigger than his twin sister and twice as strong- but it was Ann who was the brains. Ann was quicker and smarter than her brother, but she was also strong. Maybe not as strong as Dan, but strong in her own way. Ann wrinkled her nose as a familiar stench ran past her nose, the scent of death and decay. "I've always hated that smell," Ann said, glancing at Dan.

"Yeah," The male agreed with a curt nod, "it's... aggravating."

"Yes indeedy.." Ann agreed. "But, we must proceed. Shall we?" She asked with a grin, imitating a British maid.

"We shall." Dan said begrudgingly. With that, they grabbed their bags from the curb and crossed the busy street. Cars honked at them from time to time, but the siblings paid it no mind. After all, a simple car couldn't kill them, let alone hurt them. Ann trotted confidently beside her brother, who strut across the road with a hint of arrogance. Or, well, not arrogance- but the same pride a wolf carries itself with. Dan's black pompadour hair was lightly tousled by the wind, though the gel held it in place. Despite his suit covering his body well, it was obvious how masculine he was. Muscles twitched and pulled beneath velvet skin, every part of him accentuated like a Roman god. Beneath her own suit, Ann's figure was not as defined- but she was still muscular, just not as obviously as her brother. Her black hair was swooped up into a braided bun, causing her and her brother to look professional. After all, they were here on 'business'. The stench grew stronger. Ann thought she was going to be sick, Dan thought the same; however, they figured they would survive. Ann's upper lip pulled back in a snarl as they pushed through the doors of the Hotel Cortez, the stench finally overwhelming her and her brother. Her fangs threatened to extend from her canines and her claws threatened to shoot from her nails and attack the source of the stench, but she restrained herself. They made their way to the front counter, Dan's eyes on the older woman behind it and Ann's calculating eyes taking notes on their surroundings.

"We need a room." Ann said to the lady behind the desk. The female was soaked in the stench of the undead, of the vampires. As a werewolf, a creature of the moon, Ann despised them.. not only were the leeches Ann's natural enemy, they had killed her parents. The woman quirked an eyebrow, glancing between Ann and her brother.

"A business trip?" The lady asked, fixing her glasses as she glanced through the guest list. "Or.. an affair?" The lady watched as Dan's features became confused and disgusted, though Ann seemed amused.

"No, not an affair. Just two traveling siblings looking for a place to stay," Ann said warmly. "Dan and Ann Rivers, just looking for a couple rooms at the magnificent Hotel Cortez."

"For the weekend, or...?"

"A couple weeks." Dan said. "We can pay with credit, or upfront with cash."

"Cash does just fine." The lady said. "I'm Iris, if there's any questions feel free to let me know. Your room numbers are 57 and 58, floor number five. Need any help with your luggage?"

"No, no." Dan told Iris with a slight smile. "We can get it."

The night ebbed on, and Ann found herself alone in her room. She didn't mind it much, she really didn't mind at all. She pulled up her phone calendar, blinking slowly and carefully. The next full moon was in five days, meaning the night before the full moon and the night after she'd transform into a blood thirsty beast... although, Ann wasn't really too blood thirsty anymore. After nearly two or three hundred years, Ann had learned to control her wolf side. Ann knew she'd just curl herself up on the hotel bed after tearing up the room. She opened her bathroom door, casually pulling her pajama top from her muscled frame. A lone scar tore from her left shoulder from her right hip, pale and puckered and thin. Ann turned on the warm water with a bored yawn, blinking her hazel eyes calmly as she freed her hips from the confines of her pants and stepped into the water. The warm droplets pounded against Ann's back, at first causing her skin to raise in goosebumps as her wolf form threatened to tear lose from her human skin as it often did when temperatures changed quickly and drastically. Ann calmed the wolf, however, and simply enjoyed her shower. When she shut the water off, snatching a towel from the bathroom counter, Ann's attention was drawn to the actual bedroom where the soft sound of giggling could be heard. Curious, and a bit suspicious, the female werewolf wrapped the towel around herself and wandered into the bedroom. She froze when she saw the new females in her room, narrowing her eyes. Both were blonde, and maybe both were taller than Ann herself.

"Can.. I help you?" Ann asked, quirking an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I did put the do not disturb sign on my door."

"Can you direct us to the Fast & Furious movie line?" A soft, accented voice asked.

"You're in a hotel," Ann stated, "there's no movies here. At least, none to my knowledge." The females blinked, though they seemed indifferent toward the news Ann presented. They both looked mildly disheveled to Ann, one even looked as though their throat had been slit. They were ghosts, Ann realized, spirits lost in the hotel. Perhaps the evil present was more strong than Ann had previously thought. She knew vampires resided in the halls, but she had been unaware toward the ghosts. "It's a full house, innit?" She muttered to herself under her breath- werewolves and vampires and ghosts, oh my! She nearly snickered at the thought.

"Can you help us?" The females asked.

"What's your names?" Ann deflected, watching them.

"I'm Agnetha," One of them said, batting her lashes. "This is my friend, Vendela. Can you help us?"

"Depends." Ann said, eyeing them cautiously. "What do you want?" She knew it was best to be careful when dealing with spirits, a lesson she'd learned as a paranormal hunter. She supposed her profession was a bit paradoxical since Ann was a werewolf, even though she hadn't wanted to be- but what can you do when your own parents were paranormal hunters? Ann had to admit Agnetha and Vendela seemed a bit lost and confused, but Ann knew that wasn't her doing.

"It gets very boring here." Vendela explained sadly. "We cannot leave, we cannot go home. I miss my family, we are stuck in the same routine over and over again... it is nice to sometimes break that, but.. the last time we did it did not end well."

"Because you're ghosts," Ann stated, "and it's unnatural for you to interact with non-lycs- I mean, humans."

"Non-lycs?" Agnetha asked.

"I'm a lycanthrope... a werewolf." Ann told her. "I'm just as human as anyone else, though, so my brother and I refer to those who aren't infected as non-lycs."

"Sounds... complicated." Vendela smiled, and Ann could tell there was a hint of mischief in the gesture. "There is a certain way you can help us."

"There is?" Ann frowned, confused- though it became clear when Vendela sat on Ann's bed and parted her legs slightly, batting her lashes at the female.

"We're dead, you're a beast." Vendela told her. "Gotten any action lately?"

"Action?" Ann blinked. "Well.. no, I wouldn't want to hurt the other person involved."

"So play with us then." Agnetha said, pouting, as she sat beside her friend. "We haven't gotten any action since we accidentally killed Mr. Wu."

"Look, I don't know.." Ann said. "I mean, I'm not really here for that sorta thing."

"Why? Are you not single?"

"No, no.. I am, but.."

"Then there should be no problems!" Vendela said cheerfully as she stood, running her fingers through Ann's still wet hair before she took Ann's face in her hands. "Can't hurt us, can't hurt you." Vendela purred before she pressed her lips against Ann's. Ann whimpered slightly, but only because the wolf inside of her was enjoying it. She guessed it couldn't hurt to have a one night stand with a pair of ghosts since Ann couldn't hurt them. With a fierce snarl and the shoving aside of all human morals, Ann shoved Vendela onto the bed and pounced on her, claws nearly extending from her nails. She felt Agnetha's hands against her shoulders, rubbing seductively against her skin. Lips nibbled at Ann's shoulder blades and back, along with her neck as Agnetha wrapped her arms around Ann's bare waist below her breasts, moaning as Ann's fanged teeth brushed against Agnetha's ice cold skin. Finally, Ann couldn't hold back her urges any longer. The claws tore from her fingers, animalistic instincts taking over as she shoved herself against Vendela, Agentha grinding slowly against Ann herself. Maybe Vendela was right, this shouldn't be a problem.

When Ann woke up, of course, the two blondes were gone. All that was left was a few scratches and a hickey on Ann's shoulder blade, but she didn't mind. With a small yawn, the werewolf stood and ignored the fact her body was bare. Light scratches gently dusted her back, along with other parts of Ann's body, but Ann knew they'd heal within a half hour. She snatched a pair of jeans from her suitcase and an old t-shirt, gently slipping her undergarments on before she pulled on the jeans and shirt. Ann glanced at herself in the mirror, her lips pulling into a smile, and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail. Today, she and Dan were going to find the leeches. She shoved the key to the room into her pocket and exited the room, knocking on her brother's door.

"Dan?" Ann asked, waiting as she folded her arms over her chest. It took her brother a few moments, but soon Dan was standing before her in an athletic shirt and a pair of slim athletic pants. He looked disheveled, and both could guess what had gone on with one another the night before.

"Who is he?" Ann asked.

"Who is she?" Dan asked at the same time. It was obvious to each twin that they both preferred those of the same gender for the sexual preferences. Back when they had been young, in the 1800's, when Ann seduced a woman it was Dan who pretended the said woman was his partner. When Dan seduced a man, it was Ann who pretended as though the said man was her partner. It was a rouse which worked in favor of each twin, as each ended up happy for a time. Of course, those relationships never truly lasted back in those days. Times had changed, however, and Ann and Dan were free to love whomsoever they pleased without the fear of being outcasts. The two shared their story of the previous night with a small bout of chuckles and jokes, then decided to get down to business.

"I'll search the next floor and this one. You search the bottom two. Deal?" Ann asked.

"Deal." Dan said, and wandered off to leave Ann all by her lonesome. Ann turned on her heel, hands in her pockets, as she followed her nose. She inhaled in sharp bursts, like a dog trying to catch a scent. Her brow furrowed, lip curling back in a snarl as she heard an noise which slightly startled her. It sounded like a plea, a scream- a tireless scream. She didn't know where it was coming from, however, and moved to investigate. Her fingers ran alongside the wallpaper of the hotel as she paused every now and then, sniffing at it. An unfamiliar smell hit her, like a vampire's- but different. Older, perhaps. Starving, maybe? A starving vampire? Or would it be parched, considering vampires didn't eat? Ann didn't know, but the smell intrigued her. It wasn't until she came upon a darkened hallway with only one door that Ann's curiosity peaked. The wall was different from the rest of the building, it smelled different and had a different feel to it. The feel gave Ann an odd, anxious feeling- like the feeling she'd had long ago before she and Dan had decided to take up hunting other paranormal things, back when she worked for that freak show and that rich boy had started killing the other freaks- Ann and Dan had only gotten lucky because the bullets weren't silver. Silver wasn't a good thing for lycanthropes, but usually only if the silver alloy dealt a fatal blow to any major artery or organ in a lycanthrope's body. Other than silver weapons, asphyxiation, drowning, or the claws or teeth of another lycanthrope (the only thing that could truly kill them without a doubt), nothing could virtually kill Ann or Dan. Ann's lips pulled back in a slight snarl as the familiar scent of blood hit her nose, but it wasn't human blood Ann was smelling.

The smell wasn't quite vampire, but it was close enough. The smell belonged to a subclassification of vampires, the Afflicted. They were very similar to vampires, though they could go out in the sun without dire consequences. Sun or no sun, Ann didn't care. A vampire was a danger nonetheless, but unlike lycanthropes- who often had no control of themselves for a few days- a vampire was always a danger, no matter the day or time. It became clear, though, that the parched vampire was not necessarily old, just a child who was feeding from another Afflicted. Ann didn't know the room number, but they were definitely in a room- maybe a permanent room, Ann hadn't seen the number of it in the key list downstairs.

"There, there Holden.." A female voice crooned. Ann sniffed at the air, her lip still curled back in a silent snarl. The female was in her thirties, the boy was below ten. Another person was with them, however, and Ann could sense their discomfort.

"Mom," The unknown voice said, "do you have to do that here?"

"What am I supposed to do, Scarlett? Let him die of thirst?" Came the mother's response. Odd, Ann thought, that the Afflicted mother would have an Afflicted child and a non-Afflicted child. Ann had known, or at least thought, that Afflicted and lycanthropes alike both had children that would always be Afflicted or lycanthropic. Ann crouched down, tilting her head slightly to better hear the people.

"I'm sorry." Came the non-Afflicted's reply, though Ann could tell it was hesitant at best. "This hotel just makes me uneasy. I should've waited a few days before-"

"Really, Scarlett?" The Afflicted snapped. "We only see you one day of the year, and you're upset because you get to spend a few extra days with us?"

"Not just a few, mom, a week." The non-Afflicted, Scarlett, snapped back. "The ghosts here are horny and crazy, it smells bad, and I have to watch you either kill someone or let Holden feed off of you. It's not normal, it's horrible. And I didn't leave, remember? You sent me away. You abandoned me."

"Jesus Christ, Scarlett!" The Afflicted snapped. "Hey, I'm still talking to you! Don't you-" Ann leaped back a pace as she heard the footsteps storming toward the door. A young female, the Non-Afflicted Scarlett, pushed past the door and slammed it shut. The irrevocably non-lyc smell seemed to follow Scarlett as she shoved past Ann, ignoring her, and left the lingering scent of the Afflicted in her wake. Ann blinked once, then straightened her back and looked behind her, watching the blonde go. She, Scarlett, seemed genuinely upset. While Ann was a bit quirky, yet a bit unsure of how to comfort those who were upset, she was not one to allow someone to linger in sorrow or any other negative feeling. The lycanthrope turned on her heels, abandoning the thought of the Afflicted- though she would report it to Dan later, they could figure out where to go from there- and followed Scarlett. She found the female leaning against the wall at the end of the hall, rubbing her temples with slim figures.

"Gods above, help me." Scarlett muttered, shaking her head.

"You know," Ann spoke up as she approached, hands in her pockets and an eyebrow quirked, "I don't think I ever fought with my mother like that."

Scarlett's head snapped up as she glared in Ann's direction, then the look faded away. "You heard that, huh?"

"Well, yeah." Ann offered a sheepish grin. "Your yelling was pretty loud."

"Well... I'm sorry about that." Scarlett folded her arms and turned so she was looking out the window at the end of the hallway. The soft morning sun seemed to brighten the female's melancholy face. "I only see them once a year, they... they really aren't my family anymore."

Ann offered a soft nod, coming to Scarlett's side. She gave Scarlett a moment before she spoke, "I don't know what I'd do if my brother wasn't my family anymore." She looked at Scarlett, her features somber. "My brother Dan and I lost our parents when we were very young."

"How young?" Scarlett asked, glancing at Ann.

"We were twelve at the time." Ann recalled, glancing back out the window. "I practically raised Dan, but he was larger... so he protected me." Didn't come in handy when Elsa attacked. Ann thought. "We were both in an... accident... when we were eighteen. Attacked by this lady, Elsa.. she was French, they called her the 'Savage Beauty'. She was savage indeed." Ann recalled.

"I'm sorry." Scarlett said with a nod. "I.. uh.. lost my father, too. I was pretty young, too."

"I'm sorry too." Ann echoed sincerely.

"How long are you staying here?" Scarlett asked, glancing at her.

"What do you mean?"

"The hotel. How long will you be staying at the hotel?"

"Oh." Ann paused, tilting her head. "Not sure. Just depends, I suppose. Why?"

"Because I don't have many friends," Scarlett admitted softly, "and I'm trying to make one."

Ann offered a smile, "You're always welcome to talk to me whenever you see fit." Ann told Scarlett with a small nod. "I'd love to talk to you more."

Scarlett seemed to appreciate Ann's response as she nodded in return. "Thank you. I never caught your name,"

"Oh, sorry." Ann grinned. "It's Ann. Ann Rivers."

Scarlett offered a smile, then spoke again. "Tonight's supposed to be some extravagant affair. Someone in the hotel is hosting a party, I've heard it's supposed to be very formal. Maybe I'll see you there?"

Ann smiled, "Maybe."

"Good." Scarlett nodded. "I should go, though. Can't leave my mother behind for too long." With that, Scarlett turned on her heels and wandered away from Ann. Ann watched her go, a soft smile ebbing onto her lips, and turned and went into her own direction. Perhaps Scarlett would be useful, after all- friends were useful.