I slammed my arm against the tree, oblivious to the pain, the cuts; I was only aware of the situation I found myself in.

Why did we have to go there? We were doing fine by ourselves! We didn't need to go over to that psycho's house! I can barely control my hunger for blood when I'm angry, and when I'm around her, I'm angry every second! Not that I care if I rip her throat out, but drinking alcohol-laced blood always makes me drunk, sometimes for days, and I can't be hung-over if I want to do well in school.

I hate them! I hate them all! All of the stupid humans that I call 'family'!

Why did my parents have to leave me at that orphanage? Why did they have to vanish? Why?

A tear ran down my face.

Suddenly, the bushes next to me rustled.

I jumped back, startled.

A black fox crept out of the shrub, ears laid back. Its mahogany eyes looked at me warily.

I smiled, thinking of my fox necklace that always wore.

I crouched down, holding out my hand to it. "Come here; I won't hurt you."

Its tail twitched. Slowly, it approached me, one step at a time. It sniffed me fingers.

I reached out with my other hand and picked it up. It looked up at my face.

I stood up, smiling at it. "I've never seen a black fox before."

The fox tilted its head. "Really?" it asked.

I dropped it.

"Hey! What was that for?" it asked, annoyed.

"S-sorry," I stuttered. "I just don't-"

"-meet a talking fox everyday," she (I realized that its voice was feminine) finished for me.

I sat down. "Yeah. So…what's your name?"

She seemed to tense up for some reason. "You can call me Shadow."

"My name's Kelly, and I'm-"

"-a vampire," Shadow finished again. "I can tell." She started scratching her ear.

Annoyed, I said, "Will you stop-"

"-finishing my thoughts?"

"Cheese-it! Stop that!"

Shadow shopped scratching and looked at me, amused. "'Cheese-it'?"

I rolled my eyes, tired of this conversation. I got up to leave. "Well, see you later Shadow." I started walking away.

"Hey, wait!" Suddenly, the fox was in front of me.

I stopped. "How did you-?"

She ignored my question. "Can I come with you?"

"Why?" I asked confused.

"'Why?'! Do you know how unbelievable boring it is to stay here forever and watch the statues and whatnot do their jobs at the park, watch the humans come and go? I need to get out of this place, and you can help show me around this world."

Strangely enough, this fox reminded me of my close friend Raina; the way she talked, her attitude toward the park, all of it.

That thought was what lead me to say, "Sure…but you have to stay out of sight from my step-parents. Can you hide well?"

Shadow rolled her eyes, the disappeared. There was sudden weight on my head.

"Hi," she said, hopping down to me shoulder.

"Impressive," I commented.

"Can I stay?"

"Sure."

Shadow barked happily.

I smiled, then started for home with a new friend, a new companion.

My soul had been calmed.