Remember when I said, end of May...Yeah I decided I couldn't wait, and I've been quiet on here for FAR too long.

So here it is, A Tail of two lives, A collab between myself and Nothing You Can Prove (Aka Olivia), If you haven't already checked out their work I strongly suggest you do, It's amazing.

Unlike my other two stories, This one is SO close to being completely finished, We have 20 chapters written already, should finish at about 25, So with that in mind I am going to be releasing 1-2 chapters a week on either Sunday evening or sometime Monday. Main reason for this is some chapters are 3K+ words, and some are considerably shorter, (I suck at keeping the lengths consistant)

So buckle in and enjoy a ride like no other...or at least I hope so.

So for bonus cookies and bragging rights, Another game (Other than LiS) has influenced this fic, as well as an Animie series, Can you guess.

Sophie

Nothing exciting ever happened in Arcadia bay, the home of equal rights for all races living there. Over the years, it had become a sanctuary to all kinds of monsters and people with unique abilities. The local blood bank allowed for a host of vampires to live mostly without incident, while the nearby woods provided a secluded area for werewolves to hunt freely without worry. So relaxed was the atmosphere in the bay, it was not uncommon to see a wolf or two walking down the street in the early hours of the morning. Vampires preferred the evenings and night times due to most being sensitive to sunlight. The day to day life of the bay was so bizarre from an outsider's perspective that the astounded holidaymakers' reactions to the various races were often the height of entertainment, but even that was a dying trade. Even the prestigious and well known Blackwell Academy's exclusive 'History of the Races' program was no longer unique, other institutes from around the country quickly adopted a similar scheme. Humans and monsters living and working together, mostly without incident. Yes, nothing exciting ever happened in Arcadia Bay.

Rachel leaned on her elbow, lazily doodling on her notepad as her 'History of the Races' teacher, Mark Jefferson, wrapped up the conclusion of last month's project. On closer inspection, several of the other students looked just as bored as she felt. Since they had already received their grades for the work, she just wanted to get on with the next project. Usually, she would have her friend, Chloe, to keep her company, but March was a bad month for her. Instead of facing it, she always chose to hide herself away. Not that she blamed her.

Five years ago, Chloe lost her father, William, to a vampire attack. That on its own was bad enough. She could more than relate. Shortly after Chloe lost her father, Rachel herself had lost her mother, again to a vampire attack, and her father disappeared a few hours later under suspicious circumstances. The hunters' guild her parents belonged too took her in until her grandparents were tracked down and she lived with them. Where Rachel had grown stronger, following in her parent's footsteps to become a hunter herself, Chloe took the loss of her father hard. To make things worse, less than a week before her fourteenth birthday, she also lost her best friend, Max. She just up and disappeared the day after William's funeral. No explanation, just gone. Like Max and her family never existed.

Looking around the classroom for something to occupy her attention, the short blonde haired Victoria Chase caught her eye. She didn't look too good, with her head buried in her arms on the desk, probably to block out the light from the windows. If being a newborn vampire wasn't tough enough, having it forced upon you and then abandoned was even harder. Nathan really was an asshole. It wasn't so much the hunger that would drive newborns crazy, but the isolation. Victoria used to be full of life. Yeah, Rachel had butted heads with her a few times, but they had a mutual respect for each other. Now, Victoria's other so-called 'friends' gave her a wide berth. She couldn't go out during the day without having a constant migraine and being uncomfortably hot. Not a good combo. Unfortunately, this coupled with her mood swings made it preferable to just wait for her to come to you.

On the other side of the classroom, Rachel spotted a good target. Long blonde hair and a petite figure. Kate Marsh was not only a good friend but a useful ally when it came to meeting new people. Not to mention Rachel's own personal entertainment in the classroom. Speaking of… She let her mind wander to a few intimate scenarios, whether made up or real. That didn't really matter, so long as it evoked the right feeling. As expected, it had the desired effect on her emotions almost immediately. With the bait set, she passed a cheeky glance towards Kate and waited. It didn't take long before the effect became apparent. Kate's cheeks and ears flushed red as she spun around staring at Rachel, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. She quickly composed herself and shot Rachel an accusatory scowl, or at least an attempt at one, before reaching for her phone and tapping on it a few times.

Kate: Do you HAVE to do that in class?

Rachel: Awww, but Katie, it's fun messing with an empath

Kate: I really hate you sometimes… You know how hard it is to block stuff out

Kate: Particularly THAT sort of thing

Rachel: Maybe it's because you're curious :p

Kate:...

Rachel: FINALLY

Kate: What?

Rachel: You didn't deny it

Kate: I'm about this close to canceling our tea date

Rachel: Boo... you're no fun

Rachel: Fine, I'll leave you with Victoria's emotional onslaught

Kate: NO

Rachel looked over at Kate, who was looking back at her with a pleading expression before turning back to her phone.

Rachel: Just how bad is she at the moment?

Kate: Well, she's still REALLY pissed at Nathan I assume

Rachel: Understandable

Kate: I think she might be considering killing him, although she is really trying to keep a lid on it… and I think she skipped breakfast.

Rachel: Soooo don't get too close :p

Kate: You know she wouldn't

Rachel: I know. Wouldn't mind to help out a friend. Not all vampires are assholes. Shocking revelation, I know

Their attention was drawn to the classroom door as it opened and in stepped a girl with long, blonde hair. She was about Rachel's height she would guess. As far as clothing went, she wore a pair of blue jeans, generic trainers and a white halter top. Her face was soft with deep brown eyes, her expression looking slightly hesitant. A brown leather shoulder bag slung over her shoulder.

"Um, sorry I'm late," the girl all but mumbled as the classroom went quiet.

Mr. Jefferson turned to greet the new student. Rachel could have sworn she saw a flicker of hunger on his face as he eyed up the new student, but it was quickly quelled. Before he could reply, Victoria practically launched herself from her seat and out the classroom door, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room, except for Mr. Jefferson. Obviously, new blood still proved too much for the young vampire.

"Don't pay her any mind. Newborn," Mr. Jefferson said to the new girl with a small smile as a way of explanation for Victoria's reaction. "Now, why don't you introduce yourself to the class briefly?" he continued motioning towards the class.

The blonde turned towards the class, nervously grabbing her elbow as her eyes scanned the faces with a slight look of disappointment. "Hi… My name's Sophie Ambler. I'm 18 and from Seattle. I'm hoping to become an archaeologist in the field of 'History of the Races,' particularly those that are extinct… Oh and sorry, but I'm just a boring human." She finished with a small shrug. A few of the other students mumbled amongst themselves as she ended her brief introduction.

"Thank you, Sophie. Would you please find a seat? You're just in time as I was about to set this terms next project," Mr. Jefferson said, motioning for the blonde to find a seat. Rachel was quick to offer up Chloe's vacant seat to the new girl. Not like she was using it, anyway.

As Sophie took her seat, Rachel was suddenly reminded that she had skipped breakfast, the smell of apple pie wafting nearby. Her stomach gave a subtle reminder as Mr. Jefferson continued, "I suggest this project be done in groups. In fact, I strongly recommend it. This will test your ability to research and find information not easily obtainable. There is no group size limit and you're NOT competing against each other. I will judge your work on attention to detail and REMEMBER to quote your SOURCES." Rachel allowed Jefferson to continue on with the boring details of deadlines and such. She would get that off Kate later.

"Hi, I'm Rachel," she said to Sophie, who seemed to be fidgeting in her seat.

"Um... Pleased to meet you. I'm guessing this is someone else's seat," Sophie replied, sounding unsure of herself.

Rachel waved her off. "It's cool. My friend's not here today, which I suppose is a plus for me… Means I get the new girl to myself," she shot back with her trademark playful smile, causing the other girl to slightly blush.

"Um, are you always this forward?" Sophie mumbled, looking like she was trying to sink into her seat.

Rachel grinned and gave a small shrug. "Pretty much, You can ask poor Kate over there." She glanced over to see Kate not even attempting to hide the fact she was staring right at Sophie with a confused frown.

Sophie peeked up over at her and gave a nervous wave before she leaned towards Rachel and whispered, "I don't think she likes me."

"I wouldn't worry about it. She's an empath. Right now, she's reading whatever emotions you're giving off. Mostly nervous ones, I'm guessing," Rachel reassured the blonde with a grin. This, however, didn't seem to alleviate the girl's concern.

Mr. Jefferson stood at the front of the class and loudly cleared his throat to get their attention. "Now, for the remainder of the term, your 'History of the Races' classes will be classed as free periods. Use the time wisely and deliver the level of work I know you are capable of… Oh, and I guess you guys need a subject." He said while wearing a smug grin, earning a few groans from the other students at the teacher's attempt at humor. He let out a chuckle, holding his hands up. "Ok ok, I won't quit the day job. The subject is the Ahri."

As he said this, the classroom erupted into chatter and whispers. Rachel's phone vibrated and she used the moment of disruption to look at the screen. When she did, she saw it was a text from Kate.

Kate: Need to talk to you after class

Rachel smiled to herself, knowing that Kate probably wanted to drag her off to hit the books and get a headstart, So predictable.

She turned to the new girl beside her, curious to get to know her. What better way than through a project like this? "Hey, wanna team up on this? I can introduce you to a few friends of mine. Don't worry, I'm as bad as they get… Mostly," Rachel asked Sophie, who seemed to manage to sink even further into her seat.

After some thought, Sophie looked up at the smiling blonde, nodding gingerly. "Ok… I guess," as she replied, the bell went signaling the end of the lesson and the day.

As the girls packed their things away, Rachel leaned over to her and whispered, "Meet me outside at the fountain in five minutes, Kate wants a word." Not waiting for a reply, she bounded over to where Kate was sat. Crouching down beside her desk, her forearms on the desk while resting her chin on her arms. "Yes, you're working with us. You don't even need to ask," Rachel reassured with a grin.

Kate gave a small chuckle, "I know. It wasn't that I wanted to talk to you about." She quickly glanced towards Sophie, who was busy rummaging around in her bag. "It's about her."

Rachel followed her glance and then looked back to Kate, a little puzzled. Kate rarely took such a personal interest in people, so this must be a special case. Both an exciting and worrying prospect. "Sophie... What about her?"

There was a long pause before she responded. "She's lying, but it's not malicious. She's scared of something and…" Kate went quiet as though trying to find the words.

"AND?" Rachel pressed. It was unusual to see the young empath so confused over someone's emotions.

Kate let out a drawn-out sigh. "When I get a read on vampires or werewolves, I can sense their… nature, if you will."

"You're saying she's a werewolf," Rachel asked, frowning slightly. It wouldn't bother her. She knew a few. Hell, one of the waitresses where Chloe's mom worked was a werewolf. It wasn't a big deal in Arcadia Bay.

Kate shook her head slowly. "I don't know what she is… but there's something in her. It's frustrated, angry and tired. And she's afraid of it… No, she distrusts it. I can't be sure, but I don't think it, she, whatever it is, feels the same. It's so hard to tell them apart," she said as she placed her elbows on the table, rubbing her temples to alleviate a headache before glancing back at Rachel. "Can you embarrass me again?" she said weakly.

Rachel gave a chuckle, slightly shocked at her response. "Is it really that bad?"

Kate let out a sigh of defeat. "I'd rather deal with Victoria's emotional trainwreck. Anyway, I'm sure you've heard enough moaning from me."

"I wouldn't count on it," Rachel mentioned with a suggestive wink.

"If I wasn't so tired right now, I would so hit you. Go on, before I get my energy back." Kate lazily waved her hand, motioning for her to leave.

Rachel did just that, venturing out of the classroom. She saw Sophie standing by the water fountain just outside Blackwell's main doors.

"So, you ready to roll?" Rachel asked as she approached the fountain, readjusting her sword strap to make sure it was secure.

Sophie nervously eyed up the sword on Rachel's back, looking like it might suddenly bite her at any given moment. "Is that necessary?"

Rachel just gave a shrug, gripping onto the strap. "It was my mother's. Only place I don't carry it is in the classroom. It's all I have left of her," she said solemnly.

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were expecting trouble," Sophie replied guiltily for hitting on a sensitive subject.

Rachel waved her off. "It's ok, you weren't to know. And no, not expecting any trouble… Well, no trouble that requires a sword. Only trouble today is a blue-haired depressed punk, and the cure is a few of these," she replied with a smile holding up a pair of joints and motioned for Sophie to follow her to the parking lot.

Chloe was sat in her beat up old truck, taking up her customary two disabled parking spaces. She rhythmically tapped the steering wheel to the beat of some rock song she had blaring through her speakers while daydreaming about nothing in particular. She was abruptly brought out of her daydream by a loud rapping on the bonnet of her truck. Glancing towards the distraction, she saw Rachel standing in front of her truck, dressed in her usual ripped blue jeans and red flannel shirt, her hands on the bonnet with a smile that went from ear to ear. Just behind her was a slightly shorter blonde girl, dressed in blue jeans and a white halter top.

Chloe grinned to herself and shook her head as she leaned over to unlock the passenger door. "Trying a new tack to cheer me up, are we?" she said cheerfully, nodding towards the unknown blonde.

Sophie visibly blushed at the insinuation while Rach just grinned back. "That depends… is it working?" she replied as she climbed into the truck, scootching herself to the middle and signaling for Sophie to get in.

Chloe rolled her eyes and smirked, starting the truck as Sophie got in and slammed the slightly creaky door shut. "I'll let ya know... Usual spot then?" she asked as she pulled out of the parking lot onto the main road.

Rachel nodded in agreement and proceeded to introduce Chloe to Sophie. After a short drive, they came to a stop just on the outskirts of town. The edge of the vast forest was within eyesight, just beyond the rusted train tracks.

"Welcome to American rust. Our home away from home, and our own private playground," Chloe exclaimed as the three girls walked into a large junkyard filled with old smashed cars, burnt-out wrecks, and various household appliances.

Sophie looked around and gave an appreciative nod. "Definitely fits you two... Not sure I fit in here, though," she said with uncertainty.

"Pfft, don't sweat it. If ya passed the Rach and Kate test, you're ok in my book," Chloe said over her shoulder as she and Rachel made their way into the makeshift shelter. Taking a seat, Rachel shot her a brief guilty look, followed by mouthing the words, 'I'll tell you later'. Shrugging, Chloe plonked herself down next to Rachel on an old car seat. "Take a seat pete," she said to Sophie, gesturing to the two available seats either side of them and then taking an offered joint off Rachel, lighting it up and taking a deep hit.

"So, Soph, what's ya story?" Chloe asked as she lazily slouched back on her chair, blowing several small smoke rings. Rachel sat up in her chair, giving Sophie an encouraging smile.

Reluctantly, she let out a sigh and gave a small shrug. "Not much to tell really. I'm an orphan. Pretty much been on my own since I was fourteen. Love archaeology and anything old, hence why I came to Blackwell. Other than that, not much to tell, really. I guess I'm just… ordinary," she finished as she nervously played with her fingers.

Rachel passed a glance at Chloe before speaking. "Kinda sucks, don't it? The orphan part, I mean. I lost my mom when I was fourteen, and haven't seen my father since. If I didn't find Chloe, I dunno where I'd be right now," she replied, giving her friend a gentle shoulder bump.

Chloe let out a small chuckle. "Hey, you saved me remember. I was a complete mess before you showed up," she said, giving Rachel a small smile before turning her attention back to Sophie and letting out a sigh. "Fair's fair, I guess, and you'll probably hear it from someone else anyway," she mumbled, shooting Rachel an accusatory look.

Rachel held her hand to her chest in mock offense. "As if… ok, maybe I'd mention parts of it," she admitted in a defeated tone.

Chloe let a smirk settle on her face as she half rolled her eyes, turning back to Sophie. "I used to have a friend. A really good friend. Hell, she was more like a sister to me, but more, I guess," she started as she took another hit of her joint and stubbed the end out on her boot.

Rachel noticed Chloe's eyes were already reddening. Five years and the painful, bittersweet memory was still as fresh today as it was back then. Sophie seemed to notice the atmosphere had taken a solemn tone, her expression pained. It reminded Rachel of Kate's expression when she first got a read of Chloe in this state.

Chloe cleared her throat, steadying herself before she continued. "Anyways, I was thirteen when my dad was killed by a vampire. Never did find out why… but it gets worse. The day after his funeral, less than a week before my fourteenth birthday, my best friend, along with her family, just up and left. No explanation, no goodbye nothing. It was like they never existed," she continued as she wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"I'm so sorry," Sophie muttered. Rachel had seen enough raw emotion before to know this was actually affecting her. Some people were just very sensitive. Or maybe Rachel had heard this so many times she had become desensitized to it.

Chloe shook her head. "I don't want sympathy anymore. And I'm done being angry, I just want..." she cut off, got up and briskly walked out of the shelter letting out a quiet sob.

Rachel sat there dumbfounded. All the times this had been brought up, Chloe had never acted like this, usually lashing out at either someone or something or just screaming and shouting. This girl, though… Rachel looked from the doorway over at Sophie, who was already getting up and going after the blue-haired girl. They had literally only been together for two hours or so, and already she was under Chloe's skin in a way Rachel herself hadn't in four years. Deciding to see this to the end, she sprung to her feet and followed them outside.

Exiting their den, Rachel was greeted with a chilled night breeze. The sun had long since gone down and a cloudless night showed a sky full of stars and a bright crescent moon. Chloe was hunched over the wreck of a small car, visibly shaking with heartfelt sobs.

Sophie was stood a few feet behind her holding her elbow with her hand. She looked nervous, like a child admitting to stealing candy or something. "Chloe… what do you want…? What would you say to her?" she asked hesitantly.

Chloe spun around to face the shorter blonde, her eyes red and tear trails running down her cheeks, her hardass composure completely gone, hands balled into fists at her sides. "What does it fucking matter," she shouted angrily.

Sophie took a step back at the sudden aggressive outburst and then took two determined steps forwards. Still holding her elbow, she bit her bottom lip before taking a shaky breath. "You were the one that said you wanted something," she reminded defiantly.

Chloe hung her head and let her shoulders sag in defeat as she gave a sniff. "I'd ask… I'd wanna know if our friendship meant anything at all to her. If I actually meant anything to her. Why she couldn't even pick up the phone, write a letter or send a fucking text, but most of all… I'd wanna know why she abandoned me when I needed her the most," she mumbled quietly as extra tears rolled down her cheeks to her chin and dripped onto the dirt.

Even Rachel found her own eyes welling at her friend's admission. Sophie seemed to be fighting back a tear of her own, too. What the hell was it with this girl? Not even Kate had got this far, and this was her area of expertise.

"Chloe, I…"

"Well, well, well… what do we have here?" Sophie was cut off as a male voice came through the shadows of the wrecked cars, followed by a couple of different laughs.

Rachel instantly tensed up and reached for her sword, only to have her wrist restrained by a powerful grip. In the same instant, a tall dark-haired figure was behind Chloe, restraining her. A third, red-haired male had done the same to Sophie, eyeing up the blond's neck hungrily as a fourth guy, shaggy blonde hair and deep red sunken eyes, waltzed in the middle of all three girls.

"Nathan," Rachel greeted the blonde guy through gritted teeth. Of all the people it could have been, he was probably the last any of them wanted to see right now, particularly seeing as he hadn't fed… and that was saying something.

"Rachel, what a pleasant surprise. Chloe too," Nathan replied mockingly before turning his attention to Sophie. "And who might this pretty little thing be?" he said with a grin as he took a step towards her.

"She's off limits, Nathan. As are me and Chloe, as you well know," Rachel answered firmly as she elbowed the vampire that had hold of her in the gut. To stop him from retaliating, she drew her sword, pointing the tip at the doubled over vampire's throat in one swift motion.

Nathan stopped and turned his head to the hunter, still grinning as his comrade was eyeing up the blade pressing against his throat. "Now, now, Rachel, we were only passing through. Just thought we'd say hi. We're not here for a fight... Although," he stopped mid-sentence as if to weigh up his options, "it is tempting to grab a quick snack," he finished, glancing first at Chloe then towards Sophie, who's assailant seemed even closer to her neck.

"Then call you goon squad off and fuck off," Chloe hissed as she tried to pry her assailant's arm from around her neck.

Nathan looked over at her and nodded to the dark-haired figure, who then released her from his hold. "I guess we will be going then, have a good evening ladies," Nathan said shortly.

Rachel gave a small sigh of relief as she withdrew her sword from her vampire and re-sheathed it. "If I were you, I'd avoid Victoria for a while," she cautioned as she turned to face the young man.

He let out a drawn-out sigh. "Don't tell me she's still pissed at that. It was a month ago," he said drearily, turning his back to the young hunter as he took a step away.

She let out a chuckle, replying coldly, "I have it on good authority she wants to kill you."

The blonde boy stopped and turned his head towards her and gave a slight nod. "Thanks for the warning." He glanced over at the redheaded vampire, still millimeters from Sophie's neck. "Greg, we're leaving, let her go," he snapped.

The red-haired vampire's eyes flickered for a second before he sunk his fangs into Sophie's neck, causing the blonde to scream out in pain.