Rotten Apple

I dedicate this story to Amethyst-Phoenixx-thank you for all the comments and support on my stories, it is what keeps me going.

Note: I was inspired to write this story while listening to the song "Rotten Apple" by Alice in Chains. It is NOT meant to be a sequel to any of my other stories, like my story entitled Blood for Blood, this stands on its own.

Description of story: Being raised within an orphanage is never easy, especially if you KNOW that you are different from your peers. Fleeing from the orphanage, you find comfort in someone who shares your pain and maybe something else….

Chapter One: Rotten Apple

She barely remembered what her mother looked like since it was so long ago. The only thing that she could remember was her mother's long, dark, hair and tear filled brown eyes as she told her that she would always love her. Still, even after fourteen years, the girl did not know the true reason for her placement in the orphanage. Basing her conclusion on an assumption, she believed that it was because she was different-not outwardly different-but in possession of a difference that she was clueless to; however, everyone else noticed.

"Rosalia!" snapped the Orphanage Director sharply, "Come…there is a family here who would like to see you-come now, hurry up!"

The seventeen-year-old brushed a lock of her dark-brown, wavy, hair behind her ear before following the director down the hallway. After fourteen years of being put up for display and looked over like some type of animal, Rosalia had given up all hope over being adopted because there was always something "wrong" with her.

"She is beautiful and well mannered, but…there is something odd about her-supernatural feeling-almost," she remembered one potential family telling the Orphanage Director many years ago.

Soon, the dark-haired girl was placed across the table from a very wealthy, middle-aged, and flamboyant looking couple.

"Mr. and Mrs. Baumeister, this is Rosalia and she is one of the oldest children that we have residing here," smiled the Director.

Mr. Baumeister leaned forward and adjusted his glasses, "oh-very pretty," he remarked. An uncomfortable feeling overcame the teen as the man continued to eyeball her up and down. From Rosalia's perspective, this man was on the look out for a younger wife to replace his current one

"So, tell us a little about yourself Rosalia," Mrs. Baumeister remarked.

Her dark blue-gray eyes looked down, "there isn't much to say about me other than my birth mother left me here when I was three," she told them lowly.

"Well…do you have any hobbies?"

"I like to knit and sing," she told them quietly, "…and draw on occasion."

"That's wonderful! When I was a little girl, my parents hired a nanny who liked to knit," replied Mrs. Baumeister, "Of course she was dismissed after my mother found her in a compromising position with my father."

The teenager gave her a wide-eyed look and questioned, in her head, whether or not she actually heard the woman correctly.

"Oh…that is such a shame," responded the girl without making eye contact.

There was a long, awkward, silence in the room before the Director returned to the room, "so, what do you think?!" she asked the couple eagerly.

"Well…we would like to talk with you alone," the couple told her, and Rosalia knew that was her que to leave and return to her room. She already knew what they were going tell the Director before requesting to see other, applicable, orphans that they might desire to adopt.

LATER THAT DAY:

"Hey Rosie, guess what?" laughed her roommate happily.

"Did you get adopted?" she asked.

"YEAH! By the Baumeister Family! I am SO excited to be getting out of here!"

A small smile crossed her lips, "I am happy for you Daphne, but be careful…ok?"

The blonde-haired girl gave her roommate one last hug before telling her, "thank you so much for being my friend and keeping my hope for adoption alive."

Rosalia helped Daphne pack her belongings and carry them to the entrance of the orphanage. The blond-haired girl gave Rosalia one final squeeze, "good luck Rosie, I just know that there is a family out there for you too."

The dark-haired teen fought back her tears as she watched her only friend walk out the door with her new parents. Returning to her room with her head hung somberly, she knew that her remaining days, within the orphanage, were going to be miserable. Just then, a wild thought entered her mind about running away and starting a new life as far away from this "mansion of sorrows" as humanly possible. She already knew that she was unnaturally quiet, fast, and could easily slip passed the nightshift. A smile overcame her face once she decided that tonight was going to be the night that she left this place behind.

It was around midnight when Rosalia made her escape and fled through the forest in search of the nearest road. Nocturnal animals and insects vocalized loudly as the girl was sprinting at a near-inhuman speed. Then, after about a mile and a half of running she came to a vacant road which forked about a quarter of the way south. The dark-haired girl stopped to catch her breath before deciding which way to go, and hoped that she could eventually find someone to give her a ride away from the area. She eventually decided to go south and take the left fork toward some unknown destination.

MEANWHILE:

Less than two miles down the road, a dhampir hunter kicked his cyborg horse into a trot, rumors about an abduction involving ten children from the town of Ransylva had reached him from across the frontier.

"Come on D…you don't even know if it was a vampire who was responsible for abducting those children, so why do you want to check it out?" Left-Hand inquired.

The Vampire Hunter pulled his horse to a stop when he seen the teenaged girl walking up the road.

"Now what the hell is a kid doing out here at this time of night? Doesn't she know that she is prime pickings for bandits, mutants, or wild animals?" remarked the parasite.

D kicked his horse to approach the girl, who looked relieved to see him, as their eyes met, a strange feeling overcame him.

"Hello sir, I am looking for a ride to the nearest town. Can you please take me there?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"It is dangerous out here at night, especially unprotected," the dhampir told her before reaching out to grab her arm and pull her onto the back of his horse.

After the kind act, D experienced a flashback of the night he made love to Doris Lang on her living room couch. Unsure of why that image emerged from his deep thoughts, he kicked his horse into a steady pace up the road.

"Thank you for picking me up. My name is Rosalia, but you can call me Rosie," she told him as she tightened her grip around his waist as his horse picked up speed, "So what is your name stranger?"

"D…" he responded matter-of-factly.

"Nice name, so what town are you going to take me to?"

"Why were you out here so late alone? Where are your parents?" asked the dhampir.

The pit of her stomach dropped at the question, "Well D…I don't have parents-I am an orphan. My biological mother gave me up for adoption when I was three years old and I never met my biological father."

There was a momentary silence before the dhampir spoke again, "did you run away then?"

Butterflies continued to flutter within her stomach, "yes…" she told him, "But the place that I ran away from was not a good place to be-you have to believe me D!"

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER TWO