The pain. The pain, the pain. It tore through my body, ripping and shredding mercilessly. It stabbed like a thousand knives and throbbed like a million burns. Nothing, nothing could be as painful as this. A scream pelted down my ears, one of pure agony and fear. It was my own.

The pain leapt at this and shredded with even more force and glee than before.

I was wrong, a thousand knives, a million burns where better than this. I could take them and laugh. That would be nothing, nothing compared to this.

This was torture. This was… I let another shriek of distress… This was hell.

But surely I would have had to die to go to hell. Wouldn't death have given me a few beautiful seconds of peace? And what had I done to deserve to end up in this place?

The pain, the pain it ripped through me, shredding, tearing, gnawing but never killing.

How I wished it would. How I wished I could just die. What was with this awful pain? It was intent on battering me to an inch of my life. A millimetre, maybe. Just it was having fun. Killing me now would ruin everything.

Then worse came. I hadn't of thought it possible. I hadn't believed that it could of gotten any more awful than it was already. But somehow it did. The pain was now in my heart, my very core. It savaged with razor sharp metaphorical claws and teeth. Laughing at my agony.

And then… Came peace… The pain stopped abruptly.

A little sigh escaped from my lips, one of pure pleasure. I felt whole and perfect. Better than ever before. Even with my eyes closed I could sense everything. The gravely earth under my body felt soft. Softer than a thousand pillows. I could feel little blades of grass brushing my cheeks and neck. Just from feeling them there, I could tell that they where made of millions of little strands. I could hear everything. Not just my surroundings literally everything. Birds singing overhead, fish gliding through a near by river. The river itself was a symphony. Chimes and whistles, they became faster, racing, beginning to roar and a below. It had to be a waterfall.

There was another sound as well… Somebody was breathing… I leapt to my feet, eyes flying open simutanously. Before I could register just how fast I'd moved I fell into a crouch, a feral growl slipping through my lips.

There, in front of me leaning boredly against a tree trunk stood a young man. Then it struck me. I had died and gone to heaven. There was no way such a creature could inhabit earth.

"I wondered when you would wake up," he smiled lazily and I couldn't help wonder at his voice. Proud and strong. If the river had been a symphony his voice had to be the world's international orchestra.

I wondered how I should address him. What if he was God? It might help to ask, just in case. He was either Him or an angel. Maybe it was best to start off with the later.

"Are you an angel?'' As soon as had asked the question I stopped. My voice… It was so different. It was amazing. Flute like, like a wind charm in a breeze.
I pulled my attention back to the angel. He had to be. His skin sparkled like a million priceless diamonds and if I focused beyond this fascinating difference I noticed that every one of his features were perfect. A chiselled jaw, perfect eyebrows, long lashes… And red, no bloody crimson eyes…

The eyes, a memory rushed back to me. It played itself in my head fuzzy and unfocused.

I laughed as little Benji screeched around the empty campsite- a look of pure ectasy on his little features. "Let's go find a bear. Come on Karen, a bear."

Dad grinned. "Ok, Bens. You and Karen go find that bear. Mum and I'll start setting up the tent, hey?"

My laugh faded as Benji seized my hand. Ok, he was cute for a little brother. 5 now and loving it. Well everyone but me was. It was a shame he didn't bring a friend along. I was going to have to play with him every minute of the day, the realization hit me.

"Ok, Benji boy," I smiled a little wistfully. Ella and Louise where going to the movies this holiday and then for an epic sleepover. They'd invited me. But of course I hadn't been able to go. It had been time for the annual camping trip. Yay. How fun.

"Come on, come on Karen," he tugged at my hand in the annoying five year old way. "Let's go explore!"

"Whatever," I smiled half heartedly. I'd seen this place, like, a hundred times. This was Benji's first time. He had finally been deemed old enough to come along for the ride.

I was tugged eagerly along by my lil' brother and he ploughed steadily on towards a thicket of trees. All the other things I could be doing. Maybe even homework. Anything could be better than this.

I hated walks with him but I knew the drill. He'd find a stick shaped interestingly. He would hand it to me to examin and then insist on me keeping it only to end the walk and take it back without saying a word of thanks for me carrying whatever junk he had chosen to give.

We finally reached the trees and progressed through them.

"Ohhh, Karen look," here we go again I reasoned dully. "That's a pretty spider. Do you like it?"

"No."

"But Karen," Benji smiled, rather slyly I thought. "It wants to be your friend."

"No it doesn't. It just wants to bite me and poison me and kill me."

"Oh," Benji's face shrank slightly. Then the little boy froze, something catching his attention. "Karen… Somethings in there."

He pointed to a dense thicket of bushes.

I shifted unfomtably. As stupid as it sounds I'd always been a little paranoid.

"No there isn't," I snapped a little too loudly. "Of course there isn't."

The leaves on a particular bush rustled.

"There is nothing there," I repeated loudly, hoping that whatever was there would get scared and take of. Ok maybe I wasn't a little paranoid. A lot was truer. From the few horror movies I had seen, a sense of foreboding had always shadowed me. It was probably nothing. Just a… Rabbit…

"It's a rabbit," I spoke my earlier thoughts. "A cute little bunny rabbit."

The bush rustled a few more times.

"Awww, hey bunny," Benji grinned a scambled towards the bush. The bush rustled again almost seductively. Ok, it was confirmed, I was paranoid.

"Hey bunny," Benji crooned. A sense of unease washed over me. I attempted to dispel it. "Benji, lets go looking for that bear. Just not near that bush."

"But what about Bunny?"
Ugh, for goodness sake, I scolded myself. It was a flaming bush. What could a bush do. How stupid was I. No more Fringe and Ghost Whispers for me.

"Bunny," Benji reached into the bush. All of a sudden somebody in my brain pushed fast forward. A figure leapt out of the bush seizing Benji. It was all so quick. I couldn't scream, there just wasn't enough time.

The thing enveloped Benji in a death hug and the snap of breaking bones pierced my ears. Then, slowly almost as if savouring the moment the figure extended its head as if about to plant a kiss on Benji's neck. But it didn't stop there. Blood squirted from Benjis neck and the figure went crazy sucking hungrily. The colour seeped from Benjis skin and his body crumpled into a limp, lifeless heap.

"Well that was nice," The figures blood stained lips cracked into a smile. It was all so horrific. All so dreadful. In those few moments what ever sanity I possessed left me.

"You just ate my brother,' I wished to scream the words, to alert the world of this digusting crime. Then I wanted to cry, let the tears that were welling in my, I wanted to wail in grief and fright. But my mouth refused and hissed the words.

The thing raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

"Well run. Run as fast as you can. Because you're next."

That's what I wished to do. Run! Run, sprint, flee. Of course my legs chose that exact moment to root themselves to the ground.

"No."

The figure frowned in confusion. However no frown lines crease his perfect forehead.

"You saw what I did. Now run."

"No you… bastard," I searched my vocabulary for a dirty word. Great, now my brain had closed down as well.

"I'm telling you to run. Run, girl. I'll give you five seconds."

"Bastard," I hollered, the word tumbling out of my mouth. "Bastard, bastard, bastard."

My legs lost the plot completely and instead of following the instructions the figure had given it began to sprint towards the creature.

With one fluid motion it caught me in it arms, a bemused expression on its face.

"I won't let you die. I promise."

And red, no bloody crimson eyes connected with mine and the world blacked out.

"You." I hissed hoarsely. "You caused the pain."

The young mans expression changed ever so slightly.

"Yes, it was me," his eyes now wide and beseeching found mine. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how you turned out."

"What," the eyes melted my heart. How they pleaded forgiveness. A scene played in my head. But I was seeing it through his eyes. I was in his head. I was sensing as he was. Seeing how he was. Thinking how he was.

A beautiful, no angel of a girl gracefully reached out to him.

"I forgive you," she whispered.

Realisation hit me. This is how he imagined it to happen. This is how he wanted to react. He wanted me to comfort him. Support his descion. That's how he wanted it to turn out was it? But the girl? It was weird but I wasn't falling for his beseeching ways.

"I so do not forgive you," I hissed.

Hurt clouded his features for less than the smallest of expressions and then amused. He smirked playfully.

"Your going to thank me in a minute, sweetie. Just you wait."

"No," I scowled. "I am not going to forgive you. Now I'm dead. My parents will be worried sick. And you hurt Benji. Is he here too? This is all your fault. I don't care if I'm in heaven. I want to go back to Earth."

"Ah," he added 'are you an angel?' and the last statement together. His smirk widened.

Your still here honey. Though I'm an angel. Of a sort."

"Earth? Then what? What's going on? Am I dreaming?" I knew I wasn't dreaming. Of course I wasn't. I had never felt so awake in my entire life.

"Ok," he grinned lazily, but slightly wearily. He seemed unsettled. By me? He began to talk. "Right. Don't freak out now. You're now a vampire. You know, blood sucking human- look- a like creature? That's what the humans call us at least. We call them dinner. Your brother. That was kinda sad. But I was hungry. You'll understand soon. You were different, though. I could have had you too. And I'd still feel kinda hungry. But as it is I got a liking for you. You're… Not quite like the rest of them."

"Oh," I took in the information. My view slipped to his head again. He was telling the truth. The whole truth. I saw how hungry he was when he seized Benji. How he had wanted him. Then after my bizarre little circus act he had carefully, oh so carefully, embrace me as I rushed into his arms. I experienced the extreme concentration as he bit without daring to suck even a mouthful.

"Wow," I whispered. "Wow."

"Yeah," he uncomftably rubbed the back of his neck, a small smirk tickled his lips. "I didn't exactly expect you to understand at once, like that."

"But I saw your point of view," I tried to explain the way I had flicked to his head. "You made me saw what you had experienced."

"What the…" he stared at me then comprehension dawned. "Aaron, my creator explained that some of us lot get kinda gifts. I think yours is… What you're doing… Which is kinda creepy even for my standards."

"What?" I tried to make sense of everything that had happened. As I reflected I stared around my surroundings. Snow topped mountains crowned the horizon. The angel who wasn't and I where lost in a large expansion of rolling foot hills. A little stream rushed by on my left and then developed into a beautiful waterfall that crashed into a crystal blue lake stretched into a nearby valley. I stared at it enchanted as I thought over everything I had just been told. "Your creator?"

"Yup. I was created. So where you. By me obviously. Aaron created my. He was like us. He explained most of this stuff to me. Just we went our separate ways. We didn't get on that well," his dark toned brightened. "But I know we will."

The intensity of his crimson gaze unsettled me and I continued to stare at the lake.

"Oh," he grinned. "There's something I want to show you."

He bounced towards me and before I could register my movements I was a snarling ball of fury crouched down ready to spring.

'Touchy," he laughed not offended in the slightest, but respectfully backed off.

I slowly straightened.

"Whoops. I didn't quite mean to do it."

"You'll get over it," he grinned good naturedly. "Newborn nerves. You should have seen me."

As I completely uncurled I contemplated this information and gazed at his amazing appearance again, this time with an excuse. "How old are you."

"Thirty eight," he winked.

"Thirty eight?" my jaw dropped in surprise. With his handsome, no, gorgeous features he didn't look a day over eighteen.

"I was seventeen when I became like this. We don't change."

"Oh," I sighed. So I was stuck like this forever. Tall, but slightly plump. Yay. Compared with this amazing creature I was the ugliest thing out there.

He laughed, a full loud tolling laugh that rang out around the hill, a heaven in itself.

A little sigh escaped my lips and before I could stop the words slipped out. "You're so perfect."

He roared with delight. "Yup, I'm pretty hot."

I ducked my head, in extreme embarrassment.

He kept on grinning. "Follow me. I'm gonna show you something."

He extended a hand. I hesitated and then took it. His hand felt warm to my touch. Deliciously, wonderfully warm. Funny, my first memory of his touch was when I was human. As he had wrapped his arms around me, that first time, his touch had been ice cold but now, now it felt amazing, a perfect heat.

He smirked at my hesitation and then began to run. Without thinking about it I broke into a jog and matched his pace perfectly. The feel of it was amazing. I ran as I never had run before. The ground flew beneath my feet, yet my surroundings remained crystal clear.

Before I knew it I broke free of his hand and sprinted as fast as could not even knowing where he planned to take me.

"Hey, slow down," his pealing laugh grabbed my attention and I stopped suddenly but gracefully.

"That was amazing," I laughed too. "That was just freaking amazing. Lets to it again."

"Soon," he strolled down to the lake. "After all we have all eternity."

I followed him to the edge of the lake, deep into the calm water.

A girl gazed back. At first glance we had no resemblances. She was perfect, full lips, sharp pearly teeth, thick hair that tumbled down her back and the same crimson eyes as my new friend. Her figure leaned gracefully. Smooth curves and a flat stomach.

Then I realised. She was me.

"What happened?" I gasped. "I'm…"

My friend fell back onto the lush grassy bank, smirking again.

"It's a vampire thing. Now you look nearly as hot as me."

I smiled. Even if he was joking his words remained true. How could anybody be so gorgeous?

Wait. A question occurred to me. All he was wearing happened to be wearing was a ripped of pair of camouflage trousers, now the length of ragged shorts and a silver dog tag. My eyes zoomed on the name.

Zachariah Hurst.

"So Zachariah," I grinned.

"So Karen," he smirked. My eyes widened in surprise. How did he know my name? Then I realised. With the amazing hearing that came with this species you could hear for miles.

"Stalker," I laughed.

He lazily stretched and rolled onto his stomach facing me. I sat down next to him.

"I'm not so keen on your name," he closed his violet eyelids.

"How come?" I crossed my legs and frowned at him. "What's it ever done to you."

"I just don't like it," he murmured, smirking slightly at my annoyance. "I'll think of something else for you."

"Whatever, Zachariah," I huffed and stared into the distance. Then I felt something. A raw pain at the back of my throat. Something that must have been venom washed through my mouth.

"I'm hungry," I thought out loud.

He laughed and gracefully picked himself of the floor. "Time for the hunt then."

"Hmmm," I smiled lightly. All of a sudden a craving hit me and I realised without disgust that I wished for human blood.

"Your parents are safe from you. I took you across the mountains to this place. They'll be worried though."