"Hey,have you heard?"
"Yeah,what a loser!What a freak!"
"If he even tries coming close I'll beat him up!I HOPE YOU HEARD THAT SNOW-WHITE!"
All kids were laughing.Well,all but one.In a corner,far away from any other child or human for that matter,he sat staring blankly at a window nearby.It was broken in the middel - makeing it easy for the wind to blow through - and all around dirty,with spiderwebs around the edges.There was not enough money to fix it and not enough time to clean it,and no one really cared about the window which layed so far away from the others.Wiping away his tears, he watched the spiders makeing themselfes a home on that useless window, and thought to himself "Maybe I can be one day of help for some even if I am usless for others.". But that hope would soon be blown away from his mind as the night grew short and the day grew long.
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Chapter 1
It was a stormy day,with cloudless skies and a moon so big and bright it could light up the whole town.Needless to say it had no importance to Ataro wheter it was cold or warm,or wheter it was stormy or not.He had no problem with such things.His only problem where the other people.
Grim memories came back to his mind and he shuck his head,trying to avoid painfull memories.
In hope of coming to pleasent thoughts he looked around in the large room in which he stood, filled with luxurious furniture and wonderfull paintings.His glance stoped at a particular piece which had haunted him for some time now.
It was a portrait of a family; in the left side the father with a young boy and in the right side a mother with a baby in her laps.
He looked closer at it, trying to distinguish certain details, just befor the door opend.
"Master?Are you feeling alright?" asked the uninvited person, closing the door after him.
"Yuuo?I asked you kindly to knock befor you come in!"
Yuuo bowed,his head facing the ground, seeking so to be forgiven.
"I did not intend to be a burden to you,young Master.But my sister had informed me that young Ataro was not quite well,and thus I decided to check on you."
Turning tward his guest, Ataro noticed something strange,though he could not tell exactly what.
Yuuo was hadsome as allways; tall, slender, with dark blue hair and red eyes, and just by looking at him you would never tell he had reached the age of 30.
"H-how is she?Your sister.How does she like it?U-uhm I mean...the dress for the ball." Ataro stuttered.
Raising his head slightly, Yuuo grined, making his fangs quite visible and replied:
"She thought it was the best gift she could have ever recieved from you, and she is awaiting the day of the ball with much joy.I do hope you did not ask her just out of obligation twards me."
Maybe it had something to do with this, considering it was Yuuo who picked him up from the streets, but his racing heart proved only the contrary.Obligation was a completly wrong word when it came to Yui.She was the only thing he could think about for the past couple of months; the way she smelled and looked,what cothes she prefered wearing, her short, light-orange hair that somehow did not fit her black eyes and still made her look pretty.
Secretly he had decided to confess his feelings twards her,hopeing she would share his feelings.
"I don't know if she would say it out loud" , he continued "but she certaintly has a crush on you.I mean you're young, good looking, not to mention rich, so I'm not blameing her for it."
"Ow?You think so?How come?I mean, I'm just curious, nothing else, not that you missunderstand or so." he said fiddling around in his hair, trying to seem cool and passive, with no effects at all.
Suddently the door slammed open again, to reviel a girl slightly shorter than Ataro, wearing a dark robe over her ordinary clothes.
"The prince asked when we would be heading twards the city.He is quite upset."
"Right away.If there isn't anything else I'd like to leave now, young Ataro."
"Of course you can.Tell Yui I wish to see her today if it is possible.That would be all.We shall probably meet in the city again."
As Yuuo walked away, closing the door behind him, Ataro suddently felt relieved.It was not that he did not like Yuuo - quite the opposite - but whenever he was around there was something in the air that made it hard to breath.It was something Ataro could not understand and yet didn't feel the need to know.Looking outside the spotless windows he figured it was useless to await the end of the storm, and seing how his stomache groweld louder and louder with every passing minute, he decided to seek his pray and feast upon their blood.It had past allmost a week since he had not eaten the food of his race, and all this just because he disliked being a vampire.He would rather have been anything else, anything that would at least be partialy normal.He didn't hate vampires, he only hated the fact that he was one of them.The fact that he was one was starting to be unbearable for him.The uncontrolable bloodlust, the fact that he was more vulnerable during daytime, even his appearance seemed repulsive in his eyes.Even though the only thing that made him seem different than other people was his white hair and yellow eyes.His fangs were hardly visible and the pointy ears were mostly covered by his hair - or at least that was the case befor he got to know Yuuo and the others of his kind.Ever since, and even slightly befor, he had sworn to take revenge upon the humans that had neglected, teased or beaten him up because he was different.He was willing to hold this promise even if it meant he was going to suffer for it.It hardly could be worse than anything he allready had been through.
Taking a hood over his clothes he walked out of his castel, to go to the city with thousands of lights burning brightly and giving you the strange feeling of daytime.He walked straight, without once looking back and without thinking who he would kill tonight.As he walked he heard whispers, laughter and gossip from every corner, and were he to turn back, he would see them pointing at him.But he didn't intend to turn around.Walking in a dark alley, he heard screams of a woman but did not bother to look for he owner of the voice.Without forwarning a man ran right into Ataro.
"W-who are you?!?" asked the man starteled.
"Ow, how asolutly unpolite of me not to introduce myself.But why should my name matter to a dead person?" he replied grinning coldly, his eyes shining brightly red as he zeroed in on his pray.
Taking time to scare his meal, he failed to notice a shadow lurking beside him.A slight cough was to be heard just as Ataro wanted to end the foolishness.
"That's my lunch kid!So back off!" shouted a female voice.
Not wanting to know how things would end, the man took the only chance he had and ran away.
"Great!Now look what you did! I had to follow him all night until he ended up in a secluded alley and you come along!"
Filled with anger of having lost his own food, Ataro turned to see the face of his rival.And just as sudden as he turned, did his face expression chance, as he saw the girl beside him.Shorter than he was, slender, with long, raven black hair and emerald green eyes, wearing a silky red dress with black high-heels, stood a outstanding creature.Holding her hair from falling in her eyes was a black headband, around her neck a simple necklace with a cross, on her left arm a bracelet so long it almost surpassed the elbow, and just above it was a tatoo of a skorpion.Ataro thought that she was not pretty at all, she was beautifull.
"Hey, kid!Stop daydreaming and say something!Don't drool around on cement, at least do it on the grass!" she grouched around.
"Sorry.It was just...well...I didn't expect to see someone...well like you after hearing what you said."
"I say something wrong?Or is it that my voice is rather rough for that of a girl dressed so elegant?"
"Yeah...I guess."
"Well..." she paused and looked closer at the boy. "You look familiar.Have I seen you around?"
"No.And if, you'd probably have not rememberd." he sighted looking at the ground.
A drop of rain fell down on the pavement.Then another.The rain that bearly stopped was increasing again rapidly.
Looking up at the sky she spoke coldly: "I don't suppose you have a place to stay for the night.Or am I wrong?"
"Well..."
Now the question was as followed - Should he be honest with her and probably never see her again, or be a bastard and lie about it just to see how things turn out? It was a though choise but...
"Not quite."
...then again...
The girl looked a little scheptical twards him, as though she would have seen right through his lies.Gazing once more at the heavy clouded sky she sighted.
"Too bad for you then.Doesn't look like it'll stop any time soon.Well, see you around kid." she said walking slowly away.
"Hey wait!" he shouted discouraged. "I thought you would offer yourself as a host...or something..."
She turned and looked glim at Ataro.
"Why on earth should I do that?" she grummbled.
"Well...I...I...I..."
"You, you, you what?Spitt it out kid.I dont wanna catch a cold here!"
"Never mind.I just thought you'd be that kind of person." Ataro sighted.
"I could hand you off to someone who has a spare room, if that is of any help.Other than that I can't offer you anything, kid." she said in a rather gentle tone.
He looked at her, trying to be angry, to show her how powerfull he actually was and what foolish mistake she had made to call him "kid".But he couldn't.He was once again stupefied, not knowing what to say or do.Not wanting to do anything at all, as to not make her leave a second earlier than she would have.
"No...that's allright.I'll find something." the words finally came across his lips forcefully.
Not saying anything she - once more - turned, leaving without even saying "goodbye".And what use would it have been.Afte all, she had not even bother saying "hello".