Author's note: Hi there, this is my first fan fic so please tell me what
you think. I've been reading brilliant works of others and I figured it was
time to try for myself. Also note that the idea of the nightworld and all
that surrounds it belong to L.J Smith, but the characters and the story
line belong to me. Keep reading and I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1: Unusual Luck
It was a nice night for a run. Had the circumstances had been slightly different, Ralin would have been enjoying herself immensely on that brisk November night. But, as fate would have it, she remained crouched behind a dumpster in an alley in south Whicana California. She could run were she to want to, right now she stopped to formulate a plan. All she knew was that she had to get out of this town and off to somewhere that they could never find her.
Ralin turned her bright green eyes skyward and stared at the moon for a few seconds as she concocted a plan of action in her mind. The moonlight seemed to reflect back outward. It was as if her eyes were soaking up the moon's light and reflecting out of the sockets. They took on a sort of silvery light and her eyes were neither silver nor green but some color between the two.
"LA it is," she muttered to herself.
It hardly mattered if she left. Her family had been dead for about a week now, killed by those who now hunted her. They weren't vampire hunters, oh no. They were night people sent to retrieve her and take her back to whoever sent them so that they could harness her special power.
Her strange power frightened and amazed her. She couldn't bring herself to use it. Not even to save her life.
She dashed into the street in an instant and began to run. Her long, quick strides consuming the distance she traveled as if it were a 'wolf to it's dinner. She knew that her pursuers were not far behind. Like her, they could run much faster than any human.
The only problem for her was, they had other things than vampires chasing after her. There were about seven or eight of them. Vampires, werewolves, even shapeshifters in the form of various animals, sniffing her out. She felt a burst of adrenaline and picked up her pace. The dark buildings around her passed in a blur. She turned a corner sharply and continued her rapid trek. Even though she knew these streets like the back of her hand, it still seemed like ages before she came within sight of her destination. Her feet made no noise as they pounded the pavement.
Ralin thanked all of her lucky stars that she had fed before taking off.
It had been a spur of the moment to leave tonight. Luck had weighed heavily in her favor tonight, although she still did not trust it enough to rely on it.
They had been chasing her since the night her family had died exactly one week before. Since then they had been watching her house for signs of her return. But she had never gone back. She had stayed with friends that she could trust and even spent the night in the forest a few days before.
Just last night she had taken refuge in a large cave in the side of a hill just off the outskirts of town. It was then that she realized her dilemma. It was then that she realized she had to leave her precious hometown forever. It was then that she set off to leave.
She had missed the pursuers by minutes. They had managed to track her down to her cave on the hillside. Ralin had left only about 5-10 minutes before they arrived.
They then followed her scent from there.
She could see the train station up ahead. She looked at her watch and smiled an ironic smile to herself. She was right on time. She had planned the whole thing perfectly.
In about thirty seconds a train would be rolling by on the tracks headed for Los Angeles.
She couldn't afford to miss that train.
Ralin was at the first set of tracks when she heard the voices in the distance. They weren't far off. However, if the train was on time she would miss them by seconds. She prayed that the train was on time.
As if on cue, she heard the whistle of a train approaching as saw with her luminous eyes one single headlight approaching her at astonishing speed.
Ralin crouched low about ten feet from the tracks and waited for her chance to come. She knew it would be hard because patience was not one of her strong traits. She was, however, an expert at surviving.
She'd seen a lot over the course of her 17 years of life, but it had turned her into an unstoppable survival machine. It's sole purpose; staying alive.
Ralin knew that they did not want to kill her, they needed her. They wanted to manipulate her unique ability and use it for things that even she could not even imagine. She was strong, but not strong enough to withstand all that was now against her.
Her long, tireless run had left her breathing a little faster but, for the most part, she felt fine. Running was no big deal for the lamia.
Ralin saw what she was waiting for. An open car passing by. She took a deep breath and leaped into the air heading straight for the train.
Her timing was perfect.
She landed with a small thud in the train car and stood up shakily. She slipped over to the edge and gazed into the distance. She could see her pursuers about 400 yards away. The car she picked was near the end of the train and so the back of the last car was long gone before the gang of Night People arrived at the track.
Ralin allowed herself a sigh of relief. It had been a long night and it wasn't over yet. She would not be able to sleep until she got to LA so that she was sure not to miss her stop.
She would worry about tomorrow when it came. Right then all Ralin was worried about was getting comfortable and enjoying the ride.
As the train clattered along the track Ralin allowed her mind to wander to a time and place where none of this mattered.
* * *
Chapter 1: Unusual Luck
It was a nice night for a run. Had the circumstances had been slightly different, Ralin would have been enjoying herself immensely on that brisk November night. But, as fate would have it, she remained crouched behind a dumpster in an alley in south Whicana California. She could run were she to want to, right now she stopped to formulate a plan. All she knew was that she had to get out of this town and off to somewhere that they could never find her.
Ralin turned her bright green eyes skyward and stared at the moon for a few seconds as she concocted a plan of action in her mind. The moonlight seemed to reflect back outward. It was as if her eyes were soaking up the moon's light and reflecting out of the sockets. They took on a sort of silvery light and her eyes were neither silver nor green but some color between the two.
"LA it is," she muttered to herself.
It hardly mattered if she left. Her family had been dead for about a week now, killed by those who now hunted her. They weren't vampire hunters, oh no. They were night people sent to retrieve her and take her back to whoever sent them so that they could harness her special power.
Her strange power frightened and amazed her. She couldn't bring herself to use it. Not even to save her life.
She dashed into the street in an instant and began to run. Her long, quick strides consuming the distance she traveled as if it were a 'wolf to it's dinner. She knew that her pursuers were not far behind. Like her, they could run much faster than any human.
The only problem for her was, they had other things than vampires chasing after her. There were about seven or eight of them. Vampires, werewolves, even shapeshifters in the form of various animals, sniffing her out. She felt a burst of adrenaline and picked up her pace. The dark buildings around her passed in a blur. She turned a corner sharply and continued her rapid trek. Even though she knew these streets like the back of her hand, it still seemed like ages before she came within sight of her destination. Her feet made no noise as they pounded the pavement.
Ralin thanked all of her lucky stars that she had fed before taking off.
It had been a spur of the moment to leave tonight. Luck had weighed heavily in her favor tonight, although she still did not trust it enough to rely on it.
They had been chasing her since the night her family had died exactly one week before. Since then they had been watching her house for signs of her return. But she had never gone back. She had stayed with friends that she could trust and even spent the night in the forest a few days before.
Just last night she had taken refuge in a large cave in the side of a hill just off the outskirts of town. It was then that she realized her dilemma. It was then that she realized she had to leave her precious hometown forever. It was then that she set off to leave.
She had missed the pursuers by minutes. They had managed to track her down to her cave on the hillside. Ralin had left only about 5-10 minutes before they arrived.
They then followed her scent from there.
She could see the train station up ahead. She looked at her watch and smiled an ironic smile to herself. She was right on time. She had planned the whole thing perfectly.
In about thirty seconds a train would be rolling by on the tracks headed for Los Angeles.
She couldn't afford to miss that train.
Ralin was at the first set of tracks when she heard the voices in the distance. They weren't far off. However, if the train was on time she would miss them by seconds. She prayed that the train was on time.
As if on cue, she heard the whistle of a train approaching as saw with her luminous eyes one single headlight approaching her at astonishing speed.
Ralin crouched low about ten feet from the tracks and waited for her chance to come. She knew it would be hard because patience was not one of her strong traits. She was, however, an expert at surviving.
She'd seen a lot over the course of her 17 years of life, but it had turned her into an unstoppable survival machine. It's sole purpose; staying alive.
Ralin knew that they did not want to kill her, they needed her. They wanted to manipulate her unique ability and use it for things that even she could not even imagine. She was strong, but not strong enough to withstand all that was now against her.
Her long, tireless run had left her breathing a little faster but, for the most part, she felt fine. Running was no big deal for the lamia.
Ralin saw what she was waiting for. An open car passing by. She took a deep breath and leaped into the air heading straight for the train.
Her timing was perfect.
She landed with a small thud in the train car and stood up shakily. She slipped over to the edge and gazed into the distance. She could see her pursuers about 400 yards away. The car she picked was near the end of the train and so the back of the last car was long gone before the gang of Night People arrived at the track.
Ralin allowed herself a sigh of relief. It had been a long night and it wasn't over yet. She would not be able to sleep until she got to LA so that she was sure not to miss her stop.
She would worry about tomorrow when it came. Right then all Ralin was worried about was getting comfortable and enjoying the ride.
As the train clattered along the track Ralin allowed her mind to wander to a time and place where none of this mattered.
* * *