HEY! How is everyone? I know i haven't updated A Stray in a while and i'm sorry. I'm working on a billgillion things right now (including this) So, updating will be slow...

Anyway! You need to know these things before reading:

1. Anything that is in italics and in double quotation is Alex speaking in Delia's mind.

2. Anything that is normal and in single quotations is thinking.

3. Um... I think that's all... If your confused: You're supposed to be.

I hope you guys love this story as much as I do!

"What do you think Alex? It's really pretty here. And there's snow!"

"Well, it is far away from Whites." Alex's voice rings through my head. His smile brightens a small corner of my mind as we stand atop a cliff.

I look around at the beautiful landscape. Large mountains silhouette the horizon and large evergreens stretch out as far as the eye can see. This has to be Washington since the sun is almost none existent, 'I'm kindda hungry, now. How long has it been?'

"It's been a week since you've had food, and I doubt you want to hunt right now."

'Valid point.' I sniff the air for a couple moments. Some elk are grazing to the east as a mountain lion stalks them. I smell a lot of humans to the west. I look over and see some smoke. I near it and begin to smell pancakes, bacon, and some hamburgers. My mouth starts to water. 'Should I go all human?'

"I don't think you have too."

The trees here are gigantic! The green leaves turn the world into a shimmer of dark emerald and a deep jade. The animals stay far away, wary of the half vampire in their presence. The ground is littered with dead leaves and twigs, with an occasional pop can or some other rubbish. I come to the end of the woods and find a delightful little diner spread out in front of me.

It is a classic, by my book: Chrome exterior with glass windows letting you see what is going on inside, cute red booths, spin-y red stools, and waitresses wearing white aprons and somewhat puffy skirts. I can see right to the cook through the hole in the wall. When I notice the white hat on his head, my lips pull up into a smile. Most of the patrons look the same: long black hair, dark skin, and smiles all around.

I race across the highway. A car honks a horn at me, but I roll my eyes. He could never have hit me, and if he did I wouldn't of felt it. 'Okay, money in my pocket?'

I push open the door, feeling the money materialize and my hair shrink.

"Hi, may I help you?" A dark-haired woman steps in front of me and I stop, I blink a couple of times.

"Is it okay if I sit on a stool?"

She looks at me then a stool, "Sure. There are menus right there." She points at the stack then gives me an obviously fake smile.

"They seem not to like anything that reminds them of vampires." I glance at the glares I receive from the other patrons of the diner.

'No, they don't.' I sigh. 'Quileute?'

"Must be. We must be on their reservation."

'That's not good.' A boy with short black hair walks up to me. He smiles kindly with a hint of sympathy that confuses me. I look to his nametag and find the name Embry.

"What would you like, miss?"

I look down at the menu, 'What looks good?'

"Hamburger sounds good… Oh! That one with bacon!"

I sigh. "This burger with a large fries, um, and Mellow Yellow."

"Mellow Yellow?" He looks at me like I'm a freak.

"Oh, where I used to live it's called Mellow Yellow. Mountain Dew please." I scratch the back of my head embarrassed.

"Oh! Okay, I'll get that right away." Waiter Embry turns quickly and walks behind the wall.

"I hope he won't spit in it."

I make a face as I tear up the napkin. I turn and strain my neck to see him but, cannot. 'I hope not too. He seems nice enough though.'

"Never judge a…"

'I know, I know.' I sigh. I know that saying very well. Alex always uses it when we move somewhere new.

We wait about twenty minutes for the food. I clap gleefully when I see the steaming hot platter. "Mmm! Thank you! This looks excellent!"

"My mouth is watering! My God it looks beautiful."

'Sucks to be you 'cause I get to eat it!'

"You're welcome." Waiter Embry smiles and walks off. I dig into the amazing burger as Alex sulks in the corner of my mind.

"Ugh, I am stuffed." I groan, I rubbing my belly. "That is one of the better meals we've had in a while."

"We?" I look up from my plate and find him leaning away from the corner of the kitchen right next to the window to the cook with my cup in his hand. The waiter tilts his head to the side.

My eyes grow big as saucers. 'How could he have heard that?'

"I have no idea. This is very interesting."

"Um…I must have misspoken." I smile nervously.

He frowns. "Are you done with your food?" I only nod my head. He comes back with the bill and I slip a…

I raise an eyebrow at the green bill in front of me then to the piece of paper that holds the cost of my burger, fries, and pop. It comes to about twelve dollars, 'Why a hundred dollar bill, Alex?'

"I didn't know how hungry you were!"

'Yes, you did.' I roll my eyes and pick a napkin out of the holder materializing a pen.

Twirling the pen in my fingers for a moment, I write, "Keep the change."

"What? That was supposed to last us a while!"

'It's not like you can't make more.' I jump off the stool and walk out.

"MISS!" The waiter calls, but I ignore him.

"Where to, my friend?" I smile to no one.

"Let's go running!"

I laugh. "Okay! This is going to be so fun! I love running!"

"I know!"

I jump into a tree and stare through the leaves looking for any brave animals. I sigh; no animal in their right mind would ever come near a vampire, for good reason too.

I hear a quick burst of wings and watch hundreds of birds take a frightened flight. I watch the birds fly away faster than most normal frightened birds would. I sigh when their inky black bodies disappear. With their bodies gone, I can see the sky clearly—the one thing that will ever change no matter how fast I'm running or where I'm running.

I debate for about a second which way I should go. I smell a faint scent of metal and follow that. The scent gets stronger and stronger, but I can't seem to place what it is. I stop abruptly at the edge of the woods.

'Look a person!' I hone in on the lone standing figure in the clearing. I don't want to know or look at the lump in the grass. He's pretty much a run of the mill vampire: unnaturally pale skin, lean muscles, and the classic sickly sweet smell.

"That's no person. It's a vampire."

'Well, it's not a White so we don't have to freak out.' I sigh and the person turns around. I blink at his straight jaw line, perfect nose, and surprised eyebrows. His blond hair looks unkempt, but in a way that would make any guy jealous, not the 'oh, I never clean it' way. He puts on a crooked smile that would make any girl on the planet swoon. I just see him as a regular guy.

"Um… Hello? Are you from around here?"

I frown as I see the crimson eyes, "A human drinker?"

"No, I am passing through." He appears in front of me, but I don't flinch one bit, "What are you doing here?"

I put my poker face on. "I'm looking to live here. Since you aren't from around here, I will be on my way." I take a step sideways but he mirrors my movements. 'So it's going to be like this then.'

"Not good. We're a bit rusty with fighting." Alex laughs at the sarcastic joke.

'Alex, that is not even funny! We both know that I have more fighting skills than half the Volturi guard.' I joke right on back biting my lip to keep from smiling.

"You do not smell like a human or like a vampire. What are you?" He raises his eyebrows. His scent fills my nose. 'Blood, lots of it too. He must have just made a kill.' Blood, the same metallic scent I couldn't place before, mixes with a pleasant scent of pines. Not that appealing. That's why the birds must have fled. And that explains the lump in the grass.

"I hope the Quileute legends aren't true or we are royally screwed."

"That does not concern you. Now, leave me alone before I have to use force." I take another step, but he does not get the hint. I sigh, "Mister, you can't feed on me. I am not some rare hybrid thing. I am a vampire just like you. I just spend most of my time around humans."

"But your eyes…"

I sigh at the blond before answering, "It was one of the things I kept."

"Oh, well, I will let you on-" A growl erupts from the woods.

"AWE! C'MON! JUST WHEN WE WERE GOING TO LEAVE!"

A giant wolf steps out of the forest followed by three others. The leader is a silver color and looks seriously pissed off. The one right behind the silver wolf is an orange-ish red color and has white paws. The one on the left is an almost white wolf, somewhat grayish, and the last one on the right is a cream color.

"Damn it! You fool! This is Quileute territory!" I scream and take off. 'Full vamp, please.'

I push my legs faster and faster. "Here we go!" I break away hearing the wolves behind me. "Only two of them, Orange and White."

'They gaining?' I shoot off a fallen tree.

"Yes, God! How are they so fast?"

'Damn! They're gonna kill us. Alex, I am so sorry. I might as well let them get us now.' I sigh with tears in my eyes.

"At least turn into half human first, maybe they'll be interested enough not to kill you."

"Okay, I can deal with that." I feel the warmth return to my body, and my speed decreases. One of the wolves whines. I look back, and then I find my face in the dirt and a firm paw on my back. "Dude! I didn't do anything I promise! I just… HEY! Don't even think! OW! PUT ME DOWN!" I beat on the muzzle of Orange.

"Do you want me to change you into vamp so you can't feel it?"

"No, I think that would piss them off…more…" The white wolf gives me a weird look and makes a husky choking noise. "Are you laughing at me? Alex, they're laughing at me!" This makes the wolves look around, then back at me with confused looks.

"It could be the fact that you are technically talking to yourself."

"Oh, shut up." I growl, "So where are we going? I'm not going to die, right? I only ate a hamburger and fries! And I think that's legal."

White snorts and Orange shakes his head.

"Hey, now, I can feel your teeth ripping my insides up. How about you put me down and I walk with you guys?"

White growls.

"Fine, Orange, stop shaking your head then. 'Cause it seriously hurts." I push on his muzzle one more time and sigh.

Orange rolls his eyes.

"Are we there yet?" I ask after ten minutes of walking. "It would be easier to let me out of this vice grip and we just run to your leader or whatever. Lots faster." I smile.

"You're probably pissing them off more."

Neither of them says anything. We walk into a clearing. Vampire fills my brain, 'Oh, hot damn! Alex this is not good at all! Those vamps are going to freaking rip us to shreds if they think we were trying to take their property away!'

"But their eyes… Look at them." I stop pushing and look at the eight vampires standing in front of us.

"Whoa," I let out.

"Collin says they found this one with the other one. But she doesn't smell like vampire or human totally." A guy with copper hair stares at me with curious eyes.

"This coven is pretty large."

'They better not eat us. You know I was living a happy life. Why did we come here again?'

"Hey, don't blame me. I wasn't the one who picked."

"Is she a hybrid?" A lady with dark brown hair down to at least her mid back looks to the copper-haired guy.

"No, she's a different case. Collin, she won't run; you can put her down." Collin opens his mouth, and I fall to the ground.

"Oh, you listen to him but you can't listen to us." I glare at Collin. He snarls at me; I just stick my tongue out at him.

"What's your name?" Copper slowly walks towards the wolves.

'Should I give a fake name?'

"Most vampires kill before asking for names."

'What is my name…?'

"Really? You can't remember."

'What, I'm sorry! Some of us don't get called by their name often!'

"It's Delia."

"It's Delia. Dee-lie-ah," I scrape some grass up and kick it away.

"Are you afraid of us?" A pixie-sized woman walks beside Copper. Her hair, spiked out on the edges is a midnight black. She prances around the way I would expect a…well…pixie to.

I frown. "Yes and no."

"They're full blown vampires yet, they don't drink human blood. That amber must to be the color for animal drinkers." Alex expresses his infinite knowledge to me.

She nods her head, "Well you don't have to be afraid. We won't bite." She flashes a smile.

I let out a sarcastic laugh. "At least you're nicer than these guys." I stab my finger at the wolves behind me. My nose crinkles.

"They're burning the vampire."

I look up to see the purple smoke and frown. I hope I do not end up like that too.

"Still looks as scary as last time."

'You can say that again, Alex.' I shiver. I hate the color purple.

"Who's Alex?" I stiffen. Copper is a few feet from me. I stare at him in horror.

'Did I say your name out loud? Could the wolves tell him?' I frown to myself wondering if I had started doing something without knowing it again but, that only happens when a White is around. My eyes widen. Are they Whites?

Alex shrugs in the corner of my mind, "Donno, just answer him truthfully. I think he can tell if you're lying."

"He's my friend, why?" I shuffle. 'Why does he care about you?'

"Beats me."

"Well, I can hear him," Copper smiles.

I take a step back, "WHAT?"

"Shoulda known; He's a mind reader."

"Correct, Alex."

"You can hear him too?" I stare at him in awe.

"It seems that he is a part of you and speaks through your mind." Copper taps his chin. "Is he a parasite?"

"Parasite? That's rude."

He laughs. "Well, I guess not then. So what is he?"

I sigh. "He's a vampire soul."

A collective gasp echoes in the clearing.

So, how is it? Okay? Bad? Should i just get rid of it?