They drove in silence, and Patch resisted the temptation to ask where she was taking him. He took the opportunity to examine her. She was slight, but had strong shoulders and facial features. Her hair look brown in this light, but under the glow of the occasional streetlight he could see a glimmer of red.

Patch expected the strange girl to break the silence, but she did no such thing. She seemed to be spending her energy on composing herself and keeping the car on the correct side of the road. Her phone sat on a little shelf under her dashboard, which he had only noticed because she couldn't go five minutes without glancing down, as if to make sure it hadn't jumped out and ran away.

She pulled up to a small house surrounded by fields and old out buildings. "Welcome to the farmhouse." She said almost dryly.

"And what is the farmhouse?" He asked.

She looked at him, sad again. "It's where I live."

She walked purposefully up to the front door and put a key in the lock. As she turned it, she peaked over her shoulder at Patch, who was still unsure. "You coming?" Without waiting for a response, she walked inside, leaving the door wide open. He waited.

Ah, fuck it, he thought. What exactly was a teenage girl going to do to him anyway?

He followed her in, and was pleasantly surprised with a relatively modern interior.

Nora moved towards the kitchen, and Patch followed. She pulled herself up onto the counter next to a block of knives. The look she gave him then was sure and confident.

"So what are we doing here?" Patch asked, trying and failing to hide his annoyance.

"You said you wanted to know everything." Her voice was monotone and dry. "This is where you first tried to kill me."

Patch was taken aback. "Excuse me?" If he had tried to kill her how was she alive. She was hardly a match for him. "You're lying."

"I'm not." She said simply. In one smooth motion she removed the largest knife from the block. "You were going to use this."

"I don't understand. How-"

"How am I alive?" She interrupted him. Patch was not accustomed to others having the upper hand. She looked directly at him, and slid down from the counter. She moved towards him, until she was so close he could have reached out and touched her. "You changed your mind." He could feel the electricity between them. What was it about this girl that made every nerve in his body feel on edge? She seemed ordinary, normal, unexceptional in every conceivable way.

He took one step forward, closing the gap between them. He could feel her breath now. "And why did I do that?"

She tipped her chin up to face him, her eyes full of hope, pain and longing. After a short while she turned around and put the knife back in its block. "I have no idea." She said quietly. "It was hardly your last attempt." Her back was to him now.

"Why then? Why did I want you dead?" He stayed completely still, trying not to distract himself with thoughts of this girl's affections.

"It's complicated." She turned back around. "Something to do with my heritage. And something to do with becoming human." She raised his eyebrows at him knowingly. Patch was in shock, but played it off.

"So you're aware of what I am?" She nodded. "And you still invite my into your home? You know the dangers." His tongue lingered on that last word, and he began to walk forward towards the girl.

"You don't scare me, Patch." Despite her words, she seemed to become increasingly anxious the closer he got.

He placed his feet so his boots were touching hers and looked down at her, their faces nearly touching. "Are you sure about that?" His words were a gruff mumble.

Nora closed her eyes and breathed in. "Yes." She exhaled. Patch was paralysed. He could so easily kiss her. But why did he want to?

"Who are you?" He whispered, angling his face downwards towards hers.

"I'm Nora."

He grabbed her waist and she gasped. He bent his lips down to her ear and whispered "Who are you to me?"

She was breathing quickly "Patch…" She lifted her hand to touch his face and he flinched. She quickly retracted her fingers and looked to the floor.

And that was when the white hot pain pierced through his skull and everything went black.