This has my REVAMP stamp of approval.
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She loved the light more than anything. She was always playing on the sunny beaches, away from the dense growths in the forest. Her face was enough to light up the world. Everyone knew she was special; she was different. Nana, they called her. The spring had finally arrived.
Her parents couldn't have any more children after her. She nearly killed her mother in a wave of blood during childbirth. But her mother forgave her immediately. She took the girl into her arms and nuzzled the baby to her. Everything was forgiven with Nana. She was smiling the moment the sun hit her face.
One time, when she was very small, she ventured into the forest, looking to help find some nuts for the feast that night. It was a very special feast for Pele, the goddess of fire and of the forest. Nana had wanted to help so bad she kept annoying the elders. They sent her off on a menial task to keep her out of the way. Even if she was beautiful, she was still an annoying child. She crawled under the dark green trees, trying to find anything of importance. It made her uneasy to be so deep into the forest. The sun was hard to see and she was very much alone. Suddenly, a darker shadow fell across her back. Slowly, she turned to look at the source, blocking her path back to the beach.
A man stood there. But he wasn't like the men Nana was used to. His hair and eyes were black, yes. But he was shorter than her father and his skin was much paler. He was dressed funny too, wearing only a white skirt. He looked very rich, with black liner on his eyes and many jewels. He was very young though, too young to have so many beautiful jewels around his neck. Jewels that Nana had never seen before, surrounded by a yellow metal that shined in the half-light.
He bent down to met her eyes. He smiled, showing impossibly white teeth. Just as he was opening his mouth to speak, Nana beat him to it. Even though he was an elder, he was nothing she'd ever seen before and called for a question.
"'O wai kou inoa?" she asked in her childish yet harmonious voice. "What's your name?"
The man made no reply. In fact, he looked confused, brows furrowed together like a storm cloud, like he didn't know what she was saying. She tried again, "'O wai kou inoa? 'O Nana ko'u inoa," she repeated and added, "My name in Nana." He still looked absolutely confused.
She wasn't used to an elder not understanding. The older people usually said words Nana had never heard before. A child having a bigger vocabulary then their parents was unheard of. She turned her head to one side and pointed at herself, saying, "Nana." A wave of understanding washed over the beach of his face.
He pointed at himself and whispered, "Jager." He had an accent, a very strange accent, but Nana smiled anyway. Even his name was foreign too. Everything about Jager was just foreign. She offered him a nut that she had found earlier. He took it from her hand and popped it in his mouth. He smiled and reached out to touch her face.
The touch was so cold but tender, like a brush with the seawater. She leaned into his hand as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. So cold and so soft. She closed her eyes and let his lips travel down to her nose, her cheeks, and her mouth. His kisses didn't stop at her lips. They continued down to her chin and then her bared neck.
It didn't hurt, his fangs sliding into her, raping her pure skin. She gasped but pushed into him. Her blood was hot on Jager's tongue, hotter than any other humans before. It was hard to pull away, too hard. But she was too young to die and Jager could sense that there was something important to happen to her, another time they'd cross paths. After what seemed like an hour, he pulled away. Nana fell to the forest floor, reeling from the loss of so much blood from her little body.
Jager didn't leave right away. He sat and looked at the little creature. He reached out and touched her wrist. The vein was so blue under her brown skin. Her skin was the same color as his used to be. But this was so far away and she spoke so strangely. Her clothes puzzled him. Everything about her was mysterious, from her language to how tall she was for her age. Or was she older than he thought she was?
Her pulse was still strong; thank the gods. He hadn't meant to do this to the child; Nana was her name. Sighing, he took an ankh, the symbol of life, from his necklace, laced a bit of braided leather from around his wrist through the eye of the pendent, and tied it around her neck.
Then he left.
Nana never forgot the strange man in the forest. She didn't go back to find him, but always watched the tree line; fingering his mysterious gift which she wore every day. She was waiting for him and he was watching her.
