Okay, sorry guys that it's been so long. Really, it's been eating at me. But I've got these friends, who read these books, and I was starting to fear my life if I didn't read them as well. So my life has been sucked up by Sarah J. Maas and the Throne Of Glass series. Very good, not sure it's worth the pain though. Anyways, I wish I could say that I could update loads now that I'm on spring break, but I don't think that's going to happen. I've got plans to travel across the world and spread the word of God, so unfortunately my words shall not spread. But here you go! Enjoy!

I own nothing! Literally. I'm poorer than dirt. I can't even afford dirt.

When Amy walked into the kitchen the next morning, I was seated at the small kitchen table with a cup of tea in one hand and Otherworld in the other. It was fascinating, to say the least, of how this author was able to so accurately get down all of our movements and thoughts from a whole other world.

I raised my eyes to peer at her as she stood in the doorway, her brown hair slightly frizzy from sleep. "Good morning, Amy." I said. She seemed to tense before erasing the shock from her face.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked.

"I have not slept yet. I went out hoping to regain his trail. Then, at dawn, I returned and started reading. I hope you do not mind that I used your keys."

Her eyes flickered to where I had replaced said keys by the front door as she said, "It's okay." I could see the look on her face, the same look that everyone else seemed to don when my sleeping habits came up in conversations.

"I sleep in the afternoons. But then, I suppose you know that. I suppose you know a lot about me." I pursed my lips and looked back down to the open book in front of me. "It seems there is no detail of my life too minute for Elizabeth Howard to share with the world."

Amy smiled, a weak and weary smile, but a smile. As if she were trying to make me feel better. It was an odd concept that I quickly scraped out. "That's what makes Otherworld so fascinating. The details." She said.

"I am sure she would be glad of your approval." I said, allowing only part of the bitterness I felt to enter my words.

Amy ignored my comment, and instead asked, "Where did you go last night?"

"All over this city of yours. It is a funny thing. Some streets go by the same names as in my Chicago, others are different. Some areas I recognize, others have changed irrevocably. I will have to study maps before going out again tonight." With that, I turned back to the book to read more of what Elizabeth Howard had published of my life.

"I'll make us some eggs." Amy said, moving towards the large refrigerator. Another feat of this time that was indeed interesting…

"Do not trouble yourself. I have had my sustenance." I replied without looking up from the book.

"I'll make them anyway." She said before setting about to do just that. She started banging pots around as she cooked, and every now and then I would cast a glance at her. Her life was certainly different, and she was certainly different from any other person I had met because of it. I watched carefully as she moved so easily in this complicated kitchen- expertly cooking with jars of things I had never even heard of before. I turned back to the book in front of me.

It was not much later when she set a large plate full of eggs and such in front of me. The smell was intoxicating and my stomach yearned for it.

"Thank you. It is very kind of you." I said, and before I could say anything else Amy said,

"You're welcome. I'm going to eat in the other room so you can read." And with that she swept from the room, leaving behind her the smell of eggs and something softer. Not a moment later did other voices come from the room, and I listened closely as the TV roared to life.

"-Two teenage boys were found dead on a basketball court in Archer Park, apparently with teeth-marks-" that was all I needed to hear before I stood up and walked into the living area. Amy sat on the couch with her shoulders drooped and her face in her hands as the woman on the screen continued to talk. I carefully sat down next to her, my gaze flickering between her and the TV.

"Is this happening in the present time?" I asked. Amy nodded, her brown hair slipping out from behind her ear. I frowned as I listened again to the reporter. After a pause filled with nothing but the noise from the box, I said, "I will need excellent maps of the city. Schematics of underground tunnels and sewer systems are essential."

"Don't you think you should take a couple of days to get to know the city?" She asked, lifting her face from her hands to look at me. There was still a trace of the twisted emotions on her face as she looked at me- no doubt blaming herself in some way for the two deaths. "If you don't know your way around, it could work against you."

"Vigo doesn't know the city, either. He would not have his usual hiding places, nor the protection of his coven. This could be the chance I've been waiting for." I said after taking a breath. Amy frowned but nodded in agreement and understanding.

"I'll get you maps. And some clothes, too. So you won't attract attention."

"I appreciate your help and hospitality." I said, feeling the chilling resolve fall over me, freezing my blood and hardening my face. "Let me assure you that I will do everything in my power to stop Vigo before he can cause more terror. I do not wish you world to become like mine." Amy gave me a look in response that screamed, me neither.

Amy had given me a shirt of hers to wear when we went to the 'Mall' as she called it. I couldn't help but feel ridiculous as I walked next to her, still in my own trousers and boots now paired with her shirt that smelled faintly of vanilla. I ignored the many stares I got as she led me through the near-empty halls, especially those from the females. I had no interest or time in such silly things.

I noticed however as Amy continued to shoot paranoid glances around us. I wanted to remind her that all was fine, as long as the sun was out. But I felt she already knew that, and her worry was from something else entirely. I was looking around myself, but in wonder and awe instead of paranoia. I had never seen a place so large and grand in my own Chicago, with so many false lights and colorful shops.

"This is definitely not my Chicago. I have never seen anything like this. So many lights and colors. It's dizzying." I admitted.

"Are there shopping malls where you're from?" She asked, peering up at me. The lights above us and the sunlight from the open windows reflected in her marble green eyes.

"There are shopping plazas of various kinds. None as colossal as this one. And all of them are aglow with natural light, for obvious reasons." I cast another glance up to the open skylight in the ceiling. "Are there parts of this plaza that are not exposed to natural light?"

Amy looked away from my gaze, looking around as if she could see through the walls to the shadowy recesses of the building. "I think so. There are lots of stores in the basement."

This troubled me as I replied. "Then he can move about here by day, if he likes." I almost regretted saying it as she shuddered, but knew it was always safer to say these things than to assume someone already knew them.

"There are a lot of places where he could move around in the daytime. Malls, movie theaters, office buildings. And there are miles of underground subway tunnels all over the city."

I nodded, feeling determined as she veered off towards a large store. "Let us get this shopping done, Amy, so I can study the schematics."

When we walked through the moving doors- another wonder to add to my ever-growing list- I looked around in amazement. "Such a vast selection of…" I paused as I tried to take in everything within sight. "Everything. How does one chose?" There were aisle upon aisle of different goods. Amy smiled and led me towards a rack of odd looking trousers, saying they were for a reduced price. I shook my head and responded that they looked ridiculous. She frowned and said that they were for sports. I considered it as she showed me other sorts of trousers that I had never seen before. There were some of an off coffee color that I did approve of. After that, I picked up some shirts with short sleeves made of thin material, a thicker shirt with longer sleeves, a jacket, socks, and some toiletries.

"I will find a way to repay you." I said sternly as we walked out of the store later. It was hard for me to let her buy these things for me, but I had no other choice. I would have to rely on Amy until I was able to travel this world on my own.

"You saved my life, and you're trying to protect my city. It's the least I can do." She said. It helped to ease the sense of dependence and debt, but not by much.

"I am, nonetheless, grateful. Are we done here?" I asked, rubbing my temples.

"One more thing. I think you should have some running shoes." She said, eyeing my leather boots. I looked down at them as well, the battered leather familiar to me.

"My boots are adequate." I said with a slight frown.

"Maybe, but take a look at these." Amy said as she suddenly turned into another store, leading me to a wall adorned with different types of shoes. I picked up a brightly colored shoe that perhaps would not even pass the ankle, and said,

"Strange design."

"Why don't you try it? It might be easier to run in these than your boots." She said smartly.

"This shoe is clearly not my size, and there is no time to have more made." I pointed out none too lightly. Amy smiled at me, trying to hide her amusement.

"They have some in the back room that are your size." She explained. More in the back? How many pairs of shoes did they have here? And how does she know they'll have ones to fit?

A man walked up to us then, asking if I wanted to try them on. I opened my mouth to tell him what I had told Amy, but she answered for me.

"He'll try them on, but he's not sure of his size. Could you measure his feet?" I allowed the stranger to measure my feet, in a completely different way than they have always been measured, and then waited in my socks for the salesman to bring back the shoes. Once he did, I slipped them on and walked a few steps. I shook my head quickly, pursing my lips as I looked down at them.

"These won't do at all. They feel as though I am walking on marshmallows. Thank you, Amy, but my boots will do just fine." I watched as she bit back her laughter again, her eyes bright with the restrained mirth.

"They're called running shoes. They should help you run even faster than you do now." She said, watching me as I contemplated this.

"Faster?" I jumped up and down several times, feeling the sole of the shoe soak up the impact. "I will take them."

After we bought the shoes, I changed into the new clothes we had bought in one of the mall restrooms. Another feat of this Chicago. I would never admit it to anyone-certainly not James the next I saw him- but for a minute or so I stood in front of the gray box on the wall that whirred loudly with cold air everytime I passed my hand in front of it.

I waited as Amy sat at the computer, quickly flicking through different images and printing out large maps which I then spread out across the table in the kitchen. I studied them, asking her questions when I came across something unfamiliar or confusing. I would need descriptions of landmarks, topography, the city itself. She seemed to have some trouble pulling forwards the details, but she was able to find answers from the small screen again.

At one point, a young woman appeared in the doorway with messy hair and, dear God, I had never seen a shorter nightgown before. I turned my attention quickly back to the maps. This city sure was different.

"Who's that?" she demanded. I allowed Amy to answer for me as my eyes slid across the map, back and forth.

"This is my friend Alexander. He's staying with us for a couple of days."

"Staying here? Why?" The girl asked. I looked up at her again from the maps, giving her a cool glare.

"And who are you?" I asked.

"Chrissy." She answered, clearly taken aback.

"Chrissy?" I repeated, the name odd and sounding off. "It is not a name I am familiar with."

Amy cut in, saying, "It's short for Christina."

"I see." I said, nodding. "That is a name I recognize, to be sure."

"Do you have a problem with my name or something?" The short girl, Christina, demanded suspiciously.

"No. Do you?" I asked, puzzled. She didn't reply so I turned back to the maps.

I heard her shuffled footsteps as she left the kitchen, and Amy's as she followed after her. I figured it must be her younger sister. She did indeed look like Amy, only smaller and with lighter hair. But the nose and eyes were the same, and the set of their jaw and cheekbones.

I listened as Christina talked to Amy, and when I could not make out all the words, I silently walked up to the doorway to watch as they spoke.

"-Some crazy person's out there killing people, pretending to be a vampire. It's 'cause of all those vampire books you read." Christina was saying as she sat on the couch, watching the news. They seemed to still be talking about the murders from this morning.

"You don't know that. But anyway, we should all be extra careful. There's obviously someone dangerous on the loose." Amy replied quickly. Indeed there was.

"Scary." Christina said lightly, trying to brush off her sister's words. "I'm going to take a shower." She said, standing up and turning off the TV before flouncing out.

Amy sighed and turned, her eyes landing on me.

"Your sister is an interesting specimen." I said, and did not mean it as a compliment.

"She's going through a phase. A long phase."

"Her manners are lacking. So unlike your own."

"Thanks. Chrissy can get under people's skin. I try not to let it bother me." She said as she turned away a bit.

"Are you successful?" I inquired.

"Not always." A shrug. "She's been much worse since my father left."

I frowned at her as she turned back. "Your father left? Did he go to war?"

Amy's face scrunched up, as if she had almost laughed at the question. "No, nothing that noble. He left one day after telling my mom he was seeing another woman."

My eyes widened as I whistled under my breath. "What he did is unthinkable. I know of few men who would do such a thing. Women and children should never be without a man to protect and provide for them." I said.

She seemed to bristle momentarily, before understanding flashed across her face. "It's different here. We don't need a man's protection. A lot of men, and women, too, leave their families and start new ones. The whole till death do us part thing hasn't been true for a long time."

I frowned again as she finished. "It is a bitter pill to swallow."

"Yeah." She said meekly.

"Your father appears to be a cad of the first order." I said, and then realized it might offend her. But she shrugged and said,

"He doesn't think he's done anything wrong. He says he didn't mean to fall in love with someone else. Anyway, there's no point in arguing with him. When I give him a hard time, I don't hear from him again for weeks." She said naturally, the words seeming to come easily.

"That is because of his guilt." I said thoughtfully.

"Maybe. I wouldn't know."

"I do know, Amy." I said firmly. "Because I have hurt people, and I've hated to look them in the eye."

She looked at me, her green eyes unwavering. "Aunt Helen."

"Yes. my one regret is the disappointment I caused her. She was a remarkable woman." I said, not allowing my thoughts to fall into the boxes of memories I had shoved away.

Amy bit her lip, her eyes now giving away the sadness she felt inside. "I hope it doesn't bother you that I know so much about you life." She said after a few moments.

"It irks me that this Elizabeth Howard has shared so much without my permission. But I have no problem with you knowing. You have been nothing but generous and forthcoming with me. I am in your debt." I said, my head tilted to the side.

"No, you're not. I'm in yours."

"I will argue the point at another time. Right now, I should sleep."

Her face changed quickly as she said, "Of course." She set about to pull out the sofa, setting the sheets upon it before leaving and closing the door after her. I looked around the living room once more, at the black TV and the wires that snuck out from behind it. Deciding it was indeed time for me to get some sleep if I wanted to be able to hunt Vigo tonight, I laid down on the sofa. I fell asleep quickly, the only sound in the house the faint sound of Amy's voice coming from her room.