A/N thank you so much to those that followed and reviewed! It's really encouraging to know people are interested!

Also, I forgot to mention this before, but this story will visit some very dark places that may be triggering to some. Please read my story with caution!

Disclaimer: I don't not own the Cirque du Freak series.

Chapter 2

Larten sat Ella down and told her about vampires and the vampaneze. How do you even begin to tell this much to someone, who just one hour ago, was living a completely normal life and was looking forward to the future. He wasn't sure how much information she had processed. He felt her body tremble still from the encounter. After he finished, there was a long moment of silence. Ella continued to stare at nothing while pondering this new information and then asked the question that had been gnawing at her. "What happens now?"

Larten thought about this question carefully. "You know it would be dangerous to continue your life with humans, correct?" For some reason this hadn't crossed her mind at all. She snapped out of her trance. "What do you mean? Couldn't I stay with my mom and then go to school and just drink some blood every now and then to satisfy the craving?!"

"It is much more complicated than that. You have vampire blood in you now. You cannot return to your old life. It is too dangerous even if you do feed frequently. You need guidance. It will take much time to control your thirst and you will likely kill those around you in the process. Do you understand?" He asked firmly.

"Yes, but you don't understand! I'm only 17, I have my whole life ahead of me! I'm auditioning for Juilliard in less than three weeks! It's my dream to go there! I can't give that up! Please, sir, I can't!" At this point she had grabbed his hand and held it against her in an attempt to get him to understand her desperation.

He felt her small hand around his and immediate felt remorse for not getting to Murlough sooner. "I am so sorry this has happened, but for the safety of the ones you love, you must leave them behind."

Still grasping his hand with hers, she brought her forehead to them and began to sob. It didn't take her long before she became hysterical. Larten did not have much experience with females, much less teenagers, but he knew she was in pain and needed to be comforted. He gently eased his hand from hers and placed it on her back and brought her in. She leaned in closed and rested her head on his chest while clutching his shirt. He brought his other hand up to her head and stroked her hair.

In all his years on earth, he had never experienced a moment like this. Not just with the current situation she was facing, but this feeling of compassion he felt for a complete stranger. He couldn't explain it, but he felt he was exactly where he was supposed to be. Like this meeting was meant to happen.

After she calmed down, she sat up and looked at Mr. Crepsley. Her eyes were red and swollen. "So what now?" She sniffled.

"I am willing to make you my assistant, if you would like. You could learn our ways and join our ranks."

"No offense, but that doesn't exactly sound very appealing." She said flatly.

"I'm not going to lie, the life of a vampire is a hard one. It is a life that is usually chosen. A human would start as a vampire's assistant and serve him by preparing food and other chores, and then in turn, he will learn the vampire ways and how to fight-"

"Fight?! Like in battles and wars?!"

"Yes and occasionally against other vampires in friendly combat."

Ella brought her head down to her hands, obviously feeling overwhelmed. "This is not the life for me."

"It is not as bad as it may seem. You will grow accustomed to it over time, with my guidance."

After a long moment of silence, Ella finally spoke. "Ok. Let me go pack my bag. "

"There is a problem there. We do not need anyone to come after you or come looking for you." He lifted his eyes to meet hers. "The most practical thing to do would be to fake your death."

"...I can't do that to my mom. She's been through too much. Please..."

"This would be the best way... You will keep her safe and give her a chance of happiness again one day. She could mourn you and move on."

"You're right... I know you are, I just wish I didn't have to do this." She spoke quietly, becoming more and more defeated by the minute.

"Nor do I. Trust me, but this is the best way."

"How?" Was the only word she managed to get out.

Mr. Crepsley told her about the potion he would give her that would take away her ability to move and make her body appear as if it were deceased. She merely nodded in understanding in fear that if she were to speak, she would break out into hysterics again. Mr. Crepsley left for an hour or so to retrieve the potion, and left Ella alone with her thoughts.

So quickly, your world as you knew it would turn completely around. In just a single moment, everything you ever came to know could be completely changed. Her head began to spin as everything that had just happened replayed over and over again. In an attempt to catch her breath, she ran outside to attempt to fill her lungs with fresh air.

"Breathe." She desperately told herself. When she was a child, her mother would tell her to look up at the stars when she was sad. "There are a countless number of stars burning bright in the nighttime sky, bringing light to an otherwise dark world. Look at these beautiful stars when you feel down. They'll always remind you of the light in your life."

As Ella heard her mother's words in her head, she turned her eyes to the nighttime sky. Nothing. She could not see any light through the clouds. It was indeed a dark night.

Mr. Crepsley returned to find Ella sitting on the porch, head in her hands. She looked up when she heard him approach. "Ready?" He asked.

She shook her head 'no' but responded nonetheless, "I guess. How exactly is this going to work?"

"You drink this potion and it will numb your body to all sensations. I will then break your neck and then stage a scene to where they would believe you simply fell down the stairs. In the funeral home, I will mend your broken neck and soon after you will be buried. During that time you will begin to feel sensations again and I will dig you up from your grave." He looked up at her and saw her eyes wide in horror. "I believe I have calculated the correct dose for your size, so I am sure everything will turn out ok." He wasn't exactly one hundred percent sure, but he needed to make it appear that way in an attempt to try and ease her worries.

They walked back inside and stood at the bottom of the stairway. "Everything will be fine." He reassured.

Her blue eyes met his. "I trust you." She replied. Once again, she didn't know why, but she did. Amidst the chaos of the unexpected events she felt there was one thing right about it. Meeting Larten Crepsley.

...

The pain she felt when she heard her mother's screams and pleas for her to wake up compared to nothing she had ever felt in this world. The funeral was a blur, and hearing everyone's kind words seemed so surreal. Everyone was referring to her as 'gone' when she was in fact still there. The darkness inside the coffin resembled the darkness of the night that all of this had begun. Not just the absence of light, but the emotional darkness as well. Her life as a human ended, but yet in this coffin, as new life was about to begin.

Ella had gained full sensation again by the time Mr. Crepsley dug down to her coffin and opened the lid. She sat up and realized how stiff she really was. He offered his hand to her and pulled her up slowly. She suddenly got dizzy and stumbled into his arms. He effortlessly lifted her up and out of the hole. "Take a few minutes to walk around and get rid of the stiffness while I fill this hole."

Ella took a few minutes to walk around and work out the kinks. Though her sensations returned, she still felt numb. The past couple of days had taken a toll on her and she felt she had no more tears to cry.

When Mr. Crepsley was done, he went and stood beside her.

"Where do we go now?" She asked without emotion.

"Not sure. I figured we would just flit for a while and see where we end up." He told her.

"Flit? Is that what you call running fast like I had seen you do before? Wait, can I do that too?" There was almost a hint of excitement in her voice. Almost.

"Not yet. You can run faster but not quite as fast as a full-blooded vampire. I will carry you on my back for the time being. So when you're ready."

Ella took one last look around and sighed. This was the end of her life and the beginning of a new one. She placed herself on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Make sure you hold on tight." He told her.

She tightened her grip as he started running. He started off slow, and then faster and faster until he was at full-speed. Ella was so stunned by how fast the world was passing by her, she had to remind herself to breathe. The feeling of flitting gave her a sense of hope for some reason. Hope that maybe vampirism isn't as bad as it seems. Ella relaxed a bit after a while and laid her head on his shoulder.

After what seemed like a few minutes, which was actually over an hour, Mr. Crepsley began to slow down and eventually stopped. He let Ella down and turned to face her. She felt like she was still moving and stumbled a litter but he caught her. "That was amazing." She said wondrously. He looked down at her and smirked. Her long hair was wild from the wind.

They stopped at a secluded hotel that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. They got into their room and Ella was relieved to see there were two beds. Normally, the idea of traveling with an older man would make her extremely uncomfortable, but Mr. Crepsley was a gentleman. I mean, he has had multiple opportunities to take advantage of her, but he has shown nothing but pure intentions in taking her under his wing.

"Get some rest and we can start our lessons tomorrow." He said. Ella nodded her head in acknowledgement and went to bed.

...

"You are not focusing!" Mr. Crepsley said with annoyance. "Concentrate on following my movements. If you can not track me, you will stand no chance in combat." This statement didn't really phase her seeing as she had no desire to engage in combat. Regardless, she took her stance and focused her eyes on her mentor. He once again disappeared before her eyes. She whipped her head around to find him behind her. "I could have killed you in that amount of time!" Ella continued to keep her mouth shut and prepared herself again. This time he appeared to her left. She groaned in frustration.

"This isn't working." He sighed and walked out of the hotel room, slamming the door as he went. Ella was left in solitude and threw herself on her bed and let the tears flow. She didn't want to disappoint him after all that he had done for her, but this just wasn't her. She never got into a fight back at home. Hell, she had never even gotten into a verbal fight before. She always tried hard to get along with everyone, she would never have to physically fight someone!

Mr. Crepsley had been gone for a half an hour and Ella decided to prepare dinner for them. By the time he returned, the room was filled with a delicious fragrance. He had gone out to calm himself down. She was so infuriating and knew if she would just try, she would get it, but instead she let herself remain uncaring and distracted.

He had to tell himself to put himself in her shoes and be more sympathetic towards her situation. He was afraid taking her hunting would overwhelm her even more, so he collected some blood in vials and brought them back to their room.

"I must apologize for being short with you. This is a new experience for me as well and I should learn to be more patient with you." He said sincerely.

"I'm sorry for not trying like I should." She said quietly. Mr. Crepsley felt a pang of guilt. Trying to change the subject, he said, "food smells good! What is it?" She perked up slightly at this. "Pan seared chicken breast with broccoli and carrots."

They prepared themselves a plate and began to eat. "It is positively delicious!"

"Thanks. My mom and I used to cook a lot together. About a year ago, she had to start working night shifts and we weren't able to any more. I miss her..."

"You and your mother were very close I assume." She nodded. "What of your father?" He asked before he realized it. He was afraid he may have asked a personal question too quickly.

"He died in a car accident 6 years ago. He was coming home from work one night and was hit head on by a drunk driver." She told him quietly.

"I am terribly sorry to hear that." He stated, not knowing what else to say. The rest of dinner was eaten in silence.

...

Time slowly went by for Ella. She learned to consume the vials of blood Mr. Crepsley brought her in order to keep her strength up.

Mr. Crepsley was nice, but they really didn't talk much. It wasn't that she was shy, she just didn't have anything to say. She was burrowing deeper and deeper into depression.

Two weeks later, after training her eyes, he felt it was time they moved on to a more combative training. "Now that you can follow my movements for the most part, see if you can strike me with your hand and feet the way I've been showing you."

"I don't want to hurt you though."

He almost laughed, "you do not have to worry about that my dear."

Ella remained emotionless and got into the fighting stance. "Ready?" He asked. She nodded in response and the began. Mr. Crepsley flitted to her left side. She easily tracked him and threw a punch. Of course, she missed because he flitted out of the way. This went on for several minutes with no success until he stopped. "You are tracking me well for only being a half vampire, but you are not making any contact. Try to anticipate my moves. Be one step ahead of me. Do you think you can try that?"

She nodded wordlessly. They began again and no progress was being made. "Ok, let us move on to something different. I will attempt to teach you to block an attack."

Will this ever end? Ella questioned in her head.

They proceeded on with the training and he showed her ways to block various attacks. She seemed to pick up on it well enough, even though they were just going through the motions slowly. He noted that she didn't appear to be all here emotionally and decided to finish up for the night.

The next few nights went in a similar fashion. Little progress, if any, was being made. Maybe we should actually fight in combat so that she will see how real this all is, he thought to himself. Maybe this will begin to make her take this all seriously finally.

He led her out into the moonlight forest. "Now tonight you will be applying everything you have learned." From his red coat, he pulled out two knives. Her eyes got big in fear.

"Knives?! You can't be serious!"

"Oh but I am. In the real world, your enemies will almost always have a weapon on them and you must fend against them."

"No! I won't! I can't!" She said fearfully.

"You will! I am tired of you giving a half-assed effort!"

His rising anger frightened her more. She timidly took the knife in her hand. "Ready yourself." He barked at her. She slowly took her stance while avoiding his gaze. "Look at me!"

He flitted behind her unexpectedly. "I would have killed you just now! Try again!" He flitted again and this time she was able to follow him. When she faced him, he had his knife raised and threatening to strike. She let out a short scream of fear and blocked her face with her arms.

"Strike at me!" He yelled and she took her stance again. He once again flitted with his knife raised. When he stopped, she pitifully slung her knife several inches away from her target.

"Dammit, woman! FIGHT!" With that, he brought the blade down and sliced her cheek across her jawline. She let out a small cry and he immediately regretted it. She looked up at him bleary eyed as blood trickled down onto her shirt.

"Ella, I-" He didn't get to finish his thought because she took off running.

She had no idea where she was going. She didn't really care and she didn't want to stop. She ran and ran, curving through the trees until she tripped over a stump. She came down hard, but wasn't injured. She didn't want to get up so she laid her head down and sobbed. She knew she wasn't meant for this life, yet he pushed her. She should be home in bed. She should be with her mom and her friends. She should be preparing for her auditions, and dreaming of her future. Her future that had been shattered by one unfortunate meeting. Her future was now as dark as the deepest point in the ocean, and as empty as her heart felt. Her hyperventilating was causing her extremities to go numb.

She then remembered the knife in her hand. Could it really be that easy to just end it? She knew Mr. Crepsley would be happier if she wasn't here. She's been nothing but a disappointment to him. He could move on with his life and be burdened by her no longer...

...

"Dammit!" Mr. Crepsley held his head with his white-knuckled fists. He knew he needed to exercise patience with the girl, yet he let his annoyance get the best of him. All he wanted was for her to put forth a decent effort. He knew she had given up a lot, but it's been three weeks now! A memory came to his mind:

"I'm auditioning in less than three weeks! It's my dream to go there! I can't give that up! Please, sir, I can't!

She had high hopes and dreams, and an even bigger future. Something he never really had when he was growing up. He wasn't sure what exactly she was auditioning for. He assumed it must be something involving music. Of what kind, he wasn't sure. He looked back on their short time together and saw he had never really given a real effort to get to know his new companion. For three weeks, he pushed the vampiric ways on her and gave little to know consideration for her emotional state. Now he hasn't just hurt her emotionally, but physically as well. He went too far. He may not know her well, but he has seen the kind person that she was and her discomfort towards harming her mentor. He has to make this right. Who knows what she could be thinking now. He looked around and noticed her knife was missing. This wasn't good. He immediately took off in the direction she ran.

He found Ella on the ground, gripping the knife tightly and shaking. She didn't hear him approach and continued to hold her gaze on the weapon that she held up. He knelt down beside her and placed his hand on hers silently asking for her to lower it. She jumped slightly when he made contact and realized it was him.

"I am so sorry." He whispered. She timidly brought her eyes up to his showing the mark he had made.

How could I have done this to her? He asked himself. Such a delicate creature she was. He placed his other hand on the unscathed side of her face, tears welling up in his eyes. "Please, Ella, forgive me... I'm so sorry..."

A tear trickled down his scarred cheek. "Please. I promise I will never harm you again." He rubbed his thumb along her cheek.

Coming out of her darkness, she released the knife. "I'm sorry." She said, still maintaining eye contact.

"There is nothing for you to be sorry for. The fault was mine entirely." He told her. "I should never lose my temper with you. Not after all that you have gone through."

These words made her feel the trusting connection she had initially felt with him again. She pulled herself up and hesitated as she closed the distance between them, throwing her arms around his neck into an embrace. He was stunned at first, not accustomed to close contact with others, but then brought his arms around her small figure and brought her close. He could feel her warm breath against his neck, sending chills down his spine. They held each other like that for a while.

When they released each other, Mr. Crepsley looked at her and was made aware of the gash on her face that he had caused again. Without thinking twice, he licked his thumb and traced it across her wound to heal it. To his surprise, she didn't flinch or pull away. She just closed her eyes and focused on the sensation of him touching her face again.

All too soon, the moment ended. "Forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me as well... I'm sorry... You're right, I wasn't trying." She bit her lip and looked down.

"I now understand why though. I need to take into consideration your feelings."

"I just feel so wrong for this life. Forgive me for saying this, but even though I have you, I still feel lonely." She said sheepishly.

He chuckled slightly. "No need to apologize. I know this stuffy old bat can not be very entertaining." She looked up at him with a shy smile.

"I have an idea." He smiled at her and then proceeded to tell her about the Cirque du Freak.

"A wolf man?! I thought they were myths!" She thought about this a second and said under her breath, "well I thought vampires were too... What else? You said a snake boy? Does he have scales? Tell me more!"

Her excitement took him back! He didn't expect her to be so excited about his idea. Her eyes seemed to light up and sparkle an even brighter blue than before. This was the first time he really noticed how beautiful she is... Her eyes, her hair, her lips... He mentally slapped himself at that thought. She's only a child! He took her in to protect her and that's what he was going to do. He snapped into reality when he realized she was still talking. He smiled to himself.

"All your questions will be answered soon. Now let us return to the hotel so you may pack your bags. We will be leaving soon."

While flitting back to the hotel, Mr. Crepsley mentally connected with Mr. Tall to find their whereabouts. He found him and they went to pack.

They checked out of the hotel and got ready to flit. Before they did, Ella once again threw her arms around his neck to hug him. "Thank you." She whispered delicately in his ear. He didn't know how to react and pulled an arm around her to pat her on her back. He stood there awkwardly, smelling the strawberry scent of her shampoo until she finally released him.

She lowered her arms as she looked into his eyes. He was very attractive for an older man she observed. She suddenly felt her heart skip about beat and blushed slightly to think such a thing. Mr. Crepsley snapped out of it and broke the connection. She climbed on his back as they flitted away to the Cirque.