hello-

Erin: FROM THE OTHER SIDE!

Me: Oh God, just no-

Amy: I MUST HAVE CALLED A THOUSAND TIMES!

Me:...Here, guys...Just read the damn chapter...Onwards...

Anastasia sighed, looking out from her window, book in hand. It had been two years since she'd first met Erin, and for those two years, Anastasia changed.

She went from timid to curious over those two years, the biggest change being that she was growing a backbone.

But, even then, it wasn't by much.

Anastasia had just closed (read: slammed) her door shut, sitting down at her bed as she tried to stifle her sobs.

Stupid Abigail, stupid Silver's family, they all sucked!

She growled, wanting to go back out, only to be scared of what may be waiting for her on the other top of that, she doubted that her sobbing and shouting would be well received, must less understood.

She jumped when a knock came to the window, only to slowly but surely calm down, "Erin, don't scare me like that!"

Erin giggled from the other side, before tapping the window. Anastasia sighed, unlatching the window. It's been like this for a while now, right as the sun went down, Erin would come outside, waiting by her window.

Erin's grin feel the moment she saw the tear marks on Anastasia's face, "What happened?"

"N-nothing." Anastasia murmured, wiping her eyes. She didn't want to look weak, especially in front of Erin.

"If you're crying, it must be a lot more than just nothing." Erin murmured, before guiding her back to the bed, "What happened?"

"It's just...Just my stupid cousins." God did she hate that word, "They're terrible! Edward likes to push me around a lot, but Abigail is so much worse! She likes to pull my hair, and call me names, and...And…"

Her voice was quickly drowned out by her quiet sobs, Erin only able to pat her back, "You really don't like them, do you?" Erin murmured, before her eyes lit up, "Want me to kill them?"

"What? No!" Anastasia said, surprised. She often forgot how easily Erin could resort to such actions of violence. It lead to great stories, sure, but she wouldn't know what to do if she got caught killing her cousins, or worse, got killed in the process.

"I'm kidding, honest." Erin grinned, before her face fell serious once more, "But seriously, if you need me to do it, just say the word."

"Okay." Anastasia murmured, only to squeak when Erin ruffled her hair, "Hey!"

"...You know what, you and I could both use a break..." Erin murmured, smirking evilly, before holding out her hand, "Come on, let's go!"

Anastasia looked at her, confused, only to have her eyes widen, "No, I can't go outside!"

"Why not?" Erin asked, before putting the pieces together, "…You've never been outside before, have you?"

Anastasia gulped, before nodding, "Y-yeah."

Erin sighed, before coming in, looking her over, "…Well then, we'll just have to sneak out for our fun then, yeah?"

Anastasia's eyes widened, about to object, only to have Erin cover her mouth, "Think about it, Annie. This is your life, and you aren't gonna get any redos, so live a little! Now come on, I'll help you get ready."

"Get…Get ready?" Anastasia asked, confused, before Erin went into her closet, opening it up, before throwing some stuff out, "Here, you'll need this." Anastasia was about to ask, only to have Erin throw her some clothing. She looked it over before frowning, "Why would I need these?" She asked, holding up her brother's old grey shirt and a pair of patched up old pants to big for her.

"You'll need to put that on to fit in." Erin insisted, before smirking, "Come on then, we need to get going!"

"We're gonna get caught."

"Hush now, we're already out, just blend in."

Anastasia sighed, walking right behind the proud Erin. She wore the shirt, the sleeves long enough to cover her hands, and the pants, which needed to be held up with a belt. Erin had messed up her hair to the point that she looked ran over.

Erin looked proud and noble, like she were strong, yet elegant.

Then there was Anastasia, who looked small and frail.

"Come now, Annie, move it on."

Anastasia nodded, walking behind her, only to have her grab her hand, "Now, I need you to do exactly as I ask you, alright? Just stay on my ass, and we'll be fine."

Anastasia looked up at her, confused, only to watch, as Erin went off running. She wasn't sure why, but, after a few moments, the people chasing her made it clear.

Erin was wanted for something.

Anastasia looked down the London road, watching as Erin ran off into an alleyway, before following after. Anastasia, being a girl, kept from the world till now, wasn't very good at running. All of this was new to her, all of the buildings she'd only seen through her window, people she'd always thought of like ants.

She ran for the hallway, before gulping, The shadows that fell over the alleyway gave it a sinister look, while watching as Erin climbed up the wall. Erin gave her a look, held up buy only one hand, before waving her over, "Come on then, Annie! They're right behind us, we need to go!"

"But…but I can't…" Anastasia murmured, wincing at the sound of people running for her. They'd be there soon.

Erin sighed, before jumping back down, holding out her hand, "Come on!" Erin said. She didn't give Anastasia a chance before grabbing her arm, pulling the timid girl onto her back, before climbing back up.

Anastasia let out a small yelp, Erin climbing upward with ease, as if Anastasia wasn't clutching to her shoulders from her back. It was interesting, giving her a type of motherly monkey feeling for some reason. But, she didn't have much time to question it, as Erin pulled the two of them onto the roof, making sure that Anastasia was off and okay, before collapsing onto the floor.

Anastasia jumped at the sound of shouting adults, only to have Erin laughed lightly, "Don't worry, kid. They won't come up here to find us. Trust me. I know."

Anastasia nodded, before looking around. The sun was setting over the town, and from atop a roof top, with a whole new sight to see. It looked so nice, watching the sun set from up here instead of at the manor.

It looked so nice to see something new.

Erin laughed weakly, before sitting up, looking at the sunset, "Nice, isn't it?"

"It's…It's beautiful." Anastasia murmured, standing up on the roof, a small smile on her face, "I'd never be able to see this at my house."

"Well, perks of being homeless and on the run is the fact that I don't have to stay put for too long. " Erin murmured, gesturing to the sun, "I get to see that everyday. But, I'm also on the run, and I have nothing. Not the best trade off."

Anastasia looked at Erin as she laughed, her questions never coming to an end. Finally, Erin caught onto her look, "Hey, what's wrong, kid?"

"Eh?" Anastasia asked, only to shake her head, "Oh, nothing; sorry. I was…I just had a few questions."

Erin took on a toothy grin, before sitting down, leaning back, "Go on then, ask away."

"Well," Anastasia murmured, pulling at her hair, "Have you ever met your parents?"

Erin's eyes went wide, before nodding, "Yeah; yeah, I did."

Anastasia's eyes filled with confusion, "But you said that you were an orphan-."

"I am." Erin murmured, her voice steely cold for a few moments, before her eyes held a slight madness to them, "They're dead to me."

Anastasia gave him a look, only to nod, "Go on."

Erin looked like she didn't want to, but sighed, "…Once upon a time, there was a girl. Now, this was another normal girl, she had two parents, with four other siblings. But, after a while, she began to feel trapped. So, she tried to escape. But, her parents found out. She was punished, forced to be kept in her room for two whole years, suffering from her other siblings, until finally, she had a chance to get out."

Anastasia nodded, fully enhanced into the story, "And so? What happened next?"

Erin smirked, "Well, isn't it obvious? She took the chance." Erin said, before laughing lightly, "You know how each story has a lesson, correct?"

Anastasia nodded, before asking, "What was the lesson?"

Erin smiled, before nodding, "…Simple. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you keep trying. Follow what you believe, and keep going for it."

Anastasia nodded, before smiling, "Do you have any other stories?"

Erin thought it over, before laughing, "Okay. A long time ago, a princess lived. But, like many other princesses, she never did have much time for herself. But, when she did, every moment spent with her grandmother."

Anastasia nodded, watching as Erin explained the story with her hands, always into the story, "You see, the grandmother was more of a parent then the so called king and queen, and managed to teach her grand daughter three main lessons."

Anastasia nodded, leaning forward, "What were the lessons?"

Erin smiled, before numbering them off on her hand, "So, three lessons. One, never run. She taught the little princess that, no matter what tries to stay in her way, she should never have to run. She'll never flee, instead, she'd stand and fight. Two, be brave, for with bravery, you'll never have to feel the want to run away. She taught the princess to be without cowardice and fear; because once you've got bravery; you've got the light to fight back the darkness. And the third lesson was, what I believe, was the hardest of them all. You see, this lesson took years to understand, the lesson of loyalty. Once you're on your own, cold and poor; all you've got left are the people willing to stand by you.'

Anastasia nodded, before tilting her head to the side, "But, Erin; what happened to the grandmother?"

Erin looked like she had just been punched in the face, eyes hazy with what looked like tears, before she shook her head, forcing herself to stand up, "Well…as you know, all people die. It was just the great queen's turn to move on to a better place."

"Oh," Anastasia murmured, before shaking her head, "I'm sorry."

Erin shrugged, "It's fine; just a story, right?"

Anastasia nodded, before leaning forward, "So, how was your family?"

Erin huffed, before holding her head, "Oh, please, give me a moment…"

Erin paced back and forth, walking around, before snapping her fingers, "So, in a land far away from here, a girl had four siblings. The first and eldest was a…an owl named Alastair."

Anastasia laughed, "An…an owl? Hahaha!"

"Now then, this is my story. So I get the say." Erin said, scolding her in a mocking way, before going on, "So…Alastair the owl was a very cold owl. He was distant, smart, but cold. He didn't like other people much, and kept away, preferring to stick his head into books."

Anastasia still thought it funny, that Erin had made her eldest brother a bird, before nodding, "Go on."

Erin grinned, before gesturing to the picture of a leopard, "The girl's second brother was a leopard named Conway. You see, Conway, was a lot like the Owl, but he had a fault. He loved girls, like, LOVE loved girls.."

It took a while, but Anastasia was soon covering her head in her hands, "Gross!"

Erin laughed, "Yeah, he's a total sicko, right?"

"…Eww…" Was all that Anastasia could manage.

"Eww indeed." Erin agreed, laughing at Anastasia's expression, before clearing her throat, "Then, there was…there was the mean old Lion, Nicky."

Anastasia nodded, "So, why was he so mean?"

"He was like the other two," Erin said, "He was cold, girl-obsessed, all of that. But, over all, he absolutely HATED his sister. He'd do anything to get her to leave, anything to benefit from getting her to disappear."

Anastasia nodded, "But that's only three; where's the fourth?"

"Ah, you do know how to count!" Erin said, smiling, before pointing to the sky, a flock of birds flying over, "You see, the girl did indeed have a fourth sibling. She had a younger sibling, a…a little white butterfly."

"I love butterflies!" Anastasia said happily, before waiting for Erin to go on.

Erin smiled, "Well, like all white butterflies; Margret was the purest of them all. She could never do anything wrong, never able to really 'mess up', if you would. You can imagine that, when the girl left, she'd miss her white butterfly."

"So, why did she leave?" Anastasia asked.

"Well, besides her parents and siblings unfairness," Erin said, "She also wanted to be free. She wanted the choice to do as she wanted to do. She wanted to do as she pleased, without having to worry about being stripped of her title, and forced into a marriage."

Anastasia nodded, before sighing, "I wish that I could do that."

"Be forced into marriage!?" Erin yelled, "Are you crazy, kid!? "

"No, I meant running away!" Anastasia murmured, "I wish that I could be free myself. But, I'm scared. I'm nothing like you...I'm a coward, I'm afraid."

Erin nodded, before sighing, "Well…You're right. You're a little kitten, aren't you?"

"Well, I wish I could be a tiger." Anastasia said, laughing lightly, "But, I can't."

"You're right." Erin said with a smirk, before pulling the girl to her feet, "Not yet, anyway."

Anastasia tilted her head to the side, "W-what do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Erin murmured, before saluting Anastasia, "As of today, You're going to learn under my wing."

Anastasia shook her head, "B-but…I can't…"

"I'm not expecting you to run away from home, kid." Erin said, still grinning like mad, "I just want you to be ready to defend yourself. I want to pass on what my grandmother taught me, and we begin now."

Anastasia huffed slightly, "Kid…Why do you keep calling me a kid!? I am the same age as you, you know."

Erin laughed, "Well, isn't it obvious, Anastasia? I mean, I do it cause, compared to me, you are a kid."

Anastasia wanted to protest, only to stop herself. In a way, Erin was right. She'd lived a sheltered life, never being outside before.

Erin had left home at a young age, being forced to do things that even adults can't without second thoughts. She'd stolen, possibly even being forced to murder others just to get by in a life as cruel as her own.

Age didn't matter; it was the level of knowledge that did.

Anastasia sighed, only to nod, "…Alright…if you insist…"

Erin nodded, before smirking, "Here, catch."

Anastasia gasped, before tossing the pistol gun from hand to hand, "What…!? Are you…are you out of your mind!?"

"Hell yeah!" Erin said, before pulling out her second one, "Now, normally I fight with two, but I can manage without one. Now, the first lesson; firing a gun."

Anastasia yelped, "But…but I don't-."

"That's why I'll teach you." Erin said, before whipping out her gun, aiming, "First, you aim."

Anastasia looked the gun over, peeking into the barrel, only to have Erin grab it, "Um, no. Don't do that; you might blow your head off."

Anastasia squeaked, before nodding, "Uh-huh…Okay." Anastasia murmured, before aiming, "Like this?"

Erin laughed, before fixing the gun, "No, like this. You need to be able to shoot what you need to; you know, since you only have a certain amount of shots."

Anastasia nodded, before holding the gun more firmly, "Like this?"

Erin nodded, before pointing to a chimney, "You see that, all the way on the other roof? I want you to hit it."

Anastasia nodded, before aiming, "Like…Like this?"

Erin shrugged, "You can only tell after firing."

"But you said that I only have a number of shots." Anastasia said, a bit scared.

Erin shrugged, "Well…You learn by fucking up. Now shot!"

At the last word, Anastasia jumped, her finger clasping around the trigger. She jumped at the sound of the gun going off, missing the chimney entirely.

Erin sighed, "…Damn…You're about as good as Grey is at keeping his clothing on…" She whispered to herself, before looking at her, winking, "You get better by fucking up, don't worry! Just keep trying!"

Anastasia nodded, her hands shaking a bit, before firing again. This time, the bullet deflected off of the side of the chimney.

Erin couldn't help but laugh, "There ya go, nice shooting! Now, try and land the hit rather then ricochet off of the side, yes?"

Anastasia nodded, before aiming again. She allowed the gun to rest in her hands well, trying not to fear the thing in her hands.

Erin sighed, before grinning, "Oh, now I've got it. You can't be afraid of the gun. The gun isn't the killer, it can't hurt you unless you let it hurt you."

Anastasia sighed, before nodding. She took a deep breath in, ready to take the shot-

"There you are, you bloody git!"

Only to fire and miss entirely, surprised by the new voice.

Right behind them stood a boy that looked to be only a bit older than Erin. He had light brown hair, golden eyes and a sly yet annoyed smile. He looked so out of place here, wearing an expensive coat over his white dress shirt, slacks and shoes. A red tie was worn around his neck, and a sort of slightly smashed top hat on his head.

"Wow, speak of the devil, even if it's a bit later." Erin growled lightly, gun ready in hand, but she didn't care to aim, "…Nicky."

"Erika," He said, before doing a mock bow, "I can't say that I'm happy to see you, but I can tell you that someone else is."

Behind them, a figure laughed, causing Erin to whip around, glaring at the man. He was a lot older than the other three, with a bread on his face, matching his dark brown hair and eyes. He stood tall and proud, for a pretty disgusting man.

Erin hissed, "Sir Peter Kildroch; what a surprise."

Peter smirked, "Oh, the pleasure is all mine." He said, before smirking, "Or rather, it will be soon."

Erin growled lightly, "…What do you two want with me today? Didn't I just see you guys a while ago?"

Nicky growled lightly, "Yes, yes we did. But, as always, you slipped from our grasp."

"How am I supposed to marry a woman that ran from home?" Peter asked with a devious smirk.

"Well, I've been wondering the same question," Erin shot back, "But, I learned not to care for you. At all."

"Such hurtful words!" Peter said, a hand over his chest, "Why do you wound me so, beloved?"

"Yes, because true pedophilic love comes from an arranged marriage between an eight year old and an eighteen year old man." Erin said sarcastically, "Yes, can you feel the love tonight?"

"Not just yet, my dear." Peter said, causing Erin to cringe.

"You really may be Conway's brother from another mother." Erin murmured, looking for a way out, while Anastasia looked the two over. At this point, she wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

It made her panic, not knowing what to do. In any other event, any other time, she'd have the answers. All of the math problems, science issues; she knew what to do. She studied, she'd test herself, she was ready.

But, when it came to physical things, she was lost.

"…Enough of this crap, git." Nicky murmured, before pulling out a switchblade, "I'm taking you in; dead or alive."

"It would be hard to get married to a dead woman," Peter said, before taking out a gun encased in gold, "But, I guess that I could move on. After attaining the reward."

Erin growled, before whipping out her own gun, pushing Anastasia behind her, "I'll never understand you men. Money and women, that's all you care about."

"Don't forget fame!" Peter added, smiling like a crazed person, "Fame as well!"

"Yeah, yeah; whatever." Nicky murmured, before smirking, "So, Peter; how do you skin a Bint?"

"Simple," Erin cut in, before nodding to Anastasia, "You must catch it first."

Before either of them could respond, Erin pulled out a ball from her belt, before throwing it down. The roof was encased with smoke.

Anastasia coughed, eyes watering, only to have a hand grab her own. She shrieked, hitting the arm, only to be pulled out of the smoke, a slightly beaten Erin's arm pulling her away, "Damnit, Annie! You're hitting the wrong person!"

Erin growled, slightly annoyed, before sighing, "Alrighty then, jump!"

Before Anastasia could question her, Erin make the jump, easily landing on the other side with a kind of pose, before turning around, nodding, "Come on then, jump!"

Anastasia gulped, looking at the space between the two buildings, before shaking her head, "N-no! I can't!"

Erin sighed, "Come on, kid! The smoke won't last forever, you've got to jump!"

"I…I can't!" Anastasia said. Sure enough, the smoke began to dissipate, "I can't jump!"

Erin sighed, before giving Anastasia a look, "Look, Annie, I'm trying to save your life here! I've never lied to you; and I never will! Jump, and you'll be okay; trust me!"

Anastasia sighed, looking about, before nodding. She sucked in her breath, said a prayer, before jumping for it. She let out a scream, feeling herself fall, slowly coming to the ground…

…Only to have a hand grab hold of her own.

"I've got you, Annie! Just hold on, I'll pull you up. But, once I do, you'll have to run."

"Once again, she had no time to ask, as Erin pulled her up to her feet, watching as the smoke ran out, before turning around, "Follow me!"

Erin took off running, doing flips off of the chimneys, back flipping for what seemed to be no apparent reason, while Anastasia tried to keep up.

She could hear the two men behind her shouting in anger, as she turned around. Sure enough, they were on her tail.

"Don't look back!" Erin yelled, "Gotta keep going!"

Anastasia nodded, trying to run even faster, faster than ever before. Being how she'd only run fast enough to get to the library on time, this was a lot faster than normal.

Erin jumped to the next building, latching onto the wall, before scaling it like a gecko. Anastasia gulped, before Erin yelled, "Don't think, just go!"

Anastasia nodded, before jumping for it. She yelped, feeling her hands latch onto the cold hard stone of the building wall, before slowly, but surely, climbing up. It was hard to see at this time of night, but, she could only keep her mind on one thing.

Keep going.

She cringed, as a bullet lodged into the wall next to her. She nearly lost her grip, before Erin sighed, pulling out her own gun, holding onto the wall with the other, looking like some sort of pirate, "Keep climbing, Annie! I'll keep them down."

Anastasia watched for some time as Erin fired back, forcing the two men to find cover.

Anastasia continued to climb, only to have her hand slip. She let out a shrill scream, before being forced to let go by gravity.

She was falling, screaming her head off, only to have someone grab her. She looked up to Erin, who smiled, before using her other hand to grab onto the wall, "Hold on, it'll be a rough ride!"

Erin jumped from one wall to the other, before finally reaching the ground, "Are you alright?" Erin asked, throwing her hand up to catch her gun, before going into a full sprint, pulling Anastasia with her.

She couldn't respond, as Erin pulled her along, before finally making it to the garden gates. Erin wasn't even huffing, while Anastasia felt like she had her lungs ripped out of her chest.

Erin finally laughed lightly, "Well, that was fun, was it not?"

"W-what? That was terrible!" Anastasia yelled, "I mean, we nearly died!"

"And that's the fun part!" Erin said, laughing loudly, before walking around in a circle, laughing like mad, "Pink fluffy unicorns, dancing on rainbows!"

Erin had completely lost it, Anastasia was sure of it.

Even so, Anastasia couldn't help but laugh, Erin's glee infections, "Okay; it was a bit fun."

Erin smirked, "Right? I mean, we should do this again!"

Anastasia should have declined. She should have insisted that she never wanted to go back outside ever again, only to smile, "Yes. Yes we should."

So then...

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