When Ella reached her current 'home' she immediately, after salty he doors and windows, collapsed onto her bed, laying Churchill down next to her.
Deciding food wasn't necessary for her immediate survival, Ella pulled her trusty phone out of her shorts pocket, plugged in her earphones and drifted to sleep.
When Ella woke to the disgustingly bright and sunlit room, the first thing she did was stomp to the dingy bedroom curtains and force them closed.
Laying back in bed and closing her eyes, Ella felt a sudden urge to use the bathroom.
Groaning, she sat up again and walked to the small and damp bathroom across the hall, wincing at the cold tiles.
Her throat was parched and her tongue felt swollen, so Ella walked back through the house to her bedroom to fetch her now empty water bottle and refilled it.
Laying back down again, Ella noticed how her stomach was beginning to rumble and swore loudly, realising she had no hope of getting back to sleep.
She slowly made her way to the cramped and dysfunctional kitchen on the other side of the two bedroom unit, grabbing a bowl and some Weet-Bix, before dragging herself to the couch.
She watched the coyote and the road runner battle it out as she waited for her Weet-Bix to get soggy.
Eventually, she began eating and decided it lacked something, dumping a tablespoon of brown sugar on the cereal before continuing.
Once she had finished, Ella changed out of her pyjamas and went for her morning run, before beginning her strength exercises, followed by her stretches.
Regardless of the fact her Dad thought it useless, Ella had taught herself some basic gymnastics as she believed that flexibility was important and enjoyed the physical challenge.
She practiced now, stretching out her well-developed muscles in back bends and front splits, round offs and hand springs, enjoying the burn and the feeling of accomplishment it gave her.
After completing her exercise routine and showering to rid herself of the already prominent sweat patches, Ella walked to the table and read through the list of chores Dad had left her.
He was meant to be home tomorrow night and would be pissed if they weren't done, so rather than binge watch Buffy reruns, Ella got started.
First on the list: cleaning the knives.
How perfectly convenient that can be done in front of a telly. A telly playing Buffy reruns
An hour and a half later, Ella had finished cleaning the knives, but had not finished the episode.
Ella laid stretched out, on the small dusty couch, watching the slightly pixelated perfection, that is Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Ella loved Buffy for many reasons, the first and foremost being she is absolutely bad arse. She was a teenage girl who could fight amazingly and sleighed vampires for a hobby, while sill managing to have a relatively normal life. Couple that with some sassy leather jacket and you've got one kickarse character.
The second, but just as important reason, was that she could relate.
Like Buffy, Ella had been "chosen by birth right" to lead a life of violence and killing which, regardless of how skilled she was at it, she hated and despised.
Ella felt almost normal while she watched it, like she was just another teenage girl with a TV obsession and a massive crush on the sex God that is Angel.
Although her father scoffed at it, saying the lore was complete shit and Buffy would be killed in seconds against a real vampire, it gave her a sense of normality she craved, and allowed her to forget how similar their lives were.
The third and final reason was Angel. Fuck, he was hot, regardless of the fact he was a vampire.
So much better than Edward.
When there was less than ten minutes left, there was a knock on the door.
Immediately suspicious, Ella walked silently to the window and twitched the curtains open slightly.
Looking out, she saw her father standing on the veranda, looking impatient, his black hair greasy and his five o'clock shadow prominent.
"Shit."
Her Dad was home early and she wasn't even close to finishing her chores.
He was going to be so pissed.
Ella unlocked the door, but left the fly wire in place, "Password?" she asked nervously, knowing she was in for it.
Her father looked at her, his dark blue eyes narrowed, "I don't have time for this, Ella."
Ella, though still nervous, felt her suspicion growing and said with more authority "Password?"
Her father frowned, thinking hard, "Bon Scott" he replied in an annoyed tone, naming the second, and his favourite, AC/DC lead singer.
Suspicion nearly alleviated, Ella opened the fly wire and let her father in, waking Churchill as she did so.
Churchill, after stretching and yawning loudly, inspected Ella's father sniffing him thoroughly as he did so.
Mathew and Churchill had never got along well, Mathew distrusting the dog from the start and Churchill, due to his protectiveness of Ella, becoming angry whenever Mathew treated Ella badly, which was quiet regularly.
Not to say Mathew was abusive, he just didn't cut her much slack.
But at no point had Churchill ever hurt or attempted to hurt Mathew, knowing his place in the household was precarious at best. So it was incredibly shocking when Churchill, began growling loudly and before Ella could intervene, launched himself at Mathew, biting down on his exposed calf.
Mathew swore loudly and Ella pulled Churchill back by his hips, yelling at him as she did so when she noticed her Dad was bleeding black.
That was not her father.
Churchill stood protectively in front of her, waiting for the monster to attack.
Pulling her knife out of her back pocket and backing away from him slowly, Ella asked quietly but evenly, "What are you and what have you done with my father?"
"What are you talking about, girl? That fucking mutt just bit me and you're going on about me not being your Dad? Help me, dammit!"
Ella almost caved at his tone, but looked back at his leg, and asked again, louder this time, "What are you and what have you done with my father?"
The monster she had previously mistaken for her father, let go of its bleeding leg and turned to face her.
"I guess it doesn't matter who you think I am. I'm still going to eat you alive." He said, a malicious smile creeping across his face, before launching himself towards Churchill and Ella.
Ella had no idea what this creature was, only knowing that it could shapeshift, possessed the bodies memories, bled black, and had a taste for human flesh.
The fact that it bled black and ate people crossed out shapeshifters, and to Ella's knowledge there wasn't any other monsters who had the ability to change forms.
Not knowing what it was, meant she didn't know how to kill it, and after wishing fervently she'd paid more attention to her lessons on lore, she did the only thing she could think of and prayed.
Author's note:
Okay, the first thing I would like to say is a MASSIVE thank you to NightReader22 who is so awesome and encouraging. You are amazing! ;)
Also, thanks to Isabella (who didn't bother to think of a more creative username) who's kinda my beta, but mainly my bestie. :)
Okay, I love Buffy, so Obviously Ella has to as well, and I'm sorry to any Twilight fans reading this.
Although I'm totally right and you guys need to realise that Bella and Edward have a massively unhealthy relationship, I'm sorry if that offended any of you, kinda.
And regarding my last chapter, I accidently uploaded the wrong one, so I edited it and updated the chapter. So feel free to reread it, but there was only one or two changes.
Anyway, THANKS FOR READING!
And review if you want to (this is not a dictatorship), and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is welcome.
Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed. ;)