Far Too Young To Die;

Naomi saw her mother off to the door and watched as her slim figure disappeared from view, Naomi closed the door behind her; Now, the real investigating begins.

She grabbed her bag and headed towards her room. When Naomi opened her door, she saw it left untouched. Everything was where she left it. Her bed was disheveled from when she woke up late to go meet the Headmaster. Her closet door was still open from when rushed to pack her clothes into a cramped suitcase – she had put it off until the last minute despite her parents telling her to do it again and again.

Naomi smiled as she dropped her bag on top of her bed, I was so excited then, if I had known how things were going to turn out I never would've taken that scholarship.

She took in a deep breath; this isn't the time to dwell on the past. I need to find out who that man is.

Naomi paused, where did mom leave the family pictures? She tapped her chin in thought... Right, the attic.

She stood in front of the attic for a while. A creepy attic with possible spiders and cockroaches and maybe even rats – she shivered. Naomi looked at the cord dangling from the ceiling, maybe, there's another way to find out who he is?

She clenched her fists, it's just an attic, Naomi. You just kicked Zero in the knee; you can handle a few bugs and wild animals.

The voice inside her head continued, Open the damn attic, Naomi.

"Yeah, yeah, I can do this." Naomi whispered to herself and as she was going to pull the cord, she remembered: "I need a flashlight!"

She ran to her room and searched in her bag, until she found her very own small flashlight.

Naomi, with a determined expression, thought: To the attic!

This time, Naomi pulled the cord without hesitation and saw the wooden latter unfurl, and it rested nicely on the floor. Naomi climbed up the dusty stairs as the light from her house dissipated into darkness, she turned on her flashlight.

In the attic, she saw unused and old furniture as well as old toys, Naomi hadn't used since she was six years old; no cobwebs... Thank God.

And there it was, a small white dresser she hadn't seen since she was ten. Naomi had grown out of it before ten, but she had refused to let it go until her legs couldn't fit in the sitting area anymore. Naomi ran her finger on the side and realized there was no dust; weird. She pulled the small drawers open and saw a stack of old photos inside. Dust should've collected on the old photos but there wasn't a single spec, and the pictures should have been stuck together, but they weren't. It was clear that someone was here in this attic – going through her memories and private moments that were meant for Naomi and her family eyes only. Birthdays, first days of school, parties, and family dinners.

Naomi sat down on the old white chair and went through every picture from her childhood photos and came up with nothing. No mismatched eyes in the background or anything, but what did she think? That he would be in the background creepily watching her? He was obviously smarter than that.

Naomi tossed the old photos back in the dresser drawer and slid it closed. She moved from the white dresser and continued her search for other photos, there must be more around here somewhere... She let her hands glide across a horrendous old couch and turned the flashlight across from the back of the couch – she saw a tall wooden shelf adorned with small knick knacks that Naomi had never seen in her life. Yet there it was all by its lonesome, a small lockbox on the second top shelf.

Naomi tip toed and had the tip of her fingers touching the edge of the lockbox; Naomi slides the box towards the edge of shelf and let it fall into her hands. She sat on the floor, as she put the flashlight in between her teeth, and opened the box to see what was inside.

These were polaroids of her when she was baby. Her mother was holding Naomi in her arms with the softest smile tilting the corners of her mouth.

Naomi smiled as she switched to another picture as she took out the flashlight out of her mouth. She saw another picture: this time she was a toddler. She was holding her father's hand, smiling with the same awkward thin smile as her father's. Their eyes are the same shade of violet.

Naomi gave off a melancholy smile, he works day and night for us. I'll see him tonight.

She flipped through the rest of the polaroids, there has to be a picture of him. She was near the middle of the stack of pictures and saw a man she had never seen before.

He was kneeling sweetly to reach Naomi's small, three-year-old, frame. The man was unnaturally handsome, like Kaname, she thought. Hiis hair, though, was shorter but his eyes the same color: garnet. What surprised her more was Tanaka in the back of the photo with a scowl gracing his features.

He looks nice enough... Naomi pocketed the picture and went through the rest.

Nothing. Absolutely, nothing.

Naomi grabbed the lockbox and put it back on the shelf, Naomi traveled back towards the entrance of the attic. She then felt a cool breeze on her thighs, she was in attic why would there be a cool breeze?

Naomi stiffened as she felt a hand grab her shoulder, before she could react, she was pushed to the ground.

The flashlight clattered to the ground. Naomi reached for it, only to have her hands pinned above her head; she felt a crushing weight pinning her whole body down to the floor, but she couldn't see her captor: she had fallen face flat.

Naomi gulped, she wasn't safe at the academy, why would she think she was safe in her own home?

Naomi began to struggle but his voice made her stop:

"Do you like this body better?" It was smooth and velvety... almost seductive. If this was any other girl, she would've melted under his touch but Naomi, was not easily fooled.

Her heart and mind were racing, and her only thoughts being: It's him! And I'm going to die! Naomi stilled and refused to move and tried, with every fiber in her being, to calm down; your hands are pinned, you can't attack him. Naomi's eyes widen, He said body! What does that even mean?! Stop, calm down! You need to escape!

He hummed in her ear, patiently waiting for her answer.

Naomi's voice trembled, "I can't even see you."

If I can just get my hands free, Naomi thought, I can grab Phthisis.

She felt his hand travel down her body and rest at her hip while his other hand kept an iron grip on her wrists – she felt it slide into her pocket.

"Wouldn't want you to get any ideas?" He had taken out her only source of protection against vampires, "Such a delicate weapon."

Naomi heard the singeing of his skin, but it did not deter him. An arm wrapped around her as he swiftly flipped her over and came face to face with those haunting eyes. There she saw a handsome young man; he wasn't much older than Naomi herself. His hand gripping her vampire weapon: his blood trickled down as his skin sizzled and bubbled and the smell – oh god, the smell like something was rotting.

This isn't his real body, thought Naomi, Talk about invasion of the body snatcher.

Naomi swallowed, "Who did you body snatch this time?"

A wicked smile graced his features, "It doesn't matter who."

He leaned down towards her neck. A sharp fang grazed her skin; he's going to bite me!

With all her might, Naomi tugged at her wrist and furiously kicked her legs. She wrapped her leg around his waist and pushed with all her weight to flip their position. In a swift movement, Naomi was straddling him and ripped Phthisis out of his hand.

The power running through the knife stopped in an instant. Naomi brought it down on his gut and twisted.

He let out a pained laugh.

"Go terrorize someone else!" Naomi pulled out Phthisis.

His hetero-chromatic eyes shined delightfully mischievously, "But you seem to have planned a delightful punishment for me."

He's mocking me, Naomi glared, I stabbed him and he's mocking me!

Naomi's eye twitched, "Who are you?"

He rapidly raised his upper body towards her, but Naomi reacted quickly as she held the edge of the silver blade against his throat – the skin melted at the contact with the blade.

"How cute," His arm slid around her waist while the other gripped her forearm, "You're shaking."

Naomi hadn't realized until he had pointed it out – her whole body was shaking; this is so pathetic.

"A little girl who goes looking for trouble but runs at first sight of it." He clicked his tongue and chuckled, "except for when you rig the game."

Naomi's flinched at his statement, he's right.

It doesn't matter if he's right. He's the one who stalked you since you were three!

Naomi tried to compose herself and failed. Her body wasn't responding to her mind, it kept shaking.

"Always ran to your mother whenever I'd visit you." He smiled, "When I tried to take you, you kicked me. Do you remember that?"

Naomi couldn't find her voice. She tried to speak but couldn't. All she could muster was a small shake of her head.

"No? Well, you were a toddler." He sounded disappointed, but then a sinister grin creeped into his smile, "Shall I take you now?"

Naomi, as if it was second nature, slashed at his throat, but when she did – there was no one there.

Naomi raced out of the attic. She, hastily, pushed the attic door up to close.

She could hear her heart and blood pumping as she stared at the closed attic, waiting for something to come out and attack her.

"Until next time." The voice whispered.

Naomi slashed behind her... Nothing, but the door was wide open.