~You only Think you Know everything~
Maybe that’s why the Dark is Scared of You

 

2: The Fire and The Travlers

The Fire and the Travelers

        She lost everything.  Gone.  Burned up into flames—her family, friends, her possessions.  If anyone of those things had survived the fire, she wouldn’t know where they had gone; the people probably ran off to a different part of the woodsy forest probably.  She’ll never be able to find them again in The Forest.  Her life was ruined, forever changed without reverting back to its normal shape.  Flames made the night sky glow.

          It was all because of those strange travelers.  How could she and the other villagers have known they were monsters?  The two men had looked completely human.  They were the type of men that her father told her to stay away from and they were the type of men that she had always been curious about.  The two men were Darkland Creatures.  How could she have known what she was interested in would destroy what she knew?  She had survived the burning village, and now she was going to confront the two men—like the silly, foolish woman she was.

                “You-You-You destroyed everything!  My home, my-my friends—my family!  They’re gone because of you!” she quickly approached the two strange travelers from behind as fury boiled inside of her, some of her loose, blond curls began to fall in front of her dark blue-grey eyes.

          “Oh…this girl followed us.” One of the men turned around to view the quivering girl with his handsome brown eyes.  His hair was black, and it looked even darker against his pale complexion.  His jawline was smooth and his nose was fine and defined.  The neat and white blouse-shirt he wore lay under his black frock coat and added for style was a thick, white cavart tucked underneath.  The trousers were black and so were his (used to be) top-quality shoes.  He was young, looking about twenty five and obviously a man of wealth, though he seemed to be out of his native environment. The cold-stone expression on his face told that he had no interest or compassion for the girl.

          “How should we get rid of her?” the wealthy man continued with a cold voice.

          “G-Get rid of me?!” the young woman’s voice squeaked, “What do you mean by that?!”

          “Vincent, you’re scaring the poor lass!” the other man spoke.  The other man appeared much gentler than his companion, and a little older.  He had light brown hair tied low, making a short tail.  His light green eyes looked rather sad and pitiful.  The jawline of the man had clear-cut structure and his nose retained a little more of a masculine mass compared to his companion.  He wore brown breeches and a white, baggy, dirty chemise. The brown shoes he wore looked as though they’ve had seen many roads in their life.   He looked over at the young girl as he spoke gently, “What’s your name?”

          “I-It’s Rachel, but you—!”

          “Set fire to your village, blah, blah, blah—we get the point.”  Vincent rolled his eyes.  “William and I had to escape somehow!”

          “So you set fire to the village?!” Rachel began to felt unsteady as the anger grew stronger, “A-Are you mad?!  And of course the men were chasing you—you killed a woman!”

          William held a finger up and pointed to Vincent, “I would like to make it clear that Vincent was the one who killed her, not I.”

          “Does it make a difference now?!” Rachel began to cry.

          “…If it doesn’t make a difference, then why did you follow?” Vincent sighed as he crossed his arms, “This all seems pretty pointless.”

          Rachel began to pace a little, yanking at her curls as she was at loss for words.  She herself didn’t know what confronting the men of their crimes would solve; it obviously couldn’t change what had happened.

          “Look…we’re sorry…” William softly apologized, hoping to calm her down.

          “She’s annoying.” Vincent complained.

        “Vincent!”  William turned to scold his friend.

        Vincent began to stare at the girl intensively, “William…I’m still hungry….”

        “…No, Vincent, no!” William quickly began to look panicked, “She’s just a child!”

        “I’m still hungry, William!” Vincent turned and shouted at his friend, “We’ve been traveling for days and for weeks before we found this absurd village and then the imprudent villagers interrupted my meal!”

        “I thought you killed her!” William crossed his arms.

        “Well…I did finish her—but I’m still hungry!”

        “W-What’s he talking about…?” Rachel felt a cold chill go up her spine, though she yet knew why.

        William didn’t answer.  He simply rubbed his neck as he turned his back on the two, walking a little ahead.  Vincent then leaped forward to Rachel and wrapped his arms around her as he sunk his teeth into her neck.  The poor girl screamed and struggled to be free from his tight grip.

        “…Okay, Vincent…that’s enough.” William ordered softly, back turned as he still refused to watch.  Vincent refused to stop.  “Vincent…Vincent, I said: that’s enough!”

        Vincent continued to drink her blood as Rachel began to grow very weak and limp.  William quickly ran over, pulling Vincent and Rachel apart with as much force as he could.  The kinder man quickly caught Rachel as her limp body fell.

        “Vincent, did you kill her?!” William’s tone grew cross.

        “No, she’s still alive.” Vincent pulled out a handkerchief from his sleeve and dabbed his lips. “The taste wasn’t as good since she wasn’t pure…but oh well.”

        “H-He’s-He’s-He’s a v-v-vampire…!” Rachel whispered in shock as she held onto William, “An-And you let this happen?!”

        “I have to eat.” Vincent shrugged, “Is there a difference between me hunting for a human to survive as you humans hunt a pig?  Come, William, let’s be leaving”

    “W-Wait!  You can’t leave me here!” Rachel dug her hands into the fabric of William’s shirt, “I-I have no home to return to!  Where shall I go?  We’re surrounded by the dangerous Forest! I-I’ll die out here!”

    “Not our problem.” Vincent turned on his toes as he began to walk deeper into the Forest.

    “Vincent!  We can’t leave her!” William declared, “She’ll die out here!”

    “I repeat: Not our problem.”

    “But we did burn down her village—that action was highly unnecessary!”

    “What do you want us to do, William?!” Vincent quickly turned on his heels to face his companion, “We can’t bring her with us!”

    “Well, we can’t leave her here!”

    “Yes we can.”

    “No, we can’t!” William glared as he continued, “Maybe you should have thought of this before you burnt down the whole village!”

    “I thought they’d all be dead!”

    “You’re a terrible person…” Rachel murmured softly.

    “I try.” Vincent smiled.

    “Come on…I guess you’re stuck with us…sorry about everything.” William sighed as he picked up the weak lass and began walking, “Okay, Vincent, let’s go.”

    “Are you sure you want to carry that ignorant human?” Vincent asked bitterly, in hopes he would say no.

    “…I said: let’s go.”

3: The Start

The Start

    Rachel rubbed her sleepy eyes awake, finding herself lying under a cool shade of an enormous, evergreen tree.  It was an hour or two after high noon, the sun shining bright up in the clear blue sky.  Barely any of the sun’s rays could make it passed through the cluster of tree branches.  Several towering, dark green trees sat closely to one another.  Patches of moss grew on the ground and some on the trees’ trunks.  Some grass grew as well as struggling, little flowers along different parts of the ground.  The more the young girl observed her surroundings, the more she became aware of her location.

    The Forest, The Forest, that was where she was.  A growing panic came over her and she began to roll onto her side.  Rachael didn’t quite recall the previous day or how she came to be there, but she wanted to flee.  Her body, however, was far too weak to move as fast as it could.  She rolled onto her stomach and tried to push herself up, after a moment two, she succeeded.  Using the tree she laid under to lift herself up off of the ground, Rachael stood on her trembling legs.  Her mind was still dizzy, spinning, as she carefully, step by step, began moving.  Anxiety began to overwhelm her as she didn’t know where to go, how to get home, as the scene would tilt back and forth.  The gentle sounds of chirping birds didn’t calm her.  She was most certainly frightened by The Forest.

    Rachel fell to the ground, using her hands to make the fall less rough.  She had tripped over a pair of long legs covered in long brown breeches.  The man woke up from hearing the thump, and he rose from his spot.

    The man, the one called William, looked at the girl with great, weary surprise.  “By God, you’re actually alive…!”

    Rachael, quickly as she could, crawled away from him.  “Wh-Where am I?  I-I mean, I know where I am, but why..?!  Who…?  Wait, you!”

    “Now, now…!  I’m not going to hurt you…” William repositioned himself to sit on one of his knees, holding up his rough hands in a gentle signal.  His voice was soft and low, “We couldn’t leave you behind—well, I couldn’t…  With your village gone, you were going to enter The Forest anyhow and you wouldn’t be able to survive on your own.”

    “Why would you care?” Rachel asked.  “Aren’t you with that disgusting creature—that vampire?”

    William turned his head to the sleeping vampire, Vincent.  The man dressed in elegant black slept in the shade of a tree.  Every so often, William and Vincent would take turns waking up to ensure he still slept under the shade, as the sun could move the shadows to a different position as it traveled across the sky.  For the moment, however, Vincent appeared to be sleeping soundly and undisturbed.  Rachel glared at the slumbering creature as she continued to edge away from William.

    “What are you?  Like him?” Rachel pulled herself back onto her feet.  “A vampire, too?”

    “No, no.  If I was a vampire, the sun would hurt me.”  William edged out of the shadow and held his hands out to his side, having his palms face up to the sun.  “See?  Doesn’t hurt.”

    “What is a human doing wandering with a vampire for?” Rachel asked, still untrusting.  “He is using you as cattle?”

    “No!  No, no…that’s not it.” William answered.  “And…I don’t want to mislead you, Las, so I’ll tell you…I’m not human either.”

    “Just great!” Rachel turned her back on him and tried to leave the location.  “That’s why you brought me!  I’m the food!”

    “No!  No!  That’s not it!” William quickly objected.  “I don’t eat or drink from humans as Vincent does!  No, no.”

    “What are you then?”

    “I’m…immortal.” William answered with some hesitance.  “I’m practically human.  I mean…I’m the human-cockroach, really.  Just hard to kill; aside from that, I’m like you, lass.”

    “Stop calling me lass!” Rachel complained.

    “Forgive me, miss, but I don’t know your name.”  William apologized.  “Would you like to tell me?”

    “Why would I tell you my name after you—!”

    “Will you fools keep your mouth shut?!”  the vampire, Vincent, barked over his shoulder.  “I am trying to sleep!  Have you ever thought that some people may be evening persons?”

    “Just turn over and go to sleep, Vincent—we’re going to wake up in the night, and you’re an old irritable personality as it is, might as well not make it worse with you being tired”

    “Mind if I do!” Vincent turned his head back around, squirmed a little before appearing to sleep once more.

    “…That’s Vincent.” William introduced.

    “Vincent?” Rachel gave a strange look.  “Vincent—Vincent the vampire?”

    “And what’s so funny about that?” Vincent glared over his shoulder.

    “Nothing—except it seems quite…typical.” Rachel sighed.  “Of course your name would be obvious!”

    “I beg your pardon?!”

    “Go to sleep, Vincent!” William groaned.

    Vincent grumbled under his breath and tried to sleep.

    “…My name is William.” William introduced himself.  “Your name, please?”

    “I have no reason to tell you my name if we’re not going to be acquainted!” Rachel stubbornly continued on to an unknown path.  “I’m getting away from here!”

    “You won’t last out there, lass.” William pointed out.  “Especially since you’re still weak, you won’t last.”

    “No, let her go.” Vincent spoke.  “We don’t need her anyways—she’ll just be a burden!  Besides, we don’t need an ignorant human as herself!  It’ll save us all the trouble…  I hate humans…”

    “Vincent, go back to sleep!” William ordered.

    “Alright, my love!  As you wish!” Vincent sighed.

    Rachel continued to walk unsteadily.  The sun’s rays began giving her a headache and her stomach ached—her neck ached the most, the pain and aches convinced her to sit down against a tree.  She stared off into The Forest, listening to the strange and unknown noisy silence that would be hushed by an unfamiliar sound far off in the distance.  She had nowhere to go—and who knows what could be out there ready to end her life.

    Defeated, she looked at William, “My name is Rachel.”

    “Oh for the love—!” Vincent groaned as he rolled onto his stomach and laced his hands together on the back of his head.  He knew that such introduction meant she would travel with them.

    “This doesn’t mean I’ll forgive for what you two have done.” Rachel stated coldly.  “I hate you for it.”

    “Alright, Rachel, I understand.”  William spoke mildly.  “But, you need to sleep.  We travel by nigh because of Vincent.  You should rest—maybe you’ll feel better by tonight.  Alright?”

    Rachel stared at William with thought, “You won’t let anything kill me in my sleep?”

    “You woke up this time, didn’t you?”

    Rachel stared at William a moment more before turning her head away from him and closing her eyes so she could sleep.

4: A Fanciful Night

A Fanciful Night

          It was the night of the half moon, and the stars shone bright as there was not a single cotton boll of a cloud in the sky.  The soothing chill of the air would breathe through the branches of the enormous evergreens and whisper to the leaves of the scattered deciduous trees, whose colors prepare for change in due time.  The delicate deciduous trees stood elegantly as dwarves in comparison to their strong, proud, lofty neighbors.  White Moonflowers wake with a subtle cerulean glow, spreading pedals out as they yawn, snaking along the mossy, dirt floor and up along the trunks of some trees as if to spread some Forest gossip.  Ferns gracefully grow in their own little plot and little mushrooms grow without bias, finding a spot to sit in at the roots and trunks of elderly trees and among the ground-moss or in patches, arranged in a circle.  The singing of frogs and toads subtly disrupted the drowsy silence and owls greeted their friend the Darkness.

          How odd, Rachel thought, how The Forest seemed to be more alive during the nightfall in comparison to the supercilious day.  It was as though whatever lived within The Forest, so vast as it is, felt as though the darkness was but a blanket of security, of safety, using the moon and stars as candle light.  She would have liked to believe that she was one with The Forest, but indeed she was a stranger to it and isolated she felt.  To Vincent and William, she looked in wonder.  Her father always told her that Darkland Creatures lived within The Forest, but looking at them she couldn’t help but wonders if they felt isolated as she did or if they were welcomed with opened arms.

          The Immortal, William, strolled beside The Vampire, Vincent, as they spoke in conversation.  Their toes were light with each strode without disrupting the socialness of the night, avoiding much of the vegetation as they could.  Their voices were soft and serene as their lips would skillfully make shapes to sculpt words.  The shoulders of the men sporadically brush as occasional friendly chuckles would slide within their speech.  Rachel ambled behind as she had the audacity to steal one of the Moonflowers that draped along one of the mature trees.  The moss that covered parts of The Forest floor squished under her worn leathered shoes.  The skirt of her unadorned, stonewashed, brownish grey dress kept getting caught by twigs and ferns, not that she paid any mind to them.  The hem of her skirt grew dirty as it would scrape along The Forest floor, but she didn’t give effort to lift her skirt some.  Her eyes stared down at the lovely Moonflower, twirling it by the step with her unkempt finger and thumb.

          “Would you stop dragging your feet and keep to our pace, woman?” Vincent’s exasperated voice broke the serenity of their peace.  “We must find another food source that won’t kill over if I take another drink from them.”

          “Alright, alright…” Rachel crooned without care.

          Vincent grew further vexed, “I would drink from you, if William thought that it wouldn’t kill you.  However, if it’s any consolation, I could care less.” 

          “How does that bring me ease?” Rachel looked up from the flower to the man of displeasure.  “Do you know what would bring me some joy since I can’t get my home and old life back?  It would bring me joy if you did not drink blood that of a human!”

          “What am I to drink then?” Vincent shook his head as he glance at her momentarily, “Blood of an animal?   I am no heathen!”

          “Seems pretty heathenish to drink that of a human if you asked me…” Rachel added on, “Well….can’t you?”

          “Of course not!  It’s human blood for a reason! Do you think Vampires haven’t experimented before?”  Vincent then rolled his eyes, “And I suspect you think I sparkle in sunlight just like a pixie, don’t you?”

          “Speaking of pixies…” Rachel stood in the center of a circle of mushrooms.  “It looks as though fairies been here…”

          “…You do know that fairies and pixies are two entirely different creatures, don’t you?” Vincent stopped to twirl on his heels and cross his arms.  “You ignorant human.”

          “That’s a pixie ring right there.” William noted the observation.  “Fairies and Pixies both grow mushroom rings—but there’s a slight difference between a Fairy Ring and a Pixie Ring.”

          “I hate them both, nonetheless.” Vincent said with an undertone of disgust.

          “My mother said that if you find a fairy ring,” Rachel began as she sat upon her knees and clasped her hands together, bowing her head in a prayer, “that if you pray in these, you wishes come true.”

          “…Another myth says that stepping in those would cause you to die early as well.” Vincent monotonously claimed.  He laughed humorously as Rachel staggered up and out of the mushroom circle with wide eyes of fright.

          “Enough, Vincent!  You scare the poor lass!” William scolded before trying to ease the superstitious worry, “Rachel, there is not a thing to worry about, it’s just a myth.”

          “You said that pixies made this ring though!” Rachel pointed out, still uneasy at such thought of a short life.

          “Indeed, what he said was true.” Vincent began to explain, “Pixies made his ring, but the only reason why the mushrooms are arranged like this is because they serve as seats for the resting Pixies as the others dance within the ring.”

          “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re still here…” William spoke.  “Watching us...curious, childlike creatures, possibly plotting pranks.”

          “I hate pixies.” Vincent’s brow scrunched to show his irritation.

          Rachel began to search the trees with her eyes, “I once heard that they are evil crea—”

          “Pixies?  Evil?  Ha!” Vincent scoffed.  “Such an ignorant human!  I hate humans!”

          “They’re not evil at all.”  William explained, “Pixies may play pranks on some humans, they may also be drawn to human babies—though they’re never stolen—but if they were to steal, it would be small items that nobody will miss.  However, they’re not evil.”

          “I hate pixies.” Vincent commented.

          “Why is it that you hate those creatures?” Rachel asked, “As well as humans?”

          “Vincent hates just about every creature.”  The Immortal shrugged as he responded.

          “With good reason, too!” The Vampire nodded.

          “Oh, I never seen a pixie before!”  Rachel twirled as she continued to stare up at the trees, “I would love to see them!”

          “Like I said, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re still here.” William pointed to the ring, “Those mushrooms, you see, are quite fresh.  They must have hid themselves when they heard us coming.”

          Rachel began to search herself, “Maybe I can lure them out with something I can give!”

          “They do admire unfamiliar crafts.” William nodded.

          Rachel began to tear the black buttons that held her sleeves close to her wrist then she placed them down in the middle of the pixie ring, “I hope these will work—my dress is so very plain, I don’t have much to offer.”

          “Don’t summon those insects!” Vincent protested, “I hate those little demons!”

          “Well, the immortal—”

          “William.”

          “Yes, William.  William said that they aren’t evil and I do really wish to see them!” Rachel stubbornly went on, “I don’t care about what you say!”

          William pulled himself away from the mushroom ring to sit up beside a tree, watching Rachel twirl around and search the spot while Vincent crossed his arm.  Rachel tried calling out to the magical creatures, but none came.

          “You know…Vincent would know how to draw them out.” William confessed.

          “Which I will not!”

          “That vampire?!” Rachel’s nose scrunched as she glanced at the fanged-man.  “How does he know how to summon pixies?”

          “I know many things,” Vincent nonchalantly stated, “but I refuse to draw out these beings.  They have nothing to offer me that I like and neither do you.  So I will not.”

          Rachel began rolling up her sleeve to reveal her the underside of her wrist, “Aren’t you hungry?”

          William quickly stood, moving to her side and put a hand over her vulnerable flesh, “You are still weak, give some time—Vincent can last a little longer.”

          “But I want to see these pixies, if they truly do exist!”

          “Stop behaving like a child!” Vincent ordered.  “You’re being ridiculous!”

          Rachel crossed her arms, turning her back to him as she began pouting, “First my village…my home and family…stuck here with you two…!”

          “Don’t start this again!” Vincent groaned, “Move on!  You should be over it by now!”

          “Vincent!” William scolded.

          There was a small chirp of laughter.  Rachel glanced down, daring not to move her entire body for what she found was not one but two little Pixies.  Both looked to be female with delicate little features.  Both had pointed ears, sun-kissed skin, and wings like that of a Dragonfly.  One had round green eyes and wore leaf-clothing that did not cover well, her hair was fiery red and short cut and was most certainly not neat.  Close to the ground, she squatted with her knees far apart from each other, holding the small button in both hands, peeking through the holes were thread still hung.  The other pixie was not covered at all, shameless and innocent.  Her scarlet hair was shoulder length, but anyone could see that a brush had not gone through a single strand in years.  With the button she found, she searched use for it as she tried to place it on her head and then rolling it as a wheel on the rugged Forest floor.

          Rachel heard some rustling in the ferns, swiftly turning her head to find two male Pixies wrestling over a spot, a spot that would be used for gazing at these odd strangers.  Some of the braver Pixies began to fly out closer to the odd ones, flying closer to William, Vincent, and Rachel.  Vincent quickly tried to distance himself from the playful little creatures while William allowed them to investigate his shoes and shirt; the Pixies that gathered on Rachel began to entangle themselves in her curly hair with a spirited joy.

          Rachel froze, her body stiff as she did her best not to flinch a single inch.  “Th-These are Pixies?!  W-What do I do?!  What do I do?!”

          More Pixies gathered, some in the Pixie Ring that they had made to dance and take a look at the buttons.

          “Let them be.” William shrugged, “If you do not wish them near, without harm, shoo them away.”

          “Without harm—I’ll give them harm, I do not care!” Vincent searched the grounds and successfully found a stick.  He swung the air and missed the flying Creatures.  The Vampire swung again, and he missed—repeatedly doing so.  The Pixies began mocking him, thinking it was some sort of game.  Others grew close, partaking in this dangerous game of chance, making faces and laughing to antagonize him.  The Vampire did not have good aim, for every swing resulted in a miss.  Rachel couldn’t tell, however, if that was his plan—did he really mean to hurt those creatures or was it that he wanted to scare them away?

          That was when the Pixies grabbed hold of the stick he was swinging and with team effort, snapped it and threw the two pieces at him.  They began picking up large pebbles and dirt clumps.  They laughed in joy as the Vampire squirmed, ignoring his plea for peace.  They began using what they could find, poking him and tugging at his coat.  Vincent swatted at them, give him enough freedom to start running as fast as he could, leaving the scene.

          “Vincent!  Wait!  You’re leaving the rest of us behind!” William soon followed after his companion who moved at such a swift pace.

          “Don’t leave me!” Rachel chased after the two Creatures, lifting her skirt above her ankles to run with more ease.  “You can’t leave me alone in this place!”

          The Travelers and the girl too refuge in the Darkness of the lively Forest, leaving behind the twittering Pixies.  The half-moon only danced an inch away from its previous position as the starts flickered.  The night was still young.

5: A Still Night

A Still Village

        The three Travelers, with their aching, weary feet carrying them, left the concealment of the dense, whispering, giddy Forest and into a clearing that exposed a village.  In the fanciful, youthful Night as the Stars and Moon danced with the Dark Clouds, the village was still.  From the windows of homes was empty darkness.  The pub was the only building with a subtle light from the windows, but even so, the atmosphere lack liveliness as not a sound came from within.  The stone-paved streets were empty, cleared and spacious.  If one had thought to have seen a person out on the road, it must have been merely a phantom as no one walked with the night.  The dull, greyness hid well with the dark of the hour.  The village was still.  Frozen.  So silent, it would seem soft footsteps would shatter the scene.

          The Vincent began pulling his arms close to his body, tucking them to his sides as they crossed, his shoulders no longer pulled back as they were before.  William bowed his head to hide his face as he sought not to make a sound with the movement of his feet, his lips sealed.  Together, their shoulders barely touched, glancing around at the cold nothingness.

          Rachel twirled on her toes, amazed by the size of the village compared to what hers had been.  Her heels clicked with the ground and did not seem out of place despite the newness of the habitation.  There was familiarity, and unfamiliarity of their new environment.

          “This is a lot larger than my village…!” Rachel spoke with awe, “It even has paved roads!”

          Vincent didn’t dare raise his voice, whispering his snarky comment, “Your little hamlet would barely be called a village.”

          “Why would it be a hamlet?” Rachel questioned.  “Sure, it was small—but it had a church.”

        “I’m sorry, but I believe that hamlets, villages, and towns should be determined by population—”

          “Shh…!” William hushed, although refusing to raise his head while doing so.  He continued with a whisper, “Let’s get what we need before leaving…we must be gone before sunrise, back into the Forest.”

          “Fine.” Vincent sighed. “You’ll be paying this village’s pub a visit, I presume?”

          William only nodded as he walked in the direction of his destination.

          “Alright then; have fun, my dear.” Vincent smiled as he said a goodbye.  “I’ll meet up with you soon!”

          “You’re so odd…” Rachel couldn’t help but murmur.

          Without giving a single look to the girl, Vincent began to walk off, searching.  He knew he had a mission and that he must be quick with it, that he couldn’t fail.  This mission was for his survival after all.  However, he couldn’t walk five paces without Rachel following behind him.

          “What are you doing?” Vincent quickly turned on his heels, eying her with disgust.  “I’m not your mother, so be gone, duckling.”

          “I just wish to know where you are going is all.” Rachel asked, although, already knowing the answer.

          “What do you think?” Vincent gave an exasperated response.  “Now, leave me be!”

         The Vampire turned to go out on a hunt, but Rachel quickly went and stood in his way.  “You’re not going to kill anyone, are you?”

          Vincent narrowed his eyes, “It is not of your concern, girl.  Why don’t you leave me be—as a matter of fact, leave us!  Be gone!  You’re in a village now, your place to be!  You have no need to follow us any longer, for now you have a place to live!  Now, shoo, pest!”

          Rachel, not liking his tone, glared.  “How am I supposed to find a home—a place to live?  How am I to survive without currency on hand?”

          Vincent rolled his eyes, turning as he began walking away, “I can think of two ways: find a kind person to take you in and work for them, or become a harlot.  It is your life, therefore your choice to make.”

          Rachel, despite being appalled by the latter choice, as seen in her face, knew he was right—in a way.  She could just go asking for someone to take her in.  There would be a chance for her to find someone that would be kind enough to take her in, wouldn’t there be?

          Left alone, the blond girl wandered and wondered, going from house to house in hopes that this place could be a new home.  To the sky Rachel looked, hoping the Night hadn’t aged—at least, not too much—so that when she knocked on the stranger’s door wouldn’t be absurd for the hour.  Despite the lack of lights, someone would answer, or so she thought.  Three knocks in a row, trying each door three times, but none answered.  Some occasions, during her search, she would notice the curtains of the front window would move, as if someone were peeking out, but she would still receive no response.

          Even though she knew she had to keep trying, Rachel was giving up hope.  The hour must have been quite late, no one answered, and silence began to frighten her.  The few phantoms that walked the streets sent chills, she could have sworn she was being watched or followed—even though she was, in fact, not.  Without help, Rachel panicked, fearing that the Vampire and Immortal—Vincent and William—had left her behind to fend for herself.  Lifting the skirt of her dress, the girl began running up and down roads in search for the two familiar strangers.

          The bottom of her leather shoes clicked against the grey, cold stones of the pathway; she could barely see any of the countless stars within her view, just darkness and grey.  However, passing by a house with an opened door, she stopped; staring at what she thought was an odd shadow.  The longer she stared, the more she realized it was not an oddly shaped shadow, but two figures standing close.  There stood the Vampire, embracing his victim who was still dressed in her white nightgown and her hair falling out of her couvre-chef, his opened mouth pressed against the side of her neck.  In his arms, the woman hung limp.

          Rachel, horrified, approached with quick steps to stop Vincent from ending anymore lives.  When she approached, however, she began to feel…strange, a feeling that she had never felt before.  Close to the Vampire and his victim, she began to stumble.  Her mind wasn’t focus, she could barely think.  Strangely, her mind felt...light, and her body felt…relax, and there was no longer panic within, but a nice wash of serenity.

          Inside, Rachel knew that was not how she truly felt, and she told herself that she must stop the horrifying scene.  The only word she could utter barely audibly was, “Vincent..!”

          To the Vampire’s sensitive hearing, the weak voice was clearly heard.  He pulled his head away from the woman’s neck and glared daggers at the dizzied blond.  “What are you doing here?!  Be gone!”

          Rachel could see his teeth and tongue covered in a red liquid.  The grey-blue eyed girl did her best to keep her balance and her focus on Vincent.  “Don’t…don’t kill...”

          Vincent grew impatient and his fangs were further revealed in his open frown.  “You’ll ruin this for the both of us!  Be gone!  Leave me be!  Be gone!”

          Rachel obeyed, with as much strength she had, she stumbled off and away.  Distancing herself from the Vampire, her mind began to clear and the odd sensation of tranquility faded.  What had just come over her?  Such an experience she never had before.  So what had come over her?  She did not know.  Now where was she to go?  There was only one place she could think of—the pub.

          Still unfamiliar with the paved paths of the village, it took her several turns before she could locate the pub in which William resided in.  With caution, she knocked on the door—which was needless as it was an open, public building—before she entered.  Inside, candles glowed with a flickering flame from within stained, dirty glass lanterns that hung alone the ancient, wooden ceiling.  The wood from the same was the same wood of the walls and the flooring.  The wood of the tables and counters were of a different shade of brown, darker, chipped and stained.  All the mugs on the shelves were of tin and the alcoholic beverages were in greenish brown bottles.  One man stood behind the counters that had spots from dried alcohol polka-dotting the surface, with an old, frayed rag.  Two men, in curly beards, heads bowed and their eyes over shadowed, their fingers wrapped around the handles of the mugs; one of the cups that belonged to one of those men still had the foam just about the rim, the other man’s drink appeared to be half empty.  At another table, a man, his head completely laying down on the table and his empty mug completely knocked over.  Another man sat alone in a corner, his beer pushed aside and his hands clasped together, his head bowed and his eyes glossy.  No one spoke a word.  There was barely any movement, as if everything was frozen—static.

          William sat alone at a table near the center of the room.  The table he sat at was littered with mugs, some turned over, and many were empty.  His hands would lift his mug—the only one filled—to his lips so he could drink.  He would brush the stray, brown hairs that would fall in front of his face back, and occasionally brushing them back with his rough hands.

          Rachel gradually and gawkily made her way around the tables and to William, taking a seat that sat across from William’s view.  William hadn’t noticed first, that the girl sat down, as he continued to drink before looking surprisingly at her.  Rachel did not give greeting or speak a single word, but she did make eye contact with the Immortal.

          “I didn’t notice you, lass—Rachel.” William greeted, his words sliding into each other ever so slightly.  “What’s wrong?  You look as though something scared you terrible—as if a ghost.”

          Rachel laced her fingers together and placed them in her lap.  She had not realized how pale she became and how skittish she appeared.  Her shoulders were hunched and her lips were trembling.  “You might as well say that…along those lines.”

          “Well?” William brought his drink to his lips, “I won’t pry…”

          “Well…” Rachel thought for a moment, wondering what exactly happened, “I happened to find Vincent—”

          “Shh…!” William hushed as he placed his cup down and leaned forward.  “I know Vincent well enough that if we are to speak of his actions, we must speak of them in whispered tones…”

          Rachel nodded her head, “I happened to find Vincent…drinking from a woman’s neck…and something strange came over me…I don’t know what—”

        “Oh, the Vampire Charm…or Vampircal Charm.” William commented as he set his cup down.  “Every Vampire has it.”

          “What is it?”

          “Well, what it implies—a charm.  Every Vampire has it, and each charm is unique.” William lowered his voice even more, “It is what they use to lure their prey…  Like…a scent of some sort.  You get caught in it and you’re entranced.”

          “Whatever the charm as…it was horrifying—or at least…watching him was horrifying…” Rachel shook her head in disgust, “I don’t understand how he can just simply do such appalling actions—”

          “If he doesn’t, he’ll die.” William quickly and suddenly defended, and to much of Rachel’s surprise.  “Vampires must feed as much as they can to stay healthy…Vincent is already malnourished as it is…”

          “He killed a woman!”

          “Shhh!” William quickly hushed.  “It was an accident.  You don’t know him well enough, but I do.  It was an accident—he had to eat or else he’d be dead.  He was lucky enough to have survived two weeks without food—Vampires can die of starvation, and much quicker compared to humans.”

          “Are you condoning his crime?” Rachel stared wide eyed.

          “No, no, that’s not it…!” William sighed. “Just…it was an accident.  He’d never mean to kill anyone—I’m sure he has guilt over it now.  I mean…it’s only the third time—but he’s not a killer!  No, just…you don’t understand…if he wouldn’t do any of this if he didn’t want to.  If anything…I was the one that taught him about there’s no difference between hunting pigs and humans for his sake.”

          Rachel turned her head, still conflicted, refusing to excuse and accept the situation of the Vampire.  “I still believe it is wrong…even if he is what he is…”

          William sighed and shook his head, standing and marching out of the pub.  Without another word, he simply left.  Rachel quickly stood and followed after him, trying to keep up pace so she wouldn’t lose sight of the Immortal.  Regrouped with Vincent, the three were back to where they started, in the center of the grey void.

          “You had your fill of this place?” William asked as he greeted his companion.

        “As much as I possibly could.” Vincent responded before commenting, “And I assumed you had your fill of this god-forsaken village?”

          “As much as I could afford.” William responded.  “We better head back into The Forest, sunrise will be coming soon.”

          “Then let us be off.”

          The Immortal and the Vampire, walking shoulder to shoulder, as they began to take the path back into The Forest, but in a different direction than from where they came.  The human girl tried to follow behind, her footsteps tapping the ground, but was then stopped by a confrontation.

          “Where do you think you are going?” Vincent asked as he twirled on his heels to face the stray human.

          “Am I not going with you?” Rachel inquired.

          “Of course not!  Did you not do what you were told?!” Vincent did not spare her with kind words.  “You foolish girl!  This is where you belong, so stay!  You are just mere, useless baggage to us if you come—you’ll just weigh us down and cause us struggle!  Be gone and leave us be!”

          “But I have nowhere to go!” Rachel looked to William for kindness.  “You wouldn’t mind me follow, would you?”

          William did not respond as his hesitation to answer was too strong.  With his left hand, he rubbed his neck and avoided eye contact.  Vincent couldn’t help but grin.

          “Do you not want me to follow…?” Rachel’s voice dropped from hopeful to unexpected disappointed.

          “Of course not!” Vincent continued on, “This is where you belong!  Just find someone to take you in or something!”

          “I’m sure there are kind people here…” William added.

          “I tried, but no one answered!” Rachel gave an excuse.  “Besides, I don’t like it here…it frightens me.  I don’t like it here.  If you are to drop me off somewhere, find me another village!  I refuse to stay!”

          Vincent and William only looked at each other, and without a word, they turned around, continuing their path to leave her behind.  However, Rachel, stubborn, followed closely behind.  Although Vincent tried to shoo her away, even baring his fangs, she was determined to follow.

          “Would it be alright with you if I—dare I say—drink her dry completely and leave her dead?” Vincent asked in a whisper to his friend.

          William smacked the Vampire’s arm, “Don’t you dare, Vincent!”

          “Then what are we to do about this nuisance?!” Vincent complained.  Inside, he was begging for her riddance.

          “What are we to do?” William sighed, “Let her follow until she can actually find a new place to live.”

          “My love,” Vincent groaned, “sometimes I wish you weren’t a saint and be heartless instead.  I really do hate this situation.”