Blood-Stained Memories

This article, Blood-Stained Memories, is property of Albus Chase. Please do not edit without permission.

Synopsis: Allison O'Sullivan is a mortal monster hunter. Her parents were killed when she was nine years old. The police put it down as a "bear attack," but Allison knew better. Her parents were members of the Canadian Division of The Council, and so she knew all about mythological creatures. She was sent to the British Division of The Council, where she continued to search for something - anything - that might help her find her parents' killer. After many years of searching, Allison believes she has finally found it. She returns home, and runs into an old friend. But it's not that simple. Allison uncovers something that she regrets. Something that everyone hopes should stay hidden.

Part I - Discovery

Chapter One

Allison hated flying. Especially flying long distance. But finding a lead on her parents' deaths didn't happen every day. Besides, it wasn't really flying that she hated; it was the whole plane-crashing-and-dying thing. She glanced at her surroundings to calm herself down. The plane itself was sturdy and modern, televisions on the back of the seats, which were made of a comfortable material. A middle aged man was sitting to the right of Allison, headphones already in his ears. An adventure book was lying on his lap. To Allison's left was a window. She stared outside, hoping to clear her mind, but all it did was remind her that she was in a plane. She was about to ask the man beside her if he would mind moving so that she could make her way to the bathroom when the seatbelts sign flashed. The air hostess's voice echoed through the plane, warning everyone of the safety procedure. Allison sighed and strapped her seatbelt around her waist; this was going to be a long flight.

---

When the plane landed over eight hours later, Allison felt extremely nauseated. In spite of this, she managed to clamber out of the airport without being sick. The moment she stepped out of the airport in Toronto, the rush of purified, Canadian air hit her. She felt her sinuses clear and the feeling of nausea was sucked out of her. 

Allison hailed a taxi and gave it her old address; she had memorized it years ago and the three lines had always been seared into her mind. The taxi took little over an hour to reach her old country home. During this time there were many attempts by the taxi driver to strike up a conversation; all of which were turned down by Allison, who preferred to sit quietly alone. When she was finally released from this dreadfully awkward situation, she found herself in front of a large, mansion-like building.

"Home, sweet, home." She muttered as she made her way up the driveway towards the gate, which was pouring with filth from the many years of neglect. It opened with a loud screech, and Allison closed it behind her. She jogged up the path towards the front double doors. The doors had archaic symbols surrounding it; most likely a ward against monsters. Allison fished her keys out of her bag; she had kept them with her at all times since leaving for England. The doors creaked loudly as they opened.

"I'll have to get some oil to fix that and the gate," she muttered to herself; Allison hated the sound of creaking doors. She closed the door as quietly as she could manage before turning around and addressing the house. There was an ornate, marble staircase to her left that led to the bedrooms. An arch to her right led to the kitchen, which was attached to the dining room. To her surprise, the house was barely dusty. She grabbed her bag and dragged it towards the stairs. She hesitated for a few moments, taking time to stare at the ornate images carved into the staircase. Suddenly, she heard a male voice behind her. A voice that was vaguely familiar.

"Do you always break into country houses and stare at stairs or is this just my lucky day?"

Allison swiftly turned around and heard the boy gasp. He had short-cropped, curly brown hair. His eyes were almond-shaped and chocolate brown in color. And his face was angled in an oddly familiar way.

"I live here." Allison heard her self say, although it felt like somebody else entirely. "So I can stare at the stairs all I want."

His eyebrows furrowed and he seemed puzzled.

"That sounded better in my head..." Allison's voice trailed off quietly.

"Well then." The boy began. "Your head is a strange place, indeed."

Allison would have laughed awkwardly, but then composed herself; a stranger was standing in her house and there she was making small talk with him.

"I'm not a stranger, Allison." He said, ignoring her gasp at hearing her own name. "And before you ask, I'm very good at reading people. Especially when I've known them for half of my life."

She gasped, suddenly realizing why the voice sounded familiar, why he was familiar.

"Isaac?" She said hesitantly.

"In the flesh." He said, with a lopsided grin. "Now, what are you doing back in Toronto, Canada?"

Chapter Two

After the pleasantries and the awkward hug, Allison seemed to return to her usual suspicious self.

"What were you doing here anyway?" She asked, fighting to keep the accusatory tone from her voice.

"Me?" He asked, seemingly nonchalant. He walked through the living room and sat on the sofa before answering. "Don't you remember that my house is right next door?"

Allison silently cursed herself as she went over to join him. Of course his house was right next door. It was her that hadn't been here for over eight years.

"Of course I do," She heard herself say, and it again sounded like another person. Her voice was calmer; more relaxed. "I just figured you would have left home by now. You always wanted to travel."

Isaac sighed deeply, the calmness in his voice replaced by a deep sadness.

"Yeah, I guess I did. But it never happened. The furthest I got was an apartment downtown that I share with my roommate."

"Oh." Allison said quietly, not knowing what to say. "There's still time."

"Yeah. I have all the time in the world." Isaac grinned, as if sharing an inside joke, and, for a split-second, Allison could have sworn that she saw fangs. They weren't there a moment later, so she figured it was just her imagination. Isaac cleared his throat before continuing.

"Anyway, you didn't answer before. What are you doing back home?"

Allison smiled faintly; she hadn't thought of this old country house as home in many years. She hesitated, wondering how much to tell Isaac. But then she remembered all of the nights they had spent hiding from their parents, and all of the times they had played pranks on their classmates. If there was one person Allison could trust in this place, it was Isaac. Despite this, she still hesitated; how much could she tell him?

"Remember how I used to tell you that my parents were monster hunters?" She began once she decided how to start. Isaac nodded in response, and she continued. "Well they were. As in actually were monster hunters. And I'm one now."

Isaac nodded again, as if everything she just said made sense.

"You believe me?" Allison couldn't keep the suspicion out of her voice.

"I believed you then, so yeah, I believe you now."

They sat in awkward silence for a moment, until Isaac prompted Allison.

"Well, remember how, when my parents died, everybody assumed it was a bear attack?" Not waiting to hear his response, she continued. "I know that it isn't a bear attack. Its something supernatural. I can feel it."

"What do you think it could be?" Isaac asked her, completely serious. For some strange reason, Allison could hear hints of a British accent in his voice. Where could he have gotten an English accent?

Allison's train of thought was interrupted by an awkward cough. She snapped out of her stupor and saw Isaac, smiling at her with his lopsided grin. She cleared her throat before advancing.

"I-" She stopped herself, realizing how stupid her statement would sound, and decided to end it differently. "-don't know."

Isaac sighed and stood up, and for a moment Allison feared he knew she was lying. But when he turned to face her, his grin was on his face.

"I have some errands to deal with around town, but tonight I'm having dinner with my parents. You're welcome to come; I'm sure they'll be thrilled."

Allison's memory drifted, thinking of the eccentric couple that had housed her for many sleepovers. The couple that felt she was too "normal." If only they knew the truth.

She couldn't help herself and let a small laugh escape from her mouth. "Sure."

"Great. I'll pick you up and take you on my way back in a couple of hours. Knowing you, you'd probably get lost crossing the street by yourself."

After that, he ran to the entrance hall and through the front door. Allison sighed and stared at the floor. She definitely couldn't do this alone, but there was no-one she could ask for help. Other than Isaac.

Chapter Three

Allison's arrival in Toronto terrified Isaac; now wasn't the time for an old friend to return home. He was in the middle of a war, and Toronto was the battlefield. He decided that watching over her as best as he could was the only solution.

Isaac opened his apartment door and found his roommate, Alexander Silcan, sitting on the sofa.

"Hey," He said, without glancing at him. "I bought a lot of groceries, because I won't be here tonight; dinner with my parents. You're welcome to join us."

"Dinner with you're overly curious parents asking me how I'm already an intern at the hospital? No thanks." Alexander scoffed.

"You're choice." Isaac grinned. "Oh, just as a warning; My friend Allison is back in town."

At this, Alexander shot up off of the sofa. "Allison?" He asked. "Is this the hunt-anything-supernatural-or-mythological-Allison?"

"Only one I know," Isaac grinned, biting into an apple he had picked up from the table. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Oh, no." Alexander began, seething with sarcasm. "Please take your time with the girl who would kill you the instant she found out what you were."

But Isaac had already closed the door. He slowly made his way back towards Allison's country home, glancing at his watch every so often to make sure he was fashionably late. Eventually, he reached her driveway and trekked up to her door where, to his surprise, she was waiting. His usually suave expression was replaced by a wide opened mouth.

"How long have you been waiting out here?" He asked, his voice cracking. Allison was dressed in a beautiful lilac dress, and a smile formed on her lips.

"Only a few minutes." She replied. Her appearance caused Isaac to self-consciously glance at his own attire; a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt. When he turned his attention back to Allison, he had composed himself. His lopsided grin formed on his face and he held out his arm.

"Shall we?" He asked, in a mock English accent. Allison hesitated slightly, before locking her arm into his, and replying "We shall," in an equally mocking tone.

---

"So, Allison dear." Mrs. Laihe began, once she had swallowed her first mouthful. "Do tell. How have you been these past eight years?"

Allison hastened to swallow her food before replying. "I've been fine, thank you. Although London is warmer than Toronto; took me a while to get used to that."

Isaac smiled into his plate, although his parents weren't amused. Allison gave Isaac a look, as if she were saying Why did I agree to this? Isaac took this a signal for him to to make the dinner a little bit more interesting, and he did this the best way he could; by joking around. After hearing three different renditions of Why did the chicken cross the road?, Mrs. Laihe had excused herself, clearly embarrassed. Isaac's father, on the other hand, was furious.

"Allison, please excuse us for a moment while I deal with my son." He glared. Allison nodded, and Isaac sighed and followed his father into the other room.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Mr. Laihe almost spat at him. "Why are you so immature?!"

"I don't know, dad." Isaac replied, almost lazily.

"And how many times have I told you? You may address me either as 'Father,' 'Sir,' or 'Mr. Laihe'!"

"Yes, father." Isaac said acidly, and rolled his eyes.

"You're nothing like me- or your mother. You're too different. Why can't you be the son I wanted?" His father said angrily, and then seemed to regret it. "That was uncall-"

"No, you're right." Isaac snapped. He had never gotten along with his father, but he had never shown his anger either. Until now. "I'm not the son you always wanted. And I never will be. I'm me, and proud of it. And you don't even know how different I am- you don't even-"

Isaac stopped himself, and pushed past his father. Allison was still seated, although he was sure she had heard everything.

"Are we leaving?" She asked, as soon as she saw him. He nodded ever so slightly in response. She hastened to stand up, and swiftly walked to the kitchen where Mrs. Laihe was.

"Thank you for a lovely meal," She said sweetly, before Isaac grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the front door.

Chapter Four

Isaac didn't stop dragging Allison away from his parents' house until they were at least a mile away. He took her through the woods towards a small river, where they watched the fish swim.

"Sorry you had to hear that." Isaac said quietly, before realizing he was still holding her hand and dropped it suddenly. He turned away, hoping she wouldn't see him blush, before continuing. "I've never really gotten along with my parents."

"Its okay." She said hesitantly. He was obviously making her uncomfortable, and cursed himself quietly. When he turned around, his lopsided grin had slid itself back onto his face.

"Let's stay out for the night." Isaac began eagerly. "And just wander the streets."

"I don't know..." Allison began carefully, before seemingly changing her mind. "Okay. Let's do it. Be wild, for a night."

Isaac grinned at her. He hadn't seen her for almost eight years, but the way she acted around him was so comfortable and familiar. As if they never lost touch. He realized, with a jolt, that it was the same for him. He could be himself around Allison.

"You coming?" Allison said suddenly, and Isaac realized that he had been lost in thought.

"Of course."

---

They wandered through the streets of Downtown Toronto until early morning. At around dawn, they found themselves in a park. Isaac noticed Allison yawn deeply, and decided they should spend the rest of their time in the park.

"So how was your first day back in Toronto?" Isaac asked curiously. Allison smiled before answering.

"Interesting." She said, after a moment. "Its different. Nothing like how I remember it."

"That'll happen when you leave a country for eight years." Isaac chuckles. He meant it as a joke, but a minute later, Allison was deep in thought. Isaac cleared his throat.

"So, found a lead on your parents' deaths?" He said awkwardly.

"Hm?" Allison replied, clearly not listening. "Sorry," She said, apologetically. "Actually, yes. I've somewhat reached a conclusion, after evaluating the evidence- well, pictures of the evidence."

"And what's the verdict?" Isaac asked jokingly. Allison sighed before answering.

"You'll think I'm crazy, but....Vampires. I think a vampire killed my parents."

Isaac's eyes widened, but other than that he attempted to keep his face expressionless and emotionless.

"Vampires?" He asked, and despite his best efforts, his voice cracked.

"Yeah." She replied, nervously. "And, I know its a lot to ask, but I could use your help."

"My help hunting vampires?" He said, his voice an octave higher. He returned it to normal as she nodded. "Sure. Why not?"

---

Isaac accidentally slammed the door when he returned to his apartment, and sighed when Alexander shot out of bed.

"Where the hell have you been?" Alexander said angrily, and Isaac almost felt like they were an old married couple. He pushed that terrifying thought aside, and shivered before answering.

"Out." He said.

"With Allison?" Alexander asked, his jaw clenched.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. With Allison. Why, are you jealous?" Isaac joked.

"No, I was actually concerned for your life. What were you thinking, going out with a girl that could, and probably will, kill you?"

"We aren't 'going out.'" Isaac said defensively. "Although....um...I may or may not have agreed to help her hunt vampires."

Alexander's eyes widened, and Isaac could've swore he saw the anger build up inside him. When Alexander opened his mouth, Isaac expected an explosion. What he got instead was scary calm. There was something deadly about his tone of voice.

"You agreed to help a monster hunter hunt vampires?" Alexander asked, and Isaac nodded. "And was this before or after you told her you were one of the things she wants your help hunting?"

Isaac sighed, and turned away. "You know, for a son of Aceso, you sure do ask a lot of questions."

"Curiosity isn't inherited." Alexander said stiffly, before collapsing onto his bed.

"Actually-" Isaac began, but he turned around to find Alexander with his eyes closed, and fake heavy breathing emitting from him.

"-it is." Isaac finished, as he walked to his room and clambered onto his bed. It had been a long night.

Chapter Five

Allison had scolded herself the moment she had reached her house; what was she thinking, asking Isaac for help, when she had basically only been back for a day. Isaac had changed over the past eight years. He was calmer- more curious and observant. For all she knew, he had changed in other ways as well. She had asked him to meet her at her house at noon the next day, but she doubted he would. Isaac probably thought she was crazy, and would ignore her.

To her surprise, at noon on the dot, Isaac knocked on her door. She opened the door and relief flooded her face. The moment she saw him, every doubt was erased from her mind. Isaac was wearing a heavy jacket, and his hands were in his pocket. When he walked in, he shook his hair, which was covered in water droplets. She glanced around him and noticed that it was pouring with rain; the sound hadn't reached her because she was so deep in thought.

"So..." Isaac began awkwardly. "What's the first step?"

At first, she didn't reply. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, to decide where to start. And then it hit her.

"The woods." She said suddenly, seemingly breaking Isaac out of a stupor. "We need to go into the woods."

"What woods?" He asked, oblivious to her enthusiasm.

"The woods where they died." Allison explained, excited to have finally began investigating.

"Allison." Isaac began, using the tone you would use when telling a child that Santa Claus wasn't real; patient, yet slightly amused. "There are miles of woodland. How are we going to find the area they were killed in?"

"Easy." She replied. "Its in the middle of the general woodland area; I read a few of the news articles about it."

"Great," Isaac muttered. "So we've narrowed it down from seven miles of woodland to about three miles."

Allison smiled, pulling a crossbow out of her bag. She beamed at him, and showed him the wooden bolts she had already placed into position.

"You know how to use a crossbow?" Isaac asked, apparently impressed.

"A friend of mine taught me." Allison replied, nonchalantly. "My personal favorite weapons are throwing knifes."

"Obviously." Isaac said mockingly, before grinning largely. Allison continued, as if she hadn't heard him.

"But throwing knifes won't work; they aren't wood. And I haven't had time to make stakes."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Isaac began, as she headed towards the door. "Are you even sure wood works?"

"It does according to all of the books I've read. And if it doesn't, then we run." She smiled sweetly at him, before continuing out of the door. He followed, closing the door behind him. The rain was pouring down, and before they had made it past the gate, they were soaked.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Allison stopped again and turned towards Isaac. "Here." She tossed him one of her throwing knifes. "It's always best to aim it towards its heart."

His eyes widened, and he started walking down the driveway. "You're a lot more violent then you used to be."

Allison smiled humorlessly. "You're a lot more scared."

Isaac side-stepped suddenly so that he was standing a few inches in front of her.

"I'm never scared." He said with utmost seriousness. "Especially not to get what I want."

"Well what do you want?"

He leaned forward, towards her, before sighing and stepping back. "I honestly don't know."

---

They spent the next hour and a half searching through the woods.

"Allison," Isaac began, once they had taken a break at a particularly twisted tree. "I doubt we're going to find anything."

"We still have a mile and a half left," She replied, albeit less enthusiastically. "After that, we'll go back to the house."

"Even if we find the place," Isaac started, "what exactly are we planning on finding? Because I sincerely doubt the vampire would stay there for eight years."

"Look." Allison snapped. "If you don't think we'll find anything, then why are you here? I don't need you to do me any favors, Isaac. So if you honestly think this is stupid, then leave."

She trudged off towards the closest trees. Allison knew she may have been too harsh with Isaac; may have lost the only person that would have, about anything, believed her. After a moment, she turned to find him right behind her.

"Lead on." He said slowly, and they began making their way through the trees. Suddenly, she heard a rustle of leaves behind them.

"Did you hear that?" She asked, immediately turning around.

"Yeah, I did." Isaac said, maneuvering himself so that he was standing in front of her, protectively. They stared as a middle-aged man walked slowly out of the trees, a cold smile on his lips.

"You." Allison was surprised to hear the anger in Isaac's voice.

"Me." The man replied playfully, seemingly unaware of Isaac's tone. "Little, old me. I hear you've been looking for me. Well, you've found me. What are you going to do with me?"

"This!" Allison yelled, pushing Isaac and shooting a crossbow bolt straight at the man. As quick as lightening, he moved to the side and caught the bolt in his left hand.

"Oh, very nice." He said, for once acknowledging Allison's existence. "Oak wood. I see you know what you're doing. Now I wonder why."

Allison scoffed. "Maybe you remember being in these woods. Eight years ago. A couple was here. And you savaged them!"

At the last word, she attempted to jump at him, but Isaac held her back.

"Oh, I remember." The man began. "I relished it!"

At that, the man snapped his fingers, and before they knew it, Allison and Isaac were surrounded. She glanced down at her hand, which held only seven bolts; there were at least twice that many monsters.

"What a great day to not have enough crossbow bolts," Isaac muttered, positioning himself into a fighting stance.

"I only need one; kill him, and it'll all be worth it."

Chapter Six

Allison placed a bolt onto her crossbow as the men and women closed in on them. At a glance, they seemed to be ordinary, Canadian citizens. Then they noticed the sharp fangs, some of which were dripping with blood. As if they had made a recent kill. Isaac took a risk and hurled the throwing knife at one of the vampires; they dodged it easily.

"I don't have anymore," Allison said grimly, as she shot a bolt at one of the vampires. It was seemingly slower than the rest, for the bolt pierced its chest. The others growled as he fell.

"I don't need anymore." Isaac said, flashing her a smile. Why was he smiling at a time like this? Over the next 10 minutes, Allison used up the rest of her bolts; all but one. She missed a couple of times, but when the vampires saw that she was skilled, they backed off. She placed her last bolt onto the crossbow and turned to face the original man; their leader. He was smiling sickly at her, and she took a moment to glance around her surroundings. The trees were too sparse to make a quick get away, and the woods were silent. No birds. No nothing.

"It was a mistake coming here." The man spoke gently. "You knew you wouldn't have won. Why did you come anyway?"

"I needed to know the truth." Allison said, sounding much more confident than she felt. "Why did you do it? Kill my parents. You could have drank their blood without killing them."

The man laughed humorlessly. "You think I kill to feed?" He stepped towards her, so that there was less than a meter between them. "Sweetheart, I only feed to feel the pleasure of ripping someone's throat out."

Isaac pushed him back, and to Allison's surprise, the man was pushed into a tree. Isaac was stronger than he looked. The man chuckled.

"Let me tell you something. I did what I did for fun. Your parents' deaths were the best thing that happened to me. It made me feel...powerful."

"They died, so that you could feel powerful?!" Allison screamed. "You monster!"

"Yes, I am." The man smiled. "But I'm not the only monster you know."

Allison dismissed his statement; what other monster could she know?

"So you killed them, and then found yourself a vampire pack."

"Actually," he began. "A colony."

Allison scoffed. "You just wait around these woods, hoping somebody will stumble in?"

"Of course not, sweetheart. Sometimes we...eat out." He smiled, and his fangs extended. Allison slowly stepped backwards until she felt something firm against her back; Isaac's chest.

"This was a bad idea." He whispered into her ear. Before she could reply, he made his way in front of her. He growled - an animal-like growl - and held his head high. Allison couldn't see his face, but she was scared of what his expression was like; whatever it was, was so intimidating that the vampires became wary. They walked back to the trees and waited for their leader's reaction.

"Isaac?" Allison said hesitantly. She reached for his shoulder but he shrugged her hand off.

"Well, well, well." The lead vampire said slowly. "Like I didn't see that coming. I am the one that turned you, you know."

That puzzled Allison; Turned?

"What's your name?" Isaac growled. His voice was deeper; more gravelly. He also sounded as if he had something in his mouth.

"Darius." He whispered, before disappearing into the trees. Isaac growled again, inhumanly. He ran forward, staring through the trees. Allison suddenly felt a presence behind her. She swiveled around just in time to see Darius lunge at her throat. He pushed her onto the ground and bared his fangs, moving towards her throat. That's when Allison heard the most horrific sound; Isaac's scream of outrage. He shoved Darius off of her, and for the first time since he started growling, she got a good look at him.

His eyes, normally a warm brown, were now a pale amber. His posture was different too; he was standing hunched, as opposed to his usually straight spine. And his teeth...his incisors appeared to have extended; into fangs. Allison's breathing quickened, until she was hyperventilating. Isaac tried to move towards her, with a concerned look on his face, but she pushed him away.

"You're one of them." She managed to say, before sprinting back the way they had come, ignoring the hurt in Isaac's voice as he called after her.

Part II - Understanding

Chapter One

Agony. That's what Isaac felt when he saw Allison's reaction to his vampirism. The way she looked at him - as if he were scum - was what hurt the most. After she sprinted off, Isaac stood still for a few moments, pondering what to do. Then the anger kicked in; anger towards Darius, not just for turning him, but for forcing him to reveal himself. Of course, by then, it was too late. Darius and his "colony" were long gone.

Isaac contemplated going over to Allison's house, although he ultimately decided against it; she wouldn't want to speak to him right now, let alone see him. He finally decided to go to his apartment, hoping Alexander wasn't in a "scolding" mood. When he reached the apartment, however, Alexander wasn't home. He waited for around ten minutes before Alexander walked through the door.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, clearly puzzled at Isaac's appearance. "I though you were helping her hunt."

Isaac hesitated; how to begin?

"I, er, was. And we found the man that turned me."

Alexander raised his eyebrows. "You sound disappointed."

Isaac gulped before continuing. "Allison sort of discovered, er, what I am."

Alexander froze immediately. Isaac noticed his jaw clench, and took a step back.

"You were discovered?" Alexander asked, his voice returning to its deadly calm nature. Isaac nodded in reply. "What else does she know?"

"Nothing about you, if that's what you mean." Isaac said hastily. Alexander sighed.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" He said, his voice rising. "Do you want me to just magically fix your problems for you? I'm a healer, Isaac, not a magician."

"What I wanted was your support." Isaac muttered, his voice crisp with hurt. "But I'm obviously not going to get any."

"No you are not!" Alexander screamed, obviously outraged. "I warned you. I told you not to hang out with her, or speak with her, or anything. And look what's happened now? Its only been two days and you've already blown everything!

He grabbed Isaac by the shoulder. "You know what? I'm done." He pushed him out of the open door. "I'm done with all of the drama you've been putting me through. I'm done with all of the Twilight crap. I'm done with you. Have your stuff out by morning."

"Keep it." Isaac spat acidly. "Seeing as I have nowhere else to go, I might as well stick with the items on my person."

After that, he stormed away, trying to forget Alexander's fuming expression.

---

Isaac wandered around town for the rest of the day. As soon as night fell, he decided he would be better off staying up in the mountains. He - well, his parents - had a small cabin on the rim of the lowest mountain, and he hoped he would get there before he collapsed from exhaustion. Contrary to popular belief, vampires did get tired.

He arrived at the cabin just after midnight, and decided to turn in. After hours of tossing and turning, he finally began to doze off. Then he heard it. A shout of alarm, followed by a deafening scream. Nobody ever wandered into these parts of the woods, and his parents only came up here in the winter. Only one person would come here looking for him; Alexander.

Quick as a flash, Isaac jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed. He opened the front door and sprinted out, sniffing for a scent. He knew better than to call out, but couldn't think of anything else to do. After risking it once, and not hearing a response, he feared for the worst.

After wandering around for almost an hour, he finally caught a scent. Isaac knew immediately that it was blood; whose blood, however, was completely unknown. His senses heightened once he became a vampire, but they were still developing every day. He followed the scent, and a shaky breath erupted from his mouth. It couldn't be Alexander. Why would he come looking for Isaac?

The musky scent grew stronger by the minute, until Isaac stopped, a couple of meters behind a lump of bushes. He knew by the clarity of the odor that, whatever the origin was, it was right behind the bushes. Taking a deep breath, he walked ever so slowly towards the bushes. He peered over, and saw the horrific thing he had been dreading to discover. Alexander's pale, lifeless body was covered in a mixture of mud and blood. He was lying in a pool of blood, which was still pouring out from the side of his throat. Isaac was certain that if there was less blood, he would be able to see two fang marks. Alexander's eyes were open; glassy and empty. His hands were bloody, and two of his fingers were missing. Isaac was shaking, and not from the cold. He knelt down, and couldn't help a tear falling down his cheek.

"I'm so sorry..." He whispered, before closing Alexander's eyes. Isaac stood up slowly. He couldn't grieve; not yet, anyway. Anger pulsed through him suddenly, and he used it to weaken his grief. Not entirely; just enough for him to not have to grieve at the moment.

Why would Darius target Alexander? Isaac thought. And then it hit him. Darius was sending a message, and finally, Isaac understood it. Darius wanted Isaac dead, for a reason he had yet to discover. No one was safe. Alexander. His parents. Allison.

Without thinking, he sprinted through the trees, with only one destination in mind.

Chapter Two

It took Isaac less than an hour to run all the way to Allison's house, although he was out of breath by that time. The sun had just risen, and birds were tweeting. He reached out his hand to knock on the door, but stopped himself when he heard a sigh from the balcony above him. Isaac took a deep breath, before jumping onto the wall and beginning to climb. As a vampire, he was much more agile, and found climbing as easy as walking. He hesitated at the ledge, before plucking up the courage and swinging himself over it.

"Allison, I-" He began, dusting himself off. He stopped himself once he saw that she had a crossbow aimed at his heart, a wooden bolt in place. Her eyed were red, and she still had tears on her face.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pull the trigger." She said quickly, and it sounded like she was holding back a sob. "I trusted you." He could her the pain in her voice.

"You can trust me, Allison." Isaac replied. "This is who I am, but I'm still m-"

"No, its not you." She snapped, and let the sob escape her. "The Isaac I knew is long gone; you have a disease, an illness!"

Isaac didn't know what to say, and luckily, he didn't have to.

"How long?" Allison asked, after a moment.

"Two years." He replied, and seeing an opportunity, rushed into a speech. "I was turned two years ago, which means that I'm the same guy you've been talking to for the past couple of days. Its still me." He moved his hand ever so slightly towards hers, but pulled it back immediately. They stood in silence for a few minutes, and when she didn't reply, Isaac sighed and sat down on the ledge of the balcony.

"Maybe it is still you," She said eventually. "But that doesn't change anything; you're still one of them. A creature, that shouldn't even be alive."

Isaac did his best to mask his pain at that comment. "If you're going to kill me, just do it already." He said, monotonously.

Allison placed her finger onto the trigger, and he heard a slight click; not enough pressure to release the wooden bolt, but enough to take it off of safety. One shift of pressure and the bolt would shoot towards his heart. Allison seemingly didn't have the heart to push the trigger, and let the crossbow drop to her side. She sat down on the balcony ledge beside him.

"I think," Isaac began, standing up. "that the reas-"

"No." She interrupted, standing to face him. "That's the problem. You don't think. You don't feel. You don't have any emotion; desire, anger, happiness. Nothing. You just act on animal impulse; its one of the traits of being one of them."

Acting on impulse alone, Isaac grabbed her waist. He pressed his lips ever so gently to hers, glad that she hadn't shuddered away at his touch. After a moment, he pulled away.

"I do feel, Allison." He said. "Desire. Passion. Pain."

At the last word, he grabbed one of her throwing knives out of the sheath on her leg, and cut his palm. He genuinely winced, before handing her back the knife.

"The kiss, the cut." He held out his hand, but the cut was already healing. "I feel just as much as you do."

Allison stood still, completely stunned. When she didn't reply, Isaac continued.

"Neither of us can do this alone. We both want him and his "colony" dead; albeit, for different reasons."

She hesitated before answering. "Fine. But I feel obligated to warn you; the moment we kill them all, I'm coming for you. I've made it my life's mission to rid the world of as many filthy creatures as I can."

"I'll pretend that didn't hurt." Isaac joked. Allison was still glaring at him angrily, but there was less pain and betrayal in her eyes.

"Come on," She said, walking past him into the house. "We have a lot of work to do." Isaac turned around and followed her silently into the house. He shut the door and turned to see a stake making its way towards his heart.

"What the-" He started, as maneuvered himself out of the way. The stake lodged itself into the door frame but before Allison could reach for it, Isaac had her arm twisted behind her back. He released her and smirked slightly, before noticing her disappointed expression.

"You were too slow." She said as she grabbed the stake off of the door frame.

"If I was too slow then I'd be dead." Isaac countered.

"I wasn't using my full potential." Allison replied simply. "If I was, then we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Well what now?" Isaac asked her as she walked towards the garden door and pulled it open.

"If you expect to stay alive," Allison started. "now we train."

"Train with what?" Isaac pondered aloud whilst following her outside. "I don't need weapons and I've taken karate since I was seven." He shut the door behind him.

"For starters we can perfect your hand to hand combat." Allison said slowly. "Then we'll move on to your speed and agility, a few weapon techniques, before maybe attempting to work on your vampiric abilities."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "What could you possibly know about vampiric abilities?"

"You'd be surprised." Allison said with a smile. She walked slowly into the middle of the garden before turning back to Isaac. "But you aren't ready for that yet. First things first; combat. Now come over here and hit me."

With a hint of a smile, Isaac sprinted up to her and lazily threw her a punch. She dodged just as easily.

Chapter Three

Training Isaac was harder than Allison initially thought. Isaac, she soon realized, had never really took any care in the way he fought. In hand to hand combat, he relied too heavily on his brute physical strength. He had little skills when it came to controlling his speed and agility, and his knowledge on the use of weapons were abysmal.

"No! You're supposed to use your vampiric eyesight to help you aim!" Allison said exasperatedly after watching Isaac miss the target for the fifth training session in a row. Throwing knives were scattered around the garden.  

"Sorry," Isaac said lazily. He clearly didn't care whether he hit the target or not.

"Can you at least try?" Allison snapped as she collected the throwing knives. "You can do this. Just focus. Listen. Use your "amazing" hearing."

Isaac sighed as she handed him the knives. He took a deep breathe, and closed his eyes. His ears twitched, and a moment later, two of the knives flew out of his hands, his eyes still closed. Allison gasped as they hit the center of the target. Isaac opened his eyes just as Allison flung herself at him.

"After five lessons of weaponry, you've finally hit the target." She said with a smile. Isaac grinned back at her, before spinning her around.

"So, what's next?" He asked, slightly out of breath.

"Hand to hand?" Allison offered. "We still haven't really worked on your eye–hand coordination."

Isaac didn't get the chance to reply when his phone rang. He reached into his pocket, glanced at the screen, and groaned.

"Its my dad." He said, correctly deciphering Allison's wondering expression. He hasn't called me in weeks- since I stormed out. I'll only be a moment."

Allison nodded, but Isaac had already walked off. The conversation was short, and it involved a lot of hand gestures. Isaac swore has he stumbled back to where Allison was.

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

"He wants to see me. At home."

Allison took a sharp intake of breath. "Where have you been staying ever since..." Her voice trailed off. She knew speaking about Alexander was still hard for Isaac, and their was no use bringing it up now.

"In a motel." Isaac answered quickly. "If my parents want to see me its something big."

He gulped, clearly distressed. Allison hesitated for a moment, before making up her mind and saying "Do you want me to come with you?"

He nodded gratefully, although he still had a panicked look on his face. Allison was tempted to reach out and grab his hand, but decided against it. She had almost gotten used to Isaac being....what he was. Although there were still some moments, when she had a stake in her hand, when she considered killing him and getting it over with. But she couldn't force herself to do it. She tried not to think about the promise she had made to herself, about killing him. She would cross that bridge when she came to it.

"Let's go see what your parents want." She said slowly. She walked out of the garden gate as it started to rain. Isaac nodded and followed her silently.

---

By the time they had crossed the garden path to Isaac's house, they were soaked. Isaac pried open the garden door and grabbed one of his jackets off of the rack. He handed it to Allison.

"Here. It'll keep you warm until we make it back to your house so you can change."

Allison's eyes widened in shock. She felt a sudden warm, pleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach, but didn't know what it was. Isaac didn't seem to notice and walked into the living room. Allison hesitated for a moment, and wrapped the jacket around her, before following him.

When she walked in she found Isaac's father packing boxes, the front door wide open. Isaac was standing still by the table.

"What do you mean 'you're leaving'?" He asked, and Allison could tell he was trying to keep his voice steady.

"Exactly that." Mr. Laihe replied, his voice acidic. "Your mother and I have decided to leave Canada."

"Well- when will you be returning?" Isaac's voice cracked.

"We won't. Seventeen years of dealing with your crap, Isaac. And we've finally had enough. This is my formal goodbye." Mr. Laihe paused for a moment and lifted up the boxes. "You've been nothing but a disappointment. Your crude jokes and immaturity. 'When will he learn to grow up?' I always asked your mother. She would tell me that you're only young, that I shouldn't be so hard on you. And I listened. But not anymore. You will be legally a man in less than a year, but mentally you will always be an idiotic child."

"What-" Isaac sounded heartbroken. "But-"

"Oh, and," Mr. Laihe interrupted, pausing at the door. "Please don't call. I'd rather forget about this whole experience. It may take a while - forgetting about seventeen years of someone's life is hard work - but I'm certain your mother and I can do it. Goodbye, Isaac. You'll always be a disgrace to me."

He left and slammed the door behind him. A car engine erupted outside, but Allison was focusing solely on Isaac. He was on his knees, his head in his hands. Allison crouched down beside him. She could hear his almost silent sobs. She placed her arm around him and he slid his head onto her shoulder, tears streaming down his face. They were silent for a long time, never adjusting their position.

"I always knew they were disappointed," Isaac said after a couple of hours of silence. His voice was hoarse and pained. "But I didn't think they would ever leave."

Allison stayed silent, not knowing what to say. She couldn't imagine something this horrible happening to her. Her parents were dead, but at least they loved her. Deceased family that loved you is vastly greater than a living family that despises you. Her thoughts trailed away, and they fell asleep lying there together on the floor.

Chapter Four

It was the middle of winter in the small Canadian town. The snow was falling on the two children, who were aged around nine. One was a girl with long brown hair and warm, hazel-colored eyes. The other, a boy with short, curly brown hair and sparkling dark brown eyes. They played on the swings as the snow fell lightly on top of them.

"We should probably get going." The girl said, although she continued to swing highly, her laughter echoing across the park.

"Aw, come on Allison!" The boy protested. "Its still light out. Besides, it's your birthday. I'm sure your parents'll be fine with us staying out a little bit longer.

"Okay." Allison gave in, although there was a spark of happiness in her voice, as if she was pleased that the boy want to stay out so that she could.

After a few more minutes of swinging, the boy suddenly jumped up and started sprinting out of the playground.

"Race you to The Hollowed Tree!" He shouted back.

"No fair!" She replied, before jumping off of her swing and sprinting after him. After a few minutes, it was within her sight. The tall, partly hollowed out tree they had discovered a few months ago. It had quickly become their safe place. Somewhere they could escape from everybody else. Together. She sprinted into the small hollowed section and found him waiting for her, a large grin on her face.

"You cheated." She said teasingly.

"Sorry." He replied. He pulled out a box and held it out to her. "Maybe you can forgive me?" She took it slowly. "Happy birthday, Allison."

Allison slowly opened the box and found a necklace inside. It was an intricate design, almost like a maze.

"It symbolizes how hard you are to read, to understand. You have so many different layers to your personality, like how a maze has many different sections."

He was glancing at her nervously, as if wondering whether she liked it or not.

"Its beautiful, Isaac." She said gleefully. She gave him a quick hug before they sprinted back out of the tree, heading home.

Allison awoke suddenly. Her back ached from sleeping on the floor for the whole night, but she ignored it. Isaac must have awoken in the night and placed a blanket on her, because it was wrapped around her. He was lying on his side to her right, and she placed the blanket on top of him, before silently standing up and walking to the kitchen.

She sat on a stool and pulled out the necklace from underneath her shirt; the same necklace from the dream. Or memory. Allison tried not to think about that birthday, for it wasn't a week later that her parents were brutally murdered.

"What are you doing?" Isaac's voice said as she played with the necklace. She glanced up and saw him standing in the doorway.

"Nothing."

He glanced pointedly at the necklace.

"Oh," Allison said suddenly. "Nothing I just, er, had a dream."

Not wanting to expand, Allison stood up suddenly. "I think I should go home and get changed. Meet me at my house in around half an hour, okay?"

"Alright." Isaac replied monotonously.

---

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Allison ran swiftly into the garden. She found Isaac sitting on the grass, his face solemn.

"What's wrong?" Allison asked, before scolding herself. She had forgotten the events of the previous night, and Isaac was most likely still hurt by them.

"I, er, went into my room." He replied, his voice shaking. His hands were fidgeting as Allison knelt down beside him. "There were sticky notes on everything in the r-room. They all read 'Not worth taking - Brings back bad memories.'"

His eyes began to water, but he continued. "Any p-picture with me in it was left too, with the same note."

Tears were now cascading down his cheek, and he started hyperventilating. Allison felt sudden burst of protectiveness. Isaac shouldn't have to deal with this. How could a parent do such a thing to their own child.

Allison moved so that she was kneeling in front of Isaac. He was still breathing rapidly, and he had a panicked look in his eyes. She grabbed his hands.

"Isaac, its okay." She said in her most soothing tone. "Think happy thoughts. Friends, family-" She stopped herself, realizing that Alexander was dead and that the reason Isaac was hyperventilating was his parents. Isaac's breathing quickened even more and Allison suddenly remembered something she had read once...

She suddenly grabbed Isaac's head and pressed her lips against his. After a moment, they moved apart. Isaac's breathing slowed, and he was staring at her curiously.

"I remember reading," Allison explained. "That the best way to ease a panic attack is to hold your breath. And when you're kissing somebody, you hold your breath...." Her voice trailed off. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Isaac had his lopsided grin on his face. "Hm?" He said, seemingly not noticing his expression. "Oh, no reason." His expression molded back into the solemn one he had initially. Allison knew he was still pained, but he seemed more relaxed, however slightly.

"Let's not train today?" Allison suggested. "We could go out for lunch or something."

"Okay." Isaac said, and he sounded as if he had something stuck in his throat. "Lunch would be great."

---

After they ate, they proceeded to walk around the nearby area. They mostly made small-talk, avoiding the subject of Isaac's parents.

At sunset, they headed back to Allison's house. They sat on the balcony in silence, until Allison decided to break it.

"Talking helps." She said simply, and she knew that he understood her.

"Maybe for other people." Isaac retorted.

"I know it hurts-"

"No you don't." Isaac snapped. "You don't know anything about how this feels."

Allison hesitated, but only for a moment. "You're right. So tell me. Show me."

Isaac sighed. For a moment she feared he would just get up and leave, but then he began speaking.

"I was never close to them. I never wanted to be, really. But still, growing up with two people gets you used to them. Knowing that they're gone, that they don't want to know me..." He hesitated, and when he continued, he seemed to be talking mostly to himself. "No more evening calls from mom. No more monthly dinners to 'see how I'm doing.' No more parents."

The silence that followed overcame Allison. She didn't know what to say to break it, and Isaac was sitting, almost patiently. Allison was never great at comforting people. She was great at getting people to open up, but clueless as to how to make them feel better. She almost contemplated kissing Isaac again, just so that they didn't have to sit in the awkward silence, when he spoke.

"Who needs parents, anyway?" He asked bitterly. "All they do is find all of your little faults, and judge you on them."

Allison pursed her lips. She worded her next sentence carefully. "Sometimes parents are horrible. But sometimes they're great. Sometimes you hate them, and sometimes you can't imagine life without them. They pick on all of your little faults because they're their faults too; where else would you have gotten them? The only reason they take it out on you is because they're bitter. It doesn't matter that they're your parents; they're not your family. Not if you don't want them to be. Family isn't forced upon you; you create your own."

She let her words sink in, waiting for a change in Isaac's expression, but it stayed the same. They sat in silence, Allison pondering whether she said the right thing. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything? Maybe none of the things she said applied to Isaac? Her advice may have just made everything worse, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She knew for certain that at least one of the things she said applied to Isaac- to everyone, really. Family shouldn't be forced upon you; you create your own. If your parents or siblings are good for you, then keep them as part of your family, along with anyone else good for you that you happen to find along the way. In the cases where the people surrounding you aren't good for you, then get yourself out of the situation. Surround yourself with people that make you happy. People that make you laugh, cry, get angry. In other words, people that make you feel.

Chapter Five

After a few more weeks of training, Isaac had finally mastered the basics of hand to hand combat and weaponry. He also found his mood improving. He still avoided thinking or speaking about his parents, but he found himself laughing and smiling more often. He didn't understand it, but being around Allison seemed to make him happier.

"That was great!" She said ecstatically once he had hit the target with all five throwing knives. "That's every weapon you may need too use."

"So what now?" Isaac asked, and he couldn't help smiling at the way her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Now, we try working on your vampiric abilities."

Isaac's eyes widened. He hadn't expected them to start his vampiric abilities so soon. "Seriously?"

Allison nodded in response. "I've been reading up on the sort of the things you can do, if you concentrate hard enough. Its strange, I didn't think vampires could have such a wide range of abilities."

"Like what?" Isaac asked, suddenly excited. "I already know that I have enhanced strength, speed, and senses. I can also somewhat control my motions; when I'm really angry, and about to put someone in danger just by being around me, I can make the anger go away. For a while, anyway."

"Really?" Allison inquired, and she seemed shocked. Before Isaac could answer, she pulled a book out of her bag and opened it to a bookmarked page. "According to this book, certain vampires have been known to have shapeshifting, wallcrawling, and others of the sorts." She looked up at Isaac. "Since you seem to have some form of Emotion manipulation, I think it would be safe to assume that you'd most likely have other mental abilities."

"Okay." Isaac said, folding his arms across his chest. "Such as?"

"Well, there's only two that the book specifies; some degree of telepathy, and hypnosis." Allison paused. "Its unlikely that you would have both, but since it's a possibility, we'll have to try them."

She walked slowly in front of Isaac, before turning to him. "Okay. Read my mind."

Isaac couldn't help but laugh. "You're kidding right? I literally have no idea how I should even try."

"Just concentrate." Allison said, slightly annoyed. "You can do it."

Isaac sighed before closing his eyes. He stayed still for a minute, but nothing happened.

"This isn't working." He complained, opening his eyes. "Maybe all I can do is control my emotions."

"Just try Isaac." Allison pleaded. "Please."

Isaac closed his eyes again. He imagined Allison's mind as a door, just waiting to be unlocked. With some difficulty, he imagined the door opening, and all of her thoughts pouring out.

We need to hurry up with training so that we can find Darius.

His eyes snapped open. The door shut and locked itself.

"I heard that." He said, completely in awe. "I heard your thought."

"Really?" Allison said excitedly. "That's great! Let's try again."

A few hours later, and Isaac had almost mastered it. He could open Allison's mind with ease, and read any of her thoughts. He also discovered that he could send thought to her, so they could communicate.

"It seems like it was way to easy." Isaac wondered aloud.

"It helps when you know the person well." Allison answered. "For instance, if you were trying to read the mind of a stranger walking down the street, it would be near impossible. The more information you know about the person, the easier it is to read their thoughts. I thought it would be hard for you to read my thoughts." She added. "I mean, we haven't seen each other in years; how much about me could you remember?"

Isaac turned away and blushed lightly. He had thought of Allison quite regularly over the past eight years; whenever he felt upset or lonely, which was quite frequently. He would imagine her coming back home, and helping him deal with his parents. She would be pleased to see him, and he would embrace her, before leaning in to her lips...

What? He'd never had thoughts like that before. Allison had always been his best friend; his therapist, his partner in crime. To think of her as anything more...

"Isaac?" Her voice broke his train of thought, and he suddenly remembered where he was. "Have you heard anything I've been saying?"

"No," He said hastily. "Sorry. I was thinking."

Allison stared at him curiously, as if she were going to ask a question, but seemingly decided against it.

"I was saying," She continued. "That we should probably start searching for the vampires."

"Oh." Isaac replied. "What about the whole hypnosis thing?"

"We can work on that later," She dismissed, and Isaac sensed a twisted sort of excitement in her voice. "Hypnosis won't help you in a battle. Not if we can't perfect it in time, and we don't have time."

"Alright." Isaac said quickly, suddenly full of adrenaline. "Allons-y!"

"Hm?" Allison asked as she piled stakes into a bag.

"It's French." Isaac said simply, but Allison just stared at him blankly. "The Doctor?"

She still had a blank expression on her face. Isaac sighed exasperatedly, and hurried towards the door.

"When we get back, I'm forcing you to start watching TV shows tonight; I'll supply snacks."

"Its a date." Allison said with a grin, clearly joking, but butterflies fluttered in Isaac's stomach.

Chapter Six

They started their search in the woods, as that seemed area seemed to attract the most vampires. After a few hours of searching, however, they had almost lost hope.

"Maybe all the vampires decided that you were too scary to mess with?" Isaac supplied weakly. "Or maybe the hospital's getting blo-"

He stopped himself. Alexander, being an intern at the hospital, had always told him when the hospital was receiving blood. That thought reminded him how long it had been since he'd fed; a week? Or two? The blood bags that Alexander collected had finished, and Isaac wouldn't feed on people. Not consciously, anyway. He would just have to raid the hospital tonight.

"They have to be here somewhere." Allison said quietly. "Maybe we should split up?"

"Not a good idea." Isaac answered. He pulled out a stake and held it in his right hand. "We'll find one; all we need is bait."

"What are you suggesting?"

Isaac stared at her, his grin slightly mischievous. "Maybe you wander through the woods, without any weapons, seemingly lost." Before she could protest, he continued. "I'd be a few meters behind you at all times. One of them is bound to attack."

After a moment, Allison reluctantly agreed. Isaac stripped her of any weapon he could find, and hid them in the bag. She then proceeded to wander around through the trees, Isaac following at a safe distance.

"Sam?" She said, trying to act lost. Isaac felt a sudden pang of jealousy; was Sam someone she knew in England? Or had she just created the name?

"Sam, is that you?" She said uncertainly to a slow rustling bush. A vampire jumped out at her and Allison screamed, kicking him back. Isaac threw a stake, and hit the creature in the arm. He howled with pain, until Allison kicked him into unconsciousness.

"Now what?" Isaac asked with a sigh.

"Now we wait for him to wake up." Allison answered, before tying the vampire to a tree with a length of rope. She pulled out a flask of holy water, dipper her fingers into it, and used its contents to draw an archaic sigil on his forehead. Isaac could hear the sizzle of his flesh.

"It stops him from moving," Allison explained. "At least for a couple of hours."

"Great."

A half an hour later, the vampire stirred. He opened his eyes, and growled loathingly.

"Hello." Allison said sweetly. Her tone of voice made Isaac shiver to his bones; she sounded twisted, almost cruel. "I need to know a few things, and I'm certain you can help me. Would you like to?"

She leant forward, but the vampire spat in her face. She wiped it off, before splashing holy water in his face. He wailed in pain, but Allison's smile stayed.

"You either help me, or I torture the information out of you."

"Fine." The vampire growled. "I'll tell you what you need to know."

Allison's eyes widened. "Really?" She turned to face Isaac. "They never give in usually."

"Well let's use it to our advantage." Isaac said. He turned towards the vampire. "Where's Darius' lair?"

The vampire made a gruff noise in its throat, and Isaac realized that it was laughing. 

"I'd be glad to tell you that." He chuckled. "Darius usually stays in this hollowed out tree a couple of miles from here; maybe you know it?"

Isaac's eyes widened at "hollowed tree," and he turned to face Allison. Her expression was identical to his. They both knew the tree well; it was, after all, where Isaac had given Allison the necklace she had been playing with.

"Thank you for your information." Isaac said stiffly, before driving a stake through the vampires heart.

"This way he won't be able to tell Darius that we're coming." He explained. Allison nodded.

"We should probably go home and spend the night planning our attack." Allison said simply, before turning around and heading the way they had come. Isaac sighed and started to follow; he would just have to raid the hospital for blood some other night.

Part III - Revenge

Chapter One

They arrived back in the house and Allison set her bag full of weapons on a table. Isaac led the way into the kitchen and they both sat down; Allison on a stool, Isaac on the counter-top.

"So what's the plan?" He asked, reaching for a pear in the fruit basket and sinking his teeth into it.

"We storm the hollowed tree." Allison said simply. "You distract the members of Darius' colony, and then I kill him."

Isaac scoffed. "You're kidding, right? There's no way we can take them all; not alone."

"Well we don't have backup." Allison countered. "So what do you suggest we do?"

Isaac sighed. "I'm not sure. I guess we could go and try to kill him, but we need more training."

"No we don't." Allison objected. "We're both ready; there's no reason to stal-"

She was interrupted by a sudden sharp ringing; Isaac's phone. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the sleek, black mobile, and held it to his ear. Allison couldn't hear what the person on the other line was saying, but Isaac's face paled. After a moment, the person hung up, and Isaac let the phone drop onto the counter.

"What is it, what's wrong?" Allison asked, rising from her stool and walking over to him.

"That was, er, Alexander's parents." Isaac answered hoarsely. "They haven't heard from him, and er, want to see me later."

"Oh. Would you like me to come with you?"

"Uh, yeah sure." Isaac said gratefully. "They want to meet at that café uptown."

"Okay, let's go." Allison replied. She grabbed his hand and together they made their way out of the house.

Chapter Two

They arrived at the café, the wind whistling in their ears. Mr. and Mrs. Silcan were sitting at a table, sipping coffee.

"Um, hello." Isaac said awkwardly as they entered the café.

"Isaac." The woman stood up and shook his hand. Her face flooded with relief, although Allison knew it wouldn't last. She introduced herself to the couple before they invited them to sit down. Isaac declined.

"So, have you heard from Alex?" Mrs. Silcan asked nervously. "We've been calling him over and over but no reply. We called the apartment too; no-one ever answers."

"Sorry a-about that." Isaac stuttered. He seemed to be searching for the right words, and Allison could only imagine how hard it must be.

"The thing about Alexander..." Isaac began hesitantly, before bursting into the full story, obviously changing minor details so that Alexander was just found with bite marks on him a few weeks ago. Mrs. Silcan burst into tears halfway through the story, and didn't stop crying afterwards.

"You mean to tell me," Mr. Silcan began hoarsely, although his voice was raised. "That my son, my Alexander, has been dead for weeks and we didn't know?"

"I-I'm sorry, I w-would have cal-"

"Don't try and excuse yourself!" Mr. Silcan shouted as his wife continued to bawl. Isaac winced at his words, obviously affected. Luckily, the only other person in the café was the person at the till; they blushed when Mr. Silcan started to shout, and walked quickly into the back of the store.

"How dare you not call immediately after you found out?" He continued to scream. "And, why weren't you there for him? Why weren't you-Agh!" At that, Mr. Silcan raised his arm, as if to strike Isaac. Isaac flinched away, but Allison had already stood up and held back Mr. Silcan's arm.

"Don't do something you'll regret." She said as she released him. "I know how much it hurts - believe me, I do - but taking it out on Isaac won't help. It wasn't his fault."

As she said this, Allison realized that it was untrue. Darius had killed Alexander to threaten Isaac, to warn him. She pushed the thought out of her head as Mr. Silcan continued to shout.

"Maybe it wasn't his fault but he still should have CALLED!" He screamed the last word, and Allison was afraid that he would lunge at her, but he just collapsed onto his seat and held his wife. Allison suddenly realized that she couldn't hear Isaac breathing behind her. She turned around quickly but he was gone. She sprinted out of the café but Isaac was nowhere to be found. Allison sighed exasperatedly and was about to turn away from the café when she saw a napkin underneath a rock on one of the tables. She picked it up hesitantly and turned it over. The writing was scribbled, as if it had been written in a hurry, but Allison recognized the handwriting immediately.

I should have saved him.

Chapter Three

"Disgraced. I'm disgraced." Isaac whispered to himself. The woods that he had isolated himself in were completely empty, lacking any sort of living organism. "Why didn't I stop him? Why did I leave him defenseless? If I had been there, if I hadn't left him..."

Isaac stopped himself. He had put Alexander in danger before, just by knowing him; wasn't it Isaac that had befriended Allison, even though his life - and Alexander's - could have been jeopardized? He could have gotten Alexander killed just by knowing him, so how to keep other people safe? How to stop it from happening again?

Isaac only saw one solution. Only problem was, there aren't many ways a vampire could commit suicide. He could burn himself, but that would take too long, and somebody could stop him. He could also give himself over to Darius, but he would most likely torture him, and knowing Allison, she would try to save him. Isaac couldn't let her do that. That left staking.

Isaac sighed; if he was going to do it properly, he would need an actual stake, not a random old twig. That meant going to Allison's house.

"She w-won't be there." He said, trying to make himself feel confident, although his voice shook. He shook his head before sprinting to Allison's house.

He was right; she wasn't there. He quickly rummaged through her weapons' bag before finding an eight inch long stake. He knew she could be home any minute, and that he should get it over with, but he found himself lingering in her room. Pictures of her deceased parents were everywhere; them on a beach, them on a Ferris wheel. Her parents were always standing in a different pose, and the only thing they all had in common was that Allison herself wasn't in them. All of the pictures were devoid of any hint of Allison; at least, that's what Isaac thought, before he saw the pictures on the top shelf. There were two, although only one of them had Allison in them. The first one was obviously self-taken using a disposable camera. It showed a younger Allison and Isaac, taken the day before she left for England. Isaac knew he should have been upset in the picture, but looking at Allison had always made him smile.

The second picture was more recent; a couple of weeks old. Isaac was sitting underneath an old oak tree, reading a borrowed copy of The Catcher in the Rye, his favorite book. He didn't have a copy, as he didn't want to own one if it wasn't a first edition. Although, the library's copy that he was reading was viewed as his by the librarians. It had started snowing earlier in the day, and some of the snow had settled on Isaac's hair. He didn't remember her having a camera on that afternoon.

Isaac remained for a moment longer, but then he decided to leave before he changed his mind. He decided that his old apartment would be the best place to do it, and sprinted there. The door was unlocked, so he pushed it open and shut it behind him.

This is wrong. Part of him thought. He ignored it.

You don't want to do this. He pulled the stake from his belt.

You'll never get your own copy of the book. He aimed the stake at his chest.

You'll never see Allison again. Isaac unconsciously hesitated. Then, when he realized what he'd done, he laughed a little and lowered the stake. That was the thing that made him stop. That was the only reason that might stop him from doing what he needed to. He was in love with Allison.

Isaac laughed again. "It won't stop me." He said loudly to himself. "Even if I do love her. She'll never love this thing, this monster that I am. Never."

He raised the stake again. You'll never hear her voice.

He placed the tip directly over his heart. Never see her smile.

"Wrong." He said. "Her smile's always with me; I seared it into my mind years ago."

He began to push the stake into his chest slowly, before a crossbow bolt shot it out of his hand. Isaac growled, and turned to see Allison standing at the door, a small hole in the window beside her.

"What are you doing?" She asked, and her voice cracked. Isaac didn't answer, and instead bent down to grab the stake.

"No!" Allison shouted and she surged forward. She grabbed Isaac's arm, and as he turned to face her, he felt himself change. The differences were subtle, but noticeable. Allison flinched slightly at the sight of his fangs. He growled at her, but not before she disarmed him.

"Why would you want t-"

"BECAUSE!" Isaac screamed. "BECAUSE I KILLED HIM. IT WAS MY FAULT, AND DON'T TRY TO TELL ME OTHERWISE. ANYONE I KNOW, ANYONE I GET CLOSE TO, IT'LL KILL THEM. BECAUSE DARIUS WON'T LET THEM LIVE. IT'S ALL MY FAULT, I'M THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. TAKE ME OUT AND DARIUS WILL BE HAPPY." Isaac paused. "He'll finally be happy."

Isaac collapsed onto his knees, and Allison rushed to his side. "All my fault." He repeated, as she hugged him.

"Its not your fault, Isaac." She said, and her voice lingered on his name. Isaac stood up suddenly and walked to the corner. "It never was. What happened to Alexander, that wasn't your fault." She stood up carefully.

"Even if it wasn't, I wasn't there to help. What's the point of life if I can't make A GODDAMN DIFFERENCE?!" He punched the wall at this point, and it made a dent.

"I'm never going to make a difference, Allison." He continued, his voice manically calm. "I can't help anyone in any way. I'm never going to get married or make anybody happy; I mean, lets face it; who would want to marry a monster?"

Allison opened her mouth, as if to speak, but Isaac continued. "Even if, by chance, somebody did want to marry me; I can't have children. I can't have a legacy. I'll be forgotten."

His voice quietened at the last word, and Allison seized the opportunity to speak.

"You can make a difference Isaac. You can help people, you can save people. And..." She hesitated. "I- I heard what you said."

Isaac looked up at this. He had tears in his eyes, and they had returned to their usual shade of brown.

"When I was placing a crossbow bolt into the blasted thing." She continued hastily. "And- And I-" She sighed. "I feel the sa-"

Isaac didn't notice her surprised expression as he rushed in to kiss her. They embraced passionately for a moment, before breaking apart.

"That kiss felt final, Isaac." Allison said, questioningly.

"It wasn't." He assured her.

"Isaac, I lo-"

"Don't." He stopped her, before answering her confused expression. "I don't want you to say anything you wouldn't say if I wasn't about to kill myself. I'm not going to," He added hastily. "But I don't want to hear it if its only because of the circumstances. It should be real, unplanned, spontaneous."

"Okay." Allison said. "But you aren't going to...?"

"No." He said firmly. "I just...I need time."

"Of course." Allison said slowly. She held out her hand, and Isaac knew she wasn't going to let him out of her sight. "Let's go."

Isaac nodded and gripped her hand tightly.

Chapter Four

"I should be going." Allison said as they entered her driveway. "No use prolonging the inevitable."

"I?" Isaac questioned. "I'm coming with you."

"No you aren't." Allison said simply.

"Do you think I can just let you go alone?"

"Let me?" Allison questioned warningly.

"You know what I mean." Isaac waved it aside. "I can't stay here knowing you could be in danger."

"Well, I'm not letting you come." She said with a quick smile. Before Isaac could reply, quick as a flash, Allison injected him with a needle.

"W-what is this?" He said, his words slurred. He turned to the left slightly and glanced at the clock; 9:35pm.

"Just something to make you a little drowsy- or unconscious." Allison said happily. "You should be awake by the time I get back."

"Ally- don't- do this-" Isaac collapsed onto the floor, his eyes slightly open.

"Don't worry, Isaac." Allison said, in a rushed tone. "Everything will be fine." She paused for a moment, opened her mouth as if to say something, and then changed her mind. The last thing Isaac saw before he blacked out was her walking out of the door.

---

Isaac awoke and cursed silently; he should have been faster and stopped her before she drugged him.

"She's going to get herself killed," he muttered to himself. A sudden jolt ran through him and he jumped to the clock, staring at it intently.

"9:57." He said aloud. "The serum she used must work faster on vampires-" A sudden thought occured to him. "Unless it's been longer than a day?"

After reassuring himself that it was still the same date, he ran out of the house and sprinted towards where he knew the hollowed tree was, carrying only a single stake as a defense.

Chapter Five

Allison's "take out Darius" plan wasn't going well. The plan started out well enough; She arrived at the clearing outside of the hollowed tree and scanned the perimeter. There were around seven vampires guarding the tree, so Allison assumed Darius was inside. She didn't understand how she would be able to fight Darius within the tree, as her childhood memories told her that two children could barely fit. Deciding to cross that bridge when she came to it, she proceeded to take out the guards using her crossbow. After spending a minute contemplating how to proceed, she entered the tree with her head held high, and found a hole the size of a large manhole in the center of the hollow.

"He must have built an underground cavern or something," Allison said hesitantly. She hadn't been expecting this; who's to say that the hole didn't go down for miles, and Allison didn't carry any rope.

"I'll just have to take that chance," She said, and steadied herself in front of the hole. Before she could change her mind, she closed her mind and jumped feet-first into the hole. She was only falling for a few seconds, before she landed on the floor in a wide cavern. In the walls of the cavern were many burning torches, and to one side where a few thrones.

"Hello, darling."

That voice. Allison thought she would never hear that voice again. Her heart chilled, and she almost didn't turn around, fearing what she would see. Ultimately, pained curiosity forced her to turn around, and she found herself face to face with her mother. "It's been a while."

Her mother flashed her a fanged smile, and Allison backed away.

"How- what-" She stuttered, tears streaming down her face. "You were dead. You're dead."

"I didn't die, silly goose." She replied spitefully, and Allison felt a stab of pain at hearing her old pet name being said in such a way.

"I mourned for you." Allison said quietly. "I had to speak at your funeral- and all this time you've been here, sucking on innocent people? Why didn't you at least tell me you were alive?"

Before her mother could reply, Darius' voice behind Allison spoke.

"Stupid girl," he started, and Allison swung around. Beside him was her father who, unlike her mother, had changed appearance-wise. His hair was longer, and his skin was paler- obviously a side effect of being a vampire.

"Vampires don't keep the same emotions they had as humans," Darius continued, as her father smirked beside her. "Their personalities change completely."

Allison suddenly looked puzzled. "Isaac's still the same."

"Is he now?" Darius said curiously. "That's interesting."

Allison cursed herself for giving away that piece of information, and tried to sway the conversation back to the matter at hand. "You told me they were dead."

"I did no such thing." Darius said slyly. "You said I had killed them, and I neither confirmed nor denied this."

"But, the bodies," Allison replied. "They found your bodies..." She stared at her father.

"You obviously know nothing of the transformation process." He said, not looking her in the eye. "The victim does day- for a few hours. Then the vampiric genes take hold, and they awaken. I presume the newspapers left out the fact that her bodies had disappeared the next morning; the mayor wouldn't want the secret to come out."

"The mayor?" Allison asked but Darius cut across her.

"Now that story time is over maybe we can return to the main conversation topic; what are you doing here?"

"I- I came to avenge my parents." Allison stuttered, and realized that she was still crying, as her mother laughed at the top of her lungs. "But seeing as that isn't needed, I'll just take all of you out. You seem to be the "head" vampires of the block, so I'm sure I'll be able to cause some chaos and strife by beheading the three of you."

"Silly goose," her mother- no, the vampire replacing her mother said. "You know you won't be able to slay us."

"Wanna bet?" Allison said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. Before she could say more, her vampire-mother had seized her by the neck.

"I can crack your spine in under three seconds."

"I wouldn't if I were you." Isaac's voice said following a sudden whooshing noise; Isaac had found the hole.

"Isaac." Darius said happily, giving him a fanged grin. "Wonderful to see you."

Allison stopped listening to their conversation and tried to slowly pull a stake from her belt. She knew that vampires could hear a change in heartbeat, but had worked hardly on ensuring she could always keep it steady, so she didn't falter. She gripped the stake tightly, gave Isaac a pointed look, and swung behind her. The stake seemed to hit her vampiric mother directly in the heart, for she collapsed dead on the floor a moment later.

Her father growled, and lunged at her, as Isaac jumped towards Darius. She fumbled for her crossbow and aimed it towards him.

"I can't believe you abandoned me like that." Allison said, her voice hoarse. "There has to be a part of you that's still you."

His eyes twinkled for a second, and Allison thought for a strange moment that there actually was a part of him left, but he proved her wrong a moment later.

"Nope," He growled, before finding himself impaled with a crossbow bolt, and collapsing onto the floor.

Darius' fight with Isaac wasn't going as well. Isaac was being pinned onto the floor, as Darius attempted to impale him with a stake, seemingly forgetting about Allison. She took advantage of this, and impaled Darius with a crossbow bolt. At first, she thought she had missed his heart, but he collapsed over Isaac a moment later.

Isaac stood up and dusted himself off. They stood in silence for a few moments, before Allison said, "Did that seem too easy for you?"

Isaac nodded. "I guess the training lessons paid off." He said jokingly, but there was a hint of doubt in his voice.

Allison started to say that everything would be okay, before her exhaustion caught up with her and she found herself collapsing in Isaac's arms, his warm, brown eyes twinkling.

Chapter Six

When she awoke, Allison found herself in her own bed. She sat up groggily, and saw the dawn light from the window. Isaac was outside, leaning on the balcony, and she hastened to join him.

"Morning," he said, as he heard her step out. She nodded in response.

"So..." Isaac began, and Allison knew that whatever he was going to say, he had been practicing for a while. "What now? Are you, y'know, still gonna kill me and all?"

In spite of herself, Allison found that she was laughing. "Probably not," she laughed, and slung her arm in his.

"Oh," he said, smiling shyly, as relief flooded his face. "Are you staying here? In Canada, I mean."

"I don't think I can," Allison admitted. "I need space. It's a little too close to home."

Isaac looked crestfallen. "You will be coming with me, right?" She asked teasingly. He smiled.

"I thought you wouldn't want me- I mean," he started as his cheeks reddened. "Want me to come with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

He slung his arm into hers, and said after a moment, "So where are we going? Back to England?"

"No..." she replied hesitantly. "I think I've done all I can there. I was thinking about travelling."

"Travelling?" He asked skeptically, raising his eyebrow.

"Well, yeah. Actually, more along the lines of...a roadtrip? Maybe around America?"

Isaac chuckled before replying. "Why not, I guess. We could be the first mobile monster hunters."

Allison's eyes glistened with excitement as she tore away from Isaac and began pacing.

"We'd need a lot of equipment-"

"Er, Allison?" Isaac interrupted.

"-and we'd need to find an RV, and then modify it obviously-"

"I was joking-" He said hesitantly.

She turned to face him, a grin on her face.

"Well I'm not."