Revenge is Sweeter

*Intro*

  The Hunter edged closer to the quarreling couple. They had not even the slightest hint that she was there, which meant they wouldn’t even know what hit them. The young woman screamed at the young man and with tears streaming down her cheeks, stomped off into the woods. The wind shifted directions, and blew the enticing scent of rushing adrenaline. She inhaled deeply, suddenly ravenous. Straightening herself from her crouched position, The Hunter prepared to attack. As the girl passed beneath her, The Hunter sprang into the air, slamming down on the girl's shoulders with enough force to break both of the girls arms, and render her victim unconscious. Bending down beside the broken body, The Hunter bared her fangs and fed.
 
    "Grace! Grace come back here! Please Gracie, I didn’t mean it!" With that, the young man threw himself to the ground and put his head down on his knees.
"Oh! What have I done?" he muttered to himself.
He looked up to see a woman emerge from the trees. She paused for a moment, looking pointedly at him as she wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. Then her body blurred and in less than a heartbeat she was standing over him. She had a cascade of ebony curls down to her trim waist and vivid scarlet eyes. Both features stood out dramatically against her snowy skin. She said but one word, "Sleep", and he did.

*The Fragile State of Mortality*

  Drawing in a ragged breath, a young man pushed himself up on his side. He rubbed the blurriness from his eyes and took a look at his surroundings. He had no recollection of this room, nor the motionless figure in the room with him. Whoever had put him here obviously wanted him to see the body, as it was on the bed next to him, sightless eyes staring through him. He cautiously slid closer to the disfigured corpse and closed the woman's haunting eyes. As his fingertips touched her lavender eyelids a tidal wave of images crashed into his mind. Violently, he threw himself off of the bed, and ran screaming to the door. He screamed for help, and pounded with his fists until blood mixed with the splinters, until a delirious slumber finally took him.

  When he woke again, there was no light in the room. At first, he lay there, trying to figure out what was happening to him. Then he realized something. Though he had passed out in front of the door, he was somehow laying on the bed again. Remembering his unpleasant bunkmate made him roll out of the bed, and yet again he tumbled to the floor. When he stood, he saw that the body which had shared the bed with him was gone. He didn’t have to move closer to the door to tell it was open. When he did move closer he could make out a bloody trail leading out of the doorway and to the right. Deciding that whomever the trail belonged to was probably already dead, he went to the left. Slowly and silently he moved down the hallway until he came upon a door. Pressing his ear against the door, he listened for movement. No shuffle or voice, or any sound alerted him to any activity on the other side. He opened the door, and turned around to pull it shut as silently as humanly possible.

  "Exploring are we?" called a female voice from behind him, " What do you think of my home?"
He spun around in stunned silence. The woman's face triggered a painful spasm as the memories came rushing back to him. 
"Grace..." he whispered.
"What was that, pet?" The woman sneered cruelly, "Do you mean her?",
she asked with a look of false innocence. With one long ivory hand she gestured over her shoulder. She blurred for a moment, and the next she stood by Grace's side. The woman plucked at one of Grace's strawberry curls while holding his gaze.
Grace's corpse was seated at the far end of the table, her head propped up against the chair. From where he stood he could see the twin trails of blood leading from the once soft curve of her neck down into the valley of her breasts. Terror shivered and shook it's way down his spine. The woman cackled and disappeared, spinning off into the shadows. Her laughter echoed around the room for a moment before fading away. He walked to the table, took Grace's hand and held it to his lips for a moment.
"Oh, God! No.”, he whispered.
  Lost in his grief, the young man had nearly forgotten about his advisary. Before he knew what was happening, The Hunter had flipped him over and pinned him against the table.
"God cannot hear you here, mortal." She paused, grinning wickedly, "Let's see him save you now."
With that, she tilted his chin up so that his throat was completely exposed. She bent her head down and sank her ivory fangs deep into his flesh. Before she drained him completely, she lifted her head and bit her own wrist and pressed it to his mouth. When he refused, she sank her fingers into the still bleeding wound that was his neck, swirling her fingers around carelessly, biting her nails into his ragged flesh until he obediently drank.

  He felt as if he had been pitched neck first into molten rock. Firey pain twisted itself about his mind, enveloping his every thought until he was lost in the pain. It felt like burning glass cutting it's way through him, shredding his humanity into ribbons. The fire of the pain then burned the ribbons, leaving him gasping, then screaming for death to end the pain. He tried to summon enough anger to battle his torturer, but it too was lost in the fire. His vision was red, his eyes melting into bloody pools. His lungs burned with the intensity of the sun. Even his bowels were not immune to the fire's greedily devouring flame. He tried to pick himself up off of his knees, barely succeeding. He vowed then, while squirming in his indescribable agony, that he would find Grace's murderer and burn her just as she had burned him.  With that thought accompanied a twisting pain that surpassed any pain he had ever experienced. He screamed, cursing the heavens until blood flowed freely from his throat. There was so much blood and the more he lost, the hungrier he became. Finally, with a great jerk that tore his feet from the ground, his heart stopped beating. The transformation was complete.

  He woke with a snarl of pure hunger. Everything around him reeked of blood, and it was driving him insane. To make matters worse, he had five thick chains pulled tight across his body, strapping him down to the wall. Gritting his teeth, he flexed his arm. To his astonishment, one of the chains made a low, creaking sound. Inspired by this, he began straining at the chain. He pushed harder, and after what seemed like a lifetime, the chain began to give. Finally, the chain snapped and left him with enough room to free his right arm. He strained at the chains again, in attempt to break another, but the chain remained uneffected. With effort, he manuvered his free arm down to the base of the third chain, this time trying to pull the base from the wall. It gave as easily as a weed being pulled from the ground. With a satisfied grin, he freed himself of the last chains.
 
  Meanwhile, the smell of blood was making him crazy. In a far corner of the room, he heard a faint whimpering sound. Inhaling sharply he dicerned the distinctive smell of fear, of blood mixing with adrenaline. Casually, he walked over towards that side of the room, pausing to allow his eyes to sweep the star sprinkled horizon. When he looked back at the room, he discovered that a small girl had come out of hiding. She looked up at him, terror evident in her large innocent eyes. At the sight of her reddened cheeks, his appetite raised it's ugly head and demanded sustenance. Withdrawing with horror at himself, he threw himself out of the large bay window, plummeting down into the ocean far below.
 
  He hit the water with tremendous force, force that would have killed any human. The current drug him under before he had time to gasp for air. He didn’t fight as the current drug him down to the bottom; he just waited for the telltale signs that death was soon to come for him. After what could have been a day or just a couple of hours, he resurfaced. After that he pulled himself onto the shore and closed his eyes in defeat. Sleep took him, though death would not.

  The young man's dreams were plagued by blood. Torrents of blood, all around him, coating his body so that he looked like a devil. Blood rained on him from the smiling slits that once were necks of human beings. He tried to run, to find shelter from the bloody rain. He ran and ran, until he found the sea, unmarred by bloody flood that surrounded him. He plunged into the icy waters and began rubbing frantically at the coat of dried blood on his skin. As he looked down at the water, he saw two blurry red spheres staring back at him. He began screaming then, jarring himself back into concoiusness.
 
  He didn’t open his eyes as he heard the excited giggles of girls. He internally cringed as he pictured himself slaughtering these innocent girls. He let out a sigh and scratched his face with hopes to scare the girls off. He was satisfied as his movements triggered a chorus of screams and he sat up only after he heard the footfalls fade away. When he finally did open his eyes, he was surprised to a beautiful young woman sitting next to him. Her stormy gray colored eyes were lingering on the starry horizon. When she noticed him looking at her she smiled hesitantly.
"Um, Hello. My name is Annah."
"Hello." he replied, playing with a little scrap of seaweed that had gotten caught in his hair.
"Do you sleep on the beach often?"
This the young man did not answer. He tossed his hair anxiously and rubbed at a peculiar silvery scar that extended down the side of his neck.
"Do you have a name?" she asked softly.
"Not one that I can recall." He mused softly, while keeping his gaze from hers.
"Well what do you call yourself?" she pressed. She reached up and brushed a lock of her long brown hair back into place.
"You may call me what ever you like." He answered, his absinthe eyes flashing silver with an unnatural light
He could feel the bloodlust growing inside him. He looked up at her with an uneasy look in his eyes. He took a deep breath, which seemed to make him even more uncomfortable before muttering, "Forgive me, but I have to go."
"See you around?" Annah asked softly.
He jumped to his feet and with an agonized smile he turned and began walking down the beach. The pale lighting of the moon made him look like a Greek god of the night. His black ringlets bounced with every step he took. As Annah watched him walk away, her heart filled with an irresistible longing. After he had almost disappeared from sight, she took off her sandals, and ran after him.

  He heard the wet snap of twigs breaking before he saw it. A large buck walked into the clearing. He watched as the animal walked over to a small patch of clovers and ripped a mouthful from the ground. He had never much cared for venison in his past life, but his conscience told him it was better than killing a human being. The deer looked up and froze as the young man entered the clearing. In a second, the deer was hurdling into the woods. Half a second later, he had his arm around the terrified animal and was dragging it to the ground. He gulped at the warm fluid that was gushing into his mouth. His body seemed to be absorbing the blood so fast that he couldn’t quite get a mouthful. The animal gave one final shudder and died. 

  The blood brought back a handful of memories, the most important of which being his name. Tristian Cardellini. Other than that and the memory of Grace, he could not remember much else of his past. Tristian looked down with wistful eyes. He patted the stiffening animal on the flank with a silent 'Thank You' and walked away. He walked until he found a small abandoned cottage on the edge of a steep cliff. He didn’t know much about the whole 'vampire' thing but he needed to keep out of the sun, just in case.
As it turns out, the cottage was perfect. There was even a bed that he could drag down into the basement. After making himself comfortable, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander. In his mind, he felt a faint presence. It must belong to her, his maker. There would be a time to hunt her down, but not now. Now he needed rest.
Besides, if the myths about sunlight killing vampires were true, he would be stuck inside until nightfall. Suddenly exhausted, Tristian closed his eyes, and allowed sleep to consume him.

*An Unexpected Visitor*

  Annah peered through the windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious young man. She saw what he had done to the deer and though it frightened her she still couldn’t erase the strange feeling in her heart. She wanted to know him. Coming around to the front of the tiny cottage she was met with the crippling disappointment of not catching a single glimpse of the him. Hesitantly, she grabbed hold of the doorknob, and with a tiny twist, she was standing inside. She ran around to all of the rooms trying to find him. In the excited frenzy that she was in, she didn’t see the steps that led down to the basement. With the next step, she was tumbling headfirst down the stairs. She landed with a dull thud, and all was black.

  Tristian shot straight up in bed as he heard something come down the stairs. He had only been sleeping for about three hours, but he felt better than he ever had before. He sprang out of the bed and walked towards the staircase. He stopped in his tracks when he saw what lie at the foot of the stair. As he moved closer, he could see that the figure crumpled at the foot of the stair was the young woman from the beach. "You, girl?" he called, "Are you alright?" He bent down beside her, and gently turned her over. There was a small cut on her forehead and a small trickle of blood coming from her nose. She was unconscious, but breathing steadily. Gingerly, he picked the girl up and brought her over to the bed. After he had lain her down, he pushed her to the extreme edge and then lay down himself. He was uncomfortably aware of how close they were. He could smell the briny ocean on her skin. She was lucky that he had fed, or he might not have been able to stop himself when he saw her injuries. He puzzled over how she had found him. After each dead end thought in his mind had played out, he finally dosed off.

  "Oh, what happened?" Annah moaned. She sat up, but when the blood reached her head she fell back down to the bed. She didn’t remember a bed. ' What on earth.' she thought as she rolled over on her other side. What she saw halted her thoughts. She was in the same bed as the young man! As if he heard the breath halt in her lungs, he opened his eyes.
"Feeling any better?" he inquired casually, as if they always woke this way.
Annah blushed and looked down at her feet, which were still caked with sand.
"I am sorry for disturbing you,” she whispered. He could see tears welling up in the girl's large eyes.
"Does something hurt?" he asked, propping himself up on his side. "Are you in any way uncomfortable?"
"My head hurts, and it's a little cold in here. But other than that I’m fine." she answered.
"You should probably rest up a little while longer, that is if you don’t mind sharing the bed,” he said lightly.
"I don’t mind,” she said in a small voice with an equally small smile playing on her lips.
Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned close.
"I never did properly introduce myself. I am Tristian Cardellini, or I used to be anyway."
"Used to be? Why do you say that?" Annah replied, "Because you are a vampire?"
He went rigid at the word. She reached out and lifted his chin so that their eyes were level once again. His eyes shone with irridescent silver as he averted his eyes to ask, "How could you tell?"
"Well number one, the way you move. Normal people don't look like they are gliding when they walk. Number two, your eyes; they shine silver, like a cat's at night. And number three, your neck; the scars are still there, which probably means that you were recently created. Am I wrong?" she replied while leveling her bewildering grey eyes with his.
"No, you are not. But it wasn’t my choice. I don’t even know why she did this to me. Do you know who it is that made me?" he asked, his green eyes flashing a  frosty silver before narrowing in on hers.
"Her name is Cosette, she has terrorized this place for many years. I knew her once, before love of blood corrupted her mind. We used to be close, her and I." Annah's voice sounded far off, her eyes blankly focused on a large scar on her leg.
"Did she do this?" Tristian asked, catching Annah's chin in his palm.
"Yes. Long ago. She meant to change me, but she was not able to control herself, and gave in to the bloodlust. She tried to drain me, but when I set her hair on fire, she finally stopped and ran around the room screaming. I was so weak; I was barely able to get of the house. I was lucky that I was even found, because I passed out on the beach.
 
  A single tear fell from Annah's eyes and fell down onto the white pillowcase with a wet plop. "Annah-" He couldnt find the right words to say, so he settled with, " I'm sorry.” Tristian dropped his gaze before continuing, “She murdered my girlfriend the night she changed me. We had taken a small walk in the woods so that we could have a private conversation. We got in an argument, and Grace got angry with me and ran off into the woods. The next thing I see is Cosette walking out of the woods, her face smeared with blood. When I woke up, I was in a bed...with Grace's body..." he trailed off, his eyes fixated on his memories. He looked away as he continued, "I didn’t even recognize her at that point. I didn’t recognize her until I saw Cosette, then everything about that night came back." 
The completion of his words left a silence that seemed to scream hanging over them.
"She killed our parents the night she was going to change me. She told me they had gone out to dinner." Annah turned away, hiding her face with her hands. Annah dropped her hands into her lap and sighed. She looked up at Tristian through her wet eyelashes.
"Woah. Wait a minute. You’re her sister?" Tristian exclaimed.

*Twins*

  "We weren’t just sisters, we were the best of friends." Annah cried, " We were inseparable as children, but as we grew older, we grew further and further apart. Then after we turned 17, something happened to her. She came home one night beaten and bruised. She had cuts all over her body, and she was so tired she could hardly stand. She spent days just laying in her room. When I asked her what was wrong with her, she told me that she had fallen in love with a vampire. He wanted her to leave with him, to become one of the undead, but she had refused him. When she told our parents, they laughed at her and told her that vampires were just a wife’s tale, made up to scare children into staying inside at night. She was furious when I told her that I, too didn’t believe her. She promised me she would prove us wrong. She left that night." Annah paused, stifling a sob; "We didn’t see her again for almost a month. When she came back, we almost didn’t recognize her. 

  Everything about her had changed; her appearance, her attitude, even her voice. She wouldn’t talk to our parents; she would hardly talk to me, her own twin. One night, she told me she wanted to show me something special, something she could only share with her twin. Of course, I said okay. When I came downstairs, she handed me an empty wine glass. She told me it would be 'essential' for what was about to happen. She was acting so strangely. I didn’t think much of this until she showed me her scar. She told me what happened to her, and how she had been changed. She promised it wouldn’t hurt for long and that afterwards we would rule the night together. I was afraid, but I went along with it anyway. I had no idea she was serious." Annah stopped for a moment before continuing in a low voice, " She cut her wrist and held it above the wine glass. I watched with horrified fascination as the blood stained the crystal black. After a she had filled the glass, she licked her wound and it began knitting itself back together. I was so scared by this point that I didn’t even move to stop her as she bent over my leg to bite me. Then there was the pain. I remember screaming and begging for her to stop, but she wouldn’t. Nothing I could do would make her stop. The only thing I could reach was the lit candle on the table above me. I grabbed it and did the only thing I could think of. She drew back, and a new wave of pain hit me. She began running around the room, running so fast that all I could see of her was the fire of her burning hair. Somehow I managed to drag myself out of the house. Ever since that night, I haven’t seen her." Annah began to sob uncontrollably, her face buried in a pillow.
  After a while, Annah leveled her tear-streaked face to Tristian's. She cleared the tears from her throat as she began in a scratchy voice, "She must be stopped. She is no longer my sister. The Cosette that was my sister died the night our parents did. Now all that remains is her thirst for innocent blood. I cannot do this alone, Tristian. I need you with me." Annah's piercing eyes searched his.
Tristian looked deeply into Annah's eyes and replied, "I am with you, but first, we must rest a little longer, until sunset."

  After the sun had finally set, the two emerged onto the beach, talking quietly.
"Where do you live?" Tristian asked Annah with a sideways glance. She did not look at him, her eyes swept the glowing sands around them as she replied, "I live here. After Cosette murdered our family, she made our old home her dungeon. I've stayed on the beach ever since, sleeping in the daytime, and watching my back at night."
To this, Tristian did not reply. His eyes were intently scanning the forest on their right. Noticing Tristian’s rigid stance, Annah turned her face to Tristian and whispered, "What is it?" Without a word, Tristian grabbed hold of Annah's hand and picked up his pace. He looked at Annah and placed a finger to his lips. Annah nodded slowly, and began to run. Annah looked back behind them as they ran on in the night. Until, without warning, Tristian plunged to a halt, stopping dead in his tracks. Annah, jerked off balance by the sudden lack of movement, tumbled headfirst into the sand. When she stood, she shot Tristian a glare, and began brushing the sand from her clothes. Wordlessly, he gathered Annah into his arms and began running.
  They flew across the sand with the terrifying speed of a runaway bullet. Annah tucked her face into Tristian's chest to avoid sand and insect projectiles. Annah's insides began to quiver and she felt the nauseated dizziness of motion sickness. She felt as if she were about to explode. "PUT ME DOWN!" Annah finally screamed. Tristian glanced down and at her expression, he finally slowed down and eventually stopped. She jerked herself free of Tristian's arms, immediately throwing up, violently heaving until there was nothing but air. After a while she abandoned her doubled up position and collapsed on her side, taking a few deep breaths before opening her eyes to stare accusingly at Tristian.
"I am sorry, are you feeling better?" He asked as he helped Annah to her feet.
"I am going to have to eat something now." Annah grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest. Tristian ignored her attitude and began walking slowly down the beach towards the bustling city on the horizon.
"Then lets go to the city and find some place to grab a bite. After that we need clothes and some kind of weapon that will protect us from Cosette,” Tristian spoke in a low voice.
" And just how do you expect to do that? Do you have money?" She asked while looking in her empty pockets.
"I've been thinking" he began with a wry grin, "you yourself said that you couldn’t see Cosette when she was running around the room. I'll just ‘run around’ and grab what we need." He said with a smug grin. All Annah could do at this was throw her arms around Tristian as they laughed.
Tristian looked down at Annah, holding her eyes with his hypnotic stare.
"So, what kind of food do you like?" he asked softly.
"I don’t really care, it’s been so long since I had a choice. Just get me something really warm and really good." She replied in what was almost a whisper. There was pain in her eyes as she looked up to meet his gaze with a small smile on her mouth. Annah grabbed Tristian’s hand and began to walk up the beach towards the street that began shortly after the sand turned into gravel.
  They continued up the street silently until they stopped in front of a small thrift shop.
“Wait across the road there, on that bench. I will be back shortly." 
Annah opened her mouth as if to say something, but shut it a second later. Tristian's eyes turned soft as he asked, "What is it?"
"What if Cosette finds me while you're gone?" Annah's small white teeth pulled at her lower lip as she turned her face away from Tristian's eyes. He smiled reassuringly at her as he replied.
"She won’t come near you, not with so many people around as witnesses. Don't worry, you will be safe." The look in his eyes was sincere, but in his mind he was worried about that as well. He held his arms out to her and pulled her warm body into his arms. She relaxed and wrapped her arms around him after a few moments. With slight hesitation he drew back, still keeping hold of her hands. He gave them a small squeeze and with a slight brush of his lips across her cheek she was standing alone. Realization of this snapped into place, and fear washed over her.

  Annah could not keep her eyes still. With every turn of her head, they threatened to jump out of her skull. Her heart was hammering a frantic rhythm that made her stomach quiver. She had felt this vulnerable only one other time in her entire life. Slowly, the minutes trickled by. After about eight minutes of jumping at any slight movement, she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. She drew in a lungful of air and prepared herself to scream. Only the sound of Tristian's voice commanding her to relax kept her from screaming. He pressed a full plate of food into her lap and as her eyes fell upon the plate, her stomach growled savagely.
"I'll be back." Tristian whispered into her ear.

  From the darkest corner of an alley, a pair of angry eyes watched a pretty, young girl eating hungrily on the bench across the street. Stealthily, the shadow scaled the bare brick wall and leaped across the building tops, and slid down the wall into the alley behind the bench that Annah occupied. She was still hungrily chewing on a mouthful of shrimp when the shadow moved closer and shifted into its human form. Slowly, quietly it snuck up behind Annah, and placed one hand atop Annah's shoulder. Annah stiffened for a moment and said,” It’s not funny anymore Tristian"
A voice behind her sneered "Indeed".
  With that one word, Annah's blood ran colder than the ice that was her sister's heart. Annah spun around, sending the plate flying to the ground. Cosette grabbed Annah by the hair and dragged her into the alley.
"Tristian! Help Me!!!" Annah screamed. In a dizzying flash, Cosette had Annah's arms and legs tied behind her back. Though her limbs were tied into immobility, her thoughts were whirling madly, trying to think of a way for Tristian to hear her. She prayed the spilled plate would alert him to her distress. For one maddening moment, she thought she heard Tristian’s voice, but after that, the night remained silent.
  Cosette was a silent figure in the night. Though slight, Cosette was able to efficiently drag her sister behind her with seemingly no effort. In the meanwhile Annah was trying to get Cosette to say something, anything.
"Where are you taking me??" Annah asked in an angry tone. Cosette remained silent but replied by dragging her over sharp rocks that jutted out of the ground. Annah winced as the jagged corners cut into her side. Annah wasn’t about to give up that easily.
"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?" Annah screamed at full volume.
"You do not have to yell Annah, I am standing right here." Cosette replied sardonically. She continued to drag her sister on through the night. Though they appeared to be heading towards the docks, Annah's side kept skidding off of the sharp rocks. Tristian would have no trouble finding her now; the bloody path she was leaving would ensure that. Annah's side suddenly hit smooth wood. An icy shiver tore it's way down Annah's spine as she realized what Cosette's intentions were. She again began screaming for salvation. "TRISTIAN HELP ME! PLEASE" Her cries rang throughout the night. " OH MY GOD! TRISTIAN! TRISTIAN HELP --" All of the sudden, her cries were cut short. "Tonight my last tie to the human world is broken." she said with a laugh. Her eyes flashed silver as she looked down after her sister's sinking form. Her left hand, clasped around an unseen object, opened, releasing a small cloud of smoke. Cosette looked at the tiny charm bracelet that had been so familiar to her. Freakish smoke rose from her hand where the silver burned her. The moonlight gleamed off of the silver, perfectly illuminating the small inscription set in an equally small heart that read 'Always and Forever'. "No more" Cosette whispered as she flung the memory into the murky depths. With ruby eyes as dry as the desert, Cosette whispered before she walked away "Good-bye, my sister."

*So Cold*

Annah choked as the water pushed itself up her nose and down her throat with an icy authority. She watched with despair as the water closed over her head. She began to scream again, the water rushing to replace the air in her lungs. She groped blindly at her bonds, wildly scrabbling at them with fading hope. She felt herself sinking into the ever-darkening water. She watched as the bubbles rose to burst at the surface. The water was cold and it stung her skin. She felt her heart stutter and the burning of her lungs. Involuntarily, she again inhaled the ice-cold water. The water cooled the fire that was her chest. Slowly, unwillingly, she closed her eyes.

As soon as Cosette was out of sight, Tristian vaulted down the pier and dove down into the water. There were no bubbles to alert him to Annah's whereabouts, but there was a faint trace of blood in the water. Tristian swam further downward. With a sinking heart, Tristian caught sight of Annah. Her skin was as pale as marble, and just as still. She rested on the floor of the ocean, arms and legs bound behind her. Her hair swirled around her body, hiding her face. His stomach twisted as certain thoughts fluttered through his head. He grabbed hold of Annah and pushed them to the surface. As Tristian gasped for breath, his heart sunk again as he realized Annah did not draw the tiniest breath. He swam Annah's motionless form towards the beach. Once ashore, Tristian cut through the rope that tied Annah's limbs. As he turned her over, the limpness of her body tore a sob from his throat.
"Please Annah. No! Please No!"
The pale moonlight reflected on the water beaded upon Annah's pale face. Her hair was plastered against her neck and shoulders. Ever so gently, Tristian brushed the hair off of her face. Ever so lightly, he touched the thin silver chain that encircled her neck.  Tristian shut his eyes. When he opened them, the look of despair was lost, replaced with blazing determination. Without hesitation he drew his new hunting knife across his wrist. He let a few drops of his blood drip onto Annah's pale lips. The contrast of his dark red blood on her lips was enough to cause his stomach to quiver. He opened her mouth and let his blood flow into her. He grimaced as the wound closed, and gathered Annah's motionless body into his arms. He continued down the beach, stopping only when he arrived at the small cottage. Gingerly, he laid Annah on the bathroom floor, for he knew the transformation was a messy scene. He then closed the door and headed back out into the night.

When Annah woke, she was attacked by hunger. There was blood everywhere. Caked on her naked body, on the walls, on the floor. Her dreams were plagued by torrents of gushing blood, when she closed her eyes, blood was there calling to her. She groggily made her way out of the red stained room and halted when something big in the corner of the next room moved. It was a large deer lashed to the remains of an abandoned sofa. Instinct took over. The next thing she knew the deer was pumping the last gush of blood into her mouth. She shook as the memories rushed back to her as the blood refreshed her body. Next, she went back into the bloody bathroom and tried the faucet in the shower. It still worked. She allowed the water to again close over her head. She stood there until the water ran clean. She stepped out of the shower feeling completely refreshed. The next instant, she was running down the stairs into the basement where she knew Tristian slept.

Tristian was woken by a light shaking of his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw Annah. "Move over a little, will you?" Annah said. She slid her naked body into the bed next to his. She rolled over so that she was face to face with him.
"Thank You Tristian,” she whispered. "You saved me." Tristian wiped away the tear that slid down her cheek. His hands gripped the sides of Annah's face as he gently placed his lips against hers. "Sleep now. We have much to do when the sun sets."
Annah slid closer to Tristian and rolled over onto her side. She allowed her eyes to close and sleep welcomed her into it's arms.

The sound of footsteps was what woke Annah. The sunlight left small patches on the floor where it shone through various places in the room. Annah opened her eyes and rolled over to Tristian's sleeping form beside her. She shook his shoulder. He mumbled a few words that were indiscernible and rolled over onto his other side. Annah pulled on his shoulder again, harder this time.
"Tristian wake up!"  Annah whispered into Tristian's ear. This time he opened his eyes, they flashed silver as he shook his head in annoyance. Annah looked down at him, the tension in her eyes visible.
"I think I heard somebody upstairs. Do you want me to go check it out?" Annah whispered.
"No, just lock the door. It's probably just some animals playing around." Tristian mumbled. Annah stood with a fluid movement and seconds later stood at the top of the stairs. She turned the lock without a sound, but as she descended the stairs, one board made a tiny protest of Annah's weight.
"What was that?" one voice whispered.
"She said they would try to hide,” another voice answered.
Tristian's eyes flew open in a disorienting flash of silver. He quickly put his clothes on and gestured for Annah to come to him. In a flash, the two had hatched a plan. Tristian tied Annah the way Cosette had the night before. The intruders were banging on the door now, and the rusty hinges were about to give. Tristian concealed himself under the stairs while Annah lay bound, seemingly dead on the floor.
Finally, the hinges gave out with a pathetic whine. The two men burst onto the landing, narrowly avoiding falling down the stairs. They both made their way down the stair, the steps creaking and crackling with every step.
"Look Otis. Look at that. That must be the sister, but where's the big guy?" one man said to the other.
The two men circled the room, jumping at any sound the cottage had to offer. After half an hour of wandering in circles throughout the cottage the two men returned downstairs.
"He isn't here, but how can we tell the mistress that? She won’t be happy. I say we go to the pub, get happy and go to her afterwards and tell her we killed him." The other man conspired.
"Well, what are we still here for, I can hear the brew calling to me now." Otis replied with a smirk that split his dirt-speckled face. Annah and Tristian listened carefully and after a few minutes of silence, Tristian came out of the shadows.
"That was close. Thank you Annah." Tristian said as he knelt down beside her on the dusty floor to cut the ropes that bound her.
"Where are we going to go now?" Annah asked Tristian in a small voice.
"Anywhere but here." was Tristian's hollow reply.

After sun had set, Tristian and Annah raced off down the beach. They didn’t speak; they just ran side by side, two ghosts in the night. The tension from the intrusion pushed them further, until they were lost in it. They continued on for most of the night like this until suddenly, Annah stopped running. She slowed down cautiously, though the sand rained down on her like a gritty shower. After losing speed, she jogged into a small sandy cliffside and collapsed on the ground. Tristian slowed down as well, turning around so that he wouldn’t lose sight of Annah. She lay there in the little clearing for a while. At first, Tristian let her have her privacy, but as the time dragged on, he went and lay down next to her. Annah sighed and asked,  "What are we going to do Tristian? How are we going to find shelter before sunrise?"
Tristian chose his words carefully, a rainbow of emotions flickering over his face before he spoke, "I don’t know. If we can get far enough into the forest we might have a chance." As he spoke, his eyes flashed across the horizon. Annah looked up at his cold, strong face and began to chew on her lower lip. Through the corner of his eye, Tristian could see the despair in Annah's eyes. With blinding speed, Annah was up pacing the clearing, studying the ground intently. While Annah studied the ground, Tristian watched the sky. The bats were swooping low and fast, trying to catch all they could before the sun came up. Again, he looked at the horizon; it wouldn't be too long before the deadly rays would find them. On the far end of the clearing, at the edge of the cliff, Annah began screaming for him.
"TRISTIAN!! COME HERE!! HURRY!!" Annah's face was bright and her eyes wild.
She was frantically pointing down over the edge of the cliff.
"We must climb down this rock face. Hurry! We don’t have much time."
Tristian rose and walked slowly to the ledge where Annah was lowering herself to find her footholds.
"Trust me Tristian, there's no other way but down." Annah's voice called up to him. She was descending the face at an impossible pace. Tristian stepped carefully to the ledge and looked over. He snapped his body back over land immediately. His eyes flashed again to the horizon.
"Just my luck" Tristian muttered under his breath and with a sigh he grudgingly lowered himself into a seated position on the ledge. With another sigh, Tristian lowered his feet to find his holds. With blurring speed, he flipped himself over to hug the rock face. He hugged tighter to the wall with each step downward, for with each movement, the wind threatened to rip him from the rock. Unexpectedly, a gust of wind spun him sideways, causing him to lose his grip on the rock. Tristian began to fall. He gritted his teeth in anticipation of the jagged rocks waiting far below, desperately scrabbling at the stone. He caught himself with one hand on a small outcropping and with a relieved sigh he dug his feet into the rock. With painstaking attention he once again began to lower himself. To make matters worse, he could feel a slight tingling sensation on his back. The sensation was neither pleasurable nor painful, though Tristian instinctively knew that if he didn’t get into that cave quickly it would get much worse. After what seemed to be an eternity, Tristian's feet finally touched the opening of the cave. Annah and Tristian both glanced at the horizon before ducking into the opening that loomed before them.

*Into The Darkness*

  Before long, they couldn’t see the dim light that had shone in from the entrance.  As they moved further into the tunnel, Annah moved closer to him and pulled out a box of matches. Hesitantly, she slid a single match out of the box and struck it. Immediately, they were swallowed in a swirling whirlwind of leathery wings and high pitched squealing. Spinning around to face Annah, Tristian roughly pulled her screaming form into the protective enclosure of his arms. He felt a rough scratching on his shoulder, where one unfortunate beast was struggling to free itself from Annah's hair. Finally, the screaming whirlwind thinned and eventually stopped. The only sounds were that of Annah's ragged breathing and the steady drip of the tunnel. Once again, they began moving forward. After a while, the steady dripping sound echoing all around them morphed into a silvery tune. The music seemed to twist itself about them as they pressed further into the tunnel. Tristian positioned himself in front of Annah just in case they were to run into anything unexpectedly.
  The narrow, winding passage seemed to stretch on forever. As they continued the passage narrowed and the music grew louder and they were beginning to see the faintest traces of light. Tristian glanced over his shoulder at Annah. All he could see of her was the silver glowing of her eyes. The light at the end of the tunnel, which shone brightly now, flickered once, then twice and then went completely out. Cutting through the darkness like a blade through flesh was an scream so high that echoed so unnaturally that they both knew at once that the victim, whatever it may be wasn't human. The scream echoed all around them, swirling about them as if begging for help. At once, they broke into a run, blindly scrambling to uncover the reason for that haunting cry.
  Tristian ran sideways down the narrow passageway, hands pressed flat against the wall of the tunnel. All of the sudden, the wall ended and the slime covered floor sent Tristian sprawling down, Annah following soon after. Picking themselves up, they immediately became aware of a sharp smell in the room, the distinctinve smell of blood. Once again, Annah drew the matches from her pocket and struck one. As the light flooded into the darkness, they discovered that they both had a great wealth of blood on their already soiled clothes. Under their feet lay a pool of grime blackened blood. Where the blood came from they had yet to discover. Slowly turning around, Annah surveyed the large cavern. Just then, a large drop plopped down onto her cheek. Slowly, she dabbed a finger to the spot. As she looked up, her hand flashed out to grab hold of Tristian's arm.
"Oh my God! Tristian, Tristian look!" Annah choked out.
Tristian, following Annah's terror stricken gaze, he saw the body of what appeared to be a woman, scarcely older than themselves, skewered on a large stalactite. Her skin had a faint luminescence and her hair, an odd shade of cerulean, hung in bloodied clumps. As the luminescence faded away, the lower half of her body transformed into a glittering sea of purple and cerulean scales.
" A mermaid!", Annah breathed.
" But what is she doing in here, I wonder?" Tristian mused. Annah lit another match and tossed the old down into the blood. Further into the cavern they heard splashes followed by high pitched wailing. Suddenly, a woman appeared right infront of them. Her mouth did not move, but they clearly heard the words shimmer in their minds.
"Which of you did this?" Her silver irises dialated spasmodically as she edgily glanced back and forth between Tristian and Annah. After a moment, she began to stare at Annah with hatred pouring out of her otherworldly eyes. Sweat broke out on Annah's brow, and moments later, her eyes rolled and shut as she fainted. Tristian tried to stop Annah's fall, but found that he could not move a muscle. The mer-woman now stood facing him, with one hand outspread before her. Annah's head hit the floor with a sickening crack. The woman cocked her head as if listening intently to something only she could hear.