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I had hung up the phone shortly afterward, explaining to Ryu that I would be on my way over. I cracked my neck, feeling just how exhausted I was. It wasnt like I hadn't gotten little sleep, I was just tired because of all the things I was going to have to do.



I changed my clothes, not really picking out anything that was pretty. I was just wanting to be comfortable and I didn't want my wounds to show. I didn't need Ryu to see anything else besides the bruise on my neck. The marks on my wrist could be left alone, and my palms were just fine without him asking questions.



I grabbed my keys from my night stand, and opened my door to the quietness of my house. There wasn't anyone moving around quiet yet. I looked across to my sister's room, wondering if she was still asleep or waiting to see if I would sneak out this morning. I swallowed and tiptoed down the hallway, knowing that it didn't do much good.



The house made so much noise, that it was a wonder that we could all sleep anyways. I passed my sister's door, and it did not open. I was lucky that she really was sleeping or she could possibly just be gone. It wouldn't surprise me if she had just walked out on our parent's yelling at her. I ripped my thoughts from her, as I creeped down the stairs and into the living room.



I grabbed a jacket, but I didn't know if I really would need it. My purse was on the couch, I walked over and grabbed it. Still no one was coming out to see if I was leaving. I unlocked the front door, and walked out closing it. There was no one at the windows, no one running to get to the door. There was nothing.



When I turned my attention completely to the outside world, I was surprised that the sun was completely covered by thick black clouds. The way that it was, made it seemed like it was evening time rather than early morning. The wind was coming in soft gusts, playing with my hair. I smiled, and got into my car.



I drove the way to Ryu's house, silently grateful that the sun wasn't in my eyes. I was human, but I didn't like the sun probably as much as the vampyre's did.



I thought about Lady Jay, and the reasons as to why she would go away. Was it me? Did I dig too deep into her home, making her uncomfortable? Had I been getting too close to Shady?



I couldn't seriously stop myself from getting close to Shady, he was already as much in my thoughts as breathing. I shut my thoughts away as I got closer to Ryu's house.



I was still frightened of what Ryu could read in my mind, he had made it clear that he could read me if he wanted. I stopped the car, and parked it. I got out and walked across the grass, but before I even reached the door. Ryu pulled it open.



"Taloa..."



He was whispering even though he didn't have to. From here I could feel the emptiness of his house. I walked further to him acknowledging my name, but I didn't need to say anything. Once inside the house, I saw just how empty it was.



Some of the toys that I had seen from the last time I was there, was gone. There was some pictures gone, and even a couple of movies. I blinked trying to register all the differences, but I couldn't do it. Ryu stalked in behind me, slowly as if he had been hurt.



"Ryu?"



I turned to look at him and saw the pain in his eyes. He wouldn't cry, Ryu didn't allow himself that much. It seemed that strength came from holding, controling everything and anything. He had that much that he wanted to do.



"Are you okay?"



My voice sounded so small as he sat down on the couch, not even looking me in the eye. The question sounding down right awkward. I moved sitting down in a chair across the room. Unsure if I should actually been there.



"I can't do it."



I raised my eyebrows in confusion.



"Can't do what?"



Ryu then looked up into my eyes.



"I can't love the way they want me to love."



"What do you mean Ryu?"



He shook his head.



"I can't be human, Taloa. I can't love the way a human can."



I thought for a moment. How could he not love the way a human could? He wasn't that far from human.



"Taloa, it's part of the law of vampryes or rather a rule that you have two sources to feed from."



I nodded in agreement.



"Well, what exactly does that have to do with lady Jay?"



"It has nothing to do with Lady Jay, but everything to do with Lexi."



I tilted my head to the side.



"Who is lexi?"



"The other girl that I feed from. I am in love with her, not Lady Jay."



I blinked as if it didn't register, Lady Jay loved him so much. I could tell from the way she said his name, to the way she looked when she saw him. The way she hugged him, kissed him, for her there were love.



"You love this other girl, but not Lady Jay."



"Yes, I love Lexi. But she won't talk to me anymore. She wants me to be something I cannot."



"But what about Jay?"



He looked around the room as if I had asked a stupid question.



"What about Jay? She's gone. She couldn't handle it anymore, so she left."



I felt like I had stepped into something very private, and I shouldn't of asked. I felt Lady Jay's pain then, but I also felt Ryu's anguish. How do you choose from two girls that you care about alot? I could tell that he cared about Jay, because he looked really sad that he couldn't do the things he wanted.



He lifted his head in the air and sniffed softly.



"Taloa?"



I blinked, realizing that he was talking to me.



"Yes?"



He stared at me intently.



"Do you smell blood?"



I froze, as I realized that I probably had reopened one of the cuts. I really hoped that Ryu wasn't hungry, because then that would mean alot of running or playing like I was very dumb.

I woke up to light shining on my face, and birds singing as if it was perfectly fine to do that at six in the morning. I groaned, and rolled over throwing a pillow over my head. My mind cloudy about what exactly had happened last night. I felt my hip bump up against something solid.



I reached out from under the pillow, prodding what ever it was that was beside me. After a few moments, I lifted my head and realized that Shady was still asleep next to me. I blinked a couple of times to clear the fog from my mind. Shady was still sleeping, his breath shallow and controlled. He looked so peaceful and so completely attractive that it was hard for me not to hug onto him.



I pushed my arms up, and sat up to watch Shady as he slept. Despite the fact that I too was tired. I just couldn't sleep when he was there, and not only that. My family would be getting up soon, and I had to come up with a way to get him out of my house without being seen by the neighbors.



I stared at him for what seemed like hours, when Shady's eyes flickered open.



"What's wrong?"



His voice was rough and deep.



I shrugged alittle, but continued to stare at him deep in thought. He moved to sit up.



"What is it?"



He groaned practically, stretching his muscles to their full extent.



"I was just...wondering how I was going to get you out of here without being seen...."



He raised one eyebrow at me, and smiled alittle.



"Well...."



He reached up scratching his head as if he was just as perplexed by the problem as I was.



"I think I could let you out the front door, playing off like you visited. It's just that the neighbors across the street are very nosey."



I thought about Alice Gamble, that loved to gossip about anything. She was the neighbor, that I referred to the most just because.... She could turn a perfectly good thing you did, into something disgraceful and everyone would believe it.



I had been the victim of many of her gossip stories,yet she never said anything about my sister....but I always thought it was because my sister was extremely nice to Alice. I wasn't one to really be nice to anyone, that told everyone that I had been sneaking out.



Shady shook me out of my thought process on Alice, I was about to get to the parts with how I would hurt Alice if I ever got the chance.



"Yes?"



I blinked a little dazed, Shady smiled at me.



"If you really hate your neighbors so much, then you should just move."



I rolled my eyes, and I knew that it would be a great plan....if only I didn't need to live with my parents to stay afloat finacially.



"Well, you see...."



He held up his hand stopping me, as I realized we were about to get off subject and miss the oppertunity to get him out.



"I see it this way Taloa, I will go back out the window and if there any neighbors out there. I'll just scare them so bad that if they want to say something....it would mean their life."



I shivered about it, even though Shady seemed like a cuddly teddy bear to me. I could imagine just how scary he could be.



"Alright, we'll go with your plan."



I let Shady out the window, and watched him go down but always making sure to look and see if Alice was standing in the window. As luck would have it, she wasn't today. Probably was way too early for gossip, Shady ran across the yard and to a car that had been parked in between two houses. I thought how clever it was, because the neighbors over there rarely talked and would assume that he was staying with the other.



He started up the car, and drove off. My heart began to sink as I realized that he wasn't going to come sneak back through my window today. I was about to go back to sleep when I realized Shady had left his shirt.



I grabbed it, and smelled it to see if there was anything left that smelled like him. There was the rain, some cologne that he had been wearing although light now. There was also something else, maybe it was the smell of grass....but all of it mixed together was intoxicating.



I laid down, hugging onto the shirt, when I heard my phone ring.



"Hello?"



A deep voice answered back.



"Hey Taloa..."



It was Ryu and it seemed like he wasn't the happiest either.



"What's wrong?"



He didn't answer for a while, and when he did he was so soft that I had to press the phone hard to my ear.



"She...left me...."



I shook my head softly, not really understanding.



"What do you mean?"



Ryu shifted on the other side of the phone.



"She's gone...."



I could hear him take in a ragged breath but there was no tears. I didn't think that Ryu was the type to just cry about anything.



"Taloa. You need to use your head, who do you think left me?"



Then with a realization, I about jumped off the bed.



"Lady Jay?"



My voice was harsh, but only because I felt rather dumb. I sat there shocked that she would leave the man that she loved so dear.

I laid down on my bed shortly after I was sure that Shady was gone, and I stared at my ceiling. There was so much things going on in my life that was already complicated. Could I really subject Shady to my Chaos? Even though I was human, and he was a vampyre it was already a mess.



I blinked, and knew that sleep was something that I would suffer without tonight. I listened to the rain storm, and felt as if it was echoing everything that was going on with me. I was just as wild as it, even if it wasn't on the outside. I kept things pretty well hidden, but I had some ideas that just weren't....to say the least normal.



My family, was something that I blamed for my abnormalities, but I thanked them for it at the same time. If it was any difference, my father had been a buisnessman his whole life, he ran his own store here in New York and it didn't do so bad. My mother had invested all her time into it, meaning that she had thought up most of the designs.



My mother not only did stuff for the company with my dad, but she also had a small designer company. It was a local New York type thing and she enjoyed seeing her work out there. Throughout my highschool career, I didn't have to worry about other teenagers thinking I looked Dorky. It had been my mother, and she was always the one I refered to as the Fashion police.



My sister....what could I say about her? She was 3 years younger than me, and her idea of having fun was throwing back some beers. She and I were very different, but I loved her with all my heart because out of anyone in this house...she was the one that understood the most.



I barely spoke maybe two words a week to my parents, not because I hated them just because they were way too busy with work. Whenever they did talk to me, sadly it turned into an arguement like the day before. My sister would actually talk to me, and she could read me like a book. Yet, even as I adored her....She was just as fucked up as my parents were.



Why was I thinking of my family now? Because if anything it was a perfect thing to think about. If I wanted to stay invovled with Shady, Ryu, and Lady Jay. I had to think about them and that was why I wondered....



Did I really escape the mold? I don't believe so...I was taking off into the night to talk to strangers...to be around them. Just so then I could make myself feel bit better about who I was, because I was hanging out with vampyres and documenting them. I was disgusted with what I was doing just to get that fix, and I could not let Shady be with a person like me.



I was about to just turn over and call it a night, when a knock came at my window once more. I looked into Shady's eyes and knew that he hadn't really left me. He had been waiting until he could sneak back in.



I helped him in, without saying a word. I knew the door to my room was locked now, and I understood that it would stay that way. Although I would of been more of a fan of it staying as dark as it was now, even if it meant painting the windows black.



"Taloa..."



He looked alittle saddened as if I had said something to him that had upset him.



"yes?"



I looked into his eyes, and realized that there were tears rolling down my cheeks. When had they started flowing? Why was I crying? I had nothing to cry about.



I wiped then away, and smiled the best I could yet I realized that it was stupid.



"What's wrong?"



Shady was peeling his soaked shirt off, knowing that it would help to keep him from getting sick....not that he really got sick with him being a vampyre and all.



I shook my head, I didn't want to think about it. I looked down at the ground hoping that he wasn't planning on stripping in my bedroom.



"You better tell me..."



I heard the frustration in his voice and had to look up. He had a wife beater on, which showed off his muscles and his jeans were a deep blue from the water.



"I don't think I can Shady, it's just too compliced."



He sat down next to me, and I didn't even care if he made my bed wet along with him.



"Then why don't you try..."



I shook then, and felt a new wave of tears start and I couldn't speak as if my throat had swollen shut. I closed my eyes and let myself sob as if I couldn't do anything. Shady reached over putting his arms around me.



"It's going to be okay Taloa...."



He said into my ear, I shook my head and turned putting my arms around him. I crawled into his lap, like a child and sat there for the longest time. I couldn't do anything more...I couldn't tell him my sorrows.



At some point he had managed without me knowing to shift us to where we were laying down. His arms completely around me, hugging me to him. When I had stopped and my eyes were swollen from it, I opened my eyes to look at him.



"I'm sorry..."



He nodded softly, and I realized just how close we were, but I didn't care at that moment. He ran one hand through my hair, sending shudders up and down my back.



"I just have a rather fucked up family."



He didn't smile, but at the corners of his mouth they turned slightly upright as if he knew.



"I understand that alot, I think most of the vampyric community could understand it."



I hadn't thought about it, there were people being turned...so wouldn't it mess of a family even if it wasn't intentional. Yet, as I thought hard about it, I realized that my eyes were closing on their own because of how tired I was. Shady was shifting as if he was going to get up.



"I think I should go, I just didn't want to leave you because I thought you'd want to talk..."



I grabbed around him, not wanting him to leave.



"No...." My voice only a whisper as if pleaing with him.



"Please stay with me..."



I looked up at him, and saw him smirk as if he had been wanting me to say that all night. He laid back down, and lightly kissed my forehead. I could smell the rain on him now, and the smell of grass it was delightful. I took a deep breath, because I wanted to inhale it all in.



"Go to sleep Taloa..."



I wanted to protest, because I wanted to talk to him, but I found my eyes betraying me. I drifted off in Shady's arms.

The house shook, and rumbled when I woke up, I had fallen asleep holding onto the pillow and had fallen backwards onto my bed. I looked up at the ceiling and there was light flickering. I turned looking out my window, realizing that it was raining and quiet violently too. The tree that was right outside my window shook and tapped against the glass.



I stared to a moment, then felt arm throbbing softly. I had forgotten to clean up my wounds that had been inflicted earlier. The house was quiet except the storm, surpising that no one had come in to tell me to wake up. I held my arm close to me as I stood, feeling the aches and pains all over my body. My neck didn't hurt half as bad.



I walked slowly to my door, unlocking it and walking to the bathroom. I turned on the light and squinted against the sudden brightness. I took a better look at my arm, there was tiny red lines traveling from my wrist to my elbow. I looked at my palms, the cresents I had left were scabbed over.



I bent down opening up the cabnet under the sink looking for the bandages and neosporn. Once I found them, I stood setting them on the sink. I turned on the water cleaning my palms, then my arm. It burned slightly and I hissed everytime it did. I put neosporn on my palms covering them with white gaze, then I did the same to my arm.



Once I had put to stuff away, I looked at my handy work. Then into the mirror, it seemed as if I had been in a cat fight, which was funny because only part of the wounds were sort of like a cat fight.



I turned out the light in the bathroom and went back to my room. I sat down at my bed, knowing that I wasn't tired enough to go to sleep just yet. I sighed softly wondering if I should just pack up and leave now. It's not like my parents would care, not after this afternoon.



I laid down, and just as I was about to shut my eyes I heard a tap on my window. I thought it was just the tree so, I turned over putting the pillow over my head. The tapping got louder, I sat up to look at the window when I saw Shady staring at me. I had to choke back a scream.



I opened the window, and helped him inside hoping that no one would come in. After I shut the window, I quickly walked over and locked my door again. I looked over, noticing that Shady was soaked through, but there was nothing I could really do about it.



"What are you doing here?" I whispered as best I could.



"I wanted to see if you were alright..."



He looked around my room, realizing that it must be bizzare standing in it.



"I'm alright."



He looked down at me, then to my bandages on my arm. He seemed disgusted as if my parents had beat me.



"It's nothing Shady, my sister just bit her nails into me, and my palms are from me."



He didn't seem convinced, but I wasn't going to try and change his mind.



"Is that all you wanted?"



He looked up to my face, and I realized there was something else.



"Taloa...."



He trailed off, running his hand through his hair as if he was trying to find the right words to say something to me.



"Look, I like you and I was hoping you'd feel the same way."



I blinked taken back by his statement. He liked me? How could he like someone like me? He was a vampyre, and there were other vampyre girls out there that would be much better.



"But....Shady...I don't..."



I shut my mouth unable to find the words to speak, I could see a smile forming on his mouth even though I didn't see it.



"It's okay. I tend to come on strong sometimes."



He mumbled softly, but at that moment he stopped and backed further into the shadows. Seconds later a knock came on the door.



"Taloa?"



My mother's sleepy voice was questioning. I acted as if I had been sleeping...



"yeah mom?" My voice cracked like I had just awoken.



I could hear her yawn softly.



"I thought I heard talking going on."



I shook my head as if she would see or hear it through the door. I yawned too.



"No, I was just talking in my sleep."



I knew she was probably nodding, and I listened as her feet padded off almost silently. I turned to look up at Shady, he smiled at me apologetically. I helped him open the window, and he slipped out into the night. I watched him go, and I wondered if I could have him.

As soon as I pulled by the house, and cut the engine I comtemplated on leaving right then. I was never one to like confrontation and my father was the king of it. He never knew how to express how he was feeling when it was an appropriate time. I took a deep breath, and blew it out. I carefully got out of the car, trying not to make too much noise as to letting them know I was home. I didn't need another scene for the neighborhood to talk about.



I stood on the lawn, and felt my knees wabble alittle I looked back to my car, keys in hand. I could leave and just tell them to fuck off otherwise. Yet, I knew that I had no one else to go, even if Ryu would of been nice of enough to allow me to stay with him. I just couldn't bring myself to make myself a burden.



I turned back walking across the lawn and up to my door. I sucked in the air around me, but felt my heart beating so fast that it seemed to be jumping into my throat. I knew that this was going to be another nasty fight, and I just wasn't ready to deal with it, but I would have to anyways.



I opened the door, and closed it slowly hearing footsteps come up. I acted as if nothing was bothering me, but it was a mask of sorts.



"Taloa!"



I looked up to see my father standing not to far away from me, his eyes looking rather angry. My father is not a very tall man, infact it is an inch below 6ft. He has hair that is completely gray, and brown eyes that are intense. He was a marshmellowly type person, rather than working out...he had let himself go. Although he wasn't very intemidating to others, I still had memories of when he was a giant to me.



"What makes you think that you can leave at all hours of the night in this house?!"



I cringed, feeling as if he was reducing me to the size of a pea.



"Well...."



I trailed off, because I really didn't have an answer. I couldn't very well tell them what I was doing, they would put an end to it and possibly make the grade on my paper worse. I knew that I had to protect this secret no matter what.



My father didn't waste anytime on an answer.



"You are not allowed to go out pass midnight no matter what, you know that! If you think that you can do that, just because you aren't in highschool anymore than you can just move out!"



He now moved into my personal space, his finger hitting my nose. I stared him in the eyes, but found that I was starting to get angry myself. This always happened when he did this.



"Shut up!"



His jaw tightened, because it had been a long time since I had stood up for myself. He had gotten so used to me just taking these emotional beatings.



"I don't give a damn what the rules of this house is, if I need to go out to make a grade I will very well do it."



I reached up, shoving him away from him. He looked rather shocked by my reaction. From the corner of my eye I could see my mother standing off to the side, rather angry herself and then my sister came around the corner with a look on her face that told me she had told them. I had been covering up for her for years, but now it seemed that after all my service there was no loyality.



My mother was alittle bit taller than I, with short graying brown hair, and brown eyes that flooded to black when angry. She was curvy and when she was young had been adored by many men. yet, age had changed her from the beauty queen that she once had been.



"You don't ever touch your father young lady!"



She came over trying to get into my space, but I wouldn't have any of it. I practically jumped out of the way, ignoring the rest of what she was trying to say. I wasn't scared of her anyways.



My attention was completely on my sister Miranda. She had been standing there still as a statue, slient but even I could tell she was thinking of something. Miranda was shorter than me, her eyes a bluish-green hazel, her hair a light brown. Many of the boys found her appealing because of it, and she had our mother's curves to top it off, but she had more of our father's features.





"And you little bitch!"



I turned my anger on her, she backed away surprised trying to play the innocent victim.



"You think your so smart, trying to win them over because you think it'll give you something over me. But it won't!"



I turned looking at them, and then I smiled knowing what I was going to do next.



"You two did know....that Miranda has been sneaking out of the house every friday and saturday night since the 8th grade? And you did know that she has had sex with about 3 guys already right?"



They were about to shout at me for even saying the word bitch, but it cut them off. My sister grabbed my arm, digging her nails into until it drew blood.



"You promised!"



I laughed at her, and I smacked her across the face.



"You think that I would keep a promise with you, anymore? After everything that I ever did for you, you're going to rat me out because you want to cover your own ass? I don't think you realize how much I went through."



I drew away from her, my arm becoming bloody with the scratches she was leaving but I didn't care.



"You all can go fuck yourselves you bunch of hypocrites."



I ran off locking myself in my room, leaving my sister to finally get what she deserved. I listened to them yell back and forth about the punishments and the things that would change. There was talk of a security system, and taking away the car. I grabbed my pillow and hugged it to me, as angry tears racked my body. I wasn't proud of what I did, I wasn't someone that hurt others intentionally.



I just couldn't take having to deal with a family, that were out for their own benefits. Was it really all that us humans were here for? To make others look worse, so we could seem perfect? I couldn't bring myself to think this way, but at the sametime it seemed the vampyres had survived because of loyality. All we had was numbers, just the cold hard facts of science and mathematics.