CHAPTER ONE

Kylie's matted hair fell on her face as she scrubbed the floor, cleaning the cracks clogged with dirt. The room was dark - it always was. The curtains were rolled in shut and the room was only ever filled with the noise of lonely footsteps. The mansion had become a famous museum as the story that Ruby had shared spread throughout the village. It had become a great tourist attraction. "Kylie?"

At the sound of her name being called, she dusted herself off and stood up. "Yes?"

Parker made his way towards her, the floor creaking with every step he took. Kylie hated that sound. It was the only thing she ever heard in the house, other than Parker's muffled weeps in the night or his monotone voice whenever he asked her to do something for him.

"Would you..." he began. He trailed off for a second, his eyes moving to the pictures framed along the wall. He glanced at Krysta's face, then winced and turned to Isaac's photo instead. "Would you go to the farmer and pick up some eggs for me?"

"Okay," Kylie said. Her gaze followed Parker's for a second, and she caught a glimpse at Isaac's portrait. A part of her wanted to take it down and throw it away, but another part of her still felt something for him. She shook the thought away. The last time she saw Isaac, he'd had a dagger sunken into his chest and it was all her fault. Luckily, Krysta's body still carried a pinch of magic which was enough to keep Isaac alive until help from the village arrived. He was probably married by now, with kids even. Kylie knew that it was unusual for a girl her age to be alone. In fact, many of the neighbours surrounding her had offered up their sons to her. She grabbed the basket woven by a woman on their block and a few coins. She draped a cloak over her shoulder and pulled the hood up, then walked out, her eyes staring at the ground. She could feel the heat seeping through the thin material as she neared the farm.

Henry was milking a cow when she got there. He was a young man with sandy blond hair and usually had dirt smeared somewhere on his face. He approached Kylie with a smile stretched across his face, a strand of straw pinned between his teeth. Kylie glanced at his ripped overalls when she caught a whiff of his smell - a mixture of tobacco and hay.

"Hello, Beautiful," Henry grinned, swinging an arm over her shoulder. Her cloak nearly slipped off, but she was quick to grab onto it.

"Hi Henry," she said. "I just need some eggs and I'll be leaving."

"Ah, Sweetie, no need to rush! C'mon, darling. I'll show you around."

Kylie winced at the word 'darling.'

"I know the farm, Henry. No need to show me around."

"Let me take you indoors, then. Give you a glass of milk."

"I'm quite allergic to milk."

"Water, then!"

Henry slipped his hand over hers and led her indoors. Inside, it didn't smell much better. The scent of horse dung and sweat attacked her nostrils. He made his way to the fridge and took out a box of eggs, then walked over to the counter. Kylie reached into her pocket, but Henry stopped her.

"It's free for you, my Darling."

"Oh. Okay, well, thanks."

She took the box and quickly made her way out, avoiding eye contact with him. When she walked out, however, her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes caught sight at the boy she once loved - only he wasn't so much a boy, now. His skin looked more weathered and tanned, probably from having worked outside so often, and his brown hair was slightly bleached from the sun. He was handsome in a rough sort of way. He didn't pay any attention to her as she was hidden by her cloak, but she took in every different feature of his and compared it to the image on their living room wall. He was better looking than before, she decided. That was when Henry came running after her.

"Kylie! My love!" he called. Kylie cringed at this, and looked away shyly, hoping Isaac wouldn't turn around. He did, however, a look of curiosity in his eyes.

Kylie pushed Henry away. "I must go home now," she mumbled.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait!" He got down on one knee. "My love, I need you. I need you in my life. I think about you all day and night. I dream about you. I think of our future all the time. My love, please, please marry me. Everything I have, everything I am - is all for you. I will be the happiest man alive!"

"Oh goodness, I really have to go."

"But listen! Hear me out! We could have so many beautiful children--"

"I've heard enough. I really must go."

He grabbed onto her and leaned in, trying to kiss her. Kylie pulled away quickly and with this, her cloak slipped off. Almost immediately, she felt the burn of the sun sting her skin. A scream ripped out of her throat.

Isaac knew it was Kylie, now. He dropped his things and ran towards her, taking her cloak and wrapping her in it, making sure it covered every inch of skin. Henry just stood there, unsure of what happened. He saw the redness in her skin, saw the scars that were forming from the light. "WITCH!" he yelled. "You're... You're a bloody witch!"

Isaac intervened. "She's not a witch. She has a condition."

"No!" he protested. "I've seen this before! I've heard stories! That, my friend, is a witch! You must back away right now, sir! She must burn at the stakes! She's a witch!"

"Enough!" Isaac said. "You're just angry because she doesn't want you. Leave the lady alone."

But Henry kept yelling, even after they had started to walk away. Kylie held close to Isaac, breathing in his scent, fighting back the urge to cry. "It's okay," he whispered. "You're okay."

They walked together like that for a while, Kylie pressed up against his warmth, his arms covering her protectively from the sun. He took her into his house where he covered all of the windows and let her lie on his bed. Carefully, he removed the cloak away from her face, revealing the burns.

"Sophia!" he called. "Could you get me a bucket of water, love?"

"Who's Sophia?" Kylie asked.

Isaac smiled at her, smoothing her hair back. "A girl," he said.

"Your wife?"

"Maybe one day."

Sophia stumbled into the room with a bucket of water and a rag. Her hair was messy and wavy, falling over her face. She was beautiful, more beautiful than her. "Hello," she said, smiling sweetly at her. She glanced at her injuries and soaked the rag, then pressed it to her skin. Kylie hissed, feeling it sting more than ever. "Where'd you find her?" Sophia asked.

"She's an old friend. Remember I told you about the house? This is Kylie."

"Kylie, oh my. I've heard so much about you. It's lovely to finally meet you."

At this, Kylie wondered how much Sophia actually knew about her. Did she know she was a vampire? Did she know Isaac was even a werewolf? Did she know about the people they've killed? Sophia gently dabbed on her burns, trying not to hurt her. The hollowness in her heart numbed it away.

"I should start cooking dinner," Sophia said. She pressed a kiss against Isaac's cheek and whispered something to him, then left.

Once she was gone, Isaac took a seat at the corner of the bed.

"How did you move on?" Kylie whispered.

His eyes met hers. "Move on from what?"

"You know..."

"There were lots of things to move on from."

"Ava,"

"Oh." He tensed a little at this. "Well, I mean, I just had to I guess. Sophia's very understanding."

"So she knows what you did?"

"No, and she never will." He gave her a stern look. "What I mean is she's just very caring. She knows I've done bad things. Just not specifically."

"You really love her, don't you?"

"Yeah,"

"I should get going..."

"No, wait, stay for dinner."

"I need to bring the eggs to Parker."

"Parker? You know where he is?"

"He lives with me."

"Oh, I just thought that, after what happened and all, with Krysta..."

"He'd hate me,"

"No!" Isaac hesitated, then proceeded with, "Well, yeah."

Kylie nodded and was silent for a bit. "So... How long have you been in the village? We've never run into you. It's a small area."

"We moved in just a few weeks ago."

"Oh... cool...Do you like it here so far?"

"It's nice, I'll probably be here for a while. It's a good place to start a family."

Kylie froze. "O-oh...Yes, it is. Many children live towards the center of the village. Henry and I are starting to think about having a family of our own."

Isaac tilted head. "Henry? The man from before?"

"What? No!" she lied. "A different Henry! My husband."

"Oh," Isaac smiled. "I wish you the best, then."

"You too..."

As Kylie said this, however, Sophia came running into the room, a frantic look on her face. "Isaac, something terrible has happened."

A/N: THANKS FOR READING Y'ALLS

HERE'S US SENDING YOU A KISS: