Chapter 1

The rain pounded against Noah Trison's head as he hurried to the bus stop. The shutters of the shops next to him were all closed, some decorated with crude graffiti, all of which he had seen dozens of times. He was on his way home from work at a small café near the centre of town. It was busy and paid well, but his late shifts meant that he was sometimes walking home in pitch black.

Despite this, Noah was always sensible when it came to walking around town at night. He kept his phone in his front pocket, so that it was easy to access, he had a bag of coins in the bottom of his bag, to improve the strength of his punch, and he always avoided the alleyways when possible. He regretted not having a car most nights, as he was an art student, and that meant carrying a lot of supplies back and forth.

There weren't ant seats at the bus stop that Noah found to be his destination. The seat had undoubtedly been ripped from the shelter in some sort of defiance from a youth or the result of a drunken rage. So, Noah was forced to stand just inside of the shelter, leaning against the cold glass. Luckily, the light of the shelter wasn't broken, and he would be able to see the bus without any issues from here.

Noah cursed under his breath as a strong gust of wind swept by and decided his hat no longer needed to do its job. Thus, the grey bobble hat flew from his head, and was carried down the street. It left Noah's caramel curls to dance into his eyes.

His hat landed in a space between two buildings, making Noah wonder how on earth it managed to travel so far. He was no physicist, but he knew that the probability of that happening would be slim.

Noah bent down and grabbed his hat off the floor, brushing the dirt off it as best as he could. He didn't get a chance to turn around and return to the bus stop. He felt a large force against his back, pushing him forwards and onto his stomach.

The buildings cast a shadow so dark he could hardly make out a shape in front of him. His pale hand stood out against the darkness, as it had attempted to catch him during his fall. He turned, wondering what had pushed him down.

He didn't need to wonder for long though as a deep and dark chuckle came from in front of him. Noah looked up; the face of a very handsome man stared down at him. The man's face was illuminated by a red gleam which seemed to flow from his eyes, it created lines, like veins, over every part of visible skin. The crimson glow only brightened at his eyes, which were set in a harsh, calculating, glare.

Noah was frozen with fear as the man seemingly floated towards him, footsteps not making a single sound against the concrete. As some lights from above windows passed over the man's face, raven hair and a small smirk were revealed.

The muscles in Noah's arms and legs were screaming at him to get up and run as his mind hadn't yet comprehended that the events were taking place. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing, which only made it easier for the other man to advance.

The man crouched down in front of Noah, his glove-clad hand reached down to lift Noah's chin. Noah's cheeks were burning hot in comparison to the man's icy touch. It was as though his entire body had become a hot water bottle and it was the middle of winter.

The man's expression was emotionless and unreadable as he examined the human in front of him, eyes raking over Noah's muscular body. Noah had been on the football team and was rather active. If anyone were to stumble across this scene, then they would wonder how the stranger was the one dominating, as he appeared frail.

"Listen," the man said, still holding eye contact with Noah. "Lets make this easy for the both of us, you don't scream, or struggle and you'll experience less pain."

That was the moment the man sunk his fangs deep into Noah. Noah winced and tried to pull away, but the man had a vice-like grip on him. The poor human stood little chance against the vampire, as he felt his blood slowly leaving his body and dark spots appeared in his vision.

A few seconds later, the vampire pulled away from Noah and looked at his unconscious body with remorse and grief. A tear nearly fell from Crow's eye as he looked away and fled the scene.

One down, a few thousand or millions to go in his lifetime.

Crow's POV

I really hate doing this, I thought as I quietly shut the door behind me. I didn't want to disturb my parents, nor did I want them to know that I had actually left the house in the first place. I was meant to be studying for a test that I have coming up, but I couldn't ignore the pain in my stomach and throat any longer. It had almost driven me to the point of insanity, or worse, hurting my mothers.

"Crow what are you doing down here? I didn't hear you coming down the stairs," my mother said with her arms crossed. A suspicious gleam shone bright in her emerald eyes. I usually found comfort in her kind and caring expression, but at the moment, she looked about ready to scold me.

"I-I was just being quiet, you know?" I swung my foot back and forth, thankful that I had managed to take my shoes off before being interrupted. "I didn't want to disturb your programme." I gestured towards the living room with a sheepish smile. Mother didn't look like she believed a word that I had said.

"Crow? Come here a sec please!" My other mam, Ruby, shouted from the living room.

I followed my mother, who rolled her eyes at her wife's behaviour, into the living room. My mam was sitting on the settee, staring at the television, the blue light made her red hair look purple. I was glad mam had interrupted, as I had forgotten they weren't watching a programme. The pair were watching a movie that I had to put on for them. "Could you sort this thing out please?" mam asked as she held up the television remote.

I chuckled, taking the remote from her and turning towards the television. "What did you do this time?" I asked and sat next to her on the settee. Both of my mothers were in their early thirties, so I didn't understand how they didn't know how to use the simplest of technology. They were forced to understand technology due to their business; Mother could do anything on the computer. But the television was a lost cause.

"Nothing, I swear." Mam held her hands up in surrender as humour shone in her blue eyes. "I just don't know how to technology. You know that. It just froze." Her voice started to get quieter and quieter. Mam liked to think that she was 'tech savvy' and got easily annoyed when she didn't understand things, it didn't matter what it was. She just didn't like being confused.

"For once, she's telling the truth," Mother mused. "Something you should try and do once in a while." I knew she was joking, but I still turned my eyes to the television to avoid focusing on the pinch of guilt that had grabbed my stomach. I felt bad for lying all the time, but it was for their own good. If I told them about what had happened to me over the past two years, they would have me locked up, or arrested.

"And by just froze you mean someone pressed the pause button." I looked accusingly to the floor, where Raven lay stretched out. I always thought that Raven was a strange name for a cat, but my mother's names were both colours, and my name was a bird. They thought that they should keep the tradition of having similar names for their children, both human and animal. Raven looked up and even though he was a cat you could see the mischief in his green eyes.

"Wait, you little-." Mam had a grin on her face as she laughed at Raven. "I suppose you didn't like the film we were watching, huh?" She him up and he snuggled into her lap.

Mother reached over the back of the settee and scratched Raven between his ears, causing him to purr in happiness. I couldn't stop the smile from appearing on my face as I offered either of them the remote.

I stood up and stretched, being careful not to hit the low-hanging light, which was a threat to my head, never mind my arms. "I'll be upstairs if you need me. " I grabbed my school bag before leaving the room and heading upstairs to my room. My mother shouted something about there being food for me in the microwave, and I made a mental note to have it soon. It wouldn't be of any nutritional value, but I never liked to miss out on my mother's cooking. At least I was out of trouble.

My room was quite extravagant for a teenager, as my mothers liked to spoil me rotten. I was grateful for it every time I stepped foot through my doorway. Some teenagers could only dream of having the latest video games console and an extensive wardrobe. My mother's family was very wealthy, and my parents continued to work hard to provide the absolute best.

The walls of my room were a midnight blue, decorated with tree silhouettes which blended in with my black shelves, stacked to collapse with books. One thing which always caught my eye were the remains of glow-in-the-dark stickers on my ceiling which had never came off. It didn't matter how long I lived here, or how long the stars were there, they still startled me.

I walked to my scribble-littered desk, which I have had since I was about ten, but I didn't see a point in getting a new one as this was a perfect height for when I was sat on the floor. I didn't have enough room beneath it for a chair, as my legs were too long. I didn't mind that too much, I liked to sit on the floor. It also made it easier for Raven to join me.

I opened my laptop and entered my password; typing 'bluewillow435' was almost an automatic movement for me. I opened Microsoft Word and began to write my thoughts.

"Dear diary,

It was a university student today. At least, that's what I gathered from the lanyard he wore. His name was Noah Trison, I read that before I knew what I was reading. I hate knowing the names of those who I go after, it made me feel even more guilty then I already do. Knowing their names just confirms that they had a life, had being the big word. May Noah Trison rest in peace. I hope, if the afterlife does exist, that he knows how sorry I am and how unfortunate it was that he stumbled across me tonight.

As for the rest of my day, it was uneventful, the usual, the mundane. I hope I never grow tired of it, but I fear that day is coming soon. Though, I have work to do so I guess I'll get on that, that's me for the night. Speak tomorrow."

I signed off with a bird drawing, my signature. 

QUESTION OF THE DAY
What colour were the walls of your bedroom growing up? Or now?

My bedroom has always been a light purple, which I very much still enjoy and would like to keep next time it's decorated.