Chapter One: It Begins




She was running, running as fast as she could away, from him. Even though she was as fast as her legs could carry her, he wasn't far behind her, gliding in the
moonlit sky, coming closer, and faster.

"What does he want with me?" She thought as she approached the mansion she called home. "I'm only a girl.. a twelve year old girl.."

She ran through the gates and towards the two huge doors that opened to the mansion. "Gotta get away.." was the only thought in her mind. “Gotta hide..”

She flung herself against the doors and burst through them, into the house. Her lungs ached, her muscles were numb, she felt like her whole body was shutting down, like a machine. But she had to keep moving.. She slammed the doors shut, locking them with the deadbolt and ran up the stairs, heading to the attic.


At the top of the staircase she heard the doors shatter, despite the locks, which where still locked to the door chunk on the wall. He stared up at her, a huge grin being the only showing feature on his face besides his eyes. His eyes where black, almost too dark to be black, and they were glowing red around them. He emitted a low hiss and made a motion to the stairs.

Her eyes widened. “..no..” She ran down the hall, skidding past the many doors that framed the walls. She pushed her legs to keep going. “Cmon..” she thought. “Keep moving.. almost there..” She skidded down another hall and gripped the small fleet of stairs and hoisted herself up. Salean quickly opened the small  door to the attic with a shaking hand and got inside, locking it behind her.

She rushed to hide behind some boxes in the corner. She choked on the dust hidden in the cracks and crevices of the old wood floor, all of which had settled due to no one being up here in years. She wanted to cough but knew she had to hold it in. “Don’t.. don’t chough.. where is it..?” She looked threw the box tossing things left and right.

She jumped at the loud thud that came from down the hallway. “Where are you little girl?” a voice rang out and another loud smashing sound hit a door in the hallway. Salean panicked. “He’s coming for me! He’s going to find me and kill me!” she screamed in her head. She began to look through the boxes faster, but hardly making any noise as she dug through her father’s things. Looking for one thing.
Another loud crashing noise echoed through the hallway. “He’s getting closer.” her heart felt like a bomb, ticking not know when it will explode. Salean’s finger’s brushed against something, she strained to look at it, and realized what it was! She went to grip it when her ears heard a noise. Footsteps, just below the door of the attic.

Her eyes widened again, she gripped the object and crawled behind a large stack of boxes. The silence that filled the room was nerve racking. The attic door creaked and she backed up until her back touch the wall. She could see the wooden plank door from a crack between the boxes but she was almost sure he couldn’t see her if he came in. The door began to open and Salean’s heart stopped. She watched as a hand came through, the all of him. He pulled himself up, looking around the room, his teeth showing.

Salean trembled. “Oh my God.. he’s barely five feet away from me..” The large vampire walked around the room calmly. Suddenly, he grabbed a box and threw it at the wall, two feet away from where Salean was hidden. "Where are you little girl!?” he screamed, his voice raspy and course. “Come out and play!” he yelled again, over exaggerating the ‘play’. Salean was trembling harder now, gripping her weapon tight to her chest. She had almost screamed when the box hit the wall next to her, but she had managed to keep it inside her throat.

“I know you‘re in here, Salean Hawkeye.” he grinned. Salean’s eyes widened. “How.. how does he know my name?” He snorted, breaking her from her thoughts. “Hmph. Maybe you’re not here..” he said finally. Salean almost sighed with relief. He went to leave but then stopped, and made Salean freeze. His eyes traced the marks Salean had made only moments ago on the dust covered floor. He grinned. “Oh oh.. luck is not on your side today Miss Hawkeye.” he chuckled. She shivered. “Oh no..” He stepped in to the side of the boxes and his smile widened to see the small girl, shaking and on the verge of tears staring back at him.

His smile faded when he saw the objects tucked safely between her knees and stomach. “What is that!?” he roared at her. Salean fell over and pulled herself up again, crawling backwards, toward another wall. “I.. it..” she couldn’t manage speech at the moment. He stalked closer to her, and yelled again, angrier than before. “What is that!?” Tears started to roll down Salean’s cheeks. “It’s a steak! A wooden steak!”

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he muttered a curse word or two. He crossed his arms. “What do you plan to do with that?” he bent down and jabbed his index finger on her forehead. “Did you honestly think you could kill me?” he laughed. Salean whimpered. “W-.. well maybe I can’t kill you, but my father will!” The vampire stopped laughing and stood up straight again. “Oh really? Do you know who I am? Do you know how many people have lost their pitiful lives to me?”

Salean’s eyes widened again. “I.. I do! You’re... you’re Victor, aren’t you?” He laughed. “The child knows her top-rank criminal murderers, doesn’t she?” Victor smiled a sinister smile. “Too bad I must murder you as well.” Tears started to slide down her cheeks again. “I- .. I’m not afraid of you!” she yelled at him. “You look rather afraid of me, child.” he hissed. “No matter.” Victor spun around and kicked her in the side, sending flying into another wall. Salean cried out in pain and held her side.

He walked up to he again and picked her up by her neck. “Tsk tsk. No resistance at all.” he cackled, while Salean tried with all her might to remove his hand from her neck. Victor slammed her body down on the floor, making her cry out again. Salean coughed and blood dripped from her mouth. He vision was blurring, all she was able to even make out at the moment was his figure looming over her, until her eyes focused again.

Victor placed on of his boots on the temple of her head, pressing down on it. Salean squirmed in agony as he did. It felt like her skull was being crushed underneath his weight. “I’ll give my regards to your father when I kill him as well. Now, this won’t hurt.. much.” he laughed again. Just then a loud bang sounded out and Victor felt something embed itself in his shoulder.

Victor hardly flinched at the bullet wound. “Maybe luck is on your side today.” He turned to the window, which now had a small hole in it. He kicked Salean’s barely breathing body out of the way. He grinned maniacally and held his arms out. “Come and get me Hawkeye!!” A man smashed through the window and tackled Victor to the ground, landing a punch on his cheek. “You bastard!” he yelled at him. “How dare you touch my daughter!”

Hawk went to punch him again but Victor caught his fist and threw him into the same wall her threw Salean at not long ago. Salean had just began to come to when her father got up, got behind Victor and slammed him into the wall, with his elbow on his spine. Victor howled in pain. “You little punk!” he growled and punched him in the face, as hard as he could, breaking Hawk’s nose. His hands went to his face to hold his nose, when Victor shoved him and his fell back by Salean.

Salean quickly got up and went to help her father when he stopped her. “No Salean.. give me the steak and get out of here.” “What!? No dad! I’m not leaving you here-” “Salean! This is no time to argue. Give me the steak and get out now.” She didn’t want to leave her father here, alone with this mass murder, but she had no choice. She gave the steak to him. “I love you dad..” she sniffled. Hawk stood up and motioned for her to go. “I love you too Salean.” Victor snorted. “Disgusting.” he muttered. “Shut your gull reject.” Victor looked taken aback. “Reject!? Hah! I’m a prince, no, King, Hawk. I am no ‘reject’. I don’t care what my family says or does.”

Salean watched the two men bicker from behind a box by the door out. She wasn’t going to leave even if he pushed her down the stairs. Victor ended the conversation. “Enough. It’s not going to matter what you say in a minute because you’ll be dead.” “Yeah right.” he muttered and charged at him, steak gripped tightly in his hand. Victor made no motion to stop him, but as Hawk closed in on him, Victor’s hand went up, claws ejected, and pinned his claws into his stomach.

Everything seemed to freeze. Salean felt a cold chill run through her body, like all the joy had gone from the world around here. Hawk’s eyes watered and he winced in pain. Victor gave him a sinister smile. “Now, what were you saying?” Hawk looked at up at him, his eyes looked.. demonic. Victor’s eyes widened slightly as Hawk gripped the vampire’s wrist and drove the stake into his chest. Victor’s mouth hung open slightly before he clenched his teeth. He pulled his claws out from his gullet and let him fall to the floor and yanked the steak out, and discarded it behind him.

“Motherfuc-.. you really are-” Victor stopped. “Were one of the best.” he grinned. “I’d finish you off,” he looked at Salean, who he knew very well was there. “-but it seems, I have to seek medical attention. Goodbye.” and with that, he left, gliding back out into the moon light.

Salean watched him go but snapped back to reality when her father coughed hoarsely. She leaned down on her knees next to him. “F-father...” her eyes began to swell with tears. “No..” He was bleeding immensely from his nose, mouth and stomach. “S-..Salean..” he held out his hand for her to grab. She held it without even thinking, stroking over his knuckles. “I.. I’m so sorry.. Salean..” Salean’s lower lip began to tremble as the tears ran down her cheeks once more for tonight.

“No dad.. you did great..” she choked out through her tears. He smiled up at her and gripped her hand. “Be.. be good while I’m gone..” Salean sniffled “Yes daddy..” “I love you so much Salean..” “I love you to daddy..” Hawk’s smile faded as he closed his eyes, and his grip on Salean’s hand loosened. Salean hugged onto her father’s lifeless body, sobbing.

Rosemary, Salean’s nanny, had just pulled into the driveway, when she saw Victor fly out of the attic window. Her eyes widened and she ran into the house, up the fleet of stairs and into the attic. She saw Salean, holding her father, crying and she knew exactly what had happened. Rosemary crouched down next to her and held her, pulling her off her father. Salean struggled, crying and trying to go back to hold him, but Rosemary’s grip was too strong. Salean ended up clinging to her for dear life, sobbing into her jacket.

Rosemary comforted the child, holding her close. They managed to get down the stairs and to the phone, where Rosemary called the police, who calls the CIA and FBI. Hawk had been well known by both for his vampire hunting. Salean had cried the entire night, as all these men and women dressed in black suits came in and out of her home, carrying her father’s body away with them. She cried until there were no more tears left, always holding onto Rosemary.

One of the agents came up to Rosemary, to notify her that the butler, Jeeves, was unconscious in the living room, but he would be fine. She nodded and told him she would take care of it. The attic had been quarantined and no one was allowed inside. Not the press, who had been trying to question Salean until Rosemary nearly attacked them, or even the residence of the house. The CIA wanted to question Salean but Rosemary wouldn’t allow it.

Rosemary tried her best to comfort Salean, but for Salean, that night went on longer than an eternity. Her world ended that night, and in her mind, she had nothing to live for anymore.

It took them days but, they were finally able to get Hawk’s body back and set a date for the funeral. Everyone that knew him came to attend. Salean’s grandparents came, and were demanding custody of their granddaughter but Rosemary noted that in the will, Salean would be given to her for care until she wanted to give her up. A lot of people that Salean didn’t even know came to attend, they all said that she looked like her mother, like her father used to say. They all said that they were sorry, but if she was tough like her father, she’d be fine.

Andrew, Salean’s best friend came to see her. He had hardly knew her father but he wanted to try and console Salean. He brought her a rather large teddy bear and some flower for his father. “H-here Salean.” he stuttered. “This is for you, and your dad..” Salean smiled for this first time in what seemed like forever and hugged him, making him blush. “Thank you Andrew, it means a lot..” she sniffled and took the items.

They buried Hawk next to Salean’s mother, April, who had died when Salean was only five. Salean cried when the minister said his speech on her father, and even when it had started to rain, and everyone had gone home, she still stood there, by her father’s grave, mourning. Rosemary and Jeeves were by the limo, watching her, until Rosemary went and got her. “Miss Salean, you’ll catch your death of cold if you stay out here any longer, let’s go home, hm?” Salean nodded and followed her into the car.

Salean watched the rain droplets slide down the icy windows of the limo as they drove. The whole town seemed to frown and the wind groaned in sadness and agony. Rosemary placed her hand on Salean’s shoulder. “Everything will be alright, Salean. You’ll see.” she said warmly. Salean nodded slightly. “Yeah..” They arrived home and Salean went around the house closing all the curtains in the windows. “What are you doing Miss Salean?” Rosemary asked.
Salean paused then said “I don’t want to see the sky cry anymore.”

Salean went back to work and then went to her room. She left the curtain open in her room and watched the rain. Rosemary looked in on her and sighed. “So much for not wanting to watch the sky cry.” she thought. Jeeves and Rosemary both worried of Salean’s behavior but never said anything. Not even when she asked to quit private school and be home schooled. Andrew was heart broken when he got word of that but when Salean asked him to tutor her, his heart skipped a beat.

Salean was trying to exclude herself from the world, and she was succeeding.   





End Chapter