In a world so like our own.

On a day so much like this one.

Yet so, so different.

Lurking in the shadows were the beings of fear and darkness, of hatred and jealousy these beings glared out from the shadowy alleys while the sun still shone, but the moment it fell beneath the horizon and the people fled to their homes, that is the time of the dark ones.

The time when werewolves howl and the shadows swallow all those brave or foolish enough to venture out, the time when those who are lucky enough to escape the clutches of the dark come back filled with hatred and rage and horrible thoughts. No one escapes the grasp of the dark even if all they can feel is the cold, clutching fingers reaching out to pull them under.

But there were those who fought against the dark, they fought against the stretching shadows and fearful nights; they were present in the warmth of the suns rays and the shining of a full moon. They were the light ones.

And then there were the ordinary people, the humans, who stayed under the warm cloak of the light ones and avoided shadows. They tried to live happy lives and pretend that if they stepped out of their door at night a thousand beings wouldn’t suddenly appear next to the sound of a beating heart ever ready to still the sound for all eternity. They tried to ignore the screams of the unfortunate ones and the howls of their triumphant predator. They were the simple folk.

Then there was me.

I. Us.

We were the unfortunate folk, not ignorant enough to be one of the simples, not pure enough to be one of the light ones and definitely not evil enough to be a dark one. We were in the middle. In between. The grey ones if you like. We were the beings of dawn and dusk, the ones who could slip through day and night, harmed by neither, scorned by both.

I, myself was respected and hated by both sides, I had recently foiled a plan of the dark stopping many of the worst evil ones coming into human life which meant that I definitely was not on their good side, but though the major meanies hadn’t fought their way into human hearts many of the lesser vampires and werewolves and minor illnesses had come to spoil life and the light guys were pretty pissed about that.

So here I was watching from the edges, from the fringes of light and dark, sun and shadow, I watch the goings on of everyday life and fervently wish I could be a part of it.

It is not to be though, I would never fit in with my skin so pale not even the strongest sun can darken it and my long waves of hair, the delicate blue gray of a fine winters evening.

No. I would always be the one who sits in the corner hunched over her drink while those around her exchange whispers and quick glances.

I would never be trusted as is the curse of my people, to be solitary, alone living on the border of all the worlds able to watch everything that goes on, but always knowing that the carefree people chatting on the street can never be you. Always being alone.

And so life goes on.