A/N: This is the new an improved version of Vampire House. There are a few major changes (i.e., my writing has improved) but it is mostly the same. There are a few character/name changes that I will point out as it goes. Hope you enjoy it =D

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Chapter 1

Kest sat bolt upright in bed, a cold sweat clinging to her forehead. She blinked furiously – banishing what was left of her dream. It had been all too real for her liking but now that she was awake, it was harder to recall what had happened. It had started as a dream – perhaps a memory. She could remember feeling happy and safe. The only image that stood out was that of a man. She had dreamt about him before, every time looking up at him as a child would their father. He was handsome with a square jaw and crooked nose. His hair was jet-black – darker than the night sky behind him – and his eyes were a piercing green. These were very similar to Kest’s own features so she prayed it was a memory. If it was, it was the only memory of her father she had.

Then the dream would turn sour. There was shouting and gunshots, and the man would crouch beside Kest. He would kiss her forehead, tell her in a soft voice that everything would be fine but then he would leave and, every time Kest watched him pause in the doorway, her heart would rip in two. She always woke at this point - always. She never seen his fate or the woman who called on him but she believed him, she knew that everything would be all right.

The window clattered against the wall giving Kest the fright of her life. She sat motionless until her heart stopped trying to escape through her head. Her eyes flitted around the room, looking for anything that was out of place. Nothing had moved. Everything was just the way it should be - just where she had left them. She cautiously rose to her feet, steadying herself on the bed frame, and shuffled over to the window. Kest avoided the billowing curtains even although she knew they could do no harm. She pushed the window shut warily watching outside just in case. It was a beautiful night; the stars were glistening like gems at the bottom of a still, clear pond but something about its stillness that chilled her to the bone. There was no reason behind this fear but every time she got close to one, it slipped through her fingers and back into her subconscious. She closed the latch and drew the curtains back across it. She let the reasoning be and lay down on the top of the bed sheets.

Unable to sleep, Kest made her way downstairs as she had so many times before. The house was relatively small but space had never been a problem with only her mother and sister Emiline there with her. The house had never changed, even as Kest and Emiline had grown up. Even after Emiline left, nothing had been moved. The stairs squeaked familiarly as Kest tiptoed to the ground floor. Her mother didn’t wake as Kest slowly opened the sitting room door. She gingerly closed it before creeping over to the chair beside the still glowing fire. Curling into a ball, she pulled the shawl from the back of the chair around her shoulders. It had been her fathers, of his last gifts to her before he left. She had never let anyone touch it and, although she was now seventeen, it still smelt as it had when she was three years old.

Kest stared deep into the fire. People had always told her you don’t miss what you never had. But it was a lie. Kest did miss her father even though she could barely remember him. Her family never spoke of him and her mother had made them swear never to utter his name - so it was long forgotten. One day Kest would find out who he was and where he had gone, of that she was certain. He had told her everything would be fine - and she still believed him

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Kest’s eyes snapped open. It was daylight outside, the small shafts of sunlight edging their way under the curtains. However, this was not the reason she had awoken. There was someone in the room. Since she was little, she had been able to tell when others were near. She could never tell how she knew; she just had a feeling.

“There you are,” a familiar voice sighed.

Kest turned too look at the door. Her mother stood in the doorway, her light brown hair hanging in a pleat over her shoulder and her dressing gown pulled tight across her chest. She cautiously made her way forward and sat in her armchair opposite Kest. Her mother’s eyes danced with relief as they did every time they found Kest downstairs after seeing her empty bed. Kest had tried to run away twice before - both times while she was sleepwalking - once after her father left and the other when her sister moved out.

“Rough night?” he mother asked.

Kest nodded. She didn’t want to talk about it and she knew her mother wouldn’t appreciate that particular subject. Kest glanced at the last glowing embers in the fireplace. They pulsed with the remnants of life, two dark hungry eyes gazing out from the darkness.

“Well,” her mother said, breaking the uneasy silence, “Time to get moving - the animals won’t feed themselves.”

Her mother rose to her feet and held her hand out towards Kest. Kest smiled and grasped her mother’s rough hand. Her mother hauled her to her feet and pushed her towards the door. Kest made her way out of the room and into the corridor but something made her pause. She could hear the sound of a bell ringing faintly. It steadily got louder and louder until she could hear it loud and clear.

“Kest - would you go see who that is. I’ll get breakfast,” her mother called.

Kest, suddenly realising what the bell was, rushed upstairs. Pulling on a scruffy shirt and trousers, she ran for the door. She hastily put on a clean pair of woollen socks and her boots as she hopped out the front door. The bell was still ringing and Kest knew that someone would be waiting impatiently for her to appear. The bell was at the bottom of the farm road, on the outside of the stone wall so that the villagers looking for anything wouldn’t be mauled by the two huge guard dogs that trotted happily beside Kest as she made her way to the gate. She groaned as she saw Mr Cornwell from the nearest farm standing by the gate. She stopped by the wall and, telling he dogs to sit, turned to the farmer who was lurking in the shade of the trees.

“Yes?” she asked, petting one of the dogs heads. They were older than she was, something else her father had left behind and, for some unknown reason, obeyed her and only her.

“Did you stroll down here or were you trying to annoy me?” he snapped.

The bigger of the two dogs growled warningly, her black fur standing on end.

“Ssh,” Kest lulled, “Now what do you want?”

“I woke this morning to find you cattle in my field. If they’re not gone by this evening I’ll shoot them,” he spat.

“Maybe you should fix your wall then,” Kest suggested.

“Why you-”

Kest stopped clapping the dog beside her and running her hand down its neck, firmly grasped its collar.

The tan dog beside her stood up on all fours, head down, hackles raised and snarling like the hound from hell. Mr Cornwell slowly backed off until he stood in the middle of the road. His eyes were wide with terror but he put on a straight face and fixed the ragged bonnet that adorned his head.

“By this evening or I will take matters into my own hands,” he said bravely before marching off down the road.

Kest smiled and crouched down so she was at the same level as the dogs. They moved towards her, wagging their tails as she clapped them and spoke to them. She could see why people were terrified of them, their sheer size alone was usually enough as they did resemble small horses. One was tan with brilliant brown eyes and he other was jet black with a single white patch over one eye that was a sparkling blue, the other eye was a dark hazel. Kest straightened her back and the two dogs took their places, one on each side of her. Kest headed back to the house determined to have her breakfast before she spent the day chasing cows. As for the dogs they fed themselves, eating whatever they could catch.

Kest froze to the spot as the bell rang again. Something about it was different. It wasn’t ringing like it had when Mr Cornwell had rang it. Now it was more a soft chime than a constant rattling. Kest slowly turned on the spot and gazed back at the wall. A tall lean boy with hair just lighter than Kest’s own stood leaning against the wall. His hair just reached his ears and was floating gracefully on the gentle breeze that blustered around him. Kest warily walked forward. She had never seen this boy before and even although he was in the shadow of the trees, Kest could see that his skin was pale - too pale.

“So this is what the bell is for - or should I say who?” the boy said. His voice was beautiful, changing in tone like a melody.

“Can I help you?” Kest asked as she walked, trying to sound as business like as possible.

The boy smiled, revealing a set of pearl white teeth. His eyes were the colour of the sky on a sunny day but as Kest drew closer she could see that around the edge of his iris was deep red. There was something about him that made Kest uneasy.

“I just want to talk, that’s all,” he said honestly.

“Sorry but I have a lot of stuff to do,” Kest answered sadly. She slowly turned away.

“I’ll come back later then - when you’ve finished herding the cows,” he called.

Kest spun around, expecting to find the boy leaning on the wall, but he was gone. Kest shook her head, telling herself he was just in the forest, and started back towards the house. The dogs disappeared as Kest clicked open the gate to the front garden. They never had come near the house. Her mother had told her they would only venture near the house if the two of them were in any danger. There never had been,

Her mother looked up curiously as Kest entered. She spooned steaming hot porridge into a bowl as Kest sat down at the table.

“So who was it?” her mother asked.

Kest gulped down a mouthful of porridge, “The first time it was Cornwell, our cows got into his field but the second time -”

“Second time?” her mother questioned, gazing at her curiously, “I only heard it once.”

“It was quieter the second time - anyway it was this strange boy who knew too much for my liking. He was really handsome and the way he acted seemed familiar.”

“Did you get his name?” Kest shook her head and her mother smiled, “Good.”

Kest hastily swallowed the last mouthful of porridge followed with a glass of milk. Dropping her plates in the sink, she hugged her mother before rushing outside. It would take her most of the day to sort out the cattle, never mind repairing the wall. She filled a bucket with barley oats for enticing the cows and set off across the fields.

As always the two dogs joined her just as she left the perimeter of the house. They were great help, as Kest chased the cows back into the correct field. She barely had to tell them what to do as they anticipated the cattle’s movements. After that she set about fixing the wall, carefully replacing fallen boulders to their previous residence.

The sun was just beginning to meet the horizon as Kest sighed with relief. She walked along the repaired section making sure it was secure before letting her contentment wash over her. Picking a spot of longer, lush green grass, Kest collapsed into the fresh aroma of grass and flowers. She gazed at the sky. All day it had been a sheet of blue but now it was alive with pinks and oranges, and only a few wisps of clouds floated in the heavens. Everything was calm and silent. The grass was soft and comforting underneath her back and a warm breeze blustered around her. The two dogs lay on either side of her panting happily. Kest relaxed letting her eyelids softly close as she listened to the serene silence…

Kest’s eyes snapped wide open. She quickly stood up and was just in time to see a tall boy appear from the trees. She was about to speak when she realised who it was. To her horror she realised that the two dogs were trotting beside him like they did with her. He stopped a few feet from her and the dogs ran back to her side.

“They’re very loyal to you. Came running at me before I got anywhere near the farm.”

Kest ruffled the two dogs fur, “They are trained that way. Did they hurt you?”

“Only a couple of scratches but I heal fast,” he shrugged.

Kest gasped, horrified that the dogs had actually hurt someone, “I’m so sorry. If you come ba-”

“Don’t ask me that!” he snapped, though he was more scared than angry, “If you value your life do not invite me back to your house - I have no desire to hurt you!”

Kest froze, rooted to the spot. She had heard his voice say that before, she was certain of that. But that was impossible. The boy looked just nineteen, a year and less than a week older than herself. He looked familiar but a new voice in her mind tried to suggest otherwise.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Me? I’m Drake. Your birthday is in four days time, isn’t it?”

“How do you know that?” she quizzed, growing more wary of him by the second.

Sensing her fear, the two dogs slinked round in front of her. They stood protectively between her and Drake. He stood motionless, confident and unaffected by the dogs.

“Look, I’m an old family friend. I knew your father, ask you mother.”

The dogs moved aside as he walked forward. He placed a hand on either of Kest’s shoulders and, even although he stood a head taller that her, looked deep into her eyes.

“Over the coming days this is more important than ever. You must stay out of the shadows. If not for me then for the promise I made your father. I’ll be back on the night before your birthday.”

Before Kest could respond he was off, running down the field and into the copse of trees. She watched him go, stunned and frozen to the spot. He had known her father. There was someone who could speak about her father and her mother wouldn’t be able to stop him. She had never met him before and had no idea how to find him, but he’d be back in four days, then would be the time to talk.