The day was cold and dreary, with wind shrieking through the trees. The sun was just dipping below the horizon as two girls stepped out of the taxi in front of an old abandoned mansion. The shorter one, a brunet with two or three blonde highlights, and dark green eyes with a hint of brown in them, paid the driver. The taller one had light dirty blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. She had smoky blue eyes and a wooden stake clutched in her right hand.

The taxi pulled away and the two turned to stare at the mansion. The mansion was huge, and had a cemetery in the back, and a chapel in the back of to the right. The only luggage the two had were two back-packs. The blonde shouldered her red back-pack and walked to the steps of the house.

"Come on Rachell." She said stiffly. The shorter girl, Rachell, followed quickly, not wanting to be left outside alone.

"Wait up for me Lizzy." she mumbled. When they reached the steps the wind gave a final hard burst, and died. The burst caused the bell in the chapel to strike two times.

The sun was gone, the moon not yet up, and an eerie silence filled the night when the two entered the mansion.

Chapter One

(Elizabeth's P.O.V.)

I entered the house silently, gazing around. I knew this house. I didn't know how yet, but I knew it. Every rug, every elaborate painting, every vase. We were here to kill the Vampire Lord, but we knew not his name nor what he looked like, just that he resided here. Rachell came up beside me, after softly closing the door. I noticed she had a wooden cross clutched in her hand and a necklace of garlic around her neck.

"Those won't work." I told her, not glancing at her but walking towards the huge staircase.

"They make me feel better." She told me. I rolled my eyes as I carefully walked up the stairs, trying not to make them squeak. We walked up the stairs glancing around the room, noting anything that would help us. We reached the top of the stairs and paused, glancing about the hallway we had just stepped into. I noted that everything seemed dusty or dirty. Obviously this immortal vampire didn't have enough time to clean. We walked down the hallway carefully. He was close.

"Liz..." Rachell called softly. I turned to her.

"What?" I asked her, wanting to go on with the hunt.

"Is this him?" she asked me. I looked again at her and saw that she was staring at a painting. I walked next to her and stared at the painting. It was a painting of a thirteen year old. The child in the painting didn't seem to hold any innocence. around his neck was a golden chain necklace with a beautiful golden cross. He had a small smile on, teasing the two girls.

"Yeah..." I said more to myself than to my companion. "That's him." I stared at the painting for a while longer then turned and continued down the hall. Rachell stared at the boy in the painting.

"Liz...." Rachell called again. I turned to her impatiently.

"What?" I snapped. Rachell took a small step closer to the painting and peered at the eyes.

"I know him." She whispered, pulling back, appalled. I walked back to the painting and stared at it again.

"Who is he?" I asked out loud.

"I... I don't remember his name...." She said slowly, racking her brain for his name.

There must have been a window open somewhere, because a cold breeze blew through the hallway. I pulled my jacket closer around me as the wind swept by.

"Elizabeth" something whispered in my ear. I whipped around to glare at Rachell.

"Don't do that." I told her. She blinked at me innocently.

"I didn't do anything." She told me. I glared at her for a second longer then turned back to the painting.

The picture was gone. There was a canvas, and a frame, but no picture of a little boy that had haunted the two girls with his familiarity.

"Rach..." I said slowly, trying not to panic. I turned to ask her if she had done anything to it, like squirted it with water and made the paint run or anything, but, she was gone, too. I looked down the hallway to see if she decided to continue on without telling me. I almost gave up after an hour of searching until I heard a muffled scream.

"Elizabeth!!"