Love At First Sight

"You wouldn't know anything about love and family! You're just a damned monster in human form," she shouted with another sweep of her sword to the vampire's throat. Of course he again eluded her easily, she seemed to be tiring out. "You killed my family! The only people that could ever love me," she attacked again, but it was obvious that she, as a mere child had not the proper training.

"The only people that could love you? Ha! What a laugh, you are but a child and you say that. You have much growing to do. Do you think yourself ugly," he laughed as he caught the blade and took it from her. He pushed her, making her stumble backwards. He then grabbed her, her not knowing what else to do she closed her eyes and screamed. Her screams were cut short as his mouth closed down onto hers. Her eyes flew open but soon began to close. 'What are you doing to me,' she yelled in her mind at him as she began to loose consciousness.

He pulled away from her slowly, "You will grow to be quite beautiful and many will fall in love with you. Grow strong and come find me. If I deem you worthy, I will tell you why I have done what I have done." His voice became faint to her, and her vision blurry as he said one last thing, but seeing as she could no longer make him out or hear his voice she couldn't tell what he said...

"Wait! What-" Saffire shot up in bed reaching for the figure that was not there. She balled her hands up and growled at the memory. "Bastard..." She threw her covers off and stepped onto the wood floor of the small house. She stood and stretched her hands to the open hole in her ceiling. "Aw geez!" She shook her head, got dressed, and went out into the kitchen. Her family was sitting down to eat and they greeted her warmly. She gave them a little smile, remembering her dream.

"Had that dream again Saffire," her "brother" asked. She nodded and sat down with them. "Heh, no wonder you have that look on your face. You get that look every time you have that dream. Are we really that bad Saffire?" He looked hurt, they all did...

"I never said you were bad people. It just makes me think about my real family, that's all," she said smiling sweetly at them all. Then some form of realization hit her, "Oh no! What time is it?! I'm going to be late! Oh no..." She jumped up and ran into her room to get her things and then out of that house before anyone could say anything.

She strapped on her gear while running to the village. It didn't take long because she ran quite fast, plus she was used to running such a long distance for she was almost always late. "I'm sorry! Am I late again Ma'am," she said as the elderly wise woman answered the door.

"Oh dear Saffire. You always say the same thing," she laughed and let the girl in. "You are never late because I never have a set time for you to be here."

"Oh yeah..." Saffire laughed and relaxed on the floor against a wall. "So, what am I here for today Ma'am? I thought I was finished my training..."

"You are. You've become quite powerful I don't think I can even defeat you," the elderly woman smiled sweetly at her. "Now, as you promised the day I took you under my wing: Why did you need my help so badly? What happened to you those 13 years ago," the woman asked as she sat on a couch away from Saffire.

The girl sighed and joined the woman on the couch. She looked up at the ceiling for a moment as if to collect her thoughts, then she folded her hands and rested her chin on them. "I was ten at the time when it happened and could do nothing to that man... a vampire. He mercilessly slaughtered everyone in my village including my family. I attacked him with all the might I could muster, but it wasn't very much for a 10-year-old. He told me to grow strong and find him one day...he said something else, but I could never figure it out. I didn't hear him say it, and I barely saw him say it, but I know he said something. It's been bothering me for all this time, but wanting to find him and kill him has been what sperred me to become what you see before you," she sighed sadly as images of her village burning popped back into her mind. The blood of her family on her hands...and it, "It was all my fault..." Sobs choked her, it had been 13 years since she even came close to crying and now as all the memories came back she couldn't hold her cries any longer. "It was all my fault! I was out in the forest hunting when I wasn't supposed to be. I found a demon, but I didn't know it was a demon. It was so easy to kill I don't know why, it cut me before I killed it and it let out this powder, my blood spilled on it and I ran home to take care of it. I never thought about the powder until I saw him. It was all my fault I need to get revenge on all those people. Their souls torture me in my sleep, begging me to avenge them..."

She put her face in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably as the old woman sat nodding. "You didn't even tell your present family about that. They need to know, you know," the woman said calmly. Saffire nodded, then the woman continued, "When did you plan to leave? Now that you know how to look for him, you'd probably start-"

"I already know where he is...I looked last night," she sniffed loudly. She had come back to her senses and had a serious look on her face. "He's not so far away...It won't take me long to get to him either. If I walk all day and night for a week or so I'll get to him. Maybe sooner if he realizes I'm coming, maybe later if he realizes I'm coming. Demons are nothing like humans, he might not think the same of me once he senses my power. I'll leave tonight," she said standing. "I shall miss you dearly Ma'am. You've been so kind to me, and time has been kind to you. I know what you're thinking though...and you don't love me...neither does my 'family'...I was right back then when I said it, I'm right now." The woman said nothing as Saffire walked out of her house, and out of her life.