I push open my oak door, and slam it shut when I'm inside. I plop down on my swiveling computer chair, and push the button to start the computer. I push a button and flip a switch next to it, and my LCD and touch screen monitors are illuminated. One more switch, and my dna scanner hums to life.

The static filled atmosphere, caused by the electronic devices, relaxes me strangely enough. I pull my hair into a loose bun to keep it out of my face, remove the small samples from my cargo pants, placing them on the desk. I put a sterile mask to my face, and pour an antiseptic cleanser onto my hands, before my fingers go to open the sterilized utensils which were in their plastic wrapping.

My mind moves on autopilot now, this has become routine for me, find oddities in different species and study them in depth seeking to find the biological source of the abnormality. With the back of my tongs, I tap three keys. The task is activated and the program begins. I do a thumb and retinal scan which loads… my journal. The un-hackable story of my life, to which I suppose I should add the latest issues I've faced.

I heave out a long heavy sigh, "This sucks" I mutter to myself, a few more keystrokes later, the scanner software loads. I uncap the vial of blood, and a shiver goes up my spine; its richness sending pins and needles to prickle my skin.

The crimson liquid calls out to me, but I ignore my appetite and let a bit of the liquid hit the clean glass top of the scanner. I cover the blood with the cover of the scanner, and use the touch screen to initiate the scanning process, to break down the components of the blood and find any genetic abnormalities, when compared to my previously rendered wolf samples.

I portion the remainder of his blood into a second case. I place the capped glass cup into a centrifuge and turn it on. The red liquid spins quickly in the machine, soon to be broken into each component of his blood. I look up at the touch screen, and see the green bar which indicates a scan in process, my eye flicks to the flat non touch LCD screen.

For a moment, I war with myself, tempted to immerse myself so deep into the subject I am studying, but, I can't and the sight of Joseph's name takes me back, my mind starts to spin as if it were in the machine, and I am taken back to that time, before I knew how cruel life could be.

"Joey , wait, no, don't leave me" my younger voice echoes in my mind, and I succumb to the memories as they rush back."

"Kid relax, I'm not going anywhere"

"Don't lie, and don't call me kid. You're leaving again! You're going on another stupid hunt!! What if something happens to me when you're not here?" I tried to guilt him into staying, although it had never worked before.

"Does that mean you need a baby sitter?" he asked with a mocking smirk

"MEANIE!"

"Do I take that as a yes?"

"Just go." I said defeated.

"Cheer up. I won't be gone long, and this way, you can visit the rest of the places I told you not to go to." He said with a knowing smile

"Fine" I said with little enthusiasm. We had only lived there a week, and he hadn't spent a day with me yet! At least that meant I could finally hit the woods.

He kissed me on the crown of my head, messed with my hair, and left from the back door, to a waiting car; his duffle bag on his back. "Be careful." He said and I just nodded, not bothering to say anything as the jeep drove off.

"Jerk." I said to the air around me as I closed the door. I walked back to the house to change into some loose fitting jeans.

After changing, I felt so much better. The soft denim caressed my skin in a way that the cotton of my pjs could not. I wouldn't let Joe's neglect discourage my adventurous mood. Not by a long shot

I walked out of the backdoor, and stuck a finger in my mouth. The soft eastern breeze chilled my finger slightly, so I went west. Whoever I was I may have come across wouldn't have been able to catch my scent, but I would catch theirs.

A few steps into the thickest part of the dense forest, and the smell of wet dog assaulted my nostrils. I was almost hyperventilating with glee. Maybe I would see some coyotes or foxes… or what my heart was really dying to come across. WOLVES . Joey may have told me to stay away from them, but he's not here right now, is he? And besides, they were most likely just coyotes.

I climbed up into a tree, to get a better view. The breeze was obviously flowing from the ground up, because the higher I got, the stronger the smell. I leaned over a branch, and pushed open the thick shielding leaves which revealed 3 dogs rolling around on the floor.

On the forest floor, was a large black dog, maybe, my familiarity with animals was limited, and I was really a cat person anyways. The dog was charging at two smaller dogs, but even though he was nipping and biting, I could tell it was all playful sport. The smallest dog looked like a growing puppy, and the middle looked like a matured dog.

I didn't make a sound as I sat there, on a branch, watching them toss around and bite one another. It was all so cute! I suppose somewhere in my musing, I had a sudden growth spurt, because moments later, I felt and heard the branch snap beneath me, nearly making me fall. Testing my luck, I shot my hand out to a branch nearby, and miraculously, I caught it. I pulled myself up, while I pushed my weight onto the branch beneath my feet. I unfortunately could never properly shift my weight.

I looked down, when I regained my balance, to where the dogs had been playing, and only the smallest one was left there. His caramel colored fun on edge, pointed away from his body.

We locked eyes, and even as young as I was, I could see in its chocolate brown eyes, a clear sign of humanity. The simple emotions in its eyes that told you he understood what it meant to be human.. err well, to be more human then animal. Being what I was, I couldn't even know what it meant to be human..

He began to stalk towards the tree, his paws silent and menacing. He reached the base and began to climb, well actually he had just his front to paws on the trunk of the tree, when a low growl sounded from within the forest. We both looked towards the source of the noise, and through the cover of leaves and branches we saw light reflecting off of a pair of gleaming amber eyes. The wolf, I guessed, gave me one last look and a yipping bark, before he turned and ran off.

I was left alone, in that tree, with a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was about to jump down and head home, when I heard a branch break to my left. I turned to see a boy, about 16 or 17, with hazel eyes and wet black hair.

I took a step back, to the thickest part of the branch, when two more boys appeared. The smallest of them, maybe 8 or 9 had dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. It last to show himself, was the boy with chestnut brown hair and natural highlights of a lighter brown. His face was mostly hidden, but when he opened his clear and beautiful amber eyes, I nearly screamed.

There wasn't a doubt in my mind, those were the same amber eyes I looked into before, but this time, they weren't attached to a four legged creature. I wasn't going to ask anyone any questions. All I knew was that they weren't vampires, so they were my enemies… that's how I was taught.

I turned around and leapt from one branch to another, hoping and praying instinct would keep me from falling into the belly of the beasts. I didn't look back, I just ran. I wasn't even sure I knew what they were, to figure out if I could outrun them on the ground.

I ran until the trees and branches got thin and sparse, I was almost home. They wouldn't follow me into an area that reeked so strongly of vampires. I didn't, at all, trust the ground, so I lunged for the roof. I fell short, but it didn't even matter. They had stopped their pursuit; I could no longer hear their paws padding the ground.

My panic, which should have been diminishing turned to drastic worry, when I saw the shining amber eyes coming closer from the trees. I turned and ran to the other door, when I heard a deep and throaty growl. My speeds doubled, and I dashed inside, shutting the door behind me. I propped a chair against the knob and waited... for what, I didn't know, but I waited.

The night took too long to end. By 4 am, I was curious and anxious. Still being a child, I had no concrete sense of danger; I wanted to see if the big bad wolves were still out there.

I decided the front door wasn't my best option, none of the exits on the ground floor would be too smart, and so I opted for the bathroom window, since it was easiest to get on the roof from there.

I walked slowly up the stairs to the bathroom, and opened the window. I peered outside, but I caught nothing, but the smell of the trees and soil. I slid out of the window, and grabbed on the terracotta tiles lining the basic A-frame roof. I only hoped that I didn't loosen any of the tiles, because Joseph would have a fit.

I sat on the roof, and took in the surrounding area, looking for any strange drifting scents or movements. Still, I detected nothing, so in my moment of bravery, I jumped down... which actually means, I was leaning out to much, and lost my grip, slipped, and fell.. but I prefer to look at it as an intentional action.

I hit the ground with a thud, landing on my back. I sat up, in an effort to clear my head, still looking around, searching for any movement. I was searching for anything that could indicate where those three boys could be, I sniffed once again… I caught something.

"Hello?" I said stupidly, not realizing that it whatever it was that I had smelled, would now know where I was.

"Hey" a boy's voice said from somewhere. I jumped up from the ground.

"Who's there?" my young, frightened voice sounded all but threatening

"Just me" the boy responded, and I could have sworn I saw a glimmer of amber, but when I looked again, it was just the trees.

The fear in my voice was replaced by annoyance and I said, "Do you have a name... or a face maybe..?"

"Well of course. I actually have both" the humor in his voice was clear and present

"Well?"

"Well? Well what?"

"Would you just come out here, or are you afraid or something?"

"Of course, I'm terrified, so I'll just stay hidden"

"Fine, if you're going to be like that, I'm going back inside"

"Go ahead. I'll just come back during the day, while you're asleep"

"Ha! You wouldn't dare, unless you wanted to die"

"Brave words, Kido" he said walking closer, his eyes closed. When he was standing directly in front of me, so close I could feel the heat generated from his body; he opened his bright beautiful eyes, they weren't even amber.. they were some type of citrine or topaz.

"Kido?"

"Yes, Kido, you are younger than me. I can tell, so how old are you vampire?"

"Alright, calling me Kido just 'cause I'm younger then you is just stupid, and is it necessary to call me vampire"

"Well, you are a vampire, vampire. But what would you prefer I call you?"

"You tell me your name first"

"Ladies first"

"Age before beauty"

He smiled a nice smile, that made me smile "Clever, my name is Andrew. Wolf, extraordinaire"

"So you are a wolf" I whispered to myself, time was going fast I suddenly realized. I took a step back, closer to the house and further from him

"Okay, before you go running off, because of what you knew all along, what's your name?"

"Darcy, and I'm not running off! You have to go though."

"Are you afraid of me, because you know? Is that it?"

"You're really full of yourself aren't you? I'm not afraid, but my fellow vampires are on the way, you have about ten minutes. Unless you do have a death wish.."

"Oh… well.. that does change things" he said scratching the back of his neck and chuckling "Bye Dar-cy"

"Bye"

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Do I have a choice?" I asked noticing how he just made that a statement, and not a question

"That's the spirit" he said laughing, as he turned around and ran off. Fifteen minutes later, Joe came home exhausted, only home because it was near dawn, only to end up crashing on the floor of his room. Somehow, by some miracle, he entirely missed the smell of the wolf boy, which entirely littered the area.

For next two weeks, Joe continuously left me home at night, when he had promised me he would stay, and in that time I got to know Andrew better.

Over the next two months, we were… I don't know what to call it. We spent every night together, in what I could see was like some kind of strange Romeo and Juliet situation. It's frightening to think about the accuracy of my childish analogy, and how I didn't see the danger in what we were doing. I guess at eleven, it was fun to think about being someone's Juliet... but then again, that wasn't even the situation in my eyes.

The simplicity of the situation was too good to have lasted long. A few months after our first meeting, things just all threatened to fall apart.

Were we're seated under a bright and shining full October harvest moon, comfortably relaxed on the highest point of the A-frame roof. He was telling me about his younger brother, Eric, and his recent escapades. I laughed in glee, while hearing about the cute little wolf-boy's attempts to catch a fish in the pond.

Completely at ease with Andrew, I didn't realize the leering shadow fall onto me, that is, I didn't notice it until I heard the oh so familiar sound of a throat clearing that I had, for years, with being so very... caught.

"When I said you could explore, I didn't exactly mean this" Joseph said in an angry voice, my smile dropped

My brother took a quick step, and appeared where Andrew had been, however, he was standing calmly on the other end of the roof. It wasn't until I saw him standing there that I realized I had lost the intense heat his body generated.

I stood up, "Joe, wait-"

The rage in his eyes just became more fierce "Wait for what! For you to get yourself killed?"

"But you don't even know him!"

"You shouldn't either!" he shouted at me, and turned his attention to Andrew, "Now, if you want to live to see another day, I advise you to stay the hell away from my sister." His tone was low and final.

Andrew said nothing, but he made no indication that he intended to obey my brother's threat. Joe's eyes narrowed and he appeared once again where Andrew had been. Exhibiting a speed and response time equal to my brother's, Andrew was suddenly crouched down next to me. He smiled as if it were all a game, right before he whispered "I'll see you in a couple of days, don't worry. Do not come looking for me, I'll find you. I promise" He flashed me another sudden smile, brilliant smile, then he took a few steps to the roof's ledge and jumped the two stories into a run.

I looked at Andrew's back until it was entirely gone, and all that lingered was his scent, and Joseph. That night, there was a lot of yelling. He called me 'stupid' and I called him a 'jerk'. For the rest of the night, into the next morning, we warred. It got to the point that there were tears in my eyes, and in the heat of the moment, I said I hated him, and in that moment, I really did.

"You hate me?" Joseph asked, completely taken aback. The anger in his voice was gone, replaced with some other emotion I had never heard it hold.

"Joey, I didn't mean it"

"You did when you said it" I knew he would say that, I knew he would know.

"I don't now"

"But you did. Why?"

"I.. i.. Because, you're never hear with me anymore! And now, now months after you promised me you would spend at least ONE day with me, you come early and yell at my friend."

"Your friend could kill you!"

"He's never tried it before."

"How long has he been coming here?"

"Almost as long as we've lived here"

His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing on that, "And have you ever gone over there?"

"No.. Joey will you just tell me, what's the big deal?"

"So what!"

"Wolves KILL Vampires. And I kill wolves"

"What?" my temper died, my voice was low

"That's what I do when I go out at night" his voice was low and monotone

"But.. he's my.. my friend"

"What if you're friend gets followed, he's just a kid. Someone is bound to wonder where he goes off to at night. What if someone follows him to here, and kills you?"

"Joe-"

"Think Darcy, Think! Do you realize how much danger you put yourself in, EVERY TIME he comes here? What if I scent someone to check up on you one day? What if it weren't he who found you today? He'd be DEAD right now. Wolves are dangerous, he might be your friend, but his family isn't! They'll come here and kill you!"

"He wouldn't-"

"He wouldn't let him? Is that what you're going to tell me? He just ONE KID Darcy, there is only so much he can do to save you! Damn it! Darcy, why did this seem like a good idea to you?"

"Because no one ever told me not to! No one ever told me why wolves were dangerous. Do you think that I just know your stupid rules? Is that what you think?? That I just know who can kill me, who wants to kill me? Joseph, YOU were supposed to tell me these things, but you never did! What if I didn't know and he did kill me! Then what!" Tears began to stream down my face, but I hadn't even realized it.

"Then they would all die"

"Jos-"

"I'm serious"

"I believe you. But Joseph, I just want a friend. I'm not looking to get caught or in trouble I just want a friend."

To my response he smiled, and in that smile, I knew I had won.

It took a few days for Andrew to appear again, but when he did, it was in the most unusual of ways, for a wolf at least.