It was supposed to have been a normal evening working at the coffee shop. Nola wasn't supposed to be covered in blood at seven forty-seven in the evening, staring at the wrong end of a gun. And yet, that's exactly what happened as she stood shaking behind the counter with her finger pressed down on the emergency button.

"Put your hands where I can see them," the figure in front of her said. He had gone through two customers to get to the counter, their blood splattered all over Nola's clothing and face. She did as she was told. Anything to keep that bullet from penetrating her body.

"Good girl," the figure said in a somewhat soothing voice. "Now open that handy dandy cash register of yours and hand me all the money in it."

Again, she did as she was told but this time picking up a mug and hiding it under the counter while the figure was busy stuffing money into his bag. In one swift motion she threw the mug at his head and then was out the door before he knew what was happening.

Nola could hear the clomping footsteps and string of curses under his breath as the robber chased after her. He already had his money so why was he chasing her? She tried to make sense of it as she pushed forward. One thing was for sure; she had to stay alive.

Orin was always a little in awe as he watched his limbs shrink from that of a beast's to that of a man's. He had been going through the transformation every day for nearly ten years but it still shocked him to the core. His heightened senses disappeared when the appearance of the monster did which was why he didn't notice the girl until she was nearly in front of him.

It was the squeak of surprise that first alerted him to her. He probably didn't look too good. His appearance was bedraggled and his clothing hung off his slim body like rags. She didn't look much better what with blood all over her clothing and her dark hair falling into her face. But he knew better than to ask; strange things seemed to happen after dark.

"Please," she nearly whimpered. She could feel her body begin to shake from the shock. "Help." He stepped forward and caught her as her legs gave out. Before he could ask what kind of help she needed, another person ran into the alleyway. But this one was different this one had a gun.

Orin's eyes narrowed as soon as he saw the gun. He pushed the girl away and launched himself at the man. He was still stronger than the normal human and wouldn't be killed off as quickly. He soon outmatched the man with the gun and was finished with one final crack as he snapped his neck.

He looked up and saw that the girl was clutching at the brick wall, her eyes huge from watching the fight. Dropping the body, he carefully walked toward her.

"Hey," he said quietly. "Nola, is it? I'm not going to hurt you." He reached out and she flinched away, the back of her head hitting the wall. "I just need one thing." He caught her chin with his hand and started tracing her jaw. She shuddered and tried to look away. "I need a favor from you, ok? Is that ok? I'll talk to you later." He brushed a piece of hair out of her face and it came off in his hand. "I'll find you."

Backing away to give her some space, Orin turned once and disappeared. As soon as he was gone, Nola bent over and vomited. Her legs refused to support her anymore and she dropped to the ground, careful to avoid the puddle of vomit. One thing was for sure; today was certainly not her day.

"Nola?" Holly, Nola's best friend asked incredulously when she opened the door. Her friend stood of the front porch covered in what looked like blood and who knew what else. "What happened, honey?" She quickly pulled Nola inside and led her over to the couch.

"I – the coffee shop," Nola began and then dropped her head into her hands and started to sob. "There was an accident." Holly sat down beside her and wrapped her arms around her. "A robbery." There was a sharp intake of breath from Holly.

"Do you want to call the cops? Or anyone else?" she asked. Nola shook her head.

"Can I just sleep here for tonight?" she asked. "I don't want to be alone." She leaned into Holly and let her rub her back.

"Yeah," Holly said. "Let me just get you some blankets and pillows. Do you want anything else?"

"A way to erase this from my mind?" Nola asked. "No, I'm fine. Thanks, Hol."

"No problem," Holly said tossing a blanket and pillow at her. "You sure you'll be all right?" Nola nodded. "Ok, I'll get you some clothes so that you can take a shower."

It was dark when Orin stepped into the room. Despite the lack of light, he could still see the sleeping figure of the girl he had saved earlier that evening. She stirred as he stepped around the couch. He was crouched down in front of her when she opened her eyes. He slapped his hand over her mouth before she could scream.

"Hey, Nola," he said with a smile. "I need that favor now."

Nola woke up screaming causing Holly and her boyfriend, Drew to rush out of the bedroom. Despite her many attempts to convince that two that she had just had a bad dream; she couldn't shake how real it felt off her. It wasn't until the pair had gone back to bed that she found the note in her jacket pocket.

Nola,

Sorry to leave so quickly. I'll pick you up tomorrow at eight. I expect to find you at your house with you bags packed. If not, I'll find you easily and I won't make the trip a pleasant one. See you soon.

Orin