I was perhaps six when I realized my existance was considered unnatural. My mother, a tall, slender woman with striking orange eyes was glaring at me. She flashed her fangs before alerting me of this. I was unwanted, unneeded. Useless, tiresome, worthless, bothersome, a monster. Equal parts Vampire and Angel, I was not meant to be made. Her Ability, one I'd always been afraid of, was the ability to make you believe you were in screaming pain. Those furious eyes flashed. When she threatened me with it, I learned to take her seriously. She was a cruel lady.
At that time, she was screaming for me to leave. Vampires aren't exactly the most loving Creatures. The orange in her eyes grew unnaturally bright, a warning that she was about to use her Ability. I ran as fast and far as my legs could carry me. The cool air sent my hair flying about me, into my eyes, as I ran the dark strees. On this side of the world, it's eternally night, and is called the Nightside. The other side is the Dayside, where the Angels live. It's always day there, and very hot. It's also mostly desert, and so they live underground for the most part. I hear mining is pretty big out there.
When I was six, the City seemed to be an entire universe. I knew which areas, entire districts, to avoid. Life here never slept. While Vampires needed no sleep, many still enjoyed it. I was not among them. To this day, I haven't slept ever since I left the protection of my mother. Sometimes I wonder where I would be if my mother had loved me, if my father had stayed. Each time I remind myself that thinking of how things could have been won't help me. I have to move on and think things through.
I met Jared when I was eight. I'd been on the streets for two years, and I looked like a poster child for the position of abandoned. My hair was shaggy and rigid with dirt and sweat, my clothes were little more than ragged scraps and were stained, and my feet were bare and black with grime. I was more bones than boy. I hadn't had a can of blood-substitute in weeks.
My first thought when I saw him was "Run!". I'd seen a lot of Humans who weren't good people, and I was not a willing victim. Jared terrified me. He was much taller than me, must stronger than me, and was frowning so hard that I was sure he would hit me like others had before. Jared's eyes were different, though. There was a strange softness to them that I'd never seen before. That softness made me feel cold inside. I took some steps back. Then I took off running. I wasn't as fast as I should've been. My unfortunate lack of blood-substitute had weakened me, and drained the energy I should've had. Jared was a fast runner... for a Human.
He grabbed the back of my shirt and lifted me effortlessly. I was going to cry. Instead of abusing me as I thought he would, Jared gently put me down. Then I started thinking of what else he might do. In my mind, Humans were evil Creatures. Naturally, I started crying. He just stared at me. Jared didn't laugh or sneer at me. He looked absolutely shocked at my complete and utter terror. "Why are you crying?" His question sounded dangerous. I shrank away.
"You're going to hurt me." There wasn't a doubt in my mind. My body shook so violently that I collapsed under his steely gaze. The frown he wore deepened. I wanted to bolt. The strange softness scared me more now. Jared reached into his pockets and pulled out two coins before grabbing my hand like an older sibling and pulling me behind him. He bought me three cans of blood-substitute. Then he told me to enjoy them, and left me standing there, alone and confused.
Then I kept seeing him. Everywhere. Once a week he would find me somehow and he'd buy me a can or two of my precious blood-substitute. I suppose it's because Humans have a soft spot for weak, pitiful, lost things. No matter what Jared did, I remained petrified and terrified by him until I was almost twelve. Slowly, Jared earned himself miniscule amounts of my trust. I'm still weary of him. He'll offer me a place to stay for the night, but my answer is always "no".
