Everea's POV
9 years ago
"Everea." My mother said my name gently. "Go in."
"Okay, mama." I said weakly in my 5 year old voice.
I walked slowly into the house and saw a boy maybe 2 years older than me and stopped dead in the overhead of the door frame.
"It's alright sweetie. He's a vampire hunter now as well." My mom waved me over gently.
I slowly crept out to the living room and sat next to my mother while Zero sat on the other couch with his parents.
I remembered when we used to play in the garden, how he would tousle my hair, and we would play tag, or hide and seek. Ichiru also came to play, but he had to go inside because of being sick after only an hour. We used to be so close, but then we left when I was four... and we grew distant over that time.
"Um... hello, again." I bowed my head slightly and he bowed back not saying anything.
"I'll go make some tea and get some snacks." His mom goes to the kitchen with my mother.
"So... Zero?" I asked shyly.
He gave me a warning look and then turned away from me and to the window instead.
His father judged him and said something I couldn't hear.
We sat in silence until his and my mom came back and gave us snacks. Although, Zero didn't touch them. He just sat there looking out the window.
I was nibbling on my cookie when he stood up abruptly and took my hand dragging me to the top of the stairs.
I heard my parents shouting to each other about something, but I couldn't make out what.
"Wh-What's wrong, Zero?" I tried to take my hand back, but he was much stronger than I.
"Hide here. Don't move." He shoved me into a closet.
"But-!" I tried to run out of the closet, but he shoved me back in.
"Stay here!" He somewhat growled at me and stupidly I obeyed.
Hiding in the closet I heard muffled yelling and then heard my mothers scream.
M-Mommy...? Why did she scream?!
I heard another two screams. One sounded like Zero's mother and the other his father.
I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't move. It was like I was paralyzed.
I heard muffled talking.
"Does it hurt? Your parents killed too many of my beloved brethren." Then I tuned everything out trying to forget what was happening.
I'm just dreaming... I'll wake up any second... and be home with mommy...
After awhile I heard cop sirens and after a few more minutes I heard someone coming towards the closet.
I cowered in fear, hiding behind the coats.
The closet door opened and a man yelled out, "Hey! There's another kid in here!"
I darted out of the closet and down the stairs. I saw Zero on the ground, all bloody, and froze for a moment. "Z-Zero!" I yelled his name, but he didn't respond so I assumed he was dead.
Some of the cops surrounded me and I panicked.
I screamed, "No! Don't touch me!"
One of the cops was a female and she tried to grab my arm, but I darted to the side, right into a man with blond hair and hazel eyes with glasses.
He crouched down to my level and looked into my eyes gently, "Hello. My name is Kaien Cross. What's your name?" He gently caressed my hair.
For some reason, I felt safe with this man and let him pick me up into his arms.
"I'm.... Everea..." he smiled a little trying to comfort me.
"What's your last name?" He walked over to a police car and started to place me inside, but I clung to him like he was handing me over to a hungry vampire.
"It'll be okay, Everea. These people will take good care of you." He smiled gently and I nodded, letting him put me in the car while he put a police jacket on me.
I sat in the back of the car with the door open when I saw Zero. I immediately jumped out of the car and ran over to him.
The people with him told me to stay back, but I pushed through them. I peered at his face and began to cry anew.
"I'm sorry..." I touched his face once more and then ran off to the woods never wanting to be contacted by this world again.
As I ran I heard people beginning to yell. I heard someone yell out, "She's gone!"
I knew they meant me, but I couldn't stay here. Not with everyone dead and I still alive.
I ran and ran until I collapsed in a clearing in the forest.
I heard someone walk up behind me.
"Are you alone, little girl?" I knew it was going to be a vampire before I even turned around.
I scrambled back. Eventually he grabbed ahold of me, but as soon as he did a gun shot rang out.
The vampire dropped and then turned to dust.
I looked, wide-eyed, towards where the bullet came from. There was a middle aged man standing there holding his gun to his side.
He looked down at me and then came over and picked me up taking me back to his cottage in the woods with him.
6 years ago
It's been 3 years since old man Albert took me under his wing. He never told me why he took me with him that day, but I'm grateful he did. He never expected me to go into town to get the supplies we needed and he only asked that I train really hard to become the best vampire hunter ever. And to take care of him as he got older, of course.
I trained hard all day. From dawn to dusk. And sometimes dusk to dawn, just to mix things up.
Whenever Albert went into town he gave me one of his bloody rose guns and told me to watch over the house until he came back.
He never once doubted my skill. He always told me I would be a great vampire hunter when I was grown.
He eventually asked me if I would be willing to be his daughter. He said we would have to go into town to get all the adoption stuff done, but it would be worth it, because then he could leave all his belongings, including the house, to me. Plus, he really thought of me as his daughter. I said yes and I even squealed like a girl and jumped up and down and hugged him.
The next day we went into town and he finally adopted me. He beamed the whole time and then we got to the part where I had to fill in my questions. I did fine until I had to fill in my last name.
I asked, "Can I leave my last name blank?"
The person doing the paperwork with us shook his head and I sighed filling it in, Black.
The man gave the paperwork to his boss and an hour later I was officially Albert's daughter and my new last name was Yasui.
3 years ago
I'm now 11 years-old and Albert is getting up there in age. He can barely hobble around the house. So I've officially taken over going into town to get our supplies for the month and taking care of the cooking and cleaning.
Albert always gripes about how he wants to help out, but I always tell him to relax and not worry about it.
Albert has always home schooled me and I've always been very smart, but he wants me to go to school and make friends.
I always shut him down, but he just keeps bringing it up. It's like he doesn't want me here anymore.
He keeps bringing up this specific school called Cross Academy and I keep telling him I'm fine here with him.
He tells me over and over that it's a wonderful school and that I should go when I'm old enough, but I don't want to. I want to stay here and keep watch over him.
He was sitting on the porch when he told me that me going to school, becoming even smarter, and making friends, and just being happy was his one and only wish in the world.
I looked at him and hugged him tight. "I am happy, dad. I have you."
He just smiled sadly and got up going into the house.
1 year ago
Albert died on October 12. I was devastated. They said he died of a heart attack, because he tried to chop wood and overworked himself. I didn't know what to do with my life. Then I thought back to that day on the porch and remembered when he told me his one and only wish. I decided. I would go to that Cross Academy school like he wanted me too. I waited until it was close to my 14th birthday and packed most of my belongings, including my guns, and headed out to the city to get a lift to the academy.