• Raven bounded into the house, running up the stairs, a terrified and excited gleam in her eyes. Diablo followed her into the house but slipped into the kitchen. Raven moved down the hall, breathing hard from running all the way there. She knocked loudly on her parent's bedroom door. A slight groan came from behind the door and the door opened a few moments later. Her father opened the door, his eyes drooping and his hair messed up. He wore only his boxers. He looked down at Raven, confused and tired.
    "What?" He said grumpily. He looked Raven in the eye and rubbed his own, straightening out. He noticed the look she had in her eyes.
    "It's my chance, dad you have to let me go." Raven said, her heart racing. She was excited that this could be her chance to show her dad and brothers she was just as good as them at the family business. Vampire hunting.
    Her dad gave her a puzzled look, staring at her like that for a moment before understanding. His face turned hard and he moved away from the door. He came back a minute later with a pair of lounge pants, similar to Collin's, on. He gave her a stern look. Raven returned it with a determined expression, just as hard and meaningful. They had a stare down for a minute before Raven's dad stepped out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. He pointed to the stairs and Raven turned to them without a word, knowing exactly where he meant to go. The training area and her dad's study in the basement.
    Raven's mind was set on one thing. To convince her dad to let her do this. She had been training along side her brothers, Collin, Jonathan, and Ronald. They were each older than her. Collin was oldest, older by two years. And Jonathan and Ronald were twins, older by a year. Each of them were trained in martial arts, medical care, vampire study, and mind tricks. The mind tricks were to block a vampire from entering your head to read your thoughts and control you and so on. She was just as skilled, if not better, than her brothers. Raven had always trained hardest in combat, studied more in vampire study, and worked most to achieve her father's respect in the hunting area. Sure, he was her father and he loved her, but she could read it on his face when he watched her train that he didn't like the thought of her battling vampires.
    Raven came out of her thoughts as she entered the kitchen. Jonathan and Ronald were standing by the counter whispering about something but stopped and looked up at Raven and their father as they walked in. Ronald flashed her a puzzled look, at the same exact time Jonathan did. The mirror images glanced at their father, then back at Raven, still puzzled, at the same exact time with every movement. Raven shook her head lightly and they gave her a small nod, looking at her father then at each other. Raven came to the basement door and unlocked it before opening it and proceeding down. She came to the bottom and turned to her father, but he was still at the top, locking the dead bolts on the door.
    Raven closed her eyes, sighing. She knew this wasn't going anywhere without them argueing. Her father came to the bottom of the steps and stepped up to her. Raven looked at him steadily the whole time, her hard determination not wavering. Her father gazed back with eyes that matched Raven's perfectly. All of them had the same color eyes, except their mother, who had brown eyes.
    "How did you find out that there was another in town?" Her father asked, demanding. He stepped past her, moving over to the bookshelf on the far wall. He scanned the wall, not looking at Raven. Raven bristled.
    "Another?" Raven almost hissed it at her father, but stopped herself. Raven turned to face her father but didn't move anyway else. Questions were racing there way through her mind. It was like the sped past her eyes as she thought them. She shook her head lightly, clearing her mind.
    Her father paused, his hand extended for a book, but stopped. He kept going, as if shaking it off. "Yes. Another. How did you discover this?"
    Raven narrowed her eyes at her father but didn't snap at him, only replied to his question. "I was out, wondering. Diablo scared him off, but not before I realized it was a vampire." Raven paused. And so did her father, who was tense. "And it was no older than I."
    Her father cursed under his breath, but she heard it. He turned to her, not aware Raven could see the angry look in his eyes. He opened his mouth and shut it again. He opened it a second time but Raven stepped forward and cut him off.
    "Dad." She said, fiercely. A hunger in her eyes now. She could feel it in her. She wanted this. "Let me go after this one. What is the difference between me and my brothers? I'm a girl? Is that the only reason? I'm just as capable, if not better, than my brothers at this! And you know it!"
    Raven's father hung his head as she yelled at him, pinching hte bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. When she stopped he sighed and looked at her, not saying anything. Raven held her head high, her chin up. It was almost arrogant. She wouldn't cry infront of her father. She would stand tall and not back down. Her twin brothers, though older, looked up to her. She often heard her father mumble to himself about them being week when training. Raven could hit her father for every nasty comment he made about each of his sons.
    "I will not be yelled at by my own daughter." The man said. "You will do as I say. You will not disobey my orders. You will not stand here and try to prove me wrong. You will not go after that vampire. Do you understand?"
    Raven said nothing. She glared at her father. This was it. It was her chance. She wasn't going to let her father stop her from earning this. It wasn't just her own goal she was hoping to achieve. It was family honor, pride, her own self-esteem, and she hoped her father would for once, realize he is wrong. She kept glaring, silent as ever.
    "Do you understand me?!" Her father stepped forward, demanding now. His face was turning red. Just like always. They had had this arguement more than once. More than twice. She counted seven.
    Raven didn't flinch as he stood close to her. "I understand." She said. Then added, her eyes narrowing, "But I won't listen."
    Her father's eyes sparked. She could almost feel his anger flare.
    "I will not let you hold me back when I know that I can do this." Raven whipped around, moving silently to the steps. Stopping at the bottom, hand on the railing. "I'm going after him."
    Her father's eyes sparked another time and Raven didn't respond. She gazed at him steadily. When he said nothing, only fumed, Raven turned and walked up the steps. Walking into the kitchen, her head still high, her father stormed up after her. Not realizing her twin brothers were still standing in the kitchen, the place they were before her father grabbed her arm and yanked her back, spinning her around.
    Raven cried out, the grip her father had on her arm hurt, he was digging his nails into her skin, even through her jacket. "Get off me!"
    Her brothers exchanged glanced, wondering what was going on between father and daughter. Raven yanked her arm free after a moment and her father bristled.
    "You live under my house! You will follow my rules!" He exclaimed. Her mother was suddenly in the kitchen. Next it would be the neighbors. Her mother's face was concerned and shocked.
    Raven backed up a few steps and her mother placed her hands on Raven's shoulders. Looking at her father, shocked.
    "Poor choice of words." Raven replied calmly and turned. She gave her mother a small smile and kissed her cheek before brushing past her and making her way up the steps and to her room. Just as she came to her bedroom door she heard her mother speak to her father loudly.
    "What did you say to her, Hunter?"
    Raven bit her lip as it trembled. She slammed her door shut and stood by her door, hands clenched into fists. She took a shaky breath and closed her eyes. She took another breath, and another until she it sounded steady. It was her way to get over anger, most of the time. Raven moved over to her closet, roughly pulling out her black duffel bag and moving over to her dresser. Raven bit her lip again as she picked out about fifteen shirts, long sleeve and short sleeve, eight jeans and several bras and underwear. She stuffed them neatly into the duffle bag and put her flashlight, plus a small pack of batteries, her toothbrush and toothpaste, a few granola bars from her stash under her bed, and she closed the bag. Raven put her ipod in her pocket and stood next to her bed. She kneeled and pulled up a loose floorboard infront of her. Underneath was what looked like a bunch of cloth. She pulled it out and unwrapped it's content. It was a a stack of money. four hundred and seventy-eight dollars exactly. She had earned the money from working after school jobs, mowing lawns, babysitting, and allowance. Raven pulled out a couple twenties and put them in her wallet, wrapping the rest in the cloth and slipping in between some of her clothes in the duffel bag. She sighed, putting the floorboard back in place and making sure it was sturdy again. She stood, turning around. she ran over the list in her head and made sure she had everything she needed. Her wallet, phone, and ipod were in her pockets and everything else was in her duffel bag.
    Smiling to herself, she glanced around the room one last time before moving to the window and opening it. She peeked her head out, making sure no one was outside, she threw her duffel and it quietly landed in a shrub. She jumped out after it and landed next to the garden that went all around the house. Raven grabbed her duffel, putting it over her shoulder and quickly moved over to the backyard. She whistled softly, just like before and Diable came running out of the house and over to her. He whined quietly and Raven smiled, petting his head. She kneeled so she was eye to eye with her dog.
    "I can't bring you, boy." She whispered and he whined again. "I'll be back to see you each week and we can play, okay boy?"
    Diablo whimpered this time and licked her hands. Raven smiled, hugging her faithful dog. She petted his head one more time before moving over to the fence and jumping over, running off towards the hill. She made her way to the tree house again. Climbing into it and dropping her duffel next to the couch once inside.
    She sat on the couch, putting her face in her hands. She wasn't scared about being out alone, not being able to sleep in a bed. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She could buy food off the dollar menu at McDonalds, or go to Burger King. If she wanted to, even Taco Bell. It was only gunna be like this for awhile cause she knew she would catch the vampire, her dad would sulk in the basement for the next few days and her mother would beg her to come back.
    Raven got up, going back into the room with the beanbag chairs and reaching behind the blue one in the corner. She pulled out a big thick blanket from the box that sat behind the chair and moved back to the couch. She laid down, pulling the blanket over her, plus leaving her jacket on. Raven rested her head on the thickly padded armrest and closed her eyes. She soon drifted off, sleeping lightly. Dreaming, for the second time that night, about Seth.

    * * *

    He gazed up at the tree house, watching her lay on the couch and fall asleep, through a window. He tilted his head to one side, feeling his fangs slid out from his gums at the sweet smell of her blood wafted out and to him. He breathed it in. Then shook the thoughts of hunger from his head. He wouldn't hurt her. He was there for a purpose.
    Not yet, he thought, she's not ready.
    A voice popped into his head. Pointing out, She's been waiting for six years. That's not enough time to be ready?
    He shook his head again, looking at his feet. He was crouched in the bushes next to the river. He slowly, cautiously, stood up and moved over beneath the tree, still gazing up at the one window that shown into the room with her in it. Raven. Getting closer to the tree house, his senses were ringing in his head. He climbed up the tree and into the room. He carefully moved over to the couch, now gazing down at her.
    "God..." He whispered. He wanted to reach out and wake her, but he knew that would be a bad choice. "I'm sorry."
    Raven looked peaceful in her sleep. She shifted in her sleep, moving onto her side, facing him. He didn't move, not wanting to make a sound and wake her. She murmured something, but he didn't hear it. He inclined his head slightly, listening. She said it again and again, getting louder every time.
    "Seth..." Raven mumbled softly. He gasped quietly. "Seth."
    The corners of his mouth turned up in a soft smile. Then whispered, "I'm here, Ray."