My teeth sank deeper into it's arm but the bite didn't even phase it.

In the shadows of my room, the vampire stared at me with a look of confusion glinting in it's eyes. His face seemed familiar, but in my instant rage upon finding him in my room, I didn't consider who it could have been. It was a shoot first, ask questions later type situation.

I released my canines from his arm and let go, dropping to the ground with a light thud. Inhaling slowly, I took a deep breath and scented the vampire.

He smelt.. like a friend.

"Amanda, why did you bite me?" He questioned and I looked up at him, shifting. I cracked my spine as I stood to look him in the eyes. My sharp teeth shrunk back as my jaw snapped into place. I wiped the blood from my mouth and glared at him for a moment, scanning him with my eyes.

"How do you know who I am?" I questioned and he snorted.

"That's a good question." Avery said coming into the room, water circling her in a half sphere. It spun around her, ready to shift into ice and cut him in half.

"Move and your done. How many of our friends did you kill?" Avery questioned as she motioned for me to move away from him. A little bit of blood was trailing down his from my bite as it slowly healed. The flesh started to thread together as it sealed the wound. The little red river ran down his fingers and fell to the floor in a dark puddle near his foot.

"Actually-" he was saying when I knelt down. I touched the ground, dipping my index finger in his blood. There was something about a creatures blood that could tell me the truth. I don't remember how I achieved this sense, but my instincts never lied.

There was a flash before my eyes as my once hidden memories came back; it was if his blood jogged my memory of him, bringing it to the front of my mind. Images flashed before my eyes of all the old creature meetings.

"He hasn't killed anyone so far. None here anyways." I said and Avery nodded, then drew her water back into her bottle. The extra water flew back into our empty vase of flowers.

"Riley, I hardly recognized you." I said as I stood, looking back up at him. Riley and I had met at a council meeting back when his clan and our dorm had been allies. We had been given an assignment together; it was to collect data from the surrounding area while he was out here. From what I remembered, he lived in the city and spent most of his time there instead of with his clan.

He looked different, his hair disheveled and the tips frosted a pure white. His eyes were still the same honey color they had always been, and I realized now how much I had missed my friend. His tall, dark demeanor was something that always intrigued me while we chatted throughout our many meetings over the years. He had more muscle definition to him than the last time I had seen him. Taking a step closer, he pulled me in for a hug. My face rested on his chest as I held him for a few seconds. The scent of honey was stronger close up. I assumed it was in his cologne. He let go and looked at Avery and I, as if carefully choosing his next words. His head whipped to the doorway, ears twitching slightly.

Footsteps echoed through the hall outside. He could hear others; there were more of them coming our way.

"Let's go chat somewhere safer," He said quietly, moving over to the window. He motioned for us to follow. Opening the window all the way, he peered down to see if it was clear. Not a second later, he threw himself out the window, tumbling gracefully through the air to land on the ground silently.

I followed him out the window, ducking and landing on the ground with a light thud. Water shot out in an arc towards the ground, freezing within seconds. Avery slid down the icy slide, landing feet first on the ground. She may be able to control water, but she doesn't have super speed or immortal qualities like Riley or I.

We followed Riley as he ran into the forest. The dorm was surrounded by old Elm and Oak trees, making the building almost invisible to any prying eyes. We rounded tree after tree, watching our steps as there were low hanging branches and roots protruding from the ground. I glanced at Avery who ran quietly next to me, wondering where she sent the survivors.

"Where are the others?" I questioned and she chuckled lightly.

"I sent them to the city. They took the janitor's car. They'll be fine." She said and I nodded, sighing. I didn't really know the others besides our neighbor, but I still cared to know that they made it away safely.

Riley slowed his pace, almost coming to a complete stop. We had made it to a small house in the middle of the woods. It was a more like a little wooden shack than anything. There were two windows on the front of the wooden shack and the glass panes were painted black, probably to keep out some of the moonlight on a brighter night.

"Well isn't this creepy." Avery said and I chuckled lightly. I turned to Riley, a little unsure of why we were here. Curiously taking a quick sniff, the area smelt of him. He must have lived here now.

"Riley, when did you move out of the city?" I questioned and he shrugged.

"I moved here about two years ago. The city life just isn't for me. We need to hurry." He said, glancing at the horizon. The condo he lived in within the city was beautiful and it was shocking to see the downgrade to this shack. The sun was just beginning to breach the early morning sky. We needed to hurry.

He went up to the little house and opened the door, unlocking it with a tiny wooden key. We entered the house, Riley shutting the door abruptly as soon as we were all inside. He bolted it seven different times in different places from the door to the wall. He pushed a blanket against the bottom of the door, clearly to prevent light from entering. Everything he did was blurred, seeing as he was moving at vampire speed. He slammed shutters over the already blacked out windows, locking them down into place. It was a good way to prevent someone breaking in during the day while he slept.

There was a kitchen with silver appliances and a double sink on the right. On the left, a room with an older brown couch and a small flat screen TV on a wooden stand.

I watched as he moved, the light quickly fading from the room. Avery grabbed my hand, the house now completely consumed by shadows. My eyes twitched, the pupils shrinking then expanding to those of an owls.

"This way," He motioned, pulling a hatch on the ground and going down a flight of stairs. I held Avery's hand and guided her down the stairs. She stumbled forwards into me and I threw my weight back to avoid falling. I ended up carrying her the rest of the way down in attempt to avoid falling down the stairs myself. We reached the bottom and I placed her down on her feet.

I looked around, taking in the small windowless basement. A twin bed sat in the one corner and a mini fridge in the other, plugged into the wall.

"This is where I stay during the day. I may not die instantly from the sun, but it does burn like hell for an hour after a split second in any sunlight." Riley said turning on a small lamp plugged into the wall as well. The yellow light flooded the corner of the room then softened. Shaking my head, my eyes returned to their usual state.

"You sound like you're speaking from experience." I commented and he glared at me. I laughed and he rolled his eyes, pulling his short sleeve up to reveal a patchy scar on his shoulder. I cringed, knowing that that must have hurt a lot.

"Thank God. Thought I was going to be in the dark all this time." Avery said, going over to the bed I assumed Riley slept on and laid down. She took her flip flops off and tossed them on the ground, putting her feet up. She sure knows how to make herself at home. Riley sat down on a small light red sofa next to the mini fridge and I joined him.

"So why did you come to the dorm?" I questioned, suddenly curious as to why he was there with his clan as they murdered innocent creatures. He shrugged, then frowned. He seemed a little hesitant to answering the question.

"Heard a rumor. Thought I'd check it out. Seems like someone's put a bounty out for anyone that can bring them a live shapeshifter." he said, looking me directly in the eye. I tilted my head slightly, a little confused.

"Why does someone want me?" I questioned an he shrugged, leaning forwards. I put my elbows on my knees and folded my hands. A bounty on my head was nothing new. Shapeshifters were a rare breed and there were few to none of us left. This wasn't good news, though.

"No idea. But it is a lot of money, if that's what people are into. Gold, diamonds, rare blood... These people are offering anything to the person who brings one to their place. Alaric forced everyone to go on the hunt so he could claim the prize for himself. Someone tipped him off that there was one at the dorm and that's why I came along. I wanted to warn you before it was too late." He said, looking at me with concern. Avery drew out some water from her bottle, shifting it around her fingers. It was something she tended to do when she was bored or anxious.

"I don't like the sounds of that." She said and I nodded, agreeing. I stood up and stretched out a bit, cracking my knuckles one at a time. They let out a few good pops and snaps before I sighed.

"Well, guess I should probably kill whoever is after me then." I said, going for the stairs. Riley was up fast and grabbed me by the wrist. It caught me off guard and my fingers had already changed into talons on instinct, digging into his wrist. Riley quickly let go because I had unintentionally cut his skin. I scrunched my face up and put both hands up as I shrugged; he should have known better, seeing as this wasn't the first time. The last time he caught me by surprised, I singed his hair.

"That's not a good idea. This group, whoever they are, they have a lot of resources, and a lot of people out looking for you and your kind. You should probably lay low for the time being. They'll eventually stop looking." He said with a slight hint of uncertainty.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye then." I said heading towards the stairs and Avery stood up to join. I knew what I had to do, and Avery wasn't going to like it.

"We're leaving already?" She questioned and I shook my head. This was a really hard decision for me to make, but I knew that it was the right one.

"No Avery. I'm leaving. It's too dangerous for us to stay together right now and I don't want to get you involved in whatever the hell this is. I want you to be safe, and if that means leaving you under Riley's care for a while-" I said, when Riley stood abruptly.

"I did not sign up for this." He whined as he motioned his thumb towards Avery, who shot him an icy look of pure hatred.

"Riley. Six months, tops. I'll be back to come get her as soon as I find somewhere safe for the both of us. I promise." I said and he sighed, looking down. He knew that in the end, he wouldn't have a choice. Alaric would want him dead if he found out he betrayed him and Avery needed a place to stay since the dorm was no longer safe.

"You can't just leave me here with this vamp!" Avery cried out and I sighed, turning to look back at her. She seemed distraught, but I knew it was safer for her without me around.

"It's not only me they'll want! Your powers make you collectible, and if they ever caught word of us being friends, they would use you to get to me!" I exclaimed, my voice raising as I spoke. There was no way I was letting her leave with me today. She nodded, knowing that even if she tried to come, I could easily out run her or turn into the smallest creature and disappear from eyesight. She sighed, looking defeated. I walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. I held her for a few minutes, then let go.

"Promise it will only be six months?" She said, and I nodded. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and I wiped them away with my thumbs.

"Be strong, Avery. Protect Riley for me." I said and she laughed. Riley grumbled something lowly and I dismissed it, heading up the stairs and opening the latch, exiting onto the first floor.

I closed the latch, covering it with a rug. I walked to the front door, unhooking all seven locks and opened it, walking out into the bright morning light.