Piyo was an orphan, she was always living on the streets of a grey city, struggling each day to survive.

Day by day, she would sneak to a booth with apples and steal a few for herself, until the day she was caught.

The owner was very angry. He grabbed Piyo by her hair and slapped her face, but Piyo showed no remorse.

"You know these apples aren't mine, you little brat? I can barely put food on the table due to your stealing." - Angry merchant shouted.

"Piyo needs food! Piyo is hungry." - The girl protested, with tears in her eyes.

"Not my problem." - The man screamed and shoved the girl onto the cold, stone bricks. - "Next time I catch you, I'm going to beat you till you lose consciousness."

Piyo had to leave, hungry. She would have to eat worms today. She marched through narrow alleyways, to her hideout. It was a small doghouse in a muddy corner behind the buildings.

Piyo shoved her hands into the dirt and grabbed a lump of mud, full of wriggling, white larvae. She washed them in a puddle next to her tiny house, then put one inside her mouth.

"Bleh." - It was bitter and disgusting, but Piyo knew, she had to eat.

As Piyo was consuming the larvae, she overheard a noise just above her.

Piyo looked up and noticed a beautiful, orange fox. The animal jumped down, approached her, gekkering, and tried to bite at her hands.

Piyo was very curious, perhaps the animal was hungry? She put all of the disgusting worms on the ground, in front of a fox, who for some reason was still hostile and reluctant to approach.

Piyo decided to retreat to her house, but still observed the fox, who as soon as the girl disappeared, started consuming larvae.

Piyo smiled brightly, even If for a minute, she had a companion. - "Eat everything! Piyo hates it anyway."

The fox ignored the girl and kept eating.

Piyo's belly grunted, though. The fox looked at her, this time the animal was calm.

"Piyo will come out, Piyo needs to eat too." - Piyo spoke and slowly moved towards the animal, who carefully took two steps back.

"Don't be afraid. Piyo doesn't bite." - Piyo replied as she took a single worm and put it in her mouth.

The fox sniffed the air around the girl, it sensed no danger. It joined the girl and both ate their dinner together.

"Piyo doesn't like worms." - The girl spoke to the fox. - "Piyo loves apples. Piyo likes you, so Piyo will call you 'Apple'."

From now on, the fox was coming to the girl each day and she shared her food with it.

However, on the fifth day, 'Apple' didn't come.

Piyo was unhappy and decided to go and search for a fox.

She looked everywhere, in the narrow alleys, at the bazaar, in the dirty docks, and even snuck past the streets where only adults were allowed. 'Apple' couldn't be found anywhere, so the girl decided to return to her home, very sad.

As she walked through the alleyways, Piyo noticed a trail of blood on the ground. It was leading to her home. From inside her house, came a whining noise. Piyo took a careful peek and noticed the fox.

"Apple, are you okay?" - As Piyo asked, she noticed a crossbow bolt in fox's leg. Appalled, the girl covered her mouth with her hands and started panicking. - "Apple, stay here! Piyo will find bandages."

Piyo wanted to run outside, but she noticed three young boys with crossbows, who were blocking her path. They were all older than her, correspondingly ten, twelve, and fourteen years old.

The eldest boy asked – "Girl, did you see a fox here?"

"No. No fox here." - Piyo replied nervously. It was obvious she was lying.

The boy grabbed Piyo and shoved her aside, in the mud, then slowly started walking towards the Piyo's house.

Piyo knew what the boys planned, Piyo couldn't let it happen. She got up and ran in front of boys, then grabbed a doghouse, while blocking an entry with her body.

"Chief, what do we do?" - The middle child asked.

"Last warning. Go away, kid." - The eldest boy coldly announced.

"Mmm." - Piyo waved her head, saying no and the eldest boy raised his hand.

Piyo felt pain in her chest, then again, and again. She looked below her, one bolt pierced her chest all the way through, blood dripped down her dirty, rugged ragged skirt.

Piyo fell down, with tears in her eyes. She could barely move. - "Leave... Apple... alone." - She whispered, but the eldest boy just stepped on her head, shoving it into the mud.

"What do we do with the girl?" - The youngest boy replied.

"Take her, it's more food than a small fox. We will feast tonight."

[ . . . ]

Piyo woke up, her body felt all cold. She didn't feel pain. The girl lifted her shirt, her wounds were healed. She looked in front of her, there were three rats, who ran chaotically in circles, like they've lost their minds.

"I am sorry. I was late." - A sweet, but sad voice spoke to Piyo.

Piyo looked at the silhouette that cast shadow over three rats. She heard the legends, it was a monster.

Piyo didn't care, though.- "Where is 'Apple'?" - She asked in a weak voice.

"Apple?" - The monster waved its wand and summoned a single fruit, then crouched and presented it to the girl.

Piyo shoved the apple away, into the mud, yelling angrily. - "NO! Piyo's friend, Apple."

"Ohh." - The monster turned its face away, it didn't want to show what happened to 'Apple'. - "Apple... Apple is gone. I am sorry."

Piyo's eyes were full of tears, she screamed, nothing could ease her pain.

The monster didn't know what to do, but it had to speak to the girl before it would leave. - "Sorry. Piyo? Am I correct?"

Piyo wouldn't speak. She would only cry.

"Piyo, you're a vampire now. I couldn't save you any other way. You will learn what it means when the time comes. People don't like vampires, so as a parting gift, I will leave something that might help you become invisible."

Piyo didn't listen, but when she calmed down, the monster was already gone.

There only was an orange cape put over Piyo, it had a hood with two fox ears.