(Chapter One)



"You stupid little brat, yeah, thats right, runaway! Run! Just like that no good mother of your's!" Arnie Fredricks screamed from the kitchen door as Kiara ran down the dirt road drive way and took a left into the woods. As she went deeper into the ferns and hemlock trees Arnie's voice began to fade. Soon it was just and echo after her old running shoes.
She knew she probably looked a mess, but she didn't care. Her jeans, black Emillie Autumn T-shirt, black and white running shoes, and her black hair up in a ponytail, all of it would just have to do for a while, aleast until he was gon again, she thought.

She knew he would leave, he always did. The looser wouldn't be able to stick around any longer than Kiara's mother had.
But it hadn't been her mother's fault that she had had to run. It had been Arnie's, it was also his fault that her mother was dead. If he hadn't drove her away she wouldn't have been out the night of the shooting, Wouldn't be six feet under and pushing up daises right now, Kiara thought bitterly.
Kiara knew all the details of her mothers death. She had been five when it had happened but she could still remember it like it had just happened.
She remembered how Arnie had laughed, and laughed, and laughed. She remembered planning the funeral, a five year-old, alone.
She could still see the cold, bone white, corpse that had once been her mother. Remebered having to identify her. Having to arrange a burial.
Since the day of the funeral she had never been the same, she hadn't enjoyed anything since. It had been eleven years since the funeral, and it had been eleven years since she had last visited her mother's grave.
Suddenly Kiara made a decision. She turned right and headed for the old cemetary she had arranged for her mother to be buried in. She had an odd feeling that it would be productive to go visit her mothers grave.
Even though her rational mind didn't have a clue how the hell she was supposed to be productive by sitting mext to a lump of dirt that covered her dead mothers bones and any other gross remains.
When she entered the graveyard she froze. She stil hadn't the slightest clue what made her think to go to her mothers grave, but she definatly didn't like the sight she had ust been greeted with.
The graveyard looked awful, and not like really old awful, it looked like grave robber awful. The moment that thought crossed her mind she was running across the graveyard to her mother's headstone.
The headstone was ripped up and out f the ground, the grave had been dug up, and who ever was responsable had been stupid enough to use a crowbar to open the coffin with a crowbar.
Then she realized the worst of it. Her mothers bones were missing, they were gone and it looked they had been gone for days. When she realized this she dropped to her knees and slowly began weeping. Her head rested against the black formal coffin.
As she sat there weeping a dark substance began to slowly creep hear a tree behind her. Other swirls of blackness followed it, and they began to change.
The blackness began to take the shape of a man. As he slowly formed he saw he was not alone in the graveyard, but had a very young companion.
The young girl couldn't have been any older than seventeen at most. She had long, straight black hair that was in a tight ponytail, pale skine the color of cream, she had a slight but subtly curvy body, and a very delcate bone structure.
As he watched, he became aware of the fact that the young girl was weeping. She was kneeling over a dug up grave with missing remains, weeping.
He stood in the shadows, quietly watching, not wanting to intrued on his pretty companions mourning. He stood in the shadows for as long as he could bear, before walking up behind her silently, and laying a and on her shoulder.
She turned around, expecting it to be a cop of some sort or another, but it was a young looking boy. Probably no more than a year or two older than herslef. He had short, spikey, black hair that was casual mussed and messy, dark, peircing gray eyes, and perfectly tanned skin.
When the girl turned to look up at him warily he got his first glimpse of her face. It was a thin face, pale, a straight nose, high cheekbones, and full dark pink lips. In general she had a very pretty face, but then you added the young girls eyes and you had a female who could pass for a dark Aphrodite.
Her eyes were a dark, penetrating blue that had slivers of silver randomly threaded into the blue. She fixed her magnificent eyes upon him and he could not help but feel great sadness when he saw the proof he didn't, tear streaks running down her pretty pale cheeks.
"Why does such a young beauty weep over an empty coffin?" The mysterious stranger asked, lifting a hand and wiping away some of Kiara's tears.
"Because this coffin was my mothers. Someone has stolen her bones, and it made me sad to know that if i had come to visit her grave more often it might not have happened." She said, blushing a light, dusty rose.
"My I ask your name my Mysterious Weeper?" Kiara smiled a little as the strange by helped her to her feet.
"My name is Kiara, Kiara Fredricks."
"Kiara, a lovely name for a lovely girl." He said, taking her hand and kissing it. "My name in Lawrence, Lawrence Vlad. My friends call me Law. And you, my lovely flower, I wish you to consider me a friend."
"Ok, if you insist Law." She said, blushing again, trying to look presentable, which was impossable in her state, tear streaks running over her face, her hair was coming down, her jeans were muddy, as was her shirrt, and she probably had bags under her eyes.
"So, can i help you with anything my flower, I don't like to see such a lovely yound maiden crying, especially not in a dirty old graveyard like this."
"No, I'm ok. Really, I just had too much to deal with at once today, and really didn't need this."
"May I offer to buy you something to eat or drink?You look half starved." Lawrence said, giving her a once over from the front. His estimation was that she was too thin and needed some nurishment.
"No, really, I'm fine. I should probably be getting home anyway." She said, blushing when his gaze swept over her once again, this time it was skeptical.
"I hope your father is actually feeding you something sustainable. You're as thin as a twig, my lovely flower."
"I feed myself actually, my dad has alot of...work, to do." She said, hoping to distract him from her apperence.
"Ok, well, atleast allow me to walk you home." He said, raising a hand when she began to protest. "No arguing, it would be very ungentlemanly if I just let you walk around in the middle of the night, especially when you're half asleep." He said, taking her arm in his and beginning to walk.
As they walked Kiara noticed Law's outfit for the first time. He was wearing a pair of black slicks, a white dress shirt, and a silver and onyx watch. This guy's gotta be rich, she thought.
When they arrived at the dirt drive way Kiara thanked Law and walked away, leaving Law alone in the silent night.
After a quick scout around the graveyard, Law could wait no more. He went back to Kiara's home. Her house was dark, all except for one window.
When he was floating just below the window, he waited. When the light went out he peeked in. She had climbed into the bed and her silky black hair was ot of its ponytail and fanning out about her pillow.

He quickly slipped a note beneath the window pain and sank back down into the darkness, dissappearing.

When Kiara woke up the next morning, she found the bote and read it, smiling a little at it.


I have seen from the darkest shadows,
Watched in the endless night,
But never before have I seen a flower,
With your warmth and light.