• Lance and Scarlett stayed in the ally for a while, until Lance recovered from Scarlett’s feeding, then they walked towards Scarlett's house.
    "You don't actually have a place to stay do you?' she asked as they rounded the last corner. Lance smiled "You figured out that part didn't you?" he asked.
    Scarlett laughed "You might be able to fool those two but I'm someone differ..." she stopped herself when she realized what she was saying.
    Lance quickly got the subject back on track said, "Well I sort of have a place... try and guess?" he asked.
    Scarlett look at him confused "I don't have the faintes...." she stopped, when she noticed that look in Lance's eyes that reminded her of a kid who had played a good prank. She took a moment to think, then blurted out with a look of shock on her face, "You don't mean?"
    Lance simply kept smiling.
    Scarlett glared at him "There is no way you coul...." she stopped when Lance's face seemed to have a cute puppy dog's look on it, begging for little pieces of scrap food.
    Scarlett could feel her defense weakening "There is no way" she argued looking away, but then he started to whine, snivel and protrude his bottom lip a little.
    Sshe lost all her defense when she looked back "Fine" she mumbled.
    As they came to the front door she realized something off, "Oh no! what are my parents going to think" she asked forgetting all about it.
    Lance smiled "It's alright, when I said I was a transfer student I wasn't really lying, my transfer parents are...yours."
    Scarlett stood there for a moment "You really did think of everything didn't you?" she asked, walking towards the door.
    His tone became serious "When it comes to something like this you can't afford to be messy." Before Scarlett could comment the door burst open.
    Her mother stood at the door "Ah, so he was with you, I though he had gotten lost or something" her mother sighed with relive "why didn't you call?" she asked Scarlett.
    Scarlett had forgotten to call her parents "I'm sorry but it just took so long to find him" she thought of quickly.
    "Oh no not this strapping young man, I bet all the girls were all over him at school" her mother giggled, Scarlett Glared at Lance as her mother ushered them into the house.
    When inside her mother introduced her self "Hello my name is Grace” she smiled holding out her hand to shake his, but was taken by surprise when Lance lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.
    “A pleasure to meet you. I’m Lance Dazzle.” He said.
    Grace put her other hand on her cheek and blushed “Aren’t you a the little gentleman” she said taking her hand back.
    Scarlett rolled her eyes “Mother you know all what’s going on right?” she asked
    Grace seemed to snap out of a trance “Oh yes I got the phone call this afternoon, he’ll be sleeping in the guest room next to yours” Grace said as she guided them into the living room and sat down on one of the sofa’s, “So I want to know all there is about you, like your favorite food?, are you having a good time here?, and stuff like that. To get to know you better” she asked pouring three cups of coffee from a thermos that had been sitting on the coffee table. The room seemed organized, papers in piles, computer desk all tidied up, the book shelf didn’t have a book out of place, but the furniture for the room didn’t match, not completely at least. The end tables, tone sat at the end of each couch, were all wood, but the color of each one was off by a few shades. The two couches, that sat parallel from each other, were tanned color, but one was soft leather and the other a darker tan cloth material.
    Lance sat across from Grace on the soft leather couch and picked up a cup of coffee, lightly sipped it and started to answer all of Grace’s questions, Scarlett watched the both of them in amazement, they seemed to get along like old collage buddies. She watched them closely as she sipped her cup of coffee, sitting beside Lance, almost suspicious.

    Hours later they were still at it asking questions back and forth, Scarlett was starting to doze off behind her cup, she came awake quickly when she caught part of the conversation.
    Grace laughed “I can remember when she was small she would be so messy with her food throwing it every were a lot of the time it ended up in her hair or in her clothes.”
    Scarlett blushed “Mother!” She cried.
    Lance chuckled softly “Who would ever guess this little lady of ever making such a mess?” he asked mockingly looking at Scarlett with a soft and all knowing expression.
    Scarlett bushed and looked away just as Grace yawned “I think it’s time to hit the sack” she moaned, standing and stretching her legs, while whipping at her eyes.
    Scarlett stood “Come on I’ll show you to your room” she told Lance directing him to the stairs, Grace was close behind.
    “Oh, hang on a second I forgot my bag” Scarlett said running back down the stairs.
    Grace looked at Lance as he watched Scarlett go down the stairs “I know the real reason you’re here” she whispered.
    Lance coldly stared at Grace, all friendliness gone from his face, “You are wiser then I thought, but you realize you can’t keep her forever, she will have to come back at some time” he whispered, the tone of his voice was serious.
    Grace took a few more steps up the stairs moving closer to Lance “I know that, but I won’t give her up until she is ready and not a moment sooner” she glared at him as she past, getting to the top of the stairs as Scarlett was coming back with her bag.
    “I got it” she smiled not knowing anything that just happened.
    Lance laughed “I’m glad, Are you going to do some homework before you go to bed?” he asked as they continued walking up the stairs.
    Scarlett frowned “I guess I have to, some of it is due tomorrow and you talking to my mother for so long didn’t help” she glared at him but then smiled, “But I’m glad you guys get along so well.” Lance winched a little, but smiled back, following her down the hall.
    “Well here we are” Scarlett announced opening the door “The bed sheets have just been changed and everything is dusted” She said as they walked in.
    The walls of the room were light blue. One wooden dresser sat next to the bed, on the other side was a night stand with a creamy colored lamp on it. The curtains were a dark shade of blue to match the walls. The bed was a small one person bed with white, soft sheets on it.
    Lance walked in, dropped his bag and sat on the bed, sighing with relive “Finally a bed to sleep in.”
    Scarlett looked puzzled “It’s just a bed, didn’t you have one before?” she asked standing in front of him, Lance laid back putting his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, “Nope, I normally found some abandoned place near here to stay, it was cold but at least I had shelter from the rain” he replied.
    “Why didn’t you go back to the other world for the night?” she asked sitting beside him on the bed.
    Lance opened his eyes to look at Scarlett “I couldn’t go back, or more like I can’t go back” he replied.
    Scarlett looked confused “Why?” she asked.
    Lance sat up in his bed and looked Scarlett in the eyes “Well, I can’t go back until you do, I made a pact when we left that world. I said I wouldn’t return until it was safe and you were ready to go back.”
    Scarlett grabbed his hand in concern “You mean you haven’t seen your family this whole time?” she asked, tears threatening to roll down her face.
    Lance wiped away one of her tears “It was a sacrifice I was willing to make to make sure you were safe and stayed that way” he replied. He stood up bring Scarlett with him, “Enough of this you should really be getting to bed” he said moving towards the door.
    Scarlett could barely hear what was going on, but when they started to move towards the door she rushed in front of him and wrapped her hand around his waist “I’m sorry you had to..” she cried but he cut her off.
    “It’s no problem, I was on bad terms with my family to begin with, a little time part was nice” he smiled down at her, “Now come on it’s time for bed” he added moving her towards the door and out into the hallway. He opened the door to her room, stopping to look around. Seeing all the pictures of friends and family brought a sharp stab of guilt into his heart ‘she’ll have to leave all this soon’ he thought sadly.
    Scarlett moved over to her desk “I told you I can’t go to bed yet I have homework to do first” she said putting her bag on the desk, moving through it and pulling out a few books. Lance watched her pulled out the seat and sit down ready to get started, “It’s not like I sleep well at night anyways” she whispered to herself but Lance heard it and caught the hint of sadness in her voice.
    Slowly he walked to the door “Well don’t stay up too late” he said as he closed the door, leaving it slightly cracked.
    Scarlett started on her studies, whipping through the homework like it was nothing, she was always good at homework and smart too, she had all A’s in her classes. Then her friends asked her how she did it, but she didn’t really understand it at the time how she could. Then when her memories came back she knew it was because it was her normal self, her real self. From the day she was born she had a well developed mind, by the time she was six months old she could talk in paragraphs and was starting to read. By the time she was three and a half she was doing sixth grade work. Scarlett closed her books and stretched.
    Getting up from the chair she headed to the bathroom, “A nice shower will help me relax” she said as she closed the door.
    Lance went back to his room and sat on his bed for an hour just looking at the room. The bed was soft, the whole room had a soft and gentle feeling to it, he sighed and took off his school jacket, placing it of the end of the dresser then took off his tie throwing it on top. He unbuttoned his skirt and put on top of the pile, he left his pants on and unraveled the bed sheets, crawling under them. Soon his eyes became heavy, the last thing he heard was the water being run from the other room, and then he was sound asleep. From giving blood so much Lance had become tired and needed to regain his strength for what was to come.

    Scarlett stood in front of her bathroom mirror. Her skin looked a little paler. She lightly brushed her hand on her cheek, she had just had a hot shower but the soft skin still felt cold. Lifting her lip she saw one of her dagger like fangs.
    Running her thumb along it she winched when the fang cut her thumb, “They really are sharp” she thought as she sucked on her thumb.
    Scarlett looked long and hard at her refection “What will I turn into? Will it still be me? Will I remember the time I spend here?” she asked herself and sighed when she only heard silence. “You will always be you, you just have to trust your other half and draw strength to fight your past” a voice replied.
    Scarlett opened her eyes and looked around but saw no one “Who’s there?” she asked but nothing replied. “Maybe it was just my imagination” she yawned and moved to her bed, slipping under the covers, she curled up and sank into a deep sleep.
    As Scarlett slept a black butterfly with violet moons on the bottom half of the wing, perched itself on her window, watching. A few moments later it fluttered from the window and glided away into the night. On the outside of town a man stood in the shadows, his face and body were covered with a long black trench coat. He lifted his hand as the black butterfly landed on his finger. Bring it close to his face the butterfly slowly fluttered its wings for a few moments then flew off.
    The strange man brought his hand back to his side then smiled, “So it has began” he said, then walked back into the trees ,vanishing in the shadows.

    Light leaked in from the window as birds sang outside, Scarlett rolled over in her bed suddenly she rolled, off hitting the floor with a thud.
    “Ouch that hurt” she moaned as she rubbed her head. As she looked out the window to see the sun shining she saw her clock “What! Why didn’t anyone wake me up?” she cried.
    The clock said it was 8:45am and she had to get to school for nine. Scarlett pulled on her clothes as quick as she could and ran down the stairs but all the lights were off and no one was up. “Where is everyone?” she asked.
    Just then Grace came sauntering down the stairs rubbing her eyes “Hunny it’s a Saturday” Grace yawned.
    Scarlett thought for a moment “Damn I guess I forgot, well I might as well try and get a few more hours sleep in then” she said as she started back up the stairs. As she got into her room she flopped down on the bed ‘I wonder how Lance is doing?’ she thought sitting up on her bed “I’ll just have a little peek” she whispered tip toeing down the hall to Lances room.
    Quietly she opened the door and peered in. The room was dark, the curtains had been pulled together so no light would get through “Lance are you awake?” she whispered, when she heard nothing she stepped into the room closing the door behind her.
    Slowly she walked over to the bed and placed a hand on it she could feel the sheets were ruffled and out of place “Lance how are you feeling?” she asked but again she heard nothing.
    Moving farther up the bed she kept a hand on the side of the bed lightly feeling her way up. When she got to the top of the bed she kneeled down beside it “Lace how are you feeling?” she asked again reaching out her hand to feel his back. She frozen when she felt bare skin on her hand, lightly she ran her fingers along the skin she could feel his cheek. “You know that could get you into trouble?” She jumped and pulled her hand back when Lance start to talk.
    “Oh you don’t have to scare me like that I was just wondering how you were doing” she huffed getting ready to stand, but stopped when Lance reached out and grabbed her hand pulling her into the bed.
    “What are you doing?” she asked as she tried to push away but Lance wrapped his arms around her keeping her from falling off the bed.
    “I was just thinking that your soft hands felt like velvet on my skin” he whispered leaning forward and capturing her lips with his. Electricity swept through Scarlett’s body, she leaned in, molding her body with his.
    “Touch my skin again” he whispered against her lips.
    Scarlett reached up and placed her hand on his cheek smoothing it down the side of his face. Lance laughed lightly then softly took her hand in his “Not there, but here” he said as he placed her hand on his bare chest.
    Scarlett jumped “You’re not wearing clothes and your freezing” she whispered trying to pull away again.
    “You’re wrong I’m wearing pants” he replied moving her closer to him “Why do you run from me?” he asked, letting go of her hand, but keeping his arm around her.
    Scarlett stopped trying to pull back and looked away blushing “I’m just not used to it” she muttered placing her head against his chest “I guess I’m just a little scared” she added.
    Lance wrapped both arms around her pulling her close to his body “It’s alright I’m here for you, to protect you” he whispered in her ear.
    Scarlett felt a shiver run down her spine as Lance kissed the side of her neck, slowly she moved his face to look at her, just as she was about to press her lips to his she jumped and nearly fell off the bed at the sound of someone else’s voice.
    “What are you guys doing?” Grace asked standing at the door, hands on hips tapping one foot impatiently on the floor.
    Scarlett pushed away from Lance so fast that she seemed to fly off the bed and hit the floor. Quickly she regained her footing and stood up “Mother! …..ah….it’s not what it seems?” she said.
    Lance rose to stand beside Scarlett “I’m sorry it was my fault. She just came in to wake me up, I asked her too last night, with me not having an alarm and all I didn’t want to sleep in” he lied. Scarlett looked over at him but turned away blushing, the light from the door framed his tone muscles and flat stomach, the sight set her skin on fire.
    Grace looked at Scarlett the back at lance giving him a warning look “I guess, but next time ask me to wake you please” with that she walked out the door.
    Scarlett heaved a great sigh of relief. She never thought her mother would buy that “That was close” she muttered as she looked up at Lance, “You almost got me in big trouble” she said poking him in the chest “next time wake yourself up”.
    She went to move away but Lance caught her arm and whirled her around to face him “But I love the way you came to wake me up” he purred in her ear.
    Scarlett shivered, loving the sound of his voice and the scent of his breath so close to her face “No, no more” she whispered lightly pushing away.
    Lance let go on her arm and watched her walk out the door ‘oh how I could prove my love for you my little Sherri’ he thought as he picked up his shirt, slipping it on then gliding down the stairs for breakfast.