A Different World

III: M38IL

She stood still beneath the glimmering moonlight with her eyes closed and her breaths short. There was a sort of tranquility around here, in her, that almost made her forget why she was standing there in the first place. Standing in the moonlight with an endless array of twinkling stars, surrounded by trees taller than anything she could imagine, standing on the unpredictable ground, ground so foreign and new.

This all scared her just as much as it excited her. She was seeing the outdoors for the first time, except she wasn't. She was seeing the moon, the stars, the trees, the endless array of animals that lurked in the shadows observing every one of her moves for the first time, except she wasn't.

Everything above, beneath and around her was computerized, an allusion, yet it felt so real.

The wind brushing against her skin, the cool droplets rolling down her temple, the crack of the twigs ringing in her ears..

The crack of the twigs.

The crack of the twigs.

Her eyes flew open. She knew the source of the noise was not an animal, she had had enough training to know that. She had had enough training to survive what was waiting for her, yet she still felt her stomach drop and her heart rate spike significantly.

She retrieved the blade from her back and ran. She ran holding a blade stronger than anything mankind had seen, so strong it could cut down anything in its path with little to no effort. In her hands, she held the only blade strong enough to pierce through a vampire's skin. Without the blade, her fight against the vampire would be futile.

The wind rushes past her as she cuts through the trees trying to avoid every obstacle in her path. Her ponytail sways back and forth, slightly brushing the back of her neck and her bangs whip to the side allowing her to see better. She desperately needed a trim. Maybe if she survived she would get it.

It was dark but somehow she saw the shadow standing a few feet in front of her, tall and looming. She stopped and looked at it and it looked back at her. She could not see its eyes but every nerve in her body was aware of his its eyes on her.

She blinked and it was gone. It was gone so fast she was almost convinced it was an illusion but she knew better. She knew that she needed to trust every one of her instincts.

She heard another crack and just as she was about to take flight in the direction of the sound, something wrapped their arms around her, holding her tight and secure around the neck. His breath was a cold winter breeze against her ear, sending every hair on her body standing.

He pulled away slightly and moved her ponytail to the side, exposing her mark, the one thing that defined her as a person. The gesture was so intimate, so daunting, she had no idea of how to react. It made her feel abundantly exposed and vulnerable.

"M38IL," his mouth was back at her ear. "Does that mean anything to you?" He pulled away to look at her mark once again.

She remembered repeating the simple combination of letters and numbers over and over in her head, as a small child. Constantly trying to remember the thing that defined her and forgetting it the next morning. She remembered her late nights, trying to figure out what the letters and numbers meant, incessantly going over and over them in hopes of finding a greater meaning than just a brand.

His voice, the memories, the combination of both brought seething rage to her being. Red, hot, rage.

She wrapped her leg around his ankle and tugged forward with all her strength. She knocked him down, just like she had hoped but he had kept a strong hold on her the entire time and brought her down with him. He rolled over and had her pinned to the ground.

He straddled her back as he pressed her head down against the musty forest ground.

"At first, I was really against the whole kidnapping situation. I mean who do you humans think you are but I think I'm quite enjoying this. You don't get this kind of action out in the real world." She did not know what he was talking about nor did she care, all she really knew and cared about was that he was the only thing standing between her and the real world.

She hooked her legs beneath his arms and lifted him off her as quickly as she could, thanking herself or whoever created her for being so flexible.

They were both very fast, they both operated at the same speed but somehow everything seemed to be playing in slow motion.

He regained his equilibrium quite swiftly and launched at her, teeth bared, arms out. As he came closer, she pushed down on his arms and shoved him away before his teeth come anywhere near her neck. He came back at her, angrier than before, faster but with little consideration of protecting himself from her. Maybe it was because she was a human or maybe it was because she was a twenty-year-old girl but the way he came to her let her know that he did not see her as an eminent threat but food. She used that against him and took the opportunity to recover her weapon from the ground. It had gathered droplets from the humidity but that did not falter her firm hold on the object.

He did not see the weapon as a threat and continued to launch at her.

She took the sword and penetrated his stomach when he was close enough that she could make out every detail of his sharp features. He recoiled, daunted by the power of the sword. He nor any other vampire new of the societies secret weapon. They did not know that after years of trial and error, they had finally built a weapon strong enough to penetrate through a vampire's thick skin. He would heal, of course, but she only meant to surprise him so she could deliver the final blow. And that is just what she did.

She held the blade tightly and put it through his heart, killing him.

She had done it, she had passed her test.

She was free.

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Okay, so I've decided that I will keep these chapters in the 1,000 word range. I know that is not much put that just means I will be able to update faster. :)

I hope you guys enjoyed and please let me know if you guys liked. I would love to hear what you guys have to say.

Till next time....