Ever since I moved into my house of the outskirts of London England, I had always sat inside reading or drawing. I truly find myself an outcast and don’t make many friends. And, I look pretty weird that everyone else here. I have black hair with bleached tips that is shoulder length, I have bright yellow eyes that glow in the dark, and, I’m mute. “Jaspen! It’s gorgeous outside! Why not go outside for once?” my mother called from down stairs. I sighed quietly, picking up my book and walking outside into the big field, under looking the large castle up on the hill behind my house. I always saw that castle from my window and thought of what could be up there. Maybe a mad scientist’s lab? Or a creature of centuries before… Whenever I read books, my thoughts ventured off into this part of my mind.
“Excuse me…Miss?” I look up at the male voice to see a young man standing in front of me holding his hands behind his back. “D-Do you know the best place to…ah, meet people?” I shake my head and he tilts his head in confusion. “What? Don’t pretty girls like you get out much?” My eyes widen and I blush at his comment, but shake my head. He sits on the ground in front of me, bringing a Charles Dickens book out from behind his back. I tapped his book cover and tilted my head, he smiled lightly. “It’s…its Charles Dickens: Bleak House.” I smile, grabbing my book from my lap and tapping the cover. “Charles Dickens: The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain?” I nod and shuffle over to sit next to him in the grass. He smiles lightly again, watching me as I tap his book cover with my index finger, tilting my head. “What is it? What is my book about?” I nodded and looked up to him, waiting for his answer. He explained the book. It was getting dark and my mother asked me to come inside, as I turned to face the boy he was gone…making me want to think he was my imagination.
The next day I went back outside, sure enough the boy was there. I had brought my slate with me this time and a new book. I waved, but he was buried into his own book to bother noticing. I tapped on his shoulder and he jumped slightly, looking up. “Oh, hello again…I never got your name yesterday…” I took out my slate and chalk and wrote it down before showing it to him. “Jaspen? That is a very pretty name…You should be proud.” I nodded sheepishly before pointing to my name and tilting my head looking at him. “My name is Dane…Dane grey. I live up in that castle over there.” He points to the castle behind us and my eyes widen. “Why don’t you ever ask me questions verbally?” He asks, marking his book and shutting it. I blush and look away, writing on my board and showing it to him. “You’re…Mute?” I nod and look at him; he was smiling like he always did, only showing the front two, maybe three teeth. “That’s fine, truly, the way people talk today baffles me.” I tilt my head and giggle silently at his annoyance with society. ‘I agree’ was written on my board as we both sat there all day, talking about books and our problems.
Over the last three days, I had managed to get a cold. I was lying in bed sniffling and coughing silently. “Jaspen! Someone is here to see you!” I hear my mother call from downstairs. Why is someone here to see me? I don’t have any friends except Dane, but he never goes any further than the field… Before I could finish thinking my door was opened I turn to see who is there and I blush instantly. “Sorry to get here so late…But I had to accomplish some objectives first.” I look at him and nod sneezing silently. He walks over and sits on the edge of the bed carefully, placing a hand over my forehead. I shivered until his hand left, as he explained his sudden appearance. “When I didn’t see you outside, I wondered what could have happened to you. So I went to your mother.” I blush and cover my face with the blankets, hearing him chuckle at my child-like actions. He pulled the blankets down slightly to my eyes, where he gently kissed my forehead, sharp canines brushing the skin. My eyes widen as he pulls back his cheeks tinged with pink that stood out against his pale skin. “I’m sorry, that was out of play wasn’t it… ahem…” I shake my head at him and he looks at me out of the corner of his eye. “Well, being your age you probably have a…ahem… ‘Boyfriend’.” I shake my head again, blushing harder at the conversation. “Really? That’s quite odd…Because usually girls around your age have husbands by now.” My eyes widen and I sit up slightly in my bed, looking at Dane with confusion. I grabbed my slate and quickly wrote something on there. ‘Why would that be?’ “Because, people of my century don’t have time to ‘date’ anyone. They get you married to claim land and property and that’s it. Completely unfair, I believe.
‘What do you mean ‘My century’?’ I write and show to him. His eyes immediately widen and he turns away, getting off the bed to walk to the window. It had started raining, and my large windows were a great way to watch it. “Great, now I can’t get home…” I hear Dane mumble as he leans against the window frame. I shuffle out of the bed, walking over to him and standing next to him watching the rain. ‘Why? It is Just rain…’ He looks at me with a worried expression and looks back to the window, the rain reflecting of his skin. “Let us just claim that I have a…’allergy’ to rain, shall we?” I look at him confused, but shrug it off as the rain comes down harder. You gently grab his hand and he turns, following me as I walked out of my room and into the empty guest room. “N-No…I can’t stay here with you…I barely know you Jaspen!” He says trying to object but I push him gently in and sitting on the edge of the bed. Dane stays standing still and stiff in the middle of the room. ‘Okay…well I have to go to sleep…It’s getting late…’ He nods to me and watches me leave him alone in the room.
