Kindred Excert

[Erosaf]

Chapter One - The Planning

The sun was warm on the Kawana Waters State College senior school grounds as the final bell for the day rang. Hundreds of students poured out of the classrooms, moving towards the car park talking. Amongst them was a young girl, her skin was a rich caramel in tone and her hair was straight and black. Sea green eyes twinkled as she headed towards her car, where her freinds would be waiting.

This one girl was the queen of the school. If she did not know you, you were nobody to everyone else. This was her senior year, and everyone was looking forwards to the start of year homecoming dance. Of course, a lot of guys kept asking her, in the hopes that she would go with them. At the moment, she had not decided who the lucky guy would be that would be going with her.

She smiled though as she reached her car, and saw the other two girls already waiting for her. They were the only ones in her real inner circle, and she knew that she could trust them with anything. The first was slightly taller, and stronger too, her hair was blond and her eyes were a light blue. Her name was Ashleigh Lewis. The other was albino skinned, red haired and brown eyed. Her name was Angeline Night.

“Hey girls,” Jenniffer Andrews said, smiling as she joined them by her car.

“You might not want to check your emails this afternoon, Jen,” Ashleigh said. “They're going to be filled with emails from guys asking you to the dance.”

Jenniffer laughed. “I'll just delete them,” she said, sliding into her car. There was no way she was going to be asked to the dance by anyone over email. That was not the polite way to ask a girl out. She was well known for her olden days ways. Back then it had been polite to ask a girl out face to face, and that was the only one she would accept at the moment. “Boys never learn, do they?”

“It would not seem so,” Angeline replied. “Though I think a few have caught on. Not that they are all that willing to ask you, seeing as you've turned everyone down.”

“It's not as though I have to accept. Its my choice who comes with me. At least the royal party hasn't changed,” Jenny remarked. That was something she was pleased about. Nothing more was there to deal with than choosing who was going to be the one to take her. Not that it really mattered to her. “Not like anyone else can compete with us, we're the ones who are the rulers of the school, this year.”

“Yeah, and the theme this years going to make things very interesting for everyone trying to find dresses.”

“Well, all the better to cause some confusion for everyone,” Jenny laughed. “At least we all know what we're dealing with.”

The dance was themed around the middle ages. So there would be a lot of lords and ladies at the dance. Not to mention knights, and nobles as well. Though things were going to be interesting, Jenny knew that something would be happening to her before the dance. She only hoped that it was not the thing that she knew about. One of these days she would have to become what laid dormant in her, the planet's Gaurdian. Not a thing she wanted at the moment. She'd taken so long to fit in with everyone after the last time she had become that monster.

Jenny already had her dress though, and it was an original from back in those times. It had belonged to one of her real family members, and though that family member had died a long time ago, Jenny knew it was hers to wear this time. People always talked about the time when a member of King Arthur's family would return to protect their world, well that time would come again soon. So many name changes she had done though, but only to keep the secret of her not aging from everyone else.

It was not something she wanted to become common knowledge. People would be freaked out if it became known that the current Princess of the high school was an immortal. That was not something that she needed in her life. A lot of stress would come, when she finally chose to reveal her true nature to everyone. Life now though was sweet and good.

She had to live on, in secret, for the times when her enemies came to try and take this world and destroy it. No one could get too close to her, least they knew the danger of being around her. It wasn't that she thought that her freinds and various families were expendable. No, she had a greater mission to deal with, and to do it, secrecy was a must. Her true life was the one that was buried so far beneath the surface, and no one would ever break into those thoughts. No creature on Earth was powerful enough to take on her own strength of mind. She was safe, and for the last five thousand years, she'd roamed the planet, only emerging when the time came that a leader was needed.

When one was not, she was hidden away, living the same life of any mortal. She hid herself away, even changing her body back so that she would grow up once more. It was a tricky thing to pull off, but she knew that the willpower to hide once danger was gone was still there.

Forever it would burn within her, and as she drove through the streets, listening to her freinds chattering away, she knew that the time was coming again. Though things like the homecoming dance were not really important to her, she made it seem as though they were, for it was all part of keeping herself seem normal to everyone else. It was no easy thing to continuosly do, but she would manage as she had done for so long.

One day she would have to tell Ashleigh and Angeline what she was, they were as close as sisters to her. She would never leave them in the dark. That was not something she would ever want to do at the moment. They deserved to know the truth about her, and she knew it.

“You are gonna choose someone, aren't you?” Ashleigh asked, looking at her.

“Oh yes, I just don't know who.” She knew that admitting it was the best thing to do at the moment. It was something that she really had a hard time doing at the moment. If it was one thing she knew, despite her age, she was not interested in dating someone else. That was one thing that she could not do. After all, who would date someone like her who was so much older than they would ever be?

Dating a human was not a wise thing to do at the moment. She knew that there were better things for her to be doing, but she knew that time was something she had to fit in with. She'd had to compel Julia and Frank Andrews to take her in, and claim that she was their daughter, when she knew that they could not have kids, no matter how much they tried. She'd compelled them to take her in, claim that she was the daughter of Julia's sister.

***

She sat in her room, finishing off on her homework in record speed. Why have a good brain that already knew everything if you did not use it? She certainly used hers. As she put the books away, she took out a heavy, leather covered, hand made paper book as well. This book was special to her.

November 1, 2010

5.00PM

Dear Diary,

Something different is going to happen soon. I know reading that seems bad, but its not. It's just something I seem to know is going to happen. I think the time for me to become my other self is rapidly approaching, but as yet, I'm not completely sure.

I'm enjoying school, being one of the popular girls though can be a little annoying though at times. All the boys want to go to the homecoming dance with me. So far, none of them are going with me, I don't like most of the guys that have asked. What's a girl to do? Go on her own? No way!

Ashleigh and Angeline haven't figured out what I am yet. That's a good thing. If they do, and I haven't told them myself, I'll have to compel them and make sure that they do not remember working out what I truly am. I would hate to have to do that to them, they really are close to me. Every day I feel more human around them, and I beleive that is a good thing.

Though this planet is not my birth planet, I feel like I really am wanted around here. There have been so many alien races trying to destroy this world, and when they come here, I always have to be ready fight and defend this place. I have to admit this but, Earth is growing on me, and I would never leave it defenseless.

Thats all I have to say for now, I'll write again soon, as the dance gets closer. Who knows what will happen then,

Jenny.

She read back over what she had written that afternoon. Though to her she knew that things made sense that she'd written, she knew that as always, there were things hidden in her words that she did not want others to know. She knew that this entry was all about a coming danger for the people on planet Earth. A danger she alone knew was coming. That was the way it always was, but it was the way things had to be. These dangers were not ones that humans could defend themselves from.

The werewolves, demons and vampires that she knew lurked in the dark were more able to defend against such things, but she would not be the one to risk them as well. She knew there were things at work here that were more evil than any human would be able to imagine in their own world. Defender of an entire world was no easy job to have. She knew that it was one thay required a lot of solitude. Something she was not the easiest at being surrounded by. She thrived on the contact with other beings. Solitude did not suit her.

She smiled though as she headed outside to where her horse was stabled. It was a big homestead that she lived on, with Julia and Frank Andrews. She was spoilt here, and she was not looking forwards to having to leave them. Eventually though the time for that would come, and she would know that the time was right.

Her young mare greeted her happily, and she knew that she was eager for a quick work out. It was going to be a good afternoon for the both of them. Maybe she'd see her freinds out on the frequented trails. After all, they all loved horses, and more often than not she did see them out there.

“Let's go for a ride,” she said, tacking up the black mare. Tonight though, they would fly as one, the pair of them. For there were a few things that Jenny wanted to be sure about before any trouble came to her home. A group of Altai vampires had summoned her, and she would join them tonight, to find out what was going on at the moment. Only that group of Altai knew where she was at all times, so that they could communicate with her when they knew danger was coming.

The mare neighed and headbutted her. She was eager to get out of her stall, and Jenny moved quickly to tack her up. Though the tack she used seemed normal, the mare didn't need it. But seeing as it was daylight hours still, they could not go out the other more natural way that both preferred at the moment. When nightfall came though, they would soar through the skies and have the fun they always did. Nightfall was the time when Jenny's body changed usually. And it would change tonight, now that she'd been summoned once more. She was eternal.

Soon they were moving out onto the trails, and she just let the mare move at her own pace, it was easy enough terrain that she did not have to guide her using the right aides. She could soon hear the sound of a whipbird and the loud laughter of a kookaburra somewhere. It was not long before the kooraburra was silent and a group of thingyateals started talking to each other. They stopped though as she rode past, as if they knew she was no normal human. When she was past them though, they took off flying past her, screeching as if she was a danger to them. She wasn't.

Instead she was out here to have some fun really, and relax. There was so much going on in her life at the moment, and all of it was not of the easy sort of matter at the moment. Things were harder for her, seeing as she was starting to change more and more into the creature of the night that only showed in dangerous times.

Things took time for her to change completely over and she knew it. But she knew also that the changes had been going on for weeks. That was the hard part of it, her changing form was almost complete, and soon she would be nothing but a Gaurdian. She'd have to drop out from school, she could not go there when her tattoos came. No, she would be stared at, and she did not want to start that trend. People payed attention to her because she was the current queen of the school. What she wore and did, others would copy, no matter what it was.

**

She got to school early the next day, it was getting close to the election time and she had to keep things moving. The senior school was preparing for voting for the homecoming queen. If she wanted to retain her place as queen of the school, she had to keep being the person everyone knew and loved. Though it would not last all that long really. Her reign was almost at its end and she hated that thought. But when duty was calling to her, she had to answer. Even if it meant giving up the things that were growing on her once again.

Seeing the guy she'd finally decided upon going to the dance with, she waited to see if he would come over and talk to her. There was only one problem, he was the one who had all the girls asking him. It was her own situation, only in reverse. Kind of amusing for her to watch, but she was not one of the girls who asked, she was one of the ones who waited. She knew that her royal court needed one more guy in its group, at the moment she was the only one without a date. Something that mattered now.

He seemed to look over at her for a few minutes. She waited to see if anyone else was thinking about coming and asking her. Usually at this time of the day, she had pilees of boys asking her to the dance. But for some odd reason, no other guys were coming to ask her. It was as if they had all given up on asking her, as if they thought she would only reject them. They were right, she would only reject them, she only wanted one particular guy. Cody Smith, and he was the one standing across the hall from her at the moment.

The most popular guy in the school. Seemed only fitting that they went together, the two most likely candidates for the homecoming king and queen. She knew that he was thinking about it, but whether or not to come over was something he was a little worried about. He seemed to know that she was waiting for someone to come and it was not her usual crowd of boys.

He seemed to realise that no one was coming to meet with her, and took one step towards her. She smiled at him. Eventually he made it over to her, and she smiled again.

“Yes Cody?” she asked.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go to the homecoming dance with me?” He was nervous and that amused her.

When he got the words out though, several other students seemed to turn and stare at her.

She was completely oblivious to them all at the moment, as she replied, “Yes, I will come to the homecoming dance with you, Cody.” He was worth her time, she had had a crush on him for quite some time, though she had never mentioned it to anyone.

There, she was off the market when it came to a potential date for that night. Nothing more to worry about than her ever changing body. He managed to smile at her, and as he did, the two girls and their boys seemed to come across.

“Hey Cody,” both girls said in unison. They both seemed to stare at him though when he did not move away from Jenny.

“Cody's sitting with us until the homecoming dance,” Jenny said. “I chose him as my date for the dance.” Both her freinds looked stunned, as did their boys.

She decided it did not matter what they thought of her. Until she got her mind reading talent again, she would not bother about trying to read them. Enough had been said in those few words that she was not going to be putting up with any funny business until the night of the dance. That was when her true self came into play and it was going to be for a good reason. Angeline was going to be targeted by a werewolf who wanted to make her one like himself. She had to protect her. That she had learnt at the meeting late last night.

[Erosaf]

Chapter 2 – Changeling

Time had changed her. She was as strong willed as some of the girls who were fighting over who else was nominated for homecoming queen. But that was not the real thing she was ready to fight for. No, she could feel the feathers on her back slowly appearing, and she knew that the time was coming for her to become the thing that was only known in legends, though none of the human ones gave her kind a name. That she was in a way grateful about, she did not want them to name her. It was not something she fought to protect them for.

Now though as she felt the black wings behind her, she knew that there were some things in the world that she would not be able to hide forever. Things were going to get hard for her now. People would start to notice her not so human nature that she was acquiring these days. She would have to explain this to everyone, but only when her transformation was permanently completed. Though she had loved being a human, things were not to be that way any more for a time.

Why though did it have to happen when she was already feeling so happy about the other life she had been living? As soon as she got complacent in the way that the humans were safe and the rest of the universe did not want to destroy their world, an enemy always came to destroy her serenity. What a hard job that made this for her then. Such a silent girl she was from time to time, but now when she looked in the mirror and saw those dark black eagle wings spreading out behind her, she knew that the Guardian within her was needed once more.

It was a rough night for her, that night, as her body changed in its unexplainable ways. The next morning though when she knew she had to get ready to school she had a dilemma. She could not go to school today, else she risked exposing her secret. Jenny found herself compelling Julia Andrews to let her stay home for the day. She needed the time to think, and this was the only way she would be able to do so for herself. If she was changing like this, well, the human facade had to go seeing as she was not human any more.

Well it happened and she knew it. Her time as a human was over once again. Though somehow she would still find time to get to that dance. When her friends turned up after school was out for the day she sighed when they came towards her room, laughing about different things that had gone on. Just hearing Ashleigh and Angeline chattering about things that she wanted to be there to see and experience for herself made her sad that she would never be able to do things with them again after today.

As always they knocked on her door before coming in. when they did though, her back was turned to them at the time. She was deep in thought and now things were coming to a close for their group. It was not the easiest time to be saying goodbye to them, but she knew that she would have to now. Slowly she turned to face them and the two girls seemed to scrutinise her as she did.

“You don't look sick,” Ashleigh said. It was clear that Jenny had not fooled her at least. A glance as Angeline told her she was not fooled either by her excuse for skipping school for the day. Looked like she would have to explain anyway.

“I'm not. I needed to be able to think, away from the crowded school yard, girls,” she replied, hoping though she knew it was pointless, that they would not ask any more of her. Of course things would not be that simple. She was the school's queen at the moment.

“Why?” Angeline asked. The slightly younger girl looked at her in confusion. Then she said something completely frustrating for Jenny. “We're always there together, Jen.”

“There is no easy way for me to say this to you both. We've known each other so very long. You're like sisters to me, you know that?” she paused for a few moments to catch her thoughts while her friends nodded. “I'm not coming back to school. I can't.”

“Why? Is something stopping you?” Ashleigh asked.

“Yes, but the reason is something of the paranormal stead, not what you would think. I'm not moving away or anything. Well in the future I likely will.”

“What paranormal thing?” Angeline asked.

“In movies and folklore, there are many tales of vampires, werewolves, demons, and the like. Well, they are not just stories.” She sighed, this was not the easiest of things to reveal to her friends, but she owed them an explanation.

“What do you mean they are not just the stuff of stories and things?” Ashleigh asked, fidgeting as if she did not want to know the answer to what I spoke of now.

“You're staring at one right now, though I fit none of those categories. I'm what's known as an Altai, or World Gaurdian.”

“What's so special about that?” Angeline asked. “You don't look anything but human.” She seemed to be getting even more confused at the moment. Nothing seemed to be making sense to her right now. Not a word of any of it.

“What's a World Gaurdian?” Ashleigh asked. Of course she could be relied on to get to the point and find out the more important things. It wasn't that Angeline was not that person, she just asked a lot of irrelevant things at times. Things that annoyed both her friends. She was not the brightest of people, but Angeline was extremely loyal to her friends.

“What I mean, is that though I look human, that is because my own race is very much human in appearance, unless we go to battle. I can show you my battle form, but you cannot tell anyone. Else people might try and hunt me, seeing as I seem something of a mystery. People have been trying to find me ever since I came to Earth, when human kind first appeared on this planet.”

“You're not that old!” Angeline said.

“Preposterous,” Ashleigh commented. “We've watched you grow up like we have. You cannot be immortal.”

“Its true. I was there with the cave men, when Jesus Christ was born and many other things happened through time. I have watched humanity grow and evolve, only revealing myself when this planet is in danger from other alien species. That time has come once more. And now I must shed all my links to all of you and become the Altai I always have been.” she sighed. “I aged like you because I have to fit in. my body reboots itself when danger passes and ages once more. Now though for a time, once my changing is complete, I will stay as I appear today.”

Smiling though, she stepped back from her friends. “Now behold the creature I truly am.” backing away, she kept moving until the sunlight touched her back. It was the sunlight and the moonlight that fuelled her really. From her shoulder blades burst two massive ebony eagle wings, at least three meters in length each. Her face also was changing, hardening into that of a warrior who has seen too many battles to count. The most beautiful tattoos were creating themselves on her face. These were in the shape of two rearing unicorns that cover her face, their horns meet in the centre of her forehead. There are rose garlands around the unicorn's necks and the coats of the mythical horses are dappled. Her dark brown eyes turned a bright grassy green.

Metal armour seemed to attach itself out of nowhere onto her body, only her wings were left unprotected. “This is who I really am,” she said, as the sunlight seemed to illuminate her like an angel.

“You look like an angel, but more like one of the battle angels of legend,” Ashleigh said, stunned.

“And that's my human battle form. I have an animal one as well. One that two favourite animals come together as one creature for. Has nothing to do with my tattoos either.”

“So there's nothing horse like about it?” Ashleigh asked.

“What else could you be? There is nothing else possible for you,” Angeline said.

She rolled one eye and then changed right in front of them. Her lower body became that of a lion, but her torso, arms and head became that of an eagle. “What would you call this then?” she asked, beak moving to form the words. My feathers were a raven black, whereas my lion half was covered in soft silky golden fur. I stood, waiting for them to confirm what I was. There were so few things with my form as what they were. “Come on, you have got to know this. I know I've mentioned this creature before in past conversations with you both. Think back!”

Ashleigh chuckled. “A gryphon?”

I came back as human as I could in appearance. “Yup.”

[Erosaf]

Chapter 3 – Leaving

She sighed as she headed slowly for the front door. There was no point in staying here, when the need for a Guardian was upon her again. They would not be allowed to remember her, though her friends would be, they she could never force to forget something. When she got outside though, after casting the spells needed, she was surprised to see two others watching from outside the fence.

“Shouldn't you two be in bed?” she asked.

“You're not,” Angeline replied.

“Seriously girls, its not safe to be out here at night right now. Go home!” Jenny replied. Something was coming in their direction, and one sniff of the air told her what it was. She knew what was coming this way, and there was a good reason for her to be worried. “I'm not worried for my own safety here, but your own. There's something coming and for it, you're prey.”

Growling, she muttered something and her armour seemed to appear once more, her great black wings taking form also. She knew that there was likely going to be a fight in a few moments.

“What's coming?” Ashleigh asked. She didn't seem too worried for her own safety. That was something that would end up being an issue for her.

“A werewolf who is intent on making you one of its kind, Ashleigh,” Jenny replied. “As soon as the brute sees me, it will attack me. You two get to your car and get away from here as fast as you possibly can. I'll stall it long enough for you to get safely home.”

Both girls nodded. Then as the huge werewolf came around the corner, both girls ran for it towards Ashleigh's car. Jenny growled, leaping for the wolf as they moved. She knew what she was doing when it came to this sort of thing.

“Leave these girls alone,” she snarled.

“What's it to you? It's not like you're one of them, nor are you one of the vampyres!” the werewolf roared.

She snarled angrily. “How about you're messing with the friends of the Guardian!”

“That line was broken years ago. No such thing alive any more. There is no way you're telling the truth right now.”

Though she knew that she was leaving something behind her in the house that she had found to be precious, she knew that she had to fight now. There was no chance that this... ignoramus was going to get near her friends, nor the humans in the house behind the fence that she was standing in front of.

She cared for the two humans and she would defend them until she died. Not that she intended for that any time soon to happen to her. Now though, she knew that she had to focus completely on this werewolf. She would not kill him, no instead she would beat him up and send him back with the message that the human world was protected once more by the Guardian.

He growled, seeming annoyed by her persistence. “You're just another bloodsucking fiend just waiting for annihilation.”

She leapt, aiming right for his throat. He dodged but she blinked backwards to the right, kicking him in the backside as he moved to face her. The blows kept coming, and she did not even seem to use her elemental powers, she was still clearly beating him up.

“You really are slow, for a werewolf. I've fought wolves a lot stronger and more confident in this than you, a lot more.”

He seemed to concentrate more now, but she had done her damage. One more attack she used, that seemed to sever his right rear calf muscle, to the bone. He yelped, crumpling.

“This time I will show you some mercy. Tell your mongrel friends that the humans are no longer at your mercy. Hurt one of them, and the Guardian will come and destroy you.”

She laughed darkly before leaping into the sky, not needing a car any more. Her wings were her main source of transport now. Plus without a car, she did not have the worry of not breaking it if she had to fight all of a sudden. That would be something of a pain for her. She wheeled through the sky, watching for the car she knew her friends would be in. Spotting it, she dove, landing in the light of a naked street light only long enough for them to see her.

When she saw them starting to pull over she quickly stepped out of the light, knowing they would follow. She was standing in front of one of their trails. The little car stopped and the girls got out quickly. This would only be a quick talk, then she would see them safely home. That was part of her job as the Guardian.

“I know you probably don't understand what happened back there, but I'll try and make it possible for you girls. That was a werewolf that I was talking about. He wanted you both for dinner. As the Guardian of Planet Earth, I have to defend humanity as a whole from such monsters. Its a big job and I have helpers in other countries. Its needed, seeing as this is a big planet.”

The girls seemed stunned. They knew though that I was not lying, they could tell that I had been in battle. That was something that showed on my armour at the moment. Some things though they would never understand about me. This was one of them, the need to protect them from the darker things in the night.

There were some things there would never really understand any more about me. “I will come and see you both again, but only when I know that things are safe and there is no danger on the way. You'll have to rely on me to remember to speak with you every now and again. I have no alternative other than that. I'm sorry, but my life has just gotten very hard on me, time and energy wise.”

Others though were not the easiest to deal with for her. There were some things that would be hard for her to do, but dealing with her friends was not something she was looking forwards to doing. They had to know that she would return one of these days, always she would. Just when, was another matter and she knew that.

Sighing, she moved away from them, deeper into the shadows. “The only other option is that you come with me. That is not the safest thing in the world, but where I am going will be safe in its own way. I know that you can trust me, but some of the others might give trouble for you.” That was the only concern she really had at the moment. It was something she had to remember though.

“What do you mean others might give us trouble?” Ashleigh asked. Of course she would be the one to notice that I'd slipped that word into what I was saying. Usually that was a word that meant there was going to be a risk involved.

“They might try and kill you. Because you're human, and though they may seem it, they are not. No, instead they are vampires, and there are other creatures in my world, but I think I will be able to defend you somewhat. It will take a plan though, and that is something I do not have as yet.”

She sighed. There were some things she wished she was able to decide for herself. Her future she knew what was in store to come. But theirs she had hoped not to be an influence in. “How about you come and stay for a week or two, but if you do not like it, let me know and I'll get you safely back in this world.”

She smiled. “You'll be safe, as long as you stay near me at all times.” She sighed. “Come over here. You can't reach it by any... human means.” She spread her wings easily, knowing what she would have to do. Her wings spread open, long and black.

“You're going to fly?” Ashleigh asked, quite surprised.

“Yes I am. And I'm strong enough to carry both of you.” She sighed, seeing that there were a few others who were on their way in their direction. “I don't have long, before other humans spot me. I need to get moving, last thing I need is to have to compel them not to see me.”

Uncertainly, the other girls moved over towards me. I wrapped one arm around each of them tightly. Conceal us, night, I thought not wanting anyone to spot the girls. Then my wings beat once as the shadows seemed to converge on us, propelling us up into the sky.

“We're really flying!” Angeline remarked.

“Yes, try and stay as still as you can so I don't drop you. Its not as easy, flying while carrying someone.” She seemed to fly like a bird, soaring through the wind easily. There were some things that she needed to learn to do, and this was good practise. As they arched out over the ocean she seemed to rise through the air, aiming towards the moon. Smiling, she said, “It's not far now, though you won't see anything different till we're inside.”

She knew they were in for a surprise this time; things up at her home were a lot more advanced. That was a thing that in a way, worried her. How would they react to such things? Would they be able to wrap their heads around it? Or would bringing them here make things too much for them.

Jenny also knew that the creatures in her real world were not human either. That would provide trouble for her two young friends. Sure enough, even as she landed, vampires came rushing towards her hungrily.

“Stop!” she commanded. And just like that, they did as a giant invisible barrier seemed to stop them in their tracks. “No one is going to touch these two girls, other than me!” She glared at them.

“But they are just a couple of humans!” one of the group hissed.

“Only rogue vampires attack humans,” Jenny growled. The vampire took a few steps backwards as she continued, “any vampire who bleeds a human, unless an Altai will be hunted down, and punished. As will any Altai who kills a human.”

Now her friends knew what danger she meant they would be in while they were here. These vampires were hungry, that much was clear. At the same time though, they were backing off, seeing as she had had issued a serious warning to them. They knew Jenny had the power to hunt them down without trouble now. She really was back in power..

“Come on, lets get over to my house, where you'll be safe,” Jenny muttered to her friends. There was no doubt that she had to get them somewhere safe for a bit, otherwise, there would be a fight to happen in the streets, now that there were humans in her homelands again.

She wanted to be able to help them though, and that was the hardest thing for her at the moment. She cared about her friends too much at the moment.

It was not going to be easy for her though, knowing what was yet to come. Hard days were coming, and all she knew that there were things that would be a few things that needed her attention at the moment. Though first and foremost came the safety of her friends, who she had asked to come here, and see where she would be from now on. That was something that she had not actually expected them to take her up on. Well, not physically anyhow. That had been completely unexpected for her at the moment. Nor was she prepared for such a thing...

She knew what she was going to do though, and hoped that it would be enough to protect the two human girls from all the vampires around them. It would not be an easy thing, seeing as she knew she was part vampire herself, but that was a side to her that was well restrained at the moment. She knew when she could feed and what from. Usually, she hunted animals, seeing as that way, she was not hunting the thing she always lived to protect. She would never hurt a human, and yet, others did.

They were the type that she hunted at the moment. A thing which others understood of her at the moment. Not that it mattered for her. She would hunt those who decided to prey one her friends, no matter who they thought they were. Names were not something she cared for, when a human had been hurt by something who was not human itself. When someone got hurt in such a manner, she had a job and a half on her hands. She had to heal the human, then compel them not to remember her or being hurt, and then hunt down and kill the one responsible.

Usually there was more than one involved too which was a pain in the neck for her. She loved to protect the others though and that was what mattered at the moment for her. It was a job that was not easy, but she needed challenges like that at the moment. Else she knew that she grew complacent and did not practise her own skills. That was something that she was not usually able to allow herself to do. No, she had to always be ready for a fight, instead of slacking off.

Her life was simple though when she had no one to hunt down. She simply spent the night time hours training others to be what she was, a Guardian. They were useful friends to have at the moment, seeing as they could fight easily and helped to watch over things. She could not be everywhere at once, and having others was helpful there. She loved to fly, but she could only move so fast in the sky. She certainly had to be careful when it came to human war zones. They were tricky places to be in for her. She often got attacked in those.

Painful as that was for her, she always turned and vanished when a said war came her way. She would never allow human inventions to ever be used against herself. It was something that she just could not do at all. It didn’t take long though for them to reach the huge seeming house that was hers. As they passed through the gateway, she said, “While you’re inside these grounds, you’re safe from everyone else’s temptations, and I assure you, a lot of the others out there were tempted by you both, though you did nothing to cause such a thing.”

She sighed. “You have to promise me, that you’ll only leave these grounds when I am with you. Else I cannot protect you from some of the... darker natured people that lurk out there. Some of them, you would not even know would be thinking about hurting you just because you’re both human. Takes a long time to learn how some of the others here think and what not.” It was not something that was fair for them, but it was a needed precaution. “If' I'm around no one's tempted to try and attack you. I go out there a lot, and most of the time I will let you come with me.”

They nodded, though I could tell from the tenure of their minds that they thought that it was a little harsh of me. A lot of things needed to be considered though. I could not always be who I had been.

“What about school?” asked Ashleigh.

“Time can be manipulated you know. I can have you back there a minute after we left if needed. Being one of the arch angels gives me that power.” Jenny smiled at them. “Trust me, no one will ever know you were gone, other than the three of us.”

“I'm not sure that this is the place for us,” Ashleigh said. “I think its best that we stay back where things are normal for us, Jenny.” She seemed suddenly doubtful. It seemed that the things that had happened there on the street were too much for her. A glace at Angeline's face told Jenny that her other friend felt the same way, but she was not as game to say it.

“I understand completely. I'll send you back, don't worry, no one will have missed you both.” It was something that would be hard for her to do, seeing as she knew how abusive Ashleigh's father was. “Promise me you'll stay away from home as long as you can, Ashleigh. I don't want to see your father hurt you, it could end very badly for him.”

She knew how bad Ashleigh's father was. He was an abusive man who couldn't care less about the state of his house. He would not even allow Ashleigh's mother to hire someone to fix the many things that he had broken. One day soon Jenny would have to pay him a visit. And there was no chance of it being a friendly one.

“I will.” Ashleigh smiled at her friend. “Would I have lasted this long if I had not done that for so long?”

“I cannot tell you that. No one is told what would have happened, that is not something that is needed at the moment. For not even I know what could have happened if a different decision was made at some point in time since I first came here.” It was the truth, even she did not know what would have happened. That was not a gift that her goddess, Empusa had given her. No, she was the one tied to the elements.

Her wings spread open as she muttered something in a language that none of her friends would understand. Then slowly a huge purple vortex seemed to appear out of nowhere. Looking to her friends once the portal was stabilised she said, “Step through my portal and you'll be safely home in your bedrooms. Even the car you were driving will be safely home in its spot on the driveway beside the roses.”

“We'll miss you Jenny,” Angeline added as they both moved towards the portal. Then they both stepped into it.