I left in the dead of the night, when the house was silent and all I could hear was the quiet purr of my brother’s engine outside. I already had a bag packed as I knew what was happening; we had had enough. Reuben was old enough to leave, he could go whenever he liked, not worrying about being found but he wouldn’t leave without me. He said he couldn’t leave me to ‘those bastards’... in his words.

So with a full tank of petrol, very little money and a couple of suitcases we escaped and set off for London. I don’t know why we chose London, I don’t know why were so drawn to it; maybe it was just because it was so big and bustling with life that the chances of them finding us were very slim, practically non-existent.

The journey was the worst. Reuben kept checking his rear view mirror, convinced that every dark car we saw was their’s. I couldn’t sleep, although I tried. I curled my feet beneath my body and rested my head against the window but images flashed through my mind like a trashy film stuck on repeat. Their faces, twisted in anger, a constant stream of profanities flowing from their open mouths, their eyes burning with rage.

‘I can’t do it,’ I whispered. ‘We have to go back, before they wake.’

‘No Ana, you’re not going back there,’ my brother’s voice was firm, adamant.

‘It’s okay.’ I wasn’t sure who I was trying to reassure: him or myself. ‘I can stick it out for another six months. Six months really isn’t that long, it’ll fly by and then I’ll turn eighteen and I’ll be able to leave.’

‘Ana! You’re not going back there,’ he repeated. ‘Now shut up.’

The rest of the journey passed fairly uneventful. I finally managed to full into slumber, albeit a fitful sleep but nevertheless I managed to get some rest.

When I woke, we were there.

The flat was dingy, dismal and utterly repelling and yet it was home. 

'We can fix it up,' Reuben patted my shoulder, seeing my facial expression. 'You watch. We'll get jobs and then we'll be able to buy nice things. But for now, we're safe.'

That was all that mattered in the end; being safe. Being away from them. 

'Where did it all go wrong?' I muttered, staring straight ahead. 

Reuben said nothing. He simply fished some keys out of his jeans pocket and shoved them in the door. It took several turns and a kick to get inside. I was thankful once we were away from the stench of stale piss and alcohol. 

The inside was mildly better. The smell had gone for one...

'Yes,' Reuben murmured. 'We'll fix it up.'

Straight to our right was a cooker, a microwave, a shabby fridge, an oven and a wooden table with three chairs. Ahead of us was a TV, one three seater sofa and a rug with a few stains on it. The curtains were closed, blocking out the morning light. Reuben pulled them apart and I groaned inwardly. We were overlooking a construction site, fantastic. 

'Let's check out the rooms,' Reuben suggested.

I followed him down a narrow hallway and got a glimpse of the bathroom. A small bathtub with yellow mould growing round the edges sat next a toilet and a tiny sink. 

'This is yours.'

I followed my brother as he held the door open with one arm whilst flicking the light on with the other. 

To be fair, the bedroom wasn't that bad. I had a slightly small double bed complete with a thick duvet and three pillows: just how I liked it. There was enough floor space to move around and the wardrobe looked big enough to hold all of my clothes. My window was facing the South, so I overlooked a busy main road.

'I'm just across the hall. I'll give you time to unpack then we can look for jobs, agreed?'

'Okay,' I replied.

I started to unpack, slowly taking out the items I had managed to save from the house, a few of my most memorable possessions. The stuffed animal I had had since I was a little girl, a framed photograph of me and my brother, my mobile phone and charger, hair straighteners and make up. Typical girl stuff. I was thankful I had managed to save these. First impressions were crucial, especially if I needed to get a job.

----

'The Pig's Head?' I raised an eyebrow skeptically.

'Just trust me. Pub's are nearly always looking for new staff, who knows, we both might get one.'

'I'm too young to work behind the bar,' I pointed out.

'I'll ask about bar work, you ask about any other opportunities, okay?'

'Okay,' I grumbled reluctantly. I didn't really fancy working in a dingy pub full of old men and drunkards, but what choice did I have?

Turns out, I'd been deceived by the name of the pub. It wasn't even remotely dingy, it was the exact opposite. It was quite elegant. The lighting was dim and I squinted as my eyes grew adjusted. Muted chatter filled the room as the people around me sipped at their drinks. We both headed over to the bar where a young man, perhaps in his mid twenties was drying a glass with a towel slung over his shoulder.

'Excuse me,' Reuben smiled politely. 'We're new in town and we were just wondering if you have any job opportunities for me and my sister going at the minute?'

'Not here we don't,' he grunted. 'Not that you'd want to work here...'

'Pardon?'

'Listen kid, since you're new here I'll give you some good advice. Take your sister and get out of here. It's not safe.'

RATE THIS CHAPTER!

Author guidance for This exercise

A closed collab between me, TheRosesBloom, Anna_Devlin, Colm, Spammy8 and JSimmons.

Characters:


Name: Ana Sommers
Age: 17
Appearance: Olive skin complexion, dark eyes. Favours black kohl. Long dark chestnut colour hair, falls in layers past her shoulders. Roughly 5 foot 5 with a slender figure. Very pretty.
Personality: A little introvert. Has no self esteem and little confidence. Extremely loyal and caring, always looking out the best in everyone. Believes everyone deserves a second chance. A little naïve.
Other: Moved to London with her brother Reuben, 19, to get away from their parents. Comes from a broken home. Always relies on her big brother to help her, would feel lost without him.
Type: Human
Author: xkatieshepherd

Name: Demrin Artuna
Age: 60
Gender: Male
Appearance: Tall and slim, Long greying hair, crooked nose(previously broken), Long, black robes( to aid him in blending into the darkness), A single long, thin scar marks his left cheek, his eyes are deep green,
History: He trained for ten years with the previous Warlock and upon the death of his master, gained the title. He has yet to take an apprentice of his own as he has dedicated most of his life to his fight against the dark.
Personality: Prefers to keep to himself however is a definite people person once he gets to know them, Resilient, Strong willed, Loyal to his people, Sees himself as a defender of the people
Magic: Controls the elemental magics(Fire, Water, Earth and Wind), has dabbled slightly in the dark magics in his fights against the dark( he finds them a useful weapon),
Author: Colm

Name: Ellie Swann
Age-Died at the age of 22 and has been 'alive' for 100 years.
Appearance: Reasonably tall, and slim. She has long curly brown hair, slightly tanned skin. Wears leggings, dresses, skirts etc. Quite fashionable and youthful.
History: Hidden, more will be revealed as time goes on.
Personality: Really sociable and happy, likes to talk to anyone who'll listen or can see her for that matter. She is enthusiastic, loyal, sometimes comical. She always falls for the wrong men. And has the odd moment of being quite mysterious.
Other: She can go into people's dreams and can gain control over human's and some supernatural beings bodies. She can read minds and put thoughts into people's heads. She also has hidden powers, which Ellie herself hasn't discovered yet.
Type: Ghost
Author: Spammy8 (Samantha)

Name: Calla Wiles
Race: Succubus
Age: undetermined, but appears as 22
Appearance: teased blonde hair with wild streaks in varying colors. Slender frame and nice, ahem, assests ;)) wide violet eyes that depict innocence, even though we all know she's anything but. Favors revealing clothes and stilettos. She can change her appearance slightly to fit into whatever role she needs.
Personality: demands to be the center of attention, sometimes acting out to do so. Short tempered when she doesnt get her way. Loyal to those who she truly loves, even though love is usually a mystery to her. Maybe the one thing she needs to figure out.
Author: TheRosesBloom

Name: Known only by the nickname "Adder" for his sharp fangs, (his real name is Cyrus Kyote though no one knows that)
Age; Physical age: 21 Actual age: 256
Appearance: Very Dashing. Stands about 5' 10". Pale but handsome. His hair is shaved just above his skull, the hair buzzed on his head is black . He is slender, yet fairly muscular with a toned figure. His irises are an enchanting dark blood red, most humans don't notice (and if they do it's too late). He has flawless pale gray skin and sharp pearl white fangs. Often has a twisted grin set on his face. He wears a black zip up hoodie with the words "Pain in the neck" in white and an outline of bloody fangs hanging from the words. He also wears all black cargo pants that just drape over his red converse high tops. Has two silver snake bite piercings on his upper lip and one silver stud on the edge of his right eyebrow.
Personality: Dangerous, Cynical, Apathetic, with a sick sense of humor. Dark, Predatory, Sadistic, and Charming. He plays himself off as a college student with gothic influences but he is really a mysterious vampire that has been hanging around London for the past few months. He can be very tricky and sly, with wit and a silver tongue to sweep anyone off their feet.
Other: Not much is known about him except that he hangs around many of London's clubs, raves, and parties. Has not real friends and is very guarded about his past or anything personal about him. Loves warm blood mixed with a shot of vodka or a fresh human (takes only young teens/adults because their blood is the purest). He also has hyper senses and abilities that no one knows about.
Type: Vampire
Author: Anna_Devlin


Name Jester
Age: 17, (he thinks)
appearance: Being a shapeshifter, it changes, I'll describe each form thoroughly. True form is something like a cross between a cat and a human, pointed ears on top of the head and a muzzle, short side of average for a human, often down on all fours, though could stand up straight easily. Dressed in a black suit that can change into just about anything clothingwise.
personality: Quiet but mischevious, does what he's told without question, though in his own way.
other: Raised by the people who finding this big, Evil. He hasnt known anything else but the dark room he's kept in, the facility the room is in is inside some big London warehouse.
author: JSimmons

updated May 27 '11 by xkatieshepherd