Chapter 1

I ran with the rest, struggling to keep up. My breath came out in sharp pants. I cast no lingering looks at the bodies littering the street. I was too scared to. If I looked at the bodies, I would stop and break down. We had been out, wandering around as a group, window shopping, and then all the adults had started collapsing. I had watched as one of the clerks in the stores had fallen right over, her eyes dull and empty. I nearly crashed into Yu as he stopped in front of a store. A man struggled out of the store and threw up blood as he fell over, dead. Yu grabbed my hand as we retreated without a word. I struggled to keep pace with my brother. I was not as athletic as he was, I was small for my age, though I suppose that came with being the younger twin of us two.

Mika led the group into the orphanage and we ran up the stairs, towards the upper room where Akane, Fumie, and Chihiro were. They hadn't wanted to go window shopping with the rest of us. As Mika opened the door, he stopped there, frozen, then ran over to Akane who cried out, "Mika, I don't think she's breathing." Mika called over his shoulder, "Ami, Yu, keep them over there!" Yu corralled the other children away from the Director, who was dead as I hoisted Taichi up and into my arms and hurried over to my brother and the other kids.

As we watched Mika and Akane try to help the director, a thud came from the stairwell, Yu spun around and backed myself and the children closer to the others, keeping us away from the door. A shadow passed over the glass window to our right, and then it shattered spraying us with broken glass. Akane cried out and grasped Yu's jacket, while I did my best to shield Taichi and Ako behind me.

Two strange men with red eyes entered the room through the window and the door. "Come with us." One of the men said. Yu opened his mouth to argue but I put my hand on his arm and looked at him with pleading eyes. Yu shut his mouth and we were led outside where a truck was waiting out front. They loaded us into it and the men went to the front. They got in and began to drive, where to none of the children knew. Taichi snuggled into Yu's side and sat between my brother and I. I laid my head onto Yu's shoulder and he looked down at me with concerned eyes. I closed my eyes and let myself drift into sleep.

Four Years Later…

We were like rats in a maze. We were given the illusion of freedom, but we were just animals to the vampires. It had been four years since life on the surface was wiped out by the disease. Four years since I had seen the sun. Four years since we had been "saved" by the vampires and brought down to this city of theirs to serve as walking blood bags.

Today it was Yu's, Mika's and my day to go and have our blood sucked away by machines for the vampires to drink. We walked forward in lines to be checked off by vampires to ensure that we were all contributing. Yu walked forward and said "Yuichiro Hyakuya." To the vampire and was waved forward. Following him was "Mikaela Hyakuya" who was also waved forward. The final member of our party was "Ami Hyakuya" Myself. We walked into the large hospital like room and we were split up, each of us being led to a different bed. I laid down and one of the vampires walked over and jammed a needle attached to the tube into my throat. I hissed as he turned the machine on and my blood began to be sucked out of my body. Bastard, I thought, as the siphoning ended after about 30 minutes and he again carelessly yanked the needle out and handed me one of the nutrient bags that was filled with stuff that was supposed to help us raise our blood production. I met up with Mika and Yu at the exit and we walked out together. Mika and I sat quietly on the steps that were further away and drank our nutrient bags while Yu paced around muttering. As Mika finished his bag and let out a disgusted noise, I giggled at his expression and finished mine off as well, with the only sign of my discomfort being the disgusted expression on my face. Yu let out a frustrated noise and crushed the bag in his hands. "Stop wasting it. Do you want to get sick?" Mika said quietly. "Yu, you really should drink it. They have no consideration for how anyone feels or their welfare when they take blood. You know that if you don't replenish your blood then it won't matter to them. They will drain you anyways. "I agreed with Mika in a whisper.

"It's nasty, I won't drink this crap." Yu complained. Mika sighed and said, "You need to stop being so picky." "And you need to stop doing everything the fangs tell you to do. Both of you." Yu shot back at us. "I do what is in my own best interests Yu, and it's in my interests to not have the fangs suck me dry because I wasn't drinking the nutrient bags." I retorted. Yu let out a huff and looked away from the both of us.

"It's not that bad to be honest." Mika said, causing Yu and I to turn and glare at him. "Seriously?!" Yu exclaimed. "At least we're alive. More importantly we get to live with our family. Don't you think that's enough?" Mika responded as he collected his and my used nutrient bags and threw them away. "I'm not their livestock." Yu muttered. "We're people not animals." I agreed. Yu may be more vocal about his opinions of the vampires but our sentiments towards them were exactly the same. "You too Ami? It's like talking to brick walls! That stubbornness won't keep them away from your blood!" Mika proclaimed and Yu threw his bag at him. It landed a few paces away, right next to some kids coloring on the ground with chalk. Both who were in the paths of two vampires emerging from a corridor.

Yu stood and let out a "HEY!" as the two vampires walked right over the kids, stepping on their hands and leaving them in whimpering balls. Yu ran right up to the vamps and knocked into them, one of them lifted him up as he began to shout, "Apologize, do it or else!" Mika ran over and began to plead with them to release him. I had a more violent, yet, effective method. I ran over and chomped down on the blood suckers arm. He dropped my brother and lifted me up instead. I looked at his arm and with some satisfaction noticed I had drawn blood. I then spit on his boots and gave him a bloody smile. He held me over the side of the wall and my heart seized with fear. I refused to let it show on my face. Mika held Yu back as he fought to get at the vampire holding me and continued to plead for the vampire to put me down safely. "Shut up Mika." I said as I continued to stare into the vamps cold, dead eyes. "What's going on here?" a smooth voice echoed through the air. Lord Ferrid, one of the vampire nobles. The vampire holding me threw me down onto the concrete, and continued silently with his buddy. I coughed, trying to make sure I didn't have the nasty taste of vampire left in my mouth. Yu ran over and helped me up, dusting me off and checking me over. "I'm fine Yu." I muttered, shoving his hands away. I was watching Mika and Lord Ferrid talk, Lord Ferrid listening with an amused expression while Mika downplayed what had just happened. Lord Ferrid invited Mika to his mansion tonight and he cast his eyes over Yu and I. "Will the troublemakers be coming as well?" Mika ran over and clapped his hands over my brother's mouth before he could say anything too vulgar. "I would rather drop dead." I muttered and Ferrid came closer to us, stopping in front of me, running his gloved hand over my cheek. "What was that my dear?" I restrained the urge to bit down on his hand as I had done to that other guard. Instead I smiled sweetly and said, "Nothing would please me more my lord. Though forgive my brother he is rather, shy." Ferrid smiled and withdrew his hand, "Well then I will see Mika and what's your name girl?" I grit my teeth while smiling and answered, "Ami, my lord." Ferrid continued saying, "I will see Mika and Ami tonight then." I smiled and left after Mika who had dragged Yu with him when he had left.