1 Tanith Low

*Flashback*

Stephanie was sitting in the back seat with her younger sister Alice, while her mum and dad were chatting away in the front as her dad drove. They were on their way to Dublin Airport to drop Stephanie, who was going to America to a concert with her friends from school. It took her months to convince her parents to agree to let her go but she managed to get them to say yes, when she told them that he friends older sister, who was 25 was going to take them and watch them the whole time. Luckily her parents trusted her friend's sister otherwise her mum said she'd go with her.

Her dad decided that she had plenty of time before she had to get to the Airport (3 hours) that they could all go into Stephanie's favourite café in town for breakfast. It was a mistake that they didn't know they had made. As they drove along the Quays, a slouched creature jumped out at the car, Stephanie's dad swerved the car, and he was trying desperately to regain control of the vehicle before it crashed into the bridge. Stephanie was out cold for a few minutes, she woke to the sound of growling and a ringing in her ears, she unbuckled her seatbelt only to fall on her head. She didn't realise that the car had flipped and was now on its roof until she hit her head, causing her to get even dizzier than she already was. She crawled out the smashed window and looked back, only to see her parents and sister all dead in their seats, she couldn't stop the blood curdling scream that escaped her as she saw the horrific sight in front her.

Stephanie cried and screamed so loud that she didn't hear the creature growling behind her until she felt something wet and slimy drip on her. She froze as it circled her, she waited until it had circled her twice, and as it was behind her she built up enough courage to make a run for it. And that's exactly what she did.

Stephanie was running through the city centre of Dublin, trying to get away from something that she couldn't believe was real. Stephanie ran into someone, as she was looking behind her to make sure she lost them. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay" Stephanie asked in a panicked tone as she looked up at the young woman in front of her. The girl looked at her. "It's okay I'm fine, I should be asking you that, you seem like your running from someone" the young woman said in a worried tone, watching as Stephanie shakes her head. The woman looks to where Valkyrie eyes dart to behind her to see the person she was running from. Stephanie starts to back away getting ready to run down O'Connell's Street. The woman turned around, pulling her sword from its scabbard, "Come and have a go if you think your hard enough" she said with a smile on her face, as she watched the fledgling vampire run at her, it's fangs beared and ready to snap at her neck. Just as it got within a few feet of her, she swung her sword with skill and determination, beheading it with a sicken crunch.

She turned to see a very pale Stephanie standing wide eyed, staring at the corpse on the ground. If the woman didn't know any better she would have thought that the young girl in front of her would run and scream but she knew better. Stephanie's reaction did shock her though, instead of staying horrified, she straightened up while wiping the blood splatter from her face ''Thanks for killing that thing, whatever it was''. The woman smiled slightly "I'm Tanith. Tanith Low" her voice was warm and comforting making Stephanie smiles "Nice to meet you Tanith, I'm Stephanie Edgely"

*End of Flashback*