1

*This is taking forever* I think to myself as I lean back against the concrete wall, staring down at the lifeless body of my…companion. I can't call her a friend, see, and she isn't my lover. So, companion, it is then. I had found her almost an hour ago, looking a lot like she had been shot. Hell, maybe she was gone for good but…it didn't seem like it, not with the magic I felt in the air around her. I puffed on my cigarette, watching the smoke tendrils floating up to the ceiling.

Finally, there was a loud wheeze and a cough afterward. I looked down and she was starting to twitch. She let out a few more coughs and followed them with a groan. I watched her as her eyes looked around the room before settling on me. "Again?" she rasped.

"Yep, again. You should really start phoning me ahead of time, instead of waking me up in the middle of the night with your power ripples. It's annoying and disorienting. I was having a good fucking dream too." I told her in a bored tone. I was still in my sleep shorts; hastily put on combat boots and an oversized hoodie I couldn't remember where it had come from.

"fuck, I'm sorry. Guess I owed Phil more money than I thought I did. Time to skip town I guess." She muttered and I shook my head. See, as you might have guessed, Cherry and I aren't human. Demon half breeds, though what my other half is I have no idea. She is half human, which is why it takes her so damn long to heal. Me? I am something more. Or so she says. I haven't come across anyone else exactly like us, especially not like me. I was raised by humans, sort of, if foster care is considered raising. I was almost to the legal human age of adulthood, which meant I could go and be free all I wanted. Cherry, if that's her real name, was an adult and could go wherever she wanted. She chose to abuse that privilege and hang out with the wrong people, often. Still, as much as I didn't care much for her and her choices, she was like me, so when I felt her in trouble I had come as I always did. This wasn't the first time she had died, probably wouldn't be the last either.

"Probably a good choice," I told her snubbing out my smoke and standing up. "My sleep will thank you at least," I told her with a crooked grin. "Take care Cherry."

"yeah, yeah." She laughed, getting to her feet. "I'll see ya around Shadow."

I gave her a nod and turned, walking off the rooftop and falling to the ground. I landed on the balls of my feet, barely pausing before I started walking back to the current foster home, I was in. With any luck, my nickname would proceed me, and I could slip back in as unnoticed as I did going out. Being whatever, I was had its perks, that was for sure. I couldn't die. It had been tried a few times in a couple of different ways and I just kept healing and coming right back. I was damn near close to indestructible, and that made me a cocky bitch. So, when I strolled into the house and made my way to the kitchen for a drink a clearing throat startled me. I looked back to see my foster mom sitting at the table with a coffee in her hand, cigarette in the other. I grabbed out a soda, popped it before looking at her. She nodded at the seat across from her and I huffed out a sigh as I plopped into it.

"What's up Deb?" I asked her as I pulled out my own smokes and lit one, looking her over. She was tired and old, not to mention even more cranky than she really had a right to be.

"You snuck out again. That is the third time just this month, and it's only the third week. What you got a boyfriend out there I need to worry about? Let me tell you, little girl, I am not dealing with no knocked up whores around here."

I laughed at her, unable to contain myself. "Nah, Deb, it ain't a man out there. It's a woman, my sister. She keeps getting into shit she shouldn't, thus why I ran out in my pajamas. Don't worry. She's leaving town. Won't have to worry about her anymore."

It was mostly sort of kind of the truth, a butchered version of it, woven together to sound believable. I couldn't exactly tell her the whole truth, now could I? She looked me over, assessing whether I was lying. I kept my face blank, as always. Showing absolutely nothing. People say I have resting bitch face down to an art, even looking cold and dangerous. Just how I liked it. I didn't want people close to me. I had no need for them. Humans were fragile, easily killed, and the other kinds of monsters out there didn't seem to make themselves known to me, unless they were trying to kill me.

"Well, whatever, even still you got a new placement. I called that worker of yours and she said she was going to place you with someone more suited to the likes of you anyway." She sneered at me. And I let out a vicious grin that made her flinch. She feared me all right. I could smell it on her underneath her distaste. I guess I should be mad, but I'm not. I just get up from the chair, pushing it back neatly at the table.

"When will she be here?" I asked with sugar and venom dripping from my voice.

"F-first thing in the morning, she said," Deb told me and I gave her a curt nod.

"Guess I will be seeing you around then, won't I Deb?" I tossed over my shoulder before I made my way upstairs to my room. I packed up my stuff, looking over at the clock, seeing it was damn near dawn already. I tugged on some jeans instead of my sleep shorts, but I kept on the hoodie over a plain black tank. I looked in the mirror and tugged my hair from my ponytail. It was long, and it hung in waves to my waist. I loved my hair. It was soft and healthy, even where I had tipped the ends of my platinum tresses with a blood red color, dyes were supposed to damage hair, but it never hurt mine.

It only took me an hour to have all my things packed away. Two duffels and a violin case. Yeah, yeah, I am one of those saps who love music. I picked up the violin at my first foster home. The little old lady was sweet and kind. She taught me everything I knew, and then I expanded to 'godlike levels' as she told me. I always wondered if it was the demon in me that made me play so well, or if it was a natural talent. She had encouraged me with praise and dare I say, love. Sadly, she had died, and her husband didn't want to keep me after. Said he was too sad. I didn't fault him much, her death had even made me sad, and I usually felt nothing.

A few hours later I was lugging my things to the trunk of my social worker's car and I plopped myself in the seat next to her, plugging in my earbuds to drown her out.

I felt her tug one of them out with annoyance. "Are you even listening to me Shade? Huh? I am trying to tell you where you are going. It's not just another foster house you know. It's one of the best ones. The Graves's are very selective about who they let in."

This had me raising an eyebrow at her and she smiled, knowing she had my attention.

"Alright." I say when she doesn't continue "I'll bite. Why are they so picky?"

Her brows furrow "Honestly, I have no clue. They are just very selective about who they allow in. They only have four foster kids as it is. I was honestly surprised when my superior told me they asked for you, specifically."

This had both my eyebrows furrowing. "Me? Why the fuck would they even know about me, much less bring me into their elusive fold?" I asked her with a frown. I had kept off the radar. I hadn't killed anyone in a good while. I didn't stay in one place long enough to make enemies. I didn't draw any attention from the outside world, save for my run-ins with Cherry. I wonder if she gave me up. I turned back to Claire and noticed she was still talking.

"My best guess would be from your test scores. I mean you might as well be a walking, talking encyclopedia of knowledge." Yeah, a practically photographic memory helped a lot when studying, as did the ability to speed read and retain everything that I saw. I didn't mention that to Claire, nor would I ever.

It took for freaking ever for her to shut up enough so I could pop back in my headphones and drown her out. I turned up the heavy metal music as loud as I could to drown her and her poor music choices out. It took a total of two stops and 4 hours before we finally reached the monstrosity, they called home. Whoever they were. It was old, covered in ivy and the once white siding was now more of a grey with time. Still, it held a certain beauty to it that she couldn't deny. Aside from the siding and the ivy, the rest of the yard and surrounding areas seemed to be well kept and clean. I leaned against her car, tugging out my smokes, lighting one and watching her as she pulled out my things from the trunk and sat them next to me.

"I'll go in ahead of you, you can wait out here till you are ready to go in. I'll let Mr. Graves know you are here."

I softly snorted, of course, a man named Graves would own such a gothic looking home. It fit. There wasn't a porch on the front, just merely a set of two double doors that were black and seemed to have ornate looking patterns carved into it. I was too far away to make them out without focusing. I figured once I got closer, I could check them out better.

"You know that shit is bad for you," a voice called from my left.

I turned to look at the speaker, though I was stunned for a moment. Well, I'll be damned. He was fucking beautiful in a very sinful way. Full lips, strong jaw, straight nose. His eyes were dark, like mine. Mine were pretty much black with flecks of ember, his were dark with flecks of grey. His hair was long, like mine but pulled back into a ponytail that he had over one shoulder. His hair was pitch black, but I would bet that it shined with hints of blue. Lets not even get started on the fact that he was built like a lean tank. All muscle that seemed to be hidden under his tank top but you could easily make out the details. He reminded me of a feline, poised and ready for the kill no matter how unassuming.

"So I've heard," I told him, remembering myself.

He smirked and joined me against the car, tugging out a pack of his own and I just shook my head hiding a smirk of my own.

"So you're the newbie?" he asked me as he lit up.

"What gave me away?" I asked leaning a little closer to him so I could whisper. When I did though I inhaled, and I'll be double damned. He wasn't human. I jerked back and looked him over again. He wore a matching confused expression but where I had been subtle, he simply leaned in, placing his nose to my throat in inhaled a big whiff of me. I cringed back, fighting the urge to smell him again. Damn, he smelled good. Like fresh linen on the surface but deeper, it was almost like a musky scent paired with a cool and crisp smell. Something you would find in a forest, near a waterfall maybe. I couldn't place it exactly.

"Personal space," I told him "It's a thing."

"What are you?" he asked me, leaning back but not much, showing he ignored me.

"I could ask you the same thing," I muttered and took a step back from him. I should be on edge but even after the violation of my personal space, I didn't feel like he was a threat. A very odd feeling to say the least.

"Ah, Shade, there you are. I was waiting for you to come in, but you took too long." Claire called to me and I turned to her, seeing an older man behind her. He was tall and lean like the guy next to me, black hair and the same dark eyes. He could easily be the younger guys dad. Hell, maybe he was.

"Ah, yes, I see you have met my son, Damion." Mr. Graves, I assumed, spoke then. His voice was deep and rich like honey. Come to think about it, so did Damion. They were like carbon copies of each other, twenty years apart.

"Yes," I said hesitantly "We met," I told Mr. Graves curtly, which gained me a puzzled expression from him until he chuckled lightly and then shook his head.

"Well, no time like the present, let's get you settled in and you can meet the others. How's that sound? I'll help you with your things." He said and moved forward to grab a bag. I grabbed my violin case but before I could grab my second bag, Damion swooped in and grabbed it for me, tossing a smirk at me from over his shoulder. Oh, he's a cocky bastard, is he? This should be fun.

They led me inside and up a staircase that was right in front of the door. I stayed quiet following him up the stairs and to the hallway. He told me who's room was where, though I was surprised that his room was on the opposite side of the house and mine was situated between the guy's rooms. Mine was at the end, Damion was next door and across the hall was, apparently, Cade and Cole's rooms, and at the very end of the hallway was the bathroom that we apparently had to share. He opened my door and we went in. I looked in and found it was decent sized but pretty blank. The walls were a soothing deep grey color, the bedding was matched to the wall, the bed itself was a queen-sized bed. Plenty big for me. There was a desk, dresser, and a small closet. There was a window seat, that held grey and black cushions and pillows, under a pretty decent sized window. Though it was dark, and I couldn't see what the view was like.

"Didn't Claire tell me there were four fosters in the house already? Is there another room I should avoid?" I asked the room, looking between them.

Mr. Graves seemed to shift slightly as if he was uncomfortable with the topic. "Ah, yes, Samuel lives in the house, but he isn't home very often. Lots of after school things and various hobbies, and technically Damion isn't a foster. He is my biological son, as you might have noticed but he fits in with most of the others we have had here so it becomes assumed he is also a foster." He told me, but I knew he was lying. There was something up with this Samuel person. I raised an eyebrow, showing him that I knew he wasn't being honest with me, but I didn't push it. I sat my case down on the bed and looked around the room. It was neat and blank, which suited me just fine. Damion took the other bag from his dad and moved into the room more to put both up on the bed and moved back out just as quickly.

"Well, dinner should be done soon, so why don't we head down, and we can meet the others and then you can have the night to settle in. Oh, uh, before I forget." He pulls out a sleek iPhone from his pocket and hands it to me. I look down at it and then back at him. "It's for my own peace of mind. The other's numbers are programmed into it, so if you need anything or are out late you can let one of us know. I don't exactly have a curfew here, though I expect you to be on time to school every day. If you stay out late and sleep in class, I will implement one." I nodded. That seemed fair. Claire looked like she wanted to protest that but instead pressed her lips together tightly. Not that they had anything to worry about. I wouldn't be making friends here to go out with. I prefer my own company, so parties and such were a non-issue for me. I also noticed now that he had gotten close to me, Mr. Graves smelled a lot like his son, but it was tempered with the smell of old books. A pleasant smell but, not as clean or crisp.

"Alright then, let's head down to the dining room. I can smell the food from here." He told us with a smile. "Claire, will you join us for dinner?" he asked her in a soft tone, and she blushed, freaking blushed.

"Oh, no, thank you, Mr. Graves. I must be heading back, it's such a long drive. If Shade will walk me out, I will be out of your hair." She turned to me and I just shrugged my shoulders. "Okay then."

I walked her back out the way that we came and led her out the door.

"I'll be calling you in a couple of days to check in and then once a week after that. Please answer. I don't want to have to drive all the way back up here just to make sure you are still breathing." She told me and I looked at her blankly. I was never good about taking her calls, or even making it to her visits, so she should know better.

"Sure thing" I lied. She knew I was lying but she just nodded and waved to me, making her way back to her car. She wasn't my first worker and may not even be my last. I still had a year before I could make it out on my own.

I walked back in shaking my head, tucking the new sleek phone into my hoodie pocket. The unfamiliar weight reminding me constantly it was there. How did people stand these things? It made a chiming noise and I pulled it out to look at it. There was a text message. I tapped on the little icon. It was from the elusive Samuel.