“ So, how’d it go ? “
“ It sucked. “
“ Well, I think te might be getting a little over dramatic. “
    Kate sat with her boyfriend Drew at one of the park benches. I t was a crappy day, with the gray clouds looming over and everything.
“ The guy forced me to sign a contract, and now I have to stay there till I die. I don’t think I’m being over dramatic. “
“ Hey, what about that little dwarf guy ? What’s his name ? “
“ I don’t know, but does it really matter what the little crap’s name is ? “
“ Just wondering. “ He took a sip from his latte. “ Now, was John all alone, or.. ? “
“ No, he was there with his ‘ brother ‘ Frederick. “
“ Why sarcastic about the word ‘ brother ‘ ? “
“ Because that’s what he said, and I really doubt that’s true. “
“ Heh. “ Drew noticed that one of the park workers was looking at them in a weird way. “ Uh, don’t look now, but who’s that ? “
    Kate looked out of the corner of her eye and saw him too. “ That’s Skips. “
“ He’s looking at us weird. “
    She looked back at Drew. “Why ? “
“ Heh, maybe he’s just jealous. “
“ Of what ? “
    He scooched over till he was up against her, and wrapped his arm around her waist. “ A better domanda would be, ‘ Of who ? ‘A tiny smile formed across her face. Drew leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, slowly sucking. As he did this, he quickly gave Skips a taunting glance. He knew.
Skips angrily glared back and skipped off.
    Seeing that he was gone, he stopped baciare her.
Kate gazedinto his black eyes. “ Why’d te stop ? “
I’d like to talk to te some more. “ He stroked her hair with his long, pale fingers.
“ What would yu like to talk about ? “
“ Oh, well... what about your job ? “
“ It’s okay, I guess. It’s definitely better than my old job. “
“ That place didn’t seem that bad to me. “
“ If hell had restaurants, that would be it. “
He leaned back against the bench. “ Whatever te say. “
“ At least the co-workers aren’t so bad here. “
“ I’m guessing you’ve talked to them. “
“ Actually, I’ve never talked to them. And that’s why I’m okay with them, they don’t go bugging me o trying to have a conversation with me. “
Drew chuckled. “ Still being your anti-social self. “
Kate punched him lightly in the arm. “ I told te to stop calling me that. “
“ I’ll stop calling yo anti-social when te go out and actually talk to your co-workers. “
“ Maybe. “
Drew sighed. “ Good enough. “
Kate started to get up. “ I should probably go and finish my work. “
Drew looked surprised. “ Was I keeping te ? “
“ No, no te weren’t.
He stood up too. “ I just remembered... I should probably go do my errands and stuff... “ He gave her a quick wink before walking away.
Kate wished he wouldn’t leave so suddenly.
-----------
Something’s not right. Skips couldn’t brush off the thought.
    Something about Kate gave him the feeling of something that was inhuman. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think that she wasn’t completely mortal. Like... a monstrous being. Not that she was a monster though. But she was definitely hiding something.
    He realized something else. She reminded him of... her. He pushed that thought aside immediately. No one could replace her.
“ Do te know where Benson is ? “ Behind him was standing Kate.
“ What ? “
“ Benson. Know where he is ? “ Her voice, with its emo tone, seemed to cut through him. “ He’s... I dunno exactly where he is, just that he’s driving somewhere in his cart. “
“ Oh. “
“ So, uh... do te like it here ? “
“ I guess. “ As she brushed her bangs away a little, her ash-gray giacca sleeve fell back some. The arm underneath was bruised in the shape of a hand print. Like someone grabbed her.
“ What happened there ? “
“ I bumped it into something, “ she detto unconvincingly.
He shrugged. “ Whatever te say. “
Kate was surprised he was so quick to believe that crap. Seriously, ‘ Bumped it against something ‘ ?
“ I should be going. “ She wanted to leave. “ I have to get the rest of my work done and everything, “ she added. Then she walked off without another word.
    Skips watched her until she was out of sight. Yes... there was something about her.
----------
    Kate walked on, hand’s in her pockets. A frisbee whizzed right past her face, but she had no reaction to it. She was too busy looking down, thinking about what she had escaped from a long time ago. But she had a feeling that it had just begun.
    “ ciao you, “ a snake-like voice whispered.
Kate just ignored it. Maybe he was talking to someone else.
“ Oh Katylin... “
    She stopped right in her tracks. No one ever called her that. Except.... She turned towards the voice.
    A man in a charcoal colored mantello stood in the bushes successivo to the path she was traveling on. His cappuccio cast a shadow over his eyes, which occasionally glinted.
“ Come forth. I have a message. “
“ From who ? “
“ My master. “
“ Be specific. te know what I meant his name. “
He grunted. “ I can’t tell you. “
“ .... “ She adjusted her jacket. “ Is there a reason ? “
“ Eh, I’ll tell te that soon enough. “ He coughed, making a sound like his throat was backed up with a random gross substance. “ My message. “
“ Yeah ? “
“ We have found you. I myself have. te can’t run from who te are, especially what te have done. “
Kate clenched her fists. “ Who gave te that message ?! “
He stepped back. “ I must not reveal that. “
She stepped towards him, matching the distance. “ Tell me, “ she demanded in a grim tone.
“ P-please ! I’m only the messenger ! “ he whimpered.
    She grabbed his cappuccio and threw it back, and her suspicions were correct. His eyes were serpentine, green and glowing, with the pupils being black narrow darts.
    She gasped. “ You’re... you’re one of them. “
The messenger hissed and with inhuman speed, slashed her arm with sharp claws. Blood trickle down from her pelliccia and a red splotch spread over her torn giacca sleeve. Kate took one glance at her wound, then gave a hard kick to the man’s abdomen. His red hair flew in front of his face as he was launched into the ground da the sheer force of her kick.
    Kate looked down at her boot, disgust spreading on her face. “ te got blood all over my good boots.... “
    “ Go to hell... “ he moaned.
“ Well, I happen not to enjoy where I grew up. “
“ te grew up in a normal house... “
“ It was the closest thing to hell. “
“ I’ll bring te there.. “ The man got up to one knee and opened his fingers to Slash at her again. Another blow to his face knocked him back into the mud. All movement from him had ceased.
She stuffed the body in the bushes. “ He was evil anyways, “ she reasoned.
    It would take a while for somebody to come across the body, since this path was hardly used. Why else would she walk here ? But, wait, after a few days the body’s odor would become noticed and one of the park workers might have to clean it up... she’d have to get rid of it.
    She spread apart the leaves, expecting his battered body to still be there. Just an indentation where it was just laying. Sighing, she figured he wasn’t dead after all and hauled himself off to some other place. But she wouldn’t have to worry about him calling the cops on her and having her arrested. His kind didn’t prefer to interact with humans.
    She uttered a curse as she wiped the cold blood into the erba under the bush. She couldn’t remove it completely, she’d have to wash it off when she got home. Unless there was a rule about that.
    A low purring sound crept up behind her, when she turned towards the sound she saw that it was the sound of the carrello stopping successivo to her.
    “ Kate, I have some work for te to do at the house, “ Benson said. “ Hop in. “
Kate climbed onto the passenger’s sede, sedile as Benson started the carrello back up.
“ What were te just doing here, anyways ? “ Benson asked her.
" Looking for you, “ she half-lied.
“ Oh, okay then, “ he replied, and drove off towards the house.