A Thorny Kiss

by Louisa Celeste Strutt
(fife, scotland)

"Get the he** out of this house!" Mia heard her mother yell.

"Don't you talk back to me you bit**! she heard her angry father reply.

She couldn't take anymore of this, she jumped up from her bed and began frantically packing clothes, socks and other essentials into her scraggly, worn, old backpack.

Mia tiptoed out her room, down the stairs and out the door. She trudged silently down the silent streets, snow flurries hurried past her to join the already blanketed pavement; when she came to a barely lit alley.

She walked slowly into the shadows and slumped hopelessly against the cold stone wall, hot tears began trickling down her cold reddened cheeks and she couldn't help sobbing as she wiped them away.

"Why are you crying?" she heard a low eerie voice say from the end of the alleyway.

Mia looked up surprised by the presence of another. "I... I ran away from home she said in a sad, whimpering voice.

"What is your name?" came the voice again, stepping out of the darkness. He was beautiful in all respects with his long black locks, his porcelain skin and his crimson eyes glowing radiantly.

"M...Mia" she stammered. He walked forwards and extended his hand to her and helping her to her feet.

"Don't cry Mia." he said smiling evilly; wiping the tears from her eyes with his black leather glove. She blushed. "Why did you run from home? It's not safe for a lovely young girl like yourself to be all... alone."

"I couldn't stand the violence and fighting anymore!" she exclaimed beginning to tear up again.

He wrapped his cloaked arms around her and whispered in her ear. "It doesn't have to be this way. I can take you away from all this, but in exchange you must agree to be mine, and only mine for all of eternity." he said raising her chin to look up at him.

"I am yours." she said hypnotized by his gaze, with that he moved his lips to the nape of her neck, caressing it gently then in one swift movement plunged his fangs into her, she only managed to utter a faint moan before her body collapsed into his arms...