Chapter One

Emilie Tilman was confused and terrified. Almost all she could hear was the loud blaring of alarms and sirens resonating everywhere. She could also hear the horrified screams of the several civilians who lived in her street. Out the window, she could just make out the figures of people dressed in pajamas running out their doors. Strange, oversized hovercrafts were flying low and metal claws were grabbing people at random. She watched as a baby was torn from a woman's arms as she was grabbed and taken up into the machine. Realizing that she had no time, Emilie quickly grabbed a shirt and pants, pulling them on at lightning speed.

"Mom!" She yelled, hurriedly running downstairs where her mother stood at the front door with wide eyes.

"Emilie." Said Julie, turning around and hugging her daughter briefly before pulling back.

"Mom, what's going on? Why is everyone-"

"Listen, Em, there's no time to explain anything. You have to go. Go out the back door and make sure to stay in the dark at all times. Avoid the lights shining out of the crafts."

"But mom-"

"Go!"

"No, I won't." Answered Emilie firmly, crossing her arms. "Where's dad? What is happening?"

Julie sighed. Of course her daughter was so stubborn. She was just like her father.

"I-I don't know where he is. He said he was going to return." She looked out the window anxiously. "But he hasn't come back."

All of a sudden, without a warning, the wall behind Julie crumbled as a hovercraft came bashing through. Emilie screamed as the machine landed on the floor with a loud thump. A small, rectangular hole, big enough to be a doorway, formed in the middle of the metal body, as a tall, blonde woman walked out.

"Mom, what the-" Emilie looked at her mother who had turned pale as sheet and was staring at the stranger with shock recognition.

"Clarissa." Julie gasped, staggering back.

"Mom? Who's she? How the hell do you know her?"

The lady smiled. No, smirked. "Julie, I've finally found you." She said, and Emilie noticed that her eyes were not at all moving normally and were the most inhuman green colour. As Clarissa smiled, she saw that her teeth were whiter than usual and shone brightly. Very brightly. She was also extremely beautiful. She was the prettiest woman Emilie had ever seen.

"Surely, Clarissa, you're not-" Julie began with a start.

"I am" was the cold reply.

"Mom, what is going on? Who is this woman?" Emilie looked from her mother to Clarissa who was yet still smirking.

"Ah. This must be your daughter I assume?" Clarissa finally glanced at Emilie. "Julie, you must know she will make a fine cy-"

"No. I will not allow that. Never. Now what did you do with John? Where is he?" Julie pushed her daughter behind her protectively.

"Your husband," sneered Clarissa, "is dead."

Emilie's heart felt as if it shattered into small pieces. Had this woman, evidently a terrible lady, killed her father? She heard her mother cry out slightly and turned to her. Julie's face was terror-stricken and looked very vulnerable. Emilie had never seen her mother like this before.

Then without a warning, Clarissa's arms snapped to Julie and her pale hands grabbed her head.

"Run!" Julie shrieked at her daughter. "Emilie, run! Go hide! You mustn't stay here! It's dangerous!"

"Mom!" But the lady's eyes were glittering menacingly as she bit into Julie's neck. Julie crumpled and Emilie saw something green disappear through her neck.

"Find Stefan and tell him I said sorry. Go Em. I love you." Her mother managed to croak before falling into deep unconsciousness. Emilie had no idea who Stefan was, but all the same, tears filling her eyes, she turned and ran. She struggled with the lock on the door leading to the backyard, so with all her strength, she punched a fist through the glass, making it shatter and her hand to immediately sting painfully and bleed. But there was no time to nurse her wound as she sprinted through the bits of glass that stabbed her bare feet and quickly leapt over a bush landing on the concrete footpath on the other side. Remembering her mother's words to remain in the dark at all times she went on her knees, crawling in the little darkness and avoiding the bright lights that clearly searched for more people. Sobs burst out of her mouth as she clamped a hand over it to silence herself. Her body trembled vigorously as she desperately struggled to drag herself quickly away from the several lit crafts. And she knew that she couldn't go on like this. She was too slow and needed something much faster. At that moment, a car drove past and she looked up with amazement. Was there a survivor like her escaping with a car?

"Stop!" She screamed from the ground and hastily scrambled up, wincing at the terrible pain it caused her cut feet. "Stop! Please!" She jogged, no staggered, towards the vehicle which turned with a blood curdling screech and peeled down the street towards her. Emilie sighed with pure relief when she saw that there was a perfectly fine person with no inhuman movement driving the car. It jerked to a stop in front of her and the window of the passenger seat rolled down. A man with brown eyes and a curly mop of hair looked out and called, "Hurry! Get in!" He did not hesitate to check her swiftly from top to bottom before reaching over and opening the door of the front seat. Gratefully, Emilie climbed in and slammed the door shut as the man swerved the car back around and drove at lightning speed. Glancing out the window and watching everything rush past, she wondered how strange she must have looked standing on the footpath, her hand and feet bleeding.

"You're bleeding." Said the man suddenly as if he'd read her mind.

"Oh yes." She answered looking down at her feet and hand from which crimson blood continued to cascade out of.

"Here." Said the man, handing her a box.

"Thanks." She awkwardly looked at the box and seeing that they were bandages, without hesitation ripped open the lid. She only stopped when the man spoke.

"You're Emilie Tilman aren't you?"

She dropped the box, bandages spilling out and looked up.

"H-how do you know?" She stammered. "Who are you?"

"Stefan Carlingford. I know your mother."

And all Emilie could do was stare.