Her and her brother had parted ways long ago, she couldn't even remember how long.
Here she was running again. "Demon!" the villagers yelled behind her, each carrying torches and various items to be used as weapons. Was it her fault one of the stupid village boys had lost control of his horse and trampled her? She didn't think so, but of course the villagers apparently thought so, or maybe it was the fact that it hadn't killed her. "That might be it." She thinks to herself sarcastically.
Running through the woods, her cloths and hair being grabbed by branches, mud sticking to her feet, she did 'not' like this. "What are they thinking anyway," she thinks to herself, "If they kill me in the most gruesome way possible I'll stay dead." Not even wanting to think about it she just keeps running. So far she had been hanged, burned, drowned, sliced, and even a mage had taken a shot at killing her. None of them worked of course, but that didn't keep them from trying over and over again.
Tripping on a root she falls to her feet, when she lifts her head she sees a pair of feet in front of her. Looking up a boy is standing there; "Who are�?" she starts to ask before hearing the villagers behind her. Getting to her feet, she looks at the boy again, but this time his eyes are glowing strangely. She can feel a strange pull, like something is being pulled out of her skin but it refuses to come. The boy's eyes dim, and with that the feeling stops. "What did you just try�?" but she never gets to finish her question for coming up behind them is the mob of villagers, who quickly surround them both. Looking around the boy doesn't seem the least bit troubled.
"Demon!" their leader starts, seeming to not even notice the child. Throughout the leaders ranting his eyes glow again, and this time something does happen. Slowly a white mist rises from the villagers and the boy seems to breath it in absorbing it. Soon the villagers are falling to the ground in a faint. Looking at those around her she could see that they were dieing. Now she hated them for there stupidity, but that didn�t mean she wanted them to die. Grabbing the boy by the shoulder, "That's enough. Stop it right now." He just looks up at her confused. "You heard me, stop." Slowly his eyes dim again and the mist that remains seems to be sucked back into the villagers.
Looking around, as far as she can tell most are still alive, just sleeping. "Why did you stop me?" the boy asks, "They were hunting you, why let them live?" "Because stupidity isn't something one should loose their life over." "But yet most do." He says smiling "That's there, this is here." And she moves off leaving the villagers where they lay, "I hope they wake up with monstrous headaches." she thinks to herself.
Soon she can here foot steps behind her "Wait," she can hear him. Not slowing her pace, she groans when he catches up, "What do you want?" she asks. "Let me come with you." He says begging in a very boy-like voice. "Why? So I can help you catch your meals for you. I don't think so." She says trying to speed up. "You can be there to make sure I don't kill them." He says as though offering a treat.
"I don't work for demons." She says bluntly. "Good, because I'm not a demon." He says as though solving a problem. "Please, after what I just saw you expect me to believe your not a demon?" she says scornfully. "Well, I'm not. At least not fully." He says sounding guilty.
"You're a half-breed?" She asks not fully believing it. "Well, yeah." He says admittingly.
"Right, you just have an answer for everything don't you." She says scorning. "Well, I am." He says as though admitting it to himself, "You think I like the fact that I can't go near anyone without killing them?" he says sounding hurt. "By all rights you should be dead back there with everyone else." He says pointing back in the direction they had come.
"Right, and that's supposed to make me want to help you?" she says shaking her head. "What am I supposed to say? You're the only person I�ve ever found that isn't affected by me. My own mother abandoned me because of what I could do." He says sounding sad.
"Demons don't raise their offspring." She states putting a hole in his argument. "Not true." He protests.
"Your trying to tell me they do?" she asks almost laughing. "Well, not personally. But they do put there chosen in the care of lesser demons under the threat of a painful and lengthy death." He says sounding as though that's supposed to be as good.
"Like I said, 'Demons don�t raise their offspring.'" She repeats herself. "Well why don't you raise me then?" he asks.
"Please, like I'm actually supposed to think you really look like that." She says looking him up and down. "For all I know, you don't like the fact that you've found someone you can't kill. And I don't plan on waking up in the middle of the night with you turned into some razorblade-covered form tearing me to pieces. And then I end up having to wait a week for me to put myself back together because there's nothing left of me but a pile of oozz." She says scornfully. "I don't have a razor blade covered form." He says as if trying to sound innocent.
"Well, whatever you have hidden under there." She says pointing at him. "I told you I'm a half-breed. This is how I look." He says still protesting.
"And how do I know that?" she asks stopping and turning on him. "What makes you think I�ll believe anything you say?" "I can't kill you, so what do you have to lose?" he says sounding on the verge of tears.
"If you can�t kill me then why are you still trying to drain me?" she asks noticing that she was feeling that pull again, and now looking at him closely, noticing that his eyes were dimly glowing. "Because I can't stop it," he says tears forming on the edges of his eyes.
Looking at his face she can feel her resistance breaking down, and hating herself for it. There was every reason not to take him, but at the same time there wasn't any reason not to. "Alright." She says finally giving in. "But I warn you, any trouble and I'll leave you behind. Got it?" "Got it." He says cheering up. Sighing to herself she turns around again and starts walking.
* * *
�So, where are we going?� he asks. �To whatever town we happen to run into.� She answers �A town?� he asks sounding confused. �Yes, a town. You know it a place with�lots�of�people.� She says and then looks at him. �You can�t walk into a town can you?� she asks feeling that she�s about to get a headache. �I don�t know. I�ve never tried.� He says. �Well not exactly the answer I was expecting, but okay. Do you have a radius or something?" she asks.
�Huh?� completely at a loss.
�You know, um, say if someone comes up to you. How far away do they have to be before you start draining them?� she says trying to make it simpler.
�I don�t know. It�s never come up before.� He says still sounding confused.
�Well its come up now.� She says while starting to think. �Okay, you stay here.� She orders as she starts walking away.
�Hay, where are you going?� he asks sounding panicked.
�Calm down. I�m just going to walk this way until your not pulling on me anymore and then I�ll come right back.� She scolds. Biting his lip he stays where he is, but she doesn�t have to go very far. She only walks about 12 ft when the pulling seems to stop. �There,� she says satisfied. Walking back, �We should be able to get you in without too much problem.� She says heading out again.
�What�s your name anyway?� she asks realizing she didn�t even know what to call him. �Pan.� He answers. �Pan?� she says not quiet believing. �Yeah, what�s yours?� he asks. �Bethane.� She answers. �Can I call you Beth?� he asks after being quiet for a few minutes. �Sure, why not.� She agrees, after thinking that he�ll probably call her that whether she wants him to or not.
* * *
That night they stay in the biggest suite at a local inn. �I hope this works because if anyone turns up dead tomorrow you're on your own," she tells him before falling on the bed. �If anyone turns up dead it won�t matter, because we�re the first ones who are going to be suspect.� He replies. �You won�t die I will.� he crawls into an armchair, and promptly falls asleep. Shaking her head she closes her eyes and falls asleep as well.
That morning she wakes before he does. After washing, she goes downstairs for some breakfast. Looking around it doesn�t seem as if anything bad happened during the night. Taking a plate up with her she leaves it on one of the tables for the boy when he woke. While repacking the few things she had bought the night before to replace the ones she had lost while escaping the last village, he awoke. �You should eat.� She tells him pointing out the food. �What�s this?� he asks looking at it. �It food, you know stuff you eat.� She says hoping she hadn�t picked up a picky child. �I don�t eat.� He states. �You�re kidding me?� she says stopping what she is doing to look at him. �No, I don�t eat. At least I never have.� �How are you alive then?� she asks not believing what she is hearing. �I don�t know. All I know is that I don�t eat.� She just shakes her head at him, but then she remembers something. �Right, demons don�t eat. If you are a half-breed you must have inherited that nice trait.� She says not believing how complicated this was getting.
Deciding to drop the subject for now, she goes back to packing. �Go wash up,� she tells him, �Where leaving as soon as I�m packed.� Jumping up out of the chair he walks back to the wash basin. When he comes back and she sees him, she stops what she is doing again and kneels down to look at him. Having gotten quickly used to the pulling sensation she felt as she got nearer. �Are you alright?� she asks worried about how pale he was. �Yeah, I feel fine.� He says smiling. �Okay.� She says getting up and finishing what she was doing.
Before leaving the inn that morning they run into the innkeeper. �Leaving so soon?� he asks in a hurt voice. �Yes. And you�ll get no more out of use.� She tells him. �But surly there is something I can do for you before you leave. Lunch perhaps?� he asks raising his eye brow. He was starting to feel cold, but chose to ignore it. �No.� she says moving on. �Very, well. If you are ever in town again, don�t hesitate to call on us.� He says giving her a bow before bracing himself against the wall. �Are you alright?� she asks. �Yes, I�m fine just strangely tired.� He says. �I think I will go rest.� And he moves off. Watching him leave, she looks down at Pan suspiciously, and his eyes are glowing again. �Stop that.� She says jerking his shoulder a little. �What?� he asks looking up at her. Seeing his face she notices that it�s less pale then what it was when they came out of the inn. �Come on.� She says pulling him away and leaving town as fast as possible.
�Where are we going now?� he asks after a little walking. �I don�t know.� She says. �How can you not know?� he asks confused. �Simple, I�m walking and I don�t know where I�m going.� She says hoping that he�ll run out of questions. �Then how do you expect to get anywhere?� he asks. �Just because I don�t know where I�m going that doesn�t mean that I�m not going to get anywhere.� She says. �Yeah, but �� and for the rest of the day and a lot of days there after he continues this. Asking questions, and questioning answers till it gets to the point she doesn�t mind it so much.
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