THE GUARDIAN.

Lucas walked hastily back into the living room and picked up his ringing phone he'd left on the wooden coffee table. It was past eleven pm and seeing the caller ID, he smiled to himself and accepted the call.

"Good morning Grace." He greeted the caller,

"Okay, I'll be on my way now." He said with a satisfied smile and he hung up the call.

He'd been waiting for this call all evening, so he rushed to the room, grabbed his jacket and his keys, he shoved his cellphone into the pocket of his black jean pants, took his already packed backpack and left the room. Outside, he walked to the receptionist's desk, the dark haired Hispanic raced lady was asleep with her mouth slightly opened. She should be, that's what humans do by this time of the night, they sleep.

"Hey." He tapped her twice and she woke up from her slumber, murmuring some incomprehensible words,

"You want a room?" She asked him as she chased away the sleepiness, he shook his head and brought out his key,

"I'm checking out." He said to her and her brain registered fully to her environment.

"Oh sorry," She apologized, "I'm so sorry..."

"No worries ma'am." He said to the older lady and handed her the keys, which she took with an appreciative smile and he left the reception. He went outside and got into his 1993 Camaro, which he'd bought for five grands, immediately after he fled school.

He threw his backpack to the back seat, started the engine and drove out of the motel.

Six months ago, Lucas, his younger sister, Anastasia, his parents, his older cousin, Declan and his best friend/gaurdian, Marco were returning to Flint Hills after spending their time shopping in the city of Montana.

They were having a friendly argument whether or not thirteen year old Anastasia made the right choice in the gown she'd chosen while they were at the mall when all of a sudden, his father lost control of the car. The brakes failed and the last thing he heard was his sister's loud cry before everything went blank. He woke up in the hospital and according to the nurse, that was three days after the tragic accident. He'd been the only survivor in the accident.

A week after the funeral of both his parents, his cousin, his gaurdian and his sister, he resolved he would leave the school forte after series of events thst comelled him to.

It wasn't really easy as he'd thought, as several people guarding him since he'd no dhampir gaurdian no more and the Guardian Council were yet to give him another.

However, he did escape in the bus that come to take the feeders away and for six months, he'd been trying to blend in and live like a normal teenager, but that seem impossible as he can't erase the memories of that night from his head.

Now, he's on two mission, to go get his blood bag from Grace Kavanaugh, a mystical creatures fanatic, who's a nurse in the nearby local hospital and had been taking the night shifts just for him for the past two weeks he'd been in Victoria. Two, he's leaving Victoria to Seattle tonight and that's sure going to take him about three to four hours at most.

He would be in Seattle before the sunrise and would lodge in a motel, stay there for a week or two and continue the circle to another destination till he's sure he has gotten the vampires off his back.

Those were his thoughts when he pulled into the parking lot of the hospital.

He parked his car properly like every good citizen of America would do and after he did, he got out from his dead beat trap car and walked towards the entrance.

"Adrian." The female nurse in her late twenties called Lucas as he came in and he flashed her a warm smile.

"Hey Grace." He acknowledged as he walked towards her. He stopped in front of her desk and she brought out a brown paper bag containing his feed and handed it to him,

"Here you go."

"Thanks Grace." He thanked her as he brought out his wallet to pay her for the service but she refused, as always.

"Not again." She mouthed, pushing back the dollar bills to him,

" I've told you as long as I'm here, you don't have to worry about feeding." She said with an assuring smile,

"Thanks Grace." He said to her,

"I gotta go now." He added as he turned away from her desk,

"Adrian." She called him, he stopped and turned to her,

"Take care of yourself." She mouthed, he nodded with a warm smile on his face and he left, just as he'd came.

To Lucas, Grace must be the most chivalrous and selfless vampire fanatics he'd ever come across in the past six months he'd been out in the human world.

The night he'd met her, he'd just came Victoria and was in desperate need to feed.

He came to the hospital that night and had met her. She'd been so engrossed in the book she was reading, she didn't notice him standing outside the glass beside her. He knocked on the glass, startling her, she raised her head up and looking at him, she flashed him a warm smile.

There was no way he could come in without her permission to, so he motioned her to come to the door which she did and opened the door for him to come in.

"Come in." She'd said and getting the invitation he needed, he walked inside with her.

He would have used compulsion on her that night, but in the next few minutes that followed, he got to find out that she's a lover for mystical creatures especially vampires, werewolves, hybrids and sirens.

She left him and came back awhile later with a brown paper bag and she handed it to him, he was surprised when he opened it and saw a transparent bag with blood inside it, what he'd actually came for.

When he asked her, she'd told him she knew from when he wouldn't enter without her invitation that he was a vampire and not seeing his reflection in the adjacent mirror by thr door was a confirmation of suspicion for her.

The next two nights he'd gone there, he got to know her better.

Her father had been a Dhampir and her mother a human and they'd had her, the non vampiric child.

He'd lied to her that his name was Adrian and he was just an ordinary moroi.

He didn't think he wanted to be talking to her about his royal ancestry which will lead to him talking about the accident and down to his responsibilities he'd fled from.

He would have loved to stay in Victoria because of her but he knew he'd to leave to be safe. He couldn't risk going back to the school and have everyone pity him like they've got nothing better to do.

Lucas had driven over two miles away from the hospital, when he noticed the gas left in his car won't get him to Seattle.

He decided to look for a gas station and refill his car before continuing his journey.

There was none close by, he checked with his phone and the next gas station is about a mile away, a distance his car can't make.

"Of all nights, why does it have to be tonight?" He hissed in frustration as he stopped the car by the side of the lonely road.

The gas indicator was pointed at the red line, indicatinh it was in urgent need to be refilled.

"Fuck! Why hadn't I noticed this before?" He asked himself as he took out the key from the ignition hole.

"Now I'll have to do something about this. I need to be in Seattle before sunrise..." He sighed and slapped the steering,

"This is fucked up. Why can't i just have a normal life like others?" He questioned himself,

"Why can't I just be like Grace? No stupid vampire blood coursing through her vein, so stupid ancestral responsibility and shit.

And of course, no one to be running away from.

Fuck! I hate my life." He groaned in frustration as he slapped the steering again.

He was still fuming in anger when he heard the knock on the glass, he raised his head up and his eyes fell on the blurry future of the man outside his car.

He didn't want to roll down the window as he was unsure who the man was but the next few seconds got him rolling down the window glass, out of curiosity.

"Good morning sir." He greeted the man and he, in turn flashed him a smile, showing his set of perfect white teeth, with no fangs.

Lucas frowned at the sight of the strange man's fangless teeth.

He isn't a vampire obviously but why is he here and what does he want?

He studied the man carefully, he'd on a complete black outfit and had topped it with a black overcoat and a black bowler, making him look creepy.

Creepy you say? He asked himself.

What do you think humans calls an undead creature who feeds more on blood and parade only at night?

Creepy doesn't cover it all.

"Where are you going by this time of the morning?" The man asked him, snapping him out of his reverie,

"Seattle. My gas..."

"Come with me." He said in a monosyllabic tone that surprised Lucas.

He doesn't know this man and here he's telling him to come with him, who's he?

"I don't think you'll be thinking about my offer if you know how much danger is heading your way if you travel alone." The man asserted, Lucas sighed and came out of the car, he opened the back door and took out his backpack.

While he did, the man went to his car and brought out a gallon of fuel.

"Move away from there." He ordered him.

He obeyed without hesitation, moving away from the car.

Right in front of him, the man poured the liquid on his car and set it ablaze, then he turned to a stupefied Lucas,

"They can't trace you now. Come on, let's go." He said and headed to his car.

Lucas watched his burning car for awhile before he followed the man. He'd lots of questions he needed answers to, like who he was and why he was helping him, but now, he'd to leave, so he followed the man and got into the car.

Immediately the car locked automatically and the man flashed him a smile,

"Welcome back Prince Lucas Ozera."

Shoot! Lucas almost yelled.

He'd been trapped.