Disclaimer:

Larten: Oh! Paradise!

Lina: Hey baby ;)

Larten: Linaaa! Let me come into your arms.

Lina: Now now Larten, Say the disclaimer first!

Larten: Lina does not own Cirque du freak or any of it's characters... *grudgingly*: even me.

Darren Shan spin-off: Larten's Journey: Paradise's end

(1)

It seemed to take forever for Larten to die- the flames licked at his exposed skin like a child devouring an ice cream. Nearby, the friends that had been closest to his heart watched with devastation as the vampire painfully squirmed and withered on the fiery stakes. Finally, as the last scream escaped Larten's chest, his soul lifted high into the steamy air and was washed away by an invisible force into paradise.

Paradise was not what Larten had expected. It was empty except of things that did not matter to him much. He saw a red sky that stretched into the far distance, and white, icy grass that met the sky half way along the horizon. No sun. No mountains. No people. Just his soul, the grass, and the sky. Larten wasn't sure what to do; his death had irked him as much as it troubled his friends back on earth. He decided to stay standing, ears open and mouth set in a grim line. It was all he could do to stop himself from believing that he was in the land of the damned. While he stood there, images of his life dashed before him. The memories we as clear as water, drizzling down on him in splashes of delight. Vur's weak smile suddenly appeared and instinctively Larten reached out clutching his fingers desperately, only to crush the image in front of him. The memories washed away and sadly Larten was alone again. He grimaced and downheartedly stared at his feet wishing he was back in the cave with Darren and the green haired prince.

After a while, Larten noticed a breeze blowing around his ghostly figure. It was a comforting warm breeze and suddenly Larten felt relaxed. He smiled thinly, momentarily forgetting his worries and closed his eyes against the warm aura surrounding his body. He stood arms open, welcoming the breeze allowing it to catch upon every surface of his skin. The air around him appeared to get hotter like a vibrating warmth swishing in and out of his arms. It was only then that he felt a soft finger running down the scar on his left cheek. Stunned, he snapped open his eyes.

The vision before him almost sent him crashing to his knees. He gasped, breathless, and teary eyed, gazing at the womanly figure standing before him…

I hope you guys like this. :) I'll be sure to carry on ;) thanks to everyone out there! lov M xxx