Disclaimer: No ownership whatsoever…

So… here's something I did on impulse. Different from what I usually do, but I hope you all like it anyway :}}}

First Sight

Jez Redfern laughed as she flew, her face hitting the wind in a carefree caress.

"Higher, Uncle Bracken, higher!" she giggled for the umpteenth time. Jez could hear her uncle sigh and chuckle with her from behind.

"Jez, if you go any higher, you'll fall off."

"—but Uncle Bracken!"

He sighed again. "Okay, princess." And then she flew higher.

Jez could believe that she was a princess, like Uncle Bracken said. She had pretty hair and eyes, so maybe she was one. Maybe that was why Uncle Bracken told her how special she was all the time.

The red hair that always got in her eyes completely covered her face as—what did Uncle Bracken call it?—the swi… the swing sent her upwards. Her pink shirt and overalls swiveled and wrinkled as she tried to move her legs in sync with it. Every time she went up, she imagined herself touching the sun, the bright gold ball that followed Jez wherever she went. She never wanted this to stop.

But, after three more pushes, Jez felt Uncle Bracken's hand leave her back.

"Uncle Bracken?" Her voice came out pitchy, swinging back and forth, back and forth.

"It's getting dark, Jezebel, we have to head on home."

Jez pouted, swinging her legs to try to make the swing go by herself. "No."

"Jezebel…"

"Don't call me that." She pouted again.

"It's your name. And we have to go."

"But the sun's still out!" she pointed hysterically to the golden circle in front of her, frowning as her sandaled feet touched the ground.

"The park will be here tomorrow, princess, we'll come back."

Jez's frown became so deep when Uncle Bracken took her off the swing; she thought her six-year old face would stay like that forever.

"Fine." She amended.

Uncle Bracken held the swing as Jez got off it, already missing the feel of rushing air. She was looking around the park, with its used and rusty play-things. From the browned sandbox to the rickety slide and bridge set to the woody monkey bars and the bulky tunnel big enough to fit a body in. There was dried grass everywhere else, with the occasional trash cans and lone dirt path with slippery rocks. Only one tree was present here, a big one, the only thing besides Jez and her Uncle that actually looked alive. It had branches and caterpillars and leaves. She'd climb that tree someday, then she'd be able to see Uncle Bracken's house from there. And Jez was sure she'd be able to touch the sun on something that high.

To anyone else it would have looked like an abandoned, beat-up piece of land.

Jez loved it all.

But… something… felt wrong right now…

"Hey, Uncle Bracken." They were walking on the dirt path with pebbles. Uncle Bracken was holding her hand in case she slipped.

"Yes, Jez?"

"Something's wrong." She said in that cute voice of hers. You couldn't be five without a cute voice. "Can't you feel it?"

She looked up at her Uncle, at the warm and kind face that was her family. Her only family. Jez's parents weren't with them anymore; Uncle Bracken had told her that when she turned five because he said she was a big girl. And Jez was. She didn't cry one bit.

He was about to tell her something, the silver-blue eyes that reminded Jez of her own had been ready to reply, but then something dropped expertly next to them from a branch of the tree she loved so much.

Jez looked on wonderingly as the thing straightened.

And she kept staring, because she just realized that the thing was a boy. He had messy black hair on top of a dirty head. And his clothes were so dirty; Jez didn't know what color his shirt was anymore. The sun had already gone, but Jez could see just fine. She could definitely see his bright eyes.

He had green eyes, deep, deep, deep green eyes. Like the stray cat's eyes she sometimes sees around her neighborhood. Right now he was staring at her, wonderingly, as he got up to his full height. Jez felt smug at the fact that she was taller than him. But his eyes were still glowing at her, as if she was the weirdest thing he's ever seen.

Not one to remain speechless for more than five minutes, Jez held up her hand to the boy. Uncle Bracken had taught her that that was how they were supposed to greet humans.

"Hello."

He looked at her hand, then at her. Then he raced up, faster than any human Jez has ever seen, and bit her thumb.

"OW!" she yelled. Jez felt a sharp pinprick followed by a weird release. Next thing she knew, the boy had stepped back, grinning, while Jez fell back on her butt. Her thumb was bleeding.

"Hi." He said in a sing-song voice. He would've been cute, flashing a perfect-toothed grin at her, but Jez wasn't concerned about his cuteness at all. She was concerned about getting even.

Reaching behind her, scowling and never breaking eye contact with the boy, she grabbed something lean and rough.

Perfect.

The boy blinked as Jez got to her little legs as fast as she could. She grinned and lunged, swinging her new stick like a mad person. Jez hit him on the head with it.

It was the boy's turn to fall on his butt.

He didn't stay down long, though. He got up as quick as Jez did and tackled her. Or tried to.

She dodged his hands easily, again aiming the stick at his head. He fell down mid-jump and she dropped down on him.

Jez then somehow managed to wrap her little hands around the boy's neck in a chokehold as he struggled.

"Say sorry!" she yelled, releasing one of her hands and pounding his lanky hair with her own fist. "Say it!"

He didn't say anything. From the look he gave her, it seemed like he'd rather get hit with her stick again.

Fine then. Jez grabbed hold of her woody weapon and made as if to stab him with it.

She saw the green eyes widen, and then narrow into slits.

"Say it."

He gave her a look as chilly as the wind around them.

Jez had enough.

"Uncle Bracken!" she called, pointing at the boy under her. "He won't say sorry!"

"She hit me with a stick." The boy argued. Jez was beginning to hate him.

"Jez," Uncle Bracken was holding back laughter, but the fire-haired girl saw nothing funny about the boy not saying sorry. "I think you made a friend."

Jez blinked. And then she looked at the boy, whose teeth weren't normal teeth after all. This boy had fangs.

Oh.

Still on him, with her fist still resting on his black hair, Jez asked, "Wanna be friends?"

"Whatever."

She then got off him, because Jez knew that friends didn't kill friends, even if they hated each other.

She stuck her hand out again as she straightened her pink shirt and combed down her unbelievably tangled hair. "I'm Jez Redfern."

He looked at her with those gem-like eyes of his. Then he grasped her hand in an almost gentle way while he smirked. "Morgead Blackthorn."

Author's Note: So how was it?

I don't mind criticism, I actually welcome it, so don't be afraid to tell me that it sucks. To be honest, I didn't think it was all that good myself :{

Of course, I don't mind any REVIEW at all… So… y don't u do me a favor and click that green button right down there =}… pls??????

Oh… one more thing, I'm still working on my next chappie for Moonlit Mist, :] don't worry. It's almost done, already up to 3,680 words, just need 3,320 more for 7,000 in all. =} It'll take me all of four days… five if I get upset or am busy and two-three if I get sudden bursts of creativity. :DDDD If you want me to make it longer (or shorter) u could just REVIEW/tell me on this or MM. Yup…

Plus I'm working on a Dark Visions fanfic. It's a rly great book and I'm sort of sad that it doesn't hav many stories… maybe u can make one? *-* Rly guyz, its an awesometastic book and deserves to be loved just as much as this series. (it's tie wit NW 4 my fave LJ book) =)))))

So… cya'll l8er :}

REVIEW!!!! AND TELL ME IF U WANT ME TO CONTINUE THIS STORY OR NOT!!!

(P.S. so sry for the long A/N… got carried away a bit…)