Chapter One

"Do you think Danny an Ash will go to the halloween festival this year?" Asked Davied talked about he's friend Danny an his father Ash. 17 year old Raven Carmila turned to her little brother as she stirred the macoroni an cheese ad he talked happily,the 11 year olds head bent as he colored in the dinosaur in the color book that Raven had just recently purchased.

Finding work, exspecially in a broken an burnt out place like Los Angela was hard. The place, this city, was fill with drug attics and pain, sorrow, and suffering, town an for right now home, was run by the evil a crazy Man named Juda Earl. She hadn't ever come face to face in person with the man and he's destructive posse

The thought of ever doing that scared the shit out of her, but she had to be strong, exspecially for David.

David had met Danny an he's father Ash after he had run away when finding out their mother was dead because of Judia's drugs. David just turning 10 not three weeks ago had been the first to find her, or more of her body lying stilly on the bathroom floor, an sometimes it hurt Raven to think that she couldn't protect him from something like this.

She was the older sister, slash parent, slash gaurdian, protecter, so on an so forth.

He was her's to care for, an she let him down by not protecting him. She was 17 barely an adult, her child hood a faint memory, basicly a fantasy that never happened, an probably never will.

She still remembers when she met Ash, and was glad for said meeting, no matter how pain full the reason. The reason for meeting was a sore and grim memory; she met him the day her mother died. The memory of WHY she met him sucked ass, but meeting him at all was something she will always be grateful for. That day held her weakest moment, but she will always be grateful that it was him that she met that day. Raven knew that he was older, 8 years her senior, to him she was probably just a child or daughter like Danny or David were his own. She liked him, she can't help her self, but she keeps the love an pain to her self most of the time behind the mask that took her years to build. When her mother died about a year ago,

Her father left three weeks after Raven was born; and David's father left when he found out that mom was pregnant with him. David knew they were half siblings, but it never even became a thought that they were anyless siblings of this family, no matter what the blood says.

Raven shifted on her feet when David looked at her, coming back for deep thought as she remember what he asked.

"Don't know Nicky, we shoulder go over there tonight an ask." She said smiling slightly as him when he pulled a face as she used the nick name she gave him. David's full name was Nicolia Davied Carmila, but he said he didn't really like he's first name, so he had me use his middle name, which usually doesn't happen.

She had to laugh as he sighed dramaticly an rolled his eyes at her.

"Dinners going to be ready soon, an then we can go over there, before it gets competely dark." Mellissa annouced as she turned back to the Macoroni as he simmered on the gas stove.

The apartment they were in was small but homey an comfortable. Had two bedrooms, but only one bathroom, with a small living an medium kitch/dining room. The floored would need to be cleaned, an the carpet had some stains, but all in all, it was an okay place to live compared to the rest of the city.

Raven had offered Danny an Ash to stay with them here, but Ash declined, never really giving a reason as to why, but it was his buisness so she didn't push. She knew that Danny's mother wasn't around anymore, I don't know if she was dead or just staying away, but Ash had once said she wasn't coming back.

She leaned againt the stove again deep in thought, but she accidently put the sensitive side of her left hand on the very hot stove burner. Yelping slightly she jerked her hand away as she clutched the hand to her chest an closed her eyes as tears swelled

"Sonofabitch!"

She rushed toward the sink an turn the cold water on an she heard Davied come upbehind her asked'Are you alright, are you okay?' She just nodded to thequestions an gritted her teeth against the pain not making anymore noise.

"I'm fine kiddo, just fine. Just hurt a little." She muttered soothingly to the child trying to easy the worry on his face. He still looked worried as hell an he's small hands were clenched into tight fist, the skin on his knuckels a pale white. Raven sighed softly an leaned kissing David's forhead heading to the fridge grabbing a kitchen towel from the rack on the cabnit beside the curtain that was hiding the area under the sink.

She opened the freezer an held the towel between her teeth as her gaze switched over the boy who was nervously switch foot to foot an watching her every move.

She was having a hard time getting the ice in the towel an saw David step closer out the corner of her eye, but grabbed an reached down with it folded out, so when she closed her hand she would have the ice in the towel.

She moved away an shut the door with her shoulder an closed the towel an looked at her hand. She hadn't held it on long, but there wasn't really a need, because he did damage anyways. He spot in the middle was purple, an the rest around it, angry red, the beginnings of a blister already forming, an she winced an nearly squealed when place the ice towel on the area.

"I'm okay David, I really am." She looked at him an nodded but David just sighed still a little tense but sat down, still not taking his eyes off her. She tured towards the stove an reached over turned the knob to off.

The bowls an forks had been placed while cooking the mac an cheese an the job was easy when adding the cheese an a bit of milk placing it in the bowls an munching. She tossed the now damp towel into the sink an sighed looking at her hand again.

Raven would have to patch it up some time soon, she knew it would look worse tomorrow, an she again, didn't want David to worry his little head off.

"Hey…Mel?'' David asked hesitantly. She looked at him an raised her eyebrows in question, but frowned a little at his exspression.

"What is it Nicky?'' She didn't know if she should be worried or not.

"Do you remember the thing that Sarah for the tattoo place told us? The story about the crows?'' David had put his fork down an looked at him in question, a little hesitant, maybe wary. She frowned even more "Yah...what about it?''

She placed her for in the bowl an leaned a little forward placing her arms on the table.

"Do you think it could be true?''

She raised her eyebrow an thought about it. She didn't really believe in stuff like that. Truthfully Mellissa didn't know know how to answer his question.

"Sarah had told us...that when people..passed away there souls move on, but when you know, the soul can't leave because of something bad that happened, he comes back, to finish stuff that he needed to do.'' David explained in his own way. She had to smiled at him an his matter-of-fact tone. In short terms, to someone as young as him, or younger, that would probably be how they saw it.

"I don't know know how to answer your question Nicky...don't have a real answer or reason to believe or not believe the story or legend she told us. I would feel kinda sad if this was true...because it would take alot of sadness to bring someone back like that.'' Raven picked up the bowl an Nicky handed his empty one over as he stayed silent thinking it over, his face in hard concentration, she was afraid it was going to hurt himself thinking that hard.

She smiled slightly, the small twitching of her lips as she place the bowls in the sinks along with the forks an empty cups that had been filled with sweet tea.

"So...are we going over to Danny's?'' David asked suddenly excited again. Going out at night, exspecially this late always mader her itchy, but she said she would go an talk to them an let David meet up with Danny again.

She sighed an nodded an he cheered an raced to put his shoes on. "Dont forget a jacket, its a bit nippy outside!" She stated loudly but all she got back was a'yeah yeah'