"Damn!" Manny cursed to himself. "Damn my curiosity! Now I'm a slave!"

"Who are you talking to?" Frida asked.

"Myself what of it?"

"Well it's creepy, get your bags and your jacket we have to get to the train station."

"Ugh! Curse that woman!" Manny groaned. "And curse that minister too!"

"My, my. Cursing a nun and a minister." Father Gardner said sipping tea. "You really are half devil aren't you?"

"Shut up! This is your fault! I'm trapped in stone for fifty years and when I finally get out you make the nurse maid of a girl?!"

"Not nurse maid. Guardian. Big difference you know. Guardians watch over and protect. Nurse maids change diapers and breast feed. I highly doubt you could do that last part considering you're male."

"Spare me the comedy."

"I know you hate me for what I did but one day you'll thank me."

"Dream on. I'm gonna get this belt off and when I do I'm out of here."

"Hmm interesting."

"What?"

"You remind me so much of your parents."

"How do you know my parents?"

"We have history. I married them you know and I was there when you were born. I wondered what you'd look like grown up. I can see you resemble them both."

"Wait a minute how old are you?"

"Older than I look but I hate talking about my age. Anyway you look more like your mother, same eyes, same hair, but when you change into a devil you're like your father. Strong, powerful, dangerous, you even have his temper."

"I have a question."

"Shoot."

"My father was a devil and he died. Did he go to hell?"

"No. Your father avoided that fate thanks your mother."

"What do you mean?"

"When your mother was about Frida's age her beauty captured the attention of the devil king. So he had a cult of devil worshippers abduct her and force her to be his bride. God bless your mother she wanted to die when she learned of this however the devil king wasn't the only one who became smitten by her bright eyes and shinning face. Your father, a rogue devil had developed an interest in the innocent mortal woman. So being a trickster much like you, he cleverly stole your mother away on the day of that dreaded wedding."

"So that's it? He just saw her and had a change of heart?"

"No. The truth is the real reason your father took her that night was because he wanted a night of passion with her. But your mother didn't know that at the time, she thought he rescued her out of the goodness of his heart and so she thanked him by giving him the most precious thing a devil could be given."

"Gold?"

"Half of a human's immortal soul."

"What good is that?"

"Devils who roam on earth are dammed to hell if they die unless a human willingly gives half of their immortal soul to him. This gives the devil a chance to redeem himself and if he does he'll be able to go to heaven when he dies however there's a catch once the devil dies the human he shares his soul with must die too. That's why your mother died shortly after your father did. Anyway your mother had such a pure and loving soul that when half of it went into his your father's body he felt it, he felt her love and compassion and that in itself is something that your father learned to be in order to redeem himself."

"So he didn't go to hell?"

"No."

"Thank God."

He was relieved by that. Ever since he found out that his father was a devil he had been terrified that his father had gone to hell after death.

"Manny! Come on!"

Manny reluctantly obeyed her request and reluctantly followed her into the automobile where Father Gardner waited to drive them to the train station. They had to take a train to get to Maine, Father Gardner paid for the tickets, gave Frida a suitable amount of money, and Manny the deed to his family manor.

"I really wish there was more I could do for you." He told Frida.

"You've done more than enough." Frida told him. "You're like a second father to me."

"And you're like the daughter I never had."

They hugged.

"I'm going to miss you." He said.

"I'm going to miss you too." She said.

"Can we cut the mushy crap?" Manny asked.

"Shut up!" Frida ordered and Manny's mouth closed. "Goodbye Father Gardner. I'll write you as soon as I can."

"I'll look forward to every letter. Oh I almost forgot, here." He handed her to small marbles. "When you reach your destination crush these marbles alright? They will prove to be very useful."

"Okay I will."

She waved goodbye to surrogate father and boarded the train with Manny. As sad as it was for Frida to leave, she couldn't help but feel excited about going somewhere new and exciting. Manny too was also excited, not about being Frida's new guardian but to see his home. His beloved manor, the place where he grew up with his parents and grandfather, the place where he had hoped he could've lived a happy life at til death.

"So enjoying the view?" She asked.

He just looked at her.

"Oh right you can't speak. Sorry, you can talk now."

"All views look the same to me." He said.

"Listen I know you and I got off on the wrong foot but since you and I are going to be spending time together for awhile we shouldn't be fighting. So what do you say? Wanna be friends?"

"Read my dry and slightly cracked lips." He said. "No."

"Okay then I guess it's a working progress. At least you're not mad."

"Mad? Oh no mad is an understatement I am seething. SEETHING WITH PURE RAGE!" He thundered. "The humiliation of me being forced to protect a little girl like you! The wretchedness of it makes me wish you had exorcised me instead!"

"Hey it wasn't my idea to put the belt on you!"

"But you can take it off and yet you haven't. Please explain why?'

"Look because I don't have anywhere to go now. You heard what Father Gardner said."

"Well here's an idea why don't you go live with your parents?"

"Wow that's a good idea except they're dead! And suicide is against my religion so I won't be living with them anytime soon."

"Oh...You're an orphan?"

"Isn't that what a kid with no parents is?"

"Well do you have any brothers and sisters?"

"I had two older sisters. They died before my parents did."

"Oh...Grandparents?"

"Dead."

"Aunts and Uncles?"

"Both my parents were an only child."

"Cousins?"

"I don't think I have any but if I did they'd probably be dead too."

"So you have no family?"

"Nope. Five years ago we all caught a little disease called diphtheria, in one week I get better while my folks take a trip to heaven without me."

"Ouch."

"Yeah but everybody has their sob story but we can't let it keep us down. So what about you? You have a family?"

"No they're all dead like yours. My parents died when I was about twelve and my grandfather...Well I don't know when he died but I'm positive he's dead because he was pushing eighty-five last time I saw him and it's been a hundred years."

"A hundred years? How old are you?"

"Well technically I'm a hundred eighteen. But physically and mentally I'm eighteen."

"How is that possible?"

"Simple just be frozen in stone for a hundred years, it does wonders to the skin."

"You were frozen in stone? How did that happen?"

"Long story and I don't want to tell it but here's a hint never toy with the affections of woman especially when she happens to be a witch."

"A witch did this to you? Witches aren't real, it was proven after the Salem witch trials."

"That's because no real witch was stupid enough to live in Salem. A real witch living in Salem Massachusetts would be like a escaped convict hiding in a police station."

"Okay so why did she turn you to stone."

"Ugh! I said I didn't wanna tell you."

"But I'm curious, please."

"Fine but don't expect great detail. We met at a tavern, I had too many drinks, she led me into a dark room, one thing lead to another, she wanted commitment, I wanted to forget the whole thing, she turns me into a rock, the end."

"Oh...Hmm."

"What?"

"Nothing it's just that I don't think that's the whole story."

"How do you know? You weren't there! You weren't even born yet!"

"I know but it just doesn't make sense. If you two just met for just one night why would she take it so hard?"

"She's a witch! Witches are bad! I mean they turn men into toads and eat children! They're evil incarnate! What do you want from me?"

"Sorry. That aside we now know that we have something in common."

"What's that?"

"We're both orphans."

"Yes but don't think that makes us friends because there are plenty of orphans in the world. You and I are no exception."

"You really don't like me do you?"

"Well you are holding me hostage."

"I want to let you go but if I do I'm alone again."

"Oh boo hoo for you. Guess what? I was alone too but you know what I did? I learned to live with it, you should try it."

"I did but it didn't work out."

"Well like you said Sister we all have our sob stories."

"You don't understand I can't be alone. If I'm left alone again I'll go crazy and they'll lock me up again."

"What in the name of God are you talking about?"

"After my parents and my sisters died I had to go stay at an orphanage but I had just recovered from diphtheria. They were afraid I might get the other kids sick so I had to stay in my room all alone. Not exactly the best for a little girl who lost everything in just two weeks. I...I found ways to cope with my loneliness, I imagined a friend to talk with me and play with me. Just a kid using imagination to help restore whatever joy she had left in her heart and for awhile she was happy again but that joy went away too soon."

"What do you mean?"

"When they saw me talking to something they couldn't see they thought I was crazy. They thought something was very wrong with me so they sent away to an asylum. They kept me in dark and cold room with no windows so I couldn't even see sunlight and the only time someone came to see me was to hook me up to an electric machine that hurt. What's really ironic about it is they said they were going to help me." Her voice was getting softer. "How does any of that help anyone? How can they think touring a sad little girl would help her? I...I wasn't crazy...I never did anything wrong...I only wanted a friend. All I ever really wanted was a friend so I didn't have to be so alone."

A tear streamed down her face, just one. She refused to let anymore fall. She thought that if people saw her cry it would make things worse.

"Excuse me I think I have to go pee." She said leaving.

Manny was baffled, normally he just mocked or ignored people who told sob stories like these but this time it was different. For the first time in many years he actually felt sympathy for someone.

"Wait a minute do I actually feel sorry for this woman?" Manny asked himself. "Ridiculous! I don't feel sorry for anyone! Let alone a holy woman of God that happens to have a big mouth!"

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a large demonic creature resembling a spider with large tentacles with black tar dripping from him. It held his arms, his legs, and brought him toward it's mouth.

"Ha! Tremble in fear you pathetic half devil!" An annoying voice cackled.

"Oh no." Manny groaned.

Standing on top of the monster's head was a small green, imp like creature with red eyes and antennas on his large head laughing.

"Zim what do you want you little bug?" Manny asked.

"I have come searching for you!"

"Why?"

"I have a new master who demands your presence!"

"Who would be stupid enough to hire you as their henchman?"

"I am no one's henchman! And what do you mean stupid enough? I'm a great threat! I'm evil and dangerous and-"

"Blah, blah, blah. I've heard all this before."

"Why you insolent worm! If my master didn't want you alive I would feed you to my beast right now! Now let us go and-"

BANG!

A shot rang out and it hit one of the monster's tentacles. The shot came from a gun fired by Frida.

"Put him down!" Frida demanded making another aim.

"Frida get out of here!" Manny shouted. "He could kill you!"

"Don't make me shoot again!" She shouted.

"Oh please do you think that I can be intimadated by a little girl?" Zim mocked.

But Frida shot again this time it hit the tentacles holding Manny and he was dropped.

"Next one goes between your eyes!" Frida said aiming her gun at Zim but before she could fire the monster smacked her to the floor with one it's tentacles causing her to drop her gun.

"Kill her!" Zim ordered.

The creature hissed and prepared to bite down on her head when a bolt of fire blew it to pieces. It had been thrown by Manny who was ready to throw more fire if needed.

"Do not lay a finger on my lady!" He growled. "Leave now you imp or you'll end up like your pitiful creature."

"This isn't over! I'll be back!" He then vanished.

"Are you alright?" Manny asked Frida.

"I'm fine." She said standing up. "Now you know why I carry a gun."

"You saved me. Why?"

"I owed you. Remember?"

He noticed that her arm was bleeding.

"You're hurt." He said.

"It's just a scratch, I can fix it up."

She pulled a first aid kit out of her suitcase, took out some band aids, and removed her gloves to fix her scratches. Manny noticed that on her right wrist was a mark in the shape of a cross.

"Where did you get this?" He asked taking her wrist.

"Get what?"

"This mark."

"I've always had it, I was born with it. It's a birthmark."

"In the shape of a cross?"

"Look I know it's weird but it is a birthmark. If I had baby pictures I'd show you that I've had it since day one. Now give me back my hand."

She jerked her arm away and began putting band aids on her scratches. After that she and Manny decided to call it a night and get some sleep. Meanwhile in Maine Connie Maheswaran, an attractive fifteen year old girl with long black hair kept in a pony tail, dark skin, a slender body, and strong hazel eyes was hiding in the shadows. She was a vampire slayer and much like Frida her personality didn't really fit her position.

Most vampire slayers showed no fear, were ready to face any danger or challenge, and were bursting with confidence. Connie didn't exactly fit that description. She grew up in a sheltered home constantly being watched over by her parents leading her to be a very shy, have very little self esteem, and was very frightened of vampires and other creatures like that. But she was destined to fight vampires. You see vampire slayers are born with the ability to hunt, track, and fight vampires kind of like how some people are born with a sixth sense. Connie discovered her gift at an early age and when she told her parents that she wanted to slay vampires naturally they disapproved so she ran away from home and joined an organization that trained vampire hunters.

Tonight was her first time on patrol. It was a dark and cool night in maine, she stood hiding in an alleyway wearing a white t-shirt, a short sleeved, orange button up jacket with a collar, shorts, and ankle fold brown boots.

She also wore a belt that contained garlic, wooden stakes, and sunlight lamps. Working with her on the case were Lars and Ronaldo. They were a higher level of vampire hunters and they objected of her being on their team but Solomon Van Helsing the head of the organization insisted that she was ready.

"Don't mess up okay rookie?" Lars said. "And try not to scream and run away."

"Hey I maybe a little timid but I'm not a coward." Connie argued.

"Hey I got a lock on the radar." Ronaldo said. "There's a lot of blood shed downtown."

"Okay let's move." Lars said.

Following the signal they found a group of people being attacked by three vampires.

"Blood suckers at 9:00." Ronaldo said.

"Okay guys you know the drill! Go! Go!" Lars said.

They ran out firing wooden stakes and garlic at the vampires while flashing sun lamps. They shrieked and turned to ash once the stakes punctured their hearts and the light shined on them.

"One of them is getting away!" Ronaldo pointed toward the one running into the alleyway.

"I got him!" Connie declared.

"Connie come back here!" Lars ordered.

But she was already hot on his trail. She chased after him into probably the darkest alley ever. Soon she found herself completely alone in the dark. She knew all too well this was when vampires usually struck so she kept her guard up but she was shaking like a leaf the whole time. Suddenly she felt a hand grabbed her throat and pinned her against a wall.

"What a pretty neck you have." Hissed the voice of the one holding her. "I bet your blood will be awfully sweet."

"No! Please don't!" She choked. "I'm begging you! Don't!"

He opened his mouth exposing his fangs and prepared to bite her neck when something dropped down from the skies and jerked him off of her. She feel to her knees, coughing and gasping for air. Once she was able to breathe easily she saw two figures fighting. One she recognized as the vampire who attacked her while the other was a very strong and large person. She quickly pulled her sun lantern from her belt and turned it on. When the light hit the two of them, the one who attacked her turned to ash but the other one didn't yet she saw that he was very pale, had red eyes, and fangs like any other vampire she had seen.

"Are you alright Miss?" Her savior asked.

It took her a few minutes to speak as she still needed to catch her breath. Finally she stood up and held up some garlic on her belt.

"Who...Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He said. "I swear I just want to make sure that you're okay."

"Are you a vampire?"

"Not exactly."

"Then what are you?"

"I'm half vampire half human meaning sunlight won't effect me but a wooden stake and garlic will."

"Do you drink blood?"

"Not human blood. I can but I won't so I drink animal blood instead."

"Why? Why don't you drink human blood?"

"I think it's cruel and inhumane."

"You're not like the other vampires."

"Well as I said I am half human."

"Why is that-"

"Freeze!" Lars shouted holding up a gun to shoot wooden stakes.

"No wait don't shoot!" Connie protested.

"Connie get out of the way!"

"No Lars wait!"

The being tried to fly away but Ronaldo shot a net made with ropes that had been soaked in garlic at him. It caught him and the ropes burned his skin greatly so he couldn't break free. Lars pulled out a stake and prepared to stabbed him when Connie jumped in the way.

"Stop!" Connie shouted.

"Move aside!"

"Lars you're making a mistake!"

"He's a vampire!"

"He's not like the others! Look!" She shined her sun lantern on him. "See? It doesn't kill him!"

"Must be some trick."

"Lars he saved my life! Please!"

"Hmmm...Maybe we should take him back to the order." Ronaldo suggested. "Have Solomon take a look at him to see if he's okay."

Solomon Van Helsing was the only living descendant of famous vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing and he had followed in his ancestor's footsteps by hunting and killing vampires not to mention it was why he started the Van Helsing Order. He was quite surprised by what Connie and the others told him.

"So you're saying sunlight won't kill him?" Solomon asked them.

"Yes sir." Lars said.

"And he saved a human from another vampire?"

"Yes." Connie said.

"How odd? Perhaps it's a trick."

"He told me that he doesn't drink human blood." Connie said. "And he told me that he was half human."

"How can a vampire be half human?" Lars said. "That's impossible."

"Actually it's not." Solomon said. "A vampire can be half human. In some cases if a human is bitten by a vampire but never drinks human blood they're still half human but in other cases if a vampire and a human were to have a child it would be half human."

"Have a child? Vampires can reproduce?"

"Vampires usually see no need in having children since they are immortal so it's rare but not unheard of."

"So is he a threat?" Ronaldo asked.

"Not sure. A half human vampire can go both ways either good or evil. I'll have to examine him, see if he craves human blood."

They had the half vampire in a cell with garlic around the gates. Solomon filled a bottle with a pint of his blood and left it in the cell. The prisoner sniffed the bottle but then threw it away. For hours Solomon watched and waited to see if he would drink it but he wouldn't even lick a single drop of it.

"Why won't drink it?" Solomon asked. "I can tell by your eyes that you're thirsting for it."

"It's human blood. I don't drink that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's disgusting and evil."

"You really are half human aren't you. Were you born half vampire or cursed by a bite."

"Born. My mother was a vampire but my father was human."

"I never thought a vampire woman would bear a half human child."

"My mother wasn't like all vampires, she never liked to drink human blood either."

"Why?"

"Because she loved a human."

"A vampire loving a human that much?"

"You think that kind of love is impossible?"

"No. Dracula himself loved a human woman once but not enough to where he would give up taking the lives of innocent mortals. Tell me is your mother still alive?"

"No. She died the day I was born apparently giving birth to a half human child was too much."

"I have seen many half human vampires but your the first I've seen to actually be the offspring of two rather than just a human who's been bitten."

"Can I please have something else to drink? I think I'm about to dehydrate."

"Alright. I'll have a gallon of pig's blood brought to you from the slaughter house."

"Thank you."

"Connie!" He called.

"Yes sir." She said.

"Keep an eye on him, I'll be back."

"Yes sir."

He left while Connie just stood there looking at her savior.

"So I'm Connie." She introduced. "What's your name?"

"Steven." He said. "Steven Universe."