The large clock played a rhythmic melody, the sound easing to my frayed nerves. Tick, tick, tick, it was the constant that allowed me to relax and remain motionless on the twin sized mattress I had been firmly planted to for the last day and a half. I didn't always retreat from the world like this, but sometimes I just needed a while, to collect my thoughts and the ever itching need to leave this town. Half of me loathed the constant moving, and the rest of me screamed violently that if I dared stay another day, they would find me. The dark haired woman would never leave my mind, she'd missed her chance to kill Aidan and I the first time, but she'd whispered my name to her friends, and they plagued my existence every chance they got. Alas, it had been a year now and there had been no scent or sight of any of them, and so I'd bought this small, yet comfortable house in the suburbs and settled down as a "retired man." This of course had it's unpleasant after effects of people thinking you were more suited to a "home", though I'd come to discover this "home" was not entirely as they made it sound.Regardless, I lived my life how I chose, and the neighbors retreated, or most of them at least. Their offspring found it to their delight to antagonize my residents as often as they could, though I'd sufficiently frightened them with my sword.

My mind slipped away into the abyss of tick, tick, tick. The heavy summer air drifted in from the two large windows that I had opened, the darkness without was empty and silent, just how I liked it. With my eyelids closed I could see the images of memories drifting through my thoughts, the faint outline of a woman bathed in starlight...not of the sky, but of her own accord. Her eyes gentle and accepting. I wanted to whisper her name, but I feared the words would chase the memory away with regret.

Before I could decide if this was a memory from the coffee shop, or the stables, I heard the screeching of tires not far off. The sound was unusual for this area, usually these sounds were in the daytime from the teens thinking they had to go places in an absurd hurry. The oddity of it caused me to sit up and look towards the window, but I decided it was pointless to go look, more so cause I didn't want to make the effort. So I laid back down into the softness of the bed, using my good leg, I lazily pulled the large white sheet up so I could grab it, and pulled it up over myself. I wasn't cold of course, but it was more comfortable like this.

After a few moments I fell into a haze of sleep and thoughts, which were once again intruded upon by the loud barking of the neighbor womans dogs. I'd threatened to have them removed already, simply because the sound caused me to jump at all hours of the day, my fears reawakening at every howl. They were usually quiet at night though, and this was the deciding factor in my getting up. Shoving the sheet off angrily, I grabbed my cane from the nightstand and limped over to the window, the scent of death lingered below, and I cringed at the realization that someone must have come here in search of a kill. Those fucking shits, I told them this area was off to them. My anger now intensified, I quickly put my dark denim blue jeans on, and a white t-shirt. Limping down the stairs I found my black sneakers by the door and shoved my bare feet into them. I glanced around out of habit, my blue eyes taking in the kitchen and living room with careful consideration....what if this was some sort of trap? Sighing I clenched my fingers around the hilt of my cane and shook my head. They'd never tried something like this before, and I doubted they'd work with a vampire anyhow.

With that decided, I opened my front door and looked down the street. It was there I saw a man standing at the porch of Amy Parsons, her voice was terrified. Furious, I limped down to the sidewalk and towards her house. It was then that the man began to yell back, and what he said caused me to freeze mid step, almost tripping over my own feet. Aidan? I stared at him a moment, taking in the leather jacket and the now familiar scent of alcohol and nicotine. Shit. Now don't get me wrong, that word isn't necessarily bad, in this instance it was thought with more of a smirk than a grimace. "AIDAN" That fool, he'd nearly caused Amy to have a heart attack, I could smell the pulsing rage of her blood from here, and to be honest the desire to have the poor lady right there on her porch was overwhelming. (Her blood of course, you dirty minded person.)

I continued towards him, the light from the porch gleaming through the darkness like a beacon, causing me to squint my eyes a bit as I waved my hand to Amy. "I'm sorry dear, he's...a friend of mine." I could see by her face that she was by no means relaxed, or forgiving. Sighing, I shook my head and turned to Aidan. "Really? You might have at least spared me the intoxication, next time you hunt me down, try being sober." Again I looked up to Amy, my blue eyes apologetic, "I am sincerely sorry, he's got problems. It's only decent of me to be charitable, yes?" I knew she worked in a lot of the neighborhood charity events (She was always knocking on my door with flyers...) and so, playing on her sensitivities, she eased up and nodded. "Don't you let him out near my dogs again, or I won't have any choice but to call the police." Her voice was aggravated, understandably so. Pointing to the next house, I glared at Aidan; though my eyes were filled with a light that could only be happiness. "THAT house...."