“Are you sure this information is accurate?” A shadowed figure spoke into the com set on the console of his small ship.

“Yes, sir. We have studied all the old accounts, checked and re-checked. This is the one.” A cold voice replied, slightly distorted.

“Better be, it’s your ass on the line. You’ve sent me on too many wild hunts for this one to be another fuck up.” The shadowy figure leaned forward to switch off the com, exposing his face and revealing cold, black eyes, much like that of a wild animal.

“Mmmarm….” A young girl mumbled in her sleep as she rolled her face into her pillow, away from the sunlight pouring through her window. An older girl walked into the room and surveyed her surroundings. Clothes were strewn everywhere, a few dog-eared books were visible, and the bottom half of a small teddy bear poked out from under the bed. The girl sighed in exasperation as her eyes landed on the lump on the bed.

“Addie, you lazy sack of bones, get up!” The older girl said sternly, ripping the blanket off the lump.

“Nooooo, blanket!” The girl known as Addie squealed, as she curled up into a small ball. “Blanket protects me from the evil sun and the terror of the waking world!” Addie tried to hide a smile.

“I swear to every god there ever was, If you don’t get up right now I will murder you myself! It’s 2 O’clock in the afternoon!” The older girl walked over to the window and opened the blinds with a quick tug of the cord.

“Gah, it burns!” Addie cried, and rolled right off the bed in an attempt to escape the sun’s bright rays.

“Hah! Serves you right! Now, up and about in ten minutes, or I’m bringing up a bucket of cold water!” The older girl stormed out of the room, kicking miscellaneous items out of her way in the process.

“Mmm, slave driver.” Addie mumbled and curled up on the floor, already dosing off again.

Addie, now fully awake and ready to face the world, swung into the kitchen of the Hunts house and grabbed a breakfast roll from a plate on the table. Even though it was nearing three O'clock in the afternoon, it was always breakfast time. The Hunts house was a pretty small, run down place at the edge of town. The only inhabitants were young Adelaide Hunts, and her older half-sister Marian Hunts. Marian’s father had died before she was born, and Addie had been an accident with her mothers one-time lover, never knowing who her father was or what his fate was. The girls’ mother had died at the hands of some particularly nasty Necromongers , leaving fifteen-year-old Addie in her nineteen-year-old sister’s care. Two years later, a seventeen-year-old Addie was finally starting to be happy again.

“Hmmm, to the library? I’ve gotta bring those books back. Maybe I’ll go see Dana and Mickey instead, been a while since we hung out…hmmm.” Addie mumbled to herself as she munched on her roll.

“Mary! I’m going out!” Addie called out to the large house and slammed the front door on her way out.

Addie let her mind wander as she strolled down the street. It was a nice summer day, and she had no clear destination, but the sun felt good on her pale face and the wind felt good tossing her hair around her face.

Addie stopped her leisurely stroll for a moment and looked around. A shiver ran down her spine as she felt someone’s eyes upon her. She was usually so oblivious to the world around her, it was strange to suddenly sense someone watching her. Then Addie shook herself and kept walking. She was imagining it, had to be. Besides, who would be watching her?

The man kept to the shadows, staying out of the bright sun as he stalked the girl. He was surprised she had seemed to sense him watching at one point, but she had ignored it and moved on. Maybe this really wasn’t another wild chase. Maybe she was the real deal..

It was hard to stay hidden on such a bright day, with nothing but a few scarce trees and bushes to hide behind. When the girl entered a more populated area, a street lined with shops and chattering people, it was easier to get close to her, though he still kept to the shadows. He wouldn’t make his move until night-fall. Besides, he wanted to observe this girl, figure her out. Make sure she was the what he was looking for. Make sure she was right.

Addie walked home slowly. She had wondered around town all day, window-shopping and eventually bumping into some friends. They had wandered around, laughing, joking, and buying lots of junk food to keep them all happy. Every now and then she would get the sense of someone watching her, but she’d shrug it off.

The sun was just setting over the world on which Addie had lived her whole life, an Old-Earth replica planet. She took a deep breath of the sweet summer air, perfumed with flowers, freshly cut grass, and someone’s barbeque. Though she was a vegetarian, the smell of roasting meat was still a little more than tempting. Smiling to herself, Addie was happy with the familiar smells of the world around her. She was on summer vacation, and she was in a great time in her life. It felt like nothing could go wrong.

Addie closed her eyes and inhaled once again, wishing to preserve the smells in her mind forever. The scent, however, was not of summer. It was the smell of a human being, the scent of a man. The stinging smell of body odour, not a bad smell, just a very natural one, mixed with earth and a sharp metallic smell, she couldn’t identify.

Addie’s eyes shot open and she took a step back. A very large man was towering over her. He was extremely muscular, showing it off with a white tank-top, and dark slacks. Dark goggles covered his eyes, and he had an extremely menacing look on his hairless face. Addie gulped slightly as the word ‘dangerous’ popped into her head.

“H-hi.” Addie managed to blurt out, unsure of what to do. The man didn’t move, and didn’t say anything and Addie wondered what was going on behind his goggles. She stood for a moment, unsure of what to do and whether or not the man had even heard her, when he spoke.

“Adelaide Hunts?” His voice was deep and gravely, very intimidating. Addie gulped a little more.

“Y-yeah. You know me?” Addie asked nervously. The man reached out and grabbed her upper arm painfully. “H-hey. Ow! What are you doing? Let me go!” She cried out in alarm as he started to drag her in the opposite direction of her house.

The man was silent and didn’t even seem to notice Addie was scratching at the hand holding her. “What are you doing? Where are we going? Let me go!” Addie repeated, starting to get really scared. This was probably some big mistake, or maybe a joke at her expense. “Please tell me what’s happening!” She was getting a little frantic now.

The man stopped and turned to look at her. Addie couldn’t tell what expression was in his eyes, but the very air around him seemed permeated with annoyance. She gulped lightly and tried to step back farther, forgetting the man’s grip on her arm. The man seemed to be thinking for a moment, then he reached towards Addie. She closed her eyes and squeaked, then fell into a deep, unnatural sleep.