She was walking around quietly... A ghost on the campus of the University... How she long desired to be a true student... To learn in a place like this and be able to interact with other students... Be able to be an adult in the eyes of others...

Jenna had taken to avoiding the apartment she shared with Kat for the past week, unable to control her anger every time she saw the woman. So foolish... So careless, to get pregnant with the child of a monster.

That child would have a life... Would have a life so unlike the one that Jenna had. Every time she saw a child... She was overcome with anger, depression, jealousy... They would have what she never did.

With a sigh Jenna switched the Advanced Chemistry book to her left arms and continued to walk on. Some of the older students on their way back form a night class had pointed and giggled, saying she was so cute. A little girl reading such a text book.

She had run away before they could see the tears of frustration that had sprang to her eyes.

Jenna had tried applying for the university, but they hadn't let her in. They hadn't even let her take a placement test to prove herself. It was simply ridiculous. There were children who were twelve going to universities in other countries, why not her? It simply didn't make sense.

Max was sitting back on a bench that fell in the shadow created by the streetlight that from the other side of the large oak that stood hard by. He watched all the young co-eds and the boys who wanted them walk by as classes for the day let out.

He was not needing to feed, but wanted too. As he pulled the cigar from his front pocket and bit the tip off, he struck a match and inhaled lighting the cigar. As he pulled the flame from in front of his face, he noticed a little girl ducking the laughter of a group of students.

Her scent was strong and clearly let him know she was a child vampire, a bit older than he from what his senses were telling him was. Taking a pull from the cigar, he spoke up as she passed by.

“What is the problem mistress? Are classes getting you down?” He asked the question as though she was a child genius who legitimately went to the college.

Jenna's head snapped over at the voice and she glared.

She spotted him for what he was at once.

"You think they would let a mere child like me into their fine institution?" She nearly spat the last words. "No, you should know very well what my problem is." She muttered, still glaring at the man slightly with her dirt colored eyes. But her glare softened shortly... He was handsome... Maybe in his thirties... His hair and eyes... Shaking her head she looked away.

"Some people think it would be great... To be a kid forever..." She sighed and moved over to the bench. But instead of sitting on it, she sat on the grass next to the arm where the man was sitting, her book on her legs. "Sure... If your mind and your will doesn't ever outgrow your body... If you remain as ignorant as your true age... Stay a kid at heart..." She looked at her small hand, slightly grubby like every other kids...

Clenching her fists she crossed her arms against her chest.

"It sucks though when you want to be seen as something more than a stupid child... People think it's so cute when I read the things I want to read. What nine year old reads A Tale of Two Cities? Or Ivanhoe?" She said with a snort. "That's why I hate being around people sometimes. They just can't understand. I don't care what they say, they can't."

“Well I guess that could be true, but let me ask you something. Why does it matter? This is the information age; you can be anything you want to be; anonymous to the world being yourself behind your pseudonym.”

He shifted in the bench towards her, “I will grant you that your situation has had to have been difficult, but in this day and age we could set you up to go to this fine institution as you put it.”

Pausing briefly, Maxed winked “Have you ever considered that you have congenital growth-hormone condition. It would not take much to work up the paperwork to support the fact you were born twenty years ago or so.”

He let his words set in. In truth, it would not be that hard for people like them to work this out. In a world where your eyes tell you the girl are nine years old, paperwork will always be trusted as gospel.

“But hey that is just how I think.” He turned back against the bench and went back to smoking his cigar.

((Maxed winked? *giggles* Sorry, it just seems funny :-P))


"I live with a police officer... She's tried to get me documentation, and she hasn't been able to yet. Apparently she's been having her own little problems." She said bitterly.

Was she jealous of the baby? How she had been Kat's first priority and now she was only second at best? No, that was stupid. She could take care of herself for almost everything. She didn't need Kat but when it came to stuff like this. Big stuff.

"They wouldn't accept that I was a child prodigy, even when Kat talked to them. I raised enough hell about it that they'll remember me... And I'm not going to do one of those online things... That's just ridiculous." That and she really wanted to feel a part of something... Wanted to feel like she was actually a real college student.

"Anyway... I'm Jenna." She said with a sigh as she smelt the scent of the cigar mix with the man's scent... It was oddly soothing and she found herself even smiling slightly. "You just looking for a bite or something? Scoping out the hot college chicks?" She teased slightly.

He blew the smoke into the air. “People call me Max.”

Making a sort of sigh, “Well your problem is obvious, you are attacking the castle with a pudding pop. What I mean to say is if you want it bad, enough you find a way. For instance, what is a cop who is trying to get you paperwork going to get you?”

Turning his head back to her, “What I offer as a solution is more of a catapult. We have time. These people will move on, die, or retire soon enough and will not remember you. Get the paperwork, build up a few local news articles here and there about your medical condition,” he said with air quotes, “and then get into school.”

He put the cigar back in his mouth and smiled. “Mmmmm, she’s a nice one. Anyway, does what I am saying make sense?”

"Birth Certificate... Identification Card... High School Diploma, though for home schooling... But you think I haven't tried the whole 'growth hormone' thing? I tried that else where and it didn't really work back then... I guess not enough people knew about it then. But I did a lot of work with Bio-Chemistry... Life sciences. I've always been facinated with what makes us so different... Try to explain vampires. I guess I've always hoped that if I could come up with the reason, I could present it to some powerful vampires and... Maybe we could all be free to live real lives and I wouldn't have to worry about it."

She gave a weak laugh.

"Like that would ever happen though..." She murmured.

She gave a slight growl though as he oggled an admittedly attractive girl who walked by. Of course she wasn't a girl though... A young woman. "Hmph... Men..."

"Anyway..." But what could she say. "I don't see why they had to reject me when I could take the tests to show I know what they need and give them the money for the classes. So damn picky..."

“Come on. I sense you are not new to this planet. Think about it, no matter how much the world has changed you are stuck with the worst hand a person could hold as it relates to your goals. You are female, you are a by all appearances a child and on top of that you are a minority. At the end of the day you are trying to convince a group of elitist asses that the views of their ancestors are wrong and trying to make change without giving them incentive to turn their world upside down.”

Standing up, “I don’t think I need to feed right now,” holding his hand out to help her up, “I do think a walk with a mature woman would do me some good though.” He flashed his trademark smile and waited for her to stand up.

"Hmph... I never spoke to my elders like that..." She muttered under her breath.

"Sure I would be a minority of minorities, it's not my fault. You think I asked my sire to do this to me?" She snorted. "But they would respect me for what I was. I might look like a child, but I'm far more powerful than any human." Maybe she wasn't physically, but she could manipulate their minds with ease.

And of course she had thought about doing that as well, but that she feared would cause more problems and she would have to keep doing it again and again. She only used it when she had to.

"But due to the fact that it's hard to find any test subjects to work with for my research, though I know a good deal about human biochemistry, I haven't been able to do much with the vampiric side. My sire stopped me when she found out what I was doing... Even though it wasn't anywhere near cruel..." It was more so the fact that Jenna was holding them there against their will.

She sighed as he got up. So he was leaving already?

"A mature woman then? Well go have fun. Perhaps I'll see you later." She said in a disappointed murmur. But as he offered his hand she raised an eyebrow. "You're... Joking right? I don't like flattery, I'll forgive you this once, but try not to do it again." She said as she pushed herself to her feet, brushing off her jeans with her free hand.