Ellie had held a small hope that her father would drive her to Dawn, which seemed to have been too much to hope for. He would not, even if she was moving there, even if she needed his help. Ellie clenched her fist lightly as she stepped off the bus. She just wanted him to care, even if it was a small thing. 

Her mind was swiftly swept into the sight of the skyscrapers of Dawn. Like giant mirrors, they reflected the sky itself. Illuminated by the sun, it was as if the whole city was shining. Her eyes widened at the sights as she kept turning from side to side. There was so much to see, so much to explore. She pulled up her sleeve and glanced down at her watch, it was still morning. Which meant she had plenty of time to explore the city. 

Ellie excitedly pulled her backpack off her back. The same yellow backpack, though faded and patched up. She opened it up and unearthed Skully from the chaos. Her smile was as wide as it could be and her eyes swiftly shifted from side to side before she placed Skully under her arm. 

“We’re finally here, in Dawn,” Ellie squealed.

“You’re always so fudging loud. Everyone’s gonna think you’re talking to yourself. But yes, it only took you nine years to bring me here, great work,” Skully grumbled, clearly annoyed. 

“Oopsie, I just got a bit excited there. Let’s explore and see if this place sparks any memories,” she whispered to Skully. 

Skully groaned, “We might as well.”

“You know why it took us nine years anyway, I couldn’t exactly run away from home. I had to finish school first,” Ellie remarked softly as she started wandering down the city streets. 

“You could have run away just fine. It’s a fudging miracle that you didn’t fail school, and your father wouldn’t have batted an eye if you did,” Skully chuckled. 

Ellie knew he was right, she felt her heart sink for a moment and all the loneliness washed over her. She shook her head and glanced at Skully, she wasn’t lonely. She had the skull, they were gonna find his memories and possibly his body. Maybe he would even turn her into a vampire. Ellie brought back her smile and looked ahead. She was sure that they would find something in Dawn. 

“I have the map in my pocket. I think we should go to Old Dawn first since it seems more like a place a vampire would live and hang out.” Ellie reached into the pocket of her washed-out mauve windbreaker and pulled out a tourist map of Dawn. 

“Why don’t you just use the map on your device? This seems inconvenient,” Skully grunted as Ellie unfolded the map while trying to hold onto him. 

“It’s fine. I like physical maps, it makes it easier to get a feel for the place,” Ellie smiled wide while studying the map. 

“Fudge. If I had arms I would have used the device. You’re gonna drop me like this,” Skully grumbled loudly. 

Ellie giggled, “You’re such a sourpuss. Seems like we need to go that way.” 

Skully sighed as he noticed people glancing at Ellie who was seemingly talking to herself. She started folding the map when she lost Skully out from under her left arm. With a small thud, he fell to the street and rolled a few steps away. 

“Oh no, Skully,” Ellie exclaimed as she scrambled to pick him up. 

“You fudging dropped me,” Skully shouted. 

“Is this your skull? It looks amusing.” A tall man with golden hair picked up Skully and examined him. 

“Uh— Y-yes, it’s a decoration— that I just bought,” Ellie stuttered, her heart beating faster. She was not good with strangers, it made her stomach curl up and her words disappear. 

“Well, better be careful then, miss. It looks quite fragile,” he grinned and handed the skull back to Ellie. 

“Decoration? Why are you letting this person touch me,” Skully hissed as Ellie took him back into her arms. 

She couldn’t help but stare at the man’s intensely blue eyes and shimmering hair. Ellie wondered if this was what city people looked like. His suit seemed to fit him perfectly, she had never even seen hair that perfect. 

“T-thank,” she stuttered, forgetting her words. 

“You’re most welcome.” The man glanced down at the half-folded map in her hand, “Tourist? Or new to Dawn?” 

“Uh— n-new, I’m moving h-here.” Ellie tried to push words past her quivering lips, her stomach felt like one big knot. 

“Splendid, I think you will love Dawn. I do recommend swinging by Old Dawn, it’s quite the sight. The only place in the world to survive The Cataclysm, I believe the oldest building is two thousand years old. Is that not quite a feat?” He grinned and pointed in the direction of Old Dawn, “Ah, but where are my manners? My name is Leon Valentine. See that big tower over there? That belongs to my family, feel free to stop by sometime. It is always interesting to get to know new people.” He extended his hand to Ellie’s cheek and smiled. 

“The nerve of this man, placing his hand on your cheek too now,” Skully grunted with annoyance. 

Ellie’s face turned bright red, “Um— I E- Ellie, I g-go.” She suddenly jolted off towards Old Dawn, leaving Leon Valentine confused and amused. 

“What a curious skull. A vampire skull, huh?” Leon smirked to himself as he watched her run off.