He liked living. In fact, he blatantly enjoyed living. There were days that he'd just sit in his bed room, his hand resting on his chest, just feeling his own heartbeat, or listening to his breathing, even just watching the steady rise and fall of his chest in the mirror across the room.

Yup, Zelig loved living.

Which was exactly why he was running.

You see, there's one problem with loving living so much. Other people tended not to. Apparently, his love of living made other people mad. His smile just seemed to rub people the wrong way. He didn't know why, in fact, he didn't want to. His love for living just seemed to make other angry and want to end what he loved so much.

Yup, he loved running for his love of living. Running seemed like a very joyous idea right now. He couldn't help but to smile as he turned around a tree. His deeply tanned skin helping distort his image slightly.

Did loving living make him a coward? Nope, he didn't think so. It just meant that he was rather devoted to living.

"Where the hell did that prick go!"

But these men didn't seem to like his living very much.... Hiding seemed like it's be a good idea. He enjoyed hiding for his life. Yup, like a deadly game of hide and seek. The seek part just wasn't really all that fun if you were the one hiding. Which he was....

Yup. He was perfectly fine with hiding, running and loving life. He had had sixteen lovely years of living and he couldn't help but to want more. Did that mean he was greedy? He didn't think so. Nope. Not at all. He just happened to want to engage in what he loved so very much. Like his mother working with animals for his father with art, he wanted to do what he loved the most.

Living.

"Fuck! We lost him again!"

"Shit! I wanted to punch those white teeth out!"

He rather liked his smile... But if that was all they were going to do he counted himself lucky. It meant he'd live. And fake teeth at sixteen didn't seem too bad.

As quietly as possible, he peeked out from behind the tree, watching the four boys walk away, grumbling about how they wanted to hurt him.

He'd stay here for a while. Hiding didn't seem too bad. His legs were tired anyway, so he sat, cross legs on the ground. He beamed at the leaves above him. They seemed to match his hair perfectly, a deep fall brown orange color. He rather liked the color of fall. He wished he could be like the fall. Everything seems to dead but it's just the rebirth of life.

And he liked life.

In fact, he liked it so much, he just blatantly-

"What are you doing in my woods child?" A deep voice asked, causing Zelig's attention to flip switches. His golden eyes scanned over the man standing in front of him. He didn't look angry or anything, so he smiled.

"Hiding!" He chirped, grinning at the really tall man.

The man was silent for a long moment and Zelig took the moment to look at the man. He was tall, really tall, at least a three fourths of a foot taller then him. His skin was pale, deathly pale in fact, with black and silver stars doting his skin. Two small ones under his right eye and a large one in the middle of his forehead. His eyes were sliver to and he had a lean face. But it was the clothes the man was wearing that intrigued Zelig most. The man was wearing some sort of robe, and his hands were tucked into his sleeves. The fabric was decorated with leaves and details to represent what he thought was the wind. It was very colorful, reds, oranges, yellows, blacks, browns and whites. But why wasn't the man wearing shoes? Zelig's outfit differed quite a bit, a white, paints splattered hooded jacket, a bright yellow short sleeve shirt underneath and a pair of faded and torn jeans with worn sneakers.

The man's voice rang again. "From what?"

"The other boys." He beamed. The man crouched down in front of him, staring at him for a long moment again, the locks of long black hair falling over his shoulders as he leaned forwards.

"An odd one aren't you? Why aren't you scare of me?"

Zelig gave the man a confused look, a small smile still on his face. "Why would I be afraid? You aren't going to hurt me are you? I don't like being hurt. People hurt when they're going to die. And I don't want to die. I really like living." He frowned and knitted his eyebrows at the man. He wasn't going to hurt him was he? He really didn't like pain. Pain wasn't good.

"And what if I am going to kill you?"

Zelig jumped to his feat, eyes wide. "I don't want to die!" He shouted, attempting to take a step back only to bump into the large oak he was trying to hide behind. He'd do anything to be able to climb the tree and get away. The man smiled, and it scared him. He had never felt scared when people smiled. But when this man smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, it was an angry smile. The smile of a cat, the kind of smile that meant he was in trouble. "I don't want to die!" He repeated, before repeating it again and again and again, until he felt his air cut off. He stared at the man who was now glaring at him, a hand grasping him firmly around his throat.

"You pester me child with your constant screaming. Why would one not want to die when they are constantly hiding?" The man loosened his just enough to let air into Zelig's lungs, allowing him to speak.

"I don't want to die." Zelig stated hoarsely.

"You're repeating yourself child, I want an answer, what is so good about your pitiful, short life that is worth screaming for?"

Zelig was silent, staring at the man with a mixture of horror and confusion. What did he mean? Zelig just love life. "You.... You need a reason to... To love being alive?" He questioned.

Again the man went silent, as if thinking. "You want to live?"

Zelig nodded. Gods, he'd do anything to live!

"Then it will cost you." The man let him go and he took several, very anxious gulps of air.

"C- cost? But I don't have any money!" He stared at the man, eyes wide.

"Not money child, you get your life in exchange for your freedom. If you come with me, you will live, if you don't, you will die. If you don't do what I tell you, you will die. But, life is a gamble so you can either choose to prolong your pitiful life or die, right here, right now."

"Bu- But my parents! Mama will-"

"So you would rather die? It's a simple question child, I will explain things only if you accept, other wise I hope you are ready to die."

"I- I'll go!" Anything to live! H- He'd find a way to talk to mother and father some way, even if it's just to send them a letter. He'd find a way.

"Good, come child." The man turned halfway, not walking away until Zelig pushed himself off the tree and came to his side. How the child smiled once more only a few minutes later, he'd never understand.