• Chapter Two:

    I sat on the balcony, watching the sun rise. I watched as the sky went from navy blue to orange with streaks of pink, purple, and blue. It wasn’t long before the birds started to chirp and people started to wake up.
    I walked into the living room, making my way to the kitchen. I poured a glass of water and pulled out a pill from my pocket. Ugh, I thought looking at the small white circle, I don’t know how others stand this. Without another thought I popped the pill into my mouth, drank the water, and hoped that I wouldn't throw it up again. I heard Louie’s little paws patter against the carpet, along with his I heard louder footsteps. I knew, then, that he wasn’t alone.
    “Shawls, would it kill you to come through the front door?” I spoke as Louie came into the kitchen with Shawls behind him. Dr. Shawls smiled and took a seat on the kitchen table.
    “No, it wouldn't but I’m in a hurry. I came to deliver some news” he answered me. I looked at him with a questioning look.
    “What is it?” I asked. He folded his hands and said “What would you say if I told you that you’re going to have to come with me to live somewhere else?” I had no idea what he was talking about.
    “I would have to say no”
    “Well, you have no choice. I’ve told your sister that you’re not doing well psychologically and I must take you to live with other teenagers like yourself in a recovery house…” he informed me. I heard a crack and instantly looked down at my hands. I hadn’t noticed that I was grabbing onto the counter hard enough to break a piece off. Shawls chuckled, irritating me slightly more.
    “The story isn't true, just a cover up. You’ll really be living in this house I built for a selected few.” I exhaled, I still didn't get it. What did he mean by selected few?
    “To put it bluntly, it’s a better environment for a youngling like you and it’s near a school where teens of our kind amongst others attend. You’ll be able to relax more since there aren’t many humans around and since there aren’t many, it would be easier to live like a vampire…”he explained. It made a little more sense however I didn't want to go. I had dropped out of school and I was relaxed already. But, like he said, I had no choice. He had convinced my sister to a lie and she was my legal guardian, therefore she had the power to send me away. I picked up Louie and started to walk out. I couldn’t run away or hide. Shawls would find me.
    “Your sister already packed some of your stuff, I bought you more things and sent all of it to the house” Shawls stated. I turned around to face him and glared. I can’t believe this, I thought angrily. He walked ahead of me and opened the front door. I had no choice but to walk out without complaining.
    It felt as if Shawls was driving slowly on purpose. I looked out the window of the back seat, petting Louie. Then something hit me, Shawls had said “our kind amongst others.” Amongst others meant that there were other beings than just Vampires.
    “Shawls, there are other beings other than vampires and humans?” I asked. He chuckled and said “If vampires exist, wouldn't you think there were others too? Did you think we were the only ones?” I looked at him as if saying “Of course I thought we were the only kind.” Another chuckle.
    “There are many other species out there. The school you’re going to attend offers courses for all mystical, as humans put it, kinds. The house you’re going to be living in has four other teenagers living there. You’ll get to meet them when we arrive.” I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to meet anyone, I just wanted to go back home. I closed my eyes and focused on listening to everything around us. I listened to Louie’s breathing and decided to listen to that for the rest of the ride.
    Louie’s meowing woke me up. Shawls was driving the car slowly up a pavement…a long pavement, up to a house. A house that had three floors, a huge wooden door, and a beautiful patio. I could see that nothing but trees surrounded the vast land outside the fences, which surrounded the land in which the house stood. I groaned internally. This means I won’t be able to get out of here, I thought. The car came to a halt and Shawls didn't waste time in getting out. In an instant he was opening the car door for me.
    “Welcome home” he said smiling. I glared at him and muttered, “More like welcome to the penitentiary.” I stepped out and looked at the Victorian house. Its white walls and rose bushes that were planted near it would have fooled anyone into believing it was a recovery home. Hell, it even had that vibe.
    I followed Shawls, with Louie at hand, to the front door and into the house. As soon as I stepped in, I heard voices. All arguing about what they should order for dinner. Shawls led me into the living room, where the voices came from. As soon as we stepped into the room, it went silent. There were two boys; both were tall and slim-built. One had the craziest color eyes, they were yellow, and had black hair. The other had gray eyes and brown hair that reached his chin. I also noticed that there were two girls among them. One of the girls had the perfect combo of blue eyes and blonde hair. The other had the same yellow eyes as the black haired guy, and dirty blonde hair. They all stared at me, and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. The girls stood up and ran to Shawls.
    “Welcome back” the blonde one said to him, smiling. Even her smile was perfect. I held Louie against my chest, careful so I didn't squeeze him to death. The girls turned to me and smiled.
    “I'm Diane” spoke miss perfect blonde, “Diane Elmont. Nice to meet you Elvira.” They knew who I was and that meant Shawls had this planned for some time now.
    “I'm Grace Rowe. We’ve heard so much about you” the dirty blonde one told me. I forced a polite smile. The black haired guy came up to me and stood a little too closely for my liking.
    “I'm Cain Fernan. The man of the house.” Diane and Grace burst out in laughter.
    “The man? More like the puppy.” Cain frowned.
    “Will you two just shut up, I'm trying to make a good first impression” he argued with the laughing girls. I looked around and noticed that Shawls and the brown haired boy were gone.

    I lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling. There wasn’t an ounce in me that felt the need to sleep. I traced the designs on the walls with my eyes as my sleepless night dragged on. The room was fairly small, if one were to add a wardrobe there wouldn't be space for a TV or a computer desk. Miss-perfect, Diane, had told me that this would be the room I would stay for the night until my room was done. I stood up from the bed and noticed Louie wasn’t in his kitty bed.
    “Meow” I heard Louie’s little meow coming from outside the door. How did he get out, I thought as I opened the door. Louie wasn’t there. I looked down the hall and saw him sitting in dim moonlight, his little tail swishing side to side. His eyes glowed as light reflected off them.
    “Louie” I whispered, “Get over here.” He didn't move, just meow-ed again. I lightly closed the door behind me and as soon as I did, he started to walk away. I followed him down the hallway and down the stairs. He trotted into the living room. I could hear his heart humming inside his chest. I walked into the living room and found Louie lying on top of a beautiful piano. The keys glistened as the moonlight hit upon them. He meowed again. I walked up to it, slightly touching its sleek surface. I put my fingers to the keys.
    “What are you doing?” I heard a low voice ask. It was hostile. I turned around but saw no one. Was it my imagination? I turned again and almost screamed. The brown hair guy was right in front of me, with a murderous look upon his face, his once gray eyes, red. I swallowed and opened my mouth to speak but words failed to come out. He was beautiful but at the same time frightening.
    “What were you doing?” he growled, his eyes slitting.
    “I was just….just…following my cat” I forced to get out. He didn't remove his horrifying gaze from me. I tried to concentrate, to calm myself by tuning in to Louie’s heartbeats. However, I noticed that he wasn’t in the room anymore but upstairs.
    “Just because he favors you, doesn’t give you the right to wander around touching things that don’t belong to you” the boy hissed. I stepped back. What the hell is wrong with this guy, I thought, I didn't do anything to him. My horror slowly changed to anger. I heard a hiss. The boy raised his eyebrow and I noticed I was the one who’d hissed. He smiled cruelly and suddenly he was gone from my sight for like a second. I caught sight of him on the other end of the room and then he was in front of me, holding me up by the neck. His fingers tightened.
    “You’re a pathetic excuse for a vampire.” I didn't know what to do, I was too scared to think.
    “Put her down, Lucian” I heard someone speak. The lights flickered on and I heard footsteps approach us. I heard growling and barking.
    “Put her DOWN!” someone spoke again. Lucian hissed and dropped me. I started to cough and saw that there was a humongous wolf in the door. At its side stood Shawls. The wolf crouched down and growled furiously, its eyes focused on Lucian.
    “Cain, calm down” Shawls told the wolf, “Lucian is just moody after a long hunt.” Cain? That huge wolf is Cain?, I thought bewildered. A noise came from Cain, a noise I would describe as a scoff. I stared at him. His fur was black, like his hair and his eyes were yellow. Yeah it is Cain, I concurred. Cain walked up to me and whimpered.
    “Lucian, come with me. Cain, take Elvira to her room.” I looked at Shawls and he smiled. Great, I almost get killed by a psychopathic vampire and all he does is smile at me. Cain barked softly.
    “Yeah, I know” I told him as I stood. I followed him out of the living room and up the stairs. He stopped at a door and barked. I raised an eyebrow. He rolled his eyes and went in shutting the door, only to come back out in his human form, wearing shorts. I felt uncomfortable, for he wasn’t wearing a shirt. I tried hard not to stare at his sculpted body.
    “I told you to wait here” Cain spoke.
    “Well, I can’t speak canine” I retorted. He chuckled and said “If you tune your mind, you could read my thought and understand what I'm saying.”
    “I can read minds?” I asked intrigued. Cain chuckled again.
    “Shawls hasn’t told you much has he?” he stated, “Some of you have the ability to read minds. Of course, the potency of the ability depends on the vampire. Most common, only passing thoughts can be read, like a 2 second thing and nothing more, or thoughts that are sent to you by other vampires who share the ability.”
    I was so lost. Apparently, he knew that.
    “Focus on my thought.” I didn't know how or if he was just pulling my chain. I stared at him and concentrated. See, he thought. I gasped a little. It was true.
    “I read your thought” I whispered feeling pretty cool. Cain nodded.
    “You read the thought that was in my mind for that moment. But who knows, maybe when you complete the change, the ability might become stronger.” He walked me to this huge wooden door, said goodnight and left. I looked at the wooden door and wondered if he took me to the right room. I heard Louie’s meow from within and opened it. I felt my jaw drop as I took in the grand room. There was a king size canopy bed in the middle with red bed sheets, the walls were beige, and there were couches on the left wall next to a computer desk/bookcase. On the other side were two huge wardrobes, a vanity table and another wooden door. I walked in, feeling the cold marble floor beneath my feet. Is everyone’s room like this?
    Louie walked up to me with a paper in his mouth. I took it from him and noticed it was a note.
    Elvira,
    This is your room, I hope you like it. Your stuff is in the wardrobes and vanity table. Your messenger bag is on the couch, your books are inside. Diane took the liberty to decorate your bathroom. Breakfast is at 7am.
    Robert Shawls
    I threw the paper on the floor and went to sit on one of the couches. I sat there thinking over and over again, trying to understand what just happened. Why would he show such animosity toward me? What did he mean by “just because he favors you”? I was so confused. Louie jumped onto my lap and curled up in a ball. I smiled a little and scratched his ear.
    “Well, my first night here was something wasn’t it Louie” I spoke. Louie looked up at me and meowed. In that instant, I got an idea.
    “Lets see if I can understand you…”


    Chapter Three:

    I sat in silence as everyone else ate. I wasn’t hungry; no hunger wasn’t what I felt. Thirst was the more appropriate word. How long had it been since I had last fed? I didn't exactly remember all I knew is that the thirst was growing slowly within each passing minute. I can sustain it. I’ll just tell Shawls I need to feed when he comes back from wherever he is after school, I thought.
    I played around with my food, wishing time could go faster.
    “What's wrong” someone asked. It was Diane. I looked up from my food and smiled shyly.
    “I'm not really hungry” I answered, hinting a little of what I really was. She smiled back, showing her perfect pearly whites, and said “Oh. Okay. Do you want anything else?” I took a deep breath and froze. I could smell everyone's scent in the room. Cain had a bitter scent, Grace’s scent was also bitter but had a hint of sweetness, Diane’s scent was sweet and somewhat metallic, and there was a fourth scent. A scent that was sweet, bitter, and alluring. I exhaled and saw that Diane was still waiting for my response.
    “No, I'm okay” I told her. She looked like she was hesitating but she turned back to eat her food. I heard a chair being pulled and looked to see. It was Lucian and he looked just as ticked off as he was last night. He looked at me with a glare, as if saying “your presence is a nuisance to me.” He was intimidating however, I wasn’t going to let him get to me. Not like last night. I glared back and got up from the table. Everyone else stopped eating and looked at me.
    “Wa-ots wong?” Cain asked with his mouth full. Grace kicked him.
    “Nothing really, I just saw something unpleasant.” With that, I walked around the table, smirking at Lucian as I passed by, and out to the living room.
    ~ ~~~~~
    I sat, looking out the car window at the endless trail of trees. We were on our way to school and by we, I mean Diane, Grace and I. The boys rode in a different car. Diane and Grace were staring at me. I started to feel uncomfortable.
    “Look, if you have something to say to me, just say it. Your stares are making me uncomfortable” I informed them. Diane looked away. Grace was the one that spoke, “We heard what happened last night.” I felt my hazel eyes lock on Grace. Cain, I accused mentally.
    “I'm very sorry for the way Lucian acted. He’s very preserved and I’ve never seen him or even heard of him act that way” Diane said. I looked at her. Looks like she knows a lot about Lucian, I thought.
    “I know he’s a little hard to get to know but if you give him a chance…” she continued. I raised my palms to stop her.
    “He tried to kill me and I haven’t done a thing to him. I think I’ve had enough of him” I said coldly. Diane’s expression turned somber. Grace exhaled loudly and the rest of the ride was silent.

    The school was humongous. It was like staring at a small castle. There were crowd and crowds of kids all over the place. I could see some students with bird wings and a few others that changed from one animal to another. It was like an all-out freak show circus and I was now part of it.
    I followed Diane and Grace quietly, observing everything around me. Each species I saw had a different scent to them. The shape shifters (the ones that change from animal to another) had a syrupy scent to them. The ones with bird wings had a faint smell of…well...birds
    “Elvira!” Grace waved her hands in my face to catch my attention. My eyes turned to her. We were inside the massive building.
    “Just go to the front desk. We have to get to class” she told me and left with Diane. I walked down the halls, past mounds of people, until I found the front desk. Why’s it called the front desk if it’s not in the front, I thought a little annoyed. I walked up to a lady with long wild curly white hair, however she was young. She had black rimmed glasses and an aura that would’ve made little kids pee themselves. It made my skin crawl a bit and I had to concentrate hard in order to walk up to her. Her brown eyes looked up at me from her glasses.
    “Yes?” she asked. I inhaled and calmed down.
    “I'm new to this school. I need my schedule” I told her, my voice slightly shaking. Her mouth pulled into a thin smile that made her look, both ominous and very pretty at the same time.
    “Name?” she asked me looking at her keyboard.
    “Elvira Blaque.” She typed that in quickly and tapped enter. The printer went off and she looked back at me.
    “Ms. Blaque, You're in class 1. After school come back here and give me your schedule signed by all your teachers.” Great, that means I have to come back here, I thought. I nodded.
    “Here’s your schedule. Tell your first teacher you were with Viper.” She passed me the paper and I walked out of there.
    I went into the room first indicated in the schedule. The class was in the middle of a history lesson about what seemed to be a war. The teacher, a tall man with long fiery hair and matching red eyes, was in the middle of the class room reprimanding a student. He turned to look at me as I made my way to his desk. He was attractive in an alienistic way. A smile broke upon his face, a terrifying smile. I’d never seen such thing. His teeth, all of them, were pointy like a shark’s. I swallow and waited for him to approach me so I could give him the paper to sign.
    “Well” he said in his foreign accent, “A bit late aren’t we?” He walked around me, sending chills up my spine as he did.
    “I must say I’ve never seen you here before? Therefore this means you're the new transfer student.” I nodded to confirm his statement. I passed him the paper and he took it. He signed it without removing his eyes from me. I tried to focus on my surroundings instead on the twinge of fear. However I couldn’t, the class was too quiet.
    “Elvira Blaque” he spoke, “Your seat is next to Greg.” He pointed to a kid in the middle of the classroom. I sat in the empty seat next to the kid. From the corner of my eyes, I could see him swish his tail. A panther, I thought. The teacher resumed reprimanding the student. After that, he went on teaching about the Faerie Revolution. Of course I had no idea what that was and when I had asked what it meant, people looked at me as if I were crazy. The teacher, Mr. Leviath was his name, gave me a brief explanation. Just as he finished the bell rung. I packed my notebook and stood to leave.
    “Elvira, come over here please” Mr. Leviath spoke. I hesitated, a bit afraid, but gradually made my way over to his desk. His red eyes were on me, and I noticed something amazing yet insanely strange. With in his pupil were tiny little fires flickering. I stared amazed.
    “Ms. Blaque have you not been taught any of this?” he asked. I shook my head.
    “I'm a youngling sir” I informed him. He folded his hands and said, “Who’s your guardian?”
    “Doctor Robert Shawls.” He had a pensive expression upon his face for a moment then said, “Go to your next class, Miss Blaque.”

    I felt relieved when lunch bell had finally rung. The last six periods had been so strange. That was because everything they were teaching fell out of boundaries. It was like stepping into a fiction book. Not only was the material crazy but so were the teachers. Luckily for me, none were as terrifying as Mr. Leviath. Now that I think of it, Mr. Leviath and Viper would make the perfect couple, I thought as I walked into the lunch room. There were so many people that there wasn’t anymore tables to sit on. I decided to go outside to eat. Gladly, there weren’t many people. I sat under a tree and pulled out an apple from my bag. I bit into it. I looked at my surroundings, bored. I saw Lucian and the others walking toward the school stadium at the other side of the school campus. Grace turned and saw me. She beckoned me to her and I went.
    “What's up?” I asked biting into my apple once more, totally ignoring the sudden burn in my throat. Everyone else stopped with Grace.
    “We’re going to watch Lucian train for the BloodBound pre-rounds” she explained. I raised an eyebrow in question. What the hell was that? Obviously, she knew I was confused. We all walked to the stadium and as we did, she told me what the BloodBound pre-rounds were.
    Apparently it was one of a series of tests designed for Vampires. The Bloodbound’s were split into six individual tests, the Pre-rounds, Round one, Round Two, Round Three and the Finals.
    “The finals are a two part test” Grace continued to explain as we sat on the bleachers, “Be mindful because they eliminate people throughout the test if they don’t accumulate enough points. If you complete the BloodBounds, you get a Blood seal.” Points…So there are Judges to this thing, I thought.
    “Wait…What's a Blood seal?” I asked.
    “Its like a tattoo magically engraved to your skin, however it’s done with blood, yours and a full fledge vampire’s. It makes the transformation a bit less painful and it’s also proof that you are worthy to be a vampire.”
    “You don’t take the tests do you?”
    Grace shook her head and said, “I'm a wolf. Every species has their tests. You guys are the only ones that get the blood seal.” I understood perfectly now. I heard a whistle and turned to look at the track below. Lucian was standing near the starting line, ready to start. I stared at him, at how he looked in shorts and a tank top. That slim muscular body and those strong beautiful legs…Wait, what am I thinking?
    I snapped out of it and heard the second whistle. In an instant Lucian was nothing but a white blur. He evaded obstacles and jumped bars set up. My eyes followed him catching some moves. Ugh…If only I could see all his moves. Then it was over. The final whistle was blown.
    “50.9 seconds!” the teacher yelled. That was an amazing time considering he ran around a stadium the size of two football fields. Cain was cheering Lucian on. So were Diane and Grace. I was the only one sitting down watching him get ready for a second round. Then it hit me. My throat went completely dry and it burned as if I were pouring toxic in it. I clenched my fists and stopped breathing. I stared straight ahead, trying not to lose any control. I noticed Diane look at me with a worried expression and before she had a chance to walk up to me and ask what was wrong, I stood and ran out of the stadium. As far away as I could from it.

    I didn't know what to do. Either call Shawls or go to the school nurse. I clung to a tree, accidentally breaking a huge chunk of bark. The thirst continued to burn. I could feel my fangs draw out and I tried hard to retract them however it was no use. I took out the little box of pills Shawls gave me and shoved a couple of them into my mouth. I hoped it would calm the thirst. However, I was wrong. I leaned forward and it all came back out. I started to sweat and my vision went blurry. I lost all force in my legs and my breath came in gasps. The world started to spin wildly. I could feel myself loose all common sense.
    “You!” I heard someone say. It was Lucian. I breathed heavily and stared cautiously at him as he approached.
    “You are careless…” he stated. I hissed unable to stop myself. I had no control of my body. Lucian smiled and took another step toward me. I jumped toward him, fangs ready to bite his neck off. He grabbed my arms before impact and diverted my attack. He threw me toward a tree. I jumped from it back toward Lucian with my feet. I managed to knock him down. I was above him, trying to bite his neck. He held my head off with his arm and with his free, he turned the tables. He pushed me off him and pinned me onto the floor as I had done to him. He was above me, holding both my arms above my head. I hissed, growled and cursed at him.
    “Well…should I leave you two alone?” I heard another voice. Lucian looked to see who it was.
    “Damn it Robert. This is no time to be making jokes. Don’t you see that her eyes are completely red? She’s out of control!” He yelled. I heard a calm laugh.
    “I know…” Robert said, “That means she rejects the pills.” Lucian cursed.
    “The boy is right Robert. You never change. Always taking things so lightly as if it were a game” a new voice came into the conversation.
    “It’s been a long time Viper…Octavian” I heard Robert say. I took the chance to attack. My teeth scraped the surface of his skin before he had a chance to restrain me again. I could taste the bit of his blood that fell into my mouth from the scrape.
    “Let her go.” I heard a familiar spine chilling voice. Lucian hesitated then in a flash he was off me and near Shawls. Before I had a chance to get up, chains appeared out of nowhere from within the ground. They grasped my hands, neck and feet. I yelled in anger and squirmed to get free but it was a failed attempt. Someone walked up to me, it was Mr. Leviath (Octavian, I presume). He put his palm near my face and muttered “Dormo”
    My eyes felt heavy and all the strength I had evaporated from my body. I gave in to the drowsiness and fell into unconscious.
    I woke up in my room. I was dizzy and nauseous. It took me a moment to notice that I wasn’t alone in the room. Cain, Grace, and Diane were all there. They stood near the corner of the room in a circle. I didn't have time to listen to what they were whispering about; the nausea hit me like a wave. I basically threw myself out of my bed and ran into the bathroom. After everything came up again, I stared horrified at the sight before me. I had hacked up blood. I flushed the toilet and proceeded to washing my mouth. Diane came in.
    “Are you okay?” she asked. I looked at her reflection from the mirror. I was going to say something like “I just hacked up blood! Of course I'm not okay!” However, I couldn’t. She was too nice to me to begin with and I didn't want to be a b***h. I nodded and walked out. She followed and I couldn’t help but notice everyone staring at me.
    “What?” I asked feeling uncomfortable.
    “Do you remember anything?” Cain asked. Grace elbowed him in the stomach.
    “Barely, I only remember taking the pills, then seeing Lucian.” Grace looked at Diane with an expression I couldn’t comprehend. Grace nodded and I looked at Diane. She smiled at me.
    “Well, I'm glad you feel better” she said, “I have to go.” And with that she and the others left. I was left confused. What was that about?