An earthquake erupted through my dream world. My eyes snapped open and I threw whoever was shaking me across the
room, and I pinned the person to the wall to with my left hand and my right went around their throat and immediately I
could tell it was another vampire and it was a man. "Who are you!?" I was startled by the unrestrained rage that seethed
through my voice. All that came out in a response was choking. I let up my grip on his throat. "Stop you’re going to kill
me!" "Xander?" I let go immediately after realizing who it was. “Well someone’s been training; normally you couldn't hold
me down at all." I smirked. "sure." he rubbed at his neck, his longish jet black hair showed off his cheek bones and made
his steely blue-grey eyes seem to glow. His face looked like you'd expect a bluebloods to look with the small slightly
pointed nose and square chin. His older brother crash looked nothing like him if a random person walked up to them when
they were together they probably wouldn't be able to tell they were brothers. Eli Thompson had short orange hair and
emerald green eyes his chin was rounder and his nose was rounded.
Xander checked his neck and his eyes widened, "I have a bruise!" I laughed. “Because that will take so long to heal." My
tone radiated sarcasm, silence filled my darkened room, I looked over the modern designer decor it seemed so
insignificant. "So why’d you come here?" while I asked him my right eyebrow slowly went upwards. “Unless you came here
to get your butt handed to you?" "Whoa! Someone’s feisty this morning!" "Shut up" I said dismissing him. His face
suddenly turned serious, “I had a dream," "what about?" I asked. “It was glimpses of a battle arena, a few of Eli but most
was of the stands." "The people sitting in them looked ready to riot their eyes wild and they were screaming like crazy for
someone’s death." “I couldn't tell who they were talking about." "You were in one," he said as he pointed to me," you
were sitting in a large golden throne, next to you was a closed golden casket, so you wouldn’t be able to see who was in
it. "I didn't understand why I was down in the ring." he paused. I urged him on. "Eli screamed at me that “I should have
taken you and ran.” Then I woke up as he started to run towards me.”
"Xander? Remember when your dad tried to home school you, me, Eli, Cery, and Clary?" "Yeah, him and his crazy ideas."
he laughed with no humor. "The first lesson in Vampire legends was about brothers having dreams about being in an
arena and people in the stands. You think it maybe kind of like the same thing?" "But that would mean!" he gasped. I
nodded my head taking in all the aspects of what we'd just discovered. "And that would mean that the girl was already
chosen!!" "Oh my god! Your right she has to be around our age!" "I wonder if she knows about this." "Well you didn't so
how would she??" "So I'm a..." I nodded. We said it in unison. "Prince." the room got silent.
My window shattered from the force that sent it upwards. I looked at Xander I could see the excitement for new blood
come into his eyes. He faded back into the recesses of the room. As the intruder entered my room i felt the conflict of
two polar opposite emotions roll through me like rapids. I felt the need to turn and run away the aching of that fear hurt,
and I felt completely calm and secure. Maybe that was just being in my own house. The intruder had a shaggy grey beard
that hung low on his massive chest his face was worn with age but his eyes looked young and full of life. When he saw me
he smiled his teeth were beautiful and scary at the same time. They were sparkling white pointed teeth. He looked like
the vampires off of 30 days of night. "You Chaiah and Andrews daughter?" his voice was a mix of accents that scraped my
ears. "Yeah."
His smile broadened. "Great! Where’s Charles son? I waited to come until you were alone together." Xander who had been
quietly watching the scene from the shadows chose this time to make his entrance. The man’s face fell. "You’re not the
one I need. But I might as well talk to you since I can only get ahold of you." the man said vaguely. Did that mean he
needed to talk to Eli?” I wondered this silently. Xander got that look on his face, the one he always got when someone
compared him to Eli. "and what exactly do you need me or my brother," he spat the word," for?"
The man narrowed his eyes. "So it's you. I've been watching you and your brother for a little over 2 months, and I saw
you Xander as the nicer kinder-hearted one. I was wrong. Eli is not the one I need to talk to it's you." "What exactly is it
that you need to talk to me about so desperately that you had to stalk me?" Intense anger was in his voice. The man
laughed it was not a kind sound, it was the kind of laugh you would know death followed if you heard it while alone. “You
are a prince no one and I mean NOT A SINGLE SOUL CAN KNOW you know this, well except her," He pointed back towards
me. And I realized we still didn't know his name.
He started talking again this time to low for even my ears to be able to understand. Xander nodded expressionless. Then
the pounding at the front door started "Aria!" my name was yelled by Roman. He kicked in the front door and ran up the
stairs to my room another set of footsteps followed. My door flew off the hinges and straight at the painting on my wall.
Cary’s face appeared over Romans shoulder. "Who was here?! Tell me now!" Roman demanded. "Xander." I told him
casually since both Xander and the man disappeared from my room. "You’re not telling the whole truth, I smell another
here too." "There was never anyone else here," I hoped my face looked confused. Cery was staring at me, he knew I was
lying. "Cerion, who was here?” Roman asked staring at his son. “Dad i think Chloe got a new fancy French perfume I can
smell the alcohol." So he was covering for me now nice to know. "Ohhh, you meant that smell yeah I can't smell it
anymore I’m used to it." I lied. “Ok, get ready for school its like," he checked the watch he was wearing only now did I
notice he was in a suit." 7:30." "Kay, I will after y'all leave." i told them hinting to leave. “I’ll fix the doors later." "Okay
bye." Roman walked out of the room stepping out of the whole where my door used to be. Cery stood there staring at me
for a second and without a word he turned and left.
"Chloe’s here!" Cerys deep southern twanged voice called up the stairs. My best friend Chloe stepped into the room in all
her cheerleader glory. Her platinum blonde hair (it's natural) straight as a pin, her Gucci clothes the hype of the fashion
runways, she as always had no makeup on but lip-gloss.
"Hey Aria!” She said in her over bubbly cheerleader way. "Hey." Her plastered on cheerleader smile looked like it killed
the muscles in her cheeks. I wondered if she put petroleum jelly on her teeth to keep up that kind of smile.
“You’re not ready for school!!" "It’s been a long morning." she smiled. "Want me to get you ready?" I smiled back at her
knowing she'd put makeup on me and curl my hair. She walked into my attached bathroom; she laid out her supplies on
the marble counter and went into my walk in closet. She selected a dark blue dress that was a little shorter than knee
length; she knew how to set off my liquid crystal blue eyes. My darker blonde hair had gotten lighter, from all the sun I'd
had. I laughed at the day dream picture of me bursting into flames, as she did the last curl. "Go put on the dress." she
ordered. I quickly got changed. I already looked different. She put eyeliner, mascara, and pink lip-gloss on me. She then
selected my black flats. "That's it; now spin in a circle so I can see if I need to fix anything." I spun as told. "Perfection!"
she smiled a real smile full of warmth. "Can I do this every morning?!" she asked being completely serious, she loved to
do this. "If you want to." she walked out of the room "its 8:00 we better get to the car." she said like she cared about
school.
"You brought the limo again didn't you?" she laughed “you know me so well!" "So that's why I'm so dressed up." I said
laughing. "No! I just wanted you to loom nice!" I raised an eyebrow. "Ok yeah, I admit it I set you up on a blind lunch date
with the new guy." "Chloe, why?" I asked pleadingly. "Well I can't have you waiting around for Cery forever." I looked at
her incredulously. She shrugged her shoulders and smiled a knowing smile. "How did you-?" "You talk in your sleep, and
don't worry I won’t say anything. What kind of best friend would I be if I did that? “I crossed my arms over my chest. “Not
a good one." she only laughed in reply. We climbed into the sparkling white limo. I admired the sleek interior I turned on
the built-in flat screen TV. "And today you can expect it to be sunny and with a high temperature of-," the TV droned on
in the background. "Don stops the car!" Don the limo driver slammed on the brakes. Chloe immediately dashed out of the
car, and flew straight at a guy wearing a Hollister tee-shirt. I saw it was only Eli, Chloe’s boyfriend. He climbed in the car
and didn’t say anything to me. Xander climbed in after him and Chloe got in last. "Hey aria, how was dealing with Roman
and Cery after I left?" "It was so fun! We gossiped about boys and painted each other’s nails!" I said sarcastically. They
all rolled their eyes at my sarcasm. I raised my eyebrow.
“Miss Sedgwick, we have arrived.” Don stated over the intercom. All the kids stopped and stared at the eccentric vehicle
that had showed up in their little town. Eli’s face turned stony, and Xander frowned. “Babe we don’t need to draw any
unnecessary Eli’s deep voice grumbled. Chloe got this evil I hate you look on her face and scrunched up her nose, that
only I seemed to notice. “Puh-lease, like they’re going to suspect anything let alone that we’re vampires.” Xanders face
twisted, and he got out of the car. The rest of the cheerleaders stood by the awnings and they all swooned as Xander
passed. Eli helped Chloe out of the limo as if they were on the red carpet. I exited last and what stood waiting for me just
inside the door was a total surprise. I walked up the front steps into the school that girls wore clothes straight from the
runway. I walked inside the noisy, cramped Caftoruim (cafeteria/auditorium).
“Hey” a sweet sounding voice with a country twang said. I looked to my right and saw Cery standing with of all people
River Chase. River was my mortal enemy. I hated him with every fiber of my being. He was a stuck up jock, player, and
bully. He had picked on me since I was I fourth grade, and Cery was always there. He beat up River every time he picked
on me, and you totally fell for him in the process. Shut up!! I screamed to myself hoping he wasn’t reading my thoughts.
Another one of his Werewolf skills, Cery was secretly a Werewolf. His whole family was made up of full-blooded vampires,
except for Sophia his mom. His dad changed her; she was the Bella to his Edward. I mentally laughed at myself a Twilight
reference, when my life sounded like it belonged inside of it.
“Hey who’s the babe in front of you Claiborne? “Aria,” Cery twanged and grabbed my hand, his eyes smoldered. Was it
cold in here? I couldn’t tell his touch sent shivers up and down my spine. The butterflies in my stomach I hoped didn’t
show through on my face. River thought I was hot? The thought shocked me; the guy that had picked on me since I could
remember liked me? The look on Rivers face showed the way he felt about Cery holding my hand. “Bye chase, have fun
explaining that to your girlfriend.” He pulled me away from the crowd. “Wanna ditch?” the way he said it, it was like a
demand but still giving you a choice. I looked at him, I knew he needed to shift but didn’t want to alone. “I need to
change.” “Fine, you know where to find me.” Part of me was kind of sad that he didn’t want to take me home. But not in
the lets go home and make out way. He walked away and I started for home the makeup wouldn’t leave my face and my
hair would stay down but the dress would be changed out.
)