"Just stop right there" I protested, holding my hands up in front of me

"I don't want to hear anymore. This can't be real. I just want to go home" I swung my legs over the side of the bed, throwing the blanket off of myself

I struggled to gain my feet, and felt myself stumble forward. I reached my hands out to soften the contact I'd make of the floor, but before I could hit, a pair of long cold arms stopped me and lifted me back up on the bed before I could greet the floor.

"Thanks. But i'm still leaving" I rushed, sitting on the edge on the bed for a moment, waiting for my head to stop spinning

"Actually. I don't think you can just yet" Riley interjected, taking his seat back on the chair

"Actually. I am. If you didn't already know, holding someone against there will, is a crime" I snickered, scanning my exit route

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not the one who gave the orders" He defended, holding his hands up in surrender

"Who then? Duke, the 'leader'?" Heavy sarcasm over the words

"Yes actually" He answered back, just as sarcastically as I had

"I do not give a crap what he says. These lies you are telling are ridiculous, I should be in hospital, that thing that attacked me should be in prison, so, I am leaving" I half yelled as I stood from the bed and headed towards the door

Surprisingly Riley didn't stop me, I just heard him sigh, and could picture his eyes rolling.

I made it out of the door, and started down the narrow hallway towards the lightest end.

I walked past about 5 rooms, and took a left, opening down into a large balcony staircase.

In the back of my mind, I had to admit, the place was beautiful.

I started down the large winded stairs, ignoring the shooting pain through my throat and neck.

I had to get home.

Proudly, I made it to what looked to be like the exit. Two large white front doors. I placed my hands on the gold handles to swing them open but before I could apply pressure, an arm snaked around my waist and turned me from the doors at an unnatural speed.

After a milli second, the arm let go, and I came face to face with Duke. He now stood in the way of the doors, blocking my exit. I crossed my arms and glared at him

"Excuse me" I spoke flatly, nodding towards the door

He didn't budge.

"You are not excused. And I suggest you turn straight back around, and return to where you came from. Trust me kid, I can stand here all day, and that isn't very long when you've lived as long as I have" He smiled as he leaned forward smugly

I cringed inside.

"Look, if you just let me go now, I won't say a word. I'll just act as if none of this ever happened" I tried, batting my lashes at him.

There was no truth to my words whatsoever. Although in the back of my mind, I wondered just who would actually believe me.

"Nice try" He replied, flatly, obviously unaffected by my innocence. He folded his arms across his chest, and sighed.

My smile disappeared, but I didn't move "What do you want with me?" I demanded

"Not too sure as of yet" He put simply, not meeting my glare

"So, what? Your going to use me as a guinea pig? Take turns in drinking teacups of my blood?" I asked viciously

He shrugged, seeming to think about, sending my heart into a violent flutter of worry

"You can't be serious?"

This time he met my gaze

"No. I'm not serious. But I am serious when I say, you aren't leaving" He smiled as he leaned back up against the door

"What about my parents?" I asked, lying.

My dad was killed in a car accident when I was 13, ever since then my mother had resorted to alcohol, barely remembering I existed.

"Parents?" He asked, raising an eyebrow

"Yeah, you know, my mother and father?" I told him in an obvious tone

He rolled his eyes, and watched me intently "You really think I'm that stupid kid?"

"My name is Rosie, and yeah, I'd like to think that way" I shot, glaring right back at him

"You do know who you're talking to don't you?" He smiled, leaning his head in closer towards me

"I don't care. Now let me past" I took a step towards him, and thought about trying to shove him out of the way

"I know about your family. I know that you're debating to force me out of the way. All I can say is, goodluck kid" He smiled, holding his gaze somewhere above my head

"How do you know that? What, can you mind read too? Please don't tell me you glitter" I asked, almost spitting with my question

He smiled crooked, "No, I'm just someone who can get whatever they want, whenever they want" Leaning his head forward even closer, his cool breath brushing against my face

I stood frozen, his eyes looking over my face, his mouth turned up into a twisted smirk.

Angrily, I strode off, and headed back towards the room I had come from.

•

"Morning sunshine!" Beamed a voice that stormed into my room while I sat on the edge of my bed. It caused me to jump.

It was the man i'd come to know as Seth.

He had light brown hair, and light green eyes. His sense of style had to be the best of the household. He wore dark blue skinny jeans, and a fitted v-neck sweater. He looked young, about the same age as me, if anything, maybe a year or two older.

"Hi" I answered in a flat tone. I stood up and examined my neck bandage on a nearby wall mirror, framed with a detailed gold outside.

"My name's Seth" He smiled, moving to stand beside me

I took a glance at him, not in the mood to make friends with whoever else lived here.

"Rosie" I answered simply

"I know. So are you hungry?" He asked, watching me in the mirrors reflection

I paused from the mirror and turned to him, a quick thought running through my mind

"What happened to Ryde? Where's he?" I asked curiously panicked

Seth narrowed his eyes at me, "He's in the basement. In a whole load of trouble. But don't worry, he can't get to you"

Silence ensued until he broke it

"You know, you lost a lot of blood. And the main reason you aren't allowed to leave is cause no one could heal you. Even Duke. And that's rare. Personally I've never even heard of it before" He continued

"So, why is that my problem? It's not my fault. It's obviously something that's wrong with you, not me" I slowly began to believe these light-hearted creatures wouldn't touch me. Except Ryde. He was a different story, obviously.

"You aren't scared of us are you?" He narrowed his light eyes as he tilted his head sideways

"Should I be? The only one I'm scared of is that monster that attacked me" I spoke angrily "And if any of you kill me, people will look for me. My absence won't go completely unnoticed" I assured him, confident that the people that would search for me, would only consist of my friend Cora.

"You do realise we could kill you within a blink of your precious big brown eyes. And no matter how much searching your friends do, they'd never find us. We hide our tracks very well" He smiled, his eyes glinting evil.

I shook my head, "Then why aren't I dead already?" I asked, sitting back on the edge of the bed

"Duke seems to have an interest in you. Well, he actually rather hates you. He just has an interest in what you are" He stood in front of me, his arms folded

"I don't care what he thinks of me, I'm a human. An average, boring, nothing special, human" I told him, emphasising every word

"I don't think you're boring. Someone who can't be healed by Duke is pretty damn unique to me" He winked, leaning forward

"So, what's supposed to happen now? Am I supposed to hand of a pint or two of my blood for testing, or you want a spit swab?" I mocked

He pulled backwards, his face disgusted "No, we don't. But you probably will have some tests done. Nothing too serious. Duke'll probably call in a couple of gifted friends of ours and see if you're immune to their abilities" He continued, laying down on one of the white sofa's

"Friends? Other abilities? This is insane!" I stood, rubbing my forehead and temples

"Calm down. You should be happy, you're alive and well, and clearly you have some kind of gift!" He cheered, looking up at my angered expression

I didn't say anything.

The home was lovely, and far better than the alcohol smelling home I lived in. I could easily get used to being in such a nice place. But it was wrong, for all the wrong reasons, with very wrong people. I was a human, they were vampires. I could be killed in the blink of an eye.

"Anyway, the main reason I even came here, was to take you to the kitchen. You must be starving" Seth chirped, standing back up, moving to the doorway where he hesitated waiting for me

"If you're vampires, why do you have a kitchen?" I asked, following him

He rolled his eyes, "Just because we are vampires doesn't mean our home doesn't need a kitchen. Besides, sometimes we like to eat human food just to feel normal again" He smiled as we reached the bottom of the stairs.

He walked fast, and I had a lot of trouble keeping my footing.

He lead me through another room beside the staircase, and through a doorway, revealing a large open kitchen room. It was beautiful.

I quickly noticed a maid who stood at the sink scrubbing a pot. The long benches were a grey with swirls of white granite, all the cupboards and draws a modern clean white. It led into an open bright dining room, a large glass dining table in the middle, lined with about ten chairs. Tall, wide windows allowed generous amounts of outside light in. Outside, all I could see where green rolling hills, blooming trees and untouched land.

"Hi there!" The short tanned maid greeted, pulling me from my trance.

As soon as she turned, my eyes widened to the sight of her neck and collarbones. She was covered in small light white scars consistent of bites. There would have had to of been about 10 of them.

"Hey" I responded, slightly unsure and forcing my eyes to stay off her wounds

"I'm Anna, I'm the maid here at Blakeley Estate. It's nice to see another human around here for once" She smiled sweetly

I just smiled back and nodded, feeling awkward. Seth then gently pulled me towards the dining table, ignoring the woman.

Anna returned back to the kitchen behind the bench. Seth pulled a chair out for me, allowing me to sit.

"So, what do you feel like today Rosie?" He sat beside me

"Depends on what you have" I shrugged

I'd never been made, or served food before. It felt nice, but I felt bad for Anna.

"Anything you'd like" He replied

I thought for a moment "Bacon and eggs?" I requested, looking at Anna instead of Seth.

For some reason this seemed to tick him off, his jaw twitching

"Coming up" Anna nodded, shuffling through the double size fridge and a few cupboards

"So, what happened when you ran from Riley this morning?" Seth asked, leaning back in his chair as he looked up at me

"Oh.. Well.."

"Anna! Double whatever your making" Riley interrupted, pointing to the now on edge Anna as he walked in

"Hey runner" He greeted me, taking a seat beside Seth

"Runner?" I asked him, my eyebrows furrowing together

He smiled, leaning back in his chair as Seth did.

I rolled my eyes, "That's lame"

"I sure as hell hope you don't speak to Duke like that" Seth started, looking towards Anna as she cracked an egg into a pan

"I don't see the big deal with him, he's arrogant and rude"

Riley shook his head as Seth clicked his tongue

"You know, he could easily decide to have you killed seeing as you now know about us" Seth continued

I ignored his remark and moved on "How come you can sit in the sun? Aren't you supposed to burst into flames or something?"

Immediately both men shook their heads with laughter

"So cliche" Riley rolled his eyes

"Well, how am I supposed to know? All I know is from what I read in mythical creature books and over dramatic movies" I spat

"Hear that Riles, we're mythical creatures" Seth chuckled

I rolled my eyes, and folded my arms as they continued to joke

"Done?" I asked after a moment, eyeing them off

They both looked at me and continued grinning

•

After chowing down on the delicious eggs and bacon, I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my stomach

"I haven't had a meal like that in a long time" I spoke, containing a burp.

Riley had scoffed his down within 5 minutes. Mine however took atleast 20 minutes.

I wanted to relish in the taste, I was sure I wouldn't get another meal like this in awhile if I was allowed to return home.

"You act like you've never eaten before, yet in a slow cow-chewing-grass way" Seth spoke, watching me

He'd sat beside me and Riley the entire time simply watching us, occasionally joining in our small conversations

"I have. Just nothing so delicious and well cooked.." I trailed off.

Ever since dad died, my mother hadn't bothered making any meals, or even caring about when or what I was eating.

I was on my own.

I didn't mind it, but most of the time, I stayed far from the kitchen, where her drunk self would always be lingering. I'd simply skip dinner most nights, or head our for take-out when I could afford it.

"Hm" Seth grumbled as he lifted himself from the chair beside me. He nodded at Anna, who was now cleaning the pan she'd used to make mine and Riley's meal. She gave him a weak smile in return and then went back to her business.

"Well, I've gotta run. Stuff to do. People to eat" Seth teased as he winked at me.

My heart fell, and the food I'd eaten threatened to return to my throat.

The thought made me sick.

"Seth, you're scaring the poor girl" Riley defended, obviously taking notice of my now pale or green face

"He's just joking pretty" Riley smiled at me innocently.

Seth rolled his eyes and disappeared through the kitchen french doors.

"So, what do you want to do now?" He sighed, lifting himself from his chair. He placed his own empty plate on top of mine, and took them towards Anna. I felt sorry for her, and wanted to help her.

I shrugged, "What is there to do around here?"

"Well, we can go upstairs to my room, I have PlayStation and .."

"She's not" Duke appeared from the hall to where Riley and I were "Get up kid, were going for a walk"

Riley and I both shifted our gaze to the tall man standing in the middle of the french doors. His face was different.

He seemed to have eased up a bit, but there was still a hint of that stern, straight face of his.

His arms were across his chest as he looked from me to Riley.

"A walk?" I asked, still nervy and unsure about him. There was something about him I couldn't put my finger on, yet I couldn't take my eyes off either.

I felt comfortable with Riley and Seth, but something about Duke made me shift awkwardly.

I was cautious around people like him, and in the end I always found good reason.

"Get up" He ordered, this time glaring at me with more force, shooting a look at Riley who quickly looked at me and widened his eyes as if to tell me to comply

I did as I was told and got up, following Duke's broad built shoulders.

I didn't walk beside him, I kept my distance.

Turning my head over my shoulders back to where Riley was, I noticed he was gone.

It was hard to keep up with Duke, his legs were long, his strides longer. I followed him to the opposite side of the huge entrance quarters that met the staircase. Through a doorway I hadn't yet been through we continued.

There was a huge sitting room I assumed to be the main lounge room. It was just as beautiful as every other part of the house. The outstanding colour crimson painted over the walls.

There was a large fireplace standing on the main wall, dark red and orange bricks supporting the weight.

The floor was lined with neat fluffy white rugs that softened my fast stomps as I practically chased after Duke.

Through the lounge room, it led into yet another room. This one was a smaller lounge room.

The only difference was it seemed more formal, a small wooden table sitting in the middle, over flooded with neatly stacked papers. In the far left corner sat a matching wooden desk, a new model computer sitting neatly on top.

I watched intently as a man came into view from in front of where Duke stood. The man rose from his seat on a clean white roman sofa as soon as Duke and I had entered.

"Good to see you Duke" The man greeted as he shook Duke's hand firmly.

He was a blading old man, short. His glasses sat on the edge of his pug looking nose. He was dressed formally, in a black suit that tightened around his orb stomach, a red striped tie clung to the collar. He also had a walking stick, a gold walking stick supporting his weight.

He looked from Duke to me, "Ah, and this must be the wonderful Rosalie Jean" He smiled a wide grin, peering over his glasses.

I didn't care who he was, I didn't have to talk to him.

Yet I felt Duke's eyes bore into me, forcing me to reply.

"R-Rosie. Just Rosie" I managed out as I took a step forward keeping my hands at my side.

The man held his porky pale hand out, quickly looking me up and down, taking an extra long glance at my neck.

Reluctantly took his waiting hand, shaking it lightly as Duke watched my every move

"And I am Harriss my dear" He spoke as we released hands

"Please, please, have a seat" He rushed, shuffling himself toward the end of the sofa to sit, patting the spare seat beside him.

Once again, I was reluctant and sat as close to the opposite sofa arm as I could.

I looked up at Duke who was looking in between me and the man.

There was no sign of emotion on his face.

"She would not heal with Seth, Riley, nor myself" He finally spoke, breaking the awkward tension in the room.

I didn't like the idea of being subject to numerous tests, just because they couldn't heal me.

"Ah huh" Harriss turned his head from Duke to me, smiling.

Now up close with Hariss, I knew the myth about all vampires being perfect, was false.

"I would like to see if she is susceptible to your powers however" Duke continued, looking at me again as he leaned forward in his seat

"I'm not a guinea pig" I turned towards Duke.

I had no idea what this man Harriss was capable of. I didn't want 'powers' being used on me. What if it had killed me? Turned me into a frog?

As soon as the words came from my mouth, I regretted them.

Duke's face turned stiff and angry as he stared profusely at me.

If looks could kill.

"You will do as you are told" He half growled "I'll hold you down if I have to" He threatened

My mouth slightly hung open.

I looked back towards Harriss, his face had turned much like mine had.

"I won't hurt you dear" Harriss reassured me, holding both his hands out towards me, palms up.

I took a quick look at Duke again, he still stood firmly in place watching me.

I rolled my eyes at him, and turned back to Harriss, gently placing my hands on top of his.

His eyes closed, and his face relaxed. What was he doing?