In The Still of The Night

Rose looked at him and then back at her tea.

"So, I'm guessing that if i were to not take the protection I might die? Forget about the fact that you drink blood, okay that I can deal with, but this whole gangwar-clan thing is gting a bit confusing. What happened, and...and...I don't know, it's just...I don't know how to react."

She set mug on the tray and clasped her hands in front of her. The world's best kept secret, it kind of made her laugh inside. Everyone knows about them, but they think it is some myth.
 
"How do you think 'I' felt when my parents told ME i was a true blood lwhen i was sixteen?" he asked. "It's not a fun prospect no, but All i can do for you is be there." he added, solomnly. "And...theres one more thing..." He added. he held out a necklace to her. a small, silver Amulet the size of an oval quarter with a snake curled into an 'S' pattern with wings on its head.


"You are clan Daemon property now." he said, he sounded uncomfortable saying it.
 
Rose took it and looked at it for a while.

Property? She thought. Putting it on, she tucked it under the white shirt she was wearing and another question came into mind besides the other hundreds that seemed to flood her mind. She was wearing what looked like a boy's T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts and she would very much like to know what happened to her other clothes and who changed them.

Almost blushing, Rose looked at him and cleared her throat.

"Um...one last--no two questions, I swear. First, who changed my um...clothes? Second, what does 'Daemon property' mean and how does it affect me?"

She couldn't seem to look Jack in the eye and she moved her light brown eyes across the small bedroom.
 
Jack blushed and said nothing for a moment. "uhm...i-i-... did...they where drenched in blood and ruined. a-a-nd as for the property thing, absolutely nothing as far as i'm concerned... except you now have the same obligation we do... whent he clan calls, you answer. its that simple." he said. he coudln't look her int he eyes either.

"You look like you need sleep, rose." he said, looking worried... and embarassed.
 
Rose opened her mouth to ask another question and then remembered that she promised those two were her last. But she was also feeling a twinge of regret for making the conversation suddenly very awkward. What Jack said, though, was partially correct. Rose was still very tired and she didn't realize it till he pointed it out. Nodding, she moved back under the covers and turned towards the window as she pulled the blankets to her neck, a child based habit.

"If I caused any trouble," She said quietly. "I'm really sorry."

For some reason, she couldn't help but feel that this was all her fault. The complications, the attack...everything. All her fault.
 
Jack thought of something as he began to leave. he had to change her mood.

"hey Rose.. you havea really nice butt." he said, closign the door to the room before she could retort. It was true, but jack knew that in times of stress, takgin your mind off thigns for even a moment can make all teh difference.

besides.. he kinda liked rose...
 
Rose opened her mouth to say something, but the door shut before she can say anything. Blushing, she pulled the covers up further and laid on her back. She never thought of getting a compliment, nevertheless a compliment like that. Everyone at her school thought she was a loser wannabe. But hey, maybe a life threatening situation is enough to get you a new friend.

She closed her eyes and thought about it long enough to go to sleep once again.
 
Night came and went, and dawn came, and there was a change of clothes on the table when she awoke. nothgin too much. a pair of pants in her size and a new womens Shirt.


Jack was busy gettign the tar beaten out of him verbally byt the elders of the clan.


"WOULD YOU DRIED UP CURMUDGEONS RATHER HAVE ME LET A HUAMN DIE AT OUR DOORSTEPS???" he yeeled at them. the pause in teh room broken by lorenzo raising a hand to smack the boy in discipline.

"do not you DARE!" he sneered back.. the princely manner of the young boy was undeniable... lorenzo saw somethign he never had before... potential.
 
Rose woke up and wondered what time it was. All she was sure of was that the weekend had finally come around. For a few short days, the torment and the judgemental name calling was coming to a stop. She looked up at the ceiling and thought to herself, what would had happened if she did die. Her mom would of course be hysterical. Her baby girl, gone, by mythical creatures that weren't supposed to exist. But...no one would really care...would they? She never had any friends because of her fascination with pictures and cameras. Her life was the life of a hermit.

On the table, Rose saw a new set of clothes and she wearily walked towards it. The world still felt topsy turvy, but for the most part, it had subsided. She took off the T-shirt and the cold metal of the necklace hit her collar and she lifted it to look at it.

"Not much really, you just have the same obligations that we have. If the clan calls you, you answer..."


There was a knock on the door and Rose quickly put on the clean shirt and opened it.

"Hello...?"
 
'Rose?" jacks voice came from the other side. he left the meetign with the clan and came to her side as soon as he could.

"Are you dressed?" he asked, opening the door a crack.
 
Rose pushed the door closed.

"Um...not yet." She quickly changed the pants and opened the door. "I'm fine now."

Folding the clothes, she set the ones she slept in on the table. She put up her hair in a quick pony tail with a hair tie she had on her wrist and sat on the bed, calmly.

"So...um..."
 
"schools in fifteen minutes... uhm.. Rose.. i really am sorry about all this." he sighed simply. he had a new necklace himself . a gold chain with an amulet on it bearign the sma ecrest btu more elaborate.

"I.. I've been elected to take the vampires trials in one month..." he said. " It was supposed to be next year, but..in light of all this, The Clan wants me to becoem a full fledged methusalah as soonas possible..." he crossed his arms.

'I got both our bikes ficed.. c'mon, lets get going..." he said, he woudl let her lead the way.
 
Jack was pulling her through different doorways and corridors when Rose skidded to a stop.

"Jack." She said sternly. "It's the weekend, and you're making me dizzy by moving me so much."

Blinking, the world came back into place and she sighed. Fixing her shirt, she looked at him.

"Are you okay?"
 
"Different kind of school love." He chuckled. he took her downstairs as he went to lorenzo's private training quarters.

"You are late, Darius." Lorenzo said. "engarde"

"And For a good reason for the first time ever." he siad, pointing to rose. they took up their rapiers and began practice without a second thought, steel clashign steel.
 
Rose flinched slightly as she heard the clashing metal. She obviously wasn't one to fight all the time...or ever for that matter. But she wished she had her camera with her to take pictures, only to realize that they wouldn't show up in the film. Tucking her legs under her, Rose watched as the two fought against each other. Clashing weapons and once in a while, throwing punches. For some reason, Rose couldn't help watching it, although the idea of fighting to the death was gruesome and completely new to her.

The sounds echoed through out the vast room and Rose was starting to wonder why she was brought there in the first place.
 
Soon the fighting took a turn for the worse as master lorenzo bore his fangs... they were angry at each other, and Jack had been growing in power lately. something that greatly worried Lorenzo.


"stop playing, boy!" Lorenzo yelled his sword slashing hard enough to burst a brick on the wall beside jack as he deflected it deftly.

"just admit that i was right in defying them!" he yelled back, returning the blow with one that put a sizable dent in Lorenzo's sword. he stared, amazed at the blade of his pupil embedded within his own at least four or five centimeters.

"Darius... that apology is not mine to give..." he answered loosing his blade from jack's and reestablishing his stance. several quick blows later, they where closer to rose again and could be seen trading increasingly impossible clashes of steel.
 
Rose watched as the two shouted at each other.

So, it is my fault. She thought sadly.

Slowly they crept closer to her and she could feel the wind from how fast the weapons were being used. She was getting scared and slowly crept closer to the wall. It seemed that they were angry with each other and honestly she wouldn't want to be in the middle of it. Rose still felt horrible. She was causing conflict in the clan. Sighing, Rose watched as the two kept fighting with each other.
 
Their sword gave out before they did, and lorenzo threw his broken blade to teh ground, storming out of the place and slammign the door behind him.


Jack fell to the ground, pantign hard and clutchgin his heart. He looked in pain.. somethgin was wrong. He knew what was happening.. but Rose wouldn't, and that didn't make it any less scary.
 
Rose stood up and caught him as he fell over. She was wondering what was happening to both Jack and Lorenzo. Of course, she felt that it was her fault. It seemed that the conflicts have just started when she was attacked. Her eyes stung and she blinked.

"Are--are you okay, Jack?" She asked him, steadying him.

Gently setting him down next to her, she watched him with worrying eyes. Rose glanced between Jack and the door where Lorenzo stormed out of. Her shoulders slumped and she rubbed her arms.

"Jack...is this...is this because of me?"
 
Jacks breathgin was becomgin sporadic. he tried to respond, but only gripped her hadn tighter as his heart started beating a-rythmically. he shivered and became rather pale rather quickly.

He wished he coudl say it. wished he coudl tell her that being a pure-blood meant he was slowly dying, slowly becomgin undead unstead of alive... that he would soon be abel to only consume blood... but no. he had no power to speak, only to hold her hand for the moment.