CHAPTER 1
The bus rattled to a stop as the rain pattered down from the dark clouds above. The shadowed trees surrounding the long stretch of road were almost invisible in the drizzle. As the lights in the bus blinked dimly in the impending darkness the students inside murmured and complained about what was happening. The bus driver stood and turned to the girls, the lines on his brow deepening. He was an older man, the hairs on his chin white with age. A baseball cap sat on his almost bald head whilst a plaid button up shirt covered his girth.
"Alright it seems the bus has had a little stalling problem so we are going to have to wait here till we get a tow." The older man said as his hand came up to scratch his aged whiskers.
"We could go out and ask for help I think I saw lights on in the forest a little ways." A young girl with dark blonde hair said gesturing to her friends.
"Thank you Kristy." He said with a smile as he opened the old bus doors, the old hinges letting out a high pitch creak "You, Maxine, and Roxie be back in thirty minutes."
"Whatever." The girl with black hair and a pale complexion muttered as she lit up a cigarette.
"Max put that out." Kristy scolded reaching for it.
"Umm Kristy I think we need to get off the bus." The third girl said pushing Kristy away from the ominous looking Max.
The whether outside had lightened up and the clouds thinned out just enough to let the light of the full moon shine down on the three girls. Max was a pale girl, her hair black as her leather jacket, black skirt and boots, hung down around her neck accenting her white face, a necklace held a skull and cross bones. Her long legs and beautiful red lips showing her beauty to it's fullest yet portraying a 'back off' tone. Kristy was the opposite, her dirty blonde hair held up in a ponytail by a single brown hair band. She wore athletic shorts and a jersey for her favorite basketball team around her athletic frame. He body seemed to radiate the word 'bubbly'. Then there was Roxie. She was a shorter girl with long brown hair and deep hazel eyes. A red tank top clung tight to her torso; short khaki shorts stopped midway up her thighs as a golden cross sat at her throat shining in the moonlight.
Roxie stared down at the ground as she walked beside Kristy, Max on the other side of her. Max stared up at the moon as Kristy tramped forward through the damp grass. The trees dripped down the rain drops held in their leaves as the three girls peered through the darkness.
"After one damn field trip this is what happens." Max muttered in the darkness as she pulled back a branch to lean under making Kristy jump back out of the way from it.
"Well it did run over." Kristy said continuing her walk.
"Guys." Roxie's voice said from behind them tiny and quiet.
"What?" Max said stopping to turn.
Roxie stood in the damp ground pointing off into the darkness her hazel eyes wide with wonder. Max and Kristy walked over to her side to peer into the darkness with her. In the pure black, dim lights sparkled warm and inviting. As the girls eyes adjusted they gasped as a castle seemed to materialize out of the night. The orange lights were windows glowing with warmth spread out across the front stone wall. The stone wall stretched up and up, ending with two large marble spires twisting and turning up toward the heavens. In the center of the wall sat two large doors, the aged brown wood stretched up 12 feet and out 6.
A young looking man fell from a large spire and onto the ground behind them a smile on his lips. He leaned back against the tree examining the girls up and down. He rolled his eyes after a moment and let out a loud cough.
The girls turned quickly to face the man their hearts beating loudly. He was tall with long dark brown hair and light blue eyes. He wore a black button up shirt and jeans, around his muscular yet lanky frame. He stepped forward and past the girls to lean against the monolithic door.
"And what are you doing around here ladies?" He asked kindly the smile still on his lips.
"Umm…we…our bus broke down." Kristy said a little shaken.
"And we came for help." Max said recovered.
"Oh. Well. Welcome to my home. I am Vayn." He said with a slight bow. "It's about to rain so come on in and I will call a mechanic."
"Umm. We should really get back to the bus." Roxie said quietly.
Just then as Vayn glanced up at the sky the clouds broke again, unleashing a torrent of rain worse than before.
"Come inside and grab a jacket then you can be on your way and by then I will have called a mechanic." Vayn said his eyes inviting confidence.
The rain grew harder, pummeling the bare arms and legs and faces of the girls, cold. The windows of the castle looked warm and homey.
"We have cigarettes." Vayn said from the over hang of the doorway.
"We?" Max asked a little suspicious.
"My brother and I." Vayn said with a smile as he jerked his head slightly to the castle. "He's inside."
"Jackets?" Kristy asked her teeth chattering from the cold rain.
"Yes." Vayn said with a good-natured chuckle.
"Cigarettes?" Max asked as her leather jacket grew wetter and wetter.
"Yes."
"Come on guys. Just for a second." Max ordered stepping inside as Vayn kicked open the large oak door.
Kristy looked up at the stone wall then inside and slowly walked in. Roxie stared at Vayn examining his eyes suddenly shocked. On closer inspection Roxie saw that his previously blue eyes were silver.
"I would feel bad if you died of pneumonia." Vayn said a hint of a joke in his voice.
She looked at the open door and then at Vayn. Slowly she stepped forward and walked inside as Vayn stepped inside behind her, the heavy oak doors shutting.