Dust

The water slid over her skin like silk. Bubbles swished up the side of the shiny tub, coating the white marble with foam. A satisfied moan filled the large room as the woman closed her eyes and the ghost of a smile played on her lips. A pale hand was strewed over the edge and was lovingly stroking the wolf cub that was sleeping peacefully on the red rug. Her fingers swirled and twisted in the dark gray and black fur, earning a low growl of happiness from the creature.

A knock put an end to the relaxing silence. An irritated scowl replaced the smile and the woman hissed out, "what is it now, Jai? I told you I did not wish to be disturbed?"

A slim, silver portable was slid under the door, across the tiled floor, and slammed into the bottom of the counter with a sharp tap. The woman smacked her lips together in an exasperated noise and snapped her fingers. The wolf cub began to shiver and shutter as its body morphed and changed. A few seconds later, a small girl stood and swooped over to the device, snatched it up, and walked back over, placing it into the woman's outstretched hand. This earned a small, affectionate smile from her mistress before she shifted into a lion cub and went back to sleep.

"This had better be important," the woman snapped angrily.

"It is, my Queen. Lika has found the riddle."

Ten minutes later, six men, three women, and the lady were seated around a circular table. Behind each of them stood a solemn child, eyes downcast.

"Viktor has told me you found the riddle, Lika?" The woman nodded and the queen smiled. "Good. Let's see it."

At a look from his mistress, Lika's Vampyre placed a faded scroll in her hand. Lika unrolled it and placed it in the center of the wooden table, under the giant light that hung above it.

Lines were printed in the Vampyres' language on the paper. The ten humans turned to their Vampyres, but it was the Queen's who volunteered to translate it.

The girl, with shiny brown hair tyed up in a bun and dark, blood eyes with streaks of violet, hundreds of years old but residing in the form of a fourth grader, opened her tiny mouth and spoke in a loud clear voice.

"The new Six are of the same breed. They are selfless and loving, kind to many, but fiercly loyal and protective. No family or loved ones are in their deepest hearts, because they have been taught to not love something too much, or hold on to it too long, or it will disappear. Their destinies and fates are intertwined, so much so that to kill one would kill the other. The pairs each specialize in different elements, species. One is Water and Humans, another is Air and Royals, and the last, the most powerful, Fire and Vampyres. Of the three pairs, one will suffer a fate worse than death. Another will have to kill many to save one. The last will kill the one closest to their hearts in order to save their Other. We wish luck upon you during the wars and bloodshed ahead.

The Six-

Isibelle Serrick

Erik Caome

Jason Wostlia

Alisha Betalis

Emanuel Miason

Rayme Halldale"

"What does, 'The Names are the key', mean?" The Queen asked her Vampyre.

Alexia Peterson ran her white as snow finger over the four signatures at the bottom of the parchment. "The Six's names, miss. The initals. The six that will save us have the same initals as these Six. I.S, E.C, J.W, A.B, E.M, and R.H. We need to find these children, and fast."

Isabella Swan stared out the train window, sleepy and irritable from being jolted awake earlier. She was silently hoping that her group Nanny did not enter her compartment and find her with her hair frizzy and coming out of the ponytail and her uniform all messed up. The last thing she needed was a whipping. Of course, she was a Vampyre, so she could quickly and cleanly kill the dreaded Nanny and have the body gone wihtout a trace in an instant, with no evidence pointing at her, but she didn't feel very hungry or awake at the moment, so she just prayed and kept quiet, drifting in and out of consiousness.

The slam of the door opening made her jump as she was again yanked from sleep's cool arms. Two young girls, about Isabella's age, were being dragged into the isalation cabin by their upper arms. The Nanny's hands were practically digging into the girls' skin, but they were braver than most and didn't cry or apologize. They fought with her, biting and kicking and screaming, until they were thrown into the cots on the other side of the room. The Nanny had left the door open and unguarded, but Isabella was actually quite comfortable and didn't feel like making a break for it. Why should she? It was quiter and more roomy in here than it was with all the other girls who would be shouting and gushing about their new boy toy and scribbling loudly with their stupid fluffy pink pens in their stupid fluffly pink notebooks. Ugh. No thank you.

"Now you sit and you stay there, little missies. No moving." The Nanny snapped. She glanced at Isabella, rolled her eyes, and moaned that she needed an advil. And with another slam of the glass door, which was sure to break soon, the Nanny departed.

The small, black haired girl completely ignored the Nanny's commands and skipped over to me, collapsing on my cot next to me. "Hi. I'm Alice Brandon and I'm a Royal, what are you?"

Isabella stared at her for a moment, then muttered, a little reluctantly, "Vampyre." Then her voice grew louder and angrier, "But don't think for a minute that I will be fetching you things and being the perfect little lap dog. You are no better and no worse than me, so do not assume things."

The small girl was shocked for a bit, then she hurriedly said, "Oh, no, I'm not like that, I don't like how they treat Vampyres these days, though most people have great emotional attachments to them. Actually, that's why I'm here. I refused to get a Vampyre of my own at age fifteen, so Mummy abandoned me in the middle of no where, literally, and then moved. I always hated the old witch. Oh, this is Rosalie Hale, my best friend, she's Human. She's a little cold at first, but she's actually nice once you get to know her." The blonde girl gave Isabella a calculated look, then smiled a bit.

Isabella was silent, then she said, "I like to be called Bella, if you don't mind. My full name is Isabella, but I hate it. Reminds me of home."

"Fair enough, my name is Mary Alice, but I hate Mary, so . . ." The three girls smiled at each other, then spent hours in silence, rotating between sleeping, reading, and gazing out the window.

It was only when the train was jerked to an abrupt halt and the girls were thrown forward onto the floor that a sound was uttered, as Rosalie cursed out, "Shit!"

"Hello, girls. I'm the Queen. It is an honor to meet you," said the creepy looking woman that had appeared in the cabin, a small Vampyre at her side.

"Shit is right." Was all that was spoken.