It was the High School trip, a tour of Italy.

Venice, Barcelonan, Rome, Volterra. Four cities, Eight weeks, most of my summer break. Better than at home.

I'm Amber Cale; Heiress of the Cale Industry fortune.

It was my first year attending Lady Howell's School for Girls; a high end boarding school for the high-class and up-standing girls of America. It's not like I expected anything else. I was taught from a young age that I would end up here.

Surprisingly I love it. I love the teachers, my classmates, and my dorm-mate.

It was a no-brainer when the opportunity like the trip came up. I was one of the first to sign up.

My parent didn't care. They don't want me to be with them, as horrible as it sounds, it's true.

The only reason I was here was for the point of an Heir.

My father has no siblings, and the money and power goes to the blood relatives only.

I have been raised by my nanny. She was a kind lady in her late thirties when I came along. My parents hired her before I was born, and she was my mother basically from the day I came home from the hospital until I went to school, then she left; for a new family. My parents dismissed her they told me.

"Amber, there is no need for her to stay." My mother told me.

That was the single worst day of my life. I vowed then to never return home unless it was mandatory.

I left for school and never looked back. That was almost a year ago.

Everything has changed.

I have family, even though not by blood, but a bond stronger than that.

First there is Brianna Tiff. She is the daughter of a Senator and also attends the school with me, even though her family lives in town. She is my age, 15. She has blond hair and brilliant green eyes. She is also my best friend.

There is her older brother, Ben. He is 17, and has black hair, and shares his sisters green eyes.

Then there is their mother, Hilda. She is a wonderful lady. She acts like my own mother, at times; like inviting me for the Holidays. She had Black hair, and hazel eyes.

Their Dad, Stephen, was a senator, so he was at work a lot; but when he is home he is a very nice guy. He has blond hair, and the same green eyes his children have.

Last but not least there is my dorm-mate, Damini. Her parents were from north India, hence the name. She told me that meant lighting. Fitting for her, since she does everything at such a fast pace. She has tan skin, with black hair and eyes.

Here is where my tale begins.

Our trip was coming to a close, we had already floated down the water-ways in Venice, savored the art in Barcelona, explored the ruins in Rome, and now we were in Volterra for the last two weeks of our trip. I was not alone, of course. I had Bree with me. It was getting close to dusk when our Chaperone let us explore the city in groups, since most of the group was older than us.

Bree and I walked around shops, restaurants, and galleries for the most part.

"Hey what's that?" I asked her. I saw something glint in the setting sunlight about a yard away from us.

"What's what?" She asked clearly not seeing what I was.

"This." I answered walking up and picking it up. It was a necklace. It looked to be expensive. It had a gold chain that was slightly tarnished with age, but what the amazing part about it was the pendant. It appeared to be some sort of crest. It was solid gold, and was shaped like a V with a purple stone on top and a blood red one on the bottom point. In the middle was the crest. It had a dead tree on the top right, and bottom left sides, and a bird on the top left and bottom right.

Surely someone must be looking for it.

I stood there for a minute waiting for someone to claim it but no one came.

I slipped it over my neck and we continued on. We walked and talked for what seemed like a few minutes. It was late dusk. That is when we saw him.

He was gorgeous. He was leaning up against w wall with his head tilted down and his shaggy brown hair covering his eyes, perfect white skin, and wonderful pink lips. He wasn't very old, maybe 16, or 17. He was wearing what looked to be a cloak, but it was pushed behind his back, so it looked more like a cape. His clothes were high quality. He only looked up when we were right in front of him, walking past.

His eyes are what set me off.

They were blood red.

The only red you could get with contacts.

"Hello, Ladies." He said. His voice was perfectly smooth, like milk chocolate. It also had a proper feel, like he has taken classes.

"Hi." I said, trying to play it cool.

"You're visiting here, aren't you?" he asked.

We both nodded.

"Well I'm Alec, nice too meet you." He said.

"I'm Anastasia, and this is my friend, Carolina." I lied. We never tell people we see once in our life our real names. They might make the connection.

He stood there looking over both of us. He stopped on my chest for a second. It made me uncomfortable for a second, but then I remembered the necklace.

"If you don't mind me asking, where did you get that necklace?" he asked.

"I found it." I replied.

"Oh." He mumbled.

Then he looked at Bree, who was too shocked to say anything at this point.

"Would you mind me taking your friend on a private tour of the city?" he asked politely.

I couldn't believe this.

I'm not the kind of girl boys ask out without knowing anything about.

I wasn't drop-dead beautiful like my mother. I was ok I suppose.

I was 5'3, with brown hair, and gray-blue eyes.

The only saving grace I had was my money; which is a curse.

Bree nodded; still stunned by his hotness.

"Cover for me. If I'm not back by morning tell someone." I whispered to her.

She nodded.

Alec grabbed me by the hand, which his was very cold and lead me down an ally.

He stopped halfway down the alley and turned to me, pinning me against the wall, but not scarily. It made my heart stutter, and come back beating double time.

"I'm taking you someplace special." He whispered to me. "You need to stay very quiet, and do everything I tell you to do, and don't be scared." He smirked.

I just simply swallowed and nodded.

He turned and started walking down the alley again. He stopped at the end and pulled up the drain. He jumped down gracefully and landed on his feet.

It was a 20 foot fall.

"Just jump in, I'll catch you." He coaxed me. I couldn't see the end of the alley way, so I had no choice but to jump.

He caught me.

He was very hard. It hurt almost.

He then set me down and dragged me along the other tunnel.

We came to a stop at a door, which he opened to reveal another hall, but this was like a hall in a office building, which that dead ended at an elevator; which we took down. I started shivering then, in part from fear, and in part from the sheer cold. I felt something drape over my shoulders. I look back to see Alec's cloak. I stopped slightly. When the elevator stopped we were in an office like reception hall. With a counter, and a lady behind that counter; she nodded at Alec as we walked past.

The stop to our walk was at the end of that last hall. It had two huge oriental-medieval like doors. They swung open as we walked in.

Alec was behind me now with a guiding hand on the small of my back.

We were in a huge circular room full of beautiful people.

But they were not human.

Now I could tell.

They all had the red eyes.

All on me; the human.

"Ah, what do we have here." A man with black hair declared as we walked in, rising from his throne. He appeared to be their leader. "Welcome to Volterra." He said looking to me.

Alec then left my side and went to grab the man's hand.

The man then looked at Alec and said

"Are you sure?"

Alec nodded.

"Do as you wish." The man said.

Alec then took me out of the room and around a corner, out of sight.

He then gently pushed me against the wall.

"This will only hurt a little, if I can help it." he whispered close to my neck.

He then bit me.

I tried to scream at the intense pain, but he held my mouth shut.

Then everything went black.

I didn't know how long I was out, but I wasn't in pain.

I was numb.

It was like a deep, deep, dreamless sleep.

Then I opened my eyes to a new world.

So what do you think? Should I post the next ch.?