Roses Are Red

Summary: Hi. I'm Faith Isabella de Silva. Interesting name, not? Yeah, well, I'm not your average girl. My mom's the most powerful shifter around, and my dad (who my friends allllwaaays drool over-eew!) is pretty high up there on the mediator totem pole. So, what did I get from them? OK, a) I'm a shifter. And b) Thanks to being a mediator/shifter hybrid, I'm a "special" kind of shifter. I mediate vampires.

Chapter One: Just Wonderful

Mom's face was serious as she and Dad sat me down in our living room. Which is weird, since she's the fun loving mom the your friends are all 'OMG, your lucky!' about. Dad's the serious one. Which makes my best friend, Cassidy, think he's even sexier.

Gross!

"Faith," Mom said carefully, "Your father and I have news to tell you."

Great.

"You guys aren't getting a divorce, are you?" I asked. This is highly unlikely. Mom and Dad are nuts about each other. Once again, gross.

"No," Dad sighed. He's this tall, Spanish doctor who basically all women love. I got my dark hair, skin tones, and slight accent from him. My eyes and body structure are all Mom.

"Look," Mom said, "Have you heard anything about... 'shifters' from Ben?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Mom, Dad, I dumped Ben Slater last week."

Dad promptly praised the Lord in Spanish. I could understand everything he was saying, for I speak fluent Spanish.

"Uh, so, anyway," Mom continued, "Shifters are... people who help the dead move on. And they can go between dimensions."

What kind of fairy tale had she been reading?

"I am one."

What the...?

"And I," Dad said, "Am a mediator, which is all that, without the dimensions thing."

"He's also an ex-ghost," Mom added.

Wonderful.

At this, my jaw dropped.

So, Mom gave me the whole story. Fell for a ghost, brought him to life, married him, and had two kids. My and my brother, Nicholas Hose de Silva.

And they tell me this when I'm sixteen!

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked after a moment. Dad answered that one.

"Because we were thinking that you were a shifter as well."

I thought back.

"No, haven't seen any ghosts lately, thanks."

I was getting hysterical, laughing my head off. Dad calmly put a hand on my shoulder. He often did this, to settle me down, and it did. He did the same with Mom. I can't be a shifter!

And it's not like I'll tell them about what I have been seeing.

Mom looked confused. "That's strange."

"I'll go check the books," Dad said, and walked into our library.

Have I mentioned that my family is pretty... well, rich?

Dad's one of the most successful surgeon in the world, and Mom's a well known psychaiatrist.

After a few moments of silence, Dad walked in, his face stony.

"Faith," He said, "You have been seeing things, haven't you?"

"What?" Mom asked.

"According to the book," Dad sighed, "A mediator/shifter hybrid is a shifter-for vampires."

Now it was Mom's jaw's turn to drop.

"F-Faith?"

I shrugged innocently.

"OK, so I've met the occasional blood-sucker."

Stares.

"They come to me, not the other way around. And I send them on their merry way to find some other person who can do the job. Nick's one, too."

At that moment, my thirteen year old brother walked in.

"Dang!" He yelled at me, "You told them?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, dweeb. I have. They woulda found out once Giselle came over, anyway, lookin' for love."

Nick blushed. Giselle's this female vamp his age, obsessed with him.

"Giselle?" Mom asked.

"Yeah," I sighed, "She's got a thing for Nick." Though it grosses me out, apparently, Nick-who looks like Dad with Mom's eyes- is quite the heartthrob in his class.

"Look," Mom sighed, "If you're supposed to help the vampires, I think you should."

Dad's eyes bugged out. "They should? Querida-"

"Shush," Mom snapped, "If you know what you're doing, and are careful, you must do it. Or else, they won't stop bugging you."

After a moment, Nick and I agreed simultaneously: "OK."

Buffy, look out. There's a new vamp fighting chick in town.

000

I filed one nail as Father Dom lectured me. Hey, I'm not all that girly, but I have a thing about my nails.

"Faith," He sighed, "You need to stop threatening Ben Slater."

I rolled my eyes. I respect and like Father Dom and all-he's, like, eighty-eight and still hasn't retired- but the guy is such a goody goody.

Yeah. I take after Mom in my attitude.

"Look," I said, "Ben is a wimp who won't give up on a girl. You can't blame me for threatening to kick him in his-"

"And almost going through with it," Father Dom added.

Oh, yeah. I had been about to do it when that novice caught me.

The de Silvas and the Slaters have never been on very good terms. It's 'cause Ben's dad, Paul, stalked my mom. And, as I recently figured out, almost killed her once.

Lovely, isn't it?

When Ben asked me to go steady, Dad looked like he was about to pass out. I said yes. Even though I hate his guts and all, Ben is pretty cute. A few inches taller than me-I got Dad's height, too- with curly hair and brown eyes. Besides the eyes, a mini of his dad.

Not that Paul's hot anymore.

But I saw photos of him when he was younger, and realized that my ex's dad was quite the looker.

"Can I get out of here?" I asked Father Dom. "This office is giving me claustrophobia."

"You don't have claustrophobia, Faith."

"I do now."

And with that, I stolled out of my principal's office.

"Faith!" A hopeful voice called. I flinched.

"Ben, not right now."

"Please listen to me."

"I'd rather not."

"Come on!"

Just as I was about to turn and suggest some unholy things, a voice came.

"Faith de Silva, isn't it?"

Turning, I saw the best looking thing ever.

He was tall-taller than Ben-, with black hair and sapphire blue eyes. His face looked like it had been carved by angels, and he wore dark clothes that... well, were very, very, form fitting.

But as dazzled as I was, I wasn't fooled.

That pale skin, inhumanly beautiful look, and Britich accent were dead give aways.

A vampire.

"What do you want?" I asked, crossing my arms. But not as firmly as I usually do. Even for a vamp guy-they're almost always hotties- this guy was hot.

"I have a friend who wants your help," He said. I caught a glimpse of those strong, white teeth. The incisors were a bit sharper than a normal human's.

"Not you yourself?" I was surprised.

"No." His accent made everything he said clipped. You see, vamps aren't really from Transylvania. They're from England. Most have lost their accents, but this guy had to be pretty old. Not that he looked it. Twenty-one, I'll put him at that.

Would have been to old for me any-

Control, Faith.

"Who is this dude?" Came a voice. I had forgotten that Ben was there.

"Yeah, who are you, anyway?" I asked.

"Magnus," The vamp replied in his cool tone. "And like I said, I need your help with a friend."

Darting a look at Ben, I drew Magnus to a more secluded spot.

"Look," I muttered to him, "There's gotta be more that one vamp shifter around. My brother, for instance."

"You're brother is too young," Magnus sighed, "You, Faith, are the only competent vampire shifter in this area."

At first, I glowed with pride-heehee, I was competent!- but then a thought struck me.

"How the heck do you know my name?"

Magnus chuckled. "Heard about you through the grapevine. Look, are you helping my friend, or not?"

After a moment, and heaing Mom's talk about how it was 'my destiny', I made my decision.

"Absolutely not."

000

What Faith forgot is that vamps are masters of persuasion. R and R!