"Duke, Marlette, breakfast is ready!" I jumped up out of bed and slid down the railing towards the cold stone floor. As soon as I landed, my sister was flaunting down the stairs, "Even for a junior you're still pretty juvenile." I blatantly ignored her comment and continued walking. What's that smell? Must be pancakes. Today is the first day of a new school and I really wish I didn't have to go. In Lucerne, Wyoming, it was snowing like crazy and the snow was falling in flurries. It was December, the middle of the school year." Duke, honey, why aren't you eating?"

"I'm not that hungry. I just want to go to school and get it over with."

Marlette decided that she would turn this on her self, "Well, I, on the other hand can't wait-"

"Marlette, please, quit being so self-centered." Mom quirked and Marlette sat back in her chair. Marlette would be leaving for collage soon, which was a good thing in my book.

"Mom, can I go now?"

"Sure. Lunch money is in your bag!"

"K, thanks Mom!"

"Marlette, you can go to."

"Thanks Mom. Bye, I love you!"

This stupid truck! Ugh…I hate this thing. I thought as I sat in the car and fooled with the key. "Da poor baby can't start da car! Awww." Marlette whined for me.

"Shut up. Can you lend me a ride?"

"Fine."

"Thanks, I owe you one."

"Yeah you do." We rode in silence. I looked out the window through the flurries. I can't believe we have to start over again, after every guy hurts Mom, we flee the state. "Hey brains," I snapped out of my trance, "We're here and people are staring. You know this isn't exactly the best way to start out in a new school."

"I'm aware." I said as she walked ahead. I flipped up the hood on my jacket and continued to the door where there was no snow flurrying down. I hate the way people stare at me. I think it's because of my scar. When I was younger, I fell down a flight of stairs and cut my right temple on a railing rosette. I was scared and had it stitched up.

"Hey! New Kid!" I looked up to find a tall, lanky, guy walking over towards me. "Join the drama club! We could use you for Charlie in the new musical."

"Thanks and why?"

"Because your hair is perfect, blond, and messy. What's your name?"

"Duke and yours is?"

"Michael, look man, I hate doing this but, I gotta earn credits for collage."

"That stinks," We walked toward the main hallway. "Do we have a football team?"

"Yeah, the sign-ups are still going and a few people are trying out like, Jonah," he pointed to a muscular, jet black haired, and really weird acting dude guy by the fountain, "Allan," he pointed to a Johnny Depp wanna-be. I let him go on and on. I barely listened as he rambled on about some of the guys. I looked around and I saw five pale, green-eyed people walk in. "Who are they?" I asked.

"Oh, that's the St. Marks clan. The caramel-colored hair dude is Phex, the blond girl is Alamanda, and they're together and seniors." Like my sister. "Then there's Beatrice, the girl with the pale pink hair. She's a freshman. And then, there's Xander and Ivy. They are close but, aren't dating. Word has it that Xander and Beatrice are dating. Ivy and Xander are juniors."

"Wow. That's kinda strange to be dating your own family."

"They aren't really family. Phex, Beatrice and Ivy are the real St. Marks and Alamanda and Xander are just add-ons." He paused for laughter but, in return he got crickets. Ivy was the most beautiful person there and she walked as if there was something wrong with her siblings. I noticed the pain in her face as Beatrice and Xander walked hand in hand to class and when Phex and Alamanda started to kiss. I felt bad for her. I wanted to walk up to her and say, 'Hey, its ok. You know how relationships go, boy meets girl, girl falls head over heels for boy and one ends up breaking the other's heart.' And that wasn't going to happen anytime soon so, I just kept quiet. Michael, on the other hand wasn't so quiet. He walked up to Ivy and, inevitably, starts to hit on her. Ivy was unimpressed so, I walked up to Michael and grabbed his hood and said, "Come on, don't make a fool of yourself."

"Dude, come on, I was in the zone, man. I saw it her eyes, she totally wanted me."

"More like she wanted you to get away."

"Yeah, who can resist this charm?" He looked around at the girls who were walking by and they started laughing and gossiping about him. I laughed too. "Apparently every girl can."

"Whatever mister smart guy."

"We're gonna be late for class! Come on!" Then, I remembered Michael had different classes than me. "Dude, I'll see you at lunch."

"Ok, see ya later Duke!"

I arrived 3 minutes late for Science. Everyone was staring as I walked in the room. "Hi, I'm Duke, Duke Sheppard."

"I'm aware of that Mister Sheppard, now, this isn't the best way to greet a new school, is it Mister Sheppard?"

"No Ma'am. It won't happen again, Ma'am."

"Be assure of that Mister Sheppard."

"Yes Ma'am." I walked down to an open seat next to Ivy St. Marks. Her eyes looked red as I looked over at her. "Hello."

"Hi."

"How are you?"

"Look, no one every talks to me unless they want something, so what could you possibly want? A hot date to prom, a kiss or what?" She said coldly.

"Maybe, if you started to act a little social mixed with a little effort, then you might have friends but, you are a cold hearted piece of crap. And you're not that lucky and I'm not that desperate." I answered back, almost as cold as she was to me. I expected her to say something smart back but, all she did was stare at me. Then, I saw it, the coldness in her voice and the coven like attitude with her family it was all a shield, a shield to protect the one thing she had never let bother her. The fact that she was alone while her whole family had partners because, I broke that shield, she'll have to get revenge. Bloodlust, to be exact.

I listened to the teacher as she went on about cells and molecules. I barley was able to keep my breakfast down when she said we would dissect frogs next week. The bell rang and as soon as I could, I packed my books and got out of the classroom. I was walking when I slammed into something that was as hard as a rock. I fell back and looked up. I saw a man, no, a young man standing in front of me. My books scattered all over the floor. The light hit his face, I saw him much clearer then I did in the courtyard. His auburn hair was tied in a ponytail, and his chin was chiseled and he wore jeans that made him look like a rock star. "What are you staring at?" His deep voice bellowed.

"Nothing. I'm sorry I r-ran in to y-you." A girl with a bright pink bob skipped over.

"Xander, what did you do to him?" She said in a shrill, slightly annoying voice. She looked at my nose. "You're bleeding. Xander, go get the nurse." He stood there. "Xander! If you know what's good for you I would go get the nurse! Now!" Her shrill voice became angry and loud. Xander left and moved swiftly down the hallway. "He is so strange sometimes. He is just like Ivy."

"What is Ivy like at home?"

"She's very quiet, she can't stand Alamanda. They only people she talks to is me and Xander. When we come home from school she goes right to her room, sits on her balcony and reads all night long."

"She doesn't eat?"

"Yeah, we all eat at the same time. Alamanda always talks about cheerleading, football players and getting married."

"She wants marriage?"

"More than anything, and a baby."

"Really? I'd like to meet this family of yours."

"Come and sit with us at lunch and we'll talk and you'll hear more from them themselves."

"Ok. How long does it take to get a nurse?"

"I have no idea. Close your ears for a minute. I can get really loud." I plugged my ears as she scorched Xander's name. Xander followed behind the nurse. She knelt down. "Are you ok, son?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, I'm done here; just clean it up in the bathroom. I swear, I think you St. Marks are afraid of blood."

"We kind of are." Beatrice replied sweetly. I looked at her. "I have to go, I'll be late again for class."

"Ok, um…have fun."

"I have…English. I'll have fun."

"Good."

"I was being sarcastic."

"Oh, I knew that." She said with a nervous laugh. "Bye!" She was really strange, and the only reason I thought that was because, she was a happy person. Her dyed pink hair was cut as a bob. She had bangs that covered her eyes. She was very bubbly and, just, strange. When she was helping me her eyes changed from a florescent green to a horrid throw-up like green, her face didn't look right and she seemed distant. I wondered if what the nurse had said was true, that they were afraid of blood. I walked to the bathrooms that were the closest and wiped my face down with cool water and a towel. My head hurt as I went to class and sat down in the back row. I stared at the clock; I counted the seconds in my head. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… at 2450, the teacher called on me and asked me to find the preposition in the sentence. "Is the prep of?"

"Very good Duke, you where staring off into space, keep your eyes on the book, board and me. I'm going to have to come in here with pajamas on to keep you guys paying attention." The whole class cracked up, I had to laugh too, he was a pretty decent guy, that I know of. But, he runs a no-nonsense classroom, he doesn't like it when people talk in slang and say R.I.C.S, which are random irrelevant comments. My mind wondered for the rest of the class, this was pretty boring, sitting in English class with a bunch of idiotic guys and too chatty of a class. This wasn't right.

After I was released, I looked at my schedule and saw that I had Gym next period. I almost walked into a guy. I mumbled, "Sorry." He mumbled some profanity and continued walking. High Schools these days. I thought as I went along through the red doors into the world where I would be classified as living prey because, I'm uncoordinated in everyway. I can't throw or hit to save my life and I defiantly have no chance at being the high school heartthrob. I am muscular, even though I don't work out at all. My father, Jerry Sheppard, was the best ballplayer you could meet. He owned a quad, four ball fields, they where always kept clean, mowed and with a few bathrooms near them. (My dad hated when there was a bathroom on the other side of the park.) When my father was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, I slept on the floor near his bed, brought him a cup of dirt from the ball field and helped whenever I could. The day my father stopped breathing, was asleep and when I woke up, he was gone, I ran to one of the nurses and asked her what was going on. She said my father died in his sleep, the most peaceful way to go. I cried for days and days. I still have the cup of dirt in my bedroom, it won't ever leave me.

I pondered on where I should sit for a minute; I breezed over a few faces. Then, I saw her. Her blond hair was long and a black headband was squeezed over her large forehead. That must've been Alamanda St. Marks. Her eyes where the same shade as Ivy's, Beatrice's and Xander, her eyes though, were formed awkwardly. She sat next to a short, skinny armed young man. His short hair was slid back with so much grease; he looked like he had come straight out of The Grease-Lighting shot in 'Grease'. His face looked as if it was sculpted by Michelangelo. He made me look like a dog compared to him. His eyes were the same exact shade as the others. This was really freaking me out. They weren't related but, they looked so much alike, pale skin with bluish tints under their eyes, green eyes, and they all looked very muscular, even the girls. I took a seat next to a few girls; I had recognized them from class. This one girl though, she had insanely bright blue eyes, brown hair and sat next to a few others. Her name, I think, was Mercedes. She was calm and very friendly. She turned around to catch me staring. "Hi, I'm Mercedes, Duke, right?"

"Yeah, Duke Sheppard." She moved over her friends next to me. I held my breath; she had a tad too much perfume on. It was probably something by Britany Spears, considering that that's all Marlette wears.

"You like Gym? Considering your build, I think you would fit in well with the jocks."

"No, I hate Gym. I can't play anything to save my life, I'm very uncoordinated."

"Oh, there I go giving labels again," She giggled. "I'll see you around, ok?"

"Yeah, you will." She moved back over too her friends.