Part One: Tracked

The ceremonial words didn't mean much to me. I knew they were coming.

I intuitively knew that someday, he would find me, and someday, I would be Marked. The fact that I didn't fit in made me almost look forward to this event, instead of dread it as my friends did, and this set me apart in yet another way.

Now, in the bathroom of Bellbrook High, right after my weekly Thursday student council meeting, I fingered the crescent tattoo, a sapphire outline embossed on to my otherwise clear forehead. Curly brown bangs brushed the top of the crescent, and I pushed them out of the way with one urgent motion.

"I'm a vampyre," I said to myself, slowly. "A vampyre."

And though I knew it, knew it from the time I first saw someone get Marked, saw the Tracker's gaze meet mine for a small second before he disappeared, for a moment I was unprepared.

Cassadee Mathewson, my absolute best friend in the world, tentatively tapped me on the shoulder. "Uh, Miri, this might be a really bad time, but… um, aren't you gonna start dying any moment now?"

Oh God Almighty, totally forgot about that part. "Most likely," I commented dryly, grabbing my book bag and heading to her car. "So, my house first, then… that House of Night place?"

"Don't you want your mom to drive you?" Cass asked, her eyebrows raised speculatively.

"Depends, is she gonna start crying?"

"I don't know, really." she said, attempting a light grin and failing.

"Yeah, I'm not sure either." I sighed.

My house was old, built in nineteenth century Bellbrook- a controversial city, only recently settled by it's first vampyre. Now, seeing a vamp around town was much more common. We were located at about the halfway point between two of the House of Night schools, the Dayton location and the Columbus. Even the Cincinnati House of Night wasn't far off. But even with the ideal location, I had still only seen one person get marked in my entire life.

Cass slammed her old car to an abrupt halt. "You want me to go in, for, like, moral support?"

I hesitated. On one hand, the booklet all fifth grade students were given by visiting vampyre professors (Starting Life as a Fledgling Vampyre in Three Steps) told us that telling your parents you were Marked was a special experience for family only. But, still, I knew I'd feel better with Cass in there. I nodded and started into the house, Cass patting my shoulder comfortingly.

"Flatten your bangs," she whispered in my ear. "You wanna be the one to tell them. Don't let them see it before they hear it." Her quotation of the pamphlet was precise and comforting.

She did it for me before my long, pale hand had any time to move. "There," she said. "Perfect."

I glanced past her at the mirror in our hallway. I did look human, if absolutely terrified. My dark hair concealed the blue tattoo pretty well.

"Oh God, here comes your mom," Cass said, and I dived behind her.

My mother was the sort of woman that wasn't intimidating, wasn't strong, wasn't horrible. But she had a sort of presence, a sort of aura about her. Nobody could lie to my mother, and usually, she just knew stuff. More than likely, all Cass's preparations to help me look human were in vain.

She twirled her blonde hair (I got my looks from my dad). "What happened at school today?" she asked me matter-of-factly. "And tell the truth, I know something happened."

Cass, still in front of me, waved at my mom in a weak distraction. "Uh, hi, Ms. LaFont," she said cheerily. "Nice day, isn't it?"

"Well, I'm sure it's a nice day, and I wish you'd just call me Aphrodite, Cassadee dear, but I really need to see Mirabelle right now." Mom twisted her hair around her finger again.

I poked one arm out and waved. "Hi, Mom," I said.

She sighed. "Your forehead, Mirabelle, your forehead. God Almighty."

Slowly, I emerged from behind Cass. Mom briskly walked over to me and brushed my bangs away. "You've been Marked," she commented in an un-opinionated voice, as if she didn't mind- maybe didn't even care- that I was.

"Yep," I said, immediately replacing my hair over the tattoo.

Despite her previous display of un-emotion, her eyes started to tear up. "Oh, Miri," she cried, resorting suddenly and unexpectedly to my nickname, which she had always hated. "Mirabelle, you'll have so much fun. The best four years of my life were spent at House of Night Tulsa."

Cass's eyes nearly dropped out of their sockets. "Ms. Aphrodite ma'am, you're human… aren't you?"

"Just Aphrodite, dear, and yes, I am, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"Yes, but enough about me. What about Mirabelle?"

"I'm cool," I said automatically.

My mother nodded. "Okay then, go get packed. Tulsa's a long way away…"

"Tulsa!?!" my friend shrieked.

"Okay, Mom, that is totally not cool, Tulsa's in like, Oklahoma, and the only thing I know about that place is from the musical." I ranted on. "And besides, Dayton and Columbus both have a House of Night, and they're sooo much closer."

"What do I do when I need her advice?" Cass demanded.

Mom remained cool. "You e-mail her."

"What if I need her?" I asked.

"Then YOU email HER," she responded, still calm.

"What if we need to see each other in person?!?" we yelled in unison.

Mom laughed, tossing back her blonde hair. "Mirabelle will have new friends of her own kind that she can go to, and Cassadee, you're still a sophomore. It'll be easy to make friends this year. Both of you will be absolutely fine, you can be pen pals or something."

"No way, Aphrodite, your honor" Cass said, pushing her wisps of syrupy dyed-red hair behind her ears stubbornly. "Miri isn't leaving any more than she has to."

"Yeah! I'll go to Dayton or somewhere. I'm sixteen, you can't control me much anymore!" I screamed rebelliously.

"You aren't sixteen, yet," Mom reminded me.

"Well, I'm almost sixteen. I can drive, though!" Resisting a childish urge to stick out my tongue, I folded my arms over my chest.

"But it's not like you have your license."

"No, but I've got my permit, and Cass has her license AND a car. If you wanna drive me all the way to Tulsa, then I'll get Cass to take me to Dayton," I threatened.

"Your dad just moved to back to Tulsa," Mom said, raising her eyebrow.

Well, that changed things. I hadn't seen my dad since I was little. It was customary for humans and vampyres to live separate lives, and so my parents relationship had been scorned at and discriminated until it slowly fell to pieces.

I looked at Cass pleadingly. She sighed. "Go ahead, Miri, I'd feel the same way."

I smiled gratefully before grasping Cass's hand. "Come with us. It's the last time we'll get to see each other in a while, and I know I'd feel better in Tulsa if you helped me settle in. It's a three-day weekend, you'll be back for school on Monday."

"Tuesday," my friend smiled. "I'll call in sick."

I hugged her tightly. "You're the best, Cass!"

"Hell, maybe I should just transfer down to Broken Arrow High while I'm at it," Cass joked. Then she sighed. "I wish I really could switch schools, but Annette would kill me." Annette was Cass's older sister and legal guardian. She gave Cass a lot of freedom, but cracked down hard on the rare occasion that my friend took advantage of it.

"So, Cass is coming too?" Mom commented, again in her uncaring voice.

"Yeah… this might just be our only chance to go on a road trip together, and that was one of the things on our list of stuff to do before we die," I said enthusiastically.

Cass cracked a smile. "Well, Miri… if you wanna get technical…"