My alarm buzzed, piercing through my dream. I inwardly groaned. Just another 5 minutes? I hit the sleep button on my clock. However I don't fall asleep again. Instead I lie in bed thinking about the previous night, where I was awoken mid-way through the night by my father, requesting me to go downstairs. I quickly made myself look presentable (as he had asked me to), and went down to meet him in the study. I walked in to an awkward silence, which grew worse when my dad said my name in disappointment at what I was wearing. Apparently I didn't look presentable; I still don't understand what isn't presentable about jeans, a sweatshirt, and my hair quickly braided. It's not like I was wearing short-shorts, a cropped t-shirt and make-up screaming LOOK AT ME! I looked over at my sister Sydney, who had a sympathising look on her face, and I went over to stand next to her. We listened to the Alchemists talk; or rather drone on. I'd been requested by Keith Darnell to accompany him to Palm Springs for a mission. However there was one slight complication. I wasn't ready. Dad had to choose between Sydney and I who would be better to send on the mission. It was clear he was going to send me, but that's when Sydney degraded me by saying over and over again how I wasn't ready to go.

And now, today, will be like any other day, except without my sister to protect me from mum and dads' bickering. Not that I care. I'm happy she's gone. She's selfish and proud, and last night she made it clear what she thinks of me. She thinks I'm a stupid, little girl; and she obviously views herself as more important than me and everyone else. I can't believe she even had the audacity to accuse me of wanting to go on the mission only to impress dad… I mean, that is a reason I would like to go; but I'd also like to impress the other alchemists, and not to mention Keith Darnell. And also it would be pretty awesome to actually have some field experience.

Keith Darnell was the son of the accomplished Tom Darnell; who is also a family friend, in particular of my dads'. When I was eleven, Keith lived with my family for a while. Keith, I must admit, is extremely good looking. Unfortunately he is a few years older than me. He went on a date with my sister Carly once, but I think she broke up with him. Sydney and Carly hate Keith; I pity him. It must hard to have your heart broken by a beautiful girl like her and then be treated so badly by that same girl and her sister. Although sometimes, I wish I were as pretty as Carly or at least as slim as a Moroi.

A moroi is a type of vampire. The three breeds of vampire are known as strigoi, moroi and dhampir. Moroi can have magical abilities, and they're normally slim, tall, fair, and dazzling. They reach model standards, as we would say. Dhampirs are the unnatural offspring of a moroi and human or a moroi and dhampir pairing. And then there's strigoi. Strigoi are soulless vampires; dark, evil, twisted. Anyone can become strigoi if a strigoi was to fully drain them and then feed the victim its' blood. Another way to become a strigoi is if you're a moroi and you kill a victim whilst drinking it.

I pull a plaid, red and white mini-dress on; buckling up a thick, black decorative belt around my waist. I slip into my favourite pair of ballet flats. I cover my face in layers of ivory foundation, pink eye shadow, mascara, shiny lip gloss, and finish off by putting on some pink blush to highlight my cheeks. I tie my hair in a high bow. Checking out my reflection in the mirror, I declare aloud how Carly would be proud of my outfit. I look marvellous compared to Sydney in her usual boring dreary-toned fashion.

I skip downstairs in a conflicted mood. On one hand I'm really excited to be meeting up with some friends, on the other I miss and yet am really angry with Sydney. I walk into the kitchen. Mum asks me if I'd like a pancake and I nod; Dad arches an eyebrow at my outfit. I poke my tongue out at him. He opens his mouth, but whatever criticism he is about to say is interrupted by a knock at the door.

He looks at me and then to the door pointedly. I huff in resignation. I hear another knock at the door and decide to silence the stranger. I open it, slightly annoyed at the other persons' impatience.

'Hi,' I say awkwardly.

The lady on the other side nods curtly. She has dark, wavy hair, green eyes, a pale face. She's wearing tonnes of make-up; her eyes pop out with orange eye shadow and heavy mascara, and her lips are painted a bright shade of crimson. Her eyebrows look partially waxed. I nearly yelp in surprise when I recognise the strange face. Quirky, Aunt Marge, standing on her doorstep. I haven't seen her since I was 3 but I always remember being scared of her. One time she stayed with us for a week for Thanksgiving; that week, I never left Sydney's side.

I'd also heard stories from Sydney and Carly. Apparently one time Aunt Marge was smoking… but it smelt sweet and the smoke was sky blue. Needless to say Marge acted very strange, stranger than usual, afterwards. Looking back, I know now it was probably some kind of alchemist-designed marijuana she'd bribed off someone...

'Marge?' My father says in about just as much shock as I must be feeling.

Marge ignores his silent question and instead looks me up and down. 'I'm shocked you haven't recruited the poor girl already.'

'She's still being trained,' he says harshly.

The way Marge knew everything about the alchemists; you'd think she was his sister. But she isn't. She's my mums'.

I look back at the front door, contemplating closing it. When suddenly my dad shrieks, 'No, not in there!' He blocks the fridge.

'Why not, Jared? I'm hungry after all the 24 hours of travelling I've been doing to get here. Give me a break.'

'I have potions cooling in there…'

'I want to see my sister.' She interrupts.

Dad mumbles something unintelligible but marches off upstairs. Marge eyes me for a moment but then pulls out a cigarette. I wonder if she'll be smoking the blue stuff but then mum and dad return and she quickly hides the cigarette in her pocket.

'Maggie!' Mum cries wrapping her arms around Marge's shoulders, squeezing her in a tight embrace. Dad makes a disapproving face. 'Zoe, make your mother and your Aunt a cappuccino.'

'Yes dad.' I reply briskly.

I turn around and walk to the kitchen, thoughts racing. Why's my aunt here? Why doesn't dad like her? Why was mum so relieved to see her?

I mix the coffee, at the same time imagining dads' happiness when I get my alchemist tattoo. Alchemists receive a special tattoo to identify them to other members of the alchemist ranks. The tattoos are engrained with water magic and earth magic to improve our immune systems. Moreover the tattoos are combined with moroi compulsion, which stops us from speaking about vampires to people who don't need to know. The tattoo is a metallic gold lily, which is engraved on the cheek and part of the neck.

I finish mixing the cocoa compounds and pasteurized milk with H2O. I precariously balance the three hot drinks, stumbling into the room. 'Thanks Zoe,' mum smiles. Dad just nods. Aunt Madge tilts her head at me. 'Zoe? Oh my, I thought you were young Carly… You have grown so much! Sissy, where are the other two?'

'Oh! My lovely Carly is studying at uni and Sydney is away for work.'

'Young Carly, I was always proud of her. My, Sydney must have grown up. Of course she's working with the alchemists, I assume. But why is Sydney the next family alchemist instead of Carly? I thought it was the eldest who took over?'

'Yes, but Carly wasn't ready.'

'Well, nonetheless you must be very proud of Sydney then, Jared.'

'Proud? Not quite. She's disgraced the family name through her naïve attempts to impress the higher ups… Proud is the furthest I feel for her at the moment. I'm shocked they even allowed me to send her away for the job instead of Zoe but they did need someone with some experience and Zoe just isn't ready… I hope Sydney makes up for the dishonour she's brought upon this family.'

'You have no idea what she's given up for this Jared, you should be thankful!' My mother yells, suddenly leaving the room. I gasp and my mouth literally hangs open, dad tells me to shut it and I obey. Aunt Madge just death stares my dad. I can't stand the silence and choose to leave. I run up stairs to my room, but I pause at Sydneys' doorway, where her door is hanging open. I hear muffled sobbing. 'Mum?' I ask.

'Zoe… I just wish, I wish your dad was the same fun guy as he was when I met him.' Mum barely manages to get the sentence out between sobs.

'What do you mean mum?' I ask.

'When I first met your father, he didn't care about khaki clothes on guys and black and white on girls.' She pauses a second to let this sink in; I frown. Happy with my uncertainty, she continues, 'I met him when I was 17 and he was 19. We were at the movies with some of our mutual friends. He was wearing jeans ripped at the knee, a surf shirt and his hair was ruffled and gelled. It looked super hot-'

'Mum! I don't need to know that!'

'Okay, okay. Anyway, the point is he hasn't always been so up tight. You know at one point he had 3 girlfriends at once.'

'So why'd you date him?'

'Because every girl likes a bad boy.'

'Not me.'

'You're 15, no offense honey, but I don't think you'd understand yet.'

'Yes mum.'

'Oh yes and that's another thing. Your father used to NEVER follow rules. He was the biggest rule breaker out there!'

'So you fell in love with him because he was a rebel? That's stupid…'

'Yeah, I guess it is. I wish I knew what happened to the Jared I fell in love with. As soon as I had Carly, well he changed. I guess he just felt he had to be responsible. But it's destroyed him. And it's destroyed this family.'

'But mum… his a better person; how does that destroy us?'

'You don't even realise… what you're missing out on, a normal life; it's something you can never have because of him. Sydney hates it. She took your place on the mission to save you from that life. Life with the alchemists isn't so amazing as you've been brought up to think.'

'Mum, she's lying, she just wants all the glory for herself!'

'No Zoe, she isn't lying…'

'How do you know?'

'Zoe, I just do.'