Alex's POV:

I stretched happily. School was over in 3 minutes and I was totally content to sit in the 7th grade classroom with Jared next to me. I smiled at him and he smiled back. Lots of people thought it was weird for a guy and a girl to be best friends, especially after Elementary school, but we really didn't care. Jared looked somewhat sheepishly at me. I sighed.

"What did you do now?" I asked him.

"Nothing...."

"Liar. I know you did something. You have that look on your face."

"I might have planted a smoke bomb in the teacher's work room...."

"I really need to tell your mother to keep you away from Potassium."

"No! I like meh smokey bombs...."

"Sure..." I rolled my eyes at him. He should not be allowed to have sugar, potassium, and a hot skillet in the same place. I coughed a little, and realized that was the only sound in the room. I frowned and looked around. Everyone was absolutely dead silent. Jared noticed too, and he clearly didn't want to break the silence -- he put his hand to his mouth to stifle a cough. Maybe we were coming down with the flu.

I followed everyone's line of gaze. I nearly fell over backward in shock. A vampyre male, with intricate designs around his full blown moon cresent, was in the room. Jared and I sat there gawking with the rest of the class. We were all 12, so none of us had really seen a vamp before..... The bell rang and no one moved.

"May I help you?" Mr. Baynes asked the vamp. The vamp turned his attention to the proffessor.

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

The vamp ignored him. My blood began to chill as he turned and looked straight at me. Then at Jared. Then back to me. Jared's Grey eyes were huge. So were my sapphire ones.

"Alexandryne Rose and Jared Williamson, you are chosen by the Goddess to be Marked!" the vamp yelled. He pushed one hand at each of us. The pain that followed made me want to scream. My flesh felt like it was burning as the little crescent moon carved it's way into my forehead. I heard Jared gasp out. I looked over to him, but could only see a mop of auburn hair. I was the first one to straighten.

I was shaking as I fingered my searing skin. All of my classmates were staring at me like I was an alien. Even Sam.... the guy who had had a crush on me. The vampire disappeared in a plume of smoke. The class ran for it.... and Jared staightened. I gasped. He gasped. We both gasped.

His Mark looked like someone had burned the mark into his skin, to it had turned black, but it was radiating an odd neon green colour. I knew, judging by his expression, mine was similar. As hi Mark cooled, it turned to a dark greed that seemed to glow and shimmered like it was encrusted with diamonds. I ran over to one of the mirrors in the corner of the room that Mr. Baynes suspended from girls who tried to do their make up in class. Mine was almost the same as his, except my moon was upside down. Like, instead of looking like a backwards C id looked like a n.... so flopped on it's side. I felt like hacking my guts up.

Since when did kids that weren't teens get Marked? And... weren't Marks supposed to be sapphire?

"Alex. Jared. You need to get to the House of Night. Now," Mr Baynes said softly. I looked at him.

"I can't... I have no way to get there. And my parents hate vamps," I said.

"So do mine," chimed Jared.

"I can drive you. I'll explain to your parents. The nearest one would be the House of Huston," Mr. Baynes said. Right then, I thought I had the best teacher in the whole stinking world.