Staira

It was like any other day. Any other normal day.

The sun was high in the sky and the sand on the beach was warm and inviting. What do you do on an empty beach that's warm and glistening and filled with only you and your family and your friends and their family? Sand Angels, then straight to sea with ya'. I giggled to myself and then lay down on the sand and closed my eyes, the sun didn't get my eyes and didn't aggravate them at all. To tell the truth, I loved the sunlight, and of any other place I'd like to be it would be right here. I got up and stepped further into the beach and closer to the sea.

"What ya' doin' Staira?" Jack smiled at me, stupid kid had a crush on me but everyone knew it was only cause of something he liked more than me (get where I'm going?) "Going in the sea? Want me to come with and protect you from any sharks?" he said waggling his brows at me, which I thoroughly tried to ignore – every day of my life.

"No, Jack" I began "I do not need your pompous help from some crazy butt dolphins with attitude" I said leaning and putting my hand on my hip. God. I hated being mean to people or even close to cussing but seriously that kid needed to be given a thorough kick up the a- butt

"You know I love ya' babeh!" he shouted to me as I pulled off my drape and sun hat, and suddenly there was a gust of wind. Which I loved too. I flung my arms out and shook my head slightly, embracing the cool breeze. Sure, I probably looked like I was trying to look sexy and stuff, but really I was just embracing life and all its wonders! (Ooookay, what in hells bells was that about?)

Without checking the temperature of the sea (like a wuss!) I stepped in and slowly began wading/swimming out. It was about 9-10 meters out that I started feeling drowsy. Like super drowsy, as if I'd just fall asleep in the water any moment. And then... I went under. It took me a few moments to realise that it was deeper than I'd imagined and like I usually did when I was underwater, I opened my eyes and tried to look around, there it was. Coming right for me, but what was it? Was it a shark? Was this the end for Staira Beau Pre? (I sounded like a movie just then, sigh).

As my vision focused I noticed it was a guy and that he was getting closer, I began to hear him. Literally hear his thoughts, but it sounded like he was talking,

Staira Beau Pre, he said, the night's beautiful echo is calling you. Listen to it, and heed its wonderful word. Your future and destiny lies at the House of Night. Join us! Staira! Join Us! And then he pointed his finger at me and it touched my forehead. I felt a horrible pain and then I fainted.

Great, I thought, just what I would get... I get marked and then I drown... yay... I could hear the sob breaking out in my minds voice. And then something... beautiful happened. My mind became a Rose Garden, right in the midst of a meadow. I reached out to touch the roses but an echoed voice stopped me:

Staira Beau Pre? Of course it is you... be careful or you may prick yourself, my fair... the voice didn't seem to put an ending to its sentences, merely trail off, and I noticed that it called me what my parents used to call me. How did it know that?

"Who is this?" I asked thin air

I am the mother of the night, my child... it whispered sweetly into my ear, making me shudder, but in a good way I gave birth to this place in which dreams are made... I am known to many by different names, but you – my fair – may call me Nyx.

She appeared before me in a floating form. Elegant as her moonshine coloured garments floated blissfully around her. Her face was indescribably beautiful, more beautiful than Johnny Depp and seriously. Work. Of. Art. Her hair shone and glistened like moonlight itself. It wasn't hard to guess.

"Are you..." I started "A-Are you... something special... to the v-vamps?" god I sounded stupid, I sounded like I was afraid a humongous group of em' would jump out and scream "You Have Dishonoured Us!!" and then come and try to kill me. Nyx's Beautiful goddess-like laughter broke through my mind anxiety and completely terminated it

You may say that, my fair... I am the Vampyre's beloved goddess she said with just the right amount of opposite self-flattery that she didn't sound big headed at all. She already had me beat! Heck, I could barely talk to a boy about anything, let alone stop myself from sounding big headed!

My child Nyx's words (once again) broke through my brain blather (hehe) and I began listening to her intently again You are special, and even if a High Priestess of mine should say otherwise, or you believe otherwise... she and all else in my 'dream' began to fade away ...You Always Will Be...

When I woke up I was in a hospital, but no-one was beside me and I wondered why. I looked to the table by my bed and there was a note from my on-again, off-again best friend Mina:

Dear Whoeveryouarenow

What?

You are not one of US anymore (e.g. HUMANS?!) We all think you should just get your ass hauled away to one of those Houses of Night. So get lost. You don't belong with us anymore!

P.S Look in a Mirror. FREAK!

I felt the tears stinging the back of my eyes and I had to focus on something else to keep from crying. If I hadn't of gone in that water... my mind kept whispering to me If I hadn't of gone in that water... this wouldn't of happened I sobbed and then sniffed and then brought my knees up and hugged them, while I cried myself bitterly back to sleep

Hello...? I whispered to my sleeping self Are you here Nyx...?

Silence

Why did you do this to me? I whispered to myself again, through the darkness my consciousness reacted. Did I do something wrong to you...Nyx...? Nyx...? Ny-

And I was awake. Again. In this nightmare that I would from now and forever call my life.