Farren Heights is a nice enough town, I suppose. A bit too cramped and urban for my tastes, but I can get used to it. Alfred loves it. It must remind him of New York or something. I can tell he's already right at home as we move into our new apartment, and if Alfred's happy, we're happy.

I don't think papa likes the place very much, but he doesn't complain. As long as he has a stove to cook on and pretty girls to flirt with, he'll be fine.

My opinion doesn't count, because they both think that I'm the best at dealing with mildly unpleasant things. If my family wants to live here, then who am I to ruin it for them?

We're living in this city because papa got a really good job offer over here as a chef at a famous restaurant, and he couldn't turn it down.

Apparently, the school is top-notch, and Alfred and I both got enrolled before the school year started so we can have a better chance at fitting in.

Not that I want to fit in anymore.

I suppose I shouldn't complain about the move. This could be a fresh start for me. Besides, I hated the last place we lived, so this is quite an improvement. Maybe this year I'll actually manage to make some friends, and perhaps I'll get into the hokey team this time.

It's a fairly spacious apartment, and I can already see both papa and Alfred planning how to sneak girls in. The walls were a weird gray color and didn't go with the floorboards at all. There were more than enough windows to provide ample lighting, and the view wasn't half bad, considering the city.

"Well," papa says, clapping his hands together, "this is it, mon chers. Home sweet home."

I could tell he was just itching to repaint the walls.

"Man, this is great!" Alfred exclaims, flopping back onto the couch. "Imagine the parties I could throw in here!"

"All with my supervision, of course." papa laughs.

"Yeah, yeah." Alfred says dismissively. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait for school to start! Maybe this year I'll finally get a girlfriend!"

"We shall see." papa says with a knowing smirk. He turned to me, blue eyes sparkling. "What about you, Mathieu? Are you excited?"

"Oui, papa." I assure him. "It'll take some getting used to, though."

"I'm already used to it!" Alfred grins. "This is my kind of town!"

There's a knock at the door.

"I'll get it..." I say, but Alfred beats me to it.

Two guys about our age stand there, one with a plate covered in foil. One is much taller than the other, and seems to emanate energy. The other is petite and calm-looking, though a bit timid.

"Annyeoghaseo!" the taller boy says, shaking Alfred's hand. "We're your neighbors!"

"Nice t' meet ya!" Alfred beams. "I'm Alfred F. Jones!"

"I'm Yong Soo, and this is Kiku!"

Kiku bows politely.

"Konnichiwa."

Papa steps forward to introduce himself.

"Bonjour! It is such a pleasure to meet you!" he says. "I am Francis Bonnefoy, and this is Matthew."

I smile at them, but they don't even glance at me.

"Would you like to come inside?" papa asks.

"Love to, but can't." Yong Soo apologizes. "We've got a lot to do today. We're just here to drop off these!"

Kiku hands the plate to Alfred.

"They're mochi – pounded rice. Traditionally eaten on New Year's, but we happened to have several on hand." Kiku explains. "They're homemade."

"Thank you very much." papa says sincerely.

"Ano... do either of you play video games?" Kiku asks awkwardly.

"Do I!" Alfred exclaims. "Dude! They're practically my life!"

"What he's saying is that he doesn't have a life." I say, but no one notices.

"You and your family should come over for dinner sometime." papa tells them.

"We'd like that!" Yong Soo says. "We can talk the details over later. Right now, we gotta make like a banana and split!"

"Sayonara." Kiku says.

"Bye!" Alfred says, waving.

"I'm impressed, Alfred." papa chuckles. "Barely a day here and you've already made two new friends!"

"I'm what people call 'socially awesome'." Alfred says.

I notice that papa didn't refer to them as my friends. Not that I'm bitter or anything!

Later that day, we get a visit from the neighbors on the other side of the apartment.

"Hello!" says the boy. He looks a little bit older than me and a heck of a lot prettier. "I'm Tino! I'm from next door, and we're just so excited to have new neighbors!"

"It's very nice to meet you." papa says with a smile. Alfred doesn't seem too interested in Tino. "I'm Francis Bonnefoy and this is my son, Mathieu. My other son is in his bedroom right now, I think."

"That's alright, I'm sure I'll meet him later!" Tino says. He turns to me. "Nice to meet you, Matthew! Do you like this town so far?"

"Oh, I haven't seen much of it yet." I say. With Alfred in the other room, I get noticed more.

"I should take you on a tour sometime!" Tino says excitedly. Everything he does, he does with excitement. "Not today, though. I'm awfully busy."

"It seems like everyone is!" papa laughs. "The boys from the other apartment said that exact same thing!"

"Did they now?" Tino asks, and for a second the lighting makes his brown eyes look... violet? "Well, it is almost the start of the school year! Can't say I blame them!"

"Indeed." papa says, nodding his head sagely. "In fact, I should probably take my boys shopping for school supplies!"

"That's a good idea!" Tino says brightly. "Well, don't let me keep you any longer! Welcome to the neighborhood! Stay off the streets after midnight!"

"Adieu!" papa says as Tino leaves. "How lucky we are to have such nice neighbors!"

"I suppose." I say. I didn't know such cheer and jolliness could be so off-putting.

"Don't worry, mon cher." papa says, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you'll make plenty of friends."

"I know, papa." I say.

Papa takes us shopping for new school supplies, but we don't meet anyone else our age. Alfred talks about which video games he's going to play with Kiku and how many hamburgers he's going to eat for dinner. Papa flirts with the cashier. I keep my headphones on and listen to music.

That night, I lie awake in my new bedroom, reading a book stolen from Alfred. Quite frankly, it's terrible, but I can't get to sleep and have nothing else to do. I can't believe that Alfred actually enjoys this trashy novel. It's so... mushy.

"Hey." a voice says.

I jump about a foot in the air and throw the book at the window, which is where the voice came from.

"Jumpy, much?" the voice asks.

I get up and warily inch over to the window.

"I've got a phone, you know." I say. "I can call the police at any time."

"Relax. I ain't comin' in, doll."

Who says "doll" anymore?

The boy outside looks like something straight out of some corny romance movie from the fifties, complete with leather jacket and meticulously messy hair. He's all pale skin and sharp angles, not exactly somethin you find outside your bedroom window often. He's got strange red eyes and a feral look about him, but I'm pretty sure I can take him in a fight. My brother is Alfred F. Jones, after all. The weird thing, however, is the little yellow bird perched on the branch next to him, gazing into my soul with merciless black eyes.

"Who are you and what do you want?" I ask.

"Just checkin' out the new meat." the boy shrugs. "The names Gilbert Beilschmidt."

"Charmed." I say skeptically. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I'm pretty sure what you're doing is illegal to some degree."

"You're probably right." Gilbert says, but he makes no move to leave.

"Listen, if you're looking for someone to drag to a party or something, talk to my brother." I tell him. "I'm the goody-two-shoes of this family, and he's a lot more social."

"Cool polar bear." Gilbert remarks, nodding at my bed.

"Thanks. If you don't leave, I really am going to call the police."

"Geez, don't get your panties in a twist." Gilbert says, rolling his eyes. Something about his tone really riles me up. "Just wanted to say hi, and now I've done that. Later, Birdie."

As silent as a cat, he climbs down the tree and disappears into the night.

"What a freak." I say, making sure that the window is latched.

I keep my hockey stick close now.

Wow look another multi-chapter multi-pairing fanfic about vampires

wow

Don't fret, I'll continue to work on Frostbite.

Will contain PruCan, UsUk and HongIce with a bunch of other pairings on the side.