Prologue

Starting a new school is difficult. But consider this, starting at a 'normal' school after years at a school for Moroi and Dhampirs.

With the Strigoi population rising, the Moroi and Dhampir population dying; there weren't many options for my family and I. You see, I'm a Dhampir, half human, half Moroi. I'm the dream fighting machine, trained since childhood to one day protect the Moroi; a race of 'good' vampires, they don't kill the humans they feed off, they also control magic.

With the vampire world in ruins, our schools closed for our safety, the royal Moroi going into hiding all over the globe; we had to leave. Had to hide ourselves.

That's why we left Australia. We had to leave whatever place had us on record.

I'm from a relatively small vampire population, mainly consisting of Dhampirs, with a handful of Moroi within our ranks. We lived just outside of Cairns, a tropical town in far north Queensland where Strigoi were extremely rare.

Now we are in Miami, another tropical city. This one is just one the other side of the world, and completely different to our home. I am here with my mother, a Dhampir who guards my father; an Ivashkov, one of the twelve royal Moroi families. My elder brothers Noah and Zac are unfortunately twins. However, fraternal. I am Mahalia, or as known by everyone except my mother, Mali. Just like the country.

Here we plan on becoming one with Miami's society. Meaning, my dad will continue his work as a lawyer, my mum as an artist, and us kids; we're going to high school. It's senior year for my brothers, while I'm still a junior.

Tomorrow is our first day at Southern Miami High, average students by day. And by night; Guardians in training, learning the best ways to kill Strigoi and save our Moroi.

Chapter 1

My alarm clock woke me with its incessant singing of Southern Sun by Boy and Bear. It quickly shut up when I threw it across the room to land in the heap of clothes by my wardrobe.

After crawling out of bed, stumbling into the bathroom, I quickly showered and mindlessly started my daily beauty routine. Cleanse, foundation, mascara, brush teeth, do hair. After deeming myself hella sexy, I practiced my saunter back into my bedroom.

In lasts nights 'new school anxiety' I had laid out todays outfit on my desk. Black converse, palm tree socks, favourite bra and pantie combo, blue jean shorts that my best friend, Sativa gave me. To quote, "If I give you my favourite jeans, we have to see each other again for you to return them". With which I completely agree. I finished my ensemble with a DIY tie-dye top.

Down stairs in the kitchen, dad is wearing his suit, his black hair slicked back, making his bright green eyes look even more intense than normal. Mum was wearing…. Something arty, with her blond wavy hair in an absolute mess of a bun on her head, her blue eyes were as bright as ever this morning. And my brothers. Well, Noah wore some form of hippie shorts with an 'Aussies do it better' tee. Judging from the drawing on the shirt, I had no confusion as to what 'it' was. Zac was wearing surfer shorts and a white tee. I wonder if he's going to enter a wet t-shirt contest? The boys couldn't have looked more different, Noah with shaggy blond dreadlocks down to his shoulders and green eyes. Zac had ear length black hair and mum's blue eyes. However, both of them had dad's 6'6 height but instead of being lean and pale like our Moroi father, they were tan and muscular.

I was a mix of my brothers, or, my mother reincarnated. The blond hair, blue eyes. Muscular like all Dhampirs, tan from living in Cairns, and also like my mother, I was the lovely height of 5'11. Making me tall for a girl, but nothing compared to Moroi.

Brekkie was on the table, I helped myself to the offered bacon and eggs. Then proceeded to eat them with vigor.

"Okay kids, I want you to scope out the school and the area, make yourselves comfortable in your new surroundings. Try to blend with all the social groups. We need to be able to sense if there are any other Moroi or Dhampirs in the area. Noah, don't be naughty, this school was the only one that would take you three so I can't have someone getting expelled." Mum was looking at Noah the entire time, Noah was the classic rebel, always doing what he shouldn't be, but most of the time he didn't get caught. "Zac, you need to keep an eye on your sister, she will be working alone in her year level while you and Noah have each other. This does not mean you need to punch any boy that asks her out!" Mum had moved on to Zac.

"But he was a Moroi just looki –" Zac began to defend his prior actions (punching the sex god like Jake Zeklos when he asked me out a year ago.) but mum cut him off.

"I know why you did it, you don't need to remind me. Zac I need you and Noah to join as many of the sports teams as possible between the two of you. Please remember to run a little slower, react slower. Just pretend you're human." The glares mum gave my brothers had them agreeing without a protest.

"Now, Mahalia." She turns to me. "You also need to join as many sport teams as possible. Work your magic, take advantage if being the new kid with an accent, make friends with everyone you can. Your brothers will help you when necessary, but there is something that you need to work on."

When your mother says anything close to this you naturally start to get scared. Does she know that I'm terrible at English?

"I heard on the grapevine that another Dhampir family has moved here from Australia. I think the son is in your year level, I need you to be on the lookout and then befriend him as quickly as possible. If I am correct; which I always am, his name should be Nikolai. He's from the Dhampir town out near Alice Springs."

Mum pulled us all in for a hug, kissing us all on the cheek, all the while shoving us out the door.

"But most importantly my little babies, have a beautiful day, and don't forget, you have training after school, so don't take too long!" She shouted at our backs.

Out front is my motorbike, Noah's pick up truck and Zac's Mustang. Really, the vehicles were communal, and we swapped around when needed, but 99% of the time? I had the bike. It was a glossy black, and I liked to think it matched my soul.

Southern Miami High, or as all the signs depicting it, SMH, was a large brick building uglier than sin. Out front was a lawn with trees spread evenly throughout. Students had already gathered in flocks around the grounds to have the first day reunions.

Noah parked his pick up next to the Mustang in the spots out front of the school, while I ripped to a screeching halt on the footpath by the bike racks.

I guess saying that everyone was looking at us wasn't an understatement, Zac and Noah were sitting on the hood of the pick up, and I looked like a juvenile delinquent.

"Mali," Zac drawled. "When are you going to learn to drive that beast like a lady?"

"When she becomes one!" Noah butted in.

I joined my brothers on the hood of the car as they laughed at their absolute wit.

"God I miss Cairns. I miss the beach, the forest. The markets, all of it."

"Mali, you hated working at the market for mum." Noah answered me.

"I know, but this is so… far from that, there are hardly any similarities." Over the past week, I had grown more and more home sick, just wanting to feel the humid heat; not unlike Miami's, but one that smelled of Aussie plants, sounded like the caw of the Kookaburras, that felt like the red dirt. Yeah I miss home.

"One day soon, we are going to go home." Zac grabbed my hand.

I leaned over to grab Noah's and finished Zac's sentiment. "All of us."

We sat there in quiet agreement for a moment more, until the bell rang and we moved away from the cars, towards the front doors. To a boy called Nikolai, a battle with Strigoi and ourselves.