Chapter One:

Masquerade

I've shown you great clemency – Sebastian LaCroix.

As Zatanna exited the theatre via backstage after her 'charming,' chat with LaCroix, a voice startled her.

"What a scene, man! Hoo-wee! Then just plop ya out here like a naked baby in the woods. How 'bout that?" he paused, seeing the less than amused look on Zatanna's face. "Ah…look, kiddo, this is probably a lot for you to take in—"

"Oh no," Zatanna said bluntly, sarcasm in her voice as she crossed her arms across her chest. "No, this shit happens to me on a daily bases. (Of course this is a lot to take in you fucking red-neck!)"

He let out a low whistle. "Slow down kiddo, I don't understand Italian. For a Tremere, you sure have a lot of anger. You sure you're not a Brujah?"

"The fuck is a Brujah?" she snapped at him and he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Obviously, he wasn't used to dealing with people like her.

"Why don't you let me show you the ropes?" he offered and I looked at him suspiciously. "The name's Jack. What's yours kiddo?"

"Zatanna Ible," she answered simply, still looking at him warily but for some reason, he had a nice air around him. Some kind of sixth sense she was feeling in the back of her mind.

"Then kiddo, if you make it back from Santa Monica with your hide then we'll trade life stories, m'kay?"

oOo

Day One…

Location: Santa Monica

Jack wasn't as bad as she had thought, in fact, the guy was kind enough to show her a few things, teach her some stuff that apparently her sire was supposed to do.

Now that she was in Santa Monica, just before dawn, Zatanna was forced to wait inside her 'haven,' which the Camarilla used until night resurfaced. Looking down at her body, even through the brief darkness that filled her room from the curtains, Zatanna knew she had to change from the skimpy dress she was currently wearing.

I don't have any money though…unless I can access my bank account. Maybe LaCrotch wouldn't mind, she figured, heading to the desk that had a laptop on it, a yellow notepad with some writing on it, a note and an envelope. She grabbed the envelope first, opening it and finding $100 dollars inside before putting it back down on the desk.

At your convenience, please come and visit me in my home downtown. I leave you this to guide you.

Dark blood, our curse, slight this verse.

Such power I sense in one so young.

Come find me where burnt the mystical own.

M. Strauss, Tremere Primogen.

Great, a riddle, Zatanna muttered in her head, putting it back down before briefly looking at the yellow notepad. It had written, a message from some Mercurio guy she was supposed to help out. All it was telling her was her new password for the laptop provided by LaCroix.

Before checking her emails, she decided to raid what looked like a dresser and finding a pair of light blue jeans with rips near the knees and a black tank top.

"Beggars can't be choosers," she muttered, closing the door before turning her attention to the laptop and reading the emails. As she logged out after reading the reminder from LaCroix, exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks. "(Better sleep before going on some insane job.)"

oOo

Day Two…

Location: Santa Monica

As soon as night had fallen over the city of Santa Monica, Zatanna had eagerly left the haven and was now walking down the street, ignoring the bums and men whistling out to her.

"(Now where did the email say to go?)" Zatanna murmured to herself in Italian, trying to recall as she walked further down the pavement. Something caught her eye, a man dressed in business like clothing with an annoyed look on his face. A burning sensation in her throat served as a reminder that she was now a vampire, and unfortunately vampires dined on blood. Fucking gross.

Jack did say high class were some of the best kinds of blood, she reminded herself as she approached him, flashing a smile in greeting. He looked startled by her before a look of distain filled his eyes, obviously seeing her attire.

"Eh? Yes, is there something I can, umm…help you with?" he asked her and she crossed her arms across her chest.

"What are you doing?" Zatanna asked him curiously, trying to ignore the blood thirst and a presence in the back of her mind surfacing. That must be the Beast Jack had warned her about.

"Waiting for that blasted tow truck I called an hour ago. I'd rather not wait another second in this part of town, this time of night. It's a rather dreadful place, don't you think?" he asked and without waiting for her reply, continued on with his rant. "I should've listened to my mechanic – 'buy German, -he said."

The urgency for the blood became stronger, calling her and she bit back a growl of irritation before looking at him straight in the eye. "Meet me in the alley," she told him, some kind of buzz hitting her mind as the words left his mind. A flash of red passed through his eyes before they disappeared completely.

"I've suddenly got the urge to walk down that…dark and foreboding alley over there. Care to join me?" he asked her in a monotone, trance like voice.

Zatanna frowned, confused to what just occurred before nodding. "I'll meet you there," she answered, watching him leave the sidewalk and headed down the alley before following after him.

As he stood by the stone wall, Zatanna, recalling the Masquerade, looking briefly over her shoulders before some kind of primal feeling overtook her senses. One minute she was checking for any unwanted eyes and the next her mouth is against the man's neck, the sweet, warm taste of blood filling her mouth and running down her throat.

Yes…drink….

Zatanna opened her eyes, pushing the man away from her as he slumped down against the wall, slightly passed out from the drain as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, licking the small amount of blood.

Her thirst was gone, the Beast was once again no longer in her mind and she felt sick to her stomach. Small tears came to her eyes as she hugged herself briefly, hating what she had become.

"Oh god, I'm a monster," she whispered to herself, her voice filled with grief. A flash of anger as she remembered her sire caused the grief to disappear and she punched a nearby wall in a fit of anger. This was her life now and no matter what she thought of it, she had to accept it. Didn't mean she had to like it though.

Taking one last glance at the unconscious man, Zatanna forced herself out of that alley and headed towards Mercurio's place. Immediately, she smelt the scent of blood and found a trail of it leading to the last door on the right.

As she entered, finding a badly beaten man on the couch, lying in a pool of his own blood, she swallowed her disgust. "Jesus Christ, what the fuck happened?"

He tried to himself up but groaned in pain, settling for leaning on his elbow as he forced himself to look up. "I got…I went…uh…." He glanced down at his side. "What is this lump? Is this my rib? Oh, holy shit, my rib is pokin' through my side? Oh, I'm all numb…you gotta look and tell me."

Zatanna's face twisted with disgust. "It's a broken bottle," she snapped at him, looking away. "Now, tell me what happened to you."

"Goddamn chemist! Can't trust any operations in L.A. I verified him, organisation seemed reliable. Guys mixes up speed, his crew sells it. Occasionally does explosives. I set up a drop," he explained through a wheezed tone, occasionally grimacing in pain. "I show up at the beach with the money, right? Four of these guys, they came out of nowhere. Junkie pricks – hit me with a bat! Head feels like I got a freakin' horse kickin' it."

"I never shoulda gone alone…amateur move. I shoulda handled those pricks. Goddamn dirty Cali rat bastards," Mercurio cursed as more blood seeped through his clothing and onto the couch. "These cocksuckers – beat me rotten, left me for stiff. I had to crawl to my car, crawl my ass up here. The vamp blood's the only thing holdin' me together. But shit, they got the money, they got the Astrolite…"

That caught Zatanna attention and she frowned at him, crossing her arms across her chest. "Vamp blood?" she asked him, slightly disturbed by the mention of it.

"Right, you're straight off the bus," he realised, forgetting that little detail over the pain. "Once a month I get fed vampire blood. Heals me faster, makes me stronger than a normal human. I don't age," he laughed bitterly. "By lookin' at me, you wouldn't realise it, but I'm almost sixty."

Zatanna rolled her eyes. "Did you learn anything from this experience, genius?" she asked him sarcastically and her glared at her.

"Hold on – you think I'm some amateur?" he spat at her before wincing in pain. "I got their number. Those small-time sons of bitches live out in a dump on the beach. Maybe four or five of 'em. The one's got explosives is Dennis. Got my money too, that prick!"

Zatanna gave him a tired look. "How do I get there?"

"Layin' in a pool of my own blood and you want friggin' directions?" he asked in disbelief.

"I'm not exactly from around here."

Mercurio shook his head. "Right, alright: uh, down the street, in the parking garage, stairs down to the beach, on the right. Those better not be some o' my last words."

Zatanna turned on her heel and began walking out but looked back a bit, feeling a sense of pain of her own just looking at him. Somehow, his pain was transferring to her slightly. "Look, is there anything I can get you…for the pain?"

"I need somethin' for the pain," he groaned out, laying his head on the couch and Zatanna felt herself nod.

"Sit tight, I'll be back soon," she murmured, leaving the room.

oOo

Watching the shirtless guy standing out front, Zatanna carefully snuck around the van and went through a hole in the fence, pausing to make sure no one had heard her.

Honestly, this wasn't what she ever had in mind when LaCroix told her she would have 'trials,' to prove her worth. No lesson in law school ever mentioned about crawling through fences to get some explosives.

She heard voices coming from the house as she crept in the shadows, heading down the back and finding the power switch. An idea came to her mind as she quickly ran over to the switch, pulling it down and effectively shutting off all the power inside the house.

"What the—"

"Dude, who the hell turned off the power?!"

"Get the lights before I shove that controller up your ass!"

Zatanna quickly hid in the dark, pressing herself against the wooden fence behind as she waited. A moment later, a guy holding a baseball bat came out, muttering angrily under his breath.

Please forgive me, Zatanna prayed in her mind as she crept up behind him and snapped his neck. His dead body fell to the ground without a sound and she grabbed the bat from his dead body. She didn't have a gun and a clue how to fight with her fists so this would have to do.

Zatanna let out a shaky breath before closing her eyes and calming herself down and walking into the house. Immediately, the two men in the kitchen spotted her and charged at her with tire irons and another bat.

Tightening her grip on the bat, she began swinging it around, hitting their heads, faces, stomachs and even their crotch. Whatever made them fall unconscious worked for her.

Occasionally, one or two managed to get her on her arms or back before facing the wrath of her bat. After they fell to the ground, unconscious and bloody, Zatanna gripped one of her arms. Why the fuck did Mercurio believe she was cut out for this shit?

As footsteps filled her heightened hearing, she groaned softly as four men appeared, two carrying thirty-eights and the other a bat and another tire iron.

"Look what we've got here boys, a lost little lamb," one of them snickered in the dark as she narrowed her eyes, her vampire eyes seeing them clearly as day. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Give me Mercurio's money and the Astrolite," she spat as her throat burned with the familiar blood thirst. It was dark so they wouldn't know…

Drink…

Zatanna squeezed her eyes shut, ignoring the Beast as the man she assumed was Dennis threatened to put bullets through her face. As the need for blood, mixed with her anger clouded her mind, her eyes flashed open. "Give me the money and the Astrolite!"

A moment of silence passed before the sounds of feet shuffling and two men left the room whilst the other two remained, in a trance like stare. Another buzz in the back of her mind, followed by the increasing desire for blood made Zatanna lunge at the two men, drinking their blood eagerly before dropping them to the floor. They were unconscious and most importantly alive as the other two returned, one holding a small package and the other an envelope full of money.

"Is there anythin' else we can get ya?" one asked in a monotone as Zatanna grabbed one of the thirty-eights, the Astrolite and the money.

"No," she answered briefly, feeling the buzz again. "Forget you ever saw me."

"Yes ma'am."

Zatanna was still freaked out by the whole thing as she left the beach house. Not noticing two figures hiding in the shadows, watching her carefully and curiously.

oOo

Okay, something was definitely going on.

Somehow, Zatanna made the receptionist behind the counter at the medical office allow her to pass through, exactly like she convinced the guy to go into the alley with her and those two men bring her the things she needed.

Why didn't I ask Jack about these things? Zatanna wondered as she walked passed a room, hearing the sounds of groaning and a flash of pain ran through her stomach. Wincing, she clutched her stomach before opening the door, finding a girl with short scarlet red hair and glasses groaning on a bed, blood seeping through her shirt.

"Uh…please…get a doctor," she moaned in pain. "Can someone call my grandmother…please?"

Zatanna continued to hold her stomach, feeling her pain as if it were her own as she recalled something Mercurio mentioned.

Vampire blood….heals me faster…

"Stay with me, I can save you," Zatanna told her quickly, shutting the door and finding a small knife on the counter. Desperately, she grabbed it and slashed her wrist, her blood pooling out as she rushed over. "Drink my blood."

Zatanna pressed her bleeding wrist to the girl's mouth and she drank it eagerly, slowly the pain disappearing on both of them. Zatanna retracted her wrist and the cut began healing automatically. She wiped the blood on the bed as the girl moaned, feeling the pain disappear as her injuries healed themselves.

"You alright?" Zatanna asked her hesitantly, wondering if it worked or she just fucked up on something.

"You…Wha—Who…wh-who are you? What did you do? What did you do to me?" she whispered in shock and Zatanna realised she did something wrong.

Fearing she violated the Masquerade, she felt the familiar buzz creep into the back of her mind as she focused on the girl's dazed eyes. "I simply wanted to help. Forget I was ever here."

The girl's eyes fluttered shut as she fell unconscious without another word. Zatanna let out a breath she had been holding before quickly leaving the room. It took her a moment to remember what she was here for before she snuck into the medical supplies and grabbed three bottles of morphine and some syringes.

As she began leaving the clinic, she took one last look at the door that led to the girl on her way past. The reality of the situation sunk in but…she wasn't afraid. Instead, she felt like she touched her humanity once more, something that put a smile on her face.

oOo

She looked at Mercurio's unmoving body and rolled her eyes. "Did you die on me, (idiot?)" she asked, poking his side and Mercurio groaned at her touch. "I brought you morphine, hold still," she told him before grabbing the needle, feeling it up with the pain killer and injecting it into Mercurio's arm.

He let out a sigh of relief as it began kicking in. "Oh sweet mother of joy…"

"I got the Astrolite," Zatanna informed him, showing him the small package and he looked at it. Rolling her eyes, she also presented the envelope before putting it on the floor. "And your money."

"Yeah? Didja waste those sons of bitches?" he asked and Zatanna nodded, leaving out the part that she only killed one, the others were unconscious or in a trance.

"What's the story with this Astrolite?" she asked curiously, crouching and studying his expression. He was looking better than before, hopefully the same could be said for that girl earlier.

"That Astrolite…twice as powerful as TNT. Instant demolition. Be on the other side of the world when you engage that trigger," he explained, no longer grimacing in pain, indicating that the drugs were working. "You need to make some place disappear – a warehouse. Looks to be a Sabbat interest."

This obviously was the trial LaCroix wanted her to complete, despite it not being in her best interests. With a tired sigh, she looked at the time on the clock hanging on the wall. It was midnight, still a couple hours before sunrise.

"How do I find this place then? I don't exactly have much time left," she pointed her head at the clock and Mercurio understood at how pressed for time they truly were.

"Well, there's a guy. I never met him, but I heard a lot about him. His name is Tung, Bertram Tung. He's one of o' types. If there's anyone who knows more than me about this city, it's him. Unfortunately, Tung's hiding out at the moment."

Zatanna let out an irritated growl. "(Of course, this would be too fucking simple,)" she grumbled in Italian, making Mercurio blink in confusion. "Is there any specific reason why he's lying low?"

"One word: Therese. Word is Therese and Tung are feuding – I don't know the details. My take's that Tung thinks he's about to get whacked, so he's gone underground till Therese calls it off," he shrugged his shoulders. "If you wanna put that warehouse into orbit anytime soon, you're gonna have to get Therese to call off the feud."

Sighing tiredly, seeing she had no other options, Zatanna stood up and flashed Mercurio a small smile. "Thanks for the info, hope you get better."

"I don't got your name," he pointed out and she felt the corners of her lips twitch in amusement as she reached for the door, opening it and looking back him.

"Ible, Zatanna Ible," she answered before leaving the room, closing the door with a firm shut.

So here we are, chapter one! I'm honestly fine with it because you get to see Zatanna's morals, her hot blooded Italian side and how she's dealing with the whole I-got-turned-into-a-vampire-holy-fucking-shit.

Slap that liked button and let me know what's going on :)