Chapter 1_ Dirty Little Secret

The sun shone down hot and bright onto the front steps of Bathory High. I pulled my hood over my head and heaved my schoolbag further onto my shoulder. Zena, my best friend, showed up silently at my side and we made our way up the steps to Bathory High and passed that mouse-looking principle, Mr. Snelgrove, along with about 15 other students, most of whom were giving us odd stares. As if by staring at us they would know our secrets and our reasoning, which of course they never would. Zena and I made our way around the school to the office for some tedious paper work and some signatures before collecting our books and schedules and heading to class. English was up first.

Great.

We walked through the halls seeming terribly out of place. Many students were dressed in "fashionable" clothes, but seeing that this was a small town I'm sure they were knock-offs. Ze and I were dressed way differently with her in her black cargo pants with way to many zippers and long sleeve and long sleeve green shirt covered by her invader zim sweatshirt and me in my black jeggings, long sleeved purple top, and black chuck tailors. This one girl made me absolutely sick. She was dressed in pink from head to toe. She had on a sheer pink blouse with a white tank underneath, a sparkly pink flowy skirt, and to top it off she even had a pink bow in her curly blonde hair. I noticed her locker number; it was right next to mine. Damn. To make things better she walked across the hall into the English classroom. And as if things weren't bad enough, as soon as I walked into the classroom I see none other than, Otis Otis.

"How nice of you to join us today, Ms. Kcus. Ms. Cortex. Alyssa would you please sit right behind Meredith, there." He searched the room for a place to put Zena. I looked at the desk he had pointed at and I was stuck behind the girl in all pink. Damn. No sooner had I taken my seat Otis had started talking again, "Hmm, I certainly don't think it'd be a good idea to sit you two together however your simply going to ignore me and sit there anyway so please take your seat next to Alyssa." Zena wordlessly took her seat next to me and pulled out her IPod. Meredith turned and waved at me. She had one of those smiles that would make just about every guy in this school melt.

"Well class, allow me to introduce our two new students since they obviously don't want to do it themselves. This is Alyssa Kcus and Zena Cortex. Please make them feel welcome as I know only you students can." I glared up at Otis and blew and pooped a bubble with the wintermint gum I was chewing and Zena shoved her headphones in just to prove how uninterested we were. Meredith turned around and handed me a paper with a list of topics, one unparticular caught my eye; Vampire. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Ms. Kcus?"

"Otis"

"Would you like to share what it is you find so funny?"

"I think that one of the topics on this list will be very... interesting to discuss."

A knowing look flashed in his eyes and he smirked, "And which one would that be?"

"Vampires." I Winked

Zena, Otis, and I laughed while the rest of the class sat there looking on oblivious to the inside joke we had shared. Otis cleared his throat and continued with his lecture on what the class would be like. I turned my IPod on and pulled my hood over my head. I sat silently, probing the minds of the students. At the halfway point of the class I made my way into Otis' mind.

My father has his suspicions about you as do I but my father tends to have more trust in you than I do.

Why do you doubt for a second that I'm wavering in my decision to help your father? Have I don't anything to loose you and your father's trust?

It's been months Otis and you haven't brought Vlad to us. He's sitting on the opposite side of the room from me and I'm aware that you're trying to help him.

I don't even know if dear Vladimir is a vampire let alone the pravus. And I do not dream of helping anyone other then your father and Elaysia Just be sure to watch your back Otis because we will be watching. And if you fail to bring my father the boy, Zena, Michael Zeb, and I will. And we'll bring you back as well. Dead. Obviously he was beyond pissed and the thought taken down by four fourteen year olds and pushed him over the edge, "I will not be threatened by a little girl and her friends!" The entire class got silent and stared their gazes shifted from Otis to me. I simply ignored them and raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow at him. Otis regained his cool and sat on the corner of his desk. "Class dismissed. Feel free to socialize and whatnot. Except you two." Zena and I walked over to his desk while everyone else moved to the back of the classroom and made their way into little groups. All accept one boy. His black hair fell in front of his face brushing his long eyelashes. His hood was up but I could still see his deep brown eyes. When he met my gaze his eyes flashed florescent purple and my eyes burned. Zena's eyes opened wide and Otis stared bewildered. "What?" I asked. "Nothing." Otis said exchanged an odd glance with Zena.

Knowing they weren't going to tell me, I chose to move on, "I may be little but I'm the best there is. If you wanna learn the hard way, "I could feel m fangs elongate from my gums and I flashed him a smile, "I could show you."

"Is that a threat, Lyssa?" Otis asked.

"No. It's a promise."

Zena had been quiet throughout the class, flashed a smile and let a quiet hiss escape her lips.

"You wont get away with this Otis."

"Please leave ladies."

No sooner had he said it the bell rang signaling the end of first class. Everyone ran past us to the door to make sure they wouldn't be late; everyone except the boy with purple eyes, Vladimir. I had seen him in pictures that my father had showed me when he had been telling about the boy that Elysia needed captured. Vladimir Tod was being tried of crimes committed by his father, Thomas Tod. In Elysia it was a crime to in a relationship with a human or to expose Elysia to humans. Thomas Tod did both. Melina Tod had had been killed in a fire along with her husband. Some suspected that Thomas was alive and well. I was one of those people and so was my father. If my suspicions are correct than my father more than thinks that Thomas is alive. He knows. However those suspicions would have to be tested later, as of right now I had to business to attend to. I made my way to my locker and hoped to catch up with Meredith. I seen the bouncing ball of pink in front of her locker talking to some brunette chick. She flipped her hair and turned to close her locker. When she turned around and seen me she jumped a little.

"Alyssa. Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes actually, can you tell me where the science lab is?"

"Yes. I'm going there no. Would you like to walk with me?"

"Uhmm that'd be nice."

She didn't say much on the way to the lab, during class she explained some procedures but not much happened, and when the bell rang to signal lunch Meredith grabbed my sleeve and pulled me up out of the chair and out the door.

"We have to hurry and get to lunch."

"Why?"

She paused for a second and thought about it, "We just do."

She grabbed my arm and pulled me around a corner back to the hallway where our lockers were and then I seen why she needed to hurry. Vladimir was standing next to his locker, which was next to hers. He was talking to a really cute blonde boy. He turned and looked at Meredith and me, shut his locker, and said, "Hey Meredith. Alyssa, right?"

"Yea. Vladimir right?" I said back.

"Yea."

"Well Vlad, I need to go to the office my mom's waiting to take me to the doctors but I would love if you could call me tonight and tell me the homework in math because I'm going to miss it," She batted her eyelashes, "Please?"

He blushed and for the first time looked away from me to her, "Yea sure thing."

After that, Vladimir and his good-looking blonde friend said their goodbyes and the blonde boy walked away leaving Vlad at his locker. Meredith smiled at me and hugged Vladimir before running off to the front office, leaving me alone with Vladimir, "So, do you have anyone to eat with?"

"I actually have plans on leaving for the rest of the day." I answered.

"Where will you go?"

"Home."

"Will your parents let you go home?"

"Uhmm, yea."

"Oh."

"Would you walk me home?"

"Where do you live?"

"Just a few blocks away. You'll be back in time for class."

"Okay. Yea I'll go with you."

This boy was easy to manipulate. As long as he believed we were friends everything would be okay. We started to walk out the door and hurry out of school without getting caught. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into a janitor's closet. He went to protest but I covered his mouth and pressed my finger to my lips.

"Why?" He whispered.

"Snelgrove."

We heard his mousy squeak from down the hallway, "Stupid kids. Making messes, causing trouble." Eventually I heard his footsteps and his thoughts fade away. I moved my hand away from Vladimir's mouth to his and led him back down the hallway. I seen Zeb and Morgan standing in front of my locker, I turned and winked, and walked out of the front door with Vladimir.

"Boyfriend?" he asked.

"No, ex-boyfriend. I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh."

The air outside was cool and the leaves were changing to the colors of early October. I hadn't realized that Vladimir hadn't let go of my hand until he gave my fingers a little squeeze, but still didn't let go.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Anything."

"Do you and Mr. Otis have a history?"

"Otis has been a friend of my family for… a long time."

"I see. Well it seems like y'all are close."

"Not really. Otis may be a friend of the family but I've never liked him."

"Oh."

We arrived in front of my house, "This is my stop. Thanks for walking with me."

"I live 2 houses down. I can stop by in the morning and walk you to school?"

"That'd be nice."

"Okay."

I hugged him and when I pulled away but when I did his eyes glowed purple and mine burned once again.

"Your eyes… they just turned sapphire."

Knowing it was a lie I said, "They were already sapphire but yours just glowed purple." thinking quickly I added, "Do you have a secret, Vladimir? If you do then your eyes gave you away. I have a secret. A dirty little secret."

He looked scared for a minute then he shook his head, "No. What's your secret?"

I moved closer to him and I leaned towards him as if I would bite him and kissed his neck, "I'm a vampire, Vlad."

I pulled back and laughed while he stood there staring dumbstruck.

"It was a joke, Vladimir. You better be heading back to school. Lunch is almost over."

"Yea, I'm gunna go. Later Alyssa."

"Later Vladimir."

Knowing that he was wrapped around my little finger, I went inside feeling better about the capture of Vladimir Tod.