Disclaimer: I do not own the House of Night; this amazing series belongs to P.C. & Kristin Cast. Though I do own the OC, Nettie. And she is me; this is my story if I was to be Marked by a Tracker. Consider this My House of Night!

CHAPTER THREE

Exile

Instead of sitting on the bed and balling my eyes out like I wanted to do, I slowly began to think about what I was going to pack for my new life. Glancing around my room, my eyes rested on the multiple Paris paintings that hung on the walls, a dream of mine had been to travel Europe but mainly Paris, maybe after, or if I changed I could do something like that. I let out a sob as I stared at my bookcase/s, there was no way I was going to be able to take all 500 (yes, you heard me correctly I actually have that many) books, and take them to the House of Night.

Opening my wardrobe I began to randomly throw dresses and clothes onto the bed, as much black as I could get my hands on and surprised when I came up with some cute black dresses and shirts. I had forgotten I had any of those kinds of clothes. Turning away I stopped, my hands reaching or a simple red blouse and a sexy purple dress. I grabbed them as well, because I knew so much black was going to make me depressed. Opening the draws to my duchess, I grabbed plenty of my bras and lacy underwear, and some mascara and lip gloss tossing them into a bathroom bag. Pulling out my favourite denim blue skinnies I threw then on the bed, along with several other pairs of jeans.

Pulling out a suitcase from underneath my bed I began to throw the stuff haphazardly into the bag, my hands flying around as I grabbed things I had forgotten, running into the bathroom I grabbed the stuff I needed from there, no way was I leaving ANY of my Lush products behind. With a trembling hand I pulled open my jewellery box and pulled out a simple silver necklace, on the end was a simple Triple Moon pendant with a pentagram in the middle.

It was from my sister and with a shiver I clasped it around my throat wondering if this was the symbol of the Goddess I now wore. Slipping my hand beneath my pillow I gently placed my journal onto the top of the pile in my suitcase, along with all of the Goddess Summoning books as they were my favourite series, along with the Fallen series by Lauren Kate and the faerie romance series by another favourite author Melissa Marr.

Stopping for a moment I stared around the room I had been living in for only a short time, even in those few months I had doubled the amount of novels in my bookcase and hung up all my Paris pictures, even the annoying wood floorboards that creaked when I got up during the night were going to be missed. Breathing slowly I coughed for what seemed like minutes on end, but then I heard it, a gently knock on my door, as my Dad's voice floated in from the small crack, "Nettie can I come in?"

With a sob I pulled open the door and buried my head into my Father's chest, soothingly he petted me on the head even as I cried and possibly wiped snot all over his shirt. "I'm so sorry." I mumbled, but he hushed me as he held me, "I'm going to die, if I can't change and I'm so scared." I said the tears spilling down my cheeks.

"Your mother and I need to speak with you, okay? Can you do that?" he asked quietly, pulling back I wiped my nose of my jacked and nodded, following him into the living room.

My Father looked like every other father, though his once thick brown hair was beginning to thin and I usually tease him about the growing bald spot (don't tell him I said that), and he had olive toned skin, just like my sister, who had a gorgeous tan and well I was pale. Makes me stand out doesn't it? But the dark eyes he turned to me were filled with sadness, he knew what entailed me going to this school, if I failed… I died. The rules were simple, he understood that but my mother was terrified at the thought of me becoming a monster, not the fact that in the next four years I could die.

Whereas I was rather intrigued with becoming a vampyre, after all you can't read the books I have and not be interested by the thought of living in the shadows of the night. Though the blood drinking part kind of freaks me out but I was also curious about it, would blood taste sweet, or more like rust and salt. But I guess if I changed I would find out for sure, but it was all hanging on the if. As I thought about the creepy yet alluring idea of bloodlust, I couldn't help the way my mind wandered to a certain vampyre with rich endless blue eyes. There was something injustice about how agonizingly handsome he had appeared to be.

Focusing back to the situation at hand, my gaze focused on my mom who was sitting on the couch gazing into space, and my sister was there too but she smiled when she saw me, my little brother was playing with cars on the floor oblivious to the world around him. My mother spoke, surprising me, "What's going to happen to you?" she asked, her hazel eyes much like mine staring at me.

I thought for a moment, "I studied this in my AP Biology class last year, I think the term used was that it's: a physiological reaction that takes place in only a few teenagers bodies as their hormone levels rise, but for me I was Marked later than usual and I don't know why." I said, not the least bit surprised I could remember something as easy as that, hell I even remembered most of what I learned in my AP Chemistry class two years ago, yes I admit it, I am a science nerd that went on to study Law, go figure.

Anyway, "In certain people the hormones trigger a certain reaction in a defective DNA strand that causes the whole Change." I said without pause remembering the correct terms from our Genetics class.

"God would never allow such a thing." My mother stated her voice becoming flat and emotionless.

My shoulders clenched and I was about to retort when my sister spoke up, "I think it's cool. And the crescent outline matches that strange blue ringing her eyes." I turned my gaze to hers and she grinned back at me, I turned back to my mother to see her mouth hanging open in surprise.

My mother turned to my father, her hazel eyes filled with fear, the same eyes I had and somehow it filled me with fury to see those same eyes turned to me in fear and horror, as they had been earlier this afternoon (or for me now should I say morning?), "What are we going to do with her?" she asked clenching her hands together as she sobbed for a moment.

"Don't you get it?" I directed my question to my mother, my voice filled with exasperation at how dense she could be but she ignored me, "I have to go. Tonight!" I said doubling over with a fit of coughing, "I… have to…" I paused here gasping for breath, then coughing (well, it was more like hacking)," go to the… House of… Night!" I said with gasping breathes, as the coughing continued.

My sister darted forward, throwing her arms around me as she cried. I froze in shock, I had seen my sister in many states throughout her life but I hardly ever saw her cry. And here she was at the worst possible moment bawling her eyes out. Without much conscious thought I ran my fingers through her shoulder length hair, the coarse feel of her straight hair different to my silky curls. She continued to rub her head against my chin like a cat as she mewled, her crying leaving my shirt tear stained and somewhat snotty. I wondered if my dad had felt as freaked as I did when I did that to him.

Gently dad pulled at her arms and she released me, walking slowly to her room, only to close the door so quietly it was eerie. After a moment I heard her rummaging through her room and a satisfied yell a few moments later followed by a thud as she dropped, or possible threw something. Coming back she walked up to me and grabbed my right wrist while gently clasping a simple silver bracelet on my wrist, with a simple heart pendant and a red ruby (it was the gift I had given her for her thirteenth birthday and it had cost at least a month's worth of wages). I stared open mouthed at her in surprise, she always wore it, only taking it off for school, I even saw her once sleeping with it on, even though the chains were made out of real silver.

"I want you to have it, it always made me happy when I wore it so promise you won't take it off." She said as she hugged me for, what could have possible been, the last time saying goodbye.

Tears filled my eyes as my younger brother glanced up his eight-year old face, filled with sorrow, "Bye Bye Nettie." He said extremely quietly as he sat amongst his toys.

My mother jumped up, and for a second I thought she might hug me goodbye, but all she did was stare at me then turn to my Father, "Well, get her to the House of Night." And then she brushed past me while storming down the stairs, each thud of her foot, echoing through the now silent room.

Dad turned to me his dark eyes sorrowful, "Have you packed?" I nodded silently and trailed after him as he walked to my room, carefully, he picked up my full suitcase and I followed him down the stair, my brother and sister watching from the balcony as I stepped into the 4WD. Dad threw the suitcase into the back seat and hopped into the car beside me, as I waved goodbye to my siblings and the home I once knew, I prepared myself for the new one waiting for me.

My mother peered out the window of her bedroom, and stared at me, her face a mix of emotions, horror yet also sadness at losing one of her daughters. As I lifted my hand in a wave the curtain fell closed. Apparently dad didn't see he was too distracted by rolling out the driveway onto the busy main road. As he turned down the corner, we made our way to the outskirts of the town of Deepdene, near the sprawling forests where the ancient castle looking House of Night lay, shrouded in mystery in darkness.

I was not as prepared as I thought for what awaited me there. I was surely hoping, though I probably wouldn't be prepared for it, to see him again. No, that wasn't quite right if I was being honest with myself; I wanted to see him again, needed to see him like some sick obsession. The vampyre Tracker. To find out why? Why all of a sudden I had been Marked, and why he had left me even though I had fainted moments after being Marked? A part of me yearned for the answers and another part of me shied away from it.

Even though I was terrified at what lay ahead of me I promised I would never forget the way my mother made me feel in that moment, like I was an exile in my own home. So no matter what horrors I was subjected to at my new life at this strange House of Night, nothing could beat the pain I felt in the moment my own mother abandoned me.

Read and Review: This Chapter gives a fuller effect of the Family dynamics and as to why the Goddess marked her later than usual, well you will just have to read to find out. But anyway, I really hope you like reading it as much as I enjoy writing (or should I say) typing this.

I also explained a little more of my OC's characters, basing it off me; I am a complete bookworm and as I said I actually have that many books and I do want to go to Paris one day, maybe even Italy. I did ask my sister how she would react and she said probably like this (with a lot of swearing) and she asked if she could give me something, so my sister really is that nice.

Please review so I can work on anything you don't like… but please be gentle this is the first time I have tried writing a book based FanFiction.