"I have nothing to wear!" I moaned to myself.

Every item of clothing I owned was strewn across my bed; my drawers and closets were bare. I stared into the empty recesses, willing something suitable to appear.

A few "passable" items lay on my window seat: A denim skirt, an ecru lace blouse, and my pathetic school skirt. Yes. I was that desperate. I wanted something that would make me look beautiful and grown up. Something that said vampire party. I was coming up empty.

It was almost time to go, and I was still wearing my favourite old sweats. Unless I could find something better here – and the odds were not in my favour – I was going to have to go in them.

I scowled at the letter on my bed; I'd found it there when I'd gotten home the night before. The ink was still drying, and I'd accidentally smudged a bit of the wording with my thumb.

"Stupid annoying four-eyes!" I growled, ripping the whole thing to shreds.

The letter had been simple: 6pm, Sakamaki Mansion. We'll pick you up. Wait in your room.

The bloodsucker was obviously underestimating my mental capabilities. Or was he underestimating my memory? I wasn't a goldfish, for crying out loud!

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," I decided, making a break down the hall to my sister's room.

She still wasn't back from school yet, but I knew where all her things were. She was broader in the shoulders, and her bosom was fuller, but from the waist downwards we could have been twins.

I had never looked inside her closets and now I felt like an intruder. It was as if a whole different personality was housed along these rails.

For opening the cupboards was like walking into a fashion boutique. There were pant suits, skirt suits and leather suits, all by well-known designers. I saw two fur coats, one fox, one mink, hanging side by side. A clutch of day dresses took up a good part of the closet, and there was another closet stuffed full with evening clothes.

With a sigh, I opened that one. Nothing in there was to my tastes. There were too many cute little trimmings on the jackets, and the dresses were too gaudy, too low-cut. I didn't have the chest – or the figure – for them.

That was when I saw it. A simple burgundy Empire waist dress, with ruching around the chest, and layers of black ruffles around the sleeves. The hem was also trimmed with black ruffles, and it came with a multiple layered, ruffled shawl, also in that same shade of burgundy and black.

It looked brand new. The tags were all still attached, and it didn't look as if Lisette would miss it. So I slipped it off its hangar and dashed back to my room, squealing inwardly.

Score! One brand-new dress was all mine!

I dressed quickly; Reiji's warning about wearing comfortable shoes rang out in my mind, and I slipped on a pair of red Mary Janes.

I look like a little Lolita, I reflected, and smiled at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My hair was a pain in the arse to style, so I left it hanging straight and flat, as it always looked on any other day. I wished I had something pretty to clip in my hair, but I didn't have any hair accessories that matched.

Besides, it was nearly time to go, so I shut the bathroom door behind me and went to wait in my room.

Someone was already there, and it wasn't Kanato for once. I wasn't sure if I should break out the champagne and tap dance or if I should scream and run away.

He looked like me. Sort of. He had red eyes, and white hair, along with chalky pale skin that was characteristic of all Sakamaki brothers. (Or vampires, if you want to get specific.) And, of course, he was heart-breaking beautiful. (Though he wasn't at all my type.)

I swallowed. Hard.

"Um… Did Reiji-san send you?" I asked hesitantly.

"Wasn't it obvious?" He sniped, not even glancing in my direction.

I scowled. I could see the stick up his ass from where I was!

"So how are we getting to the mansion?" I demanded. "And why did they send you?"

His eyes glowed.

"I didn't have a choice! Kanato was supposed to go, but he overslept, so Reiji sent me instead! I'm not enjoying this either, you know," He graced me with another glare, and I believed him.

So I simply nodded, and let it go. Besides, I didn't think arguing with him would bode well for me. This guy would probably find a way to twist anything I said. Though his expression didn't change, his eyes went back to their normal shade of red, and I relaxed. A little. He was still a vampire, and I didn't want to push my luck.

"Isn't obvious, stupid girl?" He snapped, clearly losing whatever little patience he'd had with me.

He held out his arms, and I got it in an instant.

"Oh, hell NO–"

Before I could make my feelings clear (like punching him in the face for example), he'd already yanked me up into his arms.

I sulked all the way there. He didn't try to make conversation with me either, and that suited me fine. Were all of the Sakamaki brothers this unlikable?

Yui was waiting for us at the porch, dressed simply in a pink dress with a fluted hemline. Patent leather ballet pumps were on her feet, and her hair had been held back with a white Alice band. Yui's eyes lit up in relief when she saw us.

"Antoinette!"

"Yui," I replied easily, just as my double set me down and stalked off into the house. "Who was that?"

She hesitated, choosing her next words carefully.

"That's… He's… Well, he's Subaru Sakamaki."

Subaru, huh?

"Well, he seems awfully cheerful," I drawled out lazily, and Yui managed a smile.

"Come on," She held out her hand. "I'll take you to my room. Dinner doesn't start till seven."

The mansion's living room had a cathedral ceiling and one enormous chandelier hanging over it. The floor was intricately tiled marble, and heavy, velvet curtains cloaked the windows like a shroud. The rest of the hallways, rooms and lounges had a mostly red, black and purple colour scheme. It was all very gothic, in my opinion. Mirrors and portraits adorned the walls, and the sconces in the hallways were dim. My skin crawled like it was trying to get away from the shadows.

I kept seeing movement in my peripheral vision, a shadow that spun one way and then another – I was unable to catch it square on. Whatever it was, I couldn't make myself turn my head fast enough to get a good look. Maybe I was losing my mind.

Whatever qualms I may have had about this house instantly disappeared when I stepped into Yui's room. It was bigger than my room, and Lisette's put together, and it had the same colour scheme as the rest of the mansion. The carpet was so plush and deep that I immediately kicked off my shoes and walked in barefoot, luxuriating in the way my feet sank into that softness. Yui had a king-sized, four-poster bed, with a lace canopy and everything. Heaped with feather duvets and covered with pillows, I wondered how Yui managed to get out of bed every morning. French doors opened out onto a spacious balcony, which would have been awesome, if not for the fact that they were locked. Yui even had her own personal bathroom, and a huge walk in closet.

I plonked my butt down onto the bed.

"Ahh. This is the life!"

Yui made to join me, but an apologetic smile crossed her face.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go to the bathroom. Will you be alright on your own for a minute?"

"Of course!" I agreed airily.

The minute the door clicked shut behind me, I was out of her room like a bullet from a gun.

It was time to explore!


Hey, guys! OMG, thank you so much for all the lovely reviews – I didn't think my story was that good! Seriously, you guys are too kind. And since everyone wanted me to update soon… Result! Second chapter up! I'm as tired as hell, but it was worth it. Thank you for reading, and do review if you can!