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Thorne's POV:

A Thorne Party

Man, this place is crowded. Then again, I doubt anyone in school would choose to miss a party hosted by the great Carswell Thorne (thanks Mom and Dad for that stupid first name).

Pretty much every square inch of the Thorne mansion is occupied by kids from school, some of them I don't even know! But hey, the more the merrier right?

I've converted the living room into a prom-worthy dance floor, complete with a disco ball, subwoofers taller than me and a snacks table. The two theatre rooms have become a video games room and a movie room (both with popcorn machines) and the pool's also open for business. Or, it was. Now it's just way too crowded for anyone else to go in a have a dip.

Right now, I'm dancing with Darla, a hot girl with long legs and shiny raven hair. I'm thinking about asking her out later tonight, but it depends on whether I find a chick who's even hotter. Miko's a pretty good candidate. Now if only I could get her away from Dataran…

I break away from Darla when the song ends, but not before shooting her a grin and a wink. Can't have her giving up on me just yet, can I?

I look around the room for another girl to dance with. Maybe that French mademoiselle, Scarlet? Instead, I spy a figure in a grey hoodie standing in the corner with his head ducked and his hands shoved in his pockets.

I shake my head in amusement and walk over to him.

"You know, for one of the most popular guys in school you're really antisocial."

Kai shrugs and tugs his hood further over his head. "You know parties aren't my thing Thorne."

"True," I reply, grabbing his elbow, "but you're at a party now, meaning you have to take part and at least try to have fun."

Ignoring Kai's protests, I drag him onto the crowded dance floor. Kai's a good guy and all, but he really needs to live a little sometimes. If it weren't for me, he'd probably be at home with his nose stuck in some musty old history book. He should be singing my praises right now!

"Hey Pearl!" I call to the brunette chatting with Jake. "Kai needs a dancing partner. You up for it?"

Pearl squeals and immediately rushes over, grabbing Kai's hand and pulling him into a dance. I meet his vengeful glare with a mouthed "you're welcome". Someone's gotta make sure he actually has fun tonight.

"Maybe you should avoid asking Kai to do your homework for a while. Pretty sure he'd purposely fail you."

I grin and turn to face the girl who had spoken. "Well if it ain't my favourite mechanic! If I'd known you'd be here, I wouldn't have just stuck Kai with Pearl!"

Cinder rolls her eyes. "Yeah right."

"Okay, you got me. But at least now that leaves you with the even better prize: me." I grin and throw my arm around her shoulders.

"I think the word your searching for is "punishment"." Cinder retorts, shoving my arm away.

"Please. As if dancing with a fine specimen such as myself could ever be a punishment."

"Did you just call yourself a science experiment? No wonder you have about the same number of brain cells as a toddler!"

"A toddler could never be as charming as me."

"But you make up for it by being twice as needy."

This kind of talk is pretty typical of me and Cinder. I flirt with her, she shoots me down. When we first met, I considered her for a girlfriend. She's a pretty girl. Maybe not the prettiest but pretty enough. That consideration lasted about thirty seconds before I decided she'd make a much better normal friend, and that's all we'll ever be: friends. Good friends, but still just friends. Besides, Kai has had a hopeless crush on her since he pretty much first laid eyes on her and I have a rule where I don't date my friends' crushes (even if they want to date me).

Our conversation is interrupted by Iko, a hyper fangirl and Cinder's best friend. Don't ask me why those two are besties; Cinder is an introverted mechanic whose idea of dressing up is wearing a clean T-shirt and jeans without holes in them, whereas Iko is a gossipy extrovert who enjoys shopping and reading fashion magazines. But then again, Cinder and I aren't exactly two sides of the same coin either, same goes for me and Kai. Friendships are weird.

"Cinder, come on, you promised to be my wing-girl tonight! I'm thinking of asking Dataran out."

Iko punctuates her plea by forcefully tugging on Cinder's elbow. I reach out and grab her free one before she can get dragged away. "Sorry Iko, Miko beat you to it." I shake my head in mock sympathy as I break the news.

"Oh my gosh, that's amazing! They're going to be so cute together!" Iko squeals with delight and let's go of Cinder's arm. "They need a cute ship name! How about Diko? Or Datiko?"

"How about Somebody Get Me a Barf Bag?" Cinder grumbles wrenching her arm out of my hand. I'm too busy chuckling to notice (or care). That's Iko all right: fawning over a boy one minute and then celebrating his relationship with another girl the next. Well, so long as the girl meets her approval.

Iko grabs hold of Cinder's arm again and starts dragging her away, spouting off ship names for Dataran and Miko. Eh, could be worse. I remember what she was like when I told her about Kai's crush on Cinder. It took a full hour to convince her to not tell Cinder about it so she won't freak. Cinder is definitely not the relationship type. I actually doubt she's ever been kissed! And she's seventeen! Come on, that's just sad.

But now that Kai, Cinder and Iko are all preoccupied with other matters, I'm bored again. Seriously, where's a hot girl when you need one?

I look around the dance floor, hoping to catch sight of a new dance partner. My lips curl into a triumphant smirk when I catch sight of a familiar red hoodie. Finally, a pretty lady!

I saunter over to her and flash my most award-winning smile. Scarlet rolls her eyes in response. "What do you want?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd be a good host and offer you a dance, you know, seeing as this is your first party in Thorne manor."

"Hard pass."

I shrug. "You're loss."

Just then, Lil' Red Riding Hood starts blasting out of the subwoofers and I smirk. It's too good a chance to pass up.

"I wish I could say that really is the Big Bad Wolf singing your praises, but he opted out of this party. Maybe you should give Grandma a call to make sure he hasn't eaten her already."

It's probably my imagination, but I swear Scarlet winces at the mention of a grandma. I pretend not to notice as I continue. "It's kinda weird when you think about it. Wolves are supposed to be social animals, but Wolf is pretty much the ultimate antisocial teen."

"What caused that nickname anyway?" Scarlet asks, "I mean, he's probably the most un-wolf-like person I've ever met!"

"Oh, that's just because he has a wolf tattoo."

Whatever Scarlet was expecting, it wasn't that. "A wolf tattoo."

"Yep. And since no one knows his actual name, everyone just calls him Wolf."

Scarlet frowns and opens her mouth, probably to ask why no one knows Wolf's real name, when a small voice behind her says, "Hi Scarlet."

Scarlet turns around to see who spoke and I step to the side so I can see past her. The first thing I notice is the person's hair: blonde, and insanely long with small plaits woven into it. The second thing I notice are her big blue eyes, which are wide with fear and uncertainty.

I grin and offer her a small wave. "Hey Cress! Glad you could make it!"

Cress pulls some of her hair around her face and won't meet my eyes.

I don't know that much about Cress, just that she's good at hacking and has hair like Rapunzel. She's cute, not the cutest girl I've seen but still cute. She has a sweet, heart-shaped face and a smattering of freckles across her nose, and her eyes are a very pretty pastel blue. She's also short. Like really short. Barely up to my chest. And, as a rule, small things are adorable.

Scarlet glares at me, looking oddly threatening. Can't imagine why.

"So Cress," I say, trying to be friendly, "got a dance partner for tonight? Cus' I'm currently available."

It's hard to see through the curtain of hair, but I swear Cress is blushing.

"I-I'm not used to dancing with a partner." She stutters.

"Aw, don't be like that!" I reach out and hook my arm around hers. She squeaks in surprise as I bring her onto the dance floor. As far as I know, this is the first Thorne party Cress has ever attended. What I said to Scarlet earlier about being a good host was just me flirting with her, but Cress seems just so downright terrified to be here, I figure I should help her loosen up.

But just as we start to dance, the weirdest thing happens. A long, eerie howl cuts through the noise of the partiers and the subwoofers. And I really do mean "cuts". It's not louder than the music or laughter, but the sound is still crystal clear.

A loud crash comes from the entrance hall. Letting go of Cress, I walk out of the living room, moving slowly and quietly on instinct. No one is speaking now. It suddenly seems compulsory to make as little noise as possible.

I peer at the double doors on the other end of the hall. There's another crash and they shake on their hinges.

I turn to address the crowd inside the living room. "Someone's trying to break in."

I ignore the scared gasps that follow my statement and go back to staring at the doors, waiting for the next crash. When it comes, the doors are blown off their hinges and a huge, dark form tumbles inside with them.

The thing stands, revealing that it has four legs, each with huge paws tipped with claws like knives. Thick fur covers its giant body, and it holds its bushy tail high, wagging it vigorously. I try to keep myself calm, tell myself that means its happy. But looking at those giant teeth and evil amber eyes, I can't help but think that it's just happy to eat me.

A/N: Cliff-hanger! *Dodges tomatoes*

I've got two fun-facts to share with you guys with this instalment!

#1: Wolf's real name is actually relatively common among Ashkenazi Jews, particularly those living in Israel.

#2: A dog wagging its tail doesn't necessarily mean its happy, just willing to interact, and not necessarily in a friendly manner. Which is why the "creature" in this chapter is holding its tail high as it wags it, since that tends to mean the dog is intently focused on something, like hunting, and can mean aggressive action (You're welcome all you dog-owners reading this!).

Now we know what Thorne thinks of Cress! Come on, let's face it guys: Cress is just such an adorable little cupcake!

Will any of the party guests survive this sudden monster invasion? Where did the monsters come from anyway? Why are they breaking into parties?

Please review!