AN/As promised chapter four is up!

Okay my heart felt thanks to those who were kind enough to review and give me the incentive to continue this story! Only one more chapter and the epilogue to go…

practikalmagik- yeah, Ryan dieing was a tad unexpected for me too- and I'm the author! Lolz. Adish/ Josiff isn't that bad, I just haven't shown you the nice side of him I've just let you see his homicidal maniac side :-p but as to Joey rescuing Kryssy I somehow don't think she'd let him she's a way too independent girl in that respect because she'd just see it as her being weak not being able to look after herself!

Chapter 4

Josiff smiled at her coldly. "Silly me," he murmured. "I forgot to let you say hi to someone, I'll be right back." He turned and walked out of the room, leaving Kryssy feeling more vulnerable than ever. She knew that whatever he had planned wasn't good, and that she had to get out of there now. Whatever the future held she didn't want to know.

Getting up, carefully she looked round the room trying to see if there was any other way out of the room apart from the door. She knew it was no use trying it, that it would be heavily guarded, so she left it well alone. Frustrated she realised that it was indeed the only way out- boy was she in trouble! If only she'd been more careful/He'd have got you eventually./ The cynical part of her pointed out.

Annoyed with herself she kicked the wall as hard as she could and found out that it was made of bricks. /Just my luck/ she grumbled. /He had to have planned this/

The door to the room opened, Kryssy spun around to see Josiff entering the room with… "Lexi!" she yelped. "If you hurt her, I swear I will kill you!" she hissed, glaring at Josiff who just laughed.

"I thought I might need to use a bit of coercion so I sent Ryan out to distract your vampire friends so I could get one of your sisters for you to use as inspiration." Kryssy felt herself go pale.

"If I do as you say, you'll leave her alone?" she questioned. Josiff nodded.

"Though where Ryan is right now is a mystery." He murmured, Kryssy looked at him startled and then began to smile.

"Maybe his disguise wasn't as good as you thought?" she remarked, carefully avoiding his eyes. She wasn't sure why she said this but she got the feeling that there was only one unhinged brother still walking the earth. Whether or not that was a good thing or not she was unsure. It didn't matter right now any way.

She turned away from him and the site of her unconscious sister helpless. Slowly she dragged herself over to the bowl, dread building deep inside her. She wasn't ready for the secrets of the universe. She knew in the depths of her heart that she would never be ready, that the information wasn't meant for her a mortal. Okay she was a vampire and therefore classed as an immortal but the terminology was wrong because she knew that she was able to die but an immortal cannot die. She shook her head, now was not the time to have a circular argument with herself.

Reaching out her right hand touched a stone that had be placed there, she picked it up and looked it over. Looking for what she wasn't sure, but then she felt the warmth radiate through her fingers that were in contact with the stone and she felt oddly calm. "Blue Lace Agate." She murmured, her eyes half closed, rubbing the stone with her fingers. "Associated with calmness, truth and honesty, confidence, dissolving anger, and communication." She smiled at Josiff, the satisfied smile of a cat with cream. In that smile Josiff could see the beauty of the women he had fallen in love with years ago.

She reached out again, this time with her left hand and picked up the other stone. Opening her eyes she looked at it then turned to look at Josiff. He had the same colour eyes as the stone. "Amethyst." She stated gazing at it lovingly. "It's associated with peace, wisdom, stillness, psychic abilities and restful sleep." She murmured holding his gaze.

Despite all that he had done to her Kryssy knew that she still loved him as she had done when she had first been born as Saorise, then as Sylvie and as Angela. All three of them had loved him- the human, the fox shifter and the witch. In a flash Kryssy knew that for the first time she would be able to have true visions because she had been all four kin- human, shifter, witch and finally vampire. She had seen the world through all their eyes.

"Are you sure you want to know the future?" she questioned. Josiff looked at her scornfully.

"Of course I do." He snarled.

"And if the future isn't to you're liking?" she demanded.

"Then I'll change it." He replied simply. Kryssy laughed at him sadly.

"Sit down." She instructed he did as she asked. "I will let you see what the future is like for yourself. I cannot change what you see, but understand this. You will only see what may be." Josiff nodded.

Looking into the bowl of water and holding the two stones, Kryssy began chanting quietly.

"We stand now at a cross roads.

In time we will see what the future holds.

But with the power that is mine

Turn forward the old hands of time.

Let me see what the future holds

What will happen when I grow old?

I know the age-old price I'll pay

Let me see it today."

Kryssy and Josiff both fell into blackness…

Kryssy looked around, she was in an old city and on everything was a covering of blood. The future did not look good. She saw Josiff not far from her and walked over to him, he looked as dazed and confused as she felt. "Where are we?" he demanded, advancing towards her.

"An accurate question would be when not where, Adish." Saorise remarked stepping out from the shadows. She smiled at Kryssy as she stepped in front of them. "Welcome to 2000." She said gesturing around her. "Well, to be more precise I should tell you that the year 2000 started only about five minutes ago but already there is blood shed between the four kindred." Josiff stepped forward and looked around, noticing for the first time the amount of blood.

"Who will win?" he demanded. Saorise exchanged a sad glance with Kryssy.

"Who can say?" she questioned. "The balance is still on a fine thread. The final power hasn't been found, only then is the future bound." Josiff glowered at both of them.

"What's with the rhymes?" he demanded. "And who are the four kindred?"

Kryssy gestured at the shadows of people walking past them. "Humans, Shifters, Witches and Vampires are the four kindred. Only when the four can balance in harmony will the future be certain." She reached out to touch someone, but her hand just slid through. She sighed sadly. "So many will die, yet the time isn't right." She looked at Josiff sadly. "Though daybreak should win the battle, they will ultimately loose the war. It is only fair that vampires have their chance to rule… but that isn't a definite fact. The wheel is turning, what was once up may come down." Josiff regarded her scornfully.

"You will make sure that your prediction is true." He said, threatening her silently. Kryssy drew herself up tall.

"How dare you threaten me here Adish Amar." She thundered. "Do not assume that your fate cannot be changed." Josiff stepped back frightened. "This is my realm. I am ruler here." Then Josiff laughed at her cruelly.

"Are you really the ruler here? What about Saorise, she was the first so shouldn't she be queen of all?"

Kryssy sighed. "No. I am the first, the last and the only. Saorise is one of my many forms, just as Kryssy is one of my many forms. You will be judged Adish Amar do not forget that next time you anger me." She warned fading into the surroundings.

Kryssy woke up feeling stiff. She carefully stretched herself and sat up, it was then that she noticed a stranger hunger inside her. She ignored this hunger when she discovered that Josiff was out cold. Now was her chance to escape.

Carefully she picked up Lexi who was still out cold, leaving Kryssy to wonder just how hard Josiff had knocked her out. Opening the door she looked up and down the corridor. There was no one, absolutely no one anywhere in sight. Shifting Lexi so she was leaning over her shoulder rather like a fireman style lift Kryssy walked out into the corridor and out of the house.

Once she was outside the house Kryssy discovered that it was night-time, as the sky was very dark, she guessed around eleven. She also recognised where she was. /So the police are right./ she mused. /People are normally taken by those they know./ She was about ten minutes walk away from her house, checking her pockets she discovered she still had her keys. Kryssy was more than a little amused that Josiff hadn't checked to see if she was carrying a weapon or not- maybe he was overconfident.

Lexi stirred on Kryssy's back. "Welcome back to reality." Kryssy murmured putting her sister down. Lexi looked at her and burst into tears, Kryssy gently hugged her sister. "What can you remember?" she questioned pulling back slightly. Lexi sniffed and wiped away a tear.

"I...I..." Lexi began hesitantly. "You were missing at the club and we, that is Zoë, Zack, Joey, Ryan and I looked for you, but we couldn't find you. Then… then..." Lexi burst into tears, Kryssy waited patiently for Lexi to regain her composure. When Lexi did she continued. "Then… Joey tried to make me forget…. Oh my God! Kryssy I know you're not going to believe me but vampires exist!" Kryssy looked at Lexi sympathetically and found she couldn't look away from her sisters' neck, she backed off slightly. Lexi moved towards her but Kryssy shook her head.

"Don't come any closer." She begged.

"Why?" Lexi demanded.

"Because…" Kryssy looked at Lexi desperately. "Because Josiff turned me into a vampire." She murmured looking retched. Lexi stepped back and Kryssy could feel the hot tears run down her cheek. "And I need to feed but I don't want to hurt you." Kryssy whimpered, taking another step away. Lexi looked at her concerned.

"You can feed from me, I won't mind." She suggested her voice trembling, Kryssy shook her head.

"No." she said simply.

Lexi glared at her. "You need to eat. It'll only get worse." She warned. Kryssy shook her head stubbornly. Then had a thought. "Go home, Zack should be with Zoë. Get him for me, tell him I need him and where I am. Then you are to stay home with Zoë until I return. Please?" she begged. Lexi looked at her helplessly, nodded once then headed home.

Lexi carefully snuck up the stairs to the room she and her sisters shared without knocking she walked inside to find Zoë and Zack asleep in the same bed. She walked round to where Zack was and lightly poked him, he woke up in an instant. He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head. "Kryssy needs your help. She sent me to find you…"

Zack found Kryssy exactly where Lexi had said she would be, and he could immediately see what the problem was. "Who changed you?" he enquired gesturing for her to follow him, which she did.

"Adish Amar or you'd know him as Josiff Phyllips. I hate it when Joey's right." She muttered. Zack laughed.

He led her to some near by woods and helped her find a rabbit to feed from. When she had finished the rabbit she turned and faced Zack her eyes becoming more normal as her fangs grew smaller. She smiled at him. "Thank you." She murmured.

"That's okay." He replied. "I assumed you didn't want to feed from humans seeing as you refused your sister." Kryssy nodded.

"At least ones I know." She agreed.

Zack had agreed to pretend that he hadn't seen her and to go home, so Kryssy walked into the room she shared with her sisters alone. By the time she returned Zoë was up and dressed and it looked like Lexi had explained something's to her. Kryssy sighed; she wasn't really sure where to begin.