This isn't true okay? Some of it is, but about the books and Fran – it isn't. God, I wish vampires were real – but then, how do I know they aren't? The thing about the boyfriend – that's true. I live in England but it's set in America so I don't have to get all complicated about Daybreak HQ moving to England.

The plot is mine. I own: Fran, Hannah (myself), Chris, Emily, Lily, Katie, Daryl and Mitchell. Okay? If you want to use Fran in any of your stories, you can but I want to be asked first because:

1) He's mine (LOL)
And
2) I've wrote a story about Fran and I'm taking it to a publisher (it's finished!) Fingers crossed that they'll accept it, anyway. So he might be on here with a topic of his own.

Kate (Dark Angel's Blue Fire): I'm sorry if this is like your story, where Kaitlin falls into the books but nobody falls into a book in this one . I hope you like it! Sorry I haven't emailed you in a while but I'm kind of banned at the moment. My other email is: so I'll try and email you soon with that one By the way – are you on Hi5? I've been on there for months Later!

One more thing. It may sound like it has nothing to do with The Night World or that its just about kids that love it but honestly – read it, it will make sense in the end.

L. J's Secret
Chapter One

"So, what do I class myself as? Single? Taken?" I asked, turning on my two best friends. Emily shrugged and looked around at all the market stalls. She wasn't good with this kind of thing.
Chris linked my arm and grinned, flashing his teeth. I couldn't help but give a wry smile back. Emily appeared on my left and linked my other arm, sighing and looking down at the blank screen of her mobile – waiting for her dad to call.
"You've got to be single, Han! How long has it been since you talked to him?" Chris asked, staring at me under heavy eyelids. Sometimes, when his attention was switched to something else as well, he looked bored and I didn't know whether I should answer or not. "Well, uhm… 23rd… and today's date is-?" I began; thankfully Emily broke in with the day. "30th March,"
"Right," I grimaced, trying to work out how long it had been since I'd heard last from my so-called 'boyfriend'. "35 days." I frowned and my eyes flashed with anger. "Five weeks." He wasn't exactly my boyfriend. I'd never met him. An Internet relationship basically – and it had lasted seven months. Until my dad found out. And I found out that he'd lied to me.

"So, tell me again what he lied about?" Emily asked, reading my mind. She was staring, intently. She already knew, but I think she didn't exactly grasp it. God, I'd been so in love with this guy last month but now… things changed.
"He told me he was going to Dorcan." I paused. Dorcan was one of the other high schools in our town. My 'boyfriend' had told me he was moving down here, but things just didn't always add up. Sure, I'd talked to him on the phone – but sometimes things didn't make sense. I took a breath and shuffled my feet, stopping. "He's not. They've never heard of him before."

Emily nodded and turned to look over her shoulder. "Listen, Han, maybe it's for the best. Maybe…" she broke off and gave me a hug. It surprised me, but then Chris hugged me too. I smiled. (Don't worry – there's no way Chris would fancy me or there's no chance of me going after him. He only goes for boys, if you catch my drift.)

"So," I broke in, not wanting to carry on with this conversation, "are we alright for Brunel tonight?" I asked, flashing a smile. Emily screwed up her face. This time, it was me who gave her a hug. She wasn't allowed out often, especially to nightclubs. Sure, Brunel was one of the only clubs that had an under 18s night, but I don't think her dad approved. She worked for a chip shop over at Liden, a family business, and she was never allowed out. Her parents were tight.

"Sorry, Em," I told her. Emily nodded. She's quite short, with black hair that goes down to her shoulders. She's Chinese and wears glasses that make her brown eyes look bigger – making her look like a cute little cat. She loves Hello Kitty; it's been her favourite ever since she was little. Chris has a dark shade of brown hair, blue eyes like mine and is only a few centimetres taller than me. He loves Charmed.
Me? Butt Ugly Martians. I've always loved it. And now, all of us were starting to throw ourselves into the world of L. J. Smith – vampires galore. I loved her books, so did Em. We'd both read all of the Vampire Diaries, except I had read almost every Night World book. Chris had started the Night World and the Vampire Diaries – but he was never a fast reader.

Chris bounced slightly, happily. "Is anyone else coming?" he asked. We'd started walking again, heading in the direction of McDonalds. I shook my head. Jade was always with Jemma nowadays, I didn't know where Lauren was half the time and Faye would rather go to The Furnace. "Just me and you. Maybe Lil and Katie will be there." I smiled. I wanted to stop talking about going out with Emily there; I didn't want her feeling left out.
"Come to my house at seven," I told Chris, trying to dismiss the topic. "My dad'll take us." He nodded, picking up on Emily's distress. "Now," I clapped my hands together, flicking my brown hair out of my face. "We're single, we're sexy, agree?" Em smiled, sheepishly. Chris laughed and held my hand. We all nodded.

"Now – let's shop!"

Brunel stank of smoke. Wouldn't have been the first time. I screwed up my face and pushed open the heavy doors that led into the club. Bodies littered the room, swinging together as people danced – everywhere. Most of the people there were people I knew, people from my school. Most were in my year – year 10 – but there were some older people. The oldest, I think, was eighteen.

I shuffled in through the entrance with Chris on my right. He'd never been to Brunel before. His eyes opened wide. The bar in the centre of the room was circular and it rotated, so slowly that you didn't really notice until you were standing on it and the next instant you'd be facing another direction. I tugged Chris forward and somehow we managed to find a table quite near to the people from our school hanging out. I could see Lily and Katie laughing. Lily was sat on her boyfriend, Mitchell's, lap. Katie was flirting with Daryl. They both fancied the hell out of each other, but they wouldn't go out. Strange.

None of them noticed us. Some of the popular boys saw us – saw me – and their jaws dropped. I'd only been in here once before. I didn't bother getting dressed up last time, but now it was a different story. I had curled my hair, thrown on the makeup and was wearing a red top with a low cut and shredded straps. I was wearing high heels and my nicest pair of jeans. I suppose I could've turned heads, but not those boys. They were pigs. They were just surprised.

Chris shuffled uncomfortably. "I need the toilet, hang on." And he was up and running to the loos. His face was pale. I didn't know why, until I turned and saw James. The guy he'd fancied last year and who had bullied him out of our tutor group. I scowled and went after my friend. "Chris, wait!"
I tripped on the step down to the toilets. I would've gone hurtling forward and would've probably broken my nose if I'd landed headfirst. My heel got stuck on the step and I lurched forward yelping as I twisted my ankle. My arms were flailing and I felt my eyes water. It was both of pain and embarrassment. I was falling into darkness.

I felt strong arms grab me and hold me up. Surprised, I looked up and saw… my legs melted and I collapsed. I made it look as if I'd badly hurt my leg. My right shoe slipped off but I didn't notice.
"Are you okay?" God. He was gorgeous. He had brown tussled hair; blue eyes that shone like blue lace agate and a comforting smile that made me turn to jelly. I imagined that this guy shouldn't be in reality, he belonged in one of L. J's books – he was so beautiful that I couldn't find the words to answer him.
But… almost as if it were a delayed reaction, are gazes locked. And then it happened. And somehow, I was sort of expecting it. My mind exploded. Pink light smothered me and clouded my vision. I couldn't hear the music anymore. I felt overwhelmed by this presence that wasn't my own. A golden light shining around me, holding onto me. Emotions overpowered me. Surprise. Confusion.

What the hell? It was him. He was thinking it but I heard it – plain as day as if he'd said it out loud. My body went numb and my eyes opened wide. Soulmates… I thought and I didn't know whether he heard it or not. Oh God, this stuff isn't real! It's in the books I read, it's fictional! I… I couldn't find another explanation.
Memories throbbed between us. Of how I'd read about his happening to Ash and Mare, Quinn and Rashel, James and Poppy, Galen and Keller… Oh God… you don't read the- he stopped. The connection broke when someone bumped past the two of us. The cloud receded. It was a miracle the two of us were still standing.

As I came back into reality, I found that it had only occurred over a few seconds, because the music had hardly shifted at all. I stared at the boy in front of me. He was only a year older by the look of it. He was a little taller than me, about an inch, and he was thin. His arms didn't look muscly exactly but I could sense they were strong. Something about the way he was standing… something…

"Who are you?" he asked, completely confused. His eyebrows were wide, his mouth was pouted. He looked deflated. "H-Hannah…" I replied, looking around. No one had seemed to notice, maybe except for James over in the corner, staring at the two of us as if we had two heads.
The boy nodded and ran a hand through his hair. I tried to throw my gaze at anything but him – scared of the reaction coming again.

"Who are you?" Mary-Lynette said, abandoning any vestige of politeness. "Who are you?" he said, in just about exactly the same tone. They both glared.

I was suddenly reminded of the conversation in Daughters of Darkness, between Ash and Mare. It wasn't a friendly picture, no matter how much I loved vampires now. It hit close to home.

"You?" I asked, feeling uneasy. I'd never talked to a boy like this before, especially one I'd never met before. He smiled, slightly.

He smiled. A smile that shed rainbows. Quinn. The Chosen, book five. I had to get these images out of my head, but it was impossible. Every part of him screamed at me – vampire.

"Fran," he replied, grimacing. He dropped his hand and looked me up and down, biting his bottom lip. "So… you read L. J, huh?" he asked. I nodded. "Night World?" I nodded again. He bowed his head and grinned.
"Who's your favourite? Quinn?"
My eyebrows shot up. "How do you know?"
Fran smiled. "It's what they all say,"
"Who?" I asked, curious. He shrugged and looked away. "It's a kind of thing I like to ask of people who read them. Who they like." His eyes swung to mine and we both flinched as our blue eyes hit each other with the force of an iceberg sinking a ship. I could feel my stomach go.

"Listen, Hannah…" he began, just at the same time I said, "Listen, Fran…" We stared at each other, surprised. Oh God… Oh God, get away from him. Stop this now, please… this is torture… I kept thinking.
Fran reached out a hand. I stepped backwards. Don't touch him… don't…

"Hannah?" I let out a deep breath. Chris was at my side. I bowed my head lightly and let out a silent laugh. Chris should scare him off.
Fran didn't move, didn't even look slightly off put. Chris was looking him up and down and with every glance his smile grew wider. Normally, when Chris saw someone he didn't approve of, he'd cough and turn away. Not this time. He nudged me.

"Hi, I'm Fran." Fran held out his hand and Chris took it, immediately. I stiffened and looked at the floor. "I'm Chris," he replied. His voice was so camp; he sounded so much like a girl. Fran didn't seem to notice. He flashed a smile, showing white teeth. My bottom lip quivered.

As if I wasn't there, he began talking to Chris. "So, does Hannah have a boyfriend?" he asked, glancing at me, briefly. Chris' mouth dropped open. His grin broke his face in two. "As a matter of fact, she doesn't." Now Fran looked surprised. He stared at me and I wouldn't let my eyes meet his – not again. "Really?"

"I'm thirsty, I'm just going to-"
"I'll get you a drink," Fran smiled, brushing past me. My hand touched his as he went past and I felt thunder bolts career up and down my body. I felt dizzy and the pink light came back, but only briefly. Fran stopped, composed himself, and went up to the bar.

Chris rounded on me and screwed up his face. "He's gorgeous!" he cried, his eyes dancing in the strobe lighting. I felt as if I were trapped in a black and white movie or, how was it Mare had put it in book 2? Trapped in a world where everyone was a pod person and rising up against you? Making you feel crazy? I wanted my old world back. I wanted it now. I knew how she felt.

Fran came back with three Cokes. He handed the first to me, careful not to touch me, and the next to Chris. "Thanks," I mumbled absently, and looked around. Oh no… Lily was walking over, waving a hand.
"Hannah!" she called. I gave Fran a quick look and then shuffled over to her. "Who's that guy?" she whispered, pointing to Fran, who was deep in conversation with Chris. "Fran," I replied. "He's, well, uh…"
"He's fit, that's what he is." Lily smiled. "You're so lucky!" she looked over her shoulders. "But I've got Mitchell, so I can't complain." Smile. "I saw him catch you when you fell. He's…"
"A gentleman?"
"Something like that, yeah." Lily nodded. She gave the boy behind me one last glance. Smile. "The others are quite surprised, actually. I mean, you look so… so…"

It was my turn to smile. I tossed my hair over my shoulder. "So different?" Lily nodded and grinned. She pulled me into a hug. "After all that stuff with Andy… I never thought," she paused and then whispered in my ear, "Go for it, Hannah. That guy obviously likes you and, well… I would've two months ago," she winked and scurried off back to her group of friends. Lily – another pod person.

I turned and almost screamed. Fran was right behind me. I looked over his shoulder. "Where's Chris?" I asked. He bit his bottom lip and looked away. "He… uh, went home," he replied. My jaw dropped. "His mum came to collect him early," I searched his eyes, figured it was true and scowled. "I…" he was continuing. "I said I'd take you home, if that's okay with you," he told me.

Oh great. No wonder Chris went quietly. I thought sarcastically. I shrugged. "I'm staying till ten thirty. I can't believe Chris left, we've only been here ten minutes!" Fran shrugged and dug his hands in his pockets.
"Are you fifteen?" he asked, looking me up and down. I nodded, waving a hand as if to say 'whatever'. He sighed and followed me as I led him over to a table. It was one of those sheltered into a little alcove, almost looking like a carriage in a train. We ducked our heads and sat inside, Fran opposite me. The seats were leather, the table a dark red. There was a pole by the entrance and I felt sick wondering what it was for.

"I'm sixteen," he told me, looking down. I stared up at him, realised he was carrying on with the conversation, and reluctantly sat back. The leather was cold against my bare back. I suddenly thought a wild idea – that he was going to tell me something really, really secret. For the life of me, I couldn't think what.

"So. You've read The Night World." I didn't know whether he was actually talking to me or himself. "Well, this should be easy…" he let out a deep breath and looked up at me. "You, uh, know about Circle Daybreak – right?" he faltered slightly, not sure whether he should tell me or not. I shrugged. "Yep,"

He looked away again but he leant closer over the table. "You know about the Night World and all of the… the soulmates… and," he paused when he'd said 'soulmates'. It made me turn cold inside. "What would you say if I told you the books were all true?" his eyes bore into mine and this time neither of us looked away. A path, a link of communication, was opening up before us. That was when I saw his teeth. They dented his bottom lip, making imprints in them lightly. He smiled slightly and then they disappeared.

I was plastered to the chair, dumbfounded. What was there to say? "I'm… well, I don't know how to explain this. I'm,"
"Lamia," I finished for him, even though I knew that wasn't what he was going to say. "Huh? Oh, oh, yeah – that too." He brushed his hair back again and my body shivered. "I'm Ash's other cousin – he's got a lot of cousins, you know." It was an attempt to lighten the conversation. It didn't work. "I'm not related to Thea or Blaise, but I am James and…"

"Shut up," I whispered, bowing my head. Fran's head shot up. He was genuinely surprised. "Please, just, don't…" tears were forming in my eyes. They didn't exist – no matter how much I wished they did, how millions of other people wished… they just weren't!
He grabbed my hand and I was forced to look at him again. He was trying to make me understand, and he thought by raising his voice it would sink in. "Listen, Hannah. I'm a Daybreaker, okay? And I think…"
"Stop it!" we were both shouting now, trying to make the other understand. "Stop it, please!"
"I think you're my soulmate!" he cried. For a terrifying instant I thought he'd pull the table up out of the ground and throw it. People were running towards us now. I guess it might have sounded like he was attacking me or something. I stood up and ran. "Hannah! Hannah wait!" he broke into a run after me. Instead of reaching for me, his arm struck something else.

Daryl held onto him, pushing him back. Mitchell grabbed his other arm. They were both furious. Mitchell and I did our school's version of Pop Idol together a few months before. We weren't friends exactly, but he was always nice to me. Daryl was my ex-boyfriend. "Leave her alone you…" Daryl cursed, but then Fran lashed out at them, furious. His face was pink and I could see his teeth lengthening.

"If you knew me -" he roared, flinging them aside. Mitchell careered backward but Daryl kept a firm grip on his right arm. I was stepping backwards, Katie and Lily trying to comfort me. "If you knew what I could do!" Fran screamed. He dropped to the floor. Daryl let out a gasp of surprise as his hand caught alight with a blue flame. Katie ran forward and started to bat it out. He was backing away from Fran and I saw… I saw his arm erupt in blue fire.

Oh. My. God. His hair was on end, his eyes were black – all pupil. He was sneering and suddenly both arms were blue, flames licking the air. Mitchell crawled backwards, eyes wide. Fran was walking towards me. There were two people that he reminded me of. Liz Sherman – Hellboy. Delos Redfern – The Night World.

Suddenly, as quickly as the blue fire had come, he collapsed to the floor. His arms were bleeding where Daryl and Mitchell had grabbed him. I looked up. The seats had wooden frames. They'd slammed his head against it when pushing him back. His brown hair was matted and tangled where the blood had seeped into it.
Oh my God, he's a Wild Power. I thought, manically. But why: One from the twilight to be one with the dark? What did it mean? Why was it so significant to him?

His chest rose as he took a breath. His eyes were shut. I stepped towards Fran, cautiously, and dropped down beside him. Mitchell was holding Lily, Katie staring at Daryl's blackened hand. I ruffled Fran's hair and lifted him up. He was limp in my arms and I felt strong for once. Able to lift him, I pulled him up so he was level with me, his feet snagging on the floor. His head flopped forward. He was frowning.

A mobile rung somewhere in one of his pockets. I scowled as I dug my hand into his jeans pockets and withdrew the mobile that I had wanted for my birthday. The menu had a picture up – a black haired boy with dark eyes. He was grinning and had his arm around a girl with black hair and green eyes. No… I thought, but yes. The name beneath the picture said: Quinn.
Without even thinking I pressed the icon of the green phone, accepting the call, and put the phone to my ear. My voice was a little shaky, but I managed to choke out a 'hello'.

"Who's this?" Oh my God. I trembled with fear and anxiety. I was talking to Quinn on the phone – the real John Quinn. "Uh, th-this is H-Hannah, I-"
"Hannah?" his voice was one of disbelief. God, now he thinks you're Hannah Snow! Tell him! "N-Not Hannah S-Snow, I…"
"Where's Fran?" his voice was cold and it made my body freeze up.
"H-He's collapsed. He, uh, had an accident with the Blue Fire and…"

For a moment there was silence. "Blue Fire?" Quinn repeated, this time he was struggling to keep his voice level. "B-But… F-Fran isn't a, wait." He paused. "Who are you? How did you get Fran's mobile?"
I was running out of things to say. I was starting to regret picking up the phone. Oh God, if the Daybreakers don't know they have the fourth Wild Power…

Fran's eyes flickered and he sat still for a while until his eyes shot open and he stared up at me. I saw him, took a deep breath and handed the phone over. Fran shook his head, getting the dizzy feeling out of his mind I suppose, and stood up. "Quinn?"
"Oh, Hannah? She's…" he trailed off, gave me a quick look and said, "She's my soulmate," instead of hearing the mumbling of someone on the other end of the line, it was completely silent. It took me a while to realise why I could hear so perfectly. The music had stopped; otherwise I'd have never heard a damn thing. When you're in a club, you forget how loud you're talking.

The DJ was running over. Fran dropped the phone into his pocket and looked at me, solemnly. "He hung up," he shrugged. Suddenly, he looked around at all the people and his face went pale. "Oh Goddess!" he groaned, bowing his head. About a hundred pairs of eyes were watching us.