Chapter 1

A girl in a miniskirt with a light blue duster over a tight black shirt turned to her friend.

"Why did we come to this party again?" the girl asked. Her friend was dressed in a sleeveless leather trenchcoat over a low-cut black shirt and skintight black leather pants with knee-high leather boots.

"Because we thought a cosplay kegger sounded like the perfect thing to do this weekend." Her friend said mockingly.

"Okay, Gabrielle, we are stupid." Avian blushed. Gabrielle narrowed her red-golden eyes.

"Speak for yourself, Avian." Gabrielle added sarcastically.

"Okay, don't look at me like that." Avian flipped her flaming red hair over her shoulder.

"Avian, if I'm caught, well…let's just say I'll be even more dead than I am now…ehhe (bad vampire joke)" Gabrielle stared around the room, the music was throbbing in a constant steady beat, "I've got to get out of here." She looked around for the exit, and spotting one she dashed towards it. Two men walked in the door, stopping Gabrielle's escape, she barely avoided running into them.

"Ummm…sorry" she averted her eyes downward and attempted to shuffle through the door.

Avian caught up with her saying, "Gabrielle, what-" She then caught sight of the two strikingly good-looking guys who had just come in, and stared for a moment before turning back to her friend. Avian grabbed Gabrielle and made her way to the bar.

"Woah! Gabrielle, you just bumped into the hottest guys I have ever seen!"

"Who cares…" muttered Gabrielle distractedly, still looking for an exit. Then Gabrielle read Avian's mind.

"Oh… You have a point."

" I told you not to read my mind without telling me!"

"Whatever… okay I'll stay"

"Woohoo! I convinced you without saying a word!"

"Shut up…" Gabrielle looked pointedly behind Avian. The lamp hanging from the ceiling suddenly fell to the floor with a deafening crash; everyone went silent, except for the steady throb of the music. They all stared at the two girls.

"Damn-it, now I really have to go…" Gabrielle dashed past Avian and ran out the door.

"Freak" "psycho" "Lunatic" were heard as she ran, tears streamed down her cheeks Why do I always lose control. I'll never fit in…

"Shut up you bastards!" Avian screamed at the nearest laughing and yelling people, and took off after Gabrielle, shoving people out of her way, hard. At the exit, one of the guys who had just entered the party grabbed Avian's wrist. She whipped around, giving him the death glare with her bright green eyes, slightly out of breath.

"Why did she try to run?" he asked, looking around at the jeering crowd with hate in his eyes.

"Because people are jackasses, now let go of me!"

"No, let us help you. This has happened before." He then gave Avian a mischievous grin, and she watched curiously as he casually moved to the light switches, and turned them off, causing everyone to scream. Then he muttered something under his breath and a vampiric looking beast started making its way through the crowd, scaring everyone by walking through them. Everyone was screaming and trying to get out of the way, and the other guy put his arm around Avian and dragged her through the door. Avian struggled free of his grasp, and screamed

"WHAT THE FUCKIN' HELL WAS THAT!"

He answered calmly, "That was Vincent. He will be joining us as soon as we get a bit further away from the party." They walked down the sidewalk, and soon a man dressed in red and black leather joined them. Avian was frantically looking around for Gabrielle, and she spotted her sitting behind a tree, just out of the light of a street lamp. She made her way over to her friend and knelt down.

"Gabrielle, are you all right?" She asked.

"Why the hell do you think I'd be all right!" Gabrielle sobbed burying her head in her leather-clad knees.

"My powers got away from me! Last time they did someone almost died!" Another wave of sobs racked her body, making her seem fragile and defenseless.

Vincent moved towards Gabrielle. "I know how you feel."

"Get away from her!" Avian shouted, shoving Vincent away from Gabrielle.

"No, let him." Came a muffled voice.

"Gabrielle, you don't know what he can do! He's a monster!" Avian ran to once again intercept Vincent's advance towards Gabrielle, but felt two strong arms grab her from behind, and she whipped around to find the guy who had dragged her from the party holding her close to his body, so that she couldn't get away. Vincent approached Gabrielle carefully, and knelt down next to her. He whispered gently,

"I know how you feel. Avian thinks I'm a monster because I can turn into one." Gabrielle felt calmer as she listened to his voice.

"When I found out about my abilities, I tried them out at a party when I was 13. I went to a room to try them out. I had not yet learned to tame the beast inside of me." Everyone stood quietly, listening to Vincent.

"I nearly killed a girl that I had a crush on for a while. When I came to, I realized what I had done, and I revived her using a couple of spells. Everyone else had gotten away from me, but she did not. I attacked her first. After I did what I could, I called the hospital and went there with her until she recovered. After she had thanked me for saving her from that monster, I left her, and as soon as I turned 18, I left town. During this time I had gone to an empty field every night and tried to control myself. I mastered the beast by the time I was 17, and now I can control it. You can do the same, and I can teach you."

Gabrielle suddenly got up and brushed herself off.

"Let's go." This took everyone by surprise, but they left for Avian's apartment, with Gabrielle leading the way.

They stared at her until they reached Avian's apartment, Gabrielle caught snippets of their thoughts. "Don't look at me so strangely, I'm bi-polar. Just ask Avian." She continued on without saying another word. Avian, however, was still giving cowboy-hat-man the death glare, as he still had his arm around her. She then glanced at the stranger who had grabbed her wrist.

"Who are you guys anyway? I'm not letting you into my apartment until I at least know your names."

"I'm Irvine, and this is Sephiroth. And of course, you already know Vincent." said the guy with his arm around Avian.

"Okay, Irvine, would you mind terribly releasing me?" Sephiroth and Vincent snorted, and Irvine let go of Avian, scowling at his companions. Gabrielle looked at Sephiroth appraisingly, and raised her eyebrows at Avian, who grinned back and nodded. Even though she wasn't psychic, Avian knew what she meant. Gabrielle thought that his green eyes, flecked with a silver color that matched his hair, were very intriguing. Sephiroth glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and Avian made a mental note to tell Gabrielle, but now she needed to get to the front of the group and let everyone in.