Author: TwilightStaruby

Title: Chryseis

Summary: This is a story of a girl who, after her sister's death, moved to Ashton, a quiet little town in Massachusetts. There, she finds out that the town isn't as quiet as it had seemed...nor as harmless...For her sister's own killer is there himself...

Disclaimers: L.J.Smith owns all original theory on the NightWorld. Chryseis and other main characters are mine.

My sincerest, humblest thanks to all the kind nice people who care enough to review for Chryseis! I know that this chapter is long overdue and actually would be for longer but then, since I was stuck on Song of the Siren, I decided to finish this. (beams)

And the oscars(haha, joking)go to:

Calisia girl...incarnated-soul...Terriah...Zabella...Piscean Wisdom...shane's gal...Dogs die in hot cars...Mayhemk...missy...fran...Miss Mary Lou...

Special thanks to incarnated-soul: You are an angel : ) Thank you for being there always and for reviewing every single chapter of my stories even though some are really bad..In short, thanks for being there always!

Miss Mary Lou: I appreicate the time you took to point out my mistakes in the previous chapters : )Thanks a lot for everything and all the flattering things you said...Also, sorry, but Chris is already a pile of ash in the previous chapter (winces)...but I promise to add in more guys like him! hehehe...how about Iain? ; )

Thanks people and love you LOTS for reviewing!

I had a dream which was not at all a dream.

-Lord Byron, George Gordon Noel Byron(1788-1824)

Chapter six

Chryseis dreamt.

She dreamt of vampires, of Chris with his fangs bared, Alianne and a pair of familiar enigmatic golden eyes. In the strange ways of dreams, she reached for them but they moved further and further away from her until they were no more than a speck in the distance.

Chryseis's eyes opened into blurry slits. She was lying on something soft, something fluffy. After a few moments of lingering in a state of half-consciousness, she opened her eyes. She didn't recognize the room she was in. The room was beautiful in its simplicity, the muted gold of the walls giving the room a feeling of warmth.

For a moment, she thought it was still night, for the room was dark. Glancing to her right slowly (her head hurt when she moved it too fast), she realized why. Heavy drapes hung over the floor length windows, blocking out every shard of sunlight and cast the room into shadows.

Then, memory of what had happened came flooding back to her. Of the last moments when Blake had entered and saved her from Chris, who had grown fangs and tried to attack her. She remembered the withering Chris had undergone with the wood sticking out of his chest. (There simply isn't a refined way of putting that). She twisted her head and looked down at her dress. It was the one she was wearing yesterday night and streaks of dirt from where she had fallen to the forest floor stained her clothes. Maybe it was just a nightmare. Maybe she hadn't woken up yet. She lay back onto the pillow and tried to well…wake up.

"I don't think that would work." An amused voice stated. Startled, Chryseis' eyes flew open. Someone had entered the room without her notice during her little, um … venture to see whether everything was a dream. That someone leaned against the doorframe, light spilling in from the open doorway behind him, emerald eyes laughing at her, lips curled up in a lopsided laugh that was endearing in a boyish kind of way.

She sat up, horrified not that he had witnessed the whole thing but rather that this means that all of it was real. Every single thing from the fangs to the mummifying.

"Shit." The word slipped from her mouth before she could stop it and she sat up straight on the bed. She didn't know what she was more horrified about: her slip or the fact that he was clearly laughing at her and making no effort to cover it. She gave him the most dignified glare she could muster whilst sitting on her bed in clothes that looked worse for wear and looking none for the better. She resisted the urge to smooth her wrinkled clothes and smooth her hair.

"Good morning," He grinned at her then, a full-fledge grin that immediately caused her to lowered her defenses. Like any girl could resist that mega-watt, knee-melting grin, and that oh-so-sexy musical lilt in his accent that hinted at Irish blood. Damn him.

Annoyed with herself for thinking and acting like a besotted fool, she snapped," Who might you be? And where am I? Where is Blake? Is he here? What happened?"

"I'll answer the first four questions. The fifth I'll leave it to Blake to answer. First of all, Blake is busy downstairs now, but he will be up here shortly, as soon as he has settled whatever matter needed to be settled. As for who I am, I am Iain. Iain MacConner. Pleased to finallymake your acquaintance, cousin of Blake." His lilt made him sound as though he was reciting a poem instead of speaking, the words washing like a caress over her skin.

Chryseis refused to acknowledge the feeling of her heart fluttering in response to that utterly delicious smile. However, she felt a smile lit her face in response, however hesitatingly or reluctantly.

"Chryseis. Chryseis Elafros. My name." She added when he gave her a confused look, a slight frown furrowing his forehead, making him look endearingly boyish.

"You have a very special name, Chryseis." The way he pronounce it made her name sound exotic and beautiful.

"Why?" Curious, she tilted her head to one side as she contemplated it. She never gave it much thought, but now that she came to realize it, her name was unique.

"'Chryseis' means golden on Greek, while 'Elafros' is Greek for light. So your full name really means 'golden light'."

The only thing Chryseis did after hearing this particularly enlightening and informative piece of information was to blink her eyes slowly in incomprehension.

"My mother is part greecian." He let out a sheepish smile after noting her expression as he explained hurriedly.

"Oh," The not very intelligent response was the only thing Chryseis could come up with at the moment.

"I am sure that it is very enlightening and all, but that would not be what she is wanting to know at this very moment, I believe," Blake entered the room, a grin on his face.

Chryseis suddenly felt drawfed by the two men towering over her bedside. And she was getting a crink in her neck by just simply looking at the two of them.

"Do you mind? If you would just sit down?" Chryseis gestured to the chairs situated at her bedside. "You are straining my neck." She muttered under her breath.

They sat immediately, though the chairs, a bit on the short side, forced Blake to tuck his long legs at an awkward angle beneath the chair while Iain sprawled in the chair in a devil-may-care manner.

Silence fell for a moment as the occupants exchanged a silent look between them.

Then, "What is going on?" Chryseis directed her words to Blake, who looked at her in silence for a moment before going,"Oh well. She'll have to know one day, sooner or later."

Iain nodded his agreement, saying flippantly as he did so, "Why don't you do the honors? It has started to wear on me over the years. I'll contribute pointers."

"Why don't you do it? Since you are already an expert on it?" Blake fixed his friend with a belligerent look of annoyance.

"She is your cousin." Iain grinned when Blake lapsed into silence, slapped in the face with the undeniable fact.

"Fine. I'll do it."

Blake grumbled something uncomplimentary under his breath.

Throughout the entire exchange, Chryseis had the feeling that she was the only one in the whole room who had no idea what was going on between the two. And she hated the fact that they were talking as though she didn't exist.

She begin to opened her mouth to rectify that when Blake turned back to her and stopped her with a, "Let me tell you something first. It will give you a…background on what has happened."

She nodded silently, intrigued despite herself.

"But what I am going to tell you is confidential and cannot travel out of this room. Do I make myself clear?"

Chryseis inclined her head in agreement, curiosity in her growing as she took in her cousin's words.

Blake took in a deep breath as though to brace himself for whatever he was going to say next.

"It is called the Night World."

"The Night World is an organization that exists all around us. The members are primarily vampires, shapeshifters and witches, though most of the witches have already disaffiliated to Circle Daybreak, which is another organization for anyone who wishes to try and live together in peace."

He paused.

For a moment, Chryseis wondered if she had heard wrongly.

There wasn't a movement or a sound coming for Chryseis. She simply sat with her eyes trained on him, not moving a muscle.

And this is where they usually start labelling you as a crazy nutcase that they had the misfortune to meet. Iain's voice came to him in his mind, amusement clear in his tone.

Shut up MacConner. Go play in your coffin.

My, my. Testy aren't we here? That was followed by a guffaw of laughter.

Shut. Up.

Let's see. She will call you insane in exactly three, two, one.

"Are you totally insane?" I told you. This came out from both Chryseis and Iain together, with the latter looking extremely smug.

I hate it when you do that. Blake sent a glare to Iain.

I know. Iain grin a condescending grin before he rose.

"I think I will go back now and leave the two of you to your little tête-à-tête. But before I go,"

He turned suddenly to Chryseis, who looked up in surprise at the sudden movement. She barely saw the subtle changes to his eyes, turning them a molten silverbefore he bared his extended teeth to her.

"Trick or treat."

Chryseis' jaw dropped.

"And now, I'll be going back to my coffin." Iain turned and walked smugly away.

A/N: I am trying out shorter chapters so that I am able to update more frequently...next installment will hopefully be out soon... :)