Roses Are Red

Summary: Hi. I'm Faith Isabella de Silva. Interesting name, not? Yeah, well, I'm not your average girl. My mom's the most powerful shifter around, and my dad (who my friends allllwaaays drool over-eew!) is pretty high up there on the mediator totem pole. So, what did I get from them? OK, a) I'm a shifter. And b) Thanks to being a mediator/shifter hybrid, I'm a "special" kind of shifter. I mediate vampires.

Disclaimer: What you recognize is either from The Mediator or Boys that Bite.

Chapter Four: What Used to Be

My eyes were on him. The rat. Watching the cheerleaders practice in their short shorts and tank tops.

Stupid Ben.

Our cheerleaders aren't even that good. Since we go to a Catholic school, they wear skirts nearly down to their ankles and long sleeved tees. Practice is the only time they get to wear something skimpy.

And they have the worst cheers ('be aggressive!') with routines that always have them falling down on top of each other.

So why was I... jealous?

"Mixed feelings?" That familiar soft, high voice asked. I turned to Giselle. She was clothed in a maroon sweater and long black skirt. Unlike her mother, she was not an albino, but still had delicate skin.

Especially now.

"Hey," I smiled. Giselle is the nicest vampire you'd ever meet. But maybe I just think that because of the whole knew-her-when-she-was-human thing.

Her smile was forlorn. "I'm so hungry, Faith."

I gave her a sympathetic pat on the arm. "But I thought-"

"Raw hamburger meat won't cut it," Giselle interrupted. "Everywhere I go, I look at guys' necks. The only one I haven't checked out is my own father. Even with Nick, I'm out of control."

I thought of Charity's desperate plea. She had mentioned the hunger was what drove her insane...

It wouldn't take long before Giselle became another Charity.

I knew it.

000

I looked around. The house, unlike Charity's, was roomy, but it was also dimly lit, and slightly gloomy.

Whoa. I was in Magnus's house.

He walked back in from the kitchen. We were going to discuss what to do about Charity.

"Here," Magnus handed me a stack of photos. "These are of Charity before she was bitten."

I couldn't keep a gasp from escaping my mouth. The girl in the pictures... she had dirty blonde hair, grey eyes, tanned skin. She wore trendy clothes and seemed like the sporty type.

"This is Charity?" I murmured.

"Was," Magnus corrected me. Tears pricked in the corners of my eyes. I wanted to die. All this time... I could have kept this from happening...

"No, you couldn't." Magnus said suddenly. My head jerked up.

"What did you just say?" I croaked.

He looked down. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Yes you did!" I cried, "You can read my mind!"
After a moment of silence, he sighed. "Occasionally. But I would prefer it if you didn't ask why."

I arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

Shaking his head, Magnus began.

"Every thousand years, a vampire/shifter team is chosen. They can communicate in ways that normally aren't possible, even for the vampire. I think that... we may have to be partners."

I blinked. "What?" I yelped, "No way."

"We have no choice," Magnus muttered.

Hmm...

Hey, Mags? I thought.

An angry voice snapped in my head. Don't call me Mags!

I looked at Magnus. His face held a look of shock.

"Please no," He whispered to some invisible person. "Not her."

Wonderful. Now I can torture Magnus from inside his head.

000

Where the heck was I?

I looked around. It looked like a... castle?

Wait a second. I had to be dreaming. Magnus must have inadvertently sent me a dream about his old life.

A woman walked into view. She was clothed in a fancy old dress, her blonde hair in ringlets, brown eyes searching-

She fit the description of Magnus's old love.

Just then, Magnus himself walked out from a hall. Boy, he looked good in those old clothes.

So he was hot. Sue me.

A smile lit his handsome features as he walked over to the woman.

"Hello, Rowena," He said to her.

"Sir Magnus," She murmured in her soft voice, "It's Lady Josephine. I'm worried about her. She is infatuated with you."

Magnus drew her close. "Don't worry, love," He whispered in her ear. His lips began to move closer to hers.

Then, I was screaming.

"Wake me up!"

For some reason, I couldn't stand it.

Just like I couldn't stand to watch Ben stare at the cheerleaders.

000

The wind ruffled my hair. I sat on the bleachers, just like I had yesterday. A voice called my name.

"Faith?"

I turned.

And lips met my own.

000

Who do you think it is?