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 Ten: Dang Prescotts

You know, sometimes Cassidy just... annoys me.

A lot.

Mom is extremely upset that I'm friends with her, since she apparently was never really on good terms with her mom, Kelly.

Kelly got pregnant a few months after my mom did. Except, instead of getting pregnant married and with a college degree, like my mom did, Kelly got pregnant as a stripper at a bar.

But Cassidy is still spoiled to bits, and popular, though her mom works at Wal-Mart. Everyone expected Kelly to marry Paul Slater, just like everyone expected my mom to marry my dad. But Kelly and Paul broke up in Paul's sophomore year in college, since she cheated on him.

You never know what you will find out when your friend's intoxicated.

Yes, Cassidy confessed all this while at a party, drunk. Idiot. Luckily, my parents wouldn't let me go to said party, so I didn't end up drunk. I just picked Cassidy up, since Kelly was getting a manicure.

Geez.

Anyway, tonight was dinner at the Prescotts'. Kelly invited us over, 'cause she saw mom looking at pregnancy stuff.

Kelly: Suze! Ehmagawd, I can't believe this! It's been a while!

Mom: Er... yeah.

Kelly: So, you're pregnant?

Mom: Yes. Third child.

Kelly: Oh! You'll just have to come over tonight!

So. Yeah.

000

"And then, I found out that they were shorts after all!" Kelly laughed. I felt like killing myself.

That's when my cell phone began to ring.

"I'll get that," I said quickly, walking into the Prescotts' bathroom.

"Hello?"

"Look, Faith, it's that girl Giselle."

"Charity?"

"Yeah. Look, Magnus is coming to pick you up."

"What? What's going on?"

"Giselle's out of control."

My heart turned cold.

"OK. I'll be there."

I hung up and clutched the phone to my chest. Giselle? Innocent, sweet, picturesqe Giselle out of control?

"Faith!"

I looked down, out of the window. There was Magnus, with his black convertible, waiting.

"What do you want me to do?" I hissed.

"Jump!"

I glared at him. "Sorry, buddy. That ain't happening."

"Do you want to help Giselle?"

"Duh."

"Then jump!"

I prepared myself. OK, OK... calm down. One two...

I was silent as I plunged through the air...

and right into Magnus's waiting arms.

Not that bad a scenario, really.

As we drove to the mall, where Giselle was, he began.

"She seems to be stalking a boy on the outskirts of the mall, is graffitiing the walls of the mall."

"I love that mall! Maybe we should let her-"

"Faith."

"OK."

I saw Charity waving us down. "Hurry!" She hissed.

We got out, and I realized that I had zilch, nothing, nada.

Till Charity pressed a stake into my hand.

"Oh," Magnus added, dangling a cross in front of me by the chain. "You may want this."

I put it on, uncomfortably aware of what he was saying. Since Magnus was the only male vamp around, he wasn't protecting me from Giselle or Charity...

He was protecting me from himself.

The mall had another wing that was under construction, and that's where we found Giselle. She was crouched behind a piece of wood, in complete vamp mode. Her fangs were longer than usual, and her mouth was open in a hideous grin. The prey was probably around fifteen, and spray painting a wall.

I could practically hear Giselle's panting. See the saliva dripping off of her fangs, see that starved look in her eyes...

She suddenly stood and walked over to the boy, looking angelic and beautiful.

"Hello," She murmured. The boy jumped, then turned. His eyes were soon like a deer in the headlights', enchanted and stunned at the same time.

"I'm Giselle," She giggled, "What's your name?"

"Ron," The boy answered in a dazed voice.

"Well, Ron," Giselle was now leaning up against him, "I want to make your night."

She was inching closer and closer. And still, Charity and Magnus made no move to stop her.

Just as Giselle was about to bite him, Ron sprang away.

"What the heck are you doing?" He yelled. I got it. Charity and Magnus knew that Giselle wasn't being effective enough.

But I had a feeling that she was going to make sure she didn't fail this time.

She was in an animal like pose. "Getting my dinner!" She snarled at him, leaping forward. Ron ran. Giselle ran. Charity, Magnus and-

OK, you get the picture. We all ran.

Giselle was on two legs, running after him, getting closer and closer. Ron wasn't all that fast, unfortunately. Just as she was about to grab him, Magnus made a flying leap and got her, pinning her to the ground.

"I am the Coven Leader," He growled at her. Giselle nodded after a moment, the human in her eyes charging back.

"Oh my gosh," She whispered, got up, and ran off. Charity, meanwhile, was using her charm to hynotise Ron into forgetting everything. We were going to be all right.

For now.

000

Mom and Dad were OK once I told them that I had vamp business to attend to. They forgave me.

But today, I had to see Magnus about Giselle. I knocked on his door. No answer.

But the door was unlocked, so I walked in anyway. If I was lucky, maybe I would catch him shirtless!

What I found was not that at all.

Cassidy was kissing Magnus.

000

So? R and R!