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 Twelve: Judgement

It's today. Charity's mediation, I mean. Not that happy a day for me, personally.

Meanwhile, Magnus and I aren't really on speaking terms.

"Will you two please talk to each other?" Charity begged, "I mean, I'm sure Magnus is making a wrong turn, but I don't know this place, and you do, Faith, but you won't tell him, and-"

"Will you please," Magnus pleaded, "Shut up!"

Charity rolled her eyes in the back seat. She made Magnus and I sit together so that we could make up, but no way was I giving in!
"I'll say sorry when he says sorry," I declared like a three year old.

"And vise versa." Magnus added.

I wondered what he had meant when he said that he hungered. That's just weird. I mean, I asked Charity about it, and she, a fellow vamp, didn't know.

I stared at the wooden stake in my hand. That stuff tends to creep a person out, you know? A lot. And I also have a cross around my neck, which keeps Charity and Magnus-at all times- a good three feet away from me.

"So," Magnus said, "How are we supposed to get Slade, Charity?"

"That's where you come in."

"Yes?"

"You kidnap him."

"Hey," I pointed, "There's his house."

It was a small dirty house, one a person who's on the edge of bankrupt would live in. Charity's is better than this one.

"So," Charity patted Magnus on the shoulder. "Get to it."

He glared at her, then decided to add a glare for me 'cause he felt like it, and walked to the front door.

Thud. Thud.

At least, that's what Magnus knocking sounds like. Geez, wonder what it sounds like when he's punching something.

Slade, a thirtiesh guy with graying red hair and pale skin came to the door. Before he could say anything, Magnus calmly took him by the shoulders and led him to the car, slamming him into the trunk.
"Huh. Pretty clean," Charity commented. We then dorve to her house, where the ritual was set up.

"OK," Charity read out of the big leather book. Her whole den was filled with candles, and one black candle was set apart from the rest. Slade stood with Magnus keeping an eye on him.

"Now," Charity said, "We need one drop of a vampire shifter's blood into the Doomsday Candle."
"You are not- ow!" I shrieked as Magnus calmly slit a cut in my finger with a pocket knife. Charity took my hand and held it over the candle. Slowly, the drop of blood fell into the flame, and...

A ring of fire appeared in front of us.

"Well," Charity smiled, "Time to go. Magnus, we no longer need your assistance."

She pulled Slade beside her. "Come on, buddy of mine. It's time for us to go."

She then stepped into the ring. "Faith. Come on."

Cautiously, I put one foot in. So far, so good. Then I felt a shove.

"Magnus!"

"You broke."

Arrgh! He was right! I just spoke to him.

But suddenly, I was in a room. It was kind of like a court room, and had tons of old guys around.

"We are the Reasoners," Head Old Guy said. "Have you come for a soul weighing?"

"Yeah," I panted. "What do we do?"

"You do nothing."

Head Old Guy-HOG- suddenly reached over to Charity and pulled on the air next to her. A faded Charity suddenly came out, and her body slumped to the floor. He did the same to Slade.

"Now, if her soul is lighter than this feather"-HOG held up a feather-"Her soul is pure."

Oh great.

He took out a huge set of scales, and put the feather on one end, the Charity-copy on the other. For a moment, she swayed, and finally...

She was lighter!

Slade... not so much.

After their souls were back in their bodies, it was really time.

To stake Slade.

As I raised the stake, he got a notion of what was going on, and bared his fangs.

"You wouldn't!"

I smirked. "Try me."

"Nice," Charity commented from the back.

I darted at Slade, but he dodged. Dart dodge, dart dodge, this went on for a while, until he got fed up and.

"Faith, look out!"

Charity's scream echoed through the room as Slade grabbed me up, his fangs getting closer and closer... who knew that on my first staking, I'd get bitten?

Till...

"Sorry. She's mine to deal with."

Slade's weight was ripped off of me. Panting, I looked up from where I lay on the ground to see sapphire blue eyes.

"Magnus!" I cried, leaping up and throwing my arms around him. He seemed very surprised at this, but hugged me back for a moment.

Finally, he wrenched free and nodded toward the unconcious Slade.

"There's your moment."

Smiling, I walked up to him, stake raised, and...

I filled the vial I had taken with his blood and offered it to Charity.

"It's time."

000

What will she choose? R and R! Next chappie's last!