A/N: Firstly I'd like to say a big thank you to all my reviewers. You're the BEST!

And just to let everyone know, this story was previously called The Depths, but I've changed the title.

I'm also very, very sorry for taking this long to update. But I promise the updates will be more frequent from now on:)

Chapter 2:

A boy of medium height sighed in resignation as he stood in the hallway of his temporary school. Technically speaking, he in fact could not be considered a boy. He was a vampire, a lamia and royalty at that. By all rights he should be in an isolated enclave somewhere ruling over subjects and having humans as slaves to snack on every once in a while.

Logan Sahara sighed once more. Then again, life didn't always give you what you wanted.

With a scowl marring his darkly handsome features he commenced his second week on the job with one comforting thought.

Get this done, and then Las Vegas here I come!

The sky was pure and stunning. A light azure that mesmerized your gaze if only you took the time to look up and appreciate it. Stretching for an eternity, with no puffy clouds breaking its almost crystalline beauty. The very beauty that was amplified by the rays of sunlight beating down on the city of sails, Auckland.

And in this city, on this brightly lit day, a sixteen year old girl was strolling through her home.

Breeze took a steaming cup of coffee out of the microwave and wrapped her hands around it. The warmth from the cup spread through her body and she sighed. Oh but to have stayed buried under the covers this whole day. She would have given anything. But she had an important history assignment due in today. And this was an assignment she had stayed up countless nights doing, so she was not going to fail it just because she wanted to stay warm…or maybe she would.

The image of a huge 'F' scrawled on her report after hours of research made the decision for her.

Sighing she leaned back onto the breakfast bar.

The kitchen she was standing in was the very essence of modern. The sleek black breakfast bar behind her was complimented by two high stools with silver legs and black seats. On the other side of the square room stood a silver fridge. Similarly, the dishwasher and pantry were the same colour, whereas the tiles underneath her were an assortment of grey and white. Very modern indeed, but softened by Breeze's biology homework spread out across the breakfast bar. Other little knick-knacks and left-out food products gave the room a more homely feel.

Breeze jumped as the toaster popped up her bread. She crossed the kitchen and set her coffee down on the black bench that continued around the kitchen from the breakfast bar. Taking the lightly toasted slice out, she spread a layer of peanut butter, then strawberry jam. Folding it in two, she began to chew while lightly going through some exercises to keep her warm.

"Mmm, peanut butter, you're my real boyfriend!" she mumbled over a mouthful while arching her back.

"Don't you let Ethen hear you saying that." Breeze turned to find her aunt dressed in a tailored black suit and skirt with a pale blue silk blouse.

She shrugged. "He knows I love him…just not as much as my peanut butter. After a year, I think he's coping." She stated while making her self another sandwich. Her aunt visibly winced and hesitated in pouring her cup of coffee. Breeze turned her back on her aunt as nonchalantly as possible and checked the time on the clock hanging on the wall.

"Sweetie..are you…" Breeze rolled her eyes at the pause. This was something that happened regularly. "Sure?" she finished for her aunt. "Yes Maris, I'm positive. Look I'm not saying that I'm going to run off and marry Ethen right this minute, but I do love him. He is the one for me."

Breeze's aunt came to stand in front of her, the sleek black stilettos clicking softly against the tiles.

"Please don't start with me." Breeze said softly, her eyes still on the clock. "Look its almost quarter to eight, your going to be late for work." Her aunt sighed while Breeze put yet another slice of bread into the toaster.

"Well you're definitely right about the peanut butter." Picking up two empty plastic jars Maris squinted at them in the sunlight. "Goddess, you've sucked them dry haven't you? It's like these jars are brand new, just out of the store, except minus the peanut butter."

She glared sarcastically at her aunt and opened the fridge to find a new packet of bread and strawberry jam.

"Two days." Her aunt continued. "It's only been two days since I did the grocery shopping, and already you've gone through 2 whole jars. Haven't you heard of self control Breeze?"

"Of course I have." Breeze said indignantly while spreading peanut butter on another slice of toast. " I just don't exercise it when it comes to my breakfast."

"You mean breakfast, lunch and dinner." Maris shouted after her as she walked back into her bedroom. Breeze nearly choked on her toast. After several stunted coughs and gagging she finally managed to get the lump down her throat, just before her aunt re-entered the room with her bag and laptop in tow.

"I don't have peanut butter sandwiches for lunch and dinner!" she exclaimed in a wounded voice. Maris poured milk into a bowl of SpecialK cereal and sat down on one of the stools opposite Breeze.

"Yes, sure sweetie." She replied distractedly while looking through the herald. "Oh my, petrol's on the rise again." She mumbled to her self. "Anyway," she said as she looked up at her niece "now you better get ready for school, otherwise you'll miss your bus. Again."

"No I won't" Breeze grumbled as she made her way to the sink to wash up.

"Oh, and sweetie" Breeze looked back as a warm smile appeared on her aunt's face. It drastically changed her, Breeze thought idly. Her aunt was in her mid thirties, with a pale creamy complexion and sparkling aquamarine eyes. She was a tall and elegant woman, but Breeze always felt her aunt had too much responsibility. As the head of a major corporate business she was continually working late nights, and off again in the mornings. Although the rest of the world saw the immaculate Maris Benes, with glorious black hair tied intricately into a neat bun, and tailored suits. Breeze saw the woman who let her hair down to ease the migraine that had been plaguing her for days, or the woman running madly around the house in order to meet deadlines for other companies. The woman with bags under her eyes, the woman who occasionally needed foot rubs.

But her smile lit up her face. Her eyes shone bright so that the violet chips inside them became vivid, and all burdens automatically disappeared from her face. Her smile was infectious and Breeze found herself smiling back for no apparent reason.

"Yeah?" she asked, beaming at her aunt, her own eyes shining.

"Happy Birthday. I love you." Breeze tilted her head, looking at her aunt from an angle. "I love you too."

Twenty minutes later Maris had left with a goodbye kiss, and Breeze was packing her bag for school. Hefting her bag with a grunt onto her back she returned to the kitchen to finish her discarded cup of coffee. She lifted the cup to her lips, swallowed a mouthful of cold coffee and grimaced. Shaking her head, she re-microwaved it while putting her beef sandwich into her bag. She may have a school cafeteria, but that didn't mean the food was any good.

Hearing the beep of the microwave, she took the cup out and set it on the bench to cool a little. That was the moment she realised it was ten past eight. She was officially 10 minutes late for the bus, and 3 minutes from missing the next one.

In a hurry she lifted the cup to her mouth and took a huge gulp of the hot liquid. Immediately setting the cup down on the counter again Breeze ran down the carpeted hallway to the bathroom and unceremoniously spat the coffee out into the sink.

"Oh dear God!" she sputtered, her mouth still searing from the heat of the coffee. She turned on the cold tap and quickly rinsed out her mouth, making sure the icy coldness touched every part of her inner cheek.

Sighing in relief she looked up into her reflection in the mirror. A pair of bronze eyes looked back at her, the irises flickering as flecks continuously changed colour. Her skin was no longer pale and translucent, but tanned and glowing. She had changed immensely in the past six months. After three weeks of running through the streets and ghettos, she had found her way back at the beginning. Back with her aunt, where finally the realization had come to her. This is where I belong.

Today was special, and Breeze had tried to make an effort in her appearance but soon realised all of her cosmetic products were virtually non-existent, just enough foundation to cover up her bruises. No convenient excuses needed for today.

Breeze mentally rolled her eyes at the thought of what Nevada would say about her 'dressed-up' state.

All of that didn't matter though, because Breeze was in a good mood, and not even that nagging sense of foreboding in the back of her mind was going to ruin her chance of a good day. But maybe the 2 minutes she had to catch the bus would. Sprinting to the kitchen, Breeze picked up her bag and was out of her house in less that a minute. That must have been a record, she thought to her self. I don't think I've ever run this fast before. She smiled as she waved to her next door neighbor walking their dog. Hold on, I ran even faster last week, damn maths text book.

By the time Breeze reached her bus stop, she had cursed every textbook in her bag, and was pleased to see the bus pull up to the stop. Thankfully there were two other people at the stop, so the bus didn't whiz right past her as she walked to the doors.

"Just made it"

Breeze looked up to the source of theecho of her thoughtsand smiled politely at the guy in front of her. He was at least six foot with dull red hair and glasses. Good looking with fine features, his gravelly voice hadstruck a chord within her. It was obvious that he too was a poor soul that had woken up later than they were supposed to. Breeze had meant to get up at 7 today, but the snooze button had some sort of hold over her. No matter what, she had to press it at least 3 times before she got up. It was something she couldn't control, and something her aunt had long ago stopped trying to change.

Paying for her ticket Breeze made her way down the isle and took a seat near the centre of the bus. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the new guy walk past her with an easy grace and sit somewhere behind her.

Sighing she looked down at her hands and fingered her black rose thumb ring as a familiar sixth sense kicked into overdrive. He was one of them.

Rye Redfern watched his quarry step out of the bus and make her way into the school. She had changed since their last meeting. No longer the pale, skinny girl that he had met in the club. No longer the pathetic wench that had run from him. No longer the mysterious vermin that had somehow escaped him. His memories of that night were still vague, but he did know one thing for certain. Breeze Photienos knew of the Night World, and she had attacked him. It was time for him to give this vermin what was coming to her.

Except, apparently this girl wasn't as human as he thought she was. A lost witch, according to his contacts. But exactly what difference did that make? She was just vermin with a bit of fire power. She still deserved all the…wonderful fun he would have with her.

Rye steeped out from under the shade of the tall oak he was standing under and crossed the road towards Hilton High. His plan was to observe his quarry's day, and what better way to do this than attend her classes. Walking down to his locker, he saw the reflection of his new self in a window. Sunny blonde hair and bright blue eyes. How typical was this? But there was no point in complaining, the witch had done what she had been paid for. This glamour definitely looked nothing like him, and that was enough. Well it had to be.

Snorting in contempt, he moved down two more sets of lockers to find his own. After putting all his unwanted text books inside, he slammed the metal door and found a girl standing in front of her. A tight short dress hugged her curvy body and dipped scandalously low at the front. Examining his way up from her stiletto boots to her metallic blue hair, he smiled smugly.

"Hey blondie, don't think I've seen you before." Her voice was husky, but so obviously practiced that Rye almost walked away. Almost.

He was going to be here for a while, so why not have some extra fun on the side?

Laughing softly to himself, he moved towards the girl. This was going to be a very interesting day.

A/N:Guess who's got another chapter just waiting to be updated?

That's right….ME. So review and I swear it'll be given to you ASAP. It won't take anywhere near the length of time this one did!