This update's late because my internet connection clunked out last night. Let's hope this isn't a reoccurring problem.

Chapter Twenty

"Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning."

- John Henry Cardinal Newman

___

"So Gregori and the others were able to turn the tide on that death-curse?" Gary asked, looking at the image of blood cells. "And Izzy is going to be all right…"

"Perhaps," Shea said, her tone stiff. "But the damage was too severe. Marach had to convert her."

Gabrielle shivered and rubbed her arms. "Is she all right?"

"The conversion is complete, and it appears her mind was held intact during the process. But she is now Carpathian, and we don't know whether or not her blood will hang onto the regenerative antigens."

"We still have a sample of her blood from before, don't we?" Gary asked. "We can still work with it."

"Yes, but unfortunately for not very much longer. I'm trying to get the cells to regenerate separately, but it's a slow process." Shea sighed, and rubbed a hand over her face. "I hadn't realized Neve would go to such lengths, and so I never withdrew very much blood from Izzy. My latest sample has her death-curse in it."

"There's still Serenity, though," Gabrielle said quietly.

"Who tried to kill herself a few hours ago. Asking her for blood won't be for a long time, because I'm not asking her when she's so vulnerable. And Marach would never stand for it, either."

"Are you all right, Shea?" Gary asked suddenly. "You seem very distressed."

"Your emotions are in turmoil," Jacques added. "What's wrong, little red hair."

Shea sighed shortly. "I'll tell you, but not this way. Meet me shortly."

Jacques didn't need to be told twice. In an instant he was in the lab and at his lifemate's side. "We'll be back shortly," he told the others before he pulled Shea out of her seat and out of the room.

Shea didn't need to be taken far. Jacques took her into a small but empty room. With the wave of his hand a couch was resting against the opposite wall and he directed her over to it. "Now…tell me what is distressing you."

Shea sighed, burying her face into his neck. "I'm upset over the loss of blood for testing, but I can live with that."

"Is it Serenity?" Jacques asked quietly. "You were one of the first to respond to her, after all."

"And I healed her cut. She…I could feel her distress so profoundly in my mind, and…"

"She's acting as a reminder," Jacques finished for her.

"…I've known that Parn's turning has twisted her up inside and witnessing her firsthand disregarding her own sister in favor of her lost lifemate has been stressful. But this suicide attempt…"

"It reminded you of your mother."

Shea winced slightly. "My mother committed suicide on my birthday, and she wasn't manic in the way that Serenity is. I wouldn't know how to handle a mother who acted like Serenity. But it's still…difficult."

Jacques thought of her childhood memories, if they could be called them. His little lifemate curled up in a corner, neglected in terms of physical and emotional needs. And her mother…Maggie always lost in her head, lost in her life, staring out of windows or staring at nothing. Doing nothing…

"It will be different for these girls," he said quietly. "Izzy is alive, and though she wanted to remain human, she seems to have the ability to adapt. And Serenity…as much as it hurts her, the faster we kill her lifemate the closer she'll be to getting her life back."

"I know." Shea pulled away slightly. "I feel it will be important to harvest their blood to see what sort of medicines we can create from it. If we can create a serum that can combat a vampire's blood, and the influence behind it, it will save a lot of lives."

"You'll have to be careful in how you package such a serum. Most victims of vampires are unassuming ones, and these human butchers targeting us will certainly get the wrong idea about it."

"Perhaps. But these girls have somehow avoided detection from the Morrison Center their whole lives. Maybe this society will continue to not take notice if we work on their blood? But first and foremost." She stood up slowly. "Until I can speak to Serenity levelly, I must harvest what remains of Izzy's human blood. And…once Izzy can adjust to her new life, I must test her new blood."

"The regenerative cells were diluted when Marach gave her a simple blood exchange. What we be the end product of a full conversion?"

"I intend to find out."

___

It was time.

Marach reached beneath the earth and found Izzy, still nestled within the soil. He couldn't wake her like this; being buried into the ground would alarm her, and he was already bracing himself for the fallout of this.

"Fél ku kuuluaak sívam belsö," he murmured, pressing his nose into her hair. She still held that sweet scent which drove him crazy, but now she also smelled earthly too. She was beautiful. She'd been beautiful before, but the conversion completely brought out her inward allure and sexuality. There was an extra shine to her copper hair, her flesh was paler but very smooth, and she was so soft. There'd been very little changes, but he noticed the subtleties.

But now…now he had to make absolutely sure she didn't regret this decision.

He took her to an unoccupied bedroom, just down the hall from Serenity's room. He would have to tell Izzy of her sister's recent suicide attempt, but that could wait. He carefully lit the room dimly with soothingly-scented candles, and carefully laid her on the bed. He stretched out beside her, taking her into his arms. "Iubita mea," he breathed, nuzzling the side of her face. "Kidü, Isabel."

All at once Izzy felt…alive. The pain was gone, as though it had never existed. She was breathing easily, and her heart wasn't laboring. She was alive.

But she was different. She felt strange inside of her own skin. And…she felt hungry. It was a very powerful need. But she knew her hunger would never be for the food that she was use to. Never again, at least.

Her eyelids fluttered before she opened her eyes. Marach was there beside her, looking at her carefully. "Marach…"

"How are you feeling?" he asked her carefully, stroking her other cheek. He kept his eyes on her, his mind mingled with hers. He could feel her confusion and wonderment…and knew it would change.

"I…" Izzy looked away and towards the ceiling. Despite the pressing hunger, she could see clearly. More clearly than she could before. She could see little details in the walls, cracks invisible under paint. She looked all around the room, seeing shadows reflected off even the tiniest of objects.

She strained her ears, but it wasn't necessary. Dozens of conversations, many of them private, were going on in various rooms. And she could hear all of them clearly as though she were in the same room as them. And Marach…she could hear his thoughts with greater clarity than she did before.

"I think so," she said finally, trying to reassure his fears for her. Even so, she couldn't ignore the differences inside herself…or the hunger. She tried to imagine a prime rib, or a hot fudge sundae. Her stomach turned violently at such images. She tried to relive memories of eating such foods, but even those made her sick. With a short sob, she shut off these thoughts and pressed a hand over her face. "Marach…"

"Dragă." Marach spooned with her, holding her with his body and mind and showering her with comfort. "I'm so sorry…"

Izzy moaned, feeling tears spill from her eyes. She could smell blood, and she knew with growing dread that she was crying blood-tears. The reality of what happened to her came crashing down upon her. She wasn't human. She was a Carpathian. Teenage girls dreamt of such things, with a dark lover as she had right then. But…her life was changed forever. She would live for…maybe not forever, but longer than she would've normally lived. She would have to watch her parents die, Serenity die, her friends, and even children she knew now…all of them would die before her.

Marach kissed her, murmuring soothingly to her. But she could feel his strong, steady heartbeat…his pulse. She could smell him, and could hear the blood flowing through his veins. She didn't see him as food, but her body hungered for what he could offer. She clenched her teeth, but hissed with pain as her tongue ran across her teeth. She had fangs, and they were sharpening and lengthening at the thought of taking Marach's blood. She was hungry, and she needed nourishment, and now it would only be blood that could sustain her.

Marach sensed her hunger, and touched her shoulder, preparing to roll her over to face him. Izzy resisted, fighting against what she knew was the truth. "Please, don't! Please, Marach…"

"Shh." He stroked away her blood-tears, and gently overpowered her. "It's all right, Isabel. Relax, trust me…"

She did trust him. She didn't know many people she trusted more than him, and it frightened her. But she needed blood, and he would give it her, and that frightened her even more. "Marach—"

"I will assist you, iubita mea." His tone was soothing, coaxing as he held onto her to keep her facing him. "Shh," he pressed when she tried to protest again. "It's all right. This is natural, dragă. Don't be afraid." With his free hand he slowly unbuttoned his shirt.

Izzy watched him, terrified and yet feeling her hunger pulsating through her. Oh, she needed it…wanted his blood. Her fangs extended even longer and she gasped, her eyes on his baring chest as he took off his shirt. She could hear his heartbeat; see the rhythmic movement beneath his skin. She groaned, and struggled once more as he cupped the back of her head and her shoulder and gently drew her towards him.

"Take my blood, dragă. Take what is freely offered by your lifemate, as my life is made only for your sake." Her mouth brushed over his chest, right above his heart. His body tightened with such a violent need to take her, but he forced the feeling down and guided her mouth back. "Take what you need, Isabel."

She couldn't move away, and she didn't want to. Her lips were pressed closed over his skin, trying to resist the call for blood. His heartbeat pumped beneath her mouth, and her teeth ached. She didn't want to drink blood, but oh…she remembered the taste of him, and she felt so starved. Without realizing it, her tongue pressed through her lips and they loosened, and they touched his flesh. Above her, Marach groaned and curled downwards around her body. Unable to resist the urge, Izzy opened her mouth and bathed the flesh surrounding his heart, savoring the taste of him. She groaned with realizing it and her mouth opened even more, and her teeth buried into his skin.

Marach couldn't stop the cry that escaped his throat, and he clung to her tighter. She was drinking his blood. She was drinking his blood. And she hadn't needed to be put under compulsion to do it. She did it of her own free will! He was elated, although he knew it would take a while for her to get use to this.

As for him…he savored what he could, the feel of her mouth and her body against his, her mouth willingly drinking his blood…he knew no greater bliss than this. Need was pounding through him more profoundly than before, and he could little to deny it anymore.

Izzy didn't know how to take to the fact that she liked the taste of his blood. He was her lifemate and this was natural for Carpathians, apparently. But it was still hard to think about. As she started withdrawing from him though, she could sense something new in him; want. Unbridled want and it was directed right at her.

Mindful of her disposition, Marach wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. Shoving her gently onto her back, Marach brought her comfort in the strongest way he knew how. Each kiss and each caress to her skin eased the tension from her body. He in turn took great comfort in her being. It was still hard to believe that just the day before she was on the verge of death.

But she was alive. She was a Carpathian, but she was alive. And he was going to make sure she cherished this decision for all time.

Izzy closed her eyes, and allowed herself not to think of anything. She could only concentrate on the feel of Marach's body against hers, joined with hers. She felt such fulfillment from this that tears sprung to her eyes. She didn't know if she would ever get completely use to this new life, but she didn't have to do it alone. She had Marach with her, and she hadn't forgotten his confession to her.

He loved her. He loved her!

He was still clinging to her in the aftermath, his breathing uneven but he was filled with the greatest happiness and contentment of all the years of his life.

"Marach," Izzy said quietly.

"What is it?"

"…Thank you." she buried her face into his chest.

"For what?"

"Saving my life. And the pajamas you dressed me in were very comfortable." She snorted slightly. "At least, they were comfortable until you ripped them off me."

"You're much better when you lack clothes, dragă."

She burst out laughing, and hit him in the shoulder. "Shut up, you pervert! I'm trying to be positive!"

"You're laughing, though. Isn't that positive?"

"Hmm." It was with a lot of reluctance that Izzy pulled herself into a sitting position away from Marach. "I guess so. This is all very hard for me, though. I…" she faltered and ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know I'm going to adjust to this new life of mine. I haven't even thought about what I'm going to tell my parents."

"Do you think they wouldn't accept you?" he rubbed a hand over her knee.

"I'm sure they would accept the fact I would outlive them. As for being a Carpathian, though…my dad wouldn't accept the fact that I drink blood."

"You won't know unless you tell them."

"Dad's scared of vampires. He won't even let us watch The Lost Boys around him. Have you seen The Lost Boys? Granted it's about murderous teenage vampires, but they're teenagers!"

"Dragă," Marach interrupted amusedly.

"What?"

"You're going off on a tangent."

"I'm making a point. I've lived twenty-four years of my life as a human. Now…I'm not a human. We can't just expect my parents to accept this right on the spot, especially since they have no idea what's going on! I mean, Serenity—" she broke up and looked at Marach. "Serenity! I forgot about her! Is she okay?!"

Marach faltered, and held his hand to her knee. He'd been avoiding this as much as possible, but now he couldn't avoid it anymore. "Isabel…"

Izzy didn't like his reluctance. "What did she do?" she asked quietly.

He opened his mouth to tell her what happened, but the words weren't coming. He swallowed thickly and closed his mouth. "Isabel, it is difficult for me to tell you this, so I will show you what happened after your conversion."

That was all it took for Izzy. "She tried to do it again, didn't she?" she whispered. "Serenity…tried to kill herself."

"……Yes."

Izzy stood up from the bed. "Where is she? I want to talk to her right now."

"Gregori put her back to sleep after her attempt, and she's under guard." Marach stood up from the bed as well. He didn't bother pulling his clothes back on; he simply thought of them and they were back on his body.

"Then tell Gregori to wake her up. I'm speaking with my sister, and if I have to raise hell in order to do so then I'll do it." She looked around the room, and she only found the pajamas she'd been wearing when she woke up. "Where can I get clothes, Marach?"

Marach waved a hand. She was in a saucy red dress that was tight on her and showed off all her curves. Izzy spun around and glared at him. "Not now! Give me something else!"

"I hoped to cheer you up a little," he said, but he waved his arm again. This time she was in a heavy white shirt and gray sweatpants.

"Better," Izzy said, and headed for the door. "Please, take me to Serenity."

Marach led her down the hall towards Serenity's room. He waved to the Carpathian warrior keeping watch, who merely nodded at him. Izzy hardly acknowledged the other male as she went into the room. "Serenity?"

Serenity was curled on the bed in what was becoming a common pose for her. It was distressing for the both of them to keep seeing her asleep all the time, but Izzy knew deep down they did it for Serenity's own good.

She didn't have to like it, though.

"Marach," she said, though she was taking a seat on the bed beside Serenity. "Please ask Gregori to wake her up."

"I'll do what I can, iubita mea," Marach said. "But I can't make any promises."

"I do not trust her behavior, Marach," Gregori said to him. "While I'm happy that your lifemate made it through her conversion whole, waking Serenity will be a great risk."

"Gregori, Isabel needs to see her sister. All this time Isabel has been fighting for her sister's sake. Serenity's distress was mostly from witnessing the conversion. I shouldn't have let that happen, but the sisters need to be reunited so they can see that the other is okay."

"Serenity isn't okay—"

"Of course she isn't. But she might get even a little better if she sees that Isabel survived the conversion and is fine."

"I don't comment on whether or not your lifemate is 'fine' with her conversion."

"Yes, Dark One, it's important that you don't comment. But they should be able to see each other for a short while."

Gregori was silent for a long moment. Then he spoke. "Kidü."

Serenity groaned on the bed. Izzy lunged forward and grabbed her hand. "Serenity! Are you okay?"

Serenity's eyes slowly opened. She looked disorientated for a moment before her eyes settled on Izzy. "Isabel?"

"Serenity." Izzy brushed the hair out of her face. "I'm here."

"Y-You're alive?" she looked shocked by this. She made a quick movement as though to show she was trying to sit up, but she couldn't. "You…Izzy, you look so different!"

"I do?" Izzy looked down at herself. "I don't think so. I feel different, but I don't think I'm very much different on the outside."

"Well my dear, you DO have subtle differences," Marach said smugly. "You've become very sexy in such a short period of ti—"

"I'm the same!" she snapped suddenly, startling Serenity. She forced a smile at her sister. "I'm fine, Serenity. I'm…different than before, but I'm still me."

"Do you…drink blood?" Serenity asked.

Izzy thought of her very first taking of blood, just a short while ago, and cough involuntarily. "Yes, Serenity. It's hard to think about and get use to, but my food will be blood from now on."

"Can you drink animal blood?"

"I don't see why not."

"No, you can't," Marach cut in. "We Carpathians respect everything that comes from the earth. We do not drink blood from animals unless absolutely necessary."

"Wait," Izzy said, looking at him. "It's okay to drink human blood, but it's morally unacceptable to drink animal blood?"

"Unless necessary."

"…All right. But I'm fine, Serenity." She tucked Serenity's hair behind her ears. "And I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Serenity asked, though now she looked fearful.

Izzy sighed softly. "Serenity…you tried to kill yourself again."

Serenity adverted her eyes, but her fingers curled around Izzy's hand. "I don't remember."

"Yes you do, don't lie to me." Izzy leaned in closer so that Serenity was forced to look at her. "Serenity, why would you do that?"

Serenity swallowed, and tears built up in her eyes. Izzy hated to see her cry, but she kept herself in check. "…Because I deserve it," she mumbled.

"Deserve what? To die?!" Izzy shook her head. "What have I been working towards all this time, then? What use is anything I've been through for your sake if just keep trying to commit suicide?!"

"It's my fault!" Serenity blurted out, and this time the tears came. "You wouldn't have been in that horrible mess if it weren't for me! You would still be normal now if it weren't for me!"

Izzy was relieved that Serenity was outraged on her behalf, but her use of the word 'normal' stung. "Serenity, I'm still normal."

"No you're not! You may be my sister, and you may be alive, but you're not the same! You can't go outside during the day! You can't eat food! You can't age!" Serenity's voice rose in volume with each point. "And I did this to you, Izzy. If I hadn't…" she shook her head. "Oh God…why did they stop me?!"

"Because I love you!" Izzy snapped, grabbing Serenity's shoulders. "I love you, and I want to help you! That won't ever change! I will do everything in my power to get your life back on track Serenity, but I can't do it if you keep trying to kill yourself! Look!" she rolled up Serenity's sleeve and showed her the scarred arm. "Look what you've done to yourself! Do you have any idea how much this hurts me?! How much it hurts Mom and Dad?! You are not alone, Serenity, and we're doing everything we can to help you! But you have to help yourself! Please help yourself!"

Serenity leaned back into the bed, the tears still spilling out. "…I hate this. I just…" she choked on a sob. "I don't think I can help myself. I've lost my little sister—"

"I'm still here, Serenity."

"—But you're not the same. You'll never be the same. And Parn…"

"Has Parn fed you this nonsense about this being your fault?" Marach asked.

"Why do you guys keep insisting on blaming him? Why won't any of you listen to me about him? You're so concentrated on the pain I'm going through, but his is much worse. And Neve…" she curled into Izzy's lap. "Parn cut himself off to me. I've reached for him, but he won't answer me."

"Would this add to her suicidal tendencies?" Izzy asked Marach, stroking a hand through her sister's hair. "When you went to ground by yourself I would feel so lost. Is her grief over the situation mingled with her lack of contact from Parn?"

"I don't know," Marach said, and he didn't bother to hide his unease. Why would Parn cut himself off to Serenity? The poor woman proved to be a valuable asset to his cause. A little sweet-talking and Serenity was wrapped around his finger. Neve and her cohorts had to think Izzy was dead, so why would Parn not communicate with his lifemate at such a vital time?

"Serenity." Izzy's words cut through his wondering and he focused on his lifemate and her sister. Izzy was helping Serenity to sit up, and she cupped her face in her face. "Serenity, I want you to look me in the eyes and make me a promise."

"…Okay."

"Don't ever do this again, okay? No matter how hard things get for you, or if someone tries to make you do it, don't attempt suicide again. It…I love you, and if I lose you I don't know what I'd do. So please just…" she leaned her head forward until their foreheads touched. "Hang on, please? You're not alone in this. You're surrounded by people who want to help you, but you have to accept that help. Can't you just try? And I'm not asking you as a favor to me or our parents. I want you to do this for yourself, Serenity."

Serenity choked, and was suddenly full-blown crying again. She threw her arms around Izzy's waist and pressed her face into the side of her neck. "I'm sorry, Izzy! I'm so sorry! Oh God, I'm sorry!"

Marach leaned against the wall near the doorway, folding his arms across his chest. It would be too simply to take Serenity at her word; they would need to keep monitoring her. But she was starting to make progress at least. She was finally seeing the pain that she was causing in other people with her actions. Whether or not she would respond to treatment was still up in the air, but this was definitely a start.

Serenity cries began to cease after a while, though she was still crying. Izzy was restraining her own tears because she didn't want to alarm her sister, and she held onto her tightly. "Everything will be all right, Serenity. Just you wait. Everything will be okay…"

The sun was rising. Marach could sense it. They would need to go back to ground, and it was ample time to introduce Izzy to the sleep of their people. "Isabel." He moved forward until he stood over her. "We must go to ground now."

"But I'm wide awake," Izzy pointed out.

"That may be, but once the sun is in the sky Carpathians grow weaker. It will be important that we stay in the ground during daylight hours."

A lump formed in Izzy's throat. Drinking blood had been one thing, but sleeping in the ground? Like a corpse? She shivered slightly. How could she get use to such a thing?

"You will get use to it, iubita mea. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are use to it."

Izzy knew better than to argue. If she tried to resist the idea he could simply put her to sleep and she'd be in the ground anyways. She might as well get the horrible first experience out of the way. "Well…it looks like I have to go to bed, Serenity."

Serenity looked at the clock on the wall. "But it's morning…I think."

"It's morning. But it's like Marach said, daylight isn't a good time for me. I'll be here to check up on you this evening, though." She tried to keep her voice calm and accepting, so that Serenity felt no further guilt over this.

"I…okay." Serenity looked away briefly before she looked at Izzy. "I don't remember falling asleep before. Did the Carpathians put me to sleep?"

"She's very observant."

"Well, she's a doctor." "Does that bother you, Serenity?"

Surprisingly, Serenity shook her head. "When I'm asleep…I don't think or feel about anything."

"I think it would be better if you were awake more though," Izzy admitted. "But I'll get you through this."

"I know." Serenity reached out and hugged her again. "I know."

___

Serenity was still awake when they left her, but Marach knew that Gregori would put her back to sleep shortly. Even with her promise to Izzy to keep trying, they couldn't take any chances yet.

"All right," he said slowly, taking Izzy's hand. "I'll show you how to do this, Isabel."

"Before that," Izzy said, looking at him. "I want to ask you something."

Marach tensed, but entwined his fingers with hers. "You want to look at that repressed memory?" he asked.

Izzy shrugged slightly. "I don't mean to delay the inevitable, and it would be hypocritical of me to not try and accept this new me when I just rallied at Serenity to try and accept our help. But this…" she shook her head. "During the conversion I couldn't concentrate on anything but the pain. But this memory…I saw glimpses of it. And it looked terrible."

Marach guided her towards their resting place, although he didn't go through the preparations of their sleep yet. "What did you see?"

"I…" she swallowed thickly and leaned against him. "I think Serenity was raped."

Marach froze. "What?!"

"T-The images I saw…I walked in on something bad when I was a kid, but Serenity doesn't seem traumatized about anything from her high school years. But there was a boy there—a good friend of hers in fact—and he…" she took a deep breath and let it out before she could continue. "I have to know what happened then."

"…I see." Marach gathered Izzy close. Both sisters had carried the same sort of presence when he first met them. It made him think that the both of them had been virgins. In fact, he was certainly that Serenity was still a virgin. But this was weighing heavily on Izzy's mind, and it had been a repressed memory… "Do you want to see it now?" he asked.

"Yeah," Izzy said. "Before I change my mind."

"…All right, then." Marach merged his mind completely with Izzy's. He touched each one of her memories carefully without triggering them, trying to find the memory in question. Thankfully, he didn't have to search for very much longer. He heard a loud commotion from this memory and he grasped hold of it.

Izzy gasped as they both felt a sudden rush. All of a sudden, Marach could hear loud music rattling in his ears, as well as loud conversations and laughing. He opened his eyes.

And was surrounded by teenagers. It was the inside of somebody's house, and it was overcrowded with teenagers, all of them in nice clothing. Nearly all of them had an alcoholic drink in their hand, although all of them were underage. People were smoking cigarettes and marijuana, and food and drinks were being spilt all over the place.

"Who brought the kid in?!" a boy shouted.

Marach realized they were talking about him. He looked down at himself to see a child's body, in a child's clothes. He was Izzy, and she was a child.

"Twelve," Izzy said. "If Serenity's still in high school at this point I'm either twelve or thirteen."

Marach got a feel for the child's body and answered her. "I believe you're twelve."

The twelve-year-old Izzy wandered through the house, obviously searching for something. She looked at the partying going on around her with a mixture of wonderment and fear. She'd never seen anything like this before.

"Hey, Izzy!"

Izzy jumped, and spun around. A teenage girl was stumbling towards her. The girl looked heavily intoxicated, and Izzy took several steps back, though Marach could sense her familiarity for this girl. "Deenah. She's Serenity's friend from high school."

"Izzy," Deenah slurred, drinking from her cup of beer. "What the hell are you doing here?! This ain't no place for kids!"

"She's a kid herself," Marach observed.

"Where's Serenity?" Izzy asked her. Someone brushed past her roughly, nearly sending her flying to the floor.

Deenah shrugged her shoulders sloppily. "She's around…somewhere. Why? What do you care?"

"Where's my sister?!" Izzy snapped angrily. "She won't get drunk like you!"

Deenah seemed to take personal offense to this. "Hey, hey, hey, that's uncalled for little girl! Why don't you try growing up a little before you talk to me like that?!"

Izzy got toe-to-toe with her, though she recoiled at the smell of alcohol. "Where. Is. My. Sister," she demanded harshly.

"All right, all right, keep your shirt on!" she motioned to the couch. "She's right there!"

A teenage Serenity was sandwiched between a boy and a girl. Both the boy and girl were drinking alcohol, but it looked like Serenity was drinking soda pop.

Marach felt relief from the child Izzy as she recognized the two other kids. The boy's name was Darren, and he was someone Izzy had trusted, as he was one of Serenity's longtime closest friends. The girl's name was Yolanda. "Thanks Deenah!" she brushed past the other girl and headed towards the couch. After she walked a couple of feet she stilled, as though realizing Serenity would be furious about seeing her there. She dropped to her knees and started to crawl towards them, although Marach knew that this would make her fairly obvious.

But Serenity didn't seem to notice, even as Izzy crawled under the glass coffee table in front of her. She held onto her drink in one hand, talking and laughing with Yolanda and Darren. After a few moments, though, she put her drink amongst the other drinks on the table.

Darren seemed to be watching her carefully, and his hand was on his pocket. When Serenity turned her head towards Yolanda, and away from him, Darren pulled a white tablet out of his pocket and dropped it into her drink. He withdrew his hand right before Serenity turned back to her soda and took a sip.

Izzy watched all of this, confused by what was going on? What did Darren give her? Was he playing a trick on her? Should she say something? All of these thoughts rang in Izzy's head.

But she didn't have very long to deliberate. Serenity took a few more sips of her drink, and her face suddenly turned green. "Ugh…"

"What's wrong?" Yolanda asked, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Serenity turned her head towards Yolanda, and proceeded to vomit all over her beautiful pink dress. Yolanda screamed and jumped away from the couch. Darren grabbed Serenity's shoulders and held her steady as she continued to vomit on the couch and onto the floor. The kids surrounding them laughed at her, even though they were all sluggishly drunk.

"Serenity, what the hell is the matter with you?!" Yolanda wailed, grabbing at her skirt. "This dress cost me three hundred dollars!"

"She sounds like a concerned friend," Marach said dryly.

"Serenity didn't have good taste in friends in high school," Izzy said.

"'Landa, chill out," Darren said, pulling Serenity to her feet. "She wasn't drinking alcohol, so she must be sick. I'm taking her home."

"Fine, get her out of here." Yolanda sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

Izzy watched Darren pull Serenity through the throng of people. The child was relieved that Serenity was leaving, and she was looking to get a ride home herself. She crawled out from underneath the table, and followed the pair.

But Darren didn't take Serenity to the door. He looked around as if to see if anyone was watching him. Then he proceeded to pull her towards the stairs. Izzy felt very confused by this, since Darren had just said he would take her home. But she remembered the pill he'd put in her drink. Did he give her something bad?

Marach felt uneasy. "Isabel—"

"I'm going to keep watching," Izzy said stiffly.

The child Izzy followed Darren and Serenity to the stairs. A boy and a girl were sprawled across the steps and kissing unabashedly, but Izzy stepped around them and ran upstairs. There were a handful of bedrooms up here, all of them closed and loud 'suspicious' noises came from them. Izzy was uncomfortable about this, and she looked at all the room. She seemed to just choose a door at random and opened the door without knocking.

She guessed correctly. Serenity was sprawled on the bed clearly in a daze, her dress open and pulled down to her waist. Darren was leaning over her, his overcoat and tie off and his shirt and slacks unbuttoned. His head snapped over his shoulder and he glared at Izzy, as though clearly annoyed.

Shock and horror swept through Izzy as she saw this. "Darren…what are you doing?" she asked.

Darren didn't seem to care that his best friend's little sister walked in on him taking advantage of her. Marach could sense alcohol from the boy's bloodstream. He was drunk, but that didn't excuse his behavior. "Kid, get out!" he snapped over his shoulder before he turned back to Serenity. Serenity still looked completely out of it.

Marach felt rage snap right through and into him. He was already angry enough on Serenity's behalf, but this was the uncontrollable rage of a child. This wasn't some stranger violating Serenity; it was one of her closest and dearest friends, and he'd clearly planned this out.

Izzy screamed and rushed forward, shoving at Darren's back roughly. "Get off her! GET OFF!"

"You little—" Darren's words were cut off abruptly, and his face grew white. He suddenly clutched at his throat, as though clinging to an invisible cord around his neck, and fell backwards onto the floor.

"…What?" Marach asked numbly, but Izzy said nothing.

"Serenity!" Izzy grabbed her sister's shoulders and shook them as hard as she could. Serenity's head rolled around on her neck as though the bone had disconnected. "Say something! Serenity!"

But Marach's attention was on the teenage boy on the floor. He was gasping for air like a fish out of water. His cheeks were red, but the color was turning darker. And his mouth was turning blue. But why was he acting like that? He wasn't acting, either; he was genuinely suffocating. But there wasn't anything around to strangle him.

Darren suddenly stilled on the floor, while Izzy was trying to pull Serenity into a sitting position. "Come on, c'mon! Get up Serenity! I'm taking you home!"

Serenity groaned, but didn't react otherwise. Izzy turned back to Darren. "What did you—AH!"

Darren was laying prone on the floor, his mouth wide open as well as his eyes. His face was turning purple, as so were his lips.

"W-What?! What?!" Izzy jumped off the bed and grabbed Darren by his collar. "Darren, wake up! What' wrong with you?! Wake up, BREATHE!"

She hovered her ear over his mouth. By the look on her face, Marach knew Darren wasn't breathing. Izzy began hyperventilating, looking around the room frantically. "What do I do? What do I do?! Oh my God, OH MY GOD!"

She turned back to Darren, tears spilling down her cheeks. She smacked at his face. "Don't die! Wake up! What did you do, what happened to you?! Wake up!

"CPR. CPR…uh…" trying to calm down Izzy proceeded to perform poor CPR on Darren. She breathed heavily into his mouth without plugging his nose, and though she did chest compressions in the right spot, her hands barely made an imprint on the teenager's chest. "Please…please…come ON!"

It was several agonizing moments of this, and Izzy's hysteria growing more and more before Darren suddenly let out a loud gasp for air. He shouted and shoved backwards away from the child Izzy.

Izzy stared at him fearfully. "…Are you okay?" even as an adult Izzy couldn't believe she'd shown concern for a man who'd tried to rape her sister.

"It's because you're a good person, Isabel. He was in need and you helped him, even though he's a disgusting person."

Darren jabbed a finger at Izzy. "You! You stay away from me!"

"Stay away from my sister," Izzy suddenly said coldly, as though remembering the direness of the situation at hand. "If you ever come near her again, I'll kill you."

"You nearly did!" Darren croaked before he scrambled to his feet and fled from the room.

Izzy stared after him numbly. "…I did that?" she asked herself aloud. But she quickly shook her head. "No. No, I didn't do that. That didn't happen." She turned back to Serenity. "That didn't happen…"

"So that's why I repressed that memory?" Izzy asked as they returned to their conscious selves. "Because I witnessed Serenity almost get raped, and I blamed myself for some…act of divine intervention?"

Marach didn't answer for a long time. What had happened in that memory bothered him. He was glad Darren was stopped before either sister was hurt, but what had happened to the boy was impossible. It was the sort of actions a Carpathian used.

And Izzy hadn't been a Carpathian then.

He sucked in a breath. Izzy may not have been Carpathian, but was she truly human? Either Serenity or her? The healing abilities they had were astounding, even by Carpathian standards. Could their blood…and this incident, be linked to something bigger?

Wait. Neve had said something to Izzy in their first meeting. "I like to look out for my own." He'd just assumed Neve had been talking about themselves as humans. But what if that wasn't the case?

"That must be it," he said aloud suddenly.

"What does it mean?" Izzy asked. "That I caused Darren's little episode?"

Marach took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It means that the choking thing and maybe even your healing blood…are related to the mages."