1When I arrived in Milford, Pennsylvania, I couldn't help but feel relieved. I was tired, really, really tired. I hadn't slept hardly at all last night, and then I'd been in school all day. I finally found the House of Night. I'd brought a few of my things with me; an outfit or two...or maybe like 4. She wouldn't just talk to me for a few minutes and then have me drive back to New York, I'd be staying a little while, and getting some rest.
When I got to the House of Night, it was obvious. No other place would have a wall like that. It was made of what looked like black marble, and it wrapped completely around the school, standing about 5 feet tall. I figured the wall was more for keeping the mystery of the place than to keep people out. I parked my little blue bug and walked through the large, ornately decorated black steel gate.
My jaw immediately flopped open. I must have looked like a moron, standing there on the stone pathway gawking at the school, but I couldn't help it, the place was beautiful. The school was made of the same black marble as the wall, and looked more like a castle than a school. It was a tall building, and wide. The building looked to be the shape of a star, which I thought was excellent designing, and the five corners standing taller than the rest as circular towers. The building itself was extremely tall as well, around 7 or 8 stories. The main building was smack in the middle of a rather large property.
That must be where all the classrooms and auditoriums and stuff are... I thought.
Around the main building were several other buildings, not as tall and not as extravagant, but still nice. Those mst be the girls' and boys' dorms, and other buildings that they use for other activities...do vampyres swim? Maybe they have a pool here...
I walked into the star-shaped building. Thank goodness, there was a desk right in front with a beautiful woman sitting behind it. She had blue Marks framing her face on either side of the crescent moon stationed in the middle of her forehead. The Mark looked to me like butterflies interlocking wings around her face. I walked over to her.
"Hello, do you need help with anything?" She asked. She was really sweet and had a cheery voice.
"Yes, I'm looking for a student here, her name's Lyrissa De Luca. She was Marked 6 months ago." I said, hoping I didn't sound like a betraying, deceitful witch, because I sure as hell felt like one.
The woman typed something into her computer.
"Yes...we have a Lyrissa here...may I ask what business you have with her? Sorry, but it's required that we ask...due to some...complications we've been having at another House." She was so sincere. What would I tell her? You see, when she got Marked, I called her a freak and ran away from her. I haven't spoken to her in almost half a year, and it took me that long to realize I miss her and that I should apologize. So, I called her and we had a really emotional talk and she asked me to come here so we could speak in person, don't worry though, it's not like we're going to kill each other or anything rash like that. No, that definitely would not work.
"I was talking to her today and she uh...she asked me to come visit her." I was staring down at my shoes. I sure hoped I didn't look like I was guilty or lying.
"I'll have someone come down right away and take you to her room...may I ask who is visiting?" She smiled sweetly. I was obviously not being perceived as the hateful witch I thought I was.
"My name is Isabella Arless." I stated, smiling just as warmly as she had. The woman looked down at a paper she had on her desk, looking puzzled. "What is it?" I asked. I tried to peek at what the paper said, but she was now holding it in her hands, so I couldn't catch what was written on it. As I stood there a man walked by, taking the list from her. He looked up at me, also looking puzzled.
"What is going on?" I asked, trying not to sound disrespectful.
The man pointed one pale finger at me, eyes fixed on the paper. He looked up at me with eyes an amber color. His perfect lips parted as he spoke for the first time.
"Isabella Arless! Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!"
My forehead felt as if it were going to explode. I gripped my head in my hand as I could almost feel my head splitting in half. I fell to my knees and squeezed my eyes shut, and my world went white.
When all the little white specks of light had erased from my vision, I looked up at the man who had spoken those frightening words. I knew what had happened. I had only heard those words once before.
The last time I'd seen Lyrissa. I had just ben Marked.
Well, hell, talk about irony! My eyes widened at the thought of being a vampyre.
There was nothing really wrong with them, the only reason I'd freaked over Lyrissa is because it meant we would be separated. This...this meant that Lyrissa and I could be together now. I wouldn't have to travel a gazillion hours to see her! I stood there smiling like a goof. I turned to the woman at the front desk.
"You chose the perfect time to come to us, Isabella. You were on our list. I'm sorry but you won't be able to see your friend yet, you'll have to speak with the High Priestess." Her response was a little giggly, and also a little shocked.
I thought this over again.
Had Lyrissa known I was to be Marked, or was this a really strange and awkward coincidence? I wondered about this on my way to the High Priestess's office. It was at the end of a long hallway, which was lit by special little lamps which I assumed were to keep from irritating the vampyres' eyes.
When we entered the room I nearly gasped at the High Priestess's beauty. She was around five and a half feet tall, with a perfect figure, which was greatly complimented by her beautiful black silk dress which hung down around her ankles. Around her neck was a gold chain on which a pair of gold wings hung. Her face was beautiful, almost elfish. She had high cheek bones and the bluest eyes I'd ever seen in my lifetime. Her skin was of a perfect complection. Her smile was dazzling, so much so that I felt I might become dizzy from it. As if to prove my theory, I began to sway.
"Are you alright, Isabella?" Her voice reminded me of wind chimes. The perfection of this woman was unreal.
"Yes, I'm fine..I think I'm just a little...woozy from the shock, is all." I said. Hey, it might be true, it was a pretty freaky thing to be a perfectly normal person visiting an old friend one minute to being a vampyre fledgling with only two choices left in life: complete the Change into a vampyre (or as other people will see it, a blood-sucking monster) or your body rejects the Change and I die...forever.