2 Chapter One

♦September's POV♦

"Hi, I'm September Lacrosse and umm...this may sound pretty weird but guess what?? I'm a vampire." I say into the screen of my phone.

"September!! September!!"

"What?!" I yell back.

I hear rustling behind me then...

"Boo!" Cyril materializes behind me.

"Cyril I'd loove it if you don't recite my name like it's a month. This isn't elementary school." I snap.

"Okay. September. Ha!" He snorts, "what was mom thinking?" He asks, coming closer.

"What do you want?"

"Hmm... Angry much are we?" He inches even closer, then snatches up my phone.

"Aha! I say gleefully. "I knew it."

He goes through my phone and rolls his eyes when he realizes that he couldn't tell what I'd been doing with it. "You learn fast don't you? And to think I'd have felt bad if I didn't teach you."

I roll my eyes, "What dragged your sorry hide up here? I'm sure it's no friendly visit."

"Aww. You say the nicest things, I'm honored." He mock bowed. "Anyway mom requests your presence," he says sealing my death sentence. "And she's losing it, you know how she can be." He says sardonically.

"Oh no!" I mutter, mentally pulling at my hair. "Whatever for?"

"Uhh, princess you're late for dinner". He tells me, going down the stairs.

"Crap!" I swear wrapping my arms around my stomach.

We've been in Brenton for close to three weeks now and even though life was still hell, it's way better than when we were in the Olde Country, living in our castle.

Plus Brenton is a quiet neighborhood with a high population of supernatural so it was better than the last time we left the old country.

I shudder remembering the mean children who didn't like us because we were different, especially picking on me because I was weaker.

As my leg leaves the last step, I hear her shrill voice.

"You're late," she shrieks destroying her frozen profile. "Explain yourself." She says coldly after putting herself together again.

'This should be fun to watch' I hear Cyril scoff in my head.

'Well mother, I was organizing my wardrobe, It looked like a rainbow invaded my clothes.' I cook up in my head.

Out loud I'm a total wreck.

"I...uh...rainbow...clothes...wardrobe? " I splutter.

"Simpleton." She snarls softly rolling her eyes.

'Oh no, please no. She's going to do it, she's going to make me feel so much pain and... I blabber on till...

'September!  Try to shut up for once and concentrate'.  Cyril says in my head.

Unbearable pain sears my body as I find my eyes locked on to mother's, I fall off my chair and the pain stops. I see my twin in my place staring mother down. Her emerald green eyes are slanted as she directs her glare towards mother. Mother's icy stare soon wavers and breaks off.

"Pathetic." Selena mutters, stepping past me to the Victorian styled dining, set for 20.

"Don't be so hard on her, she can't help it." Cyril says in my defense.

"Seriously. We've been doing this since childhood, it's not school."

"It's worse than school actually," Cyril scoffs. "Far worse."

I don't know if it's worse than school but I've never been able to stare her down, Selena tells me the trick is to keep her out of your head but there are so many doors and windows in mine.

"Hey dad." Selena says, walking towards the door with open arms. "We couldn't wait for you to come." She says pointedly looking at mother, who blithely ignores her.

Dad smiles and plants a kiss on her blond, messy ponytail. "Well, I'm here now honey."

Side by side, they walk towards the table, dad takes his seat and Selena takes hers right beside mother.

Sometimes I think she actually enjoys this, reaching for an apple right in front of mother. She crosses her legs and her short, black, leather dress climbs way past legal limit.

"Mother." She acknowledges curtly like the past few minutes never happened then bites into her blood red apple, fangs out.

I can swear Cyril heard that thing scream,  a terrible tension hung in the air and I can feel a migraine on the fringes of my head, dad notices and clears his throat.

"September, sweetheart how was your day?" He asks taking a helping of the too plain casserole, I think he's used to it. Father insists we eat by ourselves in Brenton, without the help of servants, much to mother's displeasure.

The thing with my mom, well I don't think she's adjusted to our century. Maybe she thinks she's still living in the 17th century and now she's looking at me.

"Lovely Dad." I reply, completely ignoring her.

"Why for Heaven's sake are you wearing curdled blood?" She asked raising a perfectly arched brow, refusing to be ignored.

"Curdled what?" Dad asks looking confused.

Selena stifles a laugh and I think I hear Cyril say something like 'this can't get any better.'

I mentally roll my eyes at my siblings obvious enjoyment of my mother's madness, never mind that it's directed at me.

My mom rubs her temples in exasperation and rolls her eyes. "Just take a look at what she is wearing." She says, answering dad's question.

I don't know what's wrong with my dress, it's a normal, dark pink dress anyone can wear. Scratch that - any girl can wear, any girl that's not Selena.

"Mom, it's a dress." I say gesturing at the knee length, ball dress with a golden belt around my tiny waist.

"That's an excuse for a dress, the color's horrible." She says waving the matter off.

I really can't imagine how she managed to be this but I'm not surprised.

She's lived for centuries and coming from the prim, proper noble home. It gradually graduated into a maniacal perfection, little things such as 'lateness to dinner' and the color 'pink' could set her off.

"Lavinia dear, we are almost late for the Carradine's party." William says to his wife, peering at his 'Cartier' watch.

"Alright, alright," she finally surrenders. "Cyril take care of your sisters. September, Selena. Brush. Your. Hair." She punctuated, staring hard at Selena.

I see she didn't tell us not to go out because she knows she'll find us at the Carradine's party, well maybe not all of us but still you get the picture.

"Change your clothes." Selena mutters dryly.

Mother glares hard at Selena, "Manners Selena, manners."

"I'm sorry your highness." She says sarcastically, her mischievous green eyes glinting.

Icy blue meet emerald green in a stare down, an outsider would have though it was a competition - I don't see the difference though.

Hands curled into fists, she bites out. "You're going to be the death of me Selena Reina Laccrosse."

"I know, it's not just happening soon enough for me." She replies, indifference evident on her face.

Seriously, at times I think I'm living with Osama bin Laden. We all do.

I think that comeback did it because now mom is on her feet, her wine spilled and trust me when I say she doesn't spill wine.

"Umm... Lavina honey, it's time to go, now." Dad interjects putting an end to the steaming argument. "Children, your mom and I will see you when we get back," he says, planting a kiss on I and Selena's forehead and a pat on Cyril's shoulder.

"Bye dad." Cyril says.

"Bye," We both say sweetly, watching as he slips an arm around mother to guide her steaming self out.