My eyes shot open as the blaring sound of my alarm clock pierced my eardrums. I threw open the lit of my coffin and brought my hand down on the flashing snooze button, smashing the annoying little box into a thousand pieces. Oops. Sometimes my strength even surprises me. Day one back at school and I have already destroyed my alarm clock. Maybe I'll beat last year's record of nineteen. I rubbed my eyes in frustration knowing there was no chance of getting back to sleep. In an instant, I was out of bed and in the bathroom. Super speed was not prohibited on school grounds, but that had never stopped me.

I was dressed and ready within seconds, wearing a red mini skirt and strapless black shirt. My hair was left out in it's long dark natural waves and my makeup was kept mostly natural except for the blood red lipstick eyeliner that brought out the red iris surrounded by dark brown. I smiled in approval. Even though I could not see my reflection in the mirror, I knew I looked good. My waist was small and my wide hips made it look even smaller. My bust was bigger than every girls was in my year. I knew they were jealous and I loved it. Make the guys want you and the girls want to be you. I tossed my hair once before slipping on my ankle boots and zooming out the door. I loved the feeling of using my super speed. The cool wind on my bare skin was calming as I ran down the corridors. I was almost there when a dark figure stepped out blocking my path. I slowed quickly, stopping myself just before I ran into him face first.

"Miss Hathaway, day one and you are already breaking school rules." I stood back and looked up at him with an innocent smile showing my fangs.

"Well, you know me Stanny boy, I'm always looking for trouble," I said folding my arms across my chest.

"It seems trouble has found you. Detention, Miss Hathaway, come to my office after school. I don't suppose you need directions?"

"Nope. I'll be there." I said and as he turned to walk down the hall, I took off again using my super speed.

"Hathaway!" Stan called from behind me. I laughed as I made it to my best friends room. I knocked on the polished wood and soon, the door opened. Lissa stood in the doorway wearing a white lace dress with her hair styled in perfect blonde ringlets. She looked more angel than vampire; she acted more like one too.

"You're here early," she stated when she saw me. I shrugged walking into her room.

"I was awoken by a rather annoying familiar enemy," I joked and fell back onto her bed.

"You broke you alarm clock already?"

"Hey, don't blame me, blame my alarm. It was playing the most annoying song. I swear I was about to tear my own ears off," I said groaning and bringing a pillow down on my face. Lissa laughed.

"Why don't you just use your phone?"

"Because I'd rather not smash my phone. I actually need that." She laughed again and I could not help but smile as I watched her. I had not heard her laugh much since her parents and brother died in a slayers massacre in their summerhouse. Lissa and I were supposed to be there with them but flights were cancelled leaving us at the academy for another night. It was strange to think, if we had gotten on that plane, we would be a pile of ash with the others. Lissa recovered and her smile fell when she saw my face.

"What?" She asked tilting her head.

"Nothing, I'm just hungry. Wanna head over to the feeders?" I asked. She nodded enthusiastically and we made our way to the feeding room.

Humans lined the room with their eyes closed as their bodies were recovering from the previous day high on vampire venom. We aren't monsters but we do need blood to survive. The real monsters were the Dark Bloods, vampires addicted to the rush they got from drinking human blood. Their addictions took control of them, changing them into the true bloodsucking monsters of all myths and legends. The rest of us chose a more peaceful way to live. We don't stalk humans in dark alleyways to drain and kill them. No, we have feeders. Each day we are given a small amount of blood to clench our thirst and keep us strong. There is no way I would ever consider joining the Dark Bloods, but sometimes, the craving for blood is so strong, it is all I can think about. Lissa and I sign our names down on the clipboard and walk into our rooms where our feeder waits. Without hesitation, I bite down on the bruised and bitten skin. The human girl sighs in pleasure as my venom floods her body. I feel the tap on my shoulder too soon and will myself to stop releasing my fangs from the human. Outside, Lissa waits with a drop of her in the corner of her mouth.

"Um… Liss…you have a little something," I whispered tapping my mouth. Her cheeks turn pink as she quickly wipes the blood away.

"I hate not having a reflection anymore," she whispered and I shrugged.

"Well, we do in the Blood crystal mirrors the Academy gave us."

"Yeah, I'll just have to bring my entire vanity down next time I come for a feed," she said sarcastically and rolled her eyes.

Full vampires are born without any powers and grow up developing with age and learning at schools. A slayer staked my mother when I was just a baby. My aunt found me and brought me here. The academy was the only home I can remember and yet I cannot wait to be free. I grew up raised by the teachers and had a very close relationship with most of them. They taught me some tricks when I was young, which put me far ahead of every other young vampire when school started. I met Lissa on the first day of kindergarten when a boy pulled her hair and teased her for not developing her full fangs yet. I swooped in with my speed and pushed him into a tree causing him to break his arm. He healed quickly but Lissa and I got detention for a month, which only brought us closer. Even from a young age, I wasn't scared to step in. Lissa and I have been inseparable ever since. The bell rang bringing me back from my thoughts.

"What have you got first?" I asked. Lissa brought out her new timetable and scanned through.

"Hypnotism," she said.

"Lucky, I have shape-shifting." While there were a lot of things I excelled in, like super speed and strength, there were others where I was way behind. Shape shifting was my worst subject.

"You'll be fine," she said trying to give me some encouragement. I snorted.

"Sure." Every time I tried to shapeshift, it always failed, ending with everyone laughing. Everyone in my class was miles ahead of me transforming into bats and wolves with ease. Transforming into a bat was supposed to be the easiest even though I have only done it once.

"You will," she said pulling a hand on my shoulder. I gave her a half smile.

"Thanks."

"Good luck," she said and we parted ways.

I made it to class just as Alberta finished writing on the board. Mason spotted me instantly waving at me and tapping the desk next to his. Mason was my closest friend after Lissa. We had a lot in common as his father was staked before he was born, though he still had a mother to go home to in the holidays. I laughed to myself as I walked through the door and took my seat. Mason beamed excitedly and I responded with a smirk. I had my suspicions that Mason liked me more than just a friend, but I never asked him. I didn't want to ruin the friendship. Sadly that was all I saw him as. He was nice, funny and good-looking, with thick flaming red hair that swept across his face and muscle in all the right places, but to me, he was like a brother.

"Hey Mase," I whispered just as Alberta turned around and the class began.

"Alright everyone, today we will be learning to do a combination transformation. You will need this for the end of term exam and real life. Imagine running through the woods to get away from slayers, the sun is rising and you don't have enough energy to super speed. What do you do?" Mason was first to raise his hand. He was almost jumping out of his seat to get Alberta's attention. I could see the amusement in Alberta's eyes at the enthusiastic student as she nodded to him.

"Transform into a wolf." The words left his mouth so quickly that I almost missed them.

"Why?"

"Because the sun can't burn when you're a wolf," he said quieter.

"Good. Now, you are running but the slayers are catching up to you, you reach a river fill of running water. What do you do?" A small girl raised her hand and spoke so quietly I never would have heard it if I didn't have enhanced senses.

"Cross the river."

"Even as a wolf pure running water burns," said Alberta. The class was silent except for the whispers of what the answer could be. I looked around the room and slowly raised my hand.

"Turn into a bat," I answered. Alberta looked surprised to see me give an answer. Usually, I like to keep to myself more watching than contributing.

"Yes, flying will get you across. Good." She smiled at me proudly. Alberta had been the one to take care of me while I was growing up. Of all the teachers, she was the one I was closest to. "Now grab a partner and try transforming into a wolf and then into a bat without transitioning into your natural state." Before I could move, Mason grabbed my hand and walked my to a corner at the back of a room. I could feel my nerves taking over my body as my classmates easily shirted into wolves. Mason stared up at me in his wolf form. His blazing red fur made him easy to identify. He gave me a questioning look and I took a deep breath before closing my eyes and focusing on everything Alberta had told me. I imagined the feeling of being a wolf, what it would feel like, what I would see and what I would smell. Transforming into a wolf was easier for me; I had managed to do it a few times and was starting to do it quicker. I felt my bones shift as I lowered to the ground on all fours. Claws grew from my fingers as my hands transformed into paws. The transformation followed through my body until I was fully shifted into a dark brown wolf. Our fully shifted forms looked so realistic except for the glowing red eyes that stayed the same.

One by one, each person tried to transform straight into a bat. It was and because you need height to transform. Some failed to transform back into their normal selves while others succeeded leaping into the air and instantly shifting into a bat. Mason, of course, shifted with ease. I closed my eyes concentrating on turning into a bat but nothing would happen. I opened my eyes to see I was the only one left on the ground as all my classmates were now hanging upside down on the ceiling fan watching me with their beady red eyes. Albert approached me, calmly trying to talk me through it as she always did. I tried to focus but all I could think of was the judging glare of my classmates from above. With one last try, I leapt up. I could feel a shift. I opened my eyes and looked down to find me in my normal form. I looked up to see everyone had shifted back to normal and were all watching me. A wave of relief swept over me as I noticed they weren't laughing, but that feeling vanished when I heard the first snigger and the entire class erupted. I turned to Mason, who was doing his best to suppress a laugh. I gave him a questioning glare and he pointed to the top of my head. I patted my head and felt the two thin pointed ears. I sighed as Alberta approached me again and instructed me on how to change back to normal.

When the bell rang, I ran out of class trying to avoid any further humiliation. Lissa found me at my locker and with one look she knew something happened.

"What happened?" she asked calmly.

"Another half shift transformation incident." I laughed pointing to the place where the ears were only moments ago.

"Hey, it will be okay. You'll get better with practice. I'll help you after school," she said but I shook my head.

"I can't. I have detention with Stan."

"Already?" she asked and I shot her a look. "What do you need?"

"Right now? I just need to punch something," I said through gritted teeth.

"Good thing you have strength next then," Lissa joked. I didn't laugh.

"Yeah, I got to get to class. See you at lunch," I said slamming my locker shut and walking away without a response.

I was the first one at the gym, as the second bell hadn't rung yet. I quickly got changed and made my way over to the biggest punching bag in the room. With the first hit, I thought of Stan. My anger built. With the second I thought of everyone laughing at me. By the time I had delivered my third hit, I was fuming. I thought of everything that pissed me off and there was a long list to go through. With each thought, I hit harder adding some kicks and other moves into the mix. I was lost in my own thoughts, I didn't realise I had an audience. With one last punch using all the supernatural strength I had, the chains that suspended the bag broke and it well with a huge thump to the ground. I blinked myself out of my anger and looked around to see the entire class standing watching me with wide unblinking eyes. I looked back to the bag only just noticing the damage I had caused. The bag had several tears in it spilling its content onto the floor of the gym. The chain had not just snapped, it shattered from the force of my last hit. Pieces of the chain had flown in all different directions and left only a few links in the place where there once was a chain. The teacher shouted some orders and came towards me pulling me away from the others.

"What did you do?" she asked with a stern voice.

"I just came early to do a warm-up and I guess I used too much strength in that last hit, I'm sorry."

"That chain shouldn't have broken no matter how hard you hit it. It was made of Tungsten, the strongest metal on earth."

"Vampire strength is probably stronger," I started, and she shook her head.

"That is the metal slayers make their stakes from. It's supposed to be unbreakable." She looked away, her eyes full of questions. I coughed, and she looked at me.

"Go join the others, and don't mention this to anyone." I nodded and ran to where everyone was doing their warm-up stretches.

The bell rang for lunch and I ran out hoping the teacher would not want me to go to the headmistress for property damage. I had already endured that once and I didn't want to ever again. Lissa sat at our normal table talking to her boyfriend, the school weirdo, Christian Ozera. Like me, he embraced the vampire ways. He wore all black as usual, his eyes were red like everyone else's but were surrounded by an ice blue iris. His hair was naturally black and seemed to blend in with his jacket making it look like he was wearing a hoodie. Christian and I had started off on the wrong foot. I didn't trust him because his parents had chosen to join the Dark Blood's. I thought he would join to be with his parents and that he would take Lissa with him. It took me a while, but I warmed up to him, especially after what happened at the changing ceremony.

Born vampires don't become full vampires until they turn sixteen. Then, at the blood ceremony, they have to pass through a mirror where they gain their full natural vampire abilities and leave their souls behind which is why we lost our reflections. When a full vampire returns from the mirror, they are starving. They are given a cup of blood to clench their thirst but sometimes that isn't enough. Almost a third of the new full vampires are driven mad by the unquenchable thirst that they leave, go on a rampage and join with the Dark Blood's. Christian Refused the cup only taking a sip. He starved himself but proved to everyone what side he is on. He grew weak, but it worked as he gained the trust and respect his parents deprived him of. When I came back through I was starving. I drained my cup of blood in a matter of seconds, but it wasn't enough. I was so close to crossing the line and becoming a Dark Blood, but Lissa pulled me back and helped me gain control.

Sometimes I still crave the blood so much that my throat burns but I have learnt to control it.

I walk over and sit across from the openly affectionate couple displaying way too much PDA. They were so infatuated with each other that they didn't notice me until I slammed my fist on the table causing it to shake furiously. They broke away and turned to me. Christian glared but Lissa smiled brightly showing off her perfect white fangs.

"Hey, are you feeling better now you have beaten the crap out a defenceless punching bag?" She asked. I opened my mouth to answer but bit the words back remembering I was told not to say anything to anyone, not even my best friend.

"Much better, but I can't say the same for the punching bag. By the time I was finished with it, it was a pile of scraps on the ground." Lissa laughed and I pushed the guilty feeling in my stomach to the back of my mind.

"Hey, Rose, my aunt Tasha has offered us to stay with her for the weekend," said Christian changing the topic.

"Really? What for?" I asked taking a sip from my Diet Coke hoping it would help quench my thirst.

"I may have mentioned that you want to be a Night Rider when you leave school and Tasha offered to take us on a tour of the vampire council building. Lissa will be able to meet some old friends of her parents and see where her parents worked when they were councillors." He said pulling Lissa closer to him and kissing the top of her head. I internally cringed.

"Plus, we need to go dress shopping for the dance next week," said Lissa with wide excited eyes.

"I wasn't planning on going," I told her. Her excitement fell from her eyes at my words.

"What? Why not?"

"I'm just not in a party mood," I lied.

"We'll get yourself in a party mood because it is the first dance of the year and no way am I going to let you back out." I suppressed the laugh building in my throat. Lissa was passionate about everything but the one thing she was most passionate about was fashion.

"Fine, I'll come," I sighed as Lissa squealed and started listing what we should wear. I zoned out focusing on sipping my drink slowly until the bell rang and I could distract my hunger with training.

Third period was boring as usual but compulsory for all vampires. We did not follow the same academics as humans do at normal schools. Instead, we had one class where we learnt everything that humans did in their lifetime. Our brains are designed to learn information quickly and store it forever. The things we learn are very useful sometimes and thanks to our immoral brains, we will never forget.

I picked up the first book and flicked through the pages as quick as I could. By the time the class had ended, I learnt everything about music and could probably write my own symphony. If I could be bothered. While the things humans do is interesting, I'd rather be a vampire. Next class was my favorite, speed. I found my seat next to Eddie, another close friend of mine and best friend to Mason. He smiled when he saw me but did not say anything. Eddie was all about following the rules, so I have no idea why he was friends with me. Mia sat beside him brushing the tangles out of her baby doll blonde hair.

Mia and I started off on the wrong side, mostly because she taunted Lissa and I for half the year, but that changed when I found her crying in the bathroom at a party. It was the last day before the break and we all having a little gathering. I drank a bit more than I could handle and sprinted to the bathroom. When I walked in I was shocked to see Mia lying on the cold white tiles crying. The urge to throw up left me as I took in the form of my worst enemy on her weakest state. She cursed at me to get out. I turned but I didn't leave. Instead, I closed the door and locked it before joining her on the ground. I sobered up enough to be rational and comfort her. She told me her mother had been staked recently and she doesn't want to go home to just her father. I told her what happened to me, but she just laughed saying I was lucky I didn't know my mother when she died.

"It doesn't matter, she was still my mother. Do you think it's easy? I don't remember what she looked like. I don't remember the sound of her voice. I don't have s home to go back to."

"You have Lissa and the Dragomir's," she sniffled.

"I did, but now they are gone, and I only have Lissa. We have lost people we care about too and even though you hate us, we have more in common with you than you might think." I stood up ready to leave but she stopped me.

"I don't hate you. I know that probably sounds like a load of bullshit but it's true, I don't. I just hated what her brother did to me," she whispered.

"Andre?" She nodded.

"Did you know we were dating?" I shook my head. "Yeah, we were together for an entire year, but he said he wanted to keep it private. Then I found out I wasn't the only one he was seeing privately. I confronted him about it, but he just blew me off and dumped me like I was just another girl to him," she explained. I thought for a minute before I spoke.

"He… he was kind of a player," I said hesitantly. Mia laughed brushing away the tears.

"I know. I just thought I was different," she shrugged. I comforted her for the rest of the night and we had been friends ever since. She even apologized to Lissa. The memory vanished just as Stan walked in. He was a pain in the ass, but he was a good teacher when he wasn't picking on me.

"Alright class," he started. His eyes scanned the room but stalled for a second when he reached me. "Now that we have covered the basics, it is up to you to work on building your speed and endurance. Because we have a limited amount of blood, we lose energy quickly and therefore loose speed. I think I also have to remind you of the rules as it seems some of you have forgotten." He said glancing at me briefly and I slid back in my seat. "It is forbidden to use any Vampire abilities on school grounds outside of the classroom. If any student is found using them after today, they will face a much harsher punishment then detention." He wasn't even trying to be discrete as he glared at me. Others turned to look at me including Eddie who gave me a questioning look. I shook my head and mouthed that I would tell him later.

"Now, on with the lesson. Next week is our big forest camp out where you will be able to use any vampire ability freely. You will have to spend forty-eight hours in the forest with two blood bags to keep you alive. It will be challenging, as you will have to find a way to avoid the sun as you make your way to the checkpoint and back." I was so excited for this trip. The senior students always did it at the beginning of the year and they loved it. Two whole days in the woods with no rules giving us a taste of the freedom we will get when we graduate.

The rest of the class seemed to go on for ages as we took notes on all the things we had to be aware of before the trip. When that bell rang, it was music to my ears. I packed up my books quickly and made my way to the door but then Stan blocked me.

"Going somewhere, Hathaway?"

"Just… to your office for detention," I stuttered. He nodded.

"I'll walk you," he said and walked out the door with me following. The halls were empty as everyone was probably with their friends having fun. "Why do you do it, Rose?" Asked Stan. "Why must you always test the boundaries."

"I don't know Stan. Maybe I'm rebelling. Maybe I'm bored. I guess you just can't make a bad girl good." I said with a sigh.

"You're not a bad girl. I have known you all your life and you have always been my star student," he said. I was surprised to hear him say this. He had always been hard on me, pushing me harder than any other student, and it paid off. I was faster than any student here and could almost surpass every teacher, except for Stan.

"That all changed after the ceremony," I said ignoring the constricting feeling in my stomach.

"The ceremony doesn't change who you are, it just unlocks all the potential you have." my anger was building, as I really wasn't in the mood for a lecture after the day I have had. "I'm going to let you off with a warning this time. No detention, but this is your last warning." My jaw dropped he was letting me go. I was just about to leave when he grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "You are better than this Rose. The path you are going down won't lead you to the destination you seek." He gave me a stern look and I nodded agreeing. He hesitated for a second before he let go and I walked quickly in the opposite direction towards the dining hall. Blood is our main source of sustenance but we also need human food, although most people reject it after their daily feed. I lined up with my tray taking a small serving of tomato soup and a cup of red jelly. Anyone who looked at my tray would be able to tell what I was craving. Our little group sat in our usual spot laughing. I joined them sitting between Mia and Mason with Lissa across from me cuddling up to Christian and Mason next to her trying his best to ignore them. Lissa smiled as I started on my soup.

"Hey, don't you have detention?" she asked.

"He let me go with a warning." She looked as shocked as I was.

"What? Why?" I looked around our table and decided to tell Lissa later on.

"It's the first day back, and I doubt Stan wants to spend an hour of his life watching over me." everyone seemed to accept my lie and went back to eating and talking. I focused on my soup half listening to the conversation. We talked about the weekend trip with Christian's aunt and I felt my excitement build. I wouldn't admit it, but I was really looking forward to it. When dinner was over, Lissa and I left the others and went to her room.

"Why are you having so much trouble turning into a bat?" she asked. "It's the easiest one."

"For you maybe."

"For everyone. It's the most basic transformation, I was taught how before the change. Transforming into a horse is the hardest."

"Well sorry, but I didn't have expert shape-shifters for parents," I argued. Lissa's face fell.

"You're right, I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Don't be, I'm fine. I just mean I didn't have anyone to teach me before the change. How did your parents teach you?" I asked. She jumped off the bed and walked towards me.

"You have to feel it," she started.

"Yeah I know, Alberta says that all the time." I cut her off. "Picture the sounds and smells blah blah blah," I said rolling my eyes.

"No, it's more than that. Changing come from emotions," she said pulling me out of the comfy chair I was lounging on. "Close your eyes." I obeyed. "Now pick an emotion. Channel that emotion and visualize. Focus on the details, the feeling of flying, the wind howling," she instructed. I focused on everything she said and for a moment I felt something happening but when I opened my eyes, nothing had changed. I looked in the mirror for any changes but everything stayed the same.

"It didn't work," I stated with a huff.

"You're not feeling it," she argued.

"Well what do you suggest?"

"There is something my parents did with Andre when he was first having shifting." She started opening the window behind me.

"Really? What?"

"Well…" she started but stopped when she grabbed my shoulders and threw me out the window. I closed my eyes and screamed as gravity pushed me to the ground. My stomach flipped as I fell closer to the ground. After a while I was confused. I should have hit the ground by now. Only then did I realize the movements my arms were making. I opened my eyes and looked down at the ground I was hovering above. Lissa stood at the window smiling as she saw me. My arms had disappeared, replaced with the wide webbed wings of a bat. I flew into the window and shifted instantly back to normal. I strode up to Lissa clenching my fist digging my nails into the skin of my palm to keep me from lashing out.

"What the hell?" I shouted.

"It worked," she shrugged not moving or looking scared.

"You didn't know it would. You threw me out the window" I exclaimed.

"Oh please, we both know that wouldn't hurt you and now you know, fear is the emotion that shifts you."

"Oh yeah? What does anger shift me into?" I asked rhetorically.

"Judging by the claws currently growing from your fingertips, I would say, a wolf." I looked at my hands to see the claws long, sharp and ready for the kill. I took a deep breath and the claws retracted turning back my normal red polished nails. Maybe Lissa was right. I had never understood what they meant by feeling it but maybe this was it.

"Okay so it worked once, how do we know if fear is what actually made me shift?" I asked much calmer now.

"Shift again. Think of your biggest fear, something that scares you to your core and imagine it happening." I raked my brain trying to find what scared me most. Spiders? Snakes? Stake? Slayers? No. What scared me most was becoming a Dark Blood. I saw the blood running down my chin as I finished draining my Victim. The red eyes empty of soul but full of so much anger and violence. I opened my eyes and watched as my arms changed as I shrunk until I was too small and I leapt into the air and started flying. It worked.

Again and again, I transformed until I had that solid and then we moved onto wolves. We worked past midnight until the sun had just started rising and I needed to get back to my room. I was practically skipping down the corridor when I saw a teacher I froze. It was past lights out and if I were caught I would be in so much trouble. I ducked before they could see me and quickly used my new-mastered skill. I flew past him and made it to my room almost as fast as my super speed would have. I snuck inside and threw myself into my coffin falling asleep the moment my head touched the red silk pillow.