Chapter 6: Let the Games Begin Part 2

"As one of my daughters, you are expected to maintain a standard. A standard that is set within your blood."

Jade resisted the urge to roll her eyes. ""I know, mother."

"Do you?" Cassandra questioned with a quick raise of her eyebrow. Her office was dark, save for the flashing lights that flooded in from the windows displaying her night club. The muffled sounds of heavy bass and excited chatter beat against the soundproof walls, but other than that the room was silent. Waves of blue, red, and neon yellow floated over her daughter's pale skin and her dark hair, shadowing the worried expression she displayed. She knew the girl was trying her hardest to conceal it, but she knew her daughter better than anyone.

"I know the rules."

"And yet, you still wish to break them." Cassandra sighed and tilted her head at her daughter. "Darling, what would you have me do? Tell Samuel and his clan that his daughters are not permitted in my club?"

"You know how those Northridge girls are." Jade said. "They're constant trouble. Why the jury hasn't put that whole clan of ganks out of everyone's misery is beyond me."

"Jade!"

"Who steals from people when they're rich?" Jade seethed and pushed off the doorway to walk towards the woman's desk. "If it wasn't for their father, they would have gotten us all caught. Not to mention, they leave trails of bodies and lie about it. Everyone knows they do it. They're trouble and you know it, mother."

Her mother, Cassandra, frowned even deeper with mixed emotions swirling in her green eyes. Jade regretted snapping at the woman as soon as she saw the look and stepped back, folding her hands behind her back with her back straightening in an obedient stance. "I'm sorry."

Cassandra stood and walked around the desk to stand in front of the younger girl. "Do you trust me, darling?"

Jade frowned at her. "What? Yeah, I trust you, mother." What kind of ludicrous question was that? She trusted the woman in front of her more than words could possibly describe.

"Then trust that I know what I am doing." Cassandra said as she adjusted some strands of her dark hair, not meeting the girl's eyes. "You are young and still learning. I know what is best."

"I've learned enough to know that Samuel's daughters are nothing but trouble just like their father." Jade said calmly. "I don't care what the jury decided with him."

"And he could say the same for you and your sister." Cassandra said with finality in her tone, making Jade look away. "We must stay on his good side until he gets on our bad one. You'll be at the bath tonight, keep an eye on them."

"Yes mother." Jade said, though she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Good girl." Cassandra smiled and kissed the younger girl on the head. "Where is your sister? Did she decide to come tonight?"

Jade nodded. "Yep. She's in the back rooms with Sam. She wants to stay away from the crowds."

"As she should. Can't have tonight getting too messy." Cassandra straightened her dress and smiled. "Now, let's put on a good show, hm? The Valentine clan must keep up appearances."

~Built By Moonlight~

Beck maneuvered himself through the large crowd with two drinks in his hand, a look of annoyance clear on his face. Everyone around him was sweating and dancing, oblivious to the boy and his efforts to not spill the contents of the glasses. He had yet to see Jade here, but as the night went on, he found himself wanting to enjoy himself rather than look for her. Excitement. That was what he had promised himself at the beginning of the semester, and that's what he was planning to have. Even if excitement was in the form of a nightclub with a sketchy bouncer and equally sketchy patrons. A few of whom were currently sitting at their booth.

He raised an eyebrow as he neared their table, watching as one of the three girls whispered in Robbie's ear while one of the others was in conversation with an animated Andre. The two were lavishing the attention from the three beautiful girls. They had approached them shortly after they had entered the bar, claiming that they were regulars and would show them the ropes. Beck didn't know what it was, but he got an odd feeling from them. Similar to the feeling he got when he first met Cat and Jade. There was something about them, he just couldn't but his finger on it. The last girl seemed to be sitting quietly, smooshed in between her friends. She looked off to the distance, a small frown on her beautiful face and a tense air to her posture. She spotted Beck before the rest of them and offered him a small smile before looking away once more.

"Your hair is so curly. I love curly hair." the redhead girl told Robbie with a sweet smile. "What kind of products do you use?"

"Uh..., shampoo and conditioner?" Beck heard Robbie said as he slid into the booth to sit beside Andre. Beck shook his head at the boy and set the two drinks in front of his friends.

The platinum blonde girl, who seemed to be the most level headed and straight forward of the three girls, smiled at Andre, stroking his arm with a single pedicured finger. "I can tell that you're a musician. You've got great hands. All strong and full of character." She said as she easily picked up one of Andre's hand in her own, running her fingers along her palm. "You know, Alba was a palm reader back in New Orleans."

The girl glared at her friend, her light brown eyes narrowing dangerously. "Knock it off, Quinn."

Quinn shrugged innocently, though a devious smile played on her lips. "What? It's a cute trick. I'm sure these boys would like to know their future. Come on, give them a reading."

Andre raised his eyebrow in curiosity at the girl. "Uh, you don't have to, really. It's cool."

"Nonsense, she'd be happy to." Quinn smiled at Alba, with the curly haired girl returning it with a glare. "Isn't that right?"

Alba gave a huff before reaching out and taking both Andre and Beck's hand in her much smaller ones. The two exchanged looks, but said nothing as the girl ran a gentle finger over their palms and looked them over critically. She looked at Andre first. "Your headline says that you're a creative thinker. Of course you're a musician, you're hands are calloused and rough." She frowned at him. "Don't you know how to moisturize?"

Andre raised an eyebrow at her. "You're really gonna judge me for not moisturizing? The oil gets on my strings."

"Priorities." Alba muttered before shaking her head and continuing on with her reading. "You're also sensitive to others, but you can't really keep your emotions to yourself. You're ambitious, but not at the expense of other's. You always put others first, don't you? Even if you really want something."

Andre shifted in his seat, frowning at the girl. "Uh...yeah, that all sounds about right."

She frowned a bit. "Well, you're future is blurred, but I can tell you that you'll get what you're looking for. It's not what you thought you wanted, but it's what you need. You could call it a curse, but it's a gift that you shouldn't reject so easily."

She ignored the look of confusion Andre shot her and turned to look at Beck's hand, taking a moment to look over his palm. "You're overly analytical."

"What? I am not…" Andre shot his friend a look and Beck rolled his eyes. "Yeah, fine whatever."

Alba gave him a coy smile before looking back to his palm. "You're also pretty emotionally stable, so kudos to that. That means your future is a little clearer than your friend's." Andre scoffed at that, but said nothing as the girl continued. "You want adventure and excitement, but you won't know the consequences of those things until it's too late. But don't worry, your losses also have their gains..." Her eyes suddenly narrowed in suspicion as she grabbed his hand and brought it closer to her face, as if searching for something. Beck looked at Andre worriedly, who shrugged while she did the same to his hand. Alba looked up at them both and for a moment, Beck thought he saw something familiar in her eyes. Fear, worry. "You, uh, both have a line that vaguely looks like a circle, did you know that? It runs through all your lines."

Beck frowned and pulled his palm away to look at it as well. She was right. In the center of his palm, there was a very faint circle that seemed to run through the three distinctive lines on his hand. He looked over at Andre, who looked at his as well with fascination.

Andre shrugged and grinned. "That's cool. What's it mean?"

Alba opened her mouth to say something but Quinn cut her off. "Oh nothing. She told me and Georgia the same thing. Stop scaring the boys, Alba."

The girl didn't say anything and looked away from them, closing herself off from the conversation. Beck wanted to question her further, but he jerked when he felt Quinn run her finger up his arm with a smirk on her face. "Now, now, Beck. You aren't scared of little old me, are you?"

The girl beside Robbie chuckled and flipped her red hair over her shoulder, a martini in her hand. She seemed to be watching him just as contently as her friend, her eyes surveying his body. "That would be a shame, wouldn't it Quinn? He's so cute. You feeling okay, hun?"

Beck shook his head. "Not scared. Just, uh…"

Andre waved him off, a smirk on his face. "He's got a girlfriend. He's playing it safe, y'know. Just being the wingman tonight."

Quinn gave a mock pout but shrugged her shoulders. "Too bad, you're so cute. But we can still have fun, right?"

Georgia nodded, tipping back the last of her martini down her throat. "What your girlfriend doesn't know, won't hurt her."

Beck chose not to answer, instead he drank his beer from the bottle in front of him. He didn't miss the look Alba gave him as he did so. It was as if she wanted to tell him something, but she pursed her lips and turned away. Georgia played lightly with Robbie's hair while the nerdy boy nervously smiled at her. "Do you dance, Robbie? I would love to dance with you."

"Uh-uh sure! Sure, I'll dance!" Robbie stuttered before leaning over the table to Beck, a freaked out expression on his face. "What do I do?! I should have brought Rex, he would know what to do!"

Beck gave the boy a strange look and shook his head. "Dude, just go dance with her. Go have some fun."

Robbie, still panicking slightly, simply nodded and sat back in his seat. "Right, got it. Let's, uh, let's go dancing!"

The redhead beamed and pulled him out of the booth and onto the dance floor. Beck watched them until they disappeared among the crowd, a feeling of worrying boiling into the pit of his stomach. Andre nudged him, giving him a questioning look. Beck simply shook his head before sliding an easy smile on his face.

"Hey, I'm gonna head to the bathroom. I'll be right back." he said before getting up and leaving before anyone had a chance to question him. He vaguely heard Alba call his name as he disappeared on to the dance floor.

He traveled through the crowd of people, trying to spot Robbie's curly head of hair amongst the dancers and bright lights. The heavy bass shook the floor slightly, urging on the patrons to dance harder. The whole club was filled with an air of ecstasy, heat and a buzz of excitement. Beck began to feel it creep into him as he navigated himself further through the dance floor, the colors and lights around him beginning to blend in around him.

It was only when his head began feeling light that he thought something might be wrong.

He began stumbling through the crowd, his body being pushed every which way by the dancers. No one seemed to notice his less than sober state, probably dismissing him for one of the hundred other drunk people that were currently in the building. He recounted the single beer he had downed, the one he had left at the table when the girl's asked him to go get them drinks. There was no way that he could be drunk. Something clicked in his head as he recounted the way the girls had watched him before, as if they were waiting for something to happen. They couldn't have slipped something in his drink, could they? Andre and Robbie would have saw something. However, as he thought about how enamored they were with the girls, he quickly realized that there focus had been entirely taken up by the beautiful trio.

Sweat began to form on his body in a thin sheet as he stumbled to the other side of the dance floor, finally free from the thick crowd of people. He leaned against the wall for a moment, trying to catch his breath as his lungs seemed to feel heavy in his chest.

'Come on, keep moving man. Get to the bathroom.' Through the haziness and blurred thoughts, he willed himself to stand up straight and keep moving,.

He wobbled down the hallway, images and flashes of light passing before his eyes. Flashes he clearly saw as Tori, and some he saw in the form of Jade.

Now he was sure that he had been drugged.

It seemed as if they were taunting him, urging him on and disappearing into the darkness before reappearing somewhere else. They both held devious smiles on their faces, but said nothing. Tori was dressed in a deadly red dress that he had never seen before and her lips were stained black with a lipstick he knew that she would never wear. She looked dangerous, mischievous, and like a cat ready to catch the canary. Jade was dressed in the same fashion. Dark makeup, a red dress, and the same smile on her face. She beckoned him to follow her down the hall, curling one finger slowly as her heels clicked against the floor. Tori was right in front of her, taking the lead as they led him further from the party. He didn't know what possessed him to follow, but his legs moved with on their own accord. He heard the echoes of their breathy laughs and kittenish giggles, and vaguely the whispers of them telling him to follow them.

Tori reached the end of the hall first and opened the door before disappearing inside. Jade quickly followed, smiling once more deviously as she leaned against it to wait for him. He felt his limbs getting heavier and heavier and it was slowly getting harder to breath. Sweat was beading down his face and a pain had begun erupting through his abdomen. Still, he hobbled to the door the best he could in an effort to catch Jade. She smiled for a moment as he was finally close to the door before it suddenly closed in his face.

He frowned and felt at the door with the tips of his fingers before he looked around, casting his gaze down the dark hall. He could vaguely hear the muffled sounds of the party happening back in the club, the lights had long disappeared. There was only a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling that barely made a dent in the darkness surrounding it. Turning back to the door, Beck took in a sharp breath and twisted the knob, only slightly surprised when it opened.

He stumbled inside, his chest growing tighter and the dizzy sensation in his brain getting worse. He narrowed his eyes at the room before him. It was a dark blue colors, with layers of black silk fabric hanging from the wall in swoops. The floor was a light gray, cracked tile, with a drain in the center of the floor. It was the only part of the room that wasn't immaculate. The furniture was dark and shiny, polished to perfection and obviously expensive. However, it wasn't the expense someone had spent on the room that had captured his eye. It was the two people sitting on the couch on the other side of the room that had his attention. They were sitting on a dark blue couch, a man who looked as if he had too much to drink and a woman whose head was buried in his neck. His limbs looked limp and his head was lolled to the side, his eyes barely open. But there was a smile on his face, as if he was clearly enjoying whatever the woman was doing.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Beck shot his head to the sharp tone, his eyes landing on a blonde woman who sat against the other couch in the room with a glare directed at him and a book in her hand. There were numerous small, plastic bags lying around her, all empty. "This room is exclusive, not included in whatever bullshit VIP area you paid for."

The woman attached to the man's neck suddenly looked up, her red hair whipping back to get out of her face. Her lips were stained with a red liquid that slowly dripped down her chin and there were two prominent fangs that protruded from behind her top lip. The red velvet color of her hair was much different from the red of her lips. Her eyes widened when their eyes connected. "Beck?!"

"Cat…" He breathed out, his eyes widening in shock and fear as he saw the blood coming from the man's neck. It finally clicked in his head. The small plastic bags on the floor with medical hoses sticking out of them, the blood. "You've got to be kidding me."

It was the last words that left his lips as he collapsed and his world began to slow down. The last thing he heard was the sound of Cat calling his name, and the breathy, seductive laughs of Tori and Jade in the distance.

~Built By Moonlight~

Jade stood by the DJ's booth, watching the crowd of people with mild interest. She was dead set on finding the girls who seemed hell bent on making her life miserable during this particular time of the month. The party was getting rowdier, with the dance floor becoming thicker with people pressing against each other tightly. People always got way too into the party, in her opinion. It was a good time, of course, with no judgement and a freedom that could only be grasped for one night. Maybe she felt that way because this wasn't her first, or even her hundredth Blood Bath.

Her blue eyes fluttered around the crowd, catching sight of the few that had began their fun before the events even started. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at their impatience. Suddenly, a mop of curls caught her eye. At first she brushed it off. There was no way a skittish rabbit like Robbie would come to a place like this. He'd flip out before he even walked in. However, the longer she stared at the man, the more agitated she got when she realized that it was, indeed, him. Dancing with one of the girls she had been looking for. The redhead was dancing without a care in the world, with a sly, seductive smile on her face. She had her arms looped around Robbie's neck and the boy just moved with her with a grin on his face. Jade felt her legs moving towards them the moment she saw the girl's eyes flickering to Robbie's neck. A protective instinct snapped in her, fueling an anger that she let slip as she stalked through the crowd. Everyone seemed to jump out of the way as she moved past them, not wanting to be apart of any kind of wrath that Jade West exuded.

It was that wrath that made Jade rip the girl away from Robbie the moment she was within arm's reach. She didn't even blink when she fell back onto the ground with a sickening crack coming from her arm, she only turned her furious gaze onto Robbie. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

Robbie stared at her with wide eyes, his gaze shooting between her and the girl who was currently recuperating on the floor. "Jade! You just- I- What did you do that for?!"

Jade rolled her eyes and waved off the girl. "She's fine. Answer my goddamn question, what the fuck are you doing here?"

"She's not fine, I think you broke her arm or something!" Robbie said brushing past Jade and leaning down to help the redhead girl up. "Georgia, are you okay?"

Georgia ignored him and sent a deadly glare at Jade, who gave her a sarcastic smile. "I thought they told you, Valentine bitch! You don't get to interfere in our business anymore."

"You missed the little part where I can do whatever the hell I want when your business becomes mine." Jade snapped back. "Robbie, get away from her."

Robbie gave her a confused look. "What? Why-?"

"I said, get away from her!"

Robbie let his question slip away and quickly jumped away from Georgia to stand beside Jade, clearly confused by the situation. Georgia's arm hung at her side, protruding out at an odd angle, yet she didn't seem fazed by it. She was more concerned with her anger at Jade. Robbie looked away from it, covering his mouth at the sheer grotesque image of it.

"He's mine." Georgia growled. Robbie's eyes widened as a growl actually seemed to slip past her lips. "Go get your own."

"Actually, he belongs to me." Jade said, a deadly calm expression on her face. "You want to fight me about it? Go get your sisters and maybe this will be even."

"Just wait until I tell my father." Georgia spat at her. "You'll be sorry you ever thought to mess with me."

"Mess with you?" Jade took an intimidating step towards the girl, making her back away only slightly despite the glare she still held on her face. "You're lucky I'm not doing worse. You know the rules. Touch him again, and I'll take your arm and put in a jar to go above my bed. You got it?"

Georgia glared at her and glanced at Robbie once more before she turned and stalked off, bumping into a few partygoers as she did so. Robbie turned to look at Jade, confusion written on his face as well as concern and fear as he gestured back to where Georgia had ran off. "Jade, that was… Should we call an ambulance?"

"Nope." Jade said, her eyes narrowing at him. "How did you find out about this place?"

Robbie shifted uncomfortably. "We… uh, We heard about it! Yeah, we thought it would be cool."

He winced as his answer only seemed to make her angrier. "We? Which one of the idiots did you come here with?!"

"...Beck and Andre."

Jade brought a hand to her face and rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache settling in. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Jade, I really think we should call her an ambulance or something! You broke her arm." Robbie said as she grabbed his arm and began leading him to the back of the club. "Wait, where are you taking me?"

"Shut up." Jade growled, making him shut his mouth immediately. "I'm taking you out the back so I can get you out of here. Where are Andre and Beck?"

"Last time I saw Andre, he was sitting in one of the booths with Georgia's friends." he said immediately, not wanting to anger the girl further. "I saw Beck wander away awhile ago. Not sure where he went."

"Great." Jade sighed. "Just fucking great."

Robbie watched her for a moment before he gathered the courage to speak again. "So… are you going to tell me what's going on?" She glared at him, making him nod and turn his gaze to the floor. "Yeah, I thought not."

~Built By Moonlight~

"Sam! Be gentle with him!"

"How much more gentle do you want me to be? I'm practically carrying him like a baby!"

"That's not how you carry a baby!"

Beck groaned as he slowly dragged himself back from the darkness he had sunken into. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at the back of a dark blue dress and a pair of pale legs. He was upside down, his body swaying back and forth as if he was nothing more than a rag doll. In this case, he guessed, he practically was one. He was slung over someone's shoulder, if the pressing in his abdomen was anything to go by, and he couldn't tell where they were taking him.

A sudden pain seized through his head, making him groan. "What the hell…"

The voice that sounded distinctly like Cat gasped and he could feel her kneeling down next to him. "Beck! Oh thank god you're awake!"

He frowned, the pain subsiding and his vision becoming a bit clearer. "Cat?...Am I being carried?"

"Sure are, lard ass." He heard right before he was flipped and landed back on a couch. Beck blinked his eyes in surprise as he tried to get his bases. He found himself in the same room, except the man was nowhere in sight and Cat had since wiped the blood from her lips. She had a concerned look on her face as she stood beside the blonde who had been carrying him. The woman had long blonde curls that trailed over her shoulders and she wore a dark blue dress that fit tightly over her body. As thin as the girl was, she had mean stance about her, as if daring anyone around to challenge her. He definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever she could dish out.

"Are you okay?" Cat said, sitting down next to him. She was done up as well, with a gold dress that hugged her curves and heels that looked almost impossible to walk in. It was much different from the sweet, innocent Cat he usually seen wearing colorful outfits and converse.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thirsty though." The scratchy feeling in his throat only increased as he spoke and it felt as if his mouth had been stuffed full of cotton. What had happened to him?

"We'll get you some water." Cat said quickly. "… Do you remember anything?"

He gave her a skeptical look. "What? Do I remember that you were drinking blood out of some guy's neck? Yeah, that little detail is still in there."

"And that detail better stay in there." Sam growled at him. He could have sworn her eyes flashed black for a moment.

"Sam…" Cat warned, sending the blonde a stern look. The girl rolled her eyes and took her place on the other couch that she had occupied before. Cat looked back at him with a worried and scared expression. "Beck… I can explain everything, okay? You just have to promise not to freak out."

"I'm already freaking out." Beck told her in a calm tone, despite his words. On the outside, Beck looked cool and collected, but inside his mind was racing and his chest felt as if something was pressing down on it. "I'm pretty sure I was drugged by those girls we were hanging out with-"

Sam frowned at him. "What girls?"

"And then," he continued, causing the girl to glare at him as he ignored her. "I walk in to you in the middle of some… I don't know, blood fetish thing." Cat winced at the words. "Look, it's fine that you… are into that stuff. I'm not going to judge. Just… Were you the one that did that to Ryder? He's still in the hospital, Cat."

Cat looked down at her lap. She looked as if she were weighing his words in her head and Beck was sure he had never seen the girl look serious in the time that she had met him. "It's not a fetish… at least, not really. I…" She looked up, into his eyes. Maybe it was the drugs still affecting his brain, but he was sure that her pupil expanded enough to cover the brown of her eyes. "I'm a vampire."

Beck stared at her for a moment. "...I'm not stupid, Cat."

"Beck-"

"You honestly expect me to believe that you're a vampire?" Beck almost wanted to let out a bitter laugh at the situation. He would have if he weren't so angry. "Maybe you believe that you're one, like those people you see on one of those "Can you Believe It" shows."

"No, I know I'm a vampire." she said with a huffy sigh. "I have been for the past 400 years."

"Right. And you decided to tell me because…?"

"Because you caught me feeding on someone." Cat told him with a shrug of her shoulders. "I could make you forget, like Jade does sometimes, but I don't want to."

Beck frowned at her. "What do you mean make me forget like Jade does?"

She held up her hands and shook her head quickly, almost panicked. "No, no, Jade hasn't made you forget anything… at least I don't think she has. She's really good at making sure no one notices when she does it. But we both promised we wouldn't mess with you, Tori, Andre or Robbie."

"I recommended just taking a chomp out of you and being done with your ass." Sam said with a slight raise of her hand. "But Jade seems to want to keep your neck in tact. Pity."

Beck couldn't help but glare at the girl. "Let me guess, Jade's a vampire too?"

Cat nodded. "Yeah. She's not as old as me. I think she turns 116 next year, if mother's count is correct."

"...Okay, so you're insane." Beck said. "That's good, because at least it explains why Jade is the way she is."

Cat glared at him and in a moment, her eyes turned black again and the same fangs that he saw before descended from behind her upper lip. They were sharp, deadly looking and it gave the usually harmless looking girl in front him a predatory and monstrous appearance. Before he could blink, she had moved from beside him to standing next to where Sam -who looked particularly smug at his shock- was lounging on the couch.

"I'm not insane." Cat said sheepishly. "At least… I don't think I am."

Author Note:

...And a year later, she updates.

I'm so sorry, I will definitely be updating this story again and this time it won't take a year and a half to do so!

Much love,

Khaleesis-Fire