The answer was slow in coming: I guess. To all. Maybe 9? How u gonna explain me not eating?

Chloe waited quietly until Silvana finished her texting, frowning slightly. "But, that's kinda...wrong..."

"Gah! You're the female. Rule your male. However you have to." Came Cynn's curt reply, before she frowned, her eyes once more taking the faraway look, and she began muttering to the air. Chloe frowned, glancing at the other girls, and standing, leading Cynn from the room, once more covering her strange behavior.

"Cynn! If you're gonna start doing the 'imaginary friend' thing again, then you play by yourself. This is for the older girls!"

When she returned a moment later, Chloe grinned at Silvana once more. "He would look awsome! And, even if it's cold there, isn't it colder in the North Pole? And I thought Phayte was born here..." She shook her head, flopping back into her seat.

(Pics look great...sorry it's taken so long. And light brown, it's light brown hair. You're gonna hate me soon...)

((Why would I hate you?))

Silvana sent another text quickly:

Say you were nervous or something. I dunno. Maybe it's a bad idea. Z might get mad.

She sighed heavily, closing the phone and glancing up at Chloe, commenting about how doing something like that was wrong. Silvana agreed. But until it infringed on her rights as a human being... If the man's desires encroached on her own dreams, she was going to fight them until the end. "You're right, Chloe. It is kinda mean. I strive for equality in the relationship. But... When a guy starts asking for things that take away my rights... Then I can't just stand for it." She looked away for a bit, then returned her gaze to the girl with glasses. "Z didn't want me to be a Storm Chaser. He tried to talk me out of it last night, but I didn't let him. I just can't give up pieces of myself."

She blinked with confusion while Cynn babbled, grateful to Chloe for leading her out before she could weird Marie and Lucy out further. Then returned. Phayte? Born in America? "I dunno if Phayte was born here, honestly," Silvana admitted with a shrug.

(Can't say.)

Chloe gasped, "He...did? What did you say?" She frowned a bit deeper, "Why does he want you to give it up? It's not like you could have ki-." She broke off, glancing at the two clueless females, attempting to choose her words. "He told me that only Zadist had gotten a...girl pregnant in their family."

She continued easily, "He also told me his mother and father met there, and Zadist was raised there for a while. Then they came here, and him and Cynn were raised here."

Silvana went stiff. Zadist had... She angled her gaze away from Chloe, trying to still her hands which started to tremble. Zadist had mentioned that one human had gotten pregnant from a vampire before. But... Not that it had been... His fault. And from the sound of it, it had been with a girl other than Melody. "In their family"? What did that even mean? All of these secrets. Silvana attempted to smile, though she was evidently shaken by the revelation. "Zadist never told me he got a girl pregnant," she said finally, and then stood up from the couch abruptly.

"Sorry, guys," she murmured apologetically to Marie and Lucy, who glanced at each other in puzzlement. They were clearly confused about the conversations about Phayte and Zadist and their family... People who they hadn't known about until this very night. Silvana didn't care so much about that. She... She needed to step out for a minute to regain her composure. "I have to go to the bathroom," Silvana said quickly, and pocketed her cell phone. Then she moved towards the stairs, dashing up them as though she'd been holding it for a while (due to all the Pepsi) and hadn't said anything. But once she got er to her room, she slammed the door and went over to her bed.

She stood there for a moment, with her arms at her sides. And then she started breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating. So many... Secrets... Dear God... When would she stop learning all these horrible things?!

Chloe's smile melted from her face once more, watching Silvana bolt away. Something had upset the girl. After a moment, Chloe stood. "I wanted to ask her something about Phayte. I'll catch her when she's coming back down..."

Moving up the stairs, and noting the bathroom door standing open, Chloe moved to Silvana's bedroom, knocking gently. "Silvana...what's wrong?"

Silvana froze when she heard knocking at the door and Chloe's soft voice beyond the wood. She hesitated, unsure of whether to answer. But then... Maybe the girl knew more details about it. And she wanted to know, even if it was painful. So Silvana moved over to the bedroom door, jerking it open and ushering Chloe inside. She glanced outside, making sure that no one was suspicious or looking for them. In fact, Lucy and Marie had made themselves comfortable back on the sofa and actually paid attention to the movie. Though they stopped every once in a while to chatter with each other and giggle. They hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Silvana closed the door and spun around to face Chloe, though she flapped her jaw silently for a while. Evidently she couldn't think of the right words to say straight away. She decided to settle on the obvious. "Zadist... Zadist didn't tell me he impregnated a human girl, or anyone in his family. He only told me about Melody. I've been with him, this WHOLE time, and he could have gotten me pregnant? He told me, Chloe... That there had been only ONE case of a vampire impregnating a human. But not that it was him. What am I supposed to do, huh? I don't want it to happen to me. And not only that, but he keeps so many secrets from me I never know what to expect. It just gets worse and worse as things go on."

She shook her head frantically, trying to clear her mind. "He said he was worried about me getting killed by a storm. And that someday he wanted to adopt kids and raise them with me. But I didn't want to. He got upset. And now he's off... Talking to Melody. I am so stressed out right now, Chloe."

"Oh..." Chloe muttered lamely, after allowed into the female's room and listening quietly. "L-listen, by the family, I was just meaning vampires as a whole, I was just trying to say it in a way Marie and Lucy wouldn't understand. And Phayte said the human was Melody." The girl steered Silvana to her bed, sitting on it gingerly, and speaking softly. "I've noticed the men try to protect us. Maybe Zadist doesn't understand or consider omission lying. And-AND Phayte told me everything his brother had to go through, how it affected him. He said Zadist had to see all these vampire doctors and scientists and junk, and they came to the conclusion it was Melody's body that was strange, the reason a baby could come from them. Essientially, vampires and humans are different speices, after all..."

Chloe gave a tiny sigh, averting her gaze. "I...don't know if I should be saying any of this. I don't want to upset Phayte. I...didn;t know that you didn't know. How much do you know about him and Melody?"

So it had been Melody, after all... And the child had died? Zadist said it was not allowed... Half-breeds were not allowed. So did they kill it? Somehow, Silvana could not believe that Zadist would have brought himself to kill his own sonor daughter , especially if back then he'd been blindly in love with Melody. And he'd allowed Silvana to believe that Melody died. But then it turned out that she was alive. Similarly, he and his vampire family could have led Silvana to believe that the child died. But it was more than possible that it, too, had survived, as Melody had obviously not died in childbirth. Unless changing her had something to do with that. Silvana rubbed a hand across her forehead, sighing again. So much to take in. So many possibilities.

"I only know some things about their relationship," Silvana admitted to Chloe. She fluffed up a pillow and leaned back against it, staring up at the ceiling. "But sometimes I don't know what's true and what's... The twisted truth. First I thought she was dead, then she tried to catch me. Then Zadist told me she was changed... Then he was held for 200 years because of her. And now Melody was the mother of his half-breed child that may or may not be alive?" Silvana eyed Chloe, and then shook her head. "It's a lot, you know. I don't think it's safe for Zadist to keep these things from me. But he only says what he has to. I don't know what to think."

Silvana clenched her hands into fists. "It would be so much easier if the war just got itself over with, Melody vanished from the picture, and he just freaking married me. Then I wouldn't have to worry about anything for the next ten years. At least until I start getting ugly and old next to him."

Chloe nodded, giving the other female a sheepish look. "I understand that completely, though I'm glad Phayte's different in that way. He gets so talkitive sometimes..." She grinned and shook her head before resuming a somber mood. "But, he's never outright lied, right? Just let you either believe what you came to the conclusion of or held back what he could...Explain to him it's the same thing...And do you think he will marry you?" Chloe spoke quickly then, :Not that I'm trying to hurt you or anything, but, look at the reality, Zadist and you clearly have different morals."

She was quiet for a moment, looking away, "You know, Phayte never mentioned what happened to the baby...Do you think there is a way we could find out?"

Silvana fell silent. Chloe was lucky, in a way, with Phayte. Phayte did not have all these crazy spots on his past. Sure, he'd had and killed countless women for sure. But he'd never been with, changed, or impregnated a psychotic human girl before. Additionally, he was not the oldest male with countless inescapable responsibilities. And, like she said, he seemed to be very talkative and open about his various family members and his past. It had been difficult for him, at first, to talk about anything. But after Silvana's urgings, it seemed that he'd done nothing but talk to Chloe ever since. And so the girl was envious of her new friend. She and Zadist did have different morals. It seemed almost that... If she didn't do what he wanted her to, he had no reason to do that for her. Silvana frowned and said, "He lied to me a couple of times. And the other times he did let me just make assumptions and not tell me otherwise. Lots of other occasions he simply kept information from me, unless I pestered him about it."

Silvana kicked her legs around randomly, dangling them off of the side of the bed. "We are really, really different. Polar opposites. But Phriyte told me that we compliment each other somehow. That either we would fall apart very quickly, or be perfect until the day I die." She shrugged. "I would like him to marry me after I graduate. But he said, unless we are having children, he doesn't see a point. It's not that he wouldn't. He's just so neutral about it that it makes me not want to ask for it. Why should I?" Silvana laughed wryly. "I'm stubborn, too. I can't back down, or ask for things, unless they are necessary to me. I don't know how to find out if his kid is still alive or not. But honestly, I don't want to know at this point in time. It's too much for me to handle at the moment."

Chloe shook her head, then rubbed her temples. "So, he was asking for children, too? How would that even work? And Silvana, it's not wrong, for you to ask for marriage. Maybe he simply wants to know that the women he married would raise his children?" The lilt at the end of the sentance turned this into a question.

Deciding to drop Melody's baby, after all, it wasn't Chloe's business, she moved on to the next subject. "Look, he loves you, right? And he'll do anything to keep you? Tell him the lies have to stop, or your out..."

"You're right," Silvana consented, reaching out and gently patting Chloe on the shoulder. She knew that she was still covered in Phayte's bruises, so she was very faint with her touch, not wanting to cause the other female any pain. "I'll be okay. Zadist gets better to talk to as I go. He tries to make me happy, although he's sort of bad at handling me. I'm not like any of the girls he's used to." Silvana grinned a little, trying to channel her energy back and push her renewed worries to the back of her mind. It made sense that he would only want to marry the woman who raised his children. Though it didn't make sense to her that he wanted them, considering that she would eventually grow old and die. "It doesn't make sense to me why he wants kids, honestly, considering how long I will live in comparison to him and any human children we adopt... He'd live to watch us all grow old and die. But... He said he wants to experience everything with me, so..."

Silvana sat up again, letting the soles of her feet touch down on the floor again. She was glad not to be talking about Melody's baby and the possibility of it being alive anymore. "He does love me, I think. He tries. But I could never say anything to him like... The lies have to stop or I'm out." She looked to Chloe helplessly. "Because I couldn't be out. I could not leave him anymore than I could..." She floundered for words, "...Stop breathing. It's weird."

Chloe lowered her gaze, nodding gently. "I understand completely...I don't think I'd be able to do it either. But, look at how many times Zadist has lied...how could this lie hurt him?" She stood, tossing her arms around Silvana quickly. "And maybe he doesn't want to outlive his family..."

She released the female, patting her shoulder. "You want to think for a bit? I'll make an excuse for Marie and Lucy, if you'd like.."

Silvana shook her head, secretly glad for the light hug. It made her feel better. Even if her emotions were entirely centered on Zadist and their relationship, at least she knew she was not alone. Chloe was vouching for her, trying to be reassuring and helpful. She was really a very nice girl, and Phayte needed to treat her as such. He was luckier than he knew to have fallen for her as his first human love interest, and not someone horrible like Melody, as was the case with Zadist. Silvana hugged back gently, and then nodded. She smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Chloe, it's nice to have someone to talk to about this."

Silvana released the other girl and pulled herself lightly away. She stretched her arms out over her head, yawning a bit. Her innards had calmed down somewhat. She was no longer tense and nervous about the new revelation, but mostly because she'd distracted herself from it. "I don't need to think. If I'm left alone, I'll just dwell on it... The faster tonight goes, the sooner I get to see him again. I wonder how he's doing now, without me," she mused. Then quickly checked her cell for a new text from Lye. She had none. "And I dun think it's a good idea to let Marie meet Lye, or God forbid Dye. But... I owe her, so at least tomorrow... As long as he never calls her back again and doesn't give away what he is... It'll be fine."

A giggle and a shake of Chloe's head were the first response. Dropping the previous subject, as if trying to bring Chloe away from it, "You really should give Lye some credit. He's a nice guy. Phayte picks on him, because Lye doesn't feed from humans. He's one of the few vampires now a days that think vampires and humans can live together peaceful, and knowing each other. He doesn't drink from victims. He either uses willing donors or drinks bagged blood. Phayte said he tried it once, and it was horrible. Something about anti-clotting agents."

She reached down, taking Silvana's hand and tugging her towards the door, only to step back and squeal as it was flung open. Phayte stepped inside, soothing Chloe and pinning Silvana with a strange look. After a moment, he croaked out, "Pack." Before tugging Chloe out the door and after him. "One bag. Just clothes."

Downstairs, Lye, Dye, Phriyte, and a new male vampire stood. Lye had approached Marie, lifting her hand to his lips and running them accross. "Forgive me, but as the fairest female here, I can only assume you were my blind date for tomorrow, yes?"

Meanwhile, Dye, Phriyte, and the new vampire had stepped up to Lucy. The newcomer was gripping one arm, Phriyte the other, and Dye was clearly wanting a bite. Cynn was tossing her hands in the air and barking out orders, keeping Dye at bay, though Phryite and the newcomer, who Cynn kept addressing as Viseh (Vice), were growling loudly at each other, their eying flashing silver and their mouths both yelling, "Mine."

(Would you mind if I used Silvana's parents a bit? Like, vaguely controled their actions a post or two?)

((Absolutely you may! And wow, sudden action! XD Things are about to get interesting.))

Silvana blinked a couple of times while Chloe revealed how incredibly nice Lye actually was. She clasped her hands together, eyes practically sparkling. "Lye is a donor slash bagged blood vampire. Ohhhh, what a sweetheart! I think he's my new male best friend! I am so going to hug him next time I see him!" She followed Chloe to the door, grinning, but she'd gotten her wish without realizing it. Because the moment Chloe reached for the door, someone threw it ajar. None other than Phayte was standing there. Silvana could not even manage to keep her jaw hinged. It just dropped, immediately, at the sight of him. She tried to say something, but her attention was immediately diverted to the rest of the vampires running around in her house.

She spotted Lye, Dye, Phriyte, and a stranger. Cynn was barking orders at them, because the living room was in a state of chaos and disarray. The new one she kept referring to as "Viseh", and he and Phriyte were seemingly having a yelling match over Lucy, while Dye also struggled to get at her. Lucy was backed up against a wall, her eyes darting to and fro. No doubt she was reliving the moment in the alley, when she'd met Zadist for the first time and almost died.

Meanwhile, Marie was blushing a deep crimson while Lye brushed his lips delicately over her hand. He was introducing himself to her and she was taking it extremely well, despite everything else going on. So much so that she said, "Merci beaucoup," in a velvety voice. She even batted her eyelashes. Silvana would have rolled her eyes, except that Phayte commanded her to pack. So her own indigo orbs bulged and she dashed back into her room, emptying her school backpack of its things and stuffing a bunch of dresses and underwear into it. Because she didn't want to be stuck in pajamas again, Silvana slipped on a sleeveless green dress and a pair of boots over her socks.

Then she stepped out and followed Phayte and Chloe down the stairs. While the other vampires were preoccupied yelling each other and trying to follow Cynn's orders simultaneously, Lucy darted over to Silvana and grasped tightly at her upper arm.

"Silvana, what's going on?!" she hissed. "These people look like that guy I saw last Sunday who--"

Silvana cut her off. "That's because they are related to him. He's Zadist. Don't worry. I know you're confused. But I promise, I won't let anything happen to you or Marie."

Lye grinned at the female, unable to resist purring, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around him, "No need to thank me. I should thank you, merely for allowing me stand." He became serious suddenly, brushing her knuckles over his lips once more. "I am truly sorry, Miss. Marie. I must ask you to come with us. We don't have enough time to get you all home..." He waited, however, for her answer.

Cynn, by this time, had given up, though a scowling Dye was commanded to go out to the van. She stood on her tip toes, brushing a kiss over Balto's cheek as the male bent down. He moved upstairs then, and Cynn moved out to the door. Viseh and Phriyte had paused fighting, though Viseh simply walked back to Lucy, scooping her up and tossing her over her shoulder. "C'mon, little lady. We're gonna make sure you're safe, okay? Don't fuss now." The other male was clearly contemplating the many ways he could kill Viseh.

Phayte was scowling per his usual, before stomping to the door, "C'mon Silvana. Lye, bring her. Dammit. Why are they still here? This is too much." Chloe looked puzzled, but followed along.

Outside was a van, Dye in the driver's seat and Cynn next to him. In the very back, Viseh had flopped down and dragged Lucy into his lap. Phriyte dove after them, sitting next to the pair, his hands rovving over Lucy's back, though it drew growls from Viseh.

Silvana was shaking her head in utter amazement. Her mouth agape. She had certainly not expected this turn of events, particularly in Lucy's case. She seemed caught in the midst of a vampiric "love" triangle, between Viseh and Phriyte. Silvana followed Lye, escorting a taken Marie, who looked as though she'd reached the epitome of Cloud Nine, by the hand towards the van. All the vampires piled in, and Silvana crawled in after Phayte and Chloe, taking a window seat and watching Lucy. Lucy's eyes were bulging while she was stuck in one man's lap. The other, Phriyte, did not seem to check his hands roaming over her back. Silvana couldn't tell if Lucy was that stiff and flushed in the face out of sheer terror, or because the two hottest guys she'd ever seen in her entire life were bickering over who got to touch her and hold her the most. Odd.

Silvana faced front, her own gaze flickering first from Dye in the driver's seat, and Cynn in the passenger's seat. Balto had not joined them, apparently staying behind. The girl was glad her parents had not been home to witness this--rather they were out to dinner. But, despite perhaps her best interests, after all the van doors were shut and locked, Silvana leaned forward. "Um, excuse me... What's going on? Where are you taking me and my friends?"

And, most importantly...

"Where's Zadist?"

Dye continued to drive through the night and the day. It was dark once more when he began slowing. Outside was a rather normal looking town, though the van was the only car and there were no stores in sight. Outside, however, made vampires could be seen mingling with born, and even the occasional human slave was spoken to respectfully. Finally, the van pulled to a stop in front of a stately looking house.

"C'mon." Phayte urged everyone, waiting as everyone piled out. Lye offered his hand to Marie, giving her what was almost a shy smile. Viseh refused to released Lucy, drawing more growls from the hovering Phriyte. "Don't carry her like that, dolt!" He muttered on occasion, watching with disproval as Viseh slung her over his shoulder.

Chloe had fallen asleep, and was nestled in Phayte's arms. Cynn and Dye remained in the car, clearly not intending to stay.

Lucy seemed to have resigned herself to her fate, hanging almost limply over Viseh's shoulder. In some ways, Silvana thought, she was probably relieved not to have to walk... With the vampire's having a literal tug-o'-war over her hands. Silvana, despite her worries, started to laugh at the trio. She would have never guessed that this would happen, particularly not to Lucy. The girl was so sweet and quiet, and having two males interested in her could only end in tragedy for all persons involved. Somehow Silvana could not see her breaking one heart over the other. How could she choose with that on her conscience? It was a sucky situation. Marie, however. She glanced to the French twin Lye, and his gentle treatment of her French American friend. Now, that was going spectacularly well, beyond her imagining.

Silvana turned and waved sadly to Cynn and Dye still in the car. Apparently they were leaving her and the others at the house... Not as big as the Dvorak manor, but it was fairly large and impressive... And decidedly historical. She followed the other vampires, Phayte with Chloe, Lye with Marie, and Phriyte/Viseh with the apathetic Lucy... Though she stayed a few steps behind them, lost in her own thoughts. She was dying to talk to someone about Zadist. What was going on? She desperately wanted to know.

Once everyone was inside, Phayte vanished up a flight of stairs, and Lye glanced at Silvana, "Wait here, kay? He'll be right down."

He lead the interesting group into another room, shutting the doors behind them. Phayte reappeared a moment later, glancing around awkwardly. The hall was probably not the best place to do this.

"Silvana." He began, sighing and running a hand through the white locks. "I promised him I'd take care of you, if anything happened. So. You don't need to worry, alright?" He stopped speaking, finally looking at her. The girl was smart. She'd get it without him spelling it out. Hell, she probably already knew.

Silvana stood in front of Phayte awkwardly for a moment, watching as her friends and the other vampires disappeared into another room with the doors locked. And as soon as Phayte spoke, Zadist's younger brother, the girl nearly stopped breathing. In fact, her heart might have actually stopped for the breadth of a second. Her hands tangled into her hair, and she stared at him with bulging indigo eyes, transfixed on him with a look of sheer terror and worry. Zadist was... Zadist was...

It took every ounce of her effort not to start screaming and breaking things and rolling around on the floor. And, hell, even tearing the curtains away from the windows in a violent rage. But, she held it back, somehow. Instead, Silvana fell to her knees and bent over, looking at but simultaneously not looking at the floor. Her hands stayed in her hair while her heart pounded louder than she'd ever heard it, and every inch of her felt numb.

"You mean..." she croaked finally... She needed a verbal confirmation. She needed to know that this was actually happening... That is wasn't just a nightmare.

Phayte stepped forward in alarm, kneeling next to the female, "He's not dead. But, he's not coming back. We have no idea where he is, no idea how to find him. And Melody won't keep him alive for long. We aren't even sure why she wants him so badly...he has power, but she won't get that from kidnapping him..."

Unsure why he was still speaking, Phayte continued to choke out the words. "The meeting was a sham. They planned it." A strange sound came from Phayte, and the male turned away from Silvana.

Oh, God. Well, a tiny voice in her mind said, At least he's not dead. Silvana raised her head, her eyes searching Phayte's face. How could all of this have happened so quickly, with so many of them present? And Zadist, he was so powerful, so good at fighting. Even though she worried, Silvana had not actually believed that Zadist could lose to a bunch of made vampires. She wanted to cry, because he was still out there somewhere beyond her reach. She contemplated somehow... Giving herself up to a made vampire just so she could be taken to Melody and Zadist... Wherever he was. If he died, why should she still be alive? There was no point to being in this horrible, morbid world without him. "Zadist said that Melody would use him to reproduce or something like that," she said quietly, shakily standing and moving to the window.

The girl brushed the curtain to the side, gazing out into the darkness of the night. It was pitch black. She saw nothing out there. How long did Zadist have? Would he die without them ever seeing each other again? "How did it happen so fast?" Silvana murmured softly, her voice despondent beyond measure. "There were so many of you, and he's so... Awesome. I dunno... I can't let it end like this..." Silvan squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her hands.



~~~~~~~


Someone else had noticed the arrival of the Dvorak and Aair families with precisely four human women. He stood at the edge of the driveway, in the midst of a shadow... Falling from a pillar holding one side of the ironwork gate. The man's face was obscured, for the moment, by the brim of fedora. His hands were deeply plunged into the pockets of his dark gray pea coat. The man lifted his head, beneath the rim of the hat, two silver eyes flashed, and his bottom lip curled back to reveal the pointed ends of a pair of fangs.

"It's cute you think it's over," the man drawled, to no one in particular. "But I know where you live." He smirked, tugging the hat back down with a leather-gloved hand.

Whyte had never seemed to have grown out of the 1920s. Ninety years later, he still behaved vaguely like a mobster, with his long blond hair tied back in a loose ponytail. And, like any particularly dedicated member of the mob, he hunted his victims relentlessly and with vigor. His current target? Human, of course. Gender? Female. Age? The edge of 20.

From his other pocket, he removed a slightly crumpled photograph of a girl with short, dark hair, grinning stupidly--taken for her senior portrait in high school. He'd removed it himself from a copy of a yearbook held in that very school... Days ago.

"Silvana Di Morro," he tried, turning the name over on his tongue distastefully.

Phayte didn't answer for a long minute, his shoulders shaking. He stood, eventually, and moved next to her. "There is nothing you can't do. It's not your choice for how it will end. There's nothing we can do. We were all downstairs and it seemed like we were close to an agreement, when more mades came through the windows. It was a quick fight, and they retreated. We didn't realize for a while that they'd taken Zadist when they left. Come, Silvana. I'll show you which room you'll be in for now."

He turned, beckoning her. "Come on. Don't think on it for now. We'll do all we can."