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Chapter 1

It had been a year since the last time I saw all my friends and returned home. I often wondered if they even remembered me, especially my love. Why would they though? I thought to myself. After a year what would keep them from forgetting every memory they had of me? Taking out a Blue Rose, that had been given to me a year ago from my love, I sighed. Even after a year it had not died nor wilted.

Blue Roses were said to have great power. Even if picked they never die or wilt and become dry. Their beauty surpasses any other flower on Earth. I've always thought of the Blue Rose as a symbol of love much like that of which I have for the person who gave me this flower. Though, I was sure he had forgotten me. He'd probably found someone else to love. Someone that was alive. I, on the other hand, am dead.

For a year I've been living off blood. Not just human blood but the blood of other creatures too. I cannot survive without it, for without blood I would starve. A year ago I was changed. Changed into a creature said to be just a myth. I'm a vampire. All the stories are true. All except that of which vampires are scared of the sun and of garlic. Yes, they prefer the darkness but the sun will not kill or harm them. Garlic does not harm them either. In fact, some vampires like garlic. I, however, do not like garlic. I think it smells awful.

I was changed by Serabis the Great as some called him. He was said to be the strongest vampire alive. It was during one cold, rainy night when he changed me. I had been walking to my house at around midnight from a party I went to with my friends. No one was around to hear me scream when Serabis grabbed me from behind. He whispered "sleep" in my ear and I became numb. I didn't know why, but I couldn't move. I remember as he bit my neck a severe pain went throughout my body. I didn't know what was happening. The next thing I knew, I was lying in a bed. I had passed out and woken up in his house. As I woke up Serabis pressed his wrist onto my lips. He had cut it and there was blood gently flowing over my tongue. I tried to refuse it but I found myself wanting more and more. After about a minute he took his wrist away and told me what he'd done to me. I went out of control breaking everything. My power was so strong even Serabis had a look of terror on his face. I couldn't control what I was doing. Finally, I calmed down. He told me I have power that may be greater than his own and that I needed to leave or I would get out of hand and kill everyone.

"Will I ever be able to return?" I asked him.

"Yes, but you'll need to train hard and learn to control you're power. Until then you'll not be able to," he answered.

It was because of this that I had to leave. I left behind all of my friends and my only love. I have no family.

Now it has been a year and I have learned to control my power although there are still some things about it that I have yet to learn. I decided to return back to my home in Cerebres, the City of the Stars. At night you are able to see the night sky better than any other place in the world. That is why it is called the City of the Stars. The moon appears closer to Earth here too. There are also many huge fields there that are perfect for star gazing. My mother and father had been astronomers. We had moved to Cerebres when I was just a young girl so they could study the sky.

There once lived a beautiful goddess in Cerebres. Her name was Yume Lunarii and she protected the city from all its enemies with magic. A few years ago during a battle she had died by the hand of an evil king. After he killed her he had taken control of Cerebres and made everyone work for him to mine for diamonds and gold. Not long after he and his wife died from a disease and their son took control. Not many people live there now that it is being controlled by their son. He has made the city much worse than when his father had control. I saw him kill my parents when I was 15. They had been observing the sky and refused to work for him. He was angered by this and had them killed. I have sworn revenge on him.

I arrived in Cerebres at noon. I was shocked to see everything once beautiful was now turned to evil. I had forgotten how horrible it had turned since their son had taken over and now it was worse. The city was no where close to the way it used to be. I was sure no stars would shine upon the once beautiful city again until all evil had been cleared away.

I wandered the lonely streets looking at all the broken houses and stores. There were few people on the streets and they all stared at me as I passed. I figured they would as I was dressed in a black cloak and most of the people here had ripped ragged clothes.

"S-Starre? I-is that you?" someone called my name. I turned around to see my best friend from a year ago. Her hands were cut and her clothes were torn. Bruises covered her arms and legs.

"Rayne?! Are you okay? Who did this to you?" I interrogated.

"I'm so glad! You're alive, Starre! I've missed you so much!" she said ignoring my questions. "How have you been?"

"I'm fine, but you don't look like you've been doing to great."

"Oh, the king beat me for not doing my work."

"Raphael..." I walked over to Rayne and gently touched her shoulder. My hand started to glow and all of her wounds went away. I had gained the power of healing while I was away.

"What?! How did -- My wounds! They're gone!" said Rayne as I took my hand away. I hadn't been able to tell my friends why I had to leave. Not even Skye, my love.

"I shall explain myself but you mustn't be frightened," I told her.

"Uh... okay," she answered unsure of herself.

"I'm a vampire. I'm not longer alive, but dead. I possess a strong power and when I was changed a year ago I wasn't able to control it. That is why I had to leave. If I hadn't I would have killed you and all my other friends. Now, I've trained hard and am able to control them although I still don't know how to use them all. Do not worry, I won't bite you."

"Y-you're dead?" Rayne took a step back.

"Yes."

"I see. Don't worry I trust you," said Rayne smiling. "Now I bet you're wondering where Skye is, are you not?"

"Yes, in fact I am. How is he!?" I said impatiently.

"Well after you left, a few days later he left also. He told me he would find you no matter what."

"Oh...I see," I was disappointed. Now I was sure he'd forgotten me. I held my Blue Rose in my hand and looked at it. The thorns were cut off of course for if you were struck with one you would be poisoned. Within a minute you would be dead and there wasn't a cure for it.

"I see you still have the Blue Rose Skye gave you," said Rayne breaking the silence. "You know, Skye told me something about that before he left. He said it's the flower of true love. Skye has one too. When I asked how he would find you he told me that the Blue Roses you both had were twins from the same bud. He said it was very rare to find them that way and if two lovers were to have them then their love would never leave. Also, if one of the lovers should die the blue rose of the other and theirs would become wilted and die. Since yours has not died, Skye is still alive!"

"Thank you, Rayne," this made me extremely happy. Maybe he hadn't forgotten me and was still looking. I felt bad for troubling him like this, I had not meant to. I placed the Blue Rose above my ear in my long dirty blonde hair.

"Beautiful," said a voice from behind the corner.

"I-it's him! He's here!!" whispered Rayne.

"Who's here?" I asked. By the look of terror on Rayne's face I knew it had to be someone awful.

A young, tall man stepped out from behind the corner. There were many guards following him. He had long, dark purple hair that was held back by a red ribbon. Some might have thought he was cute if not for the evil look he always had. Dressed in royal clothes and a crown on top of his head he had to be the king, Raphael.

"Well, well, well, Starre's back! Thought you were dead!" Raphael said with an evil laugh. It was bitter and it gave me chills. He has gotten stronger as I have. "So will you be my bride now? You can have any thing you want. You'll be the richest girl in the world." I looked at him with distaste. He was still trying to get me to marry him. How could he be so dumb?

"Money cannot buy my love. I love Skye, not you," I told him. "All the money in the world is not going to make me forget Skye for you." He would have to be crazy if he thought I would have told him yes.

He stopped smiling and said with a harsh tone of voice "Skye is dead." Did he think I was stupid? Skye isn't dead or the rose would have died as well. "I killed him myself. So why don't you come on and marry me now?"

"Never," I said but what if Rayne had just told me the rose wouldn't die to make me feel happy instead of sad? What if he had really killed Skye? I looked at her.

"Don't listen to him, Starre! Skye's alive I wasn't lying!" she reassured me as if she had been reading my mind.

"Guards! Make that brat behave!" Raphael shouted. Oh no, I thought as two guards came toward Rayne and me. She was standing behind me and one of the guards tried pushing me out of the way. He didn't succeed.

"That's not being very much of a gentleman. You could have at least asked before trying to PUSH me out of the way," I said. "Besides, if you were the least bit smart you would stop trying to hurt Rayne."

"And what can you do about it, silly girl?" One of them shouted and the other laughed apparently amused by the other. After a minute his laughing stopped. He had seen me barely touch the other with a finger and as soon as I did he flew back about five feet crashing into a wall. Raphael glanced at me surprised. The guard stood there in shock while the other against the wall moaned loudly in pain.

"How did you? You barely touched him!" the guard said. I smiled.

"I warned you, did I not?" I looked at the guard against the wall. The other was looking at me and getting angry about ready to charge with all his strength at me. It would be very unwise for him to do so. Then before he could get himself into trouble with me Raphael called him off.

"She's unnatural, leave her be for another time. We're leaving," he said and with that he and his guards left to the castle.

"You're awesome!" Rayne said smiling. "It’s a good thing you're on my side!" When all the guards had gone me and Rayne went to her house. As I sat down on her couch she gave me a glass of tea.

She was about to sit down beside me when there was a sudden knock on the door. I set my tea glass down and stood up following her to the door in case it was more of Raphael's guards. When she opened the door there was a tall, dark headed man standing there. His eyes were extraordinary even though they were also a dark color. I gasped realizing who it was. He was no guard.

I wondered if I was seeing things. He was smiling as I stared at him in confusion. His smile was so relaxing I felt like water. Was he who I thought he was? Could this be Skye?

Please do not take anything from this story without my written position. If you wish to use something, e-mail me and please give me full credit. Thank you.