Janice No More

3. Who Did This?

As soon as Skylar and I got to my house I tried to convince him what I saw was real.

"You were just dreaming. Don't make a big deal of it." Skylar protested as we walked through my vacant house up to my room.

"It wasn't a dream. Why can't you believe me?" I said as I turned back to him still trying to remember anything significant about the woman in my vision to see if anything reminds me of something.

"Because you're probably just reacting to the fact it's the anniversary of that shooting." He proposed.

"I'm not! If I was, it would have happened last year, too. It didn't happen that time. Why now?" I questioned. I didn't even know the answer. Skylar closed my door behind him as we entered my now black and purple striped room. It used to be just purple back when we first moved here. The room was a little messy with all my Cds scattered around my stereo, clothes hanging at the end of my bed, and computer chair with the bag of new clothes I draped over the chair. I took off my thick wool coat and hung it on my coat rack in the closet. The black silk comforter on my bed was over a hideous hot pink under the silk.

"I don't know. Maybe you're just naturally fucked up." He retorted.

I was about to speak, but my jaw was left open at a loss for words. I haven't always been this way. I used to be a good person. The shooting fucked me up. I turned away from him hiding my hurt face wrapping my arms around my body. I didn't like to show weakness, but I had a habit of doing it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." He did mean it. He just won't admit it. I kept looking toward the wall. I felt arms wrap around my waist. I put my arms on his while he leaned his head on my shoulder."I'm so sorry. Just because I don't believe you now, doesn't mean you won't be able to prove it to me." He kissed my cheek. We stayed in this position for a few minutes. I didn't want to escape this embrace.

My cell phone started ringing with the ringtone of Down Under by Evanescenece. He tried to let go of my waist, but I held on tightly to his arms. He chuckled lightly. I used one arm to grab the phone.

"Hello?" I said giggling as Skylar started kissing my neck.

"Hey, Alice. Is Skylar with you? It's Rachel." She responded.

Oh, yeah his girlfriend. I forgot about her for a minute-okay a few hours. I stopped giggling and handed the phone to Skylar. I could hear the conversation.

"Hello?" He said still smiling.

"Hey, Skylar. It's Rachel." She sounded like she was trying to be seductive when her high pitched voice just sounded annoying. Skylar's face froze just as mine did when I answered.

Skylar let go of me and went to sit down on a small black swing-like chair I have bolted to the ceiling. I stayed there eying him carefully.

"Oh, hey....No it's not a bad time, just hanging out with Alice." More like making out. He got up and walked into the bathroom. I put my ear to the wall a few minutes later." Don't cry." I heard. Why the hell is she crying?

"Okay, see 'ya tomorrow." He said as he walked to the door. I backed away before he could notice I was there.

"Why is she crying?" I asked.

"You eavesdropper." He laughed,"Well, her dad was killed a few hours ago. They say it was by some kind of animal."

"An animal? How can you get killed by some kind of animal when you live in a city?"

"I don't know." He answered honestly after letting out a soft sigh. He walked over to the stereo and put in some My Chemical Romance. He turned it to Teenagers just before he unwillingly went to the bed, so we could start our Trig homework.

After a few hours of hanging out with Skylar doing nothing after finishing our homework, he had to leave before my parents got home. I was dreading tomorrow.

I hated my school. I hated it with a passion. All of the prep loving teachers, dickheads, and easy whores were enough without the fact of being an outcast. Although it gave me the fuel to just be myself it always got annoying with the paperwads and pranks. The reason I never take anything of value to school except my cellphone which I keep hidden in an inside pocket of my jacket.

Sooner or later I woke up with the sound of my mom's knocking on the door.

"I'm up, I'm up!" I yelled to her. I yawned and combed through my hair with my fingers as I headed to the bathroom in my shorts and tank top. I brushed my teeth and washed my hair then hurriedly dried it with the hair dryer.

After brushing and teasing my hair the way I liked it I added hairspray until I was finally satisfied. I opened the door and reached for the hot topic bag and took some clothes out. There were plenty of options. I decided on a purple and black striped soft cotton long sleeve sweater with a pair of skinny jeans and a black belt. Then finally wearing converse shoes I added thick eyeliner and mascara with a hint of lip gloss and eyeshadow. After checking my hair to make sure I looked fine I grabbed my white bag that had my books and headed outside saying goodbye to mom and dad who were making coffee.

Walking to the mile away school wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. At least it wasn't snowing as bad as yesterday. I reached the school in fear, but kept my head high while I trudged up the steps and into the school. I silently go to my locker without being noticed by anyone. I liked it better this way. No one would bother me. Even though I wish I had my other life where things were easier, I was... well, happy here. The closest thing to happy at least. I didn't love Chicago, but it was nicer than the midwest.

I heard giggling and looked over to where it was coming from. It was Rachel and Skylar. I stared in complete despair when he reached to her a red heart-shaped box and a daisy. I pulled my head away before they could find me staring. I opened the locker and found that little red cards had been stuffed into my locker that were scattered over the shelf. There were probably ten or fifteen. I ignored them for now. I stared at the locker door instead that was covered in pictures of my favorite bands and pics of Skylar, me, and some of Rachel. I did get along with her sometimes. I really didn't understand why she was a prep. She liked the same things we liked. I think she just doesn't want to be excluded from everyone. I didn't blame her.

I picked up one of the hearts in curiosity and opened it. It said: "I have loved and admired you from afar. You'll never guess who I am... :) xoxo Your Secret Admirer" That one was incredibly sweet. I smiled and stuffed it in my bag. I was even more curious as to what the others said, so I shoved them all into my bag and closed the locker. Skylar just finished kissing Rachel when his eyes wondered and he saw me.

"Hey," He greeted while I walked by.

I looked at them and gave a fake smile. As soon as they couldn't see my face I snarled.

The whole day was not even worth thinking about. Class was the usual, teachers were being teachers, dickheads were being dickheads, and Skylar didn't talk to me again or look at me. For some reason we had lunch at the end of the day and since he was spending the day with Rachel I never saw him at our table. I groaned and went to the restroom. I wasn't hungry, so I sat in one of the stalls staring at the wall while I listened to music from my iPod. I kept the door locked and thanked God this stall was clean.

After constantly reading over the names, trash talk, and rumors on the wall I just, out of nowhere, started to cry. I didn't really know why I did but... oh... I am such a liar. I knew clearly why. Skylar. That simple. Two years of being around him, giving small hints of my feelings, and the constant teasing did nothing. Two years of wanting to touch him and kiss him the way she did had finally drove me insane. All I ever wanted was to be with him, but I knew with perfect brunette cheerleading Rachel that wouldn't happen.

Finally the last bell rang and I raced out of the school running down the street. I just wanted to go home. My make up was ruined, my ego damaged, and the solitary pieces of my heart were breaking into more pieces while some faded. When I reached my house I just slammed the door shut behind me and hurried to my room still crying. I changed into my pjs and hid under the covers of my bed. Why have I been having such outbursts lately? I kept sobbing like a little five year old under my covers and I just couldn't stop. I heard a knock at my door.

"Go away, Mom," I said gasping for air.

She kept knocking anyway.

"Just give me a minute, okay Mom?" I got up and checked my face in the mirror. I wiped at the make up and swallowed the huge lump in my throat.

"What do you want?" I asked as I opened the door.

* * *

**Skylar**

"I wonder what is taking Alice so long." I mumbled, "She was supposed to meet me an hour ago. It's fuckin' five o'clock in the afternoon and I'm freezing out here," I shivered as I yelled chattering my teeth. She's probably still nervous to be around me and cancelled our plans... or worse... she is mad at me.

The kid next to me looked at me odd, "What are you looking at?" I said to him.

"A crazy person." The smart ass kid laughed and pointed at me. I hate kids sometimes. Especially spoiled ones with no manners.

"Oh, is that right?" He nodded. I grabbed him by the head and started to give him a noogie."What else am I, huh, punk?"

"Nothing," He said through the fakest whiny tone I've ever heard.

I let go of him and pushed him lightly into the big pile of snow next to us.

"Have fun in the snow." I started walking off with my mitted hands in my jacket pockets. I need to find out what is taking her so long. I heard lots of names from that kid as I kept walking. No offense to the kid, but he's a little weak for me.

Eventually I finally got to her house. I walked around to the tree. I rubbed my gloves together as I grabbed one limb with my left and another with my right. I stretched my leg over one of the limbs. I put both hands on this limb and pulled my body up. I stood up on the limb, but it was a little sleek. I slipped and landed on my nuts. I grabbed my nuts near tears. It felt like someone hit them with a sledgehammer. I haven't been over in a while... and it doesn't help it was snowing earlier. We would always sneak out and go hang out in the middle of the night. Good times.

I lifted my leg over the limb and sat for a second. I got up after the pain was less excruciating. One limb after another I finally got to her window. I knocked on it and no one answered. The window was already open. I leaned over to get my feet inside. I slipped and there was no shape in the bed, the lights were off, and it was dead quiet. The room was neat... too neat. She didn't like being so manditory with cleaning... something was wrong here. I looked down the hall and there were no lights on, no sound of footsteps, no nothing. Usually her parents were at work right about now, but their cars were still here. I walked down the hall slowly as my heart started to race. I peaked through the parents door and still saw them in bed.

"Mr. and Mrs. Coleman!" I screamed lightly. They didn't budge. I walked over to the light switch and flipped it on.

I saw blood all over there covers,"Aw, shit!" I said holding in a mouth full of vomit. I put my hand over my mouth. Where are their heads? The urge to throw up was growing. I ran out and went to the phone and called 911.

Alice... Janice was gone and her parents are dead, "Where are you, Janice?" I screamed. It echoed through the halls of the empty house.

**Alice**

I started to wake up being covered in a thick cotton quilt around my frail body. I woke up in shock when I realized I did not recognize this bed. I looked around and saw four walls covered in faded red flocked wallpaper, like we were in an old hotel from the early twenties before the Great Depression closed them up.

I quickly kicked the covers off when I saw a cockroach the size of my palm on the cover where my leg was. I jumped out of the bed and looked around shaking slightly like the last time I was in a dangerous situation. I went to the window. An immediate instinct. It was boarded up with thick wood boards. I went to the door and it opened. At least it wasn't locked. I ran into a stiff body. I looked up and saw a beautiful man with long black greasy hair with no shirt on just jeans. I screamed and backed away into the room and shut the door on his face. I pushed a nearby dresser in front of it.

How the hell did I get here? The last thing I remember was opening my bedroom door to some guy... but I didn't know who he was. I guess I was kidnapped... but why? Why me? Why was I so important?

It was quiet for a long time. I sat on the rocking chair in the corner. I studied the room carefully to find anything that may help me. I saw something that glimmered under the bed. I lied down on my belly to the dusty red carpet floor and looked under the bed. I saw a skeleton of a dead girl with a flapper dress on and jewelery all around her neck and hands. I crawled away back to the rocking chair.

"Where am I?" I screamed."Who are you? Show yourselves!" No one answered."Help! Anyone!" I screamed again as I got to my feet to the middle of the room." HELP!" I shrieked long and loud at the top of my lungs.

A hand was on my mouth, stopping the scream, and an arm was around my body."Shhhh..." A man whispered. He put his finger on his mouth as he said this. He was just as handsome as the last man, if not more. He had a flawless face with a really definite jaw line that showed off his beautiful face even more. I held my hands on his arms until he decided to let go of me. It seems like he is listening for something. His hair was short and tousled around his face. His hair was kind of like Skylars. He actually reminded me a lot of Skylar only he was a little buffer than Skylar in most places. He finally released me. He was about to disappear until I grabbed his hand. He stopped. He looked toward me with the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen in my life.

"Why did you take me from home?" I asked gently.

He didn't answer immediately. He kept looking into my eyes as I did to his blue eyes.

"I can't tell you. I am not permitted to. You'll have to wait for Joanna to tell you. She is the leader." He started to diasappear.

"Wait, what is your name?" I grabbed his shoulder.

"Eric." He disappeared into nothingness.

I stood there very confused. I must be here for a reason. Maybe I'm meant to help them. Either that or I'm meant to be their next meal. I shuddered at the thought. They must be cannibals or something.

I went to sit down the squeaking rocking chair. I sat there trying to ponder over what has happened in the past hour or so. I wake up in some insect infested crap hole with a bunch of handsome men who say that some girl name Joanna will tell me what is happening. I hope she does because I'm kind of pissed right now. It would really suck and be funny if I was on one of those reality TV shows I hated. It sure would be ironic

I started thinking of Skylar. I just remembered I was going to meet him at twelve. I started feeling around my shorts. I felt my phone in the back pocket. I pulled it and started dialing, but before I could press the dial button someone puched me in the face. The phone fell in front of me as I fell to the ground. I tried to reach for it, but someone's heel of a boot crushed the screen. My chin was laying against the carpet as I stared at the crushed phone feeling all hope gone.

"Oh, get up, Janice. You should know that won't help anything by calling the police." I looked up and saw a beautiful pale skinned woman with long blonde hair, a long black trench coat with tight black skinny jeans, and black leather gloves.

"How do you know who I am?" I asked slurring the words a bit because of my possibly broken jaw.

"Don't you remember your dear sister Joanna?" She bent down in front of my face, so I wouldn't have to look up.

I groaned lightly as I touched my cheek.

"Don't worry that will heal in a few minutes."

"How is this possible? You can't be my sister and there is no way my broken jaw will be fixed in mere minutes. Neither one is possible."

"Isn't it?" She asked."You think you're human, don't you? Oh my God! I can't believe you Janice. You were human at least until your seventeenth birthday last year in Decamber. Let me guess you think that your name is Janice Coleman, too? You're wrong. Your real name is Katherine Octavia Sinclair."

"You're lying. You have to be." I said with little hope. That name did sound strangely familiar.

"I'm not." She pulled something out of her pocket."This is a picture of us a day before we became vampires" She handed me the picture. There were two sisters standing next to their parents smiling and happy."We were changed over a hundred and fifty years ago. During the victorian times. I was twenty-one and you were seventeen. We were traveling to a secret place where we hid our mother and father's anniversary present the night before. As soon as we got the present and was on our way back we were attacked and nearly drained of blood by two newborn vampires. Their creator gave us his blood and kept us alive. Well, close to alive. We still have a heartbeat, but we are technically dead. Our temperature is around the average 80.6 which means we should be dead. After only a few days of being with our creator he abandoned us to go fight in a past war. I took care of you the best I could, but one day you lost it. We were in Russia at the time. You slaughtered hundreds of people when you lost control. You used this sword." She walked to the dresser in front of the still blocked door and opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a sheath with a black handled sword inside. She pulled it out slowly,"This sword is tainted with their blood. When you finally became normal again you remembered all the horrible things you did. You cried every night after this. You were depressed all the time. You have no idea how hard that was to watch. And one night you didn't wake up. I found a note next to you. It said that you were going to put yourself into a coma as long as you could until you could forget what you did." A blood red tear slid slowly down her cheek. She wiped it away. This seemed like it was true. I started to see some images of what she has told me,"The next morning I woke up early and you were gone. I looked everywhere for you. I asked everyone in the village. No one knew what happened."

I interrupted her."Vampires can't come out in sunlight, can they?"

She laughed showing no fangs like I pictured, just ultra white teeth."Dear sister, don't tell me you believe those myths we started ourselves. Well, not us, but in general. Vampires."

I was about to say something smart, but I knew better. I held my hand to my jaw and realized it was no longer broken. She didn't notice apparently because she continued after handing the sheath to me with the sword in it.

"You like it? You made it yourself. Your own design. Great craftsmanship if I say so myself. You were quite the blacksmith," I smiled for a breif moment."Well, at least I haven't lost the ability to make you smile." She smiled herself. I pulled the sword out and admired the perfect lining. I slid my finger along the edge. It has dulled since the last time I used it.

"Is this really true? Am I really a," I paused for a moment,"vampire?"

"Yeah, but it didn't kick in because...well, how do I explain it? We vampires have a stage where we become human every twenty years or so. When we become human again we age back to two or three years earlier. It's a weird thing that has happened to me many times. It lasts until we are back to the age we were changed. Then we stay that age until twenty or thirty years has passed."

"That sounds fucking retarded." I said with a staright face.

"I know, but that's how it is. Now for the rules."

"There are rules?" I questioned.

"Yes. Number one: You can't reveal to humans we exist. Number two: Don't feed on humans in public. If you do, do not kill them. Number three: Do not get into trouble with the law. You do and you'll be screwed because you'll end up starving yourself in the jail cell. Number four: Most important. Do NOT kill other vampires unless you are in a civil war or if they have broken one of the many rules. Which is what we are in now. There are many other rules, but I don't have the time to tell you all of them," I listened carefully and had a million question flowing through my brain.

"We're in a war? With who?" I said in a low voice I wasn't sure she could hear. This could help me figure out my dreams and what they mean.

"With a horrible creature. Similar to us. They drink blood and they were once are allies. They are said to be kin to our ancestors. Vampire ancestors anyway. They are called,"

"Joanna!" A man's voice screamed interrupted her next words. He burst into the door."They are here!" It was the man with the long black greasy hair.

"Where?" She asked with urgency.

"In the lobby. They used one of our fellow brothers to be transported here. They killed him shortly after they arrived. They are here for her." He nodded to me." They know about her. Nathaniel and his men are holding them off. We have to hurry. Is she ready?"

"I think so. Come Katherine. We must fight." She reached her hand out and I grabbed it quickly running with them. We were in the lobby downstairs in seconds. There were creatures everywhere. They looked like dinosaurs almost, only much more dangerous and smaller. They were almost human-like except the large claws on their feet and hands and they were very misshapen. They were mostly skeleton. They were covered in a hard stone-like skin to protect them. It looked strong. The man that I assumed was Nathaniel was holding a sword much larger than any man could surely handle, yet he carried it with ease using a single hand killing one by one. Every time before he would swipe at one of those things he would cut his hand on the sword to cover it in with blood. After one swipe of the bloody sword they would crumble into pieces.

Two were starting toward me. I pulled out the sword and began to remember images of myself fighting these things. I slowly slid the sword across my hand feeling anther person take control of me and let the blood fall slowly down the silver sword. I looked up with confidence at them getting closer. I didn't know I could have such confidence in what I was doing. I ran past them slicing the sword across both of their heads with a simple flick of my wrist. I ran to Nathaniel after the things fell and turned to dust. Nathaniel had one that was going for his back while he was dealing with two others in front of him. I hurried to his back and cut his clawed hand from reaching his back. I stood behind him.

"Thanks," Nathaniel said straining against the claws he held away with the sword.

"Didn't think you'd be saved by a girl, did you?" I yelled as I fought back the monster.

"Definitely not." He said before he jumped into the air and landed on the monsters' heads. He slid the sword one last time against his hand. Some blood dripped onto their heads and they screamed with pain. He put them out of their misery.

I wasn't paying attention and one of the monsters knocked me against the lobby desk. I hit my head fairly hard on the concrete top of the desk and the glass around the small frame of the counter top window. I blacked out for a short moment but opened my eyes and didn't feel the sword in my hand. I searched everywhere around me and couldn't see it. I saw it a few feet away. I tried to crawl toward it, but there was a glass shard in my leg. I gasped when I touched it. It was in deep. I tried to drag myself over. The monster was heading my way. My eyes were wide as I dragged myself harder against the carpet. I wouldn't make it in time. I kept going anyway. I screamed as the pain worsened at the forced dragging my leg was withstanding.

I stopped and closed my eyes as it held his claws up ready to cut me into pieces. A second or two passed and I was not dead. I opened my eyes and saw Eric, Nathaniel, and Joanna in front of me. They had just destroyed the last one. I breathed heavily as they all put their equally dangerous swords back into their sheathes. They turned back to me and my eyes were wide.

"I need some answers." I said in an even voice through gritted teeth.

"I'm ready to give them." Joanna said simply walking forward. Eric grabbed my sword and handed it to me as Joanna pulled the glass out of my leg roughly.

"Ow!" I groaned.

"You have to get used to the pain. You'll go through a lot in your life. You already know what pain is, remember." She held my once scarred arm.

"I know." I pulled away my arm. She wrapped my leg in bandages and Nathaniel went back to talk with his troops. I looked around at all the damage we caused and the many vampires around. There must have been over fifty vampires with him. All of these vampires are trying to protect me. But why?

When I really looked around I noticed the bodies of dead vampires. There weren't many, but still death was near me as always. Why does death always have to find me? Why must everyone around me be sentenced to death?