Velvet Stars.

He smiled again lightly and dropped his hand.
“We need to speak. About the rules here and then you can pass it onto your other vampire friend. Pearls leader will tell her hers because the rules vary on who you are.” his grin was cocky.
“Let me just get some food. I'm much to busy to go out tonight.” he took my hand and lead me to the kitchen where he took a handful of bags then pulled me out the room and up the stairs to his floor.
“You said people very rarely go in your room.” he held the bags in his mouth whilst he pulled a lock from his pocket and clicked the door open. Taking the bags in his hand he smiled the same mysterious cocky smile.
“They don't. You just seem worth it.” oh god this was so wrong. I had only said goodbye to my true love yesterday and now I was falling for Dorian. The door opened to a huge room.
It was based around the colours red and midnight blue. It had a huge king side bed in the middle with silk red covers and a dark blue throw folded at the ends. There was a dark, polished desk and an old type writer. Amazing art and china hung on the walls and there were two sofas opposite each other.
There was an old fashioned TV and radio and I huge rug.
And right on top of the double bed was another vampire with red hair, matching lipstick dressed in frilly black under wear and stockings. The fury exploded inside me.
“Oh I get it,” I hissed as the girl jumped up in astonishment at the sight of me.
“You think I'm falling for you so you wanted to break it early on that your with some ones else. Well get this Dorian,” I slammed him on the wall, “I never fell for you and never will.”
“No, you don't under stand Ivory. I have no idea how she got in!” I sneered.
“I understand perfectly.” the girl was now slipping into a red silk gown and walking towards with a sexy smile on her face.
“That's right, Dorian mine. Don't even try it. Oh and Dorian, its easy to get in when you can control weak witches to open it for you. ” I admit Dorian face was consort with rage and bewilderment, as if he honestly didn't know why she was there. But vampires can be very good actors at times, so I just ran down the stairs in dismay.
Back down stairs where Hazel sat smugly watching Indigo complain to his mates how she'd cheated in the fight by taking over his mind, something older vampires can do. I sat down next to her.
“How old are you?” she looked at me arrogantly. “seventeen”
“No seriously.” she shrugged.
“Two hundred years or something, jeez, do you thick I actually take count?” I snarled at her.
“Whatever. Don't have to be so bloody rude.” she raised her eyebrows.
“I'm one of the most powerful vampires here. I can be as rude as I like.” I leaned forward to her, still angry about the thing that I had just happened with Dorian and his toy.
“I bet if I were in a fight with you, I'd win,”
“You wanna bet?” she stood up and slammed her fist into her other hand, I noticed her chin and her tongue were pierced.
“No, she doesn't,” Enchantra hissed and stepped in front of me.
“Maybe I do.” I snapped. She spun to stare up at me.
“Maybe you should do as your told.” she grabbed my arm and wheeled me away to glare at me.
“Are you crazy? Its your first night here. You can't start fights. Especially not with Hazel.” I raised my eyebrows.
“What's so great about Hazel?”
“The most popular in each in each group are normally the oldest and most powerful. Hazel and Indigo are the popular vampires. Diamond and Poison are the most popular in the Witches, in the Werewolves its Cody and Evie and in the ghosts it's Mist and Space.” I snorted.
“So?”
“Emma? Get a grip of yourself. Stay yourself!” I sighed and knew she was right. It was just I didn't have to be normal here. Everyone was losing their humanity here.
“I'm just acting how you act all the time.”
“Yeah I know but that's because I've always been like it from the day I killed my family. But your a nice person Emma. Keep it that way.”
“Look my thoughts are crowded at the moment. Give me a chance to arrange everything” she considered then nodded.
“Okay, fine.” I looked behind me and saw Cody and that lot were downstairs now gossiping so I went to sit with them.
“Oh hey Ivory.” Brier looked up and smiled. Theo and Lisa were arguing again but it was obvious they were best friends. Althaia was eyeing them with a sullen face. I wanted to ask how she turned into a ghost but she didn't seem in the mood.
“So your in our little gang!” Cody grinned lighting a cigarette. Brier punched him on the arm.
“This isn't a gang Cody. This is a group of friends.”
“What ever baby.”
“I'm not your baby.” she grinned and he waggled his eye brows. I looked away.
“How old are you guys?” I asked them all.
“Theo and Lisa are fourteen, Althaia is fifteen , I'm sixteen and Cody's seventeen. Or that's the age we look in anyway.” I nodded thoughtfully at Briar with her thick, white blond hair and smoky black eyes.
Dorian arrived downstairs searching the room franticly. I turned my back to him and smiled at Theo and Lisa.
“Any more luck on that crystal ball.” they stopped arguing and Theo's face lit up.
“Yeah, I got Lisa's thought right.”
“You mean you guessed right.” he frowned and they launched into another argument.
I rolled my eyes as Cody leaned forward. “So, how did you change?” its shocked me a little so I leaned back and crossed my arms over my chest.
“You tell me first.” he sighed.
“My big brother turned into one and I got him to bite me.” I frowned.
“You chose to be a werewolf?” he nodded his head.
“I thought it would be totally awesome.”
“You thought,” his face puckered.
“No one told me about the pain.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Mate, if I hadn't changed I would of never met my baby.” Brier's jaw hardened.
“I am not your baby.” she said through gritted teeth.
“What ever you say baby.” she laughed and squeezed his arm.
“My turn! Our house was right next to a forest in the country side. One day I was in the forest on a full moon, and werewolves can't control themselves on a full moon, they kill any threat to them. When I saw it coming I picked up a branch and as it came running towards me chucked it like a sphere. It nearly killed me, but a howl from its fellow member of a pack distracted it and it went charging away leaving me for dead. But I turned into what I am now and went back to my family who took me here. I have no idea how they knew about it.” she shrugged.
“So now you.”
“I was trying, well I did, kill a type two who turned me into type three.”
“Type what what what what?”
“You honestly don't know?” Brier looked at me puzzled.
“Isn't that two different type of werewolves, two different types of vampires and so on,”
I nodded.
“Well I haven't herd of it.” Lisa and Theo chorused.
“Yeah anyway. It bit me just before I killed it and I changed. The organisation I was working for sent me here and in a couple of weeks times I'm going back to work daily.”
“Where is it located?”
“Near London.”
“That's miles from here!”
“Yeah but it will take me about half and hour to run there.” The all looked admiring and I wondered why the hell.
I sighed and shook my head. “Enchantra's got the grim past out of us three.”
“what happened?” Cody asked and Brier slapped him lightly.
“Don't be nosy Cody.”
“Your right. Sorry baby.” I saw pain flash through her eyes.
“I'm not your bloody baby.”
“What ever you say baby.” she lay her head on his shoulder, exasperated.
“Are there any adults in this place?”
“Yeah, there's a couple of people in early twenties.”
“No as in adults adults who run the place.” they shook there heads.
“The leaders run the place. And who needs adults when some of us are getting on for a couple of hundred of years.” I saw her point and smiled.
“So no adults.”
“Well we have some adults working in the back ground, you know. Getting the food and so on. The government provide money for us.”
“The government know about us?”
“They were the ones to decide to keep us locked away and kept secret. The deal was, they give us some where to go then we don't expose ourselves. We don't need wars starting.”
“That makes sense.” they shrugged. Dorian came toward our group and gave us his cocky smile as if what had happened this morning hadn't happened.
“Theo, Lisa, Ivory, Althaia, Cody – Brier,” he flashed her a respective smile, “how are we.”
“What do you want Dorian?” Lisa snapped. He smirked and played with a cigar between his fingers.
“Oh Lisa. Will you please keep your oh so green wig on? I do like to be reminded how much every one loves me.”
“No one loves you, you creep.” Cody snapped back and I was surprised that Dorian was keeping the cool.
“What if some of us don't want to be loved because we're not desperate?”
“He's not desperate because he's got me.” Brier hissed back.
“Oh yes, I forgot his baby. Not desperate at all.” They both stood up at the same time and he smirked.
“Now Ivory. I really do need to speak with you.”
“Can't you tell Enchantra instead?”
“Already have.” he said simply. I rolled my eyes.
“Then what's the problem with her telling me?” he dug his hands in his pockets and grinned.
“I think she's rather busy.” I looked over at Enchantra who was sitting with Indigo, Raven no where to be seen, who was showing obvious interest in her.
“You told him speak to her didn't you?” I hissed. “do you have any idea how bad her past has been without people fake flirting with her? You... you,” I rose my hand to slap him but he caught my wrist and put on a pretence innocent look.
“Honestly Ivory, I have no I idea what your on about. But trust me, I can do a lot worst things than that to Enchantra . So you will come with me and cut to the chase.” there was something charming in his voice. Something sweet and sour.
“Fine. Fine.” I repeated the same words I had used with Jimmy after I was defeated to do work I didn't want to. As I had been defeated now. He put his arm round the bottom of my back and hoisted me up stairs.
“You sure your room's slut free?” I hissed before he opened the door swiftly and pushed me in.
“Apart from you Ivory.” I cringed and he sat down on one of the sofa's, his eyes gleaming ruby red.
“And did Enchantra come to your place of living?”
“I told you. Very few people come in here. Well, very few people come in here then come out alive I should say.”
“So I presume that red haired girl cam out alive?” his face hardened.
“I wouldn't count on it.” a jolt made my body shudder. What had he done to her? Then he looked up at me and smiled.
“Sit.” I found myself, to his satisfaction, doing as he said.
“Welcome to the Velvet Stars.” I rolled my eyes.
“Get on with Dorian.” I saw his lips thin but his face kept the same composer.
“Very well my lady,”
“I am not your lady.” I snapped, sounding much like Brier.
“Figure of speech if you will Ivory. Now the rules are: No killing any one in the Velvet Stars. Take fights outside. Dispose of all bodies, I suggest burning in the forest. Don't go out with a werewolf on a full moon. Don't get pissed with the drinks. Don't smoke too much, it sets a bad reputation, and lastly you must spend most of your time in here, not in the outside world.”
“What if I have a job?” he laughed coldly.
“Having a human for a boss is sick.” I hastened to remind him he was once human.
“He's a werewolf.” he looked a little shocked.
“Then I can negotiate.” I sighed and leant back.
“Why does every one hate you?”
“The vampires respect me.”
“Yes, but only 20% of us are vampires. So why,”
“I hope you won't share their views. But you probably will, so your soon find out.” there was something about Dorian. As if he didn't know what love was and as if there was something soft under his hard shell.
He smiled slowly.
“I wouldn't count on it.” I can't wait till I read minds. But it sounded like he didn't want to admit it to his self. He stood up suddenly.
“I know who I am, I am Dorian leader of Vampires. People respect me. I have a strong personality. Don't go making up stories. If you don't like what you see, don't look. You should go.”
“You've only just worked that out.” I cracked before running out and slamming the door behind me. Arrogant, stubborn, ass hole.
“I herd that!” he yelled as I ran down the stairs.
“Good!” I yelled back. You should stay out my head then. I added. Back down stairs I looked on each floor for the red haired girl I had seen on his bed earlier. Back down stairs I still couldn't see her so I walked over to Cody who had some beer in one hand and Brier in the other and was throwing her some jokes so bad they made her groan.
“You guys seen a girl with red hair and red lips?” Brier looked up and smirked.
“You mean Estelle? I saw her this morning but haven't seen her since. Why?” I sat down looking terrified. Concern crossed her face and she pushed Cody off.
“Hey, what's up?” I shuddered and looked up at her.
“Nothing. I'm stressed at the moment. My minds making up things.” She glanced at Cody anxiously.
“Yeah well, made up or not, if its about Dorian you can tell us.”
“Our lips are tightly sealed.” Cody added mimicking a pantomime zip and throwing away the key.
I told them about Dorian taking me to his room and she had been on the bed. The fury that crossed his face and how I hadn't seen her since.” Cody leaned back and shrugged.
“He's done the usual. If some one makes him angry or upset him... they disappear. Estelle constantly annoyed him and he obviously didn't want her sneaking into his living area, especially when you were there.”
“What happened to her?” I asked trembling. Brier laughed.
“Don't get panicked. We're used to him killing.” I raised my eyebrows.
“What.” she nodded amused.
“I'm glad it was Estelle. I honestly hate her.” I lent back onto the sofa as Lisa and Theo joined us. Echo followed them closely.
“Will you piss off Echo!” Lisa snapped to her. She threw her a sullen glance and went off to presumably cry in some random corner.
“So Dorian's a murder?” they raised there eyebrows all together.
“Just like everyone else here then.”
“Yes but this I different!” Briar stood up hastily and looked down on me with troublesome eyes.
“How?”
“Vampires and werewolves kill for food. Witches use humans to experiment and practise on. They don't mean to kill them, some times they don't. And ghosts scare people to death because its the only way they can live by taking the life out of some one else! He, on the other hand, does it because he wants to. Not because he needs to.”
“If its a were wolf or witch he can drink them.” I ran my hand threw my hair and searched the dark smoky room for him.
“It's still not right.” Althaia, with her long electric blue hair and light blue skin, in her white Greek dress, came and sat on the stool next to the sofa. Soon followed by Mist who had the same blue tinged skin but her hair was a glittering silver and held up in a messy bun on the top of her head. She had let the hair near the front fall down in wispy strands so it framed her face. She wore a silver tank top and a pare of bleach wash jeans.
“Hey Mist, hey Althaia.” they both managed a sulky smile.
“Me and Misssst just fed.” Althaia trilled. “Dorian kill today and it'ssss ssssuch a sssssshame to put life to waissst.” her hair was so long she had to tuck it under her bum when she sat down. She braided a front bit looking smug.
“Dorian is sssso very useful.” I shivered again and both there beautiful faces flicked to me, faces painted in aquiaring looks. Okay well maybe Mist was the only beautiful one. Althaia was a little dull looking, but still pretty. Mist had sparkling mist erupting from the corner of each eyes, tattooed onto her face. If you looked closer into the marble of greys and silver mist there were small diamond like stars that bought out her silver eyes. It was truly beautiful.
“Where's you get that from?” I asked quickly, trying to change the subject. She ran her hands lightly over her cheek and smiled gently.
“Cody of course.” I looked over at Cody who grinned wildly.
“Oh he's good.” Brier said sarcastically. “I ask for a heart on my left bum cheek and he did a heart with our names threw it. All I wanted was a simple little heart.”
“It was one of my specials. Just for you baby.” she slapped him.
“I am not your baby.” she mouthed his next words as he said them.
“What ever you say baby.” I laughed as he wrapped his arms round her. She gave in and relaxed with a sigh.
“Do you have tattoos Cody?” he grinned wolfishly again, sipping at his beer.
“You wanna see them?”
“Errr, only if there in okay places.” he laughed,
“you sure about that?” Brier elbowed him in the ribs. He pulled up the side of his t-shirt. On his arm he had full moon shining over a lake. Then he lifted his t-shirt up at the back. There was a huge stunning wolf howling up at the star glimmering sky. It was a sunny yellow, like his hair.
“That's me when I'm changed.” he grinned.
“I have way more where you can't see, but I wont show you that.”
“Dang right you won't!” Brier snapped making me laugh.
“How old are you?” I asked Mist who sneered a little.
“I appear at eighteen, if that's what you mean.”
“So do I you have to be of age to get a tattoo?” he laughed and shook his head unbelievably.
“No mate. You don't at all in my books. Your have to cough up a bit of money though.”
“How much.”
“He shrugged. Way cheaper than if you went and got it done. About £100. just to help me cover the equipment I got.” I shrugged.
“Easy.”
“But I won't accept money that's been stolen.” I felt myself slump back a little but remembered Jimmy had handed me over a little of money to spend on myself.
“Easy.” I repeated. He clapped his hands.
“Brilliant. What do you want done?” I smiled a little.
“I want full size angel wings on my back.” he looked at me, obviously approving of my choice.
“I like it! I'll do it tomorrow. Gather the inks together and so on. What colour?”
“I was thinking black, but I think I'll stick original and have white feathers.” Rosalind came and sat next to me looking weary but her eyes were shining.
“White feathers?” she asked suspiciously sipping at a can of coke.
“Yeah, I'm going to get my back done in a beautiful tattoo.”
“Funny,” she sighed. And looked at her irritability with hard eyes.
“What's funny?” I snarled. She simply looked off into the distance.
“You know I can sense the living and the dead and the man made? Like if I close my eyes and plugged my other senses off I would be able to still know what's where?” I nodded slowly. “Well when I do this I picture things. So death is like an energy draining black hole. Living are bright green emeralds. Man made is an empty space, like a shadow. I can sense the shadow of the object. But you. Vampires are something I've never come across and I picture you as white feathers splattered in blood. Like you were innocent and the evil is starting to descend on you.” she saw my face an gasped. “Oh no I'm sorry – I didn't mean it like that! I meant it like the instinct side of it-” I waved her off feeling a little confused.
“What's that got to do with me getting wings tattooed on my back?” the blood flowed to her cheeks and she stiffened in her seat.
“I was just saying.” I smiled meekly.
“That's fine. Hey, do you know when your taking over from Dusk?” glad at the change of subject from the engaging eyes of Lisa and Theo from her explanation of the dead and alive stuff and the bored eyes of Cody, she shrugged. As if shrugging the question off she had been asking herself.
“I think she'll speak to me later. Or that's what she said.”
“Oh okay. Cool. How do you like it here?” she paused for a little intake of breath and then smiled softly.
“Everything's so youthful and magical. Its brilliant. And have you seen that Dorian? I've never seen such a cockily perfect face.” I tried to relax my muscles and glanced at Cody who finally seemed interested with the conversation, leaning in a little.
“What?” she said to his change of attitude as she finished the last drops of her coke. Sighing she put it on the table in front of her and waved her hand over the top. It was soon filled with more coke.
“As long as there's and existing drop there I can times it by how ever much I want to create more.” she explained to the wide eyes of Lisa and Theo.
“We're not all that good at magic.” Lisa admitted pointing to her hair.
“Nope. You could say that.” Theo laughed.
“Have you guys turned sixteen yet?” she asked and the looked at each other and shook their heads.
“Nope.”
“Then be patient. Now excuse me.” with that she got up and blew me a kiss before disappearing round a gang of werewolves.