Minutes to Midnight.

Mia's POV.

Izzy promised me nothing would happen, but I've just got a really bad feeling about this. I mean, Adrian's a vampire. Sure he has his bloodlust under control, but who said there aren't going to be other vamps there? Some that might not have it under control? Or some that just want a taste of the Bourdain bloodline?

OHMYGOD. I need to figure this out.

I watched Adrian's Mustang pull out and begin driving towards the upper east side of London. Iz was right, it was the high-up part of town.

This was my chance.

I was about to pull a Renee - sneaking into Adrian's room to get some dirt.

I peered out my bedroom to check the hall. All clear. Sasuke's door was shut with his music playing (how Izzy and him don't get along is beyond me sometimes because they have the exact same taste in music most times), and Itachi was downstairs reading his latest issue of Seventeen Magazine and Italian Vogue and probably on the phone with Deidara.

I tip-toed down the hall to Adrian's room. Dang, door's locked. Time to pull another Renee. I used my right middle finger nail because that's the longest for picking locks. Oh Izzy, how you've screwed with my innocent mind when you were such a trouble maker as Renee.

The lock clicked and I snuck myself inside, closing the door behind me.

There has to be an invite or something somewhere in here... I thought.

I began rifling through the papers on Adrian's desk before I finally found it: the party invite.

Adrian Lucifer Cromwell,

You are hearby invited to the family gala on July 16th of this year from five to twelve-thirty.

P.s. Don't even try backing out this year, we know you've got the Bourdain girl.

My jaw dropped. Damn, damn, damn, DAMMIT! This has 'vampire homicide' written all over it! Okay, not literally, but still!

I made sure everything was back in place before practically running out and locking the door again.

I ran straight to my room and called Draco.

"What?" He answered.

No time for a snappy comeback.

"IZZY'S IN TROUBLE....AGAIN!" I yelled into my iPhone4.

"Bloody hell girl, calm down! What did you say?"

"Isabelle, trouble, vampires, after midnight, it's gotta be a Bonding Ceremony!" I said as I frantically searched my closet for something fancy to wear.

"A what?"

"Bonding Ceremony. More often called a Turning Ceremony, it's where, oh I don't have time! But if shit goes down Izzy can be turned and bonded to Adrian for all of freaking eternity!"

"WHAT?!"

"YEAH!" Okay never saying that again or I'll sound like Deidara... "Just get dressed fancy like so we can get in!"

Draco hung up without another word so I was just hoping to God he was doing what I said...

Isabelle's POV.

"What'd I tell you?" Adrian whispered as we entered the foyer to the large manor.

"That it was a fancy-shmancy party and you were hinting that you didn't want to be alone through something as lame and fancy as this." I stated simply.

Adrian laughed. "Most definetly. Just watch out when you meet my parents. They're..."

Should I be polite or blunt?

"Uptight? Naggy? Superficial?" Blunt it is.

Adrian chuckled. "All of the above and then some."

Oh this should be a fun night.

Adrian and I danced for about the first hour of the 'party' before sitting down when his parents came over. Of course they came when the not even fifteen year old girl had a glass of red wine in her hand.

"Adrian, it's been a while dear." His mother said as they sat down with us.

"Same to you, mother." He sooo did not mean that.

"And who do we have here?" His mom smiled at me, which I returned. I can fake smile quite well.

"Mother, Father, this is Isabelle Bourdain." Adrian replied.

Neither looked surprised. Something was screwed up with this scene. You'd think they'd be surprised to hear the Bourdain name in use since we were pretty much wiped out during the first Wizarding War.

"Isabelle Bourdain..." Mrs. Cromwell said slowly, letting my name just roll off her tongue. Oh, fangs, yay..

As if I hadn't had enough vampiric experiences in the last few weeks, thank you very much.

I smiled and took a sip of my wine. This is the strangest tasting wine I've ever had, I thought. But of course I kept drinking it.

"So, how close would you say you two are?" Mrs. Cromwell asked.

I paused for a moment, trying not to choke on my wine.

"We're just friends, mother." Adrian replied sharply.

Mrs. Cromwell nodded, but definetly didn't believe it.

"Adrian, can I talk to you alone for a moment?" Mr. Cromwell said sternly. Adrian looked at me and I nodded. He got up and went to talk with his father.

"So, Isabelle," Mrs. Cromwell said to me, "have a boyfriend?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I've been with Draco for about five years now."

Her smile faded. "Draco...Malfoy?"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah..."

"Run, Isabelle, you must get out of there while you can!" I heard in my ear.

I whipped my head around, but no one was there...

Adrian's POV.

"Why in hell haven't you gone for her again?!" My Father scolded me.

"I don't know, maybe because she's been in a happy relationship for five, years?!" I replied just as harshly. We never got along.

"With whom?"

"Draco Malfoy, of course." I spat.

If we weren't in a public place, I'm sure my Father would have either grabbed me by my collar and yelled the shit out of me, or thrown me across the room.

"Draco, Lucius, Malfoy?!" He sneered. I nodded. "How in hell did you let that happen?!"

"You know damn well what happened! She has no reccollection of anything before Itachi Uchiha found her and turned her into an Uchiha! She just barely knows she's a Bourdain!"

"And what about Nikita? Is she still alive?"

That, I could not tell him. Because he would rat her and Isabelle out since he's a Death Eater.

"No, she's been dead for years. She killed most of her magic on saving Belle and it wore her down too much." I replied.

Father glanced to Belle, who looked distraught. Mother kept urging her to drink whatever was in that cu--oh hell no.

"You bastard." I sneered at my Father before running back to Belle. "Belle! Stop drinking that!"

Isabelle's POV.

"Belle! Stop drinking that!" Adrian called as he ran over to me.

I felt light-headed and really weird. Wine never did that to me.

"Isabelle, you must run!" The voice commanded.

"IZZY!" Mia's voice called from a distance.

I fell out of my chair and Adrian caught me before I hit the floor.

"It's the Bourdain child!" Someone in the crowd said.

"A Bourdain's blood?!" Another questioned eagerly.

"What the hell did I drink?" I asked Adrian.

"It wasn't wine, Belle. It wasn't wine..." He replied, resting my head on his lap.

"Him! The Cromwell boy! He has tasted her!" Someone else from the crowd said.

"Ah fuck..." Adrian muttered.

"What in bloody hell happened to her?!" I heard Draco yell.

"THE MALFOY BOY!" Several people said.

"You two need to get the hell out of here, now!" Adrian commanded them.

"Why?!" Draco argued.

"Because we're human and to them, we're dinner!" Mia said, a hint of fright in her tone.

"Isabelle," I heard again. "Isabelle, can you hear me?"

"M-mama?" I said.

"Yes baby girl, it's me. You must find the strength to fight off what was in that blood you drank."

I suddenly felt like puking. I just drank...an entire wine glass...full of...blood...

This summer blows.