• Chapter 1: Prologue: Alice
    “Reggie!” I shouted and waved to my best friend across the grassy yard on our school campus. Reggie turned around, and again I felt that ping of jealousy to her beauty. She had long, wavy brunette hair and light pale blue eyes. Her cheeks were rosy and she looked good in anything she wore; she could have been a supermodel. As opposed to me, with my porcelain white skin, brown eyes, glasses (Which weren’t that big of a deal, I will admit they flattered me pretty well), too skinny legs, and no hips at all.
    “Hey, Alice!” Reggie greeted me with a large smile and a hug. “How was Colorado?”
    “Cold, ice cold,” I answered her question referring to my trip to Colorado for the past week. “California is my passion.”
    “Very nice. Well . . . welcome back. You are so lucky you weren’t here this past week, the finals were torture,” She groaned, but then smiled. “But today is a free day since it’s Friday, you don’t have to do your finals until next week.”
    “Really? God, that sucks, I’m so sorry. Well, as a celebration to my return to sunny San Diego, how about you come over this weekend, we rent a weeks paycheck worth of movies, stay up all night pigging out on brownies, and crying our hearts out when somebody dies?”
    “Sounds good,” Reggie laughed as the bell rang and we walked towards our first class, catching up on everything that happened. When she told me that she had fallen asleep during finals, sure, I laughed because that would suck, but when I told her I ran into a tree while snow boarding, she literally had to sit down to stop herself from falling down from laughter. “That is too funny!” She gasped, wiping away the tears that started in her eyes.
    “Yeah, I laughed at it when it happened, and some guy caught it on tape when he was recording his son skiing down the hill. And he wouldn’t even give me a copy! I mean, I know it had his son in it and all, but jeebus.” I answered, patting Reggie’s back so she would calm down. “Come on, we’re going to be late for class.”
    •
    “Mom, is it okay if Reggie comes home with us? We already called Mrs. McAfee, she said it was fine.” I asked, leaning into my mother’s window with a smile. My mom looked from me to Reggie, and shrugged.
    “If her mom is alright with it, I’m alright with it,” she said, and unlocked the doors. Reggie and I high-fived each other and climbed into the car while music blared in the speakers and started talking about which movies we should rent.
    “I heard Pan’s Labyrinth was good,” I recommended and Reggie thought.
    “I don’t know, I also want to see that movie Wanted, you know, with Angelina Jolie?”
    “Who cares, we can rent as many as we want, I’ve saved up enough money.” I smiled, clapping my hands together happily, as if I had been a five year old who was just given a lollipop. I saw my mom eye me through the mirror, but then looked away. I knew she wouldn’t care as long as it wasn’t her money.
    We pulled into my driveway, my mom humming to the song that had just been on the radio, “Fruit Machine” by a band named “The Ting Tings”. It was a really, really good song, to be honest.
    “Mom, do you mind if we walk to Blockbuster? It’s just around the block,” I cooed, and my mom stared at me for a while, blinking a few times.
    “Call me if anything happens. You have my number and if it takes too long, you can just call 911, got it?” She wanred and I nodded.
    “Yup, yup, got it.” I smiled, and Reggie started walking along with me to the end of the block. We just talked some more, like we always do. There wasn’t one moment you would find us not talking, it’s pretty funny because we talk so fast. We would always joke around together after one of us said something really fast and say, ‘Do you smell rubber burning?’ It’s probably a good thing we’re so easily amused.
    When we finally got to Blockbuster, we ran inside, raiding the shelves of movies. In the end, we had twelve movies we would have to watch tonight. We got Pan’s Labyrinth, Wanted, Beowulf, The House Bunny, The Dark Knight, Untraceable, Donnie Brasco, Phantom of the Opera, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, The Bucket List, The Secret Window, and Sweeney Todd. We had quite a night ahead of us.
    “Which are we watching first?” Reggie asked, as we turned the corner to get back to the house. But before I could answer her, we stopped in our tracks. At the top of the hill, where my house was, there was a shadowy figure there, with a hood up and dressed in all black. From what where we were standing, it just looked like he was holding a cane, but it was too small, and it caught a glint in the light. I figured Reggie thought it was a knife like I did when she started to run backwards. I joined in, scared out of my skull.
    “Alice,” Reggie panted as we ran, and I just realized that tears were staining her pink cheeks. “Did you know that guy? Are we running for a reason?”
    “No, I didn’t know him, I’ve never seen him before in my life, we have every reason to be running and scared right now,” I answered, realizing this time that I was crying too. “There’s a gate to the backyard, follow me,” I said, suddenly hearing a third pair of footsteps behind us. “Hurry!” I turned a sharp corner, and jumped behind a large shrub, and Reggie followed. We were able to conceal ourselves and stop our hysterics as we heard the pair of footsteps continue running down the road. We waited for them to grow fainter and disappear before standing again.
    “Wh-wh-” Reggie started before just shaking her head in disbelief. I shushed her, in case the man wasn’t too far away.
    “Come on, and be sure to whisper. Don’t make any loud noises, got it?” Reggie nodded. “Good, now follow me,” I added, trying to stay calm myself. I led her halfway up the next block, up a medium sized hill, green with lush, and there was the gate I remembered finding one day. That’s strange . . . it’s . . . white? I always thought it was brown with rotting wood, and now it was white and in perfect condition? Maybe somebody just fixed it, who knew. Who cared.
    I opened the door, but it wasn’t the same. This was weird. The inside was such a lush green, so much more lush then where I lived, or what my backyard looked like. And my house was nowhere in sight. But my eyes didn’t move from the scene, and it seemed neither did Reggie’s. In the back of my mind, I was telling myself that I shouldn’t go in, but it was like something was pulling me, like an invisible force. No words could describe what I felt. I took a step forward. Then another. And another. Finally, I was fully into the odd area, Reggie still by my side.
    “Is this your backyard Alice?” She asked, though I knew she knew the answer was no. I shook my head, spellbound by the beauty.
    “No . . . But I wish it were. We should probably get home though before mom has a heart attack,” I replied, finally moving my eyes go Reggie’s face. She looked just as entranced, but she tore her eyes away and nodded.
    “Do you think that guy will be there?” She asked warily and I shrugged. I actually didn’t think anything could happen in this place, but there are always those moments where you stand corrected I guess.
    “I don’t know, but maybe if we run. How does that sound?” I asked, grimacing. More running from a man who apparently wanted to kill us.
    “Sounds good to me,” Reggie nodded, still dazed. We turned around to start walking out to go home, but the gate was not there. Or to our right. Or to our left. It was just gone . . . How strange. Did we walk and not know it? What was going on here?
    “Alice, what’s going on?” Reggie cried, and I grasped her shoulder.
    “Don’t worry Reggie, we’ll get out of here, I promise,” I comforted her when a little voice began to talk.
    “Hello? Hello? HELLO?!” I turned around in a circle two times trying to see what it was, and Reggie was just looking around as if she were crazy. “I’m right here! Gosh, you humans give us no credit. I’m not that small, jeebus!”
    That’s when I saw what was talking to me. It looked like a miniature woman with wings. Yeah, wings. I. Have. Gone. Insane.
    “Oh, so since your seeing faeries, you think you’ve gone insane? You know, I don’t think I’m going to help you anymore.”
    “Wait, I’m sorry! And I didn’t say that out loud, did I?” I asked. If a faerie was going to help us, so be it. I glanced at Reggie, who was just staring, her jaw unhitched and halfway to the floor.
    “Did . . . You just say ‘faerie’?” She gaped, eyes widening. The little blonde fairy rolled her eyes.
    “Yes, I am a faerie! Now let it go!” The little creature snapped, and I figured that I was in a dream, so just played along, though wouldn’t it be awesome if this were real? Too bad I fell asleep on the plane; that explains why I’m talking to a faerie.
    “You did not fall asleep on the plane, you num nut! You were chased by somebody here, and now your stuck, so you best listen up.” Wow, she was sassy. But I believed her. Apparently I was awake.
    “Good, you both believe me now.” I saw Reggie blush from the corner of my eye. “Now listen up. You are both some of the only humans here, sure, there are a few others, but not many. And the ones that are here are not very nice, and would kill you if they found out you were here.” Huzzah. “So I’m going to lead you around safely here and-” I cut her off.
    “Two things, where is ‘here’ and if there are other bad creatures why should we trust you?”
    “Um . . . To be totally honest, this place doesn’t have a name. And you should trust me because look around you: Is there anybody else you can ask for help? No, I didn’t think so. --” The faerie stopped mid sentence, and looked over her shoulder. She put her index finger up to her lips, indicating that we had to be silent. Okay, seriously, what the hell was going on here? “Follow me, and be quiet.” She ordered, and – I know it probably shouldn’t have been – to my surprise she began to fly southward. I shook my head, as did Reggie
    “This is ridiculous. I’m not going to follow a faerie!” She called after the little creature, and when she turned around, she looked furious. She darted towards Reggie, and – I mean this literally when I say it – held her lips together.
    “You idiot! You attracted Cal!” She shouted, and at that moment, I knew it would be another life or death race. We started to run as fast as we could, and yes, even Reggie came along, the faerie seemed to have scared her, until she stopped flying

    I actually didn’t think anything could happen in this place, but there are always those moments where you stand corrected I guess.
    “I don’t know, but maybe if we run. How does that sound?” I asked, grimacing. More running from a man who apparently wanted to kill us.
    “Sounds good to me,” Reggie nodded, still dazed. We turned around to start walking out to go home, but the gate was not there. Or to our right. Or to our left. It was just gone . . . How strange. Did we walk and not know it? What was going on here?
    “Alice, what’s going on?” Reggie cried, and I grasped her shoulder.
    “Don’t worry Reggie, we’ll get out of here, I promise,” I comforted her when a little voice began to talk.
    “Hello? Hello? HELLO?!” I turned around in a circle two times trying to see what it was, and Reggie was just looking around as if she were crazy.. “I’m right here! Gosh, you humans give us no credit. I’m not that small, jeebus!”
    That’s when I saw what was talking to me. It looked like a miniature woman with wings. Yeah, wings. I. Have. Gone. Insane.
    “Oh, so since your seeing faeries, you think you’ve gone insane? You know, I don’t think I’m going to help you anymore.”
    “Wait, I’m sorry! And I didn’t say that out loud, did I?” I asked. If a faerie was going to help us, so be it. I glanced at Reggie, who was just staring, her jaw unhitched and halfway to the floor.
    “Did . . . You just say ‘faerie’?” She gaped, eyes widening. The little blonde fairy rolled her eyes.
    “Yes, I am a faerie! Now let it go!” The little creature snapped, and I figured that I was in a dream, so just played along, though wouldn’t it be awesome if this were real? Too bad I fell asleep on the plane; that explains why I’m talking to a faerie.
    “You did not fall asleep on the plane, you num nut! You were chased by somebody here, and now you’re stuck, so you best listen up.” Wow, she was sassy. But I believed her. Apparently I was awake.
    “Good, you both believe me now.” I saw Reggie blush from the corner of my eye. “Now listen up. You are both some of the only humans here, sure, there are a few others, but not many. And the ones that are here are not very nice, and would kill you if they found out you were here.” Huzzah. “So I’m going to lead you around safely here and-” I cut her off.
    “Two things, where is ‘here’ and if there are other bad creatures why should we trust you?”
    “Um . . . To be totally honest, this place doesn’t have a name. And you should trust me because look around you: Is there anybody else you can ask for help? No, I didn’t think so. --” The faerie stopped mid sentence, and looked over her shoulder. She put her index finger up to her lips, indicating that we had to be silent. Okay, seriously, what the hell was going on here? “Follow me, and be quiet.” She ordered, and – I know it probably shouldn’t have been – to my surprise she began to fly southward. I shook my head, as did Reggie
    “This is ridiculous. I’m not going to follow a faerie!” She called after the little creature, and when she turned around, she looked furious.. She darted towards Reggie, and – I mean this literally when I say it – held her lips together.
    “You idiot! You attracted Cal!” She shouted, and at that moment, I knew it would be another life or death race. We started to run as fast as we could, and yes, even Reggie came along, the faerie seemed to have scared her, until she stopped flying and turned around, attempting to fly back, and then stopped again. “No! This is your fault!” She shrieked, pointing a scrawny finger to Reggie’s direction, and I shook my head. This was bad.
    “Okay, who the heck is Cal, and why are we in trouble here?” I asked, not really having a clue on where I was or what was going on. Apparently, we were in big trouble.















    Chapter 1: Open Minded

    Chase laughed as another human cowered to the brick wall. That’s how it always was: It never changed. They were always running; nobody ever got creative. “Would you like a head start?” He cooed, and his partner, Emily, tsked.
    “Chase, you know you always give them a head start, why bother asking?” She laughed, jumping down on the other side of the human. He gasped in disbelief, wondering how she had gotten there. Before he could say anything, yet another person . . . thing appeared. This one was more beautiful than the others, perfect features, green fluorescent eyes, and long, curly red-orange hair. The human couldn’t quite put his finger on what was happening, he just somehow knew he was going to die. The the beautiful feline-like one spoke, and his thoughts came to an abrupt stop.
    “Chase, Em, didn’t anybody ever teach you not to play with your food?”




    “Alice, aren’t you going to stay in just once? Come on, you’re going to give me a heart attack if you don’t come home one day, really!” Fediliah called, and Alice rolled her eyes.
    “Not until I find Reggie,” and Cal, she added in her mind, but would never say it, let alone admit it out loud. That was humiliating, and Fediliah would have thrown her out for it. She continued getting ready, and pulled her long brown hair into a rubber band.
    “Can’t you take a day off?” Fediliah was suddenly at Alice’s door, and she turned around with a gasp. She may be a witch (in training) but some things still caught her off guard until she mastered her skills. Fediliah was very pretty as well, like Reggie had been before she went missing. She had good cheek bones, and her skin was free of blemishes, and – as crazy as it seemed – indigo eyes framed by curly strawberry blonde hair. Why was it that Alice was always surrounded by the pretty people and she had to be so . . . not pretty?
    Wow, that was just pathetic.
    “No, Fediliah, Reggie was my best friend, and I will never let her go like that, never. She came here with me, and she’s leaving with me.”
    “Your going to leave me?” She asked, her eyes suddenly getting wide as if she were about to cry. Alice immediately repented her words.
    “That’s not what I meant. We’re not going to leave you, I just meant I have to find her no matter what. We would never leave you, you and Gardina are my best friends here, and I would never ever let you alone.” She promised, and Fediliah seemed to calm down a bit. Friends were everything to her, since she didn’t have a family.
    “Fine, but Gardina warned me to warn you that Chase, Emily, and Carlotta are on the run, so be really, really careful, okay?” Great. Chase, Emily, and Carlotta were the most dangerous vampire’s around, and the ones who nearly killed Alice before. Joy.
    “Alright, I promise I’ll be careful.” Alice assured, and slung her side sack over her shoulder. Today was the day, she just knew it. But then . . . she thought yesterday and the day before that would be the days as well, but that didn’t turn out so well, they were both bunks. But today just seemed like a good day to her, that she would get lucky and possibly find both Reggie and Cal. That would be amazing.
    Now, she couldn’t tell Fediliah that she wanted to find Cal so bad, because Fediliah hated Cal’s guts with a certain passion, but since Gardina could read minds, she knew Alice’s real thoughts, but never told. She respected privacy like that, surprisingly enough. She may not have respected personal space or somebody’s reputation, but she respected that kind of privacy.