I jumped up and down. "I'll be extra, extra good."
"Glad to hear it," she said, and took my hand in hers. "Let's get going."
We walked through the enormous castle, passing countless doors and hallways. It seemed that there were people—vampires?—everywhere.
We arrived at a huge room that appeared to be for ceremonies. The four adult vampires from my other dream were in the front. There were chairs set up in the rest of the room, most of which were occupied.
Mattie, my watcher, whispered for me to join my mother and I walked over to one of those beautiful people at the front of the room. Young Clifford was there and my mother instructed me to stand by him.
I stood by him, looked up to him and smiled as big as I could. I adored him, and in my young eyes he was perfect.
He smiled back at me and I could tell that he adored me too.
An unfamiliar adult called everyone's attention. "As you all know, today is a very special day for our kingdom. Today is the blessing ceremony that will seal the arrangement of marriage between Clifford Montgomery and Marguerite Westerfield."
I looked up at Clifford and we exchanged a mutually excited look. All was perfect and right in the world.
"Clifford and Marguerite, step forward," the man said, and we complied. "Your future marriage is about to be sealed. The entire kingdom is thrilled that you two already love each other dearly. This only goes to show how true the prophecy is. Once this blessing has been placed, only the unfortunate incidence of one of your deaths will break the blessing."
He raised his hands above his head, and then slowly moved them down to his chest and we kneeled down. He pulled a jar out of his cloak, speaking in a foreign language, and then sprinkled the contents of the jar onto our heads.
"Clifford Montgomery and Marguerite Westerfield, you are now engaged to be married once you have both completed your transformations. You will rule our great kingdom with wisdom and love. It is your gift to be able to bring peace to our kingdom after many centuries of grief."
Everyone in the room clapped and we stood up. Our parents came up to us, placing a simple crown on each of our heads.
"You two are truly blessed, and you shall be a blessing to our entire kingdom."
Clifford hugged me and then whispered in my ear, "I have a present for you. I wanted to give you something special because this is such a special day." He pulled a necklace from his shirt pocket and when I saw it, I was so surprised that I woke up.
I sat up, my heart racing. The necklace from my dream was one that I actually had in my jewelry box. I jumped out of bed and dug through it until I found the necklace that I'd always thought was costume jewelry.
I walked to my window where the sun was shining and looked at the necklace closely. Could the jewels be real? If they were from a prince in a real castle, they had to be.
I grabbed another necklace that was made of real gold and had a real sapphire in it. I compared the two necklaces and saw that the gold and the sapphire of the two necklaces were a match. Not only were the gold and sapphires real but so were the other gems.
There was a half an hour before I needed to get ready for school so I got my jewelry cleaner and cleaned up the necklace. It sparkled liked I never imagined.
I showered quickly, put on the clothes that Natalie had picked out for me to impress Cliff, and then I put on my necklace. It was a bit much for a day at school but I didn't care. It was a gift from my vampire prince fiancé.
Suddenly, I understood why looking into Cliff's eyes had felt like I was finally home. I had adored and loved him with all of my heart as a child, and we'd been blessed with an unbreakable bond.
I put on my makeup the way that Natalie had showed me. It wasn't perfect, but it still looked good. Besides, I was sure that everyone would be looking at the necklace anyway. I had no idea that it could look so good, since I'd thought that it was costume jewelry and had never cleaned it, thinking that I'd ruin it.
When I got downstairs, my parents both gave me a double take.
"You look beautiful, honey." Dad said. "Brooke must have really inspired you when she dressed you up for the prom."
"Homecoming, Dad," I said, trying not to laugh. Dads.
"I love what you've done with that old necklace," said my mom. "Is that Natalie's dress? I need to take you shopping so that you can get your own clothes."
"You want to take me shopping?"
"I'd love to," she said, "now that I know you'll appreciate nice clothes."
I sighed. "Of course."
At school, I was late to several classes because people kept stopping me to talk.
My grades were going to take a hit if I wasn't careful. I'd have to decide how much of a setback I'd allow, or if it even mattered. It wasn't like I need a Harvard degree to be a vampire princess.
I'd need to start learning a whole new set of skills and knowledge.
After school, I decided to go to my CSI club before going to meet Cliff at Brooke's house. For now, I would keep up with all of my goals: perfect GPA, CSI club, and so on. After I had more information about my future royal life I'd decide what, if anything, that I would change.
As I was leaving, Hailey appeared out of nowhere and asked me how I liked my car.
"I love my car. It's extra shiny today," I said, smiling.
She frowned. "Whatever. How's Cliff? Did he love dancing with me?"
"He's doing fabulous. We had such a great date last night too. And you know what? He didn't even mention you."
"You still better watch your back," she said. "Your car was nothing."
"I can't wait," I said.
She gave me a smug look. I watched her walk away from me down the hall. When she was about thirty feet away I ran right up to her in less than a blink of an eye.
"What?" she exclaimed in shock and horror. "How did you…?"
I grabbed her shoulders and looked her directly in the eyes. "You might want to think twice before threatening me."
Her eyes became as big as volleyballs. "I—I…uh…I…."
"Got it?" I asked.
She nodded her head.
"Okay. I'm glad that we've reached an understanding."
My heart was pounding as I walked away, I had only thought about confronting her and without warning, I'd moved about thirty feet in a split second.
What was next?
EIGHT
When I arrived at Brooke's house, I found everyone in the back yard. She had laid out a cute tablecloth and a big spread of delicious looking food. The three of them were standing near the table with their backs to me.
"This looks delicious," I said, announcing my presence.
They all turned around and before I knew it, Cliff was by my side. "You're wearing the necklace," he whispered in my ear, causing goose bumps to run down my neck.
"I remember the whole thing. The engagement blessing ceremony and you giving it to me right after."
He looked at me with a tear in his eye. "I'm so glad that you remember. It used to belong to Ida Freysdottir, the eighth Fyrsturae."
I touched the necklace. "It used to belong to one of the first vampires?" I whispered.
He nodded. "It's three thousand years old."
My heart plummeted to my stomach. "I had no idea that it was a relic," I said, holding it.
He wrapped his arms around me. "It's special, but it doesn't compare to you."
Chills ran through me. "I must've been waiting for you without knowing it," I told him.
"Did you know that the only reason our kingdom knew that you were alive was because my longing for you wouldn't diminish. Our strong connection was the only thing that gave your parents hope that you were still alive the three years that no one knew where you were."
"Where are my parents now?" I asked. "Do they want to meet me?"
"More than anything," Cliff assured me. "Like I told you yesterday, they've been on a mission to find the vampires who put out the order on your death. Now that you're beginning
to transform, they've sent me to help train you. Once you're ready for battle, I'll bring you back to the castle. That'll be the proper time for your reunion."
"If I went to the castle before it would've endangered my life?" I asked.
"Precisely," he said. "They believed it to be in your best interest to stay where you were, with the Moretti's believing you to be dead. We all desperately wanted you back, but we knew we needed to wait. There would be many years to spend with you once you're transformed and properly trained."
"What are you two talking about over there?" Brooke called to us. "Let's eat."
"Yeah, some of us are hungry," Steve said. "This food looks too good to not eat."
Cliff smiled. "Let's eat." He grabbed my hand and we walked to the table.
When we were finished eating, Brooke said, "I have a surprise for you."
"For me?" I asked. "What else could you possibly do for me?"
"I'm working on a whole new wardrobe for you," she said, smiling. "It'll be stylish but also completely unique. Nobody will have anything that you will."
"Why would you do that for me?"
"Because you're our princess, and it's an honor to use my gifts to serve you," she replied.
"Your wardrobe is a definite need." Steve said, laughing.
I laughed too. "That's true. I've always prided myself on not following the crowd. I never felt the need to impress anyone…until now." I looked at Cliff and felt myself blush.
Cliff smiled at me with a twinkle in his eyes. "I would've never guessed."
"Trust me," Brooke said. "There's a reason that I intercepted before you two met. I'm glad that Natalie has been helping too."
"Speaking of Natalie," I said. "Will I ever be able to tell my family and friends about this whole vampire thing?"
Steve laughed. "'This whole vampire thing.' That's an interesting way to put it."
"What else am I supposed to call it?" I asked, getting defensive. "It's not like I knew anything about it before. I've been kept in the dark and it's not my fault that all of this is so new and strange to me."
"Calm down," Steve said.
"Don't tell me to calm down." I glared at Steve. I could feel my temper rising quickly which was odd, because I had been unbelievably happy just moments before.
"Nobody thinks badly of you," Cliff told me, putting his hand on mine. Instantly, I felt calm again.
"I don't know why I've been getting angry so easily lately," I said. "I've always been so calm and even-tempered. Lately I've been feeling bipolar, going from one extreme emotion to another."
"It's just part of the transformation process," Cliff said. "Newly turned and transforming vampires all go through it. I was a nightmare to deal with when I went through mine. I'm glad you weren't there to see that."
"I can't imagine that," I said. "You're so calm and proper."
"He's not kidding," Steve said. "People would ask what kind of a mood he was in before entering the room."
"Oh come on. I wasn't that bad," Cliff said, laughing.
"Yes, you were," Brooke said. "I was glad to be living over here. Visiting you those couple of times was more than enough."
Cliff made a face at them and then turned to me. "Not only do you have to deal with crazy emotions, but also with others making fun of you."
"One thing you should know," Brooke said, "is that because you two are royalty and have more powers and gifts than normal vampires, your transformation is more intense and lasts longer than a typical transformation."
"Why didn't I know about this?" Cliff asked. "It felt worse than other transformations I've seen, but nobody told me that it actually was."
"I'm sure it was because everyone was too busy avoiding you," Steve said, punching Cliff in the arm.
"Clearly, I am on your side," Cliff said to me. "I know what you're going through."
"I hope you guys aren't telling me that this is going to get worse," I said.
"None of us have the gift of predicting the future," Brooke said, "but it will probably will."
It was my turn to make a face. "So back to my question. Will I ever be able to tell my friends or family about any of this?"
"We try to blend in with society," Brooke said. "That means that we don't discuss that aspect of our lives with mortals."
"Not at all?" I asked. "It's going to be challenging to live with mortals and not be able to talk about this."
"Obviously, none of us are in your shoes," Cliff said. "There have been other vampires raised by mortals, but when this information gets into the wrong hands, it can get ugly."
"Ugly?" I asked.
"Vampires have been locked away in prison and mental facilities," Cliff said. "Others have been hunted and killed. Different people react differently and society responds differently in different times. It can get really bad."
"Think of how you would've reacted if someone told you that they were a vampire a couple of weeks ago."
"Oh," I said, feeling let down. "So how long will this transformation take? When can I meet my real parents?"
"It could take more than a year to complete," Cliff said. "Typically, it takes a few months, but it took me over a year. You'll have even more gifts and powers than I do since you're the Sonnast, so it could be even longer."
"I might have to deal with this for more than a year?" I exclaimed.
"We're all here for you," Brooke said. "Cliff's going to live here as long as he needs to. Steve and my parents and I are here too."
"Did you two have a long transformation too?" I asked Brooke and Steve. "Since you're Cliff's cousin, aren't you royalty too?"
Brooke and Steve looked at each before Brooke spoke. "Cliff isn't really our cousin. That's a story for the humans."
I looked at them in confusion.
"Our family is actually a very trusted servant family to the royals, going back many generations," Steve said.
"They have high ranking and their family has been around for a very long time, which is why they are trusted and why they were sent to watch over you," Cliff said. "Your parents would only send a family that they trusted completely."
"Also, servants in the vampire world are not like servants in the mortal world," Steve said defensively. "Servants are high ranking. We're not lowly or anything like that. Just so you know."
"Got it," I said.
"Let's go see your new clothes," Brooke said, obviously changing the subject. "I can't wait to see your reaction."
"That sounds like fun," I said, glad for a new topic.
"We'll clean up this food," Cliff said. "Right, Steve?"
Brooke grabbed my hand and nearly dragged me into the house.
"Did you make all of these?" I asked, breathless. The room was literally covered in clothes.
She smiled proudly. "Of course. Do you like them? They're all Alexis Ferguson Originals."
"Don't you mean Marguerite?" I asked.
She looked at me surprised. "You remember your birth name?"
"I'm remembering a lot. It's actually strange how much I'm able to remember, especially since I was so young when I was taken."
"We vampires have exceptionally good memories. It doesn't surprise me much," she said.
I giggled. "A vampire never forgets."
She laughed. "We're not elephants. Let me show you the clothes." She walked to one outfit and picked it up for me to look at more closely.
I couldn't believe that she had found the time to make all of those clothes. They were all exceptional in their own way. She seemed very pleased by my reaction to each one.
"This is enough to get you through the week and the weekend," she said. "Be sure to wear the gold one when you go on a date with Cliff," she said and winked at me. "By the weekend I'll have more clothes ready for you for next week."
"More?" I asked in disbelief. "You really are going to give me a new wardrobe."
***
The next day at lunch, I ducked into a small study room to get away from all of the attentio
n. I was worn out from all of the interaction, and I actually missed being invisible.
Tanner was sitting at one of the two tables studying.
"Alexis," he said, surprised. "I didn't think that you were into studying anymore."
I almost smiled. "Believe me, Tanner. I have no intention of letting my grades drop. It wasn't my idea to have all of this attention thrown upon me."
He looked me up and down, and with half of his mouth in a smile. "You don't seem to be resisting it much."
"The clothes were a gift."
"I bet they were. You're going to pass your sister on the popularity ladder soon," he said. "How do you think that she's going to like that?"
"I'm not competing with Natalie," I told him. "What's it to you, anyway?"
"I pay close attention to things, that's all," he said.
I raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He looked me directly in the eyes. "I know what you are, Alexis."
The blood drained from my face. "What is it that you think that I am?"
"You're a vampire," he said. "You can and probably will keep that hidden from everyone else, but not me. I know things that most people don't."
I started laughing. "You're kidding, right? It's time to stop watching those movies. Are you Team Edward?"
He laughed. "I don't watch those. I know a real vampire. She's let me in on a lot of secrets, so I can spot one pretty easily."
I looked into his eyes. "Well your senses are off this time, because I assure you that I am no vampire." I wasn't lying because I had barely begun the transformation process. I wouldn't be a vampire for at least a year.
"Look Alexis," he said. "I saw the way that you were running the other day. I barely even saw you until you had stopped. No human can run like that."
"Tanner, I don't know what kind of drugs you're taking, but you should quit." I opened the door to leave.
"Go for now, but soon you'll be coming to me," he said.
I stopped. "For what, exactly?"
"I can tell you things about vampire life that your friends never will," he said.
I went through the doorway and slammed it. How did he know? What vampire did he know? Would my friends really keep information from me? Was Tanner a vampire?
The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5 Page 7