Clara: Hey, Babe, I gotta cancel the tradition. We're doing extra practice. Will make this up. Later. 

            Me: Ok. Good luck, Clara 

Rereading wasn't going to magically make her pop up at my front door with a bag of snacks and a smile. So why was I hoping she would? 

"You shouldn't sulk around all day. Just because Clara couldn't make it yesterday, doesn't mean you should be depressed." Mom carried a basket of clothes and set them down beside her as she sat on the sofa.

I sat up with a sigh. "We always have our girl's night. It hasn't changed since we were girls."

"Well things change." She picked up an article of clothes and began folding it. "You know how cheerleading is important to her. She wants to be the best."

"I know. It's just lately we've both had almost no time together."

"Well this is your last year of high school, Amelia. It's a pretty busy time for you both."

She wasn't lying. I was still deciding if I wanted to go to college after this year. And Clara, well, it was obvious she was going into cheerleading. Her dream was to cheer at an NBA game. I was still on the bricks about my life. 

A couple of knocks at the front door drew our attention. I looked at mom and she looked back. Both of us were wondering who should get the door. I knew I would have to but still.

"I'm folding," she said the moment I opened my mouth to protest. 

I narrowed my eyes. "Send your kid to the door. Some mom you are."

She continued to fold. "Says the werewolf with the most strength."

With my phone in hand, I got up, stepping past her. "I didn't even know I had super strength." 

Opening the door, I found dad standing on the other side. He wasn't living with us, but mom and him were at least talking. Since he had no pack to return to, he said he was in the process of buying a home somewhere on the outskirts on the other side of the city. Apparently, he had enough money saved up from his investments and the inheritances that came from his family. 

"Hey, Dad, joining us for dinner?" I arched an eyebrow.

"Is that an invitation?" The smile on his face was a mischievous one.

"Are you buying?" Mom came up behind me. The tone was light, yet serious.

His gaze shifted to her. "I wouldn't be a gentleman if I wasn't, but we can talk about dinner later." He brought his gaze back to me. "I actually wanted to make up for most of those birthdays I've missed."

That caught both our attention. We looked at each other before looking back at him. A set of keys dangled in front of my face. I couldn't believe this. I looked around him, quickly spotting a silver car.

"It's the newest model of a Lexus. I hope you like it." 

Mom sighed. "You didn't have to get an expensive car for her, Romulus." 

"It's her first car. She needs a great one." He took my hand and placed the keys into my palm.

"It's not my first," I was smiling, but seeing the puzzled look on his face, I had to explain. "Mom helped me get a car when I was sixteen. This is my first expensive car though. I love it!" I hugged him tightly. 

He patted my back. "That's a relief. I would hate to take it back."

"You brought a car for your daughter, but you failed to get one yourself?" Mom asked him.

Dad stiffened, but laughed nervously. "I sort of forgot that part. I saw she didn't have a car. Say what happened to your car?"

I pulled back, looking at him. The grin was still on my face. "Mom can tell you about it. I gotta take that handsome babe for a ride."

As I ran past him, he called, "Wait, what about dinner?"

"I'll get something. You two have fun." 

"Be careful!" Mom shouted as I was climbing into the driver's seat.

It's been twenty minutes since I've been on the road. The car ran smoothly. Driving again felt nice and freeing. I just wished Clara could have been home, so I could have taken her for a ride. 

"She said she was going to a place in the mountains." Reaching, I grabbed my phone from the passenger's seat where I tossed it the moment I got behind the wheel. "Better pull over too." 

After stopping on the side of the road, I pulled up my messages with Clara. "Man, we talk too much," I muttered while scrolling through our many texts. After almost ten minutes, I found where she had said she was heading. Looking up the place on the maps, I connected my phone to my car. "Dad, picked out an awesome car. It has navigation features." Pulling off again, I followed the navigation voice speaker.

It took me several hours to reach my destination. I could see the mansion ahead, so I turned the GPS off. The mansion was a pretty nice place surrounded by forested land. 

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by this. Those barbies were pretty rich. 

As I drove closer, I could make out a tall, black gate. It wasn't close like I thought it would be. I guess they really didn't have anything to fear way out here. I mean who in their right mind would come all the way here just to steal a routine? 

I noticed the driveway was pretty packed with cars, so I decided to park just out the gate. I didn't really want to get caught up trying to leave anyway. Getting out, I texted Clara. I figured she could meet me out here. As I stood near the gate, I looked at the large house. "It must be nice." 

The scent of something dead had me frowning. It was so sudden that I found myself looking around for it's source. 

"What's a little werewolf doing here of all places?" 

The smooth voice of a male had me spinning around. Staring into the face of a handsome man with long, dark brown hair, I took a step back. His eyes had a red ring around his pupils. "Er…" 

"Oh so you weren't sent here then. Still, you really shouldn't be here." He narrowed his eyes. "Bringing a wolf in would up my rank though, especially since you carry an unique scent." 

He reached toward me. I should have attempted to fight or run or do something, but, at that moment, I froze. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't to be grabbed by my arm and shoved forward. This man, this vampire, felt dangerous. It was like the first time when that bloody vampire glared at me. The only difference was this one was obviously a lot stronger. 

A groan and the loosening on my arm had me looking back. The guy's eyes had rolled upward as he came falling forward. Moving away before he could fall on me, I stared down at him.

"You shouldn't be here," came a firm low voice.

I looked up to see Lucian. He didn't seem happy to see me however. "I was-"

"Save it for now. Help me ditch him somewhere." He moved to lift the top half of the vampire. "Get his legs. The bloody corpse is heavier than the dead." 

I hurried to do as asked. Together we moved the unconscious vampire behind the gate into some bushes. Lucian then held him by the collar, and before I could ask what he was going to do next, he punched him again.

"Did you just kill him?" 

"No, I'm ensuring he'll stay knocked out. I need more time. A few hits like that won't kill a vampire." He dropped him and stood to his full height. "Now Amelia, what are you doing at a vampire's playhouse?"

"I was surprising– wait what?" What did he mean by that? This was a freaking mansion not something to play at. I shook my head. "Wait, wait, wait. You telling me vampires are in that place? Clara's in there."

He didn't seem to be too surprised by that. "She hangs out with vampires. I thought you would have pieced that together by now. Romulus didn't show you how to recognize other species?"

"No he did. I found out Beatrix was one not too long ago. But Clara knows nothing about this…" I trailed off in thought.

"She is probably being initiated in." Lucian moved past me. 

"Initiated? She's already part of the squad." I thought that part was obvious. Clara has been a cheerleader since our freshman year at high school.

Lucian paused and faced me. A look of confusion was on his face. "Not that kind of initiation. I thought you pieced it together." He sighed and approached me. "Clara is being initiated into the clutch. She should be undergoing the change into a vampire."

Now that had me. Clara, a vampire? There was no way. There was no way my best friend was going to become a vampire. She wasn't a part of this life. She had a whole family that wanted nothing, but to see her improve in life. Clara was Clara. 

"That can't be-" 

"Hey Cedric, where are you?" The voice of another man came from inside the gate. "The ceremony is about to start. Gee, are you still upset about getting rejected?" 

"Be quiet," Lucian whispered as he pulled me down so we were hidden by the bushes. 

"Hey, Ced?" 

The voice was getting closer to the gate. It wouldn't be long before we were spotted. I felt frozen, but not by being seen. My best friend was there inside a lion's cave. Surrounded by hungry vampires looking to drain her and turn her into one of them.