• Several hours had passed since Beth passed out. They had moved her onto Jace's bed, which smelled strongly of copper.

    Beth rolled over and nuzzled her face into his pillow, "Huh?" she moaned slowly opening her eyes, "That smell........copper?" She slowly sat up rubbing her head, "Ohhhhhhhhhhh........my head........"

    "Good, you're awake. Please lie back down; you have just suffered a massive shock." Hector was sitting next to the bed, his shades gone as well. Though his eyes were the same as Jace and Felicity's, his were somehow more inviting.

    Beth looked at his eyes and nodded slowly lying back down, "Um....ok......" she stammered rubbing her eyes, "I thought I just passed out....." She blinked a few times looking back over at them.

    "You did actually. You have been out for several hours. Can you tell me exactly what happened?" He scrutinized her closely, his eyes micro darting across her face.

    "Well.....I fell down the stairs but Jace caught me....I tackled him and stood up with his glasses....he went into his room and I broke into his room....." Beth shut her eyes and took a deep breath holding her head, "I saw Jace drinking something.....then....black....."

    Hector sighed. "It was blood. He needs it every day, as we all do. Beth I am not quite sure how to say what I am about to tell you..." His face looked sorrowful as he tried to think of how to say that they were Vampires.

    "Vampires......" Beth sat up in the bed and back against the wall, "You guys are vampires....." She looked really screadscared looking at them, "Then that night I saw Jace and Felicity...." she rubbed her neck, "But....how.....she...."

    Hector slowly nodded. "Jace prefers Nosferatu because of how humanity has twisted the word Vampire in the past few years, but yes: My family and I are all Vampires."

    Beth's hand fell from her neck, "Then that night....." she looked over to Felicity, "It wasn't a dream.....you really did bit me......"

    Felicity nodded slowly. "But the holes sealed themselves afterwards. Normally if you are meant to change the holes stay open and all of your blood is drained from your body. Once that happens we bury you and you dig your way out and voila-" She snapped her fingers for effect. "Vampire."

    Beth backed herself farther into the wall hugging Jace's pillow, "Then i'm not going to be one......." she gave a sigh hidding her face in the pillow thinking "Meant to be one? I don't get it? What is going on?

    Hector shook his head. "You have to be a willing virgin to become one of us. Quite obviously you are a virgin, or you would be a ghoul right now. As for willing, you have to let yourself be bitten to become one of us."

    Beth looked up and him then looked over at Jace, "Then......" she bit her lower lip as tears formed in her eyes, "You WANTED this?!"

    Jace rose his eyebrows. "Huh? What do you mean I wanted this? I wasn't the one who bit you."

    She stood up and walked over to him, "You wanted to be a vampire!" Beth cried smacking him across the face hard, "Why?!"

    Jace's face did not move, but he did scowl at her. "What am I supposed to say? The reason I changed, you would hate me for it..."

    "Hate you......." Beth said shook her head stepping away from him, "I'm beyond upset that you would of even thought of this......" She took off her necklace and threw it at him, "You can have it back!" She ran out of the room and down the stairs crying.

    Elizabeth was waiting at the foot of the stairs for Beth, blocking her way. "Beth hun I am sorry, but you can't leave for right now..."

    Beth didn't care at this point, she ran over to Elizabeth and burried her face in her shoulder crying, "He....why......"

    Elizabeth hugged Beth softly, speaking in a soothing tone while she rubbed her back gently. "Is reasons are...complicated. The only explination is a conversation that you two had that he told us about. All he said was 'I want to become something better than human. What do humans have going for them anyway?'" She sighed quietly.

    "I remember that....." Beth said through her tears, "I told him 'If you weren't human.....then I don't think we would get to play together....' He laughed a little...that's all I remember......" She felt herself drift off to sleep, "So...tired.....mind....fuzzy....."

    "You need to try to stay awake for now. Beth, Hector and I need to talk you about something important..."

    Beth stood up rubbing her eyes, "I'm trying.....I'm just really tierd....." she yawned a little, "I haven't this tird since......-yawns- someone took my necklace....-yawns-" She rubbed her eyes then shook her head.

    Hector was next to the two of them suddenly, holding out half of a caffine pill to Beth. "Please take it. This is very important."

    Beth nodded and took it from him swallowing it, she shook her head a little then looked up at them, "O.o.....ok.....how....nevermind" she said rubbing her head, "What is it?"

    A few moments later, Hector and Elizabeth were sitting in the living room across from Beth looking closely at her. "As you can imagine, we like to keep our existance a secret. The only reason we can go out in sunlight is because we perfectly preserve our unlife by drinking blood every day. It isnt our rule, but the powers that be have decreed that humans cannot know about us and live..."

    Beth cluched her knees looking down a little, "And me knowing this...." she shuttered, "I'm not going to say anything....I wouldn't do that to you....or......Jace.....even if he does hate me right now......."

    Hector shook his head. "No Beth no, the decree is that..." He looked away for a moment, but was cut off before he could continue. "You have to become one of us." Jace said as he made his way down the stairs, the necklace clutched tightly in his hand.

    "B....b....b....become one?" Beth stammered standing up backing away some, "But...I don't...I....."

    Jace didn't meet her gaze, but spoke in a cold tone. "Thats the rule. Of course the alternative is death, not by our hand of course but by the Inquisitorial Squad at Hamburg."

    Beth's eyes filled with tears again as she dropped to her knees, "Michel knew this would happen......that's why he left....." she said quietly looking down at the floor, "I....I don't.....I don't want to die......"

    Hector and Elizabeth gave Beth apolegetic looks but did not say anything. Jace was the one who broke the silence. "Either way you die Beth, but at least one way you get to continue to exist..."
    Felicity stayed in her room for now, convinced that this was her fault for socializing in the first place.

    Beth didn't look up but spoke in almost a mumble, "It's not your fault Felicity...." she said as if she was talking to her in her room then she looked up, "I'm sorry Jace.....but....I don't know anymore......"

    Jace finally met her gaze and spoke quietly, something that struck Hector and Elizabeth by suprise. "I don't want you to die Beth..."

    Beth's dark blue eyes clouded over from the tears and she stood up hugging Jace, "That's the Jace I know......" she cryed then whispered, "Welcome home and.....as long as you do it.....but......i'm....scard....."

    Jace sighed and hugged her back, a bit tighter than expected. "It doesn't hurt...our fangs are coated with a stuff that, when it hits your bloodstream, you don't feel a thing..." Anything at all he could do to comfort her.

    Beth felt herself began to shack from not only crying but from fear, "I'm....still...just......s...s...s...scard," she said through her tears hugging him tightly.

    Jace held her as non-leathally tight as possible and lowered his mouth to her ear, his breath cold and slow. "Beth...I need to hear a yes. Are you willing to be changed, to become like me? A nosferatu?"

    Beth slowly stopped crying and she nodded a little, "Y...y.....yes......." she whispered quietly in Jace's ear.

    He sighed and lowered his mouth. Unseen to Hector and Elizabeth, he kissed her neck softly before he opened his mouth, grew out his fangs, and bit in softly.
    The next thing Beth could see was darkness, and everything smelt of dirt.