-CHAPTER ONE-

Swansea High

IT WAS THE SCARLETT KIDS FIRST DAY AT SWANSEA Leisure

School.
It was exceptionally hard for them for several reasons;
maybe because it was all five of them together, so there was
no need to make any friends.
Maybe it was because they’d just came over from Ireland,
so their accent didn’t help blend in.
Maybe it was because all five were so beautiful, pale and
graceful, and that was why it alienated them from everyone
else.
Maybe it was because (especially in Candice’s case) they
wore slightly eccentric clothes, which made them stand out
even more in such a small town.
Maybe it was because people had already started making
judgements about Stephanie and Oliver’s relationship.
Maybe because after seeing Candice and Jasper together
people thought that they were together as well.
Maybe it was because all five of them were thirsting after
all the other pupils’ and teachers’ blood alike.
Or maybe… just maybe it was because they were fanged
Vampyres with impossible speed, inevitable strength and
inhumanly strong five senses.
Candice… youngest of Scarletts, could hear the thoughts of
everyone in or around the school. Jasper Scarlett could
control electricity around him. Stephanie could control the
weather. Evelyn could make her drawings come to life, and
once you think this family couldn’t get any stranger, Oliver
had the ability to defy the laws of gravity, and he could fly.
 All five Scarletts had split themselves between the
two modestly expensive cars; one black Porsche, which was
carrying Candice, Jasper and Evelyn, then a red coupe car,
with the other two.

Immediately all eyes were transfixed on them.

Candice stepped out of the car first.
When she stepped out, everyone froze and looked at her;
she stood there and looked at all the people looking at her.
She smiled to herself, brushing her short black hair out of
the path of her eyes, revealing the electric blue eye make-up
elaborately, showing-off how bright her turquoise eyes were.
She scoured the crowd again, smiling even brooder then spun
on the tip of her heel, and waited for the other four to come
out of their cars.
When the had finally exited the cars, many eyes began to
wander and a nervous chatter started up.
As soon as the awkward moment was over, the teenagers
carried on doing what they were doing, and returned back to
their trivial little Human lives.
Candice stood at the front, as if leading them to the main
office. Jasper the tall brunet, had his hand in Candice’s and
was towering over her, as if he was trying to her protect her
from peoples enquiring eyes, and the only problem was, he
couldn’t protect her from their thoughts.

Candice smiled as she took a deep breath in, allowing the

kids’ piranha-like thoughts around her to scorch her throat,
then immediately their scents came to her after, their taste.
There was a lot of vanilla everywhere, it was as if the air
was thick with it. But what she couldn’t understand was that
when it came down to the actual drinking, they would taste
nothing like it…
Evelyn was walking beside her. She started talking about
their new home and what they should do to her room after
school.
 Stephanie was inserting her comments here and there
while fiddling with her long, blond, curly hair.
Oliver said nothing much, a grin was still on his mouth.
They laughed at regular intervals, passing more Humans -
and when Candice told them snippets of what the others
around them were thinking, the laughter only grew louder.
When they got near to the main office, they saw people
talking to their friends, yelling to each other on the sides of
the corridors, whilst trying to manoeuvre around to get to
their lessons.
However, when Candice, Jasper, Evelyn, Stephanie and
Oliver, tried walking to the main office a path appeared as if
the five of them were around their own private bubble - a
bubble no one else in school could step into.

When they were at the office Candice stood at the desk,

while the pink stubby ginger woman at the desk sat there,
blatantly ignoring her, continuing to shuffle pointless bits of
paper.
‘Excuse me? We need our timetables please’ Candice said
politely, putting on a friendly, but incredibly fake smile.
The woman looked up insolently, and left to bring back
another person.
‘Names?’ she sighed, sitting herself down at the chair.
She was a tall pretty blonde, with bright green eyes and a
sort of childish charm that came with her dimples.
Jasper grinned, without knowing he was.
‘Candice, Evelyn, Jasper, Oliver, and Stephanie Scarlett.’
she said in alphabetical order.
The girl stood up and went to an old filing cabinet in the
corner of the room.
Candice smiled slightly at the corners of her mouth and
giggled under her breath. Jasper thought, intrigued about
what had made her jovial on such a boring, repetitive day
such as today

‘What? What is she thinking? What’s so funny?’

 Candice spoke so quietly not even the queue of people
beside her could hear her say,
‘The other one’s thinking if you would ask her out if she had
on some make-up today.’

‘Well um what’s the blonde one thinking?’

‘She wants to go home and dump her boyfriend,’ Candy

began to giggle again.

‘The old one’s interested? That’s a bit backwards is it not?

I’m old enough to be her grandfather - her great grandfather
even.’

‘You can’t tell her that, Jasper.’

‘And the other?’

‘Maybe…’

The others and Stephanie weren’t paying any attention to

the quick exchange that was going on between Candice and
Jasper; she was too busy mauling over the fact boys were
walking into posts because they were staring at her.
At the best of times her mind wasn’t a very nice place to be
in, full of pictures of her own reflection and the reaction of
boys when they saw her, even though she really did love
Oliver, she still lapped it up, when boys flirted with her.
It was awfully safe to say that Oliver’s mind was a simpler
place to be in.
Full of jokes, pranks, and never ending forgiveness.
Oliver was smarter than most people gave him credit for. It
was simpler because there wasn’t much that he wouldn’t
think that he wouldn’t say.
Evelyn’s mind was completely exceptional. It was full of
daydreams. Doors that opened to imaginary worlds, full of
moving pictures and strange memories.
Jaspers mind was different to say the least; full of many
thousands of different ideas, thoughts, concerns.
It amused Candy for hours just to sit in silence with him
while he read a book, or relaxed, just so she could listen to
everything that crossed his mind.
Candice was abruptly jerked out of her reverie by Evelyn
who took the wad of yellow paper from the attractive-to-only-
Jasper secretary and then after elbowing Candy in the ribs
again.
‘Thanks,’ Evelyn said pointedly and walked out, through the
old, stained door and onto the dying grassy patch
She separated the bits of paper and handed some sheets to
everyone and they stood outside in the wind, allowing it to
brutally bash against their bodies, yet no one moved…
Standing calm and silent, still not even moving an inch.
‘Oh, great I have double biology.’ Evelyn moaned, she
broke the silence, and the others began to talk too.
Jasper grinned and said,
‘Yeah I do too, didn’t we get a G.C.S.E in that before Ev?’
‘I don’t know,’ she replied blasé, waving her hand as if it
was no big deal. ‘Maybe it was somewhere along the line, I
don't count them anymore.’
‘What d’you have Steph?’ Jasper asked her.
Oliver answered for her, seeing as Stephanie was not in the
mood to talk.
‘Me and Steph have History now.’ He pulled a face and
began to think of millions of other things that he could be
doing with his time,
‘We should get going or we’ll be really late.’ Jasper said.
Evelyn and Oliver nodded vaguely in agreement while
Jasper continued, ‘Come on then. Wait - what do you have
Candy?’
She grimaced,
‘Maths, double maths. All the time it’s always maths first
and I’m alone…‘
‘You’ll be okay; if you’re not - you can at least show of by
knowing all the answers.’ Stephanie said encouragingly for
once, trying not to be self centred, that only lasted for about
half a second, before her thoughts rushed into a quick but
seriously lame insult, ‘There’s a piece of hair out of place on
your head Candice.’
Candy ruffled her top layers, and stuck her tongue out at
her. She turned her eyes back to the time table to see where
her lesson was.
‘Your lesson’s in class D21 - mine is D24 - I’ll walk with you.’
Stephanie offered, before she said her class out loud.
In other words; Stephanie was thinking

‘You cant skip class, because if I have to suffer here, you

have to - too.’

Stephanie took Candice’s arm and all but dragged her in

the direction of their next class,
‘Meet you later girls!’ Jasper said, waving half-heartedly,
calling after them. Oliver started walking slowly behind.
He was humming along to Green Day’s “American Idiot” on
his headphones, thinking of his curiously similar friend Jason
Tyler, who was the Scareltts extended and absolutely
amazing family in America.

In class D21, the teacher was Mr. Thomas.

Thomas was an short, plump greying old man, who had a
grouchy temper and had been teaching maths for 24 years
and wholeheartedly detested the modern day use.
From the outside of the door, Candy took a few seconds to
search through Thomas’ thoughts, and get a look at the sort
of character he was.
Thomas was in the middle of a long and winding lecture
about algebraic equations and how they made up 89.5% of
your final grade.
She took a deep calm breath, and opened the door, with
her icy hand firmly around the handle.
The door opened, all eyes pierced her with their jealous and
admiring gaze - minus the dramatic windsweptness.
Her straight short black hair shone sleekly, from the light
pouring through the window. She was wearing a black and
blue stripy cardigan and a short black skirt and black and
blue stripy socks and black high heels, all of it standing out
on her pale white skin.
‘Are you Mr. Thomas?’ she asked, holding her head up high
as she took a fleeting look at him. Not waiting for his answer
she carried on. ‘I’m Candice Scarlett.’
She handed him a note and stood at the front of the class
confidently, while he was reading it.
She stood patiently at the front and noticed that basically
everyone was staring at her, apart from the odd person and
she stared back at them inquisitively, and then an elfin grin
crept up on her face, blinding the class with her smile.
Almost immediately, Candice’s smile, was now admired
throughout the whole class. Her lipstick-red lips outlining her
white teeth. The grin reaching her turquoise eyes.
Everyone in the class noticed that she had a dimple on her
left check, most boys were so enticed with her that their
visual obsession was short of taking notes.
Her attention snapped back to Mr. Thomas,
His eyes lifted up from the note. ‘It says here, you have four
siblings.’
‘Yes sir, I do,’ she still held a little smile around her lips - as
if on a private joke about him, yet still answered to him
politely, ignoring his rudeness.
He looked a little taken aback by politeness and calmness
‘Are they going to be late as well?’
‘No sir, they’re older than me.’
‘Very well, take a seat next to -’ he looked round the class
and only saw one available seat, near the back next to a bad
influence-type boy.
He couldn’t move anyone around, so against his better
judgement he said,
‘Owen. Move your bag boy, make room for her.’
Owen looked startled at his name being mentioned, and
then his eyes widened when he saw Candice. She gave him a
short smile, and moved towards his desk, and looking back at
the eyes still gaping and her as she sauntered to her seat.
Owen’s thoughts were blank… he was intent on being this
silent, until she said something first,

‘Wow! She is gorgeous! Better looking than Hayley

at any rate; and to think I once thought I had the prettiest
girlfriend in the school - maybe it’s time for an upgrade?’

A boy thought somewhere near the front as she brushed

past him.
Candice felt a sudden pang of sadness for this Hayley.
Someone thought across the class.

‘OMG, if that bitch tries to get my man off of me I will kill

her - but it’s not like she’s that pretty anyway. I am so much
more naturally beautiful,’

Candy realised it was Hayley, and instantly the pang of

sadness disappeared.
All the way walking to the back she heard what people
thought of her.
For the thousandth time she wished that she had a stop
button, or at least a mute.
When she finally got to the back of the long class room and
sat down next to Owen, she pulled her legs under the grey
maths table with remarkable poise. Although she was sitting
near the back the entire class still found a way to stare at her.
Owen sensing her discomfort from the thirty odd pairs of
eyes watching at her every move, looked around;
‘What are you lot lookin’ at? Is there a problem?’ Owen
snapped, clearly he lived up to the fierce person which Mr.
Thomas’s thoughts had painted him out to be.
She smiled and whispered a thank you to him, her accent
sinking through her mellifluous voice.
‘I hate it, when people stare at me.’ she added.
 ‘Not a problem. I’m Owen. I take it from athis you’re the
new in class girl Candice.’
‘Candy,’ she corrected him, ‘thanks.’
‘Wanna see if Thomas at the front will call you that?’ he
grinned mischievously.

‘She’s different. Not like the other girls in this school.

Maybe she’ll have a personality,’ he thought, quickly he
amended his thoughts; ‘Maybe not all the other girls - Jayni
and Alexei have a personality. Enough personality to get
them kicked out anyway. Maybe she’ll stir things up and I
won’t be the only one getting in trouble -’
‘You know what? I might pass on that one’ she said,
returning his impish grin.
He carried on staring at her and when their eyes met, just
for a split second, Candice felt like a thousand bolts of
electricity were flowing into the pit of her stomach, and she
noticed his gorgeous green eyes and his pale skin, and how
his long-ish black hair outlined his cheekbones impeccably,
and that his slightly long fringe (covering one of his eyes)
made him look five times as cute.
After about five seconds, Candy broke away against her
better will, to face the front, looking as if she was trying to
concentrate on Mr. Thomas’ lecture.

They faced the front, slightly embarrassed at themselves,

until right at the end of the lesson with about three minutes
left.
Owen looked at her, and he had noticed her, completely
absorbed in a drawing she had in front of her. He’d noticed
her long, slender, white fingers, smudged with black from the
charcoal. Her striking turquoise coloured eyes glittered with
concentration while her hands suddenly froze, intent critically
on her work. Her mouth opened slightly in the trace of her
concentration.
He noticed how dazzling her lips were, the exact colour of
blood, and that all of her elaborate make-up suited her
flawlessly.
He sighed, mentally,

‘She’s so...so…’
He sighed again, only deeper this time.

‘If only she could ever like me, I could ask her to the
basketball court, but she won’t come, she’d wanna stay with
her family and her friends...’

He thought on about her. and, while Candice drew, she

listened to Owen’s thoughts.
She liked them, she sighed as she put the sketch pad into
her bag and thought,

‘But he doesn’t know what I am, if he did he would hate me.

Surly one day couldn’t kill him, at least. And that way I
could truly repay him for stopping everyone staring at me...’
‘Owen I know you normally chill by yourself at lunch in
the basketball court near the back but I was wondering if you,
know, wouldn’t mind it if me and my siblings came to chill
with you. It’s just,’ she rushed looking at his shocked face
misinterpreting it, ‘I can’t stand having to sit in a stuffy hall
with everyone staring at us.’
The bell rung as Owen was about to reply to her, but while
everyone rushed around to see who could escape the class
first, Owen saw Candy slowly zipping up her bag, and he
stood there next to her and said,
‘Yeah cool, you can if you want.’
‘Really? Right. Okay, I will be there in about five minutes
coz I need to go and get Evelyn and the rest of ‘em, is that
okay?’
‘Fine, yeah, sure. Do you know where it is? The basketball
court?’
‘Yep - don’t worry about it.’

*
 ‘You okay? It doesn’t look like you hate maths so much!’
Jasper’s thoughts called out.
Candice waved at Jasper over Owen’s shoulder and said to
Owen, ‘Speak of the devils. Meet you there in about five
minutes. See you later Owen,’ she flashed another smile at
him.
Jasper was feeling uneasy, it wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed
Candy, he was always uneasy when she wasn’t where she
was meant to be. It was that he didn’t like the look of the boy
she was talking too; however she was grinning and looked
happy more than usual, so that meant Jasper had to like him,
for her.
Candice ran outside to meet Jasper and when they were
walking down the corridor, gave him a quick hug and took her
hand into his, and before he could open his mouth she said,
‘You okay Jasper?’
He didn’t answer, so she carried on, ‘Maths wasn’t ALL bad.
I sit next to a cute boy called Owen and I said I would sit with
him at lunch, and you’d come with. Is that okay?’

Evelyn met up with Stephanie and Oliver at the canteen

after her second lesson, they were the first there, apart from
the odd one or two people.
Evelyn grinned when she saw them, and let out a long sigh
and said to Oliver,
‘Fancy any lunch?’
Oliver grinned back, but Stephanie scowled at both of
them.
‘So not funny,’ she said, demanding that their eyes avert
from the Humans.
The three of them sat down just as people began filling into
the canteen and Candice defiantly wasn’t wrong that people
in the hall would be staring at them, when the hall was very
nearly full up, Jasper and Candice appeared out of nowhere.
Candice looked very excited when entering, she went to
open her mouth, and that was when a group of seven or more
older girls, stood at the corner of the table eying all of them
up particularly Jasper for a reason which made her want to
throw up and go into hysterics at the same time.
The one at the front, clearly the leader of the group, stood
there and grinned smugly and said in a clear voice,
‘I think you weird freaks should move this is our table.’ the
accent she used to mock them all was spiked into the
sentence.
Stephanie was obviously older, therefore, she acted more
mature, and pretended like she didn’t hear.
Both Oliver and Jasper went to leave, (but them - being
men and all - didn’t quite understand about the whole girls
bitching and that they had their own egos, but didn’t parade
them like men did.
Evelyn too looked serene and uncaring, but Candice sat
there. She stood up square in front of the leader and said,
‘Sophie, I’d watch who you’d be calling weird.’

Sophie’s face was a pure picture, a mixture or shock and

anger.
She was obviously not used to having people stand up to
her, but she composed herself quickly and turned to her
friends and said,
‘Did you understand anything that Irish twat just said?’
‘That Irish twat has a name and that Irish twat could kick
the shit out of you if she wanted to.’
Candice’s face clouded and she took a small step forward -
Jasper stepped closer to her and put his hand calmingly on
her back and she stopped and went rigged.
Candice’s voice was low and quiet, yet she knew Sophie
could hear.
‘You dare say one more word Sophie and I swear to god I
will not be held responsible for my actions.’
‘Ooh threatening, you think I’m afraid of you?’
‘You damn well should be, and I will give you a word of
warning you take the piss out of our accent again and I will fix
it so you can’t talk.’
 ‘Shut up. You’re just jealous.’
‘Really, now why the hell would I be jealous of you?’

All the Scarletts family felt on edge then, mainly because if

it wasn’t for Jasper and Evelyn yelling at her mentally,
‘DONT KILL HER. DONT KILL HER,‘
They all knew that Candice would be in her attack mode,
and that Sophie’s head and other pieces of her body would
be strewn across the canteen.
She seemed stumped for a second then said, ‘At least
when you look up minger in the dictionary there won’t be a
picture of me there, there will be a picture of you.’
Candice smiled slightly, thinking about how Sophie had just
walked right into that one,
‘Yeah, but I’m not the one who had to look up minger in the
dictionary.’
Oliver and Jasper put their arms around Candice’s and
pulled her away from her. ‘AND DICTIONARIES DON’T HAVE
PICTURES!’ she added as a bitchy after comment.
‘Oh my god! Grrr!!! She is such a vile evil piece of scum!
She thinks she’s so much better than us because we’re Irish,’
Candy fumed.
‘Candice,’ Evelyn gripped her by the shoulders holding her
still, ‘Relax! She is evil but we can get our revenge, but I
believe that you have invited us to see your boyfriend.’
‘He’s not my boyfriend - but you’re right we have to meet
him, oh and Jasper, Oliver be nice.’

When the Scarletts finally got to the basketball court they

saw Owen shooting hoops by himself.
It was undeniable that he was good and in a game where
they would be playing fair, as Humans, with no cheating.
‘Hiya Owen, sorry we took so long, there was a problem
with Sophie Rowest in the canteen.’

‘Well you’re gunna have fun in dance...’ he thought as he

walked over to great them.
 Candy ignored this and allowed Owen to think she had not
heard.
‘You okay Owen…? This is Stephanie,’ she pointed at the
one standing nearest the back, looking very angry; however
she was amazingly gorgeous, she had long blonde hair and
pale pink lips, however she didn’t have the same type of
quirky beauty Candice beheld.

After her small pause she carried on, with a smirk on her
face,
‘Oliver’ she nodded at Oliver standing next to Stephanie, he
was tall, blonde hair.
He obviously had amazing muscles, they were basically
popping through his tight vest top. ‘Evelyn,’ she nodded at
Evelyn standing just behind Jasper she smiled nice enough
and said,
‘Hiya,’
Evelyn had shocking red hair, not really like ginger, but
proper red. ‘And this is Jasper,‘ she said, and Owen noticed
that when she said his name his hand tightened around her
waist and when she made a slight swaying movement to the
left.
There was an awkward pause until Oliver said nodding
towards the discarded basketball in the corner of the court,
‘You wanna game?’
‘Sure. What about you Candice? You playin’?’
‘Yeah why not. Girls vs. Boys? You in Ev? Steph? Jasper?’
Jasper and Evelyn nodded (as Candice knew they would)
but Stephanie shook her head and said in a haughty voice,
‘No chance, why would I play anything like that?’

‘Ew, Human! No thanks, unless he’s offering himself for

lunch - I doubt it - I’m outtie. We’re only here ‘cause Candy’s
literally drooling over him. He didn’t even look at me! That’s
so unfair - I wonder if it’s because my lippy smudged…? The
teacher in music after history was funny - he didn’t give me
any homework when everyone else got tons…’
Candice didn’t say anything to Stephanie, she just turned her
back on her, trying to block out her thoughts.
She turned her attention to Oliver instead, he caught her
looking him, while Evelyn, Jasper and Owen talked about the
newest addition to a basketball team someplace (sport
wasn’t really Candy’s forte) and Oliver changed the track of
his mind suddenly,

‘You think Jasper will have a fight tonight? Play one. Then
you and me. But no cheating, okay?’

‘How could I not?’ Candy sat on one of the benches. The

corners of her mouth twitched,

‘Yeah well even using your gift I still managed to beat you
last time Dee and you know it! No, wait I have a better idea,
let’s play chess!’

Candy stifled a laugh, remembering last time she played

chess with Jasper.
Jasper tapped her shoulder, informing her that Stephanie
was being her usual snobby self and refusing to play so the
teams would have to be odd.
Evelyn and Candice versus Oliver, Jasper and Owen.
Owen, who hadn’t even touched the ball, since Stephanie
threw it out of his hands and into the air.
They managed to win 5-7.
After the match ended, Jasper said in a voice so low, that
Owen couldn’t hear from where Evelyn was talking to him.
‘Yeah sure(!) Like that was a fair game!’ he said, ‘She can
read minds, so she knows all about what we are going to do,
like we had a chance in hell of winning,’
Jasper and the guys weren’t annoyed much, though with
Stephanie if she lost, she went into a huge strop about how
unfair life was, and she’d demand a rematch. But that was
Stephanie, none of them expected any different from her.
 The five of them sat on the benches and messed around.
(Stephanie had finished her nails. and had moved onto
reapplying her make-up still ignoring them and refusing to
join in a conversation apart from when she threw them the
odd dirty look)
They started playing truth or dare and when Owen was half
way through making everyone there piss themselves from
laughing so much, about the time Sophie Row asked him out.
Stephanie called over Owen’s story, as if no one had been
talking.
‘You all do know that you’re half an hour late for your
lessons?’
Candice’s mouth fell open and Evelyn called out,
‘You could of said about half an hour ago,’
‘I didn’t feel like saying it half an hour ago - I felt like saying
that now.’
‘Oh well, I guess that we will have to skip this afternoon,’
Evelyn sighed and pulled a face of mock sadness.
‘Ev, it’s best not to skip on our first day. Not the brightest
thing you have ever thought of.’

Oliver and Stephanie were in their shiny red Lexus with

promises to pick them up after school.
Oliver and Stephanie’s year had a study afternoon and the
other four were running along the empty corridors and across
the class gardens to get to their dance class.
The dance, P.E and drama classes two years were held
together. Years seven and eight are together and years nine
and ten, so that meant that Evelyn and Jasper were in the
same class for dance as Candice, which made them very
happy, because Candy loved dancing and performing.
 The first thing they noticed was a girl on the floor having a
fit surrounded by a circle of people, then he noticed that
Candice and Evelyn were hiding behind them because they
were laughing so hard. When Jasper turned his eyes away
from their faces, he realised that the girl having a fit on the
floor was Sophie and she wasn’t having a fit, she was in
actual fact dancing - or - a better phrase would be trying to
dance.
She walked over, her cronies following her in suite, her
blond hair reflecting a washed out shade of grey as she
waltzed under the bright lights.
‘Seeing that I’m the head of dance here -’ as soon as those
words came from Sophie’s mouth, there was a loud sputter of
suppressed laughter erupting from some of the girls that
were behind Jasper. Sophie frowned and continued, ‘it’s my
duty to inform you that you’re half an hour late -’ again she
was cut off - but this time by Candice;
‘Yeah funnily enough we noticed that.’
Evelyn and Candice had started to guffaw flamboyantly,
clutching at their stomachs, exaggerating. The sentence was
not really that funny…
‘And,’ Sophie continued, ‘I want to know why.’

‘Bet the weird emo orphan won’t say. I would love a reason
to send her to the head on her first day. That would be so
good. I might ask her to dance in a minute all on her own. Bet
she will refuse - but she won’t be as good as me -’

After that Candice left Sophie to her own thoughts when

she realised that Sophie was vainer than Stephanie.
Candy straightened up, her pale white face pouring over
with hatred and anger.
It startled Evelyn and Jasper, since they knew, that it was
difficult to get Candy to calm after laughs, sometimes it’d
take her hours.
Now she could of murdered her with her bare hands and
laughed about it when Sophie’s remains were at her feet.
 ‘Yeah well - we don’t always get what we want - do we
Sophie?’ snarled Candice.
‘Well I do. And I want to see you dance. Now.’ Sophie said.
‘Ha ha she won’t by herself, or if she does people will laugh
at her because she’ll be rubbish!’
Candice pulled her purple iPod and speakers out of her bag
and said,
‘You’re on.’
Sophie was sorely disappointed.
A few minutes later Candy was standing on the large
stage, her high heels discarded on the floor and then a hush
came over the crowd as they all stood in anticipation.
All waiting to see if she was any good, Candice looked over
and saw Owen and Evelyn standing near the back, she
winked at them then looked at Jasper next to the stage, she
winked at him as well and he pressed the play button.
The familiar tune to Candice started (Man eater by Nelly
Furtado) up as she stood perfectly still as the drumming wind
up began and as soon as they lyrics started…

“Everybody look at me, me

I walk in the door you start screaming
Come on everybody whatcha here for?
Move your body around like a nymphs
Everybody get your necks to crack around
All you crazy people come on jump around
I want to see you all on your knees, knees
You either want to be with me, or be me…”

She was off. It was unquestionable to say that she could

dance; she was all over the stage, moving to the beat of the
music. Street dancing was her favourite, but clearly none of
the others watching her had ever seen anyone so good, but
then Sophie was the head, so that meant supposedly she was
the best, yet her dancing could easily be mistaken for any
headless poultry.
When the song ended everyone clapped and Sophie’s face
was a still, when Candy stepped off the stage grinning from
ear to ear.
Sophie stormed over to her and demanded to know where
she learnt that,
‘No where special, the school I was in over in Ireland,
was er - big on chorography.’ She looked at Evelyn and they
both seemed in danger of exploding in a fit of laughter again.
Sophie turned around and said,
’I may want to learn how to dance, but I’d never go over to
a scuzy place like that to learn it. Anyway I don’t know how
you could call that dancing; it just looked like she was having
a fit to me.’ she muttered to her friend.
‘Sorry what did you say?’ Candice voice cut through
the air like a sharp knife and when Sophie ignored her, she
said again, ‘I said what did you just say about me bitch?’
Sophie turned around and looked mildly afraid by
Candice’s evils.
A circle had formed around them people sensing the
tension between the two of them and no one else wanted to
get involved.
‘Just that you looked like you was having a fit up there, are
you sure you’re okay?’
‘Better than you. If you have something to say just say it.
Or are you afraid none of your cronies will back you up?’
‘They’d back me up more than your parents will. Your real
parents that is.’
Candice’s knuckles went whiter than her already white
skin (if that is possible) as her hands went into tight fists, her
body went rigged.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about Rowest, I have my
parents Carlyle and Jada. And they would back me up
completely if I were wanting to rip your head clear off of your
shoulders.’
‘No wonder your real parents didn’t want you. You are a
horrid, stupid, vile excuse for a Human and they were so
ashamed and horrified by you they couldn’t bear to look at
you when you were born, so they gave you to the most
crummiest parents they could find because - AARGH!!!’

Before anyone could do anything, or even blink, Candice

was on top of Sophie slapping her and yanking her hair out in
handfuls.
In a sense it was a mixture of good and bad luck that a
teacher had come to check on the lesson at that particular
second in time. It was good luck in the fact that the teacher
managed to pull Candy away from her, without Candice
actually seriously hurting her.
It was bad, that she and Jasper where sitting in the heads
office, while Evelyn was on the phone to Carlyle and Jada
asking them to come in.’
Jasper and Evelyn didn’t have to be there, but Jasper
refused to leave her side and Evelyn was sitting in the chairs
outside the office waiting for them.
Five minutes later and a slightly disgruntled Carlyle and
Jada turned up.
The head of the school was a porky man. He had a pot belly
and a balding patch on his head and looked much like a pig in
every way. He looked as if he lived at his desk, the grey suit
he was wearing looked as if it hadn’t ever been ironed, let
alone washed.

When Jada and Carlyle stepped into the office, his eyes just
glanced over him.
Carlyle frowned, his short blonde, tight curled hair was let
loose, he was as pale as the rest of the Scarletts and had the
same turquoise eyes.
He then looked at Jada, his eyes nearly popping out of his
socket.
She had the same pale face and turquoise eyes as the rest
of them, she had wild brown curly hair pulled into tight
bunches and looked younger than twenty five (which she
claimed).

‘I can now see what the other teachers meant, they all
look alike particularly Candy and her step-mother. I wonder if
they’re related. They could be, though clearly not their own,
too young to have a sixteen year old child.‘
Candice smiled slightly.
The public story was that Steph and Jasper were blood
related, Carlyle and Jada were their adoptive parents and that
Candice, Oliver and Evelyn were Carlyle and Jada’s other
adopted children.
When they came in, he motioned at them to take a seat
and he turned to Jasper and said,
‘You can go now,’
Jasper remained rooted as ever right by Candice’s side,
when Carlyle and Jada sat down on the other hard wooden
brown chairs they said;
‘Jasper please it’s fine, you go and wait outside with Ev
please.’ Jada said gently.
Jasper didn’t budge, instead he thought,

‘Candy would you like me to wait outside or stay here?’

She murmured back in such a quiet voice, that only Jasper

could hear her,
‘Yeah don’t worry - the worst he’s thinking is exclusion, and
I can keep my temper I think, and thank you. I really do mean
that.’

‘Don’t mention it,’

Jasper stood up and in one flowing movement he left the

room.
‘Right so, Mr. and Mrs Scarlett I’m sorry I had to call you in,
especially on your first day here in Swansea and on such bad
news. I’m sure your other daughter on the phone…’
‘Evelyn,‘ said Jada, looking at Mr. James.
‘Um, yes, Miss. Evelyn when she rang you I’m sure she told
you that there had been an incident in her dance class this
afternoon.’
 ‘Yes she did, she also told us that there had been a slight
argument,’ Carlyle said reasonably, but Candice read this
thoughts and he knew that Evelyn told him that a complete
cow called Sophie provoked me and I lost my temper. End of.
All Carlyle cared about was that I didn’t murder anyone and
for him that was good enough.
‘Well, yes, there was. One of our model students -’
‘You mean she is a stuck up teacher’s pet,’ mumbled
Candice.
‘Was somewhat, violently, attacked by Miss Candice here -
Sophie is now in Swansea Valley Hospital; and they are
patching up her broken nose,’
Candice allowed herself a slight congratulation - ‘And I am
very ashamed of Candice,’
Candice felt her temper flair up again, how did he have the
right to tell her how ashamed he felt of her, when he wouldn’t
listen to their side of the story?
‘Ashamed? ASHAMED!?! If you had someone taking the piss
out of you and telling you how up were adopted because you
are a stupid vile piece of scum! Maybe you’d be that tad
violet too!’ she had rose to her feet and was yelling at the top
of her voice, balling her hands into tight fists out of pure
frustration.
Carlyle touched her hand and said softly,
‘Come on Candy, you need to calm down that isn’t helping
anything, nor anyone.’
Candice slowly sat down, instead of breathing heavily like
anyone else who had just been yelling, her breathing was
normal. If not, slightly irregular.
‘Well,’ Mr. James said, ‘You should learn to ignore these
things... Anyway there is never any need for violence. I have
just been talking to Mr. Davey, and we have decided that you
are to be suspended for a month, because we have to make
an example. And I also have to ask you Mr and Mrs Scarlet to
come back to school for a meeting tomorrow morning.’
Carlyle spoke up,
‘I’m truly afraid that my wife and I will be unavailable
tomorrow. May we be able to come another day?’
Candice tried to figure out about what was going on, but
Carlyle was being clever by translating everything James had
said into French and Jada was adding up everything they had
spent in the last fifty years (so far the price was up to
£900,8906083, not bad, but she hasn’t come to how much I
have spent at Camden yet) thought Candice proudly.
‘Very well, the school secretary shall call you when
the diary is in front of her.’
He gestured at them to leave. They turned and left
Candice at the front.

***

When Candice got outside to where Carlyle had parked the

car, she noticed that all four of them were by the car.
Jasper and Oliver were talking in animate expressions.
Evelyn had her usual daydreaming expression and Steph was
sitting in the car texting someone.
‘Wow Candy, on your first day!’ Jasper sighed,
‘I know you make enemies but come on. But hey, it’s not
like the first time -’ when Oliver drew up close to Candice to
give her a high five, he noticed that when Sophie Row fought
back, Candice actually got a split lip and a slightly purple
black eye.
He ran this thumb over her lower lip quickly where the cut
was,
‘Did she do that to you?’
‘Oliver don’t. I’m okay. She was acting in self defence. And I
can take care of myself. And,’ she added suddenly trying to
distract them all from the fact she was suspended, ‘what are
we doing tomorrow?’
In response Carlisle handed Candice a scroll of thick,
yellow coloured paper.

Dear Dr, and Mrs Scarlet,

You have all been invited to a ball occurring this
morning at seven, starting in the underworld; the hostess
Miss. Renee Elder has invited your family of eight to this
occasional ceremony, in reason of their new image. Do not be
late. The pass code is: 75823625002
And the dress code is; male- black, female white.

‘Great, Great. That’s great. Meredith is going to be

a barrel of laughs after last time - thank you Jason and
Oliver(!) And people like Gerard will be there. I can’t go. I
can’t. And white and black come on can you say tacky?’
Candice muttered, re-reading the note. Tracing the words
with her fingers trying to get some kind of read on them.
Trying to see if she could tell what the people writing were
thinking.
After a few seconds of her tracing the words she allowed
the tension of her family staring at her, began eating at her
concentration, she quickly stuffed the letter into her bag
before anyone could ask her anything, she dashed away into
the trees and yelled out behind her.
‘Come on! Last one home has to by me drinks tonight!’
‘Hmm…’ Evelyn started going slower, since drinks were not
the expensive - not Vampyre drinks anyway.
‘The alone could max out ya credit cards, let alone all the
damage I could cause,’ with that she was gone.
Jasper looked at Oliver, than Evelyn and said,
‘Well I’m so not buying her drinks, I need some left on my
card for later.’ He dashed off away from them followed by
Evelyn than Oliver.