The rhythmic pounding mixed with my name being yelled repeatedly until it sounded like a foreign word snapped me back to reality. The reality of whose arms I was melting into.

"Schuyler" the smooth deep voice whispered in front of me followed sharply by the demanding voice on the other side of the door, "Sky, Sky!"

Jack stepped to the side allowing me free access to the doorknob. I turned it slowly to reveal the face that only an hour earlier I was sure my whole future was with. Now the same hazel eyes acknowledged that he knew where he stood in my life. Even if I was unsure his eyes seemed certain it wasn't with him.

"Uh, yeah, Sorry. We were just talking. What’s up?" I cursed each pathetically lied syllable as it left my mouth.

"Whatever!" He wouldn't make eye contact and I could feel the body behind me was pleased with Oliver's reaction, even though he made no sound.

"I just wanted to let you know Mimi's asking to see you."

"Me?"

Oh God, a double guilt whammy. Here I am coming to check on Mimi and instead became so easily distracted by the thought that I never want her brother, her soul mate, her lover for all eternity, to take his hands off me.

"Um, yeah,o.k."

I didn't want to see her. I tried to bite his taste off my mouth. Involuntarily rubbing every spot on me that his mouth had just been. Undoubtedly making the spots even redder and more obvious. Oliver's eyes seemed to trail along with my hand. The red marks from Jack's hot mouth like huge swollen tramp pox, insanely vivid against my white skin.

"See ya later Sky." Jack gently grabbed my shoulder. His hand burned even through my heavy sweater. I fought against my eyes shutting to accept it.

"Later red blood." He shot at Oliver as he pushed past our frozen exchange in the doorway, more malice in every word than usual.

"That's all I am, isn't it? All I'll ever be? Just the red blood."

"Don’t listen to him, you know Jack, he's just like that."

"Now you're defending him?"

"Ollie"

He turned his back on me; towards the whole blustering world going on back in the main hall of the house that I had completely forgotten about.

"Mimi's still waiting." He mumbled as he walked away from me.

The whole scene felt wrong. The way he was passing messages between us, he used his best dutiful voice on purpose and it worked. He felt like ...my conduit again...nothing more. My mind swam long past me being able to see him disappear into the packed room, at the end of the hall. I tried to figure all this out. How can destiny be so fickle? Surely I hadn't misread the glimpse. Surely, everything pointed to my future with Oliver. But then what was Jack's role? Since I couldn't possibly begin to figure everything out in the next few minutes I physically shook my head and turned towards the lavishly carved door at the other end of the hall.

The walls leading to Mimi's door were lined with pictures of her; hundreds ranging from recent modeling shots to posed shots of her in Shirley Temple dresses as a toddler. It felt more like walking to the shrine of some heavily worshipped God than to a teenager’s bedroom. Not that anyone would ever think Mimi Force anything shy of a goddess. My throat became dry, even more so as I repeatedly tried to swallow the lump building. I pulled on the turtleneck I wore as if that would help. But it did nothing. There is no reason on earth Mimi Force would want to see me that could be good. Something's wrong and I'm not sure I wanted to know what it is.

As I tapped lightly on the door I suddenly wished someone had at least let me know what condition she's was in after the attack, so I knew what to expect. Flashes of finding Cordelia drained on the floor of our home played vibrantly in my mind. Although I had gotten over her loss awhile ago a new hurt seemed to tug at my chest. Of course! Allegra had never known what had happened to Cordelia. It was as if my new memories and lifeblood from my mother were coming to terms and accepting what the rest of my body already knew.

"Entrée"

She certainly didn't sound weak, here usual playful yet teasing tone not at all getting lost through the thick mahogany door.

"Hey" I stepped in cautiously, “Oliver told me you wanted to see me. How are you feeling?"

"Schuyler, sister."

I tried to laugh, but our usual teasing to the uncomfortable arrangement of my staying in their home wasn't usual a jovial term, more a disgust for a situation we couldn't change.

I looked around the room as I walked over to where she was resting on her window chaise. The room looked the same as always, disorderly and gaudy. Still the nagging feeling that this is where the attack had happened pulled in me. Had someone mentioned that she was attacked in her room? I was sure no one had, still...

"So Schuyler. Did you have a nice little chat with my brother?"

My jaw dropped in disbelief. Is this what she wanted to see me about? She knew what had happened?

Mimi just sat there filing her long red nails; thoroughly enjoying the cat and mouse game she was unraveling with me. She looked nothing like I had prepared myself for. Full of color, full of life; her usual flawless self. In fact for a vampire who had just been viciously attacked by another she looked very sated.

"Look, Mimi...”

Her cruel giggle interrupted me, “Don’t squirm Van Alen. It's not like I'm blind. It's not like I haven’t' seen this coming for awhile."

"There's nothing between Jack and I."

"Liar!" The words were venom, yet her mouth was still pulled into a pink glossy smile.

“That’s why I did it of course."

Her riddles. What is it with this family and cryptic talk? I was too tired to try and decipher crazy Force ramblings.

"Did what?" I crossed my arms and shifted all my weight onto one foot, to show my disinterest in her game. Even throwing a yawn in for dramatic effect.

"Why I brought him back with me of course."

A shadow next to the window moved as she spoke. I stared at the tapestry curtains to see if the wind was blowing them, but they weren't open. There; it moved again. I couldn't make out the shadow, but it was definitely moving and every impulse in body told me this wasn't a good thing.

"Did you really think I had time to vacation, while some little half breed was making the moves on my twin? Please."

"But you were in Dubai with your mom...” I trailed off as I realized how much bigger this whole trap was than I was realizing.

I told Trinity that I was meeting some friends in France and left the second day I got there."

"Mimi your wrong. There's nothing between Jack and I" I could hear the fear in my own voice. It was a natural response to the look in her eyes; her mesmerizing green eyes had turned into a feral emerald. I had never seen Mimi look like this. She was certainly jealous, petty and stubborn, but even when she was on trial for trying to kill me I knew she wasn't capable of it. Now I wasn't so sure about that.

"He was easy to find. He knew I was looking for him."

"Who?"

I didn't really truly want to know the answer, even though I already did. The panic in me had my head throbbing already, making the room spin.

With one final step he stepped from the shadows. A face I knew too well.

"Kingsley."

Mimi Smiled at him with the gleeful grin of a child with a new toy. Making the contrast of the psychotic look in her eyes and innocent look on her mouth; into something sadistic. Kingsley eyes mirrored her animal glow. Slowly I understood; although I didn't want too.

"Hello love." He drawled with an accent that sent chills through me. I had voluntarily walked into his whole set up. A trap set up for the sole purpose of destroying me.

Scream Schuyler, Scream for Oliver, scream for Jack. But no sound would come out.

The two seemed satisfied with my reaction and laughed.

"Yes Schuyler dear, I brought Kingsley back with me and asked him to turn me. I 'm such a coward on my own. I needed a little nudge. But after tasting my Kingsley here, I see the draw." She walked over to the leather clad man that hadn't taken his eyes off me and licked his cheek, letting her whole body tremble.

I found my voice just enough to appeal to any glimmer of the old Mimi Force that was still inside her, “Don’t you realize what you've done? Become?"

"Yes! It's exhilarating, you should try it. Vampire blood is like a fine cabernet...after all those years of drinking Kool-aid. And the buzz after" Her whole body trembled again."

"What about Jack?"

"What do you mean?"

She fawned over her evil power source like a new pet; a private show; their hands all over one another. I started to understand her "buzz".

"He won't want you like this."

I motioned at what she had become, but she seemed oblivious to my accusations.

"Well, after we drain every tainted drop of the half human sludge from your body, he will be next. One of us, all powerful, all glorious. Jack would never resist me...or power." She laughed and I hated to admit but she could be right. My stomach turned even more at the thought of Jack becoming like this. The last wrench on my empty insides sent a dry heave shooting through my body.

"But first you Sky."

I stepped back as she walked powerfully towards me, my body weak from the heaving tremors. After only three steps my back hit against the closed door behind me. Impossible to be opened and escape, she was in front of me; as close as her twin had been only moments ago.

"Oh you stupid half breed. If you'd only rode off into the sunset with your pathetic red blood. You’re as sad as your mother."

Her hands began to lightly trail down my arms; teasing and playing with me as she did with the grinning vampire behind her.

And then the pain!