Two

Apart from the initial sting of the double injection in both arms, I didn't feel anything else as I was pushed out in to my new world. It took several seconds for my eyes to adjust to the strange new light surrounding me.

For eighteen years, I had seen nothing but beige colours. Beige clothes, beige buildings, beige food. It had always been a colourless life.

But standing just outside the entrance of The Ruby Generation of Vampires, I saw heaps of red gem stones instead of grass. The pathways through the stones were a startling white brick and the rubies glowed like lights.

In front of me stood roughly thirteen Pearl Ed students who had chosen this same generation in the minutes before I had.

They were being ushered forward and being touched by a girl who wore a dress similar to a bridal gown. She had smooth brown skin and long blue hair that flowed down to her waist.

She was one of the coolest people I had ever seen. But I couldn't really compare to much after being stuck in Pearl Eds all my life.

A loud thud behind me made me jump. A girl who was a few inches taller than me with dull blonde hair looked around, trying to get her bearings. She had just been pushed through the door.

"Hi!"

Even though her voice was no more than a whisper, it startled me. I was so used to not having any communication with anyone my own age back in Pearl Eds that it was a complete shock that somebody had even greeted me.

I smiled at the girl, amazed at how crystal clear I could see her. I could count all two hundred and seven freckles smattered on her nose in less than a second.

I felt genuinely happy that she had spoken to me and I wondered how long that would last. After all, I had chosen a world where I should feel nothing. Feelings didn't exist here.

"Hello."

My reply to her was a tinkling sound. It wasn't my Pearl Eds voice. It was crisp and sing song. It was pretty. I hadn't really had much of a chance to speak as a student, but I definitely preferred the clear voice I had in this world. I had always sounded miserable back in Pearl Eds, but then we probably all did.

"I guess we can be friends now that we aren't at Pearl Eds anymore. There are no rules against it. We will be finding out our names any second. Don't run off. I want to find out who you are."

The initial smile stayed on my face. Her light almost icy blue eyes were kind and a total contrast to my large, brown eyes with thick lashes.

In my first life, I had an olive complexion. Paired with my dark hair and eyes, I had always looked exotic. I quickly checked my arms, wondering if I was pale like the human myth vampires. Not so far, I seemed to have come through this world with a lot of myself in tact. I was pleased about that.

"Yes, I suppose we can be friends. I've never had one before. Let's stick together for a bit."

She nodded, a look of relief on her face. Despite the fact that I was now supposed to be a hardened vampire with no emotions, I felt comfort in the fact that I wouldn't be starting this new generation journey alone.

We shifted towards the front of the queue. The girl with the blue hair seemed to be getting people through the line very prompt.  

After just a minute, it was my turn to be greeted by her. 

She reached her delicate, long fingers forward and touched my necklace. 

"Welcome. You have made the right choice and I hope you will be very happy here in the Ruby Generation. By touching your necklace, I have chipped you with your forever name and a tracker. As you know, you may never leave The Ruby Generation of the Vampires. If you walk towards the end of the road ahead of you, you will find a welcome pack and an envelope containing your name. If you have trouble settling in, please refer to the back page of your welcome pack. Safe travels."

I was pushed forward gently, feeling heat radiating from my necklace again. It seemed like every time someone touched it, it warmed up. Almost to the point of boiling, but it was just bearable. I didn't know if it was normal or not. I didn't recall reading anything about our stones heating up when touched.

I walked to the end of the road, noting that all the others before me had disappeared. I couldn't see anyone. Just fires of red stones and harsh white foot paths.

I jumped back a step as a welcome pack and envelope materialised in the air in front of my face. For some reason, the powers at Pearl Eds didn't like to give us a huge amount of information on what actually happened the day we graduated. So seeing things appear before me as if by magic blew my mind.

I grabbed at them, eager to find out what my name would be. That was the one thing that had really got to me back in Pearl Eds, the fact that we were all just numbers. That we weren't even deemed worthy enough to have our own identity.

I tucked the welcome pack under my arm and opened my envelope, pulling out a little red card with white writing on. My name. I ran my fingers over the letters and tested saying it out loud.

"Cassie"

As soon as I spoke, the ruby on my necklace glowed as if confirming it.

It wasn't just that I liked the name, it felt like this was who I had always meant to be.

My name was Cassie. And I was now a Ruby Generation vampire. It felt as right as it could feel after being just a number for eighteen years.

I was just about to go off and study my welcome pack when I realised the girl from behind me in the queue was stood beside me, ripping her envelope open. She turned the card around to show me, a smile on her face. Her card said 'Mel' in white letters against the red background.

I gestured that we should walk on ahead to study our welcome packs, after all, more and more people would be turning up to find out their names soon. I felt we should give them space.

"Mel. That's a good name. It fits you. Are you happy with it?"

She grinned at me as we walked, then shrugged her shoulders. She had an easy, relaxed way about her. Her lips were thin and pink, but permanently in a smile.

"I don't feel anything about it. It's just a name. It means nothing to me."

I frowned, my brow furrowing, shocked that something that was such a huge deal to me meant so little to her. 

"Then why are you smiling?"

She stole a look at the card I was holding in my hand. I could see a bench up ahead, on the side of the white road. The bench was embedded with rubies, making it sparkle menacingly. I was going to stop there and read my welcome pack. 

"Look, Cassie, we are vampires now. We don't feel anything. It makes no difference if I have a name or not. From now on, we get to live an uncomplicated life with no emotions. It's going to be fun. But even though I feel empty inside, I would like to tag on with you for a bit. I don't want to get something wrong. It's nerve wracking really."

I gave a quick nod of my head, but her words were bothering me. I sat down on the bench, gesturing for Mel to sit as well. It was surprisingly comfortable considering it was made with sharp gem stones.

"When are our emotions supposed to go? Because I still feel things inside. I don't feel empty like you. Not yet."

She studied me as if she were just seeing me for the first time. 

"Our emotions get wiped the moment they inject us. Didn't you feel your worries and even your soul melting away as you walked through that door?

I shook my head, chewing on my lip. She raised an eyebrow. 

"Right. Then let me give you some advice. Keep it to yourself. If any of The Rubies have an inkling that your transition hasn't worked properly, they will get rid of you."

I gasped, staring at her in horror. 

"Get rid of me? What do you mean get rid of me?"

"I'm not allowed to say how. These rubies on our necks are more advanced than you think. I'm not saying they are tracking our every move, but as newbies, we will be being kept an eye on for now. It's against Ruby law for me or anyone else to discuss the way they get rid of people who aren't shall we say....fitting in. So trust me on this, I might not be able to feel emotion anymore, but I haven't lost all my sense...keep your head down and your mouth shut. Because if something hasn't worked out with you, you do not want anyone finding out."

I went to say something, to protest, but she put a finger against her lips, her eyes stern. 

"Not another word Cassie. Don't risk it. Let's have a read of these shall we?"

I nodded. The injections must have worked somehow because just as I had counted all the freckles on Mel's face earlier in one second, I could read the entire sixty page welcome pack in five seconds. I took in every single word like it was ingrained in my memory. 

My senses were clearer than they had ever been. I could smell a member of The Rubies having their dinner of blood even though there was nobody in our sight every which way I looked. 

I felt strong. I picked up a sizeable ruby from the ground and held it in my hand. I gently squeezed it with my fore-finger and thumb, watching as it crumbled to dust. Some things had definitely worked, so why did I still have emotions?

Mel was scoping me out again, clearly worried that I was going to talk about something I shouldn't, so I changed the subject. 

"It says in this welcome pack that there is a clothes shop just a few miles from here. It also says that we can cover a mile in just a couple of foot steps which is why we haven't seen anyone around for a while. Do you want to go get out of these awful beige jumpsuits and pick something cool to wear?"

Her eyes widened, a sly grin on her face. 

"Huh. It seems a girl can still get excited about clothes even after being wiped. Yes, let's go."

We stood up. I couldn't help chuckling. 

"Mel, just because your emotions have been wiped, it doesn't mean that you won't ever get excited or feel anything ever again. Life is still made up of moments whatever world you choose. Let's go shop!"

She giggled and to my surprise, linked my arm with hers. I felt short compared to her, she was about a head taller than me. I bet we could have been friends back in the Pearl Eds days, if we had been allowed. 

We came to a stop outside the clothes shop. There used to be a famous shop back in the human days in London called Harrods. This shop was easily as big as that. The building was a rustic red brick and the sign declaring its name lit up with rubies, like everything else so far in this generation.

The shop was called 'Vamp Perks' and I figured that it was a play on the Mayor of the Rubies name, Matthew Perkins. 

We walked in to the impressive entrance where a flawless man greeted us at the reception. It took a bit of getting used to having everyone the same age as you in this world. It was the only world out of the three where everyone stayed at eighteen.

In The Emeralds, the witches and wizards aged and in The Diamonds, the afterlife were a mix of ages due to the fact that they had the option to age or indeed, even reverse age once dead, but they would still be around forever. Some people that chose the afterlife liked the thought of being an ancient ghost, it was more scary. Some ghosts chose to stay at the age of thirty to forty because that was the generation that produced the most babies and it was considered a stereotypical family age. But here in The Rubies, we were all eighteen, forever.

The man at reception had a blonde mohawk with flamed orange tips. Everyone in this world was trendy. 

"Hi girls! I don't have to ask if you are new judging by those ghastly jumpsuits. Let's get you kitted out and then you can be on your way down to the salon and get a makeover. Looks like you need it."

I crinkled my nose in anger. He may have been stylish but he sure was rude. 

"Hey, who are you to tell us that we need a makeover?"

Mel, who still had my arm linked, squeezed it gently. 

"Cassie, emotions."

She whispered, but I was pretty sure the mohawk vamp heard. He eyed us suspiciously. 

"As I trust you have read your welcome packs, you will know that you can buy anything you want today. Stock yourselves up for life or just for a day, I don't care. You pick it out and we send it to your wardrobe that you can access at any time just by double tapping your ruby. We don't have cash in the Rubies world so everything you want is yours. Same with the restaurants and salons, which I recommend you go to despite your protests..." I couldn't help but scowl as he carried on talking. "There is no place in The Rubies where you will need cash. Some of you newbies get confused at that because Pearl Eds is still somewhat stuck in the human ages and accepts money. We have every garment of clothing you ever thought possible here at Vamps Perks, but the only rule is, as I am sure you've read.... you have to have a splash of red on it somewhere. Which all of our items do have, so you don't need to worry yourselves with that too much. I will send an assistant around with you. Hand her anything that interests you and she will store it in your wardrobe. Any questions?"

I raised my hand slightly, still feeling like I was a student at Pearl Eds. 

"If there is no cash in this world, how do you get paid? Do you work for free?"

He rolled his eyes, clearly not finding my question interesting.

"Darling, once the immortality sets in, you will find that the boredom comes easily. Happy shopping."

He ushered us away and we were led through the shop by an assistant. A small girl with shoulder length pink hair and orange eyes. I guessed she must be wearing contacts. Everyone certainly seemed to have an unusual sense of style in this world.

Mel picked close to one hundred outfits before I had even chosen one. It wasn't that simple for me. When you had worn the same thing all of your life, it was a big choice to figure out what to wear. We were each allowed to pick something to change in to right there in the shop.

Mel picked an extravagant red and black polka dot dress with killer heels. I went for something simple. I picked a pair of blue denim jeans with red trim around the pockets, and a plain red t-shirt finished off with white trainers and red laces. By the time we left, Mel had no less than three hundred and seventeen outfits, shoes and accessories for her wardrobe. 

I had five outfits. The one I was wearing, plus three more t-shirts and jeans with one pretty green dress combined with a red belt that reminded me of the Emeralds Generation. I would just have to shop for more another time. As we left the building and made our way to the salon, Mel linked my arm again. 

"Really Cassie? Five outfits that are mostly t-shirts and jeans?"

I shrugged, brushing my hair away from my face. 

"It's a hard choice, I can't just pick loads of things on a whim, what if it doesn't suit me?" I smiled at her, looking her up and down in approval. "You look lovely by the way, the dress is great."

She squeezed my arm gently. 

"Thank you, you look nice too. But honey, you are going to have to start acting more normal. Like one of us. Come on, let's go in here and get ourselves made up."

We walked into a salon called 'V Beauty' that specialised in hair and make-up. Mel was off straight away telling the hair stylist that she wanted her long bobbed blonde hair a bit shorter and platinum white. The hairdresser took her off and was done in less than five minutes.

I stared at my long, brunette hair in the mirror, wondering what I wanted done. I honestly liked my hair the way it was. It had a slight curl to it and it always looked glossy and shiny.

Mel went to get her make-up done while I smiled apologetically at the stylist. 

"Just a trim please."

She looked disgusted at my choice but led me over to a seat. I was done in thirty seconds flat. Everything was super fast in The Rubies. It would take some getting used to.

Mel had finished her make-up and looked fantastic with her platinum blonde hair and edgy stage style make up. I decided that I did want to go to the make up station. I smiled at the artist, who was somewhat thrown off by my cheeriness. 

"I've always wanted to try mascara and red lipstick. Can we do that, please?"

She nodded and busied herself. 

"Your eyes are fantastic, you barely need this mascara. I've never seen lashes so thick and dark. You are very lucky."

I grinned, thanking her. It meant a lot hearing comments like that from all these stylish people. After she added the lipstick, I admired myself in the mirror, loving how smooth it looked on my lips. It stood out well with the ruby necklace and t-shirt I was wearing. I thanked the stylist for her time and left the salon feeling elated. 

I linked Mel's arm this time and basically skipped down the road with her, much to her amusement. 

"Look at us! No more beige, we are all....ruby like now. It's incredible!"

Mel laughed loudly. 

"Trust me to make friends with the one vampire that still feels stuff. I think you are going to rub off on me soon, Even I feel happy and excited now! Cassie, you are so going to get us in trouble one day."

We giggled and chatted as we made our way through the ruby streets. Everything looked so pretty. There were little houses made of red glass. There were gorgeous trees full of autumn red leaves. Everything was quite enchanting. Mel nudged me. 

"Shall we get something to eat, I'm starving?"

I swallowed my dread down, trying my best to act 'normal' in front of Mel.

"Are you...are you OK with the fact we have to eat blood now?"

She nodded, seemingly not concerned by the diet at all. 

"Of course, once you change in to a vampire, you long for blood. It's not gross to us at all, it's just like eating any food."

I tried hard to keep my eyes on the road, I didn't want her to see that I didn't feel like that. She cottoned on anyway. 

"Oh Cassie, something really did go wrong. You don't want blood, do you?"

I shook my head, feeling sad that I wasn't like everyone else in this world. What did it all mean?

"Listen, it's not as bad as you think. There are restaurants and cafes in this generation where you can order blood pudding or blood jelly. Things like that. A blood burger sounds good, what do you think?"

I felt queasy inside. 

"Please stop talking."

She giggled and rolled her eyes, then stopped me in the street, making me look at her. 

"Or you can order fresh blood in packs. According to the welcome book, if you rub your ruby necklace downwards twice, a cart will be summoned with bags of fresh blood. It's a bit like our wardrobe. We can store blood in our food cupboard that appears on request. But you can only keep fresh blood for three days. Shall we do that?"

Everything she said made me feel nauseous. But the fresh blood summoned by cart seemed better than eating in a public place where I had to pretend to enjoy the food in front of other vampires. I was obviously having trouble settling in, I didn't want anyone other than Mel to notice, especially after that comment she made about the other vampires getting rid of me if they found out. 

"Let's go for the fresh blood then."

She threw me a relieved grin, probably happy that I was appearing to act normal.

We each rubbed our rubies twice in a downward motion, and right before our eyes, an old fashioned wooden cart arrived. My stomach turned at all the bags of blood on the back. The realisation that I would have to drink one made me feel sick to my stomach. 

The cart door opened and out stepped the most unusual looking man I had ever seen. He didn't look like anyone I had ever come across at Pearl Eds and he certainly didn't look like one of The Rubies.

His hair was so black, it looked like the night and he had huge eyes that were the most striking light brown colour. His eyebrows were as dark as his hair and his mouth with full, thick red lips was turned up in a dazzling smile. He was around the same height as Mel, probably about five foot nine at a guess. His clothes looked like old human clothes. He was wearing a button up sky blue shirt like the humans used to wear in business meetings, his top button undone, showing a hint of his chest. His trousers were black, matching his smart black shoes.

I could see the bulk of his arms through his tight shirt. I knew I was staring, but I couldn't help it. He was mesmerising and didn't resemble anyone I had ever learnt about from any world. 

"Hello ladies!" He saluted and gave us a cheeky wink as he walked to the back of his cart. "It looks like you are stuck with me whenever you order fresh blood. I am your man." He chuckled slightly as he lifted a bag out from the back and handed it to Mel. "The name is Jamie, nice to meet you both."

He shook Mel's hand, then turned to me. I didn't know if I imagined it, but his eyes widened as he took me in. He looked me up and down, I could see that all too familiar suspicious look in his eyes, just like the boy in the clothes shop. Mel introduced herself and took the bag of blood from him, saying thanks. He was still looking at me warily. He raised an eyebrow. 

"And you are?"

I tried to get myself together. He didn't know that I didn't fit in. He couldn't know.

"Cassie."

He smiled again, but still looked hesitant. 

"Pretty name. OK, here is your blood. Are you wanting any for your cupboard or is this enough for today?"

I took the blood from him, my nose crinkled in disgust. I set it down on the floor, shocked to see that Mel had already torn her bag open with her teeth and was taking long gulps. 

"Uh...no thanks, this will do me."

He scratched his head as he looked from Mel to me. 

He stepped closer, making sure that Mel was engrossed in her blood. 

"You don't want it do you?"

I shook my head, then looked down at the floor, ashamed. If I couldn't hide my disgust in front of a total stranger, then I had no chance. I was doomed. 

I jumped as I felt his hand under my chin, lifting my face to look up at him. 

"Cassie.... you aren't a Ruby are you?"

I looked into his eyes, feeling like he could see right in to my soul. It was an uncomfortable feeling. 

"Yes...I uh...yes. of course. I'm....I'm a Ruby Generation vampire. It's what I chose."

He let go of me, glanced at Mel who was helping herself to another bag, then pulled out his necklace from under his shirt. I gasped and reached out to touch it. The most beautiful sapphire jewel hung around his neck. As soon as I touched it, the ruby on my necklace burned. I let go of his, crying out, making a move to take off the ruby that was burning into my skin. He grabbed my wrist gently to stop me. 

"Don't. If you take it off, the authorities will find you. You need to do this properly or you will be killed."

I didn't know what he meant. It was all so confusing. I felt tears burning the back of my eyes. 

"But...it hurts. It's burning me."

  He nodded, his eyes full of sympathy. 

"It will calm down in a bit, I promise. Cassie, I'm the last of the Sapphire Generation."

"The last generation, what...what do you mean?"

He let go of my wrist now and looked away as he said the next words. 

"If they find out you don't belong here, if they know you are a Sapphire....you will be killed instantly. There are only a few of us left, they don't accept us anymore. Me and another boy I met on graduation day were the last two Sapphires that I know of. That was three years ago. I'm twenty one. I had to go through two years of torture before they decided to let me live. Billy, the other Sapphire...he wasn't so lucky."

Mel was still happily slurping her blood. It was her third bag now. 

"So what am I supposed to do then?"

He shrugged. 

"I'm sorry. I can't help. I shouldn't have even said that much. I have to go. Just... just keep yourself safe."

"No...wait. Just, tell me more. Please."

He held his hands up and shook his head. He walked over and got back in his cart, disappearing before I could even speak.