I lay down on Liam's comforter, trying not to pout. I didn't need a damn babysitter? I'd be an adult in like, a month. Of course I would be fine on my own. But then again, I was a prisoner, so I guess having a prison guard made sense.

I sighed, sitting up to take a swig of my tea-kind of challenging with only one arm, but I managed, albeit a bit slowly.

Suddenly, the door swung open, surprising me so much that I splashed like half my mug right onto my shirt. I groaned, then inspected the damage.

The shirt was already a worn, kind of terrible looking thing I only really wore around the house, so the tea stain couldn't really make it look any sadder than it was, but it would soon cool and stick to my skin. Since I didn't have any clothes of my own, I'd just have to deal with it.

I scowled, turning my gaze toward the door and preparing to yell at whoever had opened it, vampire or not.

Before I could say anything, though, the woman by the door spoke. "Hello," she said, shutting the door behind her and walking over to me stiffly. "My name is Helena. Liam has requested that I watch you while he is away."

I took in Helena's stiff, kind of formal greeting, her tall frame, serious frown, and the shirt that did nothing to conceal her bulging arm muscles-much bigger than Liam's. No, better not to anger this one. I held out my hand, and she took it, giving me one firm shake that threatened to rip out my one good arm. I yelped.

"Nice...nice to meet you, Helena," I said, shaking the pain out of my hand. Helena's sharp, bright red eyes watched me carefully, and she gave me a practiced little smile.

"Yes. Nice to meet you too, Blythe. As you are human, I feel you should be aware that I will do you no harm, as Liam has requested."

Oh. That was a relief, I supposed. I absent-mindedly pulled at the front of my shirt, the still wet stain starting to get uncomfortable. Helena noticed.

"Do you need a new shirt?" She asked, sounding more conversational than I'd heard so far.

I gave a little shrug. "I mean, yeah, but I didn't bring any." Helena considered me for a moment, then nodded curtly.

"There are plenty of vampires around your size. I can find something for you to borrow." I was about to thank her when she added, "It is improper for you to be dressed so...casually when addressing our leader." I looked down at my old sweatpants, ratty t-shirt, and hole-ridden socks, trying not to feel offended. Maybe it was Liam's fault for kidnapping me while I was dressed like a bum.

"Follow me," Helena said, striding to the door so briskly I had to jog to keep up.

We exited the room, walking all the way to the stairs at the end of the hall this time. I peered up them to find a hallway similar to the very one I stood in, with yet another set of stairs at the end. Was it a hotel or something? Just how many people lived there?

I suddenly noticed that Helena had moved on without me, so I scampered after her, somehow out of breath. She looked down at me, a brown eyebrow raised.

"An untrained body is often representative of an untrained mind," Helena told me helpfully. I scowled at her as we came to a stop in front of a pitch black door. Confused, I looked at all the other doors around me. Brown wood, all of them. But this door looked as if it had been painted black.

Helena knocked twice. I didn't hear anything for a few seconds, anticipation mounting.

Suddenly a kind of groaning noise came from behind the door, making me jump a little.

"Hello, this is Helena. I must request a favor of you, Ruby," Helena said, as formal as she had been with me.

The black door opened onto a pitch black room. I peered inside, but there were no discernable shapes. That is, until a pale face seemed to appear out of the shadows, like a ghost. I jumped back, and the face-a girl-grinned ghoulishly.

True to her name, Ruby had red, almost pink eyes, straight black hair covering one, and a wicked looking smile rimmed with black lipstick. She bore a striking resemblance to the kids who sat in the very back left corner of my homeroom, the corner with the most shade. Their eyes were rimmed in layer upon layer of black eyeliner, too.

Emo vampire. Not exactly a sight I thought I'd ever see.

"Well well, Helena. What's this? Breakfast in bed?" Ruby asked in an almost seductive tone, slithering out of her room like some kind of snake, revealing a short black skirt, black fishnets, high black leather boots, and a black tank top.

Helena shook her head. "No. Liam has requested that we leave her unharmed."

Ruby pouted, leaning against her doorframe. "Aww, he's no fun," She grinned suddenly, as if remembering something. "Actually, that's a lie," Ruby whispered to me, licking her lips.

Something about that girl made me very, very uncomfortable.

Helena stepped forward. "Ruby, this is Blythe. She is in need of new clothing, and is about your height." I was amazed at how little Ruby seemed to unfaze Helena.

Ruby looked me up and down, taking longer than I thought she probably needed to. I blushed, glancing away from her. So uncomfortable.

"I think I have just the thing," Ruby said, grinning. She melted back into the darkness of her room, and I heard some rummaging around before she reemerged, holding a red dress shorter and lower-cut than any I'd ever even considered purchasing.

"Ta-da!" Ruby said, tossing it at me. "It's Liam's favorite color. I'm sure he'll love it off you."

My blush deepened, as I was pretty sure she hadn't misspoken. "I-I can't wear this!" I shrieked, tossing the slinky dress right back at her. Ruby laughed, a high pitched, giggly sound.

"Oh my God. Your face," she giggled. "I don't know where Liam finds you little things. Just adorable!"

Still giggling, Ruby disappeared back into her room, this time emerging with a blue, long-sleeved dress with a white collar. It was a decent length, though a little more form-fitting at the torso than I was used to. No matter. It was still a nice dress.

Ruby glared at it a moment, then tossed it to me without warning. "Blue is such a shit color. Perfect for a shitty little human like you. Don't bother returning it."

"Oh, uh...thanks," I said, examining the dress for myself. Ruby shrugged, vanishing into the blackness without another word.