• Tick, tick, tick.
    Isabella dismissed the noise as one of daddy’s contraptions for the show. Not worth worrying about.
    What she had to worry about though was her and her family’s last circus performance in the most run down town ever. Pathetic excuses for houses lined the streets, the biggest ones about the size of her bedroom from childhood.
    They were all jumbled together, and made of god knows what with leaky roofs of hay and mud. Floors were either packed down dirt or, if someone was really lucky, worn down, scuffed wood. Most of the houses she’d been through in that town had little if any furniture, maybe a few mats for beds and a fireplace full of soot.
    Lucky for her, daddy had managed to buy a really big, emerald green carpet with gold flowers stitched throughout it to cover the dangerous wooden floor. Vampires like her and her family had to watch out for wood, one good hit with it could kill them.
    Isabella sighed, and peered at her reflection in the mirror of their beautiful, mahogany vanity with little swirls and stars carved into it, of course with a magical spell so it did no harm to her. Vibrant, purple doe eyes looked back at her, mischief sparkling in them. A pale, ceramic like baby face with round cheeks and a cute nose.
    Hair with a color like fresh strawberries fell gently around her face and down her slim back, perfectly straight. On top of her hair was a simple blue and green headpiece pushed back slightly. Its colors matched the striped corset she was wearing for the show. Mother had given it to her for her last birthday so she could look ‘absolutely dazzling’ while she did exotic flips and dances for her part of the show.
    Under the corset she had on a white shirt with puffy sleeves at her shoulders and widened around her lower arm. They’d managed to convince daddy let her wear a pair of white pants with blue trimmings at the bottom and her silken, blue slippers. The perfect outfit for her, the colors blending perfectly and making her odd colored hair pop out.
    Giggling, she touched her cheek gently and turned around on her matching mahogany chair. The room she was in wasn’t hers only of course. She shared it with her oldest sister Zosma, and the third oldest sister Aleya. The oldest daughters out of eleven siblings, six of which were girls.
    The room was simple too, empty mystery walls and the carpeted floor. Three beds on her right side with quilts made by mother on each. A strawberry color to match Isabella’s hair, a dark green blanket that was Aleya’s favorite color, and a black one to match Zosma’s eyes. There was a baby blue privacy screen with stars like the sky on a moonless night that hid a metal wash basin, currently holding a bar of flowery soap and a soft washing cloth.
    Simple yet cute, like her. Well, except for the fact that the room wasn’t a thief and a prank puller. Whenever Zosma and Isabella got bored, they would wreak havoc on the town they were in, doing anything from stealing an apple or two all the way to pulling the stoppers on carts and laughing as the carts were chased down. They never got caught, but men were there some close times.
    “Knock knock.”
    Came a familiar, slightly accented voice. Zosma. She must’ve finished up talking with daddy. Isabella rolled her eyes, taking a silver ring off her finger.
    “You can come in, I’m not a doorman.” She said back. The door opened, revealing the dusky sky outside and a smiling Zosma. She strolled in, her movements smooth and graceful but strong and independent at the same time. Like her personality.
    That night she had her dirty blond hair pulled up and tied in loops by black ribbons. On anyone else it would have looked really odd, but it suited Zosma perfectly. It revealed her eyes that were so black they seemed to lighten everything up when she’s near.
    She had rich tan skin like father, and a defined sharp face that still held bits of a childish look. A perfect nose, heart shaped face, and freckles across it all.
    A pair of white pants that were tight was under a weird, baggy looking pants thing that were tied around her ankle and missing the middle parts. They looked partly like genie pants but they weren’t transparent at all, but rather were a shiny black color that reflected light and shone different colors. A tight top of the same material covered her stomach and chest. They were attached to white flowing sleeves with slits at her shoulder and matched her several rings and bracelets she was bearing.
    “Wow sis, nice err outfit.”
    Isabella said, chuckling at the outfit. She hadn’t seen anything like it, but it was unique and pretty. Zosma joined in on the laughing and walked over to her, patting her head.
    “Not doing anything with your weirdo hair?”
    “Nope.”
    “But why not, don’t you wanna impress some cute, rich guy?”
    “You seem to do a pretty good job of that on your own Ms. Rich guy magnet. They swarm you like bees.”
    Isabella nodded at all the jewelry on the vanity, gifts from rich guys who’d had that hear stolen by Zosma and wanted to swoon her into courting with them.
    Zosma put a hand to her face and waved it like a fan.
    “Oh, I’m so wonderful. Bow down to my perfection and beauty!” She said with a mock snobby tone, sticking her nose in the air like a brat. They both erupted with bouts of laughter, and it took them a while to calm down.
    Zosma wiped the tears from her face that sprang up from laughing to hard and sighed. “Hehe…Anyway, we should probably go out to the tent, the show’s starting soon, and you’re right after the twins juggling act. They’ve gotten so good at it, and they look adorable tonight.”
    Isabella nodded and stood up, her head reaching to about Zosma’s chin. Zosma, who had been turned to a vampire at twenty-three, was tell compared to Isabella who was changed at sixteen, but they were both kind of short.
    “Great. And I can’t wait to see daddy’s new machine. It’s been ticking incessantly for a while. Shh, listen, you should be able to hear it still.” She held up a thin finger up and they were both silent.
    Tick, tick, tick.
    Zosma blinked and a puzzled look came to her face. “Uhh, father hasn’t made anything for the show tonight. Whatever’s ticking he didn’t stick there.” She grabbed Isabella’s sleeve and pulled her to the door hastily, looking over her shoulder and sticking behind her little sister.
    “What do you think it could be then? No one’s supposed to go in that room but you and daddy. I mean, it sounds like it’s coming from the storage room on the other side of the wall…”
    Isabella trailed off, twirling her hand while she spoke. She stepped outside onto the dirty grounds and waved to the twins, Gigi and Stefan. Stefan was wearing a little white suit with a top hat upon his strawberry red hair. Gigi was wearing a matching dress and her pale curls were piled on top of her small head, golden ribbons running through it. They were the cutest five year old vampire twins she’d ever seen.
    They smiled, and ran off with their gold juggling balls in their small hands towards the big tent for the opening scene. Or so they thought.
    Zosma bit her bottom lip nervously and glanced once more at their room. She had an uneasy feeling about the ticking, something was wrong about it, menacing almost. “Let’s go, stay on my right. Don’t ask why, just do it.” She told her urgently, pulling her to her right side, so if something did happen, Isabella would have Zosma protecting her.
    Isabella raised an eyebrow at her peculiar behavior as she walked on Zosma’s right side towards the tent. She hadn’t realized she was still hearing the ticking sound until it stopped suddenly.
    “Wha-”
    Suddenly, a huge explosion came from their room, shaking the very ground and sending the two flying a few feet away. Zosma landed on top of Isabella and used her own body as a shield. Everything was flying around, slamming into her and sending dirt and smoke through the air.
    Zosma had been right; someone had just set off a bomb.