I resigned myself to the fact I didn't want to make the trip back to Seventeen. Needless to say, I wasn't jumping up and down at the prospect of having any conversations with Adrienne or Kara right now. The guilt trip they'd try to afford me would exceed my current threshold.

This led me to find my way to the doors of the club I didn't frequent often. It was a building that neither one had entered into recently, where I could hopefully avoid both of them. I'd made my way to the bar on arrival, eager to consume the concoctions that'd be served to me in their various forms; the line of shots that were set on fire, the rainbow spectrum of cocktails, or even just plain all vodka - any arrangement would be savoured.

The bartender, Aria, had known me for a few months and had already placed three glasses in front of me by the time I was comfortable on the stool. I didn't approach Regulus on a consistent basis; it was well known for being one of the more 'sketchy' clubs, where humans were far more than likely to disappear than get back home - I'd go as far as saying it was the least regulated club in the entire district.

She flashed a wide grin as she filled each of them with a liquid from the shaker. I had offered a smile back but didn't start a conversation, my attention refused to linger on her for too long tonight - she was surely tired of hearing the tales that often flew out of my mouth, and wouldn't give me anything other than alcohol. Her eyes had already drifted from mine, trailing down the bar left and right to make sure future customers hadn't turned up, and the ones that were already there weren't causing a scene.

It was the conversation happening several stools down the bar that had grabbed my attention instead. Two vampires with dark expressions, drunken sways and annoyance in their eyes. They were both staring at a group of humans, hidden in the corner of the room in a dark booth - whispering to each other, just quietly enough that even I couldn't hear them. That was surprising enough; most humans that did end up in here were riding solo, and completely unaware of what they were walking into - but this group came here purposely, maybe waiting for the show that was bound to occur.

"They're going to get us back one day," The first had muttered, his eyes going back to his friend who was chugging down his drink quickly. The liquid in the cup was yellow based with a slight tint of blood; Aria was keeping them as happy as she could muster - high alcohol levels and a tipsy sensation from an unwanted blood type.

"One day?" The second had said while leaning on to the bar, his hair was long enough to flow just past his shoulder, and he'd swung it as he called Aria over with a weak finger. His drink was slightly more red-tinted than his friend so I had to presume he was the rowdier of the two, "You mean any day now, right?"

"It won't be anytime soon Romero," The first had said, shaking his head in bemusement. There was an element of false confidence in his voice that didn't seem real to me; as though he didn't believe his own words that were dripping from his mouth.

"You haven't heard them talk then, have you?" The second had scoffed, his eyes had gone back to the humans in the corner. Aria, who was standing meekly beside them, pouring their several glasses with whiskey, was eyeing the group up too. There was a concern in her eyes that I didn't often see - as a member of the second bloodline she had heightened empathy which came with the original she was sired with. This made her far warier of what actions were taken to humans within the Eastern Zone, and this conversation seemed like it'd be a cauldron of unease for her.

"The humans?" The first had replied, a tension appearing in his body that even I could notice from here, "What have they said?"

I wasn't ready for the reply that I knew was coming. It had just dawned on me that it wasn't just me that had heard about the revolution, or the whispers that had gone around the zone of humans that weren't happy with us, or the vampires that weren't happy with them.

"They resent us, Hane," Romero said through gritted teeth. The glass in his hands had broken as he said it, his grip on it had made it give way as the anger he was feeling had risen. I knew there were vampires like this; vampires that were so worried that another war would break out that it created anger. A wave of anger due to the unknown; and an unwillingness to be thrown back into the hole from once we came, " We killed and changed their family and friends, you think they're going to take that lying down?"

"We made peace," Hane mumbled, looking down at his glass. Aria was still lingering near them but her eyes hadn't dropped from the group of humans in the back of the room, and neither had Romero's.

"I think you boys have had enough," Aria had mumbled, pulling the glasses back towards her. Both vampires had stopped to look at her; frustration and disbelief etched on their faces. The conversation they'd been having seemed to drop from their minds instantly, cheeky grins replacing their frowns.

"It's too early Aria, c'mon," They had both pleaded, clinging to the remaining glasses in their hands. By the look of her face, I knew this wasn't going to end well; her face had twisted into a scowl, her arms crossed tightly as the glasses were placed below her.

"Now," She had barked, looking them both jointly in the eyes, "Leave," They had both gotten up straight away and trotted out the bar murmuring disappointment. I could merely chuckle at the action; being able to tell people what to do was a skill most vampires possessed - but telling other vampires what to do was only managed by a certain few, and Aria revelled in the ability.

Aria's gaze lingered on the group on the corner a little longer. Perhaps it was out of concern for them; Hane and Romero were far drunker than the average vampire, so it was entirely possible they could pick a fight. Perhaps, however, it was the other side of the coin; fear that the humans were here for less than savoury purposes. I didn't linger on that consideration, at the very least it wouldn't be my problem either way.

I'd left the bar with the last remaining glass Aria had provided me with after the two men had left my sight. The humans in the corner had gotten up and joined the dance floor together, and I'd needed to push past them to get into the room. I dropped into the nearest booth as I met the carpeted edge of the floor, and a cleared throat had shot my attention to a young blonde girl, quietly sipping on a drink. She had raised an eyebrow at me, but it was matched by a sweet expression of bemusement and playfulness.

Calana. A girl I'd only met a few times within the clubs, but even in that small amount I knew there was something slightly off about her now; the little colour we vampires possessed had almost completely drained from her face. It was her hand that had tipped me off though; shaking constantly even as she held a glass tightly with it.

I took a moment to consider all I knew of the girl before the implication dawned on me.

"Calana, you're part of fifteen right?" I had questioned, my words almost slurring as I spoke; Aria had to have put something in those drinks just to shut me up. I sat up straight in the booth and rested my head on the cushioning of the seat.

"Yes, Nika." She had replied, her eyes narrowing on mine. There were definitely signs that something about her felt off; weak and nervous. Nothing like the Calana I'd communicated with in the past. I used to say she was the life of the party, and now she was here, in a corner, drinking away her thirst as best she could.

"Did you feed?" I said, squinting my eyes. If she was still hungry this was not the place to be. Her being here was like Kara being here, the only difference was that although Kara may be young and hungry, she had still eaten recently - enough for three vampires combined. I could not say the same for Calana who was not only younger than Kara but didn't have a steady income of food this month.

"Of course. It took me a while to find a machine with any blood in it though." She explained, swallowing the rest of her drink and holding the glass in the air. A man had shot past a few seconds later; the glass disappearing and a smug grin sat on her lips.

"Didn't they send more in?" I questioned. I was concerned. I knew I wasn't entirely convinced that Central cared enough to provide more blood packs for fifteen, but I didn't want to throw my faith completely out the window. Central couldn't afford another war - so why wouldn't they send more in?

"I don't believe so - they didn't tell us if they did," She confirmed my fears as a new glass had appeared on the table. Both of her hands had gone to cover her face after she'd taken a long hard glance at the drink, "I'm just hoping the next refill goes right, I can't survive on just scraps."

"I wouldn't be able to either," I murmured and stood up from the booth whilst stretching my arms out. I hesitated to leave the booth, there was something about her that was worrying me. I'd never seen her look defeated or fearful, and that's exactly the vibe she was giving me. I thought about Kara for a moment and how I'd react to her being this way, but knew that solution wasn't one I could give her, "I'd give you some of my packs Calana but Kara usually ends up needing one nearer the end of the month."

"It's okay Nika," She had said quietly, staring down into her glass, "I would never ask anyone to do that for me," I'd given her a sympathetic smile before leaving the booth completely. The masses of people made it difficult for me to focus; every now and then I'd catch a glimpse of someone gnawing on someone's neck and it'd create an even more vivid picture of where I was.

This was the worst place to be right now for someone like Calana. That was the thought that was on my mind when I'd seen my other problem. An all too familiar face living it up on the dancefloor.

Kara was in the middle of the floor, spinning in circles and jumping to the beat once again; there were hands all over her and a beam on her face - it was clear thirst was not causing her an issue, at least for now. I had to put that down to the red stain that was completely covering her mouth and teeth; she'd clearly indulged in someone here. I'd given her a brief grin before getting myself onto the floor, dodging the people that passed me.

I wasn't surprised that she'd ended up in the Ruby District alone but I had at least prayed she'd find a way to bring Adrienne with her. I knew that Kara was desperate for "a little fun" amongst both vampires and humans, and although I didn't come to Ruby with her often, or at all really, I knew the experiences were helping her adjust to her reality.

As a new vampire Kara wasn't completely able to be around humanity without lashing out and hurting people; which crushed her emotional capacity and left her uncommunicative and unmoving for days. Therefore, I agreed that a few hours to test the waters in one of the many clubs that were offered would be a great way to lower her cravings. Besides, I already knew that prolonged exposure and alcohol were the quickest ways to forget your cravings.

Then, it wasn't a surprise that she'd chosen one of the busiest of the clubs Ruby had to offer, bang in the middle of the districts' shady area, with the lowest security and highest alcohol tolerance, and, in her eyes, the great perk, the most out of their mind humans that could be offered up on a cold, wintery night. Although human beings couldn't be turned on their journey to and from Ruby, there was no rule about feeding off of them...gently. Central was happy when a human being re-entered their zone for the most part unharmed, and with a beating heart. A few bite marks didn't make them lose any sleep.

I'd made my way back into the centre of the dance floor and grabbed onto Kara's hand. She was beaming to the point she was brightening up the room; the atmosphere and blood fulfilment doing wonders for her well-being. Wondrously, the smile on her face had only gotten wider when I'd appeared in front of her.

It wasn't the largest smile I'd ever seen drawn on her face, but it was certainly close. Despite that, I knew I had to pull her away and back home before Adrienne scolded me again for 'improper bloodline etiquette'.

I couldn't help but feel I was taking a chance on her ability to cope with all of these humans. I felt this more so as she looked up at me with a little disappointment. But I knew that the later it got, the friskier the vampires became. If that happened, then blood would begin to spill at a much larger volume. That was enough to drive any new vampire a little mad, and I refused to let Kara be a part of that.

I refused to let her add to it at all.

We'd arrived in the lounge of Seventeen's building quicker than I'd expected, Kara jumping onto my back as we'd stepped through the doors and wrapping me in a hug from behind; at least drunk Kara was more forgiving than her sober counterpart. She was filling the room with loud questions, firing in quick succession, but the general gist of each of them had been fuelled by concern for where I'd gone so early in the day.

I had opted to keep my lips sealed and pulled her off my shoulders, pushing her into the lounge. She seemed to have forgotten enough of the conversation from this morning. When the silence had continued, Kara leaned into my chest and took a long sniff against the material, "You smell like blood, Nika." She had mentioned as we'd sat down across from Adrienne.

Both of their eyes had begun to dart up and down my body, but they had focused on my lips for the most part; where blood would surely be if I'd been feeding on someone. I had cleared my throat in response, leaning as far back on the chair as I possibly could.

"Ignore it," I replied, taking my own advice and ignoring the comment. Adrienne had gotten up after sharing a greeting and a few words of concern about leaving the building during daylight hours.

Kara had murmured some objections, before sinking into the couch, taking up the space that Adrienne had vacated. Her eyes stayed glued to the ceiling as she lay there. There was a question resting on her face but she wasn't sure she should ask me, and I could sense that.

After several minutes of peaceful silence, I'd begun to read one of the books that had been placed in the large pile beside the coffee table. It was at least the size of a small child, nearly taller than the armchair I was sitting in. Kara had closed her eyes, her hand resting on her chest; wondering if she could hear the faintness of her heartbeat; something she did often. Although we didn't necessarily "breathe" due to being more than technically dead, we did have a faint beating of the heart - but it was almost barely once a minute.

Following Kara finding this once a minute heartbeat, she vacated the couch and whispered, "I'm still furious at you," before leaving the lounge entirely. I didn't follow her to fight that comment. She'd just have to live with her anger on her own for a while.