Three more familiar faces stood close to the altar, staring at me with expressions I found hard to describe, while one new face joined the fray along with the Scarlet women I knew as Lady Rez. I felt groggy from either slumber or the slap but still forced myself to stand, heading towards the side of the altar, guessing my place was with the three who stood there. Making my way over no one stopped me and odd enough, I noticed that the painful bruises and deep bite marks in my forearm had all but vanished, replaced with pale skin that showed no sign of scarring. Had they used some kind of healing magic on me?

No need was there to exchange words with the three who I stood with, there was a sort of unspoken understanding that I picked up on though just barely. The group consisted of the brown haired girl from before, who eyed me with a slight of guilt, an amber haired man with more scars than I could count and finally a blonde girl with piercing emerald eyes that seemed to radiate a natural level of confidence similar to my own sister. All of them I remembered lying on the ground and far less… clothed. Clothes… clothes…

Shit, clothes!

I backtracked for a second under the watchful gaze of the three who stood in front of the entrance, grabbing a red tunic and brown trousers from the still present metal cart. With haste I adorned myself in the garments, feeling my spine crawl as the small fibres grated against my skin. Still, it was better than nothing.

“It’s good of you to finally join us in the land of the conicious, stray.” The man who headed the group of two spoke, giving a small chuckle that no one replicated. Unlike most, this man was the least on edge in the room by far.

He wore a pristine white shirt with a black vest and crimson tie to match, all of which were finely maintained without a creese or stain to be seen and contrasted well with the dark grey hair he sported, finely trimmed and locked in place by wizardry I dare not question. What disturbed me most about him was not the smirk nor the way he hunched over slightly to make his commendable stature of about 6.2ft less intimidating. It was the pitch black tinted spectacles which concealed his eyes and half of one's expression along with it. When I showed signs of hesitation at his remark the smirk grew wider and he clasped his hands.

“Come now, don't give me such an uneasy stare. Sven was quite talkative about the Fangless who defended him only hours after waking. He may be only a few decades old but the man’s still someone I appreciate having around and wouldn’t enjoy losing so soon, so you have my thanks.”

“Lord Vannagrash, it is not the coward’s competence that should be commended, but his blood sisters lack of control that should be punished.”

Blood sister? I flipped my gaze towards the brown-haired girl who continued to nervously eye me. She retreated under the watch of my eyes, hiding behind the taller amber haired boy who looked like a proper ruffian. I had a sister, but that girl certainly wasn’t her. My sister was… well let’s just say embarrassment wasn’t something I think she’d ever know, let alone hid from.

Another deeper chuckle resounded from Lord Vannagrash’s throat. This time, however, it lacked any trace of hubris. Turning his head to face Lady Rez, I saw the apathetic mask that had me weary collapse. What might have been the scariest person I had ever met stepped back slowly as black shades obscured eyes that certainly did not carry his smirk.

“Or, Lady Rez, perhaps I should punish the incompetence of a trusted caretaker who thought it clever to send flesh blood into a room with four sleeping Fangless. Someone gifted with observations and the Rez clan’s blood sorcery like yourself couldn’t possibly have made such a mistake by accident.” His words carried the same light tone and carefree nature, which made them all the more chilling.

“Lord Vannagrash, I would never do such a thing. Nothing is worth such a tarnishing mark on my pride.” She said with a shaking voice.

“Nothing hmm? Not even a Clan old vendetta?”

“What are you insinuating?.”

She’d gone from afraid to angered, cracking the black tiles she stood on with the amount of strength she pushed into the ground. It visibly unsettled everyone near the altar to see two people we knew could end us baring their fangs at each other. So many questions were flooding my brain every moment but the sight of Lady Rez flustered and on the defensive filled me with a sort of primal delight even as waves of fear flooded my body, forcing it to subconsciously tense.

Lord Vannagrash didn’t so much as tense at the provocation. He just sighed before mumbling, “Was a slip of the tongue.”

“Anyways, both I and Sven are thankful regardless.”

I felt him giving me a wink even though I could not see his eyes, meaning Sol knows what. Though everyone could sense Lord Varragrash intended to continue on with his point and whatever reason we had been captured, it was the girl closest to me with blonde hair and an impatient glean in her eyes that spoke first.

“I demand to know where Dari is.” She said, with an air of certainty that I wasn't quite sure how she maintained given my assumption that we'd been kidnapped. Kidnapped people didn't make demands...

...did they? Actually was that an option?

“Tch, the filthy reborn isn’t-“ The scarlet woman started.

“Lady Rez.”

Lord Vannagrash spoke before she could finish her comment, shutting the scary lady up and turning his attention to the girl besides me in one swift motion. She looked spooked for a second but then regained the previous composure and confidence.

“You demand?” Lord Vannagrash quired with the same smirk that seemed to never leave his mouth.

Half of me wants you to stop talking... but the other is dying to know if making demands is something we can do. It cant be, right?. No matter how many times I traced over it, that couldn't be right. My bet was on this girl having a naive view of how this was going to go, but she didn't strike me as the kind of person who would deny the reality in front of her. Peculiar.

“Yes, I do. She made it crystal clear per our arrangement that after my rebirth she would-.”

“Did you get her blood?” Lord Vannagrash interrupted, opening his palm as if he were expecting her to produce it from thin air.

“I beg your pardon” the blonde said with a voice that seemed half incensed by his interruption and half unsure. I wasn’t sure about the others but this one clearly had some knowledge I didn’t. It took her a few seconds before she performed a small twirl adding, “is it not obvious?”

“Not for your turning, for the contract.” He added, palm still wide open and waiting for this alleged contract.

“W-why would I need blood? We made a deal-.”

“You made a promise, and with a vampire no less. Words do not bind us, girl, only blood.”

The girl's expression shook at the revelation, but I cared not for it nor that fact that I had been half right. I didn’t care for anything in Lord Vannagrash’s words other than one, singular, thing. Vampire. A word I knew. A word that had been stolen. Suddenly the answer I’d been searching for regarding the peculiarity that writhed through this situation. A memory that had been hidden now opened for me to peer through.

I dropped to the floor in a moment, feeling all my strength fade away.

******

A night with raging winds and pouring rain, covered with a backdrop of crashing thunder. My hands were held out, smaller, healthier and not nearly as pale. A woman sat on my bed suspending sheets from the canopy to turn this small wooden box filled with linen into an impenetrable fortress.

She carried with her a small wax candle placed atop a metal tray that fought off the darkness. Her deep raven black hair reminded me of my own. Her smile radiated something I couldn’t quite describe but filled me with a sense of safety from the scary rattling of leaves and trees outside.

“So darling, what would you prefer, a book of tales or a book of truths.” She asked, propping up two books.

One had a light green colour and was thin, the other was bound by brown leather and covered in all kinds of scratches with metal edges forged on either side. Naturally my interest wandered to the battered book. Unlike the green one which seemed simple and safe, the bruised book had a history and most likely told an interesting story to be passed around so much.

“This one, this one.” I jittered excitedly before my illness caught up to me and a coughing fit forced me to stop.

In a moment the woman had moved from the edge of the bed to it’s centre, using one hand to hold my back up straight and the other to hold a glass of water that I took slow sips of after the coughing had ceased.

“You need to stay as still as possible during the winters darling, you know what Mr Yuven says, right?”

“A calm mind equals a calm body.”

“And a calm body is?” She queried.

“A healthy one,” I spoke, repeating what my doctor had made a habit of informing me every winter.

“Correct!” She said, caressing my head, “That’s exactly what I’d expect of my little hero.”

“I’m not little, I’ll be six in a few days!” I retorted, so sure of my age being the height of maturity.

“Oh right, silly me. My big brave hero then, yes?”

I gave a firm nod of affirmation, content with my new title that felt fitting in the moment. With less intensity than before to not rile my mother I again pointed to the bruised book. My body had been locked away in my bedroom since the beginning of summer and the new year, thanks to her, however, my mind had not suffered the same fate. She filled my days with endless adventure that brightened an otherwise lonely existence, substituting the virtues of experience with the layered complexity of words. Like a sponge I soaked it up, anticipations growing with every word she read aloud.

She was a great story teller, but an even better mother.

“Are you really sure you want to hear this one darling?” She asked a bit hesitantly, “Neither Cera nor Daniel want anything to do with it. It even gives your father the creeps.”

I thought about it for a second, considering her warning. On one hand the book was still intriguing to me… but on the other I knew I was scared easier than both my sister and brother, not to mention father. A part of me though wanted to push my way through it. To prove myself in a silly and naive sort of way.

“Yeah!” I ascertained, sure I could do it.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Like really, really sure?”

“Uhhh… yes?”

“Alright then.”

She gave up trying to deter me towards the green book and picked up the bruised one, cracking it open to the beginning. Dust visibly rose from the book, serving as a sign of the time passed since it’s last opening.

“Magus Migred’s guide to magic beasts and monsters.” Mother spoke aloud, bringing her candle from the dresser closer to illuminate the words better, “Are you still sure you want to read this, it’s filled with pretty scary things.”

I nodded again despite being unsure of my courageous qualifications.

“Okay, but just one before bedtime, don’t want you having nightmares. Pick a letter Darling.” She said, ruffling my hair a little.

“V.”

“Why V?”

“Because father says it’s the best letter.”

“...Did your father say why it's the best letter?”

“Because it’s the first letter of his favourite thing.”

My mother stared at me blankly for a moment, mumbling a slew of things under her breath that I didn’t have the luxury of hearing. Father had gone bright red when I asked him exactly what it was and mother didn't seem to share his opinion on it. All I could confidently say about the matter was that I was completely oblivious to this elusive thing.

“Mother?”

“V is it then.” She answered, glossing over the short silence, “Let’s see… Ah, here we go. Vampire.”

Oh, even the word sounded spooky. In an effort to prepare myself I grabbed onto my pillow and favourite stuffed toy, General Bear, lord and commander of the fluffy legions. He was my anchor of calm and also my last birthday present, with a small wooden sword stitched to his hand to defend me from what lurked in the dark.

“You ready darling?” Mother asked, lightly reading over the page before speaking it's contents to me.

“Mmm”

“Alright, remember I warned. Vampires, a sleek and subtle creature of the night descending from the undead family. While looking mostly human the key features that help them stand out are their almost snow white skin, pale as one would expect of the living dead, and their crimson eyes. Other noticeable but concealed oddities that separate them from humans are their elongated canines and claws. While even more discrepancies exist, it should be noted that vampires do not seem to conform to one standard after a certain point…”

I sat there in abject silence, scared stiff as my mother read through the thorough description given to these things called Vampires. Each additional detail she recounted sent another chill down my spine. This book was not a fairy tale, these Vampires were real and they existed. Mother didn’t stop, mainly because I did my best to hide the fear crawling up my back. Dead that had been brought back, craving blood and burned by the light of Sol. Monsters who lurked the night capable of all sorts of disturbing feats. Creatures that could blend in with us humans but lacked both a soul and any notion of what it meant to sin.

They were demons in human skin. They were a parasite on humankind. They were…

They were…

They were...

...LIKE US.