Chapter three ▪

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11 years later

"om, I'm going to work!"

"Don't forget the-" She yelled back at me.

"I know mom, the cigarettes and the liquor." I yelled back.

My mother and I have changed since Dad doed and Isaac left. Mom turned into a drunk and I had to work 24/7 while she layed around, smoked and drank away her problems.

We moved to a small cabin in the woods, because we couldn't afford anything else. In our 'family', I am the adult and my mother is the child.

I walk to the tavern 'Joanne's paradise'. A ridiculus name for a ridiculusly overrated tavern. It's the only one that allows humans to sell themselves and their blood for money. The worst part is that it's completely legal. The tavern gets 25% of the girls' profit.

I work as a bartender and a waitress. I got groped more times than I could count. The worst part is that those girls wait for someone to take them, while the men ask me and other waitresses to give themselves over. They offer ridiculous amounts of money for a night with us, but I personally always decline. I never felt any sexual needs towards those men, and not every guy in there is an ugly drunk. In fact, most of them are handsome, rich vampires that, as the girls told me, know how to pleasure a woman.

***

After my shift was over, I went to the shop to buy my stepmother, Eve, her liquor and cigarettes.

You may think of her as an average, abusive mother who doesn't deserve kids, but you don't know her backstory.

She gave her everything to dad and Isaac and I. She was crushed when he died, but she had to move on. She forgot about my brother and from then on it was just her and I.

After a while, I grew up and she started drinking. Smoking was an old habit of hers that she picked up from her former friends.

And so, life went on.

***

I came home to a sight I never would have expected. My mom like her former self, her hair clean and brushed, clothes changed to formal and the place was clean and only slightly smelled of cigarette smoke. I gently dropped the bags on the floor when I saw who she was talking to.

"Sir, what are you doing here?" I asked. He looked at me and his lips parted.

Lord Hudson. The most wanted bachelor in town and also the man that always tried to charm me into giving myself over.

I don't think he came here to have tea and biscuits with my mother.

"Dahlia, as always, it's a pleasure seeing you."

"Thank you, sir, it's a pleasure seeing you as well." I replied as I straightened my back. Truth is, he was one of my favourite customers, because he was always nice and stopped those drunks from groping me, or doing worse things.

"I'm here to ask you to go to the ball with me. Male vampires must bring a human female with us as our date to enter and I thought that you would be a perfect choice." He replied, though we didn't break eye contact this whole time.

He got up and walked over to me. He took my hands in his, "I'd buy you everything you need, the clothes, the makeup, shoes and the stylists. In fact, you'd come to my palace to get ready and we'd leave together. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, this is just a dance and you will be home sooner than you thought. I'd pay you as well, if that's what you'd like." He rambled. He looked at me pleadingly.

"Of course she'll go! But how much do you pay?" My mother got up and walked over to us. She reminded me of a child at Christmas. As soon as we are talking about gaining money, she is a happy and caring mother.

"1000 dollars." He stated.

Enough for two to three weeks of life with mom.

'I will give you more, but I know that your mother would take it all from you. So we'll pretend that that's all you're getting. I'll give you enough money to go away from here and start a happy normal life. You deserve it.' He spoke to me in my mind.

Tears were brought to my eyes because I knew that I could never leave this place without mother. As much as I hated her, she was my mom. The only family I have left.

'I'll never be able to leave. Even if I do, I won't be free. But I'll go to the ball with you for a bit of peace and your kindness.' I smiled warmly at him, with sad tears in my blue eyes.

"We have a deal. Dahlia, get ready and pack your stuff, you're staying at Lord Hudson's palace for the night. The ball is in 2 hours so you may want to hurry up. " My mother rushed me upstairs and I got my old t-shirt, pants and toothbrush. I didn't even nktice how worn out it has become until now.

I got to Lord Hudson's car and we left in peace to his palace. We made small talk during the ride and once I got out, he walked me to a room where a group of people were waiting for me.

They started getting me ready by guiding me to the shower and giving me a razor. I had to shave everything. I have never had to shave my stomach so this should be interesting.

Don't get me wrong, I have shaved my body hair for hygenic purposes, but I never really shaved my whole body.

After I was done, I surprisingly had no cuts on my legs, just one on my ankle. I refused to shave my arms becuse I didn't have much hair there. More like peach fuzz.

I got a bandaid on my ankle to stop the bleeding for now and they started straingtening my wavy light brown hair. After they straightened it, they curled the ends and it flowed around my face in soft curls.

They moved onto makeup. I hated how they put black eyeshadow on me and a dark red lipstick. It didn't suit my babyface at all.

I think they agreed, because they removed it all and reapplied it, but a lot more natural.

After they were done, they gave me the dress and put on the silver jewelry with a lot of crystals. Silver looked better on my tan skin than gold. I went to the bathroom and put on the black dress.

It had a deep v-neck and I felt like it was a bit too much for my opinion, but thankfully nothing spilled out, though it was close. I thanked God that I don't have huge breasts or I would have so many issues right now. The simple necklace I wore went almost to the end of the v-neck and it didn't exactly help with how much it glimmered.

I walked outside of the room after they tried to suffocate me with perfume and I put on my nude glossy heels. I took my purse where I kept my inhalator and pain medicine. I put some tissues and a lip gloss they used inside as well.

Thank God that medicine was free if you had a perscription or else I would be dead right now.

I walked down the grand staircase and tapped on Lord Hudson's shoulder. He turned around and grinned at me.

"You look beautiful." He smiled at me. His unusal green eyes were glimmering with mirth as he took my hand and lead me outside. He walked to his black sports car and unlocked it. The doors opened upwards like wings on a bird. He walked me to my side and helped me in.

He was acting very different today.

They made sure to have tight black silk shorts underneath my dress so that I wouldn't flash anyone with my undergarments, and it came in very useful at this moment. They wouldn't show underneath my dress, unless it flew up or the side cut moved a bit too much.

We drove to the ballroom and I couldn't believe how many gorgeous people were there.

But almost all girls were also vampires, apart from the servants.