by Sophie Stern
“She was fine,” he says. “Until now.”
I can’t see his face, but I can practically hear his disgust. Why does this guy hate me so much? I haven’t exactly done anything to him or to his people. Honestly, I was just sleeping and they tried to invade. I didn’t even tattle when I spotted them in the woods yesterday. If anything, this dude should be thanking me: not pulling my damn hair.
Eli looks at me carefully. For a minute, I think he’s going to tell Benjamin to release me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he leans very close so that his breath is on my ear. A shiver shoots through me. Why is he so close to me?
And why, oh why, does he smell so damn good?
“In our world, Tyana, good girls are rewarded, and bad girls are punished. Which one do you want to be?” The words come out rich and sultry. Does he mean for that to happen? I can’t tell. I’m not sure. I think he knows what he’s doing, though. I think he understands exactly how those words sound to me.
Instantly, my entire body feels like it’s on fire.
Good girls?
Bad girls?
Rewards and punishments?
Why does this sound so damn sexual?
And why do I like the way it sounds?
Unfortunately for me, my inner goody-two-shoes kicks in and I whisper the response that’s true to my heart. I don’t know if it’s true to my body, though. My brain and my body are suddenly fighting, arguing with one another, but I give him the answer I think is most true.
“I want to be a good girl,” I tell him.
It might only be partially true.
Right now, the idea of being punished seems almost as appealing as the idea of being rewarded, and these two sides are warring with one another. I can’t quite shake the feeling this revelation gives me. I’ve never really put much thought into sexual things. It’s not like I’ve had a lot of chances – or any chances, really – to be with people. The other citizens of Eagleton have always regarded me as something of an outcast.
Now, though, I want to know more.
I want to know what it feels like to be completely dominated by this man.
I want to know what sort of punishment it is that he’d give me.
Would it be something I would like?
Would it make me excited?
Right now, I feel excited.
I feel so, so wildly and overwhelmingly excited.
Eli looks at me carefully, and I wonder what he’s thinking. For a second, I wonder if he can read my thoughts, but then I realize that’s stupid. Of course, vampires can’t read minds. That would be completely unrealistic.
I’m beginning to question everything I’ve ever known. All I heard growing up was that vampires are mind-reading monsters who are ugly and have huge fangs. I heard they had wildly large wings and could soar across the skies at will. I even heard that they could burn up in the sun.
Well, I’m squished up against one of them with another right in my face, and they don’t seem like monsters.
They definitely don’t have fangs.
I haven’t seen any wings.
What else have I been taught that’s a lie?
What other myths are being sold to me as reality?
“What are you doing?” Another voice sounds and I try to look, but Benjamin is still holding my hair tightly in place. It’s the third man: the other one from the woods. I don’t know how I can tell without seeing his face, but I can. I can sense it. There’s just something about these men that seems to call to me. I feel a strange sort of connection with them, and I have no idea why.
“Matthew,” Eli says. “Nice of you to join us.”
So that’s his name.
Matthew.
I think about it for a minute, and I like it. They all have these very classic, very traditional names. How old are they? Can vampires really live forever? Is that part of the fairy tale true?
“I was a bit busy,” Matthew says. Eli moves, and Matthew steps in front of me.
And suddenly, I wish that he hadn’t. He’s tall, towering over me. He doesn’t seem like he was ever human. He’s practically a giant mass of muscle and beauty, and I don’t know where to look. The expression on my face must be ridiculous because he smiles down at me and grins.
“Cat got your tongue?” He asks gently. He says this in a sort of playful way, but even these simple words just exude sexuality. Apparently, I’ve been a lot more needy and horny than I ever gave myself credit for.
“We were just having a talk with Tyana about proper behavior,” Eli says, explaining what’s going on. I don’t think he’s being entirely truthful. He left out the part about how they’re basically kidnapping me.
“That explains the death grip Benjamin has on your hair, doesn’t it, little flower?” Matthew asks me gently.
Little flower?
Matthew reaches down and touches my chin. He tilts my head just a little so it’s up, facing toward him. He looks me over, top to bottom, and I can’t tell if he likes the way I look or not. I’m also not really sure why I want him to like the way I look. I know that I’m sort of plain. I have to be, coming from Eagleton. That’s literally just something our people are known for. We’re not fancy. We’re not wild. We’re just normal, ordinary citizens.
At least, most of us are. Some of the teenagers and the younger people like to wear flashy clothes they buy when they go out. I never leave the village. Ever. Some people do, though. They go hunting and some people like to go camping. If anyone meets a trader, they might bring back corsets or leather pants. They might bring back pretty, shiny necklaces.
Not me, though.
Maybe it’s because I stay in, but I never have anything except very plain, very simple clothing to wear. This has never bothered me until now because suddenly, I just really, really want these men to like me, to find me attractive.
I want them to look at me and think that there’s something special and wonderful about me, and I honestly don’t know if they do.
Finally, he nods, turning back to Eli.
“She’s fine,” he says.
“I know,” Eli tells him.
“I think I should have a say in this,” Benjamin mutters.
“She’s appropriate for our needs,” Eli says to his companions.
Needs?
What needs?
What are they talking about?
And why do I feel like I just missed out on a huge conversation?
Then, all at once, it seems to hit me. They aren’t killing me now because they’re going to kill me later. They’re going to fatten me up and devour me like a pig. Or maybe they’re going to get me calm and comfortable at their home before they calmly reach out and destroy me.
Is that what they’re going to do?
“Are you going to eat me?” I ask, tensing, and I can’t shake the sudden fear that washes over me.
I don’t want them to eat me.
I want them to turn me.
I don’t want to be devoured by a vampire.
I want to become a vampire.
Being a human has been one of the most horrible experiences of my life. I don’t want that anymore. I want something else, something better.
I want to be powerful and strong and wild the way that they are.
But apparently, my words were the wrong ones to use because Eli steps forward, pushing Matthew aside, and grips me by the throat. Now I’m being tugged in two directions. Benjamin is still gripping my hair, pulling my head back, and now Eli is slowly choking me. He tightens his grip, pulling me closer to him, and I close my eyes.
“Open your fucking eyes,” he barks at me, and I do it, but it’s starting to hurt, and I can’t tell whether I’m scared or aroused or something in-between.
I look up at him, and I can’t read his face.
He doesn’t seem as angry as I thought he would. Instead, he just seems sad: almost lonely, almost disappointed in how I’ve behaved. The thought is incredibly sobering to me, and I instantly hold still. I don’t know
why it’s so important to me that I please these men. I don’t know them, and we don’t have a connection.
“Never ask me that again,” he says. “Never ask any of us that. Do you understand?”
No, I don’t understand.
I don’t understand any of this.
I don’t understand why they’re stealing me away.
I definitely don’t understand why I’m not allowed to ask questions.
I open my mouth, but I can’t speak. No words will come out. He releases me instantly, and I reach for my throat to rub it. He allows me this privilege, and then I nod as much as I can. It’s a lie. I don’t understand his words, and I honestly don’t want to. There is no way in hell I’m going to become some meek, docile little creature who doesn’t say what she thinks.
That’s just now who I want to be.
I’m not exactly the bravest person to ever live. I certainly haven’t always been the most forthcoming or the most creative. I haven’t asked questions as much as I should have in the past, and there are plenty of things about Eagleton I don’t know, but this?
This is my future.
Yeah, I’m going to ask questions.
Benjamin finally releases my hair, and even though my head is aching horribly, and my throat hurts like it’s been burned, I manage to nod a little bit more. They need to see that I can listen to them and obey, even if I don’t feel it in my heart. I’m not ready to die just yet, so I need to do what they want.
For now.
“Yes,” I whisper. “I understand.”
“Don’t speak again,” Eli says. He turns to Benjamin. “Bring her.”
Then he and Matthew turn in unison and walk away. They move away from the edge of the village, away from the town, and they disappear into the darkness of the woods.
“Time to go,” Benjamin says. He grabs my wrist – not even my hand, just my wrist – and yanks hard. I struggle to keep up with his long strides, but I move as quickly as I can, wondering where the hell we’re going.
The screams of the villagers have stopped, somehow, and I don’t know whether the sound of silence in the woods is more horrifying than the sounds of their screams. I want to ask Benjamin so many questions.
Where is he taking me?
Where have the other villagers gone?
Am I ever going to see them again?
Are they dead?
But I don’t ask him that question, or any question at all. Instead, I just follow through the darkness until we come to a clearing. There are carts here with cages in the back, and I discover where the other villagers have gone. They’re piled into the cages: literally on top of one another, and they’re tied up. It can’t be comfortable, and in fact, I’d beg to guess that the way they’re all sort of shoved into cages actually hurts quite a bit. I want to protest, to argue that this kind of treatment is totally inhumane, but then I remember Eli choking me, and I wisely shut my mouth.
Benjamin seems to notice me taking everything in, and he definitely notices my silence. I don’t know if he’s pleased or not, but he’s certainly not more angry than he was a minute ago. He leads me to the very first cart. This one has a sort of carriage. There’s a place with a driver and then the actual carriage part has two big doors that can open and close. I look at him, and he nods.
“We’ll be riding in the back,” he says. “Antonio can drive.”
As if on cue, another vampire appears. He’s dressed in all black, just like the others, and he looks me up and down. He sniffs. Is he smelling me? Then he shrugs and climbs up onto his seat. He grabs the reigns and looks over at us.
“Ready when you are,” he tells Benjamin.
“In you go,” he gestures toward the carriage, but there’s a problem: it’s fucking huge, and I have no idea how to get inside. It’s not like I’ve ever left Eagleton in any sort of vehicle: car or carriage. I’ve seen cars, but I’ve never seen a carriage. This is like a blast from the far distant past.
Do I reach for the door handle first?
Do I climb up and then try to open it?
I don’t want Benjamin to think I’m trying to be problematic or troublesome. Even the horses are tired of waiting for me, though, because they neigh loudly. Finally, I decide to climb up and then pull the handle open. Benjamin instantly realizes what I’m doing, and he stops me.
“Wait,” he says. He’s not mad. “The door opens first,” he says. He reaches above me and pulls the handle. It opens, and the door swings outward.
“Thank you,” I say. “I’m...I’m sorry. I’ve never...”
I’ve never seen a fucking carriage before, is what I want to say. I’ve only heard about these things in books. Eagleton had plenty of houses and horses and we even had a couple of run-down cars that should have been ditched long ago, but carriages?
Those are the sorts of things you only read about in fairytales.
I don’t know where the roads in these forests go. They aren’t even really roads. There are dirt paths, really, that are wide enough for travelers to use, but I stay away from them. My job as a guard is to watch things, and so I watch. I don’t wander because I don’t need to. My needs have been met during my time in Eagleton.
I don’t need to cause trouble by wandering down the roads and looking for things.
Now, though, I suddenly wish I’d been a bit more adventurous.
At least then I’d know where we’re going.
At least then I’d have some sort of idea.
“Climb in,” he says. He offers me his hand now, and I take it. Carefully, I somehow manage to get into the back of the carriage. Stumbling inside, I’m grabbed by a set of hands.
“Careful.”
I’m completely surprised to find that both Eli and Matthew are inside of the carriage: one on either side. I don’t know where I’m supposed to sit or what I’m supposed to do now. Do I sit on the floor? Is that where the bad girls go? They seem to sense my confusion and take pity on me, somehow, because Eli pulls me beside him and slings his arm over my shoulder. I’m pressed up against him now, and I pull my bag into my lap and just sit there silently.
Benjamin climbs in, closes the door, and almost instantly, the carriage starts to move.
This is it.
This is the next part of the rest of my life, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.
It’s almost completely dark in here, but the vampires don’t seem to have any trouble seeing one another or communicating with each other.
“Two hours to Castle Rose,” Benjamin says. “Think they’ll make it?”
“They’ll have to,” Eli says. “They’ll be fine.”
“We should have killed them,” Matthew says, and I suddenly feel like this is a conversation I’m not supposed to be hearing. I shrink back, trying to make myself as invisible as possible in the corner of the carriage, but each of the men seems to notice instantly.
“I’m sorry, is this making you uncomfortable?” Benjamin asks sarcastically.
“A little,” I whisper.
“Why?” His voice is harsh and cruel, and out of the three men, I can tell he’s the one who likes me the least.
“Because you’re talking about killing my village,” I say. I feel like honesty is the best policy here. I want the vampires to bite me: not kill me. I want them to turn me: not destroy me. I don’t know if this is the best way to go about doing it, but I can definitely tell that these aren’t the kind of guys who like being lied to.
“Your village has been the bane of our existence for more than ten years,” Benjamin says.
“What?” I whisper. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about hunting us down like fucking rats,” he says. Venom drips from his voice. I don’t need to be able to see him in the darkness to know that he’s filled with hate for my people. I don’t need to be able to see him to know just how very much he despises all of us right now.
But that doesn’t change the fact that I have no idea what he’s talking abou
t. I’m honestly completely shocked.
Hunting them down?
Eagleton?
As far as I know, Eagleton is a peaceful community. Yes, we hide away from the vampires, but doesn’t everyone?
“Um...what do you mean?” I finally whisper. “I thought...I thought...”
Silence.
It’s so thick I could slice it with a knife.
The vampires don’t say anything for a very long time, but I can feel them. They’re watching me, staring at me, analyzing what I’ve just said.
“She didn’t know,” Matthew finally says. His voice is even and calm, but there’s a sort of tension there.
“How could she not fucking know?” Benjamin snaps. “That’s bullshit. Who is your father?” I know the question is directed at me, but I don’t have an answer.
“He’s dead,” I whisper. “He died when I was a kid.”
“What were their names?” He insists.
“Cal and Raya Smith,” I tell him.
“They aren’t part of Eagleton,” Benjamin says sharply. “They aren’t on our list.”
List?
Did they have a collection of the residents before they came?
“I’m not from Eagleton,” I tell him. “I grew up in another village. It was burned down twenty years ago.”
I don’t even remember much about it. How horrible is that? I remember the fires, but I don’t remember anything except running into the darkness of the woods. I remember fleeing for my life, but not really understanding exactly what was happening. Even as a young preteen, I should have known. I should have understood, but I didn’t. I don’t even really remember my parents. It’s like that part of my life never even existed.
“Franklin,” Benjamin sighs. “Fuck. Of course, it’s her.”
“I told you it was,” Eli says.
“What are you talking about?” I whisper. What do they mean? I feel like I’m going crazy here with all of these bits and pieces of information, but no one is telling me anything straight up. Finally, Matthew speaks.
Thank fuck.
“Look, Eagleton isn’t a nice place. Your town hunts vampires. No matter what they told you, they’re filled with hunters. Generation after generation is trained to hunt us and to hurt us.”
