by Skyla Madi
I watched Tay for a little while as he fiddled with the nail on his thumb. In this moment, Tay didn't seem so obnoxious and I felt like maybe we could actually be civil to each other.
“But you don't have to worry about that, for now at least.” He continued, his blue eyes flicking to mine. “You’re the devil, pretty much. It's disgusting.”
There went that thought. “You’re so annoying.”
Tay opened his mouth, no doubt to say another smart ass comment, but his phone rang, interrupting whatever it was that he was going to say.
“Mr Aleksandrov.” He answered. “Yes, the classes were fine… Okay.” He hung up and slid his phone into the front pocket of his jeans. “I have to go.”
I was going to ask him why but I realized I didn’t actually care. Tay wasted no time in fleeing from the cabin and locking the door behind him.
Good riddance.
***
Being stuck in the cabin was great at first, but with every passing minute it became more and more intolerable. There was nothing to do. No videogames, no magazines, no novels—only boring textbooks. I grew hungrier and hungrier by the second, and as I contemplated leaving the cabin in search of a small animal (assuming it’d work) two loud knocks thundered on the front door.
“Come in.”
The lock jerked, rattled, and then the door opened. It was Eli and my stomach fluttered a little as I met his green eyes. The moment of slight joy didn’t last long as the dazed woman from the underground holding cell drunkenly stumbled in after him. The sympathetic expression that crossed Eli’s face as he noticed my frozen features did nothing to make me feel better.
“What is she doing here?” I asked cautiously, knowing exactly why she was here.
“Do you want the good news or the bad news?” He replied, escorting the woman over to the couch, opposite to where I was standing.
He stood next to her, waiting for me to answer, but I ignored his question and eyed them cautiously. It was getting harder and harder to hold back the hunger that was burning inside me and I couldn’t help but wonder if they knew starving me would make me more inclined to drink from the human.
“The good news is Gwydion, the wizard that’s going to transform you, will be here any second now. The bad news is you have to be full, which means she’ll be your meal.” He explained, pointing to the dazed lady who was humming to herself.
I couldn’t drink from her. Could I? I started to pace the living room, my breathing and my heartbeat rapidly increasing. I wanted to chew my nails, but forced myself to keep my hands by my side, biting my lip nervously instead.
“I…I can't do that.” I stuttered after a few minutes.
I wanted to, so badly.
“Yes, you can.” The woman cooed. “I want you to.”
The look of extreme desperation in her eyes as I stared at her made me feel ill, but at the same time, my stomach and my fangs throbbed with longing to taste human blood directly from the source again.
“I’m here. I won’t let you hurt her. I promise.”
I met Eli’s eyes. They were so beautiful, captivating, intelligent and honest. I didn’t know him... but I felt like I could trust him. He nodded reassuringly as I began to walk over to the woman and she shivered in ecstasy as her body prepared itself for the bite. The woman presented her neck to me and she closed her eyes as a victorious smile stretched across her face.
Eli stood less than an inch away from me and the sweet smell that guardian angels had, that Eli had, poured in through my nose along with the human blood that radiated from the woman. My fangs shot out of my gums with a click as I leant down to her neck and pierced her flesh. She gasped in pain at first, but then immediately moaned with pleasure. The sweet blood flowed into my mouth like a rapid that flows down rocks. For a few seconds I was lost in my need to quench the burning thirst in my throat and I watched as blood rolled off her neck, past my lips and down her back, wetting and staining her tan colored top. My skin tingled as the warm blood entered my bloodstream, my fangs pulsating in time with her heartbeat.
“You're done.” Eli said, placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezed slightly.
Reluctantly, I pulled away and headed straight to the bathroom. As I expected, blood was smeared around the edges of my mouth and I turned on the tap, hunching over to wash my face. Afterwards, I stared at my appearance. I could have sworn my eyes had grown darker and my skin was a little paler.
“Is everything okay in there?” An unknown male voice called through the door.
“Uh, fine,” I replied, stammering at the unfamiliarity in his voice.
I splashed water onto my face and I swear I could still see and feel blood around my lips. More knocks rattled the bathroom door and I looked back at my face. It was clean.
“Ruby, do you need help?” Eli murmured, his voice was deep and it carried through the wood.
You can do this. I took deeper breaths as my chest grew heavier. It’s okay, don’t panic, change is good. I told myself. “Change is good.”
Cautiously I opened the door. The woman was gone and more people filled the cabin. I recognized everyone in the room except the old man sitting across from Mr Aleksandrov. The stranger was clearly older than Aleksandrov, but his beard was shorter and whiter. My breathing became rigid as all eyes fell on me.
“My, my,” said the older man. “You look just like your mother, except well, more vampiric.”
His voice was kind and knowing, but despite his kind tone, I didn’t appreciate his observation nor did I acknowledge it.
“Ruby, this is Gwydion, the wizard that has come to help you.”
I suspected as much but the shock still hit me. “Wow, you’re here already.”
“When I heard the daughter of Meredith Moore was a vampire, I cancelled all my errands and I jumped at the chance to help. Did you know your mother saved me from an angry group of vampires once? I never got a chance to repay her, so here I am.” He told me, clapping his hands together.
Gwydion was very energetic and happy despite his rather large size. Gwydion turned to Mr Aleksandrov. “Do you mind if I test her life force?”
Aleksandrov nodded.
Gwydion, in his long deep purple robe, waddled over to me with his hands extended out in front of him. I shot a look at Eli who nodded his head in reassurance, again. What was it about him that comforted me?
“Give me your hands.” The wizard commanded.
Cautiously, I extended my hands to him and his warm chubby fingers tightly gripped mine. He shut his eyes, his face falling serious. A few seconds later he opened his eyes and smiled.
“Oh my dear, you are alive—and powerful, just like your mother.”
“She wasn't that powerful.” I muttered. “She couldn't even fight off a newborn vampire.”
Gwydion snatched his hands back, looking disgusted.
“That’s because your mother left our world behind and married a human! She went against the natural order and defied the higher power. Everyone knows goddesses can only be with gods. If they don't marry gods, then they don't marry anyone. Outside of our communities your powers are weak. You’re more powerful as a group than individually. I respected your mother, until she broke faith and became a whore. Look how that turned out, look where that got you.”
I couldn't believe that a second ago he was praising my mother and now he was completely disrespecting her name. My hand went flying from my side and it didn’t stop until it came in contact with the wizard’s chubby face. My palm slapped against his face, tossing his head to the side. Before I could bring my hand back, my body met the cold hard floor and my wrists were bound behind my back by a long silver chain.
Oh no.
What had I done?
Familiar Faces
I howled in pain as silver melted into my skin and I clenched my teeth with devastating force, causing my jaw to ache.
“Stop it.” Gwydion demanded, stepping closer.
It took all of my strength but someh
ow I was managing to keep my tears in check. Tay didn’t let up, he keep the silver wrapped around my wrists, squeezing tighter and tighter. I could smell my flesh burning and my stomach turned. I looked to Eli for help and his jaw clenched perceptibly as he stepped forward, grabbing Tay firmly by the shoulder. It took a few seconds before Tay looked up at Eli and released me. As the silver peeled off, taking pieces of my skin with it, I cradled my burnt wrists and fought back the tears. The quietness in the room was unsettling as all eyes were focused on me. Gwydion took a few steps closer and I tensed, I was either going to get slapped back or he was going to turn me into a frog. Instead, he watched curiously as my wrists started healing themselves.
“The devil’s magic.” Tay scoffed, taking a few steps away from me.
“I’m sorry.” I mumbled, ignoring Tay's close-minded statement. I wasn’t actually sorry, he was lucky I didn’t kick him where the sun didn’t shine.
“That's okay, it’s not you. It’s that vampire rage.” Gwydion stated, rubbing the throbbing red handprint on his cheek.
I didn't dignify him with a response. Anyone would have done the same thing. Who sits by silently whilst another person talks bad about a dead relative? No one. They aren’t here to defend themselves so someone has to do it for them.
Guilty pride surged through my chest as the welt on his face became more prominent. He deserved it. My lids grew heavy as I became increasingly tired, like I always did when I healed.
Eli, who was standing close by, extended his hand to me and I glanced at it briefly before taking it. Energy trembled through me when the warmth of his skin engulfed mine and the muscle in his arm tensed as he pulled me to my feet. I avoided his eyes at all times, scared I’d give away the strange sensations that tore through my body. Cold tingles radiated over the surface of my hands when his hand released mine.
“Are you ready?” Mr Aleksandrov asked Gwydion.
“More than ready, come, lay down.” The wizard started toward me and I flinched closer to Eli. He was the only one I could trust. Ignoring my reaction, Gwydion grabbed me behind my elbow and pulled me toward the bed. “Lie Down.”
I glanced around the room until my eyes found Mr Aleksandrov’s. He nodded his head and I did what I was told. Lying on the bed while everyone stared at me was awkward to say the least and I stared at the ceiling, not making eye contact with any of the men that now circled my bed.
A slight tapping noise on the door drew my attention and I turned my head to get a better look.
“That’s Mila.” Mr Aleksandrov smiled. “Eli, get the door for her.”
With a swift nod, Eli stalked over to the door and opened it. He spoke to her for a little while, blocking my view. When he stepped aside, in came a girl with long blonde hair that draped over her narrow shoulders. Were all goddesses so pretty?
“Hi.” She said cheerfully, gliding elegantly over to the bed. “I'm Mila.”
Her voice was light and sugary and I nodded at her. “Ruby.”
“Okay, now we’re ready.” Gwydion called. He threw four red ties over to Eli.
“Tie her down.”
I shot up, making Mila flinch. This was getting increasingly undesirable by the minute. “Wait, tie me down? Why?”
“Because it will hurt. If you thought the first split-second of a vampire bite is painful, you’re in for a rude shock.”
Eli never looked at my face as he bound my ankles with the thin cloth, tying them to the bottom two bed posts. Then, he did the same with my wrists. Meanwhile, Gwydion was pulling potions and parchment from his ugly knitted handbag.
“Aha.” He exclaimed as he pulled a little clear bottle filled with white liquid from his bag. “Drink this.”
I opened my mouth and he poured it in. I swallowed hard, screwing my face up in disgust as the 'off apple' bitterness ran down my throat.
“The reaction is always the same.” Gwydion said, highly amused.
Slowly, my eyes grew heavier and a bout of nausea coursed through me.
“What's happening?” I groaned, closing my eyes.
“You’re not going to be awake when this happens.” Mr Aleksandrov informed me, patting my knee. I opened my eyes.
“Although you might as well be.” Tay added, grinning devilishly. “It’s going to be excruciating.”
“What he means is, the potion you were given isn’t an anaesthetic, but it puts you to sleep and immobilizes you so you can't scream or move.” Mila finished.
“But I’ll still feel it?”
Gwydion nodded and I swallowed harshly. Happy thoughts, think happy thoughts, I urged myself. Then my vision went black and pain and fear began dominating my mind. I glanced around the nothingness, frantically searching for something—anything at all.
Nothing.
My heart leaped out of my chest at the sound of a scream—my scream. Fire tore through my insides and I tried rolling onto my side and bringing my knees to my chest but it was hopeless—I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed, left to cry alone in the darkness.
It felt like an eternity had passed before the pain subsided. I scanned the darkness and became increasingly obsess with a small, glowing dot that floated toward me. It got bigger and bigger as it came closer. Soon it was tall and wide and it played a video clip of all of my more recent memories. There was Hank killing my mother, then biting my neck and after that, I watched myself kill and eat a bunch of humans. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the images would stop, but I was in my own mind. There was no escaping the gruesome images. Screaming and tearing flesh filled my ears as the memories replayed themselves over and over. Another scream escaped my mouth as another flare of pain ripped through me.
“Please!” I begged. My desperate voice echoed through my mind. “Please, stop! I can’t do this.”
A searing heat swirled through my mind and I couldn’t even flinch away from it. It was useless, no one could hear me and no one could help me.
I was alone in my own mind.
***
I opened my eyes and squinted around the cabin—it was empty and the bright, morning sun filtered in through newly placed curtains. Their purple hue went well with the dark furniture. I rubbed my face and froze. I was untied. Slowly, I pulled my hands back and analyzed them. Did I feel cold? I couldn’t tell. What happened? The last thing I remembered was that I was in agonizing pain and then nothing... I must have fallen into a deep dreamless sleep. My brain pounded in my head as a headache surged over me. I felt like I'd been hit with a brick—repeatedly. I slid out of bed cautiously, trying not to lose my footing as my feet came in contact with the cool wooden floor. I stood for a while and closed my eyes. I couldn't hear or smell anyone. Opening my eyes, I gazed over to the bathroom. I needed a mirror. Consciously, I put one foot in front of the other, steadying myself as I went. My knees complained every time I put pressure on them, but I soldiered on. I forced myself all the way to the bathroom and came to an abrupt stop when I ended up face to face with myself in the mirror. My knees buckled and I grabbed the porcelain sink, holding most of my weight on my arms. A hard lump formed in my throat and threatened to overwhelm me as I swallow hard and lightly touched my cheek with my fingertips. My skin was so warm and alive. I was still a little pale, but at least it was the kind of pale you develop through winter and not the kind of pale that resembled death.
My gaze flicked over my face—pink lips, flushed cheeks and finally underneath my long lashes, sat two bright ocean blue eyes.
A ray of light glinted off the mirror and I shed a tear as my emotions set in. Even my long black hair seemed more alive. It flowed in waves, adorning my new glowing, porcelain-like skin. I glided my index finger over my lip and then slipped the tip of it underneath to massage my gums—no fangs. I was no longer a vampire. Never again would I crave blood every second of every day, suck blood from a bag, or pierce the flesh of a human. I'd have a normal life—a life where the only things I'd ever need to worry about would be sleeping or real food.
My body began
to shake as the lump forced its way up my throat. I tried to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over the brim, but I couldn't. Tears poured down my face, so clear and perfect and I didn't know whether I was happy or sad—maybe both. I was happy I was no longer a monster, but at the same time, I was sad that I was lucky enough to get a second chance and my mother wasn't.
I leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground, angry with myself for this imbecilic reaction. Drawing up my knees, I rested my forehead on them. As it began to sink deeper, my body went into shock and suddenly everything overwhelmed me. I didn’t want to do anything but curl up into a ball on the cold tiled floor and stay there. It seemed not long ago I was in more pain than anything I’d ever experienced and now I was normal. I should be happy…but I didn’t know how I felt.
“Ruby?” A deep, calming voice echoed through the bathroom.
It was Eli.
I didn't open my eyes to look at him. I probably couldn’t even if I tried. His crisp aftershave and clean sweat wafted up my nose as he sat next to me, not saying a word, just providing company. He still smelt amazing even now that I couldn’t smell his blood and I wondered if I’d still have the same reactions to his touch. I waited until the tears slowed before I leaned my head against the wall next to him.
“How long was I asleep?” I sniffled.
“Twelve hours.” His lips arched with a trace of a smile, drawing my eyes to them.
My heart pounded. He had such a sweet smile.
“How are you feeling?” He asked softly.
I felt heat creep into my cheeks and I forced myself to look into his eyes instead of his mouth.
“Sore, overwhelmed and hungry...I think.”
I wasn’t sure if it was hunger or nausea. I’d forgotten what being hungry with a normal digestive system felt like.
“Hungry? Why didn't you say so?” Mila’s cheerful face peered into the bathroom, startling both Eli and I. “I actually planned a picnic for us in the clearing not far from here. There’s a waterfall and everything!”
