Our Last Hope

Today had started out like any other day. I was trying to finish up a report for the final day of high school. I had been pouring myself into this assignment the last couple months and I was so close to finishing it. But, for some reason, I found it hard to capture who I really was. The report was supposed to outline how different I feel now in comparison to when I first started my freshman year. I needed to include my various achievements, friends that I had made, and the many activities that they think I joined.  I couldn't write the truth, not officially that is. No one in my high school knew exactly who I was and what I am. To all of them, I just seemed like the quiet girl in class. If I tired to make friends, there was a solid chance that they would be invited over for dinner, which would only end in their death.  To humans, we looked completely normal, we don't fit into the typical vampire stereotype. We don't have luminescent, sparkly, scaly skin. Our eyes don't reflect a certain color when we are hungry. We are able to eat people food if we need to survive, but of course, we prefer blood. On the surface, we look like anyone else, we don't give the humans any indication not to trust us.  Most of the outstanding members of our human community are in fact vampires. We have lawyers, doctors, even preschool teachers that are our kind. It's safe to say that we are really good at hiding our true identity. There are only a couple of things that set us apart from humans. One, is that we are in fact immortal, even though sometimes, it doesn't feel like it. A vampire doesn't stop aging until we are claimed by our mate. Since today is my 19th birthday and I am still unmated, I will continue to age until I bare the mark of another. The other thing that is inconsistent with our legends is that we can't make children naturally. It says that any vampire child must have their humanity taken from them.  A vampire's body does stop aging once they reach puberty, but their parts are still intact, almost perfect for conception. Imagine a 42 year old woman with a 20 year old's uterus, I'm sorry for that mental picture.  Although, it does become much harder to conceive the second time around, that's why it took my parents so long to get me after they had my brother. There was at least a 8 year difference.  There is a certain mating ritual that must take place before my human clock will run out. In order to keep our blood line pure, mixing with other creatures is prohibited. On the night of a ritual mating, it must be timed perfectly to accommodate a female's ovulation time. It is almost guaranteed that the female will be impregnated her first time of being intimate with her mate. Once the deed is done, the male will bite the female and drink a bit of her blood. This causing a chemical reaction in the two parties and their eyes will then reflect the same shade of red to one another. It shows the rest of the vampire community that they are now one. Their souls have come together and they will be joined for eternity.  Of course that is the text book version, the same one that my mother had told me when I first started my monthly, which will indefinitely stop once I have my own spawn, it's a whole pregnancy thing. It makes sense, but then again it doesn't. I really hope that I don't have to deal with anytime soon.  Once I finished proof reading my report for the final time, I collapsed back in my chair and sighed loudly at the ceiling. I don't know what else I can add to make it seem more genuine. I was mentally checked out, I had to be done with it. I sat up once more, attached it to an email and submitted my paper. I couldn't stare at my computer screen anymore, I closed it and folded my arms across the top of my desk and rested my forehead on my arms. I already had a 4.0 GPA, I don't know why I was still freaking out about my grades. I needed to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I needed to go for a run, maybe along the stream this time.  I grew up in the foot hills of North Carolina, the scenery was just gorgeous out here. Even though I didn't partake, most vampires used the Appalachian Trail as a feeding ground. The trail itself was so large and stretched almost cross country, there were lots of ways for tourists to get "lost".  I tried to block that image out of my head, I knew that one day that would be me. I would have no choice to but sacrifice a human being for my own survival. A vampire can survive on human food, but sadly, it's not always enough. We get our strength and agility from pure, human blood. There's something about their enzymes and plasma that sets them apart from plain, animal blood. I shook my head as I passed another valley. The late afternoon sun was just about to set in the distance, causing a light haze to cover the path that I was running on. I could see the dust particles dance around above me as I rounded another bend in the road. I closed my eyes and let my feet guide me along the trail, I ran in the woods ever day, I can literally run it with my eyes closed. I let the serenity of nature wash over me and felt my anxiety melt away as my feet picked up speed. I was in a trance as I worked my way deeper into the woods.  EDWINA! My mother was linking me, I brushed her off.  EDWINA! You better answer me now! I dug my feet in and came to a stop. Yes mother? I tried to control the annoyance in my tone. It soon vanished when I heard the edge to her voice. It sounded nervous, almost scared. Mother never got scared, about anything. I straightened up quickly. I'm sorry mama, I'm out for a run. Appalachian trail, what's wrong? Your father and I need you to come home. Something is happening, it's not safe for you to be out there by yourself. You don't have your powers completely, it would be easy for them to...  She trailed off, I knew what she was thinking about. She didn't want to relive her worst nightmare for the second time.  I'm coming mama! I turned on my heel and headed North towards home.  I jumped in the shower and tried to tame my long brown curls. They were being especially unruly today. I knew that I didn't have much time, I heard my bedroom door unlatch and soft footsteps on the carpet.  "Mama?" I stopped to wait for her response. But there was no answer. "Mama!?" I yelled a little louder, just in case she couldn't hear me over the water. Again, I got nothing back. I turned off the the faucet and stepped out onto the rug. I wrapped myself in a towel and strolled out of the bathroom, expecting to see my mother. f**k, was I wrong.  I stopped dead in my tracks and took in the mountain of a man that stood in front of me. I cannot describe the feeling that came over me, I was expecting to scream and throw things at him to get him out of my room. But instead I felt a magnetic pull that I cannot describe. This was a gorgeous specimen, it should be illegal. He was easily 6'3 with muscles that rippled down his entire body. I could see tribal tattoos peeking out underneath his form fitting black t-shirt. He had large, gray gauges in his ears. He had a severe undercut on both sides and wore his dreads pulled back into a long ponytail. His eyes were emerald green, so I knew that he wasn't mated yet.  I'll be your mate. I thought that I said that to myself, but he must have had access to my thoughts. He started to laugh and took a step forward. I felt the knot in in my throat and the clench in my inner walls.  You will be soon enough.  My eyes bugged, s**t. He is my mate.  "I could smell you all the way downstairs and I knew that I had to get a taste."  I tried hard to swallow the lump in my throat as he continued to walk towards me. I felt his eyes scanning over my body and he fixated on the tie on the top of my towel. He locked eyes with me and I felt compelled to do what he wanted. I felt like I was in a trance and stared deeply into his eyes as I released my hands from the top of the towel. There was a sudden breeze of being exposed and I felt the soft cotton under my toes.  I heard him inhale deeply, each vampire couple has their own matching scent, it helps you find each other. I heard a satisfied moan escape his chest as he placed his hands on my waist.  "Fresh rain and sweet ocean spray."  He closed his eyes and ran his nose on the side of my face. I felt myself melting into him and pressed my breasts up against his t-shirt. Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed, as if my soul had re-inhabited my body and I suddenly felt violated. I pushed him away, which was not easy, he's a damn tree. I was expecting him to be mad but he just stood there with a seductive smirk on his lips.  "I know that you're nervous baby, but you will be mine no matter what."  My mouth suddenly went dry as I bent down to pick up the towel by my feet. Now I could feel the anger rising in him.  "Don't you dare cover yourself in my presence!" He snapped at me and I was drawn to do what I was told. He took another step forward, he was close enough to touch me again. It didn't take much for him to reach out his finger and graze the outside of my rib cage. I felt goosebumps under his touch and the floodgates between my leg gave way. I was dripping from one single touch. "That's a good girl. I'll be out of your hair in just a moment. I couldn't wait to see you, and touch you." He tucked some hair behind my ear and hooked his finger under my chin so I was looking up at his deep green eyes. Suddenly, his lips were on mine and his hand was making their way down to the apex of my thighs.  "See, you are excited to see me." He slipped his fingers into me and I gasped against his chest. I'm not a nun by any means but I have never had a man touch me like this, I was taken by surprise. "Shh, it's alright baby. Does that feel good?" Without letting me answer, he twisted his fingers suddenly, making me moan. His lips were waiting for my neck as I lifted my head and pushed my body further into his fingers. It was almost like he was anticipating my next move. He nuzzled into my neck and took a deep breath. "f**k, I want to take you right now, but it's not time yet."  I felt something running down my leg and I knew that I was close. I couldn't see anything, there was a black fog over the room and my body began to shudder. Before I finished completely, he pulled his fingers from me, letting me drip down my leg. I stumbled back a step as I regained my balance. He slipped his fingers into his mouth and licked his fingers clean.  "You taste sweeter than I thought baby."  I was still in a daze as I felt his arms wrap around me once more and he rested his chin on top of my head.  "I should get back downstairs baby. Before they start missing me." He kissed my temple and left me standing there naked as I watched him walk out of my room. I was so overwhelmed that my knees buckled underneath me and I was sitting on the floor as if my legs were broken. I pulled my knees to my chest and felt the shock wave run through me once more. I reached my palm down and touched myself, I was more than wet, I was soaked. I knew that I was close to my time. f**k. I'm ovulating. I sat on the floor for a while longer and wrapped my towel around my body. I don't know how long I sat there but my hair was almost completely dry. I heard rapid footsteps on the stairs and the thundering coming towards my door.  Mama flew the door open and look of shock came over her features.  "What in the hell are you doing? Are you okay?" She rushed over to me and helped me to my feet. "What happened darling?" She was radiating concern as she walked me over to the edge of my bed. "Winnie, talk to me." She started to shake me, hoping to get a response. My eyes were still focused off in the distance. My brain was having trouble compartmentalizing all of my emotions.  I felt her nose against mine, she was trying to link into my mind, but it was far too cluttered. Finally, she slapped me. Not hard, but enough to knock some sense into me.  I grabbed hold of the side of my face.  "Jesus Christ mother!" I snapped back into focus, mama was terrified. I saw her visibly relax and she stepped back cautiously and sighed dramatically. "Thank God! I thought you were in shock. What happened?"  I didn't know what to say, I felt like I was writing my report all over again. I was at a loss for words. Mama was staring at me intently, waiting for my answer. She flicked up her eyebrows and bugged her eyes.  "Well?"  I looked up into her large crimson eyes, they once mirrored my own, a light shade of hazel. Suddenly, tears sprang to my eyes. "I'm sorry mama. I must have blacked out, I don't remember what happened. Next thing I knew, you were slapping me."  Mama looked embarrassed at her severe measure to bring me back to reality.  "I hope I'm not causing things to run late."  She c****d her head, she must think that I'm still naïve to what's happening downstairs. s**t, was I not supposed to know? Regardless, I was about to be claimed in a matter of hours, what could be worse than that? There was a brief silence that filled my bedroom, she wasn't willing to give anything away and neither was I. I reluctantly pushed myself up off the bed and headed to my walk in closet. Mother followed me with her crimson eyes as I slide the door off to the side and stepped in.    "I'll leave you to dress darling. Please wear something nice. We have guests."  That was her way of giving me just enough information without revealing the true nature of tonight's meeting.  As I browsed my dresses, my mind scanned my memories and painted a picture in the back of my eyes. I saw myself when I was a little girl, maybe 7 or 8. Daddy would let me sit on his lap as he conducted his meetings with the elders. Most of the things on the agenda were over my head, so he knew that I wasn't paying much attention. I remember my brother and I making funny faces at each other as daddy continued on, he pretended that he didn't notice. Henry was 18 at the time, he should have been paying attention. His sole purpose was to take over for daddy when he wanted to step down. With us being immortal, there was really no expiration date unless daddy decided that he had had enough of leadership.  Of course that all changed when Henry was taken from us.  I couldn't bring myself to re-live that memory, not right now, I had so much going through my mind already. I couldn't handle a full, mental breakdown. I shook my head as if erasing an Etch-A-Sketch. My hand suddenly stopped on one of the various dresses mother had given me over the years. Once I turned 15, she started dressing me 'properly' for daddies meetings. That was one of the responsibilities that I inherited when Henry died.  I focused hard on the electric blue dress in my hand. It was actually one of my favorites. It was a stretchy, bodycon dress with thin spaghetti straps. I decided to go commando, I didn't want panty lines, that's the one thing mother didn't think of when she gave me this dress. I clasped my strapless bra and turned it to the front of my body to hold up my generous breasts. I was built like a true hourglass, I had a skinny waist and very large hips. Everyone was always envious of my shape, but I was less than amused. Finding clothes that fit was a huge challenge. All my clothes fit a little looser around my mid section and my bottom looked like it was going to rip through whatever fabric I was wearing.  I rolled my eyes, I knew that I didn't look like anything special. I fluffed my hair and let the curls finish air drying. I grabbed a pair of nude pumps from the bottom rack of my closet and slipped my feet into them.  I was as ready as I was going to be.  ***** I thought that I was more prepared than this, I knew what I was coming down here for, I just didn't know the ins and outs of everything. I thought that I simply met my mate, but it was so much more than that.  My parents had decided to give me away to another nearby coven. Between the troubled past with our members and the near slaughter five years ago, we have found ourselves in a vulnerable state. We find it hard to find allies because we are portrayed as weak. Mama and daddy ended up finding one sole coven that was willing to negotiate. I was considered lucky to have actually found my mate in the process. I had to trust this arrangement, I had no reason to doubt that it was for the best. I just knew that it was going to be a tail spin from here. Things were going to be moving very quickly from here on out.  I stood next to the table with my eyes cast down at the ground. I couldn't stop fidgeting and my hands were sweating profusely. The whole meeting turned to a blur when I heard the word contract. I knew what I was getting into but that didn't stop my body from going into shock once more. The air had been sucked out of the room with a vacuum, I felt like the last hotel piece on the monopoly board. The one that you try to sell off so you don't go bankrupt. "Edwina?" I blinked rapidly and looked up at him, my mate. The one that I would be bound to for the rest of eternity. One look at him and all my doubts fizzled away into thin air. "It's your turn my love."  I refocused onto the contract and zeroed in on the last line that needed to be signed. I sucked in my lips and nodded my head. Daddy handed me a pen and a small blade. I had seen blood oath contracts before, I knew what to do.  I stared down at the blade, I knew that it would heal immediately, but for some reason, I was nervous that it would hurt. I skimmed the words on the bottom of the page once more.  "I, William M. Bright, hereby claim, Edwina K. Harrington, as my own. She is mine to protect and guide. She will forever be bound to me and the Bright Coven for all eternity. Should she break this contract, it will end in her demise." "Right here love." William pointed at the line that I was to sign. I took a deep breath and slide the blade across my palm without batting an eyelash. The small trail of blood began to disappear just as quickly as it appeared. I only had a couple seconds before I would have to slice through my skin again. I dipped the tip of the quill into a small pool, making sure to get enough. My cut was healed before the quill touched the paper. Smoke began to trail behind my signature, burning it into the paper forever. This document could never be destroyed, it could never be burned or tarnished in anyway. If it was, it would mean my death.  The room quickly emptied leaving only Mama, Daddy, William, and I. William had already taken on the role as my protector. He stood just in front of me so the left side of my body was hidden from sight. I felt like a small child being shielding from danger, but I wasn't complaining. My mind was dizzy with all this excitement the last couple hours, I knew that I was fading fast. I felt my body start to tremble and I frantically reached for a near by chair. William was quick to catch me and help me sit. Mama and daddy rushed over and mama placed her hand on my wrist.  "Her pulse is slowing down, she needs to feed." I instinctively started shaking my head, I definitely wasn't ready for that too. They all started chit chatting around me, formulating the best hunting plan.  "NO!" They all stopped and looked down at me in horror. "Absolutely not! So much has happened already today, I'm not about to kill somebody!" I was being louder than I thought I was. "A bowl of soup will do just fine. Now, I am going up to bed before you send me on a hunt."  I shakily stood up from the chair and swatted away William's hands. I knew that my body was being conflicted on changing my ways. I knew that I had at least another 3 days before our mating ritual and I wanted things to stay as normal as possible until then.  "Darling, do you need help?" Mother took a couple steps after me as I headed for the door. I turned my chin over my shoulder and called to her.  "No thank you mother. I just need rest."  I knew that they were all staring after me but I didn't care. I needed human food and a good nights rest.  Pearl had brought me some tomato bisque and garlic bread for dinner. The soup had a slight metallic taste to it, so I know that mother had Pearl put some O negative in it. It was the sweetest of all the blood types and my favorite.  I stripped down to my panties and pulled a cami over my breasts after Pearl came to retrieve my tray. I settled into bed thinking that I would drift off quickly but I found myself staring up at the ceiling. I still couldn't shut my mind off so I turned on my TV. After scrolling through the different options I finally settled on The Vampire Diaries, I could use a good laugh.  I was almost asleep when I felt a shadow in my room. I knew that it wasn't mother. I felt my entire body start to tingle as this figure move closer to the bed. I kept my eyes closed. "You know that our contract doesn't start until after you impregnate me right?" I heard him chuckle softly as I felt the bed shift. I squinted up at him, he was sitting near my head.  "You will never be rid of me Winnie, so you might as well get used to your new shadow." He gestured down his body like Vana White. "Now scooch over."  I rolled my eyes, I was too tired to argue but I made sure to grunt and grumble.  "Oh come on, so you not wearing panties tonight had nothing to do with getting my attention?"  My mouth dropped open, of course he would think that that was for him. "How do you know that that was for you?"  He shimmied in next to me and I rested my head against his chest. He placed his hand on my arm and shrugged his shoulders.  "It doesn't matter if it was or not, I could smell you."  I involuntarily gasped. "Did I smell bad?"  I felt the boom of laughter under me as he shook his head at me.  "No Winnie, you do not smell bad. You have the most attractive smell, one that only I can sense. It's the most tantalizing, teasing smell out there. You draw me into you."  I blinked up to him, he sensed my confusion so he elaborated. "You know how you walk into the mall food court and instantly smell the Cinnabon's?" I smirked a little and nodded. "Like that, but even better."  I pursed my bottom lip and nodded as I finally understood. "So are you here to eat me then?"  William's expression changed from playful to lustful.  "Do not tempt me Winnie. We only have one shot at this, I do not want to f**k anything up."  And just like that, my harmless joke was enough to enrage him, this was going to be fun. If I was being forced to get pregnant at 19, I was going to have my own fun.