PROLOGUE
1441 Words
"M-mom?" I called my Mom. I was so scared. My hands were trembling and my feet were cold. I am in the secret basement full of garlic and vervain plants. My mom hid me here. Vervain is not fatal to me because I'm not a pure vampire. My mom regularly makes me drink vervain tea so I can get used to it.
Mom told me to hide in the basement. I should never go out no matter what happens, no matter what I hear. Mom said bad vampires are hunting us. They hunt rebels, newborns, and vampires who are against the Association. She said they are heartless and cruel.
I can hear a lot of footsteps running upstairs. I climbed up the stairs and I put my right ear closer to the basement door.
"Where is the child?" a female voice said.
"She's not here, I can't even smell her," a male voice responded. I heard stomping on the floor, very close to the secret basement door. The man probably trying to see if there are secret doors somewhere.
"You have to find her. Find her!" commanded by a woman with a deep, low-pitched voice.
"Leave my child alone! We are living here peacefully, so leave us alone!" my Mom shouted.
"M-mom," I whispered. I covered my mouth with my hand.
"Do not go out, baby, no matter what happens, just stay there," Mommy pleaded; she spoke to me using telepathy.
"Mommy, they might hurt you." I can't stop my tears from falling down my cheeks. I am still covering my mouth with my hands because I know I will cry out loud anytime. I wanted to run to my Mom and hug her, but I couldn't even move. My Mom is using her power to control me.
"Even if they hurt me, even if they kill me, you should never go out. Do you understand me, Vanessa?"
"Y-yes, Mommy," I responded hesitantly. My hands are trembling and my feet feel so cold. I can feel my whole body shaking out of fear and anxiety.
"There's no one here, princess," said a woman this time, her voice hoarse and deep.
"Princess?" I murmured. A princess is looking for me? Is she the princess of vampires?
"Let's see if your child will not come out this time," said the so-called princess.
I did not hear the answer of Mom.
I heard the loud sound of fighting. The sound of broken vases and glasses is all over. "You will soon pay for this! Ugh!" Mom said in a scream. Then I heard something or someone fell on the floor.
"M-mommy..." I want to go out of the basement, but do not want to break my mom's plead. Where are Daddy and Uncle Fernan? We need them here.
"Come on, it looks like we have nothing here to do," the 'princess' said. I heard several footsteps going out of the house. I waited a moment before I opened the basement door.
I slowly peered into the living room. There was my mom lying on the floor, stabbed in the chest with a wooden knife. She seemed turned into a dry wood.
"No! Mom! Mom!" I started to run towards my mommy. I kneeled beside her. My hands were shaking as I slowly pulled the wooden knife from her chest. "Mom!" I hugged my mom's cold body. I wasn't able to do anything, neither did I defend my mom. There is nothing an 8-year-old like me can fight a strong, powerful, group of vampires.
I went out of the house to get help from our neighbours, but I was more shocked by what I saw. Corpses on the road were scattered. I walked on the street to find someone for help. Corpses with neck bites are lying everywhere. Some houses are also on fire. Why? Why are they killing people? My mom never killed humans to drink blood, but those vampires... why do they have to kill?
"Daddy? Uncle Fernand?" Where is Daddy? Where is Uncle Fernand? Why can't I find them? No one answered my call.
I kneeled and looked up, tears welled up in my eyes. "I will make them repay me for what they've done. I will find you all no matter where you hide!"
"Vanessa!" I heard my Dad's voice calling me. "Where's your Mom?"
"Dad? Dad! Mom's gone! They killed her! Those bad vampires from the association killed my Mom!" I ran to my Dad and hugged him to his waist. I could feel my Dad's body trembling and I heard him sobbing.
"Baby, where's your Mom's body?" Uncle Fernand asked, my mom's twin brother.
"She's in the living room." I hugged my father tighter.
"I can never forgive those bastards. Never!" My father carried me back to the house to see my mom.
"Where's Martha?" I asked worriedly. Martha became a vampire at the age of 21, over 120 years ago. Until now she still looks like a 21-year-old human. She also has a grudge against vampires because her whole family was killed and even burned by them. She was the only one alive but severely injured when Mommy rescued her from 5 vampires back then. She was dying, but she begged my mom to let her turn into a vampire. My mom agreed and adopted her. Since then, Mommy has treated her like a child.
"She's on a mission now, Vanessa. She'll be back before dawn. For now, let's move to a safer place to protect you." My father hugged me and kissed me on my forehead. I felt his anger and grudge.
"What about Mom?" I asked between sobbing. "She's gone." I started crying again.
"We will burn her and keep her ashes, baby," Dad replied. "We will never forget your Mom. She'll always be right here, and here." Dad pointed at his chest, then at mine.
I wiped my cheeks using the back of my hands. "Dad, train me to become strong—stronger than pure vampires. Stronger than the princess who killed Mom."
- Writer
