The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Interlude. Ramble, ramble, ramble, ramble. Badger.



Chapter 8 – The rambling of doom.



You evil pilot fish, where have you been, I‘ve had dinner ready for five hours.

I’ve only been gone for half an hour how is that possible?

I can see into the future and got dinner ready early because I thought I was five o clock when it was actually seven. It’s not my fault you’re an imbecile.

What are you talking about, I’m marring you. Wait, I am an imbecile, get away creep.

Stop, I got your chocolate puuuuudding, and it’s got sprinkles and a sparkler in it.

I don’t like chocolate puuuuuuudding, I’m allergic to it you maniac, your trying to steal my money aren’t you?

You have money?

Why yes of course I’m the great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, (three days later...) great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, granddaughter of God. So I have all his wealth and money.

I thought God was a poor man?

Really, well then sucks to be me, I got no mula.

Wait a minute, where have you been?

We’ve been through this….

No we haven’t

Yes we have

No we haven’t

No we haven’t

Yes we – shaddap stop laughing you fool.

There’s a snake in my boot.

Really?

No.

Oh, you fool.

You’re a fool. Fool.

I live in a pool house what do you expect.

A pool, but you don’t even have one of them...or do you?

DUN DUN DUUUUUN



TO BE CONTINUED





CONTINUATION



Well have you eaten your chocolate puuuuuuuuuuding yet?

No you imbecile, I don’t like chocolate puuuuuuuuuuding…

Don’t you? Well that sucks…

Really, I personally think you suck

What! Me how very dare you… you… you… NUMPTY!!!

Numpty? What’s a numpty?

One of you, that’s what it is *smug face*

Well well well you’re a ninkinpoop

Shuddap

No you

No you

Yes me

Yes me… I mean …No you .…I mean damn you did it again

*laughs* your so stupid you fool

I’m not stupid your stupid, stupid

I’m not stupid. You annoy me…

I annoy you? How do you think I feel?

You’re the one who’s making me marry you!

True … true, maybe I am foolish… eat some chocolate puuuuuding!

I’m allergic you imbecile!

EAAAATT IIIIIIIT

Your trying to kill me aren’t you?

Why yes… yes I am

You fool…

Chapter 1 – The Beginning



The night was dark, though the moon shone bright.

The stars were few, in this evil night.

A mother ran with a small child in her arms.

Running faster to keep her child from harm.



She hid round a corner behind a dustbin, hoping that the monsters who were chasing her would run past. She finally saw them running on. They were not human, yet they were not animals, they were something different. They were monsters. With the face of a wolf and sharp gleaning fangs, eyes which glistened and huge lethal paws. They were creatures that she had not seen before. They were creatures of the night.



She collapsed on the floor with her child wrapped tight in her arms and let out a sigh of relief. She stayed like that for a few minutes, taking in the scenery, trying to figure out where she was. The dustbin that she was hidden behind was large and green in colour. It was full of putrid smelling rubbish that was spilling out of the sides. The scent was far from pleasant with the rotten food and all the other foul smelling rubbish that had been thrown out. But that was quite common in a city centre, filled with high rise flats and shopping malls. Her mind was brought back to the current situation, by a cold sharp breeze.



Then suddenly a dark figure seemed to glide towards her. The figure whispered “Calli do not be frightened, I am hear to help you. Your husband Victor sent me to find you.” The man had a deep, Jamaican accent. Calli did not reply for too many questions were rushing round her head. She looked into the man’s eyes and felt that she could tell that he was telling the truth. She had never seen eyes like his before; she had always thought that if you look into someone’s eyes that you can see their soul. His eyes amazed her, they were beautiful, with their deep chocolate colour which matched well the dark tone of his skin. His features were sharp and harsh, which too contrasted with the kind forgivingness of his eyes.



As she continued to stare into his eyes he spoke. “Don’t worry child, all of your questions will be answered soon enough.” Calli thought to herself, how did he know what I was thinking? Can he read minds? Or could he just see the worry in my own eyes? The man held out his arm and helped Calli to her feet, she held her child closer to her chest and opened her mouth, about to ask a question. “Not now my child.” She looked up at the man, she has not realised how tall he was till now, he was at least two and a half foot taller than her. “All your questions will be answered when we get back.” She looked at the stranger, how does my husband know this man, but an unusual element of trust came over her. The only sound that could be heard after that was that of the wind blowing gently down the ally way. Slowly mother, child and stranger silently disappeared into the darkness.



It seemed like they were walking all night, they had passed the city limits about an hour or two ago and where now walking threw dense bushes and shrubs. The different shades of green barely distinguishable and the usually bright flowers, now dull and faint in the pale light. The trees caved in over their heads hardly letting the moonlight hit the cold, dirty ground. They pressed on, hearing now only the sounds of the lonely night, the occasional hoot of an owl and wind rustling in the trees.



As they went further into the forest, the foliage got denser, closing in on them, trapping them till they snapped the brittle vines and broke free. Calli thought to herself, if anyone wanted to follow us, it would be very easy from the path that they left behind them of the broken foliage. The remainders of the shrubs that had been trodden on, lying there dead, lifeless on the cold, wet ground. Out of the corner of her eye she though she saw something move. But she dismissed this idea as being a trick of the darkness.



Finally they reached a clearing. But it seemed abnormal , it was not the sort of clearing that you would expect in the middle of a forest. The ground was dull, dry and cracked, greyish brown in colour with a hinted with a blueish tone. It reminded her of giants causeway in Ireland, which she had visited on vacation with her family as a child. With the hexagonal pattern of the cracks in the dry lifeless ground, the only difference was that it did not have the waves tearing away at the ground, slowly eroding it away.



Just then she realised something, she didn’t even know the name of the stranger that had guided her to this barren landscape. She stood there staring at him as he looked down at the cracks in the ground. A stern look across his face, like he was concentration very hard on the task in hand, whatever that was. He bent over and started running his fingers along the cracks as he did so the cracks started to glow. They gave off a dull red light a dark crimson in colour, so rich and beautiful, overpowering yet delicate. Then suddenly to Calli’s amazement bits of the earth flew into the ground. The man seemed to rearrange the shapes to make a new pattern, it took a few minutes as he placed them together rather like a jigsaw puzzle.



Then he called her over, she quickly obeyed, clueless of what was about to happen. When she joined him they both stood side by side under the panel of dirt, as it glowed in the same rich beautiful dark crimson colour. It slowly started coming down covering the two strangers in the mystical magical light. Calli started to panic, but the man placed his hand firmly on her shoulder and it calmed her down a little bit, but not completely. As the panel touched there heads they didn’t feel anything but a slight tingling sensation, rather like pins and needles. Finally the panel had devoured them, and it collapsed onto the floor and once again the clearing was back to normal.



Chapter 2 – Hideout



Calli felt herself awakening in this new place; she had never felt this alive in her life. The energy in the atmosphere was so intense; she just loved the overall feel of safety and excitement that this new place filled her with. As she looked around she saw that she was underground in a cave. But unlike she would have expected, it was warm and dry. The walls of the cave had a bright blue tinge to them, making the whole place seem lively and exciting. She was so lost in her surroundings that she forgot all about the strange beasts and the man.



This was until a deep voice broke the silence “Come on now Calli, I will show you to your new home.” She thought for a second while she processed what she had just heard inside her head. “New home!” she exclaimed. “You must of made some mistake………where is my husband, where is

Victor, I need to speak to him.” Thoughts were dashing threw her mind, where was her husband?

Where was she? Who is the man?



“Calli” a stern voice said behind her, before she turned around she new who it was, it was Victor. As she spun around to speak to him he spoke again. “Don’t be shocked Calli” she looked him in the eyes and smiled. “Why would I be shocked, you look like you always have done?” He smiled back at her, revealing his newly grown fangs. Calli was shocked, she stared at her husband, what had happened to him? This evening had been to strange for her, she was but a mortal trapped in an immortal world.



She froze still holding her child close to her, unable to move or avert her eyes due to the shock. Victor placed his hand firmly on her shoulder. “Calli I need you to calm down so that we can talk” He summoned a pretty young woman to his side, she looked about 16, her long black hair glistened in the light and contrasted with the pale tone of her skin. Her bright blue eyes gleamed in the dim light and the redness of her lips looked very unnatural.



“Calli this is Heather, she will look after our son whilst we talk” Calli looked at the young girl before questioning her husband. “Who is she? How do I know that I can trust her with Brandon, she might hurt him” Victor jus looked at her sarcastically “I would never let harm come to you or Brandon, Heather is one of the most trusted members of out community. She will take good care of our son, won’t you Heather?” He looked at her and she raised her head “Yes sire” then she walked over to Jade and Brandon “I will take good care of the little one ma’am” She looked at Victor again and he nodded, so she handed over Brandon to Heather and watched as she carried her young child away, she felt so helpless and lost.



Victor then turned to the man that greeted Calli “Thank you Bertie, that will be all for now.” The man bowed and walked away threw the underground hideout. Calli turned to the man that she once knew, wondering what had happened to him, hoping that she would soon find out the truth. Victor turned round indicating for Calli to follow him. She hesitated for a moment or two, thoughts buzzing around her head, she then followed him into the darkness. Victor took an unlit torch of the wall and lit it. It gave off an overwhelming bright orange light which filled the passage. She followed her husband slowly and cautiously not knowing what could happen next. Then her mind flashed back to her child, hoping that he would be ok with a complete stranger.



They walked further and further down the passage, it seemed like they had been walking for hours, when in fact they had only been walking for less than forty five minutes. It was the complete silence between the pair that made the time drag. Victor slowed down suddenly and turned off down another passage. Calli when to follow him, but stopped when she saw what was in the passage. It was covered in blue and orange spiders, each one the size of he hand at least.



The spider’s eyes reflected the light from the torch, making it look like they were possessed. Victor soon became aware that he was not being followed and turned around. He had forgotten him wife’s fear of spiders. “Look just hurry up will you, I have not got all day. They will not go near you, they have been trained to stay away from humans.” Victor turned back around and continued walking at a slower pace and muttered “and vampires” under his breath, waiting for Calli to catch up with him. Calli cautiously stepped forward, her eyes darting round the room watching the spider’s movements.



They finally came to a small cavern, a few candles sat in the walls in small holes. The light was dim, but enough to see without straining your eyes. Against one of the walls there were a few straw filled bags to sit on. Victor sat down on the one furthest away from the wall and let out a sigh. Calli cautiously followed and silently sat on the bag opposite him.



Victor looked nervous he ran his fingers threw his long jet black hair, and then started fiddling with the hem of his cape. He did not know where to start, how could he possibly explain what was going on to his wife? He muttered something under his breath which Calli could not hear, however she did pick up on his discomfort and started to feel uneasy. They sat there for several minutes in complete silence until finally Victor opened his mouth to speak, but Calli beat him to it, She broke down into tears “Victor, please, tell me what is going on, I can’t take it any more. First I am chased by hideous creatures, then a strange man brings me to you, then they take Brandon from me. What is going on, please tell me!” Victor looked down at the ground. “For god’s sake, look at me Victor. I demand an explanation now!”





Chapter 3 – The Explanation





Calli lent her back against the cold cave wall, she gazed deeply into the shimmering emerald green depths of her husbands eyes. “Are you going to tell me what is going on or not?” Victor let out another sigh, dropping his head down. His forehead came to rest on the heels of his hands. Abruptly he stood up and straightened his back, intend on stalking away he took a few paces then stopped. He could not just go and leave her to die, he swiftly spun around, taking long strides back over to Calli until he stood directly in fount of her. Calli looked up at him, she was confused and when their eyes met she could tell that he was frustrated, there was something bothering him, something big.



Victor used this moment of eye contact to begin the task of explaining to Calli what was going on. “I am not who you think I am” He said darkly, the murky light casting velvety shadows across his face and body. Calli started to question him, but was stopped when Victor once again spoke. “I have changed. I am no longer human. I need you to remain calm as I continue to explain our current situation.” Calli nodded, still confused, now becoming slightly worried. But she understood what her husband was asking of her and remained silent and listened.



He began to explain “I am not fully human because…” He paused, looking at Calli making sure she was listening. “Because I am a, a vampire…” It was hard for him to say, but he had finally said it, now he just needed to explain everything else. There was a long pause as Calli processed what her husband was telling her. She finally managed to stutter out what was on her mind. “w.w...What? w.w...When? H...h.how? Its, its it’s impossible.” Victor shook his head, he had feared that she would react this way, but she needed to know, it was for her own good.



“It is possible, it happened eight months before Brandon was born. But the change was gradual. It is a great thing to be. We do not kill humans or anything barbaric like that, that is simply a stupid exaggerated stereotype that has been portrayed through the media. We simply drink what we need to survive. But I will tell you more about that later.” There was a short pause as Victor took a deep breath so he could continue speaking. “I am above most people in this community. I am a leader, I am actually more than that, I am a king. This means that Brandon is a prince, he will take over from me one day, that’s if you will let him.” He studied Calli’s expression, giving her a questioning look before he resumed his explanation.



“Look, everything will be fine now. Those creatures that were chasing you earlier can not harm you here.” This puzzled Calli even more, how did he know about the creatures chasing me? She thought to herself. Victor knew what she was thinking. “I knew because those creatures were lycans.” He paused again, just to let Calli process all this information. “I know this is a lot to take in Calli, but please, listen to me.” He paused yet again. “Do you understand everything so far?” He looked at his wife with a stern expression on his face, she had to understand this, if she didn’t she would be in trouble, Victor knew the consequences.



Calli nodded “But what has all this got to do with me?” She stared at Victor with her piercing eyes, for a moment he felt like he could see straight into her soul. He saw the frightened, innocent little girl that he met all those years ago. It unlocked a deep sense of protection, an instinct that he had suppressed recently with all that was going on. He knew that he could not let anything happen to her, he could never forgive himself if something did.



“It has everything to do with you. Somehow the lycans found out about you, now you and our sons lives are in great danger.” This brought a tear to Calli’s eye. This in turn made Victor feel even worse, but he could not let Calli see this, he had to stay strong, not just for himself but for Calli.



Just thinking of what could have happened to Calli, she could have been torn apart and had Brandon snatched from her arms, he shuddered at this thought and hung his head in shame. What had he done, it was all his fault, and he had put the lives of the two people he cared about most in the world in danger. They would be dead now, if it was not for Calli’s quick thinking. It was amazing; he had married a truly amazing woman and now faced losing her.



“There is something that I need you to do Calli.” He could not believe that he was actually going to suggest this but he had to, it was for the best, not just for him but for Calli and Brandon. “You might not like this idea, but it is necessary.” He paused, gathering together his thoughts. “You must become a vampire.” There was an awkward silence. Calli did not even need to respond, Victor could tell by the look on her face and the raw emotion that she showed in her eyes that she was not impressed.





“What!” She exclaimed. “You have out our son’s life at risk. You have lied to me and god knows what else. And now…. NOW YOU WANT ME TO BECOME A VAMPIRE?!?!?” She laughed as though she was close to breaking. “I can not believe you.” She put her head in her hands and started crying, it was all too much for her. Victor knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He was a bit shocked, he had expected that she would not take it well, but he never thought that she would take it this badly.



“Please Calli, if you will not do this for me, do it for Brandon.” The mere mention of her sons name hit her hard. How could he bring out son into this, it was not fair, but it was true. She would do anything for her son, he was her world and all that she felt she had right now. “Ok, I will do it for Brandon, what do I actually have to do? How does it work?” Victor let out a sigh of relief; he was so happy that Calli was finally going along with everything.



“All that you need to do is drink some of my blood.” Victor said, knowing that it was just as simple as that. Calli thought, and even thought she was not happy with him at the moment, deep down she still had the un-dieing love in which she declared when they got married. Then another thought came through her mind. “How will it affect me? Will I change and will I become completely different?” Victor shook his head. “Ok then, but will I change at all?” Victor paused. “You will be stronger and faster, but your appearance will not alter.” Victor thought for a second, should he tell his wife that their son will have to become a vampire as well, or should he wait till later, it might be a bit much to tell her now, so he left it.



“When will I be changed into a vampire?” Victor paused and looked at her before replying. “I can change you now, if that’s ok with you?” He looked deep into her eyes, hoping that she would agree.



“Ok, but only if I can see Brandon straight after.” Victor smiled, and nodded, even if he had said no, he knew that Calli would go and find Brandon, no matter what she had to do to get to him.



Calli nodded and Victor took a small knife out of his pocket. He made a small but deep cut on his left wrist, the blood started to pour quickly. Calli was shocked, even disgusted at what she saw, she recoiled then looked into victors eyes. What was she meant to do now? She panicked until Victor pulled her close and raised his wrist to her mouth, she spluttered at first then started to swallow the blood.



The taste was coppery yet sweet and a strange sensation came over her. She dropped to her knees and started to shiver violently, Victor knelt down besides her and pulled her close to him, running his fingers threw her hair.



The process was complete. Calli was now part of the Clan.





Chapter 4 - The Lycans



The night was dark, though the moon shone bright.

The stars were few, in this evil night.

A mother ran with a small child in her arms.

Running faster to keep her child from harm.



The beasts broke down the door to the house and rummaged through every room and cupboard. Suddenly the leader Deacon heard the back door closing. He let out a howl and bounded down the stairs, the rest of the clan swiftly accompanied him. They ran out into the full moon and Sky sniffed the ground, she growled at one of the other creatures and scratched the ground with her paw.



Deacon glared at her, beckoning her to take the lead. She glanced back at him and she bounced off the others following her. They followed the woman round the corner and then she was gone, Sky was sure that she must of carried on along that road and the ran off. Little did she know that the woman and child had ran down an alleyway and were hidden behind a dustbin.



Sky continued, the rest of the clan right behind her, suddenly she stopped. She had lost the scent. She sniffed the air, trying to get it back again, but couldn’t pick it up. Deacon glared at her, then growled as Sky bowed her head in shame, tucking her tail between her legs. She had let the clan down.



Deacon was not impressed and with one swift swipe of his paw he knocked Sky to the ground. The clan then took off, leaving the injured Sky to either run away, or make an attempt to get back. Sure enough after a short while Sky got up and stumbled back



When she arrived home everyone else had already gone back to their rooms to get ready for their evening meals. Sky came in from the bright moonlight and slowly her limbs shrank back into a human shape, her nose went back into her face and her fun disappeared, this took a little longer than usual because she was hurt, but when she changed back to her human form she checked the open sour on her arm and walked swiftly to her room, avoiding any contact with the rest of her clan.



When se got there she had a shower and started to get changed, while she was getting changed she looked in the mirror. She hated what she saw, and refused the idea that anyone could ever fall in love with something as disgustingly hideous as herself. She looked at the cuts on her stomach, legs and wrists. What had she become, she asked herself.



When she finally had picked her outfit, which was a beautiful black velvet full length dress with long arms and a matching cape, she stood in the mirror. She looked at herself, pinching the fat, pointing out her imperfections. She was so lost in her own world that she didn’t notice that someone else had entered the room, this was until she felt the strong hands firmly grasp her round the waist.



After being sharply snapped out of her thoughts she swiftly turned her head round to see who it was. But she was not too surprised to see Deacon standing behind her. Sky brushed his hands away and turned round to face him, still ashamed with herself for letting the clan down.



“What’s wrong hunny.” Deacon said in a patronizing tone “feel bad for letting the clan down hmmm, you should be ashamed of yourself. HA bet you already are.” He grabbed her wrist, twisting it so the scars were upright “What is that?” Sky just bowed her head and tried to pull way, but he had tight hold of her wrist, staring at her demanding an answer. Finally Sky managed to pull away and Deacon stormed out of the room “Just be ready for dinner.” Then he slammed the door on his way out.



Sky sunk into a corner of her room and started to cry.



Suddenly Sky heard a knock at the door, it startled her. She quickly stood up and wiped the tears from her face before going to answer the door. When she reached the door, she had no idea what to expect. She slowly opened the door to find Zeke standing there. She was shocked, she hadn’t seen or heard from him in ages.



He simply smiled and gave her a hug before asking “Are you ok? I heard what happened today…” He paused before adding “I also heard about Deacon.” Sky looked up at him, her eyes filled with emotion, she was struggling to hold back her tears.



He looked at her for a while before saying “You look even more beautiful that I remembered.” And he kissed her on the hand. Sky pulled away turning away from him “Don’t lie to me, and don’t say that you’re not lying, I’m not stupid.”



Zeke looked at her with raised eyebrows, there was a pause before Sky turned back to face him. “Sorry…. I” She paused “I’m just a bit down at the moment.” Zeke smiled at here, putting his arm round her. Sky looked him in the eyes and whispered “Sorry” Then they walked down to the dinner hall.



When they got there they took their seats, everyone else was already there and the food was being served. Sky ended up sitting next to Deacon much to her distaste. When she sat down Deacon smiled at her “Finally decided to join us did you?” Sky nodded, staring at the meal in front of her, unlike everyone else’s large roast dinners she simply had a few vegetables and a glass of water instead of wine.



She picked up her fork and prodded the vegetables; her complete lack of hunger was obvious. She couldn’t face eating right now, she had too much on her mind. Everyone else had nearly finished their meals, but Sky hadn’t eaten any of hers, not like anyone even noticed. She pushed her plate away from her and the servant collected it.



Deacon finished shortly after her, and faced her saying “You need to cheer up, do you know that? And those marks I saw earlier, keep them hidden and stop it, it doesn’t look good.” He took a large swig of his wine and called to the servant to take his plate away and to get him some more wine, the servant did so quickly to avoid trouble. “Sorry, it won’t happen again.” Deacon glared at her as if to say it better not.



After a while of chatting Sky went to leave but was stopped abruptly by a hand clamping round her wrist. “And where do you think your going?” Sky just sat back down, she didn’t want to offend him.



Deacon continued to drink as Sky sat there, back straight with her hands on her lap. Her stare was fixed on one point of the table cloth; it looked as though she was in a trance. But she was actually lost deep in thought. Deacon stared at her and placed his hand on her thigh, Sky brushed it off and left for the door before anyone could stop her. She needed time to think, time to be alone.



Sky went to the very top of the base and climbed threw to get outside. The sun had just stated to rise. She sat on a rock and watched the sky grow lighter and the colours around her change as the worlds was revealed after yet another night of darkness.



Yet again her thought consumed her, the what ifs and buts of her past haunted her constantly. After sitting there for a while she felt the presence of someone behind here, she turned around to find Zeke standing there, he sat down next to her.



“Are you ok?” He paused “Wait that’s a stupid question, what’s wrong?” Sky didn’t answer, she stared at the ground. Finally she replied “Its nothing, I’m fine.” She put on a fake smile then looked back at the ground before saying “Sorry if I made you think that something was wrong, you should know that I am always ok by now.”



Zeke looked at her with a questioning expression “Will you promise me one thing then?” Sky nodded “Ok, Will you promise me that you will stop hurting yourself and that you won’t try and kill yourself?” Once again Sky nodded “Say you promise…” There was a pause before Zeke added “Please”



Sky sighed, she despised making promises that she knew she couldn’t keep. She kept silent, hoping that he would leave her to her thoughts. When she realised that he wasn’t going to give up she muttered “Ok, I promise” Then added quietly “That I will try…” She was unsure if he had heard the last bit or not, but in the back of her mind she secretly hoped that he hadn’t.



Zeke held her close “Your freezing, here take my jacket.” Sky shook her head before saying “No, I’m fine, and I don’t want you getting cold.” She hugged him before standing up and going to wander off. “Where are you going?” Zeke asked, standing up and walking next to her. “Just for a walk, I need some time to think.” Zeke stopped letting Sky walk on alone, just saying “Remember, if you ever need to talk I’m always here for you….. and please, be careful.”



Sky turned round “Thank you and I will.” With that she took off into the daylight.





Chapter 5 – Reunited at Last



Victor had carried Calli to one of the spare rooms and got her a change of clothes for when she awoke. When she did wake up, still in Victors arms, he was dabbling her forehead with a damp cloth and had already washed the blood off her face, hands and neck. He then helped her get changed out of her blood sodden clothes. Into a fitted black ruffled shirt and a long black silk skirt covered by a fine purple then black netting.



Finally Calli was reunited with her son. He lay there in Heathers arms, drifting off to sleep. Until he saw his mother, his eyes opened wide stretching his arms towards her. Calli smiled, rushing over to her child and scooping him up in her arms. She also smiled at Heather “Thank you.” Heather bowed her head then went to leave. Before she left she said “I will just get your room set up now.”



Calli stood there cradling her child in her arms, whispering thing such as “Who knew everything would turn out like this?” She stood there thinking, Brandon had fallen asleep, Calli placed him down on a soft feather cushion and stroked his little, round, angelic face, a singular tear rolling down her cheek and splashing on the hard, cold stone floor.



Heather returned after a short while and led them to their room. “Dinner will be ready soon, Victor will come and get you and show you the way.” She left going herself to get ready for dinner.



Calli lay Brandon down in the cot, he was fast asleep and she suddenly thought, what was she meant to change into? She walked over to the wardrobe and opened it, it was full of beautiful velvet dresses, then opened the draws which contained black trousers and striking velvet tops.



She finally chose a gorgeous deep violet dress, it had a large beaded cross on the front and tied up at the back. The sleeves draped down as she stood there in the mirror. There was a sudden knock at the door, this startled her as she turned around to find Victor there. “Here let me help you.”



He tied up the back of the dress and then she turned back round. “You look beautiful my dear.” Calli smiled, almost forgetting what had happened earlier on that night. “Thank you.” She replied quietly.



Victor held out his hand and gestured towards the door. “What about Brandon?” Victor simply smiled “He will be fine, if he wakes up I will go and tend to him, so come on, lets go, they will be waiting for us.”



Calli when over and tucked her son in before kissing him on the head and whispering a few things into his ear. After that she went back to her husband and gave him a hug. Then they linked arms and set off to the dining hall.



When they arrived at the huge, old, wooden double doors, Victor stopped, he had sensed that Calli was nervous. He held her close “Its ok, everyone is really friendly, they will make you feel right at home.” He smiled then they continued through the doors and sat down at one far end.



After the meal there was a gathering, everyone met together on the comfy chairs, sofas and other things to sit on. All the people were talking and drinking, just generally socialising. But Calli felt excluded, she didn’t know any of these people and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to get to know them or not.



Finally Victor came and sat beside her “Are you alright?” He asked, Calli just nodded and smiled. Victor looked at her, “I know, I will introduce you to some people. Then you won’t feel as left out.” Calli just looked at him, she didn’t know what to do so once again she nodded and smiled.



Victor lead her over to a group of people, then he introduced her to them, one of them she had already met previously, it was Heather. She smiled at her and she asked “Was the room alright for you?” Calli smiled, “Yes, its beautiful.” Heather smiled back “Glad you like it.”



They carried on talking for a while, she found out a lot about her, A vampire called Fredric had found her a bout two years ago, she was dieing and he helped her, but when she had figured out that he was a vampire he gave her the choice to join him and she accepted. Then he brought her back here and she had never been happier.



When she was little her parents were killed by a murderer, she had escaped when she ran away, but she couldn’t look after herself, she didn’t know where to find food, or how to get money. She had tried begging, but didn’t get much. But luckily Fredric had found her just in time.





Chapter 6 – The Hunted Renegade



The meal had ended and a young vampire named Zach was just planning to sneak out, he gathered all his things along with a long deep red, cape and set off.



At first the sun dazed him, although it was a cloudy day. He still had to be extremely careful. He pulled the hood over his head and ran for cover; there was a cave near by that he could rest in. After an hour the suns heat became unbearable, but he was nearly there.



Finally he reached the cave, and clambered deep inside. It was cool inside and he took down his hood, then removed his cape, placing it on a nearby rock. Then he curled up into a ball and slept.



~*~



Meanwhile, Sky wandered further and further from the den, she had never been this far before. She knelt down on the edge of a small stream the little sunlight bounced up off the water surface and onto her face. She must of caught her cheek on a branch since there was a long snake like cut upon her cheek. She then cupped some water in her hands and splashed it on her face, wiping the dried blood away.



She wanted somewhere to lie down, but off the ground to avoid the mud. Sky then spotted a tree, it was angled over the stream at such an angle it could be walked up. So she walked over to it and removed her shoes, leaving them at the bottom of the tree. She then went on to climb it.



There was a branch covered thick in spongy moss which caught her attention, she climbed over and lay down on it staring up at the sky. Soon after she fell asleep.



It was almost sunset when she arose, So she clambered down the tree and put her shoes back on. The she resumed her walk, stopping every now and then to observe the various flowers, they were fading now as the days grew colder and shorter, growing dull in colour and eventually brown. Yet they had been so beautiful, now they lay discarded on the bushes, fading and dieing.



~*~



Zach had woken up by now, and he was thirsty. He was walking again, until he spotted someone in the distance. He stood still for a moment then pounced into a tree.



Sky heard something rustling in the distance and went to investigate. When she found nothing she simply carried on walking. The she started to feel thirsty, so she headed in the sound of running water. When she got there she knelt down and cupped her hands and started drinking.



Zach followed his victim, she was now by a stream, as soon as she stood up he pounced down behind her.



Suddenly sky felt an arm come round her waist, she panicked, her breathing quickened. Then another hand brushed against her cheek and a calming voice came to her ear “Do not worry, I will not hurt you”



Zach then kissed her neck, before turning her round and kissing her passionately on the lips. Sky pushed him away “What on earth do you think you are doing!”



“I’m sorry, I missed you… I can’t help it, I still love you…” Sky turned her back on him in disgust “You know that I am in debt to Deacon. He wants me to marry him…”



There was a pause, the wind blew gently, rustling in the trees as Zach dropped to his knees “Please, you can’t, come with me, we could run away, no one would ever have to know where we had gone.” Sky sighed and turned back to face him. “You know yourself that it could never work, Deacon would have me tracked down and you killed… I could never let that happen to you.”



She knelt down beside him and held him close to her. “If it wasn’t going to work, how come you came tonight?” Zach looked up at her, his eyes begging for an answer.



Sky looked deeply into his eyes, then turned away and whispered “Because I still love you as well...”The Sky got up and started walking back to the den, Zach did not follow.



The wind blew threw his deep brown hair, as he looked up his hazel eyes sparkled under the light of the stars. He was completely alone.



The hunger consumed him and he went off to the small village near by in search for a meal, then after having his fill he returned, heartbroken to the hideout.





Chapter 7 – Debt



When Sky had walked away, torn and feeling as if she had left a piece of herself there with Zach, how could she do this? Before she wouldn’t of thought twice about running away with him, but she knew that Deacon would track them both down. And the last thing she wanted was Zach getting hurt.



She knew that he would find out about Zach, although she had done nothing wrong Deacon would punish her. Even more so than he would for her disobeying his orders of remaining inside, she didn’t even have an excuse. She thought about turning back now and finding Zach, they could run away to another country. But she knew this was but a dream, and one which she was wasting her thoughts on, it would never happen...



Then she started thinking about Zach, she didn’t get what he saw in her, why would he love someone as worthless as herself? He deserved much better. But she still longed to be with him, it tore her apart being away from him, he was all she could think about.



After a few hours Sky reached the den to find Deacon waiting outside impatiently. “And may I ask where the hell you have been?” said an angry voice as a hand clasped around her arm. “I have been waiting for you all day, I told you never to do that again, DID I NOT?” Sky looked down, avoiding eye contact, but this just angered him even more “LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M SPEAKING TO YOU!” he said, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up at him. Sky then looked into his eyes, they were filled with anger.



When Sky didn’t answer he increased the pressure on her jaw bone. “I don’t know why I bother with you, now get to your chamber and get changed, it’s the ball tonight.” He released her pushing her to the ground and walked off. The floor was cold and covered in dirt, the grit had grazed her arm whilst the salt in the earth gently stung her. When Deacon was out of sight Sky stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes, then hurried to her chamber to get ready.



As soon as she got in there she had a bath, washing the dirt off her arm and face. The got changed into her ball gown then sat down and put her make up on.



About half an hour after he had supposedly greeted her Deacon came into Sky’s chamber, he sat on her bed whilst she brushed her hair. “Do you remember why you are here?” Deacon questioned. “Yes” Sky muttered. “Well, you owe me, I saved you from death, you owe me with your life, and what better way than…” he paused as a psychotic grin lit up over his twisted face “to marry me” Sky paused in shock. “What?” Deacon just carried on grinning, the stood up and walked over to behind Sky and pulled her up so that she faced him. “You heard me, I am going to propose to you tonight at the ball” he grinned again, letting out a little laugh. “And you have no choice but to accept” Sky lowered her head.



Then Deacon pushed her up against the wall and kissed her. Sky tried to push him away from her, but she did not have the energy, then he pulled away. “Do you know what will happen if you refuse” he grinned again when Sky shook her head. “Well if you refuse then I will just have to keep you in a cage.” He laughed again. “Actually, I quite like the sound of that…” he winked at Sky then walked out of the room.



When she had heard him open the door to his own room she slumped down against the wall and rested her head against her knees as she cried. What would she do? She couldn’t say no, and she couldn’t run away. She wished that Zach was with her…. Then she though, how was she going to tell him?





Chapter 8 –



When Zach returned back home he went straight to his chamber and slept. His heart was breaking and his dreams started to become more twisted and hateful than when the morning had started. This was killing him slowly, he dreamt of death and destruction, hatred and murder, lost love and false hope. All he wanted was her, all he wanted was Deacon dead...



In another chamber Brandon had awoken again and Calli was comforting him until Heather entered, she smiled sweetly “You need some rest, would you like me to take care of him for now?” Calli smiled back at her “Thank you, but its ok.” Victor sat up and looked at Calli with a sarcastic expression. “You need some sleep. Heather will look after him, it will be fine.” Calli stared back at him, she was unimpressed, then she turned back to Heather and handed Brandon over. “He will be fine with me, I will take good care of him.” Heather left the room with Brandon, Calli turned back to Victor. “Don’t you think I’m capable of raising my own god damn child!?” Then she went and sat on the chair the other side of the room.



Victor walked over to comfort her but she just turned away from him. “Are you trying to keep Brandon away from me?” she enquired. Victor did not reply, Calli asked again a bit louder “Are you trying to keep Brandon away from me?!” Victor shook his head “No my dear, I just think that you need some rest, you have had a hard time these last few days and you need some sleep. You still haven’t fully adjusted to the change” After hearing that Calli got up and went back to lay on the bed and Victor followed, but she could not sleep since all she could think about was her son.



Finally she drifted off to sleep, tormented dreams taunted her sleep. Fire consuming everything in sight, death and destruction devastating the land innocent people becoming victims, but what were they the victims of?



She awoke a bit later, someone was leaning over her with a damp cloth to her forehead, she felt weak, trying to speak, but her throat was too dry and her words came out as a moan. She questioned what was happening to her, did Victor know? Where was he? Where was Brandon? She tried to sit up, but fell back feeling faint. The she saw Victor, he dismissed the women who was with her, as he came over with what looked like a glass of wine. He pressed it to her lips, a strange scent rose from the glass and she pushed it away. Victor ran his hands threw her hair, pushing it back from her face. “Drink it, it will make you feel better.” He kissed her forehead, pressing the glass back to her lips, she took a sip, ignoring the strange taste, she trusted Victor. After finishing the drink she stayed sat up for a while before feeling faint again and drifting off to sleep.





Chapter 9 –



Later that afternoon Brenna knocked on Sky’s door. “I have your dress.” she called before walking in the room. Sky was still slumped against the wall, her face pale and tears still in her eyes. Brenna put her dress on the bed and placed her arm around Sky. “It will be ok, you will be free one day.” If only that were true Sky thought, she knew Deacon, he was not going to let her go, Brenna did not know about his plans for tonight. Sky forced herself to smile and Brenna hugged her, then helped her up to show her the dress.



“Its beautiful.” Sky gasped looking at it. It had a deep purple corset and underskirt with cerise over the top, with a matching mask with long black feathers. She took it into the bathroom then got Brenna to help her fasten the corset. The she smiled “You look beautiful Sky.” And she hugged her again. “I will leave you to do your make up as I go to get ready.” Brenna hurried off and Sky started on her make up and hair.



The clock chimed for 8pm and Deacon knocked on her door, Sky answered it, with her mask in her hand. Deacon grinned when he saw her. “Hope you like the dress, it looks gorgeous on you.” He put his arm round her and they set off, as they got closer Deacon helped her tie the silk ribbon to her mask.



They entered the room, it was full of wonderfully dressed people, females all had beautifully patterned masks covering their faces, all males in dark tailored suits. Music playing from the harp in the corner, a young female playing it with long black flowing hair and red lips. Sky stopped dead as she realised who it was. What was Heather doing here?



Deacon pulled her off to dance, but Sky was confused, still thinking and questioning what Heather was doing playing here. They continued dancing, Deacon holding her close and smiling, nudging her whenever the smile slipped from her face, commenting something like “Smile, tonight is a good night.”



The chime went for 10pm and more champagne was passed round, as couples continue to dance. Then Deacon had led Sky to the middle of the dance floor, she knew what was coming as he got down on one knee, the rest of the room stood still, staring at them.

Then the question came “Will you marry me?” He grinned up at Sky, she stared down at her as she said “yes” looking down at the floor, everyone in the room clapped and chattering broke out temporarily before they went back to dancing, throughout the remainder of the evening people approached them both to congratulate them.



People admired the ring which Deacon had given her, but she knew what it was, it was her child, a constant reminder. He had taken the body of her dead child and had him compressed into a diamond and only now had she been given him. But as a engagement ring. Was this his idea of a sick prank? Or was it just meant as a constant reminder of her past? How could he do this to her, was her really that messed up mentally?



She thought of her child the rest of the evening as she danced with Deacon and accepted the compliments and congratulations from the other guests. Constantly trying to think of an excuse to leave the party in favour of a quieter location, but every time she tried to leave Deacon would pull her back. She couldn’t carry on like this, she was living a lie, people thought that she had stayed due to her own free will and that she loved Deacon. How wrong they were.



Finally Deacon let her go, but before he did, he pulled her close and whispered in her ear “I will come in for a visit later on.” Sky did not reply, just lowered her head and left for her room. She wished Zach would come and save her, take her to a far away place where they could never be found and could live peacefully for the rest of their lives, although Deacon would never let her get away… Or would he…She thought, there must be something she could do, there just had to be. But then he would probably just kill her. But at least for now she was free, for a short while anyway. But one day she would find a way to escape, she had to.



When she finally reached her room she decided to start running a bath, whilst that was running she took off her dress and hung it up neatly ready to be taken away to be cleaned, then put on her long silk dressing gown. It looked almost liquid as she paced round her room in deep thought. Then she went to check on the bath. It was ready.