Chapter One - The Meeting

I passed her on the street one average day in San Diego, Southern California. It was morning, the city was just starting to buzz and the skies were cloudy with the normal overcast of the mornings and late afternoons. I was going to work, well over an hour early. She had been on her daily run, her jogging outfit fitted her form perfectly, showing off her legs, waist, breasts and butt as she passed. Her hair was a glossy, straight, bright red color with blond and brown highlights. Her eyes were of the clearest and most beautiful shade of green I had ever seen.

 

Absolutely entranced, I watched as she jogged right by me. I turned my head and watched as she rounded the corner. After staring at that corner for moment ignoring my more base instincts, I continued walking to work, but my instincts were telling me to go back, to follow her. I didn’t understand then. Stopping, I thought about why I couldn’t follow her. I had an hour to kill before I had to get to work, and I could get there in five seconds with my vampire speed, so I had almost an hour to follow her and see what’s bothering me so. That was when I made the decision. I turned around and followed her, picking up my pace to catch up to her. But, I wasn't fast enough. 

 

She was screaming, writhing and fighting a formidable force that in the shadows. I could smell her blood had been spilt and could see the weapon that had inflicted that damage to her body. Instantly, I was angry. I saw red and adrenaline pumped through my body, giving me the unnecessary strength to fight. Without thinking, I growled as I lunged forward, knocking the attackers off and away from her. One made a grab for me, but I was too fast. I grabbed his arms, twisted it behind his back and popped the shoulder out of his socket with ease. He howled, but I hurled him into another guy headfirst, whom had just recovered from my attack. Three more were closing on me, circling me slowly, switches raised in an obvious sign that they were willing to kill to me get whatever it was they wanted from the girl. I sized their motions up with a quick glance to each and jumped just as one guy made a sudden lunge, his knife carving into air that I had displaced only milliseconds ago. I came down, hard, on top of him. My feet landed on his shoulder blades and I heard the bones splinter. But, that was the least of his worries. My fall continued and I landed squarely on his back, crushing his spine. I assessed the other two again and jumped on one, who had made a dash for me. I knocked the weapon aside and yanked his wrist to the side and down until the bones were splintered and useless. Then, I used his body as a means to take down the third guy by grabbing the second guy by his shirt and slamming him into the third guy's belly. Both went down from the force I had used to propel them together and I turned my attention back to the young girl who was still against the wall. But, she was not alone. Two more guys were creeping to her and I intercepted them. I shoved myself between them to cover her with my body as I growled at the two attackers. They looked afraid but I didn’t show any mercy as I shoved them both into the building they had their backs to and they crumpled, motionless. 

I assessed the damage the fight had done to the humans. Five bodies, none dead, were strewn about the floor and the other three had taken off. The danger gone, I willed myself to calm down before I turned to the girl and checked her wounds. She was bleeding heavily from her thigh, clearly her femoral artery had been severed. Her lip was bleeding, her cheeks were swollen, her bag ripped apart and her nails held blood. It was obvious from the looks of the pool of blood that was spreading around us if I did not do something she would die. And I was certain that if my instincts were to follow her than she was not supposed to die. But what could I do? If I called the ambulance, she would die before it got here. If I carried her and ran full speed to the hospital, she would die of shock and blood loss and I would risk exposing my secret in the process. If I did nothing, she would die. If I were to change her...she might live. And it was a strong might. The venom only worked if there was enough blood in her body. In the seconds it took me to evaluate my options, my decision was made. 

I first had to close the wound on her thigh or all of the veom I had in my system wouldn’t be enough to save her. So I leaned down to her thigh and switched the venom from changing to healing, then I licked the wound thoroughly, slowly. It was more difficult than I was expecting. The bloodlust was thick within me and her blood tsted so sweet, but years of harsh self-discipline kept my head rooted.

Leaning back into sitting position, I could see my venom go to work. The wound decreased in size and depth as I watched until it eventually disappeared without any sign of a scar. I looked at her cheeks and was relieved to find that they held more color. With her thigh healed well, I leaned up and forward to bite her neck, targeting her carotid artery. As I pumped venom into her system, she did not react in any way. She remained limp, but alive.

 

 After a good amount of venom had entered her, I sat up and looked at her. Still, she did not react. 
She can't stay here. I have to take her back to my place, where she can heal in peace. I thought, knowing it was the truth. She needs peace and quiet right now not the busy city sounds and smells. 
Gingerly, I took her into my arms and carried her to my house using the alleys and backstreets, avoiding the main streets at all costs. 

Chapter Two - A New World

 

I was aware of his presence from the moment I heard his growl. I could tell my savior was a male from he depth of the guttural snarl.

I heard him as he fought my attackers and I felt it when he bit my neck, licked my thigh and felt the fluid entered my bloodstream and his gentle arms as he carried me. But, that was the last thing I was aware of. I guess I should have been wondering why I was feeling those things, but at the time I didn’t care. I was in shock, hurt, being attacked, and then I was safe. That’s all that I had cared about.
I fell asleep, I guess. I was tired from the loss of blood, the pain from my ribs and leg, and I had a massive headache to accompany it all. My brain sent me into a healing coma, a state where I was unaware for six days. 
When I finally came back to my body, so much had changed. The pain was completely gone, all of my senses heightened one hundred fold and I was famished. My throat hurt, even the sunlight hurt beyond my eyelids.
I fluttered my eyelids and moaned in pain as unused muscles came back to life. A single gasp reached my ears, telling me I am not alone. Finding it hard to open my eyes just yet, I relaxed a little to regain my strength. 
“Miss?” Came a voice. It was male, but it was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. It was so beautiful, it could have easily passed for a woman’s voice. The sound was musical, like a woman who sang for a living, her voice turned musical from singing many sweet songs.
Startled that I wasn’t alone, I slammed my eyes open. There, right next to the bed I lay on, was the man who had saved me. But, it didn’t look like him. The last time I had seen him, his face was contorted in rage and his mouth was baring his teeth as a savage snarl had ripped from his throat. But, it was him. His eyes were the same color, his build was the same, the expanse of his chest. His hair was the same snow white, one that only one in a trillion possess. Yes, it was him. 
Knowing I was in safe hands, I relaxed again. 
“Good evening. How do you feel?” He asked.
“Really good.” I whisperd, finding it rather difficult to speak right now.
“No pain?”
“Just a throb.”
“Where?” his voice, gentle at first, turned concerned and his eyebrows scrunched to show concern.
“In my chest, above my heart.”
He relaxed again, letting out a sigh of relief. 
“You saved me.” I said, breaking the silence.
“Yes.” He confirmed, his voice as gentle as before.
“Why?” I asked, shocked that a complete stranger would risk his life to save me, pitting himself against eight armed men. He was silent, thinking. 
“I don’t know. Something just told me to follow you around the corner, then I lost it when I saw you laying there, bleeding to death.”
“What do you mean ‘something’?”
“Instincts, I suppose. But they were so much stronger then what I’ve ever felt before.”
Unsure of what to say next, I remained silent. So did he. 
“Well, come along.” He stated, getting on his feet. I removed the thin cover and stood up. 
“Umm. Sir?”
“Yes?” He asked, stopping and turning to look at me.
“I thought I was attacked.”
“You were.”
“And a knife...” I trailed off, knowing he knew what I meant. He dropped his eyes, lowered his head and put his hands in his pockets.
“It was the only way to save you.” He said, turning away, his voice loaded with shame.
“What was? Why am I not in pain?”
“I’m going to show you what you have become. It is useless to fight it for it is done and cannot be undone.”
“What? What has changed?”
“Follow me. I’ll show you.” He ordered, turning his back and walking out of the room. Knowing that he had the answers to my questions, I followed him out of the room, then the house. 

Once we were outside, he stopped, remaining silent for a long time. 
“You were bleeding heavily from your thigh.” He began at last, his voice low and solemn. “You would have died no matter what scenario you were in. I could have called an ambulance and waited with you. Death. I could have carried you to the hospital. Death. I could have walked away. Death.” With each ‘Death’, his voice accentuated the word, showing his growing frustration. “I did the only thing I could do; I changed you.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean, ‘changed me’? Into what?!” I began to grow angry. He hadn’t answered my question yet. Why was he stalling?! What had he done?!
“You are - we are - I am...Oh, damn it!” He growled as he kicked at a stone angrily. “You are now a vampire.”
“Say what now?” I replied, stunned. I shook my head. No. Surely I must have heard wrong. Please tell me I heard that wrong!
“A vampire. That’s what we are. What you are.” He paused, then continued. “All of your human characteristics have been altered. Your human strength is now tenfold stronger. When you run no human can see you, unless you slow down. Your eyesight, as you’ve noticed, can miss nothing. Your sense of smell, again, you’ve noticed, can detect a drop of blood ten miles away. Your sense of hearing can now hear the buzzing of a hummingbird’s wings fifteen miles away. And you can extend your fangs if you so choose. Your fangs are what enable you to bite into your prey with absolute ease, or can aide you in showing aggressiveness toward other vampires or animals.”
“But…Why? Why would you do this to me?!” 
“Because something internal told me to.”
“So you altered my entire life on a whim?!!!”
“You were dying! You wouldn’t have had a life at all.”
“I still wish you’d let me die. This isn’t right. This isn’t natural!”
“What would have been different? All of our belongings would have been confiscated, your pets sent to the pound, your friends and family heartbroken and your life would have ended. I have extended it, made you immortal and you can go back home and live in the same house, with the same pets and belongings, but you can’t re-meet your friends and family.”
“What?! What do you mean I can’t?!”
“The venom has changed more than your senses and strength. It’s also changed your face, voice and body.”
“What do you mean?” I demanded, my voice shaking at the possibility that I’ve lost all that I’ve worked for and I can’t even go back and make sure it’s all taken care of. 
He reached inside his pocket and removed my makeup case, the one with the blush and mirror. 
“I found it in your bag and figured I could use it to show you, since there aren’t any mirrors or puddles of water for miles.” He whispered, opening the lid. 
My hands shaking, I stepped forward and took it in my hands, keeping the lid low. 

I raised the small container up to my face, like I had on so many occasions, but I paused, trying to steady my breathing and heart rate. 
At last, when I had plucked up the courage to see what had changed, I lifted the lid. What I saw, made me drop the container and back away, shrieking in horror and fright.
I only saw myself for an instant, but that image will forever be imbedded in my mind. 
Everything, except my hair, lashes and brow color had changed. 
My skin was unnaturally but attractively pale, my features had moved around to their ideal positions and even changes shapes and sizes, making me the most beautiful of creatures. My nose, big and awkward before, was now small and cute. My eyes, a little off-center previously, had now moved to either side of my new nose. If someone had a scalpel and cut a line straight down the middle, the two halves would be absolutely identical when there had been a difference before. My mouth, too puffy and pale, was now the perfect size to lure in men and was a delicious shade of pink. My eyebrows, color unchanged, had also been altered. They had been arrow-like before, pointed at the top, then sharply curving downward. Now, they had a shape that would rival the most perfect of eyebrows from the most beautiful Hollywood actress. My lashes, dark and dominating my eyes, had now slipped down the ladder to take their place as an enhancement and liner. My high and too pointy cheekbones had moved to their natural place and had sized down quite a bit, giving my face a womanly quality that I had never possessed before. My chin, double-cleft and the size of a man’s, had unified and shrunk to give my new face a triangular look. Yes, it was true. With all of my changed features, it would be impossible for anyone I once knew to recognize me. But, what would get the most attention was my eyes.
As cliché as it goes, they were of a bright, harsh, and nasty shade of red. Anyone I saw in town, their eyes would be attracted to mine and they would know I was different. 

“I understand.” I whispered, breaking a long silence. “No one would recognize me, not even my mother.”
“That’s part of it, yes. The rest is the color of your eyes. No human has that color, it’s just not possible. For us, it’s like a branding. It marks you as a fledgling.”
“Will the color..?”
“Tone down? Oh, yes. It will. But not for a good decade at the earliest.”
“So, what do we do?”
“We’re going to have to move.”
“To where?”
“Deep in the forest, where no man can go. We’ll be safest there, away from humans.”
“But, aren’t they our source of food?”
“Well, that depends.”
“On what?”
“Your age.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s actually quite simple. During the training period, you are not allowed near humans. The point of the training is to teach you to control the hunger, to minimize human casualties. A newbie is not allowed to graduate without exceptional self-control and self-discipline. Both are gained through not only denying you the satisfaction you crave, but also through hard work alongside the hunger.”
“So, until I ‘graduate’, I am not allowed in the vicinity of a human?”
“That is correct.”
“And then?”
“You graduate, go out into the world and do as you please. Humans or animals or neither, it’s your choice. Once you graduate. Before then, it’s my decision.”
“Fine. Seeing as how I have nowhere to go and no idea what I’m capable of, I’ll go with you.”
“Alright then. Now, let’s get started.” He said, turning away from me once again. “Run with me, but stay behind me.” He ordered, looking over his shoulder at me, before he started jogging. Instinctively, I took off after him, running until I had caught up, then jogged beside him.
He led me deep into the mountains close by, then far north until we were out of human occupation. At this point, we ran dead east…toward the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

The journey took almost three days. During that time, we neither stopped nor slowed down. We passed town after town, state after state. 
At last, we reached our destination…a cave deep in the Blue Ridge peaks. No hiking trails for miles, nothing but animals for food and no busy city sounds to disturb our rendezvous with nature.
“Here we are. Now, I think I should know your name.”
“It’s Amber. Amber Jayce.”
“I’m Seth Aren. You can call me Master Aren. Nothing else.”
“Okay, Master Aren.”
“You’re learning already. Good. Now, we’ll rest for the rest of today, but tomorrow, you’re training begins.”
“Umm, Mater Aren?” I said, stopping him as he turned to enter the cave.
“Yes?”
“Surely you have a set of rules for me to follow? I usually do better when I know the rules.”
“Okay. For now, don’t wander too far. We don’t know what creatures live up here. If you do get lost, you just have to picture me in your mind and tell me you need help through telepathy. I’ll find you and bring you back here. Second, never go anywhere near humans or animals. Until you graduate, you can have absolutely zero drops of blood. You already know the reason why. Third, you will do as I say without hesitation nor whinnying or demanding an explanation. If you see anyone or anything strange, come straight here and tell me about it. Fourth, you will awaken at dawn every morning regardless of weather conditions or drowsiness levels. The penalty for breaking any of these rules will be severe. Satisfied?”
“Yes, Master Aren.”
“Good. Now, you can go no farther than the square of peaks around us. Good night.”
“Good night, Master Aren.” I said. I watched as he entered the cave before I turned around and started exploring the woods.

 

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Publication Date: 07-25-2011

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