I awoke in the middle of a beautiful forest glade: the leaves moved back and forth softly in the wind, birds were singing their songs, and I had no idea how I’d arrived here. I sat up and took stock in my situation. I didn’t appear to be injured, I wasn’t in any pain, and I’d found myself in much less comfortable places before.

The sun seemed uncomfortably bright for some reason and I raised my hand to shield myself from the light. Even though the temperature must have been somewhere in the high seventies I felt strangely cold, except for my skin that wasn’t under my clothes. My skin seemed to be getting hotter and hotter and I found myself wondering why I hadn’t noticed it before. It felt like intense sunburn, the kind you don’t feel until the day after even though you’re obviously burned.

I got to my feet and sprinted into the shade, then looked down at my hand. The skin was bright red and I was startled by its appearance. “No, no,” I said quietly to myself as I began to remember what happened, “No, no, no, no, no, that didn’t happen. That doesn’t happen, it’s completely impossible.”

It had to have happened though; it was the only explanation for this morning’s events. While it was happening I’d thought it was just a nightmare, now I realized it was something much, much worse. I slowly brought my hand up to check for the final sign; it would prove or disprove my theory. My hand was shaking as it came in contact with the skin of my neck. Slowly I searched around until I found what I had been looking for.
Two small puncture wounds, as if I had been stabbed with a needle. I knew better though, I knew they were bite marks. I knew they were from two fangs and I knew exactly what had happened.
The previous night I had found myself in my usual location when I needed to think. I didn’t bring my sister, Ilia, with me this time. It was a small pond in the woods near the city I lived in, Rynne Nifaria. I didn’t know what it was but something felt sacred about that place. I guess not sacred enough to ward off evil though.
I must have been out there for a while because before I knew it the sun was setting. I scrambled to my feet; my father was going to be furious. I started quickly in the direction of my horse when I was cut off. I couldn’t make out any of his features, but I could see the crimson color of his eyes.

I drew my sword and brandished it at the stranger but he didn’t make any attempt to move. His mouth twisted into a smile, showing off his fangs. I didn’t flinch but I could feel my heart hammering in my chest.

I slashed my sword at him but he moved with inhuman speed, which I guess makes sense looking back. He grabbed ahold of my wrist and tried to bite me. I held him at bay as best I could but he was stronger than he looked. As hard as I tried he seemed to be easily overpowering me.

I kicked him away from me but lost my sword in the process. It was too dark to see where it had fallen and I didn’t think I had time anyway. I knew my best chance was to get to my horse and get back to Rynne Nifaria but my assailant was in the way. So instead I turned and raced deeper into the woods.

“That’s it, run little human,” the vampire hissed after me as I pushed through the heavy brush, “The hunt is my favorite part.”

My one advantage was knowing the forest so well, or at least I hoped it was an advantage. I had explored so often that I knew exactly where I was going and what to avoid. I could only hope that my attacker wasn’t as learned.

I cut efficiently through the woods, careful not to leave anything traceable behind me. Eventually I leaned against a tree to catch my breath and listen for any followers. I stood absolutely still for several minutes before I decided that he’d given up. I remained cautious though as I slowly peered back around the tree in the direction from which I’d come. There was no one in sight.

“Don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got,” I jumped backward, startled as I scanned the tree line and catching sight of the vampire only just above me. I had fallen backward into the dirt and now I was completely vulnerable.

He pounced on me and I struggled against his disturbingly strong grip. Eventually I was able to get my feet up and force him off of me. Then I broke into a sprint in the opposite direction. I was forcing myself deeper into the forest, no one was going to be able to help me here, I had to help myself.

I finally broke through the forest and into a clearing. The moonlight shone over the treetops and I realized that the sunlight wouldn’t be my ally either. I turned back to face my attacker, I couldn’t run any longer.

“Come on!” I shouted to the forest. I glared in every direction, I’d never been this deep into the forest, “What are you waiting for, you’ve trapped me.”

The dark figure burst through the trees and was upon me much faster than I had anticipated. I caught his eyes again but he didn’t seem to be seeing anything but food. He acted like a feral, rabid beast and I couldn’t become that.
My instincts took over and I fought. I used everything in my power to fend him off. He took blow after blow from tree branches, rocks, and anything else I could find but he didn’t stop. “I’m not having fun anymore,” he growled and he tackled me. My head must have hit a rock because I lost consciousness. Now I was here in the middle of the forest and…how was I going to explain this to my father?
I’d run, that was the only thing I could do. My father wouldn’t accept me like this; he’d throw me out anyway. I was a disgrace to the Verus family name now.

I took my first breath and felt the world around me explode with knew sensations. My sense of smell was suddenly outstanding; it was almost like a second sight. I could smell where animals were hidden in the underbrush and I was hungry. Some instinct overtook me and I leapt from the tree’s shade.

My sight in the dark was improved too and I saw the small rabbit before it saw me. I intercepted it as it tried to run and I sank my teeth into it. The blood tasted very different than I had expected, it was actually pleasant like a warm drink. I could feel my energy returning to me but I still thirsted for more. I bounded through the forest like a crazed animal and caught everything I could find to quench my insatiable desire.

With the corpse of a doe still in my arms I heard a twig snap behind me. I turned around to see a dark figure following me. He had his hands palm up facing me and approached very slowly. His lips were moving and I heard sounds but I couldn’t distinguish exactly what he was saying. My face was contorted in a snarl and I held onto the deer protectively, blood was running down the edges of my mouth.

“Calm down,” I finally understood what the man was saying to me and his voice sounded oddly familiar. My situation became more familiar to me and the animalistic thoughts began to fade. I turned toward the deer and began to feel sick. I dropped it and stumbled away from it; trying helplessly to wipe the blood from my face, “It’s alright; you had no control over yourself. Just calm down.”

Then I recognized the voice. It was him, the vampire who had attacked me, the one who had turned me into this. I spun around and faced him as I could feel the rage boiling up inside of me.

“You,” I growled angrily as I took a step toward him. He caught sight of my eyes and took a step backward, “You turned me into this monster. I’m going to kill you!”

I flew at him with the speed of a gazelle and knocked him off his feet. He rolled backward and threw me off of him into a tree. “Stop, I’m trying to help you!” He shouted as he got back to his feet, but I was faster. My fist hit his face with a satisfying crack and he left his feet as he fell backward.

“Help me?!” I kicked him repeatedly while he was on the ground. Then I lifted him off the ground with strength I didn’t know I had and slammed him against a tree. I was significantly stronger, maybe not superhuman but at the very least stronger than I had been. I alternated my punches between his face and his gut. It seemed to be hurting him so I continued, “You killed me!”

“You know what it’s like,” the man cried back as he pitifully tried to ward off my attacks. He fell to the ground in a heap and held up one arm as if it would protect him, “The craving was too strong, I’m sorry. I am truly very sorry but I’m trying to help you get through it now. You need to learn how to survive as a vampire and I can teach you.”

“I’m good on my own,” I glowered and bared my new fangs at the adversary. I felt a lot more threatening than I used to be. I wanted to hit him again but I didn’t want to kill him and I didn’t know if I could, “Thanks for the offer though.”

I turned away and started toward my horse and then realized that I had no idea what I was doing. Could vampires ride horses? That didn’t seem likely, horses would probably be spooked. I could walk, I seemed to have more speed than I remembered having, but where would I go? Going back home was out of the question and the only place friendly to vampires was the Lost Realm. I’d heard stories about the Valentine clan and was wary to enlist with them.

“You’ll die on your own or worse you’ll kill people you had never wanted to kill,” the vampire called after me and I did my best to ignore him, “I can teach you how to control your thirst and how to focus your mind when you do lose control.”

“Worked well for you, huh?” I replied drily as I found myself back in the clearing with the clear, beautiful pool of water. I walked to the pool and glanced down at it, no one looked back up. I staggered backward and my head reeled. I thought that was just a myth, of course I had also thought that vampires were just a myth as well.

“You weren’t supposed to be in the forest, I controlled it until I was here,” the vampire emerged beside me and I turned away from him and headed in a different direction, “Listen to me! I can help you, please let me help you.”

“You want to help?” I turned back toward him and stared with fury in my eyes, “Go kill yourself, because that’s what you’ve done to me. You have ruined everything; no you have done worse than kill me. You have made me survive to see the damage of your actions. I can never live a normal life. I can never fulfill the dreams that I had had.”

“I know,” the vampire hung his head but my glare did not disappear, my expression did not change, and my hatred did not diminish, “I know what you’re going through, I understand. I reacted the same way when I was changed. I hated the world and I wanted to hate everyone and everything in it. I wish that my attacker had come back for me like I am trying to do for you. I struggled and fought and finally found my way. Just let me do for you what was never done for me.”

“And what exactly can you do for me?” I spat at him, still going through different scenarios of how I could kill him and not entirely sure that I wouldn’t. He deserved to die and who knows, maybe I did too, “You obviously can’t even feed yourself. Why are you out here?”

“I volunteered,” he began to explain and my look must have not seemed impressed because he went on, “After I was turned I finally found my way to the Valentine enclave. I’m sure you’ve heard terrible things about it but it isn’t like the humans say it is. It is the only safe place for vampires in Nifaria. I decided that I didn’t want anyone to be left in the same situation that I was in so I volunteered to scout for other vampires. I was supposed to find them and bring them to the safety of the Valentines. We’re a family, you would be welcomed there.”

“So this is your MO then,” I scoffed as I again turned my back on him. He wasn’t helping his situation, “You find unsuspecting travelers and you attack them, turn them into vampires, and bring them back to your sick little home.”

“Listen to me! It was a mistake,” the vampire grabbed my arm and I pulled away from him, “I had stretched myself too thin, the sun burns a lot of our energy and I thought that I had found a new vampire. I stayed in the sun too long and I needed to feed. You weren’t supposed to be here.”

“Why are you following me?” I grumbled after a few minutes of silence, “Just let me find my own way and go back to your ‘family.’”

“I can’t leave you alone,” the vampire replied and I sighed exasperatedly, “I feel responsible for your safety.”

“Well if you’re just going to follow me,” I finally relented. I’d hear him out and see what he had to say, if I didn’t like it I would leave him behind, “You might as well tell me your name.”

“I’m Laoshi,” he answered, his voice seemed a little more cheerful than before, “And what is your name?”

“I’m Edrinstin,” I responded as he found his way alongside me, “Edrinstin Verus.”

“No,” Laoshi replied as he began to lead the way through the woods, “Edrinstin Valentine.”