I was right. I was being chosen simply as a position of power, because my pure blood would continue their reign over the other vampire families and over this region.
“That is not entirely true.”
I jumped realizing that he had just read my mind. “You can read my thoughts?” I blurted out sounding more offended than I had intended.
“Not entirely. I can catch bits and pieces, or quite simply, sense your feelings. You express them so openly. Please do not feel slighted. It is a natural ability for a vampire to sense the feelings of those around them. Perhaps one day you will experience it yourself.” The King walked toward me and took a seat in the arm chair opposite of me.
“Claire, we chose you not only because you can continue the power of our rule. The Queen and I could forever rule this region, if we so choose, but we do not. We have done many great things to improve this world, but now we feel we would like to see someone else continue our work. Do you understand?”
I felt relieved and a bit ashamed for being so eager to think that he had some sort of evil plan for me. “Why do you think I would be good at continuing your…” I tripped over my words trying to finding something that fit, “legacy?”
Nicolae smiled warmly at me. His dark eyes reflected the warm glow of the fire and his pristinely white fangs were visible under his thin lips. “You have not gone unnoticed young Claire. It is well known the work your mom does for us, campaigning for good will, respect and loyalty. It is our hope that she has taught you these same values.”
“You know my mom?”
He nodded. “We like to keep our eye on those who are our most passionate supporters.”
“Do you not think my mom would be upset about losing her daughter?” The question may have come off as sounding a bit rude, but I figured if I had thought it I might as well ask it, since he may have already sensed my irritation. I didn’t know vampires had abilities or how exactly it worked, but I decided my best bet was to speak my mind from now on.
“Your mom was overjoyed to have a daughter join our family, she was very certain that you would do good things for this region and this world. Do not worry, Claire. She will be well cared for. Anything your mom will ever need will be provided to her. You can be certain of that.”
It stung a little that my mom was not even the slightest bit upset that I would be gone, but I knew that was the truth of it before the King had even said it. A slow solo tear rolled down my cheek. “Will I ever get to see her again, or my friends?”
I could see the expression on his face revealing that the answer was no. “Although we do not forbid it, seeing your friends and family would cause them harm, and pain onto yourself that you will have to live with for an eternity.”
My spirits lifted at the thought I could see Liz and my mom again, but the King gave me a warning that made me sink back into my seat.
“Through the years you will watch them age as you remain the same. You will witness their deaths and feel the loneliness of life without them. Do you really desire to bring this pain unto yourself?”
I thought about it for a moment unable to give him an answer. It seemed worth it to me, to be able to see them. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to see Liz as an old lady and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to, but I had promised her we would see each other again and I didn’t want to break that promise. I needed my friend, how could I live forever in this huge palace alone?
“Ah, Foxworth finally. Come in!” The King announced Fox’s arrival into the room and I turned to see him enter, a young girl following close behind. She looked to be around my age and as she neared the King and I, she gave a small bow.
“Claire, this is Robin. She is the daughter of the Willow family, here in the palace,” Nicolae said. He motioned toward Robin and she smiled politely at me. “Robin, please show Claire around, I would like for her to be as comfortable as possible during her time here. Could you do that for me?”
“Yes, your highness,” Robin answered with an excited tone and looked toward me. I was hesitant at first because I wasn’t quite sure if I had consented on whether or not I would be joining the vampire family, but Robin looked so friendly I didn’t want to be rude.
The King smiled at me as I rose to leave the room. I stopped for a moment wanting to say something to the King and he grabbed my hand in his with the most gentle touch I had ever felt. His hands were cold, but incredibly soft and it felt as if my hand was being wrapped in cold silk. “Thank you, Claire. I know this is a lot of information to absorb, but I truly believe you will love it here. Robin is one of our most friendly and knowledgeable young members and she will make you feel right at home.”
I looked to Robin and she was smiling proudly at the King. It was obviously an honor to have him speak so highly of her. I nodded my head and gave him a polite smile before exiting the room with Robin. She walked briskly and came to a stop back in the main foyer under the large chandelier. Her curly, red hair seemed to shimmer in the golden light.
She smiled at me and ushered me toward the large staircase. The sound of our footsteps echoing was almost deafening and I wanted to say something, anything to break it. I was so relieved to see another person my age and I was eager to have at least someone to talk to. I wondered if she was recruited, as I had been, and if she had friends and family back home that she missed as much as I did.
“You’ll love it here. When I first arrived I was scared too, but that didn’t last long.” Her voice was young and energetic and I couldn’t help but smile up at her as we continued up the staircase.
“Have you lived here long?”
“Nearly all my life. I came here when I was six years old.”
That shocked me. She had lived in this palace full of vampires as a child. I wondered what it must have been like. I struggled to find something to say to her. Everything I could think of sounded too judgmental when I repeated it inside my head; why would the vampire royal family take a child to live with them? Or, don’t you miss living a normal live with real friends and family?
“I am happy living here.” She said politely as we reached the top of the stairs and made our way down another beautifully decorated hallway that was lined with an intricate Persian rug.
“You can read emotions too?” I asked feeling a little frustrated. I didn’t like the invasion of my privacy and I mentally added one check mark in my list of things I didn’t like about this place.
“No.” She gave an embarrassed smile. “I could just read the expression on your face. When I was little my human parents abandoned me at the gates of the palace. The guards found me and brought me in. When my parents saw me they wanted to take me as their own and I have lived here ever since.”
I was shocked by her story and felt a little sorry for Robin. Her real parents discarded her, but the vampires displayed such care for her by taking her as their own. They adopted her. I immediately began to question if she was a vampire, but if she were how was she my age? “How did… are you a…?”
As always I stumbled with my words while I tried to comprehend what was going on. They obviously didn’t turn her as a child or she wouldn’t have grown up. Did they let her live among them as a human for all these years? I felt a glimmer of hope at that thought. Maybe I could do the same thing and I wouldn’t have to worry about never seeing Liz or my mom again.
Robin laughed at me a little before she answered. “You’re funny. I’ve forgotten what it is like to have someone new in the palace. I lived here as a human until I came of age and then I was given the chance to choose the life I wished to lead. Of course, I chose to be turned. This is my family, the only one I’ve ever known. I couldn’t imagine my life without them in it.”
“So… how long have you been a vampire?” I was curious. She looked to be my age, but the question was how long had she been my age.
“I was turned ten years ago.” She smiled at me and ushered me into a room.
The bedroom we entered made my jaw drop. “This is my ro
om?”
“Yeah, and mine is three doors down.”
My new bedroom was something out of a fairy tale. The tiled floor was laid out in a patterned mosaic of creams and golds. A comfortable seating area at the front of the room featured a small antique sofa with two matching arm chairs, both framed in hand carved wood and upholstered with a rich fabric. I ran my fingers across them as I walked further into the room. I took in the aroma of fresh cut flowers that filled several blue and white vases. Large thick curtains were draped over stained glass windows and I imagined how beautiful it would look with sunlight shining through them. Then I remembered that if I were to be turned, I would never get to see that.
A familiar sound caught my attention and I turned toward a small archway. Through the drapes I saw Louie’s cat carrier sitting on a bed. His furry paws reaching through the bars brought a smile to my face and I ran for him. Robin followed casually behind me, giving me time to take everything in.
I leapt onto the huge bed and immediately flipped the latch to let Louie out. I scooped him into my arms and hugged him tighter than he liked. After a few moments of ignoring his protests I released him. He quickly went to work on sniffing every object in sight, but didn’t stray far from me. Robin petted him gently when he sniffed her feet.
“His name is Louie,” I said as I watched her scratch under his fat little chin.
“He’s really cute.” She smiled and then took a seat at a small table. “How do you like your room?”
“It’s amazing! They didn’t have to give me such a nice room, I mean I don’t even know if I am going to stay here yet.”
Robin frowned at this for a moment, but quickly hid her reaction. “Well, I would very much like it if you stayed. It would be nice to have another girl around.”
“Is there no one else in the palace then?”
“Oh no, there are two other families and their children…” She left the sentence unfinished, but the expression on her face was familiar to me. She didn’t get along with the other children.
“So, tell me about your family,” I said without stuttering at all. I was finding it easier and easier to talk with Robin. For a vampire, she was so much more human than the King or Fox were. Maybe I just related to her more easily because she was my age, or maybe it was because she had not been a vampire very long.
Robin’s face lit up and she joined me on the bed as she gushed about her family. Her parents were the Willow’s. Their role in the royal family was to maintain, protect and document historical events. Vampire or human, every important event was accounted for. She went on and on about how her training started and the events she was permitted to record.
“My parents said that I will be allowed to document your arrival into our family.” She beamed at me. I didn’t quite understand her love of history, but something about her endless chatter reminded me of Liz, so I returned the smile.
“I don’t think I am as interesting as anything in your history books, but if you want to record then go on ahead.”
“My parents will be so excited. I promise I will write the best account of the events of your arrival and coronation as there has ever been.”
I flipped my shoes off the side of the bed and looked down at the outfit I was wearing. I was still attired in the outfit my mom had picked out for meeting Fox. I stood up and started to look around for my bags.
“What are you looking for?”
“My bags. I want to change,” I said tugging at the uncomfortable blue silk blouse.
“Oh! I can’t believe I forgot to show you the best part.” Robin jumped off the bed and rushed to a set of large wooden double doors. Grabbing onto their gold knobs, she pulled them open in one smooth movement revealing a huge walk-in closet leading into an even larger bathroom. The closet was lined with shelves and hanger rods, filled with clothes. Everything was meticulously organized and perfectly folded. A large chaise lounge chair sat in the center along with an ornate standing mirror trimmed with gold. I avoided looking at my reflection, knowing I probably looked a mess.
A large dresser was topped with dozens of sparkling jewels. Necklaces, earrings, and rings; all of them adorned with rubies of various shades. “These are all mine?” I whispered. I traced my fingers across the cool stones and couldn’t imagine ever having reason to wear something so beautiful.
“Gorgeous, aren’t they? I love the earrings the best.” Robin pulled back her curly red hair to reveal ruby stud earrings encircled in small diamonds.
“They look good on you.”
“Thanks.”
I spotted my bags and quickly unzipped them to grab my favorite pair of jeans. When I couldn’t find anything but t-shirts, I turned to see Robin holding out a shirt she pulled off one of the many racks. It was definitely something Liz wouldn’t have chosen, which is probably why I snatched it greedily. Seeing that Robin had the same taste as I did, made me like her just a little bit more.
“Okay, let me show you the bathroom. Then you can get changed and I’ll introduce you to everyone and show you the rest of the palace.”
My bathroom was covered almost top to bottom in white marble. A large claw foot tub stood as the main focal point of the room. Small ferns stood atop wooden pedestals around it. A large window was open over the tub, letting in a cool night breeze. A standing shower encased in frosted glass stood idly on the left side. I saw bright white towels monogramed with a large “N”. They were fancier than any towel I had ever seen and almost didn’t want to use them.
“You don’t have to use those. The maids just put them out for looks, I think. There are more towels in the cupboard here.” Robin pointed. “It took me years to get them to stop putting them out for me.” She smiled and pulled two large towels out of the cabinet and set them on the counter by the sink.
I watched her and tried not to look shocked when I saw her reflection in the mirror. Robin just laughed at me when she caught my expression. “Geez Claire, you look as if you’ve never seen a vampire before. Not all of those silly tales are true you know,” she said as she spoke to my reflection in the mirror and attempted to adjust her wild curls.
“Sorry. I’ve just never even met a vampire until today. I should probably know more about you, but I never paid attention in class. My mom was in love with vampire history, so I guess that’s why I did my best to ignore it. It was always more important to her than I was.” I hadn’t meant to admit that last part.
“I’m sure that’s not true.” She put a hand on my shoulder and smiled, revealing a hint of her fangs. My eyes flashed toward them and I couldn’t help but stare. “Do you want to see them?”
I didn’t answer, but my face turned red from embarrassment. I really needed to control myself around these vampires. They really seemed to be able to read me like an open book.
Robin pulled up her lips to reveal two pristinely white fangs. They seemed to fit perfectly amongst the rest of her teeth and were nowhere near as long as the King’s. “There are almost full grown now.”
I looked at her confused for a moment. “You have to wait for them to grow in?” I had never heard that before.
“A long time ago, when vampires turned humans by biting them, fangs would grow behind those teeth and push them out by the end of the change, which didn’t take more than one night. Now that we turn humans differently the fangs grow more slowly and it is a far less painful process. I guess you can say that our bodies have evolved.” She slid her tongue across her fangs and smiled widely at me displaying them with a giggle.
“All right, hurry up and get ready. I’ll wait for you outside.” Robin pointed to the room and slowly walked out, shutting the doors behind her.
I took my time in the shower and stood under the hot water until it turned cold, which took a lot longer than it did back home. It gave me a lot of time to myself to really think, which I hadn’t really had the chance to do since Fox picked me up. As much as I was fighting to admit it, this place was really growing on me. Who wouldn’t want to live
in such a gorgeous palace and become the daughter of King and Queen?
I stepped out of the shower and felt my skin prickle as the cold night air blew in from the open window. I grabbed one of the towels that Robin had set out and wrapped myself in it. It was so large I was almost able to wrap it around me twice. I had forgotten to grab my bag of bathroom supplies, so I rummaged through drawers and cabinets until I found what I was looking for. The bathroom seemed to be stock piled with the best products and I was excited at being able to use things that I had never had the money to try before.
After getting dressed and running some products through my hair, I managed to style in a side braid that Liz had once taught me. I ventured back out into the bedroom and grabbed some comfortable looking black flats along the way and slid them on.
Robin was sitting in the main room with fat Louie lounging in the chair beside her. He looked more than comfortable and as picky as he was, if he liked it here that said a lot.
“You ready?” Robin asked as I walked into the room. I took a deep breath and nodded at her. I was growing more nervous about meeting everyone else, but I was certain there was no way I could avoid it.
We made our way out of my room and back into the hallway. Robin talked candidly along the way, pointing out bits of history about a piece of artwork or a portrait of some historic vampire or event. The walls were nearly covered with paintings of every type of scene imaginable. There were landscapes or battles, lovers caught in embraces, single portraits of expressionless vampires wearing outfits ranging from ridiculously large ball gowns to the more stylish suit that I had seen the King wearing just a short while ago. None of the portraits were modern. There were no photographs anywhere to be seen. When I asked Robin, she told me that they preferred paintings because it required the artist to take more time creating their work, which meant their efforts should be more appreciated. That anyone could take a picture, but only a true artist could make one.
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