(THIRST FOR YOUR BLOOD 1)

The Royal Blood Clan is divided into three unique levels, each of which specifies our respective tasks and skills. The highest rank is the Royal Blood rank, which is recognized for its unparalleled strength and unwavering fortitude. Enormous persons with unchallenged power and influence, such the Prince, Princess, Queen, and Lord, dwell here. As we move down the ladder, we arrive at the Silver level, which is a special position in our community. With their duties and skills balanced, these vampires occupy a vital middle ground. They are crucial because they frequently occupy important jobs that serve as a link between the highest and lowest ranks. Last but not least, the Bronzier rank is the lowest, with its members thought to be the least prominent and powerful. Numerous members of the Bronzier rank are industrious workers who help the clan's business by performing a variety of tasks. Even though they do not have the skills or status of those in higher positions, they serve as the foundation for the clan and guarantee its daily prosperity. Regretfully, I've been demoted to one of the lowest positions in the hierarchy of our tribe. I wonder sometimes if I really belong here, tormented by an unquenchable craving for blood, my own vulnerabilities, and my incapacity to keep myself under control. I move with the grace of a whisper as I return to the stark reality of the hidden chambers within the magnificent castle of the Royal Blood Family, my pulse thumping with expectation. This place of worship, cloaked in eerie silence, provides a moment's escape from the hectic outside world. I'm going on a covert mission tonight, which is to return a borrowed book of vampire history before the castle doors close and its mysteries are lost. There is still silence throughout the castle, and the only people living there are a few pensive vampires who are deep in their nighttime activities. My footsteps are so faint that they scarcely register on the deep red carpet as I move toward the book return facility. There, with a clumsy gesture of surrender, the heavy book—a manual of heavenly vampire rites—falls from my hand and hits the ground with a gentle thud. A mumbled word gives voice to my inner fury, along with a desperate hope that my awkward accident has gone unnoticed. However, fate has other plans. After my careless error, a throng of vampire nobility, headed by the confident Isabel (her fiery red hair), erupted into the room. Isabel, who is well-known for her devoted fans and exquisite fashion sense, also has an unexplained fondness for creating a miserable picture of my life. Isabel locks onto me with the accuracy of a predator closing in on its prey. Her friends mutter secrets and giggle together like a chorus of secretive ghosts. Isabel approaches me with a graceful feline gait. I feel like my heart is racing inside my chest, frozen in the limelight of her attention. My reply comes out as a trembling whisper, as though I don't want to break the thin air of silence that surrounds us. "I was just returning a book," I stutter, my voice just barely audible. "You should tidy up this area; you don't have the privilege to visit this chamber," Isabel says in an arrogant tone. Her lips twist into a wry smile, a brilliantly vicious show that only serves to accentuate her attractiveness. "You say you're returning a book? How thorough you are, Verlyn." She highlights my moniker, a mean-spirited remembrance of the blue slashes in my hair. Her group bursts into giggles, a mocking symphony that urges me to vanish from sight. Isabel is getting closer, her breath brushing against my ear as she speaks in a warm yet menacing tone. "You know, Riverlyn, it's not a good idea to be exploring this chamber at this hour. It belongs to us." "Maybe she's craving blood," her buddy Lina teases me, jokingly adding. I give in, letting go of the sour taste of surrender. "I'm sorry. I'm going to go." Isabel's hold on the book tightens for an instant, creating a momentary tension in the air, and then she lets it drop to the floor. "It sounds more like that. Riverlyn, go, and I hope that this is the last time our paths meet." With trembling in my voice, I respond, "Yeah, Isabel." They erupted into laughing, amused by my inability to enunciate clearly. "You're so bad at speaking. With her new curly hairstyle on display, Isabel exclaims, "Get lost before I decide to get mad." Without more coaxing, I knelt to retrieve the dropped book and, giving the assembly of vampire nobility a nervous glance, hurried out of the chamber's inner sanctuary. I turn back to my quarters, my heart still a charging horse inside my chest. I can't help but wonder why Isabel and her supporters find such joy in creating a life that is woven so tightly with suffering for me. I feel like their shadows will always cast a shadow of darkness across my path, no matter where I go. **** The alarm clock starts beeping, jerking me out of sleep. I realize, squinting against the glaring light, that the previous night, in my emotional state, I had set the alarm for six a.m. with the intention of taking an early walk. "Emotional me, thank you," I cynically murmur. I quickly wrap my hair up in a high bun and splatter some water on my face, not wanting to shower because I had showered the night before. My teeth are brushed, and then I put on an oversized sweatshirt and joggers. Although wearing baggy clothing makes me feel insecure, I like it since it stops people from making fun of my little frame. I slip on some inexpensive white trainers that are silent on the wooden floors and head out of my room and down the corridors toward the long stairway. It appears that the Omegas tasked with breakfast duty have been awake since five in the morning because the massive entrance doors are already unlocked. As I go outside, the door gently closes behind me. I take a long breath in, soaking in the amazing view of the moonlight dancing across the opulent castle. For the first time in a long time, I am genuinely alone with my thoughts at this rare moment of peace. The lower-ranking vampires, like myself, get up early and hustle around, doing everything from cooking to cleaning while the higher-ranking vampires sleep. Fortunately, I have been given the day off today, which is a tiny relief from the harsh treatment I typically receive from the majority of coven members. Lord Dustan ensures that we are all treated equally in the workplace, despite the fact that he is blind to the fact that I am the continual target of everyone's fears. There was an odd and memorable experience when I was just three years old. I don't know what exactly happened to make me cling to a branch near a river, but Lord Dustan and his companions were out on a nighttime patrol at that very moment. My small body, caught in the stream, washed up on the sandy riverbed. When word got out that a rival clan had assaulted a coven in the highlands, Lord Dustan came to my aid without hesitation. This aspect of my past is still unknown to me, thus I never had the chance to investigate it. My first memories are of the Royal Blood Clan, where I was taken under Lord Dustan's wing out of compassion. Although they were good-hearted, my adopted vampire parents were not prepared to protect me from the suffering that lay for an outsider like me in the clan. I grew acutely aware of the looks, the chuckles, and the whispering that went on behind my back. Their mocking was only heightened by my delayed change, which ought to have happened during my human puberty.