The Crimson Diary

THE FIRST SIP, THE FOREVER BOND

The note was still in my hand. I was all crumpled up, due to my occasional squeezing to relieve my stress.

"Elena, baby! Come have dinner", my mom called from the dining table downstairs. I could hear the occasional clinking of cutlery and plates.

"Coming, Mom!". I straightened out my nightwear and brushed my hair. I took three deep breaths. "You can do this".

I descended down the stairs. I saw mom setting the table.

There was a metallic scent that filled the room, that was messing with my senses. It seemed to be coming from mom. It smelled like blood.

"Mom, are you injured?". I looked at her. The scent made my throat burn badly. I took a glass of water.

"How did you know, sweetie. I had a cut while slicing the veggies". She said holding out her bandages index finger.

I doused the fiery itch in my throat with a gulp of water, hoping it would help, but it did nothing. The cold water felt useless, like pouring water on a raging wildfire. The metallic scent coming from mom’s finger was almost sweet, making my mouth water in a terrifying way. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep my mouth shut tight.

"Oh... be careful next time, mom," I mumbled, keeping my distance as I pulled out a chair at the dining table.

My mom placed a steaming plate of fried rice and chicken in front of me. Under normal circumstances, this was my absolute favorite meal. But right now? The rice looked like plain pebbles and the chicken smelled like dry ash.

Still, I picked up my spoon and shoved a huge mouthful into my mouth, chewing frantically.

I swallowed, but it felt empty. The food went down into my stomach, but the hollow void inside me didn't fade. In fact, it got worse.

"Elena, slow down! You're eating like a wild animal," mom chuckled, shaking her head as she took a small bite of her own food.

I couldn't help it. I finished the entire plate in less than two minutes. Then, without saying a word, I stood up and walked to the kitchen counter. I grabbed two slices of bread, a handful of cookies, and a cold hotdog from the fridge. I shoved them all down my throat, barely chewing. My mind was in a haze. I was so disorganised. My chest tightened as I emptied a bag of potato chips directly into my mouth. I was just throwing food in my mouth without even tasting it, just hoping the burning in my throat would stop, but the human food was doing nothing at all to help my situation.

"Baby? Are you okay? Did you skip lunch at school today?" Mom asked, her voice laced with concern as she watched me rampage through the kitchen pantry.

"I'm just... really hungry, mom," I lied, my voice sounding strained.

I ate everything. I ate until the kitchen counters were bare and the pantry shelves held nothing but empty wrappers. But my belly didn't feel full. It felt like a burning furnace that human food couldn't satisfy. The back of my throat was itching, begging for something warm, something living.

"I'm going to bed now, mom. Goodnight," I said hurriedly, not waiting for her reply as I dashed up the stairs with incredible speed.

"Goodnight, sweetie... don't forget your heating pads!" her voice trailed off from the living room.

Inside my room, I locked the door and collapsed against it. Sweat was dripping down my forehead. The burning in my throat had evolved into an unbearable agony. I gripped my stomach, curling up on the floor. It wasn't period cramps. It was something darker.

I couldn't stay here. If I stayed in this house, the sweet, metallic scent of my mom's cut finger downstairs was going to drive me completely insane.

Without thinking, I opened my bedroom window. Cold night air rushed into the room. I swung my legs over the sill and dropped down. I landed on the grass below with a soft thud. I didn't even feel any pain in my feet after jumping from such a high place. I felt lighter than air.

Mechanically, my deets carried me hurriedly toward the dark woods behind our house. The exact same woods where everything had started last night.

The trees towered above me like dark giants. The damp smell of dirt and pine hit my nostrils, but beneath it all, my hyper-senses caught a new scent drifting through the cool midnight breeze.

It didn't smell like mom's blood. It smelled like heavy wine, dark oak, and ancient power. It was intoxicating.

My canines unsheathed instantly, poking against my lower lip. A sharp pain washed over my mouth as my fangs caught the light of the moon, but I didn't care. My mouth watered out of control. Controlled entirely by this ferocious vampire diet and my instincts, I sprinted deeper into the woods, my body gliding with insane speed.

Then, I saw him.

A tall, broad-shouldered figure was standing near the edge of a small clearing, his back turned to me. He was wearing a sharp, dark coat that stood out against the moonlight.

I didn't stop to think. I didn't care who it was. The urge to drink was a roaring beast inside my head, completely drowning out my common sense.

I leaped into the air, throwing my entire body weight against his broad back.

I slammed into him from behind, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, and sank my sharp fangs deep into the side of his neck.

The moment my tongue caught the first drop of his blood, a wave of liquid velvet and pure fire flooded my veins. It was mind-blowing. The awful, burning thirst in my throat instantly vanished, replaced by an overwhelming wave of euphoria. I drank greedily, swallowing frantically as my chest heaved against his back.

Oddly, the man didn't scream. He didn't drop to the floor or fight me off.

Instead, a massive, warm hand reached up. His fingers gently gripped my chin, tilting my head back with firm strength.

I gasped, my lips pulling away from his neck, leaving a dark red smear across his skin. My eyes were half-lidded and dazed from the blood high.

He turned around slowly. I looked up into a pair of striking, glowing crimson-gold eyes that pierced right through the shadows.

It was Damon.

Before I could panic or pull away, a sudden, violent jolt shot directly through my chest. It felt like an electric shockwave connecting my heart straight to his. Deep beneath my shirt collar, my skin flared with a burning heat, like an invisible mark was being carved into my soul.

A dark, heavy pulse echoed in my ears—and I realized with horror that I wasn't just hearing my own heartbeat anymore. I could hear his. It was beating right alongside mine in the middle of the dark forest, making me realize that our bodies were somehow tied together now.

Damon’s dark eyes widened slightly, a rare flick of genuine shock passing over his cold face. His ancient blood was mixing with my fresh, newly turned vampire blood, tightening an invisible thread between us that pulled us closer together.

He didn't push me away. His grip on my chin shifted, his thumb slowly brushing against my lower lip, wiping away a stray bead of his own dark red blood.

A dangerous, low smirk slowly spread across his lips, his voice dropping into a deep, velvet growl that vibrated through my entire body.

"I wondered why my blood called to you in the woods, little bird..." Damon whispered, his crimson eyes locking onto mine with absolute possessiveness. "You didn't just feed on me. You just claimed the Patriarch."

My heart hammered against my ribs like gunshots. My hands began to shake as the reality of what I had just done crashed over me.

Am I a monster...

What did I just do to him?

What am I?