Immortality (English)

First breath

        Death is a very vogue word. It explains the end of a something that existed for a moment in this world. Humanity viewed death as the end point of their lives. But to vampires it is merely the start of their eternity in this planet. The war that had been raging on for four years had been close to its end until one of my best friends stopped me from doing so. Noelle had also stabbed me and succeeded in causing my death. I knew I died sinking in the depths of Pasig river. I drowned with my own blood and water from the polluted river. Not in my top list of how I would die, but saving my other best friends by doing so, I could say that it was worth all the struggle. They are alive because of my final sacrifice. Alive but still isn't safe. And I am not there anymore to protect them. I suffered a not so heroic death after all.

        You are considered alive when you need air to survive. When losing it even for a few minutes would mean fatal to you and your body. But would you consider it living if breathing is no longer a necessity? If your body can sustain itself for long period of time with out oxygen? Are you even considered alive then? I guess...not.

        I was no longer alive when someone pulled me out from that watery grave. I was seriously not breathing air when I saw my father smiled at me and said "Welcome to the other side." So, how come I am neither in heaven or in hell when I know that I am not part of the living anymore? My heart was not beating normally that time, like it doesn't need to pump blood through out of my body anymore. I really wanted to know the reason why I was in that state. And the only person I know who could answer me was my father, who for a long time I know that he's dead.

        "What happened to me?" I asked almost whispering, looking into his translucent blue eyes. I looked down on my hands.  My skin was so washed up I could see the veins so clearly. I wanted to see more clearly and my eyes changed focus at will. I tried standing up, but I was very weak because of the position that I was in. How long had I been down there? I questioned myself looking at the calm flowing water. Judging from the rigidness of my muscles and some of it's strains perhaps rigor mortise had taken it's hold of me.  I staggered towards the river bank to get away from the water which claimed me. I was afraid to see my reflection from it. Dreading that I too had become one of the things I hated the most. Still dripping with the river's murky water, my father wrapped a towel around me. I wanted to ask him why he had become a vampire. But before I could even utter a word, he injected me with something that triggered all of my pain sensory. "What did you do to me!" I shrieked in pain as I sunk on my knees. It hurt like all my bones are breaking. Like my whole being is being melted and burned. I scratched at the injection site. "Get it out! Get it out!" I shouted and roared like I was dying all over again. It hurts like my blood was made of acid. I threw up blood and started coughing. My skin started breaking into hives with blood coming out of them. I know exactly what was happening to me in my years as a nurse. I am suffering from a severe allergic reaction to whatever the heck it was that my father injected in me.

        My father, whom I've know as one of the most intelligent minds of his time, was in utter shock himself. He was not expecting this kind of reaction. "I don't understand, the blood of the Sire should be the one to heal you. Unless..." I did not get to finish what he said, because I blacked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        Vampires are sired by other vampires. That is how they are created. It had been long believed, even during their preexistence, that a human should be bitten by his Sire to almost his death, then he should drink the blood of his Sire to be a carrier of the curse. A person becomes a vampire by choice and not by accident. You choose to be a cold-hearted killer to gain immortality. Being a vampire is a person's way of showing his greed. Because at the expense of someone's life he gets life. What is the meaning of life when you have to kill in order to live? That is not life at all.

        I hated vampires. I really wanted to rid the world of them and their pets. That's the only thing I remembered. The only emotion that remained since I found myself wondering in the deepest part of my thoughts. I knew I wasn't always like this, I was living. I was protecting people who were dear to me. But I don't really remember who they are. I could only feel love when sudden burst of laughter would echo in my memory. And after that a sudden feeling of loss would make me feel so hollow in my heart. This is my existence now. 

        I am stuck in the darkness until a blurred image of a forgotten memory would appear. But there is this one person who I could see clearly. His face would surface and would trigger a mix of hatred and fondness.  I hated him because he had become the thing I hated the most-a Vampire-a cold blooded killer who took tens of thousands of lives in the whole world. And I knew I myself wasn't spared. But somehow when I look at him, butterflies would fly and would make me smile. Confusion and frustration was building up in my heart as I tried to remember who I was before this darkness enveloped me. One thing is clear though, I am no longer part of the living.

        "We can not move her, that was a direct order by the Duke himself." I heard someone speaking in pure French language. Odd that I could understand it, even if I never really paid enough attention in our French language courses during my studies. Odd, knowing things you don't remember.

        "But she has been sleeping for Three years, how could she possibly know that we moved her." argued the other. Judging by their scents they are low class vampires who worked for blood and they were sent here for cleaning the room in which I had been sleeping for three years. "Look at her, she is peacefully sleeping. Such a beauty, no wonder the Duke hid her from the sight of the Emperor. What was her name again?"

        "Her name is Lady Franchette of the underground France. The daughter of the Duke of underground France, our boss, who clearly ordered us not to touch her least she wakes and kill us both." the other hissed arranging the pillows near my head. Even without opening my eyes I could tell what they were doing.

        'Is this how he felt when he first woke?' I asked myself referring to the nameless face I hated and loved the most.

        I tried moving, slowly flexing my hand. "Oh my gosh, Tessa! she moved her hand!" the other one shrieked and jumped away from me.

        "Go and tell the Duke. Sleeping beauty had waken." Immediately the other girl followed her orders. she was probably the one in position in giving such. I could sense the grin in her smug face, a sense of pride perhaps, that I've awaken in her watch. I opened my eyes and saw her face. She was clad in a vintage maid's uniform, her blond hair held in a traditional bun sporting her translucent blue eyes like a smug vampire. "Red eyes." those were her last words before I yank her neck to its limits and bit hard.

        It was funny that she couldn't even fight me even if she tried. Such power and strength comes when you embrace the power bestowed upon you by humans' curiosity for immortality. Her blood tasted like salt and iron as I drank. Adrenaline and memories rushed within me like I had chosen to be one with her, to be her. Her knowledge became my own. But then her life started to come to its halt. As fast as it started, it ended suddenly. 

        I let go of her neck before she died. She wasn't an ordinary maid. She was a spy to look after me-the threat to the High Emperor, to eliminate me if the situation permits it so. "How am I such a threat, when I couldn't even remember who I was as a human?" I said in fluent French more to myself than to the girl lying paralyzed from horror on my bed side floor. I remembered the face I hated the most. I hated him because he was a vampire. Somehow he had hurt me and those who were precious to me. He had caused such great anger. Such blind anger is dangerous. "You said my name is Franchette, the daughter of the Duke of underground France. You are working for my said father, but you are also here to kill me. Such greed, it destroyed something that was precious to humanity." 

        I stood up facing the vanity mirror adjacent the king sized bed where I slept. I looked so pale with my hair black and long almost reaching the back of my knees. I wore a night gown white in color now stained red because of the girl's blood. My eyes adjusted to the light and saw how red my irises are. Translucent Red eyes was looking back at me in my reflection. 'Is this who I really am now? I questioned myself. Something inside me wanted to oppose. I was human, I was different from the things I hated. 

        "I'm different...I-I am not like him!" tears began to flow from my eyes. I embraced myself as I sank kneeling on the floor. How many people had those bats killed. How many families had they turned apart. Pain came in my heart as denial and fear sunk in me. I am the same being as those who've made tens of thousand suffered. I am one of them now. "I'm different. I'm different..."

        "You are different." I heard a familiar voice said. " Very different." A man was standing in front of me in an instant. He looked so familiar it frustrated me even more. Is it because he did not have those blue translucent eyes before? The only thing I felt then is that I wanted him near me. He was one of those I've lost. "It was when I injected you with some of Xed's blood almost three years ago I knew you were different. Not like us."

        "Then what am I? I drank that girls blood out of impulse." I said looking at my blood stained hands. "I'm a cold-hearted killer, just like him." I've become just like them. 

        "No!" He held my face forcing me to look at him. "You are different. That's the reason I've been hiding you for years. Your blood has a different strain that could alter the ones that had been infected by the plague." I held his gaze urging him to go on. " When I injected your blood to a vampire, it neutralized the plague. That vampire became human. And you know what's even more fascinating? " he said in a serious tone.

        "W-what?" I asked.

        His brows furrowed while he took a deep breath. " He forgot his existence as a vampire. It was as if he never been a vampire at all."

        So am I really different from the person I hated the most?