Bound by Shadows and Scorns.

CAMILLA: I've always wanted to be my natural self, to know what it's like to display your true nature without the fear of being judged. I woke up sweaty after having another nightmare. I've always had nightmares since I was little, but the moment I wake up, I don't remember what my dream was about. I decided to take a shower. After clearing myself up, I arranged my room. I stand in front of the mirror, looking at myself, scanning my room through it as if I’m looking for something. My aesthetic is what you’d call a “clean girl” aesthetic. My bed is smooth and well laid, with a clean white bedsheet. A sliding mirror wardrobe is on the right side of the bed. On the left side of the bed is my dressing mirror and a reading table with my laptop and my books. Close to my closet is a medium-sized bookshelf, which consists of lots of books, mostly about vampires. In front of my bed is a mini-oval rug. Everything in my room is neatly arranged and kept in place. I opened the drawer attached to my dressing mirror and picked up a tan spray, a contact lens, and a black hair spray. I moved back to the mirror, staring at my pale skin, punchy pink natural eye color, and dark red natural hair. I began to spray my hair with the hair spray, making it completely black, then put on a black contact lens and tinted my skin to an almond tone, making me look like a completely different person. I picked up wide-legged blue jeans, paired them with a black tank top, a white shirt, and a pair of black sneakers, and headed downstairs for breakfast, where I met my mom making sandwiches. "Good morning, mom." "Morning Camilla," mom said, drawing me to her for a hug. "Oh mom, please, it's not Camilla; just call me Cam or Camilla," I said, picking up a cup of hot chocolate on the kitchen island. "Ready for your first day at university?" She throws me the question I've been waiting for, which will lead to a conversation I'm not ready to have. "Yes, I am," I said, keeping the cup down and rubbing my palms together. "You know that is not the readiness I'm talking about, Camilla. It's been years, and you've been doing well keeping your identity a secret. I know you have been trying your best, and it wasn't easy, but it's just one more year. Just 1 more year to go, and we're good." She moved closer, gently holding my hands and rubbing them for me, knowing it's one of my habits when I'm nervous. And she continued, "New York is a big city; you've achieved every single level of your education here in New York, which might give you the idea that it's safe and no one will find you, but don't lose guard. The university is a very big place with lots of people, and you might end up bumping into our kind. Make sure you don't get exposed. I love you so much, Camilla, and believe me, I'm doing all of this to protect you from the evil I ran away from back in Romania." She kissed my palm and forehead, asking me to go get my stuff so she could drop me off. I silently climbed the stairs with a million thoughts running through my mind. I picked up my black leather tote bag and added my laptop, headphones, notebook, stationary purse, which consisted of a pen, pencil, highlighters, and sticky notes, then my wallet, my camera, hand sanitizer, paper towel, charger, a mirror, and lip-gloss. It is a 10-minute drive from my house to school, but it feels like forever. It was a very quiet yet chaotic drive. My mom dropped me off, waved me bye, and left for work. I stood there, facing the grand entrance building of the school. I pulled out my phone and googled the school map, using it to locate my first destination. FELIX: I suck on the human feeder’s neck for blood, getting pleasure and being intoxicated by the feeling. I decided to play with his life, almost draining him, watching how his body went cold and limp from lack of blood. I was taken aback by a shot across my head, which made my mother and the chef run to the living room, where my father was standing on the staircase with a gun in his hand. The shot is a warning of what I was getting at. “You don’t play with your food; the hunters never do that,” he said, coming down the stairs with his walking cane, which I still can’t figure out its use to him. The man’s legs are perfectly fine. “I was distracted a bit; I couldn’t get enough, Mr. Hunter,” I replied savagely, moving close to my mother, who looked worried. She cupped my face with her soft hand, whispering to me, “Son, you shouldn’t play with your food or your father this way; you know his temper, especially when it comes to feeders. It’s not easy to get humans willing to volunteer these days, and you know it’s a rule to never force or drain a human to death,” she said, looking all worried.“I think you take him a bit seriously, mom, and there is no way I was going to finish the feeder off; I was just having some fun,” I said, patting her hands. I glanced back at my father, who was already distracted by a phone call. He just said, “See mom? He is too busy to be dealing with my sh*t,” I added, sending glares at the chef, which made him instantly rush back to the kitchen. I’ve always hated my father, and I’d do anything to get on his nerves. Why? Because he can’t get rid of me. I’m his only heir, and no elder vampire would let go of his one heir, knowing so well how much power that holds. But I get punished; I get locked up and starved for days - not food starvation, but feeder starvation. I’m a vampire; not having food for days is and will never be an issue. But feeders? I am extremely pale, cold, and weak. Last summer was a hit, a blast, and a slap in the face. An incident happened where a girl was killed - to specify, she was sucked dry. My family and I, knowing I’m the only vampire in school, made them drop question marks on my head. I was drunk the night the incident happened; I can’t really remember anything, but I surely know I didn’t suck the girl dry. I didn’t even know her. My father had to clean up my mess and never believed I wasn’t the one; even I wouldn’t believe it if I were my father, knowing how well I always play with my feeders at home, but I’ve never tried feeding outside. I never really bother explaining myself to him or my mother, knowing it’s all pointless. But I suspect Xavier, a rival vampire of mine who studies in Romania, and my girlfriend’s brother, Rosalind. My dear Rosa. One more year and I’m out of this place, I’m out of this city, and I can finally go back to Romania and would do anything to prove to my father I wasn’t the one. We were never on good terms, but I’ve never seen him so disappointed and ashamed of me as last summer. And that is what I hate; I have to prove my worth back. But for now, I owe him no explanation until I have my evidence. I got dressed in all black and picked up my bike from the garage. I didn’t even bother saying goodbye to anyone and headed to school. I was en route when I got Rosa’s call, making me slow down for a bit while picking up her Face-Time and greetings. I met her last winter in Romania, and this is another story for another day.