Chapter 1
992 Words
Fhiona stepped out of her room, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her messy hair stuck out in every direction, and her pajamas were rumpled from a night of restless sleep.
She yawned, trying to shake off the lingering fatigue. As she made her way to the kitchen, she caught snippets of the news on TV. “A suspected vampire had been found dead in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town…” Fhiona's heart skipped a beat as she listened to the report. “The chest was torn apart, and it seemed like the heart was taken out. This was the first time a vampire had been found dead in the past five years…”
Her younger brother Louis looked up at her with wide eyes. "This is terrible! We aren't safe, even at night," he exclaimed. Fhiona tried to reassure him, but he couldn't shake off his feeling of unease.
Her mother walked into the kitchen, a serious look on her face. Fhiona knew that look all too well. It was the same look her mother gave her every time she got into trouble, and Fhiona knew she was in trouble now.
As she sat down at the table, her mother's eyes bore into hers. "It was you, wasn't it?" she asked, her voice low and even.
Fhiona tried to defend herself, but she knew she was guilty. She had gone out the night before, despite her mother's warnings, and she had encountered the vampire by accident.
Her mother listened to her explanation, her expression unreadable. When Fhiona finished, her mother took a deep breath. "We're moving tomorrow night," she announced.
Fhiona was shocked. "But Mommy, no one saw me!" she protested. She knew that her mother was trying to protect her, but she couldn't help feeling trapped.
Her mother's decision was final. "We have to be careful, Fhiona. They must have sensed you." Fhiona knew that her mother was talking about the half-blooded vampires. They had always been a threat, lurking in the shadows and waiting to strike.
“I know I am not your real mother, but I want to protect you from those thirsty creatures…”
As Fhiona went to bed that night, she couldn't shake off her feeling of unease. She knew that she was different, that she had abilities that others didn't, and that her mother was trying to protect her. But she couldn't help feeling trapped, like she was living in a prison of her own making.
The next morning, Fhiona woke up to an empty house. Her mother and younger brother Louis were already gone, likely dropping Louis off at school. Fhiona took a moment to look around the house, feeling a pang of sadness. She hated leaving places she had grown attached to, and this house was no exception.
As she walked into the kitchen, she couldn't help but think about the conversation she had with her mother the night before. "I know I am not your real mother, but I want to protect you from those thirsty creatures..."
The words echoed in her mind, and Fhiona couldn't help but wonder about her real parents. She had no memories of them, and her mother had always been tight-lipped about her past.
Fhiona shook off the thoughts and decided to focus on the task at hand. She needed to get to the store and help with the day's work.
The sun was shining brightly as she walked to the store, casting a warm glow over the streets. She felt a sense of normalcy wash over her, a feeling that was becoming increasingly rare in her life. As she worked, Fhiona's mind began to wander back to the events of the previous night. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, that something was waiting for her just out of sight.
Her mother had already told her that they would be moving later, and Fhiona had a feeling that this time it would be for good. They would leave behind everything familiar, everything comfortable, and start anew. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. Hours passed quickly, and before Fhiona knew it, the sun was setting.
She received a call from her mother, reminding her to come home by 8 p.m. Fhiona sighed, feeling a sense of resignation wash over her. She knew that her mother would never change her mind and that they would be moving again for real. The weight of it settled heavily on her shoulders.
"Where will we move to now?" Fhiona whispered to herself, her voice laced with a mix of frustration and resignation. "I am sure it's bound to be far from here...again." Her eyes wandered, lost in thought. "Will there be vampires there too? Sometimes I wonder why I need to hide from my own kind..."
As she was looking all over the store, a tall, imposing figure walked in. He had piercing eyes and a tattoo of a moon under his ear. Fhiona felt a shiver run down her spine as he approached her. "Leave now," he said, his voice low and urgent. "They're coming. Didn't you receive the warning from your mother?"
Fhiona was taken aback by the stranger's words, but before she could respond, two police officers walked into the store. They seemed to ignore the stranger and approached Fhiona instead. "Good evening, are you Fhiona Smith? We need to ask you some questions..."
Fhiona tried to deny her identity, but the officers were insistent. One grabbed her arm, revealing his fangs. A stranger intervened, attacking the officers.
Fhiona watched in horror as he ripped out an officer's heart. "She's not the one you're looking for," he said with malice. Fhiona was frozen in shock. The stranger's words echoed in her mind:
"There's no safe place anymore. They're everywhere..." His piercing eyes locked onto hers, and Fhiona felt a shiver run down her spine.
What did he want from her?
- Writer
